Page images
PDF
EPUB

was 'an unequalled conversationist.' The theme, it will be observed, is an appropriate one, the theory of dreams: 'To an unidead reading public,' says he, 'the fact may appear incredible; but minds of imaginative temperament are ever most active during the intervals of repose, as my late poem, entitled 'The Pains of Sleep,' will sufficiently attest. Dreams in fact are to be estimated solely in proportion to their wildness; and hence a friend of mine, who is a most magnificent dreamer, imagined but the other night that he invited a flock of sheep to a musical party. Such a flocci, nauci, nihili absurdity will, I am afraid, puzzle even our transcendental philosophers to explain; although KANT, in his treatise on the Phænomena of Dreams, is of opinion that the lens or focus of intestinal light, ascending the esophagus at right angles, a juxtaposition of properties takes place, so that the nucleus of the diaphragm, reflecting on the cerebellum the prismatic visions of the pilorus, is made to produce that marvellous operation of mind upon matter, better known by the name of dreaming.' To such simple and satisfactory reasoning, what answer could be made!

DAVIS'S TRAVELS. 'There is a man in our town,' GIL. DAVIS is he hight, whose cognomen and presence are the sure synonymes of agreeable cheer and entertaining gossip, wherever encountered. Now this pleasant purveyor of good things for the palate and the fancy, is but recently, as it were, from his travels in foreign parts; where, being an acute observer and a graphic describer, he did well to keep a copious diary of all that was curious and interesting to an American; and he has done still better, as our readers shall testify hereafter, by placing his amusing Ms. in our hands, for the occasional entertainment of the public. As the summer solstice is upon us, a draught of HOCK WINE, or rather a draft upon our traveller's description of the varieties of this fluid, will not be deemed untimely :

All the fine Hock estates are included within a space of some thirty miles, on the left bank, ascending the Rhine, called the Rhinegan, which commences some fifteen miles above Coblentz, and ends about the same distance below Mayence. The Rhine, from Mayence to Coblentz, runs nearly a north-northwest course, making the left side of the river almost north; thus giving a five sunny exposure to the vineyards. The shores are mountainous, and the mountains are nearly all cultivated to their very summits, by means of walls and terraces. Schloss Johannisberg,' the property of Prince METTERNICH, and Steinberg,' the property of the Duke of Nassau, produce the most costly of all the Rhine wines. One cask ofSteinberger Cabinet' was not long since sold to a Prince of Hesse, for six hundred florins; equal to six dollars per bottle, or twenty-eight dollars the gallon! The next in order and value, are Rudisheim-berg' and Marcobrunner;'Rothenberg,' and 'Hockheimer,' next; then Erbach,' Hattenheim,' Laubenheim,' and Niersteim,' and many other small estates, such as 'Leib-frau-mitch,' which may be translated 'Lovely Woman's Milk.' This is not in the Rhinegan, but just outside the walls of Worms; and the old church of Leibfran stands in the centre of the vineyard. A capital red hock is made below Bingen, called Assmanshausen,' which stands high in favor with many German drinkers. It is said to have been ordered from Burgundy by CHARLEMAGNE, as well as the white grape from Orleans. The vintage formerly was collected in October, but recently they permit the grape to remain upon the vine until November, when it becomes perfectly, or over-ripe; and so particular are the owners of some of the estates, that all the best and most delicious branches are carefully selected in baskets, and placed in tubs, or small vats, where they remain until the grape bursts open, and the juice runs out of itself. They will not suffer it to be pressed, for fear of forcing some of the bitter from the seeds or skin of the grape. Hock wines are different from all other kinds: they require much care and attention, for they will effervesce, or work,' from ten to twelve times during five or six years; which is the period required for hock wines before they become perfectly clear, and in good condition for bottling. Formerly it was not fashionable to drink hock of less age than twenty up to three hundred years. This folly has beea wisely exploded; and hock is now justly cousidered as never better than when from seven to nine years old. I obtained last summer, from the Duke of Nassau, sixty bottles, which were put up by order of the great-grandfather of the late duke, in 1706. It is very dry, however, so much so, indeed, that uone but a real Blue-nose' will even sip it. The acid of hock, however, is not a vinegar but a tartaric acid... . Some of the Moselle wines are truly delightful. Their aroma will perfume the whole room where a bottle is opened. But few of the various orders, or estates, however, possess this delicious flavor. No wines are more wholesome than hock aud claret in small quantities.'

