Text: Edgar Allan Poe (?), Literary, Broadway Journal (New York), November 15, 1845, vol. 2, no. 19, p. ???, col. ?

[page 292:]

Editorial Miscellany.

THE CHURCHMAN AND DR. CHEEVER. — The Churchman is no friend to Dr. Cheever, his theology and his opinions, and from our own reflections, we can easily understand how a difference may arise in the premises. But we can see nothing in the case to justify the spirit of an article, in the last number of that organ, on the “Wanderings of a Pilgrim.” In the first place the price is printed wrong, apparently with design, for the sake of a joke long since discarded by penny-a-liners. Price 3s. 6d. In the first place this is not the price of the book, which is legibly printed on the cover thirty-seven and a half cents. Supposing it were forty-four cents — what joke can there be in British shillings and pence that there is not in American currency? Yet such is the fact to the theological critic (not the editor) of the Churchman. The reading of that man must have been miserably confined even among the book shelves of his own creed. The spirits of Old Latimer and of South and of Fuller and of Corbet and of Sterne and of Swift, should rise up and thrust such a witling as that from even the outer court of the sanctuary! He is a disgrace to a church renowned for wit and humor and the soul of the gentleman.

What follows is of a piece for candor — a passage being isolated and battered with dirty adjectives till we confound the innocent words with the shabbiness thrown upon it. With a foul mouth you may thus mar the whiteness of the Parian marble. If a dirty fellow will brush against a gentleman, the gentleman will be mistaken for a dirty fellow, and in this way vulgar and malevolent critics vilify pure authors.

Just censure is one thing, and this wholesale abuse is another. It is very possible that a practised knight of [column 2:] the quill might prick Dr. Cheever gracefully, and the public might be gratified at the spectacle, for the public loves to see an author tickled; but the public requires this spiriting to be done “gently”, and has no affection for the weapons of fish-women or scavengers, clerical or otherwise.

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MR. UPCOTT, the great collector of Autographs, recently died at his residence near London. His house has been often visited by American tourists to whom he was uniformly courteous, showing them the unique treasures of his house, literally lined with books, and being led by them too often to anticipate the sale of a portion of his collections in this country. When we saw him some years since, he was daily expecting letters from the United States respecting such a purchase for some twenty thousand dollars! He was anxious that his collections should be unbroken. He would choose a particular topic, and cm up books and magazines and newspapers till he had exhausted the subject. He had such a collection of cuttings from newspapers contemporary with the American Revolution and relating to that struggle, which Mr. Brodhead purchased and presented to the New-York Historical Society, It is probable that his books and antographs [[autographs]] will be sold at auction.

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PICTURE OF NEW-YORK. — We have seen some exceedingly beautiful wood cuts, forming a part of a pictorial description of New-York city. Among the designs furnished are views of ten Episcopal, two Unitarian, three Presbyterian, and several other Churches; the Deaf and Dumb Asylum, Society Library, Bloomingdale Asylum, Blind Asylum, &c., together with several Brooklyn buildings, viz: First Unitarian Church, Church of the Pilgrims, the Long Island Tunnel.

This volume, we are informed, will comprise about 200 pages, including forty illustrations by the best wood engravers of New-York, and will be published by Messrs. Homans & Ellis early next month. Our city has long wanted a pictorial guide book for the use of strangers and citizens; and the specimens before us lead us to think that justice will be done to some of our noble institutions, especially those of a charitable order.

Messrs. Homans A Ellis have also in hand, preparing by a resident clergyman, a brief account of all the Churches in Brooklyn and New-York, with numerous illustrations.

It is to be hoped that every facility will be afforded by clergymen to the publishers to enable them to furnish a work whose details may be relied upon. One fact is already [page 293:] the enquiries instituted, viz: that there are forty-two churches erected in the city of Brooklyn, and forty-five congregations, three of whom worship in temporary rooms. This is probably a larger number of Churches than are contained in any city with a similar number of inhabitants, say 60,000.

The drawing we now give is of St. Thomas’ Church, in Broadway, at the corner of Houston. It is one of the most beautiful structures of which our city may boast. Its dimensions are 62 feet in width, 113 feet in depth; built of dark stone, in the Gothic order, with two towers, each 80 feet high.

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BIOGRAPHICAL, ANCESTRICAL AND ROMANTIC ITEMS FROM LATE EUROPEAN JOURNALS. — The daily papers give but a brief abstract of the foreign intelligence on the arrival of the Steamers, chiefly confined to a few dry political facts, the price current, with a stray anecdote or two of a dwarf or a calf with two heads. It is singular how uniformly a few passages of the latter description come up, on such occasions, in the papers. A man snatches at an ‘extra’ in great haste and, ten to one, his eye first alights upon some such important item as the delivery of five children at a birth in one of the Orkney Islands. The finest portions, the gems of the literary, scientific and artistical world, are scantily given, if not altogether neglected. We have thought the endeavor to supply this defect might meet with favor, from our readers, and have gleaned the following paragraphs, none of which are likely to be met with in the newspapers of the day. If the plan meets with favor we shall continue it. For our own part, we think we are supplying a deficiency, and that our columns could not be better employed.

