,journals47            ,,blackwood',s   
,,edinburgh ,,magazine4    ,no4 ,,ccclx4
 ,,october1 #ahde4 ,vol4 ,,lviii4       
,,contents4    ,montesquieu1            
#chi   ,a ,reminiscence of ,boyhood4 ,by
 ,delta1                   #djh   ,de   
,burtin on ,pictures1                   
#dac   ,manner and ,matter1             
#dca   ,marston2 or1 the ,memoirs of a  
,statesman4 ,conclusion4   #dci   ,how  
we ,got ,up the ,glenmutchkin ,railway1 
#dec   ,the ,science of ,languages4     
,kavanagh1                    #dfg      
,scrambles in ,monmouthshire1           
#dgd   ,neapolitan ,sketches1           
#dhf   ,a ,meditation1                  
#did   ,on the ,old ,year1              
#die   ,corali1                         
ib4   ,biographical ,sketch of ,frank   
,abney ,hastings1           #dif        
,,edinburgh3   ,,william ,,blackwood    
,,and ,,sons1 #de1 ,,george ,,street2   
,,and #cg1 ,,paternoster ,,row1         
,,london4    ,to whom all               
,communications 7post paid7 must be     

addressed4    ,,sold ,,by ,,all ,,the   
,,booksellers ,,in ,,the ,,united       
,,kingdom4    ,,printed ,,by            
,,ballantyne ,,and ,,hughes1            
,,edinburgh4     ,,blackwood',s         
,,edinburgh ,,magazine4  ,no4 ,,ccclx4  
,,october1 #ahde4 ,vol4 ,,lviii4        
,,montesquieu4   ,montesquieu is beyond 
all doubt the founder of the philosophy 
of history4 ,in many of its most        
important branches1 he has carried it to
 a degree of perfection which has never 
since been surpassed4 ,he first looked  
on human affairs with the eye of        
philosophic observation2 he first sought
 to discover the lasting causes which   
influence the fate of mankind2 he first 
traced the general laws which in every  
age determine the rise or decline of    
nations4 ,some of his conclusions were  
hasty2 many of his analogies fanciful2  
but he first turned the human mind in   
that direction4 ,it is by repeatedly    
deviating into error that it can alone  
be discovered where truth really lies3  

there is an alchemy in the moral1 not   
less than in the material world1 in     
which a vast amount of genius must be   
lost before it is discovered that it has
 taken the wrong direction4 ,but in     
,montesquieu1 besides such occasional   
and unavoidable aberrations1 there is an
 invaluable treasure of profound views  
and original thought--of luminous       
observation and deep reflection--of     
philosophic observation and just        
generalization4 ,his fame has been long 
established2 it has become ,european2   
his sayings are quoted and repeated from
 one end of the world to the other2 but 
to the greater part of ,english readers1
 his greatness is known rather from the 
distant echo of continental fame1 than  
from any practical acquaintance with the
 writings from which it has arisen4     
,though ,montesquieu1 however1 is the   
father of the philosophy of history1 it 
is due to ,tacitus and ,machiavel to    
say1 that he is not the author of       
political thought4 ,in the first of     

these writers is to be found the most   
profound observations on the working of 
the human mind1 whether in individuals  
or bodies of men1 that ever were formed 
by human sagacity3 in the latter1 a     
series of remarks on ,roman history1 and
 the corresponding events in the        
republics of modern ,italy1 which1 in   
point of deep political wisdom and      
penetration1 never were surpassed4 ,lord
 ,bacon1 too1 had in his ,essays put    
forth may maxims of political truth1    
with that profound sagacity and unerring
 wisdom by which his thoughts were so   
preeminently distinguished4 ,but still  
these men1 great as they were1 and much 
as they added to the materials of the   
philosophy of history1 can hardly be    
said to have mastered that philosophy   
itself4 ,it was not their object to do  
so2 it did not belong to the age in     
which they lived to make any such       
attempt4 ,they gave incomparable        
observations upon detached points in    
human annals1 but they did not take a   

general view of their tendency4 ,they   
did not consider whence the world had   
come1 or whither it was going4 ,they    
formed no connected system in regard to 
the march of human events4 ,they saw    
clearly the effects of particular       
measures or systems of government at the
 time1 but they did not reflect on the  
chain of causes which first raised up1  
and afterwards undermined it4           
,aristotle1 the most powerful intellect 
of the ancient world1 was of the same   
calibre as a political observer4 ,he    
considered only the effects of the      
various forms of government which he saw
 established around him4 ,in that survey
 he was admirable1 but he never went    
beyond it4 ,bossuet's ,universal        
,history is little more than a history  
of the ,jews2 he refers every thing to  
the direct and immediate agency of      
,providence1 irrespective of the freedom
 of the human will4 ,montesquieu first  
fixed his eyes upon the rise1 progress1 
and decay of nations1 as worked out by  

the actions of free agents4 ,the        
,grandeur et ,dcadence des ,romains is  
as original as the ,principia1 and laid 
the foundation of a science as sublime1 
and perhaps still more important to man 
than the laws of the planetary bodies4  
,charles ,secondat1 ,baron de la ,brede 
and ,montesquieu1 was born at the       
chateau of ,la ,brede1 near ,bourdeaux1 
on the #ahth ,january #afhi4 ,the estate
 of ,la ,brede had been long in his     
family1 which was a very ancient one2 it
 had been erected into a barony in      
favour of ,jacob de ,secondat1 his      
great-great-grandfather1 by ,henry ,,iv4
 ,the office of ,president of the       
,parliament 7or ,local ,court of        
,justice7 of ,bourdeaux1 had been       
acquired by his family in consequence of
 the marriage of his father with the    
daughter of the first president of that 
tribunal4 ,from his earliest years young
 ,montesquieu evinced remarkable        
readiness and vivacity of mind2 a       
circumstance which determined his father

 to breed him up to the magistracy1 as  
it was termed in ,france--a profession  
midway1 as it were1 between the career  
of arms peculiar to the noble1 and the  
labours of the bar confined to persons  
of plebeian origin1 and from which many 
of the greatest men1 and nearly all the 
distinguished statesmen of ,france took 
their rise4 ,montesquieu entered with   
the characteristic ardour of his        
disposition into the studies suited for 
that destination2 and at the age of     
twenty he had already collected the     
materials of the ,esprit des ,loix1 and 
evinced the characteristic turn of his  
mind for generalization1 by an immense  
digest which he had made of the civil   
law4 ,but these dry1 though important   
studies1 did not exclusively occupy his 
mind2 he carried on1 at the same time1 a
 great variety of other pursuits4 ,like 
all men of an active and intellectual   
turn of mind1 his recreation was found  
not in repose1 but in change of         
occupation4 ,books of voyages and       

travels were collected1 and read with   
avidity2 he devoured rather than read   
the classical remains of ,greece and    
,rome4 ,that antiquity1 said he1        
enchants me1 and ,i am always ready to  
say with ,pliny--,you are going to      
,athens2 show respect to the gods4  ,it 
was under this feeling of devout        
gratitude to the master minds of the    
ancient world1 that he made his first   
essay in literature1 which came out in a
 small work in the form of letters1 the 
object of which was to show1 that the   
idolatry of most ,pagans did of itself  
not merit eternal damnation4 ,probably  
there are few good ,christians1 from    
,fnlon and ,tillotson downwards1 who    
will be of an opposite opinion4 ,even in
 that juvenile production are to be     
found traces of the sound judgment1     
correct taste1 and general thought which
 characterised his later works4 ,but he 
was soon thrown into the proper labours 
of his profession4 ,on the #bdth        
,february #agad1 he was admitted into   

the parliament of ,bourdeaux as a       
councillor2 and his paternal uncle1 who 
held the president's chair1 having died 
two years after1 young ,montesquieu was1
 on the #acth ,july #agaf1 appointed to 
that important office1 though only      
twenty-seven years of age4 ,probably his
 being thrown thus early in life into   
the discharge of onerous and important  
duties1 had an important effect in      
producing that firmness and maturity of 
judgment by which his mind was          
subsequently distinguished4 ,some years 
afterwards1 he gave a convincing proof  
of his fitness for the situation1 in the
 vigour with which he remonstrated      
against the imposition of a fresh tax on
 wine1 which had the effect of procuring
 its removal at the time1 though the    
necessities of government led to its    
being reimposed some years after4 ,but  
his ardent mind was not confined to     
professional pursuits4 ,he concurred in 
the formation of an academy of sciences 
at ,bourdeaux1 and read some papers in  

it on natural history2 and his attention
 being in this way turned to physical   
science1 he wrote and published in the  
journals1 a project for a ,physical     
,history of the ,earth1 ,ancient and    
,modern4  ,but in no human being was    
more completely exemplified the famous  
line--      ,the proper study of mankind
 is man4   ,montesquieu's genius was    
essentially moral and political2 it was 
on man himself1 not the material world  
with which he was surrounded1 that his  
thoughts were fixed4 ,this strong bent  
soon appeared in his writings4 ,he next 
read at the academy at ,bourdeaux1 a    
,life of the ,duke of ,berwick1 and an  
,essay on the ,policy of the ,romans in 
,religion1 which was the basis of the   
immortal work which he afterwards       
composed on the rise and fall of that   
extraordinary people4 ,these desultory  
essays gave no indication of the first  
considerable work which he published1   
which was the famous ,lettres ,persanes4
 ,they appeared in #agba1 when he was   

thirty-two years of age4 ,their success 
was immediate and prodigious2 a certain 
indication in matters of thought1 that  
they were not destined to durable fame4 
,they fell in with the ideas and        
passions of the time2 they were not     
before it2 thence their early popularity
 and ultimate oblivion4 ,the work was   
published anonymously2 for the keen but 
delicate satire on ,french manners and  
vices which it contained1 might have    
endangered the author1 and as it was he 
had no small difficulty1 when it was    
known he was the writer1 in escaping    
from its effects4 ,it consists in a     
series of letters from an imaginary     
character1 ,usbeck1 a ,persian          
traveller1 detailing the vices1 manners1
 and customs of the ,french metropolis4 
,the ingenuity1 sarcasm1 and truth1     
which that once celebrated production   
contains1 must not make us shut our eyes
 to its glaring defects2 the vices of   
the age1 as they mainly contributed to  
its early popularity1 have been the     

chief cause of its subsequent decline4  
,it contains many passages improperly   
warm and voluptuous1 and some which1    
under the mask of attacks on the        
,jesuits1 had the appearance1 at least1 
of being levelled at religion itself4   
,no work1 at that period1 could attract 
attention in ,france which was not      
disfigured by these blemishes4 ,even the
 great mind of ,montesquieu1 in its     
first essay before the public1 did not  
escape the contagion of the age4  ,but1 
erelong1 the genius of this profound    
thinker was devoted to more congenial   
and worthy objects4 ,in #agbf1 he sold  
his office of president of the          
parliament of ,bourdeaux1 partly in     
order to escape from the toils of legal 
pursuit and judicial business1 which1 in
 that mercantile and rising community1  
was attended with great labour2 partly  
in order to be enabled to travel1 and   
study the institutions and character of 
different nations--a pursuit of which he
 was passionately fond1 and which1      

without doubt1 had a powerful effect in 
giving him that vast command of detached
 facts in political science1 and that   
liberal view of institutions1 habits1   
and manners1 differing in some degree   
from his own1 by which his philosophical
 writings are so eminently              
distinguished4 ,here1 as in the         
biography of almost all other really    
great men1 it is found1 that some       
circumstances apparently trivial or     
accidental have given a permanent bent  
to their mind2 have stored it with the  
appropriate knowledge1 and turned it1 as
 it were1 into the allotted sphere1 and 
contributed to form the matrix in which 
original thought was formed1 and new    
truth communicated by ,providence to    
mankind4 ,in the course of his travels1 
which lasted several years1 he visited  
successively ,austria1 ,hungary1 ,italy1
 ,switzerland1 the ,rhine1 ,flanders1   
,holland1 and ,england--in the latter of
 which he lived two years4 ,during these
 varied travels1 he made notes on all   

the countries which he visited1 which   
contributed largely to the great stock  
of political information which he       
possessed4 ,these notes are still       
extant2 but1 unfortunately1 not in such 
a state of maturity as to admit of      
publication4  ,on his return to ,france1
 which took place in #agcb1 he retired  
to his native chateau of ,la ,brede1 and
 commenced in good earnest the great    
business of his life4 ,the fruit of his 
studies and reflections appeared in the 
,considerations sur les ,causes de la   
,grandeur et de la ,dcadence des        
,romains1 which was published in #agcb4 
,great and original as this work--the   
most perfect of all his                 
compositions--was1 it did not give vent 
to the whole ideas which filled his     
capacious mind4 ,rome1 great as it was1 
was but a single state2 it was the      
comparison with other states1 the       
development of the general principles   
which run through the jurisprudence and 
institutions of all nations1 which      

occupied his thoughts4 ,the success     
which attended his essay on the         
institutions and progress of a single   
people1 encouraged him to enlarge his   
views and extend his labours4 ,he came  
to embrace the whole known world1       
civilized and uncivilized1 in his plan2 
and after fourteen years of assiduous   
labours and toil1 the immortal ,spirit  
of ,laws appeared4  ,the history of     
,montesquieu's mind1 during the progress
 of this great work1 is singularly      
curious and interesting4 ,at times he   
wrote to his friends that his great work
 advanced  pas de gant2 at others1 he   
was depressed by the slow progress which
 it made1 and overwhelmed by the        
prodigious mass of materials which      
required to be worked into its          
composition4 ,so distrustful was he of  
its success1 even after the vast labour 
he had employed in its composition1 that
 he sent his manuscript before          
publication to a friend on whose        
judgment he could rely--,helvetius4     

,that friend1 notwithstanding all his   
penetration1 was so mistaken in his     
reckoning1 that he conceived the most   
serious disquietude as to the ruin of   
,montesquieu's reputation by the        
publication of such a work4 ,such was   
his alarm that he did not venture to    
write to the author on the subject1 but 
gave the manuscript to another critic1  
,saurin1 the author of a work entitled  
,spartacus1 long since extinct1 who     
passed the same judgment upon it4 ,both 
concurred in thinking that the          
reputation of ,montesquieu would be     
entirely ruined by the publication of   
the new manuscript2 the brilliant author
 of the semi-voluptuous1 semi-infidel   
,lettres ,persanes1 would sink into a   
mere ,legist1 a dull commentator on     
pandects and statutes1 if he published  
the ,esprit des ,loix1 ,that1 said      
,helvetius1 is what afflicts me for him1
 and for humanity1 which he was so well 
qualified to have served4 ,it was agreed
 between them that ,helvetius should    

write to ,montesquieu to give him an    
account of their joint opinion1 that he 
should not give the work to the world in
 its present state4 ,saurin1 with some  
reason1 was afraid that ,montesquieu    
would be hurt at their communication2   
but ,helvetius wrote to him--,be not    
uneasy2 he is not hurt at our advice2 he
 loves frankness in his friends4 ,he is 
willing to bear with discussions1 but   
answers only by sallies1 and rarely     
changes his opinions4 ,i have not given 
him ours from any idea that he would    
either change his conduct or modify his 
preconceived ideas1 but from a sense of 
the duty of sincerity cost what it will1
 with friends4 ,when the light of truth 
shall have dispelled the illusions of   
self-love1 he will at least not be able 
to reproach us with having been less    
indulgent than the public4              
,montesquieu1 however1 was not          
discouraged4 ,he sent his manuscript to 
the press with hardly any alteration1   
and took for his motto1 ,prolem sine    

matre creatam2#a in allusion to the     
originality of his conception1 and the  
total want of any previous model on     
which it had been formed4 ,the work     
appeared in the month of ,july #agdh2   
and its success1 so far as the sale     
went1 was prodigious4 ,before two years 
had elapsed1 it had gone through        
twenty-two editions1 and been translated
 into most of the ,european languages4  
,this early success1 rare in works of   
profound and original thought1 showed1  
that though it was in advance of the    
age1 it was but a little in advance2 and
 that it had struck a key which was     
ready to vibrate in the national mind4  
,like all distinguished works1 if it was
 much read and admired by some1 it was  
as keenly criticized and cut to pieces  
by others4 ,madame de ,deffand said it  
was not the ,esprit des ,loix he had    
written1 but ,esprit sur les ,loix4     
,this expression made a great noise2 it 
had a certain degree of truth1 just     
enough1 when coupled with epigrammatic  

brevity1 to make the fortune of the     
sayer4 ,encouraged by its success1 the  
enemies of original genius1 ever ready  
to assail it1 united their forces1 and  
,montesquieu was soon the object of     
repeated and envenomed attacks4 ,it was 
said1 that to establish certain         
favourite theories1 he availed himself  
of the testimony of travellers obscure  
and of doubtful credit2 that he leapt   
too rapidly from particulars to general 
conclusions2 that he ascribed to the    
influence of climate and physical laws  
what was in fact the result of moral or 
political causes2 that he had split the 
same subject into small chapters1 so    
confusedly arranged that there was no   
order or system in the work2 that it was
 still incomplete1 and wanted the       
master-hand which was to put it         
together2 and that it resembled the     
detached pieces of a mosaic pavement1   
each of which is fair or brilliant in   
itself1 but which have no meaning or    
expression till disposed by the taste   

and skill of the artist4 ,there was some
 truth in all these criticisms2 it is   
rare that it is otherwise with the      
reproaches made against a work of       
original thought4 ,envy generally       
discovers a blot to hit4 ,malignity is  
seldom at a loss for some blemish to    
point out4 ,it is by exaggerating slight
 defects1 and preserving silence on     
great merits1 that literary jealousy    
ever tries to work out its wretched     
spite4 ,the wisdom of an author is not  
to resent or overlook1 but in silence to
 profit by such sallies2 converting thus
 the industry and envy of his enemies   
into a source of advantage to himself4  
,montesquieu1 in pursuance of these     
principles1 passed over in silence the  
malignant attacks of a herd of critics1 
whose works are now buried in the       
charnel-house of time1 but who strove   
with all the fury of envy and           
disappointment to extinguish his rising 
fame4 ,when pressed by some of his      
friends to answer some of these attacks1

 he replied--,it is unnecessary2 ,i am  
sufficiently avenged on some by the     
neglect of the public1 on others by its 
indignation4 ,the only instance in which
 he deviated from this wise resolution  
was in replying to the attacks of an    
anonymous critic1 who1 in a ,journal    
entitled the ,nouvelles                 
,ecclesiastiques1 had represented him as
 an atheist4 ,in his ,lettres ,persanes1
 though he had never assailed the great 
principles of his religion1 he had1 in  
his sallies against the ,jesuits1 gone  
far to warrant the belief that he was   
inclined to do so2 and had already done 
enough in the estimation of the         
tyrannical and bigoted ecclesiastics who
 at that period ruled the ,church of    
,france1 to warrant his being included  
in the class of infidel writers4 ,but   
his mind1 chastened by years1           
enlightened by travelling and           
reflection1 had come to cast off these  
prejudices of his age and country1 the  
necessary result of the ,romish tyranny 

by which it had been oppressed1 but     
unworthy of an intellect of such grasp  
and candour4 ,in the ,protestant        
countries of ,europe1 particularly      
,holland and ,england1 he had seen the  
working of ,christianity detached from  
the rigid despotism by which the ,church
 of ,rome fetters belief1 and the       
well-conceived appliances by which it   
stimulates imagination1 and opens a     
refuge for frailty4 ,impressed with the 
new ideas thus awakened in his mind1 he 
had in his ,esprit des ,loix pronounced 
a studious and sincere eulogium on      
,christianity2 recommending it1 not only
 as the most perfect of all systems of  
religious belief1 but as the only secure
 basis of social order and improvement4 
,it was material to correct the         
impression1 partly just1 partly         
erroneous1 which his earlier and more   
indiscreet writings had produced2 and   
with this view he wrote and published   
his ,defence de l' ,esprit des ,loix4   
,this little piece is a model of just   

and candid reasoning1 accompanied with a
 refined and delicate vein of ridicule1 
which disarmed opposition without giving
 ground for resentment4 ,he             
congratulated himself on the fine satire
 with which he had overthrown his       
enemies4--,what pleases me in my        
,defence1 is not so much1 said he1 to   
have floored the ,ecclesiastics1 as to  
have let them fall so gently4 ,posterity
 will find a more valuable charm in this
 little production2 it is1 that the     
author in it has unconsciously painted  
himself4 ,his contemporaries have       
recorded1 that in reading it they could 
believe they heard the writer speak2 and
 this proves that his talents in        
conversation had been equal to those he 
displayed in writing--a combination very
 rare in persons of the highest class in
 literature4  ,the fame of ,montesquieu1
 great as it was in his own country1 was
 even greater in foreign ones4 ,in      
,great ,britain in particular1 the      
,esprit des ,loix early acquired a      

prodigious reputation4 ,it was read and 
admired by all persons of thought and   
education4 ,this was partly the         
consequence of ,england being so much in
 advance of ,france in the career of    
liberty--alike in matters civil and     
ecclesiastical4 ,the new ideas1 hardy   
thoughts1 and original conceptions of   
the great work met with a ready         
reception1 and cordial admiration1 in   
the land of freedom and the             
,reformation--in the country where      
meditation had so long been turned to   
political subjects1 contemplation to    
religious truth4 ,but another cause of  
lasting influence also contributed to   
the same effect4 ,original genius is    
ever more readily and willingly admired 
in foreign states than its own3 a       
prophet has no honour in his own        
country4 ,he interferes too much with   
existing influences or reputations4 ,to 
foreigners1 he is more remote--more like
 a dead man4 ,human vanity is less hurt 
by his elevation4  ,the latter years of 

,montesquieu's life were spent almost   
entirely in retirement at his paternal  
chateau of ,la ,brede1 varied           
occasionally by visits to the great     
world at ,paris4 ,he was occupied in    
agriculture and gardening--tenacious of 
his seignorial rights1 but indulgent to 
the last degree to his tenantry1 by whom
 he was adored4 ,never was exemplified  
in a more remarkable manner the soothing
 influence of the recollections of a    
well-spent life on the felicity of its  
later years1 or the fountains of        
happiness which may be opened in the    
breast itself from the calm serenity of 
conscious power and great achievement4  
,he conversed much1 with the farmers and
 peasants on his estate1 whose houses he
 frequently entered1 and whose          
convivialities1 on occasion of a        
marriage or a birth1 he seldom failed to
 attend4 ,he often preferred their      
conversation to that of persons their   
superiors in rank or information--for1  
said he1 they are not learned enough to 

enter into argument2 they only tell you 
what they know1 which frequently you do 
not know yourself4 ,though he lived with
 the great when in ,paris1 partly from  
necessity1 partly from inclination1 yet 
their society was noways necessary to   
his happiness4 ,he flew as soon as he   
could from their brilliant assemblies to
 the retirement of his estate1 where he 
found with joy1 philosophy1 books1 and  
repose4 ,surrounded by the people of the
 country in their hours of leisure1     
after having studied man in the         
intercourse of the world and the history
 of nations1 he studied it in those     
simple minds which nature alone had     
taught2 and he found something to learn 
there4 ,he conversed cheerfully with    
them2 like ,socrates1 he drew out their 
talents and information2 he appeared to 
take as much pleasure in their          
conversation as in that of the brilliant
 circles by which he was courted in the 
capital2 he terminated their disputes by
 his wisdom1 assuaged their sufferings  

by his beneficence4  ,in society he was 
uniformly affable1 cheerful1 and        
considerate4 ,his conversation was      
light1 agreeable1 and instructive1      
abounding with anecdotes of the great   
number of eminent men with whom he had  
lived4 ,like his style in writing1 it   
was brief1 tranchant1 and epigrammatic1 
full of wit and observation1 but without
 a particle of bitterness or satire4 ,in
 common with all men of the highest     
class of intellect1 he was totally      
devoid of envy or jealousy4 ,none more  
readily applauded genius or merit in    
others1 or was more desirous on all     
occasions to bring it forward1 and give 
it the due reward4 ,no one recounted    
anecdotes with more vivacity1 a happier 
effect1 or less tedium4 ,he knew that   
the close of all such narratives        
contains in general all that is pleasing
 in them2 and therefore he hastened to  
arrive at it before the patience of his 
hearers could be exhausted4 ,he had a   
perfect horror at long stories4 ,he was 

frequently absent1 and remained in      
society for some time wrapt in thought1 
without speaking2 but never failed1 on  
such occasions1 to make amends by some  
unexpected remark or anecdote1 which    
revived the languishing conversation4   
,his mind was full3 no subject could be 
mentioned on which he was not informed2 
but he never brought his knowledge      
ostentatiously forward1 and sought      
rather to draw out those around him1 and
 lead the conversation so as to make    
others shine1 than to do so himself4    
,he was regular and methodical in his   
life2 and this arose not merely from his
 character and disposition1 but the     
order he had prescribed to himself in   
his studies4 ,though capable of         
long-continued effort and profound      
meditation1 he never exhausted his      
strength2 he uniformly changed the      
subject of his labour1 or book1 to some 
recreation1 before feeling the sensation
 of fatigue4 ,temperate in his habits1  
serene and unruffled in his mind1 he    

enjoyed a much larger share of happiness
 than falls to the lot of most men4 ,he 
was fortunately married2 had            
affectionate children1 whose kindness   
and attentions solaced his declining    
years2 and his remarkable prudence and  
economy not only preserved him from     
those pecuniary embarrassments so common
 to men of genius1 but enabled him      
frequently to indulge the benevolence of
 his disposition by splendid acts of    
generosity4 ,he frequently said that he 
had never experienced a chagrin in life 
which an hour's reading did not         
dissipate4 ,in his later years1 when his
 eyesight was affected he depended      
chiefly on listening to reading aloud1  
which was done alternately by his       
secretary and one of his daughters4 ,he 
had every thing which could make life   
happy2 an ample fortune1 affectionate   
family1 fame never contested1 the       
consciousness of great powers nobly     
applied--,i have never through life1    
said he in his old age1 had a chagrin1  

still less an hour of ennui4 ,i waken in
 the morning with a secret pleasure at  
beholding the light4 ,i gaze upon it    
with species of ravishment4 ,all the day
 ,i am content4 ,in the evening when ,i 
retire to rest1 ,i fall into a sort of  
reverie which prevents the effort of    
thought1 and ,i pass the night without  
once waking4  ,no man ever possessed a  
higher sense of the dignity of          
intellectual power1 of its great and    
glorious mission1 of its superiority to 
all the world calls great1 and of the   
consequent jealousy and aversion with   
which it is sure to be regarded by the  
depositaries of political authority4 ,he
 was neglected by them2 he knew it1 and 
expected it2 it never gave him a        
moment's chagrin4 ,he was not           
insensible1 says ,d',alembert1 to glory2
 but he had no desire to win but by     
deserving it4 ,never did he attempt to  
enhance his reputation by the underhand 
devices and secret machinations by which
 second-rate men so often strive to     

sustain their literary fortunes4 ,worthy
 of every eloge and of every recompense1
 he asked nothing1 and was noways       
surprised at being forgot4 ,but he had  
courage enough in critical circumstances
 to solicit the protection at court of  
men of letters persecuted and           
unfortunate1 and he obtained their      
restoration to favour4 ,what a picture  
of the first man of his age1 living in  
retirement1 asking nothing1 noways      
surprised at being forgot6 ,he knew     
human nature well who acted thus after  
writing the ,esprit des ,loix4 ,power   
loves talent as long as it serves       
itself1 when it is useful but           
manageable2 it hates it when it becomes 
its instructor4 ,self-love is gratified 
by the subservience of genius in the    
first case2 it is mortified by its      
superiority in the last4  ,but this     
honoured and happy life was drawing to a
 close4 ,shortly after the publication  
of the ,esprit des ,loix1 the strength  
of ,montesquieu rapidly declined2 it    

seemed as if nature had been exhausted  
by that great production4 ,i had        
intended1 said he in his journal1 to    
give more extent and depth to some parts
 of the ,esprit des ,loix1 but ,i have  
become incapable of it4 ,reading has    
weakened my eyes2 and it seems as if the
 little light that still remains to     
them1 is but the dawn of the day when   
they will close for ever4 ,his          
anticipations were not long of being    
carried into effect4 ,in ,february      
#agee1 he was seized with an            
inflammatory fever when on a visit at   
,paris4 ,the utmost care and attention  
was bestowed on him by a number of      
friends especially the ,duc de          
,nivernois and the ,duchesse            
d',aiguillon1 two of his oldest friends2
 but he sunk under the malady at the end
 of thirteen days4 ,the sweetness of his
 temper and serenity of his disposition 
never deserted him during this illness4 
,from the first he was aware of its     
dangerous nature1 but not a groan1 a    

complaint1 or a murmur ever escaped his 
lips4 ,the ,jesuits made strenuous      
endeavours to get possession of him     
during his last moments2 but1 though    
strongly impressed with religions       
principle1 he resisted all their efforts
 to extract from him a declaration in   
favour of their peculiar tenets4 ,i have
 always respected religion1 said he2 the
 morality of the ,gospel is the noblest 
gift ever bestowed by ,god on man4 ,the 
,jesuits strenuously urged him to put   
into their hands a corrected copy of the
 ,lettres ,persanes1 in which he had    
expunged the passages having an         
irreligious tendency1 but he refused to 
give it to them2 but he gave the copy to
 the ,duchesse d',aiguillon1 and ,madame
 ,dupr de ,st ,maur1 who were in the    
apartment1 with instructions for its    
publication1 saying1 ,i will sacrifice  
every thing to religion1 but nothing to 
the ,jesuits4 ,shortly after he received
 extreme unction from the hands of the  
cur of the parish4 ,sir1 said the       

priest1 you now feel how great is ,god4 
,yes1 he replied1 and how little man4   
,these were his last words4 ,he died on 
the #ajth of ,february #agee4           
,montesquieu left a great number of     
manuscripts and notes2 but they were in 
so incomplete a state1 that a few       
detached fragments only have been deemed
 fit for publication4 ,he had written a 
journal of his travels1 and in          
particular a set of ,notes on ,england1 
which would have been of much value had 
they been worked up to a mature form2   
but death interrupted him when he was   
only in the commencement of that great  
undertaking4 ,he had begun a history of 
,france under ,louis ,,xi41 which is    
still extant1 though very little        
progress was made in the work4 ,the     
introduction1 containing a sketch of the
 state of ,europe at that period1 is    
said to equal the most brilliant picture
 left by his immortal hand4 ,it is      
written in the terse1 epigrammatic style
 which is so characteristic of its      

author2 and a few striking expressions  
preserved by those who have had access  
to the manuscript1 will convey an idea  
of what the work would have been4 ,he   
saw only1 said he1 in the commencement  
of his reign1 the commencement of       
vengeance4 ,terminating a parallel of   
,louis ,,xi4 and ,richelieu1 which he   
drew much to the advantage of the       
latter1 he observed1 ,he made the       
monarch play the second part in the     
monarchy1 but the first in ,europe--he  
lowered the king1 but he raised the     
,kingdom4 ,these and similar expressions
 are in ,montesquieu's peculiar and     
nervous style1 and they prove that the  
work would have contained1 if completed1
 many brilliant passages2 but they do   
not warrant the conclusion that the     
history itself would have been of much  
value4 ,there is nothing more dangerous 
to an historian than great powers of    
epigrammatic expression2 it almost      
inevitably leads to the sacrifice of    
truth and candour to point and          

antithesis4 ,it is well for ,tacitus    
that we have not the other side of his  
story recounted by a writer of equal    
power1 but less party spirit and force  
of expression4 ,in truth1 it is probable
 the world has not lost much by         
,montesquieu's numerous unpublished     
manuscripts having been left in an      
incomplete state4 ,there is no end to   
the writing of romances1 or the annals  
of human events1 but there is a very    
early limit to the production of        
original ideas1 even to the greatest    
intellects2 to ,plato1 ,bacon1 ,newton1 
,smith1 or ,montesquieu1 they are given 
only in a limited number4 ,hence their  
frequent repetition of the same         
thoughts1 when their writings become    
voluminous4 ,montesquieu has done       
enough2 his mission to man has been     
amply fulfilled4  ,in common with other 
men whose thoughts have made a great and
 wide-spread impression on mankind1 the 
originality and value of ,montesquieu's 
conceptions cannot be rightly           

appreciated by subsequent ages4 ,that is
 the consequence of their very          
originality and importance4 ,they have  
sunk so deep1 and spread so far among   
mankind1 that they have become common   
and almost trite4 ,like the expressions 
of ,shakspeare1 ,gray1 or ,milton1 they 
have become household words2 on reading 
his works1 we are astonished to find how
 vast a proportion of our habitual      
thoughts and expressions have sprung    
from that source4 ,this1 however1 far   
from being a reproach to an author1 is  
his highest commendation2 it            
demonstrates at once the impression his 
thoughts have made on mankind4 ,if we   
would discover the step a great man has 
made1 we must recur to the authors in   
the same line who have preceded him1 and
 then the change appears great indeed4  
,the highest praise which can be        
bestowed on an author of original       
thought1 is to say1 that his ideas were 
unknown to the authors who preceded1    
trite with those who followed him4  ,the

 great characteristic of ,montesquieu's 
thoughts1 is the tracing the operation  
of general and lasting causes on human  
affairs4 ,before his time1 the march of 
political or social events was ascribed 
by divines to the immediate and direct  
agency of the ,deity guiding human      
actions1 as a general moves an army2 by 
men of the world1 to chance1 or the     
mastering influence of individual energy
 and talent4 ,bossuet may be considered 
as the most eminent of the former class4
 ,voltaire brought the doctrines of the 
latter to their highest perfection4 ,in 
opposition to both1 ,montesquieu        
strenuously asserted the operation of   
general laws1 emanating doubtless       
originally from the institutions of the 
,deity1 and the adaptation of the human 
mind to the circumstances in which man  
is placed in society1 but acting at     
subsequent periods through the          
instrumentality of free agents1 and of  
permanent and lasting operation in all  
ages of the world4 ,machiavel had       

frequently got sight of this sublime    
theory in his political writings2 and in
 his ,discorsi on ,roman ,history1 many 
of the most profound observations ever  
made by man on the working of the human 
mind under free institutions1 and of the
 corresponding effects of similar       
principles of action in the republics of
 antiquity1 and of those of ,italy in   
modern times1 are to be found4 ,but it  
was ,montesquieu who first carried out  
the doctrine to its full extent1 and    
traced its operation through an infinity
 of historical events and political     
institutions4 ,it is to the success with
 which he has done this1 and the        
combined philosophical depth and grasp  
of details which his writings exhibit1  
that his colossal reputation has been   
owing4 ,he had prodigious acquaintance  
with individual facts1 united to the    
power of classifying them under their   
proper heads1 and deducing from them    
their general and common principles4    
,like the steam-engine1 he could1 by    

turns1 turn a thread round a spindle1   
and elevate a seventy-four in the air4  
,he was the ,kepler of science2 like the
 immortal ,german1 he had made eighty   
thousand observations in the social     
world2 but1 like him1 he could deduce   
the few laws of national advance or     
decline from the regular irregularity of
 their motion4  ,the expression1 ,esprit
 des ,loix1 selected as the title of    
,montesquieu's great work1 was not      
happily chosen4 ,what he meant was not  
the ,spirit of ,laws1 but the causes    
from which laws have arisen2 the ,leges 
,legum1 as ,cicero said1 to which they  
were owing1 and from which they had     
sprung4 ,he ascribed very little        
influence to human institutions in      
moulding the character or determining   
the felicity of man4 ,on the contrary1  
he thought that these institutions were 
in general an effect1 not a cause4 ,he  
conceived that they arose1 in every     
country1 from something peculiar in the 
race from which the nature descended1 or

 the climate1 employments1 or mode of   
earning subsistence to which it was     
chained in subsequent times by the      
physical circumstance in which it was   
placed4 ,a certain type or character was
 imprinted on every people1 either by   
the ineradicable influence of blood1    
which descends to the remotest          
generations1 or the not less irremovable
 effect of external and physical        
circumstances which attaches to them    
through all ages4 ,it was this blood and
 those circumstances which formed the   
national character1 and through it1 in  
the course of generations1 moulded the  
national customs and institutions4 ,such
 customs and institutions were those    
which1 having been framed by necessity1 
or the dictates of expedience1 according
 to the circumstances in which each     
people were placed1 were best adapted to
 their temper and situation4 ,true      
wisdom consisted not in altering but    
following out the spirit of existing    
laws and customs2 and1 in his own       

words--,no nation ever yet rose to      
lasting greatness but from institutions 
in conformity to its spirit4 ,no        
calamities were so great or irremediable
 as those which arose from disregarding 
the separate characters stamped on the  
different races and nations of men by   
the hand of the ,almighty1 or seeking to
 force upon one people or one race the  
institutions which have arisen among1   
and are adapted to1 another4  ,such are 
the fundamental principles which run    
through ,montesquieu's writings1 and to 
the elucidation of which he devoted the 
fifteen best years of his life4 ,it will
 readily be perceived that they are     
entirely at variance with the whole     
doctrines of the ,french philosophers of
 the latter part of the eighteenth      
century1 and which were practically     
enforced and carried into effect in     
their great ,revolution4 ,with them     
institutions were every thing2 national 
character1 descent1 employment1 or      
physical circumstances1 nothing4 ,all   

mankind would be the same if they only  
enjoyed the same liberty1 laws1 and     
institutions4 ,the differences          
observable among them were entirely the 
result of the different governments     
forced upon men1 in various stages of   
their progress1 by the tyranny of kings1
 the force of conquest1 or the          
machinations of priests4 ,one frame of  
institutions1 one code of laws1 one set 
of government maxims1 were adapted for  
all the world1 and if practically acted 
upon would every where produce the same 
pure and upright character in the       
people4 ,vice and wickedness were the   
hateful effect of aristocratic pride1   
kingly lusts1 or sacerdotal delusion2   
the human heart was naturally innocent1 
and bent only upon virtue2 when the     
debasing influence of these corrupters  
of men was removed1 it would universally
 resume its natural direction4 ,hence   
the maxim of ,robespierre--,le peuple   
est toujours bon1 le magistrat toujours 
corruptible4 ,hence the readiness with  

which the constitution-mongers at ,paris
 set themselves to prepare skeletons of 
government for all nations1 and their   
universal identity with that originally 
cast during the fervour of the          
,revolution for the ,great ,nation4     
,hence also1 it may be added1 their     
experienced evils1 short duration1 and  
universal sweeping away1 within a few   
years1 before the accumulated suffering 
and aroused indignation of mankind4  ,it
 was owing to this fundamental variance 
between the doctrines of ,montesquieu   
and those of the greater part of his    
contemporaries1 and nearly the whole    
generation which succeeded him1 that the
 comparative obscurity of his fame after
 his death1 and the neglect which his   
writings for long experienced in        
,france1 are to be ascribed4 ,when we   
contemplate the profound nature of his  
thoughts1 the happy terseness and       
epigrammatic force of his expressions1  
and the great early fame which his      
writings acquired1 nothing appears more 

extraordinary than the subsequent       
neglect into which1 for above half a    
century after his death1 he fell4#b     
,voltaire1 ,rousseau1 ,helvetius1       
,condorcet1 ,turgot1 and the            
,encyclopdists1 were then at the acme of
 their reputation2 and their doctrines  
as to the natural innocence of man1 and 
the universal moulding of human         
character by political institutions1 not
 of political institutions by human     
character1 were too much at variance    
with ,montesquieu's deductions and      
conclusions to admit of their coexisting
 together4 ,the experience of the       
,revolution1 both abroad and at home1   
however1 erelong spread a doubt among   
many thinking men1 whether these        
doctrines were in reality as well       
founded as they were universally        
represented to be by the philosophers of
 the preceding age4 ,napoleon1 who was  
thoroughly convinced of their erroneous 
nature1 had a high admiration for       
,montesquieu1 and frequently quoted his 

sentiments4 ,but still the opposite set 
of opinions1 diffused over the world    
with the tricolor flag1 maintain their  
ground with the great majority even of  
well-informed men1 at least in all      
republican states and constitutional    
monarchies4 ,the policy of ,england in  
encouraging the revolutions of ,belgium1
 ,portugal1 ,spain1 and the ,south      
,american republics1 has1 for the last  
thirty years1 been mainly founded on the
 principle1 that institutions similar to
 those of ,britain may with safety be   
transferred to other states1 and that it
 is among them alone that we are to look
 for durable alliances or cordial       
support4 ,the wretched fate of all the  
countries1 strangers to the             
,anglo-,saxon blood1 who have been      
cursed with these alien constitutions1  
whether in the ,spanish or ,italian     
,peninsulas1 or the ,south ,american    
states--the jealous spirit and frequent 
undisguised hostility of ,america--the  
total failure of ,english institutions  

in ,ireland1 have had no effect with the
 great majority of men in this country1 
in rooting out these fatal errors4 ,more
 than one generation1 it is apparent1   
must descend to their graves before they
 are fairly expelled from general       
thought by experience and suffering4 ,so
 obstinately do men cling to doctrines1 
which are flattering to human vanity1 in
 opposition alike to the dictates of    
wisdom and the lessons of experience2   
and so true in all ages is the doctrine 
of the ,roman ,catholic church1 that    
pride is the last sin which can be      
conquered in the human heart4  ,one     
remarkable instance will illustrate the 
manner in which ,montesquieu supported  
the opposite principles1 that           
institutions are moulded by the         
character and circumstances of nations1 
not the moulders of them4 ,it is well   
known that primogeniture1 though neither
 the law of succession in the ,roman    
empire1 nor originally of the nations of
 ,northern ,europe1 in whom the allodial

 customs at first generally prevailed1  
came to be universally introduced with  
the feudal system1 and the thorough     
establishment of a military aristocracy 
in every country of ,europe4 ,but1      
strange to say1 there are some places   
where the rule is just the reverse1 and 
the youngest son succeeds to the whole  
movable estate of the father1 as is     
still the custom of some boroughs in    
,england4#c ,montesquieu ascribes1 and  
apparently with reason1 these opposite  
rules of succession to a similar feeling
 of expedience and necessity in the     
different circumstances in which the    
same race of ,northmen were placed in   
different periods of their progress4    
,the succession of the youngest son to  
the father's estate was the bequest of  
the patriarchal ages1 when the youngest 
son generally remained last at home with
 his aged parent1 his elder brothers    
having previously hived off with their  
herds and flocks4 ,he therefore         
naturally succeeded to the movables of  

which he was alone in possession1       
jointly with his father1 at the latter's
 death4  ,on the other hand1 the descent
 of the whole landed estate to the      
eldest son1 to the exclusion of his     
younger brothers and sisters1 was       
naturally suggested by the settlement of
 a brave and martial race of conquerors 
in extensive districts gained by their  
valour1 and which could be maintained   
only in the lands they had won by the   
sword4 ,to divide the estate in such    
circumstances of peril1 was to expose it
 to certain destruction2 unity of       
operation in all its forms1 one head1   
one castle1 was as indispensable as one 
general to an army1 or one sovereign to 
a kingdom4 ,the old maxim1 divide et    
impera1 was universally felt to be of   
fearful application4 ,empires1 duchies1 
principalities1 earldoms1 baronies1     
private estates1 could alone be         
preserved entire1 amidst the general    
hostility with which all were           
surrounded1 by descending to a single   

occupant4 ,that occupant was naturally  
the eldest son1 the first-born of the   
family1 the first who arrived at man's  
estate1 and the most capable on that    
account to render the necessary         
protection to its various members and   
dependants4 ,hence the general          
establishment of the law of             
primogeniture in all the countries of   
,europe4 ,and for a similar reason1 when
 the necessity which at first occasioned
 this general deviation from the        
feelings of equal affection to offspring
 was removed by the establishment of    
regular government1 and general         
security1 and the spread of commerce1   
with the necessity of capital to fit out
 sons and daughters1 had been generally 
felt1 this custom was silently abrogated
 at least in the commercial and middle  
classes1 and a division of the          
succession1 whether in land or money1   
into nearly equal parts1 very generally 
took place4  ,it may readily be inferred
 from these observations1 that the      

doctrines of ,montesquieu1 as to the    
moulding of institutions by external    
circumstances1 and the character of     
nations1 not of the character of nations
 by institutions and forms of           
government1 is one of the very highest  
importance1 not merely to speculative   
philosophers1 but practical statesmen4  
,in truth1 it is the question of        
questions2 the one thing needful to be  
understood both by the leaders of       
thought and the rulers of men4 ,unless  
correct and rational views are          
entertained on this subject1 internal   
legislation will be perpetually at      
fault1 external policy in a false       
direction4 ,reform will degenerate into 
revolution1 conquest into desolation4   
,the greatest calamities1 both social   
and foreign1 recorded in the history of 
the last half century1 have arisen from 
a neglect of the maxims of ,montesquieu1
 as to the indelible influence of race  
and external circumstances on human     
character1 and the adoption in their    

stead of the doctrines of ,voltaire and 
,rousseau1 on the paramount influence of
 political institutions and general     
education on human felicity4 ,our       
policy1 both social and foreign1 is     
still mainly founded on the latter      
basis4 ,if ,montesquieu's principles as 
to no nation ever arriving at durable   
greatness but by institutions in harmony
 with its spirit and origin1 had been   
generally adopted1 the ,french          
,revolution1 which originated in the    
,anglo and ,american mania1 and the     
desire to transplant ,english           
institutions into the soil of ,france1  
would never have taken place4 ,had the  
same views prevailed in the ,british    
,cabinet1 the iniquitous support of the 
revolt of the ,south ,american colonies 
in #ahba and #ahbb1 and the insidious   
encouragement of the ruinous revolutions
 of ,spain and ,portugal during the     
,carlist war1 would not have stained the
 honour of ,england1 and ruined the     
prospects of the ,peninsula4 ,had they  

pervaded the ,british community1 the two
 fatal mistakes of policy in our time1  
the sudden emancipation of the negro    
slaves in the ,west ,indies1 and the    
unloosing all the bonds of government in
 ,ireland1 by the transplantation of    
,anglo-,saxon institutions1 and the     
tempered freedom of ,england1 into the  
midst of the ,celtic blood and          
semi-barbarous passions of ,ireland1    
would never have been committed4 ,the   
great question at issue1 in short1      
between ,montesquieu and the            
,encyclopdists1 as to whether man is    
moulded by institutions1 or institutions
 by man1 is the fundamental question1   
not only speculative1 but practical1 of 
the age2 and without correct ideas on   
which1 internal legislation and external
 policy are equally certain to be       
precipitated into error1 and benevolence
 itself to become the parent of         
unbounded calamities4  ,and yet1 if the 
matter be considered dispassionately1   
and without the disturbing influence of 

human pride and democratic ambition1    
which have obscured the visions of three
 generations of the ablest men in       
,europe1 it seems extraordinary how any 
doubt could ever have been entertained  
on the subject4 ,what are laws and      
institutions but the work of men1 the   
concentration of the national will in   
times past1 or at the present moment8   
,if so1 how could they have arisen but  
from the will of the people8 ,it is only
 removing the difficulty a step further 
back to say1 as has so often been done1 
that they were imposed1 not by the will 
of the nation1 but by the power of the  
tyrants who had oppressed1 or the       
priests who had deluded it4 ,for who    
were these tyrants or these priests8    
,not one in twenty thousand to the whole
 community4 ,if they were empowered and 
enabled to impose arbitrary or debasing 
institutions1 it must have been because 
the immense majority devolved to them   
the task2 because1 conscious of         
inability to govern themselves1 or      

wanting the inclination to do so1 they  
willingly resigned themselves to the    
guidance and direction of others4 ,the  
,czar at ,st4 ,petersburg1 the ,sultaun 
at ,constantinople1 the ,emperor at     
,pekin1 reign just as much by the       
national will1 and in a manner just as  
conformable to the national wish1 as the
 ,consuls of ,rome1 the ,committee of   
,public ,salvation at ,paris1 or the    
present constitutional ,monarchs of     
,france or ,england4 ,the proof of this 
is1 that when the people are            
dissatisfied with their administration1 
or displeased with the sovereign1 they  
have no difficulty in dispatching him4  
,the twisting of a sash round the neck  
in ,russia1 the bowstring in            
,constantinople or ,ispahan1 are very   
effectual monitors--fully as much so as 
a hostile ,parliamentary majority in the
 house of ,commons or ,chamber of       
,deputies4 ,in a word1 government in    
every country being conducted by the few
 over the many by the hundreds over the 

hundred thousands1 it is altogether     
impossible that the administration or   
institutions can be1 for any length of  
time1 at variance with the general will2
 because1 if it was1 it would not be    
submitted to4 ,it may be1 indeed1       
despotic and tyrannical in the highest  
degree1 but that is no indication that  
it is contrary to the general will2 it  
is only an indication that the general  
will is to be slaves--no unusual        
occurrence among men4  ,this fundamental
 principle of ,montesquieu as to the    
perpetual and ineradicable influence of 
race1 climate1 and physical             
circumstances1 in forming national      
character1 and moulding national        
institutions1 is unquestionably the true
 doctrine on the subject1 though        
probably several generations must pass  
away1 and an incalculable amount of     
suffering be endured by mankind1 before 
it is generally admitted4 ,coupled with 
the cardinal point of the ,christian    
faith1 the inherent and universal       

corruption of the human heart1 it forms 
the only foundation of a salutary or    
durable government4 ,decisive proof of  
this may be found in the fact1 that the 
revolutionary party1 all the world over1
 maintain directly the reverse2 viz4    
that free political institutions1 and   
general education1 are all in all2 and  
that1 if established1 the native virtue 
of the human heart affords a sufficient 
guarantee for general happiness4        
,montesquieu's principles lead to the   
conclusion that all reform and          
amelioration of existing institutions1  
to be either durable or beneficial1 must
 be moulded on the old precedents1 and  
deviate as little as may be1 and that   
only from obvious necessity or          
expedience1 from them4 ,they utterly    
repudiate all transplantation of        
constitutions1 or forcing upon one      
people the institutions or privileges of
 another4 ,they point to experience as  
the great and only sure guide in social 
or political change1 and for the obvious

 reason1 that it alone can tell what has
 been found to be suitable to the       
circumstances1 and adapted to the       
character and wants1 of the nation among
 whom it has taken place4 ,it is not    
that our ancestors were in the least    
wiser than we are2 doubtless they did   
many foolish things1 as we do4 ,it is   
that time has consigned their foolish   
things1 whether laws or measures1 to the
 grave2 and nothing has descended to our
 time but those institutions which have 
been found to be beneficial in their    
tendency4 ,the portions of our present  
legislation which are suitable to the   
country1 will in like manner descend to 
posterity1 and the folly and absurdity  
will in a few generations be heard of no
 more4  ,it has been already remarked1  
that the ,grandeur et ,dcadence des     
,romains is a more complete1 and in some
 respects profound work1 than the       
,esprit des ,loix4 ,a few quotations    
will justify1 it is thought1 this high  
eulogium--       ,the circumstance of   

all others which contributed most to the
      ultimate greatness of ,rome1 was  
the long-continued wars in      which   
its people were early involved4 ,the    
,italian people had no      machines for
 conducting sieges2 and in addition to  
this1 as the      soldiers every where  
served without pay1 it was impossible to
      retain them long before a         
fortified town2 thus few of their wars  
were decisive4 ,they fought for the     
pillage of a camp1 or the      booty of 
the fields1 after which victors and     
vanquished retired      alike into their
 respective cities4 ,it was this        
circumstance      which occasioned the  
long resistance of the ,italian cities1 
and1      at the same time1 the         
obstinacy of the ,romans in their       
endeavours      to subjugate them2 it   
was that which gave them victories which
      did not enervate1 and conquests   
which left them their poverty4      ,had
 they rapidly conquered the neighbouring
 cities1 they would      have arrived at

 their decline before the days of       
,pyrrhus1 of the      ,gauls1 and of    
,hannibal2 and1 following the destiny of
 all the      nations in the world1 they
 would too quickly have gone through    
the transition from poverty to riches1  
and from riches to      corruption4--,c4
 #a4   ,what a subject for reflection is
 presented in this single paragraph6    
,rome1 without any knowledge of siege   
equipage1 thrown in the midst of the    
,italian states bristling with          
strongholds2 and slowly learning1 during
 centuries of indecisive1 and often     
calamitous contests1 that military art  
by which she was afterwards to subdue   
the world6 ,it was in like manner1 in   
the long1 bloody1 and nearly balanced   
contests of the ,grecian republics with 
each other1 that the discipline was     
learned which gave ,alexander and the   
,macedonian phalanx the empire of ,asia2
 and in the protracted struggles of the 
,anglo-,saxons1 first with each other in
 the ,heptarchy1 and then with the      

,danes and ,normans in defence of their 
coasts1 that the foundation was laid of 
the energy and perseverance which have  
given the ,british race their present   
eminence and dominion among men4        
,it has been often observed1 says       
,montesquieu1 that our armies           
generally melt away under the fatigue of
 the soldiers1 while      those of the  
,romans never failed to preserve their  
health by it4      ,the reason is1 that 
their fatigues were continued2 whereas  
our      soldiers are destroyed by      
passing from a life of almost total     
inactivity to one of vehement           
exertion--the thing of all others       
most destructive to health4 ,not only   
were the ,roman soldiers                
accustomed1 during war1 to incessant    
marching1 and fortifying of      the    
camps1 but in peace they were daily     
trained to the same      active habits4 
,they were all habituated to the        
military step1      that is1 to go      
twenty miles1 and sometimes twenty-four1

 in five      hours4 ,they did this     
bearing burdens of sixty pounds4 ,they  
were      daily trained to run and leap 
with their whole equipment on2 in       
their ordinary drills the swords1       
javelins1 and arrows were of a          
weight double of that used in war1 and  
the exercises were      continued4--,c4 
#b4   ,there can be no doubt that this  
passage both explains much of the       
astonishing conquests of the ,roman     
legions1 and furnishes ample subject for
 reflection to a modern observer4 ,the  
constant employment of these troops in  
the construction of great public works1 
as highways1 bridges1 harbours1 or the  
like1 was at once the best security for 
the health of the soldiers and the      
circumstance1 of all others1 which      
rendered their maintenance tolerable to 
the people4 ,if we examine the          
inscriptions found in all parts of the  
world1 where ,roman remains are to be   
met with1 we shall find that they were  
raised by the hands of the legions4 ,it 

was their persevering and incessant toil
 which formed the magnificent highways1 
which1 emanating from the ,roman ,forum1
 extended to the furthest extremity of  
the empire4 ,the prodigious labour      
required for these great undertakings2  
the vast bridges and viaducts which     
required to be constructed2 the         
mountains to be levelled2 morasses and  
valleys to be filled up1 habituated the 
legionary soldiers to such an amount of 
daily labour1 that their engaging in the
 fatigues of a campaign was felt rather 
as a recreation than a burden4 ,hence1  
the dreadful sickness which in modern   
armies invariably attends the           
commencement of a campaign1 and in      
general halves its numerical strength   
before a sword has been drawn1 was for  
the most part unknown1 and hence1 too1  
the extraordinary achievements performed
 by small bodies of these iron veterans4
 ,how great the difference in modern    
times1 where the naval and military     
forces are every where kept up during   

peace in almost total idleness2 and the 
consequence is1 that they are at once an
 eyesore to the citizens whose substance
 they consume in what is deemed useless 
ostentation1 and are deprived of half   
their numerical strength1 and more than 
half their efficiency1 on first engaging
 in the fatigues of real warfare4  ,no  
province hails the arrival of a modern  
division of troops1 no seaport longs for
 the presence of a man-of-war1 as the   
signal for the commencement of great and
 beneficent pacific undertakings1 as was
 the case in the ,roman empire4 ,of what
 incalculable use might the ,british    
navy be1 if even a part of it was       
employed in transporting the hundred    
thousand colonists who annually seek in 
our distant possessions1 or in the      
,american ,states1 that profitable      
market for their industry1 which they   
cannot find amidst our crowded          
manufactories at home8 ,and this is an  
instance of the manner in which the     
reflections of ,montesquieu1 though made

 in reference only to the ,roman empire1
 are in truth applicable to all ages and
 countries2 as the parables in the      
,gospels1 though delivered only to the  
fishermen of ,judea1 contain the rules  
of conduct for the human race to the end
 of the world4  ,regarding the          
comparative causes of corruption in a   
military and commercial state1          
,montesquieu makes the following        
observation4 ,let him that feels it not 
applicable to this nation and ourselves1
 throw the first stone3--               
,carthage having become richer than     
,rome1 was also more      corrupted4    
,for this reason1 while at ,rome public 
employments      were chiefly awarded to
 ability and virtue1 and conferred no   
advantage1 but a greater share of       
fatigues to be endured1 and      dangers
 incurred1 every thing which the public 
had to bestow was      sold at          
,carthage1 and every service rendered by
 individuals was      paid by the state4
 ,the tyranny of a prince does not bring

 a      despotic state nearer its ruin  
than indifference to the public         
good does a republic4 ,the advantage of 
a free state consists in      this1 that
 its revenues are in general better     
administered2 and      even where this  
is not the case1 it has at first the    
advantage of      not being governed by 
court favourites4 ,but1 on the other    
hand1      the corrupting power in a    
democracy1 when once brought into       
action1 erelong becomes more dissolving 
than in a despotism2 for      instead of
 paying court merely to the friends and 
relations of      the prince1 it becomes
 necessary to provide for the friends   
and      relations of the multitude who 
have a share in political power4        
,all is then lost4 ,the laws are eluded 
in a more dangerous manner      than by 
the violence of a despot2 for they are  
so by the      interests of the changing
 many1 not the passions of one1 whose   
position at the head of the state being 
fixed and unchangeable1      gives him a

 lasting interest in its                
preservation4--,c4 #d4   ,how many      
reflections does this passage1 written  
in ,france above a century ago1 awaken  
in the breast of a ,british citizen at  
this time6--,si monumentum quris1       
circumspice6 ,so true it is1 that real  
political truth belongs to no age or    
locality--non alia ,rom1 alia ,athenis2 
it is of eternal application1 and is    
destined to receive confirmation from   
the experience of men1 and the lessons  
of history1 to the end of the world4    
,powers1 says ,montesquieu1 which owe   
their greatness to      commerce1 may   
exist long in mediocrity1 but their     
grandeur can      never be of long      
duration4 ,the reason is1 that they rise
 to      greatness by little and little1
 without any one being aware of         
their growth1 as they have done nothing 
which attracts attention1      awakens  
alarm1 or indicates their power4 ,but   
when it has risen to      that point1   
that no one can avoid seeing it1 all the

 surrounding      nations secretly      
endeavour to deprive the great          
commercial state      of advantages     
which they all envy1 and which have     
taken them1 as      it were1 by         
surprise4--,c4 #d4   ,few persons who   
contemplate the present state of the    
,british empire1 its astonishing rise to
 greatness in the space of less than a  
century--the general1 it may be said    
universal jealousy with which it is     
regarded1 and the perilous pinnacle on  
which it now stands1 will deny the      
justice of this observation4 ,may the   
remark1 as to the short duration of     
power founded on such a basis1 not      
receive an additional1 and even more    
memorable confirmation in ourselves6    
,but one thing is perfectly clear4 ,this
 remark indicates the impossibility of  
conciliating the adjoining and poorer   
states while our commercial superiority 
continues1 and thus strikes at the very 
foundation of the reciprocity system1 on
 which our whole commercial policy for  

the last quarter of a century has been  
founded4 ,that system proceeds on the   
principle1 that by opening to the       
adjoining states a fair communication of
 advantages1 it is in the power of a    
great commercial state1 not only to     
conciliate their good-will1 but obtain  
with them a great and mutually          
beneficial mercantile intercourse4      
,montesquieu's observation points to the
 undying and universal jealousy by its  
neighbours with which such a power is   
ever surrounded1 and the futility of all
 attempts1 while its superiority exists1
 to avert their mercantile hostility1 or
 preserve with them any considerable    
commercial traffic4 ,which is the better
 option1 let the hedge of hostile       
tariffs with which1 after boundless     
concessions to purchase commercial      
good-will1 we are surrounded in every   
direction1 give the answer4  ,on the    
comparative value of infantry and       
cavalry in war1 ,montesquieu1 though no 
professional soldier1 makes the         

following observation1 on which those   
who are so1 would do well to ponder3--  
,the ,carthaginian cavalry was superior 
to that of the ,romans1 for      two    
reasons4 ,one was1 that the ,numidian   
and ,spanish horses were      better    
than those of ,italy2 the other1 that   
the ,roman cavalry was      ill armed2  
for ,polybius tells us1 that it was not 
till they had      carried on war in    
,greece1 that they changed their manner 
of      equipping that limb of military 
strength4 ,in the first ,punic      war1
 ,regulus was beat as soon as the       
,carthaginians made choice of           
plains for combat1 where their cavalry  
could act to advantage2 in      the     
second1 ,hannibal owed to the ,numidian 
horse his principal      victories4 ,it 
was not till whole corps of them began  
to go over      to the ,romans in       
,italy1 that the latter began to        
breathe4 ,scipio      having conquered  
,spain1 and contracted an alliance with 
,masinissa1 deprived the ,carthaginians 

of that advantage4 ,he did      more1 he
 gained it for himself4 ,it was the     
,numidian cavalry which      gained the 
battle of ,zama1 and terminated the war 
in favour of      the ,romans4--,c4 #d4 
,it is impossible to read the admirable 
account of ,hannibal's campaign in the  
last volume of ,arnold's ,history of    
,rome1 without perceiving that this     
observation1 as to the decisive effect  
of the ,numidian cavalry upon the       
fortunes of the war1 in first giving    
victory to the ,carthaginians when they 
were entirely on their side1 and        
gradually1 and at length decisively     
restoring it to that of the ,romans1    
when they were won over to their eagles1
 is entirely well-founded4 ,napoleon was
 of the same opinion1 and has repeatedly
 expressed it in various parts of his   
works4 ,give me1 said that great man1   
the ,french infantry and the ,mameluke  
horse1 and ,i will conquer the world4   
,it was his constant affirmation that   
cavalry1 equally brave and skillfully   

led1 should always1 other things being  
equal1 overthrow infantry2 and that the 
contrary opinion which generally        
prevails1 was owing to horse1 considered
 as the sole strength of war during the 
feudal ages1 having been unduly decried 
since the invention of fire-arms4 ,all  
the world knows the immense use he made 
of his heavy cavalry in all his         
campaigns2 how often1 in circumstances  
the most critical1 it chained victory to
 his standards2 how nearly it           
re-established his affairs1 and replaced
 the imperial crown upon his head on the
 field of ,waterloo4 ,how striking a    
proof of human sagacity that the        
philosophic sage1 in the early part of  
the seventeenth century1 should have    
divined a truth which the researches of 
the historian and the exploits of the   
conqueror were to confirm in the middle 
of the eighteenth6       ,those who are 
governed by a king1 says ,montesquieu1  
are less      tormented by envy and     
jealousy1 than those who live under an  

hereditary aristocracy4 ,the prince is  
so far distant from his      subjects1  
that he is rarely seen by them2 he is so
 far above them      that nothing in his
 situation can mortify his self-love4   
,but the      nobles who govern in an   
aristocracy are under the eyes of all1  
and they are not so elevated1 but that  
odious comparisons are      made without
 ceasing4 ,thus in all ages we have seen
 the people      detest their senators1 
though they frequently love their king4 
,republics1 where birth confers no title
 to power1 are in that      respect in a
 better situation than aristocracies2   
for the people      feel less jealousy  
of an authority which they give to whom 
they      please1 and take from whom    
they incline4--,c4 #h4   ,how many      
confirmations of this remark have the   
history of ,france during the           
,revolution1 and of ,england during the 
,reform mania afforded6 ,and this       
affords an illustration of a truth1     
which1 the more history is studied1 will

 be rendered more apparent1 viz41 that  
the principles which lie at the bottom  
of the greatest changes in the political
 world1 and produce the most devastating
 evils to society1 are in reality the   
same which we see acting every day      
around us in common life4 ,in the       
jealousies of the tea-table1 the        
animosities of the market-place1 the    
envy of trade1 we may see the passions  
working1 which1 infused into a whole    
people1 tear society in pieces4 ,it is  
only supposing the same malevolent or   
selfish desires working in every breast1
 directed against one object1 and       
rendered irresistible from that very    
multiplication1 and we have the envy of 
the coterie transformed into the fury of
 revolution4 ,whoever will closely      
observe the working of that mainspring  
of human actions--selfishness--on the   
society1 whether in a village1 a city1 a
 country1 or a metropolis in which he   
resides1 will have no difficulty in     
discerning the real but secret1 and     

therefore unobserved spring of the      
greatest changes that ever occur in the 
political and social world4 ,voltaire   
said the factions at ,geneva were storms
 in a teacup2 if any man will study the 
motion of water in a teacup1 he will be 
at no loss to understand the hurricanes 
of the ,atlantic4  ,on the division of  
the ,roman people into centuries and    
tribes1 which was the cardinal point of 
their constitution1 ,montesquieu makes  
the following important observation3--  
,servius ,tullius was the author of the 
famous division of the      people into 
centuries1 which ,livy and ,dionysius   
,halicarnassus      have so well        
described4 ,he distributed an hundred   
and      ninety-three centuries into six
 classes1 and put the whole lower       
people into the last century1 which     
singly formed the sixth      class4 ,it 
is easy to see that that arrangement    
virtually excluded      the lower       
classes from the suffrage1 not de jure1 
but de      facto4 ,subsequently it was 

agreed1 that except in some             
particular cases they should1 in voting1
 follow the division into      tribes4  
,there were thirty-five of these tribes 
who gave each      their vote3 four were
 from the city1 thirty-one from the     
country4 ,the principal citizens1 being 
all rural proprietors1      were        
naturally classed in the country tribes3
 the lower people      were all massed  
together in the four urban ones4 ,this  
circumstance was regarded1 and with     
reason1 as the salvation of      the    
republic4 ,appius ,claudius had         
distributed the lower people      among 
the whole tribes1 but ,fabius classed   
then again in the four      urban ones1 
and thence acquired the surname of      
',maximus4' ,the      ,censors very five
 years took a survey of the citizens1   
and      distributed the people in the  
tribes to which they legally            
belonged2 so that the ambitious could   
not render themselves      masters of   
their suffrages1 nor the people abuse   

their own      power4--,c4 #h4   ,the   
,romans had good reason for styling     
,fabius ,maximus1 who discovered this   
way of preventing the lower classes1 by 
their number1 from acquiring an         
overwhelming superiority in the         
government of the state4 ,he achieved as
 great a good for his country by so     
doing1 as by baffling ,hannibal after   
the battle of ,cann4 ,but for that      
circumstance the ,roman constitution    
would have become1 after the change of  
,appius ,claudius1 a mere prototype of  
the ,american democracy2 a government   
constantly swayed by a numerical        
majority of the lowest class of         
citizens4 ,there can be no doubt that   
the matter at issue1 in this question1  
is the most material which can engage   
the attention of political philosophers 
and statesmen in a free country1 and    
that1 on its determination1 its ultimate
 fate is entirely dependant4 ,so great  
is the number of the working-classes in 
every old and opulent community1        

compared to those who possess the       
advantages of property and superior     
education1 that nothing is more certain 
than that1 if the elective franchise be 
widely diffused1 and no mode of         
classifying the votes1 as at ,rome1 has 
been discovered1 the sway of a numerical
 majority of incompetent electors will1 
erelong1 become irresistible4 ,certain  
ruin then awaits the state4 ,it was that
 which ruined ,athens in ancient1 which 
has destroyed ,poland in modern times1  
and is fast undermining the foundations 
of the social union in ,america4 ,the   
,roman method of giving every citizen a 
vote1 but classifying them in such a way
 that the paramount influence of a mere 
numerical majority was prevented1 and   
the practical direction of affairs was  
thrown into the hands of the better     
class of citizens1 though not free from 
objection1 is the most perfect method of
 combining universal suffrage in the    
citizens1 with the real direction of    
affairs by those fitted to conduct them1

 which the wit of man has ever divined4 
,in truth1 it deserves consideration by 
those who think on human affairs1 and   
the probable form of government which   
may be expected to prevail in future    
among men1 whether universal suffrage is
 the real evil to be dreaded2 and       
whether equality of suffrage is not the 
real poison which destroys society4     
,abstractly considered1 there is much   
justice in the plea so constantly       
advanced by the working-classes1 that   
being members of the community1 and     
contributing to its support or opulence 
by their labour1 they are entitled to a 
certain voice in the direction of its   
affairs4 ,if no one has a voice at all  
but the sovereign1 as in a despotism1 or
 no one except a few magnates1 as in an 
aristocracy1 the humbler classes cannot 
complain at least of inconsistency1     
whatever they may of injustice1 if they 
are excluded4 ,but if a vast body of    
electors1 as in ,great ,britain1 are    
admitted1 and still the great bulk of   

the working-classes are excluded1 it is 
not easy to see on what principle the   
exclusion of some can be rendered       
consistent with the admission of others4
 ,it deserves consideration whether the 
true principle would not be to give     
every able-bodied working man1 major and
 not receiving parochial relief1 a vote1
 but a vote of much less weight than his
 superiors in intelligence1 property1 or
 station4 ,this might be done either as 
the ,romans did1 by making the votes be 
taken by centuries1 and classing all the
 votes of the poorer electors in a      
limited number of centuries1 or giving  
each man a personal vote1 and giving the
 holders of property1 in addition1 more 
votes for their property2 as one for    
every pound of direct taxes paid4 ,louis
 ,,xvi4 proposed a plan of this sort to 
,turgot before the ,revolution2 but that
 minister1 deeply embued with the       
principles of democracy1 rejected it2   
and ,neckar1 following out his views1   
practically established universal       

suffrage4 ,possibly the plan1 if adopted
 and honestly carried into execution1   
might have prevented the whole          
calamities of the ,revolution4  ,of the 
dangers of such a multiplication of     
votes1 without any restriction1 ,roman  
history affords a memorable example4    
,rome1 says ,montesquieu1 had conquered 
the world with the aid      of the      
,italian cities1 and1 in return1 she had
 communicated to      them a great      
variety of privileges4 ,at first they   
cared little      for these advantages2 
but when the rights of ,roman           
citizenship      was that of universal  
empire1 when no one was any thing in the
      world if he was not a ,roman      
citizen1 and with that little he was    
every thing1 the ,italian people        
resolved to perish or acquire      that 
envied distinction4 ,being unable to    
attain this object by      prayers and  
remonstrances1 they had recourse to     
arms3 the whole      allies on the      
,eastern coast of the ,peninsula        

revolted1 those on      the ,western    
side were about to follow their example4
 ,rome1      obliged to combat as it    
were the hands by which it had conquered
      the world1 was lost2 it was about 
to be reduced to its walls1      when it
 extricated itself from the difficulty  
by extending the      privilege to the  
allies who had remained faithful1 and   
shortly      after to the whole4        
,from that moment ,rome ceased to be a  
city of which the people      had the   
same spirit1 the same interest1 the same
 love of freedom1      the same         
reverence for the ,senate4 ,the people  
of ,italy having      become citizens1  
every town brought thither its          
dispositions1 its      separate         
interests1 its dependence on some       
neighbouring      protector4 ,the city1 
torn with divisions1 formed no longer a 
whole2 and as the vast majority of the  
citizens were so only by a      species 
of fiction1 had neither the same        
magistrates1 the same      walls1 the   

same temples1 the same gods1 nor the    
same places of      sepulture1 ,rome was
 no longer seen with the same eyes2 the 
undivided love of country was gone2     
,rome was no more4 ,the      inhabitants
 of whole provinces and cities were     
brought up to the      capital to give  
their suffrages1 or compel others to    
give them2      the popular assemblies  
degenerated into vast conspiracies1 a   
troop or seditious band usurped the     
sacred name of ,comitia2 the            
authority of the people1 their laws1    
even themselves1 became a      mere     
chimera2 and the anarchy rose to such a 
point that it became      impossible to 
tell whether the people had made an     
ordinance1 or      had not4 ,writers are
 never tired of descanting on the       
divisions      which ruined ,rome2 but  
they have not seen that those divisions 
always existed1 and ever must exist in a
 free community4 ,it was      solely the
 greatness of the republic which was the
 cause of the      evil1 by changing    

popular tumults into civil wars4        
,faction was      unavoidable in ,rome2 
its warriors1 so fierce1 so proud1 so   
terrible abroad1 would not be moderate  
at home4 ,to expect in a      free state
 men at once bold in war1 and timid in  
peace1 is to      look for an           
impossibility4 ,it may be assumed as a  
fixed      principle1 that wherever you 
see every one tranquil in a state       
which bears the name of a republic1     
liberty there has been long      since  
extinct4--,c4 #i4   ,the representative 
system has saved ,great ,britain and    
,america from these terrible popular    
comitia1 in which1 as ,montesquieu has  
truly said1 the mobs of the people      
became the convulsions of an empire2 and
 which tore in pieces ,poland in modern1
 as it had done ,rome in ancient times4 
,but does not the real evil exist1      
despite this liberation from the actual 
tumult1 in the representative government
 of a great empire1 as much as in the   
stormy comitia of an overgrown republic8

