The Sun.
London, England, 1842-12-20 00:00:00

THE Q UARTERLY REVIEW. No. CXLI.

The lion of the Review this quarter is the long
article on the Anti-Corn-law League, which we
have already adverted to, and which is a tissue of
inconsistencies and exaggerations. It is, how-
ever, perfectly harmless, and may for us hence-
forth roar unnoticed. All the other articles in
the Review are of a different character, and con-
ceived in a different spirit. The first article, on
Bees, is worthy of Gilbert White, or Huber
himself, and is full of curious knowledge, of in-
tense interest in this wonderful insect, and of the
most kindly and humane feeling. To relieve the
dulness of criticism, we will quote an anecdote,
and a piece of information which will be new
and strange to many town readers :
" A neighbour of mine, searching in the woods for
honey, slipt down into a great hollow tree ; and there
sunk into a lake of honey up to the breast : where—
when he had stuck fast two days, calling and crying
out in vain for help (because nobody in the mean-
while came nigh that solitary place)—at length, when
he was out of all hope of life, he was strangely de-
livered by the means of a great bear, which coming
thither about the same business that he did, and
smelling the honey (stirred with his striving) clam-
bered up to the top of the tree, and thence began to
let himself down backward into it. The man be-
thinking himself, and knowing that the worst was
but death (which in that place he was sure of), be-
clipt the bear fast with both his hands about the
loins, and withal made an outcry as loud as he could.
The bear, being thus suddenly affrighted (what with
the handling and what with the noise), made up again
with all speed possible : the man held, and the bear
pulled, until with main force he had drawn Dun out
of the mire; and then being let go, away he trots,
more afeard than hurt, leaving the smeared swain in
a joyful fear."
"The Athenians ranked the introduction of the bee
among their great national blessings, tracing it up to
Cecrops,- ' the friend of man,'—the Attic Alfred ; and
such regard is still paid to them in many parts of the
south of England, that no death, or birth, or mar-
riage, takes place in the family without its being com-
municated to the bees, whose hive is covered in the
first case with a piece of black cloth, in the two latter
with red. The 10th of August is considered their
day of jubilee, and those who are seen working on
that day are called Quakers."
The article on " Books for Children" is chiefly
a show-up of some of the follies of American
works, particularly the " Child's Book on the
Soul," by the Rev. T. H. Gaullaudet, and a Mr.
Abbott's " Child at Home." Productions for
juveniles is one of the quackeries of the day, and
the Reviewer is neither too severe on the
authors he notices, nor do his observations take
too wide a range. He might have included not
a few EnglisCbooks, and made his remarks still
more cutting. Another article exposes the
quackery of Brandy and Salt, Homoeopathy,
and Hydropathy, and confirms the exposure by
a brief notice of some previous quackeries, which,
as the " faith in miracles and relics" went out
of fashion, and "as women and half-witted men
ran after receipts and physicians," ruled the
hour. If it be true that in " countries where
there are shrines and images, quacks are
despised," the Puseyites may not be irrational
in attempting to revive amongst us " monks and
confessors," as lesser evils than the race of St.
John Longs and Priessnitzes. Without any great
depth of learning, the article on medical quackery
is useful and well-timed. If the same or a more
vigorous pen were to do as much against political
quackery, a great benefit would be conferred on
the public. The author is as hopeless of putting
down medical quackery by enactment as we are
of putting down political quackery. Never-
theless both must be put down by the progress
of knowledge, before public prosperity can be
assu red.

