Text: Anonymous, “[Review of the Southern Literary Messenger for April 1836],” United States Gazette (Philadelphia, PA), vol. XXXVI, whole no. 6203, May 18, 1836, p. 2, col. 5

[page 2, column 5:]

FOR THE UNITED STATES GAZETTE.

The Southern Literary Messenger.

Backward, like every thing else this spring, the April number of this periodical made its appearance in the first week in May. It is a good number, and though the reader may think the variety of its articles not so great as in some of the preceding, it contains many interesing [[interesting]] papers. The first consists of “Mss. of Benjamin Franklin,” comprising a Lecture upon Providence, never before published, and two humorous letters in the manner of those in the Spectator, published originally a hundred years ago in the Pennsylvania Gazette, and now republished from the original manuscripts. The article upon Maelzel's Automaton Chess Player is the most successful attempt we have seen to explain the modus operandi of that wonderful production. The writer advances a multitude of reasons to sustain his position, that a human being is concealed in the box and figure, and might be considered to have achieved complete success, were it not that an objection at once suggests itself. Could any human being have played so often and so long without once betraying himself by a sneeze and a cough? The “March Court” is a racy sketch, and the writer brings before us the justices, jurors, counsellers, clients, planters, pettifoggers, constables, cakewomen, candidate and jackass, as large as life, to say nothing of the Sheriff running down a man who endeavors to escape not punishment for some offence of his own, but the honor of sitting on the jury to decide up on the guilt of others. Nothing of the kind can be better than the anecdote in this piece, of the suppression of the British authorities by the report from the British cannon during the last war. The Dramatic sketch entitled “The Death of Robespierre,” is much to our taste. The incidents are well told, the language is poetical and the versification smooth and harmonious. It is to be hoped that the readers of the Messenger will hear again from this author. The Essay on “Woman” is, we conclude from the signature, from a female hand, and contains just views upon a subject long neglected, but now beginning to attract a proper share of attention — Female Education.

The present number is smaller than usual, its predecessor having exceeded the standard, to admit Professor Dew's Address. The subscription list continues steadily to increase, and includes the names of several Philadelphians. The citizens of Richmond appear determined to give it liberal support, and testify their opinion of its excellence in the most substantial manner.