I am feeble, pale and weary, And my wings are nearly furled; The heart of man will sicken In that pure and holy light, Have I poured abroad my wrath, Earth shuddered at my motion, And my power in silence owns ; O'er my deeds of horror moans! And am now a dying storm. We have much difficulty in recognizing these verses as from the pen of Miss Gould. They do not contain a single trace of her manner, and still less of the prevailing features of her thought. Setting aside the flippancy of the metre, ill adapted to the sense, we have no fault to find. All is full, forcible, and free from artificiality. The personification of the storm, in its perfect simplicity, is of a high order of poetic excellence-the images contained in the lines italicized, all of the very highest. We have no fault to find with these verses in themselves as specimens of the manner of the French chansonnier, we have no patience with them. What we have quoted, is the second stanza of the song. Our remarks, here, with some little modification, would apply to the Sepulchres of Foscolo, especially to the passage commencing Yes-Pindemonte ! The aspiring soul is fired to lofty deeds They would apply, also, with somewhat less force, to All that obscures thy sovereign majesty Pilgrim! in vain thou seckest in Rome for Rome! Alas! the Queen of nations is no more! Roma in Roma non è In se stessa cadeo morta e sepolta, &c. of Girolamo. But this is no concern of Mrs. Ellet's. Many but not all of the poems in Mrs. Ellet's Of the original poems, which form the greater part volume, likewise, have been printed before-appearing, of the volume, we have hardly been able to form an within the last two years, in different periodicals. The opinion, during the cursory perusal we have given them. whole number of pieces now published is fifty seven. Some of them have merit. Some we think unworthy Of these thirty-nine are original. The rest are transla- of the talents which their author has undoubtedly distions from the French of Alphonse de Lamartine and Beranger-from the Spanish of Quevedo and Yriarte rather a silly joke upon a threadbare theme, and, howplayed. The epigram, for example, at page 102 is from the Italian of Ugo Foscolo, Alfieri, Fulvio Testi, ever well it might have suited Mrs. Ellet's purpose to Pindemonte, and Saverio Bettinelli,—and from the Ger- indite it, she should have had more discretion than to nian of Schiller. As evidences of the lady's acquaint-give it permanency in a collection of her poems. ance with the modern languages, these translations Bring me, I pray-an exile sad- And speak ye of that home to me? Echo was once a love sick maid They say: the tale is no deceiver. Her voice would be the last to leave her! The tragedy (Teresa Contarini) at the end of the volume, "is founded," says the authoress," upon an incident well known in the history of Venice, which has formed the material for various works of fiction." Mrs. E. has availed herself of a drama of Nicolini's in part of the first scene of the first act, and in the commencement of the fifth act. The resemblance between the two plays is, however, very slight. In plot-in the spirit of the dialogue—and in the range of incidents they differ altogether. Teresa Contarini was received with approbation at the Park Theatre in March 1835,Miss Philips performing the heroine. We must confine ourselves to the simple remark, that the drama appears to us better suited to the closet than the stage. In evidence that Mrs. Ellet is a poetess of no ordinary rank, we extract, from page 51 of her volume, a little poem rich in vigorous expression, and full of solemn thought. Its chief merits, however, are condensation | verbiage is bad enough-but the cant of laconism is equally as bad. Let us transcribe the Dedication. and energy. Hark-to the midnight bell! That tells us, with an iron tongue, Gone with its hopes, its mockeries, and its fears, Gray pilgrim to the past! We will not bid thee stay; For joys of youth and passion's plaint Alike the tones of mirth, and sorrow's swell Fill high the cup-and drink We may not shadow moments fleet as this, No comrade's voice is here, Drink to their brightness while they yet may last, The winter's leafless bough In sunshine yet shall bloom; And hearts that sink in sadness now Ere long dismiss their gloom. Peace to the sorrowing! Let our goblets flow, Once more! A welcoming strain! In gladness will we greet! Dear Sir, TO RICHARD YEADON, JR. Esq. Of South Carolina. My earliest, and, perhaps, most pleasant rambles in the fields of literature, were taken in your companypermit me to remind you of that period by inscribing the present volumes with your name. THE AUTHOR. Barnwell, South Carolina. July 1, 1835. This