The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1842-10-23
Dickens Review OF American News paper
Literature.


The production lately pat forth in the Foreign
Quarterly Review, by Mr. Charles Dickens, pur.
porting to be review OF the newspaper literature
OF this country, is Of the most laug liable anc
ridiculous pieces OF writing that ever was published
In an intelligent community.
1t is tull OF gross blunders msst atements of ever,
conceivable kind, and shockingly false reasoning
apparently founded on the grossest misinfor N at on
He mlsquotes his extracts, and msstates what he
calls facts he culs parcel oil paragraphs from one
pp-r, and attributes them to another he sets ou
10 describe the character OF the accles of certain
paper, and quotes half q column from another pa
per 10 prove the same. And then he bundles hi.
quotations from various papers with his comment.
IN the most indescrlbable confusion, without the
least order or regularity whatever.
The feature that probably apsears more striking
than any other in the whole review is the vein OF
personal spite against particular persons evidently
arising from some private Cause of grief This can
be accounted for by the fact that directions were
given him IN this city by the siquc who had him in
keeping, how 10 redress these fancied grievances
whlcl tney have not manlness enough TO redress
themselves; thus using the poor penny-al liner as
mere cats paw. And he was the more readily in
duced to fall into their views believing that by SO
doing he should ingrdtiaie himself with those au-
thors whose booAs have been republished in this
country, and who want a copyright, and by his
abuse OF the liberal and independent press of the
counry he hopes TO sink the o5scurlty OF his origin
ami be received into favor by the arIstocratic cir
Giles OF England. These are the secret springs of
action with him.
But now utterly incompetent 10 form the slightest
estimate OF The character and conduct OF the press
ottnls country! In newspaper literature, on a pro-
pei comparison Of the two countries, We venture O
say that TINS country Is only par with France
or England, IN every respect, but Is lnfntey their
superior IN many points. We have more originality
Than England III tAls particular, and as much the
French nave. And we have as much talent, ge-
mus, industry and enterprise, as both of them put
together.
As TO depravity, II Is caled-iathul accounts of
oil the more revolving scenes of frail human
ty-where shall we find more voung instances than
IN the London papers! II we To so to the files
oil mat poruon OF them called respectable for the
last tnlrty years, could make that would
De tar more disgusting nan aay thing that has be en-
published In the worst papers of this country. Let
u, only go back to the trial OF Queen Caroline or
THAI OF kean, or Miss Foote vs. Hayne, or Thurtell
Hunt, ad Probert, or any OF the murder trials for
the last twenty years IN that country, the vaga-
rIes OF johanna Southco,e, or tue more recent OBJ
scene and basphemous details published in the lead
ing London journals relative to the imposter, Sir
Joan Couuendy. Where will we fad any thing
half Immoral or degrading in the descriptions OF
eyeuts published in the United States. Besides in
describing those which public journalists are
compelled 10 do, we tar superior TO the London
papers IN our descriptions thereof; for whilst their
Statements are nothing bat dry Disgusting details,
accounts are mixed up with some imag
and poetry which deprives the matter in question OF
all It's more revolving features.
And even to go TO the works of Dickens himself.
Where can we find any thing so shockingly OBJ
scene and disgusting as the accounts of Bill Sykes
and the prostitute Nance, and particularly the re-
voting nauseatlng account of the murder of the
same1 And what more maudin and depravity-
tending than the accounts he gives OF the rambles
OF apoverty stricken theatrical company ,chsn ne
himssif stroling player
But the game is barely worth the powder. The
spleen of Dickens arises from the fact that he
was sent out here sort of literary bagman, by
clique of English authors to effect certain object.
He failed in this and found great movement ma
king by the newspaper press here TO supercede all
the trashy novels and penny literature OF England
and that had done much TO throw his works into the
shade and create n distas'e for them. When here
he was in the hands Of similar clique who, desti-
tute of talent, tact, genius, common industry
bankrupt in literature and estate feel that they
will be swept away by this revolutionary move
ment of newspaper literature. Hence their horror
Of the independent press and his abuse of as their
cats paw. This is the true secret of the silly
splenetie article in the " Foreign Quarterly
Who Is EDITOR OF THE MADIsoNIAH THE lead
lag articles in the Madisonian," since the return
of the President TO Washington, have exhibited a
new genius-a fresh talent-and mind of no CON-
mon order. Are they written by Judge Upshur 7
Mr. Wise or who ! The views Of the Presidential
element in republican governments are precisely such
we took on our own hook several weeks since
There are evidently two infuences-two doc
trines-two classes of ideas-now contending with
each other tor mastery in the administration Of the
United States government. Mr.. Webster is at the
head OF the one cass-Judge Upshur at the other
the President ratherinclines TO the latter.
SEIZURE OF WArcHEs.--we learn that Mr. Col
lector Curtis has recently made somewhat extern
sive seizure of watches in this city-to the amount,
1t is said, of ten 10 fifteen thousand dollars
II appears that dealer named Duncan, who has
been in the watch business in this city for number
cvears, has struggled, in the course of that time.
i"s''ovoices Of English patent watches, by which
ne mas rsped handsome forune-some say fifty
.nousand' S'd Others hundred thousand dollars.
lie was very ao,ait in his contraband operations He
mace no faise enses-committed no perjmy-and
Always smussed The Sme description of watches
akind which no other dear could get
About two weeks ago the Solicitor received in
FORMATION sufficiently strong to variant seizure
ano tnrse or four days since he hid the whole
socN ana trade OF the dealer removed 10 ,be public
can ony result IN forfeiture of the goods, as
no pepury mas oeen discovered in the business So
Duncan will get off with ,he los, q, hi, ,. ~