Current:

Leader (1850-1860), 6th November 1858, Edition 2 of 2, Page 13

Page 13
Page 13
13 of 32

On this page

  • Text (2)
  • Transcript

    • Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.

      Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.

      The New El Dorado. The Kexo 7li Dorado; ...

      from the river ' s mouth , but a hundred , at least , from its source in the Rocky Mountains , and from those " hill diggings" whence the author expects , at no distant day , to hear of monster nuggets anc gold diggings of fabulous richness . . They / were a sunburnt , motley group , but all merry on the strength of nuggets found and dust gathered . One old hand had realised nearly five hundred dollars , while the author had made about ten ounces with his geological shovel and pan only . The yield here was equally satisfactory , but the novelty had died away , so that the men talked less about it and " realised" their hundreds of dollars without chronicling the sum . There was plenty for all , and tens of thousands besides . And now the author , becoming impatient of this mode of life , and having seen his chums established in a log hut , sold his share in their canoe , * and set out for Victoria with two painted Indians . Shooting down the river like an arrow , he parted from his guides at the junction of the Thompson and Frazer rivers . Here he purchased a canoe for one hundred and twenty dollars . He passed abundance of diggers near Fort Gale and Fort Hope , as well as hundreds of boats and cauoes making their way up . At the latter station he sold his canoe at half price , and ; arrived the same day at Victoria . Here he found j the community in disorder ; for a land mania , , brought upon the wings of the Caliibmiau immi- f gration , had seized upon it , and it was hardly ( to be supposed that one of the author ' s evi- t deutly mercurial temperament could escape the infection . He resolved to invest a portion of i his dust in land' allotments , took his turn at I the Hudson's Bay Company ' s counter , and sue- n ceeded , after some difficulty , owing to the rush of i intended purchasers , in securing three located lots j at the standard price of 100 dollars each , and three " others of less value at prices which he does not ^ mention . England , however , seems to have had ^ so much . more charm for him . than Victoria , that the ^ steamer Republic being unexpectantly announced n to leave for San Francisco , he lost no time in dis- w posing of the three "first at a profit of ] 5 ., S 00 dol- si lars , and in turning homewards with his travelling- h bed , the opossum skin i * ug , and his valise heavy fc with nuggets and gold ^ to make room for which lie " had been compelled to fling juray his spare pair of a boots and other articles of clothing . The 3 rd of P June saw him lecturing upon his travels to the ** eager Fransciscans , and he can have lost no time in y J getting home , for he has , we hear , been already ai some weeks in London . o f ———^——————— n ist bm , f < , \ ~ j 3 : lie lue ?^> L > ut ed ol- as ud Gf .. „ . ° or rn ^ - id rs is ie d ( j ' ~ v l" e * f t :- f -, I i B I j • w ¦ - for " > * ¦¦ as an of n

      No. 450, November 6, 1856.1 The Leader, ...

      No . 450 , November 6 , 1856 . 1 THE LEADER , 1189

      Magazines. Buckwood.—"Buckle's History O...

      MAGAZINES . Buckwood . —" Buckle ' s History of Civilization " comes under review , and , though compliments are sufficiently paid to the genius of the author and to the singular merits of his work , there is evidently at bottom a doubt in the reviewer ' s mind as to the true ' value of this new and startling contribution to i literature . Mr . Buckle is evidently regarded in < some respects as an ingenious but unsound builder-up < of theories which have a stratum of fact and ( probability to recommend them to notice , but which , i nevertheless , are thought to be based on tinsub- J stantial foundations , and are open to refutation , I though the opposing facts and arguments do not t present themselves readily . Sir K . Bulwer Lytton ' " What will he do with It ? " is continued . When the i tale is finished we shall have some remarks to offer . 41 Edward Irving" is nn article on a once popular man who has long passed out of sight , and whoso 1 memory hit ? friends would best respect by a judicious C silence . The writer of the article takes a pompous a and inflated view of Edward Irving ' s powers as a v preacher , nnd , indeed , of the power and value of t bcottish preachers generally . Tried by tho highest 1 standard of English celebrities , tho Scottish pulpit r would be considered in England ns only entitled to a n second-rate position ; indeed , its triumphs—achieved 1 by Chalmers , Irving , and Caircl— -owe a deeper debt J of gratitude to the works of English churchmen t than the Scotch critic is inclined to admit . Tho secret t of Edward Irving's popularity is to be sought for , not I ) in Ins varied powers , for they were grout , and oulti- " vated by a careful study of tho matchless productions u of tho massive intellects of mediiovul English divines , a but rather in his disregard of tho solemn pomposities ii of pulpit gentility , his immense person , his uncouth d aspect , his portentous squint , his broad Seotob ti brogue , and tho sledge-hummer vehemence with J which he rolled out sonorous sentences nnd hurled C anathemas against sins and pomps ami vanities , b which his titled and carriage audiences could not a fail in perceiving wore levelled mainly against them- V selves . Irving wns somewhut ol a clerical onthu- b Blast ; he was earnest and , in Us way , pious ; but h sudden popularity and praise combined were too a : a l " in as

