1821.] Quarterly Review, No, XLIX . 23 
censure. It may properly be divided 
into two parts, and upon the first we 
are disposed to bestow unqualified ap¬ 
probation. We never read a better, a 
clearer, or a more satisfactory sketch 
of the military history of Europe; but in 
noticing M. Dupin’s respectable work, 
which gave occasion to the subject, 
the reviewer seems literally to lose 
his senses, and breaks out into the 
most contemptible party and national 
spleen that has ever disgraced the 
Quarterly Review. We cannot per¬ 
suade ourselves that the first and se¬ 
cond par(;s of this paper are by the same 
hand. 
u The Etonian,” a little periodical 
work, professedly published by Etoni¬ 
ans, is tenderly dealt by in the fifth 
article. It certainly contains some 
proofs of respectable mediocrity, both 
in verse and prose; but if there had not 
been Etonians connected with the 
Quarterly Review, and some of them 
also with the Etonian, we should never 
have heard of these fading and falling 
leaves. 
The sixth article is a very able dis¬ 
quisition concerning the Architecture 
of the middle ages, and it is executed 
with a finer impress of moral sensibi¬ 
lity than might have been expected from 
a topic so purely antiquarian. It is one 
of the best papers on the subject that 
we have met with, and derives a degree 
of interest and value from the execu¬ 
tion, highly creditable to the author. 
We do not well know what to make 
of the seventh , on 44 the Annals of the 
Parish,” an historical sketch of the vil¬ 
lage manners of Scotland. It is suffi¬ 
ciently laudatory, and gives all due 
praise to the fidelity of the descriptions 
—but it lugs in 44 by ear and horn ” 
another work by the same author, for 
the express purpose, as it were, of fell¬ 
ing it, most butcher-like, at once. We 
allude to 44 the Earthquake,” in which 
we do think there are as many exam¬ 
ples of true portraiture, as there are in 
the Annals, and some specimens of 
even higher and superior composition. 
The critic should have been more 
sparing of his approbation on the truth 
and simplicity of 44 the Annals,” after 
condemning 44 the Earthquake,” if he 
expected his readers to believe he was 
not actuated by some particular and 
peculiar motive. 
The fifth volume of 44 Mitford’s His¬ 
tory of Greece,” supplies matter for the 
eighth article, which, although exceed- 
ingly severe, without, however, being 
abusive, is yet perfectly just. The 
style of Mr. Mitford is certainly about 
the very worst of the present day- 
arid, husky, uneven, hard, — eveiy 
thing, in a word, that is descriptive of 
grating harshness and discord. The 
honey of Hymettus, and the oil of At¬ 
tica, have neither soothed his throat nor 
softened his lip—nor is he endowed 
with any portion of that fine spirit 
which ennobled the sentiments and 
gave elegance to the personal beauty of 
the human form. But bad as his man¬ 
ner is, we observe that the reviewer 
makes it worse in his quotations, by 
copying what, we think, he could not 
but know were errors of the printer, 
not of the writer. It is, however, a 
curious circumstance, that the Quar¬ 
terly Review, which in general excels 
in classical topics, is, in this article, in¬ 
ferior to itself. We had a right to ex¬ 
pect from it, on a History of Greece, 
one of the most splendid specimens of 
its best ability. But if Mr. Mitford 
has no merit in the art of composition, 
as a compiler he is entitled to very 
considerable praise, having brought to¬ 
gether a great mass of materials, which 
some more skilful hand, we doubt not, 
will work into beautiful effect. Out of 
his 44 rugged lore ” a single volume 
might be formed of unequalled interest, 
romantic simplicity and beauty. 
The ninth article is devoted to Capt. 
Parry's Journal of the Voyage of Dis¬ 
covery. It is drawn up with ability, 
and where the writer confines himself 
to reflections on facts, and to pointing 
out the merits of the officers and men 
engaged in this enterprise of unexam- 
pled daring, we cannot but approve of 
the justness and propriety of what he 
says; but he unfortunately endeavours 
to be a philosopher, and hatches theories 
as easily as the Captain grew his cresses 
in the frying-pan. Nevertheless, he 
has furnished us with a pleasing and 
interesting paper. But the sublime of 
maritime adventure was never touched 
before the publication of Parry’s jour¬ 
nal, and it was impossible to speak of 
it without calling forth feelings of ad¬ 
miration aud awe. It is amazing to 
hear the regrets of ignorance, that 
Parry’s journal should possess so little 
interest—that is to say, should tell so 
little ot the cannibals that each other 
eat, 
“ The Anthropophagi, and men whose 
heads 
Do grow beneath their shoulders.” 
For ourselves we think it contains the 
ultimate 
