Star.
London, England, 1823-09-22 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

•••••••■•••.—
RXICAZES ON Tile Noavn or Snit:. By John Bramsen. London,
1823.
Mr. Bramsen is so intelligent a traveller, and so agree-
able a writer, that we are sorry he did not penetrate
farther into Spain, and indulge more amply in describ-
ing the manners and customs of the people. His work,
however, as far as it goes, is a very pleasing volume,
and gives a lively sketch of the provinces of Spain
through which he travelled, without fatiguing us with
the political dissentions which distract the country. As
a specimen of the subject and style of his volume, we
shall give one or two anecdotes. The First relates to a
dinner of the Constitutional soldiers at Bilboa.
" Two soldiers placed several wooden bowls of soup upon the
ground, in the walk before the barracks. They were soon after
surrounded by a group of their comrades, forming a circle round
each bowl. A large wooden spoon was then placed in each, and
one soldier after the other stepped gently forward; when after eat-
ing a spoonful of the contents, he replaced the spoon and retired to
his former station in the circle. No confusion existed, no oath was
uttered, no fighting ensued; they all appeared pleased and satisfied, i
partaking of the contents of the bowl in harmony. Soon after, each
took a segar from his pocket, lighted it, gave one to those of their
comrades whohad none, and sat quietly on the benches conversing
in a friendly manner."
An English artist, travelling from Irun to Madrid,
was stopped by robbers—
" All the passengers were tied to trees. While they were plun-
dering the stage, the English traveller requested the robbers to do
him the favour to untie his hands ; which they did ;• when he drew
from his pocket a book and pencil, and began sketching the con-
fused scene before hint, to the no small astonishment of the robbers,
who, observing his skill, untied him altogether, in order to afford
him greater liberty for executing his ingenious undertaking."
Mr. Bramsen is not an Englishman, and hence he
cannot be accused of national prejudices in the follow-
ing just reflections on visiting Vittoria:
" I visited the spot which is consecrated by the victory ob-
tained in 1813, by the English and Spanish forces, under the im-
mortal Duke of Wellington, over the French army commanded by
Jerome Bonaparte and Marshal Jourdan. To nay great surprise I
found nothing but barren mountains, a true aymbol of ingratitude !
Not the slightest monument was there, to point out to the traveller
the spot where so many heroes slumber, who fell fighting for the
cause of Spain. In vain do the barren mountains silently upbraid
the ingratitude of those whose battle was fought and whose victory
was won ; the action is past, and the memory of it in Spain has pe-
' riAd with it. Nut so, however, to the world at large ; for while
%.the spirit of military glory, and the admiration of heroic achieve-
ritents, find au echo in the generous breast, the fame of the heroes
ho repose here, and of those who trod the path of glory with them,
shall survive ; and the lapse of time, far from weakening the re-
rit;:mbrance of their valour, shall consecrate it to the veneration and
glory of posterity."

- • -
TRIAL of the Rev. Elms nn Irmo, M.A. A Cento of Criticism. avr;
The eloquence and peculiarities of the Minister of the
Caledonian Chetch have been the town-talk for the last
few months ; and Mr. Irving has incurred the excess of
praise and censure by the Press. Public Journalists
have condemned his preaching, who acknowledge never
to have heard him ; and others have censured his book,
who ev dently never read it. The Tri4l is, in fact, the
only thing worth rc:Oiog that has been written on the
subject of Mr. Irving, who is here arraigned in the
High •f Common sense, on seven distinct
charges. The prosecutor is Mr. Jacob Oldstyle.—
The evideace a,,,ainst him is that of the several Editors
of Newspape s an.: Periodicals who have criticised him ;
and they are very ingeniously examined and crms.ex-
amined. Mr. Irvin.,?' defends himself in a cento of pas-
sages just ciously culled from his orations; and after
caking wh.nesses to character, is acquitted on all the
charges—that of following divisive courses excepted.
This really c:ever and good-humoured satire has been
variously attributed to Mr. Theodore Hook and one of
the • authors of the Rejected Addresses, but, we be-
lieve, incorrectly.
ILLUSTRATIONS or Forrurr.t.
This is a splendid volume, containing twelve beau-
tiful plates ofthe most prominent architectural beauties
of Fouthill, with descriptive letter-press. WeAue glad
Ito sec the author confine himself to the building only,
arid that lie does not join in the contemptible quackery
by which the gewgaws with which Parkhill is furnished
arc puffed otr.
Nothing can be more erroneous than the statements
in the Morning Papers relating to the price which ar-
ticles are said to fetch at Fonthill.
It is stated, in a respectable journal, the Literary Ca-
tette, that several books have been foisted in the library
by a person who is said to bid spiritedly for them, and
that the prices which the books fetch are grossly mis-
stated. For instance, No. 584 is mentioned in a Morn-
ing Paper, to have brought £8 ; it sold only for 9s.—
No. 500, which is put down in the same paper as selling
for O. 6.‘ brought 2s. 6d. and the Editor, or rather a
Correspondent of the Editor's, mentions the case of
Lriazo sopro Medaglie, which is stated in the inside as
having cost Mr. Beckford £6. Ios. 6d. although it
actually cost him but half a guinea. So much for the
correctness of the statements respecting Fonthill sale.
The HERMIT L 5 Prosoir.—Translated from the French of E. Jouy
• and A. Jay, 2 vols. 12mo.
M. Jony is the author of the Hermit of the Chausse
d Actin, a work which has given rise to those successful
and spirited English publications, the Hermit in Town,
the Hermit in the Country, and the Hermit Abroad. The
Hermit in Prison is the joint production of MM. Jouy
and Jay, and consists of thirty sketches, or essays, on
a variety of subjects. They are elegantly written, and
contain many animated descriptions and profound re-
marks, displaying an extensive knowledge of the world,
ind much acuteness of observation.

EPIT.IPHS.
k St. Michael's, Crooked-lane :

Ilcre lyeth, wrapt in clay,
The body of William Vray ;
I have no more to bay'!"
In the Church-yard of Westmiston, in Sussex :

" Farewell, poor world ! I must be gone;
'This is no place for me:
I'll take my staff, and travel! on,
Hoping a better world to see.
The bitter cup that Death gave me,
Is passing round to come to thee!"
In St. Bennett's, Paul's Wharf, London :
" Here lies one More, and no Mere than he :
One More, and no More I how can that be?
'Wily one More and no More, may well lie here alone,
But here lies one More, and that More than one!"
At Ockham, in Surrey, 1736:
" The LORD saw good, I was lopping off wood,
And down Ml from the tree;
I met with a check, and I broke my neck,
And so death lopp'd off me !"

A 'minty-, intending to describe the miracle of the
fishes listening to the preaching of Sr. Anthony of Padua,
painted the lobsters stretching out of the water red,
having probably never seen them in their native state.
Being questioned on this, and asked how he could justify
his representing the lobsters as boiled; he extricated
1-:••••••••1; Vsyr eNceeviodisjiaidtwas Mc Erfatfre