The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1838-10-30 00:00:00

NEWSPAPER LITERATURE.

The English newspaper is the most comprehensive in the
world. It contains more articles of inte►ligence than the
journals of any other country, and there is more mind en-
gaged in its production than is brought to any similar publi-
cation in any part of Europe. Yet, not withstanding these ad-
vantages, which are as striking as they are important, the
English newspaper exhibits more extraordinary instances of
bathos than any other periodical whatever—not even except-
ing the American broad-sheets. its sins in this way are ren-
dered the more glaring by the obvious skill and care that are
usually bestowed upon all its departments.

We have an instance of this spitit of bombast and exavger-
ation before us, in an account recently published by a Liver-
pool paper of the experimental trip of a great steam ship,
called the Liverpool, from that port to Dublin. After de-
scribing the party on board, and the grandeur of the cabins,
the writer proceeds to give an accurate narrative of the ship's
progress, and of the sensations and impressions it created.
His enthusiasm is evidently excited wale highest point com-
patible with the power of description, and he indulges in that
topmost " bravery of speech," a hich, when it does nut exceed
the dignity of the subject, is propetly termed eloquence, but
which, employed to elevate to undue exalatiun a very ordi-
nary matter, 'is something exactly the reverse. The trip
from Liverpool to Dublin one might think could yield nothing
very remarkable in the way of description ; but genius can
extract stinbeains from cucumbers. Turning into the Hock
Channel, the writer says that they began to "feel a swell of
the sea," which was certainly cot very surpising, considering
the simple fact that the vessel was then getting into the chan-
nel; hut, having got there, some curious objects were. de-
veloped before the wondering party.
" During occasional gleams of sunshine, Hilbre Island and
the shores on the estuary of the Dee looked beautiful. We
now observed that the hills behind the Ormshead were covered
with 'a thin coating of snow, and the chilliness of the wind be-
tokened a premature visit of winter."
That the shores of the Dee looked beautiful during the
gleams of sunshine, is a phenomenon in natural history
worthy of record, and the chilliness of the wind during the
season of the equinox, may fairly be set down as another.
But the narrator of the voyage does not rise to the full gran-
deur of his powers, until he comes to give au account of the
manner in which the Liverpool made her way through the
water—the Water Witch was a piece of lead compared to
her.
"The ship underwent a fair trial during the height of the
breeze and the swell, and behaved most admirably, easiug
herself in their emergency, and disappointing the saucy waves
that threatened to roll over her, by rising gently upon them,
and which her paddles dashed the tops into foam. She also
steered with the greatest facility, one hand being sufficient to
give her safe quidance, even in the heaviest of the sea, as was
proved by Sir John Tobin, himself, who steered her with all
the enthusiasm of an amateur, and the skill of a sailor, for se-
veral leagues. It was a glorious sight to stand near the
wheel of this stupendous ship (235 feet in length,) and mark
with %shilt indignant velocity, 'like a thing of life,' she cut
through the mountainous element that boiled and pawned
around her, and vainly sought to oppose her progress, without
once shipping a sea; propelled by two engines, wonderful in
their might, and in their operation so easy and regular, us to
convey a perfect dependence Upon their strength and durability.
To see this—to take a long walk, too, upon her spacious decks
—a lounge through her palace-like cabins, feeling as secure as
on terrafirma—all conveyed to the mind a peculiar, indescri-
bable, but delightful sensation—that of the accomplishment
of one of the noblest triumphs of human science, ingenuity,
and enterprise that the world has yet witnessed.'
Here we have a steam-ship disappointing the saucy waves
by rising upon them, and dashing their tops into foam' with
her paddles, exhibiting also the curious example of a ship
steered by one man,. Sir John 'robin himself, and nobody else,
being the enterprising individual who stood at the wheel, a
steam-ship cutting a mountainous element that possessed the
uncommon qualities of boiling and yeeeijug,, with engines
wonderful in their iniuht, although not halfso mighty as won-
ferful, and conveying by the regularity and care of their oper-
ation a dependence on their strength and durability—such a
steam-ship as this a gentleman might take a long walk in
without being tired, and he might take a still longer walk
without falling in with a sight so extraordinary.
The art of description consists in adapting your phrases to
the object described, and in never exceeding the demands of
the occasion. When you describe a naut cal object, it is es-
sential to employ accurate nautical language, or, at all events,
not to risk expressions which expose you to ridicule—land
images of the sea. In the account of the Liverpool, from
which we have taken these brief extracts, we have a multi-.
tude of grandiloquent pictures, which, reduced to real matter
of fact, are as common-place as can well be•conceiyed, but
which become distorted by the voyager into monsters of sci-
ence and natural curiosity. This species of newspaper liter,
sone cannot be too earnestly deprecated, not merely for the
sake of the influence of the press-as a medium of observation,
but for the interests of knowledge, which is greatly shamed
and hurt by such excesses—meaning, nothing better than 'the
puff that hides the pastry. Let us have the substantial pastry
—lint banish t his intangible cloud by which it is too frequently
crowned and obscured.—Atles.

