Colonial newspapers to the 14th of May contain accounts of rejoicings of the colonists at the defeat of his Majesty's Ministers in

land that the Sunday market should be abolished, and it was also ordered that the negroes should have another day for the market. But the Assembly of Antigua, in professing to adopt this ameliorating "order from England," thought fit to abolish the

negro market on Sunday without appointing or permitting any other day for holding it, so that the slaves could no longer dispose, as 11 formerly, of their little articles, and pur

Lav

chase those they wanted. The consequence

was, exasperation and insurrection. Happily peace has been restored, by the almost unanimous resolution of the planters to allow part of Saturday to their slaves in lieu of Sunday.

EAST INDIES.

Great Fire. Madras papers state that a most destructive fire broke out at Moulmein on the morning of the 4th of January, by which the market-place and about three

12 hundred of the principal houses outside of the Bund had been destroyed, several lives lost, and many persons severely burned. The fire spread so rapidly that scarcely any domestic animal escaped. Several dead bodies were taken from the river, supposed 2 to have been those of persons who left their canoes, most of which were destroyed. The loss of property is said to be immense, but with the exception of one of the Company's

BELGIUM.

from those Provinces to the north of Europe. An effigy of a celebrated supporter of Baltic produce was, it is said, carried through the streets and afterwards burnt.

SYDNEY.

The Sydney Gazette gives an account of

the murder of Captain Logan, late of the

57th regiment, and Commandant of Moreton Bay. He had for some time been oc

cupied in surveying the territory. It ap

pears that in one of his excursions he had

been waylaid by the natives, who beat him

about the head in a terrible manner, and

inflicted several severe wounds upon him. The corpse was horribly mangled, and the

remains were loosely covered with the leaves and earth, and had been mutilated by the native dogs.

WEST INDIES.

The Demerara Gazette has been suppressed by order of the Governor of that colony, for an article reflecting on the measures of the colonial government. There was in this case no prosecution before a tribunal no appeal to a jury-no sentence of a court. The governor, Sir B. D'Urban, felt hurt at the remarks of the editor, and, without notice or ceremony, two days after the publication, withdrew the licence to print his journal.

was appointed, with instructions to proceed to London for the purpose of announcing officially, and in due form, the important decision of the Congress to Leopold, King of Belgium. Immediately on their arrival in London, the Representatives of England, France, Austria, Russia, and Prussia, held a conference at the e Foreign Office, in London, which was protracted until a late hour, when, with the concurrence of Prince Leopold, it was decided that the great Powers would not agree to the proposed arrangement for the Sovereignty of Belgium, subject to the condition imposed by the Belgians as to Limburg. The Courier throws out a hint that the war party in France may have intrigued to make the Belgians insist on the possession of Limburg, knowing that the acceptance of the Crown by Prince Leopold would put an end to all chance of Belgium becoming part of the French territory; and, though the Government may be sincere in not wishing to get possession of Belgium, the people (whose vanity would be flattered by the acquisition) might compel them to act contrary to their wishes.-Limburg (which is likely to become the apple of discord) is bounded on the north and east by the Prussian States, and south and west by the territory of Liege; it is forty-two miles long and twenty broad.

A memorandum of the 29th of May, addressed to Lord Ponsonby by the London Congress, declares distinctly that neither Prince Leopold nor any other Prince can accept the Belgic Crown until the Protocols have been accepted and put into execution.

BRAZIL.

The spirit of revolution, which for nearly twenty years has divided and desolated the provinces of Spanish America, has at length appeared in Brazil-destined, perhaps, in her turn, to become the prey of that anarchy which has so long been raging around her. It appears that during the Emperor's absence in the interior, a plot to dethrone him was formed, and on his return he found his troops in a state of mutiny, for when called on to act, they laid down their arms.

