1829.] 



Domestic and Foreign. 



215 



crowds are presented to the reader. — with 

 more or less claims upon his notice : — one, 

 the Countess of Fontainby, a sort of widow 

 bewitched, of the most fascinating qualities, 

 all of the lighter cast, deserted by her 

 husband for no reason, bat left, at the same 

 time, with ample means for display — ano- 

 ther, a leader of Bible societies, and a 

 writer of evangelical tracts — a third, a 

 savante, accompanied by her daughter and 

 a governess, wliich latter is, surely a very 

 unusual thing, introduced— very young, of 

 surpassing lovehness, and indicating at 

 times superior accomplishments, but not 

 very visibly destined to figure in the stoiy. 

 Of the gentlemen, the greater number are 

 nothing in description, and the rest are 

 nothing in fact, with one or two exceptions, 

 particularly a Lord Fitzgerald, who lives in 

 the neighbourhood, and seems drawn to the 

 scene chiefly by the fascinating widow-be- 

 witched aforesaid, but once or twice, we 

 catch him paying a passing compliment to the 

 accompUshed governess. The whole volume 

 is occupied with the breakfasts, and dinners, 

 and drives of the party day after day, with 

 the most merciless vapidity, save and except 

 the \'isit of the converting lady, in which 

 some of the guests accompany her to the 

 cottages, and a bible meeting. The visit 

 to the cottages is admirable, and shews up, 

 to the life, the busy importance of the 

 patronizing great, and love of interference 

 with the arrangements, feelings, pursuits, 

 &c. of the poor, whom they aftect to guide 

 and instruct. No advance seems made 

 towards a story. 



The next volume changes the scene, in 

 the abruptest manner imaginable. We 

 are now in Italy with two gentlemen, per- 

 fect strangers to iw — one of five-and-thirty, 

 rather moping and melancholy, and disposed 

 to quarrel with existing circumstances — the 

 other as alert and wise as five-and-twenty 

 can make him. They are travelling 

 through Italy, and in their way call to pay 

 their respects at the house of a Contessa, 

 where they meet with a young lady, the life 

 and soul of a large party there assembled. 

 The younger gentleman, D'Erbine, is sud- 

 denly and irresistibly fixed by her charms 

 and accomplishments. Though, minghng 

 like a native with the Italians, she is 

 English, nor is her face altogetlier new to 

 D'Erbine, though he cannot recollect where 

 he has seen her. By and by he discovers 

 a friend of his, Coimt Valtcline, a distin- 

 guished pohtical person — a Bonapartist — is 

 himself in love with this accomplished lady, 

 and lie in consequence, discreetly and con- 

 siderately retreated ; but, again and again 

 in spite of all resolves, he returns to catch 

 an occasional glance, or only to discover 

 who she is. Once in company with his 

 ' Cynic' friend at the residence of the cen- 

 teAxa, the young lady opens an English 

 newspaper, just arrived, and reads a para- 

 graph aloud, relative to tlie Countess Fon- 

 tainby, and some fete she had been giving. 



This introduces some conversation relative 

 to the Earl, who had so unaccountably de- 

 serted her, when D'Erbine's friend, the 

 Cynic, takes up tiie case, and exculpates 

 both parties, and then abruptly, and to the 

 surprise of D'Erbine and the lady, announces 

 himself to be tlie deserting Earl. He had 

 left her solely because their tastes did not 

 agree. She loved gaiety, and he retirement, 

 she was frivolous, and he philosopliical, and 

 so he chose to quit her, and roam over the 

 world, and grumble at its perversions. 



Though at every inter\dew the English 

 lady is more and more fascinating — exhi- 

 biting fresh and fresh accomplishments, and 

 proving, in short, an universal genius and 

 rivaUing Corinne herself, D'Erbine at last 

 forces himself away, and goes to Russia, 

 without making the discovery he had been 

 so intent upon. After an absence of some 

 few months, he comes again to Italy, and 

 encounters his old friend Valteline, who 

 informs him his hopes, with regard to the 

 Enghs'n lady, were all extinguished. She 

 had frankly told him she loved another, 

 which other he has discovered since by cir- 

 cumstances, but reftLsgs to tell D'Erbine. 

 "With no suspicion of the enchanting truth 

 that was soon to break upon him, he now 

 visits the lady at her own charming villa, 

 and, in the intensity of his admiration, in 

 spite of his previous resolutions, he declares 

 his love, and, to his amazement, is 

 answered, " I have Uved long enough, 

 since Fitzgerald thinks me not imworthy of 

 his love." For this D'Erbine, who, like 

 his friend the C3mic, travels under a nom 

 de guerre, is actually the Earl Fitzgerald, 

 and the lady, the young and beautiful 

 governess whom he had seen at Lady some- 

 body's two or three winters before, and 

 could not recollect where. The understand, 

 ing is presently mutual and complete, and 

 arrangements are made for the marriage ; 

 but a short absence on the part of Fitzgerald 

 is imperative. In the interval, the lady, 

 who had distinguished herself by her poeti- 

 cal productions, had been elected a member 

 of the College of Jlilan, and was called 

 upon to undergo the ceremonies of inaugu- 

 ration. She accordingly makes a splendid 

 speech, in the style of Corinne, on the 

 glories of Italy, and winding up with a 

 brilliant peroration, she catches the eye of 

 Fitzgeralcf, who had unexpectedly returned 

 in time to witness and enjoy the raptures 

 this extraordinary exhibition excited. Tlie 

 marriage now follows, and the arrival in 

 England of the new countess excites no 

 little sensation in the fasliionable world. 

 Every set is eager to get her, and tlic reader 

 expects some distinguished scene at lier 

 cntr<?e, but the whole terminates in the 

 talk of others, and the curtain drops upon 

 nothing. Through tlie latter volumes are 

 interspersed sundry discussions of a literary 

 and jiohtical cast, conducted with some skill 

 and tiircc. The author is the advocate of 

 liberal, or rather of railical sentiments, and 



