that men who have been ambitiously nursed in principles which have rai, sed this country to an envied eminence amongst nations, are to be whisked about by every wind of newfangled doctrine. As well might the leo. pard be expected to change his spots, or the hyena his indomitable spirit, as the legitimate sons of the ocean strike their flag to philosophy; and admit themselves in error upon a point settled by the experience of seagoing folk for centuries past. Certain it is, this prejudice, if prejudice it be, is a hydra of many heads; and is felt in the most ordinary occurrences, on shore as well as afloat. Nor would it, perhaps, be desirable in this, any more than in other instances of popular predilection, that the bias of the uninformed mind to fatalism should be rashly invaded; which, in the British seaman, as well as the Mahomedan soldier, is so often the only rallying cry of heroic devotedness, and patriotic desperation.'

6

We hope the author does not mean that British seamen owe their bravery to blind fatalism and degrading superstition. He is mistaken if he believes that the Mahomedan soldier derives his devotedness' and desperation' from fatalism alone. The Mahomedan is a religious enthusiast; and this, if we may judge from the tenor of the book, is the last kind of enthusiasm which its author would wish to see prevalent in the British fleet. Superstition as much as you please,-the sailor will fight the better for it, but not a word about religion !

The Tales of a Tar,' also by Captain Glasscock, are, as we are informed in the Preface, founded on fact. The first and longest tale is an account of the mutiny at Spithead in 1797the breeze at Spithead,' as the author calls it—and we must here take occasion to entreat that he will reserve his slang for the interlocutors in his dialogues, and use plain English in his proper person. The clearness and connectedness of his account of the mutiny is sadly marred by the attempt to make it conversational. If the episodes and interruptions had been struck out, all that is really interesting might have been comprised in less than half the space the tale now occupies. Of the remaining stories, A Brush in the Boats' is best told; but we prefer quoting from another the following short sketch (given in the language of a common sailor) of that ornament of our navy, Lord Collingwood:

'Poor old Cuddy !* a better soul, nor braver heart in breeze or battle, never thumped 'twixt the ribs of man! He was none o' your nice-uns as never seed daylight till the decks were dried up, and reg'larly reported as dry as a bone. Sea or harbour, wet or dry, gale or calm, the dawn always seed him on deck. There he'd pace the break o' the poop, with his bluebreeks and white stockings (for winter or summer he rigged alike), his

* Cuddy, a familiar abbreviation for Cuthbert, Collingwood's Christian

name.

hard-weather hat shipped-for the scraper he bent in a breeze was always in use afore breakfast. It was as brown as a berry, and the lace round the rim as black as an old copper bolt. Well, there, with his three-cocked-scraper a-thawtships-for 'twas a reg'lar razee-ay, lower cut-down nor a Green'ich boson's-well, there, in this sort o' rig, he'd pace the poop, twirling his two thumbs afore him, for all the world like a straighthaired quaker, whilst the mizen-topmen washing decks of a morn, would sluish and slash the water about him, in every direction." Never mind me," he'd say, as if he was no more,-no, no more nor a reg'lar galoot, "never mind me, my man," (for he always spoke to a man like a man,) " if I gets in your way," he'd say, in a voice and look as told the truth of his tongue-for half your chaps as say a kind word to a fellow, don't say it so much from their natʼral bent, as to try and earn a name, as they knows in their hearts they doesn't desarve-" if I gets in your way," old Cuddy 'ould say it's my fault, my man, and not yours, my man." He'd the most takenest tongue I ever met in my day.-I'm blessed, if I woudn't rather get a reg'lar blowin'-up from he-nor-ay,-a good word from half your capring skippers.'

Of The Naval Officer,' written, we believe, by Captain Marryat, of the Navy, we are sorry to be obliged to say, that it is marked by many violations of taste and propriety. But it was the author's first, and probably a hasty production; and we are inclined to believe that he sees its faults as clearly as we do; for he has amply redeemed them in his excellent novel, The King's 'Own,' which is entirely free from the impurities which obscure the merits of The Naval Officer.' Captain Marryat is a very agreeable writer,-fluent, easy, and unaffected in his style; concise, clear, and vivid in his descriptions; lively and dramatic in his dialogue; and he has a shrewd insight into peculiarities of cbaracter, and a happy faculty of exhibiting them amusingly. Each of his novels consists of a series of adventures connected rather inartificially, but better in the last than in the first. The hero of The King's Own' is introduced to us as the son of a man of good family, who had been driven from home by parental tyranny, and under a feigned name entered a man-of-war, where, his pride revolting from a degrading punishment which had been unjustly inflicted, he became one of the leaders in the mutiny at the Nore. He is condemned and executed, after devoting his child to the service of his country, and leaving him to the guardianship of an old seaman, who marks him with a broad arrow, and calls him The King's Own.'

The hero, who, having no ascertained name of his own, is accommodated with that of Seymour, soon ceases to be very conspicuous, and dwindles into an orderly well-behaved midshipman, one of the least interesting and amusing characters in the book. The subordination maintained in the service must necessarily prevent

him from being very prominent in a work which professes to give a true picture of a naval life; but still he might have been brought forward a little more. Several of the personages who figure in this book are well drawn. Our favourites are M'Elvina the smuggler, and Jerry the facetious midshipman; and we have also a considerable regard for Billy Pitt, the philological negro. Some of the others, though amusingly described, depend too much for their effect upon one or two phrases, or some single peculiarity, a flimsy method of exhibiting character, much adopted by farce writers, and to which Captain Marryat is under no necessity of having recourse. There are some excellent descriptions in this novel, both serious and comic. As a specimen of a humorous scene, we will introduce to our readers Captain Capperbar in conversation with his ship's carpenter, from whence we may learn how a crew may be profitably employed, and his Majesty's stores converted to useful purposes never contemplated by the Government:

"Well, Mr Cheeks, what are the carpenters about?"

