472 



Monthly Review of Literature, 



[OCT. 



ences, and my whole soul devoted, at- 

 that time, to these my favourite pur- 

 suits. Often have I sat upon the green 

 slope of a sunny bank, apart from my 

 playful schoolfellows, by the side of the 

 silver-flowing Tweed, pondering on the 

 works of Newton, Ferguson, Franklin, 

 Bacon, and Paley many and many a 

 quiet night have I stood, in the solitude 

 of my own soul, watching the apparent 

 motion of the stars, when the heavens 

 seemed sweeping over the slumbering 

 country ; and thinking, with tear-brim- 

 med eyes, of the mighty philosophers 

 who had once lived in this little world 

 before me, till I had poetically fancied 

 them the spirits of the stars that shone 

 sp brilliantly above me." And again, 

 44 The day was spent in ascertaining,, by 

 actual experiment, the elementary, or 

 first principles of which bodies are com- 

 posed. The night was entirely devoted 

 to study. Often have I plied my un- 

 wearied task by the midnight oil. Often 

 has day-light shone through my blind, 

 dimming the light of my lamp, and I 

 have withdrawn it to gaze enraptured 

 on the rising sun. Often have I gone 

 to school wearied and worn out with my 

 contemplations during the night, yet re- 

 turning in the afternoon with refreshed 

 delight to renew my studies," &c. 



At this period his childhood he 

 finished an astronomical work of 700 

 closely written folio pages, and then 

 commenced a series of philosophical let- 

 ters, on every thing which the word can 

 be made to comprise both of which, by 

 the way prick up your ears, ye pub- 

 lishers ! he now offers to any one of you. 

 After these performances, he went, it 

 seems, to sea, and this, by some process 

 not very usual, made a poet of him ; and 

 on his return he made and published 

 divers poems, of which we never heard 

 before. Subsequently, Dr. Chalmers* 

 Discourses set him astronomizing again, 

 and he now prints expressly the only 

 sound reason for printing at all because 

 he has news to communicate. " All I 

 have stated regarding the atmospheres 

 of the comets the heat of the planets 

 being alike on all the hourly creation 

 of new worlds in the depths of space 

 with many other observations on the 

 economy of the universe, are entirely my 

 own, and have never been advanced nor 

 published before." 



The Northern Tourist, or Stranger's 

 Guide to the North and North West of 

 Ireland, $c., by P. D. Hardy, Esq. This 

 is a Dublin production, and in every 

 respect is creditable to the Irish press. 

 In paper, type, and workmanship, it is 

 of the most respectable character ; the 

 engravings, ten in number, besides a 

 good map, are not surpassed, either in 

 beauty of design, or delicacy of execu- 



tion, by the very best of the English 

 Annuals ; and as to its literary merits, 

 it would be an insult to compare it with 

 any thing of the kind among us, for all 

 the guide-books along the English coasts 

 are proverbially of the most contemp- 

 tible description. Not one in a score of 

 them is got up by any body of any taste, 

 sense, or knowledge. The beautiful vo- 

 lume before us is confined to the north 

 and north-west coasts of Ireland, em- 

 bracing Belfast, and the Giant's Cause- 

 way, and whatever is remarkable along 

 the entire line of that coast. Every 

 source of information appears to have 

 been consulted, and the writer's local 

 acquaintance with the scene is obvious. 

 The writer observes of the district he 

 has thus visited, described, and illus- 

 trated " I cohsider it to be fully equal, 

 in every point of view, to the same ex- 

 tent of country in any other division of 

 his majesty's dominions, not only as to 

 its general aspect, the numerous natural 

 curiosities, and monuments of antiquity, 

 with which it abounds, and the richness 

 and variety of its scenery but, what is 

 of still greater importance in the esti- 

 mate of a benevolent mind, as regards 

 the appearance, mode of life, and man- 

 ners of its numerous inhabitants." It is 

 of the north of Ireland this is said 

 would it could be predicated of the south 

 and west ! 



Poems, by Charles Crocker. Here is 

 another volume of verses by a maker of 

 shoes, whom the advice of foolish friends 

 and friendly fools have absurdly pre- 

 cipitated into print, under the notion, 

 forsooth, Of the " publication being pro- 

 ductive of profit and ad vantage to him." 

 Have these advisers guaranteed the cost 

 of publication ? If not, they are as 

 equitably liable, or even as legally, as 

 those are who venture to recommend in- 

 solvent customers. This Charles Crocker, 

 it seems, learned to read, write, and 

 cypher at a free- school at Chichester 

 at nineteen he had served an appren- 

 ticeship of seven years in shoemaking, 

 and by hook or by crook made some ac- 

 quaintances with Milton, Cowper, Gold- 

 smith, Collins, &c., and now, at thirty- 

 three, has made lots of verses, and a 

 family of children. He tells his own 

 tale simply enough ; but what has the 

 world to do with so simple a tale ? If 

 making verses be a miracle at Chiches- 

 ter, let the good folks enjoy the wonder 

 and the fruits they have a Gazette or 

 a Chronicle, we suppose, and that is the^ 

 proper receptacle. Crocker seems to 

 derive enjoyment from the stringing of 

 syllables, and we hope nothing we say 

 nay, we are sure it will not will pre- 

 vent his proceeding as long as he finds 

 pleasure in the manufacture; only let 

 him not print .again. The verses have 



