Star.
London, England, 1829-06-01 00:00:00

THE MAG AZINES.

The Magazine days in London are now only second,
In point of feasting, to Christmas days and other holi-
-days—the difference consisting solely in this, that the
latter are set apart for the enjoyment of creature com-
forts, whereas the former are devoted to the 4. feast of
reason and flow of soul." Our intention, however,. at
this moment being to present our readers with a few
brief extracts, we must dispense with all preliminary
comment, and we therefore proceed at once to the first
of periodicals—
BLACKWOOD'S MAGAZINE.

The papers in this month's number are numerous,
end, as usual, of a higher order than what we find in
its brotherhood. " Songs of the Affections," by Mrs.
lixmAus, are exquisite compositions, and for softness
and feeling may vie with the most mournful strains in
our language. We have, likewise, a powerfully written
tale—" The Murderer's last night ;" with "Sketches on
the Road in Ireland,' and a translation from " Schiller,"

which ale calculated to chain the attention of the most

careless reader. We would gladly make a long ettract
from the brilliant " Nates Ambrosiane of the present
number, but we must content ourselves with one of the
" Songs of the Afieitions"—namely, the " Soldier's
Death-bed :*
Like thee to die, thou Sant ! —My boyhood's dream
Was this; and new my spirit with thy beam
Ebbs from a held of victory; yet the hour
hears back upon me with a torrent's power,
Nature's deep longings: oh! for some kind eye
Wherein to meet Love's fervent farewell gaze;
Some breast, to pillow life's last agony ;
Some voice, to speak of Hope and brighter days
Beyond the Pus of Shadows! BO .1 Vs
I, that have been so loved, go hence alone;
And ye, now gathering round my own hearth's glow,
Sweet friends! it may be that a softer tone,
Even in this moment, with your laughing glee,
Mingles its feeling while you speak of me ;
Of me, your soldier, midst the mountains lying, . " '
On the red banner of his battles dying,
Far, far away! And oh! your parting prayer!
Will not his name be fondly !nurtured there?
It will! a blessing on that holy hearth !
Though clouds are darkening to o'ercast its mirth.
Mother! I may not hear thy voice again ;
Sisters! ye watch to greet my step in vain ;
Young brother, fare thee welt! on each dear head
Blessing and love a thousand fold be shed,
Ny sours last earthly breathings! May your boon
Smile for you ever ! May no winter come,
No world, between your beans! May even your tears
For my sake, full of long rensembeed years,
Quicken the true affections that entwine

Your lives in one bright bond! I may not deep
Amidst oui Fathers, where those tears might shine
Over my slumbers ; yet your love will keep
fly memory living in th' ancestral halls,
Where shame bath never trod—The dark night falls,
And I depart.—The Brave are gone to rest,
'he brothers of my combats; on the breast
Of the red field they reapl—their work is done—
Thou, too, in set—farewell, farewell, thou Sun!
The last tone watcher of the bloody sod,
Offers a treating spirit op to Goo."
The NEW MONTHLY contains a variety of short pa.
pets of various• degrees of merit. It sets out with an
attack on the " Swan River Settlement," of which the
author speaks thus—" We are glad to see that the
ptiblic are so unanimous in opinion respecting this
grant (Mr. Peel's grant). We think it, indeed, one of
the most shameful jobs with which the annals of our
jobbing country have been for some time distinguished."
There is, of course, an attempt to prove this position;
and a hope is expressed that it thegrant be net altuge
ther rescinded, it will be considerably modified. There
are several amusing paperer—particularly ••A private
sitting with a retiring Ch incellor," and " Bringing out
of Daughtece." The article on •• Pioveibs" is highly
entertaining, and we wish that our limited space w. old
admit of our transferring a few of the light comments
on that proverb which sets forth, that "some mete are
born with a silver and others with a wooden spoon in their
mouths.' But from these a e must abstain. and glance
at a political article in this number, entitled. " The
• rresint times, with remarks on a late article in the
4t•tarterly," in which it is set forth that
• Great Britain has now reached a crisis in which she must

