KIDD'S LONDON JOUKNAL. 



of her labour ripen, and all her fondest 

 hopes realized! It would be good for 

 society had we a few more Grace Agoilars. 



The Critic, London Literary Journal. — John 

 Crockford, Publisher 



We have watched with great curiosity, for 

 many years, the gradual progress of this 

 literary paper ; now most assuredly, so far 

 as merit, aye, and circulation are concerned, 

 at the head of the so-called " organs of com- 

 munication " with the reading public. 



The difficulties that have beset the worthy 

 proprietors and their staff in establishing 

 this periodical, have been such, that — but for 

 untiring energy, unity of purpose, and a 

 fixed determination to conquer (which, in nine 

 cases out often, wins the battle), they must 

 have suffered fatal shipwreck. 



Opposed, manibus pedibusque, by " the 

 Trade " and their minions, no helping hand 

 could they get there. No books would be 

 sent for " review;" no advertisements sent 

 in to reduce the cost of production. " We 

 have our own organs," said the publishers ; 

 "you are an interloper, and we shall not 

 support you." They spake, and it was done ! 



Thwarted, baffled for the time, but not 

 " put down " as intended, these lions among 

 letters held a consultation. " In the multi- 

 tude of counsellors, there wanteth not wis- 

 dom." A plan was projected, discussed, 

 approved — acted upon. 



A phalanx of scholars was summoned to 

 take the helm of the good ship, whilst fitting 

 out. Soon a fair breeze sprung up ; the 

 vessel was launched, and glided steadily 

 over the waves of opposition. Merit was 

 recognised throughout the pages of the 

 Critic. It was methodically made known 

 by public advertisement, and by gratuitous 

 distribution. The difficulties of parturition 

 safely over, a healthy offspring stood con- 

 fessed. 



It were needless for us to pursue the in- 

 quiry more closely, as to how its present high 

 eminence was reached. Suffice it to say 

 that, by means of unceasing canvass, con- 

 ducted in a gentlemanly manner by intelli- 

 gent men, the paper now finds its way 

 'direct from the office of publication — a master- 

 stroke of long-sighted policy — into the 

 hands of very nearly seven thousand of the 

 reading public ! 



How gratifying must this be to the pro- 

 jectors — how galling to their grovelling, 

 narrow-minded opponents ! Fearlessly in- 

 dependent as we ever have been ourselves, 

 how WE revel in the thought of this signal 

 triumph of ''right." over "might!" The 

 pithy saying — ■ 



"Aide tot et le Ciel {aider a" 

 never was more happily confirmed. Let this 

 "pursuit of extending knowledge under diffi- 



culties," and its results, be written with a 

 pen of iron on the memory of every reader 

 of our London Journal. 



We must not stop here. It is too noto- 

 rious to need comment, that the so-called 

 " organs " of " the trade" are in the habit 

 of noticing books for a eon-si-de-ra-ti-on — 

 not indeed directly offered in current coin, 

 but in the form of advertisements, for the 

 insertion of which heavy prices are charged. 

 This is not, of course, objected to by the 

 publishers, IC under the circumstances." 

 Which way the reviewer's bias leads, " under 

 the (aforesaid) circumstances," this deponent 

 sayeth not. 



Proudly return we, for one moment, to 

 the Critic, No favor have we here — no 

 promise ; no tacit hint of a " favorable re- 

 view if an advertisement accompany the book 

 sent." " Send your books," say they, " and 

 we will notice them according to their 

 merit." What is the consequence of this 

 grand line of demarcation between the Critic, 

 and the " organs " of " the trade?" Why 

 this. We find that a book " cut up " by the 

 Critic, is lauded to the skies by the opposite 

 party. u Laudatur ab his, culpatur ah Mis ! " — 

 much to the astonishment of literary parve- 

 nus, and to the bewilderment of the casual 

 reader. In the one case, the Critic pur- 

 chases all the books it reviews, and can 

 therefore afford to be honest ; in the other — 

 but we need not go over that ground again. 



The proud position now occupied by the 

 Critic* decidedly the literary " organ " of 

 the public — impels even us, in our little ven- 

 ture, to hold up our heads manfully. We 

 shall do our best in a plain, straightforward 

 manner, to please our friends, and leave the 

 issue in the hands of the public. 



Let us add in conclusion, that we do not 

 know, even by name (sad ignorance we 

 grant !), one single individual who writes for 

 the Critic. An " offering " therefore of 

 this kind, without their privity, must prove 

 that our sentiments are as honest as the ex- 

 ercise of our duty is imperatively called for — 

 " Palmam qui meruit ferat ! " 



* We should name here, that the Critic is not 

 a "weekly" periodical. The proprietors wisely 

 remark, that they can, by issuing it every fort- 

 night, bring down the information required to 

 the very latest moment ; and thus afford a mass 

 — a mass, indeed ! — of intellectual and instructive 

 matter that will require at least a fortnight 

 comfortably to read and digest. It is, in truth, 

 a masterly production, vieAved in every depart- 

 ment of its numerous and well- arranged subjects; 

 and the price, notwithstanding, simply that of a 

 common Newspaper! 



Age.— Age is like the air we breathe ; 

 every one feels it, but no one sees it. 



