To Correspondents.

1

"Eben. Anderson's Visit to London, Letter II.-BEDLAM—” came too late for the present month. Need we inform the very ingenious author, that his admirable article will hold a conspicuous place in our next Number?

Of the three articles signed "G," one will probably appear soon.

“Jock and Jenny,” as well as " The Miser,” must walk the plank.

The "Lines" to Mary are beautiful. We beg to hear often from the ingenious author of them. As far as poetical talent is concerned, "the lines have fallen to him in pleasant places." We shall find a corner for them in March.

We think highly of "O.'s" genius, wild and irregular as it is. The first part of "The Rhapsodist" indicates a power and concentration of thought and expression not naworthy of Coleridge himself: but why does the author allow his Pegasus to run off with him so? Why does he reject every trammel, every rule of versification? He is obviously a pitch too high in mental and imaginative energy to be a Lakist: Why, then, in the name of the Nine, does he try to imitate what we are sure he must despise? If we can persuade him to recast his poem, and throw it into regular heroic blank verse, we shall be proud and happy to publish it. As it now is, not half a dozen of our readers would discover its intrinsic and unquestionable merit.

"The Portrait of an English Dissenting Preacher," which we promised for this month, will certainly appear in March. The interest of some local topics has compelled us to postpone several articles which we had in readiness for this month. We hope their respective authors will receive this as our apology.

We are truly happy to find that our incidental notice of "The Tender Mother's Complaint" has given the author and his friends satisfaction. His account of him

self is modest and becoming.

"Willie Ochiltree" is a droll chap, and, we presume, a sort of Sir Oracle at Mauchline. He may, perhaps, be agreeably surprised to find his poem "On Money" figuring in some early number of the Scots Magazine.

"The Laird of Lumley-den," who is already as mad as a March hare, is destined by the Fates, to remain in obscurity, till that interesting and life-giving month of healthful breezes bring him forth to the admiration and delight of our readers.

A" Scene from an unpublished Tragedy, entitled THE CASTLE OF KILLEARN, by Mr James Hogg," will grace our next publication; as also “The State of Litera ture in LONDON."

"MacVurich the Murderer" was in the Devil's hands; but, owing to some sudden arrangements, was recalled and respited till another month. Our readers will learn the story of this most barbarous of all monsters in our next publication.

“Good-day, and good-night;" also the lines "On a Medico-poetical acquaintance,”

came too late for this month.

"Phrenologos," Part II., which shall appear next month, will unquestionably be chaunted by some of the "New Philosophers" at their first "Feast of Skulls."

We are only prevented from publishing the "Stanzas for the Anniversary of Burns,” by having already given something on the same subject. They are, however, excellent, and we request the author will favour us with the breathings of his inspiration on other topics. Why should he have imagined that we would treat this offering of his muse with severity? We are never slow to bestow a merited tribute on every glimpse of genius that escapes from the contributions of our numerous friends; and if we are at all fretted into any thing like sarcasm, it proceeds from the clamorous pretensions of conceited dullness, or the unreasonable demands of overweening vanity, not from the modest and proper requests of men of genius. We trust this explanation will satisfy him.

We have not yet paid our court to the "Lass of Vennachair," which may be reckoned ungallant in us, but we can assure the damsel it was absolutely unavoidable on our part. We have no doubt she is very beautiful.

"The Wanderings of an Immortal" is too close an imitation of St Leon and Melmoth. The public have had enough of the incredible, the horrible, and the impossible. We have not yet perused " The Test of Affection."

The length of our prose articles this month has compelled us to reserve for March many pieces of fugitive poetry which we had prepared for the press; and, among the rest, the offerings of J. R. P.'s muse, several of which do him much credit.

"Maria Wilton" will be returned to the author. We shall, however, avail ourselves of the lines "To Clarinda.”

The "Ode from the Spanish of Luis de Leon" in March.

The Letters relative to those incomparable typographers, Messrs Robert and Andrew Fowlis, are necessarily, and reluctantly, postponed till our March publication.

Circumstances, which we need not explain, have obliged us to defer, till another publication, the curious and amusing paper "On the Dwarfie Stone of Orkney." We trust the author will give us credit when we assure him, that it would have appeared this month, had it been possible for us to accomplish it.

We also owe the Reviewer of Dr Hibbert's Zetland an apology for withholding his paper for another month. We have been literally overflowed with communications of late, and our readers have a right to expect that we shall always give priority to those topics of most direct, immediate, or local attraction, especially if, as frequently occurs, their chief importance and value would vanish and be lost, were they not discussed while they are fresh and green. Subjects of this nature often "perish where they have their birth," as the Laureate says. In fact, the "sentiment of ATTRACTION, ADAPTATION, and VARIETY," predominates in every editorial mind, and leads, as might naturally be expected, to many very wonderful consequences. We may also be permitted to mention, that, in order to embrace our materials, we have gone half a sheet beyond the allotted quantity in such publications as ours; an extravagance of which, as our readers will readily recollect, we have, on several former occasions, been guilty.

The paper on the Designs illustrative of the "Novels and Tales by the Author of Waverley" is under consideration.

We observe, with real pleasure, that the author of the “ Monody in the Prospect of Death" (a pretty long extract from which appeared in our September Number) has published it entire, with notes descriptive of the feelings under which it was composed, and of the author's present unfortunate situation. To all those pious individuals who are gifted with any degree of taste for the productions of the muse we would earnestly recommend this beautiful little specimen of devotional poetry, which was composed when the author himself, a respectable clergyman of the Church of England, was under the influence of the feelings and anticipations which he so simply and affectingly describes. It is a proof of the piety, as well as the taste, of our intellectual and enlightened townsmen, that this little poem has already reached the third edition. When the benevolent reader calls to mind, that, by purchasing this beautiful expression of the author's genius, piety, and resignation, he is contributing to the comforts of an unfortunate clergyman, and man of talents, we are sure that our appeal will not be made in vain, and that nothing further which we could urge would strengthen the impression in his favour which, we confess, we are anxious to produce.

The Correspondents of the EDINBURGH MAGAZINE and LITERARY MISCELLANY are respectfully requested to transmit their Communications for the Editor to ARCHIBALD CONSTABLE & COMPANY, Edinburgh, or to LONGMAN and COMPANY, London; to whom also orders for the Work should be particularly addressed.

Printed by J. Ruthven & Sons.

THE

EDINBURGH MAGAZINE,

AND

LITERARY MISCELLANY.

FEBRUARY 1822.