Star.
London, England, 1830-02-02 00:00:00

Thulium imperil= cum Scott, Moore habet.

" Why has Ireland never as yet succeeded in establishing a re-
spectable periodical? Does she export all her intellect, and keep
none for home consumption?—No such thing : Ireland has an in-
exhaustible fund of natural treasures of every description; but
they have been hitherto rendered useless by the demon of political
animosity, to whose special guidance the island has for the last
five centuries been committed. It was asked—' Has a writer
shown ability? has he exhibited intellectual vigour?—breathes
there a soul of fire and feeling in his works?' No—the first ques-
tion asked was respecting his politics; the second about his family
—the last concerning his merits. A man of vigorous mind, who
laughed at the first, and despised the second, saw that he ought to
seek another market to dispose of the third.

" The Doblin University has a heavy share of blame to bear for
the low state of Irish literatute in its native soil. If it was their
set purpose to produce as little effect In the literary world as pos-
sible, more admirable means could not be adopted than those which
they have devised. Prizes are given for English composition; but
the compositions themselves are so far from being published as we
do in Cambridge, that the successful candidates are obliged to give
a promise that they will not publish them at their own risk before
they can receive the stipulated reward. A thousand nonsensical
excuses are made for this absurd regulation ; the example of Cam-
bridge Is sufficient to set them all aside : we remember to have
seen poems in all the various degrees of good, bad, and indifferent,
published under the sanction of that University, and we never yet
beard of any evil resulting from the practice, while we know of
snitch good.
" The management of the University press, and of University
publications is, we understand, absolutely scandalous. The class-
books of Oxford and Cambridge may be readily obtained in any
part of the United Kingdom. Co into any bookseller's shop in
London, and ask for Bunkley's Astronomy,—far the best intro.
duction to that noble science ever written,—and your sure answer
is, " Never heard of it Sir"—nay more—ask for it in Ireland out
of Dublin, and the reply given is, " Slr, " we can get it for you,
but we never keep college-books, as no allowance is made on them
to beeksellers,"—at least such an answer was given to us in Lime-
rick, when on our way to Killarney, after our anxiety to see Bunk-
ley's book had been wound to an extravagant height by the glowing
description of a young student, who was our singlefellew-traveller.
How many copies of Lloyd's Dynamics are there in England?
Certainly not a dozen; and all this because it has been deemed
expedient to give somebody or other the advantage of both whole-
sale and retail profit.
" Literature being neglected by the institution from whence its
patronage might most naturally be expect's!, we must look else-
where for the encouragement of genius and talent. The greater
part of the nobility and gentry have been long absentees ; the
country squires read little but Hr. " Justice of the Peace"
and the newspapers ; the middle ranks were entirely occupied with
perpetual battles about religion, whose precepts they neglected—
politics which none of them understood, and vestries, where all
looked for jobs. We were at one time astonished. that Ireland
possessed no literary journal ; but after a visit of six weeks, we re-
turned home perfectly free from all surprise about the matter.

" But Ireland is the country for puzzling pbUosopbers,and baffling
every calculation of the politkal economists. The peasantry in-
crease and multiply in violation of all ildsithusian rules ; the potatoe
proves a wholesome food, to the utter confusion of Cobbett ; and
the people break each other's beads at fairs out of pore love sad
affection, " against the peace of our sovereign lord the king, his
crown and dignity," and contrary to the form of the statutes in
that ease made and provided by all writers on ethic., front the days
of Aristotle even unto those of Dr. Pring. Literature, so long in
obeyance, has all ac once started into life and activity throughout
the entire country. In Cork they are about to establish a College
on the ruins of the institution ; in Limerick they speak of starting a
Magazine ; the spirited and intelligent cid. ens of Belfast ate about
to perfurm the same feat ; but Dublin, with laudable vigour, will
not be contented with less than two magazines, and a Literary
Gazette !

Three numbers of the latter see now before me, and they ex-
hibit proofs of 'agorae, intellect, refined taste, and manly feeling,
such as few periodicals an boat. It is perhaps in furor and ar-
rangement too drcided'an imitation of its London contemporary,
and is theribre too often brought into contraq a journal whose
critical acumen has been matured by long experience. In essays
and sketches such a comparison need not be dreaded, for there the
War Gazette possesses a decided superiority; but the reviewing
department is not managed with similar skill, and though by no
means badly conducted, is certainly inferior to it. practised rivaL
As an Web Literary Gazette bin itself a novelty, and meat there-
fore have to cootend against many prrjudict a before it can be /sown
and appreciated on this side of the water, I will give you a few ex-
tracts from its interesting pages. The following letter from Mrs.
Hall, authoress of the sketches of Irish character, is an creditable
to the head and bean of its fair writer, that it deservedly claims
the first place