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Uiteratfi Notices: Numiier W, 

 RECORDS OF THE WESTERN SHORE, 



BY ROBERT STEPHEN HAWKER. 



Oxford: Talhoys, 1832. 12mo. pp 56. 



The perusal of this unpretending little volume will 

 be a source of pure gratification to the lovers of genuine 

 poetry, and especially to those of the district to which 

 the circulation of the Museum is principally confined 

 — as the author is one of our own " Western Worthies." 

 The Danmonians must hail with delight any work 

 which has recorded and embodied in beautiful verse 

 some of the wild and undying legends of the ^^ rocky 

 land of Strangers : " surely the traditions — the old and 

 stirring stories of our father-land in the west are not 

 less worthy of being rendered imperishable by some 

 master hand than those of the north. The sons of 

 Caledonia and lerne dwell with enthusiasm on the 

 memories of their countries' olden time ; they welcome 

 with rapture, and treasure with fondness, whatever 

 Scott, Hogg, Moore and Grattan have rescued from 

 the night of long past years, and why cannot Devon or 

 Cornwall find writers sufficiently talented and disposed 

 to breathe a charm over their legendary lore — to lav 

 before the present generation some of the story of the 

 past ; surely the subject would be pregnant with inter- 

 est, and materials to work upon may be found on all 

 sides. Mrs. Bray, another " Western Worthy, " has 

 done something as a pioneer in the task, she has struck 

 out into a path which we hope soon to see trodden by 

 many others : a young and promising author, Octavian 

 Blewitt, Esq., has lately entered the field, and we 

 anticipate much future gratification from "The Ro- 

 mance of Western History. '" 



The only fault we can find with Mr. Hawker is that 

 he has done too little ; he has presented us with but 

 few — very few — of the sibylline leaves of by-gone time, 

 and those which he has laid before us display but the 

 mere outlines of what might be done : however, he may 

 yet — and we sincerely hope it — find leisure, notwith- 



