"Judging of the future by the past, what may an infant, born this day, expect to see, in case of his surviving to the age of four score? What do your old citizens now see, compared with what was the population of this country in the days of their youth? If some angel, hovering over the chamber in which your venerable fellow-citizen, General Gadsden, drew his first breath, and foreseeing his ardent patriotism, had pronounced with an audible voice, these words: "The infant just now born, will live "to see the population of his native "country, South-Carolina, advanced "from thirty-two thousand, to three "hundred and forty-five thousand.... nought but conviction that an angel spoke, would have procured the smallest credit to the extraordinary prediction; but we, who now live, and can compare the registers of our population at different periods, know that what would then have been doubtful, as prophecy, is now an established historical fact." in This extract reminds us, however, of a celebrated passage Mr. Burke's" Speech on moving his resolutions for conciliation with the colonies, March 22, 1775." We shall add that also. There is an admirable coincidence in the sentiment and manner of both. No one will suggest, that this extract from the oration is a feeble imitation of that or that Dr. R. had ever seen that speech; or that he was in any respect indebted to the English orator. He would, in such case, have confessed his obligations to the original. Gratitude, and a regard to justice, invariably distinguish the truly great mind. passage; reflect that this growth of our national prosperity has happened within the short period of the life of man. It has happened within sixty-eight years. There are those alive whose memory might touch the two extremities. For instance, my lord Bathurst might remember all the stages of the progress. He was in 1704 of an age, at least to be made to comprehend such things. He was then old enough acta parentum jam legere, et que sit poterit cognoscate virtus-Suppose, Sir, that the angel of this auspicious youth, foreseeing the many virtues, which made him one of the most amiable, as he is one of the most fortunate men of his age, had opened to him in vision, that, when, in the fourth generation, the third prince of the house of Brunswick had sat twelve years on the throne of that nation,which (by the healing issue of moderate and happy councils) was to be made Great Britain, he should see his son, Lord Chancellor of England, turn back the current of hereditary dignity to its fountain, and raise him to an higher rank of peerage, whilst he enriched the family with a new one—If amidst these bright and happy scenes of domestic honour and prosperity, that angel should have drawn up the cur tain, and unfolded the rising glories of his country, and whilst he Was gazing with admiration on the then commercial grandeur of England, the genius should point out to him a little speck, scarce visible in the mass of the national interest, a small seminal prin ciple, rather than a formed body, and should tell him-" Young man, there "is America-which at this day serves "for little more than to amuse you "with stories of savage men, and on"couth manners; yet shall, before you "taste of death, shew itself equal to "the whole of that commerce which "Mr. Speaker, I cannot prevail on myself to hurry over this great consideration. It is good for us to be here. We stand where we have an immense view of what is, and what is past. Clouds indeed, and darkness, rest upon the future. << Let us, however, before we descend from this noble eminence, require all the sanguine credulity of youth, and all the fervid glow of enthusiasm, to make him believe it? Fortunate man, he has lived to see it! Fortunate indeed, if he lives to see nothing that shall vary the prospect, and cloud the setting of his day!" We have extended our observations on this pamphlet farther than we intended. But its singular political character must be our apology. With respect to the cession of Louisiana many of our wisest and most upright citizens are filled with doubtful apprehension, relative to its policy. By this measure, the political importance of the states east of the Delaware will in time be annihilated; and therefore they consider it as a violation of those equal principles, on which the Union was established. consider likewise, that this monThey strous addition of territory will create an excessive preponderance in the southern department, which will be the inevitable, though perhaps remote cause of the dismemberment of the empire. On such a subject, abounding with difficulty, we must conclude with the expression of a Roman historian: NOBIS EA RES PRO MAGNITUDINE PARUM COMPERTA EST. R. A true History of the Conquest of Reprinted in Salem by Joshua 417 OLD books, which have lasted their century, and would be forgotten, are sometimes put into a modern dress, and catch the attention of readers, who would never be allured to an acquaintance with the original authors. authors who published accounts We know very little of the of the settlement of South-America, but through English writers, brilliant