Impey was called to the bar, and afked by the Speaker if he had any objection to produce a copy of the paper which had been the fubject of the motion; his reply was, that he had not the leaft objection, and that he would take care that the Houfe fhould be furnished with a copy of it. He then informed the Houfe, that, under the very peculiar circumftances of his cafe, he found himself reduced to the neceffity of calling for the protection of the Houfe. It was not enough, he obferved, that he should fand accufed, be fore that great aflembly, of enormous crimes; but he muft alfo be attacked and traduced in the public prints, even at the moment when he was defending himself against thofe heavy charges.Upon his arrival in England, he had determined not to communicate any part of his cafe to the publick through the medium of the papers, or endeavour to prepoffefs the nation in his favour by any publication whatever. Some few people, had endeavoured to fhake that refolution, by recommending to him certain news-papers as proper vehicles for conveying his fentiments to the world; and threatened him with attacks upon his character if he refused to comply. But neither their foothings nor their menaces had power fufficient to make him alter his determination. The threats had been carried into execution; for there appeared in The Morning Herald of yesterday a moft virulent libel against him; and the principal part of it had been copied into The Public Advertifer of this day. Another gross libel had alfo come out in a pamphlet published by Debrett. At Sir Elijah's requeft, the obnoxious paragraphs were read to the Houfe; after which he obferved, that, had his cafe been before any of the courts of law, the judges would readily grant an attachment againft thofe who fhould prefume to poi fon the public mind against a man who was to be tried how Parliament would act in fimilar circumftances, he did not know; but, at all events, he demanded the protection of the Houfe, and flattered himself that he should obtain it. Mr. W. Grenville moved, that Sir Elijah might withdraw from the bar; and, that gentleman having accordingly retired, Mr. Grenville faid, that the publications relative to the proceedings of that House had of late been highly derogatory to its dignity. It was an un A miftake for the Gazetteer. pleasant thing to complain of the prefs; but as a complaint had been made, the Houfe could not in juftice pass it over unnoticed; fome proceedings ought to be grounded upon it; and for that pur pofe he moved, that the Houfe fhould, on the morrow, take the faid complaint into confideration The motion was carried unanimously. Sir Elijah was then re-called to the bar, and proceeded in his defence. At 10 o'clock he finished his answer to the charge on the Patna caufe, and there he ftopped. On the motion of Mr. Pitt, he was afked when he would wish to be heard in reply to the remaining charges? His anfwer was nearly as follows: "From the moment I understood that I was to be accufed, I refolved not to fink under the charge, but to meet it with fortitude. However, fince the accufation has affumed its prefent form, and the first charge is of fo heinous a nature, the horror I feel at being thought capable of fo black a crime, added to the bodily exertions I have been obliged to make in preparing and stating my defence, has been too powerful for my ftrength, which begins to fail me: for fome days paft I have been ill, and am fo now while I am addreffing this Hon. House. The charge relating to Nundcomar preffes most upon my mind; and, until I know the opinion of the House upon it, I cannot think of defending myself against the other charges. Tell me, before I proceed to them, whether or not, after the defence I have already made, this Houfe thinks me the murderer of Nundcomar? Should you anfwer me in the negative, you will relieve me from fuch a weight of horror, that I fhall give you but little trouble about the other charges." He then withdrew from the bar. Mr. Pitt faid, that he faw no inconvenience in gratifying the with expreffed by Sir Elijah, that the Houfe would firft decide upon the charge relating to Nundcomar, before he fhould be called upon to defend himself against the remaining charges. He therefore moved, that Sir Elijah fhould be informed, that the Houfe would take the first charge into confideration before they called up on him for any further defence. fome converfation, the motion was agreed to; and Sir Elijah made acquainted with the determination of the Houfe. After Refolved, That the further hearing of evidence in fupport of the profecution be adjourned to Monday. (To be continued.) Review of New Publications. 