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No. 103.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 9, 1819.

REVIEW OF NEW BOOKS.

Letters from the Hon. Horace Walpole to the Rev. William Cole and others, from 1745 to 1782. Now first published from the Originals. London 1818. 4to. pp. 259.

The great success which attended the recent publication of Horace Walpole's Letters to Mr. Montagu, (of which we serted a review in no fewer than four Nambers of our volume for 1818) has, We imagine, led to this second publication of the same kind and of similar rit. The lively and Montaigne-ish character of the writer; his intercourse

literature of the day his pene table vanity in disclaiming value in 4 Amself, and undervaluing others; his acuteness of remark and frequent seve*rity of opinion; his anecdote, and even his gossiping, form entirely so agreeable melange, that few books offer more entertainment than his correspondence. From the praise of being eminently

ence to order and nice connexion, and
only influenced by our greater relish for
such as speak of literary men and
matters.

In January 1769, Mr. Walpole writes -
I have been eagerly reading Mr. Shen-
stone's Letters, which, tho' containing no-
thing but trifles, amused me extremely, as
they mention so many persons I know;
particularly myself. I found there, what i
did not know, and what, I believe, Mr.
Gray himself never knew, that his ode on
my cat was written to ridicule Lord Little-
ton's monody. It is just as true as that the
latter will survive, and the former be for-
gotten. There is another anecdote equally
vulgar, and void of truth: that my father,
Mr. Shenstone thought, that, after he quit-
ted his place, he to coffee-houses to
sitting in George's coffee-house (I suppose
learn news,) was asked to contribute to a
figure of himself that was to be beheaded
by the mob. I do remember something
like it, but it happened to myself. I met
a mob, just after my father was out, in

know

Hanover-square, and drove up to it, to
what was the matter. They were carrying
about a figure of my sister. This probably
gave rise to the other story. That on my
uncle I never heard; but it is a good story,
and not at all improbable. I felt great pity,
on reading these Letters, for the narrow cir-
cumstances of the author, and the passion

to

50, we must except the early pages of the present volume, which are not so amusing as the rest, though very far from being devoid of interest. The author is so well known, that we shall not deem it necessary to prolong our I preface, further than to state that the MS. originals of the letters are in the British Museum, and that Mr. Cole, icar of Burnham, Buckinghamshire, was a distinguished antiquarian, who akorded much liberal and important assistance to his contemporaries, though he never published any thing himself. He died Dec. 16th, 1782, aged 68, and within six weeks of the date of Mr. Walole's last letter, so that their friendship "Ritinued to the end; which was not Che case with Mr. Montagu, who ceased years before his death to have any mmunication with his once dearest end. We may also premise, that ay of these letters treat of the Chat- them they cannot possibly see the house,

Lerton controversy, and of the author's fence of himself from the charge of

for fame that he was tormented with;
yet he had much more fame than his talents
intitled him too. Poor man! he wanted
have all the world talk of him for the pretty
place he had made; and which he seems to
have made only that it might be talked of.
The first time a company came to see my
house, I felt his joy. I am now so tired of
it, that I shudder when the bell rings at the
gate. It is as bad as keeping an inn, and I am
often tempted to deny its being shewn, if it
would not be ill-natured to those that come,
and to my housekeeper. I own, I was one
day too cross. I had been plagued all the
week with staring crowds. At last it rained
a deluge. Well, said I, at last, nobody
will come to-day. The words were scarce
uttered, when the bell rang. A company
desired to see the house. I replied, Tell

but they are very welcome to walk in the
garden.

being harsh to that unfortunate im-
Three years later in date-
postor; and of his disputes with and I have got to-day, and am reading with
intempt of the Antiquarian Society,
iam both of which subjects, as they do not know the author, but he is of Ox-
would lead us into too much disquisi-

entertainment, two vols. in 8vo. the Lives

PRICE 8d.

Locke: a very odd conjunction!-It says that Arts were brought from the East by Peter Gower. As I am not sure you will find an account of this singular person in all your collections, be it known to you, that Peter Gower was commonly called Pythagoras. I remember our newspapers insisting, that Thomas Kouli Khan was an Irishman, and that his true name was Thomas Callaghan.

On reading over my letter, I find I am no sceptic, having affirmed no less than four times, that I am sure. Though this is extremely awkward, I am sure I will not write my letter over again; so pray excuse or burn my tautology.

