REVIEW.→→ -SKETCHES OF CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES. The strength of his arguments is not sufficient to convince us that all he thinks is right; but the facts he brings forward deserve the attention of all who are interested in the welfare of the colonies, and the peace of the British empire. The work is written in a rambling desultory manner, in short sections, which, notwithstanding their political bearing, contain a great deal of information relative to the United States and Canada. His sketches of men, manners, and things, though apparently hastily written, are entertaining, and, in general, true to life. But we must in. troduce our readers to the volume itself. The following is our author's account of his introduction to the "highest personage" in the United States : "It was no part of my intention, when I had re solved to pay a visit to the United States, to wait upon the president. I had imbibed unfriendly opinions concerning him from the newspapers and reviews and partisans of the day, and consequently declined letters of introduction which were tendered me by my friends, both in New York and Philadelphia. The more I inquired into General Jackson's character, however, the more I examined into facts, and judging it by these facts, the more reason had I to distrust my previous judgment; and therefore when I was requested by the Secretary of State not to quit Washington on my return from the south without waiting upon the president, I assented, and one morning accompanied Major Van Buren to the president's house, expecting to meet, never theless, with a haughty, distant, military chieftain, in whose presence I should feel rather uncomfortable. I was agreeably disappointed and pleased to find in General Jackson great gentleness and benevolence of manner, accompanied with that goodnatured affability of address which will enable all persons who wait upon him to feel at ease in his presence, as well the backwoodsman full of republican simplicity, as the man of the world, long familiar with the pomp and circumstance of regal magnificence. The house is a handsome stone building near the public offices, with an Ionic portico. We were ushered into a large and pleasant apartment, with plain furniture and lofty ceiling, the windows of which command a view of the beautiful valley of the Potomac, where we found the president. On being introduced to him, he shook me heartily by the hand, as did his friend and private secretary Major Donelson, who was the only person in the room with him when we arrived. After a conversation of perhaps three-quarters or half an hour, I took my leave. I had read in the National Journal a long history of innumerable forms and ceremonies to be undergone by persons paying their respects to the head of the government, but found it was all a joke of the opposition. One attendant only was "in waiting," an agile little Irish lad, with a light summer jacket on, who appeared to me the very antipodes of ceremony and parade. I compared this active and useful servant in my mind's eye, with the host of lacqueys and bedchamber gentlemen I had seen surrounding the persons and devouring the revenues of European princes, and the odds were greatly in favour of that simple yet efficient system, which, disdaining the costly foppery and useless trappings of state, prefers placing confidence in the virtue and intelligence of a free people. "The countenance and person of the president are such as, once seen, will not soon be forgotten: his tall erect figure and singularly original physiognomy allow of no mistakes as to the individual. His looks are far more manly, commanding, and open than the portraits in the print shops would indicate, and his eye seems to betray a disposition 423 ardent and passionate, but never sullen or petulant. His forehead is very high, and the lines thereon deeply indented; his complexion dark and sunburnt, and his visage that of the war-worn veteran. I was impressed with his contemplative, thoughtful countenance and strongly marked features; well do they correspond with the eventful tale of his adventurous life. His exterior appearance is remarkably plain, he wears a black dress, without any badge indicative of his rank and office, yet are his person and demeanour well calculated to inspire a stranger with a sentiment beyond mere respect. I looked for the ring of Washington's hair with which he had been presented, but it was not on his finger; it may be also remembered, that on him were bestowed the telescope and pistols of the father of American liberty. I had been informed that he was sickly and unfit to transact business, which is another of the romances of the partisan presses in opposition to his administration. evidently enjoys an ordinary share of good health, and sometimes rides sixteen miles of a morning before breakfast, which is no unfavourable constitutional symptom. Lacking some twenty or thirty years of the age at which his venerated predecessors, Jefferson and the elder Adams, left the scenes of their country's greatness, he bids fair to fill the presidential chair for the next eight years with infinite honour and advantage to himself and his nation, and will probably retire into private life, the last of the presidents which America can elect from the noble band of patriots whose virtues and whose valour proved the salvation of their common country in its first and most glorious revolution."