Reform Bill must lead to a revolution, they have a clear right, growing out of persona interests (and she does wisely in exercising that right), to set a broad and distingustang mark upon their own conduct, by which it may be known they do not acquiesce what, nevertheless, they are bound to submit to. WILLIAM. TEXTS AND COMMENTS. BY AN OXFORD Blue. No. IV. TEXT. THE CORONATION OATH.-"We have to mention a topic of peculiar interest connected with the coronation, and exhibiting the just and constitutional views which the king entertains of his exalted office. His majesty is understood to have bee highly contented with the day, as we are sure his subjects were happy in his puter performance of ceremonies incident to the occasion. But at the dinner by which the ceremonial was succeeded, the king gave as a toast, in his frank and true English mar ner, The land we live in !'-and then added, that the day had afforded him satsfaction; but that he did not at all agree with those who had considered the ceremony indispensable, for that the compact between the prince and the people was as binding of his mind before; that no member of the house of Hanover could forget the conditions on which he held the crown;' and his majesty repeated (striking the table with energy), that he was not a whit more desirous now, than before taking the oath, to watch over the liberties and promote the welfare of his people.' The Duke of Cumberland and the Duke of Wellington were present, and seemed to feel the force of these remarks."-Times, Sept. 10. COMMENT. We do not profess to be acquainted with the etiquette of royal banquets; but judging, from the above description, that it differs very little, if any, from banquets at the Crown and Anchor (where we have seen the table thumped, and heard the "hand we live in" jovially proposed by a "frank and true English" chairman), we may con clude his majesty did not begin to give toasts till the cloth was removed; and, if so,—why then, what followed ought not, perhaps, very much to surprise us. But, alas! Can these things be true? Is it from the throne itself we are to bear doctrines subversive of the principles by which its dignity is upheld? His majesty's ministers went no further than to cast aside, as the useless lumber of antiquity, onehalf the ceremonial of the coronation; and now his majesty himself (if what we have quoted be not a scandalous libel), throws away the other half, by denouncing unnecessary the sacred obligation of the oath which every King of England has taken since the foundation of the British monarchy. We say his majesty denounces it "as unnecessary;" for, if "the compact was as binding before," it must of course have been unnecessary, inasmuch as it created ne fresh obligation, imposed no fresh duty upon the royal mind. Yet, be it remembered, an oath is something more than a moral compact between man and man, because it calls in a third party to that compact, and because that third party is the living, the eternal God! The definition of an oath is this: "An affirmation, or negation, or promise, corroborated by the attestation of the Divine Being;" and Swift observes, that "as a oath is an appeal to God, it can have no influence EXCEPT upon those who believe HE IS." Now, when we bear these things in mind, we are utterly unable to believe one word of what the Times has asserted. It is not, we say, decently credible, that his majesty, immediately after having made his solemn "appeal to God," immediately after having corroborated his promise to his people "by the attestation of the Divine Being should have risen at a dinner-table, and declared that he "was not a whit more destrous now, than before taking the oath, to watch over the liberties and promote the welfare of his people." It is not decently credible, we repeat, that this story of the Times can have any foundation; because it leaves us no other possible conclusion, than that our gracious sovereign makes the Creator a secondary object to his creatures, or rather, places them upon the same level, by affirming that the moral obligations incident to his exalted station derive no added solemnity, or force, or sacredness in his estimation, from having invoked God as a witness to his sincerity in the performance of them. We are quite sure his majesty's notions and feelings are of a far different kind. We are quite sure, if he were called upon to declare what they are, he would say, "before my coronation oath, I had entered into an implicit compact with my people, which I was determined to fulfil to the uttermost, according to my best means and the best judgment I could exercise; but since my coronation oath, I have entered into a much more solemn, a much more awful compact; a compact with God himself, swearing by his sacred name, and, as it were, in his Divine presence, that I would