674 



Monthly Review of Literature, 



[JUNE, 



Captain Hall was born on the coast, and 

 in a storm which of course boded his 

 destiny must be that of a sailor. He 

 was a younger brother, and must have a 

 profession. The first thing that rang in 

 the boy's ears was the sea, and the wishes 

 thus readily excited were taken for pre- 

 dilection the bent of genius. He grew 

 up, naturally, restless and indisposed to 

 sedentary study. At school he expos- 

 tulated with the master already in the 

 tone of a little man, and a great "philoso- 

 pher. He was panting for distinction, 

 and annoyed at being treated like any 

 common boy, and sulked when he had 

 better have been at play. " How comes 

 it, little fellow," says the master, very 

 unceremoniously, " that you are always 

 so gloomy, and that you never play as 

 the rest do, but look for ever as if some 

 misfortune had befallen you ?" " I an- 

 swered," says Captain Hall the young 

 gentleman was about ten years old 

 fc ' that the confinement of the school was 

 much too great, and that I could not 

 bear being always treated as if I had no 

 feelings or peculiar wishes worthy of sepa- 

 rate consideration. That it was not the 

 number of hours' confinement I com- 

 plained of, but the awkward selection of 

 the periods. Let me, Sir, but choose the 

 time for study, and I will cheerfully 

 work even much longer. At present the 

 day is totally cut up and destroyed," &c. 



Whatever may be thought of the sen- 

 timents, they indicate a temperament 

 which identifies the author it is one 

 that has strengthened with his growth, 

 and is visible in all his productions. The 

 little volumes embrace the details of his 

 own career, rom his school days through 

 his adventures by sea and land, mixed 

 up with anecdotes of his comrades and 

 officers with speculations, descriptions, 

 and discussions often amusing, some- 

 times humorous, always intelligent, and 

 also always dogmatical. Though des- 

 tined for young persons, the details are 

 not always suited to the tastes or the 

 comprehensions of young folks ; but of 

 course it is not an easy matter for clever 

 people, and especially for such as know 

 themselves to be prodigiously clever, 

 either to condescend, or, in fact, to bring 

 themselves down to the level of child- 

 hood or ignorance. 



Every thing that is, is good with Cap- 

 tain Hall. Where others find room for 

 amendment, he always finds a reason for 

 matters remaining as they are. He has 

 a chapter upon " Diversities in Disci- 

 pline" "productive often," he observes, 

 " of inconvenience and disaster ; but, 

 though variety of this kind be apt to 

 derange and unhinge, it teaches much 

 that is useful, at least to those who are 

 on the alert, and wish to improve." One 

 commander grumbles at every thing, 

 and is always on the look-out for ground 



of complaint ; another is as vigilant in 

 discovering something to approve. One 

 would say to the first-lieutenant, now, 

 these ropes are very neatly arranged 

 this mode of stowing is just as I wish to 

 see it how white and clean you are to- 

 day, says the smiling captain, &c. I 

 wish to Heaven, Sir, cries Capt. Gruffy, 

 you would teach these sweepers to clear 

 away that bundle of shakings, pointing 

 to a bit of rope-yarn not half an inch 

 long, left under the truck of a gun, &c. 

 No man understood the distinction 

 between the smiling and the grumbling 

 system better than Lord Nelson, who 

 acted upon it uniformly with what 

 wonderful success we all know. Some 

 one was discussing this question with 

 him one day, and pointing out the emi- 

 nent success which had attended the 

 severity -plan, followed by another great 

 officer, Lord St. Vincent. " Very true," 

 said Lord Nelson, " but in cases where 

 he used a hatchet I took a penknife." 



Captain Hall considers it an unsettled 

 matter, whether facts or fictions inter- 

 est young people ; but we have little 

 doubt his facts will prove as agreeable 

 to most boys as De Foe's fictions. 



Destiny ; or the Chieftain's Daughter, by 

 the Author of Marriage and Independence, 

 Qc. 3 vols. Welcome again is the author 

 of *' Marriage and Independence," with 

 another legitimate novel in her hand 

 one full of character well developed 

 breathing intelligence pregnant with 

 meaning natural and spirited in man- 

 ner disciplined in taste, and alternately 

 gay and grave, without caricature on the 

 one hand, or too much preaching and 

 prosing on the other. We have seen 

 nothing so acceptable a long while. The 

 story is a fancy-piece wholly it has 

 nothing we mean historical, and nothing 

 of established romance, but tells of every- 

 day life, and of domestic character, and 

 where peculiarities appear, they bear 

 marks of individual portraitures Mrs. 

 Macauly and Mr. Mac Dow for instance. 



" Destiny" applies to the chieftain's 

 daughter, and love-adventures consti- 

 tute the frame-work of the piece. The 

 Highland chief, Glenroy, is rough and 

 despotic in manner, and proud of his 

 importance. He has. one son and one 

 daughter, and with them is brought up 

 a cousin, Reginald, the heir of another 

 chief, gone to India, while his estate is 

 at nurse. After hi* wife's death, he 

 marries an English widow, who has a 

 daughter, Florinda, about the same age 

 as his own child, the heiress of a coronet 

 and of immense wealth. For a time the 

 young people are altogether, till the 

 lady, with whose fastidious habits the 

 chief's do not harmonize, separates and 

 takes the young countess with her to 

 London. Meanwhile a whimsical old re- 