-pp. 46 to 49. He We could quote many humorous and amusing incidents, but perhaps the opinions of the author relative to emigration may be more useful at the present period. After having recommended emigrants to settle in Upper Canada, in preference to Illinois, and adduced several reasons, he says: "I admit that the government of Upper Canada is a disgrace to the American continent, and to the national character of England: but the spirit of the people is an excellent spirit. The press is free, and daily extending its beneficial influences. When I established a newspaper in the province, less than ten years ago, I stood nearly alone: now, a majority of nearly forty presses advocate the principles of rational freedom. no "It must be admitted that the management for settling land is not so good in the colonies as in the United States: and that the crown and clergy reserves, the Canada company, and other absentee proprietors, are a great evil; but lands are cheaper in Canada than in the Union, and the soil is better than in the New England States. Again I would say, "Let not the emigrant fear to cast his lot in the midst of his countrymen in Upper Canada: he will find few or no toll-bars; no tithes; no poorrates; no stamps; plenty of game, but no oppressive game-laws; very few dependent poor; courts ecclesiastical; the taxes comparatively few and light, (but the proceeds in general ill applied ;) the necessaries of life in abundance, and low in price; and labour well rewarded." Few of the farmers are tenants, or have rent to pay; nor will they soon be oppressed, as in these kingdoms, by a union of great landlords and rich money-lenders. The freedom of the Canadas depends neither on parchments nor on princes; and although there are many mean men among the European emigrants, I have perceived that the hearts of a great majority of them are in the right place. "In order to become a citizen of the United States, and hold and convey real estate as such, the Englishman or Irishman who emigrates has to reside five years in that nation as an alien, in a state of probation. At least three years before he is naturalized, he must come into the public court, and solemnly swear that it is his wish and intention to abjure, for ever, all allegiance to his native country and its institutions; as also to abjure, for ever, his king and constitution, and all other dominions, princes, and potentates. I have seen many a thorough radical leave the United States rather than swallow that oath-an oath, as I think, alike discreditable to the congress who framed it, and to the government which is required to enforce its observance. "At the end of his five years of national apprenticeship, the British alien emigrant, if he has given proofs of his attachment to the principles of the constitution of the United States, and proved his residence, is admitted as an adopted citizen, after another oath, for ever abjuring his native country, king, and constitution, and binding him to support the United States, has been administered and duly recorded, in the court of the district in which he is a resident.-See Acts of Congress, c. 28, year 1802. "But in Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick, the British or Irish settler is at once put upon a footing with the most favoured of the population, and may be appointed to any office, or buy and sell landed estate, the day he touches the shore. His children, too, are entitled to all the rights and privileges of British born subjects in all the dominions of Great Britain. Children born in the United States, of British parents, are also, of right, British subjects by the law of England, even although their parents may have become citizens of the United States. To this rule there are a few exceptions. "Upper Canada contains the greatest body of native British born subjects, in allegiance to the king, to be found in any possession out of these islands. The feeling of the public is favourable to the emigrant he is in the midst of his countrymen. In the United States, so far as I have seen and heard, it is not popular to give public offices to naturalized foreigners; nor is it common in England to do so. "The length of the winter in Lower Canada is a great injury to the farmer. In Upper Canada that drawback to his prosperity is not felt. "Negro slavery is unknown in British America; in Illinois they only escaped it by a casting vote in 1824. Upper Canada is far removed from the region of slavery; Illinois is environed by slaveholding states. "The price of farm produce is almost invariably higher in Upper Canada than in Illinois; and, of late years, the demand from Britain and the lower provinces has been stable, and the prices very satisfactory to the grain-grower. "With regard to New South Wales, it should be considered, that the convicts place it in a lower scale than even the American slave-holding states; that it has not the semblance of popular institutions; that it is three or four times as far from England as Upper Canada, and ill situated for the profitable exchanges of its surplus produce. Upper Canada is placed alongside one of the freest nations of the earth, and doubtless owes a great deal to the neighbourhood. Australia is under a military sway on the confines of the civilized world, with a thin population widely scattered over a vast continent. "I own that I would gladly see 50,000 farmers and labourers emigrate to Upper Canada every year; they need not fear succeeding to a sure and certain independence, if steady, sober, and industrious. The farm servant, without a shilling in his pocket, can work for a farmer until he save enough to buy provisions to go upon his own land, which may be had on credit at, or under, a dollar an acre. If careful and diligent, we will find