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Oliver and Boyd, Printers, Edinburgh.

WE have to apologize to a great number, both of old and new Correspondents, for hav-
ing made no private acknowledgment of their favours. We shall soon dedicate a day
or two to answering their letters.

We have safely received the following articles, which shall be inserted as soon as possible.
"An Historical and Critical Essay on the Trade and Communications of the Arabs
and Persians, with Russia and Scandinavia, during the Middle Ages."- "The Tragi-
comical History of the Loves of Quimper-Corentin, translated by the late Mr Johnes of
Hafod."-" An Apology for Romances, by the same."-" Count Bask, a true Story,

from the German.' “Seven additional Scenes of Sabina, with notes and appendices."-

Sunday Sketches of London."- -"Account of the Life of Lambertacci.".

fiad."-" A Series of Analytical Essays on the German Drama, with translations, No I.

Faustus. No II. Torquato Tasso. No III. Iphigenia in Auris. No IV. Goetz of Ber-

lichingen. No V. The Bride of Messina. No VI. Wallenstein. No VII. Coriolanus."

-"Essays on the Lake School of Poetry, No II. The Excursion. No III. Ditto. No

IV. Coleridge."-" An Essay on Ancient Sculpture, by N."-" Letters on Shakspeare,

No II. Lear. No III. Othello. No IV. Macbeth."" Hunt at Home, a Poem, in two

Cantos."-"The Discarded Prodigal, a Cure for Coquettes, a Tale."—"Review of Mit-

ford's History of Alexander the Great."" Review of Hallam's History of the Middle

Ages." —“ An Essay on Burke."-" Letters to the Supporters of the Edinburgh Review,

No II. To Henry Brougham, Esq. M.P."-"Time's Magic Lanthern, No VIII. Bu-

chanan and Knox."-" The Epistle of Lord Bacon to Macvey Napier, Esq. W.S.".

"On Editors, by T. T."-" Continuation of the Life and Writings of Ensign and Ad-

jutant Odoherty.' "-"Account of the Autobiography of the late Hector Macneill, Esq.

author of Will and Jean, &c."—" Observations on Herder's History of the Trade and

Politics of Ancient Carthage.". "Account of the Historian, John Muller."-" Remarks

on the Fortunes of the House of Burgundy."-" Observations on the Writings of Luigi

Palcani."-" Translation of the Elogio di Lionardo Ximenes."—" On the Introduction

of the Breed of Arabian Horses into Europe.”—“ Account of the Conspiracy of the Doge

Martino Faleri against Venice."-" On the Study of the Romaic Language."—" On

the Frogs of Aristophanes." "Account of the Life and Writings of the late M. G. Lewis,

Esq. author of The Monk."- "On La Notte of Corregio."-" On Portrait Painting."-

Letters on the Genius of the Living Artists of Scotland, No II. Wilkie. No III. Wil-

liams."" Hora Cambrica, Nos. II. III. IV."-" Account of Hanmer's Mines of the
East, and Selections from the same author's History of Persian Poetry." - "Some ac-
count of the Life and Writings of Six Young Men of extraordinary genius."—" The Re-
galia, a Vision, inscribed to Captain Adam Fergusson," &c. &c. &c.

The judicious suggestions of our Friend in Berkshire have been gratefully received;
but he, as well as others, must observe, that from the great mass of our materials, it is
quite impossible we should make a selection equally pleasing to every one.

THE controversy, concerning the Pedigree of the Steuarts of Allanton, having extended itself
to a length much beyond what we can afford to give to any subject of that nature, we have
been obliged to shut our pages against any further communications from either the one
side or the other. To the last article which appeared in this Magazine (viz. the Remarks
by the Author of the History of Renfrewshire), an answer will be found in a pamphlet
just advertised, under the title of "The Salt-foot Controversy, as it appeared in Black-
wood's Magazine, with some additional Observations on the descent of the family of
Allanton."

WE intend henceforth to publish, at the end of every six months, an additional Num-
ber of the Magazine by way of Appendix-containing Register, Chronicle, &c. By this
means we shall both gain more room for original matter, and be enabled to present the
historical part of a Magazine in a more complete and satisfactory manner than has
been attempted by any other publication of the kind.

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(Extracted from a MS. letter of the BARON VON LAUERWINKEL.)

THE manner in which you express yourself concerning the poetry of Moore, is not unlike that which I have met with in many of your English journals, and is withal sufficiently natural to a person of your age and habits. Like you I admire the lively and graceful genius of this man; like you I appreciate the amiable temperament and dispositions which lend a charm to his verses, more touching than any thing which liveliness, grace, and genius alone could confer; but I cannot consent for a moment to class Mr Moore with the great poets of England-no more can I persuade myself that he is likely to go down to posterity as the national poet of Ireland. The claim which has lately been set up for him is one of no trifling import. It would not only assign to him a share of the same magnificent honours which have of right descended to Byron, Wordsworth, and Campbell, but mingle with his laurels another wreath such as the grateful affection of your own country has already woven for Scott and Burns. The friends of Mr Moore, or the admirers of his genius, have done no service either to the poet or to his works by their injudicious praises and their extravagant demands. The only effect of their zeal is, to make reflective men try the productions of their idol by a higher standard than they might otherwise have judged it necessary to apply. By rejecting, in behalf of their favourite, the honours which we willingly grant to a minor poet, they have compelled us to look at his VOL. IV,

productions with a severer eye, and to satisfy ourselves that he is by no means a great one.