 ,it is not the mere strife in the      
streets1 and shedding of blood in civil 
warfare1 bad as it is1 and truly as the 
bellum plusquam civile exceeds all      
others in horror1 which is the only     
evil4 ,the separation of interests1 the 
disregard of common objects in the      
struggle for individual elevation1 the  
tyranny of one class by another class1  
is the thing which really dissolves the 
national bonds in every wide-spread and 
free community4 ,we see this source of  
discord operating with as much force in 
the divided representation of great     
popular states1 as in the bloody        
contests of the ,roman forum or the     
plain of ,volo in ,poland4 ,the         
nullification of ,south ,carolina1 the  
obnoxious tariff of ,america1 the fierce
 demands for the repeal of the union in 
,ireland1 the sacrifice of agricultural 
and producing1 to commercial and monied 
interests in ,great ,britain1 prove that
 these evils are in full operation among
 ourselves1 as well as our descendants  

on the other side of the ,atlantic4     
,there is a confusion of tongues1 and   
separation of mankind from the undue    
amalgamation of interests1 as well as   
individuals4 ,providence has a sure way 
to punish the selfishness and           
presumption of men who seek to build up 
a ,babel of human construction2 and that
 is to leave them to the consequences of
 their own extravagance4  ,the style of 
,montesquieu may be judged from the     
extracts1 few and imperfect as they are1
 given in the preceding pages4 ,it is   
not vehement1 eloquent1 or forcible2 but
 condensed1 nervous1 and epigrammatic4  
,no writer has furnished to succeeding  
times so many brilliant passages to     
quote2 but there are many who can be    
read en suite with more satisfaction4   
,this is not unfrequently the case with 
writers on philosophical subjects of the
 highest class of intellect2 and it     
arises from the variety and originality 
of their ideas4 ,the mind of the reader 
is fatigued by following out the        

multitude of thoughts which their works 
engender4 ,at the close of every        
paragraph almost1 you involuntarily     
close the book1 to reflect on the       
subjects of meditation which it has     
presented4 ,the same peculiarity may be 
remarked in the annals of ,tacitus1 the 
essays of ,bacon1 the poetry of ,milton1
 the ,inferno of ,dante1 the ,discorsi  
of ,machiavel4 ,in the habit of         
expansion which has arisen in more      
recent times from the multiplication of 
books1 the profits made by writing1 and 
the necessity of satisfying the craving 
of a voracious public for something new1
 is to be found the cause of the        
remarkable difference in the modes of   
composition which has since become      
prevalent4 ,when men write for the      
monthly or quarterly press1 there is no 
time to be condensed or profound4 ,what 
has been gained1 however1 in animation  
and fervour1 has too often been lost in 
thought2 and it may be doubted whether1 
among the many writers of the present   

day1 whether in ,great ,britain or the  
,continent1 there is one whose works1 a 
century hence1 will be deemed to contain
 as much of original and valuable ideas 
as even the preceding sketch1 imperfect 
as it is1 has presented in ,montesquieu4
     ,a ,,reminiscence ,,of ,,boyhood4  
,by ,delta4      ,life is a dream1 whose
 seeming truth     ,is moralized in age 
and youth2     ,when all the comforts   
man can share     ,as wandering as his  
fancies are3     ,till in a mist of dark
 decay     ,the dreamer vanish quite    
away4                         ,bishop   
,king4                           ,i4    
',twas a blithe morning in the aureate  
month     ,of ,july1 when1 in pride of  
summer power1     ,the sun enliven'd    
nature3 dew-besprent1     ,a wilderness 
of flowers their scent exhaled     ,into
 the soft1 warm zephyr2 early a-foot1   
,on public roads1 and by each hedge-way 
path1     ,from the far ,north1 and from
 ,hybernia's strand1     ,with vestures 
many-hued1 and ceaseless chat1     ,the 

reapers to the coming harvest plied--   
,father and mother1 stripling and young 
child1     ,on back or shoulder borne4  
,i trode again     ,a scene of youth1   
bright in its natural lines     ,even to
 a stranger's eyes when first time seen1
     ,but sanctified to mine by many a  
fond     ,and faithful recognition4     
,o'er the ,esk1     ,swoln by nocturnal 
showers1 the hawthorn hung     ,its     
garland of green berries1 and the       
bramble     ,trail'd 'mid the camomile  
its ripening fruit4     ,most lovely was
 the verdure of the hills--     ,a rich 
luxuriant green1 o'er which the sky     
,of blue1 translucent1 clear without a  
cloud1     ,outspread its arching       
amplitude serene4     ,with many a gush 
of music1 from each brake     ,sang     
forth the choral linnets2 and the lark1 
,ascending from the clover field1 by    
fits     ,soar'd as it sang1 and        
dwindled from the sight4     ',mid the  
tall meadow grass the ox reclined1      
,or bent his knee1 or from beneath the  

shade     ,of the broad beech1 with     
ruminant mouth1 gazed forth4            
,rustling with wealth1 a tissue of fair 
fields1     ,outstretch'd to left and   
right in luxury2     ,and the fir       
forests on the upland slopes            
,contrasted darkly with the golden      
grain4                       ,,ii4      
,pensively by the river's bank ,i       
stray'd--     ,now gazing on the        
corn-fields ripe and rich2     ,now     
listening to the carol of the birds     
,from bush and brake1 that with         
mellifluous notes     ,fill'd the wide  
air2 and now in mournful thought--      
,that yet was full of pleasure--running 
through     ,the mazy past4 ,i know not 
how it was1     ,but from the           
sounds--the season--and the scene--     
,soften'd my heart2 and1 as the swallow 
wings     ,in autumn back to softer     
sunnier climes--     ,when summer1 like 
a bright fallacious dream1     ,hath    
with its flowers and fragrance pass'd   
away--     ,so1 from the turmoil of     

maturer years1     ,in boyish thoughts  
my spirit sought relief4                
,,iii4        ,embathed in beauty pass'd
 before my sight1     ,like blossoms    
that with sunlight shut and ope1        
,the half-lost dreams of many a holiday1
     ,in boyhood spent on that blue     
river side     ,with those whose names1 
even now1 as alien sounds     ,ring in  
the ear1 though then our cordial arms   
,enwreathed each other's necks1 while on
 we roam'd1     ,singing or silent1     
pranksome1 never at rest1     ,as life  
were but a jocund pilgrimage1     ,whose
 pleasant wanderings found a goal in    
heaven4     ,but when ,i reach'd a      
winding of the stream1     ,by hazels   
overarch'd1 whose swollen nuts     ,hung
 in rich clusters1 from his marginal    
bank     ,of yellow sand1 ribb'd by     
receding waves1     ,i scared the ousel1
 that1 like elfin sprite1     ,amid the 
water-lilies lithe and green1           
,zig-zagg'd from stone to stone2 and1   
turning round     ,the sudden jut1      

reveal'd before me stood1     ,silent1  
within that solitary place--     ,in    
that green solitude so calm and deep--  
,an aged angler1 plying wistfully1      
,amid o'erhanging banks and shelvy      
rocks1     ,far from the bustle and the 
din of men1     ,his sinless pastime4   
,silver were his locks1     ,his figure 
lank2 his dark eye1 like a hawk's1      
,glisten'd beneath his hat of whitest   
straw1     ,lightsome of wear1 with     
flies and gut begirt3     ,the osier    
creel1 athwart his shoulders slung1     
,became full well his coat of velveteen1
     ,square-tail'd1 four-pocket'd1 and 
worn for years1     ,as told by weather 
stains4 ,his quarter-boots1     ,lash'd 
with stout leather thongs1 and ankles   
bare1     ,spoke the adept--and of full 
many a day1     ,through many a         
changeable and checquer'd year1     ,by 
mountain torrent1 or smooth meadow      
stream1     ,to that calm sport devoted4
 ,o'er him spread     ,a tall1 broad    
sycamore2 and1 at his feet1     ,amid   

the yellow ragwort1 rough and high1     
,an undisturbing spaniel lay1 whose     
lids1     ,half-opening1 told his master
 my approach4                           
,,iv4        ,i turn'd away1 ,i could   
not bear to gaze     ,on that grey      
angler with his rod and line2     ,i    
turn'd away--for to my heart the sight  
,brought back1 from out the twilight    
labyrinth     ,of bypast things1 the    
memory of a day1     ,so sever'd from   
the present by the lapse     ,of many a 
motley'd1 life-destroying year1         
,that on my thoughts the recognition    
came     ,faintly at first--as breaks   
the timid dawn     ,above the sea1 or   
evening's earliest star     ,through the
 pavilion of the twilight dim--         
,faintly at first--then kindling to the 
glow     ,of that refulgent sunshine1   
only known     ,to boyhood's careless   
and unclouded hours4                    
,v4        ,even yet ,i feel around my  
heart the flush     ,of that calm1      
windless morning1 glorified     ,with   

summer sunshine brilliant and intense6  
,a tiny boy1 scarcely ten summers old1  
,along blue ,esk1 under the whispering  
trees1     ,and by the crumbling banks1 
daisy-o'ergrown1     ,a cloudless1      
livelong day ,i trode with one          
,whose soul was in his pastime1 and     
whose skill     ,upon its shores that   
day no equal saw3--     ,o'er my small  
shoulders was the wicker creel          
,slung proudly1 and the net whose meshes
 held     ,the minnow1 from the shallows
 deftly raised4     ,hour after hour    
augmenting our success1     ,turn'd what
 was pleasure first1 to pleasant toil1  
,lent languor to my loitering steps1 and
 gave     ,red to the cheek1 and        
dew-damp to the brow3     ,it was a day 
that cannot be forgot--     ,a jubilee  
in childhood's calendar--     ,a green  
hill-top seen o'er the billowy waste    
,of dim oblivion's flood3--and so it is1
     ,that on my morning couch--what    
time the sun     ,tinges the honeysuckle
 flowers with gold1     ,that cluster   

round the porch--and in the calm     ,of
 evening meditation1 when the past      
,spontaneously unfolds the treasuries   
,of half-forgotten and fragmental       
things1     ,to memory's ceaseless      
roamings--it comes back1     ,fragrant  
and fresh1 as if 'twere yesterday4      
,from morn till noon1 his light         
assiduous toil     ,the angler plied2   
and when the mid-day sun     ,was high  
in heaven1 under a spreading tree1      
7,methinks ,i hear the hum amid its     
leaves67     ,upon a couch of           
wild-flowers1 down we sat     ,with     
healthful palates to our slight repast  
,of biscuits1 and of cheese1 and bottled
 milk2     ,the sward our table1 and the
 boughs our roof3     ,and oh6 in       
banquet hall1 where richest cates       
,luxurious woo the pamper'd appetite1   
,never did viands proffer such delight1 
,to ,sybarite upon his silken couch1    
,as did to us our simple fair that day4 
,,vi4        ,bright shone the          
afternoon1 say rather burn'd1     ,in   

floods of molten gold1 with all its rich
     ,array of blossoms by that river's 
side--     ,wild camomile1 and lychnis  
in whose cups     ,the bee delights to  
murmur1 harebells blue1     ,and violets
 breathing fragrance2 nor remote        
,the aureate furze1 that to the         
west-winds sigh1     ,lent its peculiar 
perfume blandly soft4     ,at times we  
near'd the wild-duck and her brood      
,in the far angle of some dim-seen pool1
     ,silent and sable1 underneath the  
boughs     ,of low hung willow2 and1 at 
times1 the bleat     ,of a stray lamb   
would bid us raise our eyes     ,to     
where it stood above us on the rock1    
,knee-deep amid the broom--a sportive   
elf4     ,enshrined in                  
recollection--sleep those hours     ,so 
brilliant and so beautiful--the scene   
,so full of pastoral loveliness--the    
heart     ,with pleasure                
overflowing--and the sky     ,pavilion'd
 over all1 an arch of peace--     ,god  
with his fair creation reconciled3      

,and oh6 to be forgotten only with      
,the last fond thoughts of memory1 ,i   
behold     ,that grand and gorgeous     
evening1 in whose blaze     ,homeward   
with laden paniers we return'd4         
,through the green woods outshot the    
level rays     ,of flooding sunlight1   
tinging the hoar bark     ,of the old   
pine-trees1 and in crimson dyes         
,bathing the waste of flowers that      
sprang beneath2     ,it was an hour of  
,paradise restored--     ,eden forth    
mirror'd to the view again1     ,as yet 
ere ,happiness forsook its bowers1      
,or sinless creatures own'd the sway of 
death4     ,all was repose--and         
peace--and harmony2     ,the flocks upon
 the soft knolls resting lay1     ,or   
straying nibbled at the pastures green2 
,up from its clovery lurking-place1 the 
hare     ,arose2 the pheasant from the  
coppice stray'd2     ,the cony from its 
hole disporting leapt2     ,the cattle  
in the bloomy meadows lay     ,ruminant2
 the shy foal scarcely swerved aside    

,at our approach from under the tall    
tree     ,of his delight1 shaking his   
forelocks long     ,in wanton play2     
while1 overhead1 his hymn1     ,as      
'twere to herald the approach of night1 
,with all her gathering stars1 the      
blackbird sang     ,melodiously1        
mellifluously1 and ,earth     ,look'd   
up1 reflecting back the smiles of       
,heaven6     ,for ,innocence1 o'er hill 
and dale again     ,seem'd to have      
spread her mantle1 and the voice     ,of
 all but joy in grove and glade was     
hush'd4                       ,,vii4    
,thro' the deep glen of ,roslin--where  
arise     ,proud castle and chapelle of 
high ,st ,clair1     ,and ,scotland's   
prowess speaking--we had traced     ,the
 mazy ,esk by cavern'd ,hawthornden1    
,perch'd like an eagle's nest upon the  
cliffs1     ,and eloquent for aye with  
,drummond's song--     ,through         
,melville's flowery glades--and down the
 park     ,of fair ,dalkeith1 scaring   
the antler'd deer     ',neath the huge  

oaks of ,morton and of ,monk1           
,whispering1 as stir their boughs the   
midnight winds4     ,these left behind1 
with purpling evening1 now     ,we stood
 beside ,st ,michael's holy fane1       
,with its nine centuries of gravestones 
girt2     ,and1 from the slopes of      
,inveresk1 gazed down     ,upon the     
,frith of ,forth1 whose waveless tide   
,glow'd like a plain of fire4 ,in       
majesty1     ,o'ercanopied with         
many-vestured clouds1     ,the mighty   
sun1 low in the farthest west1     ,with
 orb dilated1 o'er the ,grampian chain1 
,mountain up-piled on mountain1 huge and
 blue1     ,was shedding his last rays1 
adorn'd the shores     ,of ,fife1 with  
all its towns1 and woods1 and fields1   
,and bathing ,ben-,ean and ,ben-,ledi's 
peaks     ,in hues of amethyst4 ,ray    
after ray1     ,from the twin ,lomond's 
conic heights declined1     ,and died   
away the glory2 and1 at length1     ,as 
sank the last1 low horizontal beams1    
,and ,twilight drew her azure curtains  

round1     ,from out the south1 twinkled
 the ,evening star6                     
,,viii4        ,since then full often   
hath the snow-drop shown     ,its early 
flower--hath summer waved its corn--    
,hath autumn shed its leaves--and       
,arctic gales     ,brought wintry       
desolation on their wings6     ,when    
,memory ponders on that boyish scene1   
,broken seems almost every tie that     
links     ,that day to this--and to the 
child the man3     ,the world is alter'd
 quite in all its thoughts--     ,in all
 its works and ways--its sights and     
sounds--     ,with the same name it is  
another sphere1     ,and by another race
 inhabited4     ,the old familiar       
dwellings1 with their trees     ,coeval1
 mouldering wall1 and dovecot rent--    
,the old familiar faces from the        
streets1     ,one after one1 have now   
all disappear'd1     ,and sober sires   
are they who then were sons1     ,giddy 
and gay3--a generation new     ,dwells  
where they dwelt--whose tongues are     

silent quite--     ,whose bodily forms  
are reminiscences     ,fading3--the     
leaden talisman of ,truth     ,hath     
disenchanted of its rainbow hues        
,the sky1 and robb'd the fields of half 
their bloom4     ,i start1 to conjure   
from the gulf of death     ,the myriads 
that have gone to come no more3--       
,and where is he1 the ,angler1 by whose 
side     ,that livelong day delightedly 
,i roam'd1     ,while life to both a    
sunny pastime seem'd8     ,ask of the   
winds that from the ,atlantic blow1     
,when last they stirr'd the wild-flowers
 on his grave6     ,,de ,,burtin ,,on   
,,pictures4   ,the writings of          
enthusiasts1 however dry the subjects   
upon which they employ their pens1 have 
always some power of fascination4 ,many 
a one who has never hooked a fish1 has  
found delight in ,isaac ,walton4 ,he is 
still the pleasant companion by river   
and brooklet1 and the cause why1        
,he that has fishing loved should fish  
the more1     ,and he should fish who   

never fish'd before4  ,but then the     
subject is the loveliest of arts1       
,painting--embracing as it does the     
beautiful1 the great1 and the pathetic1 
whatever charms the eye and moves the   
heart--we are sensible of more than     
common pleasure1 and become soothed into
 dreams and visions of our own1 even by 
the gentle garrulity of a connoisseur4  
,is there any one who pretends to       
acquaintance with literature1 however   
uninitiated he may be in the mysteries  
of the arts1 who has not read the       
,discourses of ,sir ,joshua ,reynolds1  
and who has not wished1 after reading   
them1 to be enabled to say1 anche io son
 pittore8 ,when we are told of picture  
galleries with their thousand works of  
art1 and are warmed by the descriptions1
 feeble though they must be1 of many of 
them1 we seem to be suddenly led by a   
lamp of more magical power than         
,aladdin's2 for what was his gallery of 
fruit-trees bearing1 precious stones1 to
 a gallery rich in pictures1 the still  

brighter fruits of genius1 presenting   
endless variety1 each one almost a world
 in itself1 and all1 enticing the       
imagination into regions unbounded1 of  
charm and loveliness1 suggested1 though 
not made visible1 but to the mind's eye8
 ,we remember in our school days giving 
,virgil credit for much tact in         
endeavouring to make a gentleman of     
neas1 and succeeding too for a while in 
raising the more than equivocal         
character of his hero1 by placing him in
 the picture-gallery of the ,queen of   
,carthage1 and giving him leisure to    
contemplate and to criticise1 and       
poetically to describe to his silent and
 spiritless lounger-friend many noble   
and many touching works4 ,in this       
passage we also obtain the great ,latin 
poet's opinion of the ameliorating      
effect of collections4 ,the hero of the 
neid knew immediately he was among an   
amiable people4 ,the picture-gallery was
 the nova res oblata which timorem      
leniit--      ,hic primum neas sperare  

salutem     ,ausus1 et afflictis melius 
confidere rebus2     ,namque----  ,it is
 singular that all the courts of ,europe
 have1 for more than two centuries1 been
 earnestly engaged in forming public    
galleries1 a national benefit and honour
 which ,england had neglected with her  
great wealth1 and with opportunities    
singularly favourable1 until within a   
few years2 and even now we are making   
but very slow progress1 and works of art
 of the olden and golden time are       
becoming more rare1 and immensely rising
 in value4 ,had we1 as a nation1        
collected even fifty years ago--speaking
 of the transactions as a money         
speculation1 in which view1 according to
 the taste of the day1 we must look at  
every thing--our purchases would now    
have been worth treble the first cost in
 money4 ,the unhappy fate of ,charles   
,i4 was most adverse to the arts here4  
,it not only scattered the collection   
made by him1 but1 by the triumph of     
,puritanism1 plunged the country first  

into a dislike of1 and1 for long        
subsequent periods1 into an indifference
 for art4 ,we even doubt if this gross  
feeling has altogether subsided4 ,we do 
not yet take a national pride in works  
of genius1 unless they immediately bear 
upon the art of living4 ,no country is  
so rich as ours in private1 and none so 
poor in public collections4 ,and if we  
progress so slowly in our ,national     
,gallery1 we can scarcely wonder that   
public institutions of the kind have not
 been dreamed of in the provinces4 ,we  
sincerely hope that the movement ,mr    
,ewart is making will be crowned with   
success1 and that in time collections in
 our cities and towns will be the       
result4  ,the ,muse of ,paris1 in #ahdd1
 contained upwards of fifteen hundred   
pictures4 ,according to the catalogue   
compiled in #agha1 the ,imperial        
,gallery of ,vienna then contained      
twelve hundred and thirty-four4         
,according to the catalogue of #ahci1   
the ,dresden gallery contained eighteen 

hundred and fifty-seven4 ,at ,munich1   
the present king has erected a spacious 
building1 into which he has draughted a 
selection1 from among several thousands1
 of about fifteen hundred4 ,and what    
have we done to improve the national    
taste8 ,and strange1 indeed1 does it    
appear1 that whenever such a subject is 
brought before the public mind in       
,parliament1 it is solely with a view to
 the connexion of art with manufactures4
 ,there must be in the nature of things 
a certain connexion2 but unnecessarily  
to bind them in union is to bind then   
unnaturally1 and to put the shackles    
upon the higher1 which cannot bear them 
without degradation4 ,we hail with great
 pleasure every publication whose object
 is to promote a love for the fine arts2
 and more particularly those which show 
a due reverence for the old masters2    
for1 however unwilling we may be to     
limit the power of genius1 no one who   
has any pretensions to taste1 and is of 
a cultivated mind1 will deny that1 if   

their works are not perfection1 they are
 at least in a right direction4 ,the    
novelties which more modern art has     
sought will pass away1 we are persuaded1
 as not founded upon true principles1   
and we shall best advance by properly   
appreciating what has been done before  
us4 ,we will not here enter into the    
subject of the dcadence of art1 nor its 
causes4 ,we believe that if adequate    
national and provincial galleries were  
formed1 more especially at our          
universities1 the improved public taste 
would create a demand which this country
 would not lack genius to supply4 ,we   
are not in the exact condition of ,italy
 at the sudden rise of art there4 ,the  
public1 in the days of ,raffaelle and   
,michael ,angelo1 had nothing1 or but   
little to unlearn2 the previous aim had 
fortunately not been very multifarious2 
the sentiment of art was right1 and the 
direction true4 ,it remained only to    
enlarge the sphere2 the principles were 
in being2 they required but             

confirmation4 ,grace and power naturally
 arose2 for there was no counteracting  
education1 nothing positively bad       
altogether to lay aside1 though there   
was something to correct4 ,now with us1 
on the contrary1 art has run into very  
strange vagaries2 the enlargement of the
 boundaries has been unlimited1 but it  
has been in regions far below the       
,parnassian ,mount4 ,we have talked of  
the ,high ,ideal1 and practised and     
encouraged ad infinitum the ,low        
,natural1 and too often have descended  
to the worse1 the ,low ,unnatural2 so   
that1 upon the whole1 we have to unlearn
 very much before we can be said to be  
in the rudiments of ,real ,art4 ,let us 
suppose one born with every natural     
endowment1 with imagination1 and a power
 of imitation4 ,the mind1 after all1 is 
fed with realities2 there is in it also 
process of digestion1 which converts the
 real into the imaginative4 ,now1 in    
early years1 how rare it is that the    
naturally endowed artist is not ill     

fed--unhealthy diet of the mind entices 
him every where4 ,if in the country1 he 
is sparingly fed--sees little or nothing
 of ,art1 little perhaps beyond the     
,sign of an ,inn--and is scarcely1 from 
other sources of education1 taught to   
look with the mind's eye1 through the   
undignified appearance1 to the actual   
dignity even of the nature he sees3--if 
he has lived in the city1 the ,print    
shops are inevitable lures to cheat him 
by little and little out of his natural 
taste1 if there be one2 for at first it 
can be but a mere germ4 ,the works of   
greatness1 of goodness1 will be the last
 things that he will see2 for seldom    
indeed will they be presented to his    
sight4 ,for the pure1 the sweet1 the    
graceful1 the dignified1 he will have   
thrust before his eyes gaudy1 tawdry    
caricature and grimace2 and1 worse      
still1 perhaps wholly vulgar            
obscenities4 ,were he in his boyhood    
given a present in the pictorial line1  
it would be of an ,opera-dancer or a    

race-course1 or an abomination of       
,london low life4 ,what slang is to the 
ear1 so would it be to the eye2 and such
 is in nine cases out of ten the first  
education of those aspirants in art1    
who1 ere they have unlearned any thing1 
set up for themselves--and abuse the old
 masters4 ,generally speaking1 they are 
brought up in an anti-ideal school2 the 
powers1 therefore1 that nature has given
 them1 are not only uncultivated1 but   
led astray2 and similar education and   
similar tastes in the public1 find them 
a market for very low1 very worthless   
commodities4 ,we have1 in fact1 a great 
deal to unlearn4 ,the first step with us
 all1 is1 to unlearn4 ,could we see     
nothing bad it would not be so4 ,that   
which would1 at first view1 be thought  
the greatest benefit to art1 engraving1 
has but spread the wider the pestilence 
of false taste4 ,it is from all this the
 earlier and greater painters were free4
 ,the evil1 however1 having once so     
spread1 is not to be easily corrected4  

,bad taste has claimed a perpetuity of  
copyright4 ,good taste must proceed from
 an opposite source1 and work in spite  
of the bad4 ,it must come from          
publications1 just criticisms1 lives of 
painters1#d familiar treatises on the   
principles of art2 and more especially  
from national and other public          
galleries1 to direct attention1 and     
indeed to create a demand for those     
other auxiliary works4 ,people will seek
 to understand and feel that which is   
continually put before them4 ,could they
 never see any but fine productions1    
they would soon have a relish for them  
that now is impossible2 but by little   
and little1 the sight of what is good   
will create a liking1 and the liking    
will soon reach an adoration1 and the   
unlearning process is imperceptibly     
going on4 ,corrupted as our eyes now    
are1 we would venture to assert1 that   
were you to offer1 either in prints or  
originals1 to boys of fourth and fifth  
forms at our public schools1 in one hand

 a vile and gaudy horse and jockey1 and 
in the other a pure and lovely picture  
by ,raffaelle1 the former would be      
taken4 ,here is a lamentable neglect in 
education2 the ear must suffer the      
probing and the torture of metres and   
verse-making1 but the eye is left       
unguarded1 unprotected1 to shift for    
itself1 or to yield to the fascinations 
the first pander of evil chooses to     
offer4 ,the school-boy might be improved
 at the universities2 but there1 too1 is
 the same neglect4 ,in our time1 it was 
a rare thing to see a man's room without
 many engravings2 and that sufficiently 
shows how much a school of art is wanted
 in those places1 and what a hold they  
would have upon youth4 ,but we cannot   
say much for the taste of the           
productions1 that generally we will not 
say graced the walls4 ,we had hoped that
 the ,taylor bequest would have         
established at ,oxford1 not only a      
picture gallery1 but a professorship of 
,painting and ,sculpture4 ,a large      

,building has been erected2 and we have 
heard of an intention to remove to it   
some rubbish called pictures4 ,if that  
threat be accomplished1 we shall despair
 of seeing them removed to give place to
 better things4 ,the majority will be   
satisfied with seeing walls covered1 and
 look no further4 ,we have heard        
likewise that some very valuable        
pictures have been offered upon very    
favourable terms to the university4 ,if 
there be amongst any an intention of    
forming a gallery1 we would urge them to
 use their best endeavours to make as   
soon as may be a beginning4 ,for every  
succeeding year not only increases the  
difficulty in obtaining the concurrence 
of influential persons1 but the annually
 rising value of pictures makes delay an
 imprudence4 ,besides1 if a beginning   
were once made--were it once shown that 
the universities are in                 
earnest--valuable bequests might greatly
 promote the great object4 ,and this is 
an advantage that admits not of being   

put off to the morrow4  ,we have        
digressed from our purpose1 which was to
 acknowledge the pleasure we have       
received from the pages of ,m4 de       
,burtin's work2 or we should rather say1
 from ,mr ,white's translation4 ,we have
 been some years acquainted with the    
original work in ,french4 ,its value in 
its present form is not lessened by the 
number of years that have passed between
 the original ,french edition and the   
translation2 for general remarks on art 
are of all times1 and there is much in  
the particular information the volume   
contains1 such as lists of prices1 and  
some other matters1 from which useful   
comparisons may be now made4  ,the      
author very modestly1 in his            
introduction1 professes not to write for
 artists nor accomplished connoisseurs2 
yet to such1 we believe1 the volume1 in 
its compressed form1 will be of most    
value4 ,he has the honesty to confess   
that he has learned his connoisseurship 
at some cost--that he has been          

victimized into a knowledge of art4 ,and
 as this is generally the case with most
 collectors in the beginning1 and not   
unfrequently in the end too1 he thinks  
he may be of some use to others in      
showing how to judge pictures well--what
 is a good picture2 and not of the least
 value1 how to use it when you have it4 
,his qualification as teacher cannot be 
denied2 for he has not only collected1  
but travelled much1 visited all the     
important collections1 and by comparing 
picture with picture1 and style with    
style1 he has been enabled to speak with
 accuracy upon the distinguishing marks 
of schools and masters4 ,a universal    
admiration1 a love that will embrace all
 schools and all styles1 is of very rare
 attainment1 and perhaps hardly to be   
desired2 for every man of any strength1 
of any fixed tone of character1 must    
necessarily have a bias4 ,and besides1  
one man naturally receives more         
powerfully impressions through form1    
another through colour4 ,it is not      

inconsistent that a perfect connoisseur 
should be equally affected by both2 but 
the mind is not allowed the same        
latitude with regard to subject2 the    
passion will ever be for that which is  
congenial2 whatever is foreign to it    
will receive but a cold and passing     
admiration4 ,we should collect from the 
whole contents of this volume1 that the 
author was never an enthusiastic admirer
 of what is termed high ,italian art4   
,he seldom dwells upon the sublime and  
beautiful4 ,gifted rather with a        
complacent acquiescence in what is      
great1 than stirred by it to any heat of
 rapture1 it is probable that at least  
the sphere of his pleasures was         
enlarged2 and his nice sense of the     
beauty1 touch1 and colour1 rendered     
pictures1 of subjects of little         
interest1 more pleasing to him1 than    
they could be to the connoisseur of more
 exclusive taste4 ,his predilection is1 
however1 for ,colour2 and we agree with 
him1 that without the science of        

colouring1 that so difficult science1   
about which the exclusive partisans of  
ideal beauty trouble themselves so      
little1 their antiques and their ideal  
perfection may produce designs1 but     
never can pictures4  ,two definitions   
are laid down1 which1 as frequent       
reference is made to them1 we copy4     
,definition of painting--,the art of    
applying colours1 without relief1 upon a
 plain surface1 so as to imitate any    
object in the manner in which it is     
seen1 or may be conceived visible in    
nature4 ,a good picture he defines to   
be1 a good choice of subject well       
represented4 ,if we knew precisely what 
is here meant by nature1 a word used by 
all writers on art in very various      
senses1 and commonly very vaguely1 we   
might not find fault with the           
definition2 but genius1 which has       
,exhausted worlds1 and then imagined    
new1  is not too strictly to be limited 
to the actualities of external nature4  
,it is the nature of the mind1 under    

certain impulses and impressions1 to    
exaggerate1 to combine from memory1 not 
from sight1 even to the verge of the    
impossible2 for even this extravagance  
is the product of human passion1 which  
by its nature disdains common           
boundaries2 and this1 in painting1 is   
especially the province of ,colour1     
which may be said to be the poetical    
language of art1 and admits differences 
of the same kind as exist between common
 speech and poetical and figurative     
diction4  ,the painter as well as poet  
may colour somewhat highly1      ,and   
breathe a browner horror o'er the woods4
  ,critics too often write of art as if 
it had only to do with what actually    
exists2 whereas it is given to it as to 
poetry to make1 to create--all that is  
required is a certain connexion with the
 real1 sometimes exceedingly slight1    
which shall be sufficiently delusive for
 present purpose4 ,the agile mind can   
pass over a deep and formidable chasm   
upon a slender thread2 and when over1 is

 too much occupied in the new region to 
turn back and measure the means of      
passage4 ,we suspect our author's view  
of nature is too limited4  ,upon a good 
choice of subject are some good remarks4
 ,disgusting subjects are justly        
condemned4 ,it is evident that an       
animal1 flayed or embowelled1 entrails1 
meat raw or mangled1 blood1 excrements1 
death's-heads1 carcasses1 and similar   
objects1 if they strike upon the view   
too much1 will be as disgusting in a    
picture as they are in nature2 and that 
grimaces1 hideous or monstrous          
deformities1 whether moral or physical1 
will be as shocking in the one as the   
other4 ,events which are sufficiently   
unnatural1 barbarous1 and cruel1 to     
shake violently the soul1 and cause it  
to tremble with insurmountable horror1  
create an agitation too frightful for it
 to resist1 much less to be pleased     
with4 ,subjects of so bad a choice1     
7which ,horace severely prohibits from  
being introduced upon the scene17 do    

little honour to the painter4 ,they     
become even more insupportable in       
proportion as they approach nearer to   
reality by the perfection of their      
execution4 ,the translator thinks his   
author has stated this too broadly2 and 
instances1 as pictures of this kind to  
be admired for their truth1 ,the ,lesson
 of ,anatomy1 by ,rembrandt2 ,prometheus
 ,devoured by the ,vulture1 by ,salvator
 ,rosa2 ,raising of ,lazarus1 by        
,sebastian del ,piombo4 ,of the two     
first subjects1 we think they are to be 
condemned1 if1 in the ,prometheus1 the  
enduring mind of ,prometheus be not the 
subject4 ,but surely the grand picture  
of ,piombo1 though it is all awful1 has 
in it nothing disgusting1 or that comes 
within the condemned list4 ,the question
 to be asked in all these cases is1 what
 is the object1 as well as what is the  
subject4 ,is it to teach1 to improve1 to
 soften the mind by human love and      
sympathy1 or to excite it to a just and 
hopeful indignation1 for therein is a   

source of pleasure8 ,the rule of tragedy
 should be applicable here4             
,undoubtedly1 we receive pleasure from  
tragic representations4 ,isolated1      
barbarism1 cruelty would be intolerably 
disgusting4 ,but in every good tragedy1 
there are always good and lovely        
characters with whom we can sympathise4 
,we are bettered by thus uniting        
ourselves with what is lovely2 and are  
content to take at second-hand1 and thus
 feel only in a safe degree1 the        
distresses to which1 as human nature    
ourselves1 we are liable4 ,in pictured  
representation1 however1 we have to     
guard against the too vivid1 and at the 
same time too permanent1 as being a     
fixed expression1 which1 by the art and 
power of language1 we are not allowed to
 dwell upon too exclusively2 and relief 
is offered in change and diversity4     
,there are some very judicious remarks  
upon disgusting subjects in ,an ,essay  
on the ,choice of ,subjects in          
,painting1 read1 we believe1 some years 

ago1 by ,mr ,duncan1 at the ,institution
 at ,bath4 ,we remember an account in   
the ,essay of a very ridiculous         
burlesque 7it is not intended so to be7 
of some of the horrific legends of the  
,italian schools4 ,the picture was      
exhibited in the chapel of ,johanna     
,southcote1 at ,newington ,butts1 near  
,london4 ,st ,johanna was represented in
 a sky-blue dress1 leading the devil    
with a long chain1 like a dancing-bear1 
surrounded by adoring angels4 ,is not   
this doubtful8 ,i add1 that1 excepting  
man1 that ,king of ,nature1 whose head  
presents to a painter the subject that  
is most interesting for character1      
grace1 dignity1 and expression of the   
whole mind1 of which it is the mirror1  
no animal1 dead or alive1 affords1 in   
any one part of its frame1 whatever care
 may be taken in the execution1 more    
than a subject for a study1 or will by  
any means form what can be called a     
picture4 ,this surely is not quite true4
 ,there is a very fine picture of a     

lioness1 dimly seen at the mouth of her 
den1 in grim repose1 that is very grand4
 ,one colour pervades the whole--there  
is nothing forced2 but the very colour  
is of the stealthiness of the animal's  
nature2 it is so dim1 that the animal is
 not strikingly discoverable1 but grows 
out upon the sight1 and we feel the     
sense of danger with the knowledge of   
security4 ,and surely this is the       
sublime of art4 ,had the author seen    
some of the noble animals1 gifted with  
noble characters by nature1 and by the  
hand of our ,landseer1 he would have    
hesitated ere he pronounced thus        
strongly4  ,the choice of a subject is  
considered as belonging solely to       
invention1 irrespective of composition  
or disposition4 ,the honour of inventing
 truly belongs to him whose imagination 
creates all1 or almost all1 of new4 ,a  
distinction is made between composition 
and design3 indeed1 according to our    
author1 there are three parts of        
invention--composition1 disposition1 and

 design4 ,there is a repetition of the  
charge of disproportion in objects1     
brought against ,raffaelle1 to which we 
do not implicitly bow4 ,he is considered
 as having committed two striking faults
 against nature and lineal perspective1 
in his famous picture of the            
,transfiguration1 by the ridiculous     
smallness of his ,mount ,tabor1 and by  
the disproportionable size of the       
,christ and of the two ,prophets4 ,but  
we question if the mind1 in that state  
of feeling in which it beholds a        
miraculous and altogether overwhelming  
subject1 is not necessarily in a        
condition to overstep the actual rules  
of nature1 and to receive a type of     
things for the reality1 admitting the   
small to stand for the great4 ,were it  
conscious of very exact formal truth1   
the power of the subject would be       
reduced4 ,actual perspective would have1
 in ,raffaelle's case1 ruined the       
picture4 ,there was that boldness of    
genius which ,shakspeare1 when the      

nature of the subject required it1      
adopted1 which made the one1 leap over  
time1 and the other1 space and          
proportion4  ,under the head disposition
 of the subject1 there is a somewhat    
unsatisfactory sentence4 ,it contributes
 to the 'goodness' of the picture1 if it
 avoid uniformity and positions that are
 too symmetrical2 if it distribute the  
light well2 if by means of it the groups
 pyramid and unite well2 and if it give 
value to all the parts of the picture by
 means of each other1 in such a manner  
as that the result shall be a           
satisfactory whole4 ,there is much here 
that is true2 but there is something    
false4 ,and that which is false in it1  
has often strangely misled artists in   
their arrangement and grouping4 ,there  
are some subjects of a perfectly        
symmetrical character2 however rare they
 may be1 there are some4 ,raffaelle1 in 
his cartoon of delivering the keys to   
,peter1 paints1 as nearly as may be1 all
 the apostles' heads in one line4 ,is   

not the character of ,gothic            
architecture symmetrical8 ,painters of  
architectural subjects very commonly    
overlook this1 and by perspective       
difference destroy this orderly         
character4 ,few make the centre the     
point of sight2 which is1 however1 the  
proper one for representation1 as it    
alone shows the exact conformity and    
order1 the idea of which it was the     
purpose of the architect to present1 and
 which constitutes the beauty4 ,the     
pyramid rule is manifestly absurd1 and  
seldom has even a tolerably good effect4
 ,it was the quackery of a day4#e ,the  
good masters did not work upon it4 ,it  
is1 in fact1 a little truth taken out of
 a greater1 and misapplied--a part of   
that circular character of composition1 
as it were a principle of reflection1 by
 which lines close in upon or recede    
from each other4 ,we have1 in a former  
paper in this ,magazine1 treated of this
 principle--to dwell on it now would    
take us far from our purpose4 ,as to the

 ability of all persons to judge of the 
naturalness of a picture1 the translator
 doubts the correctness of the          
affirmative opinion of his author4 ,he  
remarks1 that it requires considerable  
practice and experience to enable one to
 judge how much art can do2 what is the 
exact medium between feebleness and     
exaggeration1 which constitutes the     
all-surpassing quality of truth1 of     
which he declares himself a partisan2   
and in what manner one painter differs  
from or excels another in the           
representation of it4 ,it may also be   
observed1 that people in general have   
uncultivated eyes1 and see not the whole
 beauties of any one object2 they are   
commonly quite ignorant of ideal and    
sentimental beauty1 almost wholly       
arising out of the power of art--the    
representing the imagination4 ,it is    
when such persons are called upon to see
 nature in a picture1 that they show how
 imperfect their sight has been4 ,seeing
 the representation in a frame1 they    

know it to be a work of art1 and        
generally object to shadow2 whereas1    
could they see the picture placed at an 
open window or some deceiving position1 
they would be deceived4 ,many1 knowing  
the intention is to deceive them1 are   
ready armed with objections1 which1     
however1 they make because they have    
sought them1 not because they have felt 
them4 ,what we term local colour1 is    
termed by ,m4 de ,burtin proper colour2 
local colour he considers as the colour 
made variable by space1 by locality1    
air1 light1 and surrounding bodies4 ,the
 distinction may be useful2 but proper  
colour will itself be difficult to      
discover1 for we never can see it       
entirely separated from some foreign    
influence4 ,in a picture it would be    
perhaps best to consider that the proper
 colour which would be proper to the    
half-tone1 whether modified by aerial   
perspective or not4 ,he considers that  
proper colour is not shown mostly in    
objects in the foreground1 for there the

 light which destroys it is most        
powerful2 light destroys proper colour1 
and substitutes its own4 ,it is the     
perfect understanding of this           
interesting principle1 which renders the
 works of ,rubens1 and of his best      
scholars1 so superior for their magic   
truth of colour4 ,it is this which      
explains why they make the colour of the
 blood to appear through the fine and   
transparent skin of their ,flemings1    
particularly of the women1 only in      
proportion as the effect of the light is
 lost in the retiring parts2 and why the
 red prevails more in these parts in    
general1 which are illuminated only by a
 reflected light too feeble to change   
the natural colour4 ,the latter may     
often be even strengthened by the colour
 of the object from which the reflected 
light proceeds1 which happens when one  
flesh part is reflected upon another1 as
 may be remarked more particularly      
towards the extremities4  ,the following
 quotation is well worth                

considering--the observation it contains
 is new4 ,as to the influence of light  
upon the local colours1 one of the      
plainest proofs of it is1 that the      
colour of objects seen in broad day1    
diminishes in force the more that the   
sun enlightens the distant plain on     
which they are placed4 ,this            
observation1 and many other analogous   
ones1 convince me that the light in a   
picture in general exerts a greater     
influence upon the local colours than   
even the air1 although those who have   
written upon the art seem to attribute  
the local colours exclusively to the    
interposition of the air and the vapours
 with which it is charged4 ,the above   
remark1 though useful to all painters1  
becomes the more indispensable to those 
who have to do with landscape1 seeing   
that without attention to it1 the aerial
 perspective would render useless1 by a 
false and mannered representation1 the  
just proportions and the exact contours 
dictated by linear perspective4 ,another

 remark1 not less interesting1 is1 that 
the colour of cast shadows depends1     
beyond every thing1 on that of the      
light1 and consequently on the state of 
the atmosphere and the time of the day1 
as well as the season of the year4      
,hence is it that the brown shadows of  
art1 which are adopted for the sake of  
warm1 are1 in good painters such as     
,vandyke1 always blended with the       
silvery grey4  ,of the general tone of  
colour4--,this part of the subject is   
treated rather with regard to strict    
observation of nature1 than its poetical
 applicability to art4 ,for surely there
 is a distinction2 there should be a    
tone of colour belonging to the subject1
 irrespective of the actual colour of   
place or time of day1 properly belonging
 to the action represented4 ,it is well 
observed1 that the argentine or silvery 
tone so much admired and sought after by
 amateurs1 is nothing but the faithful  
imitation of the tone assumed by nature 
in countries where the rays of the sun  

are not too perpendicular1 every time   
that the air is in that state of        
transparency required to temper to the  
necessary degree the too brilliant blue 
of a pure sky1 and itself to receive and
 transmit this desirable silvery tone   
which delights the spectator4 ,by this  
it would appear that our artists' dreams
 of countries1 alio sub sole1 are not   
likely to bring beauty of colour to     
their pictures--that the fables of      
,eastern skies are1 with regard to art1 
fables2 and though there is now always  
an attempt1 and that by no mean powers1 
to drag the spectators at our           
exhibitions under the very chariot of   
the sun1 sub curru nimium propinqui     
solis1 real beauty of colour will be    
found much nearer home4  ,we are        
somewhat surprised by1 as it would      
appear from the general observations of 
,de ,burtin1 an accidental truth which  
he has not elsewhere followed to its    
consequences4 ,if pictures offend       
against nature1 and become cold by the  

employment of cold colours upon them1   
such as black1 white1 blue1 and green1  
either pure or bluish1 and by the       
omission of the glazings which the tone 
of the light requires1 or if they become
 so from the natural coldness of night  
and of snow1 not remedied by art1 the   
painter ought to correct the fault in   
the manner ,i have previously hinted at4
 ,in the following remark1 we can see   
the great defect in the colouring of    
,murillo's pictures1 especially in his  
backgrounds1 who appears always to have 
painted on a wet and dingy day4 ,but    
nothing can correct the cold of a sky   
concealed by the kind of clouds last    
mentioned1 or rendered totally invisible
 by mist4 ,he rescues the clear-obscure 
from the meaning commonly attached to it
 as light and shade4 ,in the literal    
sense1 this word means nothing but the  
obscure which is at the same time clear4
 ,it should rather be defined to be     
light in shadow2 but it will be         
difficult to establish any other sense  

for it than the disposition of the light
 and shade in a picture4 ,the inventor  
of it1 for practical use1 was ,leonardo 
da ,vinci4 ,of this chiaroscuro he says3
 ,it is this1 in fine1 against which so 
many renowned ,italian masters have     
sinned1 but in which the immortal       
,correggio is so eminently              
distinguished1 and which proves how they
 err who have named ,titian the prince  
of colourists4 ,for how much soever he  
may possess in a supreme degree very    
many other parts of colouring1 he has so
 misunderstood this one in his general  
harmony1 that his grounds are rarely in 
agreement with the rest of his picture1 
and are often all black4 ,his ,venus1 in
 the ,dresden gallery1 and his ,ecce    
,homo1 in that of ,vienna1 two of his   
most renowned pictures but especially   
the latter1 present striking proofs1    
among very many others1 of the          
correctness of my opinion on this great 
colourist4  ,those who object1 as some  
venture to do1 to ,titian's colour1     

especially in his backgrounds1 we       
believe overlook his intention1 and are 
not aware how much what they consider   
defects affect the whole4 ,objections   
have been made to the background of the 
,peter ,martyr1 without considering how 
appropriate the colouring is to the     
subject4 ,there are some just           
observations on the necessity of        
transparency1 which should not be       
confined to shadows and demi-tints1     
which cannot do without it4 ,it has been
 said that ,titian and ,correggio glazed
 over every part of the picture1 thereby
 giving even the lights a sort of       
transparency4 ,of harmony of colour1 he 
says1 ,under the pencil of an           
intelligent artist1 local colours1 even 
the least agreeable1 and those which    
have the least affinity among           
themselves1 may become very agreeable to
 the eye1 and contribute powerfully to  
the harmony of the picture through the  
interposition of some other colour1 as  
in music discordant tones are happily   

united by means of intermediate ones4   
,the translator appends to this a note  
in which he quotes from ,mengs1 that    
,the three primary colours being red1   
blue1 and yellow1 when any one of them  
is prominently used1 it should be       
accompanied by one which unites the     
other two4 ,thus1 if pure red be used1  
it should be accompanied by green1 which
 is a compound of blue and yellow4 ,this
 compound colour is called the          
contrasting colour1 and is always used  
sparingly4 ,but the harmonizing colour  
is said to be the compound made by any  
one colour itself1 along with the next  
adjoining to it on either side of the   
spectrum4 ,thus red will be harmonized  
by purple1 the colour produced by       
compounding it with blue on the one side
 of it1 and it will also be harmonized  
by orange1 which is the colour produced 
by compounding it with the yellow1 next 
to it on the other side of the spectrum4
 ,in treating of the effect of a        
picture1 although the author with a kind

 of reluctance admits1 or will not      
condemn absolutely factitious effects1  
he has no predilection for them1 and    
blames for the extravagant use of them  
,carravagio and others of the ,italian  
schools4 ,unquestionably they afford a  
power which should be used with         
judgment1 then most applicable when the 
supernatural of the subject overpowers  
the familiarity of more natural effects4
 ,of the empasto1 so much spoken of by  
connoisseurs1 he is an admirer4 ,he     
directs that the colours which compose  
the empasto should be perfectly well    
ground1 and the ground perfectly        
smoothed4 ,yet this was not always the  
case in the empasto of ,paul ,veronese1 
whose empasto was often of a broken and 
mortary surface2 and it would appear1   
from an examination of such parts of his
 pictures1 as if he had purposely used  
water with his oil-paint1 which would   
have the effect of slightly separating  
the particles1 and thereby giving       
brilliancy from the broken surface of   

refracting particles4 ,this seems to    
have escaped the notice of ,m4 de       
,burtin in this place4 ,it has been said
 of ,michael ,angelo1 that he never     
painted more than one picture in oil4   
,like the relics of saints1 that one has
 wonderfully multiplied4 ,our author    
speaks of one in his own possession1    
which is certainly not described as     
according to the manner we should expect
 on that great master4 ,a truly unique  
picture1 by the great ,michael ,angelo  
,buonarroti1 in my possession1 proves to
 what an astonishing degree art can     
imitate gold1 silver1 and stones1       
without using the originals1 by the     
magic illusion with which the rare      
genius has painted them as ornaments4   
,they look as if relieved on the armour 
of the two cavaliers1 insomuch that one 
would believe them to be truly the work 
of an actual chisel4 ,he admires the    
smooth empasto2 and among the painters  
who practised it1 laudably mentions     
,vander ,werff4 ,but he blames others   

less known for carrying it out to an    
extreme finish4 ,to our taste1 the      
smooth empasto of ,vander ,werff is most
 displeasing2 rendering flesh ivory1    
and1 in that master1 ivory without its  
true and pleasing colour4 ,this branch  
of the subject ends with remarks on     
touch1 which completes the list of the  
parts that contribute to make a good    
picture4 ,the manner of a painter is in 
nothing so distinguished as in his      
touch4 ,there must1 then1 be great      
variety in the touch of painters4 ,to be
 a judge of masters1 it is necessary1 as
 the first step to connoisseurship1 to  
be acquainted with this executive part  
of their art4 ,since it is correct to   
say that without a good touch there     
cannot be a good picture1 one may say   
likewise1 that he is not a good master  
who has not a good touch1 and who does  
not know how to avoid using it too much4
 ,it is a mark of a defective mind1 when
 the painter is too much pleased with   
the dexterity of his hand4 ,many        

however1 require this hint2 their       
pictures are so overlaid with touch1    
that the autographs supersede the       
subject4  ,the incipient connoisseur    
will do well to read the chapter in this
 volume which will tell him how to judge
 pictures well4 ,it will tell him even  
in what position to see a picture4 ,he  
disapproves of the use of the mirror1 in
 which the picture is reflected as      
giving a softness and harmony not       
genuine2 but as it was the practice of  
,giorgione and ,correggio1 in order to  
learn the effect of the colours1 of the 
masses1 and of the work as a whole1 he  
recommends it to the painter4 ,he       
expects1 however1 from the amateur an   
impartiality almost impossible to       
attain1 when it is expected to reach    
such a point that all schools1 all      
masters1 all manners1 and all classes of
 pictures will be a matter of           
indifference to him4 ,we fear that an   
amateur who could reach this            
indifference1 would be rather a general 

admirer than a good lover4 ,the amateur 
thus advanced1 will soon be able to     
weigh impartially the grounds of the    
dispute between the partisans of ideal  
beauty on the one hand1 and the beauty  
which exists in nature on the other4    
,but here is a mistake in initio2 for is
 not the ,ideal1 too1 ,nature8 ,we      
should have rather expected a           
disquisition to elucidate this point2   
but our author prefers passing away from
 the real question to indulge in a      
little severity on the admirers of the  
,ideal1 which ,ideal we are persuaded he
 never understood2 for he considers     
evidently that the ideal beauties1 with 
the magic truth of the ,dutch school in 
execution1 would be perfection4 ,he     
would view a work painted under this    
union as perfection4 ,to us it would1 we
 feel quite sure1 be an intolerable     
performance4 ,for this little bit of bad
 taste he is called to account by his   
translator4 ,the author's taste was1    
after all1 we suspect1 rather           

incomplete2 rather the product of an    
educated eye than of a mind educated to 
embrace the ,ideal4 ,the fact is1 the   
,ideal in practice must be the reach of 
a something which the eye1 however      
educated1 does not altogether find in   
external nature2 but which1 from the    
data of external nature1 the mind       
creates1 partly by combination1 and     
partly from a power of its own invention
 altogether4 ,the external senses in    
educated man are obedient to this       
inventive direction of the mind1 and at 
length receive their greater1 perhaps   
often only1 pleasures from it4 ,it is   
easy to imagine how the more evident and
 real beauties of the inferior schools1 
for we do not hesitate to speak of the  
,italian as the higher1 more easily     
captivate1 especially1 the incipient    
lovers of art4 ,they begin by collecting
 the ,dutch2 but as they advance in     
taste and knowledge1 and acquire the    
legitimate feeling for art1 they are    
sure to end with the ,italian4 ,the     

uninitiated may wonder to be told there 
is any difficulty in judging whether a  
picture is in good preservation or not4 
,yet here is a chapter to teach this    
useful knowledge4 ,the perils that flesh
 is heir to1 are nothing if compared to 
the perils that environ the similitudes 
of flesh4 ,nos nostraque morti debemur4 
,men and pictures suffer from the       
doctors as well as from time4 ,pictures1
 too1 are often in the hand of the      
spoiler1 and are subject1 with their    
owners1 to a not very dissimilar        
quackery of potion and lotion1 undergo  
as many purifications1 nor do they      
escape the knife and scarification2 are 
laid upon their backs1 rubbed and       
scrubbed1 skinned1 and oftentimes       
reduced to the very ribs and dead       
colouring of what they were4 ,it is     
surprising how great a number of        
pictures are ruined by the cleaners4 ,we
 are sorry to read this account of      
,correggio's celebrated ,notte4 ,even   
when they do not destroy the picture    

entirely1 they1 at all events1 leave the
 most injurious traces behind1 depriving
 it of its transparency and harmony1 and
 much of the effect1 rendering it hard1 
cold1 and weak4 ,of this the admirable  
',night' of ,correggio at ,dresden      
presents a very sad example4  ,we look  
upon the audacious man who dares to     
repaint upon an old picture             
unnecessarily1 and by wholesale1 as     
guilty of a crime4 ,it is the murder of 
another man's offspring1 and of his name
 and fame at the same time4 ,we have    
heard of a man half a century ago going 
about the country to paint new wigs upon
 the ,vandykes4 ,we would have such a   
perpetrator bastinadoed on the soles of 
his feet4 ,i was present1 says our      
author1 at ,amsterdam during a dispute  
between one who had just sold a         
landscape for several thousand florins1 
and the agent who had made the purchase 
on commission4 ,the latter required an  
important change to be made towards the 
centre of the picture1 which he         

contended would be very much improved   
thereby4 ,it was in vain that the       
seller1 with whom ,i agreed in opinion  
upon the point1 persisted in refusing to
 repaint a work in such good            
preservation1 and by so great a master2 
for the broker closed his lips by       
protesting1 that unless the demand were 
complied with1 he was instructed to     
throw up the bargain4 ,we look with     
equal horror on buyer and seller4 ,would
 not the latter have sold his father1   
mother1 brothers1 sisters1 aunts1 and   
cousins8 ,it has been said that1 in     
compliment to ,william ,,iii41 many of  
the portraits of the ancestors of the   
courtiers of the day were re-painted    
with aquiline noses4 ,m4 de ,burtin very
 justly observes1 that the new touches  
on old pictures do not preserve their   
tone1 but he does not give the true     
reason4 ,he seems to entertain no notion
 that pictures were painted with any    
other vehicle than common oil2 and1 in a
 short discussion upon ,van ,eyck's     

discovery1 he only shows that he takes  
up what others have said1 and never     
himself could have read what the monk   
,theophilus really wrote2 for1 like ,m4 
,merime1 he supposes the monk to say    
what he never did say4 ,it is only      
surprising that1 in his numerous        
cleanings1 he did not discover the      
difference between the old paint of one 
date and of another1 and how they       
require different solvents4 ,there is a 
chapter upon the manner of knowing and  
appreciating copies1 from which the     
beginner1 in collecting1 may take some  
useful hints4 ,he repeats the well-known
 anecdote of the copy from ,raffaelle by
 ,andrea del ,sarto1 which ,julio       
,romano1 who had worked upon the        
picture1 believed to be the original1   
though assured beforehand by ,vasari    
that it was a copy4 ,with regard to     
,rubens1 by far the greater number of   
pictures said to be by him1 are by the  
hands of his scholars1 to whom he gave  
the design and outline merely1 sometimes

 touching up the pictures with his own  
hand4 ,this has been a common and a     
justifiable practice with great         
painters1 both ancient and modern1 or it
 would have been impossible for any one 
pair of hands to have done the works    
which bear the names of some            
well-employed painters4 ,the few        
pictures entirely by the hand of ,rubens
 confirm the suspicion as to others1 by 
their superiority4 ,contemporary copies 
he considers in a very different light  
from more modern1 because the modern    
being from the old after they had       
deepened1 deepen still more1 and in a   
few years scarcely resemble in tone the 
originals4 ,it is from such copies that 
an ill name has been given to all       
copies4 ,we have very little feeling for
 amateurs in their annoyances and       
embarrassments1 who discover that they  
have only purchased a copy2 for they did
 not judge according to the merits of   
the picture1 but the name under which it
 was admitted4  ,the sixth chapter1 upon

