Star.
London, England, 1823-07-07 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

The following interesting Wotks have been lately
Pablished by CaLBURN and Co. viz.—l. The I lermit Abroad,
by the celebrated Author of the hermit in London, and Ilet mit
in the Country.-2. The Flood of Thessaly, the Girl of Pro-
vence, and other Poems, by Barry Cornwall.---3. Isabella, a
Novel; by the Authoress of Rhoda and Plain Sense.-4. Narra-
tive of a Journey to Brussels and Coblentz ; written by the pre-
sent King of Frauce.-5. Letter; on England, containing Free
lt,marks on the present State of our Manners, Amusements,
Literatiare, &C. 2 volumes.--6. The Etonian ; a Series of Es-
s,ys, Criticisms, and Delineations of Life and Manners, 3 vols.
and 7. Woman, a Poem, by E. S. Barrett, Esq. the 4th Edition,
with illustrations, by R. Westall, Esq. IL A.

ANECDOTES OF LONDON.
(From the PERCY HISTORIES, No. II.)
THI ROTAL MCC tIANGT:.
Although Sir Thomas Gresham has indeed all the honour of
founding this great building, and the still more substantial merit
of having sacrificed a private fortune on account of it; it is not
to be concealed, that the actual work of his hands is in a great
measure no more. The4setter part of the fruits of Ms industry
acid beneficence perished in the flames; the site of the Exchange,
all the College in 13road-street, being all that survived tho ge-
peral destruction. It is, therefore, to the spirit and liberality of
his Trustees, of the City corporation, and of the Mercers' Com-
pany, that the Public are in reality indebted for the erection of
the Exchange, as it at present exists. Indeed, so impoverished
were the funds of the Gresham Trust by the conflagration, that
they had become ultimately inadequate to the different charges
with which the founder had burdened it ; and, but for the mag-
nanimous liberality of his trustees, in fulfilling the intentions of
the venerated donor after the appointed means were gone, the
good which be designed to be perpetual must have long since
c :me to an end. In 1729, a hill of discovery on the subject
was tiled in Chancery by one of the Lecturers, and from a state
of accounts then exhibited it appeared, that the Mercers' Com-
pany alone had expended, out of their own funds on account
of the Gresham Trust, no less than the enormous suns of
£100,659. 185. 10d. In 1745, the sum in advance had increased
to £141,883. 75. Id. ; it had reached a point of magnitude
in fact, which put all chance of reimbursement out of the ques-
tion. The payments which the City Corporation had made on
the same account do not appear to have been inquired into, but
as they contributed equally to the rebuilding of the Exchange,
it is to be presumed. that they had borne ass equal share of the
outlay, so that the total advance on this trust could not, at the
period in question, have been less than half a million ; such an
instance of spontaneous beneficence as we believe to be without
a parallel in the history of benevolent executorsbips.
VIA RIIER-SU IiGEON%
The BarbetMall, situated in Monkwell.street,was converted
into an anatomical theatre, where lectures were delivered by
the more eminent members of the Company, and illustrated by
the dissection of the dead bodies of criminals given to the Com-
pany for that purpose, and by others "brought to them," we
presume, in the usual course of a nefarious trade. On this last
point, however, there is an order extant in the minute books of
the Court of Assistants, the perusal of which must, we think,
suggest some doubts as to the " usual course" having been al-
ways adhered to. We know not what interpretation exactly
to give to this singular piece of evidence ; but that it indicates
some practice more horridly revolting than anything we know
of in our times, is but too apparent. It is dated 13th July,
1387, and is literally in these words :
" It is agreed, that if any bodie, who shall, at any tyme here-
after, happen to be brought to our hall for the intent to be wrought
limn by th' anattoinists of our Companie, shall merle or come t 4
lt againe, as of late bath been seen. The charges about the same
bodie so revyvyng, shall be borne, levied, and susteyned by such
parson or persons who shall happen to bring home the bodie.
And furder, shall abyde such older or fyne, as this house shall
award" ! !!

TYPOGRAPHICAL JUBILEE.
(From the MUSEUM; or, Record of Literature.)

About the 10th of. this Month it is intended to ce-
lebrate a Typographicallee at Haarlem, in com-
memoration of it's being the fourth centenary anni-
versary of the supposed discovery of the Art of Print-
ing (in that city) by Laurens Coster. A Myneer de
Vries is to pronounce an elaborate oration on the