56. Whalley's Mont Blanc, &c. (continued from p. 147.) MR. Urban's Reviewers, unconscious of being actuated in any cafe by improper motives, cannot poffibly have the leaft objection to being themselves reviewed. On all occafions they are as ready to infert ftrictures on their own performances as on those of other writers. Of this affertion they perhaps cannot give a more pointed proof than by printing the following critique, which (we may hint to the lively writer of it) would have appeared earlier had it been fent to us in the firft inftance. Former productions of this correfpondent have not unfrequently graced our pages, and have had every attention paid to them; but " Mufes of fire" are not easily inclined to bear "a rival near "the throne." This is not the first inftance of the fort we have had occafion to notice and lament; but, for the fake of a character we highly effeem, we hope it will be the laft; and earnestly with that this fuggeftion may operate as ■ flag of truce. "In juftice to a gentleman distinguished by poetic genius, polished literature, engag ing manners, warm benevolence, and faultless morals, I trust you will allow a place to the enfuing obfervations. "During his late refidence on the continent, Mr. Whalley, with an ardour of curiofity that fcorned all difficulty of accefs, explored the matchless features of the Savoy and Switzerland scenery. He was fortunate enough to fee their most stupendous object, MONT BLANC, wrapt in one of thofe vio lent forms that often, with little warning, come furiously on amid the Alps, and, difperfing as fuddenly, leave the moistened woods, rocks, and mountains, the dazzling and never-melted fnows on the fummits of the latter, with their enormous glaciers, to be illumined by the emerging fun. "Mr. Whalley has given the poetic landfcape of this fcene in its priftine horrors, and in its fucceeding refplendence, with a force, and with a glow of colouring, that fhews to our imagination the wonders he actually beheld. Dulness or Prejudice only can view this landscape, never before stretched on the poetic canvas, without feeling love and honour for the genius of the draughtfman, and without generously disdaining to take exception at the few careless and erring ftrokes of fo free and bold a pencil. "This work is, however, treated with unmerited contempt in p. 146. All elevated poetry is capable of being burlefqued. Homer and Virgil feem ridiculous when we fee them traveitied. I folicit the attention of GENT. MAG. April, 1788. 329 the ingenious to the following paffages from Mr. Whalley's Mont Blanc, thus infolently traveftied. After a forcible defcription of the rifing tempest, "Did you not hear the eagle wail?— There, neftled clofe, he trembling lies, "The increasing horrors of the ftorm are next as finely defcribed; the winds howling louder round the head of the angry mountain! the fhroud that wraps the horizon blackening! the launched thunderbolts, from whofe fires the eye fhrinks as they run along the ground! while the vaffal mountains, combining with the fury of their monarch, "Rife dark-and on their haughty heads Shake to the winds the lofty fhades Of many forefts," &c. "The difperfion of the storm is thus beau tifully painted. The fubordinate Alps that furround Mont Blanc "In fhadowy majesty arise, Dimly through their mifty throuds, He heaves above the watry plain!" "Then follows a noble view of the cele brated Glaciers, compared to a tempestuous fea, whofe conflicting billows had been inftantaneoufly arrested by a froft. It is illuftrated by a fimile, which pourtrays, in all the ftrength of poetic colouring, that miracle which left the Egyptians "a way in the fea, "and a path in mighty waters." "The rifing of the Lamyr-G yer, that vast Alpine eagle, after he had dropped terrified, during the ftorm, from the highest rock to the valley, is one of the finest defcriptions that has adorned poetry. A large, white, fwift, and strong goat, called the Chamois, is the prey of this immenfe bird. Neither the eagle of Pindar, nor that of our great modern Pindar, Mr. Gray, equals the Lamyr-Geyer in fublimity; for he is fhewn in more energetic action, and in more various points of view. When he wheels around the cliffs, as he purfues the Chamois, that bounds affrighted from rock to rock, the whole fcene is alive. The enfuing paifage, in which he foars to the returning fun, will convince every reader of taite, what fort of credit is due to critics who, either through dulucfs, or from fonie more blameable caufe, defpite, or or affect to defpife, this poem. The Bard addrefies the mountain, which is all along finely perfonified, and thus fpeaks to him of his chofen bird: "Triumphant on thy head he stands! To drink new fires from the fource of light." "Apprehenfive of extending thefe