 ,the manner of analysing and describing
 pictures1 furnishes some good hints to 
catalogue-makers and auctioneers4 ,the  
examples are ingeniously worded1 and    
with no little precision4 ,the number   
given is but a selection from about #bdj
 pages4 ,whoever will try his hand at a 
descriptive catalogue1 will find it not 
so easy a task as he imagined4 ,we      
should have perhaps entertained a higher
 opinion of the author's judgment1      
though not a higher of his descriptive  
power1 supposing it to have been        
exercised as a disciple of the noted ,mr
 ,puff1 who took a double first in those
 arts1 had the translator kindly omitted
 an outline of a picture by             
,poelemburg--,the ,adoration of the     
,shepherds4 ,it is certainly well       
described in generality and detail2 but 
never was any thing more like ,mr       
,puff's style than the                  
following3--,poelemburg has here        
surpassed himself by the exactness of   
the design1 and the fine form of the    

figures4 ,he has carried to the highest 
degree their gracious and simple        
expression4 ,the picture is not less    
distinguished for the attractive effect 
of light well distributed1 for harmony  
and the clear obscure1 for the agreeable
 and sweet tone of the proper colours1  
and for that truth1 c4 c4 c4--but alas6 
the outline6 ,look on this picture and  
on this4 ,it may have been a pretty     
picture1 though the subject is much     
above ,poelemburg2 but--shall we        
pronounce it8--the design is            
wretched--we cannot help it1 and would  
spare it if we could4 ,strange are the  
blunders made in descriptive catalogues4
 ,an instance is given--an amusing      
specimen from a well-established        
manufactory4 ,the famous picture of     
,raffaelle1 painted for the church of   
,st ,john at ,bologna1 representing ,st 
,cecilia holding a musical instrument in
 her hands1 with others at her feet1    
affords an example of the errors alluded
 to4 ,she listens with rapt attention to

 a choir of angels borne on the clouds1 
and singing4 ,on her right hand are ,st 
,paul and ,st ,john the ,evangelist1    
strongly characterized2 the one by his  
sword1 the other by his eagle1 and both 
by the airs of the heads4 ,on her left  
are ,st ,magdalene with her cup1 and ,st
 ,augustine with his cross and          
pontifical garments4 ,hitherto all the  
world had been agreed upon the justness 
of the description2 but the author of   
the ,manual of the ,french ,museum1     
printed in #ahjc1 judged it proper to   
make one of his own1 of which behold the
 title and the substance--,the          
,martyrdom of ,st ,cecilia4  ,raffaelle 
would not represent the martyrdom of a  
young virgin like the execution of a    
malefactor4 ,here ,cecilia advances     
towards the place where the palm of     
martyrdom awaits her4 ,her feet only    
still belong to this earth4 ,her        
upraised eyes tell that her thoughts are
 already in heaven4 ,the man who bears  
the sword is not an executioner whose   

stern ferocity augments that of the     
spectacle4 ,here the headsman has an air
 of compassion4 ,behind the saint walks 
a priest who assists her4 ,his          
physiognomy is common1 but sweet4 ,he   
applauds the tranquil resignation of the
 victim1 who seems already to hear the  
celestial concert that is going on      
above4 ,the angels celebrate her coming 
before hand6 ,one of the companions of  
,cecilia points them out to her with his
 finger1 and seems to do so as an       
encouragement to her4 ,a young man      
follows the saint4 ,his action is too   
expressive to suppose it that of a      
parent or convert4 ,this is indeed a    
very fine specimen1 both for what is    
said and what is unsaid--the surmise is 
perfectly ,french1 and the pitying      
tender familiarity of ,cecilia1 for     
commiseration's sake robbed of her      
saintship1 would be enough to melt an   
auction-room to tears1 were the picture 
to be sold and thus described4  ,the    
very best auction description of a      

picture we remember ever to have heard1 
was one most fluently given1 and with a 
most winning and gentlemanly manner1 by 
,mr ,christie1 the father of the present
 justly appreciated ,mr ,christie1 as   
true and honourable as unerring in his  
judgment of pictures4 ,it was many years
 ago4 ,the picture to be sold was the   
celebrated one of the three goddesses1  
,the ,judgment of ,paris1 a large       
picture4 ,now the difficulty of the case
 lay in this1 that it was well known    
that there were three pictures of the   
subject1 all claiming to be originals4  
,this was well known and talked about4  
,there were in fact three pictures of   
the judgment of ,paris4 ,after minutely 
and most ably describing the picture1   
,mr ,christie came to this delicate     
acknowledgment4 ,he admitted there were 
three2 the great painter1 delighted with
 his subject1 enamoured of the beauties 
he had created1 had1 as it were1 thrice 
thrown himself at the feet of each      
goddess4 ,the three pictures were an    

offering and homage to each4 ,none could
 determine which was best4 ,the subject 
was the ,judgment of ,paris--it was an  
enviable opportunity for a happy        
purchaser to throw the golden apple4 ,we
 do not pretend to give1 with any       
exactness1 the eloquent wording of this 
address2 nor can we describe the perfect
 grace with which it was delivered4     
,every one in the room seemed to know   
that he was listening to a scholar and a
 gentleman1 and felt a confidence4 ,but 
to return to ,de ,burtin4 ,the chapter  
on the general schools of painting1     
contains both useful information and    
judicious remarks4 ,he mentions the     
embarrassment the amateur must feel1    
seeing that authors are not agreed among
 themselves in the number and           
classification of schools4 ,some reckon 
three1 some five1 some eight1 some      
extend the number to twelve4 ,lanzi even
 makes fourteen of the ,italian schools 
alone4 ,in order that the school of a   
particular city or country may take its 

place among the general schools1 it is  
necessary1 in my opinion1 that it shall 
have produced a great many masters      
celebrated for their merit1 and that    
these shall have in their style and     
manner something common to them all1    
which particularly characterizes them1  
and which is sufficiently remarkable to 
distinguish their school from all       
others4 ,upon this principle1 ,i reckon 
eight schools in all2 and these are1 the
 ,florentine or ,tuscan1 the ,roman1 the
 ,lombard1 the ,venetian1 the ,flemish1 
the ,dutch1 the ,french1 and the        
,german4 ,if it were sufficient to have 
given to the world artists renowned for 
their merit1 the ,spanish might likewise
 claim a place among the general        
schools1 were it only from having       
possessed a ,morales1 a ,velasquez1 and 
a ,murillo4 ,naples1 too1 might enjoy   
the same privilege1 from the names of   
,spagnoletto1 ,calabrese1 ,salvator     
,rosa1 and ,luca ,giordano4 ,genoa1     
likewise1 from ,castiglione1 ,strozzi1  

,castelli1 and ,cambiasi4 ,but the want 
of a general distinctive character      
prevents their being ranked under the   
general schools1 and the masters are1   
for the most part1 placed separately in 
that one or other of the acknowledged   
schools to which their manner approaches
 most nearly1 or to which their master  
belonged4 ,the distinguishing marks of  
the schools are ably laid down4 ,the    
author confesses that he feels a        
difficulty in generalizing the          
characteristics of the ,florentine      
school4 ,he adopts the somewhat         
exaggerated 7as he allows7 account of   
,m4 ,levesque4 ,his characteristics     
are--fine movement1 a certain sombre    
austerity1 an expression of vigour1     
which excludes perhaps that of grace1 a 
character of design1 the grandeur of    
which is in some sort gigantic4 ,they   
may be reproached with a kind of        
exaggeration2 but it cannot be denied   
that there is in this exaggeration an   
ideal majesty1 which elevates human     

nature above the weak and perishing     
nature of reality4 ,the ,tuscan artists1
 satisfied with commanding admiration1  
seem to disdain seeking to please4 ,the 
description of the ,roman school we     
conceive to be not so fortunate4 ,its   
excellence is attributed to the antique1
 distinguished by great beauty in the   
forms1 a composition elegant1 although  
often singular1 and by expressions ideal
 rather than natural1 of which a part is
 often sacrificed to the preservation of
 beauty4 ,if we receive as models of    
these two most celebrated schools1      
,michael ,angelo ,buonarroti1 and       
,raffaelle1 7though it should be        
observed1 if we look to the actual      
genius of these great men1 we must not  
forget the early age at which ,raffaelle
 died17 such distinction as this may be 
drawn4 ,that the ,florentine school had 
for its object the personal1 the        
absolute bodily power and dignity of    
man1 and such strong intellect and      
energy as would be considered in        

necessary agreement with that perfect   
condition of the human form4 ,that there
 is therefore1 in their vigorous        
delineations1 a great and simple1 and1  
as it were1 gigantic rudeness very      
perceptible4 ,on the contrary1 in the   
,roman1 the subordination of the person 
to the cultivated mind is decidedly     
marked4 ,it is the delineation of man   
further off from his ruder state1       
showing in aspect1 and even in bodily   
movements1 the mental cultivation4 ,the 
one school is of an ,antediluvian1 the  
other of a ,christian race4 ,hence1 in  
the latter1 under the prerogative of    
love1 grace and a nicer beauty are      
assumed2 and a delicacy and purity      
arising from minds educated to bear1 to 
forbear1 chastened by trial1 endowed    
with a new greatness not inconsistent   
with gentleness4 ,yet was simplicity    
strongly marked in the ,roman school2   
nor do we think the blame thrown upon   
their colouring justly thrown1 as it was
 most consistent with the characteristic

 dignified simplicity2 nor do we agree  
with those who think it inharmonious in 
itself4 ,baroccio is praised1 in that he
 added somewhat of the colouring of     
,correggio to the study of the antique  
and the works of ,raffaelle2 but it is  
more than doubtful if the innovation    
upon the ,roman simplicity be not a     
deterioration of the school4 ,the       
colouring1 the chief characteristic of  
the ,venetian school1 represents mankind
 in a still further onward 7we use not  
the word advanced1 because it may be    
misunderstood7 state1 in the state of   
more convention1 of manners1 and of     
luxury4 ,hence even most refined        
subjects of the ,venetian are1 with     
regard to purity1 and moral and         
intellectual beauty1 in a grade of      
inferiority to the ,roman and           
,florentine4 ,they are of the age of a  
civil government rather than of a       
religious influence4 ,the countenances  
indicate the business of the world2 the 
more varied costume1 the more rich      

covering of the figures1 with less of   
the nude1 are marks of merchandise and  
traffic4 ,this is perceptible1 and      
possibly somewhat to the disparagement  
of the full display of the subject1 in  
the grand picture of ,del ,piombo1 the  
,raising of ,lazarus1 though perhaps    
that picture1 bearing such evidence of  
the design if not the hand of ,michael  
,angelo1 may by some not be admitted as 
belonging to the ,venetian school4 ,we  
mean not to say that the ,venetian      
school did not advance the art by the   
new power of colour1 the invention of   
that school2 it opened the way to a new 
class of subjects1 which still admitted 
much of the grand and the pathetic4 ,it 
certainly did more2 it showed that there
 was a grand and a pathetic in colour   
alone1 a principle of art which1 though 
first shown1 and not in its perfect     
degree by the ,venetians1 has never yet 
been carried out as a principle4 ,we    
hear much of its beauty1 its harmony1 in
 a limited sense of its power1 but      

seldom of its sentiment4  ,the remarks  
of ,m4 de ,burtin upon the ,peter       
,martyr of ,titian are very strange4 ,he
 must have been much deceived when he   
saw this wonderful picture1 either by   
its position or the state of his own    
vision4 ,we saw the picture out of its  
frame1 and down against the wall1 and   
saw no factitious unnatural effect1 nor 
any black and white4 ,this picture1 he  
says1 so full of merit in other         
respects1 presents a striking example of
 the factitious and unnatural effect    
produced by the extraordinary opposition
 of black and white4 ,i am well aware   
that gay and brilliant colouring would  
not be appropriate to a cruel action2   
but a measure is to be observed in every
 thing1 and ,i cannot be convinced that 
there could occur1 in broad day1 and in 
the open air1 a scene in which all was  
obscure and black except the figures4   
,obscurity and blackness in ,titian's   
,peter ,martyr6 ,our author has attached
 the school of ,bologne to that of      

,lombardy1 as others have done1 in      
consideration that the ,caracci in      
forming their school greatly studied    
,correggio4 ,yet undoubtedly ,correggio 
stands quite apart from the ,caracci4   
,the ,bologna was in fact a ,composite  
school4 ,if the ,venetian school was    
indicative of business1 of the          
activities of society as a mass1 the    
,lombard school1 as first distinguished 
by ,correggio1 assumed more homely      
grace1 it was domestic1 of the          
hearth--the cherished love1 the sweet   
familiar grace4 ,this was its           
characteristic2 it bore a kind of garden
 luxuriance and richer embellishment of 
colour1 not the embellishment of civic  
pomp as seen in the ,venetian1 but a    
coloured richness as of the fruit and   
flower of a new ,eden4 ,the ,holy       
,families of ,correggio are in fragrant 
repose4 ,the earth pays the homage of   
her profusion1 and1 as conscious of the 
presence of him that shall remove her   
curse1 puts on her gorgeous apparel4    

,the next descent from this grade of art
 would be to the pastoral4 ,m4 de       
,burtin objects to the airs of the      
heads1 graceful and smiling felt not to 
be altogether appropriate when the      
action is sad or violent4 ,we can       
imagine that he alludes to the picture  
of the ,martyrdom of ,st ,placidus and  
,flavia at ,parma4 ,the smiling saint   
receiving the sword in her bosom1 as a  
boon in thankfulness or that coming     
bliss which is already hers in vision1  
is perhaps as touching as any expression
 ever painted by ,correggio4 ,did our   
author miss the meaning of that         
devotional and more than hopeful smile8 
,this picture1 like some others of      
,correggio1 is very grey1 and has       
probably had much of its glazing        
removed4 ,in ,m4 de ,burtin's notice of 
the ,flemish school1 we entirely pass   
over the discussion respecting ,van     
,eyck and his discovery2 enough has been
 said upon that subject4 ,the partiality
 of our author for ,rubens is very      

perceptible4 ,the characteristics of the
 ,flemish school are confined to        
,historical painting1 and even in that  
class there is scarcely more than one   
example1 ,rubens4 ,between ,rubens and  
,vandyke there is certainly affinity    
beyond that of colouring1 though in     
colouring to a limited degree4 ,between 
,rubens and ,teniers there is surely a  
gap of many classes4 ,if there be any   
characteristic mark common to both1 it  
must lie in the silvery lightness of    
colouring1 distinctness and freedom of  
touch1 as if both had used the same     
vehicle1 and in the same manner1        
allowance being made for the size and   
subjects of their pictures4 ,we are not 
disposed to detract from the reputation 
of ,rubens as a colourist2 no painter   
perhaps better understood theoretically 
and practically the science of the      
harmony of colours1 and their           
application to natural representation4  
,but he was entirely careless as to     
sentiment of colouring4 ,action even to 

its utmost superiority was his forte1   
and for this one expression his         
colouring1 by its vivid power and       
contrasts1 was certainly very admirable4
  ,the ,dutch school is so blended with 
the ,flemish1 separating from both      
,rubens and ,vandyke1 and their         
immediate scholars1 that it is difficult
 to speak of them as distinct schools4  
,fascinating as they undoubtedly are1   
they utterly abandon the power to teach 
for the art of pleasing4 ,they are not  
for the public2 have little to do with  
events of any great interest4 ,there is 
a manifest descent from the high        
pretensions of art2 the aim is to       
gratify the mere love of exact          
imitation1 and to interest by           
portraiture of manners4 ,if1 then1 says 
our author1 truth of imitation is the   
first business of works of art2 if1     
without that1 no picture is in a        
situation to please2 if all that is     
visible over the whole face of nature be
 included in the domain of painting1 how

 is it that among the exclusive         
partisans of historical subjects1 there 
are persons so blind as not to see that 
the marvellous productions of this      
school1 and of the ,flemish1 have filled
 with admirable success the immense gaps
 which their vaunted ,italian schools   
have left in different parts of art8    
,the very first sentence of this passage
 is of very undefined sense2 we can     
guess at what is meant by the sneer upon
 the vaunted ,italian schools4 ,there   
are not only immense gaps1 but great    
gulfs1 over which there is no legitimate
 passage4 ,if these schools have done so
 much honour to the art of painting1 as 
,m4 de ,burtin asserts that they have1  
it has rather been in their perpetuating
 it as a practical art1 than by adding  
to its dignity or importance4 ,if1      
however1 it be allowable to separate    
,rubens from the ,flemish school1 we may
 with still greater propriety set apart 
by himself that extraordinary man       
,rembrandt1 who1 if any1 had some       

insight of the sentiment of colour4     
,very little compliment is paid to the  
,french school by ,de ,burtin4 ,he      
considers that it has no characteristic 
but that of the imitation of all        
schools4 ,it should be observed in      
justice to more modern ,french painters1
 that this was written in #ahjh4 ,the   
very opposite opinions of ,m4 ,levesque 
against1 and ,lairesse in favour of     
,simon ,vouet1 the founder of the       
school1 are quoted4 ,the opinions of    
neither will weigh much with modern     
critics1 even though it were certain    
that those ascribed to ,lairesse were   
his4 ,neither ,claude nor ,nicolas      
,poussin are allowed to belong to the   
,french school4 ,we presume ,de ,burtin 
had but little taste for landscape1 for 
he does not mention1 we believe1 in this
 whole work1 ,gaspar ,poussin--nor does 
he dwell much upon ,claude4 ,it is      
extraordinary that in mentioning the    
one1 he should take no notice of his    
great contemporary4  ,and here we may   

observe1 that writers on art have ever  
been neglectful in the extreme with     
regard to this part of art--we should   
add1 this delightful part1 and so       
capable of sentiment4 ,they take a vast 
jump from the high ,italian ,historic   
7of ,figures7 to the low ,flemish and   
,dutch1 not even in those latter schools
 discriminating the better portion of   
the landscape from the lower4  ,there is
 wanting a new classification1 one not  
so much of schools1 nor of styles per   
se1 as of subjects--in which the ,school
 of ,landscape would require an ample   
treatment4 ,it is a school which1 by the
 neglect of critics1 has been allowed to
 descend to its lowest depth2 yet is it 
one which is daily becoming more the    
public taste--a taste1 nevertheless1    
which has as yet given to it but little 
of its former elevation1 which it had   
entirely lost before it reached us      
through the deterioration of the ,dutch 
and ,flemish schools4  ,the ,german     
school1 the first in antiquity1 was     

extinguished with its masters4 ,it was  
founded by ,albert ,durer1 whose genius 
was acknowledged and admired by         
,raffaelle himself4 ,the modern ,german 
school was not in existence at the date 
of this publication in #ahjh4  ,an      
entire chapter is given upon the causes 
of the characteristics which distinguish
 the different schools from each other4 
,there is1 however1 nothing new said    
upon this subject4 ,undoubtedly there is
 much truth in the following passage3   
,so much did the liberty which the      
,dutch had just recovered from the      
,spaniards1 by unheard-of efforts1      
become fatal among them to the same     
class of art1 the foundations of which  
they sapped by their resolution to      
banish their priests1 and to substitute 
a religion that suffers neither pictures
 nor statues of saints in their         
churches4 ,from that time all the views 
of their painters were necessarily      
turned to the other classes of art1 more
 susceptible of a small form1 and       

therefore more suitable to the private  
houses of the ,dutch1 which1 though neat
 and commodious1 are not sufficiently   
large for pictures of great size4 ,if   
the dignity of art is to be recovered1  
it will be by national galleries1 and we
 might yet perhaps hope1 by re-opening  
our churches for the admission of       
scriptural pictures4  ,the chapter upon 
the division of pictures into classes1  
is by no means satisfactory4 ,it is     
admitted by the translator to be        
incomplete4 ,at its conclusion is a     
quotation from ,pliny1 which1 as it is  
intended to justify ,de ,burtin's taste 
for the low ,flemish and ,dutch schools1
 does not indicate a very high taste in 
either ,pliny or himself4 ,pliny says of
 ,pyreicus1 that few artists deserve to 
be preferred to him4 ,that he painted1  
in small1 barbers' and shoemakers'      
stalls1 asses1 bears1 and such things4  
,he further adds1 that his works        
obtained larger prices than other       
artists of nobler subjects obtained1 and

 that he was not degraded by choosing   
such low subjects4 ,we beg pardon of    
,pliny1 but we would not give three     
farthings for his pictorial judgment4   
,indeed1 had not ,lucian given us some  
most vivid descriptions of some of the  
ancient pictures1 we should have had no 
very high opinion of them4 ,for the     
well-known anecdotes speak only in      
favour of mechanical excellence4 ,our   
author1 in his chapter on the art of    
describing pictures1 might have taken   
,lucian for his model with great        
propriety4 ,there is in this chapter on 
division into classes1 much nonsense    
about beauty1 ,ideal and ,physical4 ,de 
,burtin thinks we have not any          
instinctive feeling for physical beauty 
as of moral beauty2 that a fixed        
proportion of parts neither in men nor  
animals1 any more than in architecture1 
is the foundation of beauty--which is   
perfectly ridiculous1 and not worth an  
argument4 ,ideal beauty he here treats  
with great contempt1 and points out two 

truths on this matter demonstrated by   
comparative anatomy2 the one of which   
is1 that the beauty of the antique heads
 depends chiefly on the facial line in  
them1 making an angle of #ajj degrees   
with the horizontal line2 the other is1 
that it is certain that such a head is  
never found in nature4  ,in the tenth   
chapter he treats of the causes of the  
superiority of the pictures of the #afth
 and #agth centuries over those of the  
past century4 ,he looks upon ,rome and  
the ,antique as the chief cause1 and    
that artists go there before they have  
established principles of art4 ,it is   
not1 he asserts1 in difference of       
colours2 for ,giorgione and ,titian     
neither made this themselves1 nor       
brought them from afar1 but bought then 
uniformly in the shops at ,venice4 ,he  
appears to entertain no suspicion of    
loss or deterioration of vehicle2 on the
 contrary1 thinks some artists have been
 very successful in copies1 here rather 
contradicting his former remarks upon   

the difference between old copies and   
new2 but1 above all1 he attributes this 
dcadence of art to the neglect of       
colour4 ,that1 however1 is evidently    
only one part of the art4 ,we are almost
 induced to smile either at his flattery
 or his simplicity in naming certain    
exceptions of modern times1 whose names 
will be little known to1 and those known
 not much in the admiration of1 the     
,english collector1 all of whom have    
carried their art to a very high degree 
of perfection4 ,in his chapter on the   
different manners of the masters1 it is 
observable how little he has to say of  
the ,italian schools2 almost all the    
subsequent remarks in the volume are    
confined to the ,flemish and ,dutch4 ,he
 greatly praises ,dietrici for his      
manner1 which to us is not pleasing1 and
 which we should term an imitating      
flippancy4 ,he tells an anecdote of     
,titian1 which1 if it rest upon any good
 authority1 tends to prove that         
,titian's medium must have been one     

which admitted the mixture of water with
 oil4 ,of ,titian he says1 that at the  
end of his life he used to daub his best
 works anew with red paint1 because he  
thought the colour too feeble4 ,but     
happily his pupils had the address to   
prevent the fatal effects of his        
foolishness1 by making up his colours   
with water only1 or with an oil that was
 not of a drying nature4 ,with colours  
ground1 ,titian could not have mixed his
 pencil in oil alone and unmixed--and he
 would himself have immediately         
discovered the cheat1 for it would have 
dried as distemper dead1 and crumbled   
away under his hand4 ,he might have so  
painted1 if oil and water had been      
combined1 and the vehicle rendered      
saponaceous1 which it probably was4     
,many artists have been led1 he         
observes1 to change the manner from good
 to bad4 ,we have a remarkable instance 
in our ,gainsborough1 whose latter      
scratchy1 slovenly manner is most       
displeasing2 nor had he at any time an  

imagination to justify it1 or rather to 
qualify it by the power of his          
compositions4  ,it is strange that he   
attributes slovenliness of manner to    
,rembrandt1 from ,avarice4 ,documents   
have recently been produced showing that
 ,rembrandt's goods were seized for     
payment of no very large debt4 ,but is  
not ,m4 de ,burtin altogether mistaken  
in this manner of ,rembrandt8 ,any of   
his pictures that show this             
slovenliness1 are1 we should suspect1 in
 those parts merely sketched in--a      
method agreeable to his practice1 which 
was to work upon and upon1 glazing1 and 
heaping colour--a method which required1
 in the first instance1 a loose and     
undefined sketchy manner4 ,some few     
years ago there was a picture by him    
exhibited at the ,institution1          
,pall-,mall--dead game1 wonderfully     
painted1 and evidently unfinished2 a boy
 in the background was1 as we might term
 it1 daubed in in a very slovenly       
manner1 and with a greenish colour1     

evidently for the sake of that colour as
 an underground4 ,under the head        
,historical in this chapter1 it is      
strange to find but seven names1        
,rubens1 ,vandyke1 ,rembrandt1          
,lairesse1 ,poelemburg1 ,albert ,durer1 
and ,hans ,holbein4 ,even with some of  
these names it is too much honour to    
place ,lairesse and ,poelemburg4  ,in   
reference to the lower classes of       
subjects1 we think justice is hardly    
done to ,jan ,steen1 of whom1           
considering him even as a colourist1    
more should have been said1 than that he
 is distinguished by the drollery of his
 subjects1 and by the most true and     
ingeniously simple expression of the    
feelings of common life4 ,all this might
 be said of many others2 the            
characteristic of ,jan ,steen is still  
wanting4 ,so we think as to ,philip     
,wouverman2 no notice is taken of his   
too great softness1 the evident fault of
 his manner4 ,nor are we satisfied with 
the description of ,backhuysen4 ,it     

should have been noticed in what he is  
distinguished from ,vandervelde4 ,his   
defect in composition is so striking1 as
 frequently to show a want of           
perspective in design1 and often he has 
no principal object in his picture4 ,his
 vessels are either too large or too    
small for the scene2 and his execution  
was likewise too softened4 ,he winds up 
this part of the subject with a         
quotation from ,diderot1 that he cannot 
be manner'd1 either in design or        
colouring1 who imitates nature          
scrupulously1 and that mannerism comes  
of the master of the academy1 of the    
school1 and of the ,antique1 which we   
very much doubt1 for the mannerism is   
often in the mind1 the peculiar1 the    
autographic character of the painter1   
which he stamps even upon nature4 ,were 
a ,wynantz1 and a ,claude or ,poussin1  
put down before the same scene1 how     
different would be their pictures1 how  
different the vision in the eye of the  
three6 ,a ,claude would see the         

distances1 a ,gaspar ,poussin the middle
 distances and flowing lines1 and       
,wynantz the docks and thistles4 ,the   
chapter on the signatures of the        
,masters1 will be found useful to       
collectors4 ,he says that where there is
 a false signature it is removed by     
spirits of wine1 and that is the proof  
that it is false4 ,he does not draw the 
inference1 that as spirits of wine      
destroy the one vehicle and not the     
other1 the old and original1 they must  
differ4  ,another chapter is devoted to 
,the famous balance composed by ,de     
,piles for estimating the different     
degrees of merit in the principal       
historical painters4 ,this famous       
balance is a piece of critical coxcombry
 with which we never could have         
tolerable patience4 ,it is an absurd    
assumption of superiority in the critic 
over all the masters that ever were2 as 
if he alone were able to conceive       
perfection1 to which no painter has ever
 been able to advance2 that perfection  

on which the critic1 or rather ,de      
,piles1 had his eye1 is ,number #bj2    
that no ,painter has approached it      
nearer than nineteen4 ,it commences with
 a falsehood in supposition1 that the   
critic is above the ,painter1 or ,art1  
or the only one really cognisant of it4 
,the fact being quite the reverse1 for  
we know nothing that we have not been   
absolutely taught by genius4 ,it is     
genius that precedes2 it is the maker1  
the worker1 the inventor1 who alone sees
 the step beyond4 ,did the critic see   
this step he would cease to be the      
critic1 and become the maker4 ,he would 
become the genius4 ,in the arts1 whether
 of poetry1 painting1 or music1 we know 
nothing but what practical genius tells 
us1 shows us1 teaches us2 seldom is it1 
indeed1 that the scholar critic         
comprehends fully the lessons taught2   
but to pretend to go before the masters1
 and to set up a post with his ,number  
#bj marked upon it1 and to bid his      
master reach it if he can1 is the       

puerile play of an infantine intellect1 
or very conceited mind6 ,and so we give 
,m4 ,de ,piles1 and all his followers1 a
 slap in the face1 and bid them go      
packing with ,number #bj4 ,we will not  
condescend to pull to pieces this       
fantastic scheme1 which is in its       
distinctions1 and weighings and         
calculations1 appreciations and         
depreciations1 as false as it must      
necessarily be1 arising from a mind     
capable of laying down any such scheme  
at all4 ,the chapter on prices1 and the 
lists contained1 will be consulted with 
advantage by collectors4 ,it contains   
valuable documents1 showing the         
fluctuations of public taste4 ,there is 
much useful information upon cleaning   
pictures1 and on varnishes4 ,something  
has been recently said to bring into    
practice again the varnishing with white
 of egg4 ,m4 de ,burtin is decidedly    
against the practice4 ,as to the        
varnishes of water1 isinglass1 and white
 of egg1 every prudent amateur will     

attack them the instant that he         
discovers such dangerous enemies1 and   
will use every effort to free his       
pictures from them4 ,we think him       
utterly mistaken in the following       
passage4 ,in operating upon a work of   
art1 whether to clean it or to raise the
 varnish1 it ought to be remembered1    
that the colours grow hard only by the  
lapse of time4 ,if so1 surely a hundred 
years would be time enough to           
harden--but the chemical tests which    
touch the hard paint1 if it be hard1 of 
a century old1 will not be applicable to
 those of still older date1 and of      
better time4 ,he had shown this         
unconsciously in what he had said of    
spirits of wine4 ,we have taken some    
pains in the pages of ,maga to disabuse 
the public with regard to the imaginary 
benefit of painting in varnish--a most  
pernicious practice2 and that it is so1 
we have elsewhere given both proof and  
authorities4 ,we are glad to find our   
author on our side4 ,besides1 no one at 

the present day 7#ahjh7 is ignorant of  
their absurd method of painting in      
varnish1 which corrupts the colours1 and
 prevents them ever attaining the       
requisite hardness4 ,there is much      
useful matter upon varnishing1 which it 
will be well that collectors and keepers
 of public galleries should read with   
attention4 ,we do not say follow1 but   
read2 for it is indeed a very serious   
matter to recommend a varnish1 seeing   
how many pictures are totally ruined by 
bad applications4 ,we have been told    
that drying oil mixed with mastic       
varnish has been1 though not very       
recently1 used in our ,national         
,gallery4 ,we hope it is a mistake1 and 
that there has been no such practice4   
,the effect must be to make them dull   
and horny1 and to destroy all brilliancy
 in time4 ,we say no more upon that     
subject1 believing that our ,national   
,gallery is intrusted to good hands1 and
 that whatever is done1 will be done    
with judgment1 and not without much     

reflection4 ,a new varnish has appeared1
 ,bentley's4 ,we believe it is copal1   
but rendered removable as mastic4 ,it is
 certainly very brilliant1 not1 or but  
slightly1 subject to chill1 and is more 
permanent1 as well as almost colourless4
 ,de ,burtin not only denounces the use 
of oil in varnishes1 but speaks of a    
more disgusting practice1 common in     
,italy1 of rubbing pictures with fat1   
oil1 or lard1 or other animal grease4444
 ,so destructive a practice comes in    
process of time to rot the picture1 so  
that it will not hold together4 ,we     
should scarcely have thought it worth   
while to notice this1 had we not seen   
pictures so treated in this country4    
,behold a specimen of folly and         
hazardous experiment3--,at that time1 ,i
 frequented the ,dresden gallery every  
morning1 and got from ,m4 ,riedal all   
the details of his practice4 ,he        
informed me that1 amongst others1 the   
chief works of ,correggio1 ,raffaelle1  
,titian1 and ,procaccini1 after having  

undergone his preparatory operations1   
had got a coat of his 'oil of flowers1' 
which he would repeat1 until every part 
became 'perfectly bright4' ,and on my   
remarking1 that in the admirable        
',venus' of ,titian1 the carnations     
alone were bright1 and all the rest     
flat1 he told me with perfect coolness1 
that 'having only as yet given it three 
coats of his oil1 that it was not       
astonishing1 but that he would put it   
all in unison by multiplying the coats4'
 ,the man should have been suffocated in
 his oil of flowers1 preserved in them1 
and hung up in the gallery in terrorem4 
,could ghosts walk and punish1 we would 
not have been in his skin1 though       
perfumed with his preservative oil of   
flowers1 under the visitations of the   
ghosts of ,correggio1 ,raffaelle1       
,titian1 and ,procaccini4 ,such1 adds   
,m4 de ,burtin1 was his threat at the   
very moment that ,i felt overpowered    
with chagrin1 to see the superb         
carnations of ,titian acquiring a       

yellowish1 sad1 and monotonous tone1    
through the coats that he had already   
given to it4  ,we have noticed1 at      
considerable length1 this work1 and have
 been led on by the interest of the     
subject4 ,the perusal of this           
translation will repay the connoisseur1 
and we think the artist4 ,the former1 in
 this country1 will be surprised to find
 names of artists1 whose works will not 
be found in our collections1 at least   
with their titles4 ,the artist will find
 some useful information1 and will      
always find his flame of enthusiasm fed 
by reading works upon the subject of    
art1 though they should be very inferior
 to the present useful volume4 ,we      
recommend it as not unamusing to all who
 wish to think upon art1 and to acquire 
the now almost necessary accomplishment 
of a taste for pictures4     ,,manner   
,,and ,,matter4  ,a ,,tale4   ,,chapter 
,i4  ,along the dusty highway1 and      
underneath a ,july sun1 a man about     
fifty1 tending somewhat to the          

corpulent1 and dressed in heavy parsonic
 black1 might have been seen treading   
slowly--treading with all that quiet    
caution which one uses who1 conscious of
 fat1 trusts his person to the influence
 of a summer sky4 ,mr ,simpson1 such was
 the name of this worthy pedestrian1    
passed under the denomination of a      
mathematical tutor1 though it was now   
some time since he had been known to    
have any pupil4 ,he was now bent from   
the village of ------ to the            
country-seat of ,sir ,john ,steventon1  
which lay in its neighbourhood4 ,he had 
received the unusual honour of an       
invitation to dinner at the great man's 
house1 and it was evidently necessary   
that he should present himself1 both his
 visage and his toilet1 in a state of as
 much composure as possible4 ,the dust  
upon his very shining boot1 this a touch
 from his pocket-handkerchief1 before   
entering the house1 could remove1 and so
 far all traces of the road would be    
obliterated2 but should this wicked     

perspiration once fairly break its      
bounds1 he well knew that nothing but   
the lapse of time1 and the fall of      
night1 would recover him from this      
palpable disorder4 ,therefore it was    
that he walked with wonderful placidity1
 making no one movement of body or mind 
that was not absolutely necessary to the
 task of progression1 and holding       
himself up1 so to speak1 within his     
habiliments as if he and they1 though   
unavoidably companions on the same      
journey1 were by no means intimate or   
willing associates4 ,there was a narrow 
strip of shade from the hedge that ran  
beside the road1 and although the shadow
 still left the nobler half of his      
person exposed to the rays of the sun1  
he kept carefully within such shelter as
 it afforded4 ,if he encountered any    
one1 he stood still and examined the    
foliage of the hedge4 ,to dispute the   
path in any other manner1 with the      
merest urchin he might meet1 was out of 
the question4 ,it would have caused     

excitement4 ,moreover he was a meek man1
 and in all doubtful points yielded to  
the claim of others4 ,grocery-boys and  
barrow-women always had the wall of him4
 ,our traveller proceeded so tranquilly1
 that a sparrow boldly hopped down upon 
the ground before him2 he was so        
resolved to enter into conflict with no 
living creature1 that he paused till it 
had hopped off again4  ,mr ,simpson's   
toilet1 though it had been that day a   
subject of great anxiety with him1      
presented1 we fear1 to the eyes of the  
world nothing remarkable4 ,a careless   
observer1 if questioned on the          
apparition he had met with1 would have  
replied very briefly1 that it was the   
figure of an old pedant dressed in a    
suit of rusty black4 ,suit of rusty     
black6 ,and so he would dismiss the     
aggregate of all that was choice1       
reserved1 and precious in the wardrobe  
of ,mr ,simpson4 ,rusty black1 indeed6  
,why1 that dress coat1 which had been   
set apart for years for high and solemn 

occasions1 had contracted a fresh       
dignity and importance from every       
solemnity with which it had been        
associated4 ,and those respectable      
nether-garments1 had they not always    
been dismissed from service the moment  
he re-entered his own dusty apartment8  
,had they not been religiously preserved
 from all abrasion of the surface1      
whether from cane-bottomed chair1 or    
that under portion of the library table 
which1 to students who cross their legs1
 is found to be so peculiarly pernicious
 to the nap of cloth8 ,what could have  
made them worse for wear8 ,would a      
thoughtless world confound the influence
 of the all-embracing atmosphere1 with  
the wear and tear proper to cloth       
habiliments8 ,and then his linen--would 
a careless public refuse to take notice 
that not a single button was missing    
from the shirt1 which1 in general1 had  
but one solitary button remaining--just 
one at the neck1 probably fastened by   
his own hand8 ,above all1 was it not    

noticeable that he was not to-day under 
the necessity of hiding one hand behind 
him under the lappets of his coat1 and  
slipping the other down his half-open   
umbrella1 to conceal the dilapidated    
gloves1 but could display both hands    
with perfect candour to public scrutiny8
 ,were all these singular merits to pass
 unacknowledged1 to be seen by no one1  
or seen only by himself8  ,it was an    
excellent wish of ,burns'--      ,oh1   
would some power the giftie gie us1     
,to see ourselves as others see us6     
,but it would be a still more convenient
 thing if some power would give the rest
 of the world the faculty of seeing us  
as we see ourselves4 ,it would produce a
 most comfortable state of public       
opinion2 and on no subject would it     
operate more favourably than on that of 
dress4 ,could we spread over beholders  
the same happy delusion that rests on   
ourselves1 what a magical change would  
take place in the external appearance of
 society6 ,mr ,simpson is not the only  

person who might complain that the world
 will not regard his several articles of
 attire from the same point of view as  
himself4 ,we know a very charming lady1 
who1 when she examines her kid gloves1  
doubles her little fist1 and then       
pronounces--they will do--forgetful that
 she is not in the habit of doubling her
 pretty fist in the face of every one   
that she speaks to--and that1 therefore1
 others will not take exactly the same  
point of view as herself4               
,notwithstanding the heat of the sun1   
our mathematician contrived to deliver  
himself in a tolerable state of         
preservation at the mansion of ,sir     
,john ,steventon4 ,we pass over the     
ceremony of dinner1 and draw up the     
curtain just at that time when the      
ladies and gentlemen have re-assembled  
in the drawing-room4  ,we look round the
 well-dressed circle1 and it is some    
time before we can discover our worthy  
friend4 ,at length1 after a minute      
research1 we find him standing alone in 

the remotest corner of the room4 ,he is 
apparently engaged in examining the bust
 of the proprietor of the mansion1 which
 stands there upon its marble pedestal4 
,he has almost turned his back upon the 
company4 ,any one1 from his attitude1   
might take him for a connoisseur1       
perhaps an artist1 absorbed in his      
critical survey4 ,but so far is he from 
being at the present moment drawn away  
by his admiration of the fine arts1 that
 we question whether he even sees the   
bust that is standing upright1 face to  
face1 before him4 ,he has got into that 
corner1 and knows not how to move from  
it4 ,he knows not where else to put     
himself1 or what else to be looking at4 
,the scene in which he finds himself    
has1 from the solitude of his later     
years1 become strange and embarrassing4 
,the longer he stands there1 the more   
impossible does it seem for him to get  
away1 or even to turn round and face the
 company4 ,the position of the valorous 
,schmelzle1 who having read upon a board

 the notice that spring guns were set   
upon the premises1 trembled as much to  
retreat as to advance1 to move a foot   
backwards or forwards1 or in any        
direction1 but stood gazing at the      
formidable announcement1 was scarcely   
more painful than that of ,simpson4     
,although probably not a single person  
in the room was taking the least notice 
of his movements1 he felt that every eye
 was upon him4 ,the colour was mounting 
in his cheek4 ,every moment his         
situation was becoming more intolerable4
 ,we are afraid that he would soon have 
committed something very absurd--have   
broken from his moorings with a         
shout--or dispelled the sort of         
nightmare that was stifling him by some 
violent gesture1 perhaps by dealing a   
blow at that bust which stood there so  
placidly before him1 just as the poor   
youth did at the ,british ,museum1 who  
threw a stone at the ,portland vase1 to 
prove that he also was a man1 and had   
volition1 and was not to be looked into 

stone by the ,gorgon of society4        
,fortunately1 however1 ,sir ,john       
,steventon himself came to the rescue4  
,well1 ,mr ,simpson1 said the baronet   
pointing to the bust1 do you trace a    
resemblance8  ,mr ,simpson was so       
overjoyed to have at length some one at 
hand to whom he might speak1 or seem to 
be speaking1 and so connect himself with
 the society around him1 that to the    
simple question he made not one only1   
but several answers1 and very dissimilar
 ones too4 ,in the same breath he found 
it a likeness1 yet not very like1 and   
ended with asking for whom it was       
intended4  ,sir ,john ,steventon smiled1
 and after one or two indifferent       
observations1 led ,mr ,simpson apart    
into a little study or sanctum of his   
own1 which communicated with the        
drawing-room4 ,it will be naturally     
concluded that there existed some       
peculiar reason for the invitation      
passed on our humble mathematician1 who 
was not altogether the person1 under    

ordinary circumstances1 to find himself 
a guest at rich men's tables4 ,the      
following conversation will explain this
 departure from the usual course of     
things1 and the respectable conventions 
of society4  ,you were some years1 said 
,sir ,john1 a tutor in the family of the
 late ,mr ,scott8  ,i was1 responded ,mr
 ,simpson1 and prepared his son for     
,cambridge4 ,had the young man lived----
  ,he would1 ,i am sure1 politely       
interrupted ,sir ,john1 have borne      
testimony to the value of your          
instruction4 ,i am1 as you may be aware1
 the executor of ,mr ,scott4 ,that      
gentleman was so well satisfied with the
 exertions you made1 and the interest   
you took in his son1 that1 on your      
quitting him1 he presented you1 ,i      
believe1 with an annuity of fifty       
pounds1 to be enjoyed during your life4 
,this is1 if ,i may be allowed to say   
so1 the chief source of your income4    
,the only one1 answered ,mr ,simpson4   
,for although ,i willingly proclaim     

myself tutor of mathematics1 because a  
title1 no matter what1 is a protection  
from the idle curiosity of neighbours2  
yet1 if ,i may venture to say so1 my    
life is1 indeed1 devoted to science for 
the love of science itself1 and with the
 hope of enrolling my name1 although the
 very last and humblest1 amongst those  
who have perfected our knowledge of the 
mathematics1 and extended their         
application4 ,i have already conceived1 
and in part executed a work4  ,mr       
,simpson was launching on the full tide 
of his favourite subject4 ,he thought1  
as good simple creatures always do1 that
 he could not make a better return for  
the hospitalities of the rich man1 than 
by pouring out his whole heart before   
him4 ,sad mistake which these simple    
people fall into6 ,the rich man cares   
nothing for their heart1 and is very    
susceptible to ennui4  ,very good1      
interrupted ,sir ,john1 very good2 but  
with regard to this annuity4 ,i have not
 yet looked over the papers relating to 

it1 and ,i hope1 for your sake1 ,i shall
 find it properly secured4  ,i have a   
deed formally drawn up4  ,true1 true2   
and ,i hope all will be found           
straightforward in this1 and in other   
affairs of the testator1 and that       
nothing will compel me to call in the   
assistance or sanction of the ,court of 
,chancery in administering the estate4  
,in that case1 although your claim might
 be ultimately substantiated1 yet the   
payment of your annuity might1 for some 
years1 be suspended4  ,i pray ,god not6 
exclaimed our man of science with some  
trepidation4 ,i have lived so much      
alone1 so entirely amongst my figures   
and diagrams1 that ,i have not a friend 
in the world of whom ,i could borrow    
sixpence4  ,well1 ,i trust1 resumed ,sir
 ,john1 after a short pause1 that there 
will be no occasion for applying to a   
,court of ,chancery4 ,there ought to be 
none4 ,there is but one child1 ,mrs     
,vincent1 whom you have seen this       
evening in the drawing-room4 ,the great 

essential is to keep prying and         
meddlesome attorneys from thrusting     
themselves into the business4 ,you acted
 as confidential secretary as well as   
tutor1 while you were domiciled with ,mr
 ,scott4  ,i did4  ,there was a         
pecuniary transaction between myself and
 ,mr ,scott1 to which ,i think you were 
privy4  ,a loan of ten thousand pounds1 
for which you gave your bond4  ,exactly4
 ,i see you are informed of that        
circumstance4 ,you are not1 perhaps1    
equally well informed that that bond was
 cancelled2 that the debt1 in short1 was
 paid4 ,this happened after you had left
 ,mr ,scott4 ,but although1 as ,i tell  
you1 this debt no longer exists1 yet it 
might create a great embarrassment to   
me1 and to every person interested in   
the estate of the testator1 if it were  
known that such a debt ever had existed4
 ,mrs ,vincent has just returned from   
,india1 expecting a very considerable   
fortune from her late father4 ,to her1  
in general terms1 the whole property is 

left4 ,she will be disappointed4 ,there 
is much less than she anticipates4      
,however1 not to make a long story of   
this matter1 all ,i have to request of  
you is this1 if any one should question 
you as to the property of your late     
patron1 and especially as to this       
transaction1 be you silent--know        
nothing4 ,you have ever been a man of   
books1 buried in abstractions1 the      
answer will appear quite natural4 ,this 
will save you1 be assured1 from much    
vexation1 disquietude1 and grievous     
interruption to your studies1 and ,i    
shall rest your debtor for your         
considerate behaviour4 ,a contrary      
course will create embarrassment to all 
parties1 and put in jeopardy your own   
annuity1 on which1 as you say1 you      
depend for subsistence1 and the carrying
 out of your scientific projects4  ,as  
,mr ,simpson sat silent during this     
communication1 ,sir ,john continued some
 time longer in the same strain4 ,he    
made no doubt that the simple           

mathematician before him was quite under
 his influence--was completely in his   
power4 ,that simple person1 however1 who
 lived in obscurity1 almost in          
penury--to society an object of its     
wisely directed ridicule--was a man of  
honour4 ,little had he to do with the   
world2 even its good opinion was        
scarcely of any importance to him4 ,what
 to him was the fastidiousness of       
virtue--to him whom poverty excluded    
from the refined portion of society1 and
 knowledge and education from the vulgar
 and illiterate8 ,what could he profit  
by it8 ,nothing1 absolutely nothing4    
,and yet there was no power on earth    
could have made this man false to his   
honour4 ,partly1 perhaps1 from his very 
estrangement from the business of the   
world1 his sense of virtue had retained 
its fresh and youthful susceptibility4  
,as is the case with all such men1 he   
was slow to attribute villany to others4
 ,this it was had kept him silent2 he   
waited to be quite convinced that he    

understood ,sir ,john4 ,when the truth  
stood plainly revealed1 when it became  
evident to him that this debt of ten    
thousand pounds was not paid1 and that  
he was brought there to be bribed or    
intimidated into a guilty secrecy1 his  
whole soul fired up with indignation4   
,he had listened1 as we say1 in silence4
 ,when satisfied that he perfectly      
comprehended ,sir ,john1 he rose from   
his seat1 and briefly intimating that he
 should not leave him long in doubt as  
to the manner in which he should act1   
turned1 and abruptly left the apartment4
 ,sir ,john had no time to arrest him1  
and could only follow1 and be a witness 
to his movements4 ,he re-entered the    
drawing-room4 ,where were now all the   
terrors of that scene8 ,where the awe   
which its easy elegant ceremonial       
inspired8 ,gone1 utterly gone4 ,he had  
now a duty to fulfil4 ,you would have   
said it was another man4 ,had he been   
the proprietor of the mansion1 he could 
not have entered with a more assured and

 unembarrassed air4 ,there was a perfect
 freedom and dignity in his demeanour as
 he stepped across the room4 ,in the    
centre of the room1 throned1 as it were1
 upon the sofa1 sat two ladies1         
remarkable above all the others1 for the
 finished elegance of their manner1 and 
the splendour of their toilet4 ,the one 
was ,lady ,steventon1 the other ,mrs    
,vincent4 ,some minutes ago1 not for all
 the world would he have stood alone    
upon that piece of carpet in front of   
this sofa4 ,no courtier1 assured of the 
most smiling reception1 could have drawn
 his chair with more ease to the vacant 
spot beside ,mrs ,vincent1 than did now 
,mr ,simpson4 ,he immediately entered   
into conversation on the subject that at
 the moment engrossed all his thoughts2 
he reminded her of the confidential     
intimacy which had subsisted between    
himself and her late father2 proffered  
his assistance to aid her in the        
arrangement of her affairs2 and1 in     
particular1 gave a succinct account of  

the transaction which ,sir ,john had    
manifested so great anxiety to conceal4 
,the manner in which all this was said1 
so entirely took ,sir ,john ,steventon  
by surprise1 that he was unable to      
interfere with a single word4 ,mrs      
,vincent1 to whom the information was   
evidently quite new1 concealed the      
embarrassment she felt in some general  
expressions of thanks to ,mr ,simpson4  
,he1 when he had fulfilled his object1  
rose1 and making a profound bow to his  
host and hostess1 quitted the house4    
,his demeanour was such1 that his host  
involuntarily returned his salutation   
with one of marked deference and        
respect4   ,,chapter ,,ii4  ,a year had 
rolled round1 and ,mrs ,vincent was     
established in all her rights4 ,sir     
,john ,steventon had been disappointed  
in the fraudulent scheme he had devised2
 not disappointed1 however1 as he       
deemed1 in the revenge he had taken on  
the man who had frustrated it4 ,payment 
of ,mr ,simpson's annuity was resisted1 

and the poor mathematician was in great 
straits for those necessaries of life1  
which1 necessary as they may be1 are    
often with a great portion of the human 
family very fortuitous4 ,ask not on what
 legal pretexts ,sir ,john had been     
successful in inflicting this revenge4  
,such pretexts are thick as             
blackberries4 ,facilis est              
descensus--,no rich suitor ever sought  
long for admission into the ,court of   
,chancery1 however difficult even he may
 have found the escape from it4         
,neither1 do we apprehend1 is there any 
remedy for this abuse of law1 in the    
legal reforms usually contemplated by   
our legislators4 ,the only effective    
remedy1 if we may be here permitted to  
give a remark1 would be this--that the  
state administer civil justice at its   
own expense to rich and poor            
alike--that1 as it protects each man's  
life and limb1 so it should protect each
 man's property1 which is the means of  
life1 which is often as essential to him

 as the limbs by which he moves4 ,this  
is the only mode of realizing that equal
 justice which at present is the vain   
boast of every system of jurisprudence1 
when the suitor has to pay for          
protection to his property4  ,poor      
,simpson1 who had lived for some years  
on his scanty annuity1 and had lived    
content1 for his wants were few1 and his
 mind utterly absorbed in his science1  
now found himself without the simplest  
means of subsistence4 ,he had escaped1  
as he thought1 for ever1 from the       
necessity of applying his science to    
satisfy mere animal wants2 he began to  
think he should be very fortunate if all
 his science would procure for him the  
commonest board and lodging6 ,when a man
 has ceased to cultivate his            
relationship with society1 and wishes1  
after a time1 to return to them1 he will
 find that a blank wall has been built  
up between him and the world4 ,there is 
not even a door to knock at1 let alone  
the chance of its opening when he       

knocks4 ,our mathematician knew not     
where to look for a pupil1 nor for a    
friend who would recommend him4 ,some   
unavailing attempts he made to obtain   
his rights through litigation2 but he   
soon found1 that to the loss of his     
money he was adding only the loss of all
 tranquillity of mind4 ,the lawyer he   
employed neglected 7and very naturally7 
a suit which would have required on his 
part large advances1 the repayment of   
which was very precarious4  ,in this    
predicament he bethought himself of     
making an appeal to ,mrs ,vincent1 the  
lady whom he had benefited by his simple
 and straightforward honesty2 not that  
he held her under any peculiar          
obligation to him2 what he had done was 
by no means to oblige her2 it was       
strictly a self-obligation2 he could not
 have acted otherwise1 let the          
consequences have been what they might4 
,but he reasoned with himself1 that the 
annuity of which he was deprived would  
fall into the general residue of the    

estate1 and be in fact paid to her2 and 
as he could not believe that she would  
wish to profit by the villany of ,sir   
,john1 he thought there could be nothing
 derogatory to him1 nor exacting upon   
her1 if he proposed to relinquish       
entirely his legal claim upon the       
estate1 and receive the annuity from her
 hands4 ,she must surely be desirous1 he
 thought1 to fulfil the solemn          
engagements of her deceased parent4     
,full of these cogitations1 he betook   
himself to ,london1 where ,mrs ,vincent 
had established herself4  ,the reader   
must imagine himself introduced into an 
elegantly furnished drawing-room1 in one
 of the most fashionable quarters of the
 metropolis4 ,had we any talent for the 
description of the miracles of          
upholstery1 it would be a sin to pass   
over so superb and tasteful a scene     
without a word4 ,but the little         
descriptive power we possess must be    
reserved for the lady who was sitting in
 the midst of one of those domestic     

miniature palaces1 of which the         
interiors of ,london could present so   
great a number4 ,mrs ,vincent had lately
 become a widow1 at the opening of our  
narrative1 and was therefore still      
dressed in black4 ,but though in black1 
or rather perhaps on that very account1 
her attire was peculiarly costly4 ,in   
black only can magnificence of apparel  
be perfectly allied with purity of      
taste4 ,and certainly nothing could     
harmonize better than the rich satin    
dress1 and the superb scarf of lace     
which fell over it with such a gorgeous 
levity4 ,a pope in his highest day of   
festival might have coveted that lace4  
,between the black satin and the light  
folds of the scarf1 relieved by the one1
 and tempered1 and sometimes half hidden
 by the other1 played a diamond cross1  
which might have been the ransom of a   
,great ,mogul4 ,the features of ,mrs    
,vincent were remarkably delicate1 and  
her pale beauty was of that order which 
especially interests the imagination4   

,she wore her hair plainly parted upon  
either side1 revealing the charming     
contour of her well-shaped head4 ,a     
patriarch would have gloried in his age 
if it gave him the privilege to take    
that dear head between his hands1 and   
imprint his holy kiss upon the forehead4
 ,her little girl1 her sole companion   
and chief treasure in the world1 stood  
prattling before her2 and the beauty of 
the young mother was tenfold increased  
by the utter forgetfulness of herself1  
which she manifested as she bent over   
her child1 absorbed in the beauty of    
that dear little image which she was    
never weary of caressing4  ,mrs ,vincent
 was even more fascinating in manner    
than in appearance4 ,she was one of     
those charming little personages whom   
every one idolizes1 whom men and women  
alike consent to pet4 ,it was impossible
 to be in the same room with her half an
 hour without being perfectly ready to  
do every thing1 reasonable or           
unreasonable1 that she could request of 

you4 ,the charm of her conversation1 or 
rather of her society1 was irresistible2
 there was a sweet subdued gaiety in her
 speech1 accent1 and gestures which made
 you happy1 you knew not why2 and though
 by no means a wit1 nor laying the least
 claim to be a clever person1 there was 
a sprightly music in her tones1 and a   
spontaneous vivacity in her language1   
which left a far more delightful        
impression than the most decided wit4   
,where shall we find a more beautiful   
picture than that of a young mother1 and
 that mother a widow1 bending over the  
glossy tresses of her child8 ,never is  
woman so attractive1 so subduing2 never 
does she so tenderly claim our          
protection2 never is she so completely  
protected1 so unassailable1 so          
predominant4 ,poor ,simpson felt his    
heart penetrated with the holiest love  
and veneration when he entered the room4
  ,nothing could exceed the graceful and
 benevolent manner in which ,mrs        
,vincent received him4 ,he had been the 

tried friend of her father1 the beloved 
tutor of her brother2 he had lately been
 of signal service to herself4 ,mr      
,simpson was overpowered with his       
reception4 ,the object of his visit     
seemed already accomplished4 ,hardly did
 it appear necessary to proceed with any
 verbal statement2 surely she knew his  
position1 and this was enough4 ,she had 
been restored to her rights2 she would  
not1 she could not1 allow him to suffer 
by an act which led to that restoration2
 still less would she consent to reap   
herself the benefit of an injustice     
perpetrated upon him4  ,some            
explanation1 however1 of the object of  
his visit he found it necessary to make4
 ,when he had concluded the brief       
statement which he thought sufficient1  
the lady answered in the softest voice  
in the world--that she was sorry she    
could not enter upon that subject1 as   
she had promised ,sir ,john ,steventon  
not to interfere between him and ,mr    
,simpson--that ,sir ,john had exacted   

this promise1 and she had given it1 as  
necessary to facilitate the arrangement 
of her affairs4 ,what could she do1 an  
unprotected woman1 with the interests of
 her child depending upon her8 ,she was 
bound1 therefore1 she regretted to say1 
not to intermeddle in the business4 ,but
 then ,mr ,simpson could proceed with   
his legal remedies4 ,she did not presume
 to pass an opinion upon the justice of 
his claim1 or to advise him not to      
prosecute it4  ,in brief1 she had given 
up the brave and honourable man1 who had
 befriended her at the peril of his     
fortune1 to the revenge of the wealthy1 
unscrupulous baronet1 who had intended  
to defraud her4 ,it was so agreeable to 
be on amicable terms with her father's  
executor4  ,our mathematician doubted   
his ears4 ,yet so it was4 ,and it was   
all repeated to him in the blandest     
manner in the world4 ,she seemed to     
think that a duty to any one else but   
her child was out of the question4 ,we  
believe that many interesting and       

beautiful mothers have the same idea4   
,mr ,simpson gasped for breath4 ,some   
quite general remark was the only one   
that rose to his lip4 ,you are          
angels--to look upon1 he half-murmured  
to himself4  ,it was not in his         
disposition to play the petitioner1 and 
still less to give vent to feelings of  
indignation1 which would be thought to  
have their origin only in his own       
personal injuries4 ,it was still        
surprise that was predominant in him1 as
 at length he exclaimed--,but surely1   
madam1 you do not understand this       
matter4 ,this annuity was honestly won  
by long services rendered to your       
father1 and to his son4 ,instead of     
receiving other payments1 ,i had        
preferred to be finally remunerated in  
this form--it was my desire to obtain   
what in my humble ideas was an          
independence1 that ,i might devote my   
life to science4 ,well1 this annuity1 it
 is my all--it stands between me and    
absolute penury--it is the plank on     

which ,i sail over the waters of life4  
,i have1 too1 an object for my          
existence1 which this alone renders     
possible4 ,i have studies to pursue1    
discoveries to make4 ,this sum of money 
is more than my life1 it is my license  
to study and to think4  ,oh1 but1 ,mr   
,simpson1 interrupted the lady with a   
smile1 ,i understand nothing of         
mathematics4  ,mr ,simpson checked      
himself4 ,no1 she did not understand    
him4 ,what was his love of science or   
his hope of fame to her8 ,what to her   
was any one of the pains and pleasures  
that constituted his existence8         
,besides1 added the lady1 you are a     
bachelor1 ,mr ,simpson4 ,you have no    
children4 ,it can matter little----  ,a 
grim smile played upon the features of  
the mathematician4 ,he was probably     
about to prove to her1 that as children 
are destined to become men1 the         
interests of a man may not be an        
unworthy subject of anxiety4 ,however   
important a person a child may be1 a man

 is something more4 ,but at this moment 
a servant entered1 and announced ,sir   
,john ,steventon6  ,on perceiving ,mr   
,simpson1 that gentleman was about to   
retreat1 and with a look of something   
like distrust at ,mrs ,vincent1 he said 
that he would call again4 ,nay1 come in6
 exclaimed the mathematician with a     
clear voice4 ,come in6 ,the lady has not
 broken her word1 nor by me shall she be
 petitioned to do so4 ,it is ,i who will
 quit this place4 ,you have succeeded1  
,sir ,john1 in your revenge--you have   
succeeded1 and yet perhaps it is an     
imperfect success4 ,you shall not rack  
the heart1 though you should starve the 
body4 ,you think1 perhaps1 ,i shall     
pursue you with objurgation or entreaty4
 ,you are mistaken4 ,i leave you to the 
enjoyment of your triumph1 and to the   
peace which a blunted conscience will1  
,i know1 bestow upon you4  ,sir ,john   
muttered1 in reply1 that he could not   
debate matters of business1 but must    
refer him to his solicitor4  ,neither   

personally1 continued ,mr ,simpson1 nor 
by your solicitor1 will you hear more of
 me4 ,i shall forget you1 ,sir ,john4   
,whatever sufferings you may inflict1   
you shall not fill my heart with        
bitterness4 ,your memory shall not call 
forth a single curse from me4 ,approach4
 ,be friendly to this lady4 ,be mutually
 courteous1 bland1 and affable--what    
other virtues do you know8  ,he strode  
out of the room4 ,his parting word was  
no idle boast4 ,sir ,john heard of him  
and of his just claims no more2 and the 
brave-hearted man swept the memory of   
the villain from his soul4 ,he would not
 have it there4  ,the baronet soothed   
his conscience1 if it ever gave him any 
uneasiness1 by the supposition that the 
aged mathematician had found some       
pupils--that probably he eked out as    
comfortable a subsistence as before1 and
 had only exchanged the dreamy pursuit  
of scientific fame1 for the more        
practical labours of tuition4 ,but no   
such fortune attended ,mr ,simpson4 ,he 

had lived too long out of the world to  
find either friends or pupils1 and the  
more manifest his poverty1 the more     
hopeless became his applications4       
,meanwhile1 utter destitution stood face
 to face before him4 ,did he spend his  
last coin in the purchase of the mortal 
dose8 ,did he leap at night from any of 
the bridges of the metropolis8 ,he was  
built of stouter stuff4 ,he collected   
together his manuscripts1 a book or two1
 which had happily for him been         
unsaleable1 his ink-bottle and an iron  
pen1 and marched straight--to the parish
 workhouse4 ,there was no refusing his  
claim here4 ,poverty and famine were    
legible in every garment1 and on every  
feature4 ,in that asylum he ended his   
days1 unknown1 unsought for4  ,one of   
his companions1 dressed like himself1 in
 the workhouse costume1 who had gathered
 that he was the sufferer by some act of
 injustice of a rich oppressor1 thought1
 on one occasion1 to console him by the 
reflection1 that his wrongdoer would    

certainly suffer for it in the next     
world--in his own energetic language1   
that he would certainly be d----d4  ,not
 on my account--not1 ,i hope1 on my     
account1 said the mathematician1 with   
the greatest simplicity in the world4   
,no revenge either here or hereafter4   
,but if civil government deserved the   
name1 it would have given me justice    
now4 ,had ,i been robbed of sixpence on 
the highway1 there would have been hue  
and cry--the officers of government     
would not have rested till they had     
found and punished the culprit4 ,i am   
robbed of all2 and1 because ,i am poor  
and unfriended--circumstances which make
 the loss irremediable--the law puts    
forth no hand to help me4 ,men will     
prate about the expense--the burden on  
the national revenue--as if justice to  
all were not the very first object of   
government--as if--but truce to this4   
,my good friend1 you see these fragments
 of snuff that ,i have collected--could 
you get them exchanged for me for a     

little ink8     ,,marston2 ,,or1 ,,the  
,,memoirs ,,of ,a ,,statesman4          
,part ,,xx4      ,have ,i not in my time
 heard lions roar8     ,have ,i not     
heard the sea1 puft up with wind1       
,rage like an angry boar chafed with    
sweat8     ,have ,i not heard great     
ordnance in the field1     ,and         
,heaven's artillery thunder in the      
skies8     ,have ,i not in the pitched  
battle heard     ,loud 'larums1 neighing
 steeds1 and trumpets clang8            
,shakspeare4   ,as my mission was but   
temporary1 and might be attended with   
personal hazard1 ,i had left ,clotilde  
in ,england1 much to her regret1 and    
travelled with as small a retinue as    
possible2 and in general by unfrequented
 ways1 to avoid the ,french patroles    
which were already spread through the   
neighbourhood of the high-roads4 ,but1  
at ,burgos1 the ,spanish commandant1 on 
the delivery of my passport1 insisted so
 strongly on the necessity for an       
escort1 placing the wish on a feeling of

 his personal responsibility1 in case of
 my falling into the enemy's hands1 that
 to save the seor's conscience1 or his  
commission1 ,i consented to take a few  
troopers1 with one of his aides-de-camp1
 to see me in safety through the ,sierra
 ,morena4  ,the aide-de-camp was a      
character2 a little meagre being1 who1  
after a long life of idleness and       
half-pay1 was suddenly called into      
service2 and now figured in a staff-coat
 and feather4 ,his first commission had 
been in the luckless expedition of      
,count ,o',reilly against the ,moors2   
and it had probably served him as a     
topic1 from that time to the moment when
 he pledged his renown for my safe      
delivery into the hands of the junta of 
,castile4 ,he had three leading ideas1  
which formed the elements of his body   
and soul1--his exploits in the ,moorish 
campaign2 his contempt for the monks2   
and his value for the talents1 courage1 
and fame of ,don ,ignacio ,trueno       
,relampago1 the illustrious appellative 

of the little aide-de-camp himself4 ,he 
talked without mercy as we rode along2  
and gave his opinions with all the easy 
conviction of an officer on the staff1  
and all the freedom of the wilderness4  
,the expedition to ,africa had failed   
solely for want of adopting the tactics 
which he would have advised2 and his    
public services in securing the retreat 
would have done honour to the ,cid1 or  
to ,alexander the ,great1 had not       
military jealousy refused to transmit   
them to the national ear4 ,his opinion  
of ,spanish politics was1 that they owed
 their occasional mistakes solely to the
 culpable negligence of the war-minister
 in overlooking the gallant subalterns  
of the national army4 ,spain he regarded
 as the natural sovereign of ,europe2   
and1 of course1 of all mankind--its     
falling occasionally into the background
 being satisfactorily accounted for by  
the ,french descent of her existing     
dynasty1 by the visible deterioration in
 the royal manufacture of cigars1 and1  

more than either1 by the tardiness of   
military promotion4 ,this last grievance
 was the sting4 ,if justice had been    
done1 exclaimed the new-feathered       
warrior1 rising in his stirrups1 and    
waving his hand1 as if he was in the act
 of cleaving down a ,moor1 ,i should    
long since have been a general4 ,if ,i  
had been a general1 the armies of ,spain
 would long since have been on a very   
different footing4 ,men of merit would  
have been placed in their proper        
positions2 the troops would have        
emulated the exploits of their          
forefathers in the age of ,ferdinand and
 ,isabella2 and1 instead of receiving a 
king from ,france1 we should have given 
her one2 while1 instead of seeing a     
,french emperor carrying off our        
princes1 as the hawk carries off        
pigeons1 or as a gipsy picks your pocket
 under pretence of telling your fortune1
 we should have been garrisoning ,paris 
with our battalions1 and sending a      
viceroy to the ,tuileries4  ,i laughed2 

but my ill-timed mirth had nearly cost  
me an affair of honour with the little  
regenerator4 ,his hand was instantly on 
the hilt of his sword1 and every wrinkle
 on his brown visage was swelling with  
wrath2 when my better genius prevailed1 
,he probably recollected that he was    
sent as my protector1 and that the      
office would not have been fulfilled    
according to his instructions1 by       
running me through the midriff4 ,but1   
with all his pomposity1 he had the      
national good-nature2 and when we sat   
down to our chicken and bottle of ,tinto
 in one of those delicious valleys1 he  
was full of remorse for his burst of    
patriotic temper4  ,the day had been a  
continued blaze of sunshine1 the road a 
burning sand1 and the contrast of the   
spot where we made our halt was         
tempting4 ,the scene was rich and riant1
 the evening lovely1 and the wine good4 
,i could have reposed there for a month1
 or a year1 or for ever4 ,it would have 
been enough to make a man turn hermit2  