We rejoice to say that the reproach in the following paragraph (Aug. 1772) mirable repairs of York Cathedral is entirely dorre away, by the ad

I have seen Lincoln and York; and, to say the truth, prefer the former in some respects. In truth I was scandalized in the latter. William of Hatfield's tomb and

figure is thrown aside into a hole; and yet the chapter possess an estate that his mother gave them. I have charged Mr. Mason with my anathema, unless they do justice. I saw Roche Abbey too, which is hid in such a venerable chasm, that you might lie concealed there even from a squire parson of the parish. Lord Scarborough, to whom it belongs, and who lives at next

door, neglects as much as if he was afraid of ghosts. I believe Montesino's cave lay in just such a solemn thicket, which is now so over-grown, that when one finds the spot, one can scarce find the ruins.

I forgot to tell you, that in the screen of York Minster there are most curious statues of the kings of England, from the Conqueror to Henry 6th, very singular, evidently by two different hands, the one better than the other, and most of them, I

am persuaded, very authentic. Richard 2d, Henry 3d, and Henry 5th, I am sure are; and Henry 4th, though unlike the common portrait at Hampton-court in Herefordshire, the most singular and villa

and villanous countenance

I ever saw. I intend to try to get them well engraved. That old fool James Ist is crowded in, in the place of Henry 6th, that was taken away to make room for this piece of flattery. For the chapter did

not slight live princes.

Though the author afterwards gets a little more reconciled to Mr. Gough, and even lends him pictures for his work on

British Antiquities repossessions Leland, Hearne, Antony Wood. I he seems never to against him, thus painted in 1773

ford. I think you should add that of your

Mr. Gough wants to be introduced to

tam, we shall abstain in our extracts. friend Brown Willis. There is a queer These extracts will therefore appear piece on Free-masonry in one of the voalmost a selection of the most piquant lumes, said to be written, on very slender me! Indeed! I would see him as he has Passages and anecdotes, without refer- authority, by Henry 6th, with notes by Mr. ❘ been midwife to Masters; but he is so dull, VOL. III.

Ibla)

an author. He set out with Ornithology, | (who happened to be the possesso
and a little Natural History, and picks up
his knowledge as he rides. I have a still
lower idea of Mr. Gough: for Mr. Pen-
nant, at least, is very civil: the other is a
hog. Mr. Fenn, another smatterer in an-
tiquity, but a very good sort of man, told
me, Mr. Gough desired to be introduced to

that he would only be troublesome-and
besides you know I shun authors, and would
never have been one myself, if it obliged
me to keep such bad company. They are
always in earnest, and think their profession
serious, and dwell upon trifles and reverence
learning. I laugh at all those things, and
write only to laugh at them, and divert my-
self. None of us are authors of any conse-me-but as he has been such a bear to you,

quence; and it is the most ridiculous of all
vanities to be vain of being mediocre. A
page in a great author humbles me to the
dust, and the conversation of those that are
not superiorto myself, reminds me of what
will be thought of myself. I blush to flat-
ter them, or to be flattered by them, and
should dread letters being published some
time or other, in which they should relate
our interviews, and we should appear like
those puny conceited witlings in Shenstone's
and Hugh's Correspondence, who give
themselves airs from being in possession of
the soil of Parnassus for the time being; as
peers are proud, because they enjoy the
estates of great men who went before them.
Mr. Gough is very welcome to see Straw-
berry-hill; or I would help him to any
scraps in n posses possession, that would assist
his publications; tho though he is of those
industrious, who are only reburying the

dead-but I cannot be acquainted with him. It is contrary to my system, and my humour; and, besides, I know nothing of barrows, and Danish entrenchments, and Saxon barbarisms, and Phoenician characters-in short, I know nothing of those ages that knew nothing-then how should I be of use to modern literati? All the Scotch metaphysicians have sent me their works. I did not read one of them, because I do not understand, what is not understood by those that write about it; and I did not get acquainted with one of the writers. I should like to be intimate with Mr. Anstey, even though he wrote Lord Buckhorse, or with the author of the Heroic Epistle--I have no thirst to know the rest of my cotemporaries, from the absurd bombast of Dr. Johnson down to the silly Dr. Goldsmith; though

the latter changeling has had brigit gleams

of parts, former had sense,

changed it for words, and sold it fora pent that I have seen Pope, and lived with Gray,

sion. Don't think me scornful.

