The Sun.
London, England, 1845-07-10 00:00:00

LITERAT URE.
A GLANCE of BELGIUM and Me RHINE. Byl

Thomas L'amsay, Esq.
There perhaps. no part of the Continent about
rhich.roore ha. bee(' written than that which is the sub-
ject ()I the work before us : yet, in justice to the author,
we ruu-t completely acquit him ef having put forth what
is either stale or superfluous. Mr. Ratnsay's " Glance"
has presented many new points of beauty and interest,
which could scarcely he observed by the aid of any mere
guide-book. We shall best explain the distinctive features
of this work and guide-book by comparing thelatter to an
ordinary map—the former to a bird's eye view—the one '
may be accurate and useful, but the other is, in addition,
striking and picturesque. The guide-book, with tabular
precision, fixes your route—tells you what, when, where,
an] how you may see, and eat, or sleep, to the best
advantage ; but our author gives you truthful
tableaux of himself and his party of friends at all the
ever- varying positions into which such a group can he
thrown ; and whether we have them in the "solemn
temples" of religion, the rich galleries of art at Antwerp,
the vagaries of the royal inauguration fete at Brussels,
"on an empire's dust" at Waterloo, among the musty
relics at Aix-la. Chapelle and Cologne, whirling by the
Belgian railroad, or treading the deck of the Rhine
steamer, climbing Ehrenbreitstein, or strolling on the
margin of the " blue Moselle," we must say that they
seem to have been a most enviable set of happy fellows,
and our author the very pink of ciceroni, save and except,
perhaps, when he runs away from them in order to reach
the summit of Ehrenbreitstein, which he saw they would
not attempt under a broiling sun.
We ceri airily do not approve of all the writer's senti-
ments, particularly as respects religion and church
matters. Mr. Ramsay does not conceal that he is a high
churchman and something more. Anglo-Catholicism is
the key-note upon which all the moral of his book seems
to :urn, and he takes frequ2nt occasion to bring in well-
'riled remarks upon the forms of the Anglican, as con-
asted with those of the Roman Church. He says of
:visit to Lntwerp Cathedral on a week day :
" Ear:y morn though it was, not only did we find the
tloors of the cathedral open, but its aisles crowded with
worshippers. Two or three priests were of in
the chapels ; but it was far more solemn and impressive
to behold the groups of people, of all ranks and condi-
tions. young and old, rich and poor, one with another,'
all mingled together in acts of devotion. No pews, no
fixed seats of any kind encumbered the vast expanse of
aisle. Low chairs there were in countless piles, ready
to be brought out when required ; and there is a useful
contrivance upon them, by which they can conveniently
be appropriated either to kneeling or sitting, though the
:ormu r was the use to which we saw them mainly de-
voted.

