The Sun.
London, England, 1811-11-14 00:00:00

BRITISH REVIEW.

VIP. VllO3 SCITOR, A reitiovicA rArnn, 1 N 3 VO LS.

Sally of our readers; we understand, were so
nivel) amused by the extracts which we recently
made from this very 'lngenious work, that we are
induced to refer to it aganw and doubt not vital they
will be entertained wit Li the following article, as it
reiates to aspeciekof cbaraaers of which many ori-
ginak are to be found in this age of Quidnuni:s and
Croakers,

4/ Nothing picaseth but rarc accidentW'
SHAKIrtARZ•

Having made an appointment a few days ago, to
meeta'friend at a, cotree.house much frequented by
able and sagacious politicians, I was, compelled for
some to listen to a ►,ory warm almcation on the pre-
sent state of the war, during which one of the dis-

putouts retired to a corner of the room, mid called
for the map. This emphatical order being obeyed

he graVely polled out his spectacles, spreid the map
on a long table, and continued examining a particu7,
lar spot far above half an hour, alter which he tri-
umphantly retuined to his companions, map in band,
pointed out the exaa spot which the regiment of
occupied when it was surprised ; and defied
ids antagonists to refute the opinions he had',.been
&advancing respecting the general condua of thebat-
tle. All this, the inspection of the map, and the
exclamations on his success, with tha silence of his
antagonists, convinced me that the genuine breed of
the Quidnuncs was not extinct ; 'and, upon inquiry,,
found that (his worthy .represrmative of the fa,
wily, like his great predecessor, had been an tip,
bolsterer : but by interfering too' much with the,
stflairs•of the Continent during the last war, had ins
jured his business so much, that he had now no
other employment than to watch the arrival of the
nartiburgh mail, and discuss its contents. And such
was his industry in matters of this kind, that a few
Mewls were glad to supply 'bini with the decent
mecessaries of life, And defray his coffee-house and
tavern expences, in consideration of his saving them
the tlmOile of remelting Gazetteers, and examining
naps, and of his occasionally .supplying theM . with
si happy conjecture or , surmise, from which *they
might derive some credit Mother places.
Curiosity is so firMly implanted in some men, that
it would be vain tclexpect it would yield to consi-
derations winch others may think, of greater mo-
ment. A man Who has an ,eager appetite for news
knows no happiness equal to the gratification of ;
and .we are not to wonder that the race' of .news-

moogitrS should ,increase, when we find the vehicles
of intelligenceHnot only Multiplied .:both in town
and country,,' but a kind of news.. introduced into
their -columns, which,.until of late years,iwas never
thought to merit public attention. It is during a war
onty, however, that'a genuine Q.ridnunecan be saki
. to live ; in peace he drags on an ancomfortable ex-
istence, 'because such has been .the charatler of our
late wars, that nothing will gratify his arVetite but
great and tretuendous events, violent revolutions,-.and
concussions of the body politic, and the rise and fall
of s hole nations.
:If the gratification, however, which Quidnunes
enjoy be anctilively \observed, it will be found to re-
solve itself, in most case 4, into the indulgence, of
mere curiosity, without, administet leg to any usefid
purpdse, and without exciting any of the feelings
which Ought to accompany the viLissitudes of war,
or the More Calm progress.of peace, The moment
it hi aseertained when a battle was finight, where it
was fought, between whom, who were: the vi4ors,
and how many wereitilled, or captured on each tide,
{he battle has done its dtity. The Quidnunc tie-
SiVCS .runts from it, and thinks no mere about it,
exCept that he has an xpeclation that one battle
May lead to another ; and that, if this has been: toe
itivigniticant to fill up conversation lot a. day, the
1144%t mail may bring intelligence better • worth talk-
. Mg about.
hOpe these gentlemen will excuse me, il I hint
'lnn there, is something very unreasonable in this
continued appetite for great'tiewkli and in the opinion'
ao, seem to have adopted, that great events ought
tohappett every day. It is true, indeed, that of late
years they have butt spoiled by too 'much indul-
ence, and the two hundred battles fought in the
course of the last war, with the luxurious additions
ru by the present, have so corrupted their taste
as to make them' lose all relish for What is simple and
natural; and-delight only in what is mysterious and'
tsion4trons; It is certain that they seem very much.
motOtird at the arrival of a barren mail, arid sevni
to *Stow. very tittle attentinscon any :engagement
sn compa6l that the numbers lost may be easilycount-
ed;and the consequences readily estimattal, Tie
impstience.toothr fresh
,news grows so very tunes
tit r tents,: Om I ant assured thiiir niurristirs against
wit.:l, and. tides AN somentnes not 43..1itt1t irnpieus ;
and that they are apt to consider an adverse wind as
tx thiritordanied merely to prevent the arrival (AA he
foreign papers; and can conceive no .consequences
of a 'storm at.sea so deplorable as the sinking of the
dispatchei.,

