The Sun.
London, England, 1827-06-01 00:00:00

NEW MONTHLY MAGAZINE.

An insipid Number, full of faded wit and
tame observation. But, no—the « Reforma-
tion in Ireland " is a good article : it is evidently
the manufacture of an astute Irishman, and gives
the following delightful portrait of one of your
red-hot Protestant Ascendancy men.
" He found Mr. Ellis in his library, occupied in writing
a spiritual circular to his Cavan fellow-labourers, and sur-
rounded with bales of " Andrew Dunn," "The Converted
Sinner," Dr. Magee's " First Charge," and an extensive
assortment of no-Popery tracts and hand-bills. This did
not surprise the coadjutor ; , but what surprised him was,
that the person before him should turn out, upon inspec-
tion, to be so utterly variant from the picture of his antici-
pations. Instead of encountering a coarse and fierce
fanatic, he fancied himself in the presence of a young gen-
tleman, rather fashionably dressed, of a slender frame,
hateleome face, and of a mild- and courteous aspect. Mr.
Magrath, though well versed in the Humanities had never
studied Physiognomy at Maynooth ; and in scanning Mr.
Ellis's countenance, he failed to be struck by that peeuliar
expression of the eye, which denotes that all is not sound
within, and thus explains the otherwise irreconeileable
contrast between the mildness of his manners and the per-
verseness of his conduct. He does the most mischievous
and provoking things in the most gentle and considerate
manner imaginable. His heart is far from depraved : he
can be hind and generous, mid always thinks he is so ; but
his intellect is the victim of -*elf-delusion ; and, incapable
of discriminating between faney and demonstration, is per-
petually substituting its own morbid conclusions for moral
ends. To emancipate the Ottholies of Ireland upon the
newly-discovered plan, was the form his malady had now
assumed; and to, compass this Maniacal project every thing
appeared justifiable and laudable. Accordingly when Mr.
Magrath forcibly called upon him, as a Christian, to desist
from the attempt to force the consciences of his tenants, he
mildly replied, " That which he did was•for their temporal
and eternal good ; that their unfortunate fitith--he intended
no offence—was the sole cause of their degradation ; and
that the day was, not distant when, their eyes being opened,
they would be the first to bless him for his salutary harsh-
new." When he was told to remember, as a man of
common sense, that the ruin of his tenants would inevitably
impair the value of his estate, lie answered, " That in such
a cam, gold was to him as dross;
,and, besides, that every
shilling thus lost would be treasure laid up in Heaven."
When he was reproached with the inhumanity of goading
on his dependants to excesses, which their pastors could no
longer control, he meekly responded, " That any excesses
thus occasioned would lead to discussion ; that the more
the truth was discussed, the more surely and brightly it
would shine ; and that, for his part, he meant nothing
uncivil to Mr. Magrath ; but the emancipation of his poor
benighted countrymen from their priests, upon any terms,
was a blessed speculation, for Which he would willingly lay
down his life." This was too much for the coadjutor's
patience ; he started up, and vehemently exelaimed, " Mr.
Hugh Maxwell Ellis, in obedience to the directions of my
reverend superior, I have cents here and endeavoured to
soften your heart : I have failed ; and, therefore, being
forced to it, I say, " Woe unto you, scribes and pharisees,
hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one pro-
selyte ; and when he is made, ye make him two-fold more
the child of but you know the rest ; and may Heaven
forgive you !" The modern reformer returned a smile of
placid commisseratlon, and the coadjutor took his departure.
The consequences of Mr. Ellis'e " blessed speculations"
soon appeared. The irritated tenant. conspired, and burnt
down the school-house. Tim Sheehan, the leading con-
flagrator, was discovered, tried, and executed for the
offence. The crime was forgotten in the provocation ; and
the populace, as has been seen, lost no time in celebrating
his martyrdom. Air. Ellis, pent up in saintydie, looked

