ÆäÀÌÁö À̹ÌÁö
PDF
ePub

Roll on, bright Pair, in galaxy of light,
Through the green meadows tow'rd your
ocean home:

My fancy kindles at the flashing sight
Of your soft-moving waters, as they come,
Reflecting in their depths the clouded dome
Of that blue heaven to which they seem
allied:-

And oh, ye rivers! from what sacred womb
Of clouds or mountains sprang your fountain

tide,

That flows with music light and beauty vivified?

Wast thou, fair Dove, a stream when Paradise

With rivers watered its delightful flow-
ers;

Before the Peak beheld yon summits rise,
And Dovedale's portal arch high-roof'd with

towers?

Or when the drowning Deluge pour'd its

showers

Wast thon produc'd? Or later dates thy

birth

Engender'd where the cavern'd Geyser lours;

And flung in steam condensed through fis-
sures forth,

The child of fire, upsent to warm and water
earth?"
p. 8.

The scenes which Mr. Edwards has described throughout this poem, are rather beautiful than sublime. He has dipped his pencil in the variegated colourings of nature, and on his poetical landscape has pourtrayed some of its richest tints. The notes appended illustrate many passages, which would otherwise remain obscure, and through their assistance the reader is made acquainted with the local history of places and objects which pass in review before him. His numbers in general flow with ease and melody; the language is strong, but not affected; intelligible to every reader that can appreciate the beauties of his composition; and corresponding with the ideas which it is calculated to convey.

In the minor pieces, the style of composition is greatly diversified, and the versification assumes a variety of forms. In some of these pieces there is a considerable degree of playful humour, of harmless pleasantry, and of captivating wit. From several of these, could we find room, we would gladly furnish the reader with specimens, especially as the author's sentiments and productions are in perfect accordance with those pure morals, which may be contrasted with the filth of Lord Byron, and the miasma

of Peter Pindar.

REVIEW.-Lectures on Physiology.

(Concluded from col. 772.)

Mr. Lawrence, from pages 175 to 181, contrasts the functions of the brain in man, with those of that organ result in the following words. in other animals; and he states the

"The most striking character of the human brain, is the prodigious development of the cerebral lobes, to which no animal, whatever ratio its whole encephalon may bear to its body, affords any parallel." p. 181.

We would here infer, (if we can rightly comprehend him, for he is not very clear upon this point,) that he to depend upon the development of the supposes the mental powers in man cerebral lobes. Uufortunately, however, for this opinion, they happen to be the most exposed part of the human external violence; and great masses brain; have been oftener injured by of their substance have been destroyed, and lost, without affecting the reason in the slightest degree: therefore this prodigious development leaves us just as ignorant, with respect to the present question, as before. Mr. Lawrence felt that his work would have been incomplete if he had not attacked the truth of the scriptures, and his failure in this attempt, as it serves to confirm our belief, so it proves the weakness of the cause he advocates.

"The Mosaic account does not, however, make it quite clear, that the inhabitants of all the world descended from Adam and Eve. tion of the various writings comprehended in Moreover, the entire, or even partial, inspirathe Old Testament, has been, and is doubted by many persons, including learned divines, and distinguished oriental biblical scholars. The account of the creation, and subsequent events, has the allegorical figurative character common to eastern compositions; and it is distinguished among the cosmogonies by a simple grandeur and natural sublimity, as the rest of these writings are, by appropriate beauties in their respective parts, not inferior to those of any human compositions." p. 230.

Now, really, we think the descendance from Adam and Eve cannot be more clearly expressed, than where it is told that "Eve is the mother of all living." What other meaning can be ascribed to the passage? There is an old adage which probably would apply to Mr. Lawrence upon many occasions, but particularly here, None so blind as they who will not see." As for the other part of his objection,

that the scriptures have been doubted" In the first chapter," he says, "we by many learned divines; let us take it so, and even then, upon his own principles, the balance will be much against him. For one who has doubted, one hundred thousand have believed, in the truth of the scriptures; and yet Mr. Lawrence, upon such data, would have them discredited. His conclusion is at variance with all logical rules of argument, for the grounds of probability are in favour of the opposite side of the question to that which he has adopted.

