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A plague on all parodists I Here is Professor Aytoun , under the thin disguise . of Percy Jones , pouring out a vial of wrath on 'Alexander Smith . Heaven > knawswe have little enough to say in defence of the poets of Yonug England .. At-the close of the season , in the face of cholera , , at the cost . of OM «* y- > a- yre&vy 'hour , when , the bright sun was tempting us from ^ our niournfdl task , we have lately tried to discover some hidden beauties in their productions . As our readers know it was all in vain . Ratlier would we go ¦ to \ Nineveb with Mr . Layard , rather ascend Mont Blanc with . Albert Smithy -than again encounter the -labour-of the last -six weeks . Above all we cannot tolerate-parodists . It is easy ( eritics © ught to know ) to pour out sentences of indignation , it is more pleasant and in every respect more human to search for beauties . "I f ' -we cannot find room for praise , we scorn to crush a literary aspirant who forges- the weapons of bis own destruction . Sometimes , indeed , a sham achieves success . He deceives mankind , and then , in pity to our race , we expose him . But we enter a decided protest -against that : burlesque mania cwhioh seerns to have seized on all the world . Look ; at our theatres ; what a crusade is -waged against the beautiful and ± he true ! The
• divine B&akspeare -has not escaped . He has been travestied , parodied , aad burlesqued ineveryconeeivableway . A . nd so it «¦ throughout . Andweare astonished feeyond .. measure that -a -man of any mark in literature should condescend to court applause by pandering to this popular taste . Firmilian , < a < Spasmodic Tragedy , -4 s Ihe "work < of Professor Aytoun , aud his object is to make iMexaader -Smith ridiculous . We are not going to defend Alexander Snaith . " ^ Longsago-iwe prophesied his success , and did not certainly conceal ; 5 ks - 'deiects . ^ We ^ te content to 'be ^ assured that the public have agreed aa -our verdict , . and ; that the poet can stand on Ms own merits . As . everybody > knows , the ^ aulte -of the young Scotchman ' s poems lay on the surface , a- fopl-in < ciitieisna ; might have found them out . Their beauties lay ^ dee per ; » at all ^ eventsj they hiy ^ eyond Professor Aytoun ' s Jsen , and . so the ^ author ofsotne tolerable imtations pf'Maeaulayiiascliosen totyrate a parody . jltfe are ^ sorry Jtoisay that -some portions of' FirriiiJian are too clever . to allow ' ^ he ^ book 'to > go unreadj but the * ' spasmodic" eflEbit . ¦ willinTite . no praise but -sudh as -k accorded- ? td intellect without- iieart .
Wath 'intense ^ satisfaction -we ¦ tu-rn to S&ngs from the Dramatists , . edited hy Brobert > Bell , and , forming &he August -volume of Barker ' s ; annottated •* * ditiMt 5 of the English Boets . Mr . Bell is , in-the best sense of the word , a ; worfeer , j ; and we'believebinywhen . he tells us dn his ¦ . preface , " the labour ^> esfeowed -upon tthis . volume -cannot be adequately estimated by its bjulk . ^ he ^ abavir . which is ^ noi represented consiaesa . bly exceeded the labour - which 'has -boraae the frudt-and flowers -gathered into this little book . " We : ^ are ^> aTed ? the < toil , and ^ have full enjoyment of the pleasant results . From Nicholas Udall , mho mas born in 1505 , to Richard Brinsley -Sheridan , ¦? there --are some sixty dramatists , jwhose songs are thought ¦ ¦ worthy of cepublication . ^ Beyond the fact that the general public is oaaw , for the first time , to make' acquaintance < with > the treasures . of poetry concealed in the works of our dramatic : writers , " the plan upon which the
• work is arranged furnishes the means of following the course of the drama historically , and tracing in its progress the revolutions of style , manners , and morals thatmarked successive periods . " To announce the appearance of such a took is enough . Five Dramas , by an Englishman , and dedicated to Samuel Phelps ; and The Siege of Silistria ^ y "William Thomas Thornton , the author of Zohrab , . conclude our list of poets ; unless , indeed , we aie to include a Waterloo Commemoration , by Michael Thomas Barry , in a short advertisement to which / the author has the audacity to tell us that the composition of the poem occupied fewer hours than its progress through the press did days . Such a cstatement at the very commencement . of a book is a sufficient reason for closing it at once . Why should any ope wiite . a book , if it is necessary to preface it by an excuse ?
