OPINIONS OF THE PRESS.

(From the New-York Morning Signal.) SOUTHERN LITERARY MESSENGER

FOR NOVEMBER.

We are happy to perceive that the publisher has arranged matters in a way to bring out his number at the first of the month; it will, we trust, be of material benefit to himself, as well as a gratification to his readers. The opening prose article of the present number is from the pen of H. T. Tuckerman, on the doctrine of compensation in the dealings of Providence with men, illustrated in the history of Alexander Pope. It is an elegant and well digested article, abounding in touches of vigorous and lucid thought, and full of acuteness and discrimination. The article is alike creditable to the writer, and to the magazine. Did our editors understand their true interests better, they would engage more, and pay better, such writers as Mr. Tuckerman, where such can be found, and find their reward in a more liberal subscription list.

The article on "Shelley," by Mrs. Seba Smith, is a highly interesting and able paper, full of vigorous thought and happy description; doing ample justice to the genius of Shelley and whatever was praiseworthy in his character, at the same time rebuking his fatal errors in morals, and showing that they cannot bear the light either of philosophy or religion. This article by Mrs. Smith was drawn out in consequence of a previous one in the Messenger by Mr. Tuckerman, which could not fail to be taken by the reader as palliating in some degree the principles and doctrines of Shelley, baneful and revolting as they are. We are glad to see however, that Mr. Tuckerman protests in this number of the Messenger against having his article construed in this manner. Mrs. Smith's article is managed with much tact and delicacy, both in reference to Mr. Tuckerman and the forbidding subject of which he treats.

"The Evening Walk in the City," and "Autumn," are from the pen of Charles Lanman, a young writer full of high aspirations, and beautiful and poetic thoughts. We expect much from him hereafter, and we need more young men endowed with a like purity and elevation of sentiment, who can find their enjoyment in the excellent in morals, literature and the arts. Let him go on in his great mental and moral training, go on trustingly, relying upon his own suggestions and powers, and creditable and really interesting as are the present articles, they will be but as the bud to the fruit.

lic will never thank the writer for his pains. It is lively, saucy, and full of interest, and yet had the author diluted it down to sky-blue milk-and-water, the world would consider it a greater production; and so in fact would it be, the difference between twenty-three pages and two volumes. "Arabian Literature, Paper Third," is pleasant and oriental.

"Letters to my Sister," are very graceful and ladylike, and will be read with interest.

46

The Way He Won Her," adheres wonderfully to 'First Principles," and is full of fun. The writer should try his hand often.

"Sketches of Georgia," are useful and interesting papers. The Literary Notices of this magazine are more full and partake more of the character of critiques, than those of most other works of the kind in the country.

There are thirteen-the fatal number-original articles of poetry in this number. "The Enamored Flower," though not particularly original, is full of poetry, "Thoughts, by Carl." We are sorry for the misfortunes, and sorry for the faults of the writer, but would it not be better to repent in secret?

Away, say we, with the squeamishness of magazine notices. If men or women write bad prose and call it poetry, somebody should set them right. Rhapsodia Senecis, by a Baltimorean." Let the reader accent, count and measure all ways, and see if he can make poetry of the following:

Maiden, why dost thou blush? He looks upon thee, His eyes expressing, what his tongue refuses; That speaking eye-glance, as it lingers on thee, will go very well, but how fix the next two lines? The scantiness of his language well excuses, Words are too weak that meaning to convey thee, &c. "Lake Canandaigua" has some good touches, but why cannot poets say the north wind as well as old Boreas?

The number contains three Sonnets, so called. Inexperienced writers have some very odd thoughts, far-fetched and troublesome, which they are fearful of losing. They are fragments-they know not what else to do with them, and so they throw them into irregular rhymes, with a very halting measure, stopping when they get fourteen, and then they christen it a Sonnet; just as though one of the most difficult of all compositions could be produced in this way. Shade of Petrarch, of Shakspeare, enter your protest. Let the author of the one entitled "Childhood" read these masters of the Sonnet and see if his will stand the test. There is more, very much more of the better spirit of poesy in the two Sonnets by Noble, though these have their prose lines; the more glaring when set by the side of real poetical imagery and diction, such as speaking of the setting sun when the author says-

Forgets the monarch, and the painter plays
On his etherial canvass."

ment in a family. There it is by the burying of a garment, here by tying a bit of black about the apiary. So it is with the burning of milk and some others.

Literary Recreations, by Anagram Ferrun," is amusing and well told, and has a moral besides.

(From the U. S. Gazette.)

SOUTHERN LITERARY MESSENGER. We are glad to receive a single number of Mr. White's Lite

ble numbers; it is a month's work to read them, and, good as

they are, every body almost has something else to do than to read the Literary Messenger; some little attention must be given to the day book and ledger, sonie attention to eating and drinking, and recently men, and women too, would talk a little about elections. Therefore, Mr. White must content himself with at most a hundred pages of fine type in double columns in a month, or he must not give quite so entertaining a collection.

VOL. VI-1

(From the National Intelligencer.) SOUTHERN LITERARY MESSENGER.

We have received the November number of this periodical. The Messenger is too well known in the literary world to require a recommendation before it will be read; and its general character is so excellent that we would be willing to vouch for the merit of the work before us, a priori. But we will notice a few of its articles, basing our remarks upon only a hasty and superficial perusal. The first prose paper which meets our eye is one by H. T. Tuckerman, upon Pope. We are much pleased with the style of this writer. His forte is the elegant essay, and it is pleasant, when so many are straining after the novel and the exciting, to read one whose thoughts flow out in such a pure and quiet way in streams of "English undefiled." This paper is but one of a series with which Mr. T. has favored the readers of the Messenger. It is a favorable specimen of his ability, and will be read with pleasure.