and ,i instinctively gazed round1 to    
look for the convent which must lie in  
so luxurious a site4 ,my companion      
informed me that ,i was perfectly right 
in my conjecture1 that spot having been 
the position of one of the richest      
brotherhoods of ,spain4 ,but its        
opulence had been unluckily displayed in
 rather too ostentatious a style in the 
eyes of a ,french brigade2 who1 in      
consequence1 packed up the plate in     
their baggage1 and1 in the course of a  
tumult which followed with the          
peasantry1 burned the building to the   
ground4  ,yet1 this misfortune was the  
source of but slight condolence on the  
part of my friend4 ,he was perfectly of 
the new school4 ,they were ,theatines1  
said he--as bad as the ,jesuits in every
 thing but hypocrisy--powerful1         
insolent1 bold-faced knaves2 and after  
their robbing me of the inheritance of  
my old1 rich uncle1 which one of those  
crafty padres contrived to make the old 
devotee give them on his death-bed1 ,i  

had dry eyes for their ill luck4 ,but1  
,i suppose1 added he1 you know their    
creed8 ,i acknowledged my ignorance4    
,well1 you shall hear it4 ,it is        
incomparably true2 though1 whether      
written for them by ,moratin or         
,calderon1 ,i leave to the antiquarians4
 ,he then chanted it in the style of the
 monkish service1 and with              
gesticulations1 groans1 and upturning of
 eyes1 which strongly gave me the idea  
that he had employed his leisure1 if not
 relieved his sense of the              
war-minister's neglect1 by exerting his 
talents as the ,gracioso of some        
strolling company4 ,the troopers        
gathered round us1 with that odd mixture
 of familiarity and respect which       
belongs to all the lower ranks of       
,spain2 and the performer evidently     
acquired new spirits from the laughter  
of his audience1 as he dashingly sang   
his burlesque3--                        
,cancion4      ,los mandamientos de los 
,teatinos1#f4     ,mas humanos son que  

divinos4                                
,coro4--,tra lara1 tra lara4            
,primo--,adquirir mucho dinero4 ,tra    
lara1 c4     ,segundo--,sujetar todo il 
mondo4 ,tra lara1 c4     ,tercero--,buen
 capon1 buen carnero4 ,tra lara1 c4     
,quarto--,comprar barato1 y vender caro4
 ,tra lara1 c4     ,quinto--,con el     
blanco aguar el tinto4 ,tra lara1 c4    
,sexto--,tener siempre el lomo en       
siesto4 ,tra lara1 c4                   
,septimo--,guardase bien del sereno4    
,tra lara1 c4     ,octavo--,obrar la    
suya1 y lo ageno4 ,tra lara1 c4         
,nono--,hazar del penitente esclavo4    
,tra lara1 c4     ,decimo--,mesclarse en
 cosas d'estado4 ,tra lara1 c4          
,coro4--,estes diez mandamientos se     
encierran en dos--               ,todo  
para mi1 y nada para vos4               
,tra lara1 tra lara1 c4   ,the whole    
performance was received with an        
applause which awoke the little         
aide-de-camp's genius to such an extent1
 that he volunteered to sing some       

stanzas of his own1 immeasurably more   
poignant4 ,he was in the act of filling 
a bumper to the downfall of all monkery 
on the face of the earth1 when the      
report of a musket was heard1 and the   
bottle was shivered in his hand4 ,the   
honour of ,don ,ignacio ,trueno         
,relampago was never in greater danger1 
for he instantly turned much whiter than
 his own pocket-handkerchief3 but the   
,spaniard is a brave fellow1 after all2 
and seeing that ,i drew out my pistols1 
he drew his sword1 ordered his troopers 
to mount1 and prepared for battle4 ,but1
 who can fight against fortune8 ,our    
horses1 which had been picketed at a few
 yards' distance in the depth of the    
shade1 were gone4 ,a ,french battalion  
of tirailleurs1 accidentally coming on  
our route1 had surrounded the grove1 and
 carried off the horses unperceived1    
while our gallant troopers were         
chorusing the songster4 ,the sentinel   
left in charge of them had1 of course1  
given way to the allurements of sweet   

nature's kind restorer1 balmy sleep1 and
 awoke only to find himself in ,french  
hands4 ,don ,ignacio would have fought a
 legion of fiends2 but seven hundred and
 fifty sharpshooters were a much more   
unmanageable affair2 and on our holding 
a council of war1 7which never fights17 
and with a whole circle of bayonets     
glittering at our breasts1 ,i advised a 
surrender without loss of time4 ,the    
troopers were already disarmed1 and the 
,don1 appealing to me as evidence that  
he had done all that could be required  
by the most punctilious valour1         
surrendered his sword with the grace of 
a hero of romance4 ,the ,frenchmen      
enjoyed the entire scene prodigiously1  
laughed a great deal1 drank our healths 
in our own bottles1 and finished by a   
general request that the ,don would     
indulge them with an encore of the chant
 which had so tickled their ears during 
their advance in the wood4 ,the ,don    
complied1 malgr1 bongr2 and at the      
conclusion of this feat1 the ,french    

colonel1 resolved not to be outdone in  
any thing1 called on one of his         
subalterns for a song4 ,the subaltern   
hopelessly searched his memory for its  
lyrical stores2 but after half a dozen  
snatches of chansons1 and breaking down 
in them all1 he volunteered1 in despair1
 what he pronounced1 the most popular   
love-song in all ,italy4 ,probably not a
 syllable of it was understood by any   
one present but myself2 yet this did not
 prevent its being applauded to the     
skies1 and pronounced one of the most   
brilliant specimens of ,italian         
sensibility4 ,it was in ,latin1 and a   
fierce attack on the ,jesuits1 which the
 young officer1 a palpable philosophe1  
had brought with him from the symposia  
of the ,ecole ,polytechnique3--         
,mortem norunt animare#g     ,et        
tumultus suscitare1     ,inter reges1 et
 sedare4      ,tanquam sancti adorantur1
     ,tanquam reges dominantur1         
,tanquam fures deprdantur4              
,dominantur temporale1     ,dominantur  

spirituale1     ,dominantur omnia male4 
,hos igitur ,jesuitas1     ,heluones1   
hypocritas1     ,fuge1 si clestia quras4
      ,vita namque ,christiana          
,abhorret ab hac doctrin1     ,tanquam  
fict et insan4   ,the colonel of the    
tirailleurs was a complete specimen of  
the revolutionary soldier4 ,he was a    
dashing figure1 with a bronzed face2 at 
least so much of it as ,i could discover
 through the most inordinate pair of    
mustaches ever worn by a warrior4 ,he   
was ignorant of every thing on earth but
 his profession1 and laughed at the     
waste of time in poring over books2 his 
travelling-library consisting of but    
two--the imperial army-list1 and the    
muster-roll of his regiment4 ,his family
 recollections went no higher than his  
father1 a cobbler in ,languedoc4 ,but he
 was a capital officer1 and the very    
material for a chef-de-bataillon--rough1
 brave1 quick1 and as hardy as iron4    
,half a dozen scars gave evidence of his
 having shared the glories of ,france on

 the ,rhine1 the ,po1 and the ,danube2  
and a cross of the ,legion of ,honour   
showed that his emperor was a different 
person from the object of ,don          
,ignacio's cureless wrath1 the          
war-minister who made a point of        
neglecting all possible merit below that
 of a field-marshal4  ,the ,frenchman1  
with all his1 brusquerie1 was civil     
enough to regret my capture1 peculiarly 
as it laid him under the necessity of   
taking me far from my route2 his        
regiment then making forced marches to  
,andalusia1 to join ,dupont's division2 
and for the purpose of secrecy1 the     
strictest orders having been given that 
the prisoners which they might make in  
the way should be carried along with    
them4 ,as ,i had forwarded my official  
papers from ,galicia to ,castile1 and   
was regarded simply as an ,english      
tourist1 ,i had no sense of personal    
hazard2 and putting the best complexion 
which ,i could upon my misadventure1 ,i 
rode along with the column over hill and

 dale1 enjoying the various aspects of  
one of the most varied and picturesque  
countries in the world4 ,our marches    
were rapid1 but chiefly by night2 thus  
evading at once the intolerable heat of 
the ,spanish day1 and collisions with   
the people4 ,we bivouacked in the       
shelter of woods1 or in the shade of    
hills1 during the sultry hours2 and     
recommenced our march in the cool of the
 eve1 with short halts1 until sunrise4  
,then we flung ourselves again under the
 shelter of the trees1 and enjoyed those
 delights of rest and appetite1 which   
are unknown to all but to the marchers  
and fasters for twelve hours together4  
,but1 on our crossing the ,sierra       
,morena1 and taking the direction of    
,andalusia1 the scene was wholly        
changed4 ,the country was like one vast 
field of battle4 ,the peasants were     
every where in arms1 villages were seen 
burning along the horizon1 and our      
constant vigilance was necessary to     
guard against a surprise4 ,every soldier

 who lay down to rest but a few yards   
from the column1 or who attempted to    
forage in the villages1 was sure to be  
shot or stilettoed2 provisions were     
burned before our faces2 and even where 
we were not actually fired on1 the      
frowns of the population showed         
sufficiently that the evil day was at   
hand4 ,at length we reached the range of
 hills which surround the plain of      
,cordova2 yet only just in time to see  
the army of ,dupont marching out from   
the city gates1 in the direction of     
,andujar4 ,as ,i stood beside the       
colonel1 ,i could observe1 by the       
knitting of his brow1 that the movement 
did not satisfy his military sagacity4  
,what a quantity of baggage6 he         
murmured3 how will it be possible to    
carry such a train through the country1 
or how to fight1 with such an           
encumbrance embarrassing every step8    
,unless the ,spanish generals are the   
greatest fools on earth1 or unless      
,dupont has a miracle worked for him1 he

 must either abandon three-fourths of   
his waggons1 or be ruined4  ,but ,i was 
now to have a nearer interest in the    
expedition4 ,the battalion had no sooner
 joined the army on its advance1 than ,i
 was ordered to appear before the chief 
of the staff4 ,the language of this     
officer was brief1 but expressive4  ,you
 are a spy4  ,you are misinformed4 ,i am
 a gentleman and an ,englishman4  ,look 
here4 ,he produced a copy of my letter  
to the junta of ,castile1 which some    
clerk in the ,french pay had            
treacherously transmitted from ,madrid4 
,what answer have you to this8  ,i flung
 the letter on the table4  ,what right  
have you to require an answer8 ,i have  
not come voluntarily to the quarters of 
the ,french army2 ,i am a prisoner2 ,i  
am not even in a military capacity4 ,you
 would only act in conformity to the law
 of nations by giving me my liberty this
 moment2 and ,i demand that you shall do
 your duty4  ,i shall do it6 ,if you    
have any arrangements to make1 you had  

better lose no time2 for ,i wait only   
the general's signature to my report1 to
 have you shot4 ,he turned on his heel4 
,a sergeant with a couple of grenadiers 
entered1 and ,i was consigned for the   
night to the provost-marshal4 ,how      
anxiously ,i spent that night1 ,i need  
not say4 ,i was in the hands of violent 
men1 exasperated by the popular         
resistance1 and accustomed to disregard 
life4 ,i braced myself up to meet my    
untoward catastrophe1 and determined at 
least not to disgrace my country by     
helpless solicitation4 ,i wrote a few   
letters1 committed myself to a          
protection above the passions and vices 
of man1 wrapped my cloak round me1 and  
sank into a sound slumber4  ,i was      
aroused by a discharge of cannon1 and   
found the camp in commotion4 ,the       
,spaniards1 under ,reding and ,castanos1
 had1 as the colonel anticipated1 fallen
 upon our line of march at daybreak1 and
 cut off a large portion of the         
baggage-train4 ,it had been loaded with 

the church-plate1 and general plunder of
 ,cordova2 and the avarice of the       
,french had obviously involved them in  
formidable difficulty4 ,but1 even in the
 universal tumult1 the importance of my 
seizure was not forgotten2 and ,i was   
ordered to the rear in charge of a      
guard4 ,the action now began on all     
sides2 the cannonade rapidly deepening  
on the flank and centre of the ,french  
position1 and the musketry already      
beginning to rattle on various points of
 the line4 ,from the height on which ,i 
stood1 the whole scene lay beneath my   
eye2 and nothing could have been better 
worth the speculation of any man--who   
was not under sentence of being shot as 
soon as the struggle was over6  ,i was  
aware of the reputation of the ,french  
general4 ,he held a high name among the 
braves of the imperial army for the last
 ten years1 and he had been foremost    
everywhere4 ,in the desperate ,italian  
campaign against the ,austrians and     
,russians2 in the victorious campaign of

 ,austerlitz2 in the sanguinary campaign
 of ,eylau--,dupont was one of the most 
daring of generals of brigade4 ,but his 
pillage of ,cordova had roused the      
,spanish wrath into fury2 and the effort
 to carry off his plunder made it       
impossible for him to resist a vigorous 
attack1 even with his twenty thousand   
veterans4 ,he had indulged himself in   
,cordova1 until the broken armies of the
 south had found time to rally2 and a   
force of fifty thousand men was now     
rushing down upon his centre4 ,the      
hills1 as far as the eye could range1   
were covered with the armed peasantry1  
moving like dark clouds over their      
sides1 and descending by thousands to   
the field4 ,the battle now raged        
furiously in the centre1 and the charges
 of the ,french cavalry made fearful    
gaps in the ,spanish battalions4 ,at    
length1 the rising of the dust on the   
right showed that a strong column was   
approaching1 which might decide the day4
 ,my heart beat slow as ,i saw the      

tricolor floating above its bayonets4   
,it was the advanced guard1 with ,dupont
 at its head--a force of three thousand 
men1 which had returned rapidly on its  
steps1 as soon as the sound of the      
attack had reached it4 ,it was boldly   
resisted by the ,swiss and ,walloon     
brigades of the ,spanish line3 but the  
,french fire was heavy1 its manoeuvre   
was daring1 and ,i began to fear for the
 fate of the day2 when a loud explosion1
 and a hurried movement at the extreme  
of the ,french position1 turned my eyes 
to the left wing4 ,there the ,spanish   
attack had swept every thing before it4 
,brigade after brigade was giving way1  
and the country was covered with        
scattered horsemen1 infantry retiring in
 disorder1 and broken and captured guns4
 ,the peasantry1 too1 had joined in the 
pursuit1 and the wing seemed utterly    
ruined4 ,to retrieve this disorder was  
now hopeless1 for the ,french general   
had extended his line to the            
extraordinary length of ten miles4 ,his 

baggage-train was his ruin4 ,the whole  
,spanish line now advanced1 shouting1   
and only halting at intervals to        
cannonade the enemy4 ,the ,french       
returned a feeble fire1 and began to    
retreat4 ,but retreat was now           
impossible1 and they must fight1 or be  
massacred4 ,at this moment ,i saw an    
officer1 from the spot where ,dupont sat
 on his charger surrounded by his staff1
 gallop between the two armies4 ,he was 
met by a ,spanish officer4 ,the firing  
ceased4 ,dupont had surrendered1 with   
all the troops in ,andalusia6  ,i was   
now at liberty1 and ,i was received by  
the ,spanish commander-in-chief with the
 honours due to my mission and my       
country4 ,after mutual congratulations  
on this most brilliant day1 ,i expressed
 my wish to set off for ,madrid without 
delay4 ,an escort of cavalry was ordered
 for me1 and by midnight ,i had left    
behind me the slaughter and the triumph1
 the noblest of ,spanish fields1 the    
immortal ,baylen6  ,the night was       

singularly dark2 and as the by-roads of 
the ,peninsula are confessedly among the
 most original specimens of the         
road-making art1 our attention was      
chiefly occupied1 for the first hour1 in
 finding our way in ,indian file4 ,at   
length1 on the country's opening1 ,i    
rode forward to the head of the troops1 
and addressed some questions1 on our    
distance from the next town1 to the     
officer4 ,he at once pronounced my name1
 and my astonishment was not less than  
his own4 ,in the commandant of the      
escort ,i found my gallant1 though most 
wayward1 young friend1 ,mariamne's      
lover1 ,lafontaine6 ,his story was      
brief4 ,in despair of removing her      
father's reluctance to their marriage1  
and wholly unable to bring over         
,mariamne to his own opinion1 that she  
would act the wiser part in taking the  
chances of the world along with himself1
 he had resolved to enter the ,russian  
or the ,turkish service1 or any other in
 which he had the speediest probability 

of ending his career by a bullet or a   
sabre-blow4 ,the accidental rencontre of
 one of his relations1 an officer high  
in the ,spanish service1 had led him    
into the ,peninsula2 where1 as a        
,royalist1 he was warmly received by a  
people devoted to their kings2 and had  
just received a commission in the       
cavalry of the guard1 when the ,french  
war broke out4 ,he felt no scruples in  
acting as a soldier of ,spain2 for1 with
 the death of ,louis1 he had regarded   
all ties as broken1 and he was now a    
citizen of the world4 ,i ventured to    
mention the name of ,mariamne2 and ,i   
found that1 there at least1 the         
inconstancy charged on his nation had no
 place4 ,he spoke of her with eloquent  
tenderness1 and it was evident that1    
with all his despair of ever seeing her 
again1 she still held the first place in
 his heart4 ,in this wandering1 yet by  
no means painful1 interchange of        
thoughts1 we moved on for some hours2   
when one of the advanced troopers rode  

back1 to tell us that he had heard shots
 in the distance1 and other sounds of   
struggle4 ,we galloped forward1 and from
 the brow of the next hill saw flames   
rising from a village in the valley     
beneath1 and a skirmish going on between
 some marauding troops and the          
peasantry4 ,lafontaine instantly ordered
 an advance2 and our whole troop were   
soon in the centre of the village1      
busily employed with the pistol and     
sabre4 ,the ,french1 taken by surprise1 
made but a slight resistance1 and1 after
 a few random shots1 ran to a           
neighbouring wood4 ,but as ,i was       
looking round1 to congratulate my friend
 on his success1 ,i saw him1 to my      
infinite alarm1 reel in his saddle1 and 
had only time to save him from falling  
to the ground4  ,the accommodation of   
the ,ventas and ,posadas is habitually  
wretched1 and ,i demanded whether there 
was not a house of some hidalgo in the  
neighbourhood1 to which the wounded     
officer might be carried4 ,one of the   

last shots of the skirmish had struck   
him in the arm1 and he was now fainting 
with pain4 ,the house was pointed out1  
and we carried my unfortunate friend    
there1 in a swoon4 ,even in that moment 
of anxiety1 and with scarcely more than 
the first dawn to guide us1 ,i could not
 help being struck with the cultivated  
beauty of the avenue through which we   
passed1 and the profusion and variety of
 the flowers1 which now began to breathe
 their opening incense to the dawn4 ,the
 house was old1 but large and handsome1 
and the furniture of the apartment into 
which we were shown1 was singularly     
tasteful and costly4 ,who the owner was1
 was scarcely known among the bold      
fellows who accompanied us2 but by their
 pointings to their foreheads1 and their
 making the sign of the cross at every  
repetition of my enquiries1 ,i was      
inclined to think him some escaped      
lunatic4 ,i shortly1 however1 received a
 message from him1 to tell me1 that so  
soon as the crowd should be dismissed1  

he would visit the officer4 ,the        
apartment was cleared and he came4 ,this
 was a new wonder for me4 ,it was       
,mordecai that entered the room4 ,the   
light was still so imperfect1 that for  
awhile he could not recognise either of 
us2 and when ,i advanced to take his    
hand1 and addressed him by his name1 he 
started back as if he had trod upon a   
snake4 ,however1 his habitual presence  
of mind soon enabled him to answer all  
my enquiries1 and1 among the first1 one 
for the health and happiness of his     
daughter4 ,fearful of the effects of his
 intelligence1 whether good or evil1 on 
the nerves of ,lafontaine1 who still lay
 on the sofa1 almost invisible in the   
dusk1 ,i begged to follow him to another
 room1 and there ,i listened to his     
whole anxious history since our         
parting4--,mariamne had suddenly grown  
discontented with ,poland2 which to     
,mordecai himself had become a weary    
residence1 from the ravages of the      
,french war4 ,for some reason1          

unaccountable to me1 said the old man1  
she set her heart upon ,spain1 and had  
now been domiciled in this secluded spot
 for a year4 ,but she was visibly fading
 away4 ,she read and wrote much1 and was
 even more attached to her harp and her 
flowers than ever2 yet declared that she
 had bid farewell to the world4 ,the    
father wept as he spoke1 but his were   
the tears of sorrow rather than of      
anguish4 ,they stole quietly down his   
cheeks1 and showed that the stern and   
haughty spirit was subdued within him4  
,i had not ventured to allude to        
,lafontaine2 but the current of his own 
thoughts at length led to that forbidden
 topic4 ,i am afraid1 ,mr ,marston1 said
 he1 that ,i have been too harsh with my
 child4 ,i looked for her alliance with 
some of the opulent among my own        
kindred2 or ,i should have rejoiced if  
your regards had been fixed on her1 and 
hers on you4 ,and in those dreams1 ,i   
forgot that the affections must choose  
for themselves4 ,i had no objection to  

the young ,frenchman1 but that he was a 
stranger1 and was poor4--,yet are not we
 ourselves strangers8 and if he was     
poor1 was not ,i rich8 ,but all is over 
now2 and ,i shall only have to follow my
 poor ,mariamne1 where ,i should have   
much rather preceded her1--to the grave4
  ,i now requested to see ,mariamne4    
,she met me with almost a cry of joy1   
and with a cheek of sudden crimson2 but1
 when the first flush passed away1 her  
looks gave painful proof of the effect  
of solitude and sorrow4 ,the rounded    
beauty of her cheek was gone1 her eyes1 
once dancing with every emotion1 were   
fixed and hollow1 and her frame1 once   
remarkable for symmetry1 was thin and   
feeble4 ,but1 her heart was buoyant     
still1 and when ,i talked of past scenes
 and recollections1 her eye sparkled    
once more4 ,still1 her manner was       
changed--it was softer and less         
capricious2 her language1 even her      
voice1 was subdued2 and more than once  
,i saw a tear stealing on her eye4 ,at  

length1 after hearing some slight detail
 of her wanderings1 and her fears that  
the troubles of ,spain might drive her  
from a country in whose genial climate  
and flowery fields she had hoped to end 
her days2 ,i incidentally               
asked--whether1 in all her wanderings1  
she had heard of my friend1 ,lafontaine4
 ,how impossible is it to deceive the   
instinct of the female heart6 ,the look 
which she gave me1 the searching glance 
of her fine eyes1 which flashed with all
 their former lustre1 and the sudden    
quivering of her lip1 told me how deeply
 his image was fixed in her             
recollection4 ,she saw at once that ,i  
had tidings of her lover2 and she hung  
upon the hand which ,i held out to her1 
with breathless and beseeching anxiety4 
,after some precautions1 ,i revealed to 
her the facts--that he was as faithfully
 devoted to her as ever1 and--that he   
was even under her roof6  ,i leave the  
rest of her story to be conjectured4 ,i 
shall only say1 that ,i saw her made    

happy2 the burden taken off her spirits 
which had exhausted her frame2 her      
former vivacity restored1 her eye       
sparkling once more2 and even the heart 
of her father cheered1 and acknowledging
 that there was happiness in the world1 
if men did not mar it for themselves4   
,the course of true love had1 at last1  
run smooth4 ,i was present at the       
marriage of ,lafontaine4 ,the trials of 
fortune had been of infinite service to 
him2 they had sobered his eccentricity1 
taught him the value of a quiet mind1   
and prepared him for that manlier career
 which belongs to the husband and the   
father4 ,i left them1 thanking me in all
 the language of gratitude1 promising to
 visit me in ,england4         99       
99       99       99       99  ,my      
mission to the junta was speedily and   
successfully accomplished4 ,spain1 in   
want of every thing but that which no   
subsidy could supply1 a determination to
 die in the last intrenchment1 was      
offered arms1 ammunition1 and the aid of

 an ,english army4 ,in her pride1 and   
yet a pride which none could blame1 she 
professed herself able to conquer by her
 own intrepidity4 ,later experience     
showed her1 by many a suffering1 the    
value of ,england as the guide1         
sustainer1 and example of her national  
strength4 ,but ,spain had still the     
gallant distinction of being the first  
nation which1 as one man1 dared to defy 
the conqueror of all the great military 
powers of the ,continent4 ,the sieges of
 ,saragossa and ,gerona will immortalize
 the courage of the ,spanish soldier2   
the guerilla campaigns will immortalize 
the courage of the ,spanish peasant2 and
 the memorable confession of the ,french
 ,emperor1 that ,spain was his greatest 
error1 and his ultimate ruin1 is a      
testimonial more lasting than the       
proudest trophy1 to the magnanimous     
warfare of the ,peninsula4  ,this was   
the ,crisis4 ,the spirit of the whole   
,european war now assumed a bolder1     
loftier1 and more triumphant form4 ,a   

sudden conviction filled the general    
heart1 that the fortunes of the field   
were about to change4 ,nations which    
had1 till then1 been only emulous in    
prostration to the universal conqueror1 
now assumed the port of courage1        
prepared their arms1 and longed to try  
their cause again in battle4 ,the outcry
 of ,spain1 answered by the trumpet of  
,england1 pierced to the depths of that 
dungeon in which the intrigue and the   
power of ,france had laboured to inclose
 the continental nations4 ,the war of   
the ,revolution has already found       
historians1 of eloquence and knowledge  
worthy of so magnificent an era of human
 change4 ,but1 to me1 the chief interest
 arose from its successive developments 
of the ,european mind4 ,the whole period
 was a continued awakening of faculties1
 hitherto almost unknown1 in the great  
body of the people4 ,the first burst of 
the ,revolution1 like the first use of  
gunpowder1 had only shown the boundless 
force of a new element of destruction4  

,the ,spanish insurrection showed its   
protecting and preservative power4 ,the 
tremendous energy which seemed to defy  
all control1 was there seen effecting   
the highest results of national defence1
 and giving proof of the irresistible   
strength provided in the population of  
every land4 ,what nation of ,europe does
 not possess a million of men for its   
defence2 and what invader could confront
 a million of men on their own soil8    
,let this truth be felt1 and aggression 
becomes hopeless1 and war ceases to     
exist among men4  ,for the first time in
 the history of war1 it was discovered1 
that the true force of kingdoms had been
 mistaken--a mistake which had lasted   
for a thousand years2 that armies were  
but splendid machines2 and that1 while  
they might be crushed by the impulse of 
machines more rapid1 stronger1 and more 
skilfully urged1 nothing could crush the
 vigour of defence1 while it was        
supplied by a people4  ,the leve en     
masse of ,france was but the rudest1 as 

it was the earliest1 form of the new    
discovery4 ,there1 terror was the moving
 principle4 ,the conscription was the   
recruiting-officer4 ,the guillotine was 
the commander who manoeuvred the        
generals1 the troops1 and the nation4   
,yet1 the revolutionary armies differed 
in nothing from the monarchical1 but in 
the superiority of their numbers1 and   
the inferiority of their discipline4    
,the war of ,spain was another1 and a   
nobler advance4 ,it was the war of a    
nation4 ,in ,france the war was the     
conspiracy of a faction4 ,in ,spain the 
loss of the capital only inflamed the   
hostility of the provinces4 ,in ,france 
the loss of the capital would have      
extinguished the ,revolution2 as it     
afterwards extinguished the ,empire4 ,i 
think that ,i can see the provision for 
a still bolder and more beneficent      
advance1 even in those powerful         
developments of national capabilities4  
,it will1 perhaps1 be left to other     
nations4 ,spain and ,france have a yoke 

upon their minds1 which will disqualify 
them both from acting the nobler part of
 guides to ,europe4 ,superstition       
contains in itself the canker of        
slavery2 perfect freedom is essential to
 perfect power2 and the nation which1   
from the cradle1 prostrates itself to   
the priest1 must retain the early       
flexure of its spine4 ,the great        
experiment must be reserved for a nobler
 public mind2 for a people religious    
without fanaticism1 and free without    
licentiousness2 honouring the wisdom of 
their fathers1 without rejecting the    
wisdom of the living age2 aspiring but  
to the ministration of universal good1  
and feeling that its opulence1          
knowledge1 and grandeur are only gifts  
for mankind4  ,the system of the war was
 now fully established4 ,all the        
feelings of ,england were fixed on the  
,peninsula1 and all the politics of her 
statesmen and their rivals were alike   
guided by the course of the conflict4   
,the prediction was gallantly           

fulfilled--that the ,french empire would
 there expose its flank to ,english     
intrepidity2 that the breaching battery 
which was to open the way to ,paris1    
would be fixed on the ,pyrenees2 that   
the true sign of conquest was the banner
 of ,england4  ,the battle of the       
,ministry was fought in ,spain1 and as  
victoriously as the battle of our army4 
,we saw ,opposition gradually throw away
 its arms1 and gradually diminish in the
 popular view1 until its existence was  
scarcely visible4 ,successive changes   
varied the cabinet1 but none shook its  
stability4 ,successive ministers sank   
into the grave1 but the ministry stood4 
,the spirit of the nation1 justly proud 
of its triumphs1 disdained to listen to 
the whispers of a party1 who murmured   
defeat with victory before their eyes2  
who conjured up visions of ruin1 only to
 be rebuked by realities of triumph2 and
 to whom the national scorn of          
pusillanimity1 and the national         
rejoicing in the proudest success1 could

 not unteach the language of despair4   
,perceval1 the overthrower of the       
,foxite ministry1 perished2 but the     
political system of the cabinet remained
 unchanged4                             
,castlereaghperished--,liverpool        
perished2 but the political system still
 remained4 ,the successive pilots might 
give up the helm1 but the course of the 
great vessel continued the same--guided 
by the same science1 and making her way 
through sunshine1 and through storm1 to 
the same point of destination4  ,the    
three successive ministers were men of  
high ability for government1 though     
their character of ability exhibited the
 most remarkable distinctions4 ,perceval
 had been a lawyer1 and had risen to the
 rank of attorney-general4 ,in the      
,house1 he carried the acuteness1 the   
logic1 and even the manner1 of his      
profession with him4 ,without pretending
 to the power of eloquence1 he          
singularly possessed the power of       
conviction2 without effecting changes in

 the theory of the constitution1 he put 
its truths in a new light2 and without a
 trace of bigotry1 he defended1 with    
conscientious vigour1 the rights of the 
national religion4 ,sustaining a bold   
struggle at the head of the feeblest    
minority perhaps ever known in          
,parliament1 he had shown unshaken      
courage and undismayed principle in the 
day of the ,foxite supremacy4 ,this     
defence was at length turned into       
assault1 and his opponents were driven  
from power4 ,his ministry was too brief 
for his fame4 ,but1 when he fell by the 
hand of a maniac1 he left a universal   
impression on the mind of the empire1   
that the blow had deprived it of a great
 ministerial mind4  ,lord ,castlereagh  
exhibited a character of a totally      
different order1 yet equally fitted for 
his time4 ,an ,irishman1 he had the     
habitual intrepidity of his countrymen1 
combined with the indefatigable         
diligence of ,england4 ,nobly connected1
 and placed high in public life by that 

connexion1 he showed himself capable of 
sustaining his ministerial rank by      
personal capacity4 ,careless of the     
style of his speeches1 he was yet a     
grave1 solid1 and fully-informed        
debater4 ,but it was in the council that
 his value to the country was most      
acknowledged4 ,his conception of the    
rights1 the influence1 and the services 
of ,england1 was lofty2 and1 when the   
period came for deciding on her rank in 
the presence of continental diplomacy1  
he was her chosen1 and her successful1  
representative4 ,his natural place was  
among the councils of camps1 where      
sovereigns were the soldiers4 ,the march
 to ,paris was due to his courage2 and  
the first fall of ,napoleon was effected
 by the ambassador of ,england4  ,lord  
,liverpool was a man equally fitted for 
his time4 ,the war had triumphantly     
closed4 ,but1 a period of perturbed     
feelings and financial necessities      
followed4 ,it required in the minister a
 combination of sound sense and         

practical vigour--of deference for the  
public feelings1 yet respect for the    
laws--of promptitude in discovering     
national resources1 and yet of firmness 
in repelling factious change4 ,the head 
of the cabinet possessed those          
qualities4 ,without brilliancy1 without 
eloquence1 without accomplished         
literature2 still1 no man formed his    
views with a clearer intelligence2 and  
no man pursued them with more steady    
determination4 ,perhaps disdaining the  
glitter of popularity1 no minister1 for 
the last half century1 had been so      
singularly exempt from all the sarcasms 
of public opinion4 ,the nation relied on
 his sincerity1 honoured his purity of  
principle1 and willingly confided its   
safety to hands which none believed     
capable of a stain4  ,but the characters
 of those three ministers were striking 
in a still higher point of view4 ,their 
qualities seem to have been expressly   
constructed to meet the peculiar        
exigency of their times4                

,perceval--acute1 strict1 and with      
strong religious conceptions--to meet a 
period1 when religious laxity in the    
cabinet had already enfeebled the       
defence of the national religion4       
,castlereagh--stately1 bold1 and        
high-toned--to meet a period1 when the  
fate of ,europe was to be removed from  
cabinets to the field1 and when he was  
to carry the will of ,england among     
assembled monarchs4 ,liverpool--calm1   
rational1 and practical2 the man of     
conscience and common sense--for the    
period1 when the great questions of     
religion had been quieted1 the great    
questions of the war had died with the  
war1 and when the supreme difficulty of 
government was1 to reconcile the        
pressure of financial exigency with the 
progress of the people--to invigorate   
the public frame without inflaming it by
 dangerous innovation--and to           
reconstruct the whole commercial        
constitution1 without infringing on     
those principles which had founded the  

prosperity of the empire4  ,at length   
the consummation came3 the ,french      
empire fell on the field by the hand of 
,england4 ,all the sovereigns of ,europe
 rushed in to strip the corpse1 and each
 carried back a portion of the spoils4  
,but the conqueror was content with the 
triumph1 and asked no more of glory than
 the liberation of mankind4  ,while all 
was public exultation for this crowning 
event1 fortune had not neglected to     
reward the gentler virtues of one worthy
 of its noblest gifts4 ,in my first     
campaign with the ,prussian troops in   
,france1 ,i had intrusted to the care of
 the old domestic whom ,i found in the  
,chateau de ,montauban1 an escritoire   
and a picture1 belonging to the family  
of ,clotilde4 ,the old man had          
disappeared2 and ,i took it for granted 
that he had been plundered1 or had died4
  ,but one day1 after my return from one
 of those splendid entertainments with  
which the ,regent welcomed the ,allied  
sovereigns1 ,i found ,clotilde deeply   

agitated4 ,the picture of her relative  
was before her1 and she was gazing at   
its singularly expressive and lovely    
countenance with intense interest4  ,she
 flew into my arms4 ,i have longed for  
your coming1 said she1 with glowing lips
 and tearful eyes1 to offer at least one
 proof of gratitude for years of the    
truest protection1 and the most generous
 love4 ,michelle1 the husband of my     
nurse1 has arrived2 and he tells me1    
that this escritoire contains the       
title-deeds of my family4 ,i was        
resolved that you alone should open it4 
,in the frame of that picture1 in a     
secret drawer1 is the key4 ,the spring  
was touched1 the key was found2 and in  
the little chest was discovered1        
untouched by chance or time1 the        
document entitling my beautiful and     
high-hearted wife to one of the finest  
possessions in ,france4 ,by a singular  
instance of good fortune1 the property  
had not been alienated1 like so many of 
the estates of the noblesse2 and it now 

lay open to the claims of the original  
proprietorship4 ,i hastened to ,paris4  
,my claim was acknowledged by the       
returned ,bourbon1 and ,clotilde had the
 delight of once more sitting under the 
vine and the fig-tree of her ancestors4 
,the old domestic had made it the       
business of years to obtain the means of
 reaching ,england4 ,but the war had    
placed obstacles in his way every where1
 and he devoted himself thenceforth to  
the guardianship of his precious        
deposit1 as the duty of his life4 ,he   
was almost pathetic1 in his narration of
 the hazards to which it had been       
exposed in the perpetual convulsions of 
the country1 and in the rejoicing with  
which he felt himself at last enabled to
 place it in the hands of its rightful  
mistress1 the last descendant of the    
noble house of ,de ,tourville4--,but ,i 
had still to experience another gift of 
fortune4  ,on the evening of my         
birth-day1 ,clotilde had given a rustic 
fte to the children of her tenantry2 and

 all were dancing in front of the       
chateau1 with the gaiety and with the   
grace which nature seems to have        
conferred as an especial gift on even   
the humblest classes of ,france4  ,the  
day was one of the luxury of summer4    
,the landscape before me was a rich     
extent of plain and hill2 the fragrance 
of the vast gardens of the chateau as   
rising as the twilight approached2 my   
infants were clustering round my knee2  
and in that thankfulness of heart1 which
 is not less sincere for its not being  
expressed in words1 ,i came to the      
conclusion1 that no access of wealth1 or
 of honours1 could add to my substantial
 happiness at that hour4  ,my reverie   
was broken by the sound of a calche     
driving up the avenue4 ,a courier       
alighted from it1 who brought a letter  
with a black seal1 addressed to me4 ,it 
was from the family solicitor4 ,my noble
 brother had died in ,madeira2 where he 
had gone in the hopeless attempt to     
recruit a frame which he had exhausted  

by a life of excess4 ,in that hour1 ,i  
gave him the regrets which belonged to  
the tie of blood4 ,i forgot his         
selfishness1 and forgave his alienation4
 ,i thought of him only as the          
remembered playfellow of my early days2 
and could say in heart--,alas1 my       
brother6 ,the landscape before me at    
last sank into night2 and with feelings 
darkened like it1 yet calm and still1 ,i
 saw the closing of a day which1 painful
 as was the cause1 yet called me to new 
duties1 gave me a stronger hold upon    
society1 and placed me in that position 
which ,i fully believe to combine more  
of the true materials of happiness and  
honour than any other on earth--that of 
an opulent ,english nobleman4  ,my      
brother1 dying childless1 had devolved  
the family estates to me1 disburdened of
 the results of his prodigality2 but ,i 
had still much to occupy me1 in         
restoring them from the neglect of      
years4 ,the life of the member of       
government was now to alternate with the

 life of the country gentleman2 and my  
transfer to the ,house of ,peers gave me
 the comparative leisure1 essential to  
the fulfilment of the large and liberal 
duties which belong to the ,english     
landholder4 ,to cheer the country life  
by rational hospitality2 to make friends
 of those whom nature had made          
dependents2 to sustain those laws which 
had turned ,england into a garden2 and  
to protect that bold peasantry1 who     
ought to be the pride1 as they are the  
strength of their country2 to excite the
 country gentlemen to the scientific    
study of the noblest of all arts1 as it 
was the first1 the cultivation of the   
soil2 to maintain among that gallant    
race a high sense of their purposes1    
their powers1 and their position2 to    
invigorate the principles which had made
 them the surest defenders of the throne
 in its day of adversity2 and to fix in 
their minds by example1 more effectual  
than precept1 a solemn fidelity to the  
faith and to the freedom of their       

forefathers3--these were the objects    
which ,i proposed to myself1 and which  
the loftiest intellect1 or the amplest  
opulence1 might be well employed in     
attempting to fulfil4  ,those objects   
had been placed before ,england1 from   
the day when the light of the           
,reformation broke through the darkness 
of a thousand years1 and her brow was   
first designed for the diadem4 ,by those
 she was made the universal protector of
 ,europe1 in its day of fugitive princes
 and falling thrones2 and by those alone
 will be erected round her1 if she shall
 remain true to her allegiance1 a wall  
of fire1 in the days of that approaching
 contest which shall bring the powers of
 good and evil front to front1 in       
strength and hostility unknown before1  
and consummate the wars of the world4   
,yet with those tranquil and retired    
pursuits1 ,i still took my share in the 
activity of public life4 ,i was still   
minister1 and bore my part in the       
discussions of the legislature4 ,but the

 great questions which had once sounded 
in my ear1 like the call to battle in   
the ear of the warrior1 had passed away4
 ,the minds that rode in the whirlwind1 
and ruled the storm1 had vanished with  
the storm4 ,the surge had gone down2 and
 neither the dangers of my earlier day1 
nor the powers which were summoned to   
resist them1 were to be found in the    
living generation4 ,yet1 let it not be  
thought that ,i regard the mind of      
,england as exhausted1 or even as       
exhaustible4 ,the only distinction      
between the periods is1 that one gave   
the impulse1 and that the other only    
continues it4 ,when peril comes again1  
we shall again see the development of   
power4 ,we might as well doubt the      
existence of lightning1 because the day 
is serene1 the sun shining1 and no cloud
 rolls across the heaven4 ,but when the 
balance of the elements demands to be   
restored1 we shall again be dazzled by  
the flash1 and awed by the thunder4     
,but time has taught me additional      

lessons4 ,i have learned to see a hand1 
in all its clouds1 which guides man and 
kingdoms with more than human power4 ,in
 these remembrances1 ,i have spoken but 
little of religion4 ,it belongs to the  
chamber more than to the council2 and it
 is less honoured than humiliated by    
being brought idly before men4 ,but by  
that light ,i have been able to see1    
where subtler minds have been blind4    
,the man may be bewildered by the glare 
of the torch in his hand1 who would have
 found his way by trusting to the milder
 lustre of the stars4 ,in the great war 
of our time1 the greatest since the fall
 of the ,roman empire--the war of the   
,french ,revolution--,i think1 that ,i  
can trace a divine protection1          
distinctly given to ,england as the     
champion of justice1 honour1 and        
religion4 ,i offer but the outline of   
this view2 but to me the proof is       
demonstrative4--,in every instance in   
which ,france aimed an especial blow at 
,england1 that blow was retorted by an  

especial retribution2 while her assaults
 on the continental kingdoms were made  
with triumphant impunity4  ,i give the  
examples4--,the ,french expedition to   
,egypt was formed with the express      
object of breaking down the influence of
 ,england in the ,east1 and ultimately  
subverting her ,indian empire--that     
expedition was the first which tarnished
 the military renown of the ,republic1  
cost her a fleet1 and lost her an army4 
,of the army which ,napoleon led to     
,egypt1 not a battalion returned to     
,europe but as the prisoners of         
,england6  ,the ,french invasion of     
,spain was a blow aimed expressly at    
,england4 ,its object was the invasion  
of ,england--the ,spanish war broke down
 the military renown of the ,empire1 and
 was pronounced by ,napoleon to be the  
origin of his ruin6  ,the invasion of   
,russia was a blow aimed expressly at   
,england4 ,its object was the extinction
 of ,english commerce in the whole      
sea-line of the north--that invasion was

 punished1 by the ruin of the whole     
veteran army of ,france6  ,napoleon     
himself at length met the troops of     
,england4 ,he met them with an arrogant 
assumption of victory--,ah6 je les      
tiens1 ces ,anglais4 ,never was         
presumption more deeply punished4 ,this 
single conflict destroyed him2 his      
laurels1 his diadem1 and his dynasty1   
were blasted together6  ,it is not less 
memorable1 that during the entire       
,revolutionary war1 ,france was never   
suffered to inflict an injury on        
,england2 with one exception--the       
perfidious seizure of the ,english      
travelling in the ,french territories   
under the safeguard of the ,imperial    
passports4 ,but this1 too1 had its      
punishment--and one of the most especial
 and characteristic                     
retribution--,napoleon himself was sent 
to a dungeon6 ,by a fate unheard of even
 among fallen princes1 the man who had  
treacherously made prisoners of the     
,english was himself made a prisoner1   

was delivered into ,english hands1 was  
consigned to captivity in an ,english   
island1 and died the prisoner of        
,england6  ,i speak of events like      
these1 not in the spirit of             
superstition1 nor in the fond           
presumption of being an interpreter of  
the mysterious ways of ,providence4 ,i  
record them1 in a full consciousness of 
the immeasurable distance between the   
intellect of man and the wisdom of the  
supreme ,disposer4 ,but they convey1 at 
least to my own feelings1 a confidence1 
a solemn security1 a calm yet ardent    
conviction1 that chance has no share in 
the government of the world2 that the   
great tide of things1 in its rise and   
fall1 has laws1 which1 if unapproached  
by the feebleness of human faculties1   
are not the less true1 vast1 and        
imperishable2 that if1 like the air1 the
 agency of that ruling and boundless    
authority is invisible1 we may yet feel 
its existence in its effects1 rejoice in
 the acknowledgment of a power which    

nothing can exhaust1 and take to our    
bosoms the high consolation1 that the   
good of man is the supreme principle of 
the system4         99       99       99
       99       99  ,men actively       
employed in public life1 are strangely  
apt to think that there is no progress  
outside their circle4 ,but1 on my return
 to ,mortimer ,castle1 ,i found this    
conception amply confuted4 ,the world   
had moved as rapidly in those shades1 as
 in the centre of cabinets and courts4  
,time had done its work1 in changing the
 condition of almost every human being  
whom ,i had known in my early days4 ,the
 brothers and sisters1 whom ,i had left 
children1 were now in the full beauty of
 their prime2 my brothers showy and     
stirring youths2 my sisters fair and    
gentle girls1 just reaching that period 
of life when the countenance and mind   
are in their bloom together1 and the    
highborn woman of ,england is the       
loveliest perhaps in the world4 ,the    
extravagance of my elder brother had    

dilapidated the provision intended for  
the younger branches of his house4 ,my  
habits1 learned in a sterner school1    
enabled me to retrieve their fortunes1  
and ,i thus secured a new tie to their  
regards4 ,justice is essential to all   
gratitude1 and ,i found them ready to   
pay the tribute1 to the full4  ,among my
 first visits was one to my old friend  
and tutor1 ,vincent4 ,i found him still 
resident on his living2 and with        
spirits1 on which time had wrought no   
change4 ,years had passed lightly over  
his head4 ,his eye was as vivid1 and his
 mind as active as ever4 ,he perhaps    
stooped a little more1 and his frame had
 lost something of that elasticity of   
step which had so often tried my young  
nerves in our ramblings over the hills4 
,but he was the same cordial1 animated1 
and high-toned being1 in all his        
feelings1 that ,i had seen him from the 
first hour4 ,i found him in his garden1 
arranging1 selecting1 and enjoying his  
flower-beds with all the spirit of a    

horticulturist4 ,but he apologised for  
what he termed1 its disorder4 ,for1 said
 he1 ,i have lost all my gardeners4 ,on 
my looking doubtful1 ,all my girls1 said
 he1 are gone2 all married2 all wedded  
to one neighbour or another4 ,such is   
the way in which ,i have been left      
alone4 ,i made my condolences on his    
solitude1 in due form4 ,yet ,i am not   
quite solitary1 added the gay old man1  
after all2 or my solitude depends upon  
myself4 ,my girls are all married to our
 squires1 honest fellows1 and some of   
them well enough off in the world4 ,but 
,i made a stipulation1 that none of them
 should marry out of sight from the     
gazebo on the top of yonder hill2 and   
when ,i want their company1 ,i have only
 to hoist a flag4 ,you see that ,i have 
not altogether forgotten my days of the 
sabre and the signal-post2 my telegraph 
works well1 and ,i have them all        
trooping over here with the regularity  
of a squadron4  ,the approach of winter 
made the castle a scene of increased    

liveliness4 ,i had always looked with   
strong distaste on the habit of flying  
to watering-places at the season when   
the presence of the leading families of 
a county is most important to the       
comforts of the tenantry1 and to the    
intelligent and social intercourse of   
the higher ranks4 ,i sent a request to  
,lafontaine and his wife1 that they     
should perform their covenant1 and      
venture to see how ,english life        
contrived to get through the dulness of 
its ,decembers4 ,my request was         
countersigned by ,clotilde1 and this was
 irresistible4 ,they came1 and were     
received with a joyous welcome4 ,they   
too had undergone a change4 ,lafontaine 
was graver1 and was much the better for 
his gravity4 ,he was now the sincere and
 kind-hearted being for which nature had
 intended him4 ,the coxcombry of ,french
 early life had disappeared1 and left   
behind it only that general grace and   
spirit which makes the maturity of a    
foreign life its most interesting       

portion4 ,mariamne was still more       
advantageously changed4 ,her wild       
vivacity was less subdued than          
transformed into elegance of manner2 her
 features were still handsome1 travel   
had given her knowledge1 and her natural
 talents had been cultivated by the     
solitary hours1 in which but for that   
cultivation she might have sunk into the
 grave4 ,she had brought with her1 too1 
another remembrance1 and one of that    
order which produces the most powerful  
effect upon the whole character of      
woman4 ,she had brought her first-born1 
a lovely infant1 in which her whole soul
 seemed to be absorbed1 and in which she
 already discovered more beauties and   
good qualities than fate or fortune had 
ever given to human nature4 ,but the    
centre of our circle1 and the admiration
 and love of all1 sat my wife1 my       
generous1 noble1 pure-spirited          
,clotilde4 ,time1 too1 had wrought its  
change on her2 but it was only to give  
her deeper claims on the feelings of a  

heart which could not imagine happiness 
without her4 ,the heroine had wholly    
disappeared1 and given place to the     
woman2 the character of resistance to   
the shocks and frowns of fortune1 which 
adversity had made essential perhaps to 
her being1 had passed away with her day 
of suffering4 ,she was now soft1 mild1  
tender1 and confiding4 ,she often       
reminded me of some of those plants     
which1 when exposed to the storm1       
contract and diminish their form and    
foliage2 but1 when sheltered1 resume    
their original luxuriance and           
loveliness4 ,clotilde1 in the sufferings
 of the emigration1 in the terrors of   
the ,revolution1 and in the march       
through the ,vende1 might have perished1
 but for that loftiness of soul which   
was awakened by the exigency of the     
trial4 ,but now1 surrounded with all the
 security of rank1 and with opulence for
 her enjoyment1 and with love to cherish
 her1 she displayed the force of her    
nature only in the fondness of her      

affections4 ,thus surrounded1 thus      
cheered1 thus looked up to by beings    
whom ,i loved2 what had ,i to ask for   
more8 ,nothing4 ,i here close my page of
 life4 ,i still vividly retain all the  
sense of duty1 all the feeling of       
patriotism1 and all the consciousness1  
that age will neither dull my heart     
towards those whom ,i have so long      
loved1 nor shut up theirs to me4 ,i     
believe in the possibility of friendship
 untainted by selfishness1 and ,i am    
firm in the faith1 of love that knows no
 decline4 ,i look round me1 and am      
serenely happy4 ,i look above me1 and am
 sacredly thankful4     ,,how ,,we ,,got
 ,,up ,,the ,,glenmutchkin ,,railway1   
,,and ,,how ,,we ,,got ,,out ,,of ,,it4 
,i was confoundedly hard up4 ,my        
patrimony1 never of the largest1 had    
been for the last year on the           
decrease--a herald would have emblazoned
 it1 ,,argent1 a money-bag improper1 in 
detriment--and though the attenuating   
process was not excessively rapid1 it   

was1 nevertheless1 proceeding at a      
steady ratio4 ,as for the ordinary means
 and appliances by which men contrive to
 recruit their exhausted exchequers1 ,i 
knew none of them4 ,work ,i abhorred    
with a detestation worthy of a scion of 
nobility2 and1 ,i believe1 you could    
just as soon have persuaded the lineal  
representative of the ,howards or       
,percys to exhibit himself in the       
character of a mountebank1 as have got  
me to trust my person on the pinnacle of
 a three-legged stool4 ,the rule of     
three is all very well for base         
mechanical souls2 but ,i flatter myself 
,i have an intellect too large to be    
limited to a ledger4 ,augustus1 said my 
poor mother to me1 one day while        
stroking my hyacinthine                 
tresses--,augustus1 my dear boy1        
whatever you do1 never forget that you  
are a gentleman4 ,the maternal maxim    
sunk deeply into my heart1 and ,i never 
for a moment have forgotten it4         
,notwithstanding this aristocratical    

resolution1 the great practical         
question1 ,how am ,i to live8 began to  
thrust itself unpleasantly before me4 ,i
 am one of that unfortunate class who   
have neither uncles nor aunts4 ,for me1 
no yellow liverless individual1 with    
characteristic bamboo and               
pigtail--emblems of half a              
million--returned to his native shores  
from ,ceylon or remote ,penang4 ,for me1
 no venerable spinster hoarded in the   
,trongate1 permitting herself few       
luxuries during a long-protracted life1 
save a lass and a lanthorn1 a parrot1   
and the invariable baudrons of          
antiquity4 ,no such luck was mine4 ,had 
all ,glasgow perished by some vast      
epidemic1 ,i should not have found      
myself one farthing the richer4 ,there  
would have been no golden balsam for me 
in the accumulated woes of ,tradestown1 
,shettleston1 and ,camlachie4 ,the time 
has been when--according to ,washington 
,irving and other veracious             
historians--a young man had no sooner   

got into difficulties than a guardian   
angel appeared to him in a dream1 with  
the information that at such and such a 
bridge1 or under such and such a tree1  
he might find1 at a slight expenditure  
of labour1 a gallipot secured with      
bladder1 and filled with glittering     
tomauns2 or in the extremity of despair1
 the youth had only to append himself to
 a cord1 and straightaway the other end 
thereof1 forsaking its staple in the    
roof1 would disclose amidst the         
fractured ceiling the glories of a      
profitable pose4 ,these blessed days    
have long since gone by--at any rate1 no
 such luck was mine4 ,my guardian angel 
was either woefully ignorant of         
metallurgy1 or the stores had been      
surreptitiously ransacked2 and as to the
 other expedient1 ,i frankly confess ,i 
should have liked some better security  
for its result1 than the precedent of   
the ,heir of ,lynn4  ,it is a great     
consolation amidst all the evils of     
life1 to know that1 however bad your    

circumstances may be1 there is always   
somebody else in nearly the same        
predicament4 ,my chosen friend and ally1
 ,bob ,m',corkindale1 was equally hard  
up with myself1 and1 if possible1 more  
averse to exertion4 ,bob was essentially
 a speculative man--that is1 in a       
philosophical sense4 ,he had once got   
hold of a stray volume of ,adam ,smith1 
and muddled his brains for a whole week 
over the intricacies of the ,wealth of  
,nations4 ,the result was a crude       
farrago of notions regarding the true   
nature of money1 the soundness of       
currency1 and relative value of capital1
 with which he nightly favoured an      
admiring audience at ,the ,crow2 for    
,bob was by no means--in the literal    
acceptation of the word--a dry          
philosopher4 ,on the contrary1 he       
perfectly appreciated the merits of each
 distinct distillery2 and was understood
 to be the compiler of a statistical    
work1 entitled1 ,a ,tour through the    
,alcoholic ,districts of ,scotland4 ,it 

had very early occurred to me1 who knew 
as much of political economy as of the  
bagpipes1 that a gentleman so well      
versed in the art of accumulating       
national wealth1 must have some remote  
ideas of applying his principles        
profitably on a smaller scale4          
,accordingly1 ,i gave ,m',corkindale an 
unlimited invitation to my lodgings2    
and1 like a good hearty fellow as he    
was1 he availed himself every evening of
 the license2 for ,i had laid in a      
fourteen gallon cask of ,oban whisky1   
and the quality of the malt was         
undeniable4  ,these were the first      
glorious days of general speculation4   
,railroads were emerging from the hands 
of the greater into the fingers of the  
lesser capitalists4 ,two successful     
harvests had given a fearful stimulus to
 the national energy2 and it appeared   
perfectly certain that all the populous 
towns would be united1 and the rich     
agricultural districts intersected1 by  
the magical bands of iron4 ,the columns 

of the newspapers teemed every week with
 the parturition of novel schemes2 and  
the shares were no sooner announced than
 they were rapidly subscribed for4 ,but 
what is the use of my saying any thing  
more about the history of last year8    
,every one of us remembers it perfectly 
well4 ,it was a capital year on the     
whole1 and put money into many a pocket4
 ,about that time1 ,bob and ,i commenced
 operations4 ,our available capital1 or 
negotiable bullion1 in the language of  
my friend1 amounted to about three      
hundred pounds1 which we set aside as a 
joint fund for speculation4 ,bob1 in a  
series of learned discourses1 had       
convinced me that it was not only folly1
 but a positive sin1 to leave this sum  
lying in the bank at a pitiful rate of  
interest1 and otherwise unemployed1     
whilst every one else in the kingdom was
 having a pluck at the public pigeon4   
,somehow or other1 we were unlucky in   
our first attempts4 ,speculators are    
like wasps2 for when they have once got 

hold of a ripening and peach-like       
project1 they keep it rigidly for their 
own swarm1 and repel the approach of    
interlopers4 ,notwithstanding all our   
efforts1 and very ingenious ones they   
were1 we never1 in a single instance1   
succeeded in procuring an allocation of 
original shares2 and though we did now  
and then make a hit by purchase1 we more
 frequently bought at a premium1 and    
parted with our scrip at a discount4 ,at
 the end of six months1 we were not     
twenty pounds richer than before4  ,this
 will never do1 said ,bob1 as he sat one
 evening in my rooms compounding his    
second tumbler4 ,i thought we were      
living in an enlightened age2 but ,i    
find ,i was mistaken4 ,that brutal      
spirit of monopoly is still abroad and  
uncurbed4 ,the principles2 of free-trade
 are utterly forgotten1 or              
misunderstood4 ,else how comes it that  
,david ,spreul received but yesterday an
 allocation of two hundred shares in the
 ,westermidden ,junction2 whilst your   

application and mine1 for a thousand    
each1 were overlooked8 ,is this a state 
of things to be tolerated8 ,why should  
he1 with his fifty thousand pounds1     
receive a slapping premium1 whilst our  
three hundred of available capital      
remains unrepresented8 ,the fact is     
monstrous1 and demands the immediate and
 serious interference of the            
legislature4  ,it is a bloody shame1    
said ,i1 fully alive to the manifold    
advantages of a premium4  ,i'll tell you
 what1 ,dunshunner1 rejoined            
,m',corkindale1 it's no use going on in 
this way4 ,we haven't shown half pluck  
enough4 ,these fellows consider us as   
snobs1 because we don't take the bull by
 the horns4 ,now's the time for a bold  
stroke4 ,the public are quite ready to  
subscribe for any thing--and we'll start
 a railway for ourselves4  ,start a     
railway with three hundred pounds of    
capital6  ,pshaw1 man6 you don't know   
what you're talking about--we've a great
 deal more capital than that4 ,have not 

,i told you seventy times over1 that    
every thing a man has--his coat1 his    
hat1 the tumblers he drinks from1 nay1  
his very corporeal existence--is        
absolute marketable capital8 ,what do   
you call that fourteen-gallon cask1 ,i  
should like to know8  ,a compound of    
hoops and staves1 containing about a    
quart and a half of spirits--you have   
effectually accounted for the rest4     
,then it has gone to the fund of profit 
and loss1 that's all4 ,never let me hear
 you sport those old theories again4    
,capital is indestructible1 as ,i am    
ready to prove to you any day1 in half  
an hour4 ,but let us sit down seriously 
to business4 ,we are rich enough to pay 
for the advertisements1 and that is all 
we need care for in the mean time4 ,the 
public is sure to step in1 and bear us  
out handsomely with the rest4  ,but     
where in the face of the habitable globe
 shall the railway be8 ,england is out  
of the question1 and ,i hardly know a   
spot in the ,lowlands that is not       

occupied already4  ,what do you say to a
 ,spanish scheme--the ,alcantara ,union8
 ,hang me if ,i know whether ,alcantara 
is in ,spain or ,portugal2 but nobody   
else does1 and the one is quite as good 
as the other4 ,or what would you think  
of the ,palermo ,railway1 with a branch 
to the sulphur mines8--that would be    
popular in the ,north--or the ,pyrenees 
,direct8 ,they would all go to a        
premium4  ,i must confess ,i should     
prefer a line at home4  ,well1 then1 why
 not try the ,highlands8 ,there must be 
lots of traffic there in the shape of   
sheep1 grouse1 and ,cockney tourists1   
not to mention salmon and other et      
ceteras4 ,couldn't we tip them a railway
 somewhere in the west8  ,there's       
,glenmutchkin1 for instance----         
,capital1 my dear fellow6 ,glorious6 ,by
 ,jove1 first-rate6 shouted ,bob in an  
ecstasy of delight4 ,there's a          
distillery there1 you know1 and a       
fishing village at the foot2 at least   
there used to be six years ago1 when ,i 

was living with the exciseman4 ,there   
may be some bother about the population1
 though4 ,the last laird shipped every  
mother's son of the original ,celts to  
,america2 but1 after all1 that's not of 
much consequence4 ,i see the whole      
thing6 ,unrivalled scenery--stupendous  
waterfalls--herds of black cattle--spot 
where ,prince ,charles ,edward met      
,macgrugar of ,glengrugar and his clan6 
,we could not possibly have lighted on a
 more promising place4 ,hand us over    
that sheet of paper1 like a good fellow1
 and a pen4 ,there is no time to be     
lost1 and the sooner we get out the     
prospectus the better4  ,but1 ,heaven   
bless you1 ,bob1 there's a great deal to
 be thought of first4 ,who are we to get
 for a provisional committee8  ,that's  
very true1 said ,bob musingly4 ,we must 
treat them to some respectable names1   
that is1 good sounding ones4 ,i'm afraid
 there is little chance of our producing
 a ,peer to begin with8  ,none          
whatever--unless we could invent one1   

and that's hardly safe--,burke's        
,peerage has gone through too many      
editions4 ,couldn't we try the          
,dormants8  ,that would be rather       
dangerous in the teeth of the standing  
orders4 ,but what do you say to a       
baronet8 ,there's ,sir ,polloxfen       
,tremens4 ,he got himself served the    
other day to a ,nova ,scotia baronetcy1 
with just as much title as you or ,i    
have2 and he has sported the riband1 and
 dined out on the strength of it ever   
since4 ,he'll join us at once1 for he   
has not a sixpence to lose4  ,down with 
him1 then1 and we headed the            
,provisional list with the pseudo       
,orange-tawney4  ,now1 said ,bob1 it's  
quite indispensable1 as this is a       
,highland line1 that we should put      
forward a ,chief or two4 ,that has      
always a great effect upon the ,english1
 whose feudal notions are rather of the 
mistiest1 and principally derived from  
,waverley4  ,why not write yourself down
 as the ,laird of ,m',corkindale8 said  

,i4 ,i daresay you would not be         
negatived by a counter-claim4  ,that    
would hardly do1 replied ,bob1 as ,i    
intend to be ,secretary4 ,after all1    
what's the use of thinking about it8    
,here goes for an extempore ,chief1 and 
the villain wrote down the name of      
,tavish ,m',tavish of ,invertavish4  ,i 
say1 though1 said ,i1 we must have a    
real ,highlander on the list4 ,if we go 
on this way1 it will become a           
,justiciary matter4  ,you're devilish   
scrupulous1 ,gus1 said ,bob1 who1 if    
left to himself1 would have stuck in the
 names of the heathen gods and godesses1
 or borrowed his directors from the     
,ossianic chronicles1 rather than have  
delayed the prospectus4 ,where the      
mischief are we to find the men8 ,i can 
think of no others likely to go the     
whole hog2 can you8  ,i don't know a    
single ,celt in ,glasgow except old     
,m',closkie1 the drunken porter at the  
corner of ,jamaica ,street4  ,he's the  
very man6 ,i suppose1 after the manner  

of his tribe1 he will do any thing for a
 pint of whisky4 ,but what shall we call
 him8 ,jamaica ,street1 ,i fear1 will   
hardly do for a designation4  ,call him 
,,the ,m',,closkie4 ,it will be sonorous
 in the ears of the ,saxon6  ,bravo6 and
 another ,chief was added to the roll of
 the clans4  ,now1 said ,bob1 we must   
put you down4 ,recollect1 all the       
management--that is1 the                
allocation--will be entrusted to you4   
,augustus--you haven't a middle name ,i 
think8--well1 then1 suppose we          
interpolate ',reginald2' it has a smack 
of the ,crusades4 ,augustus ,reginald   
,dunshunner1 ,esq4 of ---- where1 in the
 name of ,munchausen8  ,i'm sure ,i     
don't know4 ,i never had any land beyond
 the contents of a flower-pot4 ,stay--,i
 rather think ,i have a superiority     
somewhere about ,paisley4  ,just the    
thing1 cried ,bob4 ,it's heritable      
property1 and therefore titular4 ,what's
 the denomination8  ,st ,mirrens4       
,beautiful6 ,dunshunner of ,st ,mirrens1