remarks into inconvenient length, I reluctantly turn from the Poet to the mere Rhymer. The fame publication that burlesques Mont Blanc afferts, that the compofitions of a certain Engraver, intituled, THE WREATH, "display a juftness of thought, and vigour of fenti"ment, far above the ordinary level; that "the Muie has received him with a partia6. lity not always fhewn to her more diftin"guifhed and importunate voraries; that his "imagination is warm, his numbers, in ge"neral, varied, nervous, and harmonious, "though he may, in fome paffages, be ob"noxious to criticifm." Finally, we are affured by this eminent judge of poetry, that if Mr. N. the Engraver is patronifed in proportion to his various merits, his most fanguine hopes will be exceeded. "We muft fuppofe the extracts would be felected from the best parts of a work fo highly applauded. If one friking image, original idea, or ray of imagination, can be found in all thofe extracts, to recompenfe the vulgarifm of the language, and the infipidity of the verfification, we will confefs our Zoilus a Longinus. Behold a few of the lines triumphantly produced by the critic, as 1pecimens of poetic excellence-the fubject uch as must have awakened all the exifting powers of a mind which, like that of our honett engraver, confidered it rightly. After wifhing for the power to rule, that the "fons of Afric might feel his care; that he "might unbind their bonds, and pour a cheering blm into their bleeding fores; put a "robe upon their fides, prevent their feeding fare loathed by their mongrels, and give "a bangman's cord to their lazy lords," he proceeds, "Great God of Mercy, and of Pity too, Whofe eye pervades the vaft creation through; How long thall these proud infulated knaves Heap deaths and torments on their helpless flaves? When will thy vengeance overtake their guilt, And make them fuffer for the blood by Spilt; For all the forrows which, through ages past, They've ruthless pour'don Niger's fable caft ?" "The habitually-naked favage, in torrid climates, would fcarcely thank the engraver for his robe. Sternhold has no pleonafm more wretched than the too and through in the first of thefe couplets. This great Poet does not know that to pervade is to pierce through. But when he talks of pouring ferrows upon a caft, he flounders beneath all fight, in the profundity of the bathos. "In the fecond extract, two lines, taken almost verbatim from Mr. Hayley's Ode to Howard, and a thought pillaged from Shakefpeare, about the twice-blefied quality of mercy, both given without acknowledgement, are the only couplets that are worth any thing in the whole boasted extracts. "From the compositions of a Yearsley, a Burns, and, above all, from those of the fublime, unfortunate Chatterton, we have learned to difallow the plea of a mean education as an excufe for obtruding mean verfes upon the publick. Their poetry fhews us, that real genius can come forth with luftre from beneath its clouds. A LOVER OF JUSTICE." 57. The Epiftolary Correfpondence of Sir Richard Steele; containing Letters to bis fecond Wife, Mary Scurlock, and ber Two Daughters; now first printed from the Originals, which are depofited in The British Museum. Also, Letters to and from his Friends and Patran Now first collected, and the Wbole illuftrated with Literary and Hiftorical Anecdotes, by John Nichols. 2 Vol. 800. WHEN the intention of introducing this work to the world was firft announced, we waited with impatience for its appearance. To every man advanced in life, who had an early relifh for literary excellence, the name of Steele is particularly dear. The found of it brings to his recollection a thousand charming ideas. He calls to mind, with all the ardour of affection, the friend who formed his youthful tafte, instructed and amufed his riper years, and adminitters confolation to his declining age the man who drove Aufterity from the train of Virtue-and fhewed, by his own example, that Levity is not neceffarily attached to Gaiety-nor Profanenets, or Indecency, to Wit. In a word, the man "Who from the taste obfcene reclaim'd our Review of New Publications. vating and embellishing that fair vineyard which his old fchool-fellow had raifed, It is unneceffary to inform our readers that we allude here to The Tatler, Spectator, and Guardian;-thofe exquifite papers, which were the delight of the moft brilliant æra in our literary annals, and which will continue to charm every age that fhall retain a veftige of learning or politenefs. Of the numerous obligations which the learned world lies under to the ingenious Editor, the refcuing of these Letters from the hand of Oblivion will not be deemed the leaft. We have perufed them with infinite pleasure, and confider them as