In fine, Has the matter been fairly stated? Has Mr. Lawrence candidly informed his pupils of the facts? He did not address them thus:-"Gentlemen, a few solitary individuals, men of reason, talents, judgment, and good sense, and among whom I include myself, have doubted the truth of the scriptures; but on the other hand, they have received universal assent; their truth has been generally acknowledged, during ages of ages, by all ranks and classes-from the most learned to the most illiterate; and, moreover, they still continue to receive implicit faith from the great bulk of civilized society-from the monarch on his throne, to the beggar in his hoveland, notwithstanding occasional attempts are made to shake their credit, and confute their doctrines, their immediate refutation gives them additional splendour, and strengthens the grounds of their truth. Such, gentlemen, are the arguments pro and con; such are the facts upon which I would have you embrace my creed, and assent to my doctrines."

learn God created man, male and female, and this appears to have been previously to the formation Eve." With all due submission, we take the first chapter to be a general account of those circumstances, of which the subsequent chapters give a more de tailed and particular history. We ask Mr. Lawrence-Would it invalidate the testimony of a man, that be should say his wife had two children at a birth, but afterwards acknowledged that they being male and female, the male was born first? Another formidable objection in the eyes of Mr. Lawrence, is, the representation of the animals being brought before Adam, in the first instance, to be named; and subsequently being collected in the Ark together; this he holds to be zoologically impossible.

"But when we extend our survey to the

rest of the mammalia, we find at all points abundant proofs, of animals being confined to particular situations, and being so completely adapted, by their structure and functions, by their whole organization, economy, and babits, to the local peculiarities of temperature, seil, food, &c. that they cannot subsist where these are no longer found." p. 231.

Agreeably to the principles upon which he would support this objection, the actual existence of man might be disproved, being, according to them. both physiologically and zoologically impossible. The physiological history of man proves, that his existence has a beginning, and we can trace the means by which this end is accomplished-but how did the first man obtain existence? how was he produced? By the interposition of an ex

Such a statement, though it might not have answered Mr. Lawrence's purpose, would yet have had the me-traordinary power, but this is con rit of candour and honesty. As to the allegorical figurative character, common to eastern compositions, and which resemble the scripture writings, we can only observe, that his statement is rather too comprehensive for us; and as Mr. Lawrence has not been so obliging as to direct our attention particularly to them, we have only the alternative to accept the fact upon his own assertion; and the usual limitation, that "assertion is no proof," must have its full force in this in

stance.

In a note to this paragraph, Mr. Lawrence endeavours to point out an

inconsistency in the Book of Genesis,

trary to all observation-to all the observable phenomena in the history of human existence. What would Mr. Lawrence say to any one who would, upon such grounds, deny existence, either animal or material? But Mr. Lawrence would have us concede to him, the extraordinary exercise of an almighty power, to account for the production of the first man; nay, not only for that of the first man, but also for that of the first of each of those varieties, into which he has thought proper to divide the race; and yet he will not grant the zoological impossibility. But after same to have any weight against his

all, for what would he have this concession?—that he may thus be enabled to infer that man's origin is not derived from a first parent-and that the Mosaic account of the creation is a mere fairy tale. But how does Mr. Lawrence know that there was that variety of season and climate, before the deluge, which now actually exists? -2dly. Might not the enmity sown between man and savage animals be the cause of their present abodes, and the consequent peculiarities in their constitutions? It is a fact, to be observed every day, that as places become more cultivated, and more thickly inhabited, the wild animals desert them, and seek other habitations. There are many ways of reconciling this anomaly-this zoological impossibility.

We have now examined the principal part of Mr. Lawrence's metaphysical opinions, and the arguments he adduces in their support; and we mean to confine our observations to this part only, as the most interesting to society in general. We have done our best to present our readers with the real state of the arguments, and we leave the further determination upon this important question to their judgment. As a conclusion, however, we shall take a cursory view of the consequences of the doctrines he would establish.

