Southern telegraph., 1838-10-24
BURR AND JEFFERSON.

sacrlHce my llIne IN Teaulng the amusing.
nonsense of the many modern book-makers,
who, as the author of Burton says ofhimself,
after he had told his tale, "must write on, to
make up two volumes for the publisher"
But, sir, was induced to read one of this
character by the very hatterlng notice taken
of it by the Southern Literary Messenger.
This extravagant panegyric you may see in
the September number of that valuable peri
odical, and regret to say you will find it
dignifed with all the pretensions ola review,
but destitute of the true candor Of a critic;
nay, il is no more than fulsome adulation,
gotten up, presume, for the purpose of ex-
tending the sale of the book, or of minister
ing to the vanity of a public author So lit
tie interested was with "Burton or the Sie-
ges," that would have forgotten every in
cident in the miserably written tale, had not
the author coupled the fate of his hero with
the name of a distinguished and unfortunate
man; and | cannot express my astonish-
ment, admiring, as have done, the elegant
manner in which the "Messenger" has been
conducted, that an article violating the pri-
mary elements Of criticism, and evincing
taste not only unchaste, but palpably vulgar,
should have found place in its pages.
The reviewer seems to have taken more
than usual interest in the success of this
novel. He says, after depicting the hazards
attendant on the success Of the second pro-
ducton of a writer, with something like
misgivings of this kind with regard to the
author ofthat glittering production "Lafite,"
we opened Burton" AS We progressed,
each page treasured us, and we had not
read half through the first volume before we
gave ourselves up to its perusal without fear
of shipwreck, and permitted ourselves to be
carried along with that delightful abandon
ment with which we have hurried through
Scott" Now, unless this absurdity should
appear too absurd, the reviewer tells US
wherein Scott and the author of Burton are
alike, and even in this no one else can see
any resemblance. What! to hold up this
petty retailer of thrice told tale in presence
of the monarch ofimagination lit is insult
ing TO genius, and disgusting to good taste
and vet this reviewer says-"But in style
we are reminded of Scott almost on every
page, though without imitation; still the au'
thor shows that he has made this great mod
ell his careful study" Now see the "Mes
senger's" consistency;i in the succeeding sen
tence he remarks-"In many of his tnel
passages he seems to have paused to study
how Scott would have expressed such anC
such thoughts-and written accordingly
have no doubt, sir, he made many sucf
"pauses," for we often find him flounderinG
like heavy laden horse extricating himsel
from mire, and not unfrequently have
been disguised with his grovelling situation
and left him revelling in his peculiar ele
ment. He is nothing like Scott If ne ha
initiated him, it is as the limping mlmicry o
an ape initiating the proud bearing OF man
His style is loose, dsjonted and clumsy
destitute of originality ofthought or concep
ZION; yet redolent with trite, tame, and oft
entimes vulgar expressions: As for fancy
she is seldom exhibited, and when draggec
into light her plumage is always ruffled as
but lately reused from the stupetaction OF
Bachanal feast Nature he has misrepre
scented in almost every scene; indeed he can
not truly delineate any one of her features
for he is ignorant Of the philosophy of tn
I heart, and must guess at all the secret me
tives that tend to human action. The wor
, itself bears intrinsic evidence that it wa
, written not to effect any moral good, bu
solely to pander to that common vice of hu
manity-love of defamation-upo which III
author has built his hopes of ready sale
Aware too of the imbeciity of his work, an
fearing his hero could not be recognised, h
tells us in his preface who his Burton wa
intended to represent. 1t may be that thi
too is to secure patronage. Yet very muc
: looks like the miserable daub who, lest som
one should mistake the design of his pain
ing, writes under it, "this is horse" An
thus this huckster of other mems thought
assume the pencil and catering to the sian
der loving and gossipping ofthe community
: for there are many who lend creduous ca
to tales ofcalumny-he daubs the memor
t of a soldier and gentleman, and proclaims
the moral portraiturc of Aaron Burr.
object to the wantun recklessness evinC
ed by this author in his illusions to the char
r acter of Aaron Bur-whateve may hav
been his moral obliquities-and who is FIRE
from blemish-his signal services TO hi
] country should have protected his memor
from such uncharitab!e aspertions. HoV
contemptuous should he be viewed whc
taking advantage of popular prejudice
prejudice, the offspring Of blind party infa
, uation, and political prenzy, could drag fort
the sacred name of the prosecuted Burr, an
unblushingly bid SANDER with her thodsan
tongues, hiss this victim Of misfortune an
wrong.
Allow me, sir, to leave the author of Bur
ton banqueting on the smiles of remorseles
and ungrateful gossips-and beg your Indul
gence while examine the causes whicl
lead to that unprecedented crusade of per
secution and prescription against Aarol
4 Burr know that have not chosen lik,