The Sun.
London, England, 1818-01-03 00:00:00

LITERARY REVIEW.

SHAKSPEARE AND HIS TIMES; inclUding the BiOgra-
phy of that Poet; Criticisms on his Genius; a New Chro-
nology of his Plays; a DisqUisition on the Object of his
Sonnets; and a History of the Manners, Customs, &c. &c.
of his Age. By NAIJiAN .DRAKE., M.D. Autlor of " Li,
terary Hours," and of "Essays on Periodical Literature.'!
Two Vols. ;Ito. 1817. CADELL and DAVIES.

The high fame, and ever-increasing popularity
of our British Bard, in proportion as his works
are more illustrated and more known, has _occa-
sioned many Books,. and is constantly giving
birth to more, whose object is, in some way or
other, to gratify the Public, by dwelling upon
this favOurite topic. But no work has hitlo rto
appeared, and we may venture almost to pro-
nounce that Otte can in future lie produced, in
which So much of agreeable and well-digested in-
fOrmation on this subject will he found, as•intliis
masterly, production Of Dr Deaxg. That, it is
the result of 'much study, and many hours.devoted
to research, in every possible line Irons which the
materials could, be drawn, is -evident from the
most casual inspection of these VolumeS, which
will at °Wee •Indulge and greatly extend the de-
sire already prevalent, otheing informed of every
thing material which can illuitrate the life, the
writings, or the genius, of our inimitable, Dra-
matist.

Dr. DRAKE has long established awell-founded
reputation for successful research into the his-
tory of our Literature, accompanied by f$ correct
and cultivated taste in appreciating its beauties.
But *all that he.bai-before achieved in illustrating
our Periodical Writers Ominous and delightful as
those parts of his works are), will be thrown in-
to comparativii shade by this distinguished effort
of his mind. It may he considered as a magnifi-
cent temple, dedicated to the genius of Snax,;.
SPRARR, who presides in it as the guardian deity,
like-AuGusTus in the Pane projected by VIRGIL,

In wedio milli CIiSAR erit.
SHAKSTEARB is. every where, and always in view,
immediately or rela4ively ; and an unity is thus
bestowed upon a work of great variety, which it
could not otherwise possess.

The plan of the work is extremely. well digest-
ed, and cannot be better explained than in the
words of the Author:-" With a viewr to distinct-
ness and perspienitv, of elucidation, the whole
has been distributed into three parts or 'pictureS,
entitled SBAKSPEARE otrat.c o.u,°---e
SPEARS in London,'-_-!' Si AMtBARE• in Retire-
ment ;' which, though inseparably- united, as
forming but portions of the same story, have yet,
both in subject and execution, a peculiar charac-
ter to support."—Pref p. iv.
The author thus fUrther develoPeiv the sAects
of these three parts The first represents our
Poet in the days of his youth, on the banks of
the Avon, in the midst of rural imagery, occu-
pations, and amusements ; in
,the second we be-
hold him in the capital.of his country, in the cen-
tre of rivalry and competition, in the ketual pur-
suit of reputation and glory ; and in the third
we accompany the venerated Bari to the shades
of retirement,- to the bosom of domestic peace,
and to the enjoyment of unsullied

The further use made of this distribution is to
give, under the first division, an accurate view of
the customs, manners, characters, diversions, and
other peculiarities of the country at that period.
The second part comprises, with a general view
of the contemporary Literature, a similar 'iew
of the manners, customs, &c. of the Metropolis ;
with a complete and critical view of the pocim

to hiS memory
'Here is surely abnodant matter of atnnsement
for tbe • tiantiten, of .poCttY, and-in particular for
those of• our great and favourite Poet ; yet, co-
pious as "the matter appears, in this brief
anent, it gteady extended by the''.. rich and co-
pions manner in wkich, with indefatig hie dili-
gence, the author itaS'illustiated every •possif 1e
point thailsas the- smallest reference ~to his sah-
.
jeci. It is one of those works in which the ut hhi•
bas exhitisted all •the necessary labour.; leaving
nothing to tke readet but to enjoy, 'or rather to
luxuriate in, the abundance provided for
The argtim 'he chapters abundantly 'point
ot&t the 'contents.

, .
The work has no dec.orations, except A print of

SHAKSPBARE'S Bust, from his monument at Stria-
ford ; and a plate of Autographs of the Poet. The
subject of the first.chapter is rather confined. It
treats only of the birth of S. of his faMily, and the
orthography of his name. For th'e latter:point the
author rather 'gives the preference to SHAKS.p2ARE,
all Owing at the same time that tile Poet's o‘t:it
orthography varied, and that 'it is " nearly,
matter of intlifference." For the sake of unifor-
mity, in writing on this book', we have follir.ved
the ofttography of Dr. 1)., iiirt we clearly prefer
SttAKesPEARE, both On account Of the unifor'm rro-
Ounciation, and etymology of the name, and be-
cause the best authorities, in and near the Poet's
tithe, have generally agreed in that form. The
second climiter. traces, chiefly _on conjectural
groUnd, the education of the young Poet ; and
takes aview of the commoil aids to Literature in
use at-that period. Dr. D..is inclined to bestow on
SttiocsPesaF. some little 'knowledge of languages,
beyond the standard marked by Dr. FARMER:
not, however, siViiitich.ai
with the arguments Of that luminous critic, fit
this estimate he is.supported by an anonymous
writer in 'the Censure Literaria, whose words he
quotes ; and perhaps there i• no great reason to
dispute what these writers are inclined to grant to
the BMA. But in the next chapter, Dr.
D. endeavours, under the same gitidance,,to troili
him an imitator of an obscure French Poet, merely
from the repetition of the word suns in the well-
known line,

