Star.
London, England, 1826-05-30 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

The Life and Times of Frederick Reynolds. WI itten by
Himself. 2 vols. gro.—London,lB26.

The present age is peculiarly fertile in the literary
and biographical anecdotes and memoirs of persons
who have mixed much in life, furnished by She parties
themselves. We confess we ate glad of this; and are
perfectly of opinion with a northern critic, that 44 No
description of reading comes so near works of fiction in
fascination as biography; and of all kinds of biography,
autobiography, written with talent, and in the spirit of
frankness, is at once the most delightful to the general
reader, and the most instructive to the philosopher, who
studies the springs of action in the human character."
Besides the general charm of biography and auto-
biography, there is something peculiarly attractive in
the memoirs of persons connected with the drama and
,the histrionic art, on account of their extensive and
varied intercourse with the rest of the world. The
Memoirs of George A. Bellamy were very popul 4r
when first published ; but, thanks to the refinement of
the age, their grossness would now exclude them from
society. To take, however, a more modern instance,
'we can laugh heartily at the good humour and kind.-
tie 4 of heart of Mic/hel Kelly, whom Itemiaiseenees are
very amusing. O'Keefe, too, promises a delightful
volume, if we may judge by the specimen of his anec-
dotes in the New Monthly Magazine. And we now add
to these volumes an extremely charming work, by one
r.f the most successful of modern dramatists, 44 The Life
and Times of Frederick Reynolds, written by Himself:"
In the preface, Mr. Reynolds states that he has
written his work to procure that orcupat.on which his
medical advisers prescribed as a remedy for a nervous
disease ; and he expresses a hope chat in attempting to
cure himself he has not annoyed others. We think we
'may safely assure Mr. Rey ni,lds that he has not; for
there is so much frankness and good nature runs through
his work, chat it is impossible not to be pleased both
with it and the author.

It is the peculiar province of a dramaic author to
make himself acquainted with life; and few persons
have better opportunities, as they mingle with all classes
of society ; few writers, however, have had equal op-
portunities • with Mr. Reynolds—the son of a rich
Solicitor, who had for his clients and friends, Wilkes,
the great Ltd of Chatham, the conscientious Earl of
Effingham, and other persons of rank and eminence,
young Reynolds was at once introduced to the best so-
ciety. His education, too, was liberal, notwithstanding
he facetiously pleads in his preface, th it " having only
studied at Westminster School the L itin and never the
English grammar, he fears he may not gratify those
who, treating with contempt the matter, character, and
spirit of Si book, only toil to ascertain whether the pro-
noun, adverb, antecedent, or participle, be used in their
proper places."
Mr. Reynolds, though a dramatist, and mixing much
•
with authors and actors, has, as might be expected,
introduced many anecdotes, and some of them very
piquant ones, connected with the Stage; his work
does nor, however, consist of mere Green-room gossip,
but contains a great deal of entertaining anecdote OW
a ♦ariety of subjects, related with an infinite deal of
pleasantry. The author does not display the least spice
of vanity, but relates his failures with as much good
humour as his successes. Some of the scenes he de-
scribes are truly dramatic, particularly his reading his
tragedy of Werter'to Lady Effingham and her sister,
when her Ladyship fell asleep and nodded approbation ;
and the young lady, th e adored of Reynolds, gave
sneezes instead of sighs, at the pathetic tale. For
the honour of the drama, wemust however say, it was
not the chillness of Mr.Reyntilds's muse that occasioned
the sneezing, but be had read the file out.
There ate few persons who mix in life, and are at all
observant, but might furnish some agreeable ravish'.
cences ; but there are few indeed who from their own
recollections and associations could supply two such
charming volumes as the " Li/4 and limes of Frede-
rick Reynolds"—a work which we are sure will be read
with eagerness and delight by all classes of society.
From the amusing pages of this work we quote a few
anecdotes. The first relates to an actor at Waterford,
of the name of Randall, a-supposed- L'indon star, who
was playing Hamlet for his benefit.
An UM MCA 'MICA L WC tOOk a hurried dirper, and
after it went to the Theatre, which was so nearly empty, (though
for a favourite'. benefit) that the hero of the night, on his entrance,
inddenly receded, with a start of horror, then again advanced, and
bursting with rage, exclairm-11—" Now, Ladies and Gentlemen,
ought ye not to be ashamed of yourselves; and is this the way you
support sterling talent?"
"By the pew's," replied a spectator near the .orcbestrii, only
knew the Wok pit here—that is myself, my sun.Lary, and Dorragh-
ado*. my mothers son, paid to support you, and is this your grati-
tude, Jewel !"

