1 S?3 .] Literary and Critical Proimium. 



that Mr. Elliott liad confined himself to 

 this style of wilting, upon which we can 

 honestly bestow our praise, with but 

 small qnalification. But he has injudi- 

 ciously included in his volume, a very 

 violent and unfounded attack upon Lord 

 Byron, written, certainly not without 

 force; but, at the same time, without any 

 regard to justice. Censure, or rather 

 abuse, like this, can neither injure Lord 

 Byron, nor confer any honour on the 

 satirist. With respect to the observations 

 of Mr. Elliott, on the praise with which 

 Lord Byron's works have been mentioned 

 in this Magazine, we can safely refer to 

 the different articles which have appeared 

 on that subject, to prove that we have 

 never been slow to reprehend his errors, 

 and to point out his defects. Whatever 

 weight Mr. Elliott may be disposed to 

 allow to our critical decisions, we have at 

 least the consolation of feeling that they 

 are given with impartiality; a quality 

 which we strongly recommend to the cul 



251 



them to a great effort of good, may, when 

 improperly directed, produce the extreme 

 of evil. This little volume has another 

 recommendation in its modesty, the 

 matter of an octavo volume being com- 

 prised in a three and sixpenny duodecimo. 

 Many of our readers must be familiar 

 with Dr. Aniory's celebrated work, the 

 adventures of John Buiicle, a production 

 full of thought, learning, and singularity. 

 The long disquisitions into which the doc- 

 tor has compelled his hero to enter upon a 

 variety of the most knotty points, have 

 terrified many readers from the perusal of 

 Buncle ; and it is to suit the taste of such 

 persons, that a little volume has just been 

 published, entitled. The Spirit «■/ Buncle, 

 in which the entertaining part of his ad- 

 ventures alone is extracted. The editor 

 has thus rendered a considerable service 

 to the mere novel reader, and to those who 

 are in search of amusement only, which 

 they may be assured they will find in the 

 pages of this abridgment ; but, for our 



tivation of Mr. Elliott, in the exercise of own parts, we value Buncle's speculations 



his satirical talents. But we must reite- 

 rate our positive opinion, that the style 

 and spirit of the Giaour, and of the notes 

 appended to it, arc such as no unpre- 

 judiced person will tolerate or defend. 



We have much pleasure in recommend- 

 ing to our readers, Cottage Biography, 



too highly to part willingly with any por- 

 tion of them. The distinctive character 

 of the work, its Unitarian tendency, from 

 which it has sometimes been called an 

 Unitarian Romance, is entirely lost in the 

 present volume; in which, perhaps, a little 

 of the singular disquisition with which the 



by Mrs. Leadbeater, a correspondent of original abounds, might have been inserted 



Edmimd Burke, and already advantage- without, in any degree, wearying the 



ously known by her Cottage Dialogues. It reader. 



is a collection of lives of some of the Irish One of the most amusing books which 



peasantry, known to her personally ; and, has for some time fallen under our notice, 



whosehumbleadventuresandpeculiarities, has been lately published under the title 



she details with that interest and feeling of High-Ways and By-Ways, or Tales of 



for which the Society of Friends are dis- the Roadside, picked up in the French Pro. 



tinguished. Her object is to give a more vinces by a Walking Gentleman. It 



just idea of a class of people, " whose professes to be written by a friend of 



faults are much, whose virtues are little, Washington Irving, the well-known author 



known;" and for whom the people of of "The Sketch Book," to whom itis dedi- 



England, much as they have lately done, cated. Though this work cannot be com- 



would do still more, had they any opportu- 

 nity of estimating their better qualities. 

 These, unhappily, die on the spot which 

 gave them birth, while their criminal ex- 

 cesses are blazoned to the world. We 



pared to the writings of that gentleman, 

 in harmony of style, and in masterly deli- 

 neations of nature, yet it possesses merit 

 abundantly sufficient to entitle it to high 

 commendation. The introductory chap- 



hail the present attempt to set them right ter, on the advantages possessed by a 

 with their neighbours, as a work both of walking tourist, is particularly spirited 

 justice and philanthropy. It is of infinite and amusing; and, we doubt not, will 

 advantage to all divisions of the kingdom, induce niauy to make an experiment of 

 that each shoidd know the other tho- that independent and delightful mode of 

 roughly. The ignorance respecting Ire- travelling. This work principally consists 

 land is very great ; of all descriptions of of four tales, which are introduced by a 

 Irish society, still greater; and, that of the detail of the manner in which they came 

 lower classes, greatest of all. The in- 

 stances of tlie ruder virtues among them, 

 of attachment, generosity, fidelity, and de- 

 votion, both to their superiors and to each 

 other, would astonish the English visitor, 

 tlioiif^h too common to excite peculiar no- 

 lice among themselves. But their minds 

 being wholly undisciplined, and destitute 

 of the lights of c<hication and moral iiifor- 

 uiatioii, the laiue ardour that prompts 



into the author's hands. This introduction 

 always possesses great novelty and inter- 

 est. The second tale "The Exile of the 

 Laiides," is interwoven with his own ad- 

 ventures ; and is thus rendered, in our 

 opinion, much the most interesting. The 

 author's talents are displayed to advantage 

 in the opening part of this tale, where lie 

 descries some of the peasants walking on 

 their enormous stilts. Although be has 



every 