make efforts. that to many persons may appear appalling, to maintain
her station among the dynasties of Europe; and it is quite clear that
to enable her to accomplish this, the system of expediency, so long.
so fatally, and probably, on many occasions, during and consequent
upon the late eventful struggle, unavoidably pursued, must be laid
aside. Lesser interests must give way to the greater; all classes of
society must make a sacrifice to the welfare of the country; petty
jealousies must sink before that paramount object, and parts of the
system must submit to the exigencies of the whole. The body
politic may be sustained In its present condition for some time
longer, under the application of spedfics that can never reach the
root of the disease, and that will never allow of Its renovation;
but that it must ultimately sink unless decided treatment be adopted,
Is as certain as that the natural body must decay under the effects
of a mortal dhease to which no remedy is applied. There is only
a choice between present renovation and future ruin, which'
will be produced by the misapplication of the meant that are in our
possession for averting it, or by inattention to circumstances that,
if not seasonably checked, must expedite it" In conclusion the,
New Minstildy says, " We base now only to observe, that although
we do not look upon the present state of our country without
anxiety, we do not regard it with dismay; because we believe
Met an honest application of the means within our reach will be
sufficient ta consolidate the strength of the empire, and will con •
;Hedy resist the effects of Muse events that, if left to themselves,
would have a 'tendency to producelts decay."
In contradistinction to the hbetal New Monthly, and
in justice to the Old Monthly, we cannot abstain Isom
briefly noticing the •latter. In the
" NEW 11141E8 OF THE OLD MONTHLY"
- -

for this month there is a we; y judicious mixture of the
grave and the gay. The first article is a shun and ar-
gumentative one, on 0 England, Russia, and Tu. key,"--
setting out with the following incontrovertible fact:—
" One of the peculiarities of the insular position of
England is, that she is compelled to feel a direct and
immediate i term in every other country." The temper
and aim of this paper may be gathered horn the fol.
lowing extract :
"Ti.e woad is in a feverish state; ambition is res
living; conspiracy is gathering on the Coutinent; and
the fiat hour that sees the Russian superiority in the
6-Id decisive will see the great sovereignties remon-
strating, aiming, and finally rushing, as to a new cm
Bade, but with the sword unsheathed, not for the fall,
but for the defence of the turban! Tbat this will
be the ultimate cons, quence we have no doubt; but the
time may not be immediate. We are inclined to think
that the French war has not yet been sufficiently for-
gotten by the States of central Europe to suffer them
so run the hazards of collision without the most anxious
efforts for its avoidance. There is a general defi-
ciency of money. All the great Powers are actually
at this hour living on loans. There is no Power in
Europe whose revenue is enough for its expenditure.—
Even here we are. borrowing. Our three miliions of
exchequer bills, issoed in the fifteenth year of peace,
shows us how little the finance system has sustained our
expectations. A war, even for a year, would double
our expenditure. On the Continent Rothschild is the
true monarch. Every State is in his books, and what
mast be the confusion, the beggary, and the ultimate
bankruptcy of hostilities. The tall of every throne must
follow the bankruptcy of every Exchequer, and the
wbele system • be broken up amid revolutionary havoc
and individual misery. We believe that the four great
Poo eft are so fully convinced of the evirof this tremen-
dous hazard that they are signaling is stay shape of di-

plomacy to avert the continuance of a war between Tar-
key and Russia. If they succeed, peace will probably con-
tinue for a few years more; if they fail, Europe must in-
stantly arm, and a scene of warfare be roused, to which{
there has been no equal since the fall of the Roman
Empire; but no skill of diplomacy, no terror of thrones,
and no property ofnations, can avert the evil beyond a
certain time—war will come. We are now treading on
the fuel that will be kindled into an irresistible blase;
Empires will be consuased, and the old and accumu-
lated guilt of mankind will be at length revenged."
So much for the serious and political tone of this
periodical. The light papers are amusing in the highest
degree. "The Fortune Hunters," The Conversatione,"
ie The Pimento family, or Spoiled Children," and
" Affairs in General" will amply repay the expense of
the number, and the trouble of the reader. There is a
paper on " Literary Property" which we may take
anothet opportunity of noticing; and in the meantime
we transfer to our columns a jets eresprit—a parody,
reprinted in the " Affairs in General, which is not the
less entertaining or valuable that it has been for a few
weeks in print :

