222 Philosophy of Contemporary Criticismy No. XXIX. [April!, 



Lastly, he is kind enough to intimate 

 to the party opposed to his Majesty's 

 ministers, in what manner they ought 

 to conduet their opposition, to rentier 

 it respectable. This spontaneous ad- 

 vice is really too obliging ! " Fas est 

 al hoste doceri ;" but we trust there is 

 no reason to fear that those who inter- 

 pose their salutary exertions between 

 us and the possibility of an absolute 

 government, will regulate their con- 

 duct by the counsels of an antagonist, 

 who seems to have written under the 

 inlluenee of hydrophobia. 



" Ecce ilerum Crispinus!" The next 

 and concluding article is not at all 

 unworthy of its predecessor. Osten- 

 sibly, it is a review of different publi- 

 cations that have appeared respecting 

 Napoleon in exile ; but, before he lias 

 proceeded a page, the reviewer gives 

 us to understand, that it is the first- 

 mentioned of these, Mr. O'Meara's 

 work, entitled the Voice from St. He- 

 lena, which he has in view, and that 

 all his artillery is to be directed against 

 its author; and he boasts, in advance, 

 of the " decisive exposure he is about 

 to inflict." He has certainly used 

 every ellbrt for this purpose ; for the 

 whole of the article may be considered 

 as decidedly and exclusively persotml. 

 Nothing is said to invalidate the details 

 of Mr. O'Meara's book, to justify the 

 principle of Bonaparte's detention, or 

 to extenuate the conduct adopted to- 

 wards the unfortunate prisoner. The 

 sole object is to lower Mr. O'Meara's 

 character in public estimation, and to 

 represent him as destitute of the qua- 

 lities of a genllcman and a man of 

 honour. For this purpose, insinuation 

 and inueudo, selection and compa- 

 rison, sophistry and suppression, are 

 inisparingly employed. Letters of 

 Mr. O'Meara's are brought forward to 

 falsify the details of his journal, and 

 to make liiin the defamer of his own 

 character. And we shoidd be imita- 

 ting the want of candour which we 

 censure, did we not admit, that they 

 appear to imply some inconsistencies ; 

 and to prove that, in certain instances, 

 liis public slatcmenls are at variance 

 with his private letters. But we are 

 not ignorant of what can be effected, 

 even by an ingenious decimation of a 

 jtrivate correspondence; nuich less can 

 we doubt the result of a privilege to 

 make a deliberate selection, in the 

 hands of persons so experienced in 

 garbling and misrepresentation as the 



writers of the " Quarterly Review."* 

 Who will place reliance on such evi- 

 dence? Sic notus Ulysses? In the 

 mean time, we congratulate him on 

 the character of his work, which has 

 compelled his enemies to direct all 

 their malignity against the author 

 personally ; and, in addition to other 

 unequivocal testimonies of his merit, 

 has entitled him to the proud distinc- 

 tion of being the chosen mark for the 

 abuse of the " Quarterly Review." 



We now take leave of this journal 

 for the present, readily acknowledging 

 its talent, but again deprecating it as 

 a light, which but "leads to bewilder 

 and dazzles to blind." Not even the 

 ability which at times distinguishes it 

 could induce us to exclaim, ^^ Talis 

 cum sis, ntiiMin noster esses ;" for we 

 are of opinion that, from the inveterate 

 habit of " making the worse appear 

 the better reason," the very idea of 

 advocating a good cause would para- 

 lyse the exertions of its writers: as the 

 celebrated Jonathan Wild, from being 

 long addicted to furciferous practices, 

 candidly acknowledged, that he could 

 have no relish for any profit acquired 

 by plain honesty. 



To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 



SIR, 



Il'EA R your corr«.spondent of last 

 month, on the new property of 

 India-rubber, has been a little de- 

 ceived by his ingenious friend the 

 cabinet-maker, as to the manner in 

 which he converts it t:) a ghie ; for 

 although, when strongly heated before 

 a fire, its gluey appearance may have 

 given rise to the idea, yet it will be 

 found, on experiment, that it never 

 sets or hardens, which is not only an 

 essential quality, but an indispensable 

 requisite, in all glues. Your eorres- 

 ])ondent is not well acquainted with 

 the nature of the substance he speaks 



* It appears, for example, that a pri- 

 vate letter is quoted to invalidate a printed 

 fact ; but, though the days ot the niontli 

 agree., the date of the year is dilTerent. 

 Also, tliat to be enabled to keep this trusty 

 surgeon about his person, Napoleon con- 

 sented that Mr. O'Meara might frratify the 

 viulicc of his enemies by vilifying and mis- 

 representing him ; and that tlieir malignity 

 presented no other alternative. Further, 

 that an otlicial agent oifered him promo- 

 tion on his return home if l:c would refrain 

 fiom puhlication, and from any connexion 

 with the oppo.sitiuu. 



of, 