Adieu!

There is much truth in these remarks, with much to which we cannot subscribe. The next paragraph is curious in several

respects.

Mr. Pennant has given a new edition of his former Tour, with more cuts. Among others, is the vulgar head, called the countess of Desmond. I told him I had discovered, and proved past contradiction, that it is Rembrandt's mother. He owned it, and said, he would correct it by a notebut he has not. This is a brave way of being an antiquary! as if there could be any merit in giving for genuine, what knows to be spurious. He is, indeed, a superficial man, and knows little of history or antiquity: but he has a violent rage for being

one

he shall not come. The Society of Anti-
quaries put me in mind of what the old
Lord Pembroke said to Anstis, the herald:
"Thou silly fellow, thou dost not know thy
own silly business." If they went beyond
taste, by poking into barbarous ages, when
there was no taste, one could forgive them
-but they catch at the first ugly thing they
see, and take it for old, because it is new
to them, and then usher it pompously into
the world, as if they had made a discovery:
tho' they have not yet cleared up a single
point that is of the least importance, or
that tends to settle any obscure passage in
history.

(To be concluded in our next.)

He sprung upon him like a wild beas its utmost fury, and clung to him, a overpowering him, threw him upon head, and broke his neck. Silent was warrior's heart, for Antar had annihila him, and he took possession of his arm and his stud.

He next assailed the rear of the ba and slew twenty of them; and t killing the chief, the Cahtanians w panic struck, and fled without their pr In that age it is stated,

The Arabs were of two classes; fr Yemen to India they were called the tribe Cahtan; and in Mecca and Hijaz they w called the tribe of Adnan.

Antar's last exploit recommended hi to the favour of all the women, and e

pecially of Semeeah, his father's wi and previously his enemy. On the turn of Shedad he found the captur

* Alluding to his not having answered a letter horses among his herds, and suspecti from Mr. Cole for nearly a twelvemonth.

ANTAR, a Bedoueen Romance, translated
from the Arabic, &c. London 1819.
Small 8vo. pp. 298.

(Continued.)

Our last left Antar exulting over the
Lion he had slain, and noticed the pru-

dent resolution of his enemies, who wit-
nessed this exploit, not to attack him
openly. Soon after this the tribe of Abs
set out to attack the tribe of Temeem,
and our heroic Slave was left with others
in charge of the houses and women.
The females seem to make a sort of
festival during the absence of their
lords; for

They sat down to eat, and the wine cups
went merrily round. It was the spring of
the year, when the whole land shone in all
its glory; the vines hung luxuriantly in
the arbours; the flowers shed around am-
brosial fragrance; every hillock sparkled
in the beauty of its colours; the birds in
responsive melody sang sweetly from each
bush, and harmony issued from their
throats; every ear was enchanted; the
ground was covered with flowers and herbs;
whilst the nightingales filled the air with
their softest notes. Then the damsels beat

the cymbal, and recited

Antar of having murdered their ride for the sake of the animals, he boun

him with a rope, and beat him with whip. Such was the filial reverence these days, that the son bore this punis ment without resistance: at length S meeah came and discovered the secret his gallantry and conduct. The kin Zoheir, also honoured him greatly f the deliverance he had wrought. H next feat was of the same kind, again 300 marauding Cahtanians who attack the Princes of Abs on a party of ple sure, but were routed by the extraord nary prowess and force of Antar. F this he was taken from tending ti flocks, and raised by the King to th rank of a warrior.

Antar's faithful love for Ibla is no talked of with his other good qualitie and being called into the presence of mistress, he is desired to sing her prais His song is a fine specimen of the con positions of that er, at once beautiful

simple and highly figurative.

I love thee with the love of a noble bor hero; and I am content with thy imagina phantom. Thou art my sovereign in very blood; and my mistress; and in th is all my confidence. O Ibla, my descri tion cannot pourtray thee, for thou cou prehendest every perfection! Were I

say thy face is like the full moon of heave where in that full moon is the eye of th antelope? Were I to say thy shape is lik the branch of the Erak-tree; Othou shame

