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REVIEW.-Two Reports of the Drapers' Company.

"It was a rule with Sir W. Rowley not to let to middle men; the actual occupiers were the immediate tenants of Sir William, who appears to have managed the estate with the

same liberality as if the inheritance belonged

to him.'

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"The fences between the different inclosures serve rather to mark their divisions than to keep cattle in or out of any given place; generally speaking, they are quite insufficient for this purpose. Gates are not the fashion of the country; with a very few exceptions, none are to be seen.'

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"The town [of Moneymore] is built in general of rough stone whitewashed; it is paved for the greatest part, and has a neat appearance: it is not wholly free from a great nuisance, prevailing in most towns and villages in Ireland, namely, a dung heap in front of every house; by the vigilance, however, of Mr. Miller, the agent of Sir William Rowley, there are fewer in proportion than in other places in that country. There are two or three public houses, but no inn whatever in the place, nor any public stable or accommodation, where persons resorting to it may put up their horses; this is an inconvenience on the monthly fair days, as not only a considerable quantity of cattle is carried there for sale, but it is a considerable market for linen and it appears, by publications of the Linen Board, that it is generally attended by about 1,000 weavers, who bring their goods for sale, and about 100 Linen Drapers and Commissioners, who are buyers. The average number of webs of linen sold in the market monthly, is about 1,000, and their value about 2,500l. Irish, so that it is probable, that in the course of a year, linen to the value of about 30,000l. Irish, is bought and sold in the place. The market is held in the open street and as the linen drapers, particularly in winter time, are often obliged to remain the whole night in the town, they have no resource (for want of an inn) but to crowd into the private houses of the shopkeepers, and others, and put their horses any hovels which can be found.' "The clergy as well as the laity of the different persuasions, seem to be entirely devoid of any religious animosity or jealousy, and to live in the same charity with each other, as if their tenets were the same."

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"There is no school upon the estate for the gratuitous instruction of the children of the poor, excepting a Sunday School at Moneymore, and another at Desart Martin."

"The poor are equally destitute of medical aid and assistance, except in cases in which the County Infirmary at Londonderry,

would be useful to them."

The First Report then enters into considerable length, with very many excellent suggestions for the ameliora

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tion of the condition of the tenants, without the least regard to the pecuniary benefit of the Company.

By the Second Report we have the gratification to learn, that many of the

useful recommendations contained in the First Report, have been actually carried into effect.

Inn, and Schools have been built. A Market-house, a Dispensary, an How necessary they were will appear from the following statement:

"The population in the Company's property is as follows:-There are 1791 families, consisting of 10,740 individuals, resident upon the Company's estates, and of those individuals there are reputed to belong, To the Church of England To the Presbyterian Church 4,347 To the Romish Church

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5,859

Making a total of 10,740

Of that number of individuals, 5,523 are reputed not to be in a condition to pay for medical or surgical aid if they should need it, and it is estimated that there are 2,419 children under about 12 years of age, whose parents are not in circumstances to enable them to pay for any instruction for them."

Nor have public amusements been neglected. The Deputation recommend, that the Company offer a plate for the Londonderry Races; and that the Game (without oppression or tyranny) be preserved on the estate. They also recommend the introduction of the Scotch spinning-wheel used with both hands; and also, that the tenants be permitted to grind their corn at whatever mill they please, thereby foregoing a considerable item of revenue. The dilapidated state of Chapels is pointed out, and they are the Dissenting and Roman Catholic recommended for general repair.

"The appearance of the people, all of whom use spirits in a greater or less quantity, does not indicate that they are of the deleterious quality which the emaciated miserable appearance of the dram-drinkers in London denotes the spirits they use to be of."

Yet drunkenness does not seem a vice in the North of Ireland; and herein they imitate their ancestors the Scotch.

these Reports than was our original We have gone much farther into intention, led on by our admiration of the liberal and wise measures of the Drapers' Company. We understand that another respectable Company (the

1923.] Review.-Epistle to Solomon Logwood.-The Harmonicon.