An Evening Walk in the City, by Charles Lanman. This is evidently a young writer, but there are in his productions the sure tokens of genius. He loves to drink in "the beautiful and the true" from Nature, and the Public will be much in terested and gratified by this and other articles from the same pen. The Evening Walk" we think one of Mr. Lanman's best. Let him persevere, and ever preserve that deep and healthful morality which pervades and adorns his writings. The German's Daughter is a long but a well written and teresting story, and will repay the perusal.

aggregate, amount to quite a sum-enough, at any rate, to pay the printer, and make the publisher's heart glad; and will you let these suffer, and want, and starve for mere trifles. We speak feelingly upon this subject; but is there an editor or pub

lisher in the country that does not respond to it?

It is a reproach to many that the Messenger is not patronized as extensively as it might and should be. But we believe that its subscription list is sufficiently large to yield it an ample support, if it was only a list upon which every name is marked with prompt payment. Want of patronage is, we repeat, a reproach, but it is a deeper reproach still that so much of its patronage should seem to be only a mockery. If there are those and an ornament to the South, let it fall at once, and the diswho will not build up and support a work like this, an honor grace be upon those who suffer it to perish, when they might afford it assistance and ensure its prosperity; but let there be none who will delude the publisher, by the gift of a name and a promise, to go on with his enterprise, and then mock his toil and disappoint his hopes by holding back that substantial sup‐ port which alone constitutes real patronage, and is honestly his

due.

The Way He Won Her, is another story, humorous, and a capital thing of the kind. It is entirely agreeable to First Principles.

The Yankee and the Duellist. We are under the impression that we have seen something containing the same idea as this before. But it is a good story, and the idea well worked up will bear repetition.

Among the remaining prose articles are, one on Percy Bysshe Shelley, animadverting somewhat upon Mr. Tuckerman's article in a previous number of the Messenger; Autumn, by Charles Lanman; a third paper on Arabian Literature; Usages, Customs, and Superstitions of the Black Mountain; Literary notices, &c. &c.

Of the poetical articles, we would mention Be true to thyself, by R. W. Griswold, not only as deserving of notice as a coinposition, but for the truly great lesson which it contains.

The Voice of the Lord is a well-conceived, well executed poem.

(From the Philadelphia American Sentinel.)

T.

The Southern Literary Messenger, for November, 1840. W. White, Editor and Proprietor, Richmond, Va. The present number is recommended by the usual richness and variety which characterise this periodical, and render it one of the most attractive in the country, and highly deserving of the extensive patronage it enjoys. It is especially welcome with its gentle, soothing influences, after the harsh excitement of the great political conflict.

We observe that an article in the June Messenger on the poet Shelley has called forth some strictures in this; and another article on the same subject is promised in the December number. With no affinity for the ethics or religious philosophy of Shel

A Song of New-England is a spirited production, but Mrs. Hemans, Pierpont, and Mellen have written on this theme.

On the whole, this is an agreeable and interesting number of the Messenger. We miss, it is true, those sound and valuable papers which from time to time have enriched its columns, from pens like those of the authors of the "The Smithsonian Institute" and “the Navy." But we believe this number will be acceptable to the lovers of variety, and we cordially recommend it to the Public. But we have a few words more to say.

We observe that, upon the second page of the cover, Mr. White adopts the language of the publishers of the Richmond Whig, and therewith makes an earnest appeal to his subscribers for payment in advance, agreeably to the terms of his publication; and also, that he is determined to cut off from his subscription list any who, after the issuing of the December number, may be in debt, for two or more years. This is precisely as it should be. Mr. White has labored at the Messenger for six years, with an industry and perseverance that entitle him to the admiration and the thanks of the friends, not only of Southern, but of American literature. In the midst of rough weather and over stormy seas, he has toiled unceasingly at the helm, and kept on with his noble bark freighted with rich treasures of intellect and genius. And now, is there one who is indebted to him that will keep back that which is so justly his due ? Individually, the sum owing may be but little, and the subscriber may think the payment of his debt to-day or to-morrow will make but little difference-it is only a trifle. But we assure our readers that upon such trifles depend the publisher's bread and vory life; for these trifles he toils day and night; and, when each one holds back because the sum he owes is but a trifle, the Editor must stop or perish for want. Theee trifles, in the

the poet, more wronged than sinning, perhaps; which fair discussion may aid in making manifest. For never do we see genius toppling on its heights, or shooting madly from its sphere, and wheeling off wildly eccentric into confusion and chaos, without suspecting that wrong from some quarter has been inflicted upon it-that some disastrous blast has lighted upon its sensibilities; some poison drop cast into the fountain of its great and generous nature, has curdled it into misanthrophy, or convulsed it; in which case let blame lie where it belongs.

Genius, poetic genius, is necessarily childlike, with the freshness and wonder not only, but with something of the indiscretion of childhood ever accompanying it. It is an inspired infancy prolonged through life. It sees, thinks, speaks as a child. This is its characteristic glory. And it may resent injuries like a child. Society should consider this, and treat its poets and prophets in such wise as becomes the necessities of their nature.

(From the Baltimore American.)

SOUTHERN LITERARY MESSENGER.

The November number of this widely circulated periodical has made its appearance promptly. We have been gratified to see the many complimentary notices of the Messenger which have lately appeared as due tributes to its worth and increasing excellence. It appears to be highly popular in all parts of the country. The contents of the present number exhibit a variety of contributions fully equal in merit, so far as we may judge from a hasty examination, to those which have recently Bustained the literary reputation of the Messenger.