Star.
London, England, 1821-06-07 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

it Annals of the Palish; or, The Chronicle of Dalma
during the Ministry of the Rev. MICAH BALWIIIDDCR; wr
by himself. Arranged and edited by the Author of • The A:4
shire Legatees,' &c. One Volume, lama—Blackwood, RC.
burgh, Cade% London."
e prominent part which the Scotch men of let.
tens have, in modern times, taken in every depart-
ment of literature, is a circumstance of which then
country may justly feel proud. As profound scho.
lan, we hold them to be far inferior to the English;
but, from a better tact in the application of their more
superficial acquirements to useful ends, they have
contrived somehow or other greatly to outstrip the
writers of England in the race of popularity,
After carrying off all but a few of the laurels in
history, in philosophy, in medicine, in poetry, and in
sermon-writing, we find them now, with the Great
Unknown at their Head, making a sweeping invasion
into the region of Fiction and Romance--a dep,,t_
ment which the English Literati had hitherto kept as
a sort of preserve to themselves ; for if we except the
Chevalier Ramsay, Dr. iNlooae, and Dr. SNIOLLET,
Scotland had never hitherto produced any writers of
reputation as Novelists.
Now Scottish Novels are all the rage; and really:
as long as Scottish Novels continue to be written with
the originality, spirit, and captivation, which we See
displayed in them, we cannot be surprised to find
them keeping possession of the public partiality; '!'he
one which is now before us is of the order of those
which arc sure, not only to sustain, but to add to the
national reputation. It is entitled to take a first tlace
among the works of the masters. The khowledge of
character, truth of description, and felicity of narrative
which it displays, mark a genius of the highest w.dc,
Before proceeding to lay a specimen of the work be-
fore our Readers, it may be necessary to rematk,
that it assumes to be written by the Bev. .Ificau
Bat Lwinconen,lii niself a guileless country parson.
out the smallest view to publication, a circarnst.thee
which will account for the homeliness of style ado Dte,i,
and at the same time give the Reader a higher Lotion
of the powers of the Author, who can so ably identity
himself with the character he has engaged to sksc be.
The following is Mr. NlicArr BALwutonFut's account
of a sermon which he preached before his Grace the
Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly
of the Church of Scotland :
“ I had chosen as my text, from 2d Samuel, chap. xis.
these words—' Can I bear any more the voice of singing Luca
and singing women? Wherefore, then, should thy servant be
yet a burden to the King?' And hardly had I with a trembling
voice read the words, when T perceived an awful stir in the cm.
egation, for all applied the words to the state of the Church,
nal the appointment of his Grace the Commissioner. Hating
paused after giving out the text, the same lawful and critical
silence again ensued, and every eye was so fixed upon nie, the
I was for a time deprived of courage to look about; but flu."
was pleased to companionate my infirmity, and as I preceded,
I began to warm as in my own pulpit.
" I described the gorgeous Babelonian. harlot riding forth it
her chariots of gold and silver, with trampling steeds, and a hur-
ricane of followers, drunk with the cup of ahorninati ms, ail
shouting with revelry, and glorying in her triumph, trending
down iu their career chow precious pearls, the saints and mar.
tyrs, into the mire beneath their swinish feet. ' Before her,
you may behold Wantonness playing the tinkling cymbal, Into.
knee beating the drum, and Pride blowing the trumpet. Every
vice is there with his emblems ; and the sailer of pardons, with
his crucifix and triple crown, is distributing his larger of petit.
don. The voices of men shout to set wide the gates, to give
entrance to the Queen of Nations, and the gates are set wide,
and they all enter. The avenging gates close on them—they are
all shut up in Hell
" There was a sough in the Kirk as I said these words, for the
vision I described seemed to be passing before me as Isaose,
and I felt as if I had witnessed the everlasting destructiaa of
Antichrist and the worshippers of the Beast. But soon recover-
ing myself, I said, in a soft and gentle manner, ' Look at yon
lovely creature in virgin-raiment,. with the Bible in her hand.—
See how mildly she walks along, giving alms to the poor as she
passes on towards the door of that lowly dwelling. Let us fol-
low her in. She takes her seat in the chair at the bedside of the
poor old dying sinner, and as he tosses in the height of penitence
and despair, she reads to him the promise of the &team—
' This night thou shalt be with me in Paradise,' and he embraces
her with transports, and falling back on his pillow, calmly chain
his eyes in peace. She is the true Religion ; and when I see wha
she can do in the last moments of the guilty, well may we ex-
claim, when we think of the symbols and pageantry of the de-
parted superAition, Can I bear any more the voice of singieg
men and singing wanness? No ; let us cling to the simplicky.of
the Tiuth that is now established in our native land.'
At the conclusion of this clause of my discourse, the con-
gregation, which had been all so still and so solemn, never
coughing, as was often the case among my people, gave a great
rustle, changing their positiowt, by which I was almost overcome;
however I took heart, and ventured on and pointed out, that
with our Bible and an orthodox Priesthood, we stood in no nee I
of the King's authority, however bound we were in temporal
things to respect it, and I +hewed this at some length, crying out
Wherefore, then, should thy servant be
•nueLt haembwuyor dredeynse
s°trotmtuhe:
=144:6 inGrtte.thyein
Commissions-,
winhisdiclain Is
-happened
s.tt,
ton the Throne, and I thought his countenance was troublid,
which made me add, that he might not think I meant him ary
offence, that the Kira of the CHURCH was one before whom the
great, and the wise, and the good—all doomed and sentnced cur.-
victa—implure his mercy. It is true,' said I,' that in the days
of his tribulation, he was wounded fur our iniquities, and died
to save us ; but at his death his greatness was proclaimed by tle
quick and the dead. There was sorrow, and there was wonder,
and there was rage, and there was remorse—but there was ra
shame there—none blushed on that day at that sight but yen
glorious luminary.' The congregation rose and looked round, as
the sun that I pointed at shone in at the window. I was dfc-
concerted by their movement, and my spirit was spent, so that
could say no more."-193-188.

