There is society, where none intrudes, "Roll on, thou deep and dark blue ocean-roll !" On the whole we must say that this poem is incomparably the finest modern production we have perused, and we have no doubt but it will acquire for its author that permanent fame which it so richly deserves. It has indeed, as all human efforts must have, a few defects, on which in justice to the world and to the author himself we feel ourselves bound to make a few hasty remarks. The lines on the death of the Princess Charlotte seem rather awkwardly introduced, and close very abruptly; or, perhaps, we should rather say, the transition from them to what follows is too sudden and unexpected. Neither can we say that we were so particularly gratified by the perusal of them as some of our friends have been. There are two or three instances of inattention to "Verbum personale concordat cum nominativo," for which even the author's candid confession of laziness during his youth does not sufficiently atone. Of these we select the following: "The double night of ages, and of her, Night's daughter, Ignorance, hath wrapt and wrap All round us;" Stanza Ixxxi. "And thon, who never yet of human wrong Lost the unbalanced scale, great Nemesis Stanza cxxxil, Now and then we meet with an inharmonious line: such is the following with which stanza cxi. commences, "I see before me the Gladiator lie." Sometimes also, there is too great an obscurity, and the sense is unnecessarily carried on from stanza to stanza. The punctuation is not always correct, and the last line appears, in two or three instances, to be eked out merely for the purpose of complet ing the measure. But the beauties far outweigh the defects. The author's reflections upon what he sees or alludes to are always correct, and the language scarcely ever deviates from the sublime. His associations are always classical; and though to the general reader they may be less interesting than those which pervade the former cantos, they cannot fail to delight the reader of true and genuine taste. We would add, however, that the political reflections in the preface and notes are too numerous and too violent. To many readers they must, indeed, prove particularly annoying, as his Lordship happens to be very free in some of his principles. Abating for this, however, the prose part of the volume is well written and interesting, the notes contain much useful information and many valuable reflections, and are written with great freedom and elegance. 30 JOURNAL of a Tour and Residence in Great-Britain, during the years 1810 and 1811, by Louis Simond. Vol. II. [Continued from page 402.] THE first twenty-six pages of this second volume of Mr. Simond's Journal are taken up with an analysis of the Huttonian theory of the earth, the advocates of which are denominated Plutonists; with an occasional allusion to the theory of Werner, whose disciples have received the appellation of Neptunists. "The system of the earth," says our traveller, "which made its appearance here some time ago, under the title of Illustrations of the Huttonian Theory of the Earth, by John Playfair, deserves, in many respects, the high celebrity it soon acquired. An inventor, who did not possess the talent of writing, could not be happier in a commentator." The same remark may be applied, perhaps, to Dr. Reid and Dugald Stewart. This long dissertation upon a subject, which, whatever interest it may excite on the other side of the Tweed, furnishes very little to us, we consider one of the least interesting passages in the work; and we eagerly avail ourselves of the precedent the author has afforded us, by abruptly passing on to the subject of the Edinburgh Review. This work Mr. S. considers to form the same luxurious literary relish to the light readers of the present day, which the delightful pages of the Spectator afforded to those of the last century. The truth of this assertion cannot be denied when it is applied to one particular division of society, whose political and philosophical principles accord with those entertained by the writers in the review; but we fear that it is too much the vehicle of party-spirit ever to become generally interesting, whatever recommendations it may possess in other respects. With religion and politics the Spectator interfered, if at all, only indirectly, and thus contrived to be upon good terms with all orders of society: they had more worthy objects in view than intemperate discussion—the improvement of the mind and the amendment of the heart; and it is to the exertions of such men as Addison and Steele that we are in a great measure indebted for the wonderful change which has taken place in the manners and literature of the nation at large. But the Edinburgh Reviewers, though unquestionably men of talent and learning, can never have any influence over the minds of more than one party or division of men. The plan of the work will not admit of it. Mr. Simond, however, seems to be of a different opinion; and it may, perhaps, be agreeable to some of our readers to peruse his sentiments on the subject. "The plan of the Edinburgh Review," says he, "embraces, the whole range of the human mind; while the Spectator, and his school, had only belles lettres and practical ethics for their object. Morality gains much by being introduced only incidentally, and coming in unannounced; and theirs, I must say, is always independent, firm, and pure,—always on the honourable and virtuous side. The productions of the school of the Spectator, with all their merit, smell of the lamp a little. There is an appearance of difficulty in finding subjects; the writer has nothing to say, and labours hard at a story to fill his sheets. You think you hear at every new one, the " Dinazarde, my dear sister, are you asleep," of the Arabian Tales. The Edinburgh critics, on the contrary, come in with their hands full of new books, discoveries, and objects of curiosity, of all