is, indeed, the quintessence of brevity. At all events it is meant to be something better than such things usually are. It aims at point. It affects excessive terseness, excessive appropriateness, and excessive gentility. One might almost picture to the mind's eye the exact air and attitude of the writer as he indited the whole thing. Probably he compressed his lips-possibly he ran his fingers through his hair. Now a letter, generally, we may consider as the substitute for certain oral communications which the writer of the letter would deliver in person were an opportunity afforded. Let us then imagine the author of "The Partisan" presenting a copy of that work to "Richard Yeadon, Jr. Esq. of South Carolina," and let us, from the indications afforded by the printed Dedication, endeavor to form some idea of the author's demeanor upon an occasion so highly interesting. We may suppose Mr. Yeadon, in South Carolina, at home, and in his study. By and bye with a solemn step, downcast eyes, and impressive earnestness of manner, enters the author of "The Yemassce." He advances towards Mr. Yeadon, and, without uttering a syllable, takes that gentleman affectionately, but firmly, by the hand. Mr. Y. has his suspicions, as well he may have, but says nothing. Mr. S. commences as above. "Dear Sir," (here follows a pause, indicated by the comma after the word "Sir"-see Dedication. Mr. Y. very much puzzled what to make of it.) Mr. S. proceeds, "My earliest," (pause the second, indicated by comma the second,) "and," (pause the third, in accordance with comma the third,) "perhaps," (pause the fourth, as shewn by comma the fourth. Mr. Y. exceedingly mystified,) "most plea| sant rambles in the fields of literature," (pause fifth) “were taken in your company” (pause sixth, to agree with the dash after 'company.' Mr. Y.'s hair begins to stand Mr. Simms has written, heretofore, "Atalantis, a on end, and he looks occasionally towards the door,) Story of the Sea"-"Martin Faber, the Story of a "permit me to remind you of that period by inscribing the Criminal"-"Guy Rivers, a Tale of Georgia," and present volumes with your name." At the conclusion of "The Yemassee, a Romance of Carolina." Of these the sentence, Mr. S. with a smile and a bow of mingled works, Martin Faber passed to a second edition-"Guy benignity and grace, turns slowly from Mr. Y. and Rivers," and "The Yemassee" each to a third. With advances to a table in the centre of the room. Pens and these evidences before us of our author's long acquaint- ink are there at his service. Drawing from the pocket ance with the Muse, we must be pardoned if, in review- of his surtout a pacquet carefully done up in silver ing the volumes now upon our table, we make no allow-paper, he unfolds it, and produces the two volumes of ances whatever on the score of a deficient experience. "The Partisan." With ineffable ease, and with an air Mr. Simms either writes very well, or it is high time that he should. Fill high the cup! What prophet lips may tell Where we shall bid another year farewell! With this extract, we close our observations on the writings of Mrs. Ellet-of Miss Gould--and of Mrs. Sigourney. The time may never arrive again, when we shall be called upon, by the circumstances of publication, to speak of them in connexion with one another. THE PARTISAN. The Partisan: A Tale of the Revolution. By the author of “The Yemassee," "Guy Rivers," &c. New York: Published by Harper and Brothers. "The Partisan" is inscribed to Richard Yeadon, Jr. Esq. of South Carolina; and the terms in which the compliment is conveyed, while attempting to avoid Scylla, have blundered upon Charybdis. The cant of of exquisite haut ton, he proceeds to inscribe in the title Now, in this, all the actual burlesque consists in merely substituting things for words. There are many of our readers who will recognize in this imaginary interview between Mr. Yeadon and Mr. Simms, at least a family likeness to the written Dedication of the latter. This Dedication is, nevertheless, quite as good as one half the antique and lackadaisical courtesies with which we daily see the initial leaves of our best publications disfigured. "The Partisan," as we are informed by Mr. Simms in his Advertisement, (Preface?) was originally contemplated as one novel of a series to be devoted to our war of Independence. "With this object," says the author, “I laid the foundation more broadly and deeply than I should have done, had I purposed merely the single work. Several of the persons employed were destined to be the property of the series-that part of it at least which belonged to the locality. Three of these works were to have been devoted to South Carolina, and to comprise three