1822.] The Philosophy of Contemporary Criticism.—No, XIX. 
THE PHILOSOPHY OF CONTEM- 
PORARY CRITICISM. 
No. XIX. 
Quarterly Review, No. 31. 
AVING in our last notice of this 
journal endeavoured to expose 
the general principles, or rather the 
abuse of all principle, on which it is 
conducted, we shall enter on the exa- 
mination of the present Number with- 
out preface. 
The first article is headed “ The Navy 
of England and of France,” and is a 
notice of M. Dupin’s work on the navy 
of Great Britain, a subject not deeply 
interesting at the present moment ; and 
the observations of the reviewer, which 
are rather turgidly delivered, are chiefly 
remarkable from the paradoxical man- 
ner they attempt to explain certain 
_ national prejudices ascribed tu M. Dupin 
—namely, his intercourse with the 
liberales. 
The second subject, “ Russian Church 
Architecture,” is curious, and traced to 
the example of the Byzantine Greeks, 
as exemplified in the temples of Con- 
stantinople, the style and material of 
the sacred edifices of Russia. To the 
Greeks, indeed, the Russians are largely 
indebted, not only for their ecclesiasti- 
ealarchitecture, but their religion, their 
alphabet, and, according to the re- 
viewer, their “ cleanliness,”,—though 
we had not heard the last had yet made 
much progress, either at Moscow or 
Petersburgh. The frequency of the 
bath, to which Russian “ cleanliness”’ 
is attributed, is from the manner it is 
conducted, and the indiscriminate 
mingling of sexes and condition, one 
principal cause that the inhabitants of 
Russia are more filthy and indelicate 
than those of other European states. 
The story of the conversion of the Grand 
Duke Vladimir is amusing, but we 
wonder at its insertion in the Quarterly ; 
for unbelievers are always ready ‘to 
catch at such relations, and many of 
them, no doubt, will be apt to infer 
from this and similar histories, that the 
conversion of princes gencrally, from 
Constantine and Clovis downward, has 
been more frequently the result of de- 
lusion or policy, than of the operation 
of the Spirit, or a rational enquiry into 
the grounds of their new persuasion. 
“ State of the Slave Trade” is a va- 
luable article, containing melancholy 
details of the revival of an infamows 
traffic, and the connivance of those 
or that had concurred in the abo- 
ition. Sixty thousand Africans, are 
MONTHLY Mac. No. 366. 
201 
stated by Sir George Collier, to have 
been forced from their country in the 
last twelve months, under the flags of 
Spain, Portugal, and France, chiefly 
the latter. It is creditable to the Edin- 
burgh and Quarterly journals, that each 
about the same time volunteered an 
article in the exposure of this shame- 
less violation ef public treaties. But, 
as a set-off against the merits of the 
latter, it ought to be mentioned, that 
its zeal in the cause of humanity, is 
accompanied with a zeal, equally ar- 
dent, in the cause of tyranny ; and the 
“ free constitution of Spain,’’ as it is 
sneeringty termed, and the * bundling, 
gouging, negro-driving, dram-drinking 
Americans,” as they are elegantly stig- 
inatized, come in for an ample share of 
vituperation. Indeed the Spanish 
Cortes and the American Republic are 
the “ foul fiends” of corruptionists, and 
they never can be held up to their af- 
frighted imaginations without eliciting 
a scream of horror. A word, however, 
may be said in behalf of both govern- 
ments. If the Cortes are unable to put 
down the negro-trade, it is not because 
the principles of their revolution are 
inconsistent with its entire abolition, 
but because the colonial interest, which 
had growa up under the old legitimate 
system, is too powerful to yield to the 
claims of justice. As to the Ameri- 
cans, they cannot be justly reproached 
with inertness ; they have gone farther 
in the work of abolition than any Eu- 
ropean state,even England; while we 
have declared slave-trading felony, they 
have denounced it piracy, punishable 
with death. The other topic of re- 
proach—the domestic slavery of the 
Americans, proves little against the 
popular principles of their government, 
The reviewer, indeed, ought to have 
recollected, that it was not under re 
publican institutions this blot on trans- 
atlantic society originated, but under 
the ,monarchical institutions of Eng- 
land; and it is much to be feared the 
American slave-owner will continue 
his usurped dominien over the African, 
from the same motives the borough- 
monger exercises the franchises of the 
people. The cases are similar in prin- 
-ciple, and equally indefensible.* 
* Since writing this article, we have 
learnt the Cortes have made slave-trading 
a capital offence, punishable with ten years’ 
transportation. Suchis the reply of this 
‘‘ hieh-minded people,” as Mr. Wilberforce 
justly termed them, to the sneers of the 
reviewer on their “ free constitution.” 
2C The 
