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ninthly, that we have hugely improved the tone, spirit, and character of general conversation in Britain. But, in the mean time, let us confine ourselves to Edinburgh. Till we began to flourish-and while the aloe flourishes only once in the hundred years, we flourish once a month-the Edinburgh conversation had got very distressing. The talk was not of cattle, but of criticism, which was much worse; and blue-stockingism was in its cerulean altitude. Every female leg was azure-absolutely painted blue like a post. A slight beard was becoming visible even on young women still marriageable-a certain consequence of incipient literary habits; so you may imagine the upper lip of wellinformed women of forty. A single number of the Magazine was equivalent to a thousand razors-for as our fair friends gave up book-reading, that of which we found so much reason to complain subsided into a pleasing down-and then from such lips "not words alone pleased us." We still permitted a little poetry-by way of pomatum-and even let the sweet creatures continue to smooth their cheeks with a novel. But politics and political economy were strictly prohibited, under pain of being inserted in the Magazine. Of all sorts of labour, productive or introductive, we cautioned young ladies never more to speak; and we behaved tenderly to such as shewed a becoming ignorance of all forms of government whatever, except an absolute monarchy, and a total indifference to the present alarm ing state of the nation. By such gentle and judicious treatment with the young disease, in its first symptoms and occasionally too by sterner practice with those whose legs were not only blue, but had begun to swell we came at last almost to extinguish the epidemic; and it is now confined nearly to some of the higher flats of the eighteen-storied houses, from which the inhabitants very rarely come down

to town.

Tenthly, We seem to be led very naturally, by these remarks and remembrances, to take notice of one supposed feature in our character which our enemies represent as excessively unbecoming, but of which our friends altogether deny the existence-we mean, our PERSONALITY. We do not surely intend, in one sense, to deny VOL. VIII.

our personality as an attribute of ours: We have a personal existence, and our name is North. But our enemies assert that our style of writing is personal, and that we make too free with people's names and private characters

nay, some folks have gone the length of saying that we are impertinentslanderous. This is a serious charge so let us examine it a little.

Personality, in all its bearings, is a subject by much too wide for discussion in a work of this kind—so we must be both brief and general, which is difficult.

If by personality be meant the dragging of private individuals before the public, and attacking their characters, personality, to say the least of it, is quite indefensible. But, pray, what private gentleman have we dragged before the public, and what particulars of his domestic hours have we been graciously pleased to lay before the world? Is the Edinburgh Review a private gentleman? Why, certainly, he is less out than he used to be-still we cannot think that we were the first to give him publicity. Is there a single author in great Britain who wishes to be considered as a private gentleman? If so, he has only to publish his love of privacy a little more extensively, till it reaches our ears, and we pledge our word of honour, that we never shall mention his name again while we breathe. We wish we had a list of these sensitive plants, which we would paste upon our screen, that when drawing ourselves in near the fire, in those happy moods when we are most,apt to be cutting, our eyes may meet the names of such lovers of the shade, and our souls soften towards them in their deep seclusion.

Having thus satisfactorily shewn that we never, since our name was North, which it has been upwards of threescore years, attacked, or even in the most distant manner alluded to the private character of any man-we beg leave to lay down a distinction.

When a person publishes a book, in prose or verse, encouraging, upon principle, all kind of licentiousness, or seeking to undermine the foundation of religious belief, is it an attack on his private character, to say that such an author deserves the hatred and scorn of all good men? If a poet recommends incest-is it an attack on private character to call him incestuous ?

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If a clergyman lays aside his gown, and sneers at miracles, is it an attack on private character to call him an infidel? Would it be an attack on private character, to adopt, towards him, the language of Mr Jeffrey, towards one of the best and greatest men this country ever produced, Robert Southey, and call him" an apostate and a renegade?" We, and all the rest of the world, except a few foolish Whigs, answer-no. When the inmost feelings and opinions of any man, on morality and religion, or rather on immorality and irreligion, are given by himself to the public-that writer becomes a public profligate, or a public infidel, and all men are not only at liberty, but they are called upon to chastise him and he is accordingly chastised. Such a man has outraged human nature-let him be as much beloved or admired by his own private friends as he may-and for him or his friends to bristle up,on his being humbled by a rod of iron, and to call the world to behold, with indignation, the attack on his private character, is nothing more or less than the most pitiable folly and wickedness-which forces that world to add contempt to their condemnation. But no more of this.