Mr. Lawrence deprecates all ideas of sinister motives, and we fully acquit him of any such intention: he declares that he has been actuated only by a love of truth; and indeed we give him full credit for the best intentions. We really do not believe he would willingly misrepresent, that he might wantonly deceive; and we consequently regret, that upon such an important question he should have been so entirely deserted by his better judgment. He qualifies his assertions, by repeatedly avowing that he is merely speaking physiologicallyand he only means to say, that " the immaterial soul of man cannot be detected in the blood and filth of the dissecting room," we think that would have been most willingly conceded to him. But if he would assert, that the same proposition can be logically true, and physiologically false; we reply, that the thing is impossible, and therefore is not fact. He farther declares, the establishing of the truth or false

hood of his doctrines to be a matter of great moment in a pathological view. We grant the establishing of the falsehood as of great importance, so far as respects those diseases, termed mental: but if this truth were fully proved, it would lead to the adoption of a practice, which experience has proved to be very often totally inefficient, frequently inert, and sometimes injurious. An appeal to facts will establish_the_truth of these assertions. Mr. Lawrence's doctrines would induce us to depend wholly upon active and vigorous medical treatment, in all cases of mental alienation; but experience has shewn, that they, who rely upon such a plan, will often be disappointed; not only in those diseases which we shall, for distinction sake, term purely mental, but also in many of those deranged organic functions, which are sometimes the consequence or result of the excessive operations of the mind: but surely we shall not henceforward reject the advantages which medical treatment derives from pleasant society, journeys, amusements, watering places, &c. merely to revive again old and obsolete hypotheses, which have been already advanced and confuted, and advanced and refuted again and again.

We shall now consider these doctrines, with respect to polity and ethics; and in these points of view, the consequences become of the most serious moment. According to these opinions, in this life consists the sum of human existence; and therefore, all apprehension from transgressing any law, either divine or human, perishes in the grave. Then we askWhat security has his majesty, or his government, in the oath of allegiance? What security does the coronation oath present to the subject? These ceremonies, instituted with such views, performed with such solemnity, cannot be defended even as the follies of matter of form, for they are actually worse than ridiculous.

Who is secure from the murderer, the robber, the assassin, or the perjured? Who is there that will not assume these characters whenever it may promote his objects, or suit his purposes? There is no moral responsibility-no punishment beyond the grave. It may indeed be said, that society can punish crimes, and thus deter from committing them. How

many crimes are there, against which human prudence cannot provide? The rich adulterer may destroy the peace of his poorer neighbour, and, by means of his misapplied wealth, baffle every punishment-all attempts to make him responsible. But where is the society to punish? where the individual who is not himself a criminal? Take away all moral responsibility, and man instantly sinks below the level of the brute. Such a state of things cannot be: it is contrary to the pure dictates of reason and common sense. Who would bear the troubles and disappointments, the anxieties and vexations of this life, when so easy a remedy is offered in the grave, when so effectual a release is presented in self-destruction. Such are the necessary consequences of these opinions. Doctrines which would at once bring the noblest on a par with the lowest works of the Creator-which would reduce the master-piece in divine mechanism-the boast of heaven-the pride of angels-the glory of providence-below the level of the brute.

The very consequences-the necessary results of these opinions, are sufficiently adequate to their refutation. Indeed, that such opinions have been entertained, is nothing new, and that such may continue occasionally to be entertained, is neither wonderful nor extraordinary. When we reflect that a Berkeley not only doubted the existence, but denied the reality of matter; we cannot be surprised that a Lawrence should be found, who, believing in its existence, would assign to it all the attributes of the divinity.

LOCK E.

COLOSSAL STATUE, ERECTED TO CON

MEMORATE THE SPLENDID ACHIEVE-
MENTS OF ARTHUR, DUKE OF WEL-
LINGTON.

With an Engraving.

THERE is nothing either new or astonishing in the simple erection of monuments to commemorate the exploits of heroes, and transmit a nation's gratitude to posterity. These tributes of respect, and trophies of victorious honour, are not confined either to creeds or national peculiarities. In some form or other they may be found in every climate, and among all the gradations of society, from the rude barbarian to the polished citizen, who displays the refinements and elegancies of social life.

Nor has the erection of monuments been confined to any particular age. In following the stream of time, they may be traced from the most remote antiquity; and through every century we find them scattered on its margin. Some periods, indeed, are more thickly sown with these silent recorders of victorious exploits than others, much depending on the prevailing taste of the age, and the character of that community, whose deeds of prowess are to be thus preserved, in these public archives of national glory,

Forming our judgments from the catalogues of works in bronze, and the various critiques written upon them, and handed to us by Plutarch, Pliny, Pausanias, and other writers of antiquity, we cannot but conclude that this art was held in high estimation by the Greeks; but at what particular period the casting of statues in metal began, it is rather difficult to ascertain. In the infancy of this art, the metal was sometimes beaten into

