foreign correspondent, 'have you, in the frontispiece of your
cover, represented the venerable and benevolent author of the right
veritable 'History of New-York' with such a rigid and austere
expression of countenance? Surely, the painter or engraver has belied
his character. I have had his counterfeit presentment for many years
in my mind's eye; and whenever I look at yours, I think, with CHARLES
LAMB, 'Alas! what is _my_ book of his countenance good for, which I
have read so long, and thought I understood its contents, when there
comes your heart-breaking errata,' to rob me of my beau ideal?'
To all this we answer, in the usual Yankee manner, by asking our
friend, if he does not remember, that when DIEDRICH KNICKERBOCKER
was writing his renowned work, at the Columbian Hotel, his literary
labors were often interrupted by his landlady coming into his room,
and 'putting his papers to rights,' in such wise that it took him a
week to find them again? Think of these untimely intrusions, while
the melancholy historian was writing as follows: 'Grievous and very
much to be commiserated is the task of the feeling historian who
writes the history of his native land. * * * I cannot look back on
the happier days of our city, which I now describe, without a sad
dejection of the spirits. With a faltering hand do I withdraw the
curtain of oblivion, that veils the modest merits of our venerable
ancestors, and as their figures rise to my mental vision, humble
myself before the mighty shades. Such are my feelings when I revisit
the family mansions of the KNICKERBOCKERS, and spend a lonely hour in
the chamber where hang the portraits of my forefathers, shrouded in
dust, like the forms they represent. With pious reverence do I gaze
on the countenances of those renowned burghers, who have preceded
me in the steady march of existence; whose sober and temperate
blood now meanders through my veins, flowing slower and slower in
its feeble conduits, until its currents shall soon be stopped for
ever! These, say I to myself, are but frail memorials of the mighty
men who nourished in the days of the patriarchs; but who, alas!
have long since mouldered in that tomb, toward which my footsteps
are insensibly and irresistibly hastening! As I pace the darkened
chamber, and lose myself in melancholy musings, the shadowy images
around me almost seem to steal once more into existence--their
countenances to assume the animation of life--their eyes to pursue
me in every movement! Carried away by the delusions of fancy, I
almost imagine myself surrounded by the shades of the departed, and
holding sweet converse with the worthies of antiquity! Ah, hapless
DIEDRICH! born in a degenerate age, abandoned to the buffetings of
fortune--a stranger and a weary pilgrim in thy native land--blest
with no weeping wife, nor family of helpless children; but doomed
to wander neglected through these crowded streets, and elbowed by
foreign upstarts from those fair abodes, where once thine ancestors
held sovereign empire!' Now we have it from the best authority, that
while these melting sentences were not yet dry upon the paper before
the historian, his pestilent landlady bustled into his apartment, and
after an uneasy stay of a minute or two, began to indulge in oblique
allusions to 'her little bill' for board, and finally observed, that
'she thought it high time somebody had a sight of somebody's money!'
It is at the moment of this inopportune dun, that our sketch is
taken; and who could look benign under such circumstances? Is our
friend answered?
* * * * *
LITERARY RECORD.
THE QUARTERLIES.--We have before us the last North-American, American
Quarterly, and New-York Reviews, and should be gratified to afford
our readers a taste of their several contents; but the tyranny of
space forbids other than a brief reference to some of their more
prominent papers. The '_New-York_' has an admirable article upon the
writings of JEAN PAUL RICHTER, and a laughable and well-reasoned
satire upon 'Dietetic Charlatanry,' or the 'Modern Ethics of Eating.'
In some of the short critical notices, there is less research, and
more flippancy, or mere _ipse dixit_, than might reasonably have been
expected from such a quarter. The number is a good one, natheless,
although inferior to its predecessor. Miss Martineau's 'Society in
America,' Lockhart's Life of Scott, the Military Academy at West
Point, and the poems of Grenville Mellen, are among the reviews of
the _American Quarterly_, which is a large as well as very able
number. In the _North-American_, that philosopher in petticoats,
Miss Martineau, is most happily served up. The irony is keen but
smooth, and the spirit mild, though unflinching. Gallantry has
nothing to do with such a subject. The 'Palmyra Letters' are reviewed
with discrimination, and high but just praise. Of the existence
of 'Miriam, a Dramatic Poem,' we are here for the first time
informed; but the production can scarcely remain long unknown to the
American public. We may refer more in detail to these able American
periodicals, in a subsequent number.
ANIMAL MAGNETISM.--But for the fact that COL. STONE's Letter on
Animal Magnetism, containing an account of a remarkable interview
between the author and Miss LORAINA BRACKETT, of Providence, (R.
I.,) while in a state of somnambulism, is the theme of conversation
and newspaper comment, in every section of the country, we should be
tempted to occupy three or four of these pages with the extraordinary
facts therein narrated. As it is, we shall simply run the risk of
being the first to apprize some half dozen American, and an hundred
or two foreign readers, that the work records, in easy and exciting
detail, an imaginary visit of Miss BRACKETT to this city, while
in a state of somnambulism, portions of which she describes with
astonishing accuracy; that she accompanies the author to his own
house, where she describes, with wonderful minuteness, localities,
furniture, pictures, etc.--and all this, without ever having been in
New-York in her life, or hearing or knowing any thing in relation
to the scenes and objects visible to her mind's eye! We are not
believers in animal magnetism--oh, no! Yet we are not exactly
skeptics, either. A '_state of betweenity_' aptly expresses our
situation in regard to these strange matters.