The misery, indeed, of this. class of men, in a
dearth of news,,(2Mlol be tia(;vecied .they are like
hulustrions artificers thrown out of employment, or
like men curntnasnh• to wot Its' without 'tools or ma-
tt!.i,tls ; and the expedients therresort. to in such
calamitous, t.icuus, atierd but little 'oftltese,
re/awls ate -111e.111041 CO(1111400, but 'reports 'require
some ingt,nuity ; and it is well known 'that the
powers of m111'431;8.1 are. greater than Atom of inten-
tion. l'ltousands can read a. battle with tolerable
propriety ; but to bring two armies to a close 'en-
gagement at the Moment it is physically itnpostible
tin ..can meet, or, ,-to describe„a ,battle between
t,onps th,:t have not yet been raised, requires ta-
lents that are not-often to be utet .with to onfree•
Louses. Persons, who live on the sea-coast, have
math, a profitable trade of sending up to town «a
continued: firing,!' or a " blaze. seen by "Ighti"
entl,a'few of our ingenious Quidnuncs have some-
t-tnes . been able. to martufaCture these into an
engagement, or a town taken by storm; •. but the
materials are so flitoy that they sel.dom lust above
and, of late,. have nut been thought worth
the cutriage.

(To be continued.)

*

46- 'U •
:Tourist w'rw,
Coosvenor's splendid seat at Lit near
ter, speaks !has of. it in a letter to a t :eind No-
tht og which I have e6-!t seen vitt at alt corn !wed
with this magnificent mansion for eleganee.and ii ir-
moil of design, and,perfettion of workina-in-dtirs.-
11 th the exterior anti itnerinr are in t! e
style, which preserved Ma,' rigidly ,n1:1 co.n, it e-
ly in every rani and Oven particle of the timid ng.
The outside, all its oriattn,Funs, is con.tritly-LI
of a. vety fine free-stone : the decorations of iltu in-
terior are extecuted in composition:.they' are in the
most highly Ornamented Gothic stile, and gi)e to
imiesciihable air of grannleur and richness 1.0 Cue
• apartments.
ma
oi,t he whirl", Irtnri !Le. har-
mony and maguiticente of all the 'pits, is peculiarly
sit iking: the entrance-hall in particular, tit silOon,
the drti wing - and dieing-rooms with their respeJtive
anti-roon
is, I should think must be -unrivalled in
this countiy, • As a mill proof of the entire (fis-
regaid of expense,' the two windows in the state
beta.-loos cost :Mar:g. The: furniture is. to
"
correspond with the marts-LAI, and is to 'be thro rgh-
put Gothic."
AN ECDOTP.,O)I PA I NtlNG.—Frederiek the Second,
Duke of, Mantua, going through Vlorence.lowards
Rome, saw over one of the doors in the palace tie
Medici, the piatrie of Leo the Tenth, between
Cardinal de Medici and the •Cardinal de Rosso) ; it
was done by Michael Angelo and Jul 6 Romano;
the Doke was rit)_struck with it, that, wl:en he canrt.
`to Rome lie heix,:d it of the Pope, who y
gave it to him, and sent it to DiLottut. Oc-
tavian, who, was a great.lover of painting, and vvJs
as unwilling as the Pope to part. with such a trea-
sure, made several delays, pretending the frame was
injured, and mast wait the making a new cite, and
by this gained time to have the Auct co;'ied by a
Florentine mister. Thu origin was never taken
out 01 its 'Ave, :Ind a n irk set by the paioter be,
hind the copy, 'which was indeed, adinirah:y ex,t-
.cuted, and not easily to be known front the origin:di
this was packed up and sent away, and, was recelv-:d
and preserved as an estimable treasure, and the
cheat never suspeaciJ even by Julio Romano him-
self, who was diet) in the service: of that price, and
every day saw the picture.
At kogtli Vesari coming to visit Julio Romano,
was nobly entertained by him, and shewed all the
Duke's, raiities : ,:after all the paintings had been
greatly admired, says Julio, my friend, the greatest
is behind 'we- have here a. Leo the Tenth, done
by Angele ; he then shewed him the picture, when
Vesari declared that it Was vet), fine, but chat it
was none of Angelo's. How says Julio Romano,
looking on ,irmore attentively, not AngeVs 'don't