historians of the present some of whom were the most age. After reading the European Settlements by an Englishman who merited the reputation he had in the republick of letters; and the more celebrated work of Robertson; we are ready to think, it is like leaving the pure limpid take up such a work as the hisstream for a stream of mud, to tory of Bernal Diaz del Castillo. should search for it wherever it But if our object be truth we is to be found. This author is formation than any other, for he more capable of giving true inwas eye-witness of what he rethey were, with the honest heart lates; and he relates things as of a soldier; having no interest to deceive, and no temptation to blazon events which were sufficiently important in a simple unvarnished tale. We are pleased with the simplicity and sincerity of a man who thus begins: "I Bernal Diaz del Castillo, regidor of this loyal city of Guatimala, and during the time I was writing the same, author of the following true history, happened to see a work composed by Francisco Lopez de Gomara, the ele vulgarity of my own, and throw down read it, I found the whole was a mis my pen in despair. But when I had representation, and also that in his ex traordinary exaggeration of the numbers of the natives, and of those who were killed in the different battles, his account was utterly unworthy of belief. We never much exceeded four hundred men, and if we had found such numbers bound hand and foot, we could not have put them to death. But the fact was, we had enough to do to protect ourselves; for, I vow to God, and say amen thereto, that we were every day repeating our prayers, and supplicating to be delivered from the troubles that surrounded us." And yet we find this Lopez de Gomara is the writer upon whom most of the Spanish historians have rested for their accounts of the conquest of the new world,and he is quoted by the British writers as their oracle for information. The reason is, we love songs better than wisdom; and are soon tired of treading a path which is not strewed with flowers, and where surrounding objects do not tempt the thoughts to rove in all the luxuriance of fancy. But the wise say, that the art and beauty of historical composition is to write truth.' This is an observation of our author, equally just and well expressed. But we may add that although truth, like other beauties, appears lovely in a plain dress, yet we are not against ornament, where it is not meretricious; and if ever a subject required bold figures and a glowing style, we should expect it in a picture which exhibited the conduct and character of the Spaniards who laid prostrate the Mexican empire. There is one point of view in which the present history is interesting. It gives due justice to the valour of the soldiers, instead tez, though he readily allows him both wisdom and bravery. But it seems that, in the first Spanish accounts, his policy, his piety, his wonderful achievements absorb the attention of the reader, as they drew at first the admiration of mankind. Every soldier however deserved the glory; and every soldier, according to the account given in this book, had his share in the part of praises of their general as well as his perils, while their services were needed. Our author is excusable in relating things con cerning himself, which he ap pears to do in sincerity, and without that exaggeration which some modern characters of mili tary renown have found necessary in getting themselves a name. We should suppose such a work as this would be confined to military exploits. It is surely the main thing; yet there are very entertaining digressions, and some descriptions of the country quite minute: how accurate, we pretend not to hold an opinion! In a late oration at the southward, in praise of the purchase of Louisiana, it is said we exceed the old world in the magnitude of our rivers and mountains; "that the elephant of the east is "far inferiour to the mammoth "of the west in point of size!" What a pity it is that the orator had not read a passage in this plain narrative of Diaz ! They said their ancestors had told 'them that in former times the country was inhabited by men and women of and great stature wicked manners, whom their ancestors had at length extir of ascribing all the glory to Cor-pated; and in order that we might judge of the bulk of this people, they brought us a bone which had belonged to one of them, so large that when placed upright it was as high as a middling sized man ; it was the bone between the knee and the hip; I stood by it, and it was of my height, though I am as tall as the generality of men. They brought also pieces of other bones of great size, but 'much consumed by time; but the one I have mentioned was ' entire. We were astonished at these remains, and thought that they certainly demonstrated the 'former existence of giants.' P. 163. of Vol. 1. This bone, he says, was sent home to the king of Spain. Perhaps the same kind of bones may be found in Louisiana, which will be an evidence complete that our country exceeds Europe in men, as well as Asia and Af. rica in the size of other