The Sun.
London, England, 1842-09-01 00:00:00

_DUBLIN UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE.

In some remarks on the "Income-tax and the New
Tariff," a lame attempt is made to defend the
former inquisitorial impost, which is described as
being remarkable for its just and equable character.
It required a great deal of intrepid effrontery in a
writer to praise the justness of a tax whose inequali-

ties are obvious to every one, and were frequently
pointed out in Parliament; but your Tory partizan
is seldom encumbered with diffidence, and as seldom
scrupulous in his statements. The Income •tax is as
unjust as it is unintelligible ; indeed, so obscure
and perplexing is it in its details, that the daily
journals are filled with advertisements of men offering
themselves—for a due pecuniary consideration—as
interpreters, so that hundreds, possibly thousands,
will have to pay, not only the tax, but the dragoman
also ! In " Jack Hinton, the Life-Guardsman," Mr.
Lever, the author, gives a very spirited account of a
party being overtaken by a high tide "on the west
coast of Ireland, and escaping the danger not
without considerable difficulty. The incident will
remind. the reader of a similar sketch in Sir W.
Scott's best tale, the " Antiquary." The " Gallery
of Illustrious Irishmen" contains a biographical me-
moir of Barry the painter, who, after having for years
been greatly overrated as an artist, has at length at-
tained his just level in public estimation. If he be
now remembered, it is not by his absurd drawings in
the Society of Arts, but by his connexion with Burke
—his most generous and influential patron. In the
notice of " I3oaden's Life of Gregory the Seventh"
occurs a judicious portrait of this celebrated Pontiff,
who, during a great portion of his troublous career,
kept Europe in the condition of a vassal, and sacri-
ficed health, peace of mind, justice, and even common
sense itself, to his insatiable ambition. With the
single exception of Napoleon, we consider this Pope
as the most ambitious man of whom the modern world
can boast. His life has been often written, but it has
yet to be written in an impartial and philosophic
spirit. • " St Sinan's Warning" is an Irish legend, told
with much vivacity. "A Narrative of the Affghanis-
tan War" is from the pen of the late Col. Dennie, who
was himself an actor in the stormy scenes he describes.
The Narrative hears every appearance of the strictest
accuracy, " Levawn's Eye" is a humourous poem of
the Ingoldsby school. The " Dream-Tryst" is grace-
fully versified. We subjoin the opening stanzas
We meet in dreams ! to-night thou shalt be mine,

Mine, and mine deeply, wheresoe'r thou art !
Aline in that shadowy world, the phantom-shrine
Where Fancy bowers the idols of the Heart.

Through the dim air, blank midnight's pathless waste,
O'er haunted wood, wild dell, and dashing stream,
My Spirit, summons thee, I bid thee haste,
Come to me, Lady ! meet me in my Dream !
Ah, there each timid hope, too fond for Day,
In deepening colours flushed, shall learn to glow ;
There those soft eyes shall shed a softer ray,
Than waking eyes have seen, or dare bestow !

There nought can come to sadden or to chill,
Each untold wish still known and still forgiven ;
There every lovely tint is lovelier still,
And all of Earth'in thee refines to Heaven
Skies even of hue more cloudless shall be there

Than charm those climes where first my spirit found thee,
The mute enchantment of Italian air,
And all Heaven's softest sounds shall float around thee.
But these are words of weakness ! Earth hath nought
In its least earthly forms so pure and deep,
As fills that gorgeous inner world where Thought
Builds her own phantom Paradise of Sleep,
Immortal longings not even yet subdued,
Though hushed by day, at such dim hours half free,
And struggling in their chained infinitude,
Lisp the strange music of Eternity !

The broken echoes of celestial songs,
Caught from the heaven immortals should inherit,
And hispering still the glory that belongs
To that lust homeland of the exiled Spirit !

Splendours confused, in glory glory hid,
Cities of sunset clouds and shadowy gleaths,
All that our dead material bonds forbid,
Meet in the living Poetry of Dreams.

