The Sun.
London, England, 1826-08-31 00:00:00

THURSDAY EVENING, AUGUST 31, 1826.

mention of which is replete with jovial associations. But
unfortunately this little book, though,diversified in.point
of style—and a true representative besides of the old
periodicals—is, but too deficient in humour. Only
conceive, a party of young fellows with rich intellects
and high animal spirits (as their publication proves
them to possess) setting out in their first 'chapter with
an acknowledgment, " that none of their club exceed
two glasses, and that few take more than one."—
Heavens, what a confession ! We ourselves are no
tipplers, but would be bound every night of our lives
to discuss at least four tumblers of good whisky punch,
and feel all the better for it in point of intellect. In-
deed, we hold it as a sound moral axiom that no. one
can do much in the way of literature who hold's a
cheering glass in abomination, It VMS this spirit
that enabled Blackstone, (see his own confession) to
conclude his. commentaries ; that gave. us Rabelais's
immortal " Voyage to the Holy Bottle ;" and above
all, enriched us with a Folstajfiuld a Dalgetty. In-
dependently of this distressing failure, " the Club" has
every claim on public attention. Its chief charac-
teristics appear to be a sound moral sense, united with
a vigorous judgment ; it professes to give few sketches
from life, but those few are good, and make us wish
for more, particularly the &Bowing of a widower,
which we extract for the annisementof our Readers :
" Our friend the widower is particularly fund of sailing, and,
if he had an opporttinity, would, it is believed, spend all his days
upon the water. Referring to his favourite amusement, he often
regrets that Manchester is not a sea-port. When he goes to Liver-
pool, on business, which he sometimes has occasion to do, be
usually delays his return rather longer thin is necessary, in order
to pass some time upon the Channel; and another member, who
accompanied him thither in autumn, assures us, that as soon as
they reached the sea-side our friend wasgreeted as an old customer
by most of the boatmen.

" A boat is, in our friend's opinion, the finest place in the world
for study. He often tells us, that if fortune smile upon him, and
he becrnne independent in his pecuniary affairs, be will have in his
garden a large pond, upon which there shall be a pleasure-boat,
with a canopy over it, like the canopies of the Algerine vessels,
which be saw in the panorama of the bombardment of Algiers.
" He sometimes takes a walk in an afternoon to Barton, merely
for the purpose of sailing back in the packet. Being a man of a
lively and sociable disposition, and one who soon forms an acquaint.
mice among strangers, be has often something to tell us respect •
ing the conversations which take place on these occasions."

The subjoined remarks on reviewing, will bear us
out in our opinion that the Essays of the Club"
are distinguished by a mild unprejudiced arid clear
judgment :
" A good review is certainly an interesting, and, in some cases,
a useful production. It has a tendency to improve the taste of
general reader., and to enable them to estimate truly the beauties
and blemishes of our beet authors. It gives a reader a tolerably
good idea of the work under examination, and enables him not
only to determine whether it is deserving of perusal, but also to
know, beforehand, which passages in it require his most particu-
lar attention. In no country has the art of reviewing, which is
now so much abused, been carried to greater perfection than in
our own. The critical essays of Addison and Johnson, not to
mention others, are certainly some of the finest specimens ever
produced, of this species of writing.
m As we entertain a very favourable opinion of the art of cri-
ticism, we have witnessed, with sorrow, its frequent prostitution
and debasement. We shall not generally find in our periodical
Reviews, a just and able estimate of a new publication. The
periodical works of the present 'day are, most of them, mere vv.
hides for the promulgation of party principle.; and hence, we
need only be acquainted with an author's religious or political
tenets in order to know whether he will be extolled or depreciated
in a particular review. How rarely, fur example, does the Edin-
burgh Review bestow commendation on an advocate of the Mi-
nistry, or the Quarterly do justice to the works of an opposition
writer! When did the Monthly Magazine find any thing to ad-
mire'in the productions of an evangelical divine, or the Methodist
Magazine in those of a freethinker? Many of our periodical
reviewers are the mere instruments of party. They make a trade
of the art, and eulogize or defame an author, not so much accord-
ing to the dictates of their own judgment as the direction of their
employers. Of these perso;is it may literally be said, that they
exist by the destruction of other people's reputation."

In concluding this rambling sketch, we would ad-
vise the contributors to the " Club" to put a little
more spirit and less exhortation into their periodical.
There is plenty of good sense abroad in the world,
and though this be an essential, it is certainly not the
sole desideratum in literature. Let them then, as
their judgment seems sufficiently matured, draw a
little upon their fancy, and the result (quickened by, a
few tumblers of divine Glasgow punch) will be a work
destined to endure, when the writers themselves shall
have long since passed away and been forgotten.

A CHOICE.--The actors tell a great many odd
stories of a late provincial manager. Among others.
we have heard the following anecdote attributed tti
him :—He was one night playing Sir Anthony
Absolute in The Rivals, at a sea port, when, in the
middle of the quarrel scene with Caeain Absolute,
he espied a sailor in the gallery, enjoying himself with
the fume of sublime tobacco. The manager, wholly
forgetful of Sheridan, walked to the foot-lights, " with
head erect" and outstretched arm, exclaiming—‘,
My
fine fellow, one of you must go out ; either you or
your pipe—settie it between you." The honest tar,
taking the hint, extinguished his pipe, and the manager
was again Sir Anthony Absolute.
CHARACTER OF DR. PARR BY HIMSELF.—
From my youth upward to the, present moment, I
never deserted a private friend, nor violated a public
principle—l have been the slave of no patron and the
drudge of no party—l formed my political opinions
without the smallest regard, and have acted upon them
with an utter disregard to personal emoluments and
professional honours—for many, and the best years of
existence, I endured very irksome toil, and " suffered"
very galling "
need,"—measuring my resources by my
wants, I mow SO . " abound " as to unite a competent
income with an independent spirit—and, above all,
looking back to this life, and onward to another, I
possess that inward " peace of mind, which the world
can neither give nor take away. Character of thc.
late Charles James Fox, p. 307.

verysbu•
riacveibanerniewritoorpriesorzerio,
cganotr
Philip
thel and death
loiorrut:
of the Royal Navy, who was found hanging on Saturday morn-
ing to Ids bed-post in his room, at Dover, quits dead. Am In-
quest was held on the body at the Druid's Read, before John
Finnis, P.N. Mayor and Coroner, and on the examination of se-
veral highly respectable persons who knew him, and had witnessed
for some time put the' delusions. under which he was labouring,
particularly Mr. Chalk, who had been his medical attendant, the
Jury without the slightest hesitation returned a verdict of In-
sanity. The deceased bad received a very severe wound before
Copenhagen, in the action under Lord Nelson, in 1801, and an-
other in that under Lord Exmouth, before Algiers; and was for
the courage and bravery he displayed in the last action, advanced
to the rank of- Commander •he was highly respected, and his
death is much regretted. Gantt,

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