persuade.. me but that I know the strokes of my
own pencil, in these parts of it which I well re-
member the stroking : to which Vesari answered,
you don't observe them clearly enough I ass are
yon they are not yours, .nor the other Angelo's;
the original pidure is now in its place; and I saw
Andrea del Sarto draw this 'copy ; behind the can-
vass you will sea his mark ..Ton it. Julio, 'turning
it about, perceived he told him, truth, and cried
Out, well,, I value it as much as Angelo's, nay,
even more, for 'tis indeed amazing. tosee.that great
master imitated so, cluSely, as that, all the world
must , be deeeived.by it ; and it is no Small merit to
give my strokerr.so closely, , that 1 hare for many
years taken them for my own. .
Di SAPPOINTED MA alit 'AGRA Nli,s C. • nineteen
years of age, who resides with, her mother at Tow-
cester, was out-asked to be married by banns, at the
parish church of that town-, to Mr. C. 0 young man
from Birmingham, about nine months since. Una
of her guardians publicly forbad the banns, in the
church, which prevented it trorn taking place. The
young t.votnati bad three other 'guardians, two of
them were also averse to the match; the fourth,
who is her Minter, was agreeable to the union
taking place, she knowing and approving' of the
young man extremely for a son.r.in.law, l)n having
been living in her house for about twelve months,
transatting sonic business for her, which: gave her
an opportunity of It•aowing his &position &e.
The,guarctions' objections were on account of .the
large property the young lady was enti led urwhen
she catue of age. Although. the marriage was. pre-
vented, the young man continued, to reside with the
mother, consequently to enjoy the' 'company of his
intended bride, both.oftliern looking forward for an
opportunity for the eeintiletion lick happiness.
Alput three. weeks: since'rin opportunity •occurred
tor, the tnnd lovers to come to Londtm, •to .accom-
pany Mr. C.'s, brother and sister. Poring the time
they were in London, suspicions atto.e in tee minds
of the inveterate guardians that they would get
married while there, and in ccinsegoence one of
t hem came to ,London for the avowed .purpose of
preventing a marriage between them, bot without
any clue to find.t hem ;•however, he took the proper
course, by employing- one ohlrose whose business
it is to ferret and find out mysterious bosioreis, and
accordingly , he employed. Adkins, the. Bow7street.
°dicer, v%ho traced,ont the parries,4o- be asked in
.Martin's Plrch. in the Reldslast 'iunday, for
the lastrtime, 'and that the matri4ge was to take
plaCe on Moutfay moroin4. at eight o'clock,, In
consennenre of tins discos‘ery, Adkins anti the
guardian went to St. Martin's church .ar an early
hour on Monday morning, and .waitedin the Clerk's
house, and sit the appointed time, Mr. 4rutiker ,
apprared to r"connoitre, when, on his observing
the guardian and Adkins, his s,tspicion :arose that
the. patties %vete detected, And :cold be Cleik he
would he back inn short tune, and inti*Vir Prvcipi- ,
tate retreat, the guardian and 19llowing
him into a court, clear he church, where tbe fated
lavers were waiting in'longing expettation of, being
united.' On the brother getting-.up to them, they
and their party set otr running into the Strand,
where the guardian and A.iiki6s came op IS thew.
They atterwarda retired to their rest kncc' itt Long
aere, is here, "after inn explanation, Mr. the
guardian, confessed he thoiight opposition useless,
and.agreed ro,give his conseti:; and Mr. C. was Ia
leave Lotidoii.yesterday, to.,endeavour to obtain the
appiohati(li of the other two: .
On Monday evening the dwelling house of Mt'
Wilwin, cc,,w keep r F near Montpelivr-gardens,
WalWel tit was :Attempted to be, .tobbcd ; the vti-
lains forced tire back door off-the•hinges.; the ,ense
4.coasioned by so doing alarmed the family,. so that
the thieves decamped without their booty.