ITEM I. A new work by Ariosto!

From Florence, we heard of a discovery ot great interest which has just been made by Signor Zampieri conservator of the Grand Ducal Library. Amongst the manuscripts in that establishment he has found one containing the greater part of an epic poem by Ariosto, of which hitherto the existence was unknown — and whose title is Rinaldo l’ Ardito (‘Rinaldo the Bold’). The work has been originally composed of 244 octave verses, divided into twelve cantos; of which the first, the beginning of the second, and the sixth are wanting in the manuscript in question. The Grand Duke has ordered its publication, at the government expense; and directed that a copy shall be sent to each of the great libraries of Europe, in the hope that a search will br made in those various institutions for the absent portions of the poem.

ITEM II. News of Tycho Brahe.

From Copenhagen, too, we have accounts of a discovery of interest — which we report as we find it, though we think it probable there is some mistake in the terms. They state that professor Heiberg, who is occupied in collecting materials for a History of the Lite and Labors of the Illustrious Swedish Astronomer Tycho Brahe, — which he purposes publishing in the course of next year, wherein will fall the 300th anniversary of the birth of the great savant — lately caused searches and excavations to be made amongst the ruins of the Chateau and Observatory of Tycho, in the little, Swedish Isle of Hvcen, situate in the Sound, which was the properly of the latter. These researches have, it is said, produced some curious results. A number of the tools used by the philosopher for the construction of his astronomical instruments have been found, — many of the completed instruments themselves, and some in an unfinished state — and several manuscripts in the Latin language, bearing the signature of Tycho Brahe, and containing astronomical observations, reflections on the events of his day, and occasional poetry.

ITEM III. A Jewel-Fountain in South America,

Last week, says the London Athenæum, we gave our readers some account — from a report sent by the French Consul to his government, — of a diamond mine which has been discovered in the Province of Bahia, and we have since found some details in a Brazilian paper, — which we are tempted to quote, for the singular effect produced by a narrative of facts that can only be given in language recalling the marvels of Oriental fiction. “Some years ago,” says the journal in question, “veins of gold were accidentally discovered in the Assuara; and a crowd of contrabandists soon flocked to that desert portion of Bahia — situate not far from the southern banks of San Francisco — in search of fortune. The [column 2:] gold, however, was but the harbinger of more marvellous wealth ere long to be found. The labors of the miner extended on every side; and diamond-strata were soon discovered, of richness incalculable. In every stream and on every hill of these districts, and of the vast plain of Sincara, treasures inestimable, in gold and precious stones, presented themselves spontaneously to the hand of man. Attracted by the rumour, multitudes of emigrants from the town and province of Bahia, from Minas, and even from Rio Janerio, crowded thither to quench the universal thirst at this jewel-fountain. It is scarcely three years since the first ounce of gold was found in this region — then a desert; and it contains already a population exceeding forty thousand souls. It would be difficult, says this journal, to credit all that is told of the product of these new mines, if the letters and reports of trust-worthy eye-witnesses did not confirm the wildest of them. One letter says, “Gold is common and abundant in every brook, and throughout the entire district; but no man regards it — all are gathering diamonds.” “Our readers may form an idea,” the paper adds, “of the importance of these treasures, when they know that a single packet-ship exported lately, from Bahia to Europe, diamonds to the amount of 1,000 contos des reis (upwards of 106,000._) although the larger portion of these precious stones are carried first to Rio Janerio, — where, because of a greater abundance of capital and better acquaintance with the sort of traffic, they fetch higher prices.”

ITEM IV. Two anecdotes for Bibliomaniacs — Gold and Fame.

A PRECIOUS VOLUME. — A curious circumstance occurred last week at the sale of the books of the late Dean of Lincoln. — Amongst the persons attracted was Mr. John Deighton, the bookseller, of Cambridge: he was looking over the lots shortly before the auction commenced, when on taking up a copy of Doane's ‘Death, Judgment, Heaven, and Hell,’ he thought the volume felt very’ ponderous; and on examining it, he discovered that in the book-binder's “fly-leaf,” at the beginning, several coins were sewed. He called the attention of the auctioneer to the circumstance; and it was ascertained that a manuscript letter was fastened to the leaf, and that seven guineas and two half-guineas of the reign of Charles II. were strongly sewed within, like so many buttons. The coins were quite bright and fresh; and though many of the books in the library were sadly damaged by damp and neglect, this volume and its contents had escaped injury for the lapse of 160 years. The letter had no signature, but from its style seemed to be the writing of a father to his son at one of the universities. The lot, made interesting by this circumstance, was withdrawn from the auction. — Stanford Mercury.

