1 satisfied: the cover contained a gilt back book, and in the first leaf was penned the following flattering address: 66 Happy omens of to the most distinct and On his happy arrival at Florence, the academician and poet Angelo Sciantarelli, in testimony of his dutiful respect, presents to your lordship, with the most sincere desire, his following poetical compositions, with hopes that your lordship will not disdain to place them under your powerful protection, and flatters himself that with the usual generosity of your lordship will not fail to be rewarded." So much for compliment from the poet. A couple of pages further were these two sonettos: pp. 164–166. * "Pray," said I (for he stood before me till I had gone through the dedication and the sonettos), "are you the poet?" "I am," answered he, "to my great sorrow. I consider it unfortunate that God made me in a country, where merit is so neglected as it is here. I would wish to live honestly by my profession, but I cannot find a patron." The man never spoke truer words than the last in his life; for the above two sonettos are full of the greatest absurdities: they are neither sense nor grammar. His look was, however, so truly pitiful, that, putting my hand into one of my pockets, I rejoined, That I was truly sorry he had mistaken my quality; that every Englishman was not a lord; that I feared my protection would be of little use to him, but here is the best protection you can have" (slipping a dollar into his hand). He smiled, bowed, and scraped, till he got to the door; and slunk out without ever turning his back. The waiter of the inn afterwards told me, that this man had similar sonettos for every body that went that way, no matter from what country." pp. 168, 169. 6 The Author describes himself as a young man, and indeed, there are no defects in his volume, but such as may be removed by maturer thought and experience. We have derived some gratification from his performance, and which we take more pleasure in acknowledging, than in pointing out the defects of his composition. Art. IX. Exposition of One Principal Cause of the National Distress, particularly in Manufacturing Districts: With some Suggestions for its Removal. Price 1s. 6d. Darton and Co. London. 1817. WE took up this pamphlet, which we understand to be the production of one of the Society of Friends, with expectations which have not, in some respects, been realized, though in. others, they have been sufficiently gratified. On the subject of the national distress, the writer has thrown no light whatever; the causes lie deeper than she has allowed her researches to fathom; and even within the range to which she has restricted herself, she has made very unwarrantable assumptions, and hazarded dangerous and injurious speculations. And yet, with all these deductions from the soundness and usefulness of her pamphlet, we have found in it a spirit of feeling and benevolence, an ardour and intensity of sympathy with human suffering, a purity of motive, and occasionally an energy and eloquence of sentiment and composition, which have given us a very favourable impression of the Author's talents and dispositions. Her error seems to be, that she has permitted her feelings to oversway her judgement so completely, as to suffer her to take a view of one part of the question only; and accordingly, she dwells upon the miseries of the artisan, wholly regardless of the fact, which she admits, that they are shared, though probably in a somewhat lower average degree, by his employer. Under the bias of this unequal feeling, she proposes a remedy, which if it were not very fortunately quite impracticable, would do nothing less than involve master and servant, merchant and manufacturer in one common ruin. Without the slightest regard to the state of the market, to the want of capital, or of demand, she proposes an immediate advance in the price of labour, and urges that it be such an advance as shall secure to the diligent workman *his guinea per week, without intrenching on the hours of rest and needful refreshment.' 12 We are persuaded that the writer's own calmer judgement has before this, detected the wildness of these dashing propositions, and that she is not likely to be lastingly misled by such shallow calculations. There are many portions of this Exposition in a purer taste. The remarks on the spirit of trade, are excellent; though too general, they are expressed in language of considerable point and force. There is something very striking in her representation of the Spirit of trade feeling the pulse of the halfpaid and overlaboured artificer, and pronouncing that the system of exhaustion may proceed still further.' Had she confined herself to a few points like these, while she administered mild instruction and temperate reproof, the Author might have wrought conviction where she will now find it difficult to procure a patient hearing. " 76 Art. X. Memoirs and Remains of the late Rev. Charles Buck: con taining copious Extracts from his Diary; and interesting Letters to his friends; interspersed with various observations explanatory and illustrative of his character and works. By John Styles, DD. 12mo. pp. 442. Price 5s. Hamilton. 1817. THERE is no class of works which it affords us more real pleasure to notice, than the memoirs of truly pious and faithful Christian ministers. They may not always exhibit the highest literary attractions, or excite that tumultuous interest which we sometimes participate in tracing the splendid and eventful career of greatness; the pleasure which they are calcu lated to afford, is derived from a very different source; it arises from the contemplation of moral excellence and of the genuine influence of Christianity. The very office and the daily duties of the minister of the Gospel, call for the constant manifestation of those principles which constitute the Christian character, and bring the individual more immediately into that line of occupation which employed the Son of God upon earth. The name of the Rev. Charles Buck is one which can excite no literary animosities, no party feelings. It deserves to be always pronounced with unmingled respect. To those of our readers who know how to appreciate the labours of a pious, zealous, and faithful minister, who feel satisfaction in tracing the humble but interesting progress through life, of a diseiple of Jesus of Nazareth, and