A remonstrance was presented against his ministers-he dismissed them, but their successors were still less popular; a second dismissal was demanded, but the Emperor hesitated. On the 25th of March the Emperor was at the height of popularity. The festival of the anniversary of the constitution he granted them was solemnly held. He reviewed the troops, who vowed fidelity, and received the homage of the people, which was given with enthusiasm; on the 7th of April he signed his abdication. It does not appear that any party expected this. The Chambers were for change, the people had complaints, the press was exciting, and in this little fortnight, the army, the very guard, had deserted their master, and he abdicated his throne. The act of abdication is as follows:

"In exercise of the right which the constitution allows, I declare that I have voluntarily abdicated in favour of my much-beloved and dear son, Don Pedro d'Alcantara. "Boa Vista, April 7. "The 10th of the Independence of the Empire."

"PEDRO."

The father went on board an English ship of war, the Warspite, to ask the hospitality of strangers; the infant son went in state to the imperial chapel, to hear Te Deum for the glorious revolution, and to receive the homage of his delighted people. The Emperor does not appear at all affected by his change of fortune. All the Members of the Chamber of Deputies who were in Rio collected hastily together, to deliberate on the proper course to be pursued, and they determined on the appointment of a Regency, to be composed

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of

of three individuals of their own body. The persons elected were, Francisco de Lima, by fifty-five votes; Carcavelas by forty; and Verguieno by thirty votes. They immediately took upon themselves the supreme power, and their first step was to appoint Ministry, composed the following:-Jose Ignacio Gorges, Finance; Goyan Goyana, Interior; M. Jose de Sa Franca, Justice; Jose Manuel de Moraes, War; Jose Manuel d'Almeida, Marine; F. Carneiro de Campos, Foreign Affairs; Jose Joaquim de Lima e Silva was appointed Commander of the Forces. - The Foreign Ambassadors, with the Pope's nuncio at their head, dreading some disturbance from the change of rulers, went on board the English admiral's ship Warspite, in which the Emperor first embarked, and thence addressed a representation to the Provisional Government, claiming its protection in behalf of the subjects of their respective nations. It is remarkable that at the moment of the revolution in Rio a similar proceeding took place in Bahia, which declared itselfa Republic. As the cause was hatred of the Portuguese, perhaps the revolution may re-unite the provinces. The ex-Emperor, with the Empress and Donna Maria, the Queen of Portugal, arrived off Falmouth, in the Volage sloop of war. After leaving dispatches for this country, and taking in provisions, they sailed again for Cherburg, where they landed, and immediately proceeded to Paris, on their way to Munich.

BUENOS AYRES.

The Buenos Ayres Papers to the 6th of February state that hostilities between the shore provinces and the nine provinces of the interior had actually begun. A despatch from Colonel Deesa to the Supreme Military Chief of the Interior Provinces states that the troops under his command have dispersed a Buenos Ayres division of 500 men. "Since our last news, the interior warlike preparations have been going forward with increased activity. In a short time our brethren in the interior will receive the reinforcements they had a right to expect from us, and we shall be able very soon to communicate news of importance. Hitherto the interior provinces have intrusted the nagement of their foreign relations to the Government of Buenos Ayres."

COLOMBIA.

ma

Another revolution has taken place in Carthagena, by which the command of the civil department of that province is vested in Dr. Manuel Romay, and of the military in General Luque. On this change of government taking place, Commodore Farquhar claimed from General Luque the observance of all treaties with Great Britain, to which he replied, that he would ever scrupulously

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2

and religiously observe all the articles of the treaties between the two nations, protect their commerce, and preserve peace inviolably, as Great Britain ever enjoyed his affection. The latest accounts from Carthagena represent the people as expressing the utmost joy at the success of the liberal party.

DENMARK.

The King of Denmark has proclaimed the Constitution of the Provincial States, which he some time since promised to his people. This country has been governed, since the revolution of 1660, as an absolute monarchy, but tempered by manners, public opinion, and a regular administration of justice. This has been especially the case during the reign of the present truly paternal sovereign; but the King has had the good sense to perceive that his personal character is no permanent security for good government, and also that the spirit of the age demands concessions in favour of constitutional liberty. As the people of this country have been so long accustomed to repose upon the paternal care of a good Government, they have lost the practical habit of public business and of looking after their own affairs, which is the first element of civil freedom, and without which any written constitution, however peraffect to the eye, is no better than waste paper. The object of the King, therefore, in the present measure, has been to take a preeliminary step towards the establishment of a constitutional monarchy to educate his people politically, as he has already conferred upon them the blessing of literary in2struction universally diffused, and thus to fit them gradually for more liberal institutions. This important measure was preceded by the introduction of Prince Christian, the heirapparent, to the privy-council, of which he had never before been a member, and it will doubtless be followed by many ameliorations in the internal administration. This coun

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1

try will thus be preserved from the risk of sudden and violent changes, and will, it is to be hoped, escape the perils which now menace the oldest European monarchies.