Mr. Davis possesses abundant proofs of the correctness of these vinous descriptions; and stands ready at all times to submit them to public scrutiny, 'for a con sideration.'

[blocks in formation]

'MASTER HUMPHREY'S CLOCK.'-Messrs. LEA AND BLANCHARD, Philadelphia, have issued two numbers of this new work of Mr. DICKENS; and it is apparent already, that a field of entertainment is opened by this charming writer, which for variety and interest has scarcely been excelled by any of his former productions. Master Humphrey' from his clock-side in the chimney-corner, narrating his own experiences; the tales and sketches from the clock-case; and the 'correspondence' of diverse specimens of humanity; all evince, that our author's plans have been well chosen, and that he will carry them out triumphantly; now melting the heart with irresistible pathos; now revelling in the richest humor; and anon dissolving pompous gentlemen with successful ridicule, and cutting up, with trenchant satire, the vices and follies of the time. As a specimen of the style, we select the annexed opening confession by Master Humphrey, that he is 'a misshapen, deformed, old man.' But he adds:

'I have never been made a misanthrope by this cause. I have never been stung by any insult, nor wounded by any jest upon my crooked figure. As a child I was melancholy and timid, but that was because the gentle consideration paid to my misfortunes suuk deep into my spirit, and made me sad, even in those early days. I was but a very young creature when my poor mother died, and yet I remember that often when I hung around her neck, and oftener still when I played about the room before her, she would catch me to her bosom, and bursting into tears, soothe me with every term of fondness and affection. God knows I was a happy child at those times-happy to pestle in her breast happy to weep when she did happy in not knowing why.

-

These occasions are so strongly impressed upon my memory, that they seem to have occupied whole years. I had numbered very few when they ceased for ever, but before then their meaning

had been revealed to me.

I do not know whether all children are imbued with a quick perception of childish grace and beauty, and a strong love for it, but I was. I had no thought, that I remember, either that I possessed it myself, or that I lacked it, but I admired it with an intensity I cannot describe. A little knot of playmates-they must have been beautiful, for I see them now were clustered one day round my mother's knee, in eager admiration of some picture representing a group of infant angels, which she held in her hand. Whose the picture was, whether it was familiar to me or otherwise, or how all the children came to be there, I forget; I have some dim thought it was my birth-day, but the beginning of my recollection is, that we were all together in a garden, and it was summer weather; I am sure of that, for one of the little girls had roses in her sash. There were many lovely angels in this picture, and I remember the fancy coming upon me to point out which of them represented each child there, and that when I had gone through all my companions, I stopped and hesitated, wondering which was most like me. I remember the children looking at each other, and my turning red and hot, and their crowding round to kiss me, saying that they loved me all the same; and then, when the old sorrow came into my dear mother's mild and tender look, the truth broke upon me for the first time, and I knew, while watching my awkward and ungainly sports, how keenly she had felt for her poor crippled boy.

I used frequently to dream of it afterward, and now my heart aches for that child as if I had never been he, when I think how often he awoke from some fairy change to his own old form, and sobbed himself to sleep again. . Well, well-all these sorrows are past.'

Very 'Boz'-like is the epistle of a Marquis-of-Waterford personage, 'unrivalled in point of gentlemanliness,' who desires admission to Master Humphrey's club, on the ground that he has 'seconded a great many prize-fighters, and once fought an amateur match himself; driven several mails, broken at different periods all the lamps on the right-hand side of Oxford-street, and six times carried away every bell-handle in Bloomsbury Square, beside turning off the gas in various thoroughfares.' But the incoherent letter of the love-lorn 'Belinda,' with her crushed affections and pecuniary remembrances in close juxtaposition, is worthy of STEELE. She had seen, in the picture which accompanied the letter of the above 'uncommonly gentlemanly fellow,' in the first number, the portrait of a faithless lover:

'Let me be calm. That portrait-smiling as once he smiled on me that cane, dangling as I have seen it dangle from his hand I know not how oft-those legs that have glided through my nightly dreams and never stopped to speak the perfectly gentlemanly, though false original; cau I be mistaken? oh, no no!

