Marc Girardin ne devait pas l'expédier aussi cavalièrement, il aurait dû lui consacrer quelques momens de plus, car sa vie et sa mort sont taillées à fixer l'attention sur la politique et la littérature de l'Allemagne. Koerner a vécu pour la poésie, il est mort pour la patrie; il a déposé la lyre pour prendre l'épée, et inspiré de l'une et de l'autre, il nous a laissé des souvenirs glorieux, tant par la variété de ses productions que par sa fin touchante sur le champ de bataille! ceau tiré d'un discours, prononcé à la faculté | morceau, sans être un moreau de discours des lettres de Paris, en Novembre, 1830, et qui a de l'ensemble dans sa marche rapide. intitulé, "De l'Unité de l'Allemagne;" c'est Mais tout chasseur que fut Koerner, M. Saintainsi que l'auteur nous annonce son premier chapitre, sans cependant nous dire, si c'est par les oreilles ou par le nez, qu'il a tiré son morceau, pour l'ajuster à un livre qui n'a ni jambe, ni tête. Ce morceau de discours prononcé également à la faculté des lettres en Janvier, 1834, et intitulé, "L'Allemagne en 1833," suivi de l'Allemagne en 1813, et le poëte Koerner, forment à peu-près ce que le livre contient de supportable. Tout le reste peut être fort amusant pour les amateurs des diableries du moyen-âge, ou pour certains pieux qui se réjouissent de voir, comment un architecte dans l'embarras sait tromper un diable architecte, afin de faire la Cathédrale de Cologne, laquelle cathédrale reste inachevée parceque le diable, volé du plan, dessiné de sa main infernale, l'a condamné à rester dans cette situation diabolique, que les finances de S. M. de Prusse ne peuvent faire disparaître ; d'autres petits contes du Hamlet, de Grammaticus-Saxo, de Sémiramis, afin de connaître à fond les sources des folies feintes du premier, et la fine méchanceté de l'autre, et plusieurs autres petits contes, qui me rappellent les plus beaux jours de mon enfance, tout cela est fort gentil en effet. Mais le titre, "Notices Politiques et Littéraries sur l'Allemagne," c'est, par foi, trop. On a à peine mis le pied sur le seuil de la porte de cette Allemagne, qu'on ne la retrouve plus, et si elle vous reparaît par hasard, c'est comme un coup de foudre qui au lieu d'éclairer, vous enveloppe dans une profonde obscurité. Ce n'est pas que le livre de Mr. Saint-Marc Girardin ne soit très profond pour cela, ou que son feu ne vous paraisse tomber du ciel ; bien loin de tout ceci, il n'est trop haut, ni trop bas, c'est une espèce de juste milieu entre le ciel et la terre, vide comme l'air et qui siffle de temps en temps un air éolien, lequel dirait-on ressemble à quelqu'air connu, mais qui s'enlève si promptement qu'il ne vous reste pas le temps d'en jouir et de se familiariser tant soit peu avec lui. Mr. Saint-Marc Girardin a eu l'heureuse idée de faire imprimer sous son nom le titre de Professeur à la faculté des lettres de Paris, pour ne pas faire croire que son livre ait été fait par un écolier; mais bien entendu par un bon, par un excellent écolier, qui sait faire de la politique, et qui prend la littérature Allemande comme point de départ, par lequel on annonce beaucoup de choses, en terminant, après un long voyage à travers toutes les régions possibles, par quatre aventures des Nibelungen, qui rappellent les intentions de l'auteur. Quant à la notice sur le Poëte Koerner, elle se borne à la citation de la chanson magique, "Lützow's Wilde Jage," (la chasse sauvage de Lützow,) et la chanson, "das Schwertlied," (de l'Epée,) le chant de cigne du jeune poëte-héros. Il y a du reste de la verve et de la poésie dans l'exposition du tableau de l'Allemagne en 1813; c'est un Nous nous sommes engagés à combler quelqes lacunes, l'occasion se présente ici; c'est un double devoir que nous sentons entraînés à remplir; satisfaire nos lecteurs et rendre justice au génie et à la gloire de Koerner. (To be continued.). LAYS OF THE HEBREWS.-No. IV. BY J. F. FAULKNER. SPEAK not a word that breathes of love To the child of the Hebrew's race, I worship not at a shrine of light, But Him who light unfurl'd, And blush on a waken'd world: I'll strain my heart till its fibres break, Bend not that wild beseeching glance Whene'er I think of thee; Thy creed unlocks our hearts: Go, Guebre, go to thy sunny clime, To that land of rich perfume, And soft as the rose's bloom; From the daughters of thy race, Around thy fond embrace: DIARY OF A BLASÉ.* CHAPTER XXI. Ostend. Bay. CHAPTER XXII. he found the plate in the sideboard drawer, and many other articles which suited him, and in about ten minutes, having made up his bundle, he made the gentleman a very FROM Spa to Leige, from Leige to Brussels, low bow, and decamped. But the gentleman from Brussels to Ostend, how detestable it had the use of his hands, and had not been is to go over the same ground again and idle; he had taken an exact likeness of the again! If the carriage would only overturn, thief with his pencil, and on his servant re if I could but fracture a leg or an arm, just turning soon after, he despatched him immeby way of variety! Six weeks in bed would diately to Bow Street with the drawing, and be a novelty, even pain would be agreeable an account of what had happened. The from the excitement. What a weary world likeness was so good, that the man was imthis is, and what a rascally one! How de mediately identified by the runners, and was lightful a little honesty would be, by way of captured before he had time to dispose of a change! Of all the rascality spread like single article. He