 ,i give you joy6 ,had you discovered   
that a little sooner--and ,i wonder you 
did not think of it--we might both of us
 have had lots of allocations4 ,these   
are not the times to conceal hereditary 
distinctions4 ,but now comes the serious
 work4 ,we must have one or two men of  
known wealth upon the list4 ,the chaff  
is nothing without a decoy-bird4 ,now1  
can't you help me with a name8  ,in that
 case1 said ,i1 the game is up1 and the 
whole scheme exploded4 ,i would as soon 
undertake to evoke the ghost of         
,croesus4  ,dunshunner1 said ,bob very  
seriously1 to be a man of information1  
you are possessed of marvellous few     
resources4 ,i am quite ashamed of you4  
,now listen to me4 ,i have thought      
deeply upon this subject1 and am quite  
convinced that with some little trouble 
we may secure the co-operation of a most
 wealthy and influential body--one1 too1
 that is generally supposed to have     
stood aloof from all speculation of the 
kind1 and whose name would be a tower of

 strength in the monied quarters4 ,i    
allude1 continued ,bob1 reaching across 
for the kettle1 to the great ,dissenting
 ,interest4  ,the what8 cried ,i aghast4
  ,the great ,dissenting ,interest4 ,you
 can't have failed to observe the row   
they have lately been making about      
,sunday travelling and education4 ,old  
,sam ,sawley1 the coffin-maker1 is their
 principal spokesman here2 and wherever 
he goes the rest will follow1 like a    
flock of sheep bounding after a         
patriarchal ram4 ,i propose1 therefore1 
to wait upon him to-morrow1 and request 
his co-operation in a scheme which is   
not only to prove profitable1 but to    
make head against the lax principles of 
the present age4 ,leave me alone to     
tickle him4 ,i consider his name1 and   
those of one or two others belonging to 
the same meeting-house--fellows with    
bank-stock1 and all sorts of tin--as    
perfectly secure4 ,these dissenters     
smell a premium from an almost          
incredible distance4 ,we can fill up the

 rest of the committee with ciphers1 and
 the whole thing is done4  ,but the     
engineer--we must announce such an      
officer as a matter of course4  ,i never
 thought of that1 said ,bob4 ,couldn't  
we hire a fellow from one of the        
steam-boats8  ,i fear that might get us 
into trouble3 ,you know there are such  
things as gradients and sections to be  
prepared4 ,but there's ,watty ,solder1  
the gasfitter1 who failed the other day4
 ,he's a sort of civil engineer by      
trade1 and will jump at the proposal    
like a trout at the tail of a ,may fly4 
,agreed4 ,now1 then1 let's fix the      
number of shares4 ,this is our first    
experiment1 and ,i think we ought to be 
moderate4 ,no sound political economist 
is avaricious4 ,let us say twelve       
thousand1 at twenty pounds a-piece4  ,so
 be it4  ,well1 then1 that's arranged4  
,i'll see ,sawley and the rest          
to-morrow2 settle with ,solder1 and then
 write out the prospectus4 ,you look in 
upon me in the evening1 and we'll revise

 it together4 ,now1 by your leave1 let's
 have in the ,welsh rabbit and another  
tumbler to drink success and prosperity 
to the ,glenmutchkin railway4  ,i       
confess1 that when ,i rose on the       
morrow1 with a slight headache and a    
tongue indifferently parched1 ,i        
recalled to memory1 not without         
perturbation of conscience1 and some    
internal qualms1 the conversation of the
 previous evening4 ,i felt relieved1    
however1 after two spoonfuls of         
carbonate of soda1 and a glance at the  
newspaper1 wherein ,i perceived the     
announcement of no less than four other 
schemes equally preposterous with our   
own4 ,but1 after all1 what right had ,i 
to assume that the ,glenmutchkin project
 would prove an ultimate failure8 ,i had
 not a scrap of statistical information 
that might entitle me to form such an   
opinion4 ,at any rate1 ,parliament1 by  
substituting the ,board of ,trade as an 
initiating body of enquiry1 had created 
a responsible tribunal1 and freed us    

from the chance of obloquy4 ,i saw      
before me a vision of six months' steady
 gambling1 at manifest advantage1 in the
 shares1 before a report could possibly 
be pronounced1 or our proceedings in any
 way overhauled4 ,of course ,i attended 
that evening punctually at my friend    
,m',corkindale's4 ,bob was in high      
feather2 for ,sawley no sooner heard of 
the principles upon which the railway   
was to be conducted1 and his own        
nomination as a director1 than he gave  
in his adhesion1 and promised his       
unflinching support to the uttermost4   
,the ,prospectus ran as follows3--      
,,direct ,,glenmutchkin ,,railway4      
,in #ab1jjj ,shares of ,l4#bj each4     
,deposit ,l4#a per ,share4              
,provisional ,committee4     ,,sir      
,,polloxfen ,,tremens1 ,bart4 of        
,toddymains4     ,,tavish ,m',,tavish of
 ,invertavish4     ,,the ,m',,closkie4  
,,augustus ,,reginald ,,dunshunner1     
,esq4 of ,st ,mirrens4     ,,samuel     
,,sawley1 ,esq41 ,merchant4             

,,mhic-,,mhac-,,vich-,,induibh4         
,,phelim ,o',,finlan1 ,esq4 of          
,castle-rook1 ,ireland4     ,,the       
,,captain of ,m',,alcohol4     ,,factor 
for ,,glentumblers4     ,,john ,,job    
,,jobson1 ,esq41 ,manufacturer4         
,,evan ,m',,claw of ,glenscart and      
,inveryewky4     ,,joseph ,,heckles1    
,esq4     ,,habbakuk ,,grabbie1         
,portioner in ,ramoth-,drumclog4        
,engineer--,,walter ,,solder1 ,esq4     
,interim ,secretary--,,robert           
,m',,corkindale1 ,esq4       ,the       
necessity of a direct line of ,railway  
communication through      the fertile  
and populous district known as the      
,,valley of      ,,glenmutchkin1 has    
been long felt and universally          
acknowledged4      ,independent of the  
surpassing grandeur of its mountain     
scenery1      which shall immediately be
 referred to1 and other considerations  
of even greater importance1             
,,glenmutchkin is known to the          
capitalist as the most important        

,,breeding ,,station in the             
,highlands of ,scotland1 and indeed as  
the great emporium from      which the  
southern markets are supplied4 ,it has  
been calculated      by a most eminent  
authority1 that every acre in the strath
 is      capable of rearing twenty head 
of cattle2 and1 as has been             
ascertained after a careful             
admeasurement1 that there are not       
less than ,,two ,,hundred ,,thousand    
improvable acres immediately            
contiguous to the proposed line of      
,railway1 it may confidently be         
assumed that the number of cattle to be 
conveyed along the line      will amount
 to ,,four ,,millions annually1 which1  
at the lowest      estimate1 would yield
 a revenue larger1 in proportion to the 
capital subscribed1 than that of any    
,railway as yet completed      within   
the ,united ,kingdom4 ,from this        
estimate the traffic in      ,sheep and 
,goats1 with which the mountains are    
literally covered1      has been        

carefully excluded1 it having been found
 quite      impossible 7from its extent7
 to compute the actual revenue to be    
drawn from that most important branch4  
,it may1 however1 be      roughly       
assumed as from seventeen to nineteen   
per cent upon the      whole1 after     
deduction of the working expenses4      
,the population of ,glenmutchkin is     
extremely dense4 ,its situation      on 
the west coast has afforded it the means
 of direct      communication with      
,america1 of which for many years the   
inhabitants have actively availed       
themselves4 ,indeed the amount      of  
exportation of live stock from this part
 of the ,highlands to      the ,western 
continent1 has more than once attracted 
the      attention of ,parliament4 ,the 
,manufactures are large and             
comprehensive1 and include the most     
famous distilleries in the      world4  
,the ,minerals are most abundant1 and   
amongst these may be      reckoned      
quartz1 porphyry1 felspar1 malachite1   

manganese1 and      basalt4       ,at   
the foot of the valley1 and close to the
 sea1 lies the      important village   
known as the ,,clachan of ,,inverstarve4
 ,it is      supposed by various eminent
 antiquaries to have been the capital   
of the ,picts1 and1 amongst the busy    
inroads of commercial      prosperity1  
it still retains some interesting traces
 of its      former grandeur4 ,there is 
a large fishing station here1 to which  
vessels from every nation resort1 and   
the demand for foreign      produce is  
daily and steadily increasing4       ,as
 a sporting country ,glenmutchkin is    
unrivalled2 but it is by      the       
tourists that its beauties will most    
greedily be sought4      ,these consist 
of every combination which plastic      
nature can      afford--cliffs of       
unusual magnitude and                   
grandeur--waterfalls only      second to
 the sublime cascades of ,norway--woods1
 of which the      bark is a remarkably 
valuable commodity4 ,it need scarcely be

      added1 to rouse the enthusiasm    
inseparable from this glorious          
glen1 that here1 in #agde1 ,prince      
,charles ,edward ,stuart1 then in       
the zenith of his hopes1 was joined by  
the brave ,sir ,grugar      ,m',grugar  
at the head of his devoted clan4        
,the ,railway will be twelve miles long1
 and can be completed      within six   
months after the ,act of ,parliament is 
obtained4 ,the      gradients are easy1 
and the curves obtuse4 ,there are no    
viaducts      of any importance1 and    
only four tunnels along the whole length
      of the line4 ,the shortest of     
those does not exceed a mile and a      
half4       ,in conclusion1 the         
projectors of this ,railway beg to state
 that      they have determined1 as a   
principle1 to set their face ,,against  
,,all ,,sunday ,,travelling             
,,whatsoever1 and to oppose ,,every     
,,bill which      may hereafter be      
brought into ,parliament1 unless it     
shall contain      a clause to that     

effect4 ,it is also their intention to  
take up      the cause of the poor and  
neglected ,,stoker1 for whose           
accommodation1 and social1 moral1       
religious1 and intellectual             
improvement a large stock of evangelical
 tracts will speedily be      required4 
,tenders of these1 in quantities of not 
less than      #ab1jjj1 may be sent in  
to the interim secretary4 ,shares must  
be      applied for within ten days from
 the present date4      ,by order of the
 ,provisional ,committee1     ,,robt4   
,m',,corkindale1 ,secretary4   ,there6  
said ,bob1 slapping down the prospectus 
on the table1 with the jauntiness of a  
,cockney vouchsafing a pint of          
,hermitage to his guests--,what do you  
think of that8 ,if it doesn't do the    
business effectually1 ,i shall submit to
 be called a ,dutchman4 ,that last touch
 about the stoker will bring us in the  
subscriptions of the old ladies by the  
score4  ,very masterly1 indeed1 said ,i4
 ,but who the deuce is                  

,mhic-,mhac-vich-,induibh8  ,a bona-fide
 chief1 ,i assure you1 though a little  
reduced3 ,i picked him up upon the      
,broomielaw4 ,his grandfather had an    
island somewhere to the west of the     
,hebrides2 but it is not laid down in   
the maps4  ,and the ,captain of         
,m',alcohol8  ,a crack distiller4  ,and 
the ,factor for ,glentumblers8  ,his    
principal customer4 ,but1 bless you1 my 
dear ,st ,mirrens6 don't trouble        
yourself any more about the committee4  
,they are as respectable a set--on paper
 at least--as you would wish to see of a
 summer's morning1 and the beauty of it 
is that they will give us no manner of  
trouble4 ,now about the allocation4 ,you
 and ,i must restrict ourselves to a    
couple of thousand shares a-piece4      
,that's only a third of the whole1 but  
it wont do to be greedy4  ,but1 ,bob1   
consider6 ,where on earth are we to find
 the money to pay up the deposits8  ,can
 you1 the principal director of the     
,glenmutchkin ,railway1 ask me1 the     

secretary1 such a question8 ,don't you  
know that any of the banks will give us 
tick to the amount 'of half the         
deposits4' ,all that is settled already1
 and you can get your two thousand      
pounds whenever you please merely for   
the signing of a bill4 ,sawley must get 
a thousand according to                 
stipulation--,jobson1 ,heckles1 and     
,grabbie1 at least five hundred a-piece1
 and another five hundred1 ,i should    
think1 will exhaust the remaining means 
of the committee4 ,so that1 out of our  
whole stock1 there remain just five     
thousand shares to be allocated to the  
speculative and evangelical public4 ,my 
eyes6 won't there be a scramble for     
them8  ,next day our prospectus appeared
 in the newspapers4 ,it was read1       
canvassed1 and generally approved of4   
,during the afternoon1 ,i took an       
opportunity of looking into the         
,tontine1 and whilst under shelter of   
the ,glasgow ,herald1 my ears were      
solaced with such ejaculations as the   

following3--  ,i say1 ,jimsy1 hae ye    
seen this grand new prospectus for a    
railway tae ,glenmutchkin8  ,ay--it     
looks no that ill4 ,the ,hieland lairds 
are pitting their best fit foremost4    
,will ye apply for shares8  ,i think    
,i'll tak' twa hundred4 ,wha's ,sir     
,polloxfen ,tremens8  ,he'll be yin o'  
the ,ayrshire folk4 ,he used to rin     
horses at the ,paisley races4  7,the    
devil he did6 thought ,i47  ,d'ye ken   
ony o' the directors1 ,jimsy8  ,i ken   
,sawley fine4 ,ye may depend on't1 it's 
a gude thing if he's in't1 for he's a   
howkin' body4  ,then it's sure to gae   
up4 ,what prem4 d'ye think it will      
bring8  ,twa pund a share1 and maybe    
mair4  ',od1 ,i'll apply for three      
hundred6  ,heaven bless you1 my dear    
countrymen6 thought ,i1 as ,i sallied   
forth to refresh myself with a basin of 
soup1 do but maintain this liberal and  
patriotic feeling--this thirst for      
national improvement1 internal          
communication1 and premiums--a short    

while longer1 and ,i know whose fortune 
will be made4  ,on the following morning
 my breakfast-table was covered with    
shoals of letters1 from fellows whom ,i 
scarcely ever had spoken to--or who1 to 
use a franker phraseology1 had scarcely 
ever condescended to speak to           
me--entreating my influence as a        
director to obtain them shares in the   
new undertaking4 ,i never bore malice in
 my life1 so ,i chalked them down1      
without favouritism1 for a certain      
proportion4 ,whilst engaged in this     
charitable work1 the door flew open1 and
 ,m',corkindale1 looking utterly haggard
 with excitement1 rushed in4  ,you may  
buy an estate whenever you please1      
,dunshunner1 cried he1 the world's gone 
perfectly mad4 ,i have been to ,blazes  
the broker1 and he tells me that the    
whole amount of the stock has been      
subscribed for four times over already1 
and he has not yet got in the returns   
from ,edinburgh and ,liverpool6  ,are   
they good names though1 ,bob--sure      

cards--none of your ,m',closkies and    
,m',alcohols8  ,the first names in the  
city1 ,i assure you1 and most of them   
holders for investment4 ,i wouldn't take
 ten millions for their capital4  ,then 
the sooner we close the list the better4
  ,i think so too4 ,i suspect a rival   
company will be out before long4 ,blazes
 says the shares are selling already    
conditionally on allotment1 at seven and
 sixpence premium4  ,the deuce they are6
 ,i say1 ,bob1 since we have the cards  
in our hands1 would it not be wise to   
favour them with a few hundreds at that 
rate8 ,a bird in the hand1 you know1 is 
worth two in the bush1 eh8  ,i know no  
such maxim in political economy1 replied
 the secretary4 ,are you mad1           
,dunshunner8 ,how are the shares ever to
 go up1 if it gets wind that the        
directors are selling already8 ,our     
business just now1 is to bull the line1 
not to bear it2 and if you will trust   
me1 ,i shall show them such an operation
 on the ascending scale1 as the ,stock  

,exchange has not witnessed for this    
long and many a-day4 ,then1 to-morrow1  
,i shall advertise in the papers1 that  
the committee having received           
applications for ten times the amount of
 stock1 have been compelled1            
unwillingly1 to close the lists4 ,that  
will be a slap in the face to the       
dilatory gentlemen1 and send up the     
shares like wildfire4  ,bob was right4  
,no sooner did the advertisement appear1
 than a simultaneous groan was uttered  
by some hundreds of disappointed        
speculators1 who with unwonted and      
unnecessary caution1 had been anxious to
 see their way a little1 before         
committing themselves to our splendid   
enterprise4 ,in consequence1 they rushed
 into the market1 with intense anxiety  
to make what terms they could at the    
earliest stage1 and the                 
seven-and-sixpence of premium was       
doubled in the course of a forenoon4    
,the allocation passed over very        
peaceably4 ,sawley1 ,heckles1 ,jobson1  

,grabbie1 and the ,captain of           
,m',alcohol1 besides myself1 attended1  
and took part in the business4 ,we were 
also threatened with the presence of the
 ,m',closkie and ,vich-,induibh2 but    
,m',corkindale1 entertaining some       
reasonable doubts as to the effect which
 their corporeal appearance might have  
upon the representatives of the         
dissenting interest1 had taken the      
precaution to get them snugly housed in 
a tavern1 where an unbounded supply of  
gratuitous ,ferntosh deprived us of the 
benefit of their experience4 ,we1       
however1 allotted them twenty shares    
a-piece4 ,sir ,polloxfen ,tremens sent a
 handsome1 though rather illegible      
letter of apology1 dated from an island 
in ,lochlomond1 where he was said to be 
detained on particular business4  ,mr   
,sawley1 who officiated as our chairman1
 was kind enough1 before parting1 to    
pass a very flattering eulogium upon the
 excellence and candour of all the      
preliminary arrangements4 ,it would now1

 he said1 go forth to the public that   
this line was not1 like some others he  
could mention1 a mere bubble1 emanating 
from the stank of private interest1 but 
a solid1 lasting superstructure1 based  
upon the principles of sound return for 
capital1 and serious evangelical truth1 
7hear1 hear47 ,the time was fast        
approaching1 when the gravestone1 with  
the words ,,hic ,,obiit1 chiselled upon 
it1 would be placed at the head of all  
the other lines which rejected the grand
 opportunity of conveying education to  
the stoker4 ,the stoker1 in his 7,mr    
,sawley's7 opinion1 had a right to ask  
the all important question1 ,am ,i not a
 man and a brother8 7,cheers47 ,much had
 been said and written lately about a   
work called ,tracts for the ,times4     
,with the opinions contained in that    
publication1 he was not conversant1 as  
it was conducted by persons of another  
community from that to which he 7,mr    
,sawley7 had the privilege to belong4   
,but he hoped very soon1 under the      

auspices of the ,glenmutchkin ,railway  
,company1 to see a new periodical       
established1 under the title of ,tracts 
for the ,trains4 ,he never for a moment 
would relax his efforts to knock a nail 
into the coffin1 which1 he might say1   
was already made1 and measured1 and     
cloth-covered for the reception of all  
establishments2 and with these          
sentiments and the conviction that the  
shares must rise1 could it be doubted   
that he would remain a fast friend to   
the interests of this ,company for ever8
 7,much cheering47  ,after having       
delivered this address1 ,mr ,sawley     
affectionately squeezed the hands of his
 brother directors1 and departed1       
leaving several of us much overcome4    
,as1 however1 ,m',corkindale had told me
 that every one of ,sawley's shares had 
been disposed of in the market the day  
before1 ,i felt less compunction at     
having refused to allow that excellent  
man an extra thousand beyond the amount 
he had applied for1 notwithstanding of  

his broadest hints1 and even private    
entreaties4  ,confound the greedy       
hypocrite6 said ,bob2 does he think we  
shall let him ,burke the line for       
nothing8 ,no--no6 let him go to the     
brokers and buy his shares back1 if he  
thinks they are likely to rise4 ,i'll be
 bound he has made a cool five hundred  
out of them already4  ,on the day which 
succeeded the allocation1 the following 
entry appeared in the ,glasgow share    
lists4 ,direct ,glenmutchkin ,railway4  
#aes4 #aes4#f;d4 #aes4#f;d4 #afs4       
#aes4#f;d4 #afs4 #afs4#f;d4 #afs4#f;d4  
#afs4 #ags #ahs4 #ahs4 #ais4#f;d4 #bas4 
#bas4 #bbs4#f;d4 #bds4 #bes4 #f;d4 #bgs4
 #bis4 #bis4#f;d4 #cjs4 #cas4 pm4  ,they
 might go higher1 and they ought to go  
higher1 said ,bob musingly2 but there's 
not much more stock to come and go upon1
 and these two share-sharks1 ,jobson and
 ,grabbie1 ,i know1 will be in the      
market to-morrow4 ,we must not let them 
have the whip-hand of us4 ,i think upon 
the whole1 ,dunshunner1 though it's     

letting them go dog cheap1 that we ought
 to sell half our shares at the present 
premium1 whilst there is a certainty of 
getting it4  ,why not sell the whole8   
,i'm sure ,i have no objections to part 
with every stiver of the scrip on such  
terms4  ,perhaps1 said ,bob1 upon       
general principles you may be right2 but
 then remember that we have a vested    
interest in the line4  ,vested interest 
be hanged6  ,that's very well--at the   
same time it is no use to kill your     
salmon in a hurry4 ,the bulls have done 
their work pretty well for us1 and we   
ought to keep something on hand for the 
bears2 they are snuffling at it already4
 ,i could almost swear that some of     
those fellows who have sold to-day are  
working for a time-bargain4  ,we        
accordingly got rid of a couple of      
thousand shares1 the proceeds of which  
not only enabled us to discharge the    
deposit loan1 but left us a material    
surplus4 ,under these circumstances1 a  
two-handed banquet was proposed and     

unanimously carried1 the commencement of
 which ,i distinctly remember1 but am   
rather dubious as to the end4 ,so many  
stories have lately been circulated to  
the prejudice of railway directors1 that
 ,i think it my duty to state that this 
entertainment was scrupulously defrayed 
by ourselves1 and not carried to        
account1 either of the preliminary      
survey1 or the expenses of the          
provisional committee4  ,nothing effects
 so great a metamorphosis in the bearing
 of the outer man1 as a sudden change of
 fortune4 ,the anemone of the garden    
differs scarcely more from its          
unpretending prototype of the woods1    
than ,robert ,m',corkindale1 ,esq41     
,secretary and ,projector of the        
,glenmutchkin ,railway1 differed from   
,bob ,m',corkindale1 the seedy          
frequenter of ,the ,crow4 ,in the days  
of yore1 men eyed the surtout--napless  
at the velvet collar1 and               
preternaturally white at the            
seams--which ,bob vouchsafed to wear1   

with looks of dim suspicion1 as if some 
faint reminiscence1 similar to that     
which is said to recall the memory of a 
former state of existence1 suggested to 
them a vision that the garment had once 
been their own4 ,indeed1 his whole      
appearance was then wonderfully         
second-hand4 ,now he had cast his       
slough4 ,a most undeniable ,taglioni1   
with trimmings just bordering upon      
frogs1 gave dignity to his demeanour and
 twofold amplitude to his chest4 ,the   
horn eyeglass was exchanged for one of  
purest gold1 the dingy high-lows for    
well-waxed ,wellingtons1 the ,paisley   
fogle for the fabric of the ,china loom4
 ,moreover1 he walked with a swagger1   
and affected in common conversation a   
peculiar dialect which he opined to be  
the purest ,english1 but which no       
one--except a bagman--could be          
reasonably expected to understand4 ,his 
pockets were invariably crammed with    
share lists2 and he quoted1 if he did   
not comprehend1 the money article from  

the ,times4 ,this sort of assumption1   
though very ludicrous in itself1 goes   
down wonderfully4 ,bob gradually became 
a sort of authority1 and his opinions   
got quoted on ',change4 ,he was no ass1 
notwithstanding his peculiarities1 and  
made good use of his opportunity4  ,for 
myself1 ,i bore my new dignities with an
 air of modest meekness4 ,a certain     
degree of starchness is indispensable   
for a railway director1 if he means to  
go forward in his high calling and      
prosper2 he must abandon all juvenile   
eccentricities1 and aim at the          
appearance of a decided enemy to free   
trade in the article of ,wild ,oats4    
,accordingly1 as the first step towards 
respectability1 ,i eschewed coloured    
waistcoats1 and gave out that ,i was a  
marrying man4 ,no man under forty1      
unless he is a positive idiot1 will     
stand forth as a theoretical bachelor4  
,it is all nonsense to say that there is
 any thing unpleasant in being courted4 
,attention1 whether from male or female1

 tickles the vanity1 and although ,i    
have a reasonable1 and1 ,i hope1 not    
unwholesome regard1 for the             
gratification of my other appetites1 ,i 
confess that this same vanity is by far 
the most poignant of the whole4 ,i      
therefore surrendered myself freely to  
the soft allurements thrown in my way by
 such matronly denizens of ,glasgow as  
were possessed of stock in the shape of 
marriageable daughters2 and walked the  
more readily into their toils1 because  
every party1 though nominally for the   
purposes of tea1 wound up with a hot    
supper1 and something hotter still by   
way of assisting the digestion4  ,i     
don't know whether it was my determined 
conduct at the allocation1 my           
territorial title1 or a most exaggerated
 idea of my circumstances1 that worked  
upon the mind of ,mr ,sawley4 ,possibly 
it was a combination of the three2 but  
sure enough few days had elapsed before 
,i received a formal card of invitation 
to a tea and serious conversation4 ,now 

serious conversation is a sort of thing 
that ,i never shone in1 possibly because
 my early studies were framed in a      
different direction2 but as ,i really   
was unwilling to offend the respectable 
coffin-maker1 and as ,i found that the  
,captain of ,m',alcohol--a decided trump
 in his way--had also received a        
summons1 ,i notified my acceptance4     
,m',alcohol and ,i went together4 ,the  
,captain1 an enormous brawny ,celt1 with
 superhuman whiskers1 and a shock of the
 fieriest hair1 had figged himself out1 
more majorum1 in the full ,highland     
costume4 ,i never saw ,rob ,roy on the  
stage look half so dignified or         
ferocious4 ,he glittered from head to   
foot1 with dirk1 pistol1 and skean-dhu1 
and at least a hundred-weight of        
cairngorums cast a prismatic glory      
around his person4 ,i felt quite abashed
 beside him4  ,we were ushered into ,mr 
,sawley's drawing-room4 ,round the      
walls1 and at considerable distances    
from each other1 were seated about a    

dozen characters male and female1 all of
 them dressed in sable1 and wearing     
countenances of woe4 ,sawley advanced1  
and wrung me by the hand with so piteous
 an expression of visage1 that ,i could 
not help thinking some awful catastrophe
 had just befallen his family4  ,you are
 welcome1 ,mr ,dunshunner1 welcome to my
 humble tabernacle4 ,let me present you 
to ,mrs ,sawley--and a lady1 who seemed 
to have bathed in the ,yellow ,sea1 rose
 from her seat1 and favoured me with a  
profound curtsy4  ,my daughter--,miss   
,selina ,sawley4  ,i felt in my brain   
the scorching glance of the two darkest 
eyes it ever was my fortune to behold1  
as the beauteous ,selina looked up from 
the perusal of her handkerchief hem4 ,it
 was a pity that the other features were
 not corresponding2 for the nose was    
flat1 and the mouth of such dimensions1 
that a ,harlequin might have jumped down
 it with impunity--but the eyes were    
splendid4  ,in obedience to a sign from 
the hostess1 ,i sank into a chair beside

 ,selina2 and not knowing exactly what  
to say1 hazarded some observation about 
the weather4  ,yes1 it is indeed a      
suggestive season4 ,how deeply1 ,mr     
,dunshunner1 we ought to feel the       
pensive progress of autumn towards a    
soft and premature decay6 ,i always     
think1 about this time of the year1 that
 nature is falling into a consumption6  
,to be sure1 ma'am1 said ,i1 rather     
taken aback by this style of colloquy   
the trees are looking devilishly hectic4
  ,ah1 you have remarked that too6      
,strange6 it was but yesterday that ,i  
was wandering through ,kelvin ,grove1   
and as the phantom breeze brought down  
the withered foliage from the spray1 ,i 
thought1 how probable it was1 that they 
might erelong rustle over young and     
glowing hearts deposited prematurely in 
the tomb6  ,this1 which struck me as a  
very passable imitation of ,dickens's   
pathetic writings1 was a poser4 ,in     
default of language1 ,i looked ,miss    
,sawley straight in the face1 and       

attempted a substitute for a sigh4 ,i   
was rewarded with a tender glance4  ,ah6
 said she1 ,i see you are a congenial   
spirit4 ,how delightful1 and yet how    
rare it is to meet with any one who     
thinks in unison with yourself6 ,do you 
ever walk in the ,necropolis1 ,mr       
,dunshunner8 ,it is my favourite haunt  
of a morning4 ,there we can wean        
ourselves1 as it were1 from life1 and1  
beneath the melancholy yew and cypress1 
anticipate the setting star4 ,how often 
there have ,i seen the procession--the  
funeral of some very1 very little       
child----  ,selina1 my love1 said ,mrs  
,sawley1 have the kindness to ring for  
the cookies4  ,i1 as in duty bound1     
started up to save the fair enthusiast  
the trouble1 and was not sorry to       
observe my seat immediately occupied by 
a very cadaverous gentleman1 who was    
evidently jealous of the progress ,i was
 rapidly making4 ,sawley1 with an air of
 great mystery1 informed me that this   
was a ,mr ,dalgleish of ,raxmathrapple1 

the representative of an ancient        
,scottish family who claimed an         
important heritable office4 ,the name1  
,i thought1 was familiar to me1 but     
there was something in the appearance of
 ,mr ,dalgleish which1 notwithstanding  
the smiles of ,miss ,selina1 rendered a 
rivalship in that quarter utterly out of
 the question4  ,i hate injustice1 so   
let me do due honour in description to  
the ,sawley banquet4 ,the tea-urn most  
literally corresponded to its name4 ,the
 table was decked out with divers       
platters1 containing seed-cakes cut into
 rhomboids1 almond biscuits1 and ratafia
 drops2 but somehow or other they all   
looked clammy and damp1 and1 for the    
life of me1 ,i could not divest myself  
of the idea that the selfsame viands had
 figured1 not long before1 as funeral   
refreshments at a dirgie4 ,no such      
suspicion seemed to cross the mind of   
,m',alcohol1 who hitherto had remained  
uneasily surveying his nails in a       
corner1 but at the first symptom of food

 started forwards1 and was in the act of
 making a clean sweep of the china1 when
 ,sawley proposed the singular          
preliminary of a hymn4  ,the hymn was   
accordingly sung4 ,i am thankful to say 
it was such a one as ,i never heard     
before1 or expect to hear again2 and    
unless it was composed by the ,reverend 
,saunders ,peden in an hour of paroxysm 
on the moors1 ,i cannot conjecture the  
author4 ,after this original symphony1  
tea was discussed1 and after tea1 to my 
amazement1 more hot brandy and water    
than ,i ever remember to have seen      
circulated at the most convivial party4 
,of course this effected a radical      
change in the spirits and conversation  
of the circle4 ,it was again my lot to  
be placed by the side of the fascinating
 ,selina1 whose sentimentality gradually
 thawed away beneath the influence of   
sundry sips1 which she accepted with a  
delicate reluctance4 ,this time         
,dalgleish of ,raxmathrapple had not the
 remotest chance4 ,m',alcohol got       

furious1 sang ,gaelic songs1 and even   
delivered a sermon in genuine ,erse1    
without incurring a rebuke2 whilst1 for 
my own part1 ,i must needs confess that 
,i waxed unnecessarily amorous1 and the 
last thing ,i recollect was the pressure
 of ,mr ,sawley's hand at the door1 as  
he denominated me his dear boy1 and     
hoped ,i would soon come back and visit 
,mrs ,sawley and ,selina4 ,the          
recollection of these passages next     
morning was the surest antidote to my   
return4  ,three weeks had elapsed1 and  
still the ,glenmutchkin ,railway shares 
were at a premium1 though rather lower  
than when we sold4 ,our engineer1 ,watty
 ,solder1 returned from his first survey
 of the line1 along with an assistant   
who really appeared to have some remote 
glimmerings of the science and practice 
of mensuration4 ,it seemed1 from a      
verbal report1 that the line was        
actually practicable2 and the survey    
would have been completed in a very     
short time--,if1 according to the       

account of ,solder1 there had been ae   
hoos in the glen4 ,but ever sin' the    
distillery stoppit--and that was twa    
year last ,martinmas--there wasna a hole
 whaur a ,christian could lay his head1 
muckle less get white sugar to his      
toddy1 forbye the change-house at the   
clachan2 and the auld luckie that keepit
 it was sair forfochten wi' the palsy1  
and maist in the dead-thraws4 ,there was
 naebody else living within twal miles  
o' the line1 barring a tacksman1 a      
lamiter1 and a bauldie4  ,we had some   
difficulty in preventing ,mr ,solder    
from making this report open and patent 
to the public1 which premature          
disclosure might have interfered        
materially with the preparation of our  
traffic tables1 not to mention the      
marketable value of the shares4 ,we     
therefore kept him steadily at work out 
of ,glasgow1 upon a very liberal        
allowance1 to which1 apparently1 he did 
not object4  ,dunshunner1 said          
,m',corkindale to me one day1 ,i suspect

 that there is something going on about 
our railway more than we are aware of4  
,have you observed that the shares are  
preternaturally high just now8  ,so much
 the better4 ,let's sell4  ,i did so    
this morning--both yours and mine1 at   
two pounds ten shillings premium4  ,the 
deuce you did6 ,then we're out of the   
whole concern4  ,not quite4 ,if my      
suspicions are correct1 there's a good  
deal more money yet to be got from the  
speculation4 ,somebody has been bulling 
the stock without orders2 and1 as they  
can have no information which we are not
 perfectly up to1 depend upon it1 it is 
done for a purpose4 ,i suspect ,sawley  
and his friends4 ,they have never been  
quite happy since the allocation2 and ,i
 caught him yesterday pumping our broker
 in the back shop4 ,we'll see in a day  
or two4 ,if they are beginning a bearing
 operation1 ,i know how to catch them4  
,and1 in effect1 the bearing operation  
commenced4 ,next day1 heavy sales were  
effected for delivery in three weeks2   

and the stock1 as if water-logged1 began
 to sink4 ,the same thing continued for 
the following two days1 until the       
premium became nearly nominal4 ,in the  
mean time1 ,bob and ,i1 in conjunction  
with two leading capitalists whom we let
 into the secret1 bought up steadily    
every share that was offered2 and at the
 end of a fortnight we found that we had
 purchased rather more than double the  
amount of the whole original stock4     
,sawley and his disciples1 who1 as      
,m',corkindale suspected1 were at the   
bottom of the whole transaction1 having 
beared to their heart's content1 now    
came into the market to purchase1 in    
order to redeem their engagements4 ,the 
following extract from the weekly       
share-lists will show the result of     
their endeavours to regain their lost   
position3--                             
,sat4    ,mon4   ,tues4    ,wed4        
,thurs4 ,glenmutchkin ,rail1 ,l4#a      
paid14  #a #b_/h  #b #a_/d  #d #c_/h  #g
 #a_/b  #aj #c_/d                       

,frid4   ,sat4                          
#ae #c_/h   #ag1  and ,monday was the   
day of delivery4  ,i have no means of   
knowing in what frame of mind ,mr       
,sawley spent the ,sunday1 or whether he
 had recourse for mental consolation to 
,peden2 but on ,monday morning he       
presented himself at my door in full    
funeral costume1 with about a quarter of
 a mile of crape swathed round his hat1 
black gloves1 and a countenance         
infinitely more doleful than if he had  
been attending the interment of his     
beloved wife4  ,walk in1 ,mr ,sawley1   
said ,i cheerfully4 ,what a long time it
 is since ,i have had the pleasure of   
seeing you--too long indeed for brother 
directors4 ,how are ,mrs ,sawley and    
,miss ,selina--won't you take a cup of  
coffee8  ,grass1 sir1 grass6 said ,mr   
,sawley1 with a sigh like the groan of a
 furnace-bellows4 ,we are all flowers of
 the oven--weak1 erring creatures1 every
 one of us4 ,ah6 ,mr ,dunshunner6 you   
have been a great stranger at ,lykewake 

,terrace6  ,take a muffin1 ,mr ,sawley4 
,any thing new in the railway world8    
,ah1 my dear sir--my good ,mr ,augustus 
,reginald--,i wanted to have some       
serious conversation with you on that   
very point4 ,i am afraid there is       
something far wrong indeed in the       
present state of our stock4  ,why1 to be
 sure it is high2 but that1 you know1 is
 a token of the public confidence in the
 line4 ,after all1 the rise is nothing  
compared to that of several ,english    
railways2 and individually1 ,i suppose1 
neither of us have any reason to        
complain4  ,i don't like it1 said       
,sawley1 watching me over the margin of 
his coffee-cup4 ,i don't like it4 ,it   
savours too much of gambling for a man  
of my habits4 ,selina1 who is a sensible
 girl1 has serious qualms on the        
subject4  ,then1 why not get out of it8 
,i have no objection to run the risk1   
and1 if you like to transact with me ,i 
will pay you ready money for every share
 you have at the present market price4  

,sawley writhed uneasily in his chair4  
,will you sell me five hundred1 ,mr     
,sawley8 ,say the word and it is a      
bargain4  ,a time bargain8 quavered the 
coffin-maker4  ,no4 ,money down1 and    
scrip handed over4  ,i--,i can't4 ,the  
fact is1 my dear young friend1 ,i have  
sold all my stock already6  ,then permit
 me to ask1 ,mr ,sawley1 what possible  
objection you can have to the present   
aspect of affairs8 ,you do not surely   
suppose that we are going to issue new  
shares and bring down the market1 simply
 because you have realized at a handsome
 premium8  ,a handsome premium6 ,o      
,lord6 moaned ,sawley4  ,why1 what did  
you get for them8  ,four1 three1 and two
 and a half4  ,a very considerable      
profit indeed1 said ,i2 and you ought to
 be abundantly thankful4 ,we shall talk 
this matter over at another time1 ,mr   
,sawley1 but just now ,i must beg you to
 excuse me4 ,i have a particular        
engagement this morning with my         
broker--rather a heavy transaction to   

settle--and so----  ,it's no use beating
 about the bush any longer1 said ,mr    
,sawley in an excited tone1 at the same 
time dashing down his crape-covered     
castor on the floor4 ,did you ever see a
 ruined man with a large family8 ,look  
at me1 ,mr ,dunshunner--,i'm one1 and   
you've done it6  ,mr ,sawley6 are you in
 your senses8  ,that depends on         
circumstances4 ,haven't you been buying 
stock lately8  ,i am glad to say ,i     
have--two thousand ,glenmutchkins1 ,i   
think1 and this is the day of delivery4 
,well1 then--can't you see how the      
matter stands8 ,it was ,i who sold them6
  ,well6  ,mother of ,moses1 sir6 don't 
you see ,i'm ruined8  ,by no means--but 
you must not swear4 ,i pay over the     
money for your scrip1 and you pocket a  
premium4 ,it seems to me a very simple  
transaction4  ,but ,i tell you ,i       
haven't got the scrip6 cried ,sawley1   
gnashing his teeth1 whilst the cold     
beads of perspiration gathered largely  
on his brow4  ,that is very unfortunate6

 ,have you lost it8  ,no6--the devil    
tempted me1 and ,i oversold6  ,there was
 a very long pause1 during which ,i     
assumed an aspect of serious and        
dignified rebuke4  ,is it possible8 said
 ,i in a low tone1 after the manner of  
,kean's offended fathers4 ,what6 you1   
,mr ,sawley--the stoker's friend--the   
enemy of gambling--the father of        
,selina--condescend to so equivocal a   
transaction8 ,you amaze me6 ,but ,i     
never was the man to press heavily on a 
friend--here ,sawley brightened up--your
 secret is safe with me1 and it shall be
 your own fault if it reaches the ears  
of the ,session4 ,pay me over the       
difference at the present market price1 
and ,i release you of your obligation4  
,then ,i'm in the ,gazette1 that's all1 
said ,sawley doggedly1 and a wife and   
nine beautiful babes upon the parish6 ,i
 had hoped other things from you1 ,mr   
,dunshunner--,i thought you and         
,selina----  ,nonsense1 man6 ,nobody    
goes into the ,gazette just now--it will

 be time enough when the general crash  
comes4 ,out with your checque-book1 and 
write me an order for four-and-twenty   
thousand4 ,confound fractions6 in these 
days one can afford to be liberal4  ,i  
haven't got it1 said ,sawley4 ,you have 
no idea how bad our trade has been of   
late1 for nobody seems to think of      
dying4 ,i have not sold a gross of      
coffins this fortnight4 ,but ,i'll tell 
what--,i'll give you five thousand down 
in cash1 and ten thousand in            
shares--further ,i can't go4  ,now1 ,mr 
,sawley'1 said ,i1 ,i may be blamed by  
worldly-minded persons for what ,i am   
going to do2 but ,i am a man of         
principle1 and feel deeply for the      
situation of your amiable wife and      
family4 ,i bear no malice1 though it is 
quite clear that you intended to make me
 the sufferer4 ,pay me fifteen thousand 
over the counter1 and we cry quits for  
ever4  ,won't you take ,camlachie       
,cemetery shares8 ,they are sure to go  
up4  ,no4  ,twelve hundred ,cowcaddens' 

,water1 with an issue of new stock next 
week8  ,not if they disseminated the    
,ganges4  ,a thousand ,ramshorn         
,gas--four per cent guaranteed until the
 act8  ,not if they promised twenty1 and
 melted down the sun in their retort6   
,blawweary ,iron8 ,best spec4 going4    
,no1 ,i tell you once for all4 ,if you  
don't like my offer--and it is an       
uncommonly liberal one--say so1 and     
,i'll expose you this afternoon upon    
',change4  ,well1 then--there's a       
checque4 ,but may the----  ,stop1 sir6  
,any such profane expressions1 and ,i   
shall insist upon the original bargain4 
,so1 then--now we're quits4 ,i wish you 
a very good-morning1 ,mr ,sawley1 and   
better luck next time4 ,pray remember me
 to your amiable family4  ,the door had 
hardly closed upon the discomfited      
coffin-maker1 and ,i was still in the   
preliminary steps of an extempore pas   
seul1 intended as the outward           
demonstration of exceeding inward joy1  
when ,bob ,m',corkindale entered4 ,i    

told him the result of the morning's    
conference4  ,you have let him off too  
easily1 said the ,political ,economist4 
,had ,i been his creditor1 ,i certainly 
should have sacked the shares into the  
bargain4 ,there is nothing like rigid   
dealing between man and man4  ,i am     
contented with moderate profits1 said   
,i2 besides1 the image of ,selina       
overcame me4 ,how goes it with ,jobson  
and ,grabbie8  ,jobson has paid1 and    
,grabbie compounded4 ,heckles--may he   
die an evil death6--has repudiated1     
become a lame duck1 and waddled2 but no 
doubt his estate will pay a dividend4   
,so1 then1 we are clear of the whole    
,glenmutchkin business1 and at a        
handsome profit4  ,a fair interest for  
the outlay of capital--nothing more4    
,but ,i'm not quite done with the       
concern yet4  ,how so8 not another      
bearing operation8  ,no2 that cock would
 hardly fight4 ,but you forget that ,i  
am secretary to the company1 and have a 
small account against them for services 

already rendered4 ,i must do what ,i can
 to carry the bill through ,parliament2 
and1 as you have now sold your whole    
shares1 ,i advise you to resign from the
 direction1 go down straight to         
,glenmutchkin1 and qualify yourself for 
a witness4 ,we shall give you five      
guineas a-day1 and pay all your         
expenses4  ,not a bad notion4 ,but what 
has become of ,m',closkie1 and the other
 fellow with the jaw-breaking name8     
,vich-,induibh8 ,i have looked after    
their interests1 as in duty bound1 sold 
their shares at a large premium1 and    
dispatched them to their native hills on
 annuities4  ,and ,sir ,polloxfen8      
,died yesterday of spontaneous          
combustion4  ,as the company seemed     
breaking up1 ,i thought ,i could not do 
better than take ,m',corkindale's hint1 
and accordingly betook myself to        
,glenmutchkin1 along with the ,captain  
of ,m',alcohol1 and we quartered        
ourselves upon the ,factor for          
,glentumblers4 ,we found ,watty ,solder 

very shakey1 and his assistant also     
lapsing into habits of painful          
inebriety4 ,we saw little of them except
 of an evening1 for we shot and fished  
the whole day1 and made ourselves       
remarkably comfortable4 ,by singular    
good-luck1 the plans and sections were  
lodged in time1 and the ,board of ,trade
 very handsomely reported in our favour1
 with a recommendation of what they were
 pleased to call the ,glenmutchkin      
system1 and a hope that it might        
generally be carried out4 ,what this    
system was1 ,i never clearly understood2
 but1 of course1 none of us had any     
objections4 ,this circumstance gave an  
additional impetus to the shares1 and   
they once more went up4 ,i was1 however1
 too cautious to plunge a second time   
into ,charybdis1 but ,m',corkindale did1
 and again emerged with plunder4  ,when 
the time came for the parliamentary     
contest1 we all emigrated to ,london4 ,i
 still recollect1 with lively           
satisfaction1 the many pleasant days we 

spent in the metropolis at the company's
 expense4 ,there were just a neat fifty 
of us1 and we occupied the whole of an  
hotel4 ,the discussion before the       
committee was long and formidable4 ,we  
were opposed by four other companies who
 patronised lines1 of which the nearest 
was at least a hundred miles distant    
from ,glenmutchkin2 but as they founded 
their opposition upon dissent from the  
,glenmutchkin system generally1 the     
committee allowed them to be heard4 ,we 
fought for three weeks a most desperate 
battle1 and might in the end have been  
victorious1 had not our last antagonist1
 at the very close of his case1 pointed 
out no less than seventy-three fatal    
errors in the parliamentary plan        
deposited by the unfortunate ,solder4   
,why this was not done earlier1 ,i never
 exactly understood2 it may be1 that our
 opponents1 with gentlemanly            
consideration1 were unwilling to curtail
 our sojourn in ,london--and their own4 
,the drama was now finally closed1 and  

after all preliminary expenses were     
paid1 sixpence per share was returned to
 the holders upon surrender of their    
scrip4  ,such is an accurate history of 
the ,origin1 ,rise1 ,progress1 and ,fall
 of the ,direct ,glenmutchkin ,railway4 
,it contains a deep moral1 if any body  
has sense enough to see it2 if not1 ,i  
have a new project in my eye for next   
session1 of which timely notice shall be
 given4     ,,the ,,science ,,of        
,,languages4#h   ,the past history of   
,mr ,morgan ,kavanagh is probably as    
little known to our readers as it is to 
ourselves4 ,but his future destiny is   
not equally obscure4 ,we have it1 on his
 own authority1 that he has made a      
discovery of unparalleled merit and     
magnitude1 as simple as it is           
surprising1 and calculated1 in an equal 
degree1 to benefit mankind1 and         
immortalize its author4 ,he has         
discovered the science of languages--a  
science in which the wisest hitherto    
have been smatterers1 but in which the  

most shallow may henceforward be        
profound4 ,in the prophetic spirit of   
conscious genius1 ,horace1 ,ovid1 and   
other great men1 have boasted of the    
perpetuity of fame achieved by their    
efforts2 and ,kavanagh1 apparently under
 a similar inspiration1 indulges the    
pleasing anticipation1 that he has      
completed a monument more lasting than  
brass--of which material1 it may be     
observed1 he does not appear to have a  
deficient supply4 ,he confesses1 that on
 so trite a subject1 the presumption is 
against him of so great an achievement2 
but he sticks to his point1 and is sure 
that he has attained an undying name by 
his inestimable disclosures3--       ,a 
discovery equalling in magnitude the one
 to which ,i lay claim1      must appear
 to all1 before examining its           
accompanying proofs1      just about as 
probable as the discovery1 in the       
neighbourhood of      the ,british      
,channel1 of some rich and extensive    
island that had      escaped till now   

the mariner's notice4 ,then am ,i either
      egregiously in error1 or1 through 
my humble means1 one of the             
greatest and most important discoveries 
on record has been made4  ,the          
alternative here allowed us is          
irresistible--either our author is      
egregiously in error1 or he has made a  
great discovery4 ,who can doubt it8 ,we 
feel at once driven to the wall by the  
horns of so dexterous a dilemma2 and    
unable as we are1 in the kindness of our
 hearts1 to adopt the more uncivil      
supposition1 we succumb1 without a      
struggle1 to the only choice left us1   
and concede to such a disputant all that
 he can demand4  ,mr ,kavanagh is       
determined that the importance of his   
discovery shall lose nothing from his   
reluctance to put it in the strongest   
light3--       ,if1 from having taken a 
view of the human mind different from   
any other hitherto taken1 and from      
having founded a rational               
principle1 in conformity with this view1

 ,i can offer such a      definition of 
words as may bear the strictest         
investigation1 and      which all may   
understand2 and if a child1 by adhering 
to this      principle1 may be able to  
account for words with all their        
changes and variations1 and show them   
such as they must have      been1 not   
only ages before the ,bible and the     
,iliad had been      written1 but even  
as they were at their very birth2 then  
it will1      ,i dare hope1 be admitted1
 that ,i shall not only have surmounted 
innumerable difficulties1 but have      
discovered the real science of          
languages4 ,yet all this1 and a great   
deal more1 may be done by      the      
application of the principle by which ,i
 am guided4   ,again he says3--       ,i
 am sorry that the resolution ,i have   
formed1 of frankly speaking      my mind
 throughout this work1 obliges me to    
express myself as ,i      do here and   
elsewhere with such an apparent want of 
modesty2 but      were ,i to adopt1 with

 regard to this discovery1 and the      
knowledge      we have hitherto had of  
the science of grammar1 what is         
understood by a more becoming and humble
 tone1 ,i should1 by doing      so1 lose
 in truth what ,i might gain by affected
 modesty1 since ,i      should not only 
be speaking falsely1 but be leading the 
reader      into error by concealing    
from him my real opinion1 which ,i      
should      by no means do4 ,and if     
while it be allowed1 as ,i am sure it   
must1      that though ,i do well to    
speak as ,i think1 it be observed that  
this is not a reason why ,i should think
 as ,i do--that is1 so                  
presumptuously--,i beg to reply1 that if
 ,i had never thought so1      this     
discovery had never been attempted1 and 
much less made2 for      notwithstanding
 what the world may say about the       
modesty of      certain great men1 ,i do
 in my heart believe that such modesty  
has      been ever affected1 and that it
 is wholly impossible that any          

thing great may be undertaken or        
achieved1 but where there is at         
bottom great presumption1 which is1     
after all1 nothing more than      a     
consciousness of one's own strength4    
,this is all right1 and no apology was  
necessary4 ,why should a man be modest1 
who1 in the six thousandth year of the  
creation1 has found out1 for the first  
time1 the science of languages8 ,though 
entirely devoid of originality          
ourselves1 we can sympathize with the   
proud exultation of those who have      
produced a new and glorious birth4 ,from
 the cackling of the hen when she has   
laid an egg1 to the ,greek3 heurcha of  
,archimedes when he discovered          
hydrostatics1 we see the instinctive    
impulse under which those who have      
brought to light a great result1 are    
constrained to proclaim it aloud2 and we
 should be thankful when the mighty     
inventor can refrain from rushing out1  
in native nudity1 into the public way4  
,the discoverer of the science of       

languages1 however1 does not come forth 
upon us1 like ,archimedes1 in a state of
 dishabille4 ,attired in the same       
fashionable garb1 rejoicing in the same 
paper and type1 and issuing from the    
shelves of the same respectable         
publishers1 ,mr ,kavanagh's two goodly  
octavos may fitly range1 as far as      
exterior is concerned1 with the         
collected productions of ,jeffrey and   
,macaulay1 who will no doubt feel       
honoured by such good company4 ,the     
fly-leaf at the beginning of the work   
warns all pirates and poachers that it  
is private property1 protected by the   
late ,copyright ,act2 and a foot-note   
seems to inform us that a ,french       
edition is simultaneously to appear in  
,paris4 ,who could doubt that such      
mighty notes of preparation were to     
usher in some magnum opus1 worthy of the
 expectations thus excited8  ,mr        
,kavanagh appears to us to have lived   
for some time in ,france1 and if so1 he 
has not lived there in vain4 ,he has    

acquired the knack of framing a bill of 
fare1 that would do honour to the       
reigning prince of restaurateurs1       
whoever he may be1 and would create an  
appetite under the ribs of death4 ,take 
the following excerpts from the         
contents3--       ,what the author      
should do before attempting to prove the
      discovery of the science of       
languages4 ,this he does1 and a great   
deal more4       ,view of the human     
mind4 ,that taken by eminent            
philosophers      inquired into1 and    
found to be erroneous4 ,the author's    
view of      it4       ,proof that there
 are no such words as substantives or   
nouns4       ,pronouns1 supposed like   
nouns1 but erroneously1 to represent    
substances4 ,they never represent nouns1
 as they have been      supposed to do4 
,proof that they never stand for        
substances1 nor      can be1 any more   
than nouns1 the subject of propositions4
 ,their      real nature shown1 and     
difficulties and locutions connected    

with      them accounted for4 ,the      
original form of oh me6 and ah me6      
,thus far the author pretends to have   
shown that there is but one      part of
 speech4       ,the author's account of 
the verb4 ,why it cannot be compared    
like      the adjective4 ,the verb is an
 adjective or name in the fourth        
degree4 ,it does not represent an       
action4 ,,to and ,,do4 ,shown how it    
does not represent an action1 and how   
grammarians have been led      to       
suppose that it does4       ,how men    
expressed themselves in the beginning of
 the world1 when      they had occasion 
to make use of the verb ,,to ,,be4      
,the nature of a past participle in     
,english and ,french4 ,this             
knowledge of a past participle in       
,french leads to a precious             
discovery4       ,how to find the       
etymology of words4 ,instances given3   
the meaning      of friend1 mind1 blind1
 c41 shown4       ,the origin of the    
termination ish discovered4 ,the        

etymology of      the words1 ,ireland1  
,scotland1 ,dublin1 with many other     
etymologies4       ,the feminine and    
plural of mon1 ton1 son1 explained4     
,mes1 tes1 and ses1 not plural numbers4 
,notre and votre      do not come from  
the ,latin words noster and vester4 ,no 
language derived from another4          
,the first names man ever had for his   
own dwelling1 with several      other   
etymologies1 such as barrack1 good-by1  
property1      coin1 copper1 maistre1   
castor1 out-cast1 caserne1      quoit1  
cat1 quiet1 discus1 ,apollo1 tranquil1  
keel1      cuisse1 c4       ,the        
delicate meaning of certain words4      
,the extraordinary wisdom displayed in  
the formation of words3      different  
accounts of the words man1 woman1 ,adam1
 c4 ,the      meanings of animare1      
animal1 animation1 beget1 amo1          
,venus1 shame1 honte1 c4       ,the     
etymology of squat1 cower1 square1 four1
 year1      fair1 faire1 c4       ,in   
the account given of the letters of the 

,greek alphabet are to      be found    
explained the letters of all languages4 
,to what this      knowledge may lead4  
,shown how the twenty-four letters make 
but      one4 ,the dot over the i4 ,a   
straight line1 a circle1 c4       ,the  
ing in being accounted for4 ,meaning of 
big1 wig1      mig1 c42 of hat1 oyster1 
c42 of eight1 octo1 c42 of      nigh1   
near1 night1 c4 ,the literal meaning of 
negatives and      affirmatives4 ,what  
man's first oaths were4       ,big1 once
 a name for the ,divinity4       ,how   
all numbers make but one4 ,no such thing
 as a plural number4      ,examination  
of the ten figures1 #a1 #b1 #c1 c4 ,each
 of them means      one4                
,concluding observations resumed4 ,the  
difficulty of believing in      this    
discovery4 ,the great wisdom it         
contains4 ,the language      supposed to
 be spoken in heaven4       ,the        
advantages to be derived from this      
discovery4 ,how      ,mathematicians1   
,theologians1 ,grammarians1             

,lexicographers1      ,logicians1 and   
,philosophers1 are likely to consider   
this      discovery4 ,other works       
proposed4       ,the members of the     
press4 ,bookmaking4 ,the many important 
discoveries in this work lie in the way 
of its immediate success      with such 
minds as cannot receive new ideas4 ,the 
view which the      man of enlarged     
ideas is likely to take of it4 ,the     
author's      pretensions4 ,his         
confidence in the ultimate success of   
this      discovery4   ,we confess we   
felt our mouth water at the glimpses    
thus afforded of the coming feast2 and  
we are happy to acknowledge that what we
 expected was fully realized4  ,it must 
not be imagined that we are going to    
furnish1 in these trivial pages1 a full 
disclosure of ,mr ,kavanagh's discovery4
 ,there are several reasons for our not 
doing so4 ,first1 we could not1 in      
common justice1 think of spoiling the   
sale of ,mr ,kavanagh's book4 ,secondly1
 we are not sanguine that1 in the space 

allowed us1 we could make the discovery 
understood by our readers4 ,and thirdly1
 we are not sure that we understand it  
ourselves4 ,but1 as far as consistent   
with these considerations1 we shall     
endeavour to give such a view of it as  
may excite1 without satiating1          
curiosity1 and may give the means of    
conjecturing what the book itself must  
be1 of which we are enabled to offer    
such specimens4  ,it is a common and    
allowable artifice1 in those attempting 
to lead us up the hill of science1 to   
point to some attractive object that is 
to be reached at the summit4 ,mr        
,kavanagh employs this expedient with   
great effect4 ,he shows us1 near the    
outset of our journey1 one astonishing  
result to which it is to conduct us1 and
 which necessarily inflames our         
eagerness to get over the ground3--     
,that the reader may have in advance    
some notion of this manner      of      
analysing words1 and discovering their  
hidden meaning1 ,i beg      here to     

give1 for the present1 the contents of  
the analysis of      the ,english       
alphabet collectively considered2 that  
is1 not as      to what each letter     
means when read by itself1 but as to    
what      they all mean when read       
together in the following order3--      
,a ,b ,c ,d ,e ,f ,g ,h ,i 7or ,j7 ,k ,l
 ,m ,n ,o ,p ,q                     ,r  
,s ,t ,u 7or ,v7 ,w ,x ,y ,z2       of  
which the literal meaning in modern     
,english is--,this first      book is   
had of the ,jews2 it opens the mind1 and
 is good breeding      and wisdom4 ,i   
shall show in the proper place how this 
meaning      may be found in the above  
characters4   ,the steps by which we are
 to reach a mighty secret like this1 are
 given by our author in great detail2   
for1 as he candidly observes--          
,though my discoveries are mostly about 
as evident as any thing      in ,euclid1
 still1 as they are new to the world1   
and require1      previous to their     
being received as truths1 the           

disagreeable      admission that we have
 been hitherto in error2 some art1      
besides      down-right logical         
persuasion1 will be necessary towards   
bringing      the mind friendly to them4
   ,the first discovery ,mr ,kavanagh   
seems to have made is1 that he knew     
nothing of grammar2 and had he stopped  
here1 he would have been entitled to no 
small praise for discernment4 ,but this 
was but a stepping-stone to greater     
things4  ,mr ,kavanagh seems by and by  
to have found out that there are no such
 words as substantives or nouns2 that is
 to say1 words standing for substances1 
or representing substances in any       
manner4 ,he discovered that such words1 
and indeed all words1 are1 whether it be
 true or not1 sounds to our ears not    
altogether new4 ,we had a notion that1  
at least1 the term noun1 nom1 and nomen1
 meant properly a name1 but of course   
,mr ,kavanagh must know better4 ,we must
 decline1 however1 to follow him through
 his explanation on this footing of the 

real presence4  ,but then comes an      
announcement of undoubted originality1  
that all words called substantives are  
but names in the fourth degree of       
comparison2 that is to say1 in a degree 
above the one commonly called the       
superlative4 ,we durst not doubt that   
,mr ,kavanagh is here right2 but1 for   
persons of slow perception like         
ourselves1 we should have liked to see a
 little more fully explained what are   
the first1 second1 and third degrees of 
comparison of those names1 of which hat1
 stick1 thing1 hand1 foot1 c41 are the  
fourth degrees4 ,discoverers should bear
 a little with beginners2 and we suggest
 that1 in a second edition1 a full table
 should be given of what we desiderate4 
,the view thus taken of nouns1 leads1 it
 seems1 to important results1 and1 in   
particular1 enables us to explain what  
,mr ,kavanagh had been puzzling himself 
about for half his lifetime--the meaning
 of the expressions1 ,this is ,john's   
book1 and this is a book of ,john's4 ,we

 had always thought that the first of   
these phrases was plain sailing1 and    
that the second meant1 this a book of   
,john's books--or1 one of ,john's books1
 ex libris ,joannis4 ,but these simple  
suppositions cannot satisfy men of      
science1 who require a discovery to     
explain what other men think they       
understand without one3--       ,we can 
now account for what has hitherto       
puzzled all grammarians1      namely1   
the double possessive4 ,this book of    
,john's means1 this      book of all    
,john's2 that is1 this book forming a   
part of all      ,john's1 of all things 
belonging to ,john4       ,and how rich 
and full the meaning of this new        
possessive6 ,what      an image it      
brings before the mind1 compared to the 
wretched      meaning our ignorance of  
this noble science has hitherto taught  
us to allow it to have6 ,this book is   
,john's1 means1 we have been      told1 
this book is ,john's book4 ,how         
frivolous1 how poor1 compared      to1  