FRANCE.

The long-expected and loudly-demanded dissolution of the Chamber of Deputies has at length taken place. The Electoral Colleges are convened for the elections on the 1st of July, and the Chambers of Peers and Deputies are summoned to meet for the dispatch of business on the 9th of August. The two great parties which divide the metropolis, and which speak the opinions of France, seem each to be confident that they will have a decided majority among the new representatives of the people; but in the mean time they are sparing no exertions, through the means of the press and of personal canvass, to secure it. The Govern ment appeals to the capitalists and the lovers July. VOL. XXXIII. NO. CXXVII.

The So

of peace and things as they are. ciety of Aide-toi and the Clubs call on the great body of the people to choose men who will insist on the "march of the revolution." The contest will, we have no doubt, prove an arduous one. The King of the French has returned to his capital after a most triumphant and gratifying progress through the Departments. The Government had taken measures to prevent the introduction of the cholera into France, by ordering vessels from the Baltic to perform quarantine at Havre and Dieppe.

Paris appears to have been the scene of a commotion, rather of a serious character, which it required a large force of military and police to appease. The origin of the disturbance is stated to have been obscure and insignificant; but the extent to which it spread, and the grave notice taken of it by all the journals, attest its serious interest, and the alarm with which the issue was regarded.

MEXICO.

In Mexico, a degree of public spirit and real liberty arises and strengthens as peace continues. M. Rocafuerte, a zealous advocate of liberty, was imprisoned by the Government for a pamphlet, which called for liberty of speech and religious toleration. At his trial, a jury, packed by the Government and the ecclesiastics, declared him not guilty of sedition, heresy, or of disturbing the public tranquillity. The pamphlet had been universally read; and the result of the trial was a triumphal procession by the people of M. Rocafuerte and his accomplished advocate, Mr. Canedo.

POLAND.

26th May a sanguinary battle between the two main bodies of the Russian and Polish armies, under the orders of the respective Commanders in Chief took place at Ostrolenka. General Skrzynecki, it appears, put his army in motion towards Tykocin and Lornza, with a view of throwing two corps into Lithuania, in order to afford assistance to the insurgents of that province. Upon his return he was attacked by Marshal Diebitsch, on the banks of the Narew, with a force of more than double his number. The efforts of the Russian General seem to have been directed to cut off the retreat of the Poles; but in this he failed, though not without the rear-guard of the latter having to sustain a desperate encounter, in which the bayonet was the principal weapon resorted to on both sides. The loss of the Poles is estimated at 4000 men, while that of the Russians is said to have been much more considerable. In the sequel the Russians withdrew to the left bank of the Narew, leaving the field of battle in possession of the Poles, who were thus enabled to carry off their wounded, and to retire in good

2 Q

order towards their former position at Praga. The recent accounts, however, give a more favourable aspect to the affairs of this country. They describe the first movement of the corps of General Chlapowski in Lithuania, where, after having joined a large body of the insurgents, he gained a complete victory over a column of Russians of three regiments, with Cossacks, and five pieces of artillery. The whole body of Russians were surrounded and made prisoners. This victory took place on the day of the desperate battle of Ostrolenka. The insurgents in Volhynia are said, without any assistance from the regular troops, to have gained a victory over the Russians, after an obstinate engagement.

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The General-in-chief addressed proclamation to the Lithuanians, calling upon them to unite themselves with the Polish army, to cast aside the odious yoke of slavery. It contains this remarkable passage:-"We protest before God and the whole world that the religion of our fathers -a constitutional monarchy-the consolidation of the law, of tranquillity, of social order, have been, and ever will be, our only principles of action."