was brought to the genbutter on bread over the surface of the globe, tleman in two hours afterwards, identified, certainly the butter lies thicker on the con- the property found on him sworn to, and, in fines of each territory. There is a concen- six weeks, he was on his passage to Botany tration of dishonesty at the ports of embarkation and debarkation. Take London when you land from a steam-boat, or Dover, or Calais, or Ostend. It is nothing but a system London, November. of extortion and overreaching, and which is We have the signs of the times here. I peep submitted to. And why so? because in the through the fog and see quite enough to satisfy hurry, the confusion, the sickness, and the me that the country is unhappy. Money in plenignorance of what is right, every thing that is ty, but lying in heaps-not eirculated. Every wrong can be practised with impunity. These one hugs his bag, and is waiting to see what preyers upon mankind at the confines, re- the event may be. Retrenchment is written mind you of the sharks of India, who always up as evident as the prophetic words of fire ply in the surf, where their motions cannot be upon the walls of Belshazzar's palace-To seen, and the unwary are invariably their let-to let-to let. Leave London in any diprey. I have knocked three down already, rection, and you find the same mystical charand one would imagine they would hasten acters every one hundred yards of the road. for redress; but they will not, for that would This beautiful villa, this cottage ornée, this take hours, and during these hours, they will capital house with pleasure grounds, this lose the opportunity of making their harvest, mansion and park-all-all to let. It is said so they get up again and pocket the affront, that there are upwards of seven thousand of that they may not lose time in filling their these country seats to let within twelve miles pockets. Talking about roguery, there was of the metropolis. Again, look at the arms a curious incident occurred some time back, of the carriages which still roll through the in which a rascal was completely outwitted. streets, and you will perceive that if not with A bachelor gentleman, who was a very supe- a coronet or supporters, nine out of ten have rior draftsman and caricaturist, was laid up the widow's lozenge. And why so? because in his apartments with the gout in both feet. they belong to the widows of those who died He could not move, but sat in an easy chair, in times of plenty, and who left them large and was wheeled by his servant in and out of jointures upon their estates. They, of course, his chamber to his sitting-room. Now a cer- can still support, and even better support, the tain well-known vagabond ascertained the expense; but the estates now yield but suffifact, and watched until the servant was sent cient to pay the jointure, and the incumbent upon a message. The servant came out of swallows up the whole. And where are the the front door, but left the area door open, real owners of the properties? At Paris, at communicating with the kitchen. Down Naples, at Brussels, if they can afford to be went the vagabond, entered the kitchen, and in a capital-if not, dispersed over Belgium, walked up stairs, where, as he anticipated, he Switzerland, and Italy-retrenching in other found the gentleman quite alone and helpless. countries, or living more comfortably upon "I am sorry, sir, to see you in this situation," their incomes. How many millions, for it said the rogue; 66 you cannot move, and your does amount to millions, are now spent on the servant is out." The gentleman stared. "It continent, enriching the people of other counis excessively careless of you to leave your-tries, in all probability laying up for those self so exposed, for behold the consequences. countries the sinews for another war to be I take the liberty of removing this watch and declared against England. How much of these seals off the table, and putting them into my own pocket; and, as I perceive your keys are here, I shall now open these drawers and see what suits my purpose." "Oh! pray help yourself, I beg," replied the gentleman, who was aware that he could do nothing to prevent him. The rogue did so accordingly; Continued from page 11. wretchedness and starvation has been suffered in our own country within these few years, which, if people had not been found abroad, might never have been felt! Where are the élite of our aristocracy? where are our country gentlemen who used to keep open house at their estates, disseminating their wealth and producing happiness! All driven abroad-society disjointed-no leader of fashion to set the example, by luxurious | months. We have had nothing to enliven entertainments, of disseminating that wealth us within these last three days but the death which ultimately finds its way into the greasy and burial of an old curate. He died in all pocket of the laborer or mechanic. Shops the odor of sancity three days ago, and was opened late and closed early. Gin palaces, buried yesterday. He was not loved or even like hell, ever open to a customer. The liked, for he wanted that greatest of all gifts pulse of London hardly beats-it is percepti--charity. His situation was worth, with ofble, but no more. Nothing is active but the ferings, six thousand francs a year, a large press, and the preparers from without. There sum in this country: but he did not give to must be something wrong in all this. Jack Cade promised the mob, that the grass should grow in the