" Sans teeth, r.crtts eyes, sans taste, sans every thing,"
we must protest agsiiist the insufficiency of
the proof. It may fully be shown that every
Poet, contemporary with SU AKSI'EARE, Crlea-
votive(' to fix suns as an .English word, arid ',sett
it so without scruple : and_therefore the mere re-
petition of the word, without any parallel to the
most remarkable part of the sentence, the " sans
every thing," can never fix imitation upon R Pot
so little likely to borrow petty helps front obscure
sources. Supposing sans actually established as
English, -it was just - us" obvious for an English
Poet to repeat it, as for a French write' tO'do it
in his own language;- and no degree of imitatitnn
Can be inferred front it. We regret that Dr. D.
suffered his better judgment, in this instance, to
be misled. •

V° be Continued ]

COAL DUTIEL—We observe it is stated in
smite of the Minist-erial Prints, that the subject OF
the Duty on Coal his engaged. the attention of
Government, and that some Legislative measure,
on more just principles, is expected. We perfectly
agree that nothing- can be. More unjust, eir more
absurd, than the Coastwise Duty un this article,
falling, as At does, with a most partial pressure
on the Metropolis, anti the towns and places on
the coast supplied With sea-borne coal. ‘Ve think
that any measure tending to equalize this burthcn
would bean act of. ji.stice ; but we own that. wt
are anxious to have the subject investigated, not
with the contracted views of a Custom-tionse cal-
culator, but with the enlarged comprehension of
an enlightened Statesman or financier. No time
can be more proper—no time can be mote fa-
vourable, considering. the facill'y of raising mo-
ney, than the present, for rctouning au impolitic
system of taxation. We think that it was cleat ly
proved in the last session, that no advantage ac-
crues to the Revenue trout the tax on Salt ; and
We are persuaded, that when all the advantages
of the low price of coal are duly estimated, it will
appear that this also is not an article for direct
taxation. We do not pretend to know the inten-
tion of Masters; but we 'shall give them credit
if they take up the subject with a'Statesman-like
spirit. We have, in some instances, hearth the
Vresident of
.the lioard of. Thule lay down the
most enlightened and correct principles, but ac-
knowledge'hituself fettered' front acting upon
them, by the interested prejudices of whets.—
«%e trot that, in the present easy,, no influence
will be allowed to intercept the benufirs which the
community would derive from the execution of
the good intentions that ate announced to
(Morning chronicle.).

We have again to notice the non-arrival of
Paris Papers. Two days' Journals are due.

It is now confidently whispered, and we are
inclined to give some credit to the report, that A
DISSOLUTION of Parliament may be positively ex-

pected in the ensuing Spring.

BRITISH OFFICERS AND SPANISH PATRIOTS.
(From an 4merican Paper.)

PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 3.—We have taken some

pains to ascertain the precise state of the circum-
stances in the case of the ten British Officers on
iday committed for trial, by the Judges of the
Circuit Court now in session ; and offer the fol-
lowing outline as one which we believe may be
relied on as tar as it goes :—Col. J. D. NEEDHAM,
Capt. J. D. -PERKINS, Capt. J. B. HOLLAND, Capt.
FERRIER, Lieutenants RICHARD STACEY, JAMES
STACEY, and CHARLES WEBSTER; Surgeon RO-
BERT FRY, Serjeant-Major HENJAMIN PEARKES,
and FREDERICK BEIX, said to be a Cossaque No-
bleman, are the persons implicated in the alleged
misdemeanours. The substance, of the charge
was, that they made arrangements last summer in
Brussels to combine end create a Regiment of
join Ca-
valry, with which to the Patriots in South
America. With this d'esign they embarked at
Antwerp on board the AmeriCan ship Par-
nusso, and arrived at New London .a few
weeks ago. From there they eame,to Philadelphia,
and took their passages on board the brig Ellen,
of this port, which vessel cleared but last week
for Surinam. They were accompanied by JOHN
WILLIAMS and PETER HOGAN, who were to have
iervt (Lin the capacity ofSerjeants orCommissaries
and by whose information to the Spanish Consul
, the intended expedition was discovered and in-
interrupted. It appeared that each man was fully
provided with cavalry equipments, and there was
no doubt of their intention to take a part with
the Patriots iu carrying on hostilities. They were
regularly drilled every morning at the Colonel's
quarters, in Philadelphia, until arrested and
most, if not all of them, it was understood,
'bad been in the British service. , One of them
wore the Waterloo badge
.in his button-hole.--
After a very full examination of many witnesses
on both sides, the Court remanded them all to

prison, where they are to remain till April; (tie
time of their trial), unless they can give hail,
each one in the sum of three thousand dollars.