-

Let me be caliner yet; I would be calm as coffins. You have published a letter from one whose likeness is engraved, but whose name (and wherefore ?) is suppressed. Shall I breathe that name! Is it but why ask, when my heart tells me too truly that it is!

I would not upbraid him with his treachery, I would not remind him of these times when he plighted the most eloquent of vows, and procured from me a small pecuniary accommodation; and yet I would see him see him did I say-him- alas! such is woman's nature. For as the poet beautifully says but you will already have anticipated the sentiment. Is it not sweet? oh, yes! 'It was in this city, (hallowed by the recollection,) that I met him first, and assuredly if mortal happiness be recorded any where, then those rubbers, with their three-and-sixpenny points, are scored on tablets of celestial brass. He always held an honor-generally two. On that eventful

night we stood at eight. He raised his eyes (luminous in their seductive sweetness) to my agitated face. Can you?' said he, with peculiar meaning. I felt the gentle pressure of his foot on mine; our corns throbbed in unison. Can you?' he said again, and every lineament of his expressive countenance added the words 'resist me?' I murmured No,' and fainted.

[ocr errors]

They said when I recovered, it was the weather. I said it was the nutmeg in the negus. How little did they suspect the truth! How little did they guess the deep mysterious meaning of that inquiry! He called next morning on his knees; I do not mean to say that he actually came in that position to the house-door, but that he went down upon those joints directly the servant had retired. He brought some verses in his hat, which he said were original, but which I have since found were Milton's. Likewise a little bottle labelled laudanum; also a pistol and a sword-stick. He drew the latter, uncorked the former, and clicked the trigger of the pocket fire-arm. He had come, he said, to conquer or to die. He did not die. He wrested from me an avowal of my love, and let off the pistol out of a back window, previous to partaking of a slight repast.

'Faithless, inconstant man! How many ages seem to have elapsed since his unaccountable and perfidious disappearance! Could I still forgive him both that and the borrowed lucre that be promised to pay next week! Could I spurn him from my feet if he approached in penitence, and with a matrimonial object! Would the blandishing enchanter still weave his spells around me, or should I burst them all, and turn away in coldness! I dare not trust my weakness with the thought.

My brain is in a whirl again. You know his address, his occupations, his mode of life, are acquainted perhaps with his inmost thoughts. You are a humane and philanthropic character; reveal all you know-all; but especially the street and number of his lodgings.'

We commend to every reader Messrs. LEA AND BLANCHARD's edition of 'Master Humphrey's Clock,' as the earliest, best, and most correctly executed, and the only one that is accompanied by the original illustrations, which add greatly to the interest of the work.

THE GLORIOUS COMPANIONSHIP OF Books. How many unhappy wights there are in every community; rich men's sons, it may be, with their brains in their pockets; who are suffering the dyspeptic gnawings of ennui, without realizing the thousand sources at hand, from which they might draw enjoyment without weariness, and pleasure that knows no satiety! 'I have friends,' says a quaint old father, 'whose society is very delightful to me: they are persons of all countries and of all ages; distinguished in council, war, and in letters. Easy to live with, always at my command; they come at my call, and return when I desire them: they are never out of humor, and they answer all my questions with readiness. Some present in review before me the events of past ages; others reveal to me the secrets of nature; these teach me how to live, and those how to die; these dispel my melancholy by their mirth, and amuse me by their sallies of wit; and some there are, who prepare my soul to suffer every thing, to desire nothing, and to become thoroughly acquainted with itself. In a word, they open the door to all the arts and sciences. As a reward of such great services, they require only a little corner of my house, where they may be sheltered from the depredations of their enemies. In fine, I carry them with me into the fields, the silence of which suits them better than the business and tumult of cities.' Yes; books bring before us THE PAST, as if an human voice made itself audible through the mighty void of ages; communicating to the soul the sentiment of its own immortality, by showing that thought has outlived the ruins of empires. That place,' says FLETCHER:

That place that does contain

My books, the best companions, is to me

A glorious court, where hourly I converse

With the old sages and philosophers;

And sometimes, for variety, I confer

With kings and emperors, and weigh their counsels,
Calling their victories, if unjustly got,
Unto a strict account, and in my fancy,
Deface their ill-placed statues.'