distinct periods of the war of the Revolution in that State. One, and the first of these, is the story now submitted to the reader. I know not that I shall complete, or even continue the series." | Upon the whole we think that he had better not. overweening self-conceit to the conqueror at Saratoga. These charges are sustained by the best authorities— by Lee, by Johnson, by Otho Williams, and by all the histories of the day. No apology is needed for stating the truth. In regard to the "propriety of insisting upon the faults and foibles of a man conspicuous in our history," Mr. Simms should give himself little uneasiness. It is precisely because the man is conspicuous in our history, that we should have no hesitation in condemning his errors. With the events which are a portion of our chronicles, the novelist has interwoven such fictitious incidents and characters as might enable him to bind up his book in two volumes duodecimo, and call it "The Partisan." The Partisan himself, and the hero of the novel, is a Major Robert Singleton. His first introduction to the reader is as follows. "It was on a pleasant afternoon in June, that a tall, well-made youth, probably twentyfour or five years of age, rode up to the door of the "George," (in the village of Dorchester,) and throwing his bridle to a servant, entered the hotel. His person had been observed, and his appearance duly remarked upon, by several persons already assembled in the hall There is very little plot or connexion in the book which he now approached. The new comer, indeed, before us; and Mr. Simms has evidently aimed at was not one to pass unnoticed. His person was symneither. Indeed we hardly know what to think of the metry itself, and the ease with which he managed his work at all. Perhaps, with some hesitation, we may | steed, and the" but we spare our readers any call it an historical novel. The narrative begins in farther details in relation to either the tall, well-made South Carolina, during the summer of 1780, and com- youth, or his steed, which latter they may take for prises the leading events of the Revolution from the fall granted was quite as tall, and equally well made. We of Charleston, to the close of that year. We have the cut the passage short with the less hesitation, inasmuch author's own words for it that his object has been as a perfect fac-simile of it may be found near the comprincipally to give a fair picture of the province-its mencement of every fashionable novel since the flood. condition, resources, and prospects-during the struggle Singleton is a partisan in the service of Marion, whose between Gates and Cornwallis, and the period immedi- disposition, habits, and character are well painted, and ately subsequent to the close of the campaign in the well preserved, throughout the Tale. A Mr. Walton defeat of the Southern defending army. Mr. S. assures is the uncle of Singleton, and has been induced, after us that the histories of the time have been continually the surrender of Charleston (spelt Charlestown) to before him in the prosecution of this object, and that, accept of a British protection, the price of which is where written records were found wanting, their places neutrality. This course he has been led to adopt, have been supplied by local chronicles and tradition. principally on account of his daughter Katharine, Whether the idea ever entered the mind of Mr. Simms who would lose her all in the confiscation of her that his very laudable design, as here detailed, might father's property—a confiscation to be avoided by no have been better carried into effect by a work of a other means than those of the protection. Singleton's character purely historical, we, of course, have no oppor-sister resides with Col. Walton's family, at "The tunity of deciding. To ourselves, every succeeding | Oaks," near Dorchester, where the British Col. Proctor page of "The Partisan" rendered the supposition more is in command. At the instigation of Singleton, who plausible. The interweaving fact with fiction is at all has an eye to the daughter of Col. Walton, that gentletimes hazardous, and presupposes on the part of general man is induced to tear up the disgraceful protection, readers that degree of intimate acquaintance with fact and levy a troop, with which he finally reaches the which should never be presupposed. In the present army of Gates. Most of the book is occupied with the instance, the author has failed, so we think, in confining ambuscades, bush fighting, and swamp adventures of either his truth or his fable within its legitimate, indi-partisan warfare in South Carolina. These passages vidual domain. Nor do we at all wonder at his failure in performing what no