The place is holy to the breath
Of awful harmonics, of whispered' prayers.'
And with great prepriety the accommodations are
strictly in accordance with it all. The people were
neatly on their knees, in silent prayer; and many a
d. ep•drawn sigh we heard, the emission, we would fain
hare persuaded curselve, of a contrite heart. Some
were standing, others seated here and there, apparently
in serious meditation. All wore the appearance of deep
so'emni.y, as though the sanctity of God's more imme-
diate pre ence did indeed
• Brood with a voiceless influence on the air;
Stern, yet serene ;—a reconciling spell.
Each troubled billow of the soul to quell.' "
So much for Remae.Catholieism at Antwerp. Of
Anelu-Catholicism at Brussels, Mr. Ramsay says—
" 1 here are two Ferglish P. otestant, or, we would rather
Anglo-Catholic chapels, at Brussels ; one of them,
si• timed near the Palace, is attended by King Leopold
wh.n he is in his capital. There being a great many
lieglish residents in Brussels, both these chapels, we
learited, were well filed on Sundays; but they are closed
e'd the week. er nearly so, whilst the Roman Catholic
churehes are n t:ay by day. And cer asav, in this
rest) ct, the contrast is anything but favourable, either
in %%hat is real or appar, nt, to the English Protestant
system. Uur Protestartism, in fact, wherever it shows
it ell on the Continent, is by this very contrast made all
the more cold and repulsive. That there is religious
pcace in Brussels, if not religion, concord, we saw much
to asinre 115. The great bulk of the people are of what
is vet trtily the Established' Church—that is, the Church
of Forme ; and everything we saw convinced us that
they are d..votolly ethehed to their church."
Taese extracts are sufficient to show the leaning of
the work. Its principles cannot be readily adopted by
the general r. ; but they are asserted with so much
sinee rity, cansistency, and good taste, that even those who
hold opposite views cannat take offence. When Mr.
Ramsay gets into Germany, he seizes the opportunity
of viewing the Anglican Church in another light—con-
trasted with Lutheranism, Calvinism, and Rationalism.
He mikes the most of the la cent exhibition of the
Holy Tunic at Troves, of the consequent secession of
John Rouge, a priest in Silesia, from the Romish com-
munion, and his exertions in forming a German Catholic
Church. But we cannot folLw this portion of the book
fa: ther; nor would we wish, indeed, to convey the idea
that its pages are surcharged with such grave and weighty
matters; they form, as we have raid, the key-note of
the work ; but many intermetliate passages run into the
merriest ategro, while the general style is so unaffected
and easy, that the author is soon claimed by the reader
as an agreeable acquaintance, and carries him along with
bon right heartily, wheth. r the places traversed inspire
the meditative or the mirthful mood. Take, for instance,
lire " sloriing at Cotdentz," than which, he tells us, "a
lovelier never smiled upon the favoured Rhine, than
that whieh revelled o'er its majestic stream and banks"
upon that occasion.
So, then, meihought, when rising to resume the
march of life, here is moraing at Cohlentz ! I do, in-
deed. breathe the air wafted from the wedded waters of
the Rhine and Moselle ! What magic has there ever
ben to me its tl:e names of these rivers ! The one
embodying all that is stic and grand—the other all
that is g.. rata and lovely ! flow, when my school ac-
wintance with Caesar de bello Gallic°, told me of the
Roman login on the banks of the Rhine, has the inspir-
ing hope arisen that I might one day behold the river
which rolled b fore the mighty conqueror of the world
Tins was my first association of the Rhine. The Rhine
and 'man• e•er met in my mind. Later years have
ad led the softer tints of legend, poetry, arid romance.
German diablerie and Eneltsh poesy have each added
ehirms to the picture. The confluence of the Rhine
and he M, Nee has long been a fairy spot in my imagirra-
tien, and here am I about to realise the wish of years."
Here, then, eee conclude our notice of a book, which
we are sure will meet with many readers and admirers,
especially allCl,teg those who are abi,ut to "order their
wings" for a flight to Belcium and the Rhine during
the; tempting weather. The traveller will find this
volume both interes,ine and useful.

GENERAL ORDERS and RULES of the HIGH
CUUUT of CHANCERY, i,stied by the LORD
HIGH CHANCELLOR, Bth Mly, 1845, with N,tes
end [ilex, by Georg, S. Allnutt, Esq., of the Middle
Temple, airris er at Law.
The above ,:rd,rs route into operation on the 28th of
Otr,!)ber next ; cunt qut-utly a well-arrange d edition of
theta is absolutely r. (visite for both branches of the
prWes,ion. Mr. Minutes work posseses so many ad-
v g•,.9, that we cmnot re'rain from recommemling it,
to the attention of those for whose b,.nefit it has been
d ; aud we can con.,.e“-ntouily sly that, in
the
hurry of nu,iness, this little work, from its size, price,
well-arranged, copious, and accura'e index, and the
clear, eonci,e, and explanatory which are attached
to it, will be found pe;:tiliarly valuable, and answer the
purpose of the practitioner far better than a more elabo-
rate edition.