e learn for the first time, from the
Review, that Lord Mahon has been amusing
himself by composing- an " Essay on the Life of
the great Conde" in the French language. t
may be correct in its facts, but it reads like a
work written in English and done into French
by a bad. hand. When many of the memoirs of
that period are written with the most charming
naivete, Lord Mahon's undertaking, even for
his amusement, is extremely hazardous, and only
flatterers, who have no intimate acquaintance
with the French, will say that the Noble Lord has
made even an approximation to success. The Re-
viewer may be set down as a person of equal calibre
with the Noble Lord; that is, second or third rate.
He vamps up one or two old stories about Welling-
ton, a propos of Conde, that cannot be correct.
The expedition to Copenhagen, which the author
puts down in 1808, took place in 1807; and Wel-
lington, instead of having had a veteran second
in command sent with him as dry nurse, and
to restrain his vivacity with a mature judgment,
only filled a subordinate post in that expedition,
which was commanded by Lord Cathcart. Such
a mistake is equally discreditable to the author
and the editor. Lord Mahon's essay is interest-
ing; but he must have been a very dull man to
have written a life of one of the most extraordi-
nary
.men that ever lived in France, and took
part in the stirring scenes which occurred, di
the nation passed from an aristocracy to a
despotism, from gross superstition to a total want
of faith, and deprived it of all interest. We ad-
mire the diligence of the Noble Lord much more
than his ease or his genius.
An article on the "Bible in Spain," by Geo.
Borrow, is chiefly made up of extracts from Mr.
Borrow's work, and we shall imitate the Re-
viewer's example by quoting a passage, which
speaks no more favourably than they deserve of
the reporters for the press, and which may serve
to make the public better acquainted with their
merits. The scene is Madrid—the period the
revolution of La Granja

" Those 'men mean mischief, said I to my friend
D-, of the Morning Chronicle ; but what can
those cavalry fellows behind them mean, who are
evidently of. the other opinion by their shouting ;
why don't they charge at once this handful of people
and overturn them ? Once down, the crowd would
wrest from them their muskets in a moment. You
are a Liberal ; why do you not go to that silly young
man who commands the horse, and give him a word
of counsel in time ?

" D- turned upon me his broad red good-hu-
moured English countenance, with a peculiarly arch
look, as much as to say . . . . (whatever you
think most applicable, gentle reader) : then taking
me by the arm, ' Let us get,' said be, ' out of this
crow& and mount to some window, where I can
write down what is about to take place, for I agree
with you that mischief is meant.' Just opposite the
post-offiee was a large house, in the topmost story of
which we beheld a paper displayed, importing that
apartments were to let ; whereupon we instantly
ascended the common stair, and, having agreed with
the mistress of the etage for the use of the front

room for the day, we bolted the door, and the reporter,
producing his pocket-book and pencil, prepared to
take notes of the coming events, which were already
casting their shadow before.
" What most extraordinary men are these reporters
of the English newspapers ! Surely, if there be any
class of individuals who are entitled to the appellation
of cosmopolites, it is these • who pursue their avoca-
tion in all countries indifferently, and accommodate
themselves at will to the manners of all classes of
society ; their fluency of style as writers is only sur-
passed by their facility of language in conversation,
and their attainments in classical and polite literature
only by their profound knowledge of the world, ac-
quired by an early introduction into its bustling
scenes. The activity, energy, and courage which
they occasionally display in the pur3uit of informa-
tion are truly remarkable. I saw them, during the
three days at Paris, mingled with canaille and gamins
behind the barriers, whilst the mitraille was flying in
all directions, and the desperate cuirassiers were dash-
ing their fierce horses against those seemingly feeble
bulwarks. There stood they, dotting down their'ob-
servations in their pocket-books as unconcernedly as
if reporting the proceedings of a Reform meeting.. in
Finsbury-square ; whilst in Spain, several of them
accompanied the Carlist and Christino guerillas in
some of their most desperate raids, exposing them.
selves to the danger of hostile bullets, the inclemency
of winter, and the fierce heat of the snmmer sun."

Of Mr. Borrow and his book the Reviewer
speaks very highly.
We fear to bestow even a single phrase on an
article on " Todd on Anti-Christ," and therefbre
close by remarking that this and the puff for the
League complete the Review, which, on the
whole, is quite as interesting and entertaining as
usual.