The Sun.
London, England, 1842-12-06 00:00:00

LIT ERATURE.

. _
BRITISH AND FOREIGN REVIEW, No. 27.
Taybr, London, 1842.
We had hoped that the Reviewers had taken
leave of Goethe for some years to come, at least,
the subject being one long since exhausted, and
one, too, on which more loose, vague nonsense
has been written than on any other pet topic of
the day; but we find we were mistaken in our
sanguine exiiectations, for the Review before us
contains a Yeng,thy and elaborate essay on the
"Character and Writings of Goethe," in which
some ingenious but unsound theories are in-
troduced, and the great German poet regarded
with an air of veneration, as if he occupied a
position midway between man and the Deity.
The Reviewer's chief object seems to be, to
show that Goethe was the very incarnation of
faultless wisdom; and that he had no sensibility
or enthusiasm, chiefly because such weaknesses
were unworthy of an exalted nature like his.
This is a very inefficient apology for a poet's
want of heart. The loftiest spirits have often
the keenest sensibilities, and we find that even
our Saviour did not disdain to drop a tear on the
grave of the humble Lazarus. " Goethe," says
the Reviewer, " had the sound body which is
the foundation of the sound mind. His in-
tellect was eminently healthy—no cant, no
sentimentality, no bigotry were allowed to rest
there. Whatever faults it might have, it
certainly was not diseased. As a first step in
our inquiry, then, we gain this important fact,
that Goethe was a man—a complete, healthy,
vigorous, many-sided, and original man, and not
a diseased, hectic poet —not a rickety, sedentary
professor." Now we certainly cannot subscribe
to this hypothesis, for we hold no man to be
"complete" and " healthy" in his intellectual
capacity, whose sensibilities arc so miserably de-
ficient, as seems to have been the case with
Goethe. The healthy nature is the well-ba-
lanced one, where the understanding and the
feelings are in just proportion, where the
former is assisted by, and receives its
colouring from, the other, instead of being
developed to its manifest detriment. Such
a well-proportioned nature was possessed by
Shakspeare, Cervantes, and Scott, but assuredly
not by Goethe—at least, if the present estimate
of hint be correct. Subsequently, however, to-
wards the close of this essay, the Reviewer
honestly confesses that he has not made up
his mind "as to many of the contradictions
which puzzle hint" in Goethe, and adds,
" we admit that there is something yet un-
explained, or else essentially disagreeable in
character; something which, with all our ad-
miration, yet repulses our love. He has been ac-
cused of coldness by so many, and such various
people, that we cannot reject the charge without
some weighty reason. There was nothing bound-
ing, spontaneous, or joyous about him. He com-
mitted no faults to demand our pity ; he did
nothing heroic to wring from us applause. He
sits above us, by reason of his commanding in-
tellect, and does not let us approach him
through our common infirmities." This last
passage, it will be observed, tends in some de-
gree to neutralise the spirit of the preceding one.
"Poems, Chiefly ofEarly and Late Years," is a no-
tice of Mr. Wordsworth's last published volume. It
is highly eulogistic; and, in reference to what he
calls the " poetic period " of the great lake bard's
life—that is to say, the period, intervening be-
tween 1798 and 1803,—the Reviewer remarks,
" his productions written about -this time are
often of a persuasive sweetness almost un-
equalled in English poetry, at any rate since
Shakspeare, or shall we say Herrick. Poems,
spontaneous as the songs of Burns, finished as
those of Horace, worthy of Shakspeare in their
grace, and tenderness, and philosophical insight,
and in their peculiar tone of thought and lan-
guage entirely original, were poured forth at
this time with a copiousness which bespoke a
well-spring." This criticism is just enough,
with the single exception of the word " spon-
taneous," which ought not to have been used
in reference to Mr. Wordsworth's productions.
The character of his genius is anything but
" spontaneous." Indeed we doubt whether lie
ever wrote a " spontaneous" poem in his life.
His best and his worst works equally wear the
appearance of having been the result of much
patient, deliberate forethought; and we trace
marks of careful study in the very homeliness
and simplicity of the style of many of them. We
are far from meaning to say this in disparage-
ment of Mr. Wordsworth's genius, for we agree
in opinion with Sheridan that—except in such
rare instances to the contrary as have been fur-
nished us. by Wilson, Scott, Southey,. and.
Byron, who frequently wrote best what • they
wrote quickest—" your easy . writing, is
! hard reading." " Lynch Law" is an attempt at
La defence of this modern innovation on the trans-
atlantic criminal code ; and we must say that the.
Reviewer is successful in demonstrating that it is
in many instances not only justifiable, but
indis-
pensably necessary, more
.particUlarly in the
case of those infant colonies on the Skirts of
vast untrodden forests, which are not yet formally
recognised by the United States, and brought
within the pale of its law. Here, if the commu-
nity needs redress, it must obtain it for itself
in the best way it can hence the origin of
Lynch Law, whose great recommendation is, that
it stands on no ceremony, abides by no slow,
circuitous legal forms,
,but comes to the point at
once. A man, say, has gone off with a fat sheep
fro•en his neighbour's fold, in one of those new-
born settlements whose first log-huts are not yet
displaced by more orthodox architecture. In an
old established colony, this scamp, previous to
acquittal or condemnation, would be put through
a regular systematic course of law; first,
he would be examined by a Magistrate;
then a Grand Jury would report on his case ;
then indictments would be framed against
him; then two fox-like lawyers would discuss
his guilt or otherwise, in a series of intolerably
prolix speeches; then the Judge would deliver
a formal charge ; and then—and not till then—a
Jury would decide whether the prisoner was
guilty or innocent. Now all this tedious and
vexatious process is saved by Lynch law, which
decides and punishes almost at one arid the
same moment. This is the true "go ahead"
principle of justice, which saves a world of
superfluous ceremony, and is admirably suited
to the wants and wishes of American squatters and
backwoodsmen. " Life of Admiral Keppell" is
a passable notice of the memoirs of this staunch
old Whig sailor, whose head once figured on half
the tavern sign-boards in England. " State of
the Nation" is an article penned in a temperate
spirit, and wherein justice is done to the present
Ministry, chiefly, however, as regards their in-
tendons, rather than their acts. The one or two
remaining papers are of average merit.