The Polish main army, according to the latest intelligence, still remained at Praga. An event, however, has occurred, which will probably hasten its movements the death of the Russian Commander-in-Chief, General Diebitsch, who, it appears, died at his head-quarters at Kleczewo, near Pultusk, on the 10th instant. His death is attributed to the cholera morbus, which is the more remarkable, as he is stated to have been the only victim to that disease out of all the individuals at the head-quarters. Many, however, with much apparent reason, assign as a remoter cause of his death, the disappointment and mortification arising from the utter frustration of all his plans for subduing the Poles.

PORTUGAL.

On the 16th of May, the French squadron, consisting of eleven sail, appeared off the Tagus, to call Don Miguel to account for his insult offered to the French nation, in his treatment of MM. Bonhomme and Sauvinet. The Endymion brig communicated the message of the Commodore to the Portuguese Government, and it was not until the 21st that she sailed back to the squadron with the definitive answer of the usurper. It denies the right of France to make the reclamations it has made. It denies the official character of the Consul, and has applied to its allies, in the absence of any diplomatic relations between the courts of Paris and Lisbon, to arrange the terms of accommodation. The imperative demands

of France rendered a categorical answer inconsistent with the national dignity, and his Majesty King Miguel is resolved to claim the aid of the allies of the Portuguese crown, and proceed accordingly. The expected concession therefore was not made, and the squadron finally sailed without it. They were not slow in resorting to the threatened retaliation in case of refusal. On the 24th ult. Mr. Hopper, the British Consul, went off in the Carron steam-vessel, and spoke with one of the French frigates, from which he learned that the squadron had already captured three Portuguese vessels. It does not appear that any blockade of the Tagus was intended, or hostilities of course against any others than the Portuguese flag; meanwhile the French squadron continues to capture the Portuguese merchant-ships, and by late accounts, it appears that twentythree have been seized.

TERCEIRA.

The official journal of Terceira contains official despatches of the capture, on the 9th of May, of the Island of St. George, in an expedition from Angra, commanded by Count Villa Flor. The troops of the Regency seem to have displayed great gallantry in the affair, which decided their triumph and detached another portion of the Azores from the sway of Don Miguel. The forces employed on both sides were, of course, insignificant, when measured by the usual scale of European armies. The fate of one of Don Miguel's governors, and the possession of one of his islands, were decided by a body of about 500 or 600 men-at least we hear of no more being in the field; but the success of the enterprize was sufficient to warrant the celebration of a Te Deum in the cathedral of Angra.

VENEZUELA,

The Venezuelan journal, called the Fanal, of Caraccas, dated March 25th, 1831, contains an account of the meeting of the first Congress of Venezuela, on the 18th, at Valentia; Miguel Pena was appointed President of the Senate; Jose de los Reyes Pinal, Vice-President; and V. Michelena, Secretary; Alojo Fortigue was chosen President of the House of Representatives; Anjel Quintere, Vice-President; and R. Acevedo, Secretary. Fifteen senators were present, and twenty-three representatives. A circular was addressed to the governors of the provinces on the 14th of March, requiring them to use all possible vigilance and precaution to discover attempts at disturbance, as well as attacks from Spain, which, it is stated, there is reason to apprehend. The country is still in a state of complete distraction.

Historic Survey of German Poetry, interspersed with various Translations. By W. Taylor, of Norwich. 3 vols. 8vo.

