Retrospective Criticism:. ?7T 



hitter words, which, at all events, is an error on the right side. In tlie 

 derivation of the word " holocentrus " ft'om " holoSy hall," &c., the word 

 hall is, I presume, a mere misprint for all or whole ^ the translation of the 

 Greek b\oc. 



Thus much for the preliminary adjuncts to your voiume. Before 1 

 proceed to notice particularly any article of your contributors, permit me, 

 Mr. Editor, to express an earnest hope, that, in purveying for your readers, 

 you will allow yourself unscrupulously to exercise your own j udgment and 

 discretion on the propriety of admitting into your pages the essays, notices, 

 remarks, and queries with which you ar^ furnished by your correspondents. 

 I request that you, will not, through fear of giving offence, think your- 

 self bound to give a place to any ^rtipie, frow, whatever quarter it, may 

 come, merely because it has been sent to you witji that,yie\v. ., ^jE^ij-om the 

 situation im which yqij stand, as ,e(^itor„ sojipit^ug cppimui:^iQ^tipj:^ from, all 

 sourc^,,,you §re pf cpuf ^e constantly liable to have t;];ifling, and unipi- 

 portaot n^ttevp j^t,,||B^t, ,,if not soiue trash a»d nousense, occasipn^ally 

 thrust; .i4P9n,,ypu,., Exercise ypur .djpi^j^qj^^tipn, Jjie^-efore, and^^^pajTd 

 whate.Y?i?;4s,, ui?\yprthy of insertio,i;iJin.^j(p|ij]:£;}j^e|uJl> pages ; or it^ ;n, any 

 ins^n<?e,,ypi^,§tpRd in doubt abouJtj.;^f,grpp]ff^t^ of adniittiug an aftiqle, 

 why,i)pj;.,r^^l" i^'to the decision„<jif^,soi^^jp,4i^p|.is friend or coadjutoi; ? 

 I have; bp^.ie4 into thes,e remarks, .more. esp^eciaUy; by the Dcrusid of oiie 

 article ip;,.ypqr^resent Number,, Art. III., t^y .^rpnojiae, ofwhicji 1 really 

 can make neither head nor tail. I will just ^ observe too, in , passing, that 

 the first article, " Qriginal Letters, descriptive o:f .a Natural History Tour 

 in North Anierica., V>y T. W./' is rather flat ai,itl tame, and not much to 

 my taste. Thig, however, at the worst, is but "a chip in pprri^ge," and the 

 succeeding letters may be better than the first two, and more full of interest. 

 With Agronome's most extraordinary production I have more serious fault 

 to find; and I really do feel myself utterly at a loss to conceive hpw ypu 

 could think of inflicting so grievous a penalty on your readers, as, tp, palm 

 upon them §uch a rambling, incoherent, egotistical rhapspcjly ; which, mpf e- 

 over, has next to no c,onnection, that I ; can perceive, with the subject of 

 natural history. Can you find no better matter to supply us with ? or was 

 thi^ piece of stuff foisted in merely to eke out the necessary quantmn pf type 

 and usual extent of pages for your Number ? If so, I for one must tell you, 

 Mr, Editor, that it is high time you resigned your office, and closed your 

 Magazine. I will not, put of Christian charity, go so far as tp wish Agro- 

 nouie himself had perished in the explosion of the powder-mill; but I do 

 mpst heartily regret that his manuscript had not fared some such fate, or 

 ever it had come into your possession. The catastrophe of Mr. Hunter's 

 arm reminds me of what I have heard did really take place at the siege ^f 

 Gibraltar: I have been told, — "but mind'' (as, Cobbett would say), "I 

 don't vouch for the f^ipt, pp-, b^t J^ haye been, told," i — that a British officer 

 had his leg carried off by a cannon-shot; upon which he exclaimed, — 

 "jD — u it, there goes my boot ! " not being aware that his leg was gone with 

 it;,,tillihe ha4 occasion to step forward, and thus found the want, of his 

 |ijnb^,j,Agrouome seems to have a zest for the marvellous, when he f elates 

 th^ 9^f;(;um^tance of another unfortunate man having been " blowu into so 

 mauy pieces that his heai't and liver were found in different fields ! " and 

 " his tougue on a door-step some distance from the other fragments of his* 

 head! " But none of the recorded effects of the blowing up of this pow- 

 der-mill are to be compared with what is said to have taken place on the 

 explosion of a boiler at a colliery In my neighbourhood. Here too, again, 

 I will not vouch for the fact; but the owner of the works positively 

 assured a friend of mine, and with a grave face and air of seriousness as 

 though he meant to be believed, that on this occasion " three men were 

 blown up so high into the air, that to the by-standers they appeared not so 