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FIFTY 1 PEATJS IN BOTH HEMISPHERES . Fifty Tears in Both Hemispheres ; or , Bominiscenoe 3 of a Merchant ' s Life . By Vincent Holte . " Triibnur and Co . "Who does not love a well-written autobiography ? You may call us curious , and impertinent , and whatever hard names you choose ; ydu may flee from our society as though we had inherited the mantle of old Boswell ; but we confess , without a blush , that life would . lose half its charms except for that instinctive sympathy which each man takes in the history of his fellows . What a dull cold rfnair would living become , if we were all bounded b y our own narrow circle of hopea and fears , of joya and sorrows I Arch-. bifihop Whateleytold a'friend that he knew no better euro for a headache tfhan SBtehop ¦ 'Stanley ' s -book about birds . For an Archbishop , that was
Twellaaiclji it-proved , at least , that the rintre had not robbed him of all ! &ittdly affection . ( But , 'for ouraolves , if wo happened to be in the headaohe -gpredicamant , we ^ honld wte in favour of an autobiography . The memoirs of a Grammont , the diaries of our Pepyscs , the daily records of doings and * aaytnj » s ,-the-tMivarniahed-narrativos of 'how ^ howorld treated a brotherman i-wsuc'h ^ rid'such'aa » y—all fcheae h ave Charms ,-if not to soothe the savage % reast , ab all events tccage an -aching heart , and cool a throbbing Win . But what doea all this mean ? Why are we repeating what everybody knows , and has been said a million times ? For the very laudable purpose of introducing the lieminisconccs of a Merchant , Now do not let the title disgust you . . You havo been shut up all day in . that dull counting-house in
* ho City , and you are sick of merchandise and Three per Cents . But you will find nothing in this book that amacka of the shop . To bo sure , Horr Nolto was a merchant ; but ho was a mwchnnt who passed through every phase of existence . Ho was a , millionaire , and ( listen to it mammon-loving En ^ - liahmen ) he tolls us how ho made bis money . He was born in 1779 , und Re wrote tli © last lines of his autobiography in May , 1853 . 11 a know every corner of Europe and America ; he was in habits of familiar intercourse with royal persona of cvex-y description , . with the kings who reign by divine right , and the kings who reign l > y right of briuna or money . In ono pnge you have an anecdote of Napolaon , in the jrioxt a pknaant bit of gossip about Byron . In short , there is scarcely a notoriety of the lust fifty yours , on either aide of the Atlantic , of whom you do not hour something . It would be a . Bin to tompt you to unpationco by any further dclaf . lloro ,
then , is a picture of Bonaparte at Leghorn . Vincent was then a boy , and had been sent to Leghorn to learn business with an uncle . Bonaparte has just arrived , and found that , thanks to Nelson , the British residents had escaped with all their property : — " About eleven o'clock on the ensuing day all the foreign consuls waited upon Bonaparte who was dismissing tUem very abruptly , when his glance happened to fali suddenly-upon my uncle in his red consular uniform . He instantly accosted my worthy relative tuus ' What's that ? An English uniform ? ' My uncli-, overwhelmed with confusion had iiisfc presence of mind enough left to stammer out . 'No , Padrone" ( this word was ' probablyborrowed from the street corners ) . ' No , questa e Vunifonna di Amburgo / ' ' No , master ( or boss ) , this is the uniform of Hamburgh ! ' Having thus delivered liimselfhe ' tried to
, get away ; but Bonaparte went on with a fierce diatribe siguinst everything that even looked English , thought English ideas , or could have any intercourse whatever with England . ' These Englishmen , 'said lie , according to the recital of my uncle when returned to the house , ' These Englishmen shall get such a lesson as they . never heard of before ! 1 march now on Vienna , and . then , farther northwards , where I will destroy their hiding places at Hamburgh and other places of resort , and then ferret them out in their own piratical nesti ' My uncle-told me that upon this outbi ^ ik , he could not keep himself from exclaiming aloud " Birbanle ! ( villain !) before the wholo company present , but that the sound of it was lost in the general buzz of tlie throng . " However , any one acquainted with my uncle , is well aware that with him the deed was often far behind the thought , and such was , no doubt , the case in the instance just mentioned . "
