The Sun.
London, England, 1845-05-30 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

LEAVES FROM A JOURNAL, AND OTHER
FRAGMENTS 1N VERSE. By Lord Robertson,
one of the Judges of the Cowl of Session. 1845.
This little volume was first printed for private cir-
culation amongst the friends of the distinguished
author. The approbation expressed of it by judges of
high eminence in the literary world has induced him
to give it to the public, and for more reasons than one
the public should be thankful. First, its intrinsic
merits are great; and, secondly, it is delightful to
find the profound lawyer, the brilliant orator, and the
laborious judge, enjoying his first free vacation with
all the buoyant spirit of the enthusiastic classical
student just released from his University, and finding
himself for the first time on the sacred soil of Italy—
the land of his high dreams. " Nor (in Lord Robert-
son's own words) let it be said that the journey was
in itself idle, and the record of it—even for the grati-
fication of friends—only a piece of useless vanity. To '
give rest to the mind is not to be without thought,
any more than to sleep is to he without
dreaming. And surely to have beheld the glories of
the Splugen and the Simplon—to have seen the sun
rising from behind Vesuvius, or his golden rays glit-
tering on Venice, as he sunk behind the Alpine
heights which skirt the Adriatic—to have contem-
plated the perfection of architecture in the majesty of
St. Peter's, in the beauty of the Duomo of Milan,
or in the dark aisles of the Cathedral of Florence, and
the triumphs of art amidst the labyrinths of the Vati-
can and the Florentine Gallery—or to have wandered
by the Coliseum, stood on the Capitol with the Forum
at his feet, and every arch and pillar pregnant with
classical recollections—or, finally, to have pondered
amidst the ruins of Pompeii, yet daily disinterring—
all this was not to be in a position where waking
dreams were likely to be absent. It may be hoped
that while such images were passing before the eye,
the mind was not vacant. I, therefore, resolved to
show my friends that my holidays had not been a
blank; and I rather chose to do so in the some-
what ambitious form of what cannot, I fear, be
called poetry, and yet is not sober prose. I
took this course, because it pleased my fancy,
and I thought that truth is not less instructive al-
though presented to the eye in a garland of flowers;
any more than the vine grows less luxuriant because
gracefully festooned. lam aware that some may
think the work after all extremely trifling. I feel
that

" Oh, my strain,
Perhaps even now some cold fastidious judge
Casts a disdainful eye, and calls my toil,
And calls the love and beauty which I sing
The dream of folly.
" But from so grave a censor I must appeal to the
generous and indulgent, and claim from them a sym-
pathy in those musings which afforded me such un-
feigned delight." Without quoting specimens from
these effusions, we will content ourselves with a pas-
sage from L'Envoy, which beautifully expresses the
past and present feelings of the illustrious writer.
" The panoramic pastime o'er, slow drops
The curtain on my sated eye, and like
The rainbow in the heavens, the vision fades.
Nor say, that to my task with slothful foot
I turn, the holiday now o'er, and in
An idle schoolboy guise creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school.'—Oh, no. Over
The cheerful stream lightly my hark has sped,
Joy at the helm with fancy in the sails,
And now—laden with larger charity,
And deeper love of country—home she turns,
Casting her anchor there—to seaward bound
No more. Nor deem my wanderings idle, or
Their record vain, for one whose constant care
Deity exact deniands. The memory of
These hours, like water sprinkled from the brook
On arid ground, amidst the summer's drought,
Will fall upon my heart, freshening the soil."