sorts; and as they arrange their materials, questions arise of themselves, ideas unfold, and truths are unexpectedly struck out, which the writer himself little thought of when he took up the pen, or at least such is the appearance to the reader, and the greatest charm of the work. The writers of the modern school have their subject before them, and draw from nature; those of the old one from memory only, and the images it presents are fainter and fewer. The former have the public treasury of mind open to them, the latter their private purse only. Addison appeared to much less advantage in conversation than in his writings, and said once of himself, "I have no small change, but I can draw on my banker for a thousand pounds whenever I please." Our critics can do even better than that; for all the gold of Europe is at their absolute disposal. "The anonymous writers of the Edinburgh Review are mostly all known, or guessed at. They are men of independent and liberal professions, lawyers, physicians, clergymen, professors, members of parliament, residing in different parts of the British empire, and not at Edinburgh only, where, however, the editor and principal co-operator resides. His talents and character are intimately known to me; but I am, for that very reason, precluded from speaking of them as I should otherwise do, and must not depart from the general rule I have prescribed to myself, on the subject of those who have honoured me with their friendship. The philosophic and political adversaries of the Edinburgh Review have set up a similar work in London, (the Quarterly Review,) an imitation as to plan and manner, but, at the same time, in direct opposition on almost every subject. This new meteor did not blaze forth at once upon the world with the splendour of the first, although a work of very great merit, and improving. A very witty statesman, the cutting irony of whose diplomatic correspondence has not a little contributed to inflame the dispute with America, is said to be among its co-operators; two eminent poets are also mentioned. The Edinburgh reviewers, however, must be allowed the merit of having founded a new school, destined to be the model for the critics of the nineteenth century. Friends or enemies must follow the line they have traced, and tread in their illustrious footsteps." The objections stated by us above to the Edinburgh, we would apply of course to the Quarterly Review, and all other similar publications; they are unquestionably works of great importance to society, although their beneficial effects cannot be compared with those produced by the Spectator; and it must be allowed that they have considerable power over the judgment and feelings of their own partizans. Nor can these be estimated at an inconsiderable number, for it is computed that the Edinburgh alone has upwards of twelve thousand subscribers. During his stay in Edinburgh, Mr. S. attended a meeting of the Royal Society in that place; "one of the judges, Lord Meadowbank, presided. Mr. Playfair read a paper presented by Dr. Brewster, on the disappearance of the comet of 1770. Its orbit was very small,—not beyond our planetary system,—performed its revolutions in five years, and should have appeared again seven times, but has not been since. In the mean time a cluster of five very small planets, supposed, with some probability, to be fragments of a larger one, have been discovered in a tract which intersects that of the comet in question; two of these fragments, Ceres and Pallas, have immense atmospheres, as much as the atmospheres of all the other planets of our system put together,-600 miles high, I think; the other three fragments have no visible atmospheres. There is certainly a remarkable coincidence between the disappearance of the comet and the appearance of the planets; the latter, however, are not the former in a new shape, for comets are not solid bodies,-stars being seen through them." With this opinion respecting the diaphaneity of comets we can by no means concur. We are well aware that opinions formed by induction are not necessarily true, but we know that almost every philosophical truth which has received the most complete and direct demonstration, was originally known by induction. Such was the Newtonian theory of the universe; such was the celebrated binimonial theorem, and such, we may add, with due deference to Mr. S., is the opinion that comets are solid bodies performing their periodical revolutions round the sun. Several of the ancients suspected this to be the case; and it was proved by Tycho Brahe in the year 1557, that they actually do move round the sun; and it follows as a necessary consequence of the Newtonian theory of gravitation, that they are solid bodies. That which Mr. S. has supposed to be the appearance of a planet through the comet, may be very well accounted for by the refractive power of the comet's atmosphere. To banish the comets from the list of solid bodies would involve us in more difficulties than the author seems to be aware of. From Edinburgh our traveller proceeded to Newcastle, between whose inhabitants and those of Scotland he soon perceived a considerable difference. "The women," he observes, "certainly are handsomer; the men have smaller features,—are more plump and rosy than the Scotch. The houses are much cleaner. The children we meet on the road stop and make a bow, which is not the custom in Scotland. The whin also, of which the roads are still composed, is broken in smaller pieces;-every thing thus bearing the marks of more advanced civilization." During his stay at this mart for fuel, he visited the Lancasterian school, and descended into a coal-mine; and these were the only objects he thought worthy of being explored. The next place of importance where we find him is York, of which city he gives the following description : "York is an old town, and of course very ugly, containing about 15,000 inhabitants. Its