The Sun.
London, England, 1828-06-02 00:00:00

MONTHLY MAGAZINE.

This is a judicious, intelligent, and pleasantly va-
ried number, just sufficiently spiced with information
to give it value, yet not so much so as to throw over
it an air of heaviness or pedantry. It is a welcome
mean between instruction and entertainment. The
first article, entitled " The Court of Chancery," is
a sound practical-analysis of Mr. Parke's elaborate
volume on that subject. It details the history of
the Court frem the earliest recorded periods ; tracks
it through its various changes adapted to the im-
proved intelligence of the times, comments on its
defects, and concludes with the following remark, for
the exact truth of which we can vouch

It is a fact which no sophistry can gainsay, that the most
comprehensive, rapid, and efficient reforms of the law
which have .ec.er been acComplished, or even attempted,
throughout the whole of English history, Were the results
of committees, not of mere lawyers, but in which a very
large proportion were laymen, who chose to investigate for
themselves, and in which the frequent recurrence of Gene-
rals, Colonel", and Majors, would lead us to suspect that the
old maxim of " cedunt arina toga" was reversed for
" cedunt toga arinis."—:•lf the framers of Parliamentary
Committees are in earnest in their exertions, the hint
mighi, not be thrown away on them.
_ " Meditations on Mountains" possesses consider-
able spirit and truth of description. It reminds us
" as with a difference" of Professor Wilson's ad-
'mirable series of landscape sketches inserted some
months since in Blackwood. In its imaginative
Character, however, it is far very far inferior. The
author is a man of keen and cultivated powers of ob.:
servation, leaning rather to the useful than the or.
namental in description. He paints vigorously but
not poetically. We give the following as ajust and
vigorous sketch, drawn evidently from life; the au-
thor seems to have had in his ear the admirable
II
e-view of Selby's Ornithology :--
As youcome nearer to the rocks, the ground becomes a
little more grassy ; and you perceive a black thing near
you, which appears to be animated. You go toward it,
and it hops about'as if lame, yet bounding with great
strength; and, at the distance of many yards, you can see
the gloss of its keen black eye, and the size and point Of.
its 'formidable bill. " Curcq, Curcq, curcq !" hollow as
ever enchanter muttered 'a spell, and dismal as is the Voice
of' the doomster, when the jury, without retiring, have said
," guilty !" and hope there is none-" Curcq, curcq,
cicrcq !" It is the mountain-raven, cowardly to, strength
a match for his own, but voracious, cruel, and savage, and
sparing nothing over which he has power.' To grouse, and
Alpine hares, and. lambs, and sheep when they are lame,
lie is snore formidable than the eagle, becatise more treache-
rous. The eagle sails aloft in the open day—leans in the
air against the sun, and sends down his shadow as a de-
claration of war ; and, if he fails in his " stoop," he de-
grades not his royalty by stratagem and bush-fighting.—
But this dark-grey ruffian, with his hollow and sepulchral
" curcq," steals upon his victims unawares, and, if pos-
sible, when they are asleep—darts first at one eye, and then
at another—drives that strong, sharp, and leaden-coloured
beak right through the centre of the ball—and, while they
are in darkness and in agony, digs into their vitals. Even
if you were to slumber near his haunt, your bones would
bleach in the wilderness, if he should steal upon you with
a "second thrust of the beak. The villain understands
anatomy; too ; for, in the case of the smaller animals, one
thrust can divide -the vessels of the neck, with more rapi-
dity,. and equal certainty, than if the deed were done by a
butcher. The very sight of the raven convinces you that
there is no good in him ; and, as he hops about, as if lame
and in pain, you give him chase, thinking to rid the world
of one black villain: But he disappoints you, at the very
rimment"that you think yourself sure of him—bids you
defiance in his " curcq, curcq, curcq !" and Hies on strew,
wing to the loftiest and most inaccessible deft of the rock.'
" Mexico and Mexican Illustrations" is a review
that does justice to Mr. Ward's able volumes on the
subject..

" Catholic Resolutions ;the Treaty of Limerick,"
is in bad taste. Mr. Peel, some time since in the
Nouse of Commons, promised that as the country
was fairly sick of the subject, lie would never Men-
tion it again. The i'riter of the present essay
should have done the same.
Before we close our noticeof this nember, it is
but right that we bear our testimony to the talented
manner in which the minor reviews.at the crud--as
also the notices ef the " Fine Arts," are executed..
They would do honour to, any. pen..