626 



RetroffeB of American Literature, — Poetry; 



purfalts in the U.ited States, we believe 

 the MaiTach'ifetts Inllitution, ftyled " The 

 Americsn Academy of Arts and Sci- 

 e CCS," Ivilds precedence of all others. — 

 Many of the mfmbers of this Academy 

 p.ie diftin^iii/hed for their attai; ments in 

 fiience j and the puh'.ication now under 

 notice givts ample proof of the faff. 



The State ot Virginia, whicH has been 

 remarkably fertile of didinguiftied men, 

 lias rot long fmce given birth to a perfor- 

 mance of merit, iiititicci " The Britifh 

 Spy, or Letters to a Member cf the Bri- 

 tifh Parliament, written during a Tour 

 through the U..ited St'tes, by a Young 

 Engliihman of Rank." It is afccrtained, 

 we are told, that this pu'lication comes 

 from the pt:n of a nat ve American. The 

 fiift ktter contains a geogra,ihical and 

 pit'ture'que defcrlption of Richmond, in 

 Virginia, and its environs, with remarks 

 on the hii)itj, manners, and foibles, of 

 its inhabi.anis. The fecond letter cor.filis 

 of a vindication cf the Abbe Raynal's 

 ojiinion that this c^ ntinent was once co- 

 vered by the ocean, frum which it has gra- 

 diially emerged. Air.erlcan eloijuence is 

 the fubjeil ot the third and fourth letters. 

 On this topic the opinions of the author 

 ai e ccmpriled in the folivAving general po 

 fitions : — I. That Ainerican or.itcrs hnve 

 net a fulficient fund of general know- 

 ledge. 2. They have not the habits of 

 clofeand folid thinking. 3. They do not 

 afpire at original oinamenis. The fifth 

 letter is on the fiibjtdf of a vifit to thtfite 

 of the Indisii town Powh3ti;\ir, the me- 

 tropolis of the ('.omini.>ns of Pocahontas's 

 father. T. e lixth, Aventh, tighth, ninth, 

 and tenth letters contain fketches of the 

 characters of fome of the eminent men of 

 the ftate cf Virginia, obfervations ot) ge- 

 nius, ftyle, thevvri;ingsof the Spe6lati.r, 

 Scz., &c. 



Many par"s of this performsnce are 

 written witii l'pir!t and f( rce ; and here 

 and there the reader meets with pafT.ges 

 which are extremely eloquent and inte- 

 reftir.g. 



POETRY. 



Under this head the firft place may be 

 properly affigned to the " Mifceilancou* 

 Works of Davih Humphreys, late 

 MiniPitr Plenipotentiary of the United 

 States to the Court of Madrid." The 

 greater part of this volume confiftsof po- 

 etical pieces, moll of ;hem of an occafional 

 kind, and written during or fmce the 

 American revolutionary war. The merit 

 of the poetry is foinetiines confid^rable j 

 p'lflages of great excellence might be fe- 

 ieCled now ai d then ; and generally the 

 ai}thor does not fall below that refpeftable 

 level of gooel wiitiiig which mult always 



require fome native powers of min'1,ai:^ecl 

 by the advantages of careful cultivation. 

 Mr. Huinphreys undoubtedly holds a place 

 among the more refpc6lAble orderof Ame- 

 rican poets. And though we are ready to 

 admit liiat poetry has not greatly flou- 

 riflied on this fide of the globe, it is pro- 

 per to claim a due degree of praife for 

 luch as will ccnfent to make the bell exer- 

 tio s in their ppwer, r»otwiihftanding the 

 ir.fel city of having been bcrn under ma- 

 lignant ftars. Befides the poetical papers 

 in this volume, we obfci ve " A Life of 

 General Putnam," •' Thoughts on the 

 War with Triiioli," " An Account of the 

 Merino Breed (f Sheep," and feveral other 

 prole compofitiors. Thefe a;e generally 

 amiifing, and often infttuRive and inte- 

 refiing. 



An American edition, confrdcrably 

 augmented and improved, of " Terrihle 

 Ti adorations," &c., by Chrisiopher 

 Caustic K, &c., has not long fmce iflued 

 from tlie prels. This performance has 

 bad a good deal of circulation, and by 

 many of the fliallower order of readers 

 has been much admired. 3 here are un- 

 doubtedly fome things in it which areplea- 

 fint and amufmg ; but it is allb true that 

 the author often attempts to ridicule pcr- 

 foiis and things which aie entitled to the 

 hightft veneration. As an imitation of 

 Hudihras, we cannot prevail on ouilelves 

 to think highly of this publication. A» 

 an original writer, Butler may claim dif- 

 tinguifhed rank. But fuch (tuff as he 

 works, however Karnid and far-fechcd, 

 is forintd into (liapes fo grols and ill-fa- 

 voured, fo vulgar and dilgvifiing, as, in 

 fpiieof the merriment he excites, fpeedily 

 to become offenfive and loathl'eme. What 

 then fiiall we fay of the herd ui imitators 

 ot this grofs and naufcous original ? To 

 make vtrAs of this kind i< one of the 

 lowed orders of inieliediual employment j 

 it is fo eafy, that every vulgar rhymer can 

 perforin as much of it as he choofes at 

 pleafure. 



But a later perf rmance, by the f ime 

 writer, which he intitles " Demociacy 

 Unveiled, or Tyranny ftripp'd of the Garb 

 of Patriotifm," delerves to be ftigmatized 

 by much feverer terms of difapprobation. 

 In this every vile fabricaiion, every mali- 

 cious flander which the rancour of party 

 had been for years employed in raking to- 

 gether agair.ft the prelent Admii'iftration 

 of the American Government, is colleiSl- 

 ed and coloured with new tin's of malig- 

 nity. What the meaneft and moft unprin- 

 cipled tools of party mult have flirunk 

 from undertaking, this man has executed, 

 and that tot) api-arently con amore ; and 

 hcleems tobeperftflly at home in thet^fk. 

 RETROSPECT 



