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    944 The Saturday Analyst and Leader. [No...

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    THE EAEL OF DDNDOKALD'S AUTO-BIOGRAPHl ....

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    *ZThe Autobiography of a Seamftn. J»y Th...

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    ItECENT NOVELS.* A NEW novel, by Mr. Joh...

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  • Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.

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    On Be No I - No , , ] ) G £ \ T S R N Fi...

    ^ reference the fair flowers , and the ripe and wholesome fruits . Th- Johnson says of himself , that he performed a longand painful voyage round the English language foiv eight long vears- he toiled incessantly to make it what it is ; he stamped upon it the power and dignity of his own lof ty mind . It . is replete with the clear intelligence and vigour of the xnigaty mind which modelled it ; and who can read the compilations of his splendid genius without admiring the lofty grandeur of Ins stvle , the purity and correctness of his language ? his ideas slime t in all the simple majesty of truthand his words hear the

    ou , intrinsic merit of the pure ore of the English language . Grieved , indeed , and mortified would the great linguist have been , could he have foreseen that the whole surface of that language he laboured so Ion" and arduously to render clear and comprehensive , should be so overgrown , in this boasted age of literature and improvement , by a host of mongrel words and unintelligible and unsightly slano-, so that a glossary of the English language for the use of Engfishmen will soon be found necessary for the clearer elucidation often thousand and one slang words and cant expressions

    now in daily and hourly requisition . ' It is strange , indeed , that in all the expensive course of education and accomplishments -which the young people of this polite age receive , before they can make out their letters patent to the term finished , they must seem to have learned the first rules of the English grammar to spejak and write the English language with propriety .

    944 The Saturday Analyst And Leader. [No...

    944 The Saturday Analyst and Leader . [ Nov . 17 , 1860

    The Eael Of Ddndokald's Auto-Biographl ....

    THE EAEL OF DDNDOKALD'S AUTO-BIOGRAPHl . * rr \ HAT England has passed through an age of corruption which I niight parallel in many of its phases the worst examples of Continental despotism , is clear from the exposure made by thejate Earl of Dundonald of the enormities as affecting himself , committed during the Castlereagh , Croker , and Ellenborough dynasty . We may build on this fact a well-gi-ounded hope that , notwithstanding the passing abuses of the Italian administrations , or the doubtful conditions of the Galilean dictatorship at present existingv or even the enormous tyrannies still prevailing in Austria and Russia , there vet remains a future for all these countries , in which the principles

    of liberty may shine as brightly as they now do in our native land . The second volume of the Earl of Dundonald ' s biography lies before us , and , together With his recent demise , is calculated to impress a character on public opinion not at all favourable to that of our Government less than fifty years ago . If in the course of Iqss than half a century , we have made such advances out of a despotism so odious , that , were the same public crimes attempted in our days , they would be at once pronounced intolerable , and proved to be impossible ; what may be not hoped henceforth by other countries that have , already cast off , the chains of false traditions and their

    allegiance to despotic absolutisms , and entered upon new paths that promise progression , and already present visible signs of commencing improvement ? Painful as are the incidents of Lord Dundonald ' s life , and shameful as they are to the administration of outcountry , they take from this point of view a more cheerful aspect , and lead forward to prospects that are abundantly encouraging 1 to those sentiments which animate the friends of the human race a ^ id the advocates of international reform . Though it may have been only too clear that Astrea had long ago left the earth , and still remained absent at a very recent date , yet there is reason to believe that her return is decreed , and will not bo now much further

    delayed . In our former artiole we sufficiently described the case of Lord Gambier in the Aix Roads , and the trial of his Lordship in consequence of his attempting a signal illustration , of that noble rule of policy , " How not to do it . " That same rule was furthor illustrated in the trial itself , when , every attempt was made to prevent the truth from , appearing . Since the publication of his first volume , his Lorship had reoeived permission to inspect the documents at the Admiralty , formerly refused , so that , therefore , lie was able to place the whole statement before the roador in tho most accurate form . This we find done in the present volume . It is much to the oredit of the Palmerston Government that they have so readily granted what was so sturdily refused by their

    predecessors . . The acquittal of Lord Gambier had beon based on a ohart mado by Air . Stokes , tho master of his flag-ship ; this ohart , incorreot as it was , ' was subsequently tampered with . After a lapse of eight years from the oourt-xnarfcial , material alterations had been made by permission of the Board itself , and under tho direction of on © of its officers . Faots of this kind , of course , only made Lord Dundonald more anxious to inspect all available documents . But his oaso seemed hopeless , as tho Admiralty porsisted in tho statement that those wanted woro lost or mislaid , or returned to the parties interested . Howovor , whon Lord

    Dundonald had obtained permission to inspeot the promises , lio met with a now astonishment . " Tho reader , " ho records , 4 < may judge of my surprise on discovering , in its proper place , bound , up amongst the Naval Records , in tho usual oilioial manner , tho vert / ohart tho possession qf which had Icon denied by a former Board of Admiralty . " Tp this let us add another quoted sontenoo or two . "It is , thoroforo , only ai ' tor the lapso of nity-ono years , and in my own eighty-fifth , year , —a postponement too lato for my poaoe , but not lor my justification , —4 b , at I mm , from official documents , and proofs aoduood from official documents , whioh were from the first and still are in -the

    possession of the Government , enabled to remove the stigma before alluded to , and to lay before the public such an explanation of the fabricated chart , together with an Admiralty copy , of the chart itself , as from that evidence shall place the whofe matter beyond the possibility of dispute . It will , in the present day , be difficult to credit the existence of such practices and evil influences of party spirit in past times , as could permit an administration , even for the purpose of preserving the prestige of a Government to claim as a glorious victory (!) a neglect of duty which , to use the mildest terms , was both a naval and a national dishonour . "