occasion.
What the Dutch crater will say we cannot pre-
tend to predict : but we will fairly forewarn him,
that if he have the temerity to consider Myneer Lau-
rens Coster as the father of the Art of Printing, he
will waste his time and breath, to no one solid and
satisfactory purpose. It is true that our countryman,
Mr. Ottley, has, in his History of the Art of Engraving,
. devoted the better part 01100 pages to the substantiat-.
ing of the Dutchman's claims ; but still we think that
Mr. Ottley's researches evince rather the ingenuity of
• an advocate, than the unbiassed conclusion of a judge.
The author of the Bibliogra:thical Decameron has, in
his 4th day, reviewed the labours of Mr. Ottley, and
it seems to us that his own decision is rather uncer-
tain, and that, out of pure compliment to his friend,
lie has invested his brows with a wreath to which in
fact he is not absolutely intitled.
Conjecture may exhaust itself in wild and fanciful '
deductions, but the express and undoubted document
of the depositions of Gutenberg and others, of the
date of 1430 and earlier, as preerved in the archives
of Strasbourg, appear to us to overturn all the claims
of the Hollanders. And besides, admitting that the
ABC and Pater-Buster of Coster, which all the world
may examine in an old palish chest at Haarlem, be
of an almost contemporaneous date (which is begging
the question hugely), we contend that such barbarous
specimens are not, in fact, the fruits of what is un-
derstood by the art of printing. If they be so under-
stood, then we contend that you must look for the
real origin of the art in China; because impressions
from a wooden surface are of a much cashier• date
with the Chinese, and not what we understand to
be the application of the art in question. Fusile metal
types were the discovery of Gutenberg, or Schoiffher,
or Post; and to one, or two, or all of these men, be-
longs consequently the glory of the discovery of the
most important art in the world.
We would give a little to be present at Myneer de
Vries oration, which we hope will be published with
a translation and suitable notes. And should we be
all alive and merry about a half century hence, we
trust there will. be a similar jubilee in London, to
coniniemorate the introduction of the same wonderful
art into England, by that I simple' yet sagacious per-
son, William Caiton.
WOuld it not be worthy of the high renown and
dignity of the Rosburghe club to institute such a fes-
tival ? Soberly speaking, we think it would : and let
every printer from Truro to the Tweed (having first
washed his face) attend on the occasion.

A certain Parisian Preacher was holding forth, not
much to the, sativfactian of his audience. " He did
better last year,". observed Santeuil the poet,'whci‘was
present. A byestander asserted that he must beintis.
taken, for that the pt esent exhibitor had not preached
at all the year before. " That is what I mean," an-
bwei ed the poet ! —Museum; or, Record of Literature.
It is a proverb among our seamen, that no one is
allowed to think On board of ship but the captain,/
the chief snatesabd•the carpenter.— lb.
Notice of coffee, from Sir H. Blanes Travels in
1634. "They, (the Turks) have another drink called

rauphe, made of a berry as big as a small bean, dried
in a furnace, and beat to powder, of a sootl color, I
that they seethe and drink, in taste a little bitterish,
but as may be endured :—it is thought to be the old
thick broth used so much by th.! Lacedemonians : it
di ieth ill humors in the stomach, comforteth the
brain," &c. &c.

HAZLEWOODAt.t., a Village Drama, in Three Acts. By Ro-
bert Bloomfield.

Ilialesvood 11-411 is perhaps the humblest of all
Bloomfield's efforts, and yet at is not without its me-
rits. The simplicity of this Poet's manners, and his
retirement from the' great stir" which affords variety
of character, disqualify him for formal dramatic wri-
ting, though he has on former occasions, very uncon-
sciously, we doubt not, produced poems highly dra-
matic. This village drama, which is in prose, was
written many years ago. It is enlivened with a few
songs and poems, which do no discredit to the author
of " The Farmer's Boy." The following is one of the
gems which sparkle in Hazlewood Hall.
" Lovely Truth! thy steady eye
. Can strike the villain's heart with shame,
When Modesty, thy firm ally,
Without a sword,
♦Vithout a word,
Her angel brow uprears !
Her single glance, when thou art by,
Is spear and shield,—the foe must fly,
Or crouch to Truth and Modesty,
To woman's scorn or tears!"
`the liana:it. ABROAD. By the Author of " The Hermit inLon-
don," and " The Hermit in the Country." 2 vols. 12m0.1823.
The happy talent of this Author in sketching cha-
racter in town and country, and the popularity which
he attained, hai urged him to cross the Channel, and
give us two volumes of the Hcrmit Abroad, which dis-
play the same smart humour, and are directed to the,
same moral purpose as his former volumes. The Her-
mit Abroad has confined his wanderings principally
to France and the Netherlands, and he gives us a very
animated, and we believe faithful picture of the man-
ners and peculiarities of the inhabitants of these coun-
ta ies, particularly in the Capitals.' These volumes are
a pleasing addition to the light literature of the day.
The Du's of MANTUA ; a Tragedy. By ---. two. 1825.
The reading Public has been a good deal on the
qui vine to discover the author of this Tragedy, which
is ushered in with a maskedportrait of Lord Byron.
We do not profess to solve the mystery, but think,
from the talent that the Author has displayed, he will
not long remain incognito. The story is one of un-
lawful love, but it is told with great delicacy ; the
characters are well drawn, and the language is spirited
and elegant.

Tea queen or POOTVGAL.—The following letter is said to
have been addressed by the Queen to her son Don Miguel :
l 6 My Sox—lt is necessary to act—unsheath your sword, and
prove that there is royalty in your veins. The times are come
when one must know how to come down sometimes from the
throne in order to labour as a Iring (pour fair metier dens) in the
public place, and in the barracks. Be worthy of yourself, so you
shall be worthy of the crown which you will one day wear.
Attack then this infamous Constitution which oppresses it. I
have prepared everything—you are expected—lose not a minute
—march—you will triumph. I protect you with my blessing.
" CNA/MOTTO JOACHIMIC"