358 
creator-of these tales, isto be taken; yet 
we cannot but believe that the original 
hints for these beautiful and romantic 
stories, liave, been, gathered in the scenes 
and amongst the people they describe. 
Any one who is, acquainted with those 
natural and simple songs, which do so 
much eredit to Mr. C.’s genius, must ac- 
kuowledge him to be eminently qualified 
“to, collect and embellish” the interesting 
traditions of his native vallics. Many of 
the present tales ave highly picturesque in 
their colouring, and romantic in their in- 
cidents; and, on the whole, the collection 
exhibits a curions and pleasing picture of 
scenes and manners which have been sel- 
dom described, It may be remarked, 
that all the tales in these volumes, except 
the first, have appeared in periodical pub- 
lications at various times. 
An Ecclesiastical Memoir of the four first 
Decades of the Reign of George the Third, by 
the Rey. J. W. MippELTON, A.M. contatns 
an account of the state of religion in the 
ebureh of England, during that period, 
with characteristic sketclies of distinguished 
divines, anthors, and benefactors. Mr, 
Middelton appears to belong to the evan- 
gelical church party, and he has allowed 
his. peculiar opimions as an eecclesiastic to 
interfere too frequently and too decidedly 
with lis daties a3 an jistorian. His work 
ean. only be read as the interpretation 
given to facts and characters by a particu- 
lar sect, and is thus divested of a great 
part of its value.. Those who have the 
misfortune to differ from the reverend an- 
thor, ave disposed of with-very little cere- 
meny; and we observe, with particular 
disgust, the very illiberal style in which he 
remarks upon the life and writings of the 
late Gilbert Wakefield, with a degree of 
bitterness and virulence highly unbecoming 
the meekness of his vocation, and calcu- 
lated only to defeat their own purpose. 
That he was ‘ panegyrized by Dr. Aikin 
for benevolence, and eulogized by Dr. 
Parr for erudition,” is recorded in scorn, 
bat will be read with different sensations, 
Mr. Belsham too is accused, with the 
Unitarians, of ‘‘ attacking those glorious 
truths of revelation,” which he is amongst 
the first to defend. Enough has been said 
to shew the confined and bigoted spirit in 
which Mr. Middleton has performed his 
task ; the execution of which is, in other 
respects, by no means unexceptionable. 
Many of the inferior order of the clergy, 
whom he brings into notice, though devout 
and worthy men, have no elaim toa place 
in history... In point of style, the reverend 
author lies open to serious animadversions, 
Always stiif and laboured, and often 
pompous and inflated, even to a ludicrous 
degree, we could collect from his pages a 
string of metaphors of the most singular and 
incongruous native. These follies are 
here quite out of place; and, whether he 
Literary and Critical Proémium, 
[Noy. 1, 
“rises out of sight in the rarofied ather of 
Calvinism, or dips his wing in the puddles 
of Pelagianism,” we would remind the 
author, that the language, as well as the 
manners and life, of a Christian minister, 
should be humble, modest, simple, and 
tolerant. 
«The paw of the savage bear,’ by 
which flattering image the author of Rome, 
a Poem, has typified the hand of the 
critic, has, we believe, been laid with great 
moderation on the head of the bard; and, 
after a perusal of that work, and of his 
subsequent effort, The Vale of Chamount, 
we willingly bear our testimony to the re- 
spectable talents displayed in both those 
productions, To the latter poem, we have 
no hesitation in giving the preference, beth 
in the choice of a less hacknied and more 
picturesque subject, and in its more equa 
and forcible execution. ‘The versification 
of these poems is elegant and correct ; 
and, if the author does not rise into the 
higher regions of imagination, his flight is 
sustained, at a moderate elevation, with no 
inconsiderable spirit. There is a want of 
taste occasionally perceptible, particularly 
where he deviates into facetiousness ; but 
his faults are chiefly those of youth and in- 
experience, and, if we may say so without 
offence, of his country. We like his 
verses better than his prose, and even his 
errors better than the apologies with 
which he has prefaced them. Should he 
come before the public again, we hope he 
will take our advice; and, depending on 
his intrinsic merits, say as little as he can 
about himself, and nothing about the critics. 
The high character which Captain 
Manby enjoys for scientific knowledge and 
ingenuity, as well as for the benevolent 
application of his talents, warrants us in 
calling the attention of our readers to his 
Jownal of a Voyuge to Greenland, in the 
ycar 1821, wilh Gruphic Illustrations, whicls 
exhibits, in a striking and agreeable 
manner, all the incidents, scenery, and 
phenomena, attendant upon an ordinary 
whaling voyage. Further than this, we 
are sorry to say, we cannot go, withall the 
disposition we have to give the worthy au- 
thor credit for his laudable intentions te 
visit Spitzbergen and collect specimens of 
its various productions, to re-discaver lost 
Greenland, ascertain the fate of its colony 
and settle its geography, and to determine 
the superiority of his new-inverted instru- 
ments for the capture of the whale. All 
these things, we lament with Captain 
Manby, that he was disappointed im’ per- 
forming ; but especially the last, which 
was the sole object of his long and painful 
voyage. Of his gun-harpoon and shell for 
destroying the whale, he did not find a 
single opportunity of proving the efficacy, 
partly from scarcity of fish, partly from 
the prejudiced opposition of the crew ; 
and, in some measure, we apprehend, from 
aa 