'this book is part of all things        
corporeal and ideal      belonging to   
,john4' ,how useless this repetition of 
the same word      book6 and how        
incorrect6 since if ,john possessed only
 one book1      and that we said1 'this 
book of ,john's is better than mine1' we
      were immediately stopt1 as we     
cannot say1 this book of ,john's        
book is better than mine4 ,but now we   
know that this book of      ,john's1 c41
 means1 'this book is a part of all     
,john's1' c4   ,our discoverer          
thereafter proceeds to analyse the      
personal terminations of verbs1 of which
 he seems to give an elucidation highly 
satisfactory to himself1 and which1 we  
hope1 will be equally so to his readers4
 ,it is obviously of oriental origin1   
being analogous to the astronomical     
theory of the elephant and tortoise1 by 
which the ,hindoos are said so clearly  
to account for the support of our       
terrestrial planet4 ,love1 lovest1      
loveth1 or loves1 c41 have been formed  

by combining the root with the          
inflections of the auxiliary verb1 to   
have4 ,he gives a very distinct table by
 which       ,we see that love hast has 
been shortened to lovest2 love      has1
 to loves2 love hath to loveth2 love had
 to loved2      and love hadst to       
lovedst4 ,the ha has been omitted       
throughout1 as1 love hast2 love has2    
love hath2 love had2      love hadst4   
,this is remarkably ingenious1 and it   
must be from a very unphilosophical     
curiosity that ignorant persons like    
ourselves are tempted to ask how ,mr    
,kavanagh explains the origin of the    
inflections have1 hast1 hath1 had1 c4   
,we have been accustomed to regard these
 terminations1 though in a contracted   
form1 as having the same origin as those
 of other verbs2 and we doubt if it     
would command general acquiescence to   
say that hath was a compound of have    
hath4 ,but these are probably foolish   
doubts1 only showing the small progress 
of our scientific enlightenment2 and we 

feel assured that they would occur to no
 one who was once fully imbued with ,mr 
,kavanagh's principles4  ,a similar     
theory is applied by ,mr ,kavanagh with 
equal success to the ,latin system of   
conjugation2 but we think it better to  
refer our readers to the book itself1   
than weaken its effect by any attempt at
 an abstract of it4 ,we cannot1 however1
 resist quoting ,mr ,kavanagh's account 
of the advantages to which his theories 
directly tend4       ,and this inquiry  
has led me to the most important of all 
my      discoveries2 since it not only  
showed me the original of the           
endings of the ,latin verbs1 but also   
those of the several      declensions of
 ,latin nouns1 adjectives1 pronouns1    
participles1      c41 with their several
 cases1 genders1 numbers1 c4 ,and this  
knowledge will not only apply to the    
,latin language1 but of      course to  
all the languages in the world4 ,from   
this ,i have been      also led to      
discover the real nature of a pronoun1  

and how words      have been made in the
 beginning of time1 and how they have   
increased from a single letter1 or at   
most from two1 to all which      they   
have at present3 by which means we may  
see the state of      languages at      
different periods of the world1 even    
such as they      must have been ages   
before the building of the tower of     
,babel2      which knowledge will1 it is
 presumed1 throw great light on the     
ancient history of the world1 since men 
must1 in the composition      of words1 
have ever made allusion to things       
already known1 and      such as might   
serve to explain the words they made4   
,thus is it      even in our own times1 
and thus has it ever been4 ,i intend    
towards the end of this work to give    
numerous instances of how      words    
were at first formed1 and the various   
forms they bore at      different times2
 so that no doubt may remain on any     
man's mind1      either as to the truth 
of this1 the most important part of my  

discovery1 or as to the advantages which
 may1 from our following      it up1    
arise from it4   ,in pursuing this      
interesting subject1 ,mr ,kavanagh shows
 the important part in etymology played 
by the ,latin verb esse4       ,nothing 
of this has1 however1 been known4 ,the  
greatest      lexicographers have not   
even suspected that sagesse was for     
sage-esse 7sage-tre17 so short-sighted  
is man without the      light of        
science2 then much less did they suspect
 that for to      be1 and to go there   
was1 whilst languages were yet in their 
infancy1 but one word4 ,the learned1    
from their not knowing that      sagesse
 is for sage-esse1 must have lost       
discovering the      etymology of a vast
 number of words in all languages4      
,thus1 all      the ,french words ending
 in esse1 as1 caresse1 finesse1 paresse1
      c41 have never been accounted for2
 and1 in like manner1 the      etymology
 of all ,english words ending in ess and
 ness1 as1      caress1 happiness1 c41  

has been unknown4 ,but here the         
reader1 as he has not yet seen how we   
are to discover in words      their own 
definitions1 may say1 that though he can
 admit caress      and caresse to be for
 cara or carus esse 7to be dear17 and   
finesse to be for fin-esse 7tre fin17 he
 cannot so readily      allow paresse   
and happiness to be accounted for after 
a      similar manner1 since paresse    
must hence become par-esse1 and         
happiness1 happin-esse1 which words par 
and happin here      offer no meaning4  
,but a little farther on1 he will know  
that      par here signifies on the     
ground2 so that paresse literally       
means on the ground to be1 that is1 to  
be lying down1 or doing      nothing4   
,he will also see1 that the termination 
ness has not      the ridiculous meaning
 assigned it by the learned1 namely1 the
      top or the foot of a hill 7,i     
forget which17 but that it              
literally means the being 7en-esse17 so 
that happiness was      first           

en-esse-happy1 7the being happy1 the    
thing happy17 after      which1 en-esse 
became contracted to ness1 and so fell  
behind      happy1 making happiness4    
,here1 not to perplex the reader's and  
my own mind1 by the      considering of 
too many things at once1 ,i am really   
obliged to      turn my view from the   
many important discoveries that rush    
upon      me1 all emanating out of this 
little word be1 or go1 7no      matter  
which we call it17 in order merely to   
show how verbs in      ,latin have1 from
 this single word1 formed their endings4
   ,by and by it appears that if we are 
so much indebted to the ,latin for their
 verb esse1 the ,latin is no less       
indebted to us for our verb am4         
,but ,i have not shown by what artifice 
this past time 7ibam7 of      eo is     
formed4 ,it is1 we may see1 composed of 
two words1 ib      and am2 yet the      
latter word am has all the appearance of
 a      present time or a future2 as we 
may see it in eam1 legam1 and           

audiam4 ,then it is evidently to the    
word ib we are indebted      for this   
word ibam having a past signification2  
and as there      is now no such ,latin 
word1 we are led to believe that ib must
      be a contraction1 and this at once
 leads us upon ibi1 which      means1   
then1 or1 at that time4 ,hence1 ibam is 
a contraction      of ibi am1 there     
being only the letter i omitted4 ,now1  
as      am is evidently a present time1 
and the same am we have in              
,english1 it means1 ,i existence2 so    
that when ibi is added to      it1 both 
words mean1 ,i existence then1 or at    
that time2 and      it is in this manner
 that men1 in the beginning1 made a past
      time4 ,if we now turn to the past 
time of sum 7eram1 eras1      erat1 c47 
we shall find that the same method has  
been adhered      to4 ,the am here is   
the am in ibam2 and now we have to look 
to the word er by which it is preceded1 
in order to find its      past          
signification4 ,this brings us to era1  

or as it is now      written in ,latin1 
ra which1 like ibi1 refers also to a    
past      time1 meaning that epoch4     
,then eram1 which might as well be      
written ram1 is a contraction of raam1  
there being1 as      before1 but a      
single letter omitted1 7the a17 and the 
meaning      is as before1 ,i existence 
then1 or at that epoch4   ,certainly if 
ever there was a man who existenced at  
an era or epoch1 or rather who was      
himself the era1 ,mr ,kavanagh may claim
 the distinction4  ,we are informed by  
the printer that our space is nearly    
out1 and we must therefore draw to a    
close4 ,we cannot better fill up the    
limits allowed us1 than by selecting a  
few examples of our author's successful 
treatment of etymology4 ,it will be seen
 that in the zoological department of   
this subject he is particularly happy4  
,the third person plural1 toient1 is a  
very curious word3 it      literally    
means the great lives--and there is for 
this a very      wise reason4 ,when this

 word first received this name1 persons 
were not referred to1 but the winds of  
heaven2 and hence the      propriety of 
the name great lives or great beings2   
and also      of making this name       
signify afterwards persons or beings    
gone1 since nothing can1 to all         
appearance1 be more gone than      the  
winds that have passed by4 ,when oient  
means the great      lives1 it is to be 
thus analysed3 oi-iv-it2 or thus1       
ii-iv-it2 or thus1 iv-iv-it4 ,but when  
considered as meaning      but a single 
idea1 it may be indifferently written   
went or      ivent4 ,it is easy to      
perceive that ivent is no other than    
vent1 the ,french of wind1 the i having 
been dropped4 ,thus we      discover the
 origin of the ,english word went3 we   
see that it is      the same as vent or 
wind4       ,as the ,french word souvent
 means1 when analysed1 all the      wind
 7is-oii-vent71 it would appear that men
 in the beginning      of time received 
also the idea of frequency from the     

winds4 ,but      in a country rarely    
visited by them1 this idea must have    
been      borrowed from some other      
natural object4 ,thus the ,latin word   
for      often 7sep7 takes1 when        
analysed1 this form1 is--ip-1      which
 literally means1 is the bees4 ,here the
 word bees is      represented by ip-1  
of which the meaning is bee1 bee2 but   
to avoid the repetition of the second   
bee1 a pronoun1 that is      1 and which
 means life or being1 has been put in   
its place4      ,when it is remarked    
that this pronoun might as well be is or
      es as what it is1 it will be      
admitted that sp might as well      be  
written spes4 ,i make this remark to    
show how slight the      difference     
between apes1 the ,latin of bees and ap 
in      is-ap1 which means also the     
bees4 ,now the ,english word      often 
becomes1 when analysed1 en-ov-it1 of    
which the literal      meaning is the   
sheep-sheep2 the pronoun it serving here
 as in      the last instance1 and for  

the same reason1 as a substitute for    
the second word sheep2 but this it might
 as well be es or      is4 ,in ,latin   
the word for sheep is ov is1 which must 
have      first been is ov2 that is1 the
 sheep3 but when the is fell            
behind1 it became ovis1 and it has no   
other meaning than the      one life    
7is-o-vie74 ,thus we perceive that the  
winds1 bees1      and sheep1 have1 in   
three different countries1 given birth  
to      the same idea4   ,mr ,kavanagh  
adds in a foot-note as to the word      
sheep--       ,this is for she-bay2 that
 is1 the female-bay1 this animal being  
so called from its crying bay4 ,hence it
 would appear that the      word sheep  
7she-bay7 did not in the beginning apply
 equally to      both genders1 but that 
it was only in the feminine4 ,when we   
recollect that the b and the p are      
frequently confounded1 it      can be   
easily admitted that1 with our great    
love for contraction1      sheep should 
be used instead of sheeb4 ,an analysis  

of the      ,french word for sheep      
7brebis7 confirms what ,i have here     
stated      with regard to this animal's
 being called after its bleat4 ,when    
analysed1 it is is-bre-be2 of which the 
literal meaning is1      the bray bay2  
that is1 the cry bay or the breath bay1 
for      the word breath 7bray the7 is  
no other than the bray which      became
 breath from the article the falling    
behind bray4 ,and      this again is    
confirmed by an analysis of the word    
bleat1 which      makes it-,,be-il-ea1  
or it bay il 1 and means1 the bay it    
is1 that is1 it is the cry of the sheep4
       ,mons1 says ,mr ,kavanagh1 is the
 original of monster in      ,english1  
of monstre in ,french1 and monstrum in  
,latin4 ,then      the literal meaning  
of these words is--monster1 it is to be 
a      mountain2 est er literally means 
'it is the thing1' and1 of      course1 
these two words first preceded mon1     
thus1 est er mon      7it is the thing  
mountain47 ,monstre is for mon estre1   

this      estre being the infinitive    
tre1 and the same as est re 7it      is 
the thing47 ,monstrum is more modern in 
its form than either      the ,english  
word monster1 or the ,french word       
monstre1 since      it has in its       
composition the pronoun um1 besides what
 these      two words have4 ,then the   
,latins had monstre or monster before   
they had monstrum2 and they must have   
said um monstre or um      monster just 
as the ,french say now le monstre4      
,the word chien becomes when analysed   
7and the explanation of      the        
alphabet will show how this happens7 ic 
iv ien2 or1 as      ien can be reduced  
to iv1 we may say it is equal to ic iv  
iv4 ,no matter which of these two forms 
we adopt1 the analysis of      chien    
will be still the same1 since both are  
expressive of      haste4 ,ic iv ien    
means the thing come or go1 or life     
life4 ,thus if we contract iv ien to one
 word1 we have vien1      so that ic    
vien will mean the come2 and this word  

is we know      expressive of haste1    
since venir1 as we have seen in the     
account given of oient1 means the wind  
7ir ven74 ,in like      manner ic iv iv 
may mean the life life1 which we know   
from      the repetition of life must   
imply quickness4 ,and hence it is       
that iv iv become when contracted1 vive1
 that is1 be alive4      ,now when we   
contract iv ien to vien1 if we give to  
ic its      primitive meaning1 which is 
that of here1 we shall1 by allowing     
that vien in the beginning went before  
ic1 have for the      meaning of both   
words1 come here 7vien ic74 ,hence it is
 we      still hear a dog called upon in
 ,english by ,here6 here6 and in        
,french by the word ,ici with the dog's 
name attached to it4 ,the      ,english 
word dog is also1 when analysed1        
expressive of haste1      since it makes
 id eo ge or id-o-ge1 which implies the 
thing      go1 or the go1 go4   ,we     
conclude this brief1 and1 we fear1      
imperfect notice of so great a work1 by 

suggesting for the author's             
consideration1 whether1 in a revisal of 
his views1 he might not bestow some     
attention on one or two other languages 
than ,english and ,french4 ,his         
attainments in these seem to be of a    
superior order1 and he seems also to    
have made considerable progress in the  
,latin rudiments4 ,we do not hold that  
,greek is essential1 but we respectfully
 submit that the acquisition of         
,anglo-,saxon1 and some other older     
dialects of ,europe1 with which ,english
 is generally supposed to have some     
connexion1 might with advantage be      
attempted4 ,not that we imagine ,mr     
,kavanagh's views would then be changed 
or improved4 ,the etymologist's eye1 in 
a fine frenzy rolling1 may have         
intuitive perceptions of results such as
 no course of study could attain4 ,but  
still there is a vulgar prejudice to    
which we think it prudent to pay some   
deference1 and which recommends that1   
before writing on a subject1 we should  

know something about it4  ,this1        
however1 is a secondary matter1 which we
 merely submit in passing4 ,as it is1   
,mr ,kavanagh has taken his place as a  
philologist on an elevation which only a
 few can hope to attain4 ,he may be said
 to have done for language in general   
what has hitherto only been attempted in
 the field of ,celtic speculation2 but  
it is no light matter to have followed  
and outstripped in their course the     
illustrious men who have excelled in    
that more limited province4 ,henceforth 
the name of ,morgan ,kavanagh will be   
entwined in the same undying wreath with
 those of ,lachlan ,maclean and ,sir    
,william ,betham4     ,,scrambles ,,in  
,,monmouthshire4  ,a ,,sequel ,,to      
,,house-,,hunting ,,in ,,wales4   ,as we
 sat in the state of mind which has     
become characteristic of the gallant    
,widdrington--in the large room at the  
,angel inn at ,abergavenny1 wondering   
when our pilgrimage among the hotels    
would come to an end--a messenger of    

joyful tidings made his appearance in   
the person of our friendly landlord4 ,he
 had just remembered that a house about 
three miles off was occasionally let--he
 thought it was unlet at that moment--it
 was the larger portion of a farm-house1
 originally occupied by the 'squire1 but
 now in the hands of a most respectable 
farmer4 ,we would hear no more2 in ten  
minutes from this communication we were 
careering along in a one-horse car to   
judge for ourselves--our imaginations   
filled with the same celestial visions  
that blest the slumbers of the friar1 in
 the song--      ,all night long of     
heaven ,i dream--     ,but that is fat  
pullets and clouted cream--  and before 
we had conjured up one-half the delights
 of a residence in a real farm-house1 we
 turned in at some iron gates1 drove up 
a gravelled avenue1 and stood at the    
door of a very nice1 comfortable-looking
 house1 that in many advertisements     
would pass very well for a quiet and    
gentlemanly mansion1 fit for a family of

 the first distinction4 ,the rooms were 
of good size--a beautiful lawn before   
the door--a well-filled garden          
behind--fields1 hedges1 trees all       
round--and the river winding through    
brushwood a few hundred yards in front4 
,it did not take long to settle about   
terms4 ,we were installed the very next 
day2 and1 after our ten days'           
wanderings1 it was no little            
satisfaction to find once more      ,all
 that the heart can dream of heaven     
--a home6  ,trunks were unpacked1 books 
laid on the table1 and1 in spite of the 
season of the year1 a roaring fire went 
rushing up the chimney2 and as we looked
 round1 after candles were brought in1  
and the novel skies and unaccustomed    
earth shut out1 we could hardly believe 
we had gone through such a succession of
 coaches and cars1 boats1 busses1 and   
flies--,yorks1 ,westerns1 ,beauforts1   
,angels1 ,swans1 ,lions1 and other      
beasts of hospitable inclinations--but  
that we had long been completely settled

 in our present quarters1 while all     
these conveyances and hotels were the   
phantasmata of a dreadful dream4  ,even 
in the best furnished houses1 in        
,aladdin's palace itself1 new-comers    
always discover some deficiency2 and a  
few things were wanting in this to      
complete our felicity2--but ,fate1 which
 had frowned from every sign-board on us
 for a long time1 was now determined to 
make up for her bad behaviour1 and at   
that moment put into our hands a        
catalogue of household goods to be sold 
the very next day1 a few miles off1 at  
,oakfield ,lodge4 ,the one-horse car was
 again put in requisition1 and our      
hostess--the kindest of                 
women--accompanied us to the sale1 and  
by nodding at intervals to the          
auctioneer1 procured all the articles   
required4  ,a sale is always a          
melancholy event4 ,a house looks so     
miserable with all its carpets and      
chairs and tables piled in useless      
heaps--the beds dismantled--and the     

rooms filled with a staring crowd1      
handling every thing1 and passing its   
vulgar judgment upon curtains and       
drapery that the proprietor perhaps     
thought finer than those of a ,grecian  
statue--on pier-glasses which had       
reflected shapes of love or beauty--on  
the polish of mahogany that had been set
 in a roar with wit1--a low1 mean1      
savage-hearted crowd1 bent on making    
bargains1 and caring nothing for the    
associations that make commonest        
furniture more valuable than cedar and  
ebony4 ,the auction on this occasion    
lasted nearly a week2 and day after day 
the whole population of the             
neighbourhood streamed to it like a     
fair4 ,it was a handsome house1 and the 
arrangement of the rooms spoke audibly  
of taste and comfort4 ,selling the      
things that agreed together so well1 to 
go into separate situations--the library
 table to one town--the library chairs  
to another--seemed very like selling a  
family of slaves to different masters2  

so1 after a cursory glance at the       
dwelling1 we betook ourselves in        
solitary rumination to the banks of the 
river4 ,and a quiet1 steady1 calm1      
respectable kind of river the ,usk      
is--not of the high aristocratic        
appearance of the ,wye1 with wild       
outbursts of youthful petulance softened
 immediately into grace and             
elegance--but a sedate individual1 like 
a retired citizen1 well to do in the    
world1 and glad to jog on as            
uninterruptedly as he can4 ,the grounds 
of ,oakfield slope down to the          
water--and beautiful grounds they are--a
 line of rich meadows1 shaded with      
stately trees1 and divided into numerous
 portions by invisible wires1 stretches 
for several miles along the banks2 and  
the abrupt elevation1 bounding this     
level sweep of grass and stream1 affords
 an admirable site for two or three of  
the moderate-sized and tasteful villas  
that seem the characteristics of this   
vicinity4 ,on pursuing our way through  

field and fell towards the suspension   
bridge over the river1 we saw1 emerging 
from a wood1 a figure that ,isaac       
,walton would have adopted immediately  
for his son and heir4 ,he was a         
good-looking young man1 but so          
piscatorially habilimented that there   
was no making out his order or degree   
from his external sophistications4      
,round his hat were twined spare lines2 
on his back1 as ,paris's quiver hung    
over his shoulder broad1 was suspended a
 fish-basket2 an iron blade of a foot or
 so in length formed the end of his rod2
 and1 as if he had been afraid of the   
disciples of the gentle ,rebecca1 he    
bore an instrument something between a  
,highland claymore and a reaping-hook2  
and as we looked on his accoutrements1  
we thought we would not be a trout in   
such a neighbourhood on any             
consideration4 ,escape must be          
impossible for everything with fins1    
from a thirty-pound salmon to a minnow4 
,as we got near him1 he handled his rod 

with a skill and dexterity that left the
 young waterman far behind in the       
management of his oars2 and1 after a    
whisk or too in the upper air1 he       
deposited the hook and line1 not on the 
ripple in the middle of the ,usk1 but on
 the bough of an elm-tree4  ,here's a   
mess6 he said1 with a half-despairing1  
half-angry look at the entanglement4 ,he
 pulled1 and it seemed firmer at every  
tug4 ,we approached to render what aid  
we could4  ,here's a mess6 again he     
said4  ,you can scarcely call it a      
kettle of fish1 was our sympathizing    
reply2 and by the aid of crooked sticks 
to hold the bough with1 and the warlike 
weapon1 which cut off some of the       
branches1 the hook was regained1 the fly
 found uninjured1 and with mutual good  
wishes we each took off his several way4
  ,there seems a good deal of amateur   
fishing in this country4 ,in the course 
of our walk to the bridge1 we saw three 
or four individuals flogging the water  
with great energy1 who had evidently    

been fitted out in ,bond ,street1 or who
 were perhaps taking out the value of   
the dresses in which they had enacted   
piscators at the fancy ball2 but their  
success1 we are sorry to say1 was in no 
degree proportioned to the completeness 
of their preparations2 and we suspect   
that people with less adornments1 and a 
much more scanty apparatus of flies and 
fish-baskets1 are the real discoverers  
of the treasures of the deep in the     
shape of trout and sewin4 ,this latter  
fish1 the sewin1 we may add in passing1 
is a luxury of which the ,usk has great 
reason to boast2 for it is better than  
any thing we remember of the salmon     
kind1 except the inimitable grilses at  
,stirling4  ,on returning from the sale1
 with the carriage loaded with our      
purchases1 we disposed our new          
acquisitions in the different rooms1 and
 laid ourselves out for a few weeks'    
enjoyment of the blest                  
retirement--friend to life's            
decline--which we had struggled so hard 

to gain1 and which now looked so        
satisfying in every point4  ,there is   
nothing to be compared1 for comfort and 
beauty1 to a dairy-farm4 ,arable lands  
are detestable2 and the windows of the  
house generally look into a horrible    
yard1 where the present agonies of the  
nose are made tolerable only by the hope
 of the rich crop to come4 ,here our    
windows looked upon a sloping green     
field1 bounded from the road by a good  
thick hedge1 at the distance of seventy 
or eighty yards4 ,beyond the road       
stretched fine luxuriant meadows1 each  
bordered with its fence of noble elms1  
down to the river2 so that we had       
nothing to do but cross the road1 and   
wander among fields and hedgerows1 miles
 and miles1 either east or west--always 
within hearing of the gentle voice of   
the ,usk1 and often in sight of the     
long1 still reaches of the river1 that  
looked like beautiful lakes1 fringed to 
the water side with willows and         
flowering shrubs4 ,seventeen or eighteen

 cows were our fellow-lodgers at the    
farm2 and no sight is more fascinating1 
especially if you are fond of warm milk1
 than the long majestic march1 and      
musical invocations1 of the milky       
mothers1 as they come home at evening   
from the pastures4 ,before three days   
were over1 the names of all the cows    
were household words among the young    
ones2 their very voices were            
distinguished2 and it was decided that  
the flower of the flock1 as to beauty1  
was ,glo'ster1 though some of us stoutly
 maintained that the whiteness of       
,handsome entitled her to the prize4    
,then there were about thirty sheep2 but
 with them 7in spite of frequent        
intercourse7 we could only make out a   
general acquaintance--for we disbelieve 
altogether in the possibility of        
distinguishing one of the flock from the
 others4 ,it must be the easiest thing  
in the world for a sheep to establish an
 alibi2 and we are rather surprised that
 the impossibility of detection does not

 encourage some of the bolder of the    
woolly-sided heroes to some desperate   
outrage4 ,there could be no identifying 
the culprit4 ,but we saw no instance of 
spirit among them1 except a wicked      
attempt on the part of a young lamb to  
overthrow authorities and powers2 and we
 are sorry to say it was successful4    
,our friend the farmer discovered the   
presence of some insects in the wool1 or
 rather in the body1 of one of the      
yearlings4 ,he proceeded1 attended by us
 all1 to extirpate this fatal enemy with
 his shears2 and1 having seized the     
sufferer1 put its head between his      
knees1 and proceeded to lay bare the    
hiding-place of the devouring grub4 ,by 
some unlucky chance1 the lamb got its   
head loose1 pushed forward with two or  
three tremendous jumps1 and the operator
 was thrown on his back1 his feet in the
 air1 and the shears held helplessly up 
in his discomfited hands4 ,it created   
great consternation among the           
spectators2 and the two younger         

children1 after looking on in speechless
 amazement1 thought1 probably1 that the 
assailant was a tiger in disguise1 and  
sought safety ignominiously in flight4  
,the patient--the lamb1 we mean--was    
again submitted to the shears1 the grub 
extirpated1 and the cure1 we believe1   
effected4 ,the muscular power of a sheep
 is tremendous2 and1 if it were to get  
its head between the ankles of the      
brazen ,achilles1 down would fall the   
glory of ,hyde ,park4 ,it is lucky they 
have not found out the secret of their  
strength1 as they might take such a     
dangerous attitude as materially to     
raise the price of mutton--a            
consummation by no means to be wished4  
,in addition to the cows and sheep1 and 
innumerable multitudes of chickens and  
turkeys1 the farm boasted a goodly array
 of horses4 ,these would have made a    
poor figure at ,newmarket1 as they were 
no kin to ,godolphin or ,eclipse--but in
 plough or harrow they looked           
respectable4 ,there was an old mare1 and

 her daughter1 and her daughter's       
daughter--,grannie1 and ,polly1 and     
,rose by name4 ,there were also another 
mare and her foal2 but our acquaintance 
was confined to the three               
generations--or rather to the two--for  
,grannie was old and stupid2 and as the 
farmer sported a fine old-fashioned     
strong rough gig1 we occasionally       
pressed ,polly into the service1 put two
 or three children on footstools in the 
front1 brandished a whip that had done  
duty at the plough1 and trotted off with
 the easy dignity of four miles an hour1
 and lionized the whole neighbourhood4  
,amidst bumps1 and thumps1 and bursts of
 laughter at the unwieldy turn-out1 the 
excursion was pleasanter than if made in
 a chariot and four4  ,one day we       
started off to visit ,ragland ,castle2  
the distance was five or six miles1 the 
day beautiful1 the mare in splendid     
order1 and the whip ornamented with a   
new lash4 ,disregarding the whinnyings  
and neighings with which the family     

received our steed as we passed the     
field where they were all assembled to  
see us at the gate1 from ,grannie down  
to the foal1 we applied the thong       
vigorously1 and chirruped1 and whistled1
 and cried ,gee6 and ,hither6 and got   
fairly into a trot2 and an easy thing it
 is to maintain the pace after you have 
once got into it--in fact1 you find some
 difficulty in getting into a slower    
rate2 and if by any chance we pulled up 
altogether to see a view1 ,polly1 who   
was no judge of the picturesque1 was    
very apt to turn round and run away     
home--if the word run away can be       
applied to a very determined walk1 with 
no regard whatever to bit and rein4 ,a  
struggle of this sort was very apt to   
occur at ,llansaintfraed ,lodge1        
meaning1 we are told1 in the original1  
the ,church of ,st ,bridget--and a      
pretty church it is4 ,it is in a park of
 moderate size1 crowning a gentle       
elevation2 a carriage-drive leads to it1
 nicely gravelled1 for it is the        

approach to ,llansaintfraed ,house4 ,the
 church1 when we saw it1 was all        
festooned over the porch and a portion  
of the walls1 with honeysuckle in full  
show2 roses and other flowers were      
planted all round1 and a fine solid     
stone cross threw its beautiful shadow  
over the graves4 ,the church is very    
small and very old1 and owes a part of  
its good condition to the good fortune  
of having had the late ,bishop of       
,llandaff for a parishioner4 ,some years
 ago he occupied ,llansaintfraed ,house1
 and rescued the parish from the        
disgrace of a ruinous and neglected     
church4 ,it is only to be wished that   
every parish had its manor occupied so  
well--for a district with churches so   
shamefully fallen into disrepair we     
never saw4 ,in all the churchyards1 for 
instance1 the piety of our forefathers  
had raised a cross2 and it surely does  
not argue a man to be a ,puseyite1 if he
 thinks highly of such an emblem in such
 a place2 and in every instance1 except 

this one of ,llansaintfraed1 the hand of
 the spoiler hath been upon it4 ,the    
cross1 in every instance1 is broken1 and
 only a portion of the broken pillar    
remaining4 ,if the archdeacon           
disapproves of the cross1 let it be     
removed altogether2 but if not1 let it  
be repaired1 and not left to affront the
 parishioners with the daily spectacle  
of the rate-payers' meanness and the    
clergyman's neglect4 ,so1 having managed
 to get ,polly's head round again--for  
she had availed herself of our pause to 
whisk homeward--we proceed on our way to
 ,ragland4 ,welsh precisians1 we        
perceive1 call it ,rhaglan--and probably
 attach a nobler meaning to the name    
than can be forced out of the ,saxon    
,rag and ,land2 but as novelists and    
historians have agreed in calling it    
,ragland1 we shall keep to the old      
spelling in spite of sennachie and bard4
 ,a short way beyond ,llansaintfraed is 
the handsome gate and beautiful park of 
,clytha2 the gate surmounted by a       

magnificent and highly ornamented       
,gothic arch1 and the mansion-house pure
 ,grecian--an allegory1 perhaps1 of the 
gradual civilization of mankind1 or the 
process by which chivalrous knights are 
turned into ,christian gentlemen4 ,the  
house is modern1 and even the arch      
without much pretension to antiquity2   
but the family stretching far back into 
the gloom of ages1 and lineal ancestors 
of the antediluvian patriarchs4 ,since  
the ,deluge1 however1 they have         
restricted themselves to this part of   
,monmouthshire2 and judging from the    
number of ,joneses--which is the great  
name in the neighbourhood--there seems  
no great chance of the genealogical tree
 being in want of branches4 ,there is   
nothing so strange in a new vicinity as 
the different weight attached to family 
names4 ,we have known districts where   
the word ,smith itself1 even without the
 fictitious dignity of y in the middle  
and e at the end1 was pronounced with   
great veneration4 ,jones--elsewhere     

sacred to the comic muse--is of as      
potent syllable--unluckily it has only  
one--along the banks of the ,usk1 as    
,scott or ,douglas on the ,nith and     
,yarrow4 ,and such is the effect of     
territorial or moral association1 that  
we shall willingly withdraw an objection
 we made to a line in the tragedy of our
 late friend ,j---- ,s----1 where some  
one1 speaking of the patriot ,pym--to   
eye and ear the most pithless and       
contemptible of cognomens--says1        
,there is a sound of thunder in the     
name4  ,we have no doubt there was a    
very distinct peal of heaven's dread    
artillery in the ear of that            
bitter-hearted ,roundhead every time he 
heard the magic word--,pym4  ,the family
 highest in mere antiquity in           
,monmouthshire1 we are told1 rejoices in
 the curious-looking name of ,progers4  
,from them are descended the noble      
,beauforts1 and even the ,joneses of    
,clytha4 ,for hundreds of years1 the    
,progerses had kept going down-hill2    

estate after estate had disappeared2    
farm after farm took to flight2 till1   
thirty or forty years ago1 the blood of 
the ,progerses flowed in the veins of a 
poor gentleman with about two hundred   
a-year1 a house in very bad repair1 and 
family pride that seemed to flourish in 
proportion as every thing else decayed4 
,some tourist1 in the course of his     
researches1 encountered this            
,monmouthshire ,marins sitting among the
 ruins of his former state4 ,the tourist
 was of a genealogical turn of mind1 and
 the ,desdichado poured forth his       
hoarded boasts in his sympathizing ear4 
,out of this house1 he said1 pointing   
mechanically to the tottering walls of  
his family mansion1 but metaphorically  
alluding to the ,house of ,progers1 came
 the ,joneses of ,clytha and            
,llanerth--out of this house came the   
noble ,somersets1 now ,dukes of         
,beaufort2 and so he went on1 relating  
all the great and powerful names that   
had owed their origin to his house4 ,the

 tourist seems also to have had some    
knowledge of architecture1 for his      
answer to the catalogue was--,well1 sir1
 it's my advice to you to come out of   
this house yourself as quickly as you   
can1 or it will be down upon you some of
 these days to a certainty4  ,on passing
 ,clytha1 we enter into a territory     
which might more justly be called       
,somersetshire than the county the other
 side of the channel4 ,the ,dukes of    
,beaufort seem paramount wherever you   
go2 and in every town1 and even in all  
the villages1 there is sure to be a     
house of entertainment with the royal   
portcullis on the signpost1 and the name
 of the ,beaufort ,arms4 ,the domains of
 the family must be larger than half a  
dozen foreign principalities2 and1 from 
all we heard1 the conduct of the present
 noble ,somerset is worthy of his high  
position--liberal1 kind-hearted1        
magnificent4 ,one thing very pleasant to
 see was the little garden-ground taken 
from the road1 and attached to nice     

clean cottages1 almost all the way4     
,little portions1 about thirty feet in  
depth1 and considerable length1 formed  
the wealth and ornament of the wayside  
dwellings4 ,they were all well filled   
with apple and other fruit-trees1 and   
stocked with useful vegetables4 ,if this
 is the plan of enclosing commons1 we   
wish we were in ,parliament to give     
,lord ,worsley our aid2 for a few       
perches1 well hedged and carefully kept1
 are worth all the rights of pasture1   
whether of cows1 geese1 or donkeys1 that
 ever the poor possessed4 ,inside of    
this fringe of rustic independencies1   
snug farm-houses rose up in all         
directions2 but1 with a perverseness    
which seems characteristic of the whole 
county1 and not limited to farm-houses1 
or even semi-genteel villas1 no sooner  
does a man fix on a nice situation--a   
rising knoll beside a river--a gentle   
slope--or beautiful level green--no     
sooner does he rear a modest1 or perhaps
 an ornamental1 mansion on the site1    

than his next care is to plant as thick 
round it as the trees will stand4 ,elms1
 poplars1 oaks1 and larches1 in a few   
years block up the view2 and arbutus1   
rododendrons1 and enormous ,portugal    
laurels1 stand as an impenetrable screen
 before every window2 so that a house1  
which by its architecture ought to be an
 ornament to the neighbourhood1 and     
should command noble hills and rich     
valleys1 might as well be a wigwam in an
 ,indian forest4 ,there seems a greater 
tendency to rheumatism than romance     
among the inhabitants2 and1 by the by1  
we observed on all the walls ,welsh     
placards of ,parr's pills4 ,but in spite
 of the large letters1 and the          
populousness of the towns and villages  
where they were posted up1 we did not   
see a single individual reading the     
announcements4 ,query1 can the ,welsh   
peasantry read ,welsh8 or is their      
book-learning limited to ,english1 and  
their native tongue left to its oral    
freedom1 untrammeled with ,a1 ,b1 ,c8   

,in addition to the usual fence of      
impenetrable trees and shrubs1 we       
noticed one pretty little dwelling1     
newly built1 a mile or two from the     
village of ,ragland1 tastefully         
ornamented with an immense heap of      
compost1 which nearly barricaded the    
drawing-room window4 ,the inhabitant    
must have been a prodigious             
agriculturist2 and probably preferred   
the useful1 but unromantic heap1 to any 
other object in the view4 ,we gave it   
the name of ,guano ,hall4  ,but where1  
all this while1 is ,ragland ,castle1 and
 when will the old mare jiggle joggle to
 the end of our course8 ,all eyes were  
kept in constant motion to catch a      
glimpse of the towers and pinnacles1 of 
which we felt sure we were now within a 
mile4 ,trees1 trees1 and nothing but    
trees1 with sometimes a glimpse of blue 
hills far off1 and wreaths of smoke from
 cottages or farms rising above the     
wilderness of leaves4 ,at last1 on a    
little elevation on the left hand1      

rising solemnly1 into the silent air1 we
 caught sight of the old ruin1 with     
great ponderous walls1 covered with ivy1
 and the sky seen through the open      
arches of its immense windows4 ,a       
beautiful mass of building1 with such   
rents and fissures in it1 that you      
wondered whether it was ever entire2 and
 the walls so thick and massive that you
 wondered again how it ever fell into   
decay4 ,we hobbled into the village1    
keeping the castle in view the whole    
time1 got good quarters for the mare at 
the first hostel we encountered1 and    
proceeded up a country lane to spend an 
hour or two among the ruins4 ,the       
entrance is very fine1 and might give   
rise to grand historic emotions in      
people fond of the feudal and sublime2  
but in our instance such a train of     
thought would have been impossible1 for 
just inside of the majestic portal sat  
an old harper thrumming away at the     
pathetic melody of ,jenny ,jones4 ,he   
might as well have played ,jim ,crow at 

once1 for romance was put to flight1 and
 we speedily got as far as we could from
 the descendant of ,talessin4 ,the ,duke
 of ,beaufort has fitted up the ruins in
 a way that would have gratified the    
heart of ,mrs ,radcliffe4 ,winding      
stairs lead1 in the thickness of the    
walls1 from tower to tower1 and the dim 
corridors and dizzying bartizans are    
made safe to the most timid of ,cockneys
 by stout wooden banisters1 that enable 
you to stand as securely on a crumbling 
battlement as on the top of ,salisbury  
plain4 ,we saw the courts and           
quadrangles1 admired the splendid       
windows1 and only wondered at the       
lowness of the ceilings of some of the  
principal rooms1 as from floor to floor 
could not have been more than seven feet
 and a half4 ,there were fountain courts
 without a fountain2 and chapel-yards   
with no chapel2 why should we speak of  
kitchens1 conjuring up visions of       
roasted oxen1 and butteries suggestive  
of hogsheads of home-brewed ale1 when   

fire-places are now choked up1 and      
nothing is left of the buttery but a    
pile of broken stones8 ,at first1 on    
going in1 we dilated on the grand things
 we should do in the way of restoration 
if we were the lord of the castle4      
,first1 we would fit it up exactly as it
 was in the brave days of old3 we should
 have new floors put in the             
audience-chamber2 a roof on the great   
dining-hall2 a stately dais at the upper
 end1 and get it from the hands of      
,pugin--the identical castle of the days
 of ,elizabeth4 ,but1 on closer         
inspection1 we came to the conclusion   
that the natural condition of such      
buildings is that of interesting        
remains4 ,the rooms are low1 the        
passages are dark1 the bed-rooms        
dog-kennels1 the stairs ladders1 the    
court-yards damp1 the windows all turned
 the wrong way1 and1 in short1 the      
sixteenth century an excellent trimmer  
of popes and conqueror of armadas1 but a
 very bad architect4  ,in one of the    

court-yards was a flock of sheep        
nibbling at the grass that had been     
trodden by the great marquis1 as he     
walked down after his noble defence1 to 
deliver his sword to the                
,parliamentarian ,fairfax4 ,has         
,cattermole or ,charles ,landseer never 
thought of the brave old cavalier1 at   
the age of eighty-five1 surrendering his
 ancestral home1--surrounded by his     
sorrowing garrison1 and bearing himself 
with the true dignity of a heroic noble8
 ,let them think of this1 and send us a 
proof print4  ,leader of the sheep was  
the most beautiful ram that ever was    
seen since ,aries was made a star4 ,all 
our common-place muttons at home sank   
into insignificance at once4 ,the       
children patted it1 and fed it1 and     
kissed it1--and to all their endearments
 it answered in the most bewitching     
manner4 ,it followed them like a dog1   
and rubbed its head against them1 and it
 was soon very evident that the greatest
 beauty of ,ragland ,castle1 in certain 

eyes1 was thickly cased in wool4 ,the   
ancient gardener told us it had once    
taken such a fancy to one of the        
visitors1 that it had followed her up a 
hundred and sixty steps to the very top 
of the signal tower1--and the old lady  
was so pleased with it1 she wished to   
take it home with her1 though she lived 
two or three hundred miles off4 ,and    
certainly if ever a pet of such a size  
was allowable1 it must have been the    
gentle creature before us4 ,but all     
things are deceitful--gentle-looking    
rams among the number1--for on the      
discontinuance of our gifts1 he waxed   
all of a sudden very wroth1 and favoured
 the youngest of the party with a butt1 
that made her not know whether she was  
on her head or her heels--which is an   
extraordinary specimen of ignorance1 for
 she was exactly half-way between both4 
,so1 converting our admiration of the   
golden fleece into a kick1 we raised the
 astonished victim of his anger1 and    
after a delightful stroll got into our  

gig again1 and in due time arrived at   
our comfortable home4  ,we have heard of
 people being a month at ,cairo1 and    
never going to see the ,pyramids1--a    
circumstance which does not give a very 
lofty idea of their activity4 ,we       
determined to show those stay-at-homes a
 good example1 and not remain a week in 
,monmouthshire without visiting the     
,wye4 ,again the old gig was put in     
requisition2 but on this occasion we    
succeeded in borrowing a horse of a     
neighbouring farmer1 that trotted       
merrily up and down hill at a reasonable
 pace2 and away we started on one of the
 few warm days of this hyperborean      
summer1 on our way to the town of       
,monmouth4 ,great is the enjoyment of   
passing through a beautiful country on a
 fine clear day in ,june4 ,there was no 
dust--the sun was not too hot--the      
hedges were in full leaf1 and no        
drawback to our felicity except a       
preternatural dread of stone heaps by   
the roadside1 on the part of our steed1 

which3 kept us on the alert to try and  
pull in the proper direction the moment 
he shied to the side4 ,all other objects
 in nature or art it passed with the    
equanimity of a sage2 tilted waggons    
with the wind flapping their canvass    
coverings with a sound and motion that  
would justify a little tremor in the    
heart of ,bucephalus--stagecoaches1     
loaded with men and luggage1 rushing    
down-hill at fifteen miles an hour1 and 
apparently determined to force their way
 over our very heads4 ,against all these
 it showed the most unflinching courage2
 but if it came to a heap of stones1    
large or small1 broken or entire1 it    
lost its presence of mind in a moment1  
and would have jumped for safety into   
the ditch at the other side of the road1
 if not restrained by a pull at the     
rein1 and a good cut of the whip        
scientifically applied4 ,even the       
milestone was an object of great alarm2 
and as there were twelve of them on the 
way1 and the cowardly creature never by 

any chance missed seeing them1 however  
deep they were sunk in hedges1 or buried
 in grassy banks1 we never required to  
distinguish the figures on the stones1  
but calculated the progress we made by  
the number of starts and struggles4     
,after a dozen of these debates1 which  
created great amusement among the       
juveniles of the party1 we arrived at   
the clean delightful town of            
,monmouth--and here let us make amends  
for the disparaging mention of this     
place in our former narrative of        
,house-,hunting in ,wales4 ,the weather 
on that occasion was very bad1 and the  
inn we lunched at a very poor and       
uncomfortable one4 ,when a person's     
principal acquaintance with a town      
consists in his experience of its wet   
streets and tough beef steaks1 it is no 
wonder that his impressions are not of  
the most agreeable kind4 ,on the present
 occasion we drove to the ,beaufort     
,arms1 and1 in imitation of the ,marquis
 of ,exeter1 we pulled at the bell with 

a lordly air4 ,the hostler and his      
curates rushed zealously from the       
further end of the yard1 and received us
 with astonishing command of face--not a
 grin was visible1 even the waiters     
stood with decorous solemnity1 while    
child after child was lifted down1 and  
all out of one gig4 ,they rather looked 
on with the pleased expression we have  
seen on the countenances of a rural     
audience when ,mr ,ingilby1 or other    
juggler1 produced1 out of some          
unaccountably prolific hat1 a           
stewing-pan1 a salt cellar1 a couple of 
eggs1 a brood of chickens1 and finally  
the maternal hen4 ,we ordered a cold    
dinner to be put into baskets1 with a   
moderate accompaniment of bottles and   
glasses--enquired if a boat was to be   
had to take us up the ,wye--were        
recommended to a certain barge-master of
 the name of ,williams2 and1 in a very  
short space of time1 were safely stowed 
in a beautiful clipper1 thirty feet     
long1 with only nine inches draught of  

water1 with a gorgeous morning over our 
heads1 luxurious cushions on the seats1 
a tug1 in the shape of a most strong1   
active fellow1 pulling us by the        
towing-path1 and1 seated at the helm1   
the most civil1 the most polite1 the    
most communicative1 and the most        
talkative man that it ever was our      
fortune to meet4 ,he united in his own  
person a vast multiplicity of trades and
 offices4 ,he was innkeeper1            
boat-builder1 boat-owner1 pilot1 turner1
 ,bristol-trader1 wood-merchant1        
coracle-maker1 fisherman1 historian1    
and1 above all1 a warrior of the most   
tremendous courage4 ,in all of these    
capacities he had no rival2 and as it   
was his own boat1 his native town1 his  
own river1 and we were merely his       
passengers1 he had it all his own way4  
,he stood up in the excitement of his   
discourse1 and talked without a moment's
 intermission--sometimes to             
us--sometimes to a little boy he had    
brought on board to look after the      

baskets--sometimes to the man on the    
towing-path--and sometimes to himself2  
but at all times there fell thick and   
fast about our ears the words of ,thomas
 ,williams2 and of all his words1       
,thomas ,williams was the hero4 ,as     
people get used to the noise of a       
waterfall1 at last we stood the         
perpetual sound without any             
inconvenience1 and carried on quiet     
conversation1 or sank into silent       
admiration1 as we floated past the bold 
cliffs1 or soft-wooded shores1 of the   
sylvan ,wye4  ,for the first mile or two
 from ,monmouth1 the hermit of the woods
 is nothing to boast of4 ,the banks are 
low2 the water sluggish2 and the scenery
 common-place4 ,the beauties begin at a 
bend of the river1 where ,mr ,blakemore 
has built a large and                   
comfortable-looking house4 ,on a high1  
conical hill above the mansion1 there   
stands a lofty gazebo of open iron-work1
 commanding a view of we don't remember 
how many counties2 but before our       

cicerone had got half-way into an       
account of each of them1 with their     
capital towns1 the names of the present 
mayors1 and the noble families he had   
supplied with cricket-bats1 we had      
passed far away among the noble scenery 
of the oak district2 and our friend     
launched into a description of oak      
plantations in general--the value of    
oaks per acre--the sum paid to ,lord    
,george for his estate1 which was bought
 by government fourteen years ago1 the  
last time the duke was in power--  ,what
 duke8  ,an unlucky question1 for it led
 into a disquisition o all dukes1       
ancient and modern1 and an encomium on  
the late ,duke of ,beaufort1 as the best
 soldier that ,england had ever         
produced4 ,he was a true soldier's      
friend1 and flogged every soul that came
 on parade-ground with a dirty shirt4 ,i
 don't think there was ever seen such a 
militia regiment--there was a sight more
 flogging in it than the reg'lars--so it
 was quite a comfort to some fellers    

that didn't like it1 to go into the     
line4 ,i was in it myself2 but ,i liked 
the duke1 though he would have flogged  
me as soon as look at me4 ,and such     
dinners he gave us when our time was    
over--it was dreadful--six of our       
corporals died of drinking in one month4
 ,he was certainly the greatest officer 
ever ,i see4 ,i was threatened myself   
with a thing they call delirium tremens1
 for he dined us in tents for a         
fortnight at a time4 ,it's a pity the   
,french never landed2 we would have     
licked them like sacks4 ,i hates a      
,frenchman1 and hope to have a fling at 
'em yet4  ,in the mean time we had      
glided further and further into the     
leafy recesses of the river4 ,such banks
 are nowhere else to be seen--high      
perpendicular cliffs1 broken off in all 
manner of fantastic shapes2 sometimes a 
great rock standing up bare1 smooth1 and
 majestic1 like a vast tower of some    
gigantic cathedral2 sometimes a solitary
 column1 higher and more massive than   

any of an architect's designing1 with   
its capital ornamented with self-sown   
shrubs1 and its base washed by the      
rippling water4 ,each of these called   
forth an anecdote from our guide1       
philosopher1 and friend--one was the    
scene of the great fight between        
,characterus and the ,romans4 ,the      
,romans licked 'em2 for them ,welsh was 
never no great shakes4 ,i could lick any
 three ancient ,britons ,i ever saw     
myself--and they knows it4 ,and1 as to  
,characterus1 he could be no great      
general1 or he never would have fought  
on that side of the water4 ,he should   
have come across to the other side1 and 
he would have licked them ,romans to a  
certainty4  ,we thought it was a pity   
,mr ,williams1 who1 in spite of his     
contempt for the ancient ,britons1 was  
as true a ,welshman as ever ate his     
leek1 had not been of the council of war
 of ,caractacus--for it was the scene of
 his great struggle we were passing4    
,the ground still bears the name of     

,slaughter ,field1 and was a fit altar  
on which to offer the last victims to   
national freedom4 ,the scenery all round
 it is of the noblest character--rock   
and wood1 and the mountain chain that   
they hoped had shut out the invader4    
,the river bends round it1 and enables  
you to keep for a long time in view the 
plain where the battle was fought1 and  
the rude remains of what is considered  
to have been the ,roman encampment4     
,after an hour or two delightfully spent
 in gliding under enormous cliffs1 and  
winding among woods of all hues and     
sizes1 hanging over the precipice1 and  
waving their branches almost down to the
 water's edge1 we arrived at our point  
of destination1 a high rock called      
,simon's ,yatt1 which our agreeable     
companion described as the finest thing 
in the world4 ,on bringing to at the    
landing-place1 we found we had nearly a 
mile to walk up a steep road1 newly     
escarped on the side of the hill2 and   
setting ourselves manfully to the       

effort1 we began our march--,williams   
insisted on being the useful member of  
the party4 ,he offered1 in the plenitude
 of his strength1 to carry the shawls1  
to carry a couple of children1 to carry 
ourselves2 he thought nothing of        
weights2 he was used to hard labour2 he 
rather liked some difficult thing to do2
 and finally1 nearly broke down under   
the burden of one of the provision      
baskets2 stopping every now and then to 
rest1 and evidently over-tasked4 ,the   
day was very hot--the soil was a red    
ironstone--there was no shelter from the
 pervading sun--and the ascent was on an
 inclination of at least one foot in    
six2 at last1 however1 urged on by a    
desire to enjoy the prospect--and the   
lunch--and also with a malicious        
intention1 shared by the whole party1 to
 walk our companion to death1 we        
surmounted all difficulties1 wound round
 a rocky eminence at the top1 and       
suddenly found ourselves on a           
beautifully wooded platform1 six or     

seven hundred feet above the river1 and 
in the enjoyment of the most surprising 
view we ever saw4 ,the river ,wye takes 
a sharp turn round the foot of this     
enormous projection1 not only winding   
round the extremity1 but actually       
flowing down on one side exactly as it  
flowed up on the other1 leaving ,simon's
 ,yatt as a sort of wedge inserted in   
its course2 and presents the            
extraordinary effect of the same river  
at the same moment running both north   
and south4 ,the summit of ,simon's ,yatt
 is not above fifty feet wide1 and the  
descent on one side is perpendicular1   
showing the river directly under your   
feet1 and on the other is nearly        
precipitous1 leaving only room1 between 
its base and the river1 for a most      
picturesque assemblage of cottages      
called the ,new-,weir village4 ,directly
 in front is the rich level champaign1  
containing the town of ,ross at a       
considerable distance1 ,goodrich        
,priory1 and many other residences1 from

 the feudal ,castle to the undated      
,grange4 ,on the horizon-line you       
recognise ,ledbury1 the ,malvern hills2 
and the whole outline of the ,black     
mountains4 ,on the right1 where the     
river careers along in its backward     
course1 you see the interminable foliage
 of the forest of ,dean1 and the rich   
valleys of ,glo'stershire4 ,a very      
handsome house1 about a mile down the   
river1 attracted our attention4 ,it's a 
reg'lar good billet1 said ,mr ,williams1
 breaking off from some other piece of  
information with which he was regaling  
the idle wind1 for by this time we had  
acquired a power of not hearing a word  
he said2 and it's a great shame1 the    
gent as owns it never lives in it4 ,he  
is a very great man in foreign parts2   
and the ,pope is his uncle4 ,so1 in     
course1 he always lives in ,france to be
 near his great relations4 ,no          
cross-examination could shake his       
statement of this genealogical          
curiosity2 so we looked with increased  

interest on the mansion of the ,pope's  
nephew1 whose principal merit by the by1
 in ,mr ,william's eyes1 was1 that he   
had once furnished him with a coracle4  
,after gratifying our eyes for a long   
time with the surprising prospect1 we   
found a nice shady spot in a plantation 
at a little distance2 spread shawls and 
cloaks upon the grass1 and were soon    
engaged in the mysteries of cold meat1  
hard-boiled eggs1 an excellent salad1   
and ,guinness's porter--not to mention a
 beautiful gooseberry tart and sparkling
 ginger-beer4 ,some feasts have been    
more splendid1 and some perhaps more    
seasoned with eloquence and wisdom--but1
 as the ,vicar of ,wakefield says of the
 united party of the ,primroses and the 
,flamboroughs1 ,if there was not much   
wit among the company1 there was a great
 deal of laughter1 and that did just as 
well4 ,so we laughed a good hour among  
the shady walks at ,simon's             
,yatt--managed for five whole minutes to
 stop our companion's conversation by   

filling his mouth with beef and porter1 
distributed the fragments among a hungry
 and admiring population of young       
coal-heavers who looked on--like a group
 starting out of ,murillo's             
pictures--and with empty baskets and    
joyous hearts set off on our homeward   
way4 ,we glided at our own sweet will   
down the river1 exchanged the bark for  
our plethoric gig1 and in due course of 
time1 after twelve starts at the twelve 
milestones1 arrived in safety at our    
home4  ,by this time there were no      
symptoms left of deficient health and   
strength--the invalid would have done   
for an honorary member of the club of   
fat people recorded in the ,spectator2  
and we looked1 with disdain on the level
 territory on the banks of the ,usk1 and
 longed for hills to climb1 and walls to
 get over1 and rocks to overcome1 like  
knights-errant in search of adventures4 
,no walk was too great for us4 ,we      
thought of challenging ,captain ,barclay
 to a match against time1 or of         

travelling through ,england as the      
,pedestrian ,wonders4 ,walker1 the      
twopenny postman1 would have had no     
chance against us4 ,so1 merely by way of
 practice1 we started off one day1 with 
straw-hats and short summer frocks1 and 
every other accompaniment of a professed
 pedestrian's turn-out1 and away we went
 on a pilgrimage to the churchyard of   
,llanvair ,kilgiden4 ,through rich      
fields of grass we sauntered--over      
stiles we leapt--through hedges we      
dashed--and occasionally became prosaic 
enough to walk on for half a mile or so 
in a country lane1 but generally we     
preferred trespassing through a         
corn-field1 and losing our way in       
searching for a short cut across a      
plantation2 and at last1 after many     
hairbreadth 'scapes--after being        
terrified by the bellowing of a bull1   
which turned out to be a sentimental cow
 giving vent to her agitated feelings in
 what somebody calls a gentle voice and 
low--after nearly losing half the party 

by the faithlessness of a plank that    
crossed a ditch that swarmed with an    
innumerable multitude of tadpoles--after
 surpassing these1 and many other       
perils1 we at last got into the quiet   
road that leads from ,penty ,goitre     
bridge down to the church of            
,llanvair--a large1 solemn-looking      
churchyard1 ornamented with a goodly    
array of splendid yew-trees1 and        
boasting1 at some former period1 a      
majestic stone cross1 now of course     
defaced1 and the very square it stood   
upon moss-grown and in ruins4 ,the      
church itself is a plain quiet          
structure1 but the sylvan beauty and    
peaceful seclusion of the situation     
cannot be surpassed4 ,we measured the   
great yews1 and several of them were    
twenty-four or twenty-five feet in      
circumference at four feet from the     
ground4 ,there were some graves enclosed
 in railings1 and surrounded by         
evergreens and rose-trees2 and the      
sentiment of the place was not destroyed

 by a few nibbling sheep that cropped   
the short grass on the graves where the 
rude forefathers of the hamlet slept4   
,can the sepulchral muses have found    
their way to so remote a district as    
this8 ,have afflictions sore and vain   
physicians obtained a sculptor among the
 headstones of this out-of-the-way      
place8 ,we made a survey of the         
inscriptions1 as a very sure guide to   
the state of education among the        
peasantry1 and are compelled to confess 
that the schoolmaster had decidedly gone
 abroad4 ,even monuments of some        
pretension to grandeur1 with            
full-cheeked cherubs on the sides1 and  
solid stones on the top1 offered no     
better specimens of spelling and        
composition that this3--      ,laden    
with age my years they flew--     ,the  
,lord is holy1 just1 and trew4   ,and on
 the slab1 over a child of three years  
old1 the following pithy observation3-- 
,if life and care could death pervent1  
,my days would not so soon been spent4  

,the sculptor1 in many instances1 7being
 tired probably of chiselling the same  
words over and over17 had attempted an  
improvement by altering the arrangement 
of the lines1--an ingenious device on   
his part1 and a pleasing puzzle to the  
spectator3--      ,a tender husband and 
a father     dear1 a faithful friend    
lies     buried hear1 he was true and   
just in all his ways1 he do     deserve 
this worthey praise4   ,to the memory of
 ,margaret1 wife of ,john ,hall1        
appeared some lines of a superior kind1 
with which we never met elsewhere3--    
,you see around me richer neighbours lie
     ,as deep and still in this cold    
ground as ,i2     ,from ease and plenty 
they were called away--     ,could ,i in
 lingering sickness wish to stay8       
,when faith supports the body worn with 
pain1     ,to live is nothing but to die
 is gain4   ,but as if to show that the 
muse had made a very flying visit to the
 hamlet1 and had left the mason1 on the 
next occasion1 to his own unassisted    

genius1 the epitaph on two other members
 of the same family runs thus3--        
,when in the world we did remain1       
,our latter days was grief and pain1    
,but ,god above he thought it best      
,to take we to a place of rest4   ,what 
can it be that induces people1 who were 
probably as unpoetical as ,audrey in    
their lives1 to wish the ornament of    
verse upon their tombstones8 ,the effect
 must be almost ludicrous upon those who
 were acquainted with the living        
individual1 to hear the long resounding 
march and energy divine of heroics and  
,alexandrines proceeding from him1 now  
he is dead4 ,philosophy put by the      
epitaph-writer in the mouths of a       
chaw-bacon--moral reflections on the    
loveliness of virtue in the mouth of a  
poor-law overseer--and noble incitements
 to follow a good example in the mouth  
of the bully or drunkard of the parish1 
must be far from useful to the surviving
 generation4 ,we therefore highly       
approve of the remarks of a sententious 

gentleman in this churchyard1 who seems 
to lay no great claim to extraordinary  
merit himself1 but favours his          
co-parishioners with very useful        
advice3--      ,farewell1 vain world1   
,i've seen enough of thee1     ,and now 
am careless what thou say'st of me1--   
,thy smiles ,i court not1 nor thy frowns
 ,i fear2     ,my cares are past2 my    
head lies quiet here--     ,what faults 
thou see'st in me take care to shun--   
,look well at home2 enough there's to be
 done4   ,by the time we had transferred
 these and other inscriptions to our    
note-book1 the party were refreshed and 
ready for the homeward walk4 ,we got    
over the same stiles and underwent the  
same dangers as before1 and happily     
completed our voyage of discovery to the
 beautiful churchyard of ,llanvair4     
,day after day saw us all busy in       
ferreting out fine views or old         
manor-houses--the little ,skirrid or old
 ,llangattock4 ,sometimes we crossed the
 river and wandered through the         

delicious lanes of ,llanover1 or passed 
through ,llanellen on our way to the    
,blorenge4 ,as our courage and strength 
expanded1 we tried bolder flights--spent
 a day among the smoke and thunder of   
the ,nantiglo ironworks--with           
processions of thousands of men hurrying
 off amidst music1 and shouts of the    
most tremendous loudness1 to a dinner at
 their club4 ,great1 hard-featured1     
savage-looking fellows they were1 though
 in their holiday attire1 and           
accompanied by one or two of the ,bailey
 family--the real iron kings of the     
neighbourhood2 and a sight of their grim
 features and brawny arms gave us a more
 vivid respect for the courage of ,sir  
,thomas ,philips1 who drove them back   
from the sack and massacre of ,newport2 
and also a clearer idea of the almost   
justifiable hardihood of the worshipful 
,mister ,frost1 in thinking that with   
ten or twelve thousand souls1 made of   
fire1 and children of the mine1 he could
 upset ,old ,england1 and be himself the

 legitimate successor of ,king ,coal4   
,another day we spent among the ruins of
 ,llantony ,abbey1 one of the finest    
remains of ecclesiastical architecture  
in the kingdom4 ,the person who owns the
 ground and the ruins1 is a poet1 a     
philosopher1 a scholar1 so at least he  
wishes to be thought2 but from the      
condition of the abbey1 7a small        
pot-house protruding its vulgar sign    
from one of the noble entrances1 and a  
skittle-ground being established in the 
main aisle--desolation1 neglect1 and    
dirtiness all around17 we formed no very
 high estimate of the taste or feeling  
of ,mr ,walter ,savage ,landor4 ,if he  
had no higher object than merely to keep
 up the beauty of the building1 you     
might expect that he would have guarded 
it from the degradation of beer1        
tobacco1 and ,british spirits4 ,a man of
 a poetical mind would have taken care  
to prevent such miserable associations  
as are supplied by a tap and            
skittle-ground2--a person of loftier and

 purer sentiments would have shown more 
reverence for the genius loci1 and would
 have remembered that the walls were    
once vocal with ,christian prayers1 and 
that what in other instances would be   
only negligence1 is profanation here4   
,but probably the innkeeper pays his    
rent regularly1 and we hope will be made
 the interlocutor in an imaginary       
conversation with the last abbot of     
,llantony4  ,the object we had in coming
 into ,wales was now entirely gained2   
and after ten weeks most happy          
wanderings over hill and dale1 and      
constantly breathing the clear fresh air
 of ,monmouthshire1 we packed up bag and
 baggage1 and returned to our home with 
a stock of health laid in for winter    
use1 which will keep us constantly in   
mind of the benefits we derived from    
change of scene4     ,,neapolitan       
,,sketches4  ,,garden ,,of ,,the ,,villa
 ,,reale4   ,this garden--which1 during 
the winter months1 is the lounge of the 
,english idler at ,naples1 and then     

looks as flowerless and dingy as        
,kensington in an east wind--assumes a  
very different appearance in spring4 ,on
 the #gth of ,may1 we1 who had passed   
the winter at ,rome1 were at once struck
 with the brilliancy of unusual         
blossoms1 and the number of             
distinguished vegetable foreigners who  
lifted their heads out of parterres1 of 
the very existence of which in winter   
one is scarcely conscious4 ,the formal  
line of clipt ,ilex that looks towards  
the sea1 had changed its dusky hue for a
 warmer tint2 statues that had been     
doing sentinel all the winter without   
relief1 now seem to bend delighted over 
fragrant flower-beds1 and enjoy the     
spring4 ,two high shrubs in flower      
7,metresiglias7 hoist from opposite     
beds1 the one its white1 the other its  
red banner4 ,two of the ,muses1 the     
,speciosa and ,paravisogna1 or          
bread-tree plant1 were raising their    
light spiry trunks out of a corbeille   
taller than a life-guardsman4 ,they want

 no hothouse in ,naples3--would you     
shade your face from the sun1 an        
elsewhere exotic1 the ,brazilian        
,camarotta at your feet1 furnishes you  
with a screen4 ,the white flocks of the 
,acacia verticillata are peeping out    
from the ranks of those small triangular
 leaves1 which are so singularly        
attached1 without stalks1 by one of     
these angles to the stem4 ,amidst these 
pleasant perfumes camphor would be      
unwelcome1 but there is the laurel that 
yields it4 ,fennel has here become a    
tree1 in which1 like the mustard of the 
,gospels1 the fowls of the air may      
lodge2 we are dwarfs beside it6 ,three  
kinds of the soft1 slimy ,mallow of the 
,marsh are here so much ,,woody and so  
tall1 that we must pick their flowers on
 tiptoe4 ,the flattened disk of the     
sky-blue ,nana arborea contrasts with   
the ,betula sanguinea1 glowing deeply in
 the flower-bed of many lighter-coloured
 petals2 the sweet-scented ,african     
laurel grows against the long-leafed    