The Gazette des Tribunaux furnishes an anecdote from one of the bye-ways of Parisian life, which is worth reporting in the Athenæum rather for its touching character than for any direct relation which it has to literature. Some days since, a widow, keeping a well-known book-stall near the Pont St. Michel, was addressed by an old man, to whom his load of wretchedness seemed a heavier burthen than even that of his years. From beneath an old tattered garment the stooping man drew forth a thick volume, torn and stained by long use; and offering it to the book-dealer, said: — “Intrinsically this is worth a mere nothing: it had a value to me, however; but I have not the courage to let myself die of my hunger, — so give me for it what you will.” The volume in question was the “History of Astronomy amongst all Nations,” by Bailly; and, in its worn-cut condition, was dear at 50 centimes; — but, the female merchant, pitying its owner's destitution, gave him a franc; and the latter immediately entering a baker's shop, brought out a portion of a loaf, and sat down to eat it solitary by the river's side. M. G — , a canon of Notre Dame and hunter of the book-stalls in this neighborhood, had been a witness of the scene; and taking up the book when the old man was gone, he found on the reverse of the title-page the following lines, firmly traced, but whose ink had assumed the color of rust” — “My young friend, I am condemned to die; — at this hour to-morrow I shall be no more. I leave you friendless in the world — in a time of dreadful trouble; and that is one of my bitterest griefs. I had promised to be a father to you; — God wills that my promise shall not be performed. Take this volume as the pledge of my earnest love — and keep it in memory of me. — BAILLY.” Deeply affected by this one record of such varied miseries, at the opposite extremes of fifty years, the canon flung two francs to the merchant for her bargain, — and hastened with it to the old man, of whom he had net for a moment lost sight. From the latter, he learned that he was the natural son of a person of high rank; had been, Waller his father's death, the pupil and almost the adopted child of Bailly; and that, on the eve of his death, the illustrious martyr sent to him this copy of the work which, in 1784, had opened to himself the doors of the Academy. This unfortunate pupil of an unfortunate master, after having been long engaged in the business of public instruction, had been attacked by illness, which compelled him to resign his functions; and had since been gradually sinking into the slate of destitution, under whose gnawing promptings he had turned the last gift of his benefactor and friend into bread. The canon took the old man to his home; and has since labored successfully to procure his admission into the hospital of Laronchefoucauld — where the remainder of his days are sure, at least, of temporal comforts. [page 294:]

MISS ELIZABETH HAMILTON, and not Mrs. Grant, as stated in a former number, is the author of “The Cottagers of Glenburnie.”

A PENSION TO TENNYSON. — It is stated in the ‘Cambridge Independent,’ says the London Examiner, that Alfred Tennyson, the Poet, has received a pension of £200 per annum from her Majesty, at the recommendation of Sir Robert Peel.

LORD BYRON’S STATUE, by Thorwaldsen, of the admission of which to Westminster Abbey so much has been written, has reached its destination at Trinity, Cambridge, where it will be put up in the College Library.

THE CONTRIBUTORS TO PUNCH move together in a body. They recently appeared, designers and all, with Dickens, in the amateur performance of Ben Jonson's “Every Man in his Humor.” They are now to be present, or rather have been, Mark Lemon, Gilbert á Becket, Douglas Jerrold, with Charles Dickens, at the MANCHESTER ATHENAEUM SOIREE, held on the evening of the 23d of October.

THE VATICAN LIBRARY. — The Pope has thrown the library of printed books in the Vatican open to the public, and ordered the preparation of a catalogue.

NEW POEM BY SOUTHEY. — Messrs. Longmans announce “OLIVER NEWMAN, A New-England Tale,” an unfinished poem from the literary remains of Southey.

MR. BRYANT is expected to return to the United States from his European tour, some time this month. He will bring with him the fruits of a ripe observation, gathered among the finest scenes of Europe, and under circumstances perhaps never surpassed by any traveller. His reception has been right honorable to the man.

MR. FORREST’S stay in Europe will probably be protracted to another season.

PROFESSOR KINGSLEY has already sent some three thou sand volumes from Amsterdam, Leyden and Paris, to the new Library of Yale College.

MR. SIMMS’ new novel, “Count Julian,” will be ready in about a week.

LONDON EDITIONS OF THE REVIEWS AT AMERICAN PRICES. — We would call particular attention to the fact that Messrs. Wiley & Putnam will hereafter furnish London copies of the Edinburgh Review, the Quarterly, Foreign Quarterly and Westminster, at three dollars and a half per annum, if mailed in London. Also, Blackwood and Frazer at five dollars per annum. This will secure the original copies and at the earliest moment, as they will be delivered through the post-office, at the reduced rates of postage, simultaneously with the letters, on the arrival of the steamers.