Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1819-03-17


ard in the next line, for "philosophy,"
read philosopher. In the same column, pa
ragraph end, for" phrenzy, read phrensy;;
and in the same sentence, for memoirs, !"
read memory In column 8. paragraph end
for " declined" read defined. In the same
column. paragraph 3rd, for courteous"
read courtiers; and in the same solumn and
paragraph, for "sympathised," read sym
pathized.
Much has been said, and volumes have
been written on the subject of taste; but,
though it engaged the early attention OF
Burke, and took share of the labors Of his
luminous mind during its youthful vigor and
freshness, and since that has employed the
pens of several very able writers. nothing
clearly Ineligible and decisive was pub
lished about it till the celebrated MIR Al.
lison brought bis lights to bear upon the
subject, and rendered it perfectly clear
and ineligible to every man of common
sense, who thinks such things worth his
pursuit. Among the many things, whether
plausible, whimsical or just, which have
been said about taste in general, have
been particularly struck with the follow
ing: 'staste is an instinct superior to study
--surer than reasoning-and more rapid
than reflection"
He who reads book, avowedly for the
purpose of finding fault with it land that is
the purpose, twice in three times of critics
in general. and more particularly Of The
feeble and uninstructed ones) has been
compared to dog at public dinner, who
watches for, and feeds upon that which the
guests throw away. 1t would be well if
such imposters on public creduIity, and
misleaders of public taste as sometimes
come from The press of the old country were
less attended to than they are. Indeed,
what instruction can our youth hope to de-
rive from criticisms, in which not the merit
of the author, but the political or party
principles he is supposed to entertain are
made the criterion for judgment, and the
most admirable poets are put under sys-
tematic anathema, because they will not
receive their POLITICAL creed from the doc
trines of mercenary reviewer,
Surely it is possible for a critic to receive
exquisite pleasure from the beauties of a
book, some parts of which he has yet been
obliged severely to censure. A gentleman
celebrated for his literary attainments, in
England, and who with those, united pro-
found practical knowledge of the business
Of human lite,* was hardy enough TO pro.
nounce at his own table, soon after Junius
letters were published, an uufavorablc o.
pinion of those product 6ns, popuaras they
were at the time. And he insisted that
when the magic influence of elegant lam
guage. brilian, metaphor and measured
sentences was passed away, the majority
of readers would he of his opinion. His
prediction has been amply verified.
But in the high tide of fame and populari-
ty which the book he condemned had then
acquired, he was frequently rallied for so
preposterously and obstinately dissenting
from the common opinion: he rigidly adj
hered, however. to his own, and on one OF
those occasions, defended himself by tel
ling the following story, related by a cele.
brated Spanish writer.
1.-TWO connoisseurs were asked their o.
pinion of a cask of Heres wine: after hall
dozen glasses, and score or two of scien.
tifc smacks and palatings, they both agreed
that it had an excellent body; but one Of
| them added it was pity it tasted SO strong
" of rusty iron; while the other regretted
| that the flavor and smell of leather, had, in
some way or other, been communicated to
the liquor in question. The Bacchanalian
critics were laughed at for their och,ms ana
fancies, and the proprietor ofthe vineyard
somewhat ir-itated, did not again invite
them to taste OF its produce.
On opening the cask previous TO the vim.
tage, a year or two afterwards, for the pur.
pose of cleaning and repair, there appear.
ed to be some foundation for the singular
declarations they had made; piece o
leather fastened to a rusty key being founG
at the bottom of the vessel.
N. B. Those of your readers who have
read Don Quixote. as every one pretending
| to taste ought to do, will find this story in it
= Horace Waipole.