Mr. henry Glassford Bell, author of several works, and a
contributor to Blackwood's Magazine, has received from Mr.
Alison, the sheriff of Lanarkshire, the permanent appoint-
ment of substitute to that gentleman at Glasgow.—
Aberdeen
Constitutional.

GRACE DARLING.—This humane anti heroic female re-
ceived a letter a few days ago from a lady at Alawick,
ing a five-pound note, and requesting in return fur it a lock
of her hair. Several ladies who have recently visited tbe
Fern Islands have solicited and obtained several tokens.of
remembrance; and there seems a probability, if the do sand
should continue, that she will. ere long, have to seek an arti-
ficial covering for her head. It appeals somewhat absurd to
endeavour thus to deprive Miss Darling■ of her ringlets, but
it at the same time shows that her humanity and heroism
have made a deep impression on those who are desirous la
possessing them. A silver cup was presented to Miss Dm-
ling a few days ago by a nobleman who visited the scene of
the late lamentable shipwreck.—Durham Advertis!r.. •

A CANDIDATE FoR THE DRS NIATIC .AUTHOKS' SOCIETY.
Upon my word," said Nicholas, taking the manager
aside. " I don't think I can be ready by Monday."- " Pooh,
pooh!" replied Mr. Crummles. "But really I can't," re-
turned Nicholas, " my invention is mot accustomed to these .
demands, or possibly I might produce--" " Invention !
what the devil's that got to do with it ?" cried the manager,
hastily. " Eve' yt hing,, my dear sir" "Nothing, ms deer
sir," retorted the manager, with evident impatience. "
you understand Fre itCh ?" " tectly well." 'Net y good,"
said the manager, opening the table drawer, and giving it
roll of paper trout it to Nicholas. " There, just put that into
English, and. put your name on the title-page. Damn_ me,"
said Mr. Crumuiles, angrily, if I haven't often said, Ittat
1 wouldn't have a man or woman in my company that wasn't
master of the language, so that they might learn it limn the
original, and play it in English, and by that tneans save all
this trouble and expense.'' Nicholas smiled and pocketed
the play.—Nicholas Nick'eby.
LUCKY liEcoysay.--A gentleman by the Manchester
coach, last Friday afternoon, lost his gold watch, worth forty
Pounds- somewhere on the road between Ashopton and Snake
Immediately on his arrival in Manchester, he had
handbills litinted,iiffering a reward of two pounds to whoever
would restore o. Two of his ft tends nn theit way to Sheffield,
next day, made enquiries at every inn on the road, and at
last learned that a watch had been found by some pig-drivers
on their way to Sheffield:. On their arrival here, they conti-
nued their enciniri,'s, and traced it to one of Mr. Ward's
men, %shit immediately gave it up, stating that he had never
had a moment's peace since it came into his possession, as
he was afraid it might have been stolen. One of his pies
had first scented the gold, but it was too indigestible, and
after two or three ineffectual attempts to crack its shell, old
porker was obliged to drop it. It was then picked up by an
Irishman, who disposed of it to the person in whose posses-
sion it was found, for two shillings. Altogether it had a lucky
escape, first front being broken to pieces by the pig, then in
its value not being discovered by the Irishman, and lastly,
by the honesty of the inan.—Sheffield leis.
TORY GENEROSITY.—A correspondent has communicated
to us several acts of munificence on the part of the late
re-
spected member for this county, which, he very. justly re-
marks, are worthy of honourable mention. During his last
visit-to tlma_p.riacipa t sauctioned_the making
a new road to the Menai-bridge, through his grounds at
Val/ nel. and gave land for that purvse—directed alterations
and improvements in his own private road through Lland-
doinid•l •n, for the accommadation of strangers visiting Llan-
berris—accommodated tile rector of Llanddoiniolen with land
sufficient for the constructi:m of a glebe-house and offices,
whemby he is enabled to reside within the parish—gave a
piece of laud for a burial ground, adjoining the school-house
for the convenience of the nth ibitatits of the upper part of
the aforesaid parish ; gave I:10 tot' the purchase or blankets
to be distributed amongst the poor of the said parish at the
approach of winter; became an honorary tneml,er of four
benefit societies at the Vinerwic slate quarries, and a sub-
scriber of £lO annually to each; a donation of £lO., and sub-
, scribed three guineas annually in support of the church at
Carnarvon; and lastly gave an unrestricted order on the
bank to make up the deficiency in expenses incurred by the
Carnarvon committee, in the celebration or the. coronation
Mr. Smith is, perhaps, the best and most at;used
man in the principality, but what of that ? Cate all Whig-
shire produce au ytbi ag equal to this largesgo ! —Bangor paper.