1822.] The Philosophy of Contemporary Criticism.—No. XVIII. 
Westminster Abbey is described with 
detail, and an engraving given of the 
monument of Mary, Queen of Scots, 
who is a much greater favourite on the 
continent than the equally lewd but 
less tolerant Queen Elizabeth. The 
public spirit of the nation, in combin- 
ing for so many useful purposes, is held 
up to foreign example. The Magdalen 
Hospital and the Asylum are also re- 
commended to German imitation. An 
account of Ackermann’s picturesque 
publications concerning Great Britain, 
is given with elaborate detail.  - 
On the whole, however, not much 
novelty in this author's points of view 
will be detected; he rather excels in 
common sense than in originality; no- 
tices just what every one else is struck 
with; and merits the praise of pro- 
priety, by walking in the beaten path. 
Variety, not peculiarity of flavonr, con- 
stitutes the merit of his dishes; he 
opens a plentiful cheap ordinary rather 
than a banquet of dainties. 
——f=———— 
THE PHILOSOPHY OF CONTEM- 
PORARY CRITICISM. 
No.- XVIII. 
Edinburgh Review, No. 71. 
FEXUOUGH the Edinburgh Review is 
neither so sprightly nor vigorous 
as formerly, it is still a sensible and 
well meaning book, and we should be 
sorry to see it lose its hold on public 
opinion. That the later volumes should 
fall below their predecessors, in fire and 
originality, is what might be expected 
from the history of the publication. 
The early writers were young men— 
(none of them, we are tuld, more than 
thirty,) full of confidence in their 
powers, and possessed of a considerable 
fund of original ideas. These advantages 
were necessarily evanescent and ex- 
haustible, and lately the reviewers have 
displayed no striking novelties either 
in politics, literature, or phiiosophy. 
With all these failures and mutations 
in the Edinburgh Review, we still con- 
sider it the best periodical publication 
of its time. Occasionally it contains 
articles of transcendent ability and 
eloquence ; —if the criticism he less 
caustic and dogmatical than hereto- 
fore, itis more just; and if we have 
fewer metaphysical disquisifions and 
fine spun theories, we have able digests 
and valuable discussions on questions 
of great practical utility and impor- 
tance. 
The leading subject of the last Num- 
ber is “ Six George Mackenzie’s Me- 
127 
moirs;’ the MS. of which had a nar- 
row escape from the vulgar uses of an 
Edinburgh shopkeéper. The article 
of the reviewer is plainly and sensibly 
written ; abounding im just observation 
on the disastrous Scottish Administra- 
tion of Charles the Second,—on the 
errors and causes of bigotry and shert- 
sightedness—with some allusions, not 
sufficiently pointed we think, to recent 
and not less afilictive periods of our own 
history. ‘The character of Sir George 
himself, is of that sort which it is the 
interest of society should be forgotten 
rather than remembered: he was more 
able than honest, and one of that class 
of statesmen with which the world is 
at all times abundantly supplied,—who 
can make their principles bend to their 
interest, and their conscience to their 
ambition. 
“ The Foreign Slave Trade’ article 
we_ hope will be generally read: it is 
not very long, and contains interesting 
details on the revival of an infamous 
traffic, which ‘the law had abolished. 
The connivance of the French ministry 
at the Negro trade, shows the real cha- 
racter of the Ultra party; when, in . 
spite of professions of religion and mo- 
rality, for the sake of strengthening 
its influence with the colonial interest, 
it tolerates an illegal and odious traffic 
that violates both. 
“ Bowdler’s Family Shaxespeare’’ 
forms the third article, and is the short- 
est we remember, being less than two 
pages. As the critic is so very brief 
with Mr. Bowdler, we shall be very 
brief with him. He seems to approve 
of Mr. Bowdler’s entailments, and we 
do not find fault with any thing except 
the title, which sounds to us rather 
parodial. We cannot, however, ima- 
gine how the Quarterly can approve of 
Mr. Bowdler’s amendments, for if the 
practice of castrating old books on ac- 
count of the indelicacies they contain 
be once admitted, it is impossible to 
foresee where such innovations may 
stop, whether they may not extend to 
the root of our venerable establish- 
ments themselves. 
We get on very fast, being already at 
the fourth article, Madame de Stal. 
When the Edinburgh reviewer enters 
on French society, literature and phi- 
losophy, we always expect something 
very elever and entertaining, and we 
cannot say we have been disappointed 
on the present occasion. For her works 
on literature and the revolution, Ma- 
dame de Sta#l had received gale 
4 
