4, 
* deterinination. 
AMELI*XN MANSFIELD, 
The misery which Amelia suffers flows 
not from her venial Jove and legitimate 
marriage with Mansfield: he dies ina 
yery short time after ic had taken place, 
and she has a babe to employ her affec- 
tions, and sooth her gricf. _ She retires 
to the house of a generous and kind un- 
¢le, who anticipates every wish she has, 
and with whom she lives in the utmost 
harmony and happiness till her connec- 
tion with Ernest. 
Here we ieel ourselves called upon to 
teprehend, with great. severity, the vo- 
luptuons and exciting language in which 
this scene is depicted. From the pen of 
a female it is doubly poisonous. 
This unfortunate Amelia, for whom 
pur compassion is endeavoured to be ex- 
cited in every page, had by her sentiments 
already prepared us for hier fall. Inone 
of her early letters to her brother, where 
she is describing Mr. Semler, she says, 
« Albert, I am too well acquainted with 
Jove to mistake st. That word, which Mr. 
Mansfield sounded so sweet, I now repel 
with horror. Far from being pleased when 
that passion is descanted upon, | feel wneasy, 
as long as it is the subject of conversation. 
Nor is this all, my dearest brother! for that 
‘is only a disorder of the mind, which time 
may cure; but a reason exists, that will al- 
Ways preserve me from again being in love : 
@ reason which I could wish to conceal from 
myself, and which I could not resolve to tell 
you,-bat to convince you of my unalterable 
it is, that dire experience 
has inspired me with such an invincible hor- 
ror of those ties, from which you expect all 
‘your happiness, that were I so unfortunate as 
to love again, and that I must either submit 
toa union with the possessor of my heart, 
er devote myself to his embraces-———-death 
would be my aoly resource ; hut were death 
denied 10 me, I am doubtful if my heart, if 
reasen itself would side with virtue.” 
Ameiia’s regrets, too, are less for the 
offence than the consequences of it: her 
sentiments, in the letter which she writes 
to Adolphus, yol. tit. p. 3, & seg. are 
extremely immoral, and the language of 
the lovers speaks less for the purity of 
the author’s imagination, than for the 
warmth and excitability of her passions. 
Oh Adolphus!” says this Heloise to 
her St. Preux, “ would you believe it, 
all Il reproach myself with is to have em- 
_ bittered your delight by my melancholy.” 
This refers to an allegation which it is 
mot for us to repeat. Again she says, 
do not, I beseech you, endeavour to 
persuade me I am not guilty. I wish 
to know that I am so—it is sweet to be 
80 for you. The forfeit of my iife for 
Gls 
you would be nothing; but to yield up 
my innocence, to forfeit the esteem of 
the public, these are sacrifices which I 
glory in making, since these alone can 
prove the excess of my fondness! Yes, 
in the infatuation which possesses me, I 
find a pleasing satisfaction in thinking, 
that it is for you that I am lost; and in 
alienating from me every virtuous mind, 
I detach myself from the whole world, 
that I may exist only by my love.” 
This is that venial love which leads to 
such unhappiness : Amelia, the amiable 
Amelia, in whose mind and person are 
assembled all the virtues and. all the 
graces, is not restrained by the consi+ 
deration that she is already aznother, by 
the very presence, perhaps, of her child, 
from dtseracing her character,and bring~ 
ing disgrace upon her progeny. Her 
amorous feelings are more powerful than 
her maternal ones. This object for whom 
Madame C * * * endeavours to excité 
such deep commiseration, leaves her 
child, and bearing an unborn one im her 
bosom, makes an attempt to commit 
suicide ! ’ 
“« Oh, but Amelia Mansfield is a novel 
that can do noharm—look at the moral 
of the story ; she dies in the deepest dis- 
tress, and together with her seducer, pays 
an ample forteit for her offence :”? such 
is likely to be the apology for these 
ptges, which we-cannot but warn our 
readers against as dangerous; for it is 
our most decided opinion, that a syilo- 
gistic moral, a dry mathematical infer- 
ence, is utterly incompetent to destroy, 
or even to weaken the evil tendency of 
immoral sentiments, lascivious deserip- 
tions, andexciting scenes. On a former 
cecasion, we stated our determination to 
give cpen warning, “ if any thing taint- 
ed, any thing unwholesome should be 
brought to market.” We have perform- 
ed this duty on the present occasion, and 
painful as it is, we will at ail times per- 
form it with the most scrupulous fide- 
lity. There is something treacherous 
about this novel: under the pretence of 
instilling virtuous principles, it is calcus_ 
lated to enflame the passions of young 
persons, and corrupt their morals ; there 
are many, very many pages in it, which 
we should shudder to see under the pe- 
rusal of our daughters. 
There are several minor faults in 
« Amelia Mansfield,” whilst many parts 
do credit to the skill of the author. The 
character of Madame Woldemar is un- 
natural to the last deeree; im this coun- 
Kir h 