Minster is one of the wonders of England, fifty feet longer than Westminster Abbey, which is, I think, 520 feet. The main tower over the centre is heavy; the two lesser ones are much better; the rest of the exterior is light and beautiful. The interior is very striking indeed, and superior to any thing we have yet seen, as to boldness, lightness, and prodigious high finish of the carving,-quite sharp and à jour. The figures introduced are in the usual barbarous and grotesque style. The outside carving, originally as highly finished, having been much injured by time, is now undergoing thorough repairs, or rather an entire new facing; the modern carving is fully equal to the old, and made like in colour by oiling the stones. Beautiful as the inside of the Minster undoubtedly is, I think it less striking than the inside of St. Paul's; the latter is something less in size, but its vast airy dome, and the wide area under it, produce a greater effect. The tower of a small Gothic church near the Minster is remarkably light and beautiful. The windows of the Minster are too large, and admit too much light. "On Sunday the Judges, just arrived for the assizes, came to church en grand costume, with their huge powdered wigs, and black robes; but all their smartness was lost upon us, who had just seen the Scotch Judges dressed in white and pink satin. The mayor and corporation swelled the train, and in the rear footmen with white liveries, and large nosegays at the button-hole; the whole town was in motion. The assizes in a country-town are an event; and it puts me in mind of Madame de Staël's witty remark, "On ne s'y amuse une fois, que pour découvrir que l'on s'y ennuie tous les jours." The chanting was very good, and the voices of some of the young choristers admirable, but the organist flourished too much. The same day we went to the Unitarian chapel, where we expected to hear Mr. W. preach; but the New-England tone and pronunciation soon informed us that our godly instructor came from the other side of the Atlantic. Travelling as well as ourselves in this distant country, chance had thus brought us together, he to give, and we to receive edification. The mode of worship of the Unitarians has the defect of being too rational." After giving us a description of the "Retreat," with which all our readers must be acquainted from the excellent publication of Mr. Tuke on the subject, and digressing a little on "scorbutic affections, the scrofula, and pulmonary consumptions," which, he says, "seem more general here than in other countries," our author conducts us to Leeds. We extract his description of this celebrated town. "March 13.-After breakfast a lady (Mrs. R.), for whose nephew we had a letter, called on us in his absence, and offered very obligingly to shew us the lions of the place, which she did with equal good nature and intelligence. "The clothiers' hall is a vast quadrangular fire-proof building round a court-yard; it is the joint property and warehouse of 2000 private manufacturers, half farmers, who have only a loom or two kept going at leisure times. Twice a week, for one hour, they appear each at his stand, two and a half feet wide, and perhaps ten feet deep, with their stock piled up behind them, and samples in their hands. These stands are ar ranged on each side of a long gallery, with a passage between. "The merchants walk along the double line comparing their orders with the samples, and making purchases, generally at a uniform price. There is a great deal of business done in a very short time, and with very few words, although many of the stands are occupied by women, as our conductress informed us. This is a respectable set of people, and a pleasing instance of domestic manufactures, so preferable to the crowds and depravity of great establishments. Cloth has lately fallen in price from 33 to 25 shillings, in consequence of the increasing obstructions to the British trade. "The men, whose business is the combing and shearing the cloth, work by the piece, and earn 5s. a-day, by working from four in the morning to eight at night. They are described as very extravagant and very poor; brutified, vicious, and troublesome to their employers. They see, with an evil eye, a machine about to be set up, to do this work by the steam-engine, and disturbances are apprehended. We have observed the mark of Journaux freres, de Sedan, on pieces of broad-cloth destined for the continent. "The hospital, or infirmary, is remarkable for the good order and cleanliness of its interior; the patients are placed in rooms, not wards, from four to eight in each. The only improvement the philanthropic Howard, visiting this hospital, could suggest, was, that there ought to be a sufficient number of apartments for some of them in rotation, to remain unoccupied for some weeks, which was done accordingly. "This town has doubled in the last 20 years, therefore a great part of the buildings are modern and comfortable, with gardens, planted squares, and flowers in every window. We were shown a good library and reading-room; the librarian is a lady." From Leeds our traveller proceeded to Sheffield, which he describes as "another steam-engine town, all iron, and steel, and smoke." These expressions remind us of Camden's allusion to this town, in the second volume of his Britannia: "Sheffield," says he," is remarkable among other small towns in the neighbourhood, for its great. quantity of blacksmiths."--In the days of Camdeu the majority of the inhabitants, for any thing we know to the contrary, might have consisted of "blacksmiths;" indeed, from the well-known line of Chancer quoted by him, "A Sheffield whittle in his hose he bore," it is evident that the town has for several centuries been celebrated for its superior manufactory of hardware goods. But with regard to Mr. Simond's sweeping observa. tion, the testimony of our own eyes will convince us that it is not quite correct;.it is |