the natural, unpremeditated, unaffected effufions of one of the best of human hearts. They were written in various circumftances, under the impreffion of the moment; and we view their amiable author in various fituations-under the influence of hope —of difappointment, of undeferved illtreatment, and of pecuniary embarraffments; yet never, for a moment, departing from the character of the Chriftian, the philofopher, and the gentleman; evincing, upon every occafion, a finely-regulated fpirit, and determined fortitude, with all the milder affec tions and tender charities which conftitute the chief ornament of humanity. But of the nature and tendency of the work before us, as well as of the cha`racter of the author, we cannot, in any expreffions of our own, convey fo adequate an idea as may be collected from the words of the Editor's Preface; from which we fhall take the liberty of tranfcribing a paffage or two. "The following collection of Letters, though the genuine effufions of one of the moft elegant writers in the English language, can add little to the reputation of a literary character which has been long ago fully eftablished; being, in general, the hafty productions of his pen, intended only for private inspection; and fome of them evidently fcribbled when their amiable author was probably not in the very beft condition for penmanship. The fubjects of many of them are trivial and domeftic, fuch as may at first be fuppofed not very interefting to the publick, and from moft men would be de med infignificant and below atten ion; but as they contain the private and undifguifed opinions of the man who took upon himself to be the Cenfor of the age, and for years exercifed that delicate office with fuitable dignity, and general approbation, it may excite no little curiofity to obferve how he conducted himfelf in thofe concerns and occurrences of 331 life through which he fo ably directed others. Not a fingle scrap of them has been fuppreffed; nor is there a line in the whole publication which does not, in the opinion of the Editor, go to confirm all that has lately been faid, for the fuperiority of Steele's understanding and his heart, in the Notes to the new edition of "The Tatler." These Letters manifeft throughout, with irresistible conviction, the very many excellent and amiable qualities which greatly endeared this public benefactor to fociety; and, in proof of their authenticity, we fee in them, with regret, indubitable marks of "that im"prudence of generofity, or vanity of profu"fion, which kept Steele always incura "bly neceffitous," and fhaded his fine character. Confidering the conftant vexation and ferious inconveniencies of which it was the caufe or the occafion, to himself and his family, nothing can be faid to excufe Steele's inattention to œconomy. It was, however, more pardonable, and the lefs reproachable, as in the end he did ample juftice to his creditors. Our regret on every inftance which thefe Letters afford of this indifcretion, is very greatly augmented by our admiration and love of that extenfive and indefatigable philanthropy to which we are principally indebted for a long feries of well-written papers, fraught with valuable leffons of morality and good-breeding, which have doubtlefs contributed very much to the intellectual improvement and moral refinement, of both fexes, in this country. Excepting, however, what refers, in thefe Letters, to the lamentable failure of conduct abovementioned, too well afcertained before, no publication of Steele redounds more to his honour as a man than the prefent. It fhews him to have been a firm and confcientious patriot; a faithful, affectionate hufband; a fond, indulgent parent; and, even at this period, if it does not illuftrate, it very much enhances the value of his writings, both moral and political, to know, with certainty, that the falutary inftructions and fublime precepts, so much admired, and fo well received, from the fictitious Ifaac Bickerstaff, Efq. were no other than the genuine fentiments and habitual practice of the real Sir Richard Steele. "Thefe documents, which fortunately come in feasonable aid of what has lately been advanced for the first time, and with great juftice it feems, in favour of Steele's ill-known or much-injured character, fell, after his death, into the poffeffion of his eldest daughter, Elizabeth, a lady who, with a charming perfon, inherited the many endearing qualities of her father, both of the * From the most attentive perufal of thefe Letters, as well as from the admirable understanding of Steele, we cannot fuppofe him actuated by fo contemptible a motive as "the "vanity of profufion;" that he was imprudently generous, is not to be denied. EDIT. head head and