" -inch, and that's just our way of thinking," tried a voice frbtn

'the gallery, " so to it, my pippins: the* cheers for the pr.‘,.,
company, and three groans (or the absent."
These opbtions opened Randall's eyes, and he apologized, a•
thanked his few but real benefacr ors. The play then proceed,
for some time, with only a few interruptions; when suddenly a nee
and Unexpected actor made his appearanceno less a personage a
our old enemy father Neptune ; who, owing to an enconintonly
spring tide, followed us up even into a theatre. At first, howeve
' he only invaded the puiagea, and lower parts beneath the staz,
but soon tilling them, and bending his Irresistible course tliroilz,
the orchestra to the pit, it appeared probable that more person.
' Ophelia would have " too youth of water." At length the Man%-
stepped forward, and informed ns, that rather than see art eristo.
put to our loves, he begged we would return our money, and bum„ ;
gave us leave to depart."
A Misea.—ln the neigbourhood, Mr. Elwes bad a formi,lih,..
rival in fonetce—a retired Barrister; the desolate state of whew
house gave it the appearance of being haunted, or, " the worst
the wnrct," of a property long in Chaucery. The day we co., Iv,
he was receiving from one of his tenants his Midsummer :,
After my introduction by Topham, and an interchange betwo n
of the usual compliments, the Barrister, turning towards the farm,•
presented him with a small glass of port wine,which he took a•,!
drank ; but then exhibiting a fact of evident disapprobation,
Barrister exclaimed, "What ! do you not like the flavour of this giA.:
of wine a 3 well as of tl.e one I gave you last Christmas ?"—"
dang it," replied the tenant, you see it has a kind of a difFereir
taste."—" ila, ha F' rejoined the lawyer triumphantly, " now l
have caught you : it is out of the wry same bottle, and alias never
been opened since !"

HOSSING A Hiciiwarmaa.—To recur to the subject of pockeiih:
groats—My brother Jack, late one evening in January, proceetlet
hi his gig to Suuthbarrow, was stopped on Bromleyll by a lep..
wayman, who, presenting a pistol, furiously demanded his nitn;t7.
I will not say that Jack took fright, but his horse did, and, will
a violent plunge, galloped of at full speed. The highwayman%
foot being sti uck by the wheel, he was immediately unhorsed, any:
dashed on the ground; while his horse, now left to his own gui.
dance, mechanically followed the vehicle. Jack, in total ignorant
of the whole proceeding, hearing the horse behind the gig, natsrz'e
concluded the highwayman was in full pursuit, and expected ever.:
moment to have his brains blown out. However, on enteeng
town, he discovered his error, to his great relief; and stopping
the inn, and desiring to speak to the landlord, he related the c.r.
cumstance, and then delivered the horse to him ; ordering it to he
immediately advertised according to the usual form—" If it, t
owned, nor demanded, within ten days from the date hereof, i: will
be peremptorily sold to defray expenses." As may be suppo.ed•
the horse wa. neither owned nor claimed, so therefore sold ; and
Jack, pocketing the afrotat, cleared upwards of thirty pounds by
what he called " robiing a highturtrut."
Journal of a Voyage up the Mediterranean., principally
among the Islands of the Archipelago, including many
interesting Particulars relative to the Greek Ilevolu •
Lion. By the Rev. Charles Sw.tn. '2 vols. Bso.
London, 1826.