do those things which, till then, I only intended; and whatever may have been the weight of the first obligation, I feel that it is increased a thousand-fold by the second; for, had I failed in my duty, not having taken my coronation oath, I should have been accountable to Heaven only as we are all of us responsible beings for the performance of what is required of us in this world; but were I to fail now, should I not, in addition to that common responsibility, incur the grievous penalty of forfeiting a specific pledge voluntarily made to my Creator, and for the security of which I have invoked His attestation ?" These, we say, would be the sentiments of the royal mind with respect to the ceremony in Westminster Abbey, did any occasion call for their declaration; and not the audacious impiety imputed to it by the Times, for purposes no less obvious than they are base and disloyal. TEXT. "In consequence of a motion which was recently made in the House of Commons, on the subject of persons imprisoned at the suit of the crown, and those in custody for small debts, an opinion has prevailed that both these classes of prisoners would probably be relieved. It is not unlikely that those crown debtors whose cases may prove worthy of favourable consideration, and who have conducted themselves in a becoming manner during their confinement, may be discharged; but there is not the slightest chance that the public money will be applied to the payment of private debts, and creditors be encouraged to sue those who owe them small sums. There is reason to believe that the notion which was entertained on the above subject, occasioned many wretched creatures being sent to prison: the numbers thrown into Whitecross-street prison lately has been great: on one day thirteen persons were committed thither for debts averaging under forty shillings each; and there are now above eighty prisoners of the same description in that place."—Times. COMMENT. I wish some member of the House of Commons would move for a return of the sums expended to reimburse the theatres and Vauxhall, and to defray the charge for crackers, sky-rockets, and blue candles, in Hyde Park, on the day of the coronation. We should then see how many unfortunate debtors might have been restored to their families, by what was squandered to provide a few hours' amusement for the people. It is not in the spirit of canting philanthropy that I make this suggestion: but when we are told that the public money cannot be applied to the payment of private debts, I do ask, in the spirit of common humanity, whether the public money that was applied to throw open the doors of the theatres, &c., would not have been far better applied to open the prison doors of the metropolis? I dare say, upon a rough calculation, not less than 3000l. were expended in these gratuitous festivities, which were as if they had never been, the next hour. Good Heavens! only imagine 3000l. appropriated to the discharge of debts under twenty pounds, for example, and what a picture of human happiness starts up! How many hundred hearts would now be beating in grateful recollection of royal benevolence! Whereas, not one of the thousands who got into a theatre for nothing, or saw a sky-rocket ascend, will bear that in remembrance as a thing which made their sovereign a jot the better. Our economical ministers are no doubt prepared to say they cannot afford both to amuse the idle and relieve the wretched. And as they are far more anxious to conciliate the mob, which can do them service, than benefit the unfortunate, who can do them none, it follows according to such reasoning, that the money in question was most wisely, patriotically, and beneficially laid out. TEXT. "So very much is it the practice to create peers to meet political emergencies, that of the present 557 British peers, no fewer than 460 have been created or raised to a higher rank since the accession of George III."-Glasgow Chronicle. COMMENT. I should like to be informed by what process of logic or philosophical deduction, the Glasgow Chronicle arrives at the fact, that because "460 peers have been created or raised to a higher rank since the accession of George III.," they were all "created to meet political emergencies." I confess I cannot see the necessary connexion, and suspect that the northern seer has discovered it only by the aid of second sight. I very much doubt*, too, the accuracy of the calculation; though, even if it be accurate, it gives only about six peers and a fraction per annum, by creation and advancement, for the period described. But such are the random calumnies scattered abroad, to abuse and mislead those who read with a capacious swallow for whatever comes. TEXT. "Other coronations we have seen, of perhaps equal display; but we have never before seen one in which the great solemn act of placing the crown upon the sovereign's head was recommended to the feelings and bosoms of men by the love and veneration which they bore to the sovereign himself.”