Adverting to the ostensible state of things in
Europe, it is remarkable that British Officers
should have been associated in the Capital of the
Netherlands, for waging war against Spain.—
Either the authority or the disposition of the Eng-
lish and the Dutch Governments, for repressing
hostilies against that of Spain, would seem to be
some-what questionable.

Since the above has been in type, we learn that
a Special Court will be held in December, for the
trial of the above-named Gentlemen.

AMERICAN NAVY.—By the last accounts from
New York it appears, that two thirds of the
American Nary are in commission anti afloat, and
that every exertion was making in all the naval
yards within the Union, to complete the ships
now building there. That tor some time past
rendezvous for seamen has been opened in New
York, and that placards were posted up in diffe-
rent parts of the city, offering three months' pay
down to sailors on their entering into the service
of the United States. That several tnglisb Sea-
men, from the want of employment, had not been
able to withstand so great a temptation, and were
now serving on boaril of American Ships of War.

BOUNDARIEC—The Americans begin already to
congratulate themselves on the superior skill and
abilities of their Commissioners for the adjust-
ment of the Boundaries of the Province of Maine.
They say they have established their right to the
line laid down in their maps, which crosses the
Highlands into Lower Canada, by which, if ac-
ceded to, all intercourse between that Province
and Nova Scotia and New Brunswick will be
completely intersected and cut off. They also
declare it to be the intention of their Govern-
ment to establish a Naval Arsenal in Moose
Island, should it be conceded to them,and to form
a strong Garrison there, . which, in case of a rup-
ture between the Two Countries, will totally an-
nihilate the trade of St. John's and St. Andrew's,
in New Brunswick, and ultimately lead to the
loss of that and the Other British Provinces on
that Continent. This Island is the key to New
Brunswick, and the most important Island to
Great Britain in the Bay of Fundy.

THE FUND9.—A rise of one half per cent. has
taken place in the price_of Stocks since yesterday,
Consols this morning being done at 82j.

BIRMINGHAM.—We are glad- to learn that the
population of this great manufacturing town, hav-
ing employment, have returned to their loyal feel-
ings, for their good King and Constitution. The
arts of the designing- few are treated with their
merited negluct, and the whole body appears con-
tented and happy.—Employment is no doubt the
great cause of this gratityiti change, but it is no
flattery to say, that much is doe also to the loyal
and persevering efforts of The Birmingham Herold,
the respectable Editor of which and his family
were, we know, the victims of a furious Rabble.
This loyal Editor also, last year, aided the cause
of morals and sound principles, in a spirited pe-
riodical Work, entitled The Searcher; or, An In-
quiry after Truth.
BRIGHTON, JAN. 2.—The PRINCE REGENT WEI
yesterday early on the Palace Lawn, and after-
wards in the Riding School, but not in public.
The Duke of YORK joined the promenaders on the
Steyne, and appeared to take pleasure in extend-
ing his visits to the streets and more remote parts
of the town.—The expected arrival of. her MA-
JESTY and the PutwcessEs is a subject of much
interest to the. town. The precise time has not
yet, however, transpired.
We understand that a vessel, lately arrived from
St. Thomas, with dates to the beginning of No-
vember, brings accounts that General BOLIVAR
had obtained two signal, victories over the Spa-
niards, who, in consequence of their losses, were
flying.in every direction.—(Morning Chronicle) •
The Duke of CAMBRIDGE is expected to arrive
in England about the middle of February, to
settle some preliminaries relative to his approach-
ing marriage. .
A Cabinet Council was summoheid on Wednes•
day, which assembled yesterday at two o'clock,
at the Foreign-Office; and was attended by the
LORD CHANCELLOR, the, Earl of LIVERPOOL, Vi -
COUllt SIDMOUTH, ViSCOODt CASTLEREAGH, Earl
BATHURST, Viscount MELVILLE, the CHANCEL-
LOR of the EXCHEQUER, and Mr. CANNING. The
Council broke up at a quarter before 4 o'clock.

The Court newsman tells us, that the Privy
Council held on Wednesday at Brighton was for
the purpose of swearing in two new members, Mr.
LEACH and Sir W. A'Couar ; the farmer on the
occasion of his being promoted to the office of
Vice-Chancellor, the latter on being appointed to
a foreign mission. There is, hovyever, as we are
told, sonic doubt whether Mr. LEACH adds to hia
title of Right Honourable that also of Knight.-..
(Morning Paper)
Sir HENRY HALFORD arrived safely at Windsor
on Wednesday night, but was under the necessity
of being aided by lights from Cranford.
We have authority to contradict the statement
relative to a certain Baronet's son, and the
daughter of a Noble Duke,' there being no truth
in it.—(Morning Post)
The 95th Regiment, at present quartered at
Derby and the surrounding towns, are under or-
ders to march to Liverpool, whesica a detachment
is to march to the Isle of Wu.