COMMERCIAL STATISTICS, 6T. .51. e. Ey J
Macgregor. 3 Va.'s. London, 1844.
[SECOND NOTICB.]
In the last of his three introductory sections, namely
that on " Taxes upon Consumption," Mr. Macgregor
arrives at some pithy conclusions, which we recommend
with all the full weight of his authority to the consider-
ation of those who advocate protection to the agricul-
tural, colonial, shipping, or any other class interest.
" In accordance, therefore, with the foregoing principles,
that country which possesses average advantages from
nature, and whose population possesses the greatest
industry, ingenuity, and intelligence, will, if unfettered
from legislative restriction, become, in proportion to its
extent, resources, and advantages, the most flourishing
country in the world ; or, at least, as prosperous as any
other country with equal advantages, and legislating
upon equally liberal principles. We believe that the
United Kingdom possesses all the requisite advantages
to become that which ncthiny bit false legislation prevents,
viz.—far more independent, rich, prosperous, and power-
ful—and with the whole population far less poor, far
better employed, more fairly paid for their labour, better
sheltered, clad, and fed, and more comfortable than that
at the present time of any other country in the world.
The agriculture, the manufactures, the shipping, the
foreign and colonial trade, and the power of the United
Kingdom mightsin their present stage, be viewed as
only in their infancy, instead of being considered as
having, before now, attained manhood—if those sound
principles of fiscal and commercial legislation which we
have attempted to elucidate, but which are not new, were
boldly taken up in order to be carried out by the Im-
perial Parliament."—Vol. i. p. 9.
In a work so well arranged as this is, we do not know
that we can do better, when proposing to put our readers
in possession of some general idea of its contents, than
follow the arrangement which we find already prepared
to our hands. We therefore commence with the power-
ful empire of AUSTRIA, occupying more than 11,631
German, or 258,000 English, square miles of the surface
of Europe, and exceeding, therefore, the areas respec-
tively, of France by 45,000 square miles ; of the United
Kingdom by 138,000 ditto, and of all the Prussian
States by 141,000 ditto. Now this vast area yields, or is
capable of growing, for the Austrian nation, the products
of varied and extensive regions ; namely, corn, rice,
wine, oil, honey, wood, silk, hemp, flax, tobacco, mad-
der; all useful vegetables and delicious fruits. Also, iron,
coal, salt, and all other minerals in abundance ; and
cattle, swine, horses, and sheep. The Danube and its
other great rivers extend its inland navigation in almost
every part of the empire, with many seaports on the
Adriatic. Her States adjoin each other, her population
is generally industrious and orderly, and she is certainly
capable of becoming one of the richest and most potent
empires of the world. The " States " of which the
empire is composed are Austria (Proper), Upper and
Lower Styria, Corinthia and Carniola, the Illyrean
Coast, the Tyrol, Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia, Gallicia,
Dalmatia. And besides these, her dominions extend
over Lombardy and Venice, Hungary and Transylvania.
Of these, together with her military frontier, the total
population is 37,550,000 souls. There are 3,177 per
Austrian square mile. Nobility are a very abundant
class in Hungary. In 1837 there were not less than
259,6434 privileged noblemen, or one for every twenty
bergers or serfs. But this number has since consider-
ably increased. In Transylvania there is 1 noble for
23 not noble. In Gallicia, 1:noble for 68 not noble. In
Moravia and Silesia, 1 noble for 835 not noble.
In Lower Austria, 1 noble for 152 not noble ;
in Upper Austria, 1 noble fur 353; and in Lombardy,
1 for 342. In Venice, 1 for 280. Of wines, the
total average production in Austria is 3,200,000,000
English imperial gallons. Hungary, Dalmatia, and Bo-
hemia abound with oak, pine, firs, and other durable
timber. In Veneto-Lombardy there are annually grown
700,000, and in Pemeser 10,000 nictzen of rice. Bohemia
alone raises 20,000 centners of linseed for sowing. South
Hungary, Moravia, and Lombardy, are the countries for
the millet crop. Flax is very largely cultivated in Upper
and Lower Austria, Moravia, Bohemia, and Northern
Hungary ; hemp, of the best quality, in Hungary and
Transylvania. Hops are extensively produced in Bo-
hemia, Upper Austria, Moravia, Gallicia, and North.
ern Hungary. Tobacco in Hungary and Tran-
sylvania. In the former, alone, 250,000 to
300,000 centners annually, of which about 150,000
for home consumption, the remainder for export. Rape
and other oil seeds, mustard, sumach, madder, saffron
are largely raised, and ripen excellently. The same
may be said of such fruits as apples, pears, melons,
grapes, walnuts, chestnuts, and other nuts. It was cal-
culated that, in 1837, the number of live swine in Aus-
tria was 5,500,000, of which number there were in Hun-
gary and Transylvania, and the military frontier,
2,300,000 wild boars. Deer and goats abound in
many districts—more than 700,000 goats were enume-
rated—and in the forests and the rivers game and fish
are most abundant. In the whole empire there are every
year produced very large quantities of raw silk—in the
southern parts of the Tyrol about 320,0001b5. ; in South
Hungary, Istria, and the military frontiers, 45,9001b5. ;
in the Lombardo-Venetian kingdom, an average of
4,687,7001b5.
Under the head of Trade and Manufactures, Mr.
Macgregor enumerates the following :—The woollen
manufactures, established chiefly in Bohemia, Moravia,
and Upper Austria; coarse woollen manufactured in
most of the provinces; cotton in Bohemia and Vienna;
shawls and merinos in Lower Austria; linens in all the
provinces; metals and glass in Bohemia, Lower Austria,
&e. The following manufacturers were licensed (Hun-
gary, &c., included) in 1839 ;—manufacturers, 13,649 ;
bankers, 211 ; wholesale merchants, 1,350 ; retail
dealers and shopkeepers, 27,290 ; various trades,
707,300 ; other licensed occupations, 72,760 ; total,
822,560. Apprentices and servants licensed under the
foregoing trades, &c., amounted to 556,100. The capi-
tal employed was valued at 206,000,000 florins, and the
licence •tax (gewerbe artier) amounted to nearly 2,650,000
florins. The
.income and expenditure of Austria for
1837, were as follows:—Heads of revenue, under in-
mnne--1. Direct taxes, (48,000,000 florins)-2. Indirect,
dato, including customs, excise, tobacco, and salt mono-
polies, (81,000,000 florins) ; Crown estates, monastery
lands, mines, &c., (4,750,000 florins) ; miscellaneous
branches, (14,500,000 florina) ; extraordinary receipts,
(6,250,000 florins )
Total
The heads of charge, under expenditure,
amounted to..