—Court Journal. COMMENT. What "other coronations" has this silly young, or weak old gentleman seen? The very lowest class of artisans-those whom he can alone hope to propitiate, after disgusting all others have sense enough to disapprove of his clumsy mode of flattering the Sovereign by insulting his illustrious father and brother. LITERARY NOVELTIES. The following are among the numerous literary announcements of the last month: A splendid edition of Childe Harolde, in two volumes, illustrated topographically, is about to appear. Each volume is to contain about forty engravings, from drawings by Turner, Stanfield, &c. A few copies are to be in quarto. The plates are engraved by W. and E. Finden. The Literary Souvenir for 1832, edited by Alaric A. Watts, will contain as usual twelve highly finished line engravings. The New Year's Gift and Juvenile Souvenir for 1832, containing a variety of highly finished line engravings. Heath's Picturesque Annual for 1832; containing twenty-six beautifully finished plates, executed by the first engravers, under the exclusive direction of Mr. Charles Heath, from drawings by Clarkson Stanfield, Esq. With letter-press descriptions, imbodied in the Narrative of a Tour through the most interesting portions of the North of Italy, the Tyrol, and the Countries bordering the Rhine: by Leitch Ritchie, Esq. The Humourist for 1832, by W. H. Harrison, is announced to appear, together with Ackermann's other Annuals, about November. It is embellished by eighty engravings, designed and executed by W. H. Brooke. Mr. Bernard, the author of several successful dramas, is engaged on a series of pieces founded on American subjects. Cruikshank's Comic Album; a collection of Humorous Tales: with numerous illustrations on wood. Anniversary Calendar, and Universal Mirror. A Manual of the Land and Fresh-water Shells of Great Britain, according to the System of Drapernaud, Brand, De Lamarck, &c. ; the Characters and Descriptions drawn up from specimens in the cabinet of the author, W. Turton. We have no doubt about the matter, the number is falsely stated, of course for political purposes.-ED., A Dictionary, Practical, Theoretical, and Historical, of Commerce and Commercial Navigation, by J. R. M'Culloch, Esq. Memoirs and Correspondence of the late Sir James Edward Smith, M.D. F.R.S., President of the Linnæan Society, &c. Italy's Romantic Annals are to form the subject of the new series of the Romance of History, by Charles Macfarlane, Esq. The ancient Scotch metrical Romance of Sir Gawayn and the Greene Knyzt, from a unique MS. preserved in the British Museum, by Frederick Madden, Esq. F.S.A. &c. The Geographical Annual for 1832 is announced for publication, uniform with the larger Annuals, and to contain engravings of all the states, kingdoms, and empires, throughout the world. The London Manual of Medical Chemistry; comprising an interlinear verbal translation of the Pharmacopoeia, with extensive Chemical, Botanical, Therapeutical, and Posological Notes, &c. by W. Maugham, Surgeon. A Familiar Compendium of the Law of Husband and Wife, in two parts. Biblical Cabinet Atlas. A Dictionary of Quotations from various Authors, in Ancient and Modern Languages, with English Translations, &c. by Hugh Moore, Esq. The History, Topography, and Antiquities of Framlingham, compiled from the best Authorities, by R. Green. Wilson's American Ornithology, with the continuation by C. L. Buonaparte; together with an Enumeration and Description of the newly-discovered Species not included in the original works, and copious Notes, by Sir William Jardine, Bart. The Author of Gertrude will shortly produce her new novel, the Affianced One. The Sisters' Budget; a Collection of Original Tales in Prose and Verse, by the Authors of the Odd Volume, &c., with contributions from distinguished Writers. The Chameleon, an Album of Original Pieces, by Mr. Atkinson, the publisher. A volume of poetry, Pictures of the Past, is announced by Mr. Brydson. Friendship's Offering for 1832, with highly-finished engravings after celebrated paintings by Sir Thomas Lawrence, Stothard, Richter, Wood, Purser, Westall, and other eminent artists, and contributions from popular writers. The Comic Offering, edited by Miss Sheridan, is to be embellished with upwards of sixty humorous designs by various comic artists, with facetious contributions by several writers. A new Annual, illustrated from drawings by Prout, under the title of The Continental Annual, is forthcoming, uniform in size with his Landscape Annual. The literary department, under the superintendence of Mr. William Kennedy, is to consist of romantic tales. The Winter's Wreath for 