18l(j.] 



Critical Kolices of New Boolcs. 



of cnsiirin:? one lasting beucfit, — one 

 single salislactoiy result. 



An attentive perusal of this Report 

 •\re tliiuk nil! discover to all the world, 

 that a direct adoption of commercial 

 principles bj' the landed jrcntlenien of 

 Jjlngland has been unequivocally inju- 

 rious. The simple process of acquiring 

 as much in return for as little as possible 

 is not to the advantage of t!ie landlord, 

 even taking away his character of gen- 

 tleman — a name which should in)])ly 

 patronage, protection, and dilTusiou. 'I'he 

 great author of nature has manifested 

 this truth by directly connecting the cul- 

 tivation of the earth Avith tlie primary 

 and eternal interests of society, which in 

 that pursuit alone is (o be contemplated 

 in its elements. The lord, the working 

 farmer, and the hardy labourer, do not 

 stand exactly in the same relation to 

 each other as the merchant, the master 

 manufacturer, and the mechanic. The 

 ties which connect the first are infinitely 

 more intimate, more operative of im- 

 portant effect, and more directly con- 

 cerned with tiie general weal ; and that 

 the errors of the lauded proprietor 

 are more baneful than those of any 

 other order of men, the Agricultural 

 Report may convince us. — Look at its 

 direct recommendatiou of t!ie cotf;ige 

 which lie has been jiulling down, and 

 jnfcrentially, of the small farm which lie 

 ^ Las been swallowing up, which forms 

 an admirable commentary on the opi- 

 nions so frequently given in this mis- 

 cellanj'. The consequence of a contrary 

 practice we now see in the bankruptcy of 

 grasping speculators, among both the 

 receivers and payers of rents, and the 

 creation of a pauperism, which, however 

 noxious to all onlers of the state, inevita- 

 bly follows its line of gravity, and rests 

 at lait upon terra Jirma. 



The Travels iu the Brazils, hif Mr. 

 Koslcr, appear to be the production of 

 one of those respectable persons who, 

 without assuming any thing but the 

 possession of general good sense and op- 

 portunity, occasionally give the result 

 f)f their observations to the public. 

 HoHcver below scientific or systematic 

 travt Hers, such as V'olney, Humboldt, 

 or Clarke, their ulilil'\ is undeniable, be- 

 c anse they usually aiford what, in cer- 

 tain situations, tiie prolcssed man of 

 fcience, bending under the weight of his 

 fume and reeonnni'ndaticjny, can seldom 

 venture to connnunicate — fnc and nuso- 

 phi.^lieated opinions, with respect to the 

 diaraeter, habits, and manners, of tiie 

 people visited ; a species of uiiirset vu 



5£S 



which, though occasionally puerile and 

 imjirudcnl, is in the main e\eecdingly 

 useful. ^'» ith the better order of tiiese 

 seeondar}' books of tra\ els we are tempt" 

 cd to class the work of ]\Ir. Koster, 

 which, as a picture of the Brazils since 

 its politic adoption as the future seat of 

 Portuguese dominion, is doubly interest- 

 ing. On the incipient operation of that 

 important measure he very frequently 

 dilates, as also on some faint symptoms 

 of a dawning liberality with respect to 

 heretics and the Slave 'I'rade. 'I'liere is 

 likewise much curious information con- 

 cerning the native Indians; and the 

 plates of costunie arc beautifully exe- 

 cuted. This book is dedicated to the 

 laureate, for the benefit of w hose library, 

 assistance, and revision, the author ac- 

 knowledges his gralitiule. 



On the icork of Chattnuhriand, at- 

 tacTced and defended as it is in the 

 newspapers, little need be said here. 

 Whatever rank this author may hold as 

 a rhetorician, as a politician he is a mere 

 declaimer, — a kind of fifth-rate Eurke. 

 A^'hat is to be said of a jjolitical writer 

 who, avoiding every thing like calm 

 and rational statement, flies off cXqi- 

 nu.\\\- \nio fine phmses ; who sees nothing 

 in unconstitutional measures until they 

 overwhelm his party — nothing in fetter- 

 ing the press until it chains up himself. 

 The suppression of Fouehe's Letter did 

 not produce a single trope : now, like 

 Hudibras, jjis mouth is full of them, and 

 be rails like a defeated scold. To look 

 on any of the proceedings in France 

 witli the sympathy of freedoili, whilo 

 her existing authorities depend on fo- 

 reign snpjiort, is impossible ; otherwise 

 the dismissal of a frothy leader like 

 Chateaubriand would be encouraging. 

 This book, however, is amnsing, and 

 affords some vei-y pretty i)assages for 

 petit-maitres ; for instance — "The first 

 apostle of the French said to the King 

 of the French at his coronation, ' Si- 

 camber, adore w hat thou hast despised, 

 and burn w hat thou hast adored,' 'I'iio 

 last apostle of the French said to the laiit 

 King of the French, 'Son of St. Louis, 

 ascend to Heaven.' It is in the senti- 

 ment of tiiese two addresses that the 

 history of the Jlfost Christian King 

 siionlil be meditated, and that the ^c- 

 ji/io- <if the monarchy of St. Louis is to 

 be sought." — 'J'his is to jtrove the pro- 

 jtriely of Louis W IlL yielding to a 

 iiKiral reaction in 1 'ranee, and doubtless 

 it would do something towards the re- 

 turn of tl'.e da\s (jf Sicamlicr. 'i'here is 

 also a great <leal nioic about Dagoberf, 