      \ \ ' , much for an overtasked intellect , and the end was what every good man must deplore but no wise man wonder at . " The Light in the Hearth" is another story continued . The last article is on Cherbourg , a subject we may justly claim to have assisted in exhausting and in placing more correctly before the . public than most of Our contemporaries . - Fh-asbr—opens with " Our Failures , " by a Manshester Man . What a co mprehensive title ! How many bookshelves , we are tempted to ask , and how many more hundred Erasers would this ample subject , if diffusely treated , stuff to repletion ? And what a terrible antagonist is this for *• failures ! " The very name of a Manchester Man is almost a voucher for rapid recognition of , and speedy justice upon , failures , failers , dupers , dupes , humbugs , and shams of all sorts . Our author is just the man to do it , too ; for he puts lance in rest * and cries havoc upon the flock . As a Manchester Man , he of course begins with the failure " isolated , " or commercial embarrassment , tumbles him over , and tackles " panics , " or the failure gregarious ; a good deal of this sort of failure of credit he attributes , of course , to the overweening confidence in our smart kite-flyers , and in gentry of tiie bank-director class who support them . Vowing that of the latter he would ship a few to Norfolk Island , pour encourager les autres , he proceeds , per saltum , to ¦ * - investigate the often alleged failures of the Es- v tablished Churcli and its preaching . On the sl latter point he is with the complainants , but on the * former he is Torvish—as he is also about the paro- ~ chial system—but withal as liberal as most Tories of * J the present day ; i . e . more willing to go ahead and * be patted than stand still and be spurred . " Concerning Tidiness , " by a very Particular Man , goes a 9 * leetle too far . We are bachelors . Organised iintidi- u ' ness is our state , and we hold the constant , pervad- ** ing , active , all-reacliing , energetic Tidiness , of which ^ bespeaks so endearingly to ' be- loved , an utter ab- " horrence . She must be an old maid . Only let us catch her here . That abominable little Dutch place , gi roek , _ of which he talks with such unction , is , ta we . tell him flatly , enough to drive an English C * bachelor out of his senses . Washington Irving could ac not brook it for more than half an hour , used as he sii as to American tidiness ; and we would not punish a ? i such a good fellow us the Particular Man , whatever ' ^ his literary delinquencies , by an imprisonment there "" < more than one whole wet Sunday afternoon , im Pelicans" is an interesting natural history paper ; of and so is that on Rarey the horse-tamer , and his vi < pilfered metliod , " though we are not so confident inl the writer tliat a well Rareyfied animal will ab ever after be obedient to his original operator , tin We have recently marked with some inquietude bo indication or two to the contrary . The anthor Dc Meg of Elibanft commences in the present ' Ca umber a new tale , called " Hector Garret of "S Otter , " winch soerns to open , painfully enough , foi with prospect of sorrow for the hero ' s young and Be gentle bride . Tho veteran author of Headlong Hull , W than whom none cowld be fitter for the task , contri- pie butes a learned and curious notice of some translations Qu of Sanscrit poems into ancient Greek , by Deme- we trius Galanus , a Grcolc settler in Benares towards the nei end of the last century , which have been recently bol edited at Athens by G . K . Typallus , Superintendent sm of the Royal Library there . The number concludes ) with a ¦ urvey of the " "Village System and the me Policy of Annexation , " and a review of Mr . J . J-iang- " G ton Sanford ' s Studied of the Great Rebellion , and Mr . "S John Foster ' s first volume of Historical Essays , Mu both of which the editor styles " volumes of pui unusual worth . " win Titan . —The opening paper of the present number , pol "At Munich , " is evidently written by a genuine Wa lover of the arts , and the topics suggested to such reel one by a visit to the charming Bavarian Resident woi are handled in a plain and manly style . The reader son will enjoy tho author ' s pleasant commentary upon gen the manners and customs , civil , military , and re- l ) u ligious , of the place , and the interesting historical deli notabilia interwoven with it , as well as with tho fine upo art criticism . " Autumnal" is a smooth and elegant Ii . ay , reminding one , now of Tennyson , now of Geruld wh < Massoy . " Murridgfl as in France" is a smart imj translation from tho French of a pretty and well- pro told little love story . " Behind the Scenes nt Paria" con . has reached its twenty-fourth chapter , and tho the Memorials of the Jolly Dogs" comes to a somewhat and abrupt conclusion with the death of Vornon . Wo stoi are sorry to part wltli our author who , very rapidly , will a sort of Envoi , disposes of tho five "dogs" whoso " J < deaths have not been chronicled in previous chap- tine tors . Trench was mortally wounded at Now Orleans , whi John Smith died in his pur lab . The older Moyrick at rone Chillianwnlluh ; and hia father , not long after Poyntz llu < became an eminent lawyer and M . P ., caught a cold has after a late debate , and ciuno to an untimely end . mor Peter-kin , though not exactly dead , is no longer jolly ; vrai but Francis Moyrlolc , Esquire , of Moyrtolc Hall , com having married Mias liorbort , and takun Mrs . Biggs tran housekoepor , is as much so ovor as over . "Two fron ras an ler \ , a in he . - n yw ( W b _ -, 3 ie ^ n t , ie t j s , f > I r r j . , j j '_ f [ " t g - sid and " of vi i the both " f B Wil p we ne m " " pure who W worth some l ) u d upon Ii . whom coats the and stories will " tiflo which has merits travel Ironi