streets of the metropolis, the present government appear to be his execu tors. CHAPTER XXIII. the poor; he exacted from them, and they religiously obeyed him, no one killing a pig or any thing else without a present of a part of it to the curate. When the old man was told that he must die, the ruling passion still governed him. He first sent for a person to dispose of for him the sundry pieces of pork which he had gathered as presents, then took the extreme unction, and died. His will is Spa. not known, but he is supposed to be very Yes, now Spa is agreeable: we have no rich, and whether he leaves his wealth to redoubte open with fools losing their money, some nephews or to support a hospital here no English passants looking after amusement, now without funds, is a question of some inno valetudinarians drinking the poupon, no terest. He was buried in great parade and Spa boxes crowding every window: we procession, followed by hundreds holding are now as Spa should be, a coterie of candles. (I have heard of holding a candle houses in a ravine, surrounded by the moun- to the devil,-is that the origin of this custains of the Ardennes, crowding and shov-tom?) He was dressed in his best, and every ing up together in mutual protection against one said he never looked so clean or so well the deep snow and the forest wolves. in his life. He was carried on an open branThere is something new in this: most of the card, with his canonical hat on his head, houses are shut up; the shop-windows are all quite exposed, and the snow fell fast and setbare; the snow is two feet deep in the streets; tled on his face and clothes, but he felt it not. the mountains on every side are white; the The funeral was as cold as his charity, the icicles hang upon the leafless boughs, and thermometer being exactly 13 degrees below the rivulets are half enchained. All is one the freezing point. Except the procession of drear blank; and except the two-horse dili- the dead curate and of a dead wolf, we have gence which arrives three or four hours past had nothing to enliven Spa these last ten days. its time, and the post, which is now delivered at nine o'clock instead of noon, there is no such thing as an arrival: the boys slide upon their little sledges down the hills; the cattle are driven home; the church clock strikes; and unless we are enlivened by the crowd assembled round the countryman, who appears with the carcase of a wolf which he has been fortunate enough to kill, we are all quiet monotony and peace: in fact, Spa, now that it is a desert, has become agreeable. But I promised to talk about the Burmahs. There have been two or three accounts of the military movements, but there has been no inquiry or examination into the character of the people, which, in my opinion, is of more importance than is generally supposed; for although the East India Company may imagine that they have done with the Burmahs, it is my conviction that the Burmahs have not done with them, and even I may live to witness the truth of my assertion. They say, this hard winter promises plenty It certainly is a point of some interest to of wolves; if so, I recommend those who ascertain from whence the Burmah nation are fond of excitement to come here. Indeed, originally came: that they are not aboriit will be profitable, for if they are active gines, I think most certain. They are surhuntsmen, they can pay their expenses. A rounded by the Cochin Chinese, the Chinese, dead horse costs little, and in Spa, as they and the Hindoos, all races of inferior stature give very little to the horses to eat in the and effeminate in person, with little or no summer and nothing at all in the winter, beard. Now the Burmahs are a very powerthey die fast. You have only to drag the ful race, very muscular in their limbs, poscarcase to an outhouse as a little distance sessing great strength and energy; generally from the town, and with your rifle watch dur-speaking, I should say that they are rather ing the night. The wolves will come down taller than Europeans. They have the high to prey upon the carrion, and it is hard if cheek bones of the Tartar, but not the small you do not kill your couple during the night, eyes; they have strong hair and beards, and and then you are rewarded by the commune. certainly would remind you of a cross beI do not know what the price is now, but tween the Jew and the Tartar. This is sinwhen the king of Holland was in possession gular; and it gave the idea to some of those of Belgium it was one hundred francs for a who are fond of indulging in theory, that they male and three hundred francs for a female might be the remnants of that portion of the wolf. Now a brace a night, four hundred francs Jews who, when permitted to leave Babylon, or sixteen pounds, is not bad pay in Spa it instead of going east with the others, bent would keep a half-pay officer for three their course to the westward and were never spoken of afterwards. But the only props | correct one when blessing the world. The they had to this argument were the appear-art of embalming appears to be known to the ance of the people, the weight in silver be- Burmahs, and is occasionally practised by ing called the tekel or shekel, and the great the priests. At the capture of the old Portupagoda having the name of the Dagon pago- guese fort at Syriam, I found not far from it, da. At least, I heard of no more props to hang a sort of canopied shed, decorated with carvthe argument upon but those three, which ing, cut