360 
England has been said to be not a musical 
country; and Voltaire, Montesquieu, Mengs, 
and several French and continental writers, 
puzzled themselves, during the last cen- 
tury, in furnishing reasons for a fact which. 
they took for granted, and ascertaining the 
physical cause of the alleged apathy ; ascrib- 
ing it, among other things, to our fogs, diet, 
constitution, &c. &c. But a great revo- 
lution has taken place, in this respect, sirtce 
that time, though never perhaps so deeply 
felt as on the Continent: a knowledge of 
music is now generally diffused among us, 
and is constantly receiving accessions from 
the vast numbers of persons who, raised by 
the prosperity of the country above the neces- 
sity of commercial toil, have leisure to cul- 
tivate the attainment of music, and to lay 
claim to a knowledge of it, as a common 
distinction of genteel and well-educated 
society. The editors very modestly say, 
that “ their work, incomplete as it avow- 
edly is, was intended to confer due honour 
on the character of British artists, and at 
the sametime prove of use to them,” which, 
if it obtain a second edition, will doubtless 
be more worthy of the cause it would advo- 
cate. We have no doubt, from the actual 
merit of the work in its present state, as 
well as the operating causes of musical pa- 
tronage to which we have referred, that it 
will have a very general success. It is 
written with attention and impartiality, and 
very justly appreciates the merits of com- 
posers and singers. It is preceded bya 
summary of the history of music, from the 
earliest times, which advantageously and 
instructively brings into one focus a view 
of all the progressive steps made by this 
interesting art in successive ages to the pre- 
sent time, and contains upwards of one 
hundred original memoirs of the most emi- 
nent living musicians; besides comprizing 
the most important biographical contents 
of the works of Gebber, Choron, Tavolle, 
Count Orloff, Dr. Burney, Sir J. Hawkins, 
and others, 
The Poyais bubble will, we trust, receive 
its death-blow from the recent publication 
of Proceedings instituted by Major Codd, His 
Majesty's Superintendant-General at Bellize, 
Hondwras, relative to Poyais. The claims 
of Sir Gregor McGregor to the Musquito 
shore, and the absurd manner in which his 
attempt was made to establish not onlyall the 
forms and dignities, but to copy the vices of 
an old government, are well known to the 
public ; as well as the disclaimer of the 
alleged cession of the country by the real 
“Simon Pure,” the Cacique George Augus- 
tus Frederic, lately murdered by the Indian 
Clytemnestra, his wife, and the swarthy 
Egisthus, her lover. A third claim has now 
been made, by public deerce of the Mexican 
authorities, to the same territory. The 
publication before us will probably cuash all 
future actions for libel on the part of the 
pretended cacique, exhibit the jarring ma- 
chinery of the entire precious imposture, 
’ 
Literary and Critical Proémium. 
[ Nov. l, 
andJay open the true situation of his terra 
australis incognita, of which, like Swift’s 
Lord Peter, “his highness has pleased to 
make a market.” The inquiry and inyesti- 
ation in question was undertaken by. Ma~ 
jor Codd, his Majesty’s superintendant at 
Bellize, and his brother magistrates, from 
certain charges which William Richardson, 
and other merchants, acting, as they say, 
for the cacique of Poyais, had made to 
Lord Bathurst in crimination of their con- 
duct. The representation of the above me- 
morialists, and of Colonel Lowe, who, in 
quality of their agent, published a libelous 
pamphlet, entitled ‘“‘ The Bellize Merchants 
unmasked,”’ is to the effect, that provisions, 
stores, and articles of merchandize, sent out 
to Poyais at various times, to the amount 
of £30,000, had been seized, carried off, 
and clandestinely sold by certain magis- 
trates possessing the whole civil administra- 
tion at Bellize; in which act the memo- 
rialists assert, that the said magistrates 
were supported by Governor Codd. The 
memorial haying been transmitted by Lord 
Bathurst to the latter, an inquiry was held 
in the court-house of Bellize, Honduras ; 
and the result is, that the charges brought 
against the British authorities are not enly 
entirely confuted, and the carrying off of 
property disproved, but the facts of there 
being very trifling property to carry off, 
established ; of that which was, being con- 
signed to their own agent ; and of the suf- 
ferings of the unfortunate emigrants, who 
were deluded to the Poyaisian shore, ex- 
posed. Jr. Bennet, one of the deponents, 
swears that he was induced to receive on 
board his vessel sixty-six individuals,—all, 
with the exception of three, languishing on 
the bed of sickness with fever. Mr. Tho- 
mas Peckstool deposes, that in ccnsequence 
of the destitute condition of the emigrants, 
he had judged it prudent to establish’ a 
committee to superintend the charity of 
public and private funds contributed to their 
relief; and Mr. Wright, Mr. Angust, and 
Mr. Gentle, all magistrates, depose to the 
same effect. Colonel Hall, who had under- 
taken to be the cacique’s governor, confirms 
the testimony of the previous witnesses, 
—attests the humanity and benevolence of 
Major-General Codd, and the magistrates 
and inhabitants of Bellize,—and designates 
the charge agaimst them as “ unfounded 
calumny and defamation.” 
We are afraid that, in most cases, the 
misfortunes of emigrants are more correctly. 
traceable to themselves than to adventitious 
circumstances. When emigration is resorted 
to without a calm estimate of consequences, 
it is sure to-end in disappointment and 
misery. It is inall cases dangerous to yield 
to the illusions of the imagination ; but here 
imagination leads her votaries to certain 
destruction. He who is about to emigrate 
ought to shut his ears to all fanciful deserip- 
tions of country, of climate, of aspect, of 
brilliant yegetation, fine yiews, and precious 
productions ; 