A whole chapter is devoted to the history of Ouvrard . Napoleon and the great capitalist were never good friends . Among other reasons for the dislike of the Emperor to . a man whose riches exalted him into the position of a rival , perhaps the following was not the least : — " Napjoleon , who , upto that time as a , mere general , had found iio special occasion to plume himself upon any great success -with , the fairer half of creation , was more fortunate as Emperor , and was readily listened to by the rival beauties of the day . In Madomoiselle Georges , the loveliest woman of her time , he flattered himself that he really had made a complete conquest , looked upon her as his exclusive property , becamo enamoured and jealous . Among the intelligence wliicli he received from Fans , on the day after the battle of Austerlitz , was a message from his Minister of Police , informing him that Mademoiselle Georges had passed several days at Ouvrard ' s pleasure-palace , of Raincy , and had there performed one of her very best parts . General Berthier , who had hastened onward four-andtwenty hours in advance of the Emperor , on his return irom Vienna , instantly sent for arid intimated to him that
Ouvrard , this pircumstance had in no light degree contributed to exasperate the Emperor , and accelerate his hasty return to Paris . " I had seen and admired Mademoiselle Georges the preceding year , during tbe shoit period I spent in Paris , on my journey to Amsterdam ; and limited as my sojourn , in that capital had been , I still had found an . opportunity to get a peep at life behind the scenes of the n&w imperial regime . The literary circles of the capital were just at that ' moment taken up-with a new traged y ^ which the celebrated play-writer and poet JBenouard was thon preparing to bring out in the Theatre Franeais , under the title of 'Les Ternpliers' ( The Templars ) . The part of Jgnaji de Molay , the Grand Master of the Templars , was in the hands of Talma ; the parts of the King and the Queen were given to LaFond and Mademoiselle Georges . The _ rehearsals had been finished . The time for the first performance fixed upon , and the intended presence of the Emperor and Empress everywhere announced . " Pa ) i 3 ; at that time was in a huzz with all kinds of anecdotes about the remarkably splendid set of diamonds which had teen presented to the Empress by the court jeweller Fossin ,. and Svhich consisted of a diaclem , necklace , and pundants for the ears . The price which . had been asked for this superb ornament was half a million of francs ; amiunless my
, memory fails me , I recollect to have lieard at that time of another smaller sum , that is to say , about three hundred thousand francs . Josephine , whose purse was always empty , iu consequence of her propensity for extravagance , had expressed a desire to obtain possession of these diamonds , but the Emperor -would not heai' of either of these sums . Paris had a great deal to say concerning the scenes that passed between Josephine and Napoleon in consequence of this affair ; they were the ever ^ recuning topic of conversation among the ladies generally , to whoso curiosity the jeweller was indebted for very frequent visit ' s . People wanted to sec what it was that an Emperor could deny to his Empress . " On the appointed day , placards 1 announcing the first representation of " The Templars " were visible at all the street corners , " 1 liad been so fortunate as to procure a parquet ticket for a seat on the second row of benches , from which I could get a pood view ot the imperial pair . I saw them enter their
