- 406 ' 
tlers to North America, These persecu- 
tions are concentrated and personified in 
the fiend Inquisition, who is pictured 
with all ber attributes ina highly finished 
group, and with great strength of expres- 
sion, The rise of the British ‘maritime 
power is exhibited in its first great victory 
gained over the invincible Armada of 
Spain. The view he then gives us of the 
great coloniarch Walter Raleigh, con- 
ducting the first fleet of colonists to Bri- 
tish America, is one of the must finished 
pictures we have ever seen. The exulta- 
tion of Columbus on that occasion leads 
to some reflections on the spirit of liber- 
ty, which is represented as the founda- 
tion of morals, as well as of prosperity tu 
anation, Lord Delaware arrives with a 
_ reinforcement of emigrants. The moon- 
light scene as they enter the Chessapeak, 
the speech of the river-god Potomac, sa- 
luting his new masters, predicting their 
future greatness, and offering his: own 
bank as the seat of their capital, are in- 
cidents arising out of this part of the 
subject, and are presented with that mag- 
nificeuce which serves to raise our expec- 
tations of the importance of what is to 
follow in the subsequent books. 
The fifth, sixth, and seventh books, are 
chiefly occupied with war and revolution. 
The last of them-terminates that memo- 
rable conflict with the mother country, 
which established the independence of 
the United States. On the planting of 
the British and French colonies, the 
energy of freedom which accompanied 
the former, compared with the feudal de- 
gradation attending the latter, are noticed 
with striking propriety. 
The Indian wars which disturbed the 
early settlements are grouped in one gene- 
ral view. The French war is more de- 
tailed. Tere the defeat of Braddock, the 
victory of Amherst, and the conquest of 
Canada by Wolfe, afford a greater va- 
riety of description. he subsequent 
peace 1s accompanied with an exhilarat- 
ing view of colonial prosperity, and a 
great extension of territorial power, 
which prepares the reader for the wider 
scenes of havoc that are to follow in the 
war of independence. The action of 
this war is introduced with a pomp and 
dignity suitable to the grandeur of the ob- 
ject contended for. Darkness overspreads 
the continent. On the gradual return of 
light there is a view of Congress, and a 
notice of its leading members. The de- 
ton War strides over the ocean, leading 
on the English invasion. The general 
-sharacter of the war on the part of Eng- © 
Observation on the Columbiad. 
Ste ~ <e 
[Decay 
land, as the American poet chooses to” 
representit, is incendiary and barbarous. 
It begins with a wanton conflagtation of 
towns, from Falmouth in the borth, to 
Norfolk in the South. The battle of 
Bunker’s-hill, the review of the Amezican 
army, attended with many pathetic cir- 
cumstances, the attack of Quebec, the 
death of Montgomery, the descent on 
New York, and its conquest by the Bri- 
tish, are well distributed and described, 
This terminates the fifth book. 
The whole of this war being shown to 
Columbus in vision, appears but one con- 
tinued action, occupying about onc-fourth 
part of the poem; that is, from the mid- 
dle of the fifth to the end of the seventh 
book. ‘This action, though but one, is 
greatly variegated with incidents,affording 
many examples of genuine pathos, novel 
and magnificent description, and perti- 
nent moral reflection: 
The sixth book opens with the famous 
(unhappily too famous) scene of the pri- 
son ship. Tere that rigorous mode of 
confinement, which the poet ealls British 
cruelty to American prisoners, is describ- ~ 
ed with energy, I trust with exaggera- 
tion. Then follows the. no less famous ~ 
affair of Trenton; where the little Ame- 
rican army re-crosses the Delaware in the 
night, to surprise the British van. There 
is so much wild imagination in his ma- 
nagement of this daring poetical exploit, 
that I scarcely know what to say of it, 
whether to praise or blame. The author 
seems here -to have uncovered himself 
from the rules of criticism, on purpose to 
invite discussion. Elfappy willhe be if he 
escapes the censure of more inflexible 
judges. 
The approach of Burgoyne is brought 
forward with a pomp and splendour which 
indicate not only an important event, but 
a proud victory on the part of the au- 
thor’s country; and the battle of Sara- 
toga, which tollows this highly ornament- 
ed overture, and precedes the capture of 
the British ariny, is heightened in its in- 
terest and novelty by several peculiar cir- 
cumstances, such as the part that the sa- 
vayes take in the contest, and the barba- 
rous murder of Lucinda. 
The 7th book brings on the alliance 
with France, the battle of Monmouth, 
the storming of Stonypoint, the siege and 
conquest of Charleston, the actions of 
Greene terminated by the battle of Eu- 
taw, the naval battle of Degrasse and 
Graves, siege of York, and capture of 
Cornwallis. 
The 8th book begins with a hymn to - 
Peace, 