him in a few years a wealthy resident landowner, free of debt, comfortable and contented. When I heard of the intimidation of the farmers in Essex and elsewhere, by their landlords, previous to the last general election, I said to several of my acquaintances, If these men would consult their true interests, they would be on their way to their own estates in Upper Canada before another election; in that country they might look forward with satisfaction to a good old age, and a sure and certain independence for their children.' To the English, Irish, or Scottish emigrating labourer, I would give this wholesome counsel: Be diligent-persevere-neither eat, drink, nor wear anything that is not of the produce of your own farm-if you can avoid doing so-until your lands are paid for, and a freehold title recorded, and in your pocket. Rather miss a good bargain, than grasp at too much with the risk of getting in debt. If your clothes be plain and clean, never care although they be coarse. You will be valued by your conduct, and not by your clothes. As to food, your own mutton and beef, and pork and veal, and butter and cheese, and potatoes and corn, and poultry, &c. raised at home, will render you as independent as King William IV. Drink good water, or plain family beer, (there is no malt-tax or excisemen to interfere with you,) and look forward to the time when the orchard you have planted and enclosed will bear fruit abundantly, and enable you to refresh yourself and comfort a friend with an As occasional tankard of racy home-made cider. to tea, coffee, smoking or chewing tobacco, snuffing, and the vile practice of drinking spirits, be not tempted by the extraordinary lowness of price in ReAmerica; touch not, taste not, handle not.' member our European landlords : 'I've noticed on our laird's court-day, "It is of no use for silk or cotton weavers, millspinners, clothiers, cutlers, watchmakers, calicoprinters, and other mechanics who, like them, manufacture wares easily and cheaply imported from Europe, to emigrate to Upper Canada for the purpose of pursuing their respective occupations. They would be met at every corner by the productions of the half-starved workmen of these kingdoms, offered at the lowest rates. Tailors, Tory parsons, physicians, lawyers, surgeons, shop. men, and clerks are not at present in great request in Upper Canada; but waggon-makers, merchants, (shopkeepers,) bricklayers, carpenters, stone-masons cabinet-makers, blacksmiths, and joiners, might probably better their circumstances by crossing the ocean. Common-school teachers, shoemakers, saddlers, coopers, brewers, and bakers, may do well enough, but I think that their chance is not so good as that of the preceding classes. Each man, on resolving to emigrate, should have previously sat down and counted the cost, and seriously asked himself the question, What am I to do when I get to America? He has the whole of that wide continent in which to make a choice, and may readily amend a first choice, if he find that it would be to his advantage."-p. 346 to 351. In conclusion, we must say, that this volume will prove extremely useful to persons who entertain thoughts of seeking a land more prosperous than their own, and look to America as the place of their destination; whilst its wholesome advice may tend to repress those utopian anticipations which have too frequently lured the unfortunate and the discontented to seek a change of country, without ever having formed a rational estimate of their adaptation, by previous habits and pursuits, to so important an enterprise. To the politician the work will afford abundant matter for speculation; nor will the mere caterer for amusement be disappointed of a repast on agreeable information. REVIEW.-Demetrius: a Tale of Modern Greece; in Three Cantos. With other Poems. By Agnes Strickland, Author Where the full-clustered vine has wreathed her Amidst the orange-groves, whose silver flowers of Worcester Field, the Seven Ages of Her bending purple treasures to outvie, 1833. THE first part of this volume is devoted to the narration of one of those transient successes which have from time to time occurred in the modern history of Greece, and inspired a momentary but delusive hope of the revival of liberty in that unhappy land. The hero of the tale is Demetrius, a young and noble Greek, whose love for Ismena, an interesting girl, in an inferior station of life, constitutes the chief interest of the narrative, and reminds us occasionally of the Azim and Zelica of Moore. The incidents which are not connected with these lovers are chiefly of a martial character, and are described with great spirit and elegance. The outline of this tale is, we think, by no means its chief merit, and requires no further delineation from us. A few specimens of the style in which it is filled up will give the reader a pretty accurate idea of the general character of the poem. The introduction of the heroine affords a fair sample of the descriptive talent of the authoress. She is represented as sitting at home alone and in sadness, whilst her fair companions have repaired to the beach to welcome a band of Grecian patriots on their return :— And she-that lonely lingerer-is her breast We will now give the description of the visit of Demetrius, who was one of the returning warriors, to Ismena,-a scene which appears to us to be written with much poetic feeling and talent : With rapid step he climbed the rocky steep On whose proud summit parting day had thrown And court with gay magnificence the eye; Demetrius paused a moment to survey Since he had drawn the pure untainted breath K Or all the change and chances he has proved In glossy ringlets waving, unconfined, 3 H 177.