This art was after

A workman employed in removing the foundation of an old house near Montpellier, found a glass bottle hermeti-plates of various dimensions, which cally sealed: it was found to contain, in an excellent state of preservation, a Latin inscription on vellum.-The following is a translation:-" Mortal! thou hast found a treasure! Here are placed before thee, FAITH IN CHRIST, and MODERATION in things terrestrial. The bottle is neither empty, nor of little worth, which affords cheerfulness to the mind, and health to the body. Quaff off this, and thou shalt imbibe what is more precious than the juice of Falernum or Chios. So wrote John Locke, Englishman, in the year of our Lord

1675."

were afterwards rivetted together; and occasionally statues were cast in solid figures; but considerable advances had been made in this latter branch about four centuries before the Christian era. wards carried to the highest state of perfection by Lysippus and his disciples; and so numerous were the works produced about this time, that notwithstanding the vast quantities transported to Rome in the days of Nero, Pliny asserts, that upwards of 3000 were to be seen in the island of

Rhodes, and an equal number at Del- | the great national achievement it was phi, Athens, and Olympia.

The changes which took place on the death of Alexander, so greatly affected the arts, that this branch may be said to date the period of its decline from that event. It rose to perfection under Lysippus, and with him, if it did not expire, it partially disappeared.

The military spirit which governed the Romans, and entered into nearly all their transactions, left them no time to cultivate the arts; and it was not until their acquaintance with the Greeks, that they acquired a taste for those productions, which led them to despoil the towns they conquered, and decorate their own with those statues and monuments for which they have been renowned. Under the reign of Augustus, the arts were revived; but this branch appears to have made a retrograde movement, as they had again returned to the period of its infancy, their most celebrated statues having been formed by the hammer, and afterwards riveted together.

It was not until the reign of Domitian, that this art began to revive, when Celon, a Greek artist, was employed to cast a colossal statue of that emperor. In the time of Severus, another colossal work appeared in bronze, to commemorate an event that had occurred during a preceding reign. But from this period downward, although the knowledge of the art has been preserved, and numerous statues have appeared, nothing that can be termed colossal, equal in dimensions to that lately erected in Hyde Park, has been produced during the last 1600 years.

The splendid and decisive victory obtained by the Duke of Wellington on the plains of Waterloo, is too well known throughout Europe, and every portion of the civilized world, to render a detail even of its outlines necessary. It was a battle which issued in the total overthrow of Napoleon, and restored peace to the European nations. To commemorate this great event, and transmit some permanent memorial to posterity, the British ladies, with a truly patriotic spirit, entered into a voluntary subscription, that, with the sum advanced, they might employ an artist to produce a statue, that should at once be worthy of his talents, of their gratitude, of

|

erected to record, and of those heroes to whom the world is still indebted for repose. With this noble object in view, about ten thousand pounds were speedily raised; and but for some misunderstanding and misrepresentation respecting the nature, character, and attitude, of the monument to be erected, it is more than probable, that this sum would have been considerably augmented.

The artist employed on this great occasion, was Mr. Westmacott, whose abilities have been long known, and deservedly appreciated; and, in the accomplishment of the present work, he has added fame to his former repu tation. The want of pecuniary means has, however, in some degree, circumscribed the operation of his genius, and prevented spectators and posterity from contemplating those emblematical representations, that would have imbodied the conquests of Wellington and his companions in arms, and have presented a group of figures, which would have added much to the effect produced.

The figure chosen, is presumed to be a statue of no less a character than Achilles; but of the famous model whence the present cast is taken, the remote history is scarcely known. The original, though a work of considerable magnitude and superior excellence, is not mentioned by any ancient writer who has employed his pen on the arts. The workmanship, which is attributed to Phidas, has been a subject of admiration among all modern artists. During the Papacy of Sixtus V. this original statue was found at the baths of Constantine, from which place it was removed, under the direction of Fontana, to the Quirinal Hill, at Rome, where it now stands. The horse which accompanies the statue, and was discovered near it, is now applied to form the group; but whether between them there was originally a connection, cannot at present be ascertained. The horse, however, is allowed by competent judges to possess considerable merit, but many connoissieurs say, that it is inferior to the grandeur of form displayed in the statue.

Of this statue and this horse, plaster casts were exhibited some years since, in the Mews, at Charing Cross. At that time, one of the most

« ÀÌÀü°è¼Ó »