The Sun.
London, England, 1844-09-02 00:00:00

NEW MONTHLY MAGAZINE.

We have here another record of " Conversations
with the late Mr. Beckford," but the record is of

little public interest, consisting chiefly of slight,
sketchy criticisms on the Fine Arts, remarkable
neither for vigour nor ingenuity. The author of
" Vathek" scarcely deserved the literary celebrity he
acquired, and which continued unimpaired up to the
close of his long life ; for, though clever and accom-
plished—as hundreds of English gentlemen are of
whom we hear nothing--he was decidedly not a man
of genius, and his far-famed Arabian romance is
chiefly worthy of note from the early age at which it
was written. It exhibits the fancy and animal spirits
of boyhood, but is common-place in point of construc-
tion, feeble in the delineation of character, and in its
descriptions evinces more of exaggeration than of
graphic energy. Moreover, it is too much an echo of
the Arabian Nights, and its incidents are constantly
reminding us of the marvels related by that queen
of story-tellers, the Princess Scheherazade. The
"Miners" is a narrative of deep tragic interest, and
illustrates the injurious and demoralising tendency of
the old combination laws. Its chief defect is that the
characters are all of a repulsive order; the heroine, in
particular—the deliberate assassin of her husband—is
a personage with whose sufferings it is impossible to
sympathise. In the " Robertses on their Travels,"
we find one or two animated scenes, touched off with
Mrs. Trollope's usual breadth and coarseness. "Lights
and Shades" are the recollections of a veteran officer
on half-pay. They are replete with bustle and
variety, but are by no means scrupulous in their
adherence to probability. " Confessions of an Italian
Innkeeper," though professing to be founded on fact,
have, we suspect, much more to do with romance
than reality. Many of the incidents refer to the ex-
ploits of the brigands of the Abruzzi—a trite theme,
which has long since lost the gloss of novelty.
" Social Piracy" is a lively satirical narrative, in
which the lash is deservedly applied to that very nu-
merous class of individuals who arc constantly spung-
ing on their friends for dinners, invitations, dce., and,
in fact, prey on them with the voracity of sharks.
These human leeches may be found in all great towns
and cities, and are the pests of the social circle in
which they move. The " Non missura cutem nisi
plena cruoris hirudo," of which Horace speaks, is an
exact description of their character. " Society for
the Encouragement of Hearts" is a graceful little
essay, penned in a kindly and catholic spirit, and in
the- fanciful tone of its speculations not unlike Sir
Thomas Browne. We have been much pleased with
the following remark :—" There is no crevice so nar-
row that good will not ooze through it, and gather and
augment slowly, until it can force its way by degrees,
and flow in a full broad stream. Once set good
going, and who can say where it will stop." From
the "Reminiscences of the late King of Sweden"—
one of the best of those numerous military adven-
turers who issued out of the school of the Revolution

—we quote an entertaining anecdote or two :
" Bernadotte's way of living was extremely simple. To
his established habit of temperance he owed the astonish-
ing conservation of his person and his robust health.
Very often, indeed generally, he passed great part of the
forenoon in bed, where, however, from eight o'clock, he
gave audience and transacted business. About two, he
generally rode out in fine weather, and frequently re-
paired to his favourite retreat, the elegant little palace
of Rosendal, built by himself in the park, and tastefully
fitted up and furnished, where he sometimes dined. He
rarely visited the table of the Queen, who regularly
dined with the gentlemen and ladies in attendance on her.
In general, the King dined in company with only two or
three men, courtiers of distinction, high officers of state,
scholars, foreigners, and other interesting persons, with
whom he wished to converse. He seldom went to the
theatre, chiefly because ho was not sufficiently conversant
with the Swedish language. The last hours of the day
he spent either in writing, or in the family circle.
" With pleasure and with just pride, the thoughts of
Charles John dwelt upon his earlier career, and he fre-
quently spoke with fondness of the time when he held the
very lowest military rank. ' Lorsque j'etais sergeant,' or
A cette 6poque je venais d'etre nomme officier '—were
expressions which I have often heard him use. He had
an astonishing memory for old comrades and acquain-
tance, and when I was first introduced to him, I had to
give him all the information I could concerning a great
number of his old companions in arms. On many of
them, who fell into distress, he conferred substantial fa-',
yours, but he adopted the prudent resolution, not to per-
mit any of them to come to Sweden. On this point he
has been so consistent that he had about him but a single
Frenchman, his foster-brother, General Camps, and that