Sunday dispatch. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1845-1854, 1852-04-18
CURRENT LITERATURE.

FANclEs OF WHIMSICAL MAN-By the
author of " Musings of an Invalid John S.
TAYLOR, publisher.-A worthy book-none wor-
thier than it to chase snnui into the shade of
human forgetfuness "Who is the author"
the reader may enquire. Why, it is by the
gentleman who traced on pages of gold the
" Musings of an Invalid"-at least, so says the
publisher, on the face of the title-page. "WeI,
then, retorts the individual in pursuit of know
ledge under difficulties, Z" aeho, my good sir,
wrote the Musings of an Invalid p" Well,
to be honest, we shrewdly suspect a polished
gentleman. of much wit and more penetration,
who delights US occasionally with most fanci-
full volumes, not under the nom de plume of Ike
Marvel, but under the proper name of Frede-
rick Townsend All, now / see !' responds
the courteous questiener--"it it follows, then,
that if Mr.. Townsend inscribed the Invalid,
and if the author of the said Invalid wrote
the Whimsical Man., why-why Townsend
must be the author of the last named book p
Well, my dear sir, your penetration has evi-
IDENTIFY made for you a discovery; and new
that you have made out the secret, go and an
nounce the result of your deductions to the
nearest and dearest female gossips it is your
rood fortune to be on terms of " amicable rela-
tionship" with. If Townsend wrote the book,
it is " bound to go" and we rather think that
it will " CO." even unto the eighth, ninth, OF
tenth editions, before it " stops going" Shall
we give a sketch of the humorous, well sea.
soned with the pathetic, as an Illustration Of
the little volume under consideration ayes .
Then read the following. It will repay pc.
rusa:
AN OLD FRIEND GONE.
see by the paper this morning that my old
sung his last song, fought his last fight, deliv.
cred his last message, and the curtain will rise
upon him no more, forever
The first time l saw this worthy man, he
nearly frightened me out Of my wits. l was Q
small boy in the pit of the Park Theatre he
a ferocious Tartar, in the pay of the sanguina
rv Timour. What would | have not given, tC
have got handsomely out of the building
can hardly help shuddering, even now, when
think of him How little did / dream, at the
time, that / should ever take by the hand, il
broad daylight, and exchange pleasant words
and smiles, with that infernal-looking ruffian-
: MY second peep at him, was IN -" The Mile
and his Men" 1t was in the same spot was
a few moons older, and trifle more composed
still, most profoundly impressed. If | re
member rightly, was decidedly thu
most prominent and bustling of those SAINT
men, He sang louder, waved his pewter cul
more energetically, tossed off bis imaginar.
Rhenish with more gusto, brought his buck
skin gloves together with more OF ring, mad
decidedly more out Of those huge clatterlni
lack boots of his, than any scoundrel OF then
all. To say truth, was prodigiously alarmed
part of the time.
Nv third Introduction to him was IN Faustus
He was making himself decidedly useful as
devil frisking about the gates OF hell, VIII
tail and pitchfork full of fun, and birthstone
and all manner of diabolical capers and head
shakes. Ugh, what spectacle l shudder
ed. while I erinned. We waited for the farce
remember. In the course of 1t, an individua
entered with tray, whereon cold fowl
bread and pickles, were clearly visible ant
when the dear old kinsman, who TOOK me l.
the play, informed me that the pleasant, active
looking man before us, was the identical lin
: of Satan who had helped poke the Doctor INT
, the flames, could not, and would not, be per
suaded 1t has occurred to me more than ono
, since, that the disclosure was an injudiclou
one. 1t did no good, and only served to 6ewl
, der my tender understanding, to disturb m
boyish faith.
But it would take folios to recapitulate th
, innumerable, the iafinitey varied parts, i
which have seen this most indefatigable c
performers-parts celestial, terrestrial, diabc
, iical genii of all sorts and sizes-hre-king
and waterd1ings dragons and sea.serpents-
mummies and spectres-not to speak of huma
beings, of all times, climes and conditions
, l have positively seen him, on the sam
, night, Ia gala night,) storming the heights {
, Monterey, laying siege to the Castle OF Duns
J name, dancing attendance on the amorous oil