164 CRITICAL NOTICES OF NEW PUBLICATIONS. 



certain length of service, retire upon pensions, either proportionate 

 to the extent of time, or to the particular rank and station of the 

 party. Not so the author — not so the man whose whole life may- 

 have been devoted to literature. However eminent his talents — 

 whatever may have been the amount and utilities of his writings, — 

 unless exercised in the cause of a political or religious body, — he 

 rarely meets with either honours or fortune. At the bar, in the 

 church, in the array, the navy, and government offices, reasonable 

 industry, with moderate mental powers, are frequently advanced to 

 high titles — to great wealth. Such has been, and still is, the state 

 of society in England : and if the author, the professional and long- 

 tried author, should shew that he is not justly treated, and has not a 

 fair chance to partake of the honours and rewards, which are sup- 

 posed to be national, it is not likely that authorship will be cultivated 

 by the prudent, or be ardently pursued by those who can in any 

 other way employ their talents. At the present moment, the num- 

 ber of authors in England is immense, and the extent and variety of 

 their abilities exceed that of any other age or country : yet their 

 pecuniary remuneration is comparatively smali. There is, perhaps, 

 no class of writers better paid than those engaged in the popular pe- 

 riodicals ; and it may be safely said that there is no one profession 

 in which more mental talent is required and exerted, and where the 

 labour is more incessant and harassing. To furnish savoury food 

 and poignant sauce for the ever-craving appetite of the daily politi- 

 cal reader, — the quidnunc of the present age — is the imperious duty 

 of the leading journalists of our times; and when we read some of 

 the rapid essays, the midnight oiit-pourings of these writers, we are 

 delighted and astonished at the knowledge and eloquence displayed. 

 Yet we never hear of such men being advanced to titles, rewarded 

 by fortunes, or complimented by public monuments. ' They ma- 

 nage these things better in France.' There, Barons Cuvier, The- 

 nard, Lussac, and Poissou, have enjoyed annual grants from the 

 government to the amount of £5,420." Very recently, however, 

 there has been something done by the government, or by its high 

 officers, to confer substantial compliments on literature and science. 

 Southey, Airy, Sharon Turner, Thomas Moore, and others, have 

 had pensions granted them; and Sir John Herschel, Sir David Brew- 

 ster, Sir Henry Ellis, Sir Harris Nicholas, Sir Frederick Madden, 

 and Sir Francis Palgrave, have been honoured with titles. 



In the event of the decease of an author, or a partner in a publi- 

 cation, it often becomes necessary to sell the work by auction, for 

 the purpose of closing accounts. The death of his estimable friend, 

 Mr. Taylor, will explain the reasons why some of the author's and 

 his partner's publications have been transferred to new proprietors, 

 and retailed to the public at reduced prices. "• It is well-known 

 that authors, as a body, are not rich. If they publish their own 

 works, they rarely increase their riches : on the contrary, it often 

 leads to ruin. The annals of the " Literary Fund Society," furnish 

 many lamentable examples of distress, arising partly from that cause. 