This sweetly painted scene is heightened to introduce disaster. In the midst of their dancing and sports, a cloud of dust suddenly rises, and a troop of seventy horsemen, "armed with cuirasses and coats of mail, and Aadite it in the grace of thy form! In thy for helmets, crying out, O by Cahtan!" surprise and carry off the women and virgins, and Ibla among the latter. This roused the spirit of Antar, who, un bosom is created as an enchantment. armed as he was, pursued the ravishers may God protect it ever in that perfection on foot, and, overtaking the hindmost To be connected with thee, is to be con

head is my guide to truth; and in t night of thy tresses I wander astray. Th teeth resemble stringed jewels; but ho can I liken them to lifeless pearls? Th

them their plundering excursion, under condition of receiving a share of one fourth, and they proceed together. We copy the result, as not only curiously illustrative of the manners of the age, Having found refuge and eaten bread but of the prodigious value which even | with the tribe despoiled by Antar and his companions, the benevolent Harith | seems to have been less in proportion than that is, those who have sent tribute in Ar

however ransoms them by the sacrifice of his renowned steed, which Antar "like a king of the land far and wide."-But we can follow his strange adventures no further at present.

mounted

Considerations on the Political and Commercial state of the European Powers, from the Revolution, to the Congress of Aix-la-Chapelle.

Among the various political pamplilets which have lately issued from the French press, none has excited more attention than one under the above title, from the pen of M. Dorion, a name well known in the literary circles of Paris, from several much admired poetical works which have at different times appeared.

The Author takes a rapid but masterly

in some other cities: there were at Berlin,
57; at Potsdam, 77: at Francfort on the
Oder, 41; at Breslau, 58; at Leignitz, 37;
at Reichenbach, 56; at Magdeburg, 50;
at Merseburg, 39; and at Dusseldorff, 24.

ANALYSIS OF THE JOURNAL DES SAVANS,
FOR NOVEMBER 1818.

(Continued.)

Art. IV. Morrison's View of China, for
philological purposes.

Mr. Robert Morrison is acknowledged
by the English who study Chinese litera-
ture, to be one of those who have made the
greatest progress in it, and have best sur-
mounted its difficulties.

In preparing, for the Chinese dictionary which he has undertaken, the extracts which are to form the basis of his labours, Mr. Morrison perceived that a great num

view of the events of the French Revo-ber of details relative to the history, the

lution, and their effects in the different States of Europe, and develops, with great ability, the probable results of the political arrangements consequent upon the expulsion of Buonaparte from Europe. This pamphlet has been much read by all parties in Paris, and, from the excellence of the style, the clearness of the reasoning, and the important facts which it contains, is so justly celebrated on the Continent, that we have thought it proper to announce its claims to English readers.

CASUALTIES IN PRUSSIA, IN 1817.

M. Von Kampz, at Berlin, has published a remarkable statement of all the casualties that occurred in the Prussian Monarchy in the course of the year 1817, extracted from

official documents. The number of those who perished by a violent death, was no less than 1925; among whom were, in bathing, 125; on the ice, 24; struck by lightning, 44; frozen to death, 29;

focated, 25; by Hydrophobia, 8; by firearms, 60. The number of suicides was seven hundred! There occurred instances

of manslaughter, 60; murder, 48; infan

ticide, 94; persons murdered by their husbands There were duels,

wives, 12.

robberies, 9646; burglaries, 1409; highway robberies, 141; arson, 159 instances. The whole number of crimes committed,

amounted to 12,292. The whole population of the Prussian Monarchy, according to official statements, amounts to about 10,058,000 souls. By accidental fires were destroyed, 19 public buildings; 1298 barns and other out-buildings; 1210 dwellinghouses; 684 farm-houses. In the district included in the Government of Berlin,

there were

For 3140 persons, 1 suicide.
For 179,000 persons, 1 murder.

For 319 persons, 1 robbery.

The number of suicides is surely enormous. The number of suicides at Berlin • From this statement it appears that, after all, England is not the country most stained with this deadly sin.-ED.

governm

government, the geography, or the customs
of China, could not find a place in a dic-
tionary, though they were indispensable to
those who desire to read Chinese books.
As he had wanted them himself, he judged
that they might be useful to others, and has
collected them in a volume, which may
serve as a manual, and be of service even
to those who learn nothing new from it.

