Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1817-06-17
LITERARY


Wartien's Lefters.-Few works of the present
day. have been mere generally read and criti-
clsed than the letters of Mr.. Warden OF his
trip to st. Helena. No wonder-They relate
" in the tide Of times" and whom they seek
To place in a near and familiar light before the
public eye.-The picture which they present
OF Bonaparte, gives us so much more favorable
an account of him than has been generally
entertained; and they clear up so many reports
which have been circulated to his prejudice,
that many persons have come forward to ques-
ton their authenticity, & to charge the author
with fraud upon the public. We have lately
received an account of the author, which con
tributes to stamp his work with AN additional
authenticity
A gentleman of the Northern Neck, mem.
Der OF the bar: was deputed during the war TO
10 the British Fleet then lying in the Chesa-
peak on some public business. OF course he
had he honor of seeing Admiral Cockburn ON
board the Northumberland Ship of the Line
Among other gentlemen in his suite, with
whom he conversed, was the surgeon of the
snip, a DR.. Warden, who is no donbt the Au-
thor of the letters. He describes Warden as
a Scotctinan, man of extensive information
ana reading, cOnversant in historical matters
& sort otoracle'among the officers of the ward.
room; Ills memory appeared TO be extremely
tenacious.-ln politics true son of John Bull
devoted tothe English constitution, s. govt and
hating Bonaparte almost as much as the devil In
fine, he seemed TO be gentleman of good u,,
derstanding. and capable of writing at least as
good, it nota better book than tie letters
which are supposed to have Issued from his zen
On further conversation with him, he stated
he had an Uncle living in Virginia who was
III all probability. John Warden Esq late attor
ney at law OF this city-with whose death he
was at that time unacquainted.
The book, which is now running tbe
round in the American bookstores. is pro.
nounced by the London Monthly Mara
zine of April last to be forgery. This
is, Nanuscrit venue de st. Helene d',o,e Nnu-
'ere Inconnne. "The work appears with
out single title TO credit, and is defec
tive IN all those circumstantial facts
which would secure it from the charge of
forgery. Ii has long been known that
Napoleon medltates History of his
Public Life, and perhaps this attempt has
been made to abuse the public curiosity.
with view to battle it whenever the gen
uihe performance appears. We have
heard IL ascribed To certain Secretary,
and the project, and the performance ap-
pear to be on par with his talents. n
contains no novelty in matters of fact.
ana no reasoning beyond what cOnld ca
silly be feigncd by any French emigrant.
or any partizan Of the British ministry d
The Monthly Magazine draws paral-
lei, or rather contrast, between the two
celebrated Reviews Te-published i'm this
Country Between the two publications
there is this essential difference viz. the
writers IN the Edinburgh Review prove
by their eloguence, that their journal i
conducted by the ablest heads and. by
their principles, that its morality is tIla,
TO which the best hearts will ever beat in
harmonious sympathy while its soi-di-
'aat rival lthe Quarterly Review is al
excellence, and devoted to the slayisb
support of principles, whose noxious and
criminal tendency il is to subvert the
broad basis of social and political integ-
rity."
Thomas Moore is about to publish Lal-
ia hookh, an oriental romance. High ex-
pectatioDs are formed of the merit of tbe
poem. Ii will be accompanied by illus.
trations to the Poem from paintings by
Westall.