done much that he ought not to have done, which piece of criticism, by the way, is applicable to almost every book that is published. He professes not to write a complete history, but nevertheless he begins at the very beginning, fathering upon Ovidius Naso the invention of German hexameters, and proving his point by quoting Ovid's own words. (Ov. De. Ponto, l. iv. ep. 13.) But as all early histories are meagre and shadowy, that of poetry partakes of the common lot; and the early part of Mr. Taylor's work is wisely brief: for before a third part of the first volume is concluded, we find ourselves involved in a "Digression concerning the Protestant Reformation." Here our Author, who has no prejudices in favour of the existing forms of English Christianity, indulges his peculiar humour in disserting on the German revolutions of religion, in a tone which would have met with more sympathy forty years ago than it can expect now and he treats the old Italian Christianity with much the same poetical courtesy as Gibbon has vouchsafed to "the elegant mythology of Greece and Rome." So easy and so natural is it to invest the departed with poetical regrets, that, forgetful of the brute violence which reigned in the dark ages, we think of the age of chivalry as of a season of living and present romance. But the living is never poetical-the present is never romantic. Poetry is not to be touched; the romantic is only in books; the reality would destroy the imagination-we cannot see the wood for the trees. Mr. Taylor makes his theological heresies too obvious, and treats religion too much as a mere state machine. As such it certainly may have been used, and as such it may exist in many minds; but there never, perhaps, was a period in which it existed more strongly in many as a principle of veritable conviction and established belief, than it does now. It is not, therefore, judicious to present to the reading public that which must of necessity offend many and convince none. But let that pass. Mr. Taylor is not a theologian, nor are our pages much addicted to theology: we censure the erroneous taste, we do not anathematize the irreligion. The exceeding Germanism of Germany was not developed in its literature till after the Lutheran revolution; and, as Luther's translation of the Bible was done in the language of Saxony, that language became the general vehicle of written thought, and written thoughts naturally moulded themselves into the form of this their great model; so that there was a biblical air in the very poetry, romance, and drama of the Germans; and multitudes of their writers seemed to be mystical and remote commentators on the romantic and poetical parts of the sacred volume. For though, according to Mr. Taylor, Ovid was the inventor of German hexameters, there is no European literature so slightly infected with Ovidianisms as that of Germany. There is, if we may be allowed to coin such a word, a species of homeishness in the literature of Germany: much of it is founded on the Bible, but it is on Luther's version of the Bible. They are their own classics; for romanticism is their classicism. Neither their taste nor their religion is imported; both are of home growth; while much of our taste is from Greece

We have long had these volumes on our table, and our attention has been drawn from them time after time by ephemeral productions, which demanded a notice before they died, supplicating our animadversions on the principle of now or never. Mr. Taylor has not given us a complete history of German poetry, nor has he professed to do so; and even if he had, it is doubtful whether he would have produced a more entertaining or popularly instructive book. From his own statement in the preface, we learn that the component parts of these volumes made their appearance at different times, and under various circumstances, in form of reviews, biographies, and translations in the "Monthly Review" and " Monthly Magazine." It was in their "high and palmy state" that Mr. Taylor was an effective and copious contributor to them and he is evidently one who writes from a fulness of mind, bringing to his task stores of manifold knowledge, and a mind of great comprehensiveness and originality. The Author of the "Historic Survey" is no common man. He thinks for himself and judges for him self; and sometimes, as it will happen with all men of genius, he thinks by himself. During the whole course of his literary life, he has never made any attempt to thrust himself conspicuously before the many-reading public. He has written and thought from the impulses of his own mind: he has been his own public and his own tribunal, Possessing intellectual treasures worth others' seeking, he has left the curious to find him out, and has sent his works to find out their own way. He writes 80, that if you take up a book of his that you may find on a book-stall, you cannot read one line without reading two, nor two without wishing to read two hundred. There is standing upon our shelves at this moment, an unpretending duodecimo volume, printed with a bad type on a bad paper, and entitled "English Synonyms Discriminated. By W. Taylor, jun., of Norwich," the only book on the subject in the English lan guage which is readable: printed, it certainly is, but so little pains were taken to inform the public of its existence, that it can hardly be said to have been published. And when a book has been im perfectly published, it is more effectually concealed than if it were locked up in manuscript in an iron chest; for the chest may one day be opened, and the manuscript may be printed: but, when a book has been once printed and publish ed, and the public has not regarded it, then it be comes as water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up. Some notice was taken of this book on Synonyms in the "Quarterly Review," when one Crabb, not the poet, but a laborious maker of large books, put forth volume of English Synonyms, and availed himself rather too freely, as the reviewer thought, of the labours of Mr. W. Taylor: but this review was written many years after the publication of Mr. W. Taylor's book. But, to return to the His toric Survey of German Poetry," Mr. Taylor has not done all that he ought to have done, nor all that he might have done; and moreover, he has

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