1832, will be illustrated by the following plates:-The Highland Fortress of Lessing Cray, painted by J. Martin; The Cotter's Saturday Night, by Stothard, R. A.; The Wreck, by J. Williamson; Allon, the Piper of Mull, by E. Goodall; Portrait, the Visionary, by H. Liversege; Lago di Nemi, by A. Aglio; The Reply of the Fountain, by H. Liversege; Vintage Feast at a Villa of Rione, Trastevere ; Naples, by W. Linton; Abbeville, by D. Roberts; Sunset-Bavarian Alps, by G. Barret ; The Wreath, by Vandyke. The False Step, a Novel, will appear in October. In October will be published, The Usurer's Daughter, by one of the Contributors to Blackwood's Magazine. The Lives of celebrated Female Sovereigns, by Mrs. Jameson. The Landscape Annual, or Tourist in Italy, for 1832; illustrated with twenty-six engravings, from drawings by J. D. Harding, Esq. The literary department by Thomas Roscoe, Esq. Wild Sports of the West. By an Experienced Sportsman. The Tourist's Guide through Cornwall, is preparing for publication, by the editor of The Falmouth Packet. To be printed in small octavo, and accompanied by a map. Mr. S. Robinson has in the press a new Annual for 1832; the first of a Series of Standard Volumes for the Library. Royal 18mo., with Seventeen or Eighteen Embellishments on steel, after eminent masters. Mr. Brydson is about to issue a volume of poetry, under the title of Pictures of the Past. Literary and Graphical Illustrations of Shakspeare, and the British Drama. LIST OF NEW BOOKS. Mémoires et Souvenirs du Comte Lavalette, 2 vols. 8vo. 188. sewed.-The Hexandrian Plants, No. I. 218. sewed.-Standard Novels, No. VIII. Scottish Chiefs, Vol. II. 68. bds.-Hinton's America, Vol. I. 4to. 37. 3s. bds. ; India paper, 57, 58, bds.-Polytechnic VOL. II. T Library, Vol. I. 18mo. 28. 6d. bds.-Analogies of Organized Beings, by J. L. Duncan, Sro. 58. bds.-Rennell's Comparative Geography of Western Asia, 2 vols. 8vo. 1. 4s. bds. ; Atlas to ditto, 4to. 17. 108. bds.-Rennell's Geographical Illustration of Xenophon, 4to. Maps, 218. bds.; on the Topography of Troy, 4to. 78. 6d. bds.-National Library, No. XII. Lives of Celebrated Travellers, 12mo. 6s. bds.-The Smuggler, by the Author of Tales by the O'Hara Family, 3 vols. 8vo. 17. 118. 6d. bds. THE EDITOR'S ROOM. 1.-Palestine; or, the Holy Land, from the earliest period to the present time. By the Rev. Michael Russell, LL. D. Edinburgh: Oliver and Boyd. London: Simpkin and Marshall. 2.-Life of Sir Isaac Newton. By Dr. Brewster. J. Murray. 1.-This interesting volume forms the fourth of the Edinburgh Cabinet Library, a work already distinguished by the narratives of "Discovery and Adventure in the Polar Seas," and "Africa," and by the "View of Ancient and Modern Egypt." The book contains nearly every thing entertaining in the history of the Holy Land, judiciously condensed into four hundred and forty-eight pages, and is illustrated with a map and several engravings on wood. The work is about the cheapest of the whole Library tribe, and must put our London booksellers on their mettle. 2.-This admirable piece of biography, which forms the twenty-fourth volume of the Family Library, may be estimated one of the most valuable books that have appeared for some time. Few lives so interesting to the whole world could have been selected-few men more capable of doing justice to the subject than the learned doctor, who has in a masterly way condensed the private and scientific life of the philosopher, the history of his discoveries, and the controversies they induced, into a single volume, which it is almost needless to say bears the palm from its predecessors; and is the only biography of Newton, worthy of the name, published in this country. Dr. Brewster acknowledges his obligation to the Biographie Universelle, in which appears a life written by the French astronomer Biot-almost the only one that had pretension to authenticity in any language; but the doctor has been very moderate in his use of the French author, and has, by great research, completed a sterling and original work. 3. The author of this volume is a clever man, and does honour to his native town. The difficulty of giving a striking turn to a hundred songs is by no means small; and when we can affirm that the following is a fair specimen of the col lection, it will be conceded that Mr. Gilfillan is a poet of more than ordinary talent. Mary's Bower. The mavis sings on Mary's bower, The lav'rock in the sky; An' a' is fair round Mary's bower, But sad's the gloom in Mary's bower, Though a' without be gay; Nae music comes to greet the morn, Nae smile to glad the day. Her lover left young Mary's bower, His ship has cross'd the main ; There's waefu' news in Mary's bower- A breaking heart's in Mary's bower, A wasting form is there; The glance has left that e'e sae blue, The rose that cheek sae fair. |