      . \ Millions , " and " Nothing to Wear , " by William Allen Butler , are from a transatlantic source . The former is rather lengthy , but in parts very racy . The latter , which we think the reader may Have already seen on railway book-stalls , is a- heat and forcible little , episode of city life , with an elegantly couched moral , that , must find an . echo in every heart . " Art and Science Abroad" is the most interesting chapter of all to " practical" people . The short articles comprised under this heading , on the Silkworm , on M . Almeida ' s new stereoscopic discovery , Avhereby images ma 3 " be rendered visible to many persons at once ; on the trans-Russian telegraph overland to China , & c . & c , are soundly instructive and amusing . The North American Review . — The broad and philosophical spirit pervading the various articles which form this number is beyond praise , and speaks volumes for that great advance which the American mind is making in every department of literature . The review of Buckle ' s History of Civilization is well worth perusal , and , though the eminent author will be found to have received duo honour , yet . many of his theories and his hypotheses are dealt with in a manner which will induce the reader to pause before he accepts them implicitly on the faith of a great name . The article on Sir Walter Scott is rather top laudatory , but we do not quarrel with the disposition of our American brethren to show they fully appreciate the great minds that have amused and instructed our own nation . The " j ^ Tew Crime of Austria" refers to priestly persecution by the Jesuits of opposing sects in Hungary . " liccent French Literature" is a very readable article . The First Stages of the American Revolution" is a candid and liberal review of the causes which produced the estrangement and the ultimate severance between England and the American colonies . Several other articles are equally worth consideration , and altogether this nu . rn . bur is a very good one . The National Magazine . ^ —Mr . Robert 13 . Brough ives us the first chapter of the first book of a new tale entitled " Which is Which ? or Miles Cassidy ' s Contract . " The scene is laid in Oxford , and the actors at present upon the stage are M * . Miles Casy * an * ' unlettered ' Irish bog-trotter of no estate , Dr . Bashawe , the Dean of St . Ogive ' s , Cullege . The former happening to visit that interesting city , _ on the tramp , " we will suppose , for want of better information , in company with a couple of little boys , whom more is promised to follow , is made the ctim of a practical joke by some gownsmen , and ntroduced to the Dean as the parent to two youths about to matriculate . The interview between Miles and Dean is well told . We can realise the feelings of , and we wait with anxiety the result of the Dean ' s evident intention to interest himself for Mr . Cassidy ' s young charges . Mr . H . S . Edwards ' s Sketchcsand Studies in Russia" ( now arrived at their ourth number ) , an historical paper on " Cyrano de ergerac , " a conscientious review of Curlyle ' s Frietlrich / ielm , " and " Our Chemical Friends , " are the other ieces de resistance of the number . In the great pin question , as treated in the article " Where they Go , " may possibly be interested , but we could get ither head nor point of the little fugitive from the bottle of hay in which the learned -author has smothered it . Dublin Univeusitv . ^ —A good number , comencing with tho 10 th and 11 th chapters of Gerald Fitzgerald , " by Harry liorrequer , headed , Some of Time ' Changes , " and "A Reception at Madame Roland ' s ; " the latter introducing to us that -hearted , single-minded , and enthusiastic woman , might justly bo called tho soul of the party political to which her husband belonged . "Horace alpole in his Old Age" is a vpry pleasant paper , n . rdchauffd des re ' ohanfftSs , of course , but for all that well reading . The author has interwoven with it memorials of Mrs . Anna Darner , Gray , the gentleman poet ( then a rarity ) , Mrs . CliVe , Madtuiie Dettai » d , and others of the clique in which Walpole elighted . " Crinoline and Whales" is a little essay the natural history of tho Ualama Myaticetua , musculus , Ji . Jioatvata , and others of tho genus , of the first-named species has now taken n , more important place than ever , as being the only oneproducing the groat raw material of crinolino petti-, namely , whalebone . Tho scientific inattor of paper is rendered palatable by a good deal of wit antiquariunisip , and is seasoned with sonio good , on concluding one or two of which theroudcr bo apt , as wo did . to cry , " Very like a wJiulc . " Jottings on Eclipses'' is a well-written , sonu-soionarticle , and u " Subtorrunoun Adventure , " purports to relate a mysterious nnd hostile rencontre in an Alpine mine gallory between air Hudson Lowo and tho present Emperor Napoleon , tho air of a translation from tho JTronoh , and its motto , "Lo vrai n ' ost nos tumotira lo vraisembluble . " This number of tho JJubltn nUo contains an interesting chapter upon Egyptian , called , « Ridos upon Mules and Donkeys , which we should liko , had wo the space , to

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), Nov. 6, 1858, page 13, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_06111858/page/13/