The Sun.
London, England, 1827-04-02 00:00:00

MONTHLY MAGAZINE.

A very good number, with more than the usual
complement, apparently, of pages and papers. The
first article, entitled " Trade and Profession," springs
evidently from the pen of a practised scribe; there is
both sound and subtle thought about it, mixed up
with a dash of bitterness by no means unpalatable.
The 'cc
_ _ .

usual run of Magazine poems : we wish we could
say as much for Mr. Neele's verses on Similitudes,
which seems (to us at least) the mere unconnected
gleanings of a common-place book. "On the Plea-
sures of Body Snatching" is a magniloquent attempt
at what iscalled fine writing ; it is true Magazine
sublimity, which is not exactly the sublimity of Je-
remy Taylor, Burke, nor even of Johnson. We will
give a sample or two :—" But my own heart was
not silent, my soul was tossed about as it were, in a
sea of thoughts, dark, incomprehensible, overwhelm-
ing, 'till at fengtli the harsh but deadened sound of
a spade, as it was struck into the earth, threw a ray
of light upon the confusion, terrible, but beautiful as
the flash that gilds the tempest." Spirit of Apollo,
but this is truly Pindaric ! a spark struck out by a
gardener's spade against a flint, is terrible, but beau-
tiful as the flash that gilds the tempest. Indeed: so
then upon the same principle must be the sparks
struck from a tinder-box, and yet we have struck
many in our life-time, without either detecting their
beauty or even their resemblance to " the flash that
gilds the tempest." But tastes differ, so let us pro-
ceed to the next specimen—" I scarcely cared for
concealment, but hurried forward, though with sup-
pressed breathing, and step as silken as a cat's (quere,
what sort of a step is a silk step ?) till I had gained
almost the verge of the new-made and now unmak-
ing grave, where leaning on a tomb-stone I beheld
the first but not the last scene of resurrection it has
been my lot to witness. Three dark figures—whose
very outline I was unable to discern—were busily
engaged before me, two in shovelling the earth out
of the grave, and one in• directing the others and
keeping a look-out." And yet he could not discern
even the outline of these strangers, although he
could see what they were about ! The article headed
"Full Lengths : the Jew Slopseller," possesses both
liveliness and ingenuity ; the character, howe-,-; is
the work of fancy, not of nature. The review of
the Lord Mayor's Visit to Oxford, is the quintes-
sence of common-place, mistaking its insipidities for
wit. A Lord Mayor merits a higher criticism than
this gentleman is ever likely to put forth. If, in-
deed, it were the Review of his Lordship's lady's-
maid's visit to the University, the intellect of the
Review and the Reviewed might be more on a level;
at present there is a lamentable discrepancy between
them. A classical University is the very last place
where we should ever think of looking for a Lord
Mayor ; how comes it, then, that so little is made
of the anomaly ? " The Catholic Resolutions is a
spirited and honourable paper; as good, in short, as
any article in any Magazine of the month. We re-
gret that our limits prevent us from extracting it.
" A Letter upon Aflltirs in General" is penned in a
rambling, desultory, but very amusing style; it
touches upon all subjects with equal vivacity, and
will, we doubt not, be generally entertaining; it is,
however, too long.