novelist whatever has hitherto performed. Some pains have been taken in the preface of "The Partisan," to bespeak the reader's favorable decision in regard to certain historical facts—or rather in regard to the coloring given them by Mr. Simms. We refer particularly to the conduct of General Gates in South Carolina. We would, generally, prefer reading an author's book, to reading his criticism upon it. But letting this matter pass, we do not think Mr. S. has erred in attributing gross negligence, headstrong obstinacy, and are all highly interesting-but as they have little con- exhortations of his cousin Katharine, determines upon | never opening his mouth for a single minute at a time, the rescue of his uncle at all hazards. A plot is ar- without making us feel miserable all over. The rude ranged for this purpose. On the morning appointed and unqualified oaths with which he seasons his lanfor execution, a troop of horse is concealed in some guage deserve to be seriously reprehended. There is underwood near the scaffold. Bella Humphries, the positively neither wit nor humor in an oath of any daughter of an avowed tory, but a whig at heart, is kind-but the oaths of this Porgy are abominable. stationed in the belfry of the village church, and her Let us see how one or two of them will look in our father himself is occupied in arranging materials for columns. Page 174, vol. ii-"Then there was no tricksetting Dorchester on fire upon a given signal. This ing a fellow-persuading him to put his head into a signal (the violent ringing of the church bell by Bella) rope without showing him first how dd strong it is given at the moment when Col. Walton arrives in a was." Page 169, vol. ii-"Tom, old boy, why d-n cart at the foot of the gallows. Great confusion ensuesit, that fellow's bloodied your nose." Page 167, vol. ii among those not in the secret-a confusion heightened "I am a pacific man, and my temper is not ungentle; no little by the sudden conflagration of the village. but to disturb my slumbers which are so necessary to During the hubbub the troop concealed in the thicket the digestive organs—stop, I say—d—n!—dont pull rush upon the British guard in attendance. The latter so!" Page 164, vol. ii--“Well, Tom, considering how are beaten down, and Walton is carried off in triumph | d- -d bad those perch were fried, I must confess I by Singleton. The hand of Miss Katharine is, as a enjoyed them." Page 164, vol. ii--“Such spice is a matter of course, the reward of the Major's gallantry. d- d bad dish for us when lacking cayenne." Page the same muddy lake, on the edge of which the d—d bodiless crane screams and crouches." In all these handsome passages Porgy loquitur, and it will be perceived that they are all to be found within a few pages of each other—such attempts to render profanity less despicable by rendering it amusing, should be frowned down indignantly by the public. Of Porgy's philosophy we subjoin a specimen from page 89, vol. ii. “A dinner once lost is never recovered. The stomach loses a day, and regrets are not only idle to recall it, but subtract largely from the appetite the day ensuing. Tears can only fall from a member that lacks teeth; the mouth now is never seen weeping. It is the eye only; and, as it lacks tongue, teeth, and taste alike, by Jupiter, it seems to me that tears should be its proper business." How Mr. Simms should ever have fallen into the error of imagining such horrible nonsense as that in Italics, to be either witty or wise, is to us a mystery of mysteries. Yet Porgy is evidently a favorite with the author. Of the numerous personages who figure in the book, 163, vol. ii—“Dr. Oakenburg, your d―d hatchet hip some are really excellent-some horrible. The histori-is digging into my side." Page 162, vol. ii-"The cal characters are, without exception, well drawn. The summer duck, with its glorious plumage, skims along portraits of Cornwallis, Gates, and Marion, are vivid realities-those of De Kalb and the Claverhouse-like Tarleton positively unsurpassed by any similar delineations within our knowledge. The fictitious existences in "The Partisan" will not bear examination. Singleton is about as much of a non-entity as most other heroes of our acquaintance. His uncle is no better. Proctor, the British Colonel, is cut out in buckram. Sergeant Hastings, the tory, is badly drawn from a bad model. Young Humphries is a braggadocio-Lance Frampton is an idiot-and Doctor Oakenburg is an ass. Goggle is another miserable addition to the list of those anomalies so swarming in fiction, who are represented as having vicious principles, for no other reason than because they have ugly faces. Of the females we can hardly speak in a more favorable