Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1847-07-17
NATIONAL INTELLIGENCER.
NOTES on BOOKS.

The Public is Tor If il Is not should be) by this time per-
tecy that read not only of newspapers and
seas Of communications but whole continents of Volumes
purely for its Chat Puhlic's) benefit that
perpetual sacrifice to its intellectual ease, 10 It's de-
light by nterposng devoted body between it and books
which should be read except by proxy by guiding IL
10 such far less frequent may be peed protaby
peasuraby. Great of course, the powers OF endurance
which the task demands for placed thus that gate of
publication which in the present day forth SO much OF
foy and sitting there to guard the barrier between it
and sense dire is the quantity which must encounte OF
call such reading as was never read :" and the daily dis
proportion of what is readable what is unreliable Gas
every body knows) enormous in effect that visited
upon US in this our office of literary to readers,
which Dulness makes in the D,4ncQd her promise to her
chosen issue
sAll nonsense thus, of old or modern date,
Shall in thee centre, from thee circulate.
The woes of learning have become almost proverbial
what then, be those OF him who bears the pains with
out the consultations of knowledge enduring the pangs OF
naryrdom without its hopes, and wearing its fiery crown
without its santlness For we may well say
Tied down to read and judge, how wretched
Who can't dissemble and who will not lie
sit with sad cvity read,
With honest anguish and an aching head
And drop at last, but in unwilling ears,
This saving counsel, Keep your piece nine years
In short, but for Divine mercy-for there is none human
4or our oase-and did God temper the wind to the
shou lamb by ordaning that Novels should shrink from
The twelve volumes of The Great Cyrus down to the
of S!r Charles Grandson" and thence to the two ofthe
Man at Arms or of Tancred " and had not Histories sub
sided into Memoirs and Treases dwnded from foos into
.uodecimos who could truly than we of the critical
press repeat those memorable and pathetic words of self
sacrificing potcian-those words at which sympathetic de-
nocacy melted into Sour sutferngs Is ntoer-
able =. ..H"...
At times however, cordial drop falls into the cup of
literary bitterness which we must be forever draining and
this when gay festive gladstone book like that OF which
we have to-day mounted the title blesses and
wearied eyes What better then, can we dove who study
Tor the public pleasure, own-han forthwith make
known all who, ike us have before fallen upon
IT, though it dates back full years which, the
most popular productions of the present astonishing
Letters, is nothing short of amazing Immortality.
Two not very full editions of it have believe been
hausted after which, whether that it &c caviar the
general or that rhapsody like Monsieur de Lamartiues
VOYAGE to the Holy Land threw into total eclipse It's
sense, truth, ase and pregnancy, sank into obvon
cept the memory the few who read good books not to
forget them. Hearing OF 1t from OF that sort, we have
been long seeking for it. but vain, until the other day hap
ply bethought that there place short OF that tea
surygeneal of lost things, the Moon, in which should
lie half apt to find in Circulating Library Il is
kind Of chasm that gapes wondrously, presently TO yawn
enormously, for the admired authors of the present day
within whose Jaws however, Oblivion swiftly sezes
them, and they disappear in It's dark gulf yet less rreteva
bly, than at the gocer pastycoos for these mastcate
the learned biz by bit while that swallows them whole,
Hades did the souls of antique heroes and lovers We des
cended courageousy, then, like opheus of old, into the
s 49,.
up 10 the light of day the Sandersonan volume, much like
the soul Of her, Alcestis,
''Whom Jove's great son to her glad husband gave,
Rescued from death per force, though pale and faint
so Milton; or, as Wordsworth hath it
Did not Hercules BY force
Nrest from the guardian monster OF the tomb
Acestis, animated corse,
Given back to dwell on earth in beauty's bloom J"
!, be poor original, however, that forms bet
idea Of in It's painted sembance than in its feshy
lneaments and have always despaed of giving our
readers any easier uster, pleasing image of
thor than by holding him up them in characteristic passages
from his works themselves To give notion Of the veness
ard with which Mr. sanderson tells you of whatever he
has seen will take him the first step his traveust
arrived in Havrc where he is than, after a
'ence two advising his friends Of the fact he begins tell
them the process by which they can do as much He writes
lady, be observed and So no doubt one should
always DO from abroad We proceed TO extract from his
letters
DO not detau your husband eEpec, him for the latest
IN October. Ou don't know how much absence from home
and loneliness in foreign country try the consistency of one
And tell him 10 listen my advice in preparing for
his voyage. His first step is TO Obtain by few lines TO the
Secretary of State, passport, describing his features dmen
son titles (nose straight, eyes hale, &c and if he can
add Major, or Colonel or some cheap American dignity
he viii have great many bows this country he otherwise
aspire foolish enough nothing
but simple John If he brings the wife along, tell him 10
include her the document "a little black girl four
feet and something having sharp tongue, pretty enough
mouth and teeth, and too good for her don
ask pardon only an important feature passport
faces can he pretty in spite of their You DOM kiss the
b9ok, 50 he may put down any age your adyshp peases
You must next provide certificate Of health For th
you must call upon the French Consul You will find hin
grave and diplomatic, and very watchu Of his Most Chris
tan Naesty interest somewhere in Wall street. having at
eye also TO his individual comforts He will say you thus
Have you been in good Of health for the last
I%:rns yes. Have YOU this time contagious dis
ease mo And then you have certificate. This is
important item in your preparation it entities you 10 be wei
on yoGy arrival Al Hayre otherwise you will be very sick
and put on quarantine till YOU This is Of til
Nv which the Consul endeavors r hope successfully
pay his baker and butcher at New York. The fee is w
dollars
His views Of the purposes Of travel, however l
,inged by ses-scsness. He looks voyagng
good deal more moral Than delightful. Hence he
Horace upon the daring Of JaPhe who rst il
vented shps 10 Dr. JUans0ufhe Ramblcs anpathy