" O'CONNELL'S LAMENT."
Not a sound was heard, nor a cough, nor a hem,
And the porters looked dreadfully flurried;
Not a Tory but looked ghastly and glum,
And wished that O'Connell was buried.
He came to the Lobby on Friday night,
The Oath of Supremacy spurning :
lie thought of Guy Fawks with fresh delight,
And his lanthorn dimly burning.
No maudlin feelings annoyed his breast,
As he dreamed of his lofty station;
But he eagerly thought how to feather his nest,
While he talked of Emancipation.
Few and short were the words that paged,
And he looked with a look of sorrow,
When he found that his schemes no longer could last,
And his glories would fade on the morrow.
Dencannon and Fbrington, Whigs, in their pride,
• 'Led him up to the Chair unabashed ;
• But' he Speaker's stern" No!" was the word to decide
That O'Connell's pretensions were smashed.
Loudly they'll talk of the franchise that's gone,
And the Paddies will ever upbraid him—
But little he'll reek, if they let him plead on'
With the briefs and the fees that are paid him.
Slowly and sadly the Paddy whacks,
Will spell the sad end of their story;
He'll care not a jot for Catholic quacks,
But leave them alone in their glory.
UNITED SERVICE JOURNAL.

We could dwell with great pleasure on this brilliant
periodical for the present month. It is replete with
varied arid important information, and the professional
reader will find much to instruct him in its pages ; at
he same time that the incidents, the dangers by Rood
and field, the perils of the deadly breach, the storms of
the unmastered wave, related in forcible and elegant
language. will interest the ordinary reader in no small
degree. The table of contents exhibits ••••1‘ Disasters at
sea, and their' Prevention"—" An account of the British
campaign in 1809, under Sir A. Wellesley, in Portugal
and Spain"—"Discovery of the fate of La Perouse"—
from which last we shall take an early opportunity of
laying an extract before our Readers. We have also
"A Hussar's life on service"—" Naval reminiscences"—
" The last hours of Dorrego"—and " The Chelsea Pen-1
'sinners." To these are added a mass of original" Cur-
respondence" of great interest, and the " Editor's Port-
-1-lio;" and then follow several authentic papers—as
Geni•ral Orders, Gazettes, Changes in the distribution of
the Corps, Am &c. In the Editor's portfolio, we have
Trie Premier's Prognostic of Himself !" viz.
" During the early part of the Duke of Wellington's
military career, he was known amongst his immediate
circle to have not unfrequently used langulge, with re-
spect to his own qualifications, similar to the following
As for my military talents, all a mistake ; I have
none. Nature never intended me for a soldier, but a
statesman.' This anecdote will doubtless be recognised
as authentic by many of the Duke's early companions
in arms."

A numerously signed Petition against paying wages
its goods, was recently transmitted from Boston, through the Post
Dice, to Lord SZILMER&DALZ, for presentation; and in conse-
quence of the packet being over weight, the Noblc Lord was charged
11L 6s. 6d. for postage.
The weavers are pressing upon the tanning trade.
In Paisley, of 40 tanners, eight are weavers, who have
abandoned their ill paid trade for from 7s. to 9s. a week.
It appears by the last accounts from Murcia that the
shock of earthquake which was felt there on the 18th
ult. lasted more than thirteen minutes, and that. diming
its continuance several columns of fire were seen to fall
on the mountains. The earth in some places opened,
and sent forth volcanic eruptions, some of which are
said to have been of considerable extent.