-VOL. XV. The trance is over, and she lifts those eyes Of darkest radiance slowly to the skies, As if from them the kindling light she caught Of inspiration and poetic thought Which flushes that fair cheek, till roses near, Matched with its colours, faint and cold appear, And to her lips the minstrel measure brings, As thus in tones of melody she sings: SONG. Fair Greece! through the shadows of ages long past, For thy children a struggle more noble uphold "Though myriads still menace, yet numbers are vain, When opposed to the hearts that for Greece are arrayed, Who have sworn that the wonders of Marathon's plain, When matched with the blaze of their glory, shall fade! For a wreath shall more pure and illustrious be given To the swords of the Cross, and the champions of Heaven! "Should they fall in the contest, their fall will be bright; Through ages unnumbered their deeds shall survive; They may moulder in dust, but their memory's light In the hearts of the brave and the lovely shall live! Fair Fame shall record them, and Beauty shall weep O'er the plains where the mighty victoriously sleep!" p. 21 to 27. We can only find room for one more extract from Demetrius; we should, however, do injustice to the poem, were we to omit the opening of the third canto, which, without any comment, we leave to speak for itself : "Genius of Athens! though thy glories are A long-past brightness glimmering through despair, p. 68 to 70. The minor poems, which occupy the remaining portion of this little volume, are exceedingly miscellaneous in their subjects, but most of them are written with much talent, and all of them are distinguished by an excellent moral tendency; of these we think we prefer the following sonnet from the Italian of Petrocchi : ON TIME. I asked of Time, "Who raised the structure fair, Then turned I, wondering, where with ruthless stride I saw Oblivion stalk, from stone to stone, O'er the fallen towers: "O, answer me," I cried; "Dark power! unveil the fact!" But in dread tone, "Whose it was once," he sullenly replied, "I know not-reck not-now it is my own!" REVIEW. Lives of the most Eminent Sovereigns of Modern Europe; Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden, John Sobieski, King of Poland; Peter the Great, Czar of Russia; Frederic the Great, King of Prussia. Written by a Father for the Instruction and Amusement of his Eldest Son. Hailes. London. 1833. THE recognition of the importance attaching to the years of boyhood, and even of infancy, and the consequent expenditure of time and talent on the part of the great and good, in the composition of works designed for the education of children, must doubtless be regarded as among the most promising indications of the present times. We have seen a great Christian poet exerting all his ingenuity, and even eclipsing his less modest performances, in hymns for children. We have seen the "mighty magician of the north digressing from those labours, on the progress of which the eyes of the whole civilized world were intently fixed, to write for the amusement and instruction of his grandson; and we have now before us a most attractive little work, compiled by the late amiable and excellent Lord Dover, for the use of his son. first sight, publications of this sort may seem to wear a character equally unpretending and unimportant. But to a reflective and benevolent mind they assume a very different aspect. "C'est le premier pas qui coute," says the French proverb, and no application of the aphorism is more apt than that in which it asserts the paramount importance of early discipline and culture. For the successful prosecution of a work which contemplates this object, a profound knowledge of human nature, and an extraordinary degree of tact At and ingenuity are requisite, which ought to secure to the writer no mean degree of literary reputation, in addition to that moral lustre reflected on this, as on all other attempts "to attend to the neglected, and to remember the forgotten." This The noble author of the little book before us commences an elegant and very touching dedication to his son, by remarking, that the love of history is best encouraged in very young persons, by attracting them, in the first instance, with the more amusing studies of remarkable biographies. notion appears to have decided the character of the memoirs which he selected; and while he crowds them with valuable historical information, he narrates them in a style admirably adapted to fix the attention of the class whose instruction he contemplates; and intersperses a number of very interesting anecdotes illustrative of the public and private character of his subjects. As our principal object in this notice of the work is, to invite the attention of the young to its contents, we will extract two or three of these anecdotes as specimens, which we think will excite a desire for further acquaintance with it. The following passage from the life of Gustavus Adolphus will illustrate the manner in which these little episodes are worked into the history : "In the month of February, 1626, long before the usual time of opening a campaign in those northern climates, and while it was universally thought that Gustavus was preparing for a second invasion of Livonia, that prince embarked an army of twenty-six thousand men, in one hundred and fifty ships, and steered into the harbour of Pillau, a town garrisoned by the troops of the elector of Brandenburgh. Pillau was delivered over to the Swedes without resistance, and