A NEW THEORY OR ANIMAL MAGNETISM.--Since the above was placed in
type, Messrs. WILEY AND PUTNAM have issued a coarsish volume, of
some two hundred and twenty pages, entitled, 'Exposition of a New
Theory of Animal Magnetism, with a Key to its Mysteries: Demonstrated
by Experiments with the most celebrated Somnambulists in America;'
together with 'Strictures' upon the Letter noticed above. By C. F.
DURANT. At the present writing hereof, we have but time and room
to say, that so far as we have advanced in the work, Mr. DURANT
seems to be probing the whole matter quite thoroughly, and to have
recorded his proceedings in a style of laughable mock-irony, though
in language generally not a little careless, and sometimes--shade
of Priscian!--sadly ungrammatical; the result, doubtless, of hasty
publication.
PICKWICK.--Mr. JAMES TURNEY, JR., 55 Gold-street, is publishing in
numbers, as they appear in England, the Pickwick Papers, with copies
of CRUIKSHANK's spirited illustrations. Some of the engravings are
cleverly executed, while others are miserable enough. The numbers,
however, are very cheaply afforded, and meet with a wide and rapid
sale; the exceeding small coterie of anti-Pickwickians--who have
no conception of the burlesque or humorous, and care little for
a hearty laugh, that most innocent of diuretics--to the contrary
notwithstanding. A southern critic has gravely attempted to show that
the old twaddler, Pickwick, does not act and converse as such a man
should! He reminds us of the systematic tailor at Laputa, who took
Gulliver's altitude by a quadrant, and then with rule and compasses
described the dimensions and outlines of his whole body, all which
he entered upon paper, and in due time brought back his clothes
ill made, having mistaken a figure in the calculation. The idea of
subjecting 'Pickvick' and 'Samivel Veller' to a regular standard of
criticism!
'MATHEMATICAL MISCELLANY.'--This unpretending but well-conducted and
valuable periodical, issued at Flushing, Long Island, is gradually
winning its way to merited distinction. In a cursory examination
of the recent numbers, we observe that many of its contributors
are 'men of mark' and science, in various sections of the country;
and that so strong is the feeling in its favor, that several
eminent mathematicians have associated together to prevent its
discontinuance, in any contingency. Prof. GILL, of the Institute
at Flushing, sustains, and ably, its editorial responsibilities.
It contains upward of seventy large pages, and is published
semi-annually, at the low price of two dollars per annum.
GAZETTEER OF MISSOURI.--The Brothers' HARPER have published, in a
large and handsome volume, of some three hundred and eighty pages,
'A Gazetteer of the State of Missouri: with a Map of the State, from
the office of the Surveyor General, including the latest Additions
and Surveys.' The compiler, ALPHONSO WETMORE, Esq., of Missouri, has
performed his task with signal ability; and his spirited frontier
sketches, a specimen of which may be found elsewhere in these pages,
evince, that his talents are not alone confined to statistics and
business facts. A frontispiece, engraved on steel, adds to the
attractions of the volume.
A TREATISE ON ASTRONOMY: ILLUSTRATED BY MAPS AND PLATES. By Mrs.
L. H. TYLER, Middletown, (Conn.)--When ladies come into the field
of competition for literary honors and scientific research, it
behooves us to treat them with gallantry. But in this instance, the
lady has little need of favor; for her work may fairly challenge
comparison with the best efforts of the male tribe. It is a right
down sturdy, lucid, well-executed, and thorough treatise; 'not a mere
compilation,' as Professor SMITH of the University of Middletown
says, 'but bearing throughout the impress of the author's own mind.
Professor SMITH hazards nothing in predicting, that it will be
extensively adopted as a text-book in our high schools and academies.
UNPUBLISHED POEMS OF J. HUNTINGTON BRIGHT, ESQ.--We have recently
given several articles of poetry from the unpublished MSS. of the
late J. HUNTINGTON BRIGHT, and shall present others hereafter. 'The
Dying Boy,' however, in preceding pages, was originally published,
some years since, as we understand, in the 'Albany Argus.' It
deserves, notwithstanding, a more permanent record than the columns
of a newspaper; and we take pleasure in transferring so beautiful a
gem to our casket.
'VAN TASSEL HOUSE.'--Mr. CLOVER, at 294 Broadway, has issued a very
pretty colored lithograph of this charming country-seat of WASHINGTON
IRVING, at Tarrytown; the same, as we are given to understand,
that was occupied, many years ago, by old BALTUS VAN TASSEL, and
his blooming daughter Katrine, and the scene of Ichabod Crane's
world-renowned adventures.
.*. OUR theatrical critiques for the month, although in type,
are unavoidably deferred until the next number.
* * * * *
Transcriber's Note:
Obvious typographical errors were repaired.
P. 423 and 424: Large braces spanning multiple poetry lines on the
right were changed to per-line braces on the left, to accommodate the
widest variety of reading formats.
P. 441 (text file only): "like raine in ye sunshine;" "ye" in the
original appears as a "y" with a superscript "e"--an archaic form of
"the."