The Sun.
London, England, 1827-03-23 00:00:00

QUARTERLY REVIEW, No. LXX.

The present-Number of the Quarterly Review is un-
usually good, whether as regards the liberality of its politics,
the spirit and sagacity of its criticisms, or the miscellaneous
nature of its information. Adapting itself to the tastes
of the day, it has very adroitly bestowed corresponding
pains on its notices of Voyages and Travels, so that it is not
only valuable as a record of opinions, but also as a manual
of Geography, where the reader will find the ablest and
latest accounts of the different nations in the Old
and New Worlds, received or rejected according as their
merits may deserve. The first article, entitled " Mal-ad-
ministration of the Spanish Colonies" (in South America)
possesses much light amusing knowledge, and enters very
minutely into the elaborate system of oppression by which
the Viceroys established their Government in America,
and in part rendered themselves independent of the mother
country. The following spirited remarks on the South
Anwsican administration do infinite credit to a Journal
which has usually been considered the mere abject tool of
Government

In South America, the whole state, from the Viceroy down-
wards, was corrupted to the core, and the most offensively so that
portion of the community to which all the rest ought to have
looked up for an example. So utterly without principle, indeed,
was the whole Executive Government of the country, that at first
sight it strikes us with wonder how it held together from year to
year. But one ruling motive to action pervaded all public men's
breasts, and this by keeping every eye directed one way, and every
hand engaged in the same task, lent a certain fatal vigour to a
system which otherwise must speedily have fallen to pieces. The
golden calf certainly was never worshipped with such single-hearted
devotion in any other land.
The criticism on " Milman's Anne Boleyn" is in the hap-
piest vein of discrimination •, the passing remarks on Shak-
speare, in particular, though somewhat alien to the sub-
ject, are so correct, that we should do injustice to a shrewd
critic, were we to withhold them. "His (Shakspeare's) worst
characters have always some claim on our kindly feelings.
Genius is the power of reflecting nature, for genius, as the
word imports, is nature. The mind of Shakspeare was as
a magic mirror, in which all human nature's possible forms
and combinations were present intuitively and inherently,
not conceived, but as connatural portions of his own huma-
nity." Any one who is familiar with Shakapeare's most
abandoned characters, will instantly recognise the truth of
these observations. The writer, however, has thus done
honour to his memory in the opportunity offered by indi-
rectly comparing him with Milman, as if any comparison
could possibly be instituted between them. The one is
all nature : the other all art ; the one is wild, irregular,
discursive, metaphysical, " every thing by fits and nothing
long;" the other cold, polished, and mechanical; the 1
poetry of the one is suggested by the heart; that of the
other by the head. In fine, the one is a man of skill, the 1
other a man of genius. The Review of Henderson's Bib-
lical Researches and Travels in Russia, is much better than
its subject deserves, for we ihave a confused recollection of ',
the book, and remember it reluctantly as a prosing piece
of methodism, drowsy as a Chancery suit, and long as a
Cambridge tailor's bill. Lord Byron's voyage to the
Sandwich Islands is, however, a work of far higher pre-
tensions, and fully justifies the extended notice that the
present Quarterly has assigned to it. It seems that on
the death of Rhio Rhio and his Queen, Lord Byron was
commissioned to convey their bodies to the Sandwich
Islands, which gave him an opportunity of exploring the
country, and ascertaining the exact state of its manners,
and the progress of its civilization. Owhyhee, the chief ,
Island of the people, which but a few years since when '
Cook visited it, was sunk in ignorance and sensuality, has,
it appears, not only renounced the barbarous worship of
former times, but comparatively speaking, has familiarized
itself with the arts of modern Europe. The Missionaries,
however, through whose agency this vast change was
effected, have, by a bigotted enforcement of the abstruser
dogmas of their religion, introduced a spirit of Sectarianism
among the reformed islanders, which bids fair to neutralize
the good effects of the Reformation. The Quarterly corn-
ments on this " more in sorrow than in anger," and while
it does justice to the pure zeal of the Missionaries, em-
phatically reprobates their mistaken ardour. Can any thing
indeed be more preposterous, than to compel a poor igno-
rant unsophisticated savage,to believe,as a matter necessary
to salvation, the abstruse mysteries of the Trinity,—myste-
ries which have puzzled the wisest theologians in Europe,
and which reduce even such men as Warburton, Johnson,
Louth, and Paley, to a level with the most unlettered
clowns ? The intelligible principles of Christianity con-
tain all that is requisite to ensure happiness in this world,
salvation in the next : they concentrate in themselves the
germ of every excellence, afford glimpses of perfection
which without them it is impossible awn to conceive, and
are the golden chains let down from Heaven to link us to
the Godhead. Surely then it is sufficient to enforce these
simple, beautiful, and lucid doctrines, without clogging
the unformed mind with mysteries, which, from its very
nature, it must reject. It is like filling a young child's
mouth with mustard. We now turn from this to the
more agreeable subject of Doctor Heber, whose memoirs
are ably introduced in an article entitled "The Church in
India." It is difficult from these memoirs (which bear
,
every stamp of authenticity) to conceive a more truly good
and great man than the late Bishop of Calcutta. As a
Christian, sincere, charitable, and enlightened ; as
a man, firm, open, generous, and lowly-minded ; as
a scholar, deep and versatile in his acquirements,
prompt in acquiring, and tenacious in retaining know-
ledge ; he really seems to have approached as closely to
all that we can conceive of greatness as the imperfect
limits of human nature will allow. The article headed
"Burmese 'War" is interesting; but, as it seems chiefly
made up of details already familiar to the public, we for-
bear entering into particulars. " Historical Romance" is,
generally speaking, a very splendid and eloquent piece of
criticism ; the analysis of Wallenstein is as discriminating
as the translation which originates it ; and the sort of