The ground adjoining Soinerset-house, granted by
Gosernment as a site for the erection of King's College,
is nearly cleared. Three houses on the south side of the
Strand, opposite the New Church, have been purchased,
to make an opening to the College from the Strand.
TURN OUT EXTRAORDINARY —Thursday morning,
I at the sound of the M thodi't • Chapel bell, the streets
of the peaceable village of Over Darvien were imme-
diately filled, chiefly by matried men. The cause of
this sadden assemblage was a strike against the price
f milk. They would have it dropped—new milk from
2d. to Id. blue milk from Id. to a O. butter milk from
Id. to id. Binse of the abrthy farmers immediately
compltoti with the reduction, declaring that they would
'either have their land lower or give it up. .
Mr. Roe, who was found guilty of subornation or per-
jury, and sentenced to seven years transportation, ap-
plied to the Lord Lieutenant for a commutation of his
entente. The appeal being referred to the Lord Chan-
cellor and the Judges, the sentence was confirmed.
Mr. Ito., with some other convicts, was sent on Thur.-
day to the Hulk at Kingstown.—Limerick Even. Past.
When Madame MARA and her husband (who was a
celebrated violoncello player) were at Berlin, it came
to the ears of Faziatetcx, at whose Court they were re.
tained, that MARA had been beating his wile. Indeed,
she had been prevented from appearing before his Ma-
jesty, in consequence of the unseemly results which her
husband's dumpling had produced upon her face. On
'this occasion the King sent for MARA, and having se-
verely rebuked him, said, ge As you are so fond of beat-
ing, Signor MARA, you shall have enough of it;" and
he sent him to one of his regiments for a month, and
compelled him to act in the capacity of a drummer.
Tat Cuatoo.—The cuckoo begins early in the season
with the interval of a minor third; the bird then pro-
ceeds to a major third, next to a fourth, then to a filth;
after which his voice breaks, without a. minor sixth.
This defalcation of voice is alluded to in an epigram of
John Heywood, as far back as 1587-
4, In April, the boo-boo eau slag bee son by rote,
In Jane, of tune she nano slat a Dote;
At, first, kooskao, booskoo, slat still eau she dot
At last, koobe, kooks, kooks; ladies to we koo."
Some author* have supposed that no other bird loses or
changes its note; but this is an erroneous idea, for the.
voice of the nightingale undergoes a woful change. re-
sembling la the autumn the hearse croaking of the frog,
a reptif which has been called facetiously, and not
quite ineptly it would seem, the Dutch nightingale.

LOOSE THOUGHTS ON BUGS.

A FRAGMENT.

Prima the unpublished Memoirs of as breailian of di.tinction. '
" It was twelve of the night, the first night
of my arrival in that great city approptiately named
.1 Babylon the Great," by an author whose nor ks I love
to read ; and before entering on my miseries of that
eventful night, it may be well to inform you, my dearly
and best beloved friends of the Orkneys, that the name
of that author I believe to be IN oat—a name as familiar
as a household word in our Island. There is nothing
moody, however, in his productions; but I suspect that
he has never suffered half so much as I have suffered
fromßags,otherwise he would descant a little more pat ti.•
cularly on the natural history of that vile vermin—their
propensities and their haunts. Oh ! that I could obtain
the distinction of his acquaintance, were it only for the
sake of filily lodging him in a certain garret of the
City, some fine evening of the ensuing month, and where
he could, in the waking and tedious watches of the
night, have an ample oppori unity of doing justice to
the sources of my torment, and which, in my youthful
inexperience at description,! he could pone tray to you
with faithfulness and truth, fir well am I aware that 1
cannot do justice to the subject : the day may come—
but of that I may not speak at present. It is an unkind
wish ; but his lucubrations on the matter might possibly
be of public benefit, inasmuch as they might provide
a remedy, and avert the future humbugging of my
countrymen.

as At twelve of that night I found myself in bed, and
much disposed to sleep train fatigue both of mind and
body. I tried to compose myself, as usual, during the
previous hour, by retrospection: of my former happy
lot, and by forming plans and wise determinations for
the future. I resolved to banish from my mind the
dread idea of my being about to commence a new ca-
reer in the city which an eminent divine denounces as
al the City of the Seven Hills;" and that, for its abomi-
nwions and iniquities, it is doomed to sudden and ine-
vitable destruction. &lose I retired to my apartment,
I satisfied myself that Mr. Irwin' must be totally mis•
taken on this point. He maintained, and I believe still
maintains, that London is the City in question; and in
support of his doctrine he enumerates the seven hills,
namely-Ist, Tower Hill; 2d, Ludgate Hill; 3d, Snow
Hill; 4th, Great Saffron Hill; sth, Holborn Hill; 6th,
St. Dunstan's Hill ; and 7th, Constitution Hill.. On the
last and seventh hill he has been particularly severe;
but unfortunately for his hypothe►is, I discovered that
there were many more hills in London, such as Garlick
Hill, St. Mary's Hill, Dowgate Hill, Cornhill, Fish-
stieet Hill, St. Margaret's Hill, and St. Andrew's Hill.
It is singular how he could forget the two last, and
many more lulls which I shall fully describe to you
when I come to my letter on the statistics of London
and Middlesex.