Now for the charge of mentioning people's names. Whatever may be thought of this enormity, let it, first of all, be separated entirely from the charge already disposed of, that of attacking private character, and see what is the amount of wickedness involved. The first inquiry is, why are names bestowed or inflicted upon the numerous individuals of the great family of mankind? To call them by. Now, what are we but "airy tongues, who syllable men's names"-not like the wicked demon, mentioned in Comus, to frighten honest people upon the sea-shore, and other lonesome places -but in cheerful crowded streets of towns and villages, where to hear one'sself familiarly hailed, is just one of the pleasantest things in all the blessed world. If an acquaintance is so unfortunate as to have an extremely homely name-such as Gubbins-or Hogg (though the Miss Gubbins, whom we knew at Bath, were about the prettiest girls we ever flirted with, and James Hogg, whatever Charles Lamb may think, is to us far from cacophonous)-it may seem unfeeling to expose them-but if a man rejoices

in a comely name as well as a comely person, like Bob Miller, for example, or our dear friend, Mr Constable, or our doubly dear friend, Dr Scott, where, in the name of all that is warm-hearted and affectionate, lies the guilt of uttering one or all of these mild and ever-honoured words? We confess that we cannot, for our souls, behold our own iniquity here. We never heard that either of these three gentlemen had taken offence at our syllabling their names—but others have not had the same good sense-and have accused us of depriving them of their good name, as if it were not possible to give it to the world without tak< ing it from themselves?

We maintain then, that unless in cases of horrific, or repulsive, or ludicrous names, such as have a tendency to render their owners either objects of fear, disgust, or laughter-there is no guilt in mentioning an individual either by Christian or surname—and it is a practice to which we mean rigidly to adhere.

May we be permitted to put a question? (Certainly-go on) Upon what principle does a man, who would wish to hide himself and his name from the whole world, and who would break his heart to see it in our Magazine, pay an artist five shillings a-day besides the price of paint, to emblazon that very name in prodigious letters over the whole side of a house, in one of the most public streets of a great city-keep men and boys, at so much expense, distributing bills graced with the august syllables signifying his existence, all through and round the metropolis-nay, advertise himself, at enormous cost, in a score of newspapers? Why faint at that name, gratis, in our Magazine, which sends new vigour through his veins, at seven and sixpence in the Advertiser ? Till these questions are satisfactorily answered, we can see no reason for prolonging this discussion.

Eleventhly, Before our era, the staple commodity of a good Periodical was supposed to be literature, or something of that sort. We soon shewed the utter absurdity of that notion. Literature ought to be very sparingly admitted into a Magazine. Human life is our subject matter-and, notwithstanding Mr Rogers' pretty poem, we are under no fears lest it should turn out to be nearly exhausted. Hu

man life is not a beer barrel-when you turn the cock, you need not tremble and grow pale least all be dried up. Give it a good shake, and it will run freely. It is surely quite need less, and it would be quite endless to point out what we have done in that way. Just look into the other Magazines, and you will see what we mean by saying, that we have created an era in periodical literature.

And this brings us, twelfthly, to drop a hint of the happy effects our noble example has produced on periodical li terature in general, and more especially in the Magazines. We have set a thousand opposition wheels agoing on the great North road. The old drivers of the periodical Heavies were, till we started, all too apt to get muzzy, and fall asleep on the box. The reins were continually slipping out of the fingers of the ancient foists whip-hands they had none-and oh! what miserable cattle! As it is actionable, we hear, to find fault with any coach, diligence, or fly-we mention no names. Yet while our purpose is praise, why may we not speak out? Only behold the European Magazine, full of tales, tours, anecdotes, and original essays a pleasant miscellany. Look on Sir Richard, how he keeps Capel Loft and Napoleon to their work.* What can be more wonderful than the change of the New Monthly? Was it not, within one little year, the beau ideal of a bad Magazine? and is it not now one of the best of the good? Clever men are absolutely going about Colburn's-old plagiary has given way to young contributor-that hor

rid vampyre no more lives on editorial blood-and Alaric, the Goth, is fled. Gold and Northhouse, we hear, are making money, and they deserve it— their vehicle is a little too jaunty, and the pannels too highly varnished-but it trundles along very easy-the cattle show some blood, and the drivers are quiet, civil, and obliging-and up to a bit of slang. Of Baldwin's new bangup concern, we, at present, just civilly ask the Jehu, John Scott, to keep his own side of the road-not to be so fond of running races-and not to abuse passengers who prefer going by another conveyance. He drives rather stylishly, but not steadily-he blows his tits too much in going up hill-and before he makes the end of his stage, why, they are all in a lather. Last time we saw this concern it was quite empty-honest Jehu was in a doze-and what was our surprise, to discern Tims on the box by his sidedriving,-absolutely driving!! Such behaviour is exceedingly reprehensible

and yet, considering the many serious accidents that are occurring every day, hardly a vehicle of the kind is to be seen without a Cockney taking the reins. We shall certainly caution the proprietors.