animals. We cannot suppose that such giants are now living, neither have we known any thing of the mammoth but the bones. We shall give, in our review. of this book, an extract which is curious; and in the style and manner of our author. "Of the achievements of Cortez a part of the honour also falls to me, for I was one of the most forward in every battle by his side, as I was in many others when he sent me, under different captains, to conquer provinces, as it is found written in my history how, when, and where. "Also when Cortez returned to Europe the first time to kiss his majesty's feet, he informed him that he had many valiant captains and companions in the Mexican wars, and who he believed did not yield to the most famous "As to what the licentiates say, that I praise myself too much, and that I ought to leave it to be done by others, I say that in common life it is the custom of neighbours to speak of each other, as each deserves; but he who never was in the wars with us, nor saw them, nor heard of them, how can he speak of us? Were the birds that flew over our heads, while in battle, to give account of us? Or the clouds? Who then was to speak our praises but we ourselves? Indeed, gentlemen licentiates, said I, had you found that I detracted from the honour due to one of our valiant captains or soldiers, and ascribed it to myself, then you might justly blame me. But the fact is, I do not praise myself so much as I ought. "I will now make a comparison, although on one side the subject is very high, on the other a poor soldier like myself. Historians say that the great emperor and warrior, Julius Cæsar, was in fifty-three pitched battles. I say that I was in many more battles than J. Cæsar, as may be seen in this my history. Historians say, this J. Cæsar was brave and active in battle, and that when he had time he committed to writing, at night, with his own hand, his heroic actions, although he had many historians, not choosing to trust the office to them. Truly, this happened many years ago, and may or may not be the case; whereas, what I relate happened yesterday, as it may be said. It is therefore not extraordinary if I relate the battles in which I fought, that in future ages it shall be said, Thus did Bernal Diaz del Castillo.....in order that my sons and their posterity shall enjoy the praises of their ancestor, in the manner that many cavaliers and lords of vassals, at the present day, do the fames and blazons of their predecessors. I will, however, drop the subject, lest the detracting malicious, to whom these things are odious, should charge me with digressing too much. There are also conquerors now living, to contradict me if I were in error, and the world is so malevolent, that any such thing would hardly pass without animadversion, but the narrative itself is the best testimony of its veracity." The translator of this work seems to aim at the simplicity of the original. In some places, he almost forgets the idiom of his own language, from a familiar use of the homely style of the Spaniard. Each of them had a branch of roses, which he occasionally smelt to.” "Be it how it may, however, here they brought us.” Such expressions should not be committed to writing; they sound oddly in common conversation; yet Mr. Keatinge might think it necessary to keep close to the original, for he appears to possess a command of language and style, and upon the whole has done admirably well in this translation. We should not do justice to the printers, if we did not say that their part is finished with more than common excellence. This American edition of the Spanish history is as well executed as any book which has been published, and we indulge a hope that the sale of it will give lively encouragement to such laudable undertakings. FROM THE LITERARY MAGAZINE. Boston: a poem. By Winthrop Sargent. Boston. Sprague. pp. 23. THIS poem seems intended as an imitation of Dr. Johnson's "London." There is, however, very little similarity in its topics, It is a very brief descant on the discouragements which genius meets with in America; on the frailty and inelegance of our ar chitecture, in that mode of building which exposes our towns, and particularly Boston, to the ravages of fire; on the broils and animosities of party, and on the absurdities of fashion and dress, manners, amusements, music and poetry. On each of these topics the poet expatiates briefly, but with considerable spirit and ele gance. He is most copious, and writes with most energy on the folly of wooden buildings. The lines on this subject will afford a very advantageous specimen of the performance, and few readers will refuse to join in the justice of the sentence pronounced: Yet here no splendid monuments ar rise, No dome ascends, no turret strikes the skies. Where spires should parley with the setting sun, And shine with lustre when the day is done; A pyre of shapeless structures crowds the spot, Where taste, and all but cheapness is forgot. One little spark the funeral pile may fire, Monstrous collection! where the won Beholds but few in symmetry unite. rest, Seem rough-hew'd diamonds meanly set |