" I believe I shall never come to the Bugs at this
rate ; they certainly are far from forming a pleasant
topic to enlarge upon, and perhaps you may be inclined
to dispense with the thing altogether. But to me, it is
a matter of paramount importance: for should I
to the age of Methusalem, I cannot forget their fiist
and most formidable attack, and the sufferings of my
first night in London. It was at twelve of the night—
but I believe I forgot to mention that I experienced
some undefined feeling of the bug in the vile village of
Lowestoffe, in Norfolk. On my voyage hither, our
ship unfortunately went aground on the Cotton Sands:,
and though I often admired the picturesque view of
Lowesioffe. as given by DANJLLL in his Cast Sketches
of Great Britain, yet I can tell you that the sight r f it
on the morning of my shipwreck uas any thing but
pleasaot. Nor were my fears and dread one jot abated
at sight of the larrd.h at ks,who came off to our assistance.
They would save us and our ship for one hundred
pounds, and nothing less We were saved by Psovt-
DINCR, and the evil tintis of our gallant Capta'n, with•
out paying one farthing ! On that unlucky day, I fell
into a slumber on a sofa in a public•heuse t f Lowe-
stoffe. I nosy think there must have been a bug or tv o
in that sofa! For an hour afterward., my temples and
neck were woefully swollen ai,d disfigured. But what
was that cr,mpared with my condition a short time
thereafter

"In the north we have nothing like a bug. It is a
Melancholy truth that there are other and very trouble.
some creatures—creature. do ynu call them ?—Yes,
creatures—they are formed by au over-ruling Pricier-
DBXCE as well as are the" Lords of the Creation."—..
" True it is, and pity 'tis 'us true—but, thanks to the
refreshing sea breeze and bracing air of my own salu-
brious little orcadian nook, there is not a bug within
the compass of the'natural horizon.—And of theother
species, 1 am cons, led in the know ledge of their visits
being " lew and far between."— How el,e, could Mary
and Jane and Grace, sleep so sweetly and soundly, and
rise so fresh and blooming in the morning? Blessed are
they in their ignorance of bugs! . •
" Of the tenacity of the'llug —of the determination
of the vile thing to stick to you ihrough thick and thin,
through good report and evil report, I cannot give you
a better illustration than the tact, that a friend of mine,
an artist of tair•fame and some celebrity in portrait
painting, now residing here, was seized by one—(it must
be admitted that it was a foreign bug)—some years aho
.in Italy. It found a place of refuge in some corner of
his linens; and it was not till eighteen months atter-
wards, on returning to his native country, that lie con-
trived to seize it ia.turn. This capture. took place at'
Fort William, in the. West Highlands of Scotland—the
animal-no doubt being discomfited by the sharpness of
the climate, and unable to retreat to i;s hiding-place
with its accustomed celerity. This identical bug hai
been carefully preierved—nay, 1 have been informed
that it laid the foundation of that valuable collection of
natural curiosities which are to be seen in the Museum
of the Northern Institution for the promotion. of Liters.
tore and Science at Interness.--And a greater curiosity,
perhaps, they have not in their custody."

•
A few days ago the gardener to Dr. Lee, of Hartwell
House, near Aylesbury, took a nest containing six young
ones, the progeny of a blackbird. which had built its
habitation in that Gentleman's garden. and five of the
young birds are of the usual colour, the other is en-
tirely whites

' Saturday evening an Inquest was taken before T.
Hzoos, Esq. Coroner, at the Coach and Horses, Brewer
street, Golden square, touching the death of a fine little
boy named George Hanson, aged between two and
three years. Jane Hamnserton, servant to the parents
of the deceased, who lodged in Brewer street, deposed,
14 I was dressing the deceased about half past one
o'clock on Friday afternoon, in the front room on the
first floor ; be .stood on a chair close to the windoW;
his sister, aged five years, was- beside him; 1 turned
about for a moment to lay down a babe I had in my
arms, when a fire engine drove rapidly past the house ;
it attracted the attention of the deceased, who, lean-
ing out •of the window, overreached himself, and tell
beadforemost on the curbstone. The deceased expired
in about two boors, after the unfortunate accident►—
Verdict of Accidental Death was: recorded. , •