The Sun.
London, England, 1829-06-01 00:00:00

LONDON MAGAZINE.

A very miscellaneous and intelligent number,
. . _ _

the critical department of which is imbued with
a strong vein of feel:ng and acuteness. The in-

troductory notice of Washington Irving's Con-
quest of Granada is an expa4 of that gentle-
man's partiality in commenting on the last
Spanish campaign against the Moors. In the
course of this well-considered analysis occurs the
following incidental reflections on chivalry, in the
justice of which no man of healthy feeling can
fail to concur.

" It is now about four years ago that, for a particular
purpose, we entered upon a course of reading concerning
the times when Chivalry flourished in Europe, ;lamely,
from the twelfth to the latter end of the fifteenth century.
Of the two latest of these centuries the historians are con-
temporary. Froissart, flardyng, Juvenal des Ursins,
Philippe de Comines, were there no other writers than
these, they would be sufficient to give an accurate idea of
the era of the zenith of Chivalry, from the beginning of
the reigns of Edward 111. and Philippe de Valois to those
of Henry VII. and Charles VIII. It so chanced that, al-
though we always felt there must be something very horrid
in a country being the seat of war, and therefore were
most thankful that England was an island, yet we had had
the usual advantages of the education of English geode-
men ; we had been taught to admire ' our Edwards and
Henries,' and to consider that the word chivalrous'
meant every thing that was amiable and noble.

" Verbally, of course, it means only, of, or belonging
to, Chivalry,' and, as we prosecuted our studies, we found
to our surprise, that it was, therefore, synonymous with,
first, ferocious Cruelty—next, treacherous Cruelty, and
that to a degree of Meanness perfectly unspeakable; then
came the meanness without the cruelty, but coupled, in-
stead, now with Rapacity, now with a pettiness fit only to
he spit upon: then there was Breach of Trust, such as
only the lowest cunning and the most invulnerable impu-
dence together could produce. Lastly, the whole was
Sowned by one of the chief qualities of evil—Falsehood of
pirit. Day by day, as we read more, we found tl-At
these were the real characteristics of Chive,l:l%
" And let it be remembered we have drawn this
portrait merely by milting the scattered features which
facts, recorded with very different motives by Chivalry's
most fanatical friends, could not but present. We use the
word fanatical' advisedly. The eyes of these writere
were under the influence of the spell the 4cotch call
ylamonry—namely, a nitwit: pnwtc of iti:oxit!ating the
sight, Deecld which woaiii :nuke any ono writhe who
poscesaail as much I cart as the pith of a bamboo, are nar-
rated—at the very least with tacit praise—by men who,
we are confident, were themselves not otherwise than
amiable. This is the very spirit of fanaticism.
" We have judged solely from facts ; and, over the force
of early prejudice, over the splendour of sver' o.itward
magnificence, over the las: ilation of t;ie most picturesque
and vivid description, Trtillt has nitimately prevailed. And
Truth Gap that nothing but evil can at Ise from decking
in attractive colours a class of men whose feelings were
such as those we have enumerated above. In despite a
every influence to the contrary, Experience (for the acqui.
sition of the knowledge of facts is expe.i.iNc.:, no. matter
how gained) Experience has wi-oodlit stir opioiun to what
we have stated it tc, taa. .41-4 we hive no more doubt than
of our PFe;,:eqt eistenee, that every one with but the ordi-
nal y proportion of re,son qua( feeling with which God lots
gifted his creatures, would feria the same opinion, could
we lay before them the circum,tances which have created
our own."

" Tam 0 Shanter—Burns" is. sensibly and
spiritedly written, but is rather unnecessarily

harsh upon poor ,Burns, who with, no doubt,
great vices, possessed a host of virtues, that in-
finitely more than counterbalanced them. Of
the remaining articles, we have merely to observe
that most of them will be found worthy of an at-
tentive perusal.

LA BELLE ASSEMBLEE.
The engraving to the present number of this
fashionable and thriving periodical, of the beauti-
ful Lady Ellenborough, is, like most of its pre-
decessors, of a very superior character. Nor can
the literary matter be termed inferior, when
among the most constant contiibutions we find
the name of the deservedly popular authoress of
" Thaddeus of Warsaw."

EDWARDS'S BOTANICAL REGISTER.
Gaitinned by JOHN LINDLEY, E.g., F.R. S.
Profeseor of Botany at the University of London.—No.

IV. of Vol. 2. New Series.

Aided as Botany is now by the most finished
pictorial accompaniments, we cease to wonder
that, as a science, it should have made the rapid
progress it has, and still continues to do.—
Amongst the fashionable accomplishments of
female education it may be presumed to take its
station betwixt music and painting,—indeed to
the latter it may he almost said to be allied.—
Were we not already, for many reasons, ardent
admirers of the science, nothing would conduce
to make us more so, than the splendid execu-
tion and beauty of the plates in the work now
before us. Amongst the contents of the present
month's number we will point out the follow-
ing :—The famous " Rose-coloured tree R ho-
dodendron," from the high mountains of
Northern India, which it covers with forests of
scarlet, rose, and white, at an elevation or
10,000 feet. " Prunus dasy carpa," or the
purple-fruited aplieot of gardeners, a plant but
little known : its value is now determined.—
" Clintonia elegans," a most lovely annual, flora
the little-known sources of the Muth:on:all river,
flowering from June till August, and wh(n
grown in broad patches resembles a carpet of
blue and silver. The memory of De Witt Gill-
ton, late Governor of New York, is secured by
this subject. A splendid scarlet " Ery thrina,"
presented to A. B. Lambert, Esq., through the
intervention of Lord Heytesbury, from the
royal gardens of Ajuda ; a very pretty " Pentste-
mon," of elegant growth and easy culture ; and
a fine new Lupine, from North America, both
perennials.