We have ten thousand ther agreeable things to whisper into thine ear, my Public.-Well, we did not expect this; but the good old Lady has absolutely fallen asleep. On looking at our watch, we find, that instead of an hour's tete-a-tete, we have been holding the worthy republic of letters by the ear for great part of an evening. Euge et vale.

The two principal writers in the Old Monthly Magazine; yet we suspect that Capel Loft must be dead, otherwise he surely would have taken some notice of the late eclipse of the sun. As for Napoleon, we found that many of his articles were extremely heavy, and he, taking offence, we presume, at their non-insertion, (for he is extremely touchy), has gone over, it appears, to the Old Monthly.

We have a great deal to say to our numerous correspondents, but find that we must reserve our communications for the Notice Page of next month. We have a crow to pluck with the author of Semihoræ Biographice, who has, we find, imposed upon us a letter, signed J. Kirby, which is not the composition of that very respectable individual. Mr Kirby is apprehensive lest that letter may injure him in the public estimation as a publisher; and therefore we most willingly inform our readers that it was a mere jeu d'esprit; which we regret has caused the slightest uneasiness to so worthy a person. We need not add, that Mr Kirby is well known as the publisher of many useful and entertaining works; and we hope that this explanation will not only be agreeable to himself personally, but be the means of directing customers to his well-furnished library.

LITERARY AND SCIENTIFIC INTELLIGENCE.

North-west Passage, Magnetic Attraction, &c. &c.-After the Greenland ships, North Pole and William & Ann, of Leith, this year entered Davis' Straits, they penetrated to 74° or 75° of latitude, by the usual route, up the east side of the bay. As the season advanced, and the sea became more clear of ice, the scarcity of fish induced them to stand towards the west, in hopes of being more successful. Some few days after, the land was seen to the west, stretching from north to south, as far as the eye could reach, with some small island, or rocks, scattered before the coast, where the fish appeared in greater abundance. Prosecuting the fishery, the ships were directed according to circumstances, when they reached an opening, apparently about 30 or 35 miles in width, situated about 73° or 74° latitude, supposed to be Lancaster Sound.

During the time the ships remained in this inlet, straits, or bay, the compasses on board both ships were found, whenever they approached within 5 or 6 miles to the north shore, which was high, rugged, and mountainous, to have lost entirely their magnetic virtue, standing in any direction to which they were placed, without indicating the least appearance of being attracted either the one way or the other; but as soon as the ships had reached beyond this distance (5 or 6 miles) from the land, towards the middle of the straits, the compass needles again acquired their usual power, and exercised it without apparent obstruction. This phenomenon, of which the navigators were entirely ignorant, had nearly led the ships into serious and alarming consequences.

The William & Ann was 30 or 40 miles within the headlands forming the entrance into this strait, bay, or inlet; saw a clear passage to the N.W. as far as the eye extended. Had 10 fathoms water, blue mud, 7 miles from the north shore, and 4 fathoms close in, where most of the fish they procured were killed; experienced a long swell setting through from the N. W. with regular tides, sometimes running 4 and 5 knots per hour. Lithography.Mr Sennefelder, the inventor of lithography, has found the means of dispensing with the stone. He has invented a lithographic paper, fit for all methods of printing.

Saw-Dust increases the Force of Gunpowder.-M. Warnhagen has discovered that saw-dust, especially of wood of the softest kinds, mixed with gun-powder in equal shares, triples the force of the powder. It is intended to be used for the blowing up of rocks.

New Antidote against Poisons.-The fruit of the plant Feuillea cordifolia proves a powerful antidote against vegeta

ble poisons. M. Drapiez poisoned dogs with the rhus toxicodendron, hemlock, and nux vomica. Such of them as were left to the effects of the poison, died; but those to whom the above fruit was given recovered completely after a short illness.

New Vegetable Alkalies.-The number of vegetable alkalies is daily increasing, and chiefly by the labours of the German chemists. Atropia is the ingredient which gives to the Atropa belladonna its peculiar properties. It crystallizes in long needles, is a brilliant white, tasteless, and little soluble in water and in alcohol. It withstands a moderate heat; and forms regular salts with acids, neutralizing a considerable portion of acid. Sulphate of atropia contains sulphuric acid 36-52, atropia 38-93, water 24.55 = 100. Atropia, mixed with potash and exposed to a red heat, yields ashes, which, when mixed with muriate of iron, strike a lively red colour. Hyoscyama (the alkali extracted from the Hyoscyamus niger) is not easily altered by heat, even when brought to redness with charcoal. It crystallizes in long prisms; and gives with sulphuric or with nitric acid very characteristic salts.