in witnessing the display, in the last trying hour, of that undisturbed tranquillity, that sober and rational confidence, which can be felt only by the sincere believer, we cordially recommend this little volume, It is a fair and unadorned portraiture of a laborious servant of Jesus Christ, who, though not endowed with the highest order of talents, possessed a good plain understanding, a very accurate acquaintance with experimental Christianity, and eminent qualifications for usefulBess. Few religious publications, in the present day, have ac quired a more extensive and at the same time, more deserved popularity, than Mr. Buck's "Treatise on Religious Expe"rience," and his " Young Christian's Guide." It is not,' however upon his merits as an author, that his claims to affectionate remembrance principally rest; but rather upon the general qua lities of his character, which render these recollections' and remains, a record highly instructive and permanently interesting. As a specimen of the contents of the volume, we extract the following Contemplation, as one among many equally sensible and equally pious. God's Providence. Lord, I adore thy vast designs, and wonder at thy all-wise providence: thou art not accountable to creatures, and none can say 1 unto thee, "What doest thou?" Thy way is in the sea, thy path in the great waters, and thy footsteps are not known." Shall I then murmur, when I consider that thou art too wise to err, and too good to do wrong? Heaven forbid. Though I cannot tell what thou art doing, and am ignorant of thy Divine projects, yet let me ever be submissive to thy gracious will. Though I cannot comprehend thy works, nor I understand thy ways, yet let me be resigned, yea, perfectly resigned. at all times, and in all places, to thy wise disposal. But, ah, wretched Iman that I am, how frequently do I mistake thee, when thou art full of love and pity, and art only afflicting me, that I might be more refined from my earthly dross; then, to my shame, do I think, that in wrath thou art going to leave me, or, at least, I am not one of thy beloved children. O blessed Jesus, give me the eye of faith, to see that thou wilt do all things well, and may I, when bereaved of friends, or deprived of comforts, be enabled with patience and gratitude to take up the words of thy servant of old, "The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away, but still blessed be the name of the Lord." If thy providences are adverse may I not despair, and if they are prosperous or pleasant may I not be careless or ungrateful. Into thy hands, O glorious Immanuel, I surrender myself; O let me never be satisfied with any thing short of thee, and may I, under every dispensation, say, "The will of the Lord be done."" Art. XI. Odin, a Poem; in Eight Books, and Two Parts. By the Right Honourable Sir William Drummond; Author of a Translation of Persius, Academical Questions, &c. Part the First. 4to. pp. 165. Price 18s. Law and Co. London. 1817. SIR WILLIAM DRUMMOND'S high attainments as a scholar, are well known, and his classic taste imparts a raciness to his verse, which will not be lost upon those of his readers, who love to recall, with a remembrance of the studies of their youth, all the fair visions of beauty, fame, and independence, with which, in that glowing period of life, they are inseparably connected. The subject of this poem is the foundation of the Gothic Empire, by Pharnaces, son of Mithridates, whom the Author assumes to be the same personage that, after the final defeat of Mithridates, by the Romans, conducted a chosen band of his followers, in conjunction with a Scythian tribe, from the borders of the Euxine into the North, conquered Sweden and Denmark, and boldly assumed the name and character of Odin, the principal deity of the barbarians whom he had subdued. A Sir W's remarks, in support of this hypothesis, are sufficiently plausible to rescue the story from improbability, and to give at any rate propriety to the fiction. Had it, indeed, been otherwise, he might safely defy the incredulous to prove the negative; since, as he facetiously argues, if his hero cannot be proved to be the son of the king of Pontus, he knows not how it can be proved that he was not so. But we have too much of a certain kind of veneration for our Gothic ancestors, to be inclined to. contest this point. There is something too gratifying in finding the conquerors of the Roman Empire, among the descendants of those who so long contended with her the dominion of the world, and whom scarcely the utmost efforts of her colossal: strength could overcome, for us to raise up any very serious objections against the Author's supposition There is some thing peculiarly heroical and grand, something which cannot be contemplated without enthusiasm, in the impatience of slavery which is bequeathed as an inheritance from generation to gene. ration, until the occurrence of some favourable moment for throwing off its chains. Liberty, driven from all outward esta blishments, exiled from the very face of the earth, still finds a last refuge in the bosoms of the brave, there she is cherished; with secret and fond devotion and fidelity, and there she acquires new strength, and meditates resumption of her rights. Sir William Drummond has well expressed this feeling in the following lines which he puts into the mouth of Megares, one of his warriors. The brave, the free will scorn his abject soul Though rude your winters be, and rough the blasts Shall nurse in peace her hardy children here Where freedom is, the free their country find.' p. 67. 1* 12 { The volume before us contains only the first part of Sir William Drummond's work, which he submits to the public for their decision upon its merits; the completion of the whole being made to depend upon the reception given to this specimen of it. This proof of his respect to his readers, justly claims respect ful treatment in return; his merits should be liberally acknowledged, and his defects pointed out with a delicate candour Sir William seems distrustful of meeting with approbation, on two grounds. The first is, that his story is dependent on a mythology now almost forgotten, even in the North; where it was originally fostered. The second anticipated objection is, that he has treated of it in blank verse. The circumstance that the northern mythology is nearly forgotten, even in the country |