Fishmongers) is about to follow their bright example; and most sincerely hope, it will lead all the other Companies who have Irish estates to do the same. We trust it will also act as a stimulus to the great Irish Landed Proprietors to ameliorate the condition of a country, whose capacity for improvement is so self-evident.

sions on "

12. An Epistle to Solomon Logwood. IN consequence of some animadverMr. Hughes's Itinerary of the Rhone," in our Review department (vol. XCII. ii. p. 343), in which we have charged the Author "with being devoid of facetious pleasantry, a quality necessary to give zest to familiar subjects," we have been favoured with a fragment of the Epistle, named in the title. It is intended to vindicate the Author's pretensions to humour, and consists in a string of doggrels, which now and then sparkle, addressed to a certain popular Alderman, concerning the part which he took in regard to the late Queen. With personal and (as it proved in the end) party questions, we shall not interfere. But with regard to a certain result, which has grown out of them, a most unjustifiable censure of the Established Clergy, we refer our readers to the Review of Dr. Philpotts' "Letter to Mr. Jeffrey," p. 56.

13.

The Harmonicon; an Assemblage of Vocal and Instrumental Music, consisting of Original Pieces by eminent British and Foreign Composers of the present day, and Selections from the best Works of all the great Masters; together with a Critical Review of New Musical Works; notices of Operas, Concerts, and other Musical Performances, and a new Encyclopedia of

Music. No, I. Jan. 1823. Pinnock.

IT is not within the plan of our Review to notice musical publications;

The loyalty of the Merchant Taylors' Company in King Charles I. time, compelled them to part with their Irish estates; and so far did they carry their zeal, that they sold their silver" and irons" in their venerable hearth in their livery parlour. King James dining in what is called the King's Chamber, the Master petitioned him to become a Liveryman of the Merchant Taylors' Company. "I cannot,' said the Monarch, "being one. But Chawley shall;" upon which the Prince and several Noblemen present were admitted.

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but the novelty and attractive form of the present work induce us to deviate from our usual course; and we hope our antiquarian readers will pardon the innovation, if we allot a portion of our columns to a lighter species of literature. For why should not Music, as a delightful recreation, occupy the attention of the scholar and the gentleman? It is no less a matter of surprise than of regret that its interests should remain destitute of those powerful auxiliaries by which the love of Literature is so nobly upheld, and its views are so extensively promoted. While there are periodical works in profusion, which communicate the thoughts of the ingenious, and record the result of industrious research, in every other department of the Arts, Sciences, and Belles Lettres, the stores of music are either unlocked at an extravagant and almost prohibitory price, or frozen up by the contracted means, or still more contracted views, of their accidental possessors, so as to remain, in effect,

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a fountain sealed" to thousands of amateurs, who in vain look for that which taste and reason require, but which circumstances deny.

"Influenced," says the Editor, "by these considerations, and in order to fill up the chasm which appears to be left, this Journal is now offered to the public. It will be continued monthly, and will generally contain six or seven entire pieces of music, one and exclusively for the work, by some really of which, at least, will be written purposely eminent composer, and the remainder will be selected from the best productions of the great masters; but such music as the taste of the passing day shall decidedly approve, deficient in merit than, when sanctioned by will not be rejected, unless indeed it is more whole will be adapted to the voice, the the public voice, likely to happen. The piano-forte, the harp, or the organ, and will form a varied collection of novelty and excellence, calculated no less to gratify the accomplished amateur, than to furnish the student with the most perfect models by which correctness of taste, and a knowledge of the style and peculiarities of the different schools may be attained."

The main objects of the publication are to combine Literature and Music;

-to mark, as occasion requires, the defects of Composers in setting words to Music, resulting from their neglect of sense and ignorance of Prosody ;to review good works;-to give national and German airs, &c. &c.

