Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1819-02-13

Some victim of the midnight storm.
/ From that dTencL'd garb, and paliid form
Shrink net. but fx thy gaze and
Thy own congenial destiny.
For him, perhaps, an anxious wife
ON some Ear coast o'er-ioJks the wave;
child, unknowIng of the strife
OF elements, to whom he gave
His last fond k,ss,is at her breast:
The skies are clear, the seas at rest
Before her, and the hosr is nigh
OF his return /: but black the sky
To him, ard fierce the hostile iRan,
Have been. He will not come again.
RhOdOdaphne is thus described after the
shipwreck, standing on tue shore.
Her hands
Still held the golden Tyre: her hair
In all Its long luNuriance hung.
Uuringleted, aGd giitteriug bright
With hriny drops of diamond light:
Her thin wet garments clung
Around her forms rare symmetry.
Like Venus riseu from the
She seem'd: so beautiful t.
That the authors fancy partakes much of
the.right and voluptuous spirit of Moore, is
proved in the following lines.
The while in one ssqueseT'd cave
Where roses round the entrance wave
and jasmine sweet and clustering vine
with flowers and grapes the arch DER twiEe.
Anttiem'on aud the nyinph fecne,
" bile IN the sunny space, before
The cave, fountaip's lucid store
LIS chrSs,a column shoots on high
And bnrsts ike showery diamonds flashing,
So falls, and with meiodious ashing
Shakes the small pool.
Many other passages might be quoted of
equal brilIiancy. Enough however ha, been
exhibited 10 establish the claim of the author
10 one OF the fairest wrpaths from Parnassus.
That there are faults and biemishes i'm the per
torrance, there can be TO d0ubt-but they are
few and small, compared with the dazzling
beauties which every where meet the eye. 1t
is perhaps unfortunate for the morality of the
tale, that Anlhemion is made TO WELD 10 the
Syien's love as described in the 5th aud 9th
cantoS-NOr ave tie sentiments which some
times escape the author, 10 be altogether ad
mired. Thus he seems 10 mourn that the age
offabmious mythology. when every vale and
grove aud stream WAS animated with iniellec-
tuai lite. should have passed away not remem-
herring the polluted orgies of the ancient wor-
shp--nor that The beauty of the syst III is de-
rived entirely from The poetic medium, through
which II has been transmitted 10 us. Neither
ran HAT maxim OF Greek morality be CON-
msnded, which the author seems to have adopt.
Ell. namely. that mans bappiest lot is NOT TO
BE and u the allusisn in the 9th line of the
9th canto is not misunderstood, its chilling and
scepticaI impiety is sincerely regretted. Upon
the whole this poem richly deserves public
attention ana patronage, and rs earnestly re
commended To The friends of genius, and OF
polite and elegant literature. III.
MIR. CLAY AND JOSEPH LANCASTER.
MIR. Lancaster's Lectures at Washington
have received that appreciation to which, as
public beDefactor, he may justly claim. At the
CONCLUSION OF one of his lectures, in the House
OF Representatives, 5ir. Clay complimented
him in handsome terms. observing that the
Char. he occupied, had never been well
filled before. MIR. Lancaster modestly dis.
claiming the merit lmpntea to him by the
Speak err, said, in effect, that man in his purest
aspect was but very humble instrument of
Higher Power, and that the Chair he had just
occupied, exalted as it was, had not been flied
by any thing better than CLAY.
dine, lean Wqteh,san
The Speakers Chair from which Mr.. Lam
caster Icctured.
Orr readers have noticedin the proceedings
OF the House Of Representatives some d.,
ago. that Mr.. Lancaster was, by a vote OF that
House, permitted to seat within the bar of
the HdiI--d privilege appertaining Only to
these who are or have been members OF Com
gTess, or by special vote. The letter from
that PhilanthrOpiSt, addressed TO the Speaker
OF the House of Representatives, was read Oh
Friday. The following is a copy
baltimore Amer.
WASHINGTON CRY. LIST Mo. 9Th, 1879.
To Henry Ciay SDeatcr of the House 0f Repre-.
seHtmires IN Congress.
HONORED FR1END-I hase been favored with
tie vote II the House, OIL the motion OF Burwell
iiasset OF Virginia, respecting myself an
honor wholly unexpected aud IL the House OF
Representatives. had not thought other wise,
should have considered il as beVOnd any meriis
OF mine however, am determined that by
mercy of my Heavenly Father, according 10
my ability IL shall NOT DO nnmerted in future
IL was pHt Into my hands Just as was about
occupying thy Chair hy thy kind permission
the second time IL opened il, ii overwhelmed
my heart. aud ior s1me short time | was
Obliged to hide nay eyes-with feeling the most
handsomels tlenttOii pdnl TO q Missionary OF GOOD
In attic lli0u which none hat perfect gentle
men could have ever contemplated. ia tact,
accept ~ as an introduction 20 your country
passport 10 sstnlneSs. | feel yonr polite.
mss, but when consider the benevoieuee OF
TO ed"eatisn-pa tristic feeling ior all the chill.