As Chaplain to his Majesty's ship Cambrian, ccm-
manded by Captain Hamilton, Mr. Swan has had many
opportunities for collecting materials for an intere,tirg
work, and such is the Journal before us. It is true that
some persons would probably have preferred a con-
nected narrative; but yet there is, to t.s, a considerable
charm in a faithful record of events as they occur,
written on the impulse of the moment, when their &nil-
ness has not been dimmed by imperfect recollection,
nor received any esibellishment from ins igination.
—The voyage of the Cambrian was of too rambling a
character to allow any very minute inquiry into the
antiquities of this classical land. or to enter into any
very elaborate disquisition on the manners and character
of the people ; and the Author, therefore, we think,
acted wisely in determining " to catch the objects living
as they rise," and_to describe what he saw at the place
where, and the time when, he saw it. Brought in con-
tact with the Chiefs of the contending parties, under cir-
cumstances peculiarly favourable for observation, Mr.
Swan has given us a vivid picture of their persons and
peculiarities. Enthusiastic in the cause of Greece; he loses
nntipportunityof doing justice to herheroes and coast,
while he does not forget the honest impartiality of an
historian in noting her foes. Mr. swan is a good clas-
sical scholar. and he writes in,a pleasing and animated
style, which is remarkable for its terseness. Among the
persons to whom Mr. Swan was introduced, was Ibrahim
Pacha, who has so recently distinguished himself in the
horrible massacre at Missolonghi. Tne Camp of the
Egyptian leader was in much confusion; miserable
looking beings were everywhere stationed on the ground
exposing their half clothed bodies to the burning sue.
We wire coedueted," says Mr. Swan, " by the Arab guard,
who attempted most unsuccessfully, as it appeared to me, a regular
march, to the cottage in which Ibrahim Pacha, pipe in hand, was
visaed. He is a stout, broad, brown-faced, vulgat-looking man,
thirty-five or forty years of age,. marked strongly with the small-
pox. His countenance possesses little to engage-' but w hen be speaks,
which he does with considerable energy and fluency, it becomes
animated and rather striking. He frequently aeccmpanies his
words with a long drawling cry, which to E.uropean ears sounds
ridiculously enough. His manner carries with it that sort, of deci-
sion, which is perhaps the common appanage of despotism: de-
prived of this, he would resemble an uneducated hard-ravaged
seaman of Air own country—and I think I have somewhere seen
his exact counterpart; but it may be merely fancy. He was plainly
clothed, foe a Turk ; aid his camp establishment, altogether, had
none of that parade and luxury, whisk we are accustomed to attach
to eastern warfare."

Of the brave Greek Admiral Canaria Mr. Swan says,
‘• I had very fortunately an opportunity of seeing this celebrated
man, who had but just arrived at Hydra, from ];gins. There is
an expression of great mildness and benevolence in his countenance,
but it would not at all convey an idea of the Greek ; his nose is
small, almost *amoral, though his eye is gobd : be has a deeply ern-
browned complexion, and his stature is low, but he is well made."
C4ll;uis and his equally brave, and, perhaps, still
more succeisful compatriot, Miaulis, permitted
Swan to view one of those destructive engines by which
they have sent so many followers of Nl,thomet to the,r
last account—we mean a fire-ship, anis de,clibed:

" The held of the vessel is partitioned off into small stalls, with•
out each of which stands a barrel of gunpowder, containing about
thirty okes (about eighty-two and a half pounds); on each side a
prickly plant, called in Greek Thymaria, a species of thyme, wiiich
kindles readily, is deposited. The bottom of the barrel has a bole
communicating with trains, carried into various parts of the vessel;
mid a composition, consisting of turpentine, saltpetre, rosin, and
other materials thatigNite quickly, is rubbed sit over the hold ; the
casks intended to receive the gunpowder, and every other part that
is likely to facilitate the progress of the fire, the decks and outward
part of the vessel, are pitched and painted copiously, and grappling
irons are concealed in the rltilog ; the quantity *1 gunpowder used
In a single bralot amounts to t,ooo otos, er 5,500 lb. and it is fired
in about forty places at once; they man it with from twenty 10
twenty-five men, according to the use. The one I saw was of the
largest, and had keen an Austrian merchantman, taken with a cargo
of Turkish ammunition."
We might quote many descriptive passages like
these, but they will sufficiently show she author's style,
we may, however, be tempted at some future period
,to cull a few interesting anecdotes with which the
work is thickly studded.

His Majesty's ship GLOUCSSTIR, with the Duke ,"
Memnon and suite ea board, in company with the len
Steam Packet, passed the Scaw Point on the 24th inst. oil Or
way to St. Petershurgh.
THE MAN or Ross.—Monday being the birth dif
anniversary of Mr. Krum, the Man of Ross (who was
horn on the 22d of May, 1637,) a zealous admirer
his virtues wigaged the ringers of Ross Church on the
occasion ; such a mode of commemoration appearffig
the more appropriate,from the circumstance of the Val
sell there being the gift of that illustrious person, ani
snaring his name. The morn was ushered in with the s:k
and enlivening sounds, which were renewed at noon, a"
the evening closed with a muffled peal, thus coti,l4
via, the blessings of the good man's birth his henouratf
tetaement to the tomb.