FRASER' S MAGAZINE,

The political tone of Fraser is this month unusually
bitter and intemperate. In the very first article, on
The First Session of Sir Robert Peds'Parliament,"
the writer fires a tremendous broadside at the Whigs,
accusing them of all sorts of meannesses and incon-
sistencies, and putting them in direct and artful con-
trast with the Tories, who, of course, are represented
as so many spotless angels of light. Despite its vehe-
mence, the diatribe is ludicrous—in fact, is a mere
political extravaganza, like some of the more ferocious
speeches of the Hon. and Gallant Member for Lin
coin. Not the least amusing feature in it, is the cir-
cumstance that the writer attributes to Sir R. Peel
the salvation of the country ; and yet in his postscript
he is compelled to acknowledge—alluding to the re-
cent alarming riots in the north—that this same
country is just as far removed from salvation as ever
it was, even under the sway of the Whigs l " Wilkie
and his Works" is evidently the production of one
who lived in habits of intimacy with the great artist,
and who says of him, that " with all his love of
study, he was fond of a frolic, or what he was wont
to call high finks. He was also fond of dancing,
whether at civic parties, •or at quiet Kensington par-
ties. his mind was naturally playful, - Ile, had no
sombre seriousness of character. He never made an
enemy ; it would perhaps be saying too ,much to as-
sert that he never deserved one. HOs'iNfl3 the most
cautious of all human beings--the most- unwillin to
wound the sensitive nature of another ; and one of
the most reserved of creation." There is, we think,
some little inconsistency in this portrait—at least,
we cannot understand ;tow, a naturally " playful "
man, could also have been an excessively " re-
served" one. Wilkie might have been either one
or the other, but ha could scarcely have been both, for
playfulness is incompatible with reServe.;" Excursion
to Port Arthur " is an account of a visit Paid recently
by the writer to this thriving Australasian colony, in
the course of which visit he had the honimr of an in-
terview with the celebrated Chartist leader, Frost,
who, it appears, was by no means enamoured of the
beauties of the country, but was exceedingly anxious
to get back to England, notwithstanding Govern-
ment's refusal to recognise the five points of the Char-
ter. " Neglected French Poets" is a lengthy criticism
on some of the principal works of Du liartas. The
extracts quoted by the Reviewer are in no respect re-
markable for excellence, whether of thought or ex-
pression; but France has produced few original poets;
there is not sentiment enough in the national character
to foster their growth. We should rather say, was not
sentiment enough, for there can be no question that
the first great Revolution has produced an extraordi-
nary change in the French mind, giving it a far deeper
and more impressive tone than it ever had during the
long sway of Absolutism. In "My Life and Times,"
Nimrod—Mr. Apperley—makes some observations on
public school, which he says, and there is no ques-
tioning the fact, are infinitely better for the purposes
of education than private academies, where the spirit
of emulation cannot be so surely and strongly ex-
cited. -The chief defect in all our leading public
schools is the absurd pedantry that insists on
considering Latin and Greek as superior to every
other branch of study. Perhaps there is no
knowledge so utterly useless, in proportion to the
time wasted on it, or that so disqualifies a man for
active intercourse with the world, provided he is not
born to a fortune, but has his own way to make. In
"Hoaxing Histories" we have the following sketch of
the late James Smith—a well-known wit about town,
and one of the authors of the "Rejected Addresses:'
James Smith was a happy mixture of gravity and
le%ity. As Solicitor to the Ordnance, his morning passed
in strict attention to business ; but as the Ordnance did
not require his evening superintendence, it was at that
period that he fired away his jokes, let off his puns,
wholesale, old or new, and exploded in song.
He had an ingenious method on launching a new
story or jest; he could not endure to hazard a failure as
hts own ; so he would commence his essay thus, "My
brother Horace, the other day, said," then came the
story. If it was victimised (which was very rare), it
fell on the well-earned and fully-established reputation
of brother Horace. If the joke was successful on its
debut, it afterwards became the undivided property of
brother James.

He made use of another device, which completely an-
swerertWo purposes. He would very amiably ingra-
tiate himself with the junior branches of the families he
visited, and first try the joke or song with them.
The prime point was certain to be gained—a sure
laugh ; the secondary view was, that the mammas and
papas were always flattered that so pleasant and gentle-
manly a person should condescend to notice their
children. A brother author having several times ob=
served this, remarked to Mr. Smith, " That he pursued
a very cautious course, and produced all his pieces at the
minor theatres, where there was little chance of con-.
dein na don."

Who does not recollect his tall, well-built figure (much
resembling that of the Emperor Alexander of Russia),
mounted on a grey horse, wending from the neighbour-
hood of Austin-friars to the West- end ? But have they
ever noticed (every one will recollect it, now it is
pointed out), that atter the grey charger has been drawn
up to the side of the pavement, a brief friendly chat has
ensued, accompanied by the bland smile of the cavalier,
and exit on a joke ? On which a sharp clicking of the
horse's hinder legs is heard. From whence does this
proceed ?
James Smith was perfectly aware that when a gentle-
man on horseback pal is with a friend, and rides in a
contrary direction, that the pedestrian friend, it cannot
be reasoned why, naturally turns his head and has
another look at the cavalier. Conscious of this, although
Smith was a humane man, he always dug the rowels of
his spurs into the fat sides of kis white steed ; and, hold-
ing himself quite erect, his charger also made a good exit
curveting and whisking his tail about in all directions.
This was momentary ; for so large an acquaintance
had Smith, that immediately the horse was again at the
corner of a street, when the same gracious smile was re-
peated, and probably the same joke ; but most certainly
the same tickle with the spur, and the subsequent pran-
cing on taking leave.
Smith looked well as an equestrian, he might have
been taken for a captain of the " City Light Horse" in its
best day ; and we remember that as a crack volunteer
regiment, albeit unlike other dragoons, some of these
warriors rode in spectacles.• To be- sure the troops of
of Messieurs Ducrow and Batty do the same.

Prince Waseniskey and suite arrived, here yester-
day from Ostend, by the steam-ship Bruges,. Captain
Main. The passage to the St. Katherine's-wharf, Tower.
was effected in 12i hours, t. •