To tell you the truth, had Mr Moore been a Frenchman or an Italian, nay, I am sorry to say it, had he been born a countryman of my ownhad similar pretensions been preferred in favour of similar productions among any other European people,-I know not that I should have been inclined to weigh them so scrupulously, or perhaps justified in rejecting them so decidedly. It is the belief of the most orthodox divines, that the guilt of a careless Christian is greater than that of an ignorant Heathen, even although the offences of the two men may have been externally and apparently alike. "Of him to whom much is given the more shall be required." I must do justice to your country, even although it should be at the expense of your favourite. The English poet who fails to be held great, chiefly because he chooses not to be pure, falls a splendid sacrifice before the altar to which he has brought an unacceptable offering. Even genius will not save him; and yet the highest genius will do much. We listen with sorrow to the pernicious sophisms, and gloomy despondings, which deform and darken the native majesty of Byron; but hope and trust are mingled with our sorrow, and we cannot suppose it would be less than blasphemy to despair of such a spirit. In Moore the redeeming power is less. He possesses not, whatever his nobler brother may do, the charm which might privilege

A

him to pass through the fire and be unsinged.

But the genius of a poet is estimated by every man according to his own private feeling, and it may therefore be as well to lay it for a moment out of the question.-Since the publication of Lalla Rookh, the admirers of Moore have chosen to talk as if his genius were of the first order, and yourself, I observe, are of the same way of thinking. On this point we are not likely to agree. But however wavering may be the standard of some of the late admirers of Mr Moore, I well know that you at least will have no objections to try the MORALITY of any poet by the only standard which is unchanging and unerring. If you find that the elements of his elegant compositions are essentially and hopelessly impure, you will have no hesitation in agreeing with me, that, whatever his original genius may have been, the use to which he has applied it has taken from him all right to the place, or the communion, of the great poets of England. That man must think lightly and erringly, who doubts the eternal union of the highest intellect with the highest virtue. I doubt not that I shall speedily bring you to be of the same mind with myself, respecting the tendency of Mr Moore's performances; and if you do so, you will, in the sequel, have less difficulty in embracing my opinion concerning its inspiration also.

Of the early productions, by which the name of this poet was rendered notorious, I shall say nothing. He himself professes to be ashamed of them, and I doubt not the sincerity of his professions. He is, moreover, sufficiently punished by their existence. The poison which he has once mingled he cannot spill. The muse which he has profaned asserts her privilege even in her degradation. The sculptor or the painter may destroy his work, or, if it has parted from his hands, it may be veiled by its possessor; but the impure poet has roused a demon which he has no spell to lay. The foul spirit has received wings with its evocation, and the unhappy sorcerer is doomed, wherever he may go, to hear their infernal flap, and tread on the vestiges of their blighting. Year after year may pass, and repentance may sit in the place of vice,

"But tears which wash out guilt can't wash

out shame;"

and Mr Moore, when he is stretched upon the bed of death, will understand what it was that troubled, with a tenfold pang, the last agonies of Rochester.

It had been well, however, if, when Mr Moore learned to despise himself for gross impurity, he had not stopped half-way in his reformation. It had been well, that instead of lopping off the most prominent branches, he had torn up the roots also, and for ever withered the juices of his tree of evil. Did he imagine that the harlot would purify her nature by the assumption of a veil, or that his ideas would be remembered with impunity, only because his words might be recited without a blush? His muse has abused the passport which hypocrisy or self-ignorance procured her; and they who adopt the sentiments of the bard of the Melodies and Lalla Rookh, although indeed they need not be confounded with the disciples of Little, must remain for ever unworthy and incapable of understanding or enjoying those pure and noble thoughts, which form the brightest ornament of their productions, with whom Mr Moore would fain have himself to be associated. The whole strain of his music is pitched upon too low a key. If he never sinks into absolute pollution, neither dares he for a moment rise to the true sublime of purity. He writes for women chiefly, and woman is at all times his principal topic. How strange that he should never have been able to flatter his audience by dignifying his theme! How strange, that he who seems to understand so well every minor, superficial, transitory charm, should manifest so total a blindness to the only charm which is deep and enduring-to that of which all the rest are but the images and shadows-to that for which no luxury compensates, and no passion can atone. I have heard your fair countrywomen warbling the words of Moore; and from their lips what can appear unclean? But in the retirement of the closet, and deprived of the protection of their purity, the words were "weighed in the balance and found wanting." The sinless creatures that utter them cannot understand their meaning. I do not wish to say that their meaning is any thing positively, expressly, necessarily bad. It is enough for my purpose that it is not positively and necessarily good. The

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