The Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1822-1829, 1823-02-25
THE PI0sTEBS.

fgTIy jsEUHECF ~
I'M hanndh.
orL so long promised, and 81
= DELAYED. by causes heyo''o '''r '"'''' '''
p, s;,her author or publisher, mas III 'e''stll
Oh - is appearance, much 10 iiie rehe' ol
n n,l wiley, whose doors have peen Nept
MF. ,.eec two months, by anxious appl'-
alal ,rhe novel, rs its title Indicates
eA"' descriptive 1"le. Its prrdecessor'
- g., was asp Il iaie, III the = ns'il-
"e annd - hut its history was connect
un our earliest associations and tond-
ea" VIZ Il recalled to our mit'ds
es' Ifs of the war of the Rcvoiution :;
the ..'a love To share the dangers OF The
am az the tale in every action IN whcQ
hf'o' ,,re engaged, and we felt for the
ahe, ), IN every ardnous aud trying scene
opi, his attachment to the cause of
~. country was 50 severely tes'ea' Al,
.hs the nature OF the WORK itse'i was eii-
.',l' 10 produce and when to tins con
.;aarstioD. are added the powerful Appeals
o onr feelings that were coat'nlahy
:. with such effect, aud the intensity OIL
!u.nrost which the varied and hus'lng
"e'', ,,.,. ., well conceived and eXecu-
~ awaken, we can really assign a
= r. yithont inquiring farther, Tor the
ea'' ,,occss which marked the appear
"a has since attended the progress
ar i" The Spy" The book before us,
u, he design, it must naturally be sup
I'D would lay claim TO no such power
49, os,;tement 1t is "a description OF the
n' .,s and customs of the Pioneers of
y! ~. M" rarsst: of its beautifully varlegated
seenery and changing state ana brings rs
u rontart with men OF every DESCRIPTION
WHICH compose that state OF society that
lists among the first settlers OF our YVES
Read,rs in general naturally expect, in
100. IN have their feelings more or less
.v,;ted and their imagnations are cont
lily nm the stretch for something max
.hsII nlease as well by its novelty, as IT'S IN
ter.st. Descriptions OF the scenery, IN a''
it. variety, that nature tnrnlshes, we ha'e
a6..o had presented to us III every form
that the most fertile genius, or VIVID INA
gination could portray ; but descriptions
rn,ao and manners, which are still va
rying, will long continue to lnrnlsh fruitful
subjects for the jt,!iclous painter ;.
We think we can anticipate the feelings
ofthe mass of our readers, white perlislnS
,Le 6rst volume OF the Pioneers. They
will he pleased with the descriptions,
and amused by the incidents--huts still they,
q, a, least the ordinary class OF novel read
orc will look for the story.--Fhey viii
long for some indication of what they con
tnually hope and expect - t" i"Ilow. But
thev will look in vain and some OF them,
perhaps. forgetting, in the disappointment
fbus exnerienced, the real eXce!encIes that
have been displayed before them, viii
close the volume with an impression, that,
although there was much 10 praise, and
very little to blame, still the descriptions,
in several of the chapters, II not dun, were
at least so minute as to render lhem tell
Gus. They will remember the interest ol
"The Spy," and compared with mat may
nerhans he induced to think too lightly oil
It's successor. A perusal, however, ct the
second yollue, we venture to say, VIII re-
move this impression, and eilectnally re-
deem the character of the work. The IN
terest we begin to feel after the first few
chapters, is kept up with care, and never
suffered for moment tn dlmInlsh but
goes on increasing, leading US through
scenes of the most highly wrought and
breath ess interest, until we are conducted
to the close Of wei! managed, and aitho'
descriptive, still an extremely interesting,
and well supported tale. Our author has
not attempted, To reyel IN the howefy
fields of Imagination, only but to paint ma
ture--yS paint her, too, as he found, her, al
the" Sources of the Susquehannah," be-
fore the hand of man had stripped Oh her
original Though beautiful and majestic DE-
eoratiuns. The scenes to which he leads
the reader, are those'of his boyhood, and
are eudeared to him by all the pleasing as
sociations Of youth, and saay ct ripper age.
His design was description ot animate and
inanilnate objects and he has succeeded
in a wonderful manner. The character oi
the one, as it existed at the commencement
of the settlement, is drawn w!th degree
of accuracy aud fidelity, that shew the wri-
Ter 10 have beena close observer Oh the ln-
man character in all its gradaiiohs, from
the savage to the civilized state, as Illus
trated il, the aged aud untutored Mohe-
gan, the half civilized but strono minded
old hunter, the wood chopper, and the Ia
miles of Judge Temple and The pars"h +;
and the other is arrayed before the reader
in all its native rio hncss, wldness, and beau
ty.
1t would be doing injustice tc the pub
Usher, as well as diminish the interest OF
The reader, to give an account OF the sto-
ry. We shall therefore content ourselves
by noticing what we consider few oil It's
beauties, and deal bountilully in extracts,
IN proof of the commentator we itci
bound to bestow. The first chapter IS
a fine ope Ing Of the work. Those who
are accustomed 10 winter revealing, In
the infant settlements of the north and
west, will have no occasion to so thlr-
ty years back (the period when the
f,la a, a pnmInnnpnI