,babylonian willow1 which susurrates    
droopingly over your head1 as if it were
 by the waters of ,babylon4 ,the        
fountains1 with their hydrophilous      
tribes1 add to the charm2 and many a    
beautiful ,launaria aquatica had already
 buoyed himself up on his large cordate 
leaves on the surface of the tazza1 and 
was filling his vegetable skin with     
water4 ,all these beauties and          
peculiarities1 a mere scantling of the  
whole of the ,villa ,reale1 escape the  
lounger1 and the nurserymaids1 and      
children1 and those of either sex who   
have appointments to keep1 or to look   
out for2 and the soldiers1 and the      
police1 and the ,neapolitan nobility and
 gentry1 and the pickpockets1 and       
others3--to the nurseryman and botanist1
 things not to be forgotten2 and at     
present the weather is not too hot to   
interfere with their enjoyment4         
,,servi ,,di ,,pena4  ,at ,castel       
,nuovo1 a penal settlement of ,naples1  
we held conversation with a man         

sentenced to the galleys1 and wearing1  
accordingly1 a yellow jacket2 but yellow
 is not here1 as at ,leghorn1 the       
deepest dye4 ,here1 it is red cloth and 
manacles that go together4 ,we asked him
 his crime4 ,un piccolo omicidio4 ,a    
small homicide1 provoked by a dispute   
for a single ducat6 ,i quarrelled with a
 man now in paradise4 ,i killed him at  
one stab1 but the devil possessed me to 
give him another colpo di coltello after
 he had fallen2 and as the judges asked 
me why ,i did this1 and ,i could not    
perfectly satisfy them1 they concluded  
,i was a sanguinary fellow1 and gave me 
eighteen years galleys--but1 as you see1
 ,i have no chains2 nor ever had--mai6  
mai6 and he extended his hands in       
somewhat of the attitude of ,raphael's  
,paul before ,festus1 to suit the action
 to the word4 ,no6 he was of a very     
different order of criminals to a       
boatful of birboni in red jackets1 all  
bad cases of homicide and robbery6      
,what do you call bad cases8  ,why1 ,i  

call it a bad case to kill a man for    
,,nothing4  ,well1 but theft to any     
amount is not so bad as taking away     
life4  ,oh6 as to that1 the police are  
quite right6 ,a decent and a devout man 
does not commit homicides every day3 but
 he that steals at all1 steals always6  
,so that our culprit reasoned1 like     
,paley1 on the tendency of crimes4 ,it  
was his ,chapter of the ,silver ,spoon1 
with a new exposition from the mouth of 
a ,galeote6 ,and they pluck men at      
,cambridge for not getting up their     
,paley6 ,our philosophical criminal     
seemed satisfied with his lot4       ,we
 are not so badly off after all3 we walk
 out with an obliging      escort1 who  
let us do pretty much as we like2 and   
all our work is      confined to        
sweeping the courts in front of the     
king's palace4 ,we      are free of the 
castle1 and allowed to conduct strangers
 over it1      as in your case4 ,oh6 for
 the fellows at ,st ,stefano1 it is     
quite      another matter2 as a part of 

their punishment1 they are              
compelled to be idle6   ,our rascal was 
allowed a new coat once every eighteen  
months1 with two pair of drawers and as 
many shirts1 and a penny a-day for      
pocket-money6 ,these piccoli omicidii at
 home do not get off so cheap1 but      
stabbing is endemic at ,naples4 ,when a 
queen of ,naples brings the ,neapolitans
 a new prince--great joy of course6--all
 the penal settlements except ,st       
,stefano receive three years' mitigation
 of their sentence2 but the crimes that 
consign to that island are senza        
grazia--the rays of royal bounty do not 
reach those dark and solitary cells4    
,the ,st ,stefano convicts form a body  
of three hundred doomed men1            
incorrigible housebreakers or systematic
 assassins4 ,the food of all classes of 
criminals is the same1 whatever the     
offence1 and consists of twenty-four    
ounces of bread1 with half-a-pint       
measure of beans and some oil--a basin  
of cabbage soup1 without meat1 for      

dinner1 and meat once in fourteen days3 
there are eight thousand out-of-doors   
convicts1 many of whom being under      
sentence for a less space than two      
years1 work in their own clothes--which 
is1 of course1 a considerable saving to 
government4 ,although all the           
galley-slave establishments are full1 no
 place swarms like ,naples with so many 
meritorious candidates for the red and  
yellow liveries of the state4   ,,st    
,,carlo1 c4  ,st ,carlo is1 as the      
guide-books tell us1 a very fine        
theatre4 ,what we particularly like1 is 
the absence of all side-lights round its
 boxes4 ,two hundred burners1 arranged  
in three rows round a small chandelier1 
give just light enough to set off the   
fine chastened white and gold1 and the  
one quiet fresco which embellishes the  
ceiling4 ,a pit of vast size1 divided   
into comfortable sittings1 six tiers of 
boxes1 and an orchestra of great space1 
suited to the extraordinary size of the 
house1 secure a far less adulterated    

playhouse atmosphere than we are used   
to2 and so exempt from the ordinary     
inconveniences1 that we were able to sit
 out the ,semiramide1 even with ,ronzi  
di ,begnis1 now old and out of keeping1 
for the heroine4 ,surely she never      
should have been ,semiramis1 even in her
 palmy day6 ,actors and actresses will  
not know that words written for them1   
scenery and dresses adapted for them1   
and attitudes invented for them1 can    
never make them the personages mentioned
 in the playbill4 ,on returning home1 we
 stood at our balcony gazing on the     
lovely face of a true ,naples night--a  
night beyond description6--the whole    
vault of heaven lighted by one light3 a 
full moon1 like a subdued sunshine over 
earth and water4 ,a world of light1 that
 shone on a world of darkness1 tinging  
the air1 gilding the mountain-tops1 and 
making the sea run like melted          
phosphorus4 ,and what a silence abroad6 
not the perilous cessation of sound     
which so often only anticipates the     

storm2 nor the sultry stillness of an   
exhausting noon2 but a mighty and       
godlike display1 as it were1 of the     
first full moon after creation shining  
on an entranced world6   ,,pozzuoli4    
,an amphitheatre is one of those few    
ruins that leave no problem to solve4   
,here we have a grey antiquity without  
any mutilation of form1 and merely      
spoliated of its benches4 ,the patron   
saint of ,naples was1 they say1         
imprisoned here4 ,a little chapel       
ascertains the spot1 but he does no     
miracles on this arena4 ,when we come to
 temples1 we are always at a great loss 
for proprietors4 ,the very large one    
here is called of ,jupiter ,serapis4    
,the remaining columns of this temple1  
whatever it was1 exhibit a very         
remarkable appearance4 ,three pillars1  
forty-two feet in height1 up to about   
twelve feet above their pedestals1 have 
the surface of the marble as smooth as  
any in the ,forum2 then comes a portion 
of nine or ten feet1 of which the marble

 has been bored1 drilled in all         
directions1 by that persevering bivalve 
the ,lithodomus2 the perforations are so
 considerable1 and go so deep1 as to    
prove the long-continued abode of these 
animals within the stone1 and by        
consequence1 as ,mr ,lyell observes1 a  
long-continued immersion of the columns 
in the sea at some period recent1       
comparatively1 with that of its         
erection4 ,indeed1 there is abundant    
evidence adduced in the fourth volume of
 his ,geology to show1 that all this    
ground was at a no very distant period  
under the sea1 like ,monte ,nuovo in its
 neighbourhood1 and was thrust out of   
the water to its present level4 ,when   
the ground on which this temple stood1  
collapsed1 the bottom part of its       
columns was protected by the rubbish of 
decayed buildings and strata of turf2   
the middle or perforated part was left  
exposed to the action of the sea        
bivalves above alluded to2 and the upper
 part1 which was never under the water1 

remained smooth and free from           
perforation4 ,but these columns not only
 prove by internal evidence the general 
fact of the ground on which they stand  
having been submerged--they also furnish
 an exact measure of the degree to which
 it sunk2 viz4 twenty feet--i4e4 the    
height where these perforations         
terminate at present4 ,you can only     
cross the floor of this building on     
stepping-stones2 and as you do so1 you  
see shoals of small sea-fish darting    
about in the shallow water which        
occupies its area1 into which the sea   
has been admitted on purpose1 to prevent
 the accumulation of the stagnant water 
that had infected this particular spot  
with intense malaria4   ,,bai4  ,we took
 a hot bath under the soi-disant villa  
of ,lucullus4 ,steam1 sulphur1 and hot  
water1 may be had cheap any where along 
this coast4 ,an awful place it was to   
enter naked1 and be kept in the dark1   
stifling1 as we were1 for some seconds  
which seemed minutes1 till our guide    

returned with a milord's dressing-gown1 
which he assured us had been hung up as 
a votive offering for cured rheumatism4 
,being candidates ourselves for a       
similar benefit1 we desired to be rubbed
 down like milord1 till aluminous       
perspiration stood thick upon us1 the   
alum being deposited from the walls and 
atmosphere of the place4 ,we were soon  
obliged to beg for quarter4 ,the milord1
 whose dressing-gown we were possessed  
of1 was so bad as to be obliged to be   
rubbed sitting2 but so powerful is the  
remedy1 that after fifteen such         
sittings1 he walked round the lake 7two 
miles71 and went home in his carriage   
guerito6 ,such baths6 that had cured he 
knew not how many persons3--      ,men  
who'd spent all upon physician's fees1  
,who'd never slept1 nor had a moment's  
ease1     ,were now as roaches sound1   
and all as brisk as bees6--,,crabbe4    
,what with its hot water1 sulphur1      
vapour1 and alum1 we too should have    
fancied ,naples might have been         

comparatively exempt from rheumatisms   
and skin diseases1 in both of which it  
abounds4   ,,lucrine ,,and ,,avernus    
,,lakes4  ,from the sea and its inlet   
called the ,lucrine ,lake1 we pass along
 a pleasant green lane1 about a mile    
long1 which issues on ,avernus1 whose   
waters we find both limpid and clear2   
but are instructed that two months later
 will change them to a dark-red colour1 
and that the neighbourhood will then    
become very malarious and unsafe4 ,a    
piece of semicircular wall on one side  
of the lake1 indicates the whereabouts  
of a temple of ,proserpine1 or ,apollo1 
or any god or goddess you please4 ,we   
were so absurd as to pay a scudo to be  
taken through a vile tunnel1 accompanied
 by two torch-bearers1 and two other    
dirty wretches1 who often carry us      
pick-a-back through one black hole into 
another1 splashing us through dark      
pools1 putting us down here and there as
 they pleased1 picking us up again1     
grinning like demons1 and by dint of    

shaking their torches above1 and        
disturbing the water below1 raising foul
 smells enough to intoxicate fifty      
,sybils4 ,at length1 half suffocated by 
those classical delights1 we cry        
,enough6 enough6 and beg to be put into 
our saddles again4 ,the ,stufa di       
,nerone1 a little further on the        
high-road1 is another volcanic          
calidarium in full activity1 where you  
may boil eggs or scald yourself in a    
dark cavern4 ,there you may deposit your
 mattrass and yourself in any one of a  
store of berths wrought into that most  
unpicturesque tufa1 of which the        
exterior face constitutes the whole of  
the sea view of ,bai4 ,if ever there    
were decorations in these caverns1 they 
are gone2 but there probably never were4
 ,diana1 ,mercury1 ,venus1 and ,apollo  
all claim brick tenements1 called       
temples1 in this little bay1 all close  
together on the seaside1 and none having
 any claim at present either on the     
artist or the poet4  ,we quit the       

seaside at this spot1 and reach the     
summit of the hill above1 where there is
 more torch-work and more disappointment
 for those that go a ,sybil-seeking with
 the sixth book of ,virgil for a guide4 
,those who like it may also grope their 
way through ,nero's prisons1 and descend
 into the ,piscina ,mirabilis1 that vast
 pilastered cellar like an underground  
dissenting chapel4 ,they say the ,roman 
fleet was supplied with water from this 
huge tank2 but if this had been the     
intention of its construction1 why      
obstruct it with more pillars or        
supports of square masonry than the roof
 absolutely required1 without which     
incumbrances a reservoir of half its    
size would have held more water1--and   
for water it was evidently meant8       
,ascending the hill we see a man or two 
working away at a newly-discovered tomb1
 from which he told us he had removed   
several skulls in perfect preservation1 
even to the teeth of both jaws1 together
 with some small sepulchral lamps and   

old copper coins4 ,we dine on the summit
 of a low hill1 immediately opposite a  
cape better known to fame than the ,cape
 of ,good ,hope--the promontory of      
,misenum1 with ,procida and ,ischia on  
our right1 and ,nisida with its white   
lazaretto1 and ,puteoli 7,pozzuoli17    
where ,st ,paul landed1 on our left4 ,we
 took to plant collecting after dinner1 
and were glad to learn that we should   
find at ,puzzuoli a celebrated botanist 
of the locality1 who could declare to us
 the unknown of all we should collect4  
,on our return1 therefore1 the man of   
science was fetched to look at our wild 
nose-gay and at us4 ,we show him a      
specimen2 he calls it by some outlandish
 name2 we tell him what we want is its  
,latin one4 ,it is ,latin1 he says1     
which he is actually speaking6 ,we      
thought not4 ,a crowd of fishermen and  
rustics are fast collecting around us2  
we try him with another one of the      
grasses4 ,questo  asparago1 cries a     
bumpkin1 unasked1 from behind4 ,che     

asparagi8 says il mio ,maestro1         
,pimpinella4 ,we show him a ,cytisus1   
and he calls it a ,campanula4 ,seeing   
that so great a difference exists       
between our friend and ,linnus1 we ask  
no further questions4  ,tench and eels  
abound in ,avernus1 and coot and teal   
also blunder here occasionally1 as if to
 contradict ,virgil and confute         
etymology--for ,avernus is ,greek3      
aornos 7birdless17 and ,latinised as    
every one knows4 ,however1 few birds are
 to be found here4 ,the ,lucrine is now 
a mere salt-water pond of small extent1 
affording the little sea fish1 in rough 
weather1 a sort of playground4 ,no      
,lucrine oysters now1 though these      
dainties are of excellent quality at    
,naples1 and might have satisfied       
,montanus himself4 ,as to the ,mare     
,mortuum1 it is another rank1           
unwholesome1 unpicturesque pond4 ,we    
walked all round it1 and have a right to
 say so2 and1 if we had done so twice   
after sunset1 might perchance have had  

to say more4   ,,procida4  ,ego vel     
,prochytam prpono ,suburr1 says         
,juvenal1 and so would we if compelled  
to live in that nasty ,st ,giles's      
beyond the ,coliseum2 but as the vel    
seems strangely misapplied--for the     
situation of ,procida must always have  
been delightful--the poet's preference  
must be understood as of a dull unlively
 place1 with few inhabitants or         
resources1 to a dense and dangerous     
population4 ,bai itself is not three    
miles from ,procida2 but the ,roman ,bai
 was thronged with good society1 and    
this little island was doubtless then as
 unpeopled as it is now populous4       
,procida is about three-fourths of an   
hour's fair rowing from ,miniseol1 on   
the ,baian side2 but you may run your   
boat over on a fine day in half an hour4
 ,as you approach the houses1 you       
discern the not unpicturesque frontage  
of a little fishing town2 but all is as 
revolting within as fair without4       
,something of the ,greek or ,albanese   

costume is still preserved here1 and    
they offer to dress up one of their     
families in full parure for our further 
satisfaction1 if we will pay them4 ,the 
view from the leads of the fort 7under  
which the galley-slaves are confined7 is
 fine indeed6 ,ischia and ,vesuvius1 and
 the whole stretch of the bay1 and      
,sorrento1 and the promontory of        
,minerva4 ,procida builds good enough   
trading vessels4 ,we saw two in the     
harbour of ,bai1 as we rowed back on a  
delicious evening towards sunset2 they  
were going on a first voyage1 bound for 
our ,london docks2--and  propos of the  
,london docks1 all this country is1 as  
it always was1 rich in productive       
vineyards and bad wine4 ,every hill once
 gave its own epithet to wines          
celebrated in longs and shorts of       
immortal celebrity1 whereas the land    
round ,rome could never have been       
viniferous4 ,you may still drink        
,falernian1 if so minded1 on its native 
seat of ,st ,agatha4 ,the wine of       

,gaurus has not deserted ,monte ,babaro1
 and ,lachryma1 though not classical1   
has its own celebrity2 and the islands  
of ,ischia and ,procida also produce a  
strong1 heating1 white wine4 ,but there 
is not any wine1 from the ,alps to      
,messina1 to be compared to those of the
 ,garonne1 and the ,rhine1 or the       
,moselle4 ,the ,barbarians subdued by   
the ,roman legions have long had it all 
their own way1 not only in this1 but in 
every other good thing except sunshine2 
but the vine1 growing as it grows1      
suspended as it is suspended1 and       
wreathed round the hills of ,italy1 is  
still the plant which secures the       
loudest admiration of the foreigner4    
,the vine of ,italy for ever6--so we    
join the chorus of all travellers1 and  
say-till it lies bruised1 bleeding1     
fermenting in the vat6 then commend us  
to the ,bacchus of lands far nearer     
home4 ,and here1 feeling ourselves      
called upon for a song1 we will sing    
one4           ,a ,,vintage ,,song4     

,,abridged ,,from ,b,,ranger4           
,amidst the ,celtic hordes of old       
,that gather'd round his wayworn band1  
,the cumbrous booty to behold           
,brought from ,ausonia's sunny land1    
,thus ,brennus spake--',this lance of   
mine     ,bears ,rome's best            
gift--,behold--the ,vine6               
,plant1 plant the ,vine1 to whose fair  
reign belong         ,the arts of       
,peace1 and all the realms of ,song6    
',they told us of its wondrous juice2   
,we fought to taste it1 and have won6   
,now o'er your hills new wealth diffuse 
,and cherish well the warrior's boon4   
,plant1 plant the ,vine1 c4      ',nor  
for ourselves alone we tore     ,that   
stem away2 your ships shall bear        
,the freighted joy to many a shore1     
,and spread the unknown gladness there4 
,plant1 plant the ,vine1 c4'      ,he   
ended1 and in face of all1     ,while   
deep in earth he strikes the lance      
,and plants the shoot--unconscious ,gaul
     ,prepares the world's vast         

vineyard--,france6#i   ,,the ,,palace   
,,of ,,caserta4  ,about thirteen miles  
from ,naples is one of the finest kingly
 residences in ,europe--so say all the  
guide-books1 and they are right4        
,vanvitelli is the very ,michael ,angelo
 of palace-rearing6 ,its shape is a     
parallelogram approaching to a square4  
,counting mezzanines1 it has six stories
 besides the attics2 and is pierced with
 no less than #agjj windows4 ,its stair1
 the very perfection of that sort of    
construction1 is vast in all its        
dimensions1 and so very easy1 that you  
look down from its summit admiring1 with
 untried lungs1 the enormous height you 
have reached4 ,it starts double from the
 ground1 and twenty persons might ascent
 either branch abreast1 and meet one    
another at the spot where it begins to  
return upon itself2 so that the noble   
octagonal landing above finds itself    
just over the starting-place below4     
,from this post four large windows      
command four spacious courts1 and the   

simple construction of this gigantic    
edifice stands unveiled4 ,you now begin 
your journey through vast1 lofty1       
magnificently marbled1 and very         
ill-furnished apartments1 of which1     
before you have completed the half      
circuit of a single floor1 you are      
heartily tired1 for1 beyond the         
architecture1 there is nothing to see4  
,the commonest broker's shop would      
furnish better pictures4 ,boar-hunts of 
course1 to represent how ,neapolitan    
kings kill boars at ,portici1 and shoot 
wild-ducks on the ,lago di ,fusina4     
,there is also an ample historical      
fresco on the ceiling of the antechamber
 to the throne-room1 on which ,murat had
 caused to be represented some notable  
charge where he proved victorious2 but  
after he was shot1 ,ferdinand1 with     
great taste1 judgment1 and good feeling1
 erased1 interpolated1 and altered the  
picture into a harmless battle of       
,trojans against ,greeks1 or some such  
thing6 ,the palace has two theatres and 

a chapel2 and you must change your      
conductor four times if you would be led
 through the whole4 ,for this enormous  
edifice boasts of only twelve servants1 
at eleven dollars a-month from the privy
 purse4 ,caserta1 which1 even in its    
present imperfect state1 has cost       
#g1jjj1jjj scudi1 is raised amidst a    
swarm of paupers1 who are permitted to  
besiege the stranger1 and impede his    
progress1 with an importunity such as   
could be shown by none but men on the   
eve of famishing4 ,we never saw such a  
population of beggars as those which    
infest the walls of this most sumptuous 
palace and its park--but the park is a  
park indeed6 ,it may have something of  
the formality of ,versailles or         
,chantilly2 but its leading features are
 essentially ,english2 its thickets and 
copses abound in hares and pheasants4   
,the ilex attains twice the height we   
remember to have seen it reach          
elsewhere4 ,its islands and fishponds1  
its kitchen and flower-gardens1 put one 

in mind of a first-rate ,english        
country-seat4 ,the ornamental water is  
fetched1 by an aqueduct worthy of old   
,rome1 from mountains seven miles off1  
first emptying its whole charge over a  
high ledge of rock1 making a waterfall  
7which you see from the drawing-room    
window7 over a series of steps and      
terraces1 which get wider as they get   
lower1 till they terminate in a superb  
basin within a quarter of a mile of the 
palace1 where the water makes its last  
bound1 and forms a broad lake fit for   
,diana and her nymphs1 amidst woods fit 
for ,actaeon and his dogs4 ,of course we
 asked to be conducted to these stone   
terraces1 over which the dash of the    
mountain stream into the lake is        
effected3 but as we passed the latter1  
we were surprised by our guide          
approaching the water1 and1 beginning to
 whistle1 he begs us to observe the     
water begins to be troubled at a        
distance1 and the more he whistles the  
more the commotion increases4 ,ten1     

twenty1 and in half a second hundreds of
 immense fish come trooping up1 and1    
undeterred by our presence1 approach as 
near as they dare to the surface of the 
water where he stands2 they swim        
backwards and forwards1 and lash the    
water with their tails4 ,what is the    
matter8 ,why6 they come to be fed6 and  
such is the ferocious impatience of this
 aquatic menagerie1 that we long to     
assist in quelling it2 and so we dip our
 hand into the man's basket of frogs1   
and drop a few right over the swarm--and
 now the water is bubbling and lathering
 with the workings and plungings of     
these mad fish2 and so large are they1  
so strong1 so numerous1 that1 all angler
 as we are1 we really felt unpleasantly1
 nor would we1 after what we saw1 have  
trusted hand or foot in the domain of   
such shark-like rapacity4 ,they consume 
five basketsful of frogs and minnows    
a-day4 ,except that of the ,caserta     
beggars1 we never saw any thing like the
 hunger of the ,caserta fish4   ,,the   

,,silk ,,manufactory4  ,the silk        
manufactory at ,caserta is worth a      
visit4 ,the labour is chiefly           
accomplished by the hand1 as is all     
labour in ,naples4 ,silk is wound off   
into skeins by a mill turned by the     
artificial falls of the aqueduct4 ,at   
one extremity you see the unpromising   
cocoons2 at the other the most rare and 
beautiful velvets and gros de ,naples4  
,the locality of this manufactory is    
delightful1 and the old queen preferred 
its comforts and cheerfulness to the    
solitary grandeur of the palace in the  
plain4 ,in place of occupying and paying
 the poor round his palace to make silk 
and satins for his court and the ,pope1 
the present king spends his money in    
gunpowder and soldiering4 ,they accuse  
him of having less compassion for the   
misfortunes of the poor than even his   
father ,francis1 or his grandfather     
,ferdinand of blessed memory4 ,the view 
from this spot of the huge palace       
itself1 with ,vesuvius smoking to our   

right1 and ,capri shining before it1 is 
one of those not to be forgotten4       
,,the ,,snake ,,tamer4  ,behold the old 
snake-finder with his sack6 ,ola6       
vecchio1 che cosa avete pigliato quest' 
oggi8 was a question put from our       
one-horse cart1 till then going at a    
great rate through the village of       
,somma1 to a little old man1 with a     
humpback1 a sack1 and a large shallow   
box4 ,he was dressed in a queer costume1
 had a wolf's brush in his hat1 and     
remarkably tight-fitting leather        
leggings4 ,tre6 fra altri una vipera    
meschia4 ,oh6 oh6 aspetta1 added we--we 
must see the viper4 ,upon which there   
was a broad grin all round the circle2  
but the driver stopped1 and down we got4
 ,the old man1 seeing our intention to  
be serious1 got a chair for us from a   
cottage1 and putting his box on his     
knee1 looked knowing1 and thus began4   
,gentlemen1 you have all seen a viper1  
basta feroce--a reptile that every one  
runs from except me1 and those who know1

 as ,i do1 how to humour him4 ,i have a 
viper in this box whom ,i have so       
perfectly tamed1 that he lives with two 
others1 and never quarrels with them4 ,i
 will open the box1 and1 as you will    
see1 they will all lie as if they were  
dead1 until ,i notice one1 when he will 
put up his head that ,i may take him    
out4  ,he opened the box1 where lay     
coiled1 and perfectly still1 a spotted  
viper1 an immense black snake1 and one  
very light and silvery like an eel4     
,here's my family1 said the old man2 and
 catching the viper round the middle1   
brought him out1 while the others       
wriggled a little1 as if in expectation 
of being caressed in their turn4 ,this  
animal1 signor1 is not so bad in his    
temper as you have been told4 ,it is    
only when he is making love that he is  
poisonous--to all but his females2 but  
in this1 gentlemen1 he is scarcely worse
 than many of yourselves1 whom it is not
 safe then to approach4  ,bravo1 bravo1 
vecchaccio6 ancora6 ,go it again6 sounds

 every where from the circle collected  
round the old snake-charmer4  ,if you   
tread upon his tail1 gentlemen1 what can
 you expect but a bite8 ,would not you  
bite if you had your tails trodden on8  
,the viper now raised his head1 and     
darted it out1 with about half of his   
body behind it1 at the crowd4 ,the two  
nearest peasants fell back4 ,the viper1 
missing his spring1 turns round to bite 
the hand that is holding him1 but no    
sooner touches it1 than off it glides   
from the horny finger1 wriggling both   
head and tail at a great rate4  ,he has 
been warmed by my hand1 sirs1 and wants 
to escape6 ,ingrato6 ,come1 ,i have     
something to tell you that these        
gentlemen must not hear6  ,and he opened
 his month1 and the viper thrust his    
head between his lips2 upon which the   
old man closes them and makes believe to
 mumble the horrid head1 the body       
appearing violently convulsed1 as if it 
really suffered violence4  ,he has lost 
his teeth1 said one1 and can't bite4    

,sicuro1 said another1 and began to     
yawn4  ,no1 said the old man1 his teeth 
are all in his head4 ,you doubt it1 do  
you8 ,see here1 then4  ,and catching him
 by the head1 and drawing down his lower
 jaw1 having forced the mouth to its    
full stretch1 he drew the red surface of
 his upper-jaw smartly over the back of 
his own hand two or three times1 so as  
to bring blood from six or seven        
orifices4 ,then1 drying the blood off   
his hand1 he returns his viper to the   
box1 and asks a baiocco for the         
exhibition4  ,what's the price of your  
viper8 ask we4  ,two carlines1          
excellenza4  ,here1 tie him up for me in
 my handkerchief4 ,which was accordingly
 done1 and we popped him into spirits of
 wine1 as a souvenir of ,monte ,somma1  
and of the old man whom we saw handling 
him4  ,does he gain a livelihood by his 
trade8 we enquired4  ,he teaches people 
how to catch serpents2 and by           
familiarizing them with the danger1 they
 work in greater comfort1 and are not   

afraid of going over any part of ,monte 
,somma1 which1 as it abounds in vipers  
and snakes1 still deters the unpractised
 a little4 ,besides1 they like to see   
the snake caught and exhibited1 and     
every body gives him something4     ,a  
,,meditation4       ,some hidden        
disappointment clings       ,to all of  
man--to all his schemes1     ,and life  
has little fair it brings1       ,save  
idle dreams4      ,the peace that may be
 ours to-day1       ,scarce heed we1    
looking for the morrow2     ,the        
slighted moments steal away1       ,and 
then comes sorrow4      ,the light of   
promise that may glow       ,where life 
shines fair in bud or bloom1     ,ere   
fruit hath ripen'd forth to show1       
,is quench'd in gloom4      ,the rapture
 softest blush imparts1       ,dies with
 the bloom that fades away1     ,and    
glory from the wave departs       ,at   
close of day4      ,where we have       
garner'd up our hearts1       ,and fixed
 our earnest love and trust1     ,the   

very life-blood thence departs1         
,and all is dust4      ,then1 ,nature1  
let us turn to thee2       ,for in thy  
countless changes thou     ,still       
bearest immortality       ,upon they    
brow4      ,thy seasons1 in their       
endless round       ,of sunshine1       
tempest1 calm or blight1     ,yet leave 
thee like an empress crown'd       ,with
 jewels bright4      ,thy very storms   
are life to thee1       ',tis but a     
sleep thy seeming death2     ,we see    
thee wake in flower and tree       ,at  
spring's soft breath4      ,we view the 
ruin of our youth1       ,decay's wan   
trace on all we cherish2     ,but thou1 
in thine unfailing truth1       ,canst  
never perish4                           
,j4,d4     ,,on ,,the ,,old ,,year4     
,with mournful tone ,i hear thee say1   
,alas1 another year hath sped6     ,as  
if within that circlet lay       ,life's
 garland dead4      ,vain thought6 ,thy 
measure is not ,time's2       ,not thus 
yields life each glowing hue2     ,fair 

fruit may fall--the tendril climbs1     
,and clasps anew4      ,time hath mute  
landmarks of his own2       ,they are   
not such as man may raise2     ,not his 
the rudely number'd stone       ,on     
life's broad ways4      ,the record     
measuring his speed       ,is but a     
shadow softer spread--     ,a browner   
leaf--a broken reed1       ,or mildew   
shed4      ,and if his footfall crush   
the flower1       ,how sweet the spicy  
perfume springs6     ,his mildew stain  
upon the tower       ,a glory brings4   
,then let the murmuring voice be still1 
,the heart hold fast its treasure       
bright2     ,the hearth glows warm when 
sunbeams chill2       ,life hath no     
night4                                  
,j4,d4     ,,corali4       ,soft-brow'd1
 majestic ,corali6       ,thou like a   
memory serene     ,seemest to me--or    
melody1       ,or moonlight scene4      
,with thee life in soft plumage glides1 
,as on the ruffled lake the swan1       
,whose downy breast the struggle hides  

,that speeds it on4      ,in thy fair   
presence wakes no care2       ,harsh    
discords into music melt2     ,thy      
harmony alone is there--       ,alone is
 felt4      ,the heart1 unsway'd by hope
 or dread1       ,safe haven'd in a     
clime of balm1     ,nor chain'd in ice1 
nor tempest-sped1       ,lies rock'd in 
calm4                                   
,j4,d4     ,,biographical ,,sketch ,,of 
,,frank ,,abney ,,hastings4      ,man   
wrongs and time avenges1 and my name    
,may form a monument not all obscure4   
,the success of the ,greek insurrection 
against the ,turks1 is the event in     
contemporary history concerning which it
 is most difficult to form a precise and
 correct idea4 ,causes and effects seem1
 to the ordinary observer1 to be utterly
 disproportionate4 ,its progress set the
 calculations of statesmen at defiance2 
and while congresses1 ambassadors1 and  
protocols1 were attempting to fetter it 
in one direction1 it generally advanced 
with increased speed in some other1     

totally unexpected4  ,it was very       
natural that the ,greeks should take up 
arms to emancipate themselves from      
,turkish oppression1 the moment a       
favourable opportunity presented itself2
 but certainly1 few foreigners conceived
 that the time they selected afforded   
them much chance of success4            
,kolocotroni1 however1 appears to have  
understood the internal condition of the
 ,ottoman empire rather better than     
,metternich4 ,the unwarlike habits of   
the majority of the ,greek population1  
contrasted with the military feelings of
 the ,turks1 and with the numbers and   
valour of the ,ottoman armies1 rendered 
their cause desperate for some years1   
even in the opinion of their most       
enthusiastic friends4 ,the whole        
progress of the ,revolution was filled  
with anomalous occurrences2 and the     
wisdom of the statesman1 and the skill  
of the warrior1 were constantly set at  
nought by events1 the causes of which   
have still been too generally overlooked

 by the professional politicians of all 
nations who mix in the affairs of       
,greece4  ,unquestionably1 therefore1   
there exists much in the condition of   
the ,greek nation1 and in the character 
of the people1 which has been completely
 misunderstood by foreigners4 ,nor do we
 entertain any hope of seeing the       
affairs of ,greece placed on a better   
footing1 until the ,greeks themselves   
collect and publish detailed information
 concerning the statistics and the      
administration of the kingdom4          
,hitherto1 not a single report of any   
value has been published on any branch  
of the public service2 so that the      
foreign ministers at ,athens are1 from  
absolute want of materials1 compelled to
 confine their active exertions for the 
good of ,greece to recommending ,king   
,otho to choose particular individuals1 
devoted to the ,english1 ,french1 or    
,russian party1 as the case may be1 to  
the office of cabinet ministers4 ,not   
even an army list has yet been published

 in ,greece1 though the ,hellenic       
kingdom is in the twelfth year of its   
existence4 ,but as the publication of an
 army list would put some restraint on  
political jobbing and ministerial       
patronage1 each minister leaves it to be
 done by his successor4  ,the fate of   
all the foreigners who have taken an    
active part in the ,greek ,revolution is
 worthy of notice4 ,many persons of     
high1 and of deservedly high1 reputation
 embarked in the cause1 yet not one of  
the number added to his previous fame by
 his exploits4 ,although the names of   
,byron1 ,cochrane1 and ,capo d',istrias 
appear in the annals of ,greece1 it is  
doubtful whether their actions in the   
country exercised any direct influence  
on the course of events4 ,we think we   
may safely assert that they did not1 and
 that these distinguished and able men  
were all carried along by the current of
 events4 ,to us1 it appears that the    
fate of ,greece would have undergone no 
change if these great men had changed   

places2--if ,capo d',istrias had enacted
 the part of lord high admiral1 ,lord   
,cochrane that of commander-in-chief at 
,missolonghi1 and ,lord ,byron1 in his  
day1 that of president of the ,greek    
republic1 things would have been little 
better and no worse4 ,the ambassadors   
with their treaties and protocols at    
,london1 and the admirals with their    
untoward event at ,navarin1 were almost 
as unfortunate as all other volunteers  
in the ,greek cause4 ,the ambassadors   
were occupied for years in trying to    
hinder the ,greek state from attaining  
the form it ultimately assumed2 and1 in 
spite of the battle of ,navarin1        
,ibrahim ,pasha carried away from the   
,peloponnesus an immense number of      
,greek prisoners1 in the very fleet the 
allied admirals supposed they had       
destroyed4  ,the insignificance of      
individual exertions in this truly      
national ,revolution1 has been equally  
remarkable among the ,greeks themselves4
 ,indeed it has been made a capital     

charge against them by strangers1 that  
no man of distinguished talent has      
arisen to direct the destinies of the   
country4 ,perhaps there is a worse      
feature than this prominent in the      
,greek community1 and this is a         
disposition to calumniate whatever      
little merit may exist4 ,here again1    
however1 we cannot refrain from         
remarking1 that a singular resemblance  
may be traced between the conduct of the
 strangers in ,greece1 and the ,greeks  
themselves4 ,a vice so predominant must 
doubtless be nourished by some inherent 
defect in the constitution of society in
 ,greece1 rather than in the characters 
of individuals4  ,if no ,greek has      
succeeded in gaining a glorious         
pre-eminence by the ,revolution1 we must
 recollect that the foreigners who have 
visited the country have contrived to   
bury there all the fame they brought    
with them4 ,singular too as it may      
appear1 a love of quarrelling and a     
passion for calumny have been found to  

be as decidedly characteristic of the   
foreigners in ,greece1 as of the        
natives4 ,the ,philhellenes were        
notoriously a most insubordinate body2  
the ,english in ,greece have never been 
able to live together in amity and      
concord2 the three ,european powers who 
signed a treaty to aid and protect      
,greece1 have rarely been able to agree 
on the means of carrying their good     
intentions into execution on a          
systematic plan4 ,the ,regency sent to  
civilize the country during ,king       
,otho's minority1 though consisting of  
only three members1 set the ,greeks an  
example of what the ,litany calls       
blindness of heart1 pride1 vain-glory1  
and hypocrisy1 envy1 hatred1 and malice1
 and all uncharitableness4 ,the corps   
diplomatique has often astounded the    
,greeks by its feuds and dissensions4   
,the ,bavarians made their sojourn in   
the country one prolonged querelle      
d',allemande4 ,even the ,american       
missionaries at ,athens have not escaped

 severe attacks of the universal        
epidemic1 and during the paroxysms of   
the malady have made all ,greece        
spectators of their quarrels4#aj  ,the  
single exception which so often occurs  
to confirm the general ruler1 exists in 
this case as in so many others4 ,one    
,european officer rendered very         
important services to ,greece1 and so   
conducted himself as to acquire the     
respect and esteem of every party in    
that singularly factious land4 ,this    
officer was ,frank ,abney ,hastings2 but
 he always made it his rule of life to  
act1 amidst the license and anarchy of  
society in ,greece1 precisely as he     
would have felt himself called upon to  
act in similar circumstances1 could they
 have occurred1 in ,england4 ,we shall  
now attempt to erect a humble monument  
to his memory4 ,the pages of ,maga have 
frequently rescued much that is good    
from the shadow of oblivion2 and1 in    
this instance1 we hope that a short     
account of the actions of the best of   

the ,philhellenes will not only do      
honour to his memory1 but will likewise 
throw some new light on the history of  
the ,greek ,revolution4  ,frank ,abney  
,hastings was the younger son of the    
late ,lieutenant-general ,sir ,charles  
,hastings1 ,bart41 and his elder brother
 ,sir ,charles ,abney ,hastings         
inherited the baronetcy4 ,the late ,sir 
,charles ,hastings was colonel of the   
#abth foot1 and knight grand cross of   
the ,guelphic order2 he possessed a     
large fortune1 and he was well known for
 his singularity at ,carlton ,house1 and
 in the fashionable circles of ,london1 
about the beginning of the present      
century4 ,the present baronet1 ,sir     
,charles ,abney ,hastings1 entered the  
army when young1 but retired after      
having served some time in the          
,mediterranean4 ,frank was born on the  
#adth of ,february #agid1 and was placed
 in the navy when about eleven years    
old4 ,hardly six months after he became 
a midshipman1 he was present at the     

battle of ,trafalgar on board the       
,neptune4 ,an explosion of powder       
between the decks of the ,neptune during
 the action1 by which several men were  
killed and wounded1 early directed his  
attention to the service of artillery on
 board ship2 and the science of gunnery 
became his favourite study4 ,hastings   
was subsequently serving in the         
,seahorse when that frigate engaged two 
,turkish men-of-war1 and captured one of
 them1 which proved to be a frigate much
 larger than herself4 ,during his career
 of service1 he visited every quarter of
 the globe4  ,after having served nearly
 fifteen years1 he was sent to the ,west
 ,indies in command of the ,kangaroo1 a 
vessel destined for the surveying       
service1 carrying out his commission as 
commander4 ,on arriving in the harbour  
of ,port-,royal1 in ,jamaica1 he was    
supposed to have brought the ,kangaroo  
to an anchor in an improper manner4 ,the
 flag-captain of the admiral's ship1    
then in the harbour considered this     

offence so extraordinary1 that he took a
 still more extraordinary manner of     
expressing his dissatisfaction4 ,we     
cannot give our readers a better idea of
 the circumstance than by transcribing  
the words of a letter which ,hastings1  
on his return to ,england1 addressed to 
,lord ,melville1 then first lord of the 
,admiralty4 ,he thought proper to hail  
me in a voice that rang through the     
whole of ,port-,royal1 saying--',you    
have overlayed our anchor--you ought to 
be ashamed of yourself--you damned      
lubber1 you--who are you8' ,of course   
such an insult1 both personal and       
professional1 could never be overlooked4
 ,hastings1 however1 feeling the        
importance of any step he might take to 
his future reputation1 both as a sailor 
and a gentleman1 waited until he had    
delivered up the command of the         
,kangaroo to the officer appointed to   
conduct the survey2 and having received 
his commission as commander1 and being  
ready to return to ,england on half-pay1

 he sent a challenge to the flag-captain
 who had thus insulted him4  ,the       
admiral on the station was1 by some     
circumstance1 informed of this          
challenge1 and on his representation of 
the affair to the ,admiralty1 ,hastings 
was dismissed the service4 ,we shall    
conclude our mention of this most       
unfortunate business by quoting a few   
more words from the letter of ,hastings 
to ,lord ,melville1 which we have       
already alluded to3--,i have served     
fourteen years under various captains1  
and on almost all stations4 ,i have     
certainly seen greater errors committed 
before2 yet ,i never was witness to such
 language used to the commander of a    
,british vessel bearing a pendant4 ,your
 lordship may1 perhaps1 find officers   
that will submit to such language1 but  
,i do not envy them their dearly        
purchased rank2 and ,god forbid that the
 ,british navy should have no better    
supporters of its character than such   
spiritless creatures4 ,these words      

express the deep attachment he always   
felt to the service4      ,alas6 how    
bitter is his country's curse     ,to   
him who for that country would expire4  
,hastings now found that all his hopes  
of advancement at home were blasted1    
and1 without any loss of time1 he       
determined to qualify himself for       
foreign service4 ,he flattered himself  
that he might acquire a reputation      
abroad1 which would one day obtain for  
him the restoration of his rank in the  
navy in a distinguished manner4 ,he     
resided in ,france for some time1 in    
order to acquire a thorough knowledge of
 the ,french language1 which1 by dint of
 close application1 he soon spoke and   
wrote with ease and correctness4  ,about
 three years after his dismissal from   
the navy1 the position of the ,greeks   
induced him to believe that in ,greece  
he should find an opportunity of putting
 in practice several plans for the      
improvement of maritime warfare which he
 had long meditated4 ,he embarked at    

,marseilles on the #abth of ,march      
#ahbb1 and arrived at ,hydra on the #c;d
 of ,april4 ,here he was kindly received
 by the two brothers ,jakomaki and      
,manoli ,tombazis1 and their            
acquaintance soon ripened into          
friendship4  ,the ,greek fleet was      
preparing to sail from ,hydra to        
encounter the ,turks1 and ,hastings was 
anxious to accompany it1 in order to    
witness the manner in which the ,greeks 
and ,turks conducted their naval        
warfare4 ,as it was necessary for a     
stranger to receive an authorization    
from the general government before      
embarking in the fleet1 ,hastings       
repaired to ,corinth1 which was then the
 seat of the executive power4 ,the      
hostility displayed to the ,greek cause 
by ,sir ,thomas ,maitland1 the lord high
 commissioner in the ,ionian islands1   
had rendered the ,british name          
exceedingly unpopular at this time1 in  
,greece1 and ,alexander ,maurocordatos1 
7called at that period ,prince          

,maurocordatos17 who was president of   
the ,greek ,republic1 partook of the    
popular prejudice against ,englishmen4  
,on arriving at ,corinth ,hastings met  
with a very cool reception1 and spies   
were placed to watch his conduct2 for   
though the president had made no        
progress in organizing the naval1       
military1 or financial administration1  
he had already established a numerous   
and active secret police4 ,for several  
days ,hastings was unable to obtain an  
audience of ,maurocordatos2 but an      
,american1 ,mr ,jarvis1 7afterwards a   
lieutenant-general in the ,greek        
service17 to whom ,hastings had given a 
passage from ,marseilles1 was received  
with great attention4 ,jarvis1 as well  
as ,hastings1 observed that the police  
was very severe and vigilant in         
,corinth2 and on the #aeth of ,april he 
wrote thus3--,i paid my respects to the 
prince1 and was invited to come in the  
evening4 ,i had a long conversation with
 him1 and he was particularly kind to   

me1 and liked me the more1 as he said1  
for being an ,american4 ,he told me many
 of the bad actions of the ,english1 and
 plainly told me he and the rest took my
 friend and companion for a spy4 ,i then
 answered what was necessary--approved  
his dislike of the ,english and his     
foresight1 but showed him that he was in
 the wrong in this case4  ,these        
suspicions being mentioned to ,hastings1
 he immediately addressed a letter to   
the president1 demanding that his offer 
of serving on board the fleet should be 
either definitely refused or accepted by
 the ,greek government4 ,he1 at the same
 time1 pointed out to ,maurocordatos the
 absurdity of suspecting him as a spy4  
,we translate his own letter1 which is  
in ,french4 ,i am suspected by your     
excellency of being an ,english spy4    
,considering the conduct of the ,british
 government to ,greece1 ,i expected to  
meet with some prejudice against the    
,english among the ignorant2 but ,i own 
,i was not prepared to find this        

illiberality among men of rank and      
education4 ,if the ,english government  
required a spy in ,greece1 it would not 
address itself to a person of my        
condition4 ,i am the younger son of ,sir
 ,charles ,hastings1 ,baronet1 a general
 in the army1 and who was educated in   
his youth with the ,marquis of          
,hastings1 governor-general of ,india2  
so that ,i could surely find a more     
lucrative1 less dangerous1 and more     
respectable employment in ,india than   
that of a spy in ,greece4 ,i quitted    
,england because ,i considered the      
government treated me with injustice1 in
 arbitrarily dismissing me from the     
navy1 after more than fourteen years of 
active service1 for an affair of honour1
 while ,i was on half-pay4 ,this letter 
obtained for ,hastings an audience of   
the president1 and his services were at 
length accepted4  ,on the #c;d of ,may  
#ahbb1 the ,greek fleet began to get    
under weigh at ,hydra1 and ,hastings    
embarked as a volunteer on board the    

,themistocles1 a corvette belonging to  
the brothers ,tombazis4 ,the scene      
presented by the ,hydriote ships hauling
 out of harbour was calculated to       
depress the hopes of the most sanguine  
friend of ,greece4 ,those of the crew   
who chose to come on board did so2 the  
rest remained on shore1 and came off as 
it suited their convenience4 ,when it   
became necessary to make sail1 the men  
loosed the sails1 but shortly found that
 no sheets were rove1 and the bow-lines 
bent to the bunt line cringles4 ,at last
 sheets were rove4 ,but as the ships    
were getting clear of the harbour1 a    
squall came on2 then every man on board 
shouted to take in sail2 but there were 
no clue-lines bent1 and the men were    
obliged to go out on the jib-boom to    
haul down the sail by hand4 ,the same   
thing occurred with the topgallant      
sails4 ,the crews1 however1 were        
gradually collected2 things assumed some
 slight appearance of order2 and after  
this singular exhibition of anarchy and 

confusion1 the fleet bore up for ,psara4
  ,it is needless to describe the scenes
 of misery ,hastings witnessed when the 
fleet arrived at ,scio1 as the          
particulars of the frightful manner in  
which that island had been devastated by
 the ,turks are generally known4 ,the   
war was at this period carried on with  
unexampled barbarity1 both by the       
,greeks and ,turks4 ,as an illustration 
of the manner in which naval warfare had
 been previously conducted in the       
,levant1 we shall quote the account     
given by an ,english sailor of the      
conduct of the ,russo-,greek privateers 
in #aghh4 ,the modern atrocities were   
not perpetrated on so large a scale1 and
 the officers rarely countenanced them1 
but still it would be too invidious to  
cite single examples4 ,we shall         
therefore copy a short extract from     
,davidson's narrative of a cruise on    
board one of the vessels connected with 
the expedition of the famous ,greek     
privateer and pirate1 ,lambro4 ,the     

prize had on board eighty-five hands1   
which we took on board us1 and confined 
in the hold until next day2 when they   
were called up one by one1 and had their
 heads cut off in the same manner as we 
cut off ducks' heads at home1 and we    
then threw them overboard4 ,this was the
 first time we were obliged to take it  
by turns to put them to death4 ,the     
,english1 when called upon1 at first    
refused it2 but when the captain told   
them they were cowards1 and that he     
could not believe they were ,englishmen1
 they went and did the same as the rest2
 and afterwards were even worse than the
 others1 for they always were first when
 such work was going on4 ,sometimes we  
had three or four in a day to put to    
death for each man's share4 ,things are 
certainly better than this in our times2
 but the statesmen who have constituted 
the kingdom of ,greece should recollect1
 that these occurrences took place in   
the dominions of ,king ,otho on the     
#bast of ,may #aghi1 and that similar   

scenes1 though not on so extensive a    
scale1 were witnessed by ,hastings in   
the month of ,may #ahbb4  ,the ,greek   
naval force at this period consisted    
entirely of merchant ships1 fitted out  
at the private expense of their owners4 
,these vessels were generally commanded 
either by the owners or their near      
relations1 whose whole fortune          
frequently consisted in the vessel they 
were to lead into action4 ,it is not    
surprising that under such circumstances
 many brave men1 who would willingly    
have exposed their lives1 felt some     
hesitation in risking their property4   
,the ,greek ships1 previously to the    
breaking out of the ,revolution1 had    
been navigated by crews interested in   
certain fixed proportions in the profits
 of the cargo4 ,as the proprietor of the
 ship1 the captain1 and the sailors     
formed a kind of joint-stock company1   
they were in the habit of deliberating  
together on the measures to be adopted1 
and in discussing the destination of the

 vessel4 ,the disorder and want of      
discipline naturally arising from such  
habits1 were greatly increased by the   
practice which was introduced at the    
breaking out of the ,revolution1 of     
always paying the sailors their wages in
 advance4 ,in a fleet so composed and   
manned1 ,hastings soon perceived that   
there was no hope of executing any of   
his projects for the improvement of     
naval artillery4 ,after fitting locks   
and sights to the guns in the           
,themistocles1 and building up a furnace
 for heating shot in her hold1 he found 
that all his arrangements were of no    
avail4 ,some order was absolutely       
necessary1 but he discovered by         
experience that there was nothing the   
,albanians of ,hydra held in so much    
honour as disorder4  ,the naval campaign
 of #ahbb was signalized by the         
successful attack of the ,greek         
fire-ships on the fleet of the ,capitan 
,pasha off ,scio4 ,kanaris1 who         
conducted his vessel with admirable     

courage and presence of mind1 set fire  
to the ship bearing the pasha's flag1   
which was completely destroyed4         
,pepinos1 who commanded the ,hydriot    
fire-ship1 was not so fortunate in his  
attack on the ship of the ,reala ,bey4  
,his vessel was disengaged1 and though  
it drifted on board another             
line-of-battle ship1 the ,turks         
succeeded in extinguishing the flames in
 both4  ,hastings1 having failed to     
persuade the ,greeks to fit out one or  
two gun-boats with long guns of large   
calibre and furnaces for heating shot1  
became disgusted with the service on    
board the fleet1 which was confined to  
sending marauding parties to the coast  
of ,asia ,minor1 where the plunder was  
oftener taken from the poor ,greek      
villagers than from their ,ottoman      
masters4 ,these expeditions were        
conducted with unparalleled disorder1   
and without any plan4 ,before quitting  
the fleet1 ,hastings made a last attempt
 to inspire the councils of the admiral 

with some of his own energy4 ,he waited 
on the celebrated ,admiral ,miaoulis    
with a plan for capturing a ,turkish    
frigate then anchored at ,tenedos4 ,this
 interview between these two remarkable 
men is of great importance for the      
appreciation of their respective        
characters and views at this period4 ,in
 order to convey to our readers as      
vividly as possible the impression which
 it produced on the mind of ,hastings1  
we shall transcribe the account of it in
 his own words4 ,i proposed to direct a 
fire-ship and three other vessels upon  
the frigate1 and1 when near the enemy1  
to set fire to certain combustibles     
which should throw out a great flame2   
the enemy would naturally conclude they 
were all fire-ships4 ,the vessels were  
then to attach themselves to the        
frigate1 fire broadsides double-shotted1
 throwing on board the enemy at the same
 time combustible balls which give a    
great smoke without flame4 ,this would  
doubtless induce him to believe he was  

on fire1 and give a most favourable     
opportunity for boarding him4 ,however1 
the admiral returned my plan1 saying    
only ,greek3 chalho1 without asking a   
single question1 or wishing me to       
explain its details2 and ,i observed a  
kind of insolent contempt in his manner1
 which no doubt arose from the late     
success of ,kanaris4 ,this interview    
with the admiral disgusted me4 ,they    
place you in a position in which it is  
impossible to render any service1 and   
then they boast of their own            
superiority1 and of the uselessness of  
the ,franks 7as they call us7 in        
,turkish warfare4 ,it must be           
recollected1 in justification of        
,miaoulis1 that he had not then had time
 to avail himself of the enlarged       
experience he subsequently acquired in  
his capacity of admiral of the ,greek   
fleet4 ,he was then little more than a  
judicious and courageous captain of a   
merchant brig1 just elected by the      
suffrage of his equals to lead them4 ,as

 one of the owners of the ships hired by
 government1 his attention was naturally
 rather directed to the destruction than
 to the capture of the large ,turkish   
men-of-war2 and it is probable that he  
considered the total want of discipline 
among the ,hydriotes as presenting      
insuperable difficulties to the         
execution of the plan1 and as likely to 
render the ,turkish frigate1 even if    
captured1 utterly useless to the        
,greeks1 who would doubtless have       
allowed her to rot in port4  ,shortly   
after this disagreeable affair1         
,hastings had an opportunity of         
acquiring considerable personal         
reputation among the ,hydriote sailors1 
by saving the corvette of ,tombazis in  
circumstances of great danger4 ,in      
pursuing some ,turkish sakolevas off the
 north of ,mytilene1 they ran in near   
,cape ,baba1 and made for the shore     
under a cliff1 where a considerable     
number of armed men soon collected from 
the neighbouring town4 ,the captain and 

crew of the ,themistocles1 eager for    
prizes1 pursued them2 when the ship was 
suddenly becalmed within gun-shot of a  
battery at the town1 which opened a     
well-directed fire on the corvette4 ,in 
getting from under the fire of the      
battery1 a baffling wind and strong     
current drove the ship within sixty     
yards of the high rocky cliff where the 
,turkish soldiers were posted4 ,these   
troops opened a sharp but ill-directed  
fire of musketry on the deck of the     
,themistocles2 and on this occasion the 
total want of order1 and the disrespect 
habitually shown to the officers1 had   
very nearly caused the loss of the      
vessel4 ,the whole crew sought shelter  
from the ,turkish fire under the        
bulwarks1 and no one could be induced to
 obey the orders which every one issued4
 ,a single man would spring forward for 
a few seconds1 at intervals1 to execute 
the most necessary manoeuvre4 ,hastings 
was the only person on deck who remained
 silently watching the ship slowly      

drifting towards the rocks4 ,he was     
fortunately the first to perceive the   
change in the direction of a light      
breeze which sprang up1 and by          
immediately springing forward on the    
bowsprit1 he succeeded in getting the   
ship's head round4 ,her sails soon      
filled1 and she moved out of her awkward
 position4 ,as upwards of two hundred   
and fifty ,turks were assembled on the  
rocks above1 and fresh men were arriving
 every moment1 there can be no doubt    
that in a short time the enemy would    
have brought a piece of artillery to    
bear on the ,themistocles from a        
position inaccessible to her fire2 so   
that1 even if she had escaped going on  
shore on the rocks1 her destruction     
seemed inevitable1 had she remained an  
hour within gun-shot of the cliff4      
,thus1 the finest vessel in the ,greek  
fleet was in imminent danger of being   
lost1 through the carelessness and      
obstinacy of the captain1 who1 though   
repeatedly entreated by ,hastings to    

have a small anchor constantly in       
readiness1 could never be induced to    
take this necessary precaution4  ,on    
this occasion1 however1 both the captain
 and the crew of the ,themistocles did  
,hastings ample justice4 ,though they   
had refused to avail themselves of his  
skill1 and neglected his advice1 they   
now showed no jealousy in acknowledging 
his gallant conduct1 and he became a    
permanent favourite with the crew ever  
after this exploit4 ,though he treated  
all with great reserve and coldness1 as 
a means of insuring respect1 there was  
not a man on board that was not always  
ready to do him any service4 ,indeed the
 candid and hearty way in which they    
acknowledged the courage of ,hastings1  
and blamed their own conduct in allowing
 a stranger to expose his life in so    
dangerous a manner to save them1        
afforded unquestionable proof that so   
much real generosity was inseparable    
from courage1 and that1 with proper     
discipline and good officers1 the       

sailors of the ,greek fleet would have  
had few superiors4  ,when the naval     
campaign was concluded1 ,hastings joined
 the troops engaged in the siege of     
,nauplia4 ,that force was exposed to the
 greatest danger by the irruption of a  
large ,turkish army into the ,morea1    
commanded by ,dramali ,pasha4 ,while    
engaged in defending the little fort of 
,bourdzi in the port of ,nauplia1 and   
under the guns of that fortress1 he     
became intimately acquainted with ,mr   
,hane1 a young artillery officer1 who   
subsequently served under his orders    
with great distinction4 ,at this time   
,hastings raised a company of fifty men1
 whom he armed and equipped at his own  
expense4 ,but as his actions on shore   
are not immediately connected with the  
great results of his services to        
,greece1 we shall confine this sketch   
exclusively to the share he took in the 
naval warfare4 ,he served the campaign  
of #ahbc in ,crete1 as commander of the 
artillery2 but a violent fever          

compelling him to quit that island in   
autumn1 he found1 on his return to      
,hydra1 that ,lord ,byron had arrived at
 ,cephalonia4  ,it was of great         
importance to the ,greek cause that the 
services of ,lord ,byron should be      
usefully directed1 and it was equally   
necessary that the funds collected by   
the ,greek committee in ,london should  
be expended in the way most likely to be
 of permanent advantage to ,greece4 ,the
 moment appeared suitable for one who1  
like ,hastings1 had acquired some       
experience by active service1 both with 
the fleet and army1 to offer his advice4
 ,he accordingly drew up a project for  
the construction and armament of a      
steam-vessel1 which he recommended as   
the most effectual mode of advancing the
 ,greek cause1 by giving the fleet a    
decided superiority over the ,turks at  
sea4 ,it appeared to ,hastings that it  
was only by the introduction of a       
well-disciplined naval force1 directly  
dependent on the central government1    

that order could be introduced into the 
administration1 as well as a superiority
 secured over the enemy4 ,it is not     
necessary to enter into all the         
professional details of this memoir1 as 
we shall have occasion to state the     
manner in which ,hastings carried his   
views into execution a few years later4 
,its conclusion was to recommend ,lord  
,byron to direct his attention to the   
purchase or construction of a           
steam-vessel1 armed with heavy guns1 and
 fitted up for the use of hot shot and  
shells as its ordinary projectiles4     
,neither ,lord ,byron nor ,colonel      
,stanhope1 the agent of the ,greek      
committee1 seem to have appreciated the 
military science of ,hastings1 and the  
plan met with little support from       
either4  ,the ,greek government shortly 
after this obtained its first loan in   
,england2 and1 during the summer of     
#ahbd1 ,hastings endeavoured to impress 
its members with the necessity of       
rendering the national cause not        

entirely dependent on the disorderly and
 tumultuous merchant marine1 which it   
was compelled to hire at an exorbitant  
price4 ,it is needless to record all the
 difficulties and opposition he met with
 from a government consisting in part of
 shipowners1 eager to obtain a share of 
the loan as hire for their ships4 ,these
 ships were in some danger of rotting in
 harbour1 in case a national navy should
 be formed4 ,the loan1 however1 appeared
 inexhaustible2 and in the autumn of    
#ahbd1 ,hastings returned to ,england1  
with a promise that the ,greek          
government would lose no time in        
instructing their deputies in ,london to
 procure a steam-vessel to be armed     
under his inspection1 and of which he   
was promised the command4 ,this promise 
was soon forgotten2 a number of         
favourable accidents deluded the members
 of the ,greek government into the      
belief that their deliverance from the  
,turkish yoke was already achieved1 and 
they began to neglect the dictates of   

common prudence4 ,the ,greek committee  
in ,london emulated the example of the  
,greek government at ,nauplia2 and in   
place of acting according to the        
suggestions of common sense and common  
honesty1 that body engaged in a number  
of tortuous transactions1 ending in the 
concoction of a dish called the ,greek  
pie4 ,ibrahim ,pasha awakened the heroes
 at ,nauplia from their dreams1 and     
,cobbett disturbed the reveries of the  
sages in ,london4  ,the success which   
attended ,ibrahim ,pasha on his landing 
in the ,peloponnesus in #ahbe1 and the  
improvement displayed by the ,turks in  
their naval operations1 seriously       
alarmed the ,greeks4 ,the advice of     
,hastings occurred to their remembrance2
 but1 even then1 it required the active 
exertions of two judicious friends of   
,greece in ,london to induce the ,greek 
deputies to take the necessary measures 
for fitting out a steamer4 ,hastings1 in
 a letter addressed to the ,greeks1     
which he wrote on his return to ,greece1

 declared distinctly that the gratitude 
of the ,greek nation was due to the     
,right ,honourable ,edward ,ellice and  
to ,sir ,john ,hobhouse1 and not to the 
,greek deputies in ,london1 if the      
steam-vessel he commanded proved of any 
service to the cause4  ,greece was then 
in a desperate condition4 ,navarin was  
taken by ,ibrahim ,pasha1 the ,romeliat 
army was completely defeated1 and the   
,egyptians encamped in the centre of the
 ,peloponnesus1 after routing every body
 of troops which attempted to arrest    
their progress4 ,the ,turkish and       
,egyptian fleets kept the sea in spite  
of the gallant attacks of ,miaoulis2 and
 the partial successes of the ,greeks   
were more honourable to their courage   
than injurious to the real strength of  
their enemies4 ,in the mean time1 the   
,greek government had lost all power of 
commanding either respect or obedience  
at home1 in consequence of the civil    
wars which prevailed previously to the  
arrival of the ,egyptians1 and the      

intrigues of ,maurocordatos and         
,kolettis to obtain the sole direction  
of affairs4  ,at this conjuncture1 ,lord
 ,cochrane's name excited universal     
attention in ,england1 and he was       
engaged by the ,greek deputies1 and some
 friends of the cause1 to enter the     
,greek service4 ,he received for his    
services #cg1jjj sterling1 in cash2 and 
an additional sum of #bj1jjj was paid   
into the hands of ,sir ,francis         
,burdett1 to be given to ,lord ,cochrane
 whenever the independence of ,greece   
should be secured4  ,this transaction   
happened in the month of ,august #ahbe2 
but in the month of ,march1 a           
steam-vessel1 called the ,perseverance1 
of about four hundred tons1 had already 
been ordered2 and ,hastings had been    
named to command her1 and received      
authority to arm her with sixty-eight   
pounders1 according to the plan he had  
submitted to the ,greek government4     
,when ,lord ,cochrane was appointed     
commander-in-chief of the ,greek fleet1 

five more steam-vessels were ordered to 
be built2 but it may be observed1 that  
only two of these ever reached ,greece4 
,the equipment of the ,perseverance was 
then kept back1 in order that the whole 
squadron might sail together under the  
auspices of ,lord ,cochrane4 ,the news  
of the taking of ,missolonghi by the    
,turks at last threw the friends of     
,greece into such a state of alarm1 and 
the outcry against the dilatory manner  
in which the steam-boat expedition in   
the ,thames was fitting out1 became so  
violent over all ,europe1 that the      
,perseverance was hastily completed1 and
 allowed to sail alone4  ,after a series
 of difficulties and disappointments1   
which it required all the extraordinary 
perseverance and energy of ,hastings to 
overcome1 he was hurried away from      
,deptford on the twenty-sixth of ,may   
#ahbf1 though the engine of the         
,perseverance was evidently in a very   
defective state4 ,the boiler burst in   
the ,mediterranean2 and the ship was    

detained at ,cagliari1 reconstructing a 
boiler1 until the twenty-eighth of      
,august4 ,she arrived in ,greece too    
late to be of any use in the naval      
campaign of that year4 ,the winter was  
spent in aiding the operations of the   
army1 which was endeavouring to raise   
the siege of ,athens4  ,the ,karteria1  
which was the name of the ,perseverance 
in the ,greek navy1 was armed on the    
principle which ,hastings had laid down 
as necessary to place the ,greeks with  
small vessels on some degree of equality
 with the line-of-battle ships and large
 frigates of the ,turks3 namely1 that of
 using projectiles more destructive than
 the shot of the enemy4 ,these          
projectiles were hot shot and shells1   
instead of the cold round-shot of the   
,turks4 ,we have already mentioned that 
the ,karteria was armed with sixty-eight
 pounders4 ,of these she mounted eight2 
four were carronades of the government  
pattern1 and four were guns of a new    
form1 cast after a model prepared by    

,hastings himself4 ,these guns were     
seven feet four inches long in the bore1
 and weighed fifty-eight hundred-weight4
 ,they had the form of carronades in    
every thing but the addition of         
trunnions to mount them like long guns2 
these trunnions1 however1 were1 contrary
 to the usual practice1 placed so that  
their centre intersected a line through 
the centre of the bore of the gun4 ,they
 were mounted on ten-inch howitzer      
carriages1 which answered the purpose   
admirably4 ,the shells used were        
generally strapped to wooden bottoms2   
but they were more than once employed   
without any precaution1 except that of  
putting them in the gun with the fusees 
towards the muzzle4 ,the hot shot were  
heated in the engine fires1 and were    
brought on deck by two men in a machine 
resembling a double coal-box1 which was 
easily tilted up at the muzzle of the   
gun to be loaded4  ,hastings fired about
 eighteen thousand shells from the      
,karteria in the years #ahbf and #ahbg1 

with a miscellaneous crew composed of   
,englishmen1 ,swedes1 and ,greeks1 and  
never had a single accident from        
explosion4 ,as a very small number of   
hot shot can be heated at once1 and as  
an iron ball of eight inches diameter   
loses its spherical form if kept for any
 length of time red hot1 this projectile
 could only be used in particular       
circumstances4 ,it happened more than   
once on board the ,karteria1 that shot  
which had remained for some time in the 
engine fires1 had so lost their form as 
not to enter the muzzle of the guns4    
,with regard to the great danger which  
is supposed to attend the use of hot    
shot on board ships1 ,hastings thus     
states his opinion in a ,memoir on the  
use of ,shells1 ,hot ,shot1 and ,carcass
 ,shells1 from ship artillery3#aa ,i    
have continually used hot shot with     
perfect safety2 my people having become 
so familiar with them1 that they employ 
them with as little apprehension as if  
using cold shot4  ,we shall now give a  

regular account of the career of active 
service in which ,hastings was engaged1 
as captain of the ,greek steam-frigate  
,karteria1 extracted in part from his   
own official reports and private        
letters1 and drawn in part from the     
testimony of eyewitnesses of all his    
actions4  ,in ,february #ahbg1 ,captain 
,hastings was ordered by the ,greek     
government to co-operate with the troops
 under ,general ,gordon1 destined to    
relieve ,athens4 ,captain ,hastings1    
sailing from ,egina1 passed round the   
island of ,salamis1 and entering the    
western strait between it and ,megara1  
arrived1 unobserved by the ,turks1 in   
the bay where the battle of ,salamis was
 fought--now called the port of         
,ambelaki4 ,this was the first time the 
passage had ever been attempted by a    
modern man-of-war4 ,during the          
presidency of ,count ,capo-d',istrias1  
,sir ,edmund ,lyons carried ,h4,m4,s4   
,blonde through the same passage4  ,the 
troops under ,general ,gordon were      

landed in the night1 and they occupied  
and fortified the hill of ,munychia     
without any loss of time4 ,it was then  
resolved to drive the ,turks from a     
monastery at the ,pirus1 in which they  
kept a garrison to command the port4    
,the troops were ordered to attack the  
building on the land side1 and ,hastings
 entered the ,pirus to bombard it from  
the sea4 ,a practicable breach was soon 
made2 but the ,greek troops1 though     
supported by the fire of a couple of    
field-pieces1 were completely defeated  
in their feeble attempts to storm this  
monastery4 ,the ,turks1 on the other    
hand1 displayed the greatest activity2  
and the ,seraskier ,kutayhi ,pasha1 who 
commanded the army besieging ,athens1   
soon arrived with a powerful escort of  
cavalry1 and bringing with him two long 
five-inch howitzers with shells1        
boasting that with these he would sink  
the ,karteria4 ,as the object of the    
,greek attack had completely failed1 and
 the troops had retired1 the ,karteria  

quitted the port just as the ,turks     
opened their fire on her4  ,a few days  
after this1 the ,turks1 having defeated 
a division of the ,greek army destined  
to make a diversion from the plain of   
,eleusis1 attempted to carry the camp of
 ,general ,gordon by storm4 ,captain    
,hastings now entered the ,pirus again1 
even at the risk of exposing the        
,karteria to the ,turkish shells2 as he 
saw that by his powerful fire of grape  
he could prevent the ,turks from forming
 in any force to attack the most        
vulnerable part of the camp4 ,the fire  
of the ,karteria soon produced its      
effect2 but it drew all the attention of
 the ,pasha to the vessel1 as he        
perceived it was vain to persist in     
attacking the troops until he compelled 
the steamer to quit the ,pirus4 ,five   
guns directed their fire against her1   
and though three were either dismounted 
by her fire1 or rendered useless by     
their carriages breaking1 still two     
elongated five-inch howitzers being     

placed between the monastery and an     
adjoining tower1 which covered them from
 the fire of the ,karteria1 contrived to
 keep up a well-supported fire4 ,the    
effect produced by the shells from the  
,turkish guns was soon considerable1    
though several of those which struck the
 ,karteria did not explode4 ,one1       
however1 fixed in the carriage of a long
 sixty-eight pounder1 and exploded      
there1 though fortunately without       
injuring either ,captain ,hane1 the     
artillery-officer engaged in pointing   
the gun1 or any of the men who were     
working it4 ,another exploded in the    
,karteria's counter1 and tore out the   
planking of two streaks for a length of 
six feet1 and started out the planking  
from the two adjacent streaks4 ,as this 
shell struck the vessel on the water's  
edge1 a ship built in the ordinary      
manner would have been sunk by this     
explosion of about nine ounces of       
powder2 but the ,karteria was in no     
danger1 as she was built with her       

timbers close and caulked together4 ,she
 was also constructed with two solid    
bulkheads enclosing the engine-room1    
caulked and lined1 so as to be          
water-tight2 consequently1 any one of   
her compartments might have filled with 
water from a shot-hole without her      
sinking4 ,the attack of the ,turks on   
the ,greek camp having been repulsed1   
nothing remained for ,hastings but to   
retreat from his dangerous position in  
the ,pirus as speedily as possible4     
,this1 however1 he did not effect       
without loss2 all his boats were shot   
through1 and he had to encounter a      
severe fire of musketry from the ,turks 
stationed on each side1 as he moved     
through the pillars at the entrance of  
the port4  ,in the month of ,march an   
expedition was planned by ,general      
,heideck1 who was afterwards one of the 
members of the unhappy regency which    
misgoverned ,greece during the minority 
of ,king ,otho4 ,the object of this     
expedition was to destroy the magazines 

of provisions and stores which the      
,turks possessed at ,oropos1 and1 by    
occupying their lines of communication  
with ,negropont1 to compel them to raise
 the siege of ,athens4 ,this was the    
only feasible method by which the       
,greeks could ever have hoped to defeat 
the ,turks2 but when the execution of it
 was proposed1 it always met with some  
opposition4 ,when it was at last        
undertaken by a foreigner1 the operation
 was conducted in so weak and desultory 
a manner1 as to end in complete         
disgrace4  ,the naval force which       
accompanied ,general ,heideck was       
unusually powerful1 as he was then the  
acknowledged agent of the ,king of      
,bavaria4 ,it consisted of the frigate  
,hellas of sixty-four guns1 with the    
flag of ,admiral ,miaoulis1 the         
,karteria1 and some smaller vessels as  
transports4 ,the ,greek vessels arrived 
before ,oropos in the afternoon1 and as 
the ,hellas was compelled to anchor     
about a mile from the ,turkish camp1    