17,300,000

Excess of expenditure in 1837 £1,850,000
These heads of charges were—Public Debt (67,000,000
florins). Civil List (5,500,000). Foreign Department
(1,580,000). Salaries and Expenses of the Government
Adminiatrations (3,000,000). Department of War
(50,000,000), Education and Endowed Institutions
(3,900,0000 Police (9,000,000), Contingent expenses
(2,750,000), Total-173,000,000 of florins, or 17,000,000 L
sterling. Since 1837 this revenue is understood to have
so far increased as nearly to balance the expenditure, in-
cluding any increased interest on floating or other debt. In

1837 there were in all the Austrian States 268 high schools,
16,446 local or elementary schools, and 308 national
normal ditto. Out of a population of 20.000,000 it was
found that 1,562,546 children, or about 1 in 13, were ac-
tually trained at the elementary and high schools. In
the high and classical branches of education there were,
exclusive of llungary, eight universities, with 10,200
students ; five lyceums, with 1,103 students ; 130
gymnasia, with 29,558 students. " If," says Mr.
Macgregor (p. 12), " we take Austria, Bohemia, the
Tyrol, Moravia and Styria, elementary instruction is
upon as extensive, and, we can speak from personal
knowledge, generally, upon as liberal a foundation as in
any other country of Europe." Mr. Macgregor has
reason, therefore, to remark, on the commencement of ,
this part of his statistical survey, that " Education, at
least elementary education, far from being neglected, as
has generally been asserted respecting Austria, is ge-
nerally provided, and even enforced."
The population is classed thus as to religions :—Ro-
man Catholics, 25,704,000 ; Greek Church, 6,519,000 ;
Lutherans, 1,276,000; Calvinists, 2,261,000; Unitarians,
45,000; Jew 5,667,000; Military, 465,000. We regret
to find that Hungary, with the most generally fertile
soil in Europe, is least in proportion cultivated,
has the worst roads, is therefore subject to the
heaviest expenses in transporting its produce, and
is most opposed to education and all other social
incroachmeuts, which would impose anything like
assessments or direct taxation on the Hungarian nobles
for the payment of the charges incidental to such
' ameliorations. Mr. Macgregor does ample justice to
Prince Metternich's earnest and sustained exertions to
establish amended fiscal, commercial and other insti-
tutions in the empire, despite of the enormous opposi-
tion with which that great Minister's proposals are
encountered by numberless functionaries " in the count-
less beanreux" of the empire, who are interested in the
keeping up of old errors and antiquated abuses.