    The evidence is full and complete ; and what is better , the public have it all before them . Here is the official French chart , which was rejected for one since declared to be notoriously inaccurate , and now confessedly cooked up for the occasion . This chart , shows an entrance of two miles , without snoal or hindrance of any kind , between Isle d'Aix and the Boyart Sand , instead ot one mile , as falsely and purposely stated in Mr . Stokes ' s fabricated chart . The rise of tide marked on the chart was from ten to twelve feet ; in reality , it was from eighteen to twenty feet . Yet the defence of the eomniander-in-cliief was that there was not sufficient water at half-. fiood to float the ship ! " A singular circumstance , " says Lord Duudonald , " connected

    with the rejected chart should rather have secured its reception , viz ., that it was taken by niv own hands out of the Ville de Varsovie , French line-of-battle ship , shortly before she was set fire to , and therefore its authenticity , as having been officially supplied by the French g-overnnient for the use of that ship , was beyond doubt or question . I also produced two similar charts , on . whieh were marked the places of the enemy ' s ships aground at daylight on the 12 th of April , as observed from the lruperieuse , the only vessel then in proximity . " Xord Dundonald thought it was a singular circiinistance , that notwithstanding the chart was flung under the table and rejected by the court , he found it bound up amongst the Admiralty records .

    The rejected chart would have proved what was inconsistent with the acquittal of Lord Gambier . The ship ' s log would have proved the same , and the testimony of eminent officers went to the same effect . The point was , that there was plenty of channel room to keep clear of the batteries on the Isle d'Aix , together with abundant depth of water ; and that the commander-inchief , in ordering all the ships to come to an anchor , in place of sending a portion of the British ships to the attack of the enemy's vessels aground on the north-west part of tho Palles Slioal , on the morning of the 12 th of April , had displayed a " mollcssc' '—w > it was happily termed by Admiral Graviere—iinbecoining the commander-in-chief of a British . force , superior in number , and having nothing to fear from about a dozen guns on the fortifications of Aix ; which , had the ships been sent in along the edge

    of the Boyart , could have inflicted no material damage , either by shot or shell . The fabricated chart was produced , the judge-advocate on the trial said , " to save a great deal of trouble . " To which Lord Dundonald rejoins , " No doubt the trouble of confirming the cornmaiulerin-ehief ' s neglect of duty in not following ux > a manifest advantage , as would have been shown had the court allowed the Neptimc Francoise itselfto have been put in evidence ; for it would have shown' a clear passage of two miles wide , extending beyond reach of shot , instead , of the one mile passage in Mr . Stokcs ' s acourato outlines of the French chart , and no shoal where ho had marked only twelve feet of water ! That the president should have allowed tj | is to pass , after having himself dotocted tho imposition practised on the courtis a point upon which I will not comment . "

    , We must reserve for another number the furthor history , of Lord Dundonald ' s persecutions $ the interest now attached to his ininio , and deeds will fully authoriso such continuation . At the moment at which we are now writing , this deeply-wronged Englishman is receiving the honour of burial in Westminster Abbey .

    *Zthe Autobiography Of A Seamftn. J»Y Th...

    * ZThe Autobiography of a Seamftn . J » y Thomas , Tenth Ktu'l of DundonnUl , 0 . 0 ]) , VoJTlI , ( SocouU laaltlon ) . I . oiulou ! HlQliwrrt Uontlvy .

    Itecent Novels.* A New Novel, By Mr. Joh...

    ItECENT NOVELS . * A NEW novel , by Mr . John Saundcrs , author of " Love ' s Martyrdom , " is just published , and , in our opinion , likely to achieve considerable popularity . Tho poetical aspirations of this writer are well known , and much interest and curiosity has consequently been raised relative to this , his first ossuy airproso fictitious narrative . Tho work before us , which is couched in langim *? 0 . " only effective and characteristic , but singularly ehnsto and pootical , is constructed upon tho oxoollont principle of gniduully developing tho characters and incidonts ; tho intorost gaining almost unconsoiouslv unon the reader , erowinir stronger and stronger with every

    succeeding chapter , till his attention is completely absorbed , nn « his mind prepared for the final denouement . This mode of working out tho plot in fictions of this kind may be considered too dramatic by some reviewers but is , in fact , tho only method by which »" author can hope successfully to arouso and retain tho oxoltoinent and sympathies of his readers . This , Mv . Saundors bus completely succeeded in doing \ his ntorv , which in nmny of its elements w thoroughly original , is built up und carried to a olhnax in t lio mow masterly munner , and tho very most ih mado of the 1 nlftto , !' i ' {' whioh it is composod . His characters ui'e all carefully and skilliiiy

    The Shadow in the flouar . By John 9 nutii 1 « re , uutlior of " Lovo ' s Mnr vnloin-London , - Loolavoocl ami V . o .- ' Vnlonttnp l > uva ( i an Autobio (/ raphy ijf _ •'"' . *' . "" Century , tydlta'a by tho nutlnor of "Mnry Powoll , " Londoiu Uloliarcl B » " ™! i ; .. Uft in \ Ceylon By WJIllnm Dnlton , uutlior of "Tho White fsiQiilmnt , ^ '' * l »« " ^ XlKor , "Ao . Witli IllustrntMiH by llnrrlton W < jlr . Lourton i OrMliU n »« l ITHrwi . — Kingston ^ Annual / or JCiou « , 1801 , LonUOni IJoswortli nud Ilnrrlnon .

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), Nov. 17, 1860, page 8, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_17111860/page/8/