,captain ,hastings immediately steamed  
into the port4 ,he captured two         
transports laden with grain and flour1  
which had just arrived from ,negropont2 
and having anchored within two hundred  
yards of the ,turkish batteries1 he     
opened on them a fire1 which in a short 
time dismounted every gun which they    
could bring to bear on his ship4 ,a     
carcass-shell lodging in the fascines of
 which the principal battery was        
constructed1 soon enveloped the whole in
 flames--the powder-magazine exploded1  
and the carriages of the guns were      
rendered useless4  ,at this moment the  
,greek troops1 of whom one hundred and  
fifty were on board the ,karteria1      
loudly demanded to be led to attack the 
camp2 and an officer from ,general      
,heideck1 who had remained on board the 
,hellas1 was expected every moment to   
place himself at their head4 ,no orders1
 however1 arrived4 ,hastings remained   
all night in the port1 and it was not   
until dawn next morning that the troops 

were landed4 ,the ,turks1 in the mean   
time1 had been more active2 they had    
also received considerable              
reinforcements2 the day was consumed    
without ,general ,heideck going on      
shore1 and a large body of ,turkish     
cavalry making its appearance in the    
afternoon1 he issued orders to re-embark
 the troops1 and sailed back to ,egina4 
,the public attention was suddenly      
diverted from this disgraceful          
exhibition of ,european military science
 by the arrival of ,lord ,cochrane in   
,greece4 ,he came1 however1 in an       
,english yacht1 which had been purchased
 to expedite his departure1 but         
unaccompanied by a single one of the    
five steamers which were still          
unfinished in the ,thames4 ,his lordship
 was soon after appointed lord high     
admiral of ,greece2 ,general ,church was
 at the same time named generalissimo of
 the land forces2 and both officers     
directed all their attention to raising 
the siege of ,athens1 which ,kutayhi    

continued to attack with the greatest   
constancy4  ,captain ,hastings was now  
detached for the first time with an     
independent naval command4 ,the ,turks  
drew their supplies for carrying on the 
siege of ,athens from a great distance  
in their rear1 as all the provinces of  
,greece were in a state of desolation4  
,this circumstance exposed their lines  
of communication1 both by land and sea1 
to be attacked by the ,greeks in many   
different points4 ,volo was one of the  
principal depots at which the supplies  
transmitted from ,thessalonica and      
,constantinople were secured2 and from  
this station they were forwarded by the 
channel of ,euboea to the fortress of   
,negropont1 and thence to ,oropos4 ,from
 ,oropos these supplies were transported
 on horses and mules to the camp of the 
,pasha at ,patissia1 near ,athens4      
,captain ,hastings was now charged with 
the duty of cutting off the             
communications of the ,turks between    
,volo and ,oropos1 and instructed to use

 every exertion to capture their        
transports and destroy their magazines4 
,for this purpose he sailed from ,poros 
with a small squadron1 consisting of the
 ,karteria and four hired vessels--the  
corvette ,themistocles1 belonging to the
 ,tombazis2 the ,ares1 belonging to the 
,admiral ,miaoulis2 and two small       
schooners4  ,on the afternoon of a      
beautiful clear day1 the little fleet   
entered the bay of ,volo1 in which eight
 ,turkish transports were seen at       
anchor4 ,it was some time before the    
enemy was persuaded that the ,greek     
vessels were bearing down to attack     
them1 for they considered the anchorage 
perfectly defended by two batteries     
which they had erected on the cape1     
enclosing the harbour1 opposite the     
castle of ,volo4 ,the castle itself is a
 square fort in a dilapidated condition1
 with only a few guns mounted4  ,at     
half-past four o'clock1 the             
,themistocles and ,ares received orders 
to anchor before the batteries1 just out

 of the reach of musketry1 and not to   
waste a single shot before they had     
taken up their positions4 ,they were    
then directed to open a heavy fire of   
grape and round shot on the enemy4      
,while they were executing these orders1
 ,hastings entered the port1 and opened 
his fire of shells on the intrenchments 
of the ,turks1 and of grape on the      
transports1 which were filled with men  
to prevent their capture4 ,the heavy    
fire of the ,karteria1 which poured on  
the enemy three hundred two-ounce balls 
from each of its guns1 soon threw the   
,turks into confusion2 and the boats    
were manned1 and sent to board the      
transports4 ,five vessels being heavily 
laden1 though they had been run aground1
 were not close to the shore1 and these 
were soon captured2 but two brigs being 
empty1 were placed close under the fire 
of the troops in the intrenchments4     
,though they were attacked by all the   
boats of the squadron1 they were not    
taken until after an obstinate          

resistance4 ,the ,english boatswain of  
the ,karteria1 who was the first to     
mount the side of one1 was wounded2 but 
he succeeded in gaining the deck1 and   
hauling down the ,turkish flag4 ,a      
,turk1 however1 who had no idea of      
surrendering to an infidel1 rushed at   
him1 and fired a pistol at his head4    
,the ball1 fortunately1 only grazed his 
forehead4 ,the ,turk then leaped        
overboard1 and endeavoured to swim on   
shore2 but one of the ,english sailors1 
considering his conduct so unfair as to 
merit death1 jumped into the sea after  
him1 and1 having overtaken him1         
deliberately cut his throat with a      
clasp-knife1 as he had no other weapon1 
and then returned on board4 ,the ,greek 
,revolution too often gave occasions for
 displaying      ,the instinct of the   
first-born ,cain1     ,which ever lurks 
somewhere in human hearts4   ,it was    
found impossible to get the two brigs   
afloat2 and1 as their sails had been    
landed1 it would have been impossible to

 navigate them4 ,they were therefore    
burnt2 and another smaller vessel1 which
 was so placed that ,hastings would not 
expose his men by attempting to take    
possession of her1 was destroyed by     
shells4 ,a shell1 exploding in her hull1
 blew her fore-mast into the water4 ,for
 four hours the ,karteria remained in   
the harbour of ,volo4 ,the corvette and 
brig had so completely silenced the fire
 of the batteries1 that they appeared to
 be abandoned2 while the guns of the    
castle only kept up an irregular and    
ill-directed fire on the ,karteria4 ,the
 magazines were all in flames from the  
effect of the red-hot shot fired into   
them2 and1 as night approached1 the     
,karteria made the signal for all the   
vessels to make sail out of the harbour 
with a light breeze from the land4 ,the 
spectacle offered by the bay as it grew 
dark was peculiarly grand4 ,on the      
sombre outline of the hills round the   
gulf1 innumerable fires were seen2 and a
 continued discharge of musketry was    

heard proclaiming the arrival of each   
little band of troops which reached the 
camp at ,volo4 ,the lurid light thrown  
out by the flames from the burning      
magazines1 and the reflection of the    
blazing transports1 which were quickly  
consumed to the water's edge1 enabled   
the steamer1 in departing1 to destroy   
the carriages of two guns which the     
,turks were endeavouring to get ready to
 salute the departing squadron4         
,hastings had expected to find at ,volo 
a large ,turkish man-of-war1 mounting   
sixteen heavy guns1 and two mortars     
which had been constructed for the siege
 of ,missolonghi1 but which had not even
 got so far as ,volo until after the    
fall of that place4 ,this vessel was now
 waiting until the ,turks should require
 her to bombard some seaport in the     
possession of the ,greeks4 ,a ,greek    
fishing-boat came alongside to inform   
,hastings that the ,pasha had ordered   
this vessel to ,tricheri for greater    
security1 where she was moored1 with    

three schooners taken from the ,greeks  
at ,psara1 in a small bay protected by a
 battery of twelve guns4 ,in this       
position1 she was considered perfectly  
safe from the attacks of the whole      
,greek fleet1 aided by the fire-frigate 
herself1 as the ,turks called the       
,karteria4 ,hastings proceeded          
immediately to ,tricheri1 hoping to     
surprise the enemy by an attack during  
the night2 but he found the ,turks on   
the alert1 and their well-directed fire 
of musketry rendered it impossible to   
continue the attack with the smallest   
chance of success4  ,at daylight next   
morning1 ,hastings examined the position
 of the enemy with care1 but he saw     
there was no hope of capturing the      
bomb-ketch or any of the schooners2 he  
therefore determined to confine his     
operations to destroying them4 ,after   
getting up the steam and heating a few  
shot1 he stood in to about              
three-quarters of a mile of the ,turkish
 ship1 and going slowly round in a large

 circle1 he brought his long guns to    
bear successively1 and fired them with  
the greatest deliberation4 ,he then     
moved out of gun-shot of the ,turkish   
battery to observe the effect of his    
fire4 ,in about half an hour1 a quantity
 of smoke was observed to issue from the
 large ,turkish vessel1 which the enemy 
appeared at first to disregard2 but1 in 
a short time1 they seemed to discover   
that their ship was on fire1 for they   
were seen hurrying down and rushing on  
board in great numbers4 ,the carronades 
were now reloaded with shells1 and the  
long guns with large grape1 and the     
,karteria stood in to prevent the enemy 
from continuing his endeavours to       
extinguish the fire4 ,the attention of  
the ,turks was thus distracted2 the     
flames soon burst through the decks of  
the ship1 and1 catching the rigging1    
rendered all approach to her impossible4
 ,in a short time she was a mass of     
flame2 and her guns to the land-side1   
having been loaded1 went off1           

discharging their shot into the battery 
formed for her protection4 ,as her upper
 works burned away1 she drifted from her
 station2 but getting again on shore    
against the rocks1 her magazine         
exploded1 and the remains of her hull1  
with all her guns1 sank in deep water4  
,the three schooners also received      
several shells1 and were so injured1 as 
to be rendered unable to put to sea     
without undergoing great repairs4  ,the 
loss of the ,greek squadron in this     
expedition was very small2 only three   
men were killed and two wounded4 ,but   
one of the killed was ,james ,hall1 an  
,englishman on board the ,karteria--an  
old sailor of a most excellent          
character1 and possessed of considerable
 knowledge in every branch of his       
profession4 ,he was killed by a         
twelve-pound shot from the battery at   
,tricheri4 ,this shot1 after breaking   
the claw of an anchor1 rebounded1 and1  
in falling1 struck ,hall in the pit of  
the stomach1 and rolled on the deck1 as 

if it had hardly touched his clothes4   
,he fell instantly1 and was taken up    
quite dead--the usual tranquil smile his
 features bore still lingering on his   
lips4 ,hall was not only a most         
excellent sailor1 but1 a truly honest   
man1 and he was long remembered and     
deeply regretted by all on board the    
,karteria4 ,his remains were committed  
to the deep1 ,captain ,hastings reading 
the funeral service2 for the ,english   
insisted that he would have preferred a 
sailor's funeral to being interred on   
shore in a ,greek churchyard4  ,james   
,hall was the only human spirit among   
the rude crew of the ,karteria1 and     
after his death most of the ,english    
sailors displayed the feelings of       
savages4 ,one old man-of-war's man1 who 
had served in many a well-fought action1
 declared that he would kill every      
,turkish prisoner taken in the prizes at
 ,volo2 and he attempted one night to   
break into the cabin abaft the larboard 
paddle-box1 in which some of these      

,turks were confined4 ,armed with a     
large knife1 he proclaimed that he was  
determined to kill the prisoners1 and he
 called on the other sailors to assist  
him4 ,he argued1 that the war with the  
,turks was an irregular warfare2 and as 
the ,turks killed their prisoners1 on   
the ground that they were either rebels 
or outlaws1 it was the duty of the      
,greeks to kill every ,turk who fell    
into their power4 ,when brought before  
,captain ,hastings1 he persisted in his 
determination2 and though he was        
perfectly sober1 he at last declared    
that he would quit the service1 unless  
the ,english were allowed in future to  
kill the prisoners4 ,hastings tried to  
reason with him1 but in vain4 ,it was   
necessary to put him under arrest1 and  
when the ,kateria returned to ,poros1 he
 demanded his discharge1 and quitted    
,greece4  ,the ,karteria suffered very  
severely in her hull and rigging1 from  
the fire of the castle at ,volo1 and the
 battery at ,tricheri4 ,she lost her    

jib-boom1 main-topmast1 gaff1 and       
larboard cat-head1 and received much    
other damage2 so that it was necessary  
to proceed to ,poros to give her a      
thorough repair4 ,on her way1 she was   
fortunate enough to capture four vessels
 laden with stores and provisions for   
the ,turks of ,negropont4  ,at ,poros1  
,hastings found the affairs of the navy 
very little improved by ,lord           
,cochrane's presence in ,greece2 and we 
think that we cannot convey a better    
idea of their state1 than is contained  
in a letter which he addressed to his   
lordship on the #cjth of ,april #ahbg4  
,it is with deep regret ,i see the      
extreme discontent on board the ,sauveur
 brig1 which seems to me to be greatly  
increased by1 if not entirely owing to1 
the ,greeks being paid in advance1 and  
the ,english being in arrears of wages4 
,in this country1 ,i must repeat1 my    
lord1 nothing can be done without       
regular payments4 ,by paying out of my  
own funds when others could not be      

obtained1 ,i have established the       
confidence both of ,greeks and ,english 
in this vessel1 as far as money is      
concerned2 but ,i cannot continue to pay
 out of my own pocket4 ,if funds are not
 forthcoming1 ,i beg leave to resign4   
,whilst ,i am on board1 the people will 
always consider me personally           
responsible for their wages2 and ,i must
 again remark1 ,i have suffered already 
much too severely in my private fortune 
in this service to admit of my making   
further sacrifices4 ,besides wages for  
the crew1 ,i have various expenses to   
repair damages sustained in the late    
actions at ,volo and ,tricheri4 ,captain
 ,hastings was1 however1 at this time1  
easily induced to continue his services 
on board the ,karteria1 as the defeat of
 the ,greek army before ,athens on the  
#fth of ,may1 and the departure of      
,general ,gordon1 ,count ,porro1 and    
several other ,philhellenes1 who        
considered the cause utterly hopeless1  
rendered the moment unsuitable for his  

resignation4  ,the ,karteria was again  
fitted for sea with the greatest        
expedition1 and joined ,lord ,cochrane1 
when he made an unsuccessful attempt to 
surprise and capture ,ibrahim ,pasha at 
,clarenza4 ,hastings was separated from 
the ,hellas by bad weather1 and in      
returning to the rendezvous at ,spetzia1
 he lost two of his masts and two men1  
in a hurricane off ,cape ,malea4        
,shortly after his return to ,poros1    
where he was again compelled to refit1  
he received the following laconic       
communication from ,lord ,cochrane1 in  
which all mention of a rendezvous was   
omitted4       ,memo4--,if the          
,perseverance is fit for service1 please
 join the      squadron without delay4  
,,cochrane4         ,hellas1 #gth ,june 
#ahbg4         ,captain ,hastings1      
,perseverance4   ,in consequence of this
 order1 ,captain ,hastings set out in   
search of ,lord ,cochrane4 ,a series of 
fruitless cruises followed1 in which    
every division of the ,turkish fleet    

contrived to escape the ,greeks4 ,at    
last1 it was resolved that an attack    
should be made on ,vasiladhi1 the little
 fort which commands the entrance into  
the lagoons of ,missolonghi2 and the    
whole fleet1 under the command of ,lord 
,cochrane in person1 appeared off that  
place4 ,the attempt was only persisted  
in for a short time1 and it failed4     
,the treaty of the #fth of ,july #ahbg1 
for the pacification of the affairs of  
,greece1 between ,great ,britain1       
,france1 and ,russia1 now became known  
to the ,greeks2 and the news stimulated 
both them and their friends to make     
increased exertions1 in order that the  
,allies might find as much of the       
country as possible already delivered   
from the ,turkish yoke4 ,a small        
squadron of ten ,turkish brigs having   
entered the ,gulf of ,lepanto1 ,lord    
,cochrane gave ,hastings an order to    
pursue them1 conceived in the following 
flattering terms3--      ,off           
,missolonghi1 #ahth ,sept4 #ahbg4       

,you have been good enough to volunteer 
to proceed into the ,gulf      of       
,lepanto1 into which1 under existing    
circumstances1 ,i should      not have  
ordered the ,perseverance 7,karteria47  
,i therefore leave      all the         
proceedings to your judgment1 intimating
 only1 that the      transporting of    
,general ,church's troops to the north  
of the gulf1      and the destruction or
 capture of the enemy's vessels1 will be
      services of high importance to the
 cause of ,greece4   ,captain ,hastings 
immediately entered the gulf1 passing   
through the formidable strait between   
the castles of the ,morea and ,roumelia1
 called the ,dardanelles of ,lepanto1   
during the night4 ,on the #bith of      
,september1 having collected his little 
squadron1 consisting of the ,karteria1  
the brig ,sauveur of eighteen guns1     
commanded by ,captain ,thomas1 and two  
gun-boats1 each mounting a long         
thirty-two pounder2 ,hastings stood into
 the bay of ,salona 7,amphissa7 to      

attack a ,turkish squadron1 consisting  
of nine vessels1 anchored under the     
protection of batteries1 and a large    
body of troops placed at the ,scala of  
,salona4 ,three ,austrian merchantmen in
 the port were also filled with armed   
men1 in spite of the remonstrances of   
their masters1 and assisted in defending
 the squadron at anchor4  ,about ten    
o'clock ,a4,m41 the ,karteria1 followed 
by the ,sauveur and the two gun-boats1  
stood into the bay to attack this       
formidable position4 ,the ,turks were so
 confident of victory1 that they were   
eager to see the ,greek ships anchor as 
near them as possible4 ,they therefore  
withheld their fire until ,captain      
,hastings made the signal for anchoring4
 ,the ,karteria proceeded much nearer   
the shore than the sailing vessels1 and 
having anchored within five hundred     
yards1 opposite the vessel which bore   
the flag of the ,turkish commodore1 she 
opened her fire4 ,the ,turks then       
commenced a furious cannonade from      

upwards of sixty pieces of artillery2   
but they had hardly time to reload the  
greater part of the guns on board their 
ships4 ,captain ,hastings1 before going 
into action1 had heated several shells1 
thinking that sixty-eight pound shot    
might pass through both sides of the    
vessels he was about to engage so near1 
as they were principally constructed of 
fir4 ,after firing one broadside of cold
 shot to make sure of the range1 his    
second consisted of two hot shells from 
the long guns1 and two carcass-shells   
from the carronades4 ,one of these      
lodged in the hull of the ,turkish      
commodore1 and1 reaching the            
powder-magazine1 the action commenced by
 blowing up his ship4#ab ,a             
carcass-shell exploding in the bows of  
the brig anchored next to the commodore1
 she sank forward1 while a hot shell    
striking her stern1 which stood up in   
the shallow water1 it was soon enveloped
 in flames4 ,in a few minutes1 another  
vessel was perceived to be on fire2 and 

a fine ,algerine schooner1 mounting     
twenty long brass guns1 having received 
a shell which exploded between her      
decks1 was abandoned by her crew4  ,the 
battle of ,salona afforded the most     
satisfactory proofs of the efficiency of
 the armament of steam-boats1 with heavy
 guns1 which ,captain ,hastings had so  
long and so warmly advocated4 ,the      
terrific and rapid manner in which a    
force so greatly superior to his own was
 utterly annihilated by the hot shot and
 shells of the ,karteria1 silenced the  
opponents of ,captain ,hastings' plan   
throughout all ,europe4 ,from that day  
it became evident to all who studied the
 progress of naval warfare1 that every  
nation in ,europe must adopt his        
principles of marine artillery1 and arm 
some vessels in their fleets on the     
model he had given them4 ,in ,greece the
 question of continuing to hire merchant
 ships to form a fleet was put to rest2 
and the necessity of commencing the     
formation of a national navy was now    

admitted by ,hydriotes1 ,spetziotes1 and
 ,psariotes4  ,the services of the other
 vessels in the ,greek squadron at      
,salona1 though eclipsed by the superior
 armament of the ,karteria ought not to 
be overlooked4 ,captain ,thomas1 who    
commanded the ,sauveur1 displayed all   
the courage1 activity1 and skill of an  
experienced ,english officer2 he        
silenced the two batteries1 on which the
 ,turks had placed great dependence1 as 
alone sufficient to prevent the ,greeks 
from entering the port2 and by a        
well-directed fire of grape1 he         
compelled the troops which lined the    
shore to get under the cover of the     
irregular ground in the neighbourhood4  
,hastings then made the signal for all  
the boats of the squadron to take       
possession of the ,algerine schooner and
 the two other brigs which were not on  
fire4  ,a severe contest took place in  
order to gain possession of the         
schooner2 for the fire of the ,greek    
ships being suspended as the boats      

approached her1 the ,turkish troops     
sprang from their hiding-places1 and    
rushed to the edge of the rocks1 which  
commanded a view of her deck4 ,from this
 position they opened a heavy fire of   
musketry on those who had mounted her   
sides4 ,the fire of the gun-boats again 
cleared the beach2 but the ,turks       
contrived to keep up a severe fire at   
intervals1 and ,mr ,scanlan1 the first  
lieutenant of the ,sauveur1 was killed1 
and several others wounded1 in          
attempting to get her under weigh4      
,captain ,hastings steamed up to the    
schooner at last1 and having got her    
stream-cable made fast1 attempted to    
move her2 but the cable broke1 and it   
became evident that the falling tide in 
the bay had fixed her firmly on the     
ground4 ,with incredible exertions her  
long brass guns were all saved1 and she 
was then set on fire4 ,mr ,phalangas1 a 
,greek officer1 the first lieutenant of 
the ,karteria1 was also wounded in      
setting fire to a brig anchored at some 

distance from the rest4 ,the boats then 
concluded the day by driving the ,turks 
from the ,austrian merchantmen1 and     
bringing out these vessels as prizes4   
,in this engagement nine ,turkish       
vessels were destroyed1 though defended 
by batteries on shore and upwards of    
#ejj veteran troops2 yet it cost the    
assailants only six men killed and a few
 wounded4 ,in the despatch of ,captain  
,hastings1 announcing the victory1 he   
pays a high tribute to the merits of    
,captain ,hane1 who had served with him 
at the siege of ,nauplia in #ahbb1 and  
in ,crete during the campaign of #ahbc4 
,the services of ,captain ,hane of the  
artillery1 serving on board this vessel1
 are too well known on every former     
occasion to make it necessary for me to 
say more than that ,i am equally        
indebted to him now as on other         
occasions4  ,ibrahim ,pasha was at      
,navarin with an immense fleet1 when he 
heard of the destruction of his ships in
 the bay of ,salona4 ,sir ,edward       

,codrington and ,admiral de ,rigny had1 
on the #beth of ,september1 entered into
 convention with him to suspend all     
hostilities against the ,greeks until he
 should receive answers from            
,constantinople and ,alexandria to the  
communications made on the part of the  
three allied powers2 but neither        
,hastings nor the ,turkish commodore in 
the ,gulf of ,lepanto were aware of this
 circumstance4 ,the rage of ,ibrahim    
when he heard of the result of the      
affair at ,salona knew no bounds1 and he
 determined to inflict the severest     
vengeance on ,hastings1 whose little    
squadron he thought he could easily     
annihilate4  ,sir ,edward ,codrington1  
after arranging the terms of the        
convention1 had repaired to ,zante to   
wait the arrival of several vessels he  
expected1 and ,admiral de ,rigny had    
left ,navarin to collect the ,french    
force in the ,archipelago4 ,ibrahim1    
seeing that there were no ships of the  
allies at ,navarin capable of stopping  

his fleet1 ordered twenty-six men-of-war
 to put to sea on the #cjth of          
,september4 ,he embarked himself with   
this division of his fleet1 determined  
to witness the destruction of the ,greek
 squadron4 ,a violent gale1 however1    
compelled him to put back on the #c;d of
 ,october2 but a part of his fleet1     
under the command of the ,patrona ,bey1 
persisting in its endeavours to enter   
the ,gulf of ,lepanto1 was pursued by   
,admiral ,codrington1 who forced it to  
return to ,navarin1 but not until he had
 found himself obliged to fire into     
several of the ,ottoman ships4 ,as the  
,english admiral had at the time a very 
small force at ,zante1 many of the      
,turkish ships might1 in spite of all   
his exertions1 have escaped into the    
gulf1 unless he had been aided in       
arresting their progress by a succession
 of gales which blew on the #dth1 #eth1 
and #fth of ,october4 ,these gales      
assisted ,sir ,edward ,codrington in    
compelling the whole of the dispersed   

fleet of the ,patrona ,bey to seek      
refuge in the port of ,navarin4  ,in the
 mean time the position of ,captain     
,hastings was one of extreme danger1 and
 ,lord ,cochrane1 who addressed his last
 official communication to him on the   
#abth of ,october1 conveys his parting  
words of praise and confidence in the   
following terms3--,you have done so much
 good1 and so much is anticipated from  
your keeping open the communications    
between the shores of the gulf1 that ,i 
think you would do well to remain for a 
while where you are4 ,you occupy1       
however1 a position of risk1 if the     
reports are true regarding the fleet    
being off ,patras2 and therefore ,i     
leave you to act in all things as you   
judge best for the public service4      
,hastings1 as soon as he was informed of
 ,ibrahim ,pasha's intention to attack  
him1 and before he had received the news
 of his deliverance by the movement of  
,sir ,edward ,codrington's squadron1 had
 selected the spot in which he hoped to 

be able to defy the attacks of the whole
 fleet sent against him4 ,he chose a    
small bay at the eastern extremity of   
the ,gulf of ,corinth1 formed in the    
rocky precipices of ,mount ,geranion1   
and open to the ,alcyonian sea4 ,this   
little bay or port is called ,strav4    
,its entrance is protected by two rocky 
islands1 and it is bounded on the       
continent by a succession of precipices 
covered by pine woods1 which render the 
debarkation of a large force in the     
neighbourhood very difficult4 ,hastings 
proposed to defend this position by     
landing four of his guns on the mainland
 and the islands2 and he made every     
preparation for receiving the ,egyptians
 with a well-sustained fire of hot shot1
 while a number of ,greek troops were   
assembled to man the rocks around4      
,there can be no doubt that ,ibrahim    
,pasha committed a blunder in violating 
the convention into which he had just   
entered1 and his attempt at taking      
vengeance into his own hands1 instead of

 appealing to the three allied powers1  
created great distrust on the part of   
the admirals4 ,they naturally enough    
conceived that he would always hold     
himself ready to take every advantage of
 their absence1 and their only method of
 effectually watching the immense fleet 
assembled at ,navarin was by bringing   
their own squadrons to an anchor in that
 immense harbour4 ,the battle of        
,navarin1 on the #bjth of ,october1 was 
the natural consequence of the distrust 
on the one side1 and the eager desire of
 revenge on the other1 which rendered   
the proximity of the different fleets   
necessary4 ,the affair of ,captain      
,hastings at ,salona1 as one of the     
proximate causes of this great naval    
engagement1 acquires an historical      
importance far exceeding its mere       
military results4 ,in the eyes of the   
,greeks and ,turks it very justly       
occupies a prominent place in the       
history of the ,greek war1 as it is by  
them always viewed as the link which    

connects their military operations with 
the celebrated battle of ,navarin4  ,the
 destruction of the ,turkish and        
,egyptian fleets delivered ,greece from 
imminent peril2 but in the exultation   
created by the assurance that their     
independence was firmly established1 the
 ,greek government began to forget the  
services which the ,karteria had        
rendered in the days of their despair4  
,no supplies of any kind were forwarded 
to ,captain ,hastings1 who remained in  
the gulf2 both ,lord ,cochrane and the  
government allowed him to remain without
 provisions1 and his crew would have in 
great part quitted him1 unless he had   
paid the men their wages from his own   
fortune4 ,on the #agth of ,november he  
wrote to ,lord ,cochrane1 urging the    
necessity of sending him some           
assistance4 ,this letter1 which remained
 unanswered1 contains the following     
passages3--,i am now seven thousand     
pounds out of pocket by my services in  
,greece1 and ,i am daily expending my   

own money for the public service4 ,our  
prizes are serving as transports for the
 army1 and we must either shortly       
abandon this position or be paid4       
,without money ,i cannot any longer     
maintain this vessel4 ,i will do all ,i 
can2 but ,i must repeat1 that it is not 
quite fair ,i should end a beggar1 after
 all the labour1 vexation1 and          
disappointment ,i have experienced for  
so many years4  ,the only body of troops
 available for any national purpose1    
which had been kept together after the  
loss of ,athens1 with the exception of  
the corps of regular troops under       
,general ,fabvier1 was that assembled by
 ,general ,church on the southern shores
 of the ,gulf of ,lepanto4 ,as soon as  
the battle of ,navarin had paralysed the
 movements of the ,turks1 ,general      
,church determined to transport his     
troops from the ,morea into ,acarnania1 
where the ,greek captains1 who had      
submitted to the ,turks1 offered again  
to take up arms1 if an adequate force   

appeared in the province to support     
them4 ,the principal object which       
detained the ,karteria in the gulf had  
been to assist the movements of ,general
 ,church1 who now resolved to cross over
 to ,acarnania from ,cape ,papas4 ,on   
the evening of the #agth of ,november1  
,captain ,hastings received a           
communication from ,general ,church1    
requesting him to appear off ,cape      
,papas next day4  ,in order to arrive at
 the rendezvous in time1 ,hastings was  
compelled to quit the gulf in the       
daytime1 and consequently to expose his 
own ship and the three prizes to the    
fire of the castles of the ,morea and   
,romelia--an act of rashness of which he
 would not willingly have been guilty4  
,the castle of the ,morea mounted about 
sixty guns1 and that of ,romelia        
twenty-seven2 those commanding the      
straights were of large calibre4 ,as    
their fire crossed1 the passage of the  
,dardanelles of ,lepanto was always     
considered a dangerous enterprise2 and  

certainly1 if the batteries had been    
served by good artillerymen1 no ship    
could have ventured under their fire    
without being destroyed4 ,even with the 
gunners of ,ibrahim ,pasha's army1 the  
passage was attended with considerable  
risk4  ,the little squadron of ,captain 
,hastings approached the castles about  
noon on a beautiful day4 ,the ,karteria1
 leading with a favourable wind1 and    
spreading an immense extent of canvass  
from her four low masts1 glided along   
with the aid of her steam at an amazing 
rate4 ,her three prizes1 followed with  
every sail set1 and two ,greek misticos 
availed themselves of the opportunity of
 quitting the gulf in order to cruise as
 privateers between ,patras and         
,missolonghi4 ,the moment the ,karteria 
came within gun-shot of the ,turkish    
castles1 they opened their fire2 and for
 some time the balls fell thick around  
her--those of both castles passing over 
her hull1 and falling beyond their mark4
 ,several shot1 however1 struck her     

sails1 and the slow and regular manner  
in which each gun was discharged as it  
came to bear1 indicated that the passage
 was not likely to be effected without  
some loss4 ,fortunately very few shot   
struck the hull of the ,karteria1 yet   
the damage she received was not         
inconsiderable4 ,the funnel was shot    
through1 a patent windlass was broken to
 pieces1 and the fragments of the iron  
wheels scattered about the decks like a 
shower of grape4 ,several paddles were  
wrenched off the starboard paddle-wheel1
 and one shot passed through the side   
near the water's edge4 ,two of the best 
sailors on board were killed by a       
twenty-four pound shot while working a  
gun on the quarter-deck4 ,the hand of a 
boy was carried away by another1 and yet
 all this loss was sustained ere the    
,karteria had reached the centre of the 
passage4 ,at the moment when every shot 
was taking effect1 the ,turks suddenly  
lost the range4 ,every succeeding shot  
passed over the steamer1 and she        

proceeded along under the fire of more  
than half the guns1 without receiving   
any additional damage4 ,the ,turks were 
only able to reload a few guns to       
discharge at the rest of the squadron1  
which escaped uninjured4  ,the loss of  
two men killed and one wounded1         
distressed ,captain ,hastings4 ,he was  
sure the ,turks at ,patras would soon   
receive an exaggerated account of the   
damage he had sustained1 from their     
spies at ,zante2 and as this would      
embolden those who furnished their camp 
with provisions1 he was extremely       
anxious to destroy any vessels that     
might be anchored at ,patras1 in order  
to convince the enemy that the ,karteria
 was to be dreaded1 even after receiving
 the greatest injury4 ,a favourable     
opportunity fortunately offered itself  
of displaying the power of the steamer  
to ,ibrahim ,pasha's camp at ,patras4   
,on approaching the roadstead1 a brig   
heavily laden was seen at anchor1 which 
had evidently arrived the preceding     

night1 little expecting that the ,greek 
squadron would quit the gulf in the     
daytime4 ,hastings immediately made     
every preparation for cutting her out1  
but the ,austrian consul was seen       
approaching in a small boat1 with a flag
 like the ensign of a three-decker4 ,the
 following dialogue took place between  
him and ,hastings alongside the         
,karteria1 while the ,austrians in the  
brig were actively engaged in getting   
every thing ready to haul their vessel1 
at a moment's warning1 under a battery  
of ,turkish field-pieces placed on the  
beach4  ,hastings4--,as ,austrian       
consul1 you must be aware that the      
,greek government have been blockading  
,patras for some time1 and that there is
 now a gun-boat cruising off the port4  
,austrian ,consul4--,my government      
acknowledges no such authority as a     
,greek government1 and1 consequently1   
does not admit the validity of its acts4
  ,hastings4--,my orders1 however1 are  
to enforce those acts4 ,i must1         

therefore1 request you to proceed       
immediately to the ,austrian brig at    
anchor in the ,harbour1 and order the   
master to come on board with his papers4
  ,austrian ,consul4--,i believe ,i am  
speaking to an ,englishman2 and neither 
,austria nor ,turkey being at war with  
,england1 you are bound to respect the  
,austrian flag4  ,hastings4--,you are   
speaking1 sir1 to an officer in the     
,greek service1 commanding the squadron 
blockading ,patras2 and if the ,austrian
 brig does not place itself under my    
protection in five minutes1 ,i shall    
fire into the ,turkish camp1 and it will
 be destroyed4  ,in saying this1        
,captain ,hastings took out his watch   
and left the consul1 who vainly         
endeavoured to renew the conversation in
 order to gain time4 ,when he quitted   
the ,karteria1 he pulled towards the    
shore1 instead of proceeding to         
communicate ,hastings' orders to the    
master of the brig4 ,this being1        
apparently1 a concerted signal1 the     

greatest exertions were suddenly        
commence to haul the ,austrian vessel   
under the guns of the battery4          
,hastings allowed the ,austrian consul  
five minutes to reach the shore2 and as 
he was not inclined to expose his crew  
to any loss in taking possession of a   
prize which he could easily destroy     
without danger1 he directed his fire    
against the ,austrian brig4 ,as soon as 
he found that he was approaching the    
range of the ,turkish battery1 he fired 
a few shells into it and the ,austrian  
vessel4 ,one of these exploding in her  
hull near the water's edge1 tore out    
great part of her side1 and she sank    
almost instantaneously1 barely leaving  
time for the crew to escape in the      
long-boat4  ,on the #bhth of ,november1 
,general ,church reached ,cape ,papas   
with the first division of his army1    
consisting of only six hundred men1     
which was embarked and transported to   
,dragomestr4 ,two days after1 the       
squadron returned1 and conveyed over to 

,romelia the remainder of the ,greek    
troops1 not exceeding seven hundred     
soldiers2 so that ,general ,church      
opened his winter campaign in           
,acarnania1 which led to the conquest of
 that province1 with a force of only one
 thousand three hundred fighting men4   
,while the ,greek army was engaged in   
fortifying its position at ,dragomestr1 
,captain ,hastings resolved to attack   
,vasiladhi--the small insular fort      
commanding the entrance into the lagoons
 of ,missolonghi and ,anatolikon1 which 
,lord ,cochrane had attempted in vain to
 capture about three months before4 ,on 
the #bb;d of ,december he anchored about
 three thousand yards from the fort1    
finding that it was impossible to bring 
the ,karteria any nearer4 ,for nearly a 
mile round ,vasiladhi1 the depth of the 
water does not exceed three feet1 and   
the fort itself rises little more than  
six feet above the level of the sea4    
,the bombardment of such a place was a  
delicate operation1 requiring the most  

favourable weather1 and the very best   
artillery practice4 ,the first day the  
attempt was made1 two hundred shells    
were fired without producing any effect4
 ,when fired en ricochet1 they diverged 
to the right and left in a manner which 
gave ,vasiladhi the appearance of an    
enchanted spot4 ,captain ,hastings      
conjectured that this singular          
circumstance was owing to the           
shallowness of the water2 the mud       
approaching the surface close to the    
fort1 afforded so much more resistance  
to the shells which fell in its         
immediate vicinity1 as to cause a more  
marked deviation in the line of their   
primary direction4  ,at the same time it
 was found that those shells which were 
fired with a charge of eight pounds of  
powder1 at twenty-three degrees of      
elevation--the highest elevation that   
could be given to the long guns--all    
varied to the right1 though the day was 
perfectly calm4 ,this variation appeared
 to be caused by a strong current of air

 at some height above the earth's       
surface2 but it was so irregular that it
 was found impossible to make any       
correct allowance for it2 and it was    
singular1 that any wind perceptible on  
the deck of the ,karteria blew in the   
contrary direction4  ,for some days     
after this unsuccessful attempt1 the    
weather was too stormy to think of      
renewing the attack2 but on the #bith of
 ,december the day was perfectly calm1  
and the atmosphere of that transparent  
clearness which characterises the       
climate of ,greece4 ,hastings determined
 to bombard ,vasiladhi a second time4   
,the first shell fired indicated that   
the circumstances were now favourable2  
and the fourth1 which ,captain ,hastings
 fired with his own hand1 exploded in   
the powder-magazine4 ,all the boats were
 instantly ordered out to storm the     
place2 but the ,turks were thrown into  
such a state of confusion by the        
explosion of the powder1 and the fire   
which burst out in their huts1 that they

 were unable to offer any resistance2   
and the assailants1 commanded by        
,captain ,hane of the artillery1 entered
 the place1 seized the arms of the      
,turks1 and set them to work at         
extinguishing the fire1 which was       
spreading to the magazine of provisions1
 as if they had only arrived to assist  
their friends4 ,there were fifty-one    
,turks in the fort2 twelve had been     
killed by the explosion4  ,captain      
,hastings ordered all the prisoners to  
be transported on board the ,karteria2  
and as he could ill spare any of his    
provisions1 and could not encumber his  
vessel with enemies who required to be  
guarded1 he resolved to release them    
immediately4 ,he therefore informed the 
,turkish commandant that he would send  
him to ,missolonghi in a monoxylon1 or  
canoe used in the lagoons1 in order to  
procure two large flat-bottomed boats to
 take away the prisoners4 ,the ,turk1   
who considered this was only a polite   
way of letting him know that he was to  

be drowned or suffocated in the mud1    
showed1 nevertheless1 no signs of fear  
or anger4 ,he thanked ,captain ,hastings
 for the soldier-like manner in which he
 had been treated1 and said that1 as a  
prisoner1 it was his duty to meet death 
in any way his conqueror might          
determine4 ,the scene at last began to  
assume a comic character2--for ,hastings
 was the last person on board to        
perceive that his prisoner supposed that
 he was about to be murdered by his     
orders2 and the ,turkish commandant was 
the only one who did not understand that
 it was really ,hastings' intention to  
send him to ,missolonghi in perfect     
safety4 ,when the ,turk was conducted to
 the monoxylon1 in which one of his own 
men was seated1 in order to paddle the  
boat through the lagoon1 he was         
convinced of his error1 and his         
expressions of gratitude to ,hastings   
were warm1 though as dignified as his   
previous conduct4  ,the flat-bottomed   
boats arrived next day1 and took away   

the prisoners4 ,they brought a sheep and
 a sabre as a present to ,captain       
,hastings from the ,turkish commandant1 
accompanied by a letter expressing his  
regret that the commander-in-chief in   
,missolonghi would not allow him to come
 himself to visit his benefactor4  ,the 
conquest of ,vasiladhi did not diminish 
the difficulties with which ,hastings   
was surrounded1 nor remove any of the   
disagreeable circumstances attendant on 
the neglect with which he was treated by
 ,lord ,cochrane and the ,greek         
government4 ,on the #gth of ,january    
#ahbh1 he wrote to a friend in the      
following desponding terms3--,i am full 
of misery4 ,i have not a dollar4 ,i owe 
my people three months' pay1 and five   
dollars a man gratuity for ,vasiladhi4  
,i have no provisions4 ,i have lost an  
anchor and chain4 ,if ,i can get out of 
my present difficulties1 ,i may perhaps 
go into the gulf4  ,on the #afth of     
,january he wrote to the ,greek         
government1 stating all the difficulties

 of his position1 and complaining of the
 manner in which the ,karteria had been 
left entirely dependent on his private  
resources4 ,he wrote3 ,it has become an 
established maxim to leave this vessel  
without any supplies4 ,dr ,goss has just
 been at ,zante1 and has left three     
hundred dollars for the ,helvetia1 now  
serving under my orders--but not one    
farthing1 no provisions1 and not even a 
single word1 for me4 ,five months ago1  
,i was eight thousand dollars in advance
 for the pay of my crew2 and1 since that
 time1 ,i have only received one        
thousand dollars from the naval chest of
 ,lord ,cochrane1 and six hundred from  
the military of ,general ,church4 ,this 
last sum is not even sufficient to pay  
the expenses incurred by the detention  
of our prizes in order to serve as      
transports for the army4 ,i have1 in    
addition to the ordinary expenses of    
this vessel1 been obliged to purchase   
wood for our steam-engine1 and          
provisions for the gun-boat             

,helvetia--to which ,i have also        
furnished two hundred dollars in money  
to pay the crew4 ,the capture of        
,vasiladhi has cost me two thousand     
dollars2 yet ,i have not taken the brass
 cannon in that fort1 and replaced them 
with the iron guns of our prizes1 in    
order to assist me in meeting my        
expenses4  ,about this time ,count ,capo
 d',istrias arrived in ,greece to assume
 the presidency of the republic2 and    
,captain ,hastings1 as soon as he was   
informed of his arrival1 transmitted him
 a very valuable letter1 in which he    
gave a luminous picture of the state of 
affairs in ,western ,greece4 ,this      
letter is particularly instructive1 as  
it gives an admirable summary of the    
line of conduct which gained ,hastings  
his great reputation in ,greece4 ,from  
the hour of my receiving the command of 
the ,karteria1 ,i determined to break   
down the system existing in the navy of 
paying the sailors in advance1 as such a
 practice is destructive of all         

discipline4 ,the ,greek government and  
,lord ,cochrane1 however1 did not adopt 
this rule4 ,they paid their own         
equipages in advance1 and they left mine
 unpaid4  ,count ,capo d',istrias1      
though a very able diplomatist1 was not 
a military man2 and he paid no attention
 to ,hastings' letter4 ,lord ,cochrane1 
who had long ceased to hold any         
communication with ,captain ,hastings1  
had1 a short time previous to the       
arrival of ,count ,capo d',istrias1     
suddenly disappeared from ,greece1 in   
the ,english yacht in which he arrived1 
without giving the ,greek government any
 notice of his intention4 ,in this state
 of things1 it was not wonderful that   
the naval affairs of the country fell   
into the most deplorable anarchy2 and   
the disorder became so painful to       
,captain ,hastings1 that he resigned the
 command of the ,kateria and resolved to
 quit ,greece4  ,the importance of      
preventing so distinguished a           
,philhellene from quitting ,greece so   

shortly after his own arrival1 struck   
,count ,capo d',istrias very forcibly1  
and he resolved to do every thing in his
 power to retain ,captain ,hastings in  
his service4 ,to effect this1 he invited
 him to a personal interview at ,poros1 
in order1 as he said1 to avail himself  
of the valuable experience of so tried a
 friend to the cause of his country4    
,when they met1 it was easy for ,capo   
d',istrias to persuade ,hastings to     
resume the command of the naval division
 in the ,gulf of ,corinth2 particularly 
as the president promised to adopt the  
principles which ,hastings laid down as 
necessary for the formation of a        
national navy1 and engaged to follow his
 advice in organizing this force4       
,nothing1 indeed1 could have gratified  
the ambition of ,captain ,hastings so   
much as being employed in this way1     
since he could thus hope to raise a     
durable monument of his naval skill1 and
 a lasting memorial of his service in   
,greece4  ,after commencing the         

formation of a naval arsenal at ,poros1 
and laying the foundation for some      
superstructure of order in the naval    
administration1 ,hastings again assumed 
the command of the ,karteria2 and on the
 #ith of ,may #ahbh1 anchored off       
,vasiladhi1 in order to co-operate with 
the troops under ,general ,church4 ,the 
united forces had been directed by the  
president to act against ,anatolikon and
 ,missolonghi1 which1 it was hoped1     
would easily be compelled to surrender4 
,after reconnoitring the approaches to  
,anatolikon1 which ,general ,church had 
resolved to attack first1 ,captain      
,hastings1 with his usual activity1     
prepared rocket-frames1 and brought all 
his boats into the lagoons4 ,on the     
#aeth1 an attempt was made to set fire  
to the town by the discharge of a number
 of six and twelve-pound rockets2 but1  
though many entered the place1 no       
conflagration ensued1 and the attack    
failed4 ,it was then determined to      
bombard ,anatolikon2 and1 under the     

cover of a heavy fire of shells from the
 batteries1 and grenades from the       
gun-boats1 to make an attempt to carry  
the place by storm4  ,the #beth of ,may 
was fixed for the assault2 and ,captain 
,hastings1 who felt the necessity of    
enforcing order1 and setting an example 
of courage in so important a crisis1    
determined to direct the attack of the  
naval forces in person4 ,unfortunately1 
a division of the land forces1 which    
were totally destitute of all           
discipline1 and not even officered in a 
regular manner1 had been embarked in the
 boats of some ,greek privateers1 for   
the purpose of assisting in the attack4 
,the real object of these troops was to 
try to get first into the place in order
 to pillage4 ,before the artillery had  
produced any effect1 and before ,captain
 ,hastings had made all the necessary   
dispositions for the assault1 these     
irregular troops advanced to the attack4
 ,two officers of the marine1 who       
commanded the gun-boats at the greatest 

distance from the boats of the          
,karteria1 seeing the attack commencing1
 and supposing that the signal had been 
given by ,captain ,hastings1 pushed     
forward4 ,no alternative now remained   
between carrying the place1 or          
witnessing a total defeat of a          
considerable part of the force under his
 command2 ,hastings1 therefore1 without 
a moment's hesitation1 endeavoured to   
repair the error already committed1 by  
rendering the attack as general as      
possible4 ,making the signal of attack1 
he led the boats of the ,karteria to the
 assault4  ,the ardour of the troops who
 rashly commenced the attack abated1 as 
soon as they found that the ,turks      
received them with a well-directed fire 
of musketry4 ,after some feeble attempts
 to approach the enemy1 in which they   
sustained no loss1 they kept their boats
 stationary far out of musket-shot of   
,anatolikon4 ,on the other side1 the    
boats of the ,greek squadron advanced   
with great gallantry and steadiness2 but

 the ,turks had assembled a powerful    
force1 which was posted in a            
well-protected position1 and opened a   
severe fire on the assailants4 ,the     
shallow water1 and intricate channel    
through the lagoon1 retarded the        
progress of the two gun-boats2 and      
,captain ,andrea1 who commanded that in 
advance1 having been killed1 and some of
 his men wounded1 his crew was thrown   
into disorder4 ,captain ,hastings1      
pushing forward in his gig to repair    
this loss1 was almost immediately after 
struck by a rifle-ball in the left arm1 
and fell down4 ,his fall was the signal 
for a general retreat4  ,when the boats 
returned to the ,karteria1 the wound of 
,captain ,hastings was examined and     
bandaged4 ,by a most unfortunate        
accident1 there was no surgeon attached 
to the ship at the time2 one surgeon    
having left a few days before1 and his  
successor not having arrived4 ,a medical
 man had1 however1 without any loss of  
time1 been procured from the camp on    

shore2 and after he had dressed the     
wound1 he declared that it was not      
alarming1 and that the arm was in no    
danger4 ,though he suffered great pain1 
,captain ,hastings soon began to turn   
his attention to repairing the loss the 
,greek arms had sustained4 ,on the #bhth
 of ,may1 he wrote a report of the      
proceedings before ,anatolikon1         
addressed to the minister of the marine2
 and in it he expressed the hope1 that  
in a few days his wound would be so far 
healed as to allow him again to assume  
the direction of the operations against 
,anatolikon in person4  ,but1 in spite  
of the favourable opinion expressed by  
the surgeon of the troops1 it became    
evident that the wound was rapidly      
becoming worse2 and it was decided that 
amputation was necessary4 ,in order to  
entrust the operation to a more skilful 
surgeon than the one who had hitherto   
attended him1 it was necessary that     
,captain ,hastings should proceed to    
,zante4 ,this decision had unfortunately

 been delayed too long4 ,tetanus had    
ensued before the ,karteria reached the 
port2 and1 on the #ast of ,june1 ,frank 
,abney ,hastings expired at ,zante1 on  
board the ,karteria1 which he had so    
gloriously commanded4  ,the moment his  
death was known in ,greece1 the great   
value of his services was universally   
felt4 ,all hope of organizing the ,greek
 navy perished with him2 and            
notwithstanding the advice and          
assistance of the ,european powers1 and 
the adoption of many plans prepared by  
the allies of ,greece1 the naval force  
of that country is in a much worse      
condition to-day than it was at the time
 of ,captain ,hastings' death in #ahbh4 
,every honour was paid to his memory4   
,the president of ,greece1 ,count ,capo 
d',istrias1 decreed that his remains    
should receive a public funeral2 and by 
an ordinance addressed to ,mr ,alexander
 ,maurocordatos1 the minister of the    
marine1 and ,mr ,george ,finlay and ,mr 
,nicholas ,kalergy1 the personal friends

 of the deceased1 he charged these      
gentlemen with this sacred duty4 ,mr    
,tricoupi pronounced the funeral oration
 when the interment took place at       
,poros2 and he concluded his discourse  
with the following words1 as the prayer 
of the assembled clergy in the name of  
the whole ,greek nation3--,o ,,lord6    
,,in ,,thy ,,heavenly ,,kingdom         
,,remember ,,frank ,,abney ,,hastings1  
,,who ,,died ,,in ,,defence ,,of ,,his  
,,suffering ,,fellow-,,creatures4  ,but 
nations are proverbially ungrateful4    
,nearly seventeen years have now elapsed
 since the death of ,hastings1 the best 
and ablest ,englishman who1 even to the 
present hour1 has been connected in any 
way with the public affairs of ,greece2 
yet neither the ,greek government nor   
the ,greek people1 though often         
revelling in millions rashly furnished  
them by their injudicious friends1 have 
ever thought of paying their debt of    
gratitude to the memory of ,frank ,abney
 ,hastings4 ,while stars and ribands    

have been lavishly conferred on those   
whose power was supposed to influence   
the arrival of expected millions1 the   
heirs of ,hastings were forgotten4 ,we  
are bound1 however1 to absolve a        
considerable portion of the nation from 
the charge of ingratitude and avarice1  
which we only thereby concentrate       
against the government1 and the leading 
statesmen of the country4  ,when the    
numerous ,greek sailors who had served  
under the orders of ,hastings heard of  
his death1 many of them happened to be  
at ,egina4 ,they immediately collected a
 sum of money among themselves1 and     
engaged the clergy at ,egina to         
celebrate the funeral service in the    
principal church1 with all the pomp and 
ceremony possible in those troubled     
times4 ,never probably was a braver man 
more sincerely mourned by a veteran band
 of strangers1 who1 in a foreign land1  
grieved more deeply for his untimely    
loss4  ,it may appear surprising to many
 of our readers that we should give to  

the name of ,hastings so very prominent 
a position in the history of the latter 
days of the ,greek ,revolution1 when    
that name is comparatively unknown at   
home4 ,to make this apparent1 we shall  
endeavour to explain the manner in which
 the ,greeks carried on their warfare   
with the ,turks2 and it will then appear
 that ,european officers were not       
generally likely to form either a       
correct or a favourable opinion of the  
military affairs of the country4 ,it is 
not1 therefore1 surprising that false   
ideas of the state of ,greece have      
prevailed1 or indeed that they still    
continue to prevail1 even among the     
foreigners long resident in the new     
,greek kingdom4 ,the military operations
 of the ,greeks1 both at sea and on     
shore1 were remarkable1 not only for a  
total want of all scientific knowledge1 
but also for the absence of every shadow
 of discipline1 and the first elements  
of order and subordination4 ,the troops 
consisted of a number of separate corps1

 each under its own captain1 who        
regulated the movements1 and provided   
for the supply of his men1 from day to  
day4 ,every soldier joined his standard1
 and left it1 when he thought fit1      
unless when it happened that he had     
received some pay in advance2 in which  
case1 he was bound in honour to remain  
in the camp for the term he was engaged4
 ,with such an army1 any systematic plan
 of campaign1 and all strategetical     
combinations1 were clearly impossible2  
and when they have been attempted by the
 different ,european officers who have  
commanded the ,greeks1 they have        
invariably ended in the most complete   
defeats the ,greeks have ever sustained4
 ,so entirely were the operations of the
 war an affair of chance1 that the      
mountain skirmishes1 in which the ,greek
 troops excelled1 were usually brought  
on by accident4  ,in such an army1 it is
 evident that the services of many an   
able officer would be useless4 ,a ,greek
 general could only acquire and maintain

 a due influence over his troops by     
taking a rifle in his hand1 and bounding
 over the rocks in advance of his       
soldiers4 ,the best general1 therefore1 
in the estimation of the soldiers1 was  
the officer who could run fastest1 see  
furthest1 and fire with truest aim from 
behind the smallest possible projection 
of a rock4 ,in cases where it became    
absolutely necessary to enforce         
obedience to an order1 the captain      
required to be both able and willing to 
knock down the first man who dared to   
show any signs of dissatisfaction with  
the butt of his pistol4 ,many excellent 
,european generals were not competent to
 emulate the fame to be gained in such a
 service4  ,matters were very little    
better in the fleet4 ,the sailors were  
always paid in advance1 or they refused 
to embark2 if on a cruise1 when the term
 for which they had been paid expired1  
they always returned home1 unless       
prevented by an additional payment4     
,while at sea1 they frequently held     

councils to discuss the movements of    
their ships1 and repeatedly compelled   
their captains to alter the plans       
adopted by the admiral2 and sometimes   
they have been known to carry their     
ships home in defiance of their         
officers4 ,even the brilliant exploits  
of the fire-ships which destroyed the   
,turkish three-deckers1 were entirely   
performed by volunteers1 and are rather 
due to the daring courage of ,kanaris1  
and a few other individuals1 than to the
 naval skill of the ,greek fleet4 ,in   
the latter years of the war1 when the   
,turks and ,egyptians had1 by the       
exertions of ,sultan ,mahmoud and       
,mohammed ,ali1 made some small progress
 in naval affairs1 the fire-ships of the
 ,greeks failed to produce any important
 results4  ,captain ,hastings1 observing
 the total difference between ,greek and
 ,european warfare1 avoided the error   
into which foreigners generally fell1 of
 allowing their authority to be mixed up
 with that of others1 over whose actions

 they could not exercise any efficient  
control4 ,instead of seeking a command1 
the imposing title of which might       
flatter his vanity1 and impose on the   
rest of ,europe1 ,hastings steadily     
refused to accept any rank1 or place    
himself in any command1 where he would  
have been unable to enforce obedience to
 his orders4 ,by this means1 and by the 
sacrifice of very large sums of money   
from his private fortune1 in paying not 
only the men1 but even all the officers 
who bore commissions on board the       
,karteria1 he was enabled to maintain   
some order and discipline in that       
vessel4 ,though he was at the head of   
the smallest detached force commanded by
 a foreigner in ,greece1 there can be no
 doubt that1 of all the foreigners who  
have visited ,greece1 he rendered the   
greatest service to the cause of her    
independence4 ,at the same time1 it is  
not wonderful that all other foreigners 
have felt but little inclined to give   
the due meed of praise to a line of     

conduct which they have never had       
strength of mind to imitate4  ,it may be
 observed here1 that the naval          
operations of ,captain ,hastings possess
 considerable interest in connexion with
 the modern history of maritime warfare 
in ,europe4 ,the ,karteria was the first
 steam-vessel armed with long           
sixty-eight pounders2 she was the first 
vessel from which eight-inch shells and 
hot shot were used as ordinary          
projectiles4 ,and this great change in  
the employment of destructive elements  
of warfare was introduced by ,captain   
,hastings among a people where he had to
 teach the first principles of military 
discipline4 ,yet he overcame every      
difficulty2 and with very little        
assistance1 either from the ,greek      
government1 or the officers who were his
 superiors in the ,greek navy1 he       
succeeded in giving all the naval powers
 of ,europe a valuable practical lesson 
in marine artillery4 ,great ,britain is 
especially called upon to acknowledge   

her obligations to ,captain ,hastings4  
,she has imitated the armament of the   
,greek steam-frigate ,karteria in       
several vessels2 and though the         
admiralty have doubtless added many     
improvements in our ships1 we are only  
the more explicitly bound to recognise  
the debt of gratitude we owe4 ,by       
rendering naval warfare not only more   
destructive1 but at the same time making
 it more dependent on a combination of  
good gunnery and mechanical knowledge   
with profound naval skill1 he has       
increased the naval power of ,great     
,britain1 where all these qualities are 
cultivated in the highest degree4 ,at   
the same time1 the civilized world is   
indebted to him for rendering battles so
 terrible as to be henceforth less      
frequent2 and for putting an end to     
naval warfare as a means of amusing     
kings1 and gratifying the ambition of   
princely admirals1 or vain-glorious     
states4  ,in concluding this sketch of  
the biography of ,hastings1 we regret   

that we have to record the death of     
,colonel ,hane of the ,greek army1 so   
long his companion during the war1 and  
who is so often and so honourably       
mentioned in his despatches as ,captain 
,hane of the artillery4 ,his death is   
another blot on ,greece1 and on what is 
called the ,english party in ,greece1 by
 whom he was treated with the greatest  
neglect4 ,colonel ,hane was removed from
 active employment in #ahdb1 when ,king 
,otho placed many ,philhellenes and     
,greeks on a trifling pittance of       
half-pay1 in order to retain a number of
 ,bavarian officers in his service1 who 
were richly endowed with                
staff-appointments4 ,as a ,philhellene1 
a constitutionalist1 and an ,englishman1
 it was natural that ,colonel ,hane     
should be treated with the utmost       
severity by the court and the ,bavarian 
administration4  ,the adoption of the   
constitution on the #aeth ,september    
7#c;d ,o4,s47 #ahdc1 caused all the     
,bavarians to be dismissed from the     

,greek service2 but there were so many  
,greeks more eager in their             
solicitations for appointments than     
,colonel ,hane1 and ministers are always
 so much more ready to listen to the    
claims of their party than their        
country1 that the title of a stranger to
 the gratitude of ,greece was easily    
forgotten4 ,when ,mr ,alexander         
,maurocordatos1 however1 became         
prime-minister1 his subserviency to     
,english diplomacy was supposed by many 
to indicate a feeling of attachment to  
,english views1 and an esteem for the   
,english character4 ,under this         
impression1 ,mr ,bracebridge1 ,dr ,howe1
 and ,mr ,george ,finlay1 solicited ,sir
 ,edmund ,lyons to exert his influence  
to prevent an ,englishman1 who1 for     
twenty-three years1 had served ,greece  
with courage and fidelity1 from dying of
 absolute want4 ,mr ,maurocordatos gave 
,sir ,edmund ,lyons some promises1 but  
those promises were never fulfilled2 and
 ,colonel ,hane died of a broken heart  

at ,athens1 on the #ahth of ,september  
#ahdd1 leaving a young wife and three   
children in the most destitute          
condition4  ,it was well known to every 
body in ,athens1 from ,king ,otho to the
 youngest soldiers in the army1 that    
,colonel ,hane had for some time        
suffered the severest privations of     
poverty1 which he had vainly endeavoured
 to conceal4 ,that his last hours were  
soothed by the possession of the        
necessaries of life1 was owing to the   
delicacy with which ,dr ,howe and ,mr   
,bracebridge contrived to make the      
assistance they supplied as soothing to 
his mind1 as it was indispensable for   
the comfort of his declining health4    
,frank ,abney ,hastings1 the hero who   
commanded the ,karteria1 and ,john      
,hane1 the gallant officer who fought by
 his side1 now rest in peace4 ,two      
volunteers1 their friends and companions
 in many a checkered scene of life1     
still survive to cherish the memory of  
the days spent together on board the    

,karteria4 ,one has acquired a          
wide-extended reputation in ,america and
 ,europe1 by the intelligence1 activity1
 and we may truly say genius1 with which
 he has laboured to alleviate the       
sufferings of humanity4 ,but for an     
account of ,dr ,howe's exertions to     
extend the blessings of education to the
 blind1 the deaf1 and the dumb1 we must 
refer to ,dickens' ,american ,notes4    
,the other still watches the slow       
progress of the ,greeks towards that    
free and independent condition of which 
these friends of their cause once       
fancied they beheld the approaching     
dawn4 ,we may1 therefore1 allow the     
names of ,hastings1 ,hane1 ,howe1 and   
,finlay1 to stand united on our page--  
,as in this glorious and well foughten  
field     ,they stood together in their 
chivalry4    ,edinburgh3 ,printed by    
,ballantyne and ,hughes1 ,paul's ,work4 
,footnotes3  #a ,an offspring created   
without a mother4  #b ,there is no one  
now thinks of reading ,montesquieu1 said

 the ,marquis of ,mirabeau1 author of   
,l',ami des ,hommes1 and a distinguished
 economist1 to the ,king of ,sweden1 in 
#aggb1 at ,paris4--,see ,biog4 ,univ4   
xxix4 #hi4  #c ,this is still the case  
in some parts of ,england1 according to 
the custom called ,borough-,english1    
,blackstone1 ii4 #ic4 ,duhalde mentions 
that a similar rule of descent prevails 
among some of the ,tartar tribes whom he
 visited on the frontiers of ,china3 a  
curious indication of the justice of    
,montesquieu's speculation as to its    
origin4  #d ,we were once told by ,mr   
,west1 the president1 that the reading  
of ,richardson1 7to use his own words17 
lighted up a fire in his breast that had
 never been extinguished2 and that he   
had in consequence1 and contrary to the 
wishes of his friends and relatives1 who
 were ,quakers at ,philadelphia1        
resolved to become a painter4 ,by a very
 curious circumstance1 this identical   
volume is now in our possession1 the    
legacy of the very man1 whose history is

 worth relating1 who lent it to ,mr     
,west when a boy4  #e ,fuseli objects   
that the principal figures and chief    
action in the ,raising of ,lazarus1 by  
,sebastian del ,piombo1 are crowded into
 a corner4 ,he would have had them      
pyramid2 so does received quackery      
overpower the judgment of men of sense1 
and acute reasoning4  #f ,,chant4       
,the ,theatines' commandments ten       
,have less to do with saints than men4  
,chorus4--,tra lara1 tra lara4          
#a--,of money make sure4 ,tra lara1 c4  
#b--;,entrap rich and poor4             
#c--;,always get a good dinner4         
#d--;,in all bargains be winner4        
#e--;,cool your red wine with white4    
#f--,turn day into night4     #g--;,give
 the bailiff the slip4     #h--,make the
 world fill your scrip4     #i--,make   
your convert a slave4     #aj--,to your 
king play the knave4                    
,chorus4--,those ten commandments make  
but two--          ,all things for me1  
and none for you4                       

,tra lara1 tra lara4  #g      ,breeders 
of all foreign wars1     ,breeders of   
all household jars1     ,snugly 'scaping
 all the scars4      ,worshipp'd1 like  
the saints they make2     ,tyrants1     
forcing fools to quake2     ,grasping   
all we brew or bake4      ,all our souls
 and bodies ruling1     ,all our        
passions hotly schooling1     ,all our  
wit and wisdom fooling4      ,lords of  
all our goods and chattels1             
,firebrands of our bigot battles4       
,when you see them1 spring your rattles4
      ,shun them1 as you'd shun the     
,pest2     ,shun them1 teacher1 friend1 
and guest2     ,shun them1 north1 south1
 east1 and west4      ,france1 her true 
disease has hit2     ,france has made   
the vagrants flit2     ,france has      
swamp'd the ,jesuit4  #h ,the ,discovery
 of the ,science of ,languages4 ,by     
,,morgan ,,kavanagh4 ,london3 ,longman1 
,brown1 ,green1 and ,longmans4 #ahdd4   
#i ,the poets are a little at variance1 
and do not all celebrate the same       

wine--7as some of us like ,port1 and    
some ,madeira7--some1 doubtless1 dealt  
with better wine-merchants than others4 
,poets have the privilege of celebrating
 plain women1 and wine that nobody else 
can drink4 ,redi talks of ,monte        
,fiascone and ,monte ,pulciano--both    
raisin wines to ,english or ,french     
stomachs4 ,florence had no fame in those
 days1 and now makes by far the best    
wine in ,italy--give us good ,chianti1  
and none of your ,aleatico or ,vino     
,santo4 ,at ,rome1 there is not a flask 
of any thing fit to drink2 and we       
recollect when bad ,spanish wine was    
brought up the ,tiber to meet the       
deficiency4 ,orvieto is far from        
wholesome2 yet1 in ,juvenal's time1     
,albano furnished a wine of superlative 
quality4      ,albani veteris pretiosa  
senectus2  the same passage denouncing  
,falernian by the epithet of acris--a   
wine1 he says1 to make faces at4 ,again1
 ,cuma and ,gaurus--the privilege of    
drinking those wines was for the rich   

only--are now the common drink of the   
peasants who cultivate them4      ,te   
,trifolinus ager fecundis vitibus       
implet1     ,suspectumque jugum ,cumis1 
et ,gaurus inanis4  ,the vinum ,setinum1
 wine fit for patriots to drink on the  
birthdays of ,brutus and ,cassius1 was  
never heard of by a subject of the      
,pope1 nor would be worth above a paul a
 flask4 ,but the day is far off when    
,italy will quaff a generous goblet on  
any such solemnity1 or pour out a cup   
,quale coronati ,thrasca1 ,helvidiusque 
bibebant1     ,brut rum et ,cass        
natablibus4  #aj ,during the dissensions
 of the ,regency and the corps          
diplomatique1 old ,kolocotroni1 who was 
then confined in the fortress above the 
town of ,nauplia1 once remarked--,these 
,franks abuse us for quarrelling1       
but--and here he threw out his right    
hand with the fingers wide apart towards
 the town of ,nauplia below him1        
exclaiming1 ,greek3 na1 with true ,greek
 energy--they worry one another like    

dogs--to unshame us4 ,greek3 ,trgountai 
san schulia dia na mas exentropiasan4   
#aa ,published by ,,ridgway4 #ahbh4  #ab
 ,in a description of the engagement1   
forwarded by the ,austrian consul at    
,patras to the consul-general in the    
,ionian islands1 which was captured by  
the ,greeks1 the following is the       
account given by the ,austrians3--,il   
commandante della flottiglia ,ottomana  
con terzo del ,vapore and per aria1     
avendogli questo gettato una granata in 
,santa ,barbara4   ,transcriber's ,note3
   ,the original text included ,greek   
characters4 ,for this text version these
     letters have been replaced with    
transliterations set off by ,greek3     
tags4    ,misprints corrected3          
,lairisse corrected to ,lairesse 7page  
#dbi7     sb ject corrected to subject  
7page #dfd7     unnecessary leading ac- 
removed 7page #dff7     head to heard   
7page #dhj7     ruler corrected to rule 
7page #dig7    ,additional spacing after
 some of the poetry and block quotes is 

intentional to indicate both the end of 
a quotation and the beginning   of a new
 paragraph as is in the original text4