New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1843-05-09
THE TRIBUNE.
THr KuckrRRocKFR, CoLFRIDcE, ETC.


/ ,st OF its predecessors. The most noteworthy
md valuable paper in it IS the first Literary NO
re. an extended and elaborate exposition oil the
aatc of " Europe in the Beginning OF 1917
Tho new movements noticeable in the recent
| ...orv o( EIrope. the extension Of Edrcation'
the maintenance of International peace t'ic i''o.
oess of the I.aboring Glasses IN influence an"
,r.or are well discussed; and series OF very
:aoortant suggestions concerning plans calcu-
l...d IN promote the future welfare of the ma
.o,s Of Europe is presented. The Editor lells
:. ,bot the article is written by one of the most
,ocompIishcd American scholars residing abroad:
ia very able. and highly interesting. In the Quod
cor-csoondcnce We have Number Three Of Harry
u,rson' 1t is marked by The same energy and
,vacity of description which have won for its pre-
1scpssors so wide popularity. The Lay of An
s;sot Rome is only fairly done The style Of
Nacaulay (why does the Editor spell his name
Uscaulev2 is initiated with tolerable success,
hit the incident is feeble and the Lay. therefore,
aat Mrs. Mary Clavcrs contributes very
clever essay on Standards and the touching
tale Of the Young Engiishman is continued.
The Literary Notices" are very full and excel
lent and the Editors Table bends beneath tho
weight Of the fat things he has hcaped upon IT.
lis criticism is genial and lively; its anecdotes
pauant and well told and sketches, humorous,
pathetic and sublime are scattered through ITS
pages lavisllly, yet in due proportion. Bcsct as
has not its equal: and rejoice to see it so sue
cessully maintaining its rank as the first as well
as Oldest of our Monthlics.
But the old Dutch gentleman has his whims,-
bis idiosyncracics perhaps we should call them
he FORMS now and then, strange opinions, and he
swolully obstinate in his adherence TO tllcm,-
specially if they are particularly groundlcss and
hntaslica He was induced to whisper INTO the
public ear-what a distinguished gentleman from
abroad had whispered into hs,-that " COLE
RIDGE WAS A roRTENToUs BORE in conversation:
and when we vcnturcd, not to rebukc HIM for
SAYING 50, (the Jest was too broad to excite serious
ire,) but to suggest that other competent Judges
had voted differently, and that his distinguished
gentleman from abroad must be somewhat thick,
he forthwith faces us and declares that his Jest was
no Jest at all--but that CoLERIDGE acas bore ::
and sets himself 10 prove it. In recent notice of
Non1H's Noctes Anbrosianp we copied rom
ii paragraph in which CHRISrorHER, speaking in
his own person, said of CoLERIDGE as a talkcr-
"That man is entitled to speak on till Dooms-
daq-or rather the genius oithia him-for he rs
inspired" True saith knick., Christopher once
said so but he had other opinions afternard
and to prove it, he quotes other passages from
the Noctes one, what he calls satire upon
his Conversations +; and the other, paragraph
charging him with plagarlsm.-Now for the
present. it Is sufficient 10 say that both these
passages were written before the one we quoted
The satire is on page 32l, and the other on
page 232 of VOL |. Of the Noctcs and the
splendid eulogy we copied is on page 4OS of the
same volume. Which has the advantage in
point of time -
But furthermore The passage which the
knlckerbocker copies as having been 8 satire
upon CoLERIDGE's Conversations had nothing
whatever to do with CoLERIDdE in any shape
HIS name had not been mentioned that evening.
Not a syllable had been said about anvbody's
Conversations Magazine Literature was the sub
lect OF discussion and the sketch of ldcalism
as explained by KANT was palpably intended as
acaucature of the Opium Eaters metaphysical
contributions to some of BlaclIwood's rivals.
How old knick,, Dutchman as he is, should so
sally mistake Its meaning, are at a loss to
conceive
Cousin, ihon was, won, 10 be 50 dull"
We refer 10 the Notes. page 800. ct seq. for
proof that we are right.
Again the knickerbockcr says that . Chris
opher speaking through one Of hts drGmatis
psfSoaR, charges CoLERIDGE witt, being 4 pla-
gary and then quotes clustering paragraph.
cutting out, however. all mention Of the splendid
eulogy of CoiEalpGE's genius ii contains which
Is put INTO the mouth of the Opium Eater, in
winch he vigorously threatens to press COLE
Ridge to death "under three hundred and fifty
pounds weight of German metaphysics" Here.
IN the first place, the knickerbocker seems really
10 suppose that NORTH himself, through his drG-
@a's persona, expressed simply his own belief!
VIVA, novel notion is this How would the
TUE apply to SH,KsrRAEE, or any other dra,natist
North, on that suppositon, must be deemed ex-
uenely tacne as to his opinions for he often puts
words INTO the mouths OF his characters expressly
'os the purpose OF contradiciing them and vet we
aia to suppose he endorses both But, secondly =
dOes the knickeFbocker know any thing about the
Opium Eater The old Burgher seems utterly
issiosant OF the fact tina, De QuiNcsy for wears
made il his special hobby to prove that ColR-
RIDGE had borrowed from the Germans and
With true Jockey spirit, he rode his nag, putting
and blowing TO be IN at the death, until he
Glanced 10 be uuhorsed and somewhat so5ely