The

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REVIEW.-The Harmonicon.

The contents of this Number afford an excellent specimen of the monthly treat to be offered to all amateurs and musical professors. The Memoir of Haydn, and the Essay on the Origin of Music are admirable. From these we may infer that the Editor unites the necessary requisites of Literature and Music. His classical taste is particularly displayed in the scientific Review of Moore's National Airs, by H. R. Bishop. He justly condemns the prosodical violations which appear in the compositions of many of our eminent Musicians; and Mr. Bishop is not exempt from accusation. We hope the following remarks, extracted from the Review just noticed, will serve as a seasonable hint.

"We feel bound to point out errors of no small moment, in the prosody of the adaptation; that is, the manner in which the syllables are timed by the notes; the word time to be here understood in the sense of quantity.

"Take hence the bowl, tho' beaming
Brightly as bowl e'er shone ;
Oh! it but sets me dreaming
Of days, of nights now goue."
"Each cup I drain," &c. &c.

"Throughout these verses we have a
line consisting of two iambuses and an am-
phibrachys, alternately with a line consist-
ing of three iambuses. The times there-
fore should have fallen thus:
"Each cup I drain brings hither

Some friend, who once sǎt by Bright lips, too bright to withĕr, Warm hearts, too warm to die. "Instead of which, we find—each cup-sōme friend-bright lips, &c.; and after the word " hither," a rest is placed, dislocating the sense."

These observations remind us of some egregious errors committed even by that great prince of musicians, the celebrated Handel, in his sublime composition of " Alexander's Feast." In the majestic line,

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"With flying fingers touch'd the lyre," Handel injudiciously introduced much higher and more powerful note on fingers than on flying; from which it might be inferred that Timotheus was sometimes in the habit of playing with his toes, or his elbows! and consequently a peculiar emphasis was necessary to point out the singular custom of playing with his fingers! Flying is doubtless the most emphatic word in the line. Again, by introducing a rest

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after desert, in the words, "So should desert in arms be crown'd," Handel distorted the sense, and converted the whole into nonsense, by making desert be crowned with arms!-a precious load indeed, would a suit of armour be on a man's head. The pause should rather follow "arms." But Handel was a foreigner, and consequently ignorant of the beauties of English versification. He was like the provincial actor who exclaimed, "My name is Norval on the Grampian hills”—“and what's your name here?" exclaimed a wag.

We consider Mr. Bishop less pardonable, as an Englishman presumed to be conversant with the beauties of his native tongue, than the German professor; and we perfectly coincide with the following observations:

"If without remark we had passed by these indefensible violations of the laws of prosody, our duty would have been ill performed. It is indeed high time to interpose in defence of poetry; the dangers of which, from the numerous host of soi-disans composers of vocal music, increase daily. How the errors that we have pointed out could have found their way into the work now under review, we cannot imagine; for Mr. Bishop is, we have always understood, a man of superior attainments-' he is not to be counted in with the mob.' And it is also to be presumed, that Mr. Moore himself-than whom a better judge of music combined with poetry cannot be named,revised the sheets before they were published. The truth is, that music and sense are too often separated, and the majority of those who could re-unite them, yield, more frequently than they ought, their better judg

ment to vicious custom."

The opening piece of the Number Mr. Braham. It is a Canzonet adaptis composed expressly for this work by ed to the beautiful words, "Oh, very sweet was morning's dawn," &c. by M. G. Lewis, Esq. The composition is more distinguished for expression and taste, than originality; but the latter is not wanting.

The annexed Canzonet, by Dr. Haydn, is extracted from the miscelThis beautiful laneous selections. German air has all Haydn's peculiar style marked in every bar. The words adapted to it are the production of the celebrated Robert Earl of Essex, written about 1599. We give the music, and the head to it, exactly as printed in the pages of the HARMO

NICON.

"CHANGE

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CHANGE THY MIND, SINCE SHE DOES CHANGE;"

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