The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1868-10-15

groups through which the incessant chisel
wrought its way, and when the perfect
forms appeared, few had such finish as not
to betray here and there the mechanical
secret of their origin and the design for
which they were put together. There is
more mind than heart in his genius-more
constructiveness than passion. His char
acters feel cold to the touch, though eften-
times the pose is so admirable, the situation
so dramatic ard The figure so airy, so grand
or So beautiful, as wholly to disarm criti-
cism. You willingly forget that Pelham is
a earicature of BuLwER in society, and
Rierzi q political friend of DULwER in Par
lament; that Glanville is a civilized "Cor-
ssair," and Paul Clifford On artistic and
philosophic "Jack Sheppard;" that Zanoni
is fable of Loves Sacrifice, and that the
terrible scene of Clifford's condemnation by
his own father is borrowed from Mrs.
INcuDALD; for consummate art conquers
your convictions, and persuades you that the
ideal lives and the beautiful copy is great
original The remark specially applies to
the earlier period of his literary career, to
which most of the essays now before US
belong. His later novels, although char
acterized by the melodramatic, are, never
theless, marvellous triumphs both of skill
and of genius. And they differ in an i'm
portant particular from their predecessors,
for their moral is high and pure.
BULwER's prose essays have been COM
paratively ignored, on account of the trans
cendent interest attaching TO his novels.
Yet they are we'll worthy of attention, as
among the best of their class. During his
editorial charge of the ''New Monthly Mag
ssazine," the author served an apprentice
ship TO this style In undertaking 'to show
"that gentleman could be an editor" he
succeeded in taking high rank among
British essayists; for the sketches written
at this time and subsequently, are among the
most finished and thoughtful OF his produc-
tions. They are full of movement, brilliant
with fancy aud wit, and, in their allegories,
full of truth and Imagination. The philo-
sophie wisdom which ever tinges his versa
tile pen, here becomes the more impressive
because undisturbed in its tranquil flow by
the necessities of the narrative. The short
stories and the essays, whether airy or
grave, all have certain family resemblance,
and lead a train of sweet and serious medi-
tation.
The frst volume contains, for the most
part, the essays Of the authors mature life;
the second the lighter sketches Of his youth,
if, indeed, we can apply that name to
series which contains the admirable "Con-
"versations with au Ambitious Student IN
sTl HEALTH" the third, yet to appear, viii
contain the ''Caxtoniana," collection Of
his more matured opinions. The essays on
GOLDSMITH Sir THOMAS BROWNE and ScnIL-
LER are charming biographies, full ofspirit
and character. In the second volume, we
have been particularly pleased with "Lake
sLeman and its Associations" and with the
"Inhuence of Love on Literature" The
intr oduction, which, we are sorry to say, is
badly written, reminds one of the dingy
portal of one OF the Greek houses at Con-
stantinople-it admits into scene of beauty
and magnifceuce.