manner. Bella, the innkeeper's daughter is, we suppose, very much like an innkeeper's daughter. Mrs. Blonay, Goggle's mother, is a hag worth hanging. Emily, Singleton's sister, is not what we would wish her. Too much stress is laid Some two or three paragraphs above we made use of upon the interesting features of the consumption which these expressions. "The history of the march of Gates' destroys her; and the whole chapter of abrupt senti-army, his fool-hardiness, &c. are as well told as any mentality, in which we are introduced to her sepulchre before having notice of her death, is in the very worst style of times un peu passés. Katharine Walton is somewhat better than either of the ladies above mentioned. In the beginning of the book, however, we are disgusted with that excessive prudishness which will not adn.it of a lover's hand resting for a moment upon her own-in the conclusion, we are provoked to a smile when she throws herself into the arms of the same lover, without even waiting for his consent. details of a like nature can be told in language exceedingly confused, ill-arranged, and ungrammatical.” Mr. Simms' English is bad-shockingly bad. This is no mere assertion on our parts-we proceed to prove it. "Guilt," says our author, (see page 98, vol. i.) "must always despair its charm in the presence of the true avenger"--what is the meaning of this sentence?--after much reflection we are unable to determine. At page 115, vol. i, we have these words. "He was under the guidance of an elderly, drinking sort of person-one of the fat, beefy class, whose worship of the belly-god has given an unhappy distension to that ambitious, though One personage, a Mr. Porgy, we have not mentioned in his proper place among the dramatis persona, because we think he deserves a separate paragraph of animad-most erring member." By the 'most erring member' version. This man is a most insufferable bore; and Mr. S. means to say the belly-but the sentence implies had we, by accident, opened the book when about to the belly-god. Again, at page 126, vol. i. "It was for read it for the first time, at any one of his manifold the purpose of imparting to Col. Walton the contents absurdities, we should most probably have thrown of that not yet notorious proclamation of Sir Henry aside "The Partisan" in disgust. Porgy is a backwoods Clinton, with which he demanded the performance of imitation of Sir Somebody Guloseton, the epicure, in military duty from the persons who had been paroled; one of the Pelham novels. He is a very silly compound and by means of which, on departing from the province, of gluttony, slang, belly, and balderdash philosophy, he planted the seeds of that revolting patriotism which infant yet unborn adding its prayer to that of its mother for the vengeance to which he has devoted himself”—a sentence which we defy his Satanic Majesty to translate. "Unfold-unfold-the day is going fast, And I would know this old-time history." finally overthrew his authority." It is unnecessary to | 95, vol. ii, we have the singular phenomenon of “an comment on the unauthorized use here, of the word 'revolting.' In the very next sentence we see the following. "Colonel Walton received his guests with his accustomed urbanity: he received them alone." This Mr. Simms has one or two pet words which he never language implies that Colonel Walton received those fails introducing every now and then, with or without particular guests and no others, and should be read with an opportunity. One of these is "coil"-another, an emphasis on the word 'them'-but Mr. Simms' "hug"-another, and a still greater favorite, is the commeaning is very different. He wishes to say that Col. pound "old-time." Let us see how many instances of Walton was alone when his guests were ushered into the latter we can discover in looking over the volumes his presence. At page 136, vol. i, the hero, Singleton, at random. Page 7, vol. i-" And with the revival of concludes a soliloquy with the ungrammatical phrase, many old-time feelings, I strolled through the solemn "And yet none love her like me!" At page 143, vol. i, ruins." Page 18, vol. i-" The cattle graze along the we read-""That need not surprise you, Miss Walton; clustering bricks that distinguish the old-time chimney you remember that ours are British soldiers'-smiling, places." Page 20, vol. i—“He simply cocked his hat and with a bow was the response of the Colonel." We at the old-time customer." Page 121, vol. i-"The have no great difficulty here in guessing what Mr. Simms Oaks was one of those old-time residences." Page 148, wishes to say his actual words convey no meaning | vol. i-"I only wish for mommer as we wish for an whatever. The present participle 