Gustavus having landed his troops, marched them into Polish Prussia. Here he took several towns and fortresses, and among others the city of Elbing, which capitulated without much resistance. While the burgomaster and one of the king's generals were signing the act of surrender in the royal tent, Gustavus gave a proof of his contempt of danger by walking up to one of the town-gates alone, and requesting the citizens to admit him upon friendly terms. On their doing so, he apologized to them for not being better dressed; and having strolled through several of the streets followed by crowds, he at length entered a bookseller's shop, and asked for a copy of Buchanan's poems. "The ultimate end proposed by Gustavus, in this campaign, was to gain possession of Dantzic; and as he took town after town, and approached nearer and nearer to it, Sigismond at length began to feel that it was necessary for him to take a more active part than he had hitherto done in opposing his progress. With this view, he collected an army of thirty thousand men, and advanced to Graudentz, on the Vistula. Here he found Gustavus in possession of all the fortresses near Dantzic, as well as of the course of the river. The generals of Sigismond soon saw that their only chance of doing any good to their cause was by bringing the Swedes to a general engagement. They therefore laid siege to a small town, called Mewe. This, as they had foreseen, obliged their enemies to advance to its relief: and thus a very bloody engagement was commenced, which lasted with intervals for two days. The troops on both sides behaved with cou rage, but the issue of the affair was, that the Poles, though for the moment they kept possession of the field of battle, raised the siege of Mewe, and retreated. During the battle, Gustavus had twice fallen into the enemies' hands. The second time that this accident happened to him, he was delivered by the presence of mind of a Swedish soldier of cavalry. The man, in order to conceal Gustavus's real quality, called out to the Poles, "Have a care of yourselves, for we will rescue my brother"and then charging them with a few of his companions, performed what he had threatened. Shortly afterwards, Gustavus saw that his deliverer was, in his turn, made a prisoner; upon which he put himself at the head of a few horsemen, and brought brother soldier, we are upon equal terms, for the him safely off, saying at the same time, "Now, obligation is reciprocal." After the battle, Gustavus entered the town, and praised and rewarded the fidelity and bravery of the garrison and inhabitants. In the evening the officers assembled to prayers at the king's lodgings, as was usual after any success. Botwid, the king's chaplain, who had been employed at his devotions during the contest, congratulated his majesty on its success. To which Gustavus replied, "That he could not help feeling confident of the good issue of the battle, when he knew that Moses was assisting him with his prayers on the mount."--pp. 22 to 25. The account of the Death of Sobieski, King of Poland, is given with great beauty in the following paragraphs : "The existence of Sobieski, during the last year of his life, was one long agony; so great were his sufferings both of body and mind. His intervals of ease were occupied with practices of piety, and those literary and scientific amusements, in which he had always so much delighted. The 17th of June (the festival of the Trinity, so much honoured in Catholic countries,) was the birth-day of Sobieski, and was also the day of his election as sovereign of Poland. It was also, by a singular coincidence, the day of his death. "He had on that day heard mass, and had expressed regret that he could not also communicate, as, in consequence of the feeble state of his health, he had not been able to fast. Towards the evening he was struck with a violent attack of apoplexy, from which he recovered sufficiently to utter the words, "Stava Hene," which have been held to mean, that he regretted being recalled to life. A second fit put an end to his sufferings. He expired at sunset, and his death like his birth was marked by a violent storm. "Thus died, in the 66th year of his age, and the 22nd of his reign, a prince, of whom it may be truly said, that neither the world nor his own country were worthy of him. From the former, that is, from his allies, he received coldness and envy, in return for the most loyal attachment to treaties, and the most brilliant services on the field of battle; -from the latter he met but ingratitude, though he had raised her from the lowest esteem among European powers, and made her feared and respected; and had, by his wisdom, retarded that ruin which her own vicious constitution was sure eventually to entail upon her. He was the most devoted of husbands, and the most affectionate of fathers; yet his wife and children were the very persons who, by their bad conduct, filled up the cup of his sorrows. "The beautiful simplicity of mind of Sobieski, and his patriotic and affectionate feelings, are best proved, however, by an extract from one of his private and familiar letters to his wife, written during the celebrated campaign of Vienna, and which apparently answers the arguments of those persons who objected to that expedition. "For me," says he, "I have devoted my life to the glory of God, and to his sacred cause, and in that I will persist. At the same time I do not expose myself to personal dangers more than is necessary for a king who has the eyes of all Europe upon his actions. For I hold to life. I hold to it, for the sake of chris |