Sir JOHN HERSCHEL felt the true delights of reading, when he wrote to his friend in London: 'If I were to pray for a taste which should stand me in stead under every variety of circumstances, and be a source of happiness and cheerfulness to me through life, and a shield against its ills, however things might go amiss, and the world frown against me, it would be a taste for reading.'

'RECOLLECTIONS OF GOOD OLD ELIAS HICKS.'-A communication thus entitled, was received too late for the present number. It shall have an early place, if the writer will allow us to suppress one or two passages, which, while they are not material to the completeness of the subject matter, might yet afford cause of offence. We have only one 'recollection' of Elias Hicks, but that is indelible. On a gloomy Sabbath afternoon in November, several years ago, he spoke in Friends' Meeting, in the City of Brotherly Love; and the 'spirit and love of God shed abroad in the heart' was the main theme of his discourse. It was practical, simple, affecting; and when he had concluded, and the words he had uttered were working out their purposes of good in the hearts of his numerous hearers, who were 'bathed in stillness,' he rose and delivered the following prayer: 'Gracious and adorable GoD, in the riches of thy mercy, deign to look down upon thy poor creature man. Be pleased, O Lord, to bless and sanctify this opportunity to all present, if consistent with thy holy will. Thou knowest, gracious God, that we of ourselves can do nothing. We are clothed in weakness. Thou knowest that the work is thine, and that the power is thine. Graciously condescend to strengthen us, and quicken us to come unto thee; to draw near unto thee, and cast down our crowns at thy footstool. Strengthen the weak and disconsolate soul; lift up the head that is ready to hang down, and confirm the feeble knee. Help us more and more to draw together; to turn unto Thee with thanksgiving and glory, who remains to be God over all, blessed for ever and evermore.' There was a dignity in the aspect of ELIAS HICKS, not unlike that of WASHINGTON, whom, in one or two important features, he closely resembled. Erect he stood, as a statue, whith his thin, soft white hair, noble forehead, and face of calm benevolence; seeming not so much to speak, as to be spoken from.' He was very aged. It was evident that 'life, like a spent steed, was panting toward the goal;' and this circumstance greatly enhanced the irresistible pathos of the patriarch's matter and manner, which can never be forgotten by any who were present. As we walked forth from that noiseless assembly, and took our homeward way, we called to mind, and feelingly echoed, ELIA's exclamation: 'Oh, when the spirit is sore fretted, even tired to sickness, of the janglings and nonsense-noises of the world, what a balm and a solace it is, to go and seat yourself for a quiet half hour, upon some undisputed corner of a bench, among the gentle Quakers! It is now Friends' Yearly Meeting in this city; 'troops of the shining ones' whiten the easterly streets of the metropolis; and 'the world's people' have an opportunity to test, as we have tested, the faithfulness of LAMB's sketch, and the daily beauty of the walk and conversation of 'the gentle Quakers.'

[ocr errors]

JUDGE LAW'S ADDRESS. -Our cordial thanks are due to Judge Law, for a copy of his excellent 'Address, delivered before the Vincennes Historical and Antiquarian Society,' in February last. It describes the early settlement, the rise and progress, of Vincennes; a nucleus from which have arisen three great States, embracing a population five times as large as that of the parent State Virginia, at the treaty of peace, in '83;' and is replete with interesting facts, many of which are entirely new. Such, especially, are the spirited records from a manuscript journal of the memorable campaign in which Col. GEORGE R. CLARK captured Vincennes from Governor HAMILTON. The incidents connected with this successful exploit, and which we remember to have once heard narrated by a near relative, have scarcely their parallel for impudence, and determined bravery. Hemmed in on one side by ice and water; with a fortified post bristling with artillery in front; with but one hundred and seventy American and Creole soldiers, half famished and indifferently armed, Colonel CLARK, acting the victor instead of the vanquished, sent to the British commander of a well supplied and strongly-fortified post, the following laconic letter. Previously, however, it should be premised, he had addressed a communication to the inhabitants of Post-Vincennes, informing them 'of his determi

nation to take their fort the ensuing night; but being unwilling to surprise them, he warned them to remain still in their houses, under penalty of 'severe punishment :'

'SIR: In order to save yourself from the impending storm that now threatens you, I order you immediately to surrender yourself, with all your garrison, stores, etc., etc. For if I am obliged to storm, you may depend on such treatment as is justly due to a murderer. Beware of destroying stores of any kind, or any papers or letters that are in your possession, or hurting one house in town. For by Heavens, if you do, there shall be no mercy shown you!