box , on the left ot tlie-house , and take their seats , Napoleon foremost and Josephine close beside him . In the beginning of the second act , their majesties the king and uueen appeared upon the stngo . Mademoisello Georges , in the full splendour of her incomparable charms and her splendid figure , hei g htened tho imposing scene by a dazzling djiulc-m , cardrops , and necklace , all glittering with the most superb diamonds . As she approached tho imporitil box , Josephine , who was leaning forward on the front rail , betrayed a liasty movement of surprise , and . then suddenly , asif ' atruckby lightning , sunk back into her seatfor in tho magnificent adornment of the actress slio had recognised the jewels slio was so anxtaus to possess . Daring this little episode in tlie imperial bos , Nupoleon remained , as might have been expected , entirely unmoved . For tho Parisian -world such an incident aa this was a regular mine of fresh anecdotes concerning tho scenes which they opined must havo taken place in tho private chambers of tho Tuilleries , after their majesties returned from the theatre . "
Very interesting is this account of the Baring family : — " I will take this opportunity of saying somothing about tho Baring family , particularly its most distinguished memtora . Sir Z'Vancis , and liis second son , Alexander , as well aa tho honourable chief of tho Amsterdam liouso , Mr . Henry Hope , wlmin 1 havo already name . l . Tho last of these , when I first mailo his acquaintance , had reachod his seventieth yent , and was somewhat deaf . Ho had never been maraud . It was he who opened tho way for tho autocratic power of Kussia , under tho Jimpress Catharine II ., to tho confidence of tho then wealthiest capitalists in Europe , tho Dutch , and thereby kid tho foundation of Itussinn credit . Always treated by tho Empress with great distinction , lie had been honoured with the gilt , from her own hund , of hoi' portrait , tho full aizo of life . This picture occupied tlio plueo of honour in tlic superb gnllorj of pnint ' nma lilted up by him in his palace ' t lluy . s ten Bosch' ( , now a royal ploasure-pixlaco ) , which ho had built in the wood of Harlem . Upon Ins emigration to England , ho had taken this splendid gallery , cntiroly composed of cabihetpiecea , with him , aud 1 had the pliiaauro of souing it frequentl y , lit hie reaidunoo in Cavendish-Bquaro . io tho tone ot a rolined flentloinan and man of the world he united a curtain amiublo aftabihty which spoko to And won every heart . Tho whole-souled cordiality witli
which ho alwaya mot me , whon I oamo to his dwelling in tho oity , or to liia country-wont . Haatsuccn , in tho neighbourhood of lJioliinond , h « n ulwuya reniniuod frosh in my memory , Yet a secret trouble dcoined to bo woigliinL' on liin mind . This annoyance aroao from tho notorious relations of liiu niece , Mudam Williams llopa , with a Dutoh ollieor of diuuoona , by tho numo o ( Dopff . I had , attracted liia confidence , anil ho one duy scbod mi . miUdunly by tho luiml , lod mo to tho window , und could not rostrum hi * tours , as ho told mo llml ho muHt oloao tho doorol his house nguinHt her . if olio ventured tobving thia man wit-li hur to Enghind . Tho lnrcor part of his considoriiblo fortune , which ho had boiiuoathoil to Henry , tho eldoHt son of this niece , and who died uiiinanivd , paHsed , at tho tfoceuuo of tins latter , Id Adrian , tho eocond won , wlio loft no inalo liuirs . but from whom H doacomlod to Krunuin , tli « third son , born soveral years nflcrwanln . Thm third inheritor h tho riuh and well known Mr . Hope , now Bottled in 1 ' arin , m » d tho only surviving member of LluU brunch of tho wholo fa may . "_ A close examination into tho origin of tho llaring family tuvco « it back to a curtain Tutor Baring , who lived in tho yonm from 1000 to 1070 , at Uroniiigmi , in tho J ^ utoh nrovinco ol OvorvbHel . Oneol lnu uncoBlora , under tho nauio of l- ' nuiofa Uivrhig , wuh imstor of tho Luthonm ohuroli » t Bronu-n and In that capacity wa . i called to London , wluire , « inon / , ' otliorn , ho hud a » on ntunod . John . Tho litttor , well iumjihuiiUmI wiLh cloth-milking , mittloil « t Lnrkbcor , in Dovonwhiro , and tliero put up mi OBtiiblidlnnent for tho iniuiufaeluro of tlmt
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"mi Til LEADER . [ : Sajt * jri > ay ,
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Leader (1850-1860), Aug. 12, 1854, page 762, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2051/page/18/
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