paper, and tinsel, and supported by can hardly be sufficient, although the coinci- four pillars like a bedstead. Below lay the dence of the two words is singular. body of a priest embalmed and gilt. I inThe Burmahs are semi-barbarous: but this tended to have brought this home, but before term must be used in the most favorable light; | I arrived there, I found one of my marines, a because surrounded on every side by people graceless dog without religion or any other who are wedded to their own customs, the good quality, very busy hammering the mumBurmahs have a liberality and a desire to my to pieces with the but end of his mus improve which is very remarkable. I never quet. I was very angry, and ordered him to met with any Burmah, not even a lad, who desist. In excuse he replied, that it was an could not read and write; they allow any abominable molten image, and it was his duform of religion to be made use of, and ty, as a good Christian, to destroy it-the only churches of any description to be built by evidence of Christianity ever witnessed on foreigners, but they do not like missionaries that fellow's part. On examination, I found making converts of their own people, for as that the body had been wrapped in sundry the king is the head of the religion conver-clothes, and like the ark of Noah pitched sion is a breach of allegiance. One of the within and without: over the clothes was a missionaries had an audience with the king, coat of damma, then of cheenan, and lastly and demanded permission to make prose- it was gilt; the head of the mummy was ficlytes. The king replied that the missionary titious and formed of a cocoa-nut, the real might convert as many as he pleased, but scull being where, in the mummy, would that he would cut all their heads off after- have appeared to have been the breast of the wards. The missionaries had not much body. It did not smell much, but there were trouble when this answer was made known in a great many small scarabei inside, and it counting the heads of his proselytes. In was so mutilated that I did not remove it. their own religion, which is Budhism, the The Burmahs are cleanly in their houses, Burmahs appear to be very relax; it is too which generally are raised from the ground absurd for the energy of their minds. Those a few feet, so as to allow the pigs, which are who enter the priesthood wear a yellow the scavengers of the town, to walk under. dress; but if a priest at any time feels dis-They have houses of brick or stone and morposed to quit his profession he is at liberty so tar, such as the custom-house at Rangoon, to do. All he has to do is to throw off his and one or two others; but the most substanyellow garment; but at the same time, he tial houses are usually built of thick teak can never resume it. The Burmahs are su- plank. The smaller houses and cottages are perstitious about charms, but are not super-built of bamboo, the floors and walls being stitious on religious points. In fact, there is woven like wicker-work; the cleanliness and very little religion among them, and had we the beauty of these houses when new are at the close of the war, instead of demand- very remarkable, and what is still more so, ing a crore of rupees, insisted that they should the rapidity with which they are built. Í embrace Christianity, the king would have have known an officer order a house to be given the order, and the whole nation would built of three rooms, with doors and windows have nominally been Christians. I once to each, and of a comfortable size, and three asked a Burmah soldier what was his idea of or four Burmahs will complete this house in a future state. His idea of bliss was singu- a day and thatch the roof over. In another lar "I shall be turned into a buffalo, and shall lie down in a meadow of grass higher than my head and eat all day long, and there won't be a single musquito to annoy me." While on the subject of religion, I may here The government is, like all are in Asia, observe, that at the capture of Rangoon, I despotic; and the people have the faults entered a Chinese temple, the altar-piece, if which are certain to be generated by despotI may use the term, was the Ganesa of the ism-but not to that degree which might be Hindoos, but not seated on the lotus leaf, but expected. They have their hereditary noon the Chinese rat. On each side of this bility, and the orders of it are very clearly were two little candelabras formed of the defined. They consist of gold chains, worn Egyptian ibis holding the oil cups in their round the neck, with four plates, or chased beaks. I also found the Hounyman, or monk-bosses dividing them; the lowest order wears ey god of the Hindoos and Budhist figures. the bosses linked together by three chains, I once observed some sepoys playing and the next highest in degree with six, the next laughing at a bronze image they had picked nine, and the last, and highest order, has up at the pagoda of Syriam, and on examining twelve; the king only wears twenty-four it I was surprised to find that it was a figure of chains. The use of gold and silver, as drinkthe Egyptian Isis, with her hand raised and ing cups, &c., is only permitted to the nobiher person in the position described as the lity. They are very clever in chasing of point, the Burmahs show a degree of civilisation which might be an example to the northern Athens-to every house there is a very neat and clean cloaca. metals, and they have a description of work will be seen hereafter, more opportunities