Human Lithology. A posthumous work of Brugnatelli, professor in the University, has been published at Pavia, with the title of "Human Lithology," forming a collection of chymical and medical researches, relative to the stony substances found in the human body. This publication is the result of twenty years' labour, and merits the attention not only of medical practitioners, but of the curious in general. It is embellished with plates, comprising a large collection of calculi, carefully stored by the author, during his long practice. The different configurations of these, drawn out in their natural size, are stated to be taken with the greatest accuracy. Some are shaped like a pin, others like an ear of corn, and some are about the size of a goose's egg. To investigate the interior structure of the calculi, it was necessary to cut some of them in the middle; an operation which the author happily executed. The designs in the plates represent very distinctly, the gradual process of stratification, in different layers, from the surface to the centre.

New Variety of Potato.-M. Lannekman, a skilful gardener, has introduced into Ghent, from some foreign country, a potato of a species not known on the Continent. Having planted it, the crop produced 2,160 pounds of potatoes, every stalk yielding fifteen or eighteen pounds. The form is oblong, colour red, and quality excellent.

WORKS PREPARING FOR PUBLICATION.

LONDON.

An Inquiry concerning the Power of Increase in the numbers of Mankind; being an answer to Mr Malthus's Essay on that subject. By William Godwin.

Eccentricity, a novel; by Mrs M'Nally, daughter of the late Rev. Robert Edgeworth, of Lissard, Ireland.

An Abridgment of Morgagni's Treatise on the Seats and Causes of Diseases; by William Cooke, surgeon; in 2 vols 8vo.

Preparing for the press, a Picturesque Tour of the Seine from Paris to the Sea, embracing the greater part of Normandy, a province remarkable for its natural beauties, antiquarian curiosities, and historical recollections. To be completed in six monthly parts, containing 24 highly coloured engravings.

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A Narrative of the Voyage to South America of G. L. Chesterton, Esq. late Captain and Judge Advocate of the British Legion, raised for the service of Venezuela; with observations upon that country, on the independent government, and on its leading characters.

In November will be published, with the Almanacks, Time's Telescope for 1822; or a Complete Guide to the Almanack; containing an explanation of Saints' Days and A History of the Church at Hafley, GlouHolidays; Sketches of Comparative Chro-cestershire; by Mr Winter Betham. nology; Astronomical Occurrences in every month; and the Naturalist's Diary, explaining the various appearances in the animal and vegetable kingdoms. With an Introduction on British Ornithology.

In the press, the Book of Nature laid open; being a popular survey of the phenomena and constitution of the Universe, and the appearances of Nature, during each month in the year; by the Rev. W. Hutton, M. A.

An Appendix to the Midland Flora is preparing for publication, by T. Purton, surgeon, Alcester; with numerous coloured engravings by James Sowerby, F.L.S.

Practical Observations on the nature and cure of Dropsies and Diseases of the Skin,

In one volume octavo, a Statistical Account of Upper Canada, written by the inhabitants.

A Series of Sermons on the Contents and Connexion of the different books of the Old and New Testament; with preliminary discussions on the Mosaic, Prophetic, and Christian Revelations; by the Rev. Dr Jones. In two octavo volumes.

An Engraving of the Warwick Vase, in the Lithographic manner; by W. G. Rogers.

In one volume 12mo, Petits Contes Morcieux, par Madame Adele du Thou.

The first number of a progressive Series of Ornamental Sketches, original and selected; drawn on stone by W. G. Rogers.

EDINBURGH.

THE Fifth Number of Dr Chalmers' Christian and Civic Economy of large Towns, should, in the regular course of publication, have appeared on the first of October; but as the subject, which is "Church Patronage," will occupy Two Numbers, it has been thought better to postpone its publication till the 1st of January, when the Fifth and Sixth Numbers will appear together.

The Works of John Playfair, F.R.S.L. & E. late Professor of Natural Philosophy in the University of Edinburgh; with a short Account of the Author's Life, 4 vols 8vo. An Essay on the Principles of Evidence, VOL. VIII.

and their application to Subjects of Judicial Inquiry; with a view to illustrate the Rules of Evidence recognised in the Law of Scotland; by James Glasford, Esq. Advocate. 1 vol. 8vo.

The Elements of Geology; by John Macculloch, M.D. F.R.S.E. 8vo.

Publishing by Subscription, Lectures on the whole Book of Proverbs; by the late Rev. Dr Lawson, Professor of Divinity, Selkirk, 2 vols Svo, 21s. and in two vols 12mo, 12s.

Flora Scotica; or Description of the Plants indigenous to Scotland and the Isles ;

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