"To Gov. HAMILTON.'

'G. R. CLARK.'

Well may Judge Law doubt whether, since the days of the Swedish Charles XII., such a cartel, under such circumstances, was ever sent to an antagonist. It breathes the very spirit of that gallant counterpart, who said to his soldiers, 'If I advance, follow me; if I fall, avenge me; if I flinch, kill me!' The result was, that after a little wordy blustering, Gov. HAMILTON surrendered himself and garrison prisoners at discretion; and in less than eighteen hours, the British troops marched out, and the Americans entered the fort; and in place of the cross of Saint George, the stars and stripes waved above the ramparts.

THE LATE REV. JOHN OWEN COLTON.-The recent death of the late Rev. JOHN OWEN COLTON, pastor of the Chapel-street Church, New-Haven, at the early age of thirty years, has been announced in the public journals. The deceased was a near relative of the editor of this Magazine, to which his pen has sometimes successfully contributed. A brief tribute to the memory of a christian, a scholar, and a kinsman, will be pardoned, it is believed, by the general reader. Mr. COLTON entered Yale College at the early age of eighteen, and in 1832 graduated with the highest honors of his class. In 1834, he became a member of the Yale Theological Seminary, and was licensed to preach in the following June. After supplying, at intervals, the pulpits of the North and Centre churches, of New-Haven, he was ordained pastor over the Chapel-street Church, and ministered to that congregation, with brief intermission, until his death. The funeral honors which were paid to his memory by his large congregation, his brother clergymen of the city and surrounding country, and by the faculty of Yale College, sufficiently attest the high estimation in which he was held by all who knew him. For scrupulous integrity, high aims, and comprehensive plans; for decision of character, unyielding perseverance, and energy of purpose and action, we have never known Mr. COLTON's superior. He held deservedly the character of a thorough, refined, and elegant scholar, distinguished alike in every branch of college study. He was a true friend, an affectionate son, and the kindest of brothers, as many fraternal hearts will bear witness. As a preacher, he is represented to have been 'comprehensive, consistent, and thorough in his views of divine truth, and in the exhibition of it, clear, definite, and practical, pointed and pungent.'. But he has gone! From the high duties of a christian teacher; from wide spreading interests, projects, hopes, dear affections, DEATH, the pale messenger, has beckoned him silently away! Yet for him it was better to depart. Having fulfilled his appointed lot, he has gone to reap the rewards of a well-spent life.

master.

.

THE DAGUERREOTYPE: PERISCOPIC LENS.-This beautiful instrument, destined, ultimately, we believe, to be the companion of every man of taste, particularly in his travels, is manufactured in its perfection in this city by J. G. WOLF, Number 40 Chatham-street. Mr. WOLF is the pupil of the celebrated German optician, FRAUNHAFER, and possesses, as we learn, all the skill and science of his He has recently made improvements in the Daguerreotype, by means of which accurate miniature-likenesses of living subjects may be taken, which has not been so successfully accomplished before. We had the pleasure to see, a few days since, some beautiful specimens of photogenic engraving, from the life, by this wonderful instrument. Mr. WOLF has also introduced into this country the meniscus or periscopic lens, of the new-moon shape, for remedying the defect of vision in near-sighted persons. A friend of ours, who uses this form of glass, has expressed to us his great satisfaction with it, and his decided preference of it over every other kind. Being constructed in perfect harmony with the acknowledged laws of optics, it gives natural ease to the eye, and enables those whose vision is the most defective, to enjoy the most perfect sight, without perceiving any constraint or confusion in directing the line of vision through any part of the lens.

« PreviousContinue »