With respect to Chronology, the Author
has not attempted any new discussion of
those great questions, in the Chinese an-
nals, which have a claim on the attention of
all the nations in the world. It would re-

quire long and profound researches on this
subject, to add any thing to the information
which we owe to Gaubil, the Deguignes,

Couplet, Amiot, and so many other learned

missionaries or laymen, whose works must
always be the guide of those who shall
henceforth treat on these subjects. Mr.
Morrison has not pretended to surpass
them, and, if we may speak our thoughts,
we are tempted to believe that he is not ac-
quainted with them. He has contented
himself with drawing up a table, which he

has, rather oddly, begun at our times, and
ended with the fabulous ages. This table,
less imperfect than those of Fourmont, and
Deguignes (the son,) is even preferable to
those of Couplet, and Deguignes (the
father,) the naines of the Emperors being
set down in Chinese, with the years of their

reign. Besides the list of Emperors, the

table contains likewise the series of remark-
able events, or rather of the irregularities
which have struck the author in the course

of his reading.

bassadors to China, as the Coreans, t
Tonquinese, the Ho-lan (Hollanders,) th
Houng-mao, or red hair, now called Ira
ki-li (English,) the Oros, or Russians, an
numberless others. As the author h
taken these details from the great geogr
phical work composed by order of t
Mantchou Emperors, they contain curio
particulars. The table of the latitudes an
longitudes of several cities of Tartary, a
cording to the grand imperial map, mu
particularly engage the attention of geog
phers. But what Mr. Morrison has add
to these authentic documents, and the con
parisons he has endeavoured to make, co
tain a considerable number of importa
errors. For instance, he takes the Kalkas f
the Kirgis; Ya-ke-sa, or Yaksa, for Y
koutzk, which is above 200 leagues distan
from it; Niptchou, or Nertchinsk, for T
bolsk, which is nearly 500 leagues from
&c. &c. What is more remarkable, in
book printed in China, there are ma
errata in the orthography or the pronunci
tion of the Chinese characters; some
which recur so frequently, that they c
scarcely be attributed to negligence or
attention.

The names and titles of the officers Government are among the matters the Chinese book, the most embarras ing to European readers. Mr. Morris has drawn up a table of them, which m be very useful, though it is not complet He has added the list of the festivals, of t Constellations, of the twenty-four divisio

of the year, and, lastly, of the divinities spirits adored by the three predomina sects, with some notes on the marriage

the funerals, the eight Trigrammes of Fo hi, &c. All these things, which stop us every page of the books, require explan tions, which it is as easy to obtain in Chi as it is difficult to procure in Europe. This is doubtless sufficient to recomme the work in which they are found unite but we are obliged to confess that this is chief merit.

Mr. Morrison, who is engaged, as eve body knows, in the composition of a d tionary which will occupy his whole li terminates the work before us by observin that a European has few motives to und take the study of the Chinese, or at le no motives strong enough to induce him

study it successfully. In another place,

says that "No person in Europe has s ceeded in acquiring the language to extent." These two assertions appear to equally singular. They proceed, we thin from Mr. Morrison's opinion, that a pers at Canton possesses more means than be had in France or in England, to ma himself familiar with the Chinese Liter ture, and to judge of its merit. But t is a great ercor. None of those persons Europe who have seriously applied to t Chinese, would have committed the faul

After the chronological table, there is a View of the Empire of the Mantchous, comprising the twenty provinces of China and Oriental Tartary. The author states the name of the Capital of each Province, its distance from Pekin in Li, and the population of each, the sum total of which he estimates at a little less than 150,000,000. He gives the lists of the tribes of Mongols which we have noticed in the work of M and other Tartar people, recently rendered Morrison. When he said, on a former o subject to the Empire. Afterwards comes casion, that a person would be more adva an enumeration of the tributary nations, ❘ tageously situated for composing a Chine

dictionary, at London or at Paris, than at Cauton, this assertion may perhaps have appeared paradoxical. We would now go farther and say, that it is more easy to acquire there an intimate knowledge of the language, in a literary and historical view. There are more means of comparison, more materials prepared beforehand, more real ads. Without speaking of the Chinese, we may observe what happens in the study of other Oriental languages. We often literati, who have never been out of France, surpass, in their knowledge of the anguages, the history, and the literature of the Eastern nations, those who have had to other advantage than that of visiting the rantry, and sometimes even the best inforned travellers. We need not go far to

ignoble, useful or pernicious. No wonder | capable of teaching with effect, who cannot
then that Music, the most accessible, the illustrate his lessons by example as well as
most universally pleasing and ornamental precept. Nothing is more common than
of the fine arts, should have felt the influ-
ence of that domineering and capricious