1826.) 
regards the very slender portion of strength 
they contain; but if aught of energy, or 
smoothness, or melody, exists in the Ro- 
man—of which we will not pretend to 
judge—that has not been transfused. We 
never looked at more miserable namby- 
pamby, and can scarcely imagine the book 
either saleable or readable. The name of 
Greek poetry did just stir our curiosity to 
ascertain .whether the boiling spirit of 
_ awakened heroism would impart genuine 
intensity to the conceptions—not the inten- 
sity of a pot-valiant bully, who breathes of 
freedom only by his threats, but of bold 
and vigorous thoughts evoked by stern re- 
solves. We have no right, however, to 
expect good poetry during so mortal a 
struggle; the sound heads of the land have, 
or ought to have, a higher calling, a more 
imperious duty. The crescent must fade ; 
freedom, safety, leisure—the first bright 
leisure that comes in delicious contrast 
with ages of dark destinies—the leisure 
that falls upon hearts, still full-nerved from 
recent exertions to taste the delights of the 
new condition, must dwell awhile beneath 
the ‘long, long summer day;’ and the 
children of Greece must have a land to 
sing for, before they will give utterance’to 
their sweetest notes, or any notes fit for 
civilized Europe to listen to—not these 
sorts of tap-room strains—‘ strike, strike’— 
“down with the foe’—‘ Greeks, rise and 
assert yourselyes’—‘ conquer or die’— 
‘down with the Moslem’—‘ death or free- 
dom’—with heartless school-boy allusions 
to Miltiades, Aristides, &e. &c. 
Plain Advice to the Public, to Facilitate 
the Making of their own Wills, §:c. By the 
Author of Plain Instructions to Executors 
and Administrators. 1826.—Any thing is 
welcome, in this lawyer-ridden country, 
which cuts off the necessity for employing 
the tribe. We have herea good manual, with 
the aid of which, unless in extraordinary 
and complicated cases, any one may him- 
self safely and intelligibly bequeath, to 
whom and where he likes, whatever he 
may be able to scrape together. Here we 
learn first what a will is—somewhat super- 
fluous ; then who may and who may not 
make a will—nearly as much so; then 
comes, what is of real importance, the laws 
relative to the disposal of personal property, 
and of lands; to the publication of wills, of 
republication, of codicils, alterations, and 
witnesses ; and finally follows a list of ex- 
pedients for bequeathing property to the 
best advantage, which are neither more nor 
Jess than so many suggestions for evading 
stamp and legacy duties ; and disapproving 
“a8 we do of all such paltry and vexatious 
edients for raising the public revenue, 
we are not sorry to give publicity to expe- 
dients which in any way tend to render 
them‘abortive. The suggestions are mainly 
these—leave no debts for executors to pay, 
_ beeaitée' such debts must be included in the 
probate, and though a return of probate- 
MLM. ew: Series. Vou. 11. No. 10. 
Monthly Review of Literature. 
433 
duty may be demanded, yet such are the 
difficulties thrown in the way, by the proofs 
required, that it is frequently better worth 
while to sit down content with the loss. 
Make a will by all means, for you save fifty 
per cent. on the probate-duty. If you want 
to leave a friend twenty pounds, leave him 
nineteen pounds nineteen shillings, and no 
ring, remember, or you will raise the value 
of the whole above twenty pounds, and the 
legacy-duty snaps you up ; provide for natural, 
children by land, freehold or copyhold, fox’ 
that pays no duty, (oh the legislators!) and 
bequests of personalty to natural children— 
not to legitimate children, pay ten’ per 
cent. Thus the law punishes the child for 
for the offence of the parent ; for the penal- 
ty, we see, is such as the parent can readily 
evade; butif he neglect his advantage, that 
penalty falls irresistibly upon the child. 
How is this benefitting public morals ? 
Some sound formule are appended, to 
cut off all pretence from the testator for 
employing a lawyer. Let him remember 
the lawyer must be paid, and that payment 
deducts from the property. 
Duke of York's Speech.—Mr. Walter 
Paton has published a copper-plate engray- 
ing of the Duke of York’s speech in the 
House of Lords on the Catholic question, 
embellished with an admirable portrait in 
miniature (by Jackson) of his Royal High- 
ness. Asa specimen of ornamental pen- 
manship, it is a work of very great merit; 
and, by rather an unusual combination of 
talent, with the exception only of the por- 
trait, the whole piece is engraved, as well 
as written by Mr. Paton himself, 
=. 
FOREIGN. 
Bug-Jargal, par Vauteur de Han d’Is- 
lande. 1826.—This is an animated. descrip- 
tion of an incident in the first revolt of the 
slaves at St. Domingo in 1791. In a less 
perfect state, a few copies were printed 
and distributed among the writer’s friends, 
five or six years ago, at a time when the 
affairs of Hayti excited but little interest. 
The recent discussions of those affairs in 
Paris, have induced the writer to work it 
up into its present finished state—with 
what particular view is not very obvious. 
The butcheries, callidities and cruelties of 
the negroes are described almost invi- 
diously, but on the other hand he has put 
into the mouths of the leading negroes the 
most forcible representations of their 
wrongs and provocations ; and the principal 
character of the tale is a very paladin, and 
qualified, in form and fashion, to figure 
among the heroes of any of the Miss Por- 
ter’s romances. ‘The story is vigorously 
told; it has all the airof a real event. The 
whiter is a man of no common power. 
Capt. D’Auverney is the favourite ne- 
phew of an opulent planter, and betrothed 
to his cousin, the daughter of the said opu- 
lent planter, The marriage is appointed 
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