ROYAL INSTITUTE OF BRITISH
ARCHIT ECTS.
The first meeting of the session was held last night,
when Mr. Hardwicke took the chair, alluding, in so
doing, to the regret with which the President, Earl
de Grey, was compelled to absent himself. A number
of letters were read from M. R. Rochette, and other
foreign members.

11r.
G. GODWIN offered some observations on the
pulpits of Belgium, and presented a drawing
of one from the cathedral at Malines, as an
illustration of the whole class. It represents
the conversion of St. Paul. The saint and his
horse are on the ground, at the foot of a mass
of rock, forming the pulpit. Christ on the cross,
the Virgin and other figures, enter into the composi-
tion, and a continuation of the rock-work and shrubs
forms the sounding-board. That at Louvain is simi-
lar. St. Gudule, at Brussels, has a fine pulpit of this
class, which is well known. In some, marble figures
and tablets are introduced, as at St. Bavon, in Ghent.
Professor Hosking then read some elaborate reports
on the present state of the church of St. Mary, Red-
cliffe, and the proposed restorations there, drawn up
by Mr. Britton and himself at the request of the pa-
rish authorities, who are exceedingly anxious to ren-
der this noble fabric complete, or at all events to pre-
vent further injury from occurring to it. St. Mary's
is unquestionable one of the finest parish churches in
England, and deserves every effort that is made in its
favour.

TIIE LONDON JOINT-STOCK BANK EMBEZZLE-
MENT.—It is remarkable, that the fact of Jordan
having absconded with a large sum of money, the
property of the London joint-Stock Bank, was known
throughout the United Kingdom, and a considerable
portion of the Continent, within the almost incredible
space of forty-eight hours after the occurrence of the
event. This rapid spreading of the information is
mainly attributable to the exertions of the Manager of
the Bank, who, it seems, on missing Jordan, imme-
diately forwarded the particulars of the robbery to all
the principal banking-houses and merchants in Eng-
land, Ireland, Scotland, and on the Continent.
ST. PETERSEURGII, Nov. 19.—With a moderate
cold, only three degrees below Zero, the winter re-
turned the day before yesterday, and for the second
time the ice from Lake Tadeja has floated into the
Neva. Yesterday morning it was necessary again to
take up the bridge of boats which connects the city
with Wassily Ostrof. The communication with:the
island is now kept up with great difficulty by means
of boats.
Too often has it happened, that the public gene-
rally have derived no benefit either from the remis-
sion of duties, cr a heavy fall in the wholesale price
of articles of household consumption; but in the pre-
sent instance, it will be seen by our advertising
columns, that Messrs. Sidney and Co. are already
offering all descriptions of Teas on the lowest scale of
reduction.