'smiling' has no old-time prospect." Page 3, vol. ii— substantive to keep it company; and the 'bow,' as far as regards its syntatical disposition, may be referred with equal plausibility to the Colonel, to Miss Walton, to the British soldiers, or to the author of "The Parti- Page 5, vol. ii-"The Carolinian well knows these oldsan." At page 147, vol. i, we are told-"She breathed time places." Page 98, vol. ii-" Look, before we shall more freely released from his embrace, and he then have gone too far to return to them, upon these old-time gazed upon her with a painful sort of pleasure, her look | tombs of Dorchester." Here are eight old-times discowas so clear, so dazzling, so spiritual, so unnaturally vered in a cursory glance over "The Partisan”—we life-like." The attempt at paradox has here led Mr. believe there are ten times as many interspersed throughSimms into error. The painful sort of pleasure we may out the work. The coils are equally abundant, and the suffer to pass; but life is the most natural thing in the hugs innumerable. world, and to call any object unnaturally life-like is as One or two other faults we are forced to find. The much a bull proper as to style it artificially natural. old affectation of beginning a chapter abruptly has At page 148, we hear "that the disease had not yet been held worthy of adoption by our novelist. He has shown upon her system." Shown is here used as a even thought himself justifiable in imitating this silly neuter verb-shown itself Mr. S. meant to say. We practice in its most reprehensible form-we mean the are at a loss, too, to understand what is intended, at form habitual with Bulwer and D'Israeli, and which not page 149, vol. i, by "a look so pure, so bright, so fond, even their undoubted and indubitable genius could renso becoming of heaven, yet so hopeless of earth." Be- der any thing but despicable—that of commencing with coming heaven, not of heaven, we presume should be an "And," a "But," or some other conjunction-thus the phrase-but even thus the sentence is unintelligible. rendering the initial sentence of the chapter in quesAt page 156, vol. i, a countryman "loves war to the tion, a continuation of the final sentence of the chapter knife better than degradation to the chain." This is a preceding. We have an instance of this folly at page pitiable antithesis. In the first clause, the expression 102, vol. ii, where Chapter XII commences as follows: 'to the knife' is idiomatic; in the second, the words 'to" But, though we turn aside from the highway to plant the chain' have a literal meaning. At page 88, vol. i, or to pluck the flower, we may not linger there idly or we read "The half-military eye would have studious- long." Again, at page 50 of the same volume, Chaply avoided the ridge," &c. The epithet "half-military" | ter VII begins-" And two opposing and mighty prindoes not convey the author's meaning. At page 204, ciples were at fearful strife in that chamber." This vol. i. Mrs. Blonay is represented as striding across piece of frippery need only be pointed out to be desthe floor "with a rapid movement hostile to the en- pised. feebled appearance of her frame." Here the forcing “hostile” to mean not in accordance with, is unjustifiable. At page 14, vol. ii, these words occur. "Cheerless quite, bald of home and habitation, they saw nothing throughout the melancholy waste more imposing than the plodding negro." The "cheerless quite" and the "bald of home and habitation" would refer in strict grammatical construction to the pronoun "they"-but the writer means them to agree with "melancholy waste." At page 224, vol. i, we find the following. "The moon, obscured during the early part of the night, had now sunk westering so far," &c. At page 194, vol. ii, we are informed that "General Gates deigned no general consultation." At page 13, vol. ii. "Major Singleton bids the boy Lance Frampton in attendance”—and at page Instances of bad taste-villainously bad taste-occur frequently in the book. Of these the most reprehensible are to be found in a love for that mere physique of the horrible which has obtained for some Parisian novelists the title of the "French convulsives." At page 97, vol. ii, we are entertained with the minutest details of a murder committed by a maniac, Frampton, on the person of Sergeant Hastings. The madman suffocates the soldier by thrusting his head in the mud of a morass-and the yells of the murderer, and the kicks of the sufferer, are dwelt upon by Mr. Simms with that species of delight with which we have seen many a ragged urchin spin a cockchafer upon a needle. At page 120, vol. i, another murder is perpetrated by the same maniac in a manner too shockingly horrible to |