WASIUNGTON.—I remember my father telling one he
was introduced to Washington in 1180, by an American
friend. A servant, well-looking and well-dreseed, received
the visitauts at the door, and by him they were delivered
over to an officer of the United States service, who ushered
them into the drawing-room in which Mrs. Washington
and several ladies were seated. There was nothing re-
markable in the person of the lady of the President ; she
was matronly and kind, with perfect good breeding : she
at once entered into easy conversation, asked how long
he had been in America, how ho liked the country, and
such other familiar but general questions. In a few mi-
nutes the General entered the room ; it was not necessary
to announce his name, for his peculiar appearance, his firm
forehead, Roman nose, and a projection of the lower jaw,
hie height and figure, could not be mistaken by any one
who had seen a full-length picture of him, and yet no pic-
ture accurately resembled him in the minute traits of his
person. His features, however, were so marked by pro-
minent characteristics, which appear in all likenesses of
him, that a stranger could not be mistaken in the man.
Ile was remarkably dignified in his manner, and had an
air of benignity over hie features, which his visitant did
not expect, being rather prepared for sternness of counte-
nance. After an introduction by Mrs. Washington, with-
out more form than common good manners prescribes,
" He requested me," said my father, " to be seated ; and,
taking a chair himself, entered at once into conversation.
His manner was full of affability.' He asked how I liked
the country, the city of New York : talked of the Infant
institutions of America, and the advantages she offered, by
her intercourse, for benefitting other nations. He was
grave in manner, but perfectly easy. His dress was of
purple satin. There was a commanding air in his
appearance which excited respect, and forbade too
great a freedom towards him, independently of that
species of awe which is always felt in the moral
influence of a great character. In every movement
too there was a polite gracefulness equal to any met with
in the most polished individuals in Europe, and his smile
was extraordinarily attractive. It was observed to me that
there was an expression in Washington's face that no painter
had succeeded in taking. It struck me no man could be
better formed for command. A stature of six feet, a ro-
bust but well-proportioned frame, calculated to sustain fa-
tigue, without that heaviness which generally attends great
muscular strength, and abates active exertion, displaying
bodily power of no mean standard. A light eye and full—
the very eye of genius and reflection, rather than of blind
passionate impulse. His nose appeared thick ; and, though
it befitted his other features, was too coarsely and strongly
formed to be the,handsotnest of its class. His mouth was
like-no otherr that I ever saw ; thelipe firm, and the under
jaw seeming to grasp the upper with-There, as if itentisclee
were in full action when he sat still. Neither with the Ge-
neral nor with Mrs. Washington was there the slightest re-
straint of ceremony. There was less of it than I ever re-
collect to have met with, where perfect good breeding and
merinos were at the same time observed. Te many re-
marks Washington assented with a smile or inclination of
the head, as if he were by nature sparing in his converge-
Lion ; and I am inclined to think this was the case. An
allusion was made to a serious fit of illness he bad recently
suffered ; but he took no notice of it. I could not help re-
marking, that America must have looked with anxiety to
the termination of his indisposition. He made no reply to
my compliment but by an 'inclination of the head. His
bow at my taking leave I shall not forget. It was the last
movement which I saw that illustrious character make, as
my eyes took their leave of him for ever, and it
hnnga a perfect picture upon my recollection.—
' The house of Washington was In the Broad-
way, and the street front was handsome. The
drawing-room in which I sat wan lofty and spacious; but
the furniture was not beyond that found in dwellings of
opulent Americans in general, and might be called plain for
its situation. The upper end of the rpom had glass doors,
which opened upon a balcony commanding an extensive
view of the Hudson River, interspersed with islands, and
the Jersey shore on the opposite side. A grandson and
daughter resided constantly in the house with the General,
and a nephew of the •General's, married to a niece of Mre.
Washington, resided at Mount Vernon, the General's fa-
mily seat •in Virginia, his residence, as President, keeping
him at the seat of Government." The levees held by
Washington, as President, were generally crowded, and
held on a Tuesday, between three and four o'clock. The
President stood, and received the bow of the person pre-
sented, who retired to make way for another. At the
drawing-rooms Mrs. Washington received the ladies, who
curtsied and passed aside without exchanging a word. Tea
and coffee, with refreshments of all kinds, were laid in one
part of the rooms, and before the individuals of the com-
pany 'retired, each lady was a second time led up to the
lady President, made her second silent obeisance, and de-
parted—nothing could be more simple, yet it was enough.