heart; and whofe hereditary benignity of difpofition, which felf-intereft could not, and prudence did not, fufficiently reftrain, was at laft equally fatal to her fortune, as it had been to that of her father." To the above extract let us be permitted to fubjoin, that the letters written during courtship are fuch as might be expected from their author, when under the influence of an honourable paffion, infpired by an uncommon degree of beauty, and fanctioned by accomplishments of a more permanent and folid kind. They are natural, paflionate, and refpectful: in short, they bear evident marks of being the addreffes of a man of fine parts, and highly-polished manners, to a woman of elegance, good fenfe, and virtue.-Thofe after marriage are an admirable model, for fuch as are in, or intend to enter, the marriage ftate, of that delicate decorum, and thofe tender attentions, which fo materially contribute to the happiness of the moft tender union with which Providence has favoured the rational creation. They are, indeed, fuch as, if read with due attention, muft effentially promote domestic harmony; on which account we warmly recommend them as the most useful piece of furniture of which a family can be poffeffed. In a future number we fhall refume our review of thefe agreeable Letters, and gratify fuch of our readers as have not feen them with a few extracts. 58. Features from Life. By the Author of "George Bateman and Maria." 2 Vols. THIS Novel is dedicated to Mrs. Haftings, but it does not feem to poffefs merit enough to draw that lady's attention from her husband's trial. The ftory confifts only of a gentle man's ruining his friend's wife, and being killed in a duel by that friend's friend, who feems to have had little oc. cafion to fight him. Here and there we have other tales interwoven, for aliter non fit, Avite, liber. The only parts which feem to difcover much fancy are, vol. 1. p. 102, where a gentleman, confined in a mad-house, hears the lady finging, the love of whom drove him out of his mind; and the vifit to Mr. Williams's. The writer would be furprifed to fee how often, in the few loofe pages of thefe two volumes, infinity and inflated occur. We have counted them an in *Of these fee a fpecimen, LVII. p. 283. finity of times; and they feem_always inflated expreffions, if not worse. Vol. II. p. 133. "It was her little "ones fhe heard, who were being "brought down to take their walk." This may be a beautiful idiom in novel-writing. We never remember to have feen it before. It is true that this Novel does not, like too many, debauch the reader's mind; but we are obliged to declare it will not add much purity to judgement or to taste. 59. Characters of the Kings and Queens of England, felected from different Hiftories; with Obfervations and Reflections, chiefly adapted to common Life; and particularly intended for the Inftruction of Youth. To which are added, Notes Hiftorical. By J Holt. Vol. II. 12m0. THIS is a continuation of a little work which we had occasion to mention in vol. LVII. p. 999; and our opinion of it is not leffened by the appearance of a fecond volume. The Characters, which extend from Richard II. to Henry VIII. are judiciously compiled; and the Remarks intelligent and inftructive. From the Character of Henry IV. Mr. H. takes occafion to obferve, "how neceffary it is that young perfons guard against the first deviation from the efpecially fhould be conftantly on their paths of virtue. Henry (fays Mr. Hume, fpeaking of the enormities by which he obtained the crown,) was infenfibly led into this blameable conduct by a train of incidents which few men poffefs virtue enough to withstand.'-"To enable those who are entering upon active life, to avoid being infenfibly led into thefe errors (adds Mr. Holt), we will make some brief obfervations. It is but feldom that men, in their common tranfactions, think at all; and, probably, fewer ftill deliberately think of the rectitude, or depravity, of what they are about. We are often impelled by paffion or habit. Henry (fays Hume) was tame from caution, humble from fear, cruel from policy, and rapaWhilft any one cious from indigence.' yields himself to be governed by thefe, or of reflection; therefore, we cannot probably fuch like propenfities, there is little use made do better than accuftom ourselves to an early known to every instructor of youth, how habit of thoughtfulness. And yet it is well difficult it is to imprefs this habit on the mind. Emulation or fear moft generally enforce the performance of a talk; nay, the more advanced in life, the ftudious perfon, confefles how untoward this act of the mind frequently is; that, notwithstanding his utmoft efforts, a refiftance is still made, which he |