of in glass and enamel, quite their own, with seeing into the character of this people than which they decorate the temples, houses of others had, for we mixed with them in amity the priests, and coffers containing the sacred for some weeks. They are very fond of mavolumes. Their ornamental writings in the rionettes, and puppet playing, and are very Pali language, a variety of the Sanscrit, amusing mimics. They work very hard, and known only to the priests, are also very beau- with the greatest cheerfulness. They have tiful-especially that upon long leaves of a high respect for the English, or the white ivory. Upon the whole, their manufactures faces, as they call us; and the superiority of are superior to all around them, except per- our warlike instruments, and our ships, is a haps the Chinese. subject of wonder, and at the same time, of most careful examination. They perceive how far they are behind us, and are most anxious to improve. From this reason, joined to others, it was a pity that we ever made war with the Burmahs; they had made an easy conquest of those around them, and were satisfied with their supposed superiority, but now they are not, for they are active and enterprising, fond of war, and will not be content until they have improved their system. Twenty years hence we shall find the Burmahs a much more formidable nation than they are at present, for they have every quality necessary to become the first nation in the East: indeed, when we consider with what weapons they defend themselves, and the nature of the warfare, it is not a little to their credit that they held out for nearly three years against the power of Great Britain. (To be continued.) The women are small, and delicately formed, in proportion to the men; they are not shut up, but go where they please; their dress is becoming, they brace the hair with flowers, and they are much fairer than would be supposed. Those who keep much within doors, are nearly as white as Europeans. They have a singular custom of putting a patch of white chunam on the cheek bone, something in opposition to the black patches which used formerly to be worn by our belles; and it is intended to show how near they approach to white. Indeed, in the men, the lower classes, who are exposed all day to the sun, if they remove their garments, it is singular to witness how many shades lighter they are in that part of their bodies which is covered up. Usually, the men have but one wife, but occasionally there are supernumeraries. The laws of the Burmahs appear to be good, but, as in all despotic countries, they are not acted upon, unless it pleases the ruler. Slavery of a certain species is allowed. Should one man be in debt to another, and is summoned before the lawyer; if he states his inability to pay, he is asked how many children he has, and according to the debt, so are his children given in bond slavery to his debtor, who writes off a certain sum every year until they are free. if he has no children, his wife, or himself perhaps, will be bonded in the same manner. But in this case, where ill treatment can be proved, the bondage will be removed; and further, any person so bonded, may at his or her wish remove to the service of another master, provided they can find one who will pay to the debtor the amount still due, and thus finish the time of servitude under one whom they like better. These bonds are all in writing, and must be produced. Some of our military officers released several of the young women from their slavery. Sitting down in your presence, is, among the Burmese, a mark of respect. Every poor man who is sent for, immediately drops down on his hams in the corner of the room, or at the portal. The use of the cocoa, or betel nut, is universal among the men, but not so common with the women until they grow old. The consequence is, that the teeth of the men are quite black and decayed, while those of the young women are very good. The most remarkable feature in the character of the Burmahs is, their good temper; I think they are the most even-tempered race I ever met with. They are always gay, always content under any privation. I had, as BEAUTIES OF THE GRECIAN DRAMA. It is not intended, under this title, to enter into critical discussions or philological inquiries respecting the Greek scenic poets, or to attempt any continuous versions of their works; but merely to place before the public, in an English dress, some few of the passages in them, that are peculiarly eminent for intrinsic sublimity and pathos, and that appear most readily transferable into a modern language. It is indeed our belief, that a selection of this nature, if skilfully made, would give the non-classical reader a more worthy idea of these noble creations of the hum in intellect, than is generally derived from perusing regular translations of them, however ably the text may have been rendered, however learnedly illustrated. For these dramas contain so many metaphors and similes taken from the every-day occupations of those for whom the authors wrote, so many allusions to the passing events of the time-the plots are so frequently woven, and the characters so generally drawn, from the legends of the national mythology, that those only whom years of study have familiarized with these subjects, those only who have acquired the mental citizenship of Athens, can appreciate the symmetrical elegance of the poems, or be fully influenced by the inspiration of the poets. To other eyes so much appears |