""Weston and Smallbridge are going on with the chairs-the whole of them will be finished to-morrow."

"Well ?"

"Smith is about the chest of drawers, to match the one in my Lady Capperbar's bedroom."

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Very good. And what is Hilton about ?"

"He has finished the spare-leaf of the dining-table, sir; he is now about a little job for the second-lieutenant."

"A job for the second-lieutenant, sir? How often have I told you, Mr Cheeks, that the carpenters are not to be employed, except on ship's duty, without my special permission."

"His standing bed-place is broke, sir; he is only getting out a chock or two."

"Mr Cheeks, you have disobeyed my most positive orders.-By the by, sir, I understand you were not sober, last night."

"Please your honour," replied the carpenter, "I wasn't drunk-I was only a little fresh."

"Take you care, Mr Cheeks.-Well, now, what are the rest of your crew about ?"

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Why, Thomson and Waters are cutting out the pales for the garden, out of the jibboom; I've saved the heel to return.”

"Very well; but there won't be enough, will there ?” "No, sir, it will take a hand-mast to finish the whole."

In

"Then we must expend one when we go out again. We can carry away a top-mast, and make a new one out of the hand-mast, at sea. the meantime, if the sawyers have nothing to do, they may as well cut the palings at once. And now, let me see-oh! the painters must go on shore, to finish the attics."

"Yes, sir, but my Lady Capperbar wishes the jealowsees to be painted vermilion she says it will look more rural.”

Mrs Capperbar ought to know enough about ship's stores, by this time, to be aware that we are only allowed three colours. She may choose or mix them as she pleases; but as for going to the expense of buying paint, I can't afford it. What are the rest of the men about?" Repairing the second cutter, and making a new mast for the pin

666

nace."

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By the by-that puts me in mind of it-have you expended any boats' masts?"

"Only the one carried away, sir."

"Then you must expend two more. Mrs C has just sent me off a list of a few things that she wishes made, while we are at anchor, and I see two poles for clothes-lines. Saw off the sheave-holes, and put two pegs through at right angles-you know how I mean."

"Yes, sir. What am I to do, sir, about the cucumber frame? My Lady Capperbar says that she must have it, and I havn't glass enough they grumbled at the yard last time."

"Mrs C must wait a little. What are the armourers about ?" "They have been so busy with your work, sir, that the arms are in a very bad condition. The first-lieutenant said yesterday that they were a disgrace to the ship."

Who dares say that?"

"The first-lieutenant, sir."

"Well, then, let them rub up the arms, and let me know when they are done, and we'll get the forge up."

"The armourer has made six rakes, and six hoes, and the two little hoes for the children; but he says that he can't make a spade."

"Then I'll take his warrant away, by heavens, since he does not know his duty. That will do, Mr Cheeks. I shall overlook your being in liquor, this time; but take care.-Send the boatswain to me.'

The least commendable parts of this entertaining novel are those descriptive of scenes on land; particularly the adventures of Mr Rainscourt, which are very little to our taste. We are also sorry that the author should have thought proper to end his tale tragically. One who, like the novelist, has the power of life and death in his hands, should not murder his hero without necessity. The most disagreeable of all tragedies is a tragedy in disguise, which buoys you up with false hopes that all will end well, and then horrifies you unexpectedly with a dreadful termination. The wit of man has not yet devised any thing better than the old stale finale of a happy marriage; and we advise all novelists to adhere to it. We have said enough to show that we are greatly pleased with Captain Marryat's second work, and that we shall be glad to see another like it.

ART. VIII.- Inquiry into the Rise and Growth of the Royal Prerogative in England. By JOHN ALLEN. 8vo. London: 1830.

THIS HIS is beyond all comparison the most important book upon constitutional antiquities and law that has appeared for many years. Indeed, it claims a very distinguished place among the great works upon those subjects which are familiar to the lawyer and the historian. Replete with profound and accurate learning, displaying everywhere extraordinary powers of reasoning and judging, clothed in a style at once simple and powerful, it possesses an additional title to the regards of those who love liberty, and value the institutions which are at once its best gifts and its surest safeguards; it breathes throughout a warm love of freedom, and a firm spirit of resistance to the slavish maxims, which lawyers unhappily, as well as courtiers, have almost always been prone to inculcate. This spirit, however, has only guided Mr Allen to investigate and expose the errors of his predecessors; it has never warped his own judgment, or led him either to violent language or extravagant opinions. He exhibits the most calm determination always to search after the truth, and having found it, to make it known, but only as matter of legal and constitutional learning, never as food for gratifying the factious and the clamorous. Indeed, the importance which our author attaches to the authority of former ages, and which is avowed by the very undertaking of the enquiry, squares but little with the rash and sweeping nature of the modern zealots for liberty and popular rights. That school, generally speaking, not only disregards all appeals to the wisdom of past ages, and despises all enquiry into the ancient system of our civil polity, but actually holds an institution to be the more surely ill founded if its origin can be traced to less refined times than our own. Conceiving that society is improving, the disciples of the new academy look with more than suspicion upon every produce of the wisdom of earlier days. If any proposed practice can be truly said to be without the warrant of precedent, so much the more likely do they hold it to be an improvement; and consequently, if any principle can be found to have been adopted and acted upon by ruder ages, by so much are its claims to their assent held to be lessened. One of the chief apostles of the creed held by the wholesale reformers, the late Major Cartwright, deviated somewhat from their prejudices against antiquity; for the days of Runnimede and Magna Charta were the great burdens of his song; and his predilection for annual par