The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1885-03-01
SOME NEW BOOkA
R.s.,,.e,,ocs or scotch Me. or Letters.

RoeNllectlous OF AcOfch NEW ~ AoseT'
Tho third volume Of Mr.. MAsoS's compila-
ton OF biographical "reminiscences, now In
course OF publication by the Scribnera under the
name OF Personal Traits Of British authors 10 de-
voted to six more or less distinguished SCOTCH
mon, namely, Scott. Campbell. Hoss. wilson.
jeffrey. and Chalmers. with whom. somewhat
oddly De Quincy has been coupled. some
recoilections Of tho latter arc included In this
volume. In order. we are told. that he might
not be separated from his friend. christopher
North" Prof. Wilson was undoubtedly ONE OF
tho Opium Eaters friends. but so was Cole
ridge. and on the whole II seems TO us that DO
Quincy would DO moro naturally bracketod
with the Lake poets. Of whom he was tho self
elected Interpreter and panegyrist
OF the seven namos hero classed together.
only two. those OF Scott and Campbell. hnve
firm hold upon posterity; for although two or
three OF Hogg's poems may long retain place
In the minor minstrelsy OF Scotland the rugged
personality OF tho "Ettrick Shepherd" that
was once 80 familiar to tho readers OF Black.
rood. Is fast fading into shadow. As for Chal-
mers, he has scarcely any claim to figure
among British authors. for. as Mr.. Mason adj
mits, no was mainly di stingushed as an ora.
tor and social reformer. and therefore earneds
niche. II anywhere. in history. rather than In
literature. Then. again. Wilson and Joffrey
are conspicuous examples OF the instability OF
regulations gained BY fugitive writings In re-
views AMI magazines. When tho Noctes Am.
brosiann" we're reprinted In this country
some thirty years ago. those vagrnnt. rollicking
prolusions from which 1t has been eaid you
may squeeze Scotch whiskey by the gallon.
found we believe. some readers: but We opine
that tho experiment will never be repeated.
and Kit North can look for only faint echo OF
his quondnm welcome from the rising genera
ton. We can also recall the time when an
American publisher deemed it worth while to
collect JefTreys contributions to the Edinburgh
Repie,r, and the volume could be found. we'll
thumbed in the libraries Of American college
and school debating clubs. But nobody would
think In these days OF recurring to jeffrey Tor
the substantive value of his thought; much
less should We study him for style. though no
looked with oomplacency on his own power Of
expression. and deemed himself qualified To
prune and furnish up Carlyle.
Both OF those Scotch sssaylsts will be forgot
ten long before De Quincy. though the latter
is q peculiarly unsatisfactory and even exasper-
ating writer To peruss one OF his papers 10
like being called away after the first course OF
q good dinner when you have scanned the bill
OF fare and have had sample OF tho skill OF
the culinary artist An essay Of Dc Quinceys
is all vestibule: you press forward eagerly to
enter the temple. and bump your nose on
blank wall. He tried innumerable flights but
his broken wing refused to carry him: II va tx
cept two or three short stories and as many
dsquistions. everything he wrote was ram
bling. fragmentary. sclntlllative: there was no
coherent. straightforward. exhaustive EXPOSE
ton. no prolonged and stendy radiance. Yet
there are flashes in him that light up many q
dark GRANNY In history and criticism. and II Is
amazing how much reconcile and exclusive
erudition he had managed to acquire. though
probably no man ever was so learned as Do
Quincy could make himself appear to bs.
The chief worth OF this volume lies in the
hundred pages allotted to Campbell and to
Scott curious fact about Campbell Is that.
although he published The Pleasures OF
Hope" at twenty-five and Gertrude OF Wyo-
ming" at thirty-two. he should have written
nothing atterward in the least comparable
with those poems, or, indeed anything OF dur
able value. although he lived nearly thirty-nve
years longer. 1t is also a circumstance which
would not be overlooked. should any ono try to
explore the aiilnities and map tho boundaries
OF poetry and music. that Campbell Ia said to
have had not the slightest idea Of melody. In
an anonymous contribution to tho Ne,c
Monthly Magazine published some months after
his death, We are informed that his utmost
taste for music amounted 10 a reminscence OF
some JiH tune or some local DNllul and In tho
latter l observed that he dwelt on the words
more than the tune" A point Of likeness be-
tween Campbell and Pope was n total absence
OF the passion for tho beauties OF external ma
ture and the consequent love OF n country life."
According to p. G. Patmore, the Life OF Mrs.
Siddons and the Life Of Sir Thomas Lawrence
were really prepared by an anonymous literary
hack and Campbell's only share in tho work
was to look over the manuscript. revise the
proofs. and permit his name to be- placed on the
title page. But Cyrus Raddne is authority for
some facts at variance with this story so fur ut
least as the Siddons memoir is concerned.
which 1t seems Campbell undertook to write at
the request OF Mrs. s. Yet Redding himself
admits that Campbell. Z" in his later life. lost
much OF that self-respect which once ruled his
transactions with booksellers. and lent his
name or put together works not at all contrib
uting to his reputation The truth seems to