Bow-staxas—Ehsvarasisca Case.—Yesterday, Richavdleed,
a boy apparently about nine years of age, underwent s
investigation, on an extraordinary charge of administer:l4l4-
mm to several children, one of them an infect only tersl.o
months old. The poison he administered consisted of brat=
and arsenic. The children's namse to whom the poisonous 02T-
position was given were Thomas Pearce, William Smith, ani
George Smith. (The father's name is Hannibal Smith, res:(l.4
at 35, Drury-lane, coal-dealer, and father-in-law to the AN-
mentioned boy). Also W. Saunders, Anne Pro • sr, an infect
only twelve months old, and Horatio Walter Bair-, also /13
Pant, whose father, Walter Baird, a gold-beater, resides g
Drury-lane. It appeared that the prisoner is employed by Mr;
itedgravess, a braes-founder, in Great Queen-street, linc°l!'s
Inn-fields, as an errand-boy, and is frequently sent for our ei
necessary for Mr. lledgraves' business, which are often of a P°l
ramous nature. The prisoner had been observed playing "th
the children who are injured by taking the poisonous mitten..
(ht Tuesday evening a dispute had arisen between then, and de
prisoner lett them, but returned soon afterwards, and wes
served by one of the witnesses to give something out of a fbgl.
to two of the children, and the witness suspecting he was grill
them something improper, slapped his face, and sent him awl/
from them. They are, however, considered out of danger--
The father of the prisoner attended, who said that he resided.'
Green-street, Theobald's-road. Sir B. BAENA informed 1113
that he would receive bail for the boy, and his raker said
k.
had no doubt he mead procure it, and to give him an Orr°lllg4ll
to do so, he was not committed, but sent to be kept in sate castokir
in the watch-house for another investigatien,

DIED.
On the 6th instant, at bh house on Islington Green, Ttessa
Davidson. Esq. in the 76th year of his age.
May 31, at Hayes, Middlesex, Mrs. Sarah Hinton.
LONDON ; Printed sad Toblisbeillsy—Lsvas.KirT, PIM*
Place, Turple*ar.