The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1841-11-30

are, indeed, few occupations which exercise so pow
eru and extensive influence as that Of bookseller
and publisher and 10 proportion 10 the benefit which
man thus engaged, is enabled TO confer upon his CO.
iemPoraries, BY elevaling the standard of education
taste and morals, should be the public estimate u his
own character and reputation. Few men, in any |
walk Of life, have enjoyed higher reputation or
ercised a more extensive influence, directly by the
force Of his own energy and pull lie spirit, and ind
rectly by the facilities afforded by his honorable and
intellectual occupation, of employing men Of genius
In the execution of his projects literary sci
entihc, and antiquarian, as the late Archibald Con-
stable, Esq, bookseller, Of Edinburgh.
took occasion, in recent letter. speak, in terms
Of inerited commentator, of the style IN which
Messrs. Carey Hart have issued their noble edition
Of Lord Bacon's works. might also have spoken Of
their edition Of Lord Bongbrokes, in four beautiful
voluhes,-and have claimed for them the credit due
to their beralty and spirit as evinceJ by that publ
cation. These gentlemen have just published in be-
coming STYLE in three duodecimo volumes, the Mis-
ceaneous Writings of John Wllson-glorious John
the christopher North ofthe far famed Blackwood-
professor Of humanitss in the University Of Edin-
burgh-poet, philosopher, and one of the noblest
minded that blessed The earth. The con-
they delightful and appearing upon the eve Of
the expected visit of their every where popular author
will be graceful introduction to his numberless sd-
mirers in this country. am always glad when such
visit shores, and should rejoice to have, in all
the freshness Of unvarnshed truth the Lights and
Shadows of American Life" and manners from the
same eloquent hand that produced the Lights and
Shadows Of Scottish Life" {" Margaret Lindsay"-
. The Forresters"9-e. do object to the honors
which attend such men upon their welcome visits
The manifestation of such feeling is creditabe to our
hospitality and intelligence and compensate in mea-
sure for the ridiculous and Notifying zeal too often
displayed by would be fashonables and Mt
republicans, in doing the honors of the country TO
every titled gnoramus who to demand and re-
ceve their fulsome adulaton, and who are always lu
dciousy vain Of the exalted honour of having din
nered with Lord 7"
Let the welcome Of PaorEssoR WILSON be cordial
and universal His reputation belongs not excl ssive-
y to his own native Scotland, but belongs also to US
who speak his language, cherish his works and are
ever ready to acknowledge the heavy debt owe him
for many, many happy hours Of amusement, instruc-
ton and delight.
Messrs. Lea & Blanchard, who in the conduct of
tainy not behind any Of the gentlemen ofthe trade
have just made acceptable and important addition
to Retrospective literature aude their beautiful
edition, in octave volumes, of the LETTERS OF
Horace WALPnLE, EARL OF OaroRD." This edition
contains nearly three hundred letters now first pub
shed from the originals, and forming an
series from l735 to 1897, chronoogically arranged
To his Letters" prefxed an ing enious argument
by Sir Charles Grey connecting Walpole with JU-
Nius,-a sketch of Walpole's Life by Lord Dover
and Wapole's "reminiscences of the Courts of
George the First and Second" This is the only
complete edition of the writings of Horace Walpole,
which form anecdocal history of great part Of
the 18th century. Nearly half o century having
elapsed since the death Of Walpole, and he sur
yiyed nearly all the distinguished personages of whom
he wrote, the defects which marred former publica-
,ons of portions Of these Letters have been over
in this complete edition, and their interest very
greatly enhanced, by the substitution Of names for
mere initials and :.
The author of these brilliant letters was the young
est son Of Sir Robert Walpole and was born in the
year l7l7-l6. He was educated at Eton and after
wards at Kings College, Cambridge. AT the age Of
u, in company with the poet Gray, he set out upon
tour to the continent. The dispositions Of the poet
and Of his pupil did not however, assimilaie. "Gray
was for antiquities, Walpoe 'for perpetual balls and
plays" The poet, of grave and s,udious turn was
too serious companion for just liberated from
the restraints Of college life with unlimited pecunary
resources for the full enjoyment of his new existence
The consequence of this entire want Of congeniay
was early separation, the blame Of which was gen.
erousy assumed and no doubt justly, BY Wapole-
tJnnn afu IN Enn nd IL, d
to Parliament and displayed considerable spirit in his
maiden speech in opposition to a motion of censure
against his father, the celebrated rival IF Bolngbroke,
and Prime Minister Of England He retired from
Parliament in 1863 and from that period to his DEATH
in 1897 devoted himself almost exclusively as was sup
posed, to literary and antiquarian pursuits His
Letters, fui or wiz md lion are the of. Inland
productions apparently of of the livelier. and
shrewdest gossips Of his day. sometimes quaint, but
are generally written with remarkable elegance and
ease They are pregnant with that kind of informa-
ton eagerly sought by all classes ofnelligent readers
but which is rejected by the grave and formal histo-
ran inconsistent with the grandeur dignity his
subjec,-personal anecdoe, sketches of character of
those whose services reputation were not Of that
description to enttc them 10 the notice Of history
but who were in other ways distinguished as they |
futtered upon the stage Of active an fashionable life
With these volumes before US, we live and move
among the most remarkable men Of any age or coun-
try, and at period the most remarkable in the literary
and political annals of Great Britain. The under
of life and motire here veled and The
wise, the witty, the fashionable the distinguished and
the exalted brought before the minds eye with
vvidness and lifeke freshness, almost ficent to
compensate for the tyrannca avages of time in hav
ing long since removed both subjects and artist from
this stage Of being A nd among the MANY great md