MR. CARLETON'S RODT THE ROVER.

THERE is a school of novelists, that, placing the matter of a thesis in the form of a fiction, may be called the Traetarian—not the Tractarians of Oxford, but of "the Repository" in the Row. When Exeter Hall takes to romancing, a cheap edition of Tom Paine and a Democratical itine- rant with "the gift of the gab" suffice to corrupt a whole town with "blasphemy and treason"; when the landed interest appears in the field of didactic fiction, a new beer-shop and an old poacher are the "Dens ex machina," not to cut but to create the difficulties of a district. Mr. Carleton's Body the Rover, or the Ribbonman, rather partakes of the tract school in the disproportion of its means to its ends, the exaggeration of ability in the Ribandman and of gullibility in his victims, the extremes of villany in the Irish governors under the Government, and the introduction of the author's own reasonings and reflections in the shape of dialogue and soliloquy. With these draw- backs, and an occasional heaviness resulting from didactics in disguise, Rody the Rover may be pronounced a capital tale; well-constructed to carry out the ends of the author ; pointing a useful moral ; ani- mated by some natural sketches of Irish character and manners ; and varied, without being overlaid, by some truthful pieces of description. The object of Rody the Rover is excellent—to warn the people against Ribandism; to explain its arts, and its inevitable results upon their indus- try, happiness, and lives. For this purpose, Mr. Carleton takes an Irish village in all its dirt and moral degradation, and shows its gradual improvement by the opening of a mine in the neighbourhood, where employment fur- nishes means, and the example of an agent and " superior hands" objects of imitation. This scene is marred by Rudy the Rover, an agent of an Orange Magistrate, Mr. Sharpe, who wishes to excite the people to vio- lence, for some not very intelligible purposes of his own. This Body the Rover is one of those Admirable Crichtons who are never found but in romances ; for the accomplished versatility of a player could not embody their corporal powers, even with language and incidents " found." Hand- some, ready, versatile, a good singer, a good dancer, an orator, a wit, a "godless" person, but an accomplished hypocrite, Body worms himself into the love of the heroine, Alice M'Mahon, and the friendship of the whole family, to their ruin and the destruction of the village. The son is seduced into becoming a Ribandman ; made an instrument for enrolling the neighbourhood; when, hocus pocus, drunkenness, violence, and neglect of work, spring up, a strike takes place, the manager of the works is shot, and the murder put upon young M'Mahon, who is even- tually hanged. In the interim, Rudy has deluded Alice into a false mar- riage, he having already two wives ; and the book winds up, some years after the opening, with the deaths of the M'Mahon family, the transporta- tion of many of the villagers, and the reduction of the village to a worse state than at the beginning.

Mr. Carleton notices in his preface, that he has violated the rule of

poetical justice in the termination, by making the villains Sharpe, Body, and two inferior spies, successful, and provided-for by Government; defending his practice on the hacknied ground that villany is successful and virtue unrewarded in real life. Excepting in works based on some system of religious fate, poetical justice is rather prudential justice : the termination rests as much upon conduct as qualities ; and this in turn is influenced by the particular characters. Weakness or imprudence is as fatal as vice : Desdemona perishes as a consequence of her imprudent and clandestine match and her deception of her father ; Othello as a con- sequence of his credulity ; and lago of his villany and rashness in miscalculating the "fiery openness" of Othello. There is, no doubt, a species of villany, or rather, perhaps, of tolerated fraud, that is practised in the world, and leads to a low sort of success; but the game is probably one where both parties design to cheat, though only the winner realizes the design. The general opinion of mankind decides upon the conclusion that "honesty is the best policy "—that in the long run and on the average vice Is punished and virtue rewarded. We do not, however, quarrel with the violation of a canon. Our objection is not to the final success of Messrs. Sharpe and Body in life, but to their living at all. Rudy, with his surpassing intellect, his double nationality, (for he is sometimes Irish, sometimes English,) his monstrous and obtrusive villany, is not merely unnatural, but no pos- sible character. He is a mere puppet for a purpose. The same may be said of Sharpe; though, as he is less conspicuous in the action, this is less felt. We have already spoken of the way in which a peasantry in full work, and without the excuse of distress, tangible grievance, or political agitation, are drawn into Ribandism. But, setting aside the origin of the conspiracy, the manner in which it is carried on is masterly, in incident, dialogue, and character. The simple respectability and easy belief of the M'Mahon family is nicely conceived ; but the two lower spies Gabby and Malone, are nature itself. It is remarked, we think by Dr. spies, that an Irish traitor is the worst of traitors : there is about him a gratuitous cruelty, and a seeming unconsciousness of crime, that scarcely below,-e. to the individual of any other nation, and argue a total want of moral perception. The following scene between Gubby and Malone is a sample of the truth of Mr. Carleton's character and dialogue. Those persons are discoursing previous to a general meeting, when they are about to broach an attack upon Henderson. "It was now about the hour of eleven o'clock, and our two worthies, Malone and Gabby, were seated at the fire in the new house that had been built for old Molly. Up to that moment, none of those who were expected had arrived; and, in the mean time, the following dialogue occurred between them.

"'I wondher he (Rody) didn't come today at all events,' said Malone; be- kaise, Gubby, although you and I are clever enough, we're not exactly the thing widout an odd hint from him: "'I know that—the devil's clear head he has; an' isn't wondherful to think how he can change his voice an' disguise himself? I'd kiss the book the mother that bore him wouldn't know him, if he didn't wish it.'

"'Oh, the sorra know !—however—but first, are you sure they're all asleep in the room widin ?'

"'Lord bless you, ay are they,' replied Malone; but, any how, there's no harm in speakin' low.'

"'However, as I was sayin',' proceeded the other, resuming the thread of the discourse, we must contrive to have M'Mahon there, otherwise it won't be so aisy to ntlyheii)inet about him.'

h do it?'

" Begad, that's more than I know. If he knew that Hendherson's to get his gruel, he'd never stand it. Sorra much he'd scruple to swear against us lumself; at any rate, he'd make Ilendherson keep out o' the way, or have the eounthry al- together: " 'An' Raekhan refuses to shoot him! Who would think he carries the white liver afther all?' said Malone. "Damn them, they're all a cowardly crew. I suppose we'll have to pink him ourselves, since it must be done.' "'Why, it would be betther to get some o' them to do it, if we could. Rack- ban's very willin' to leather him well, an' so is many o them; but there they stop.

However, see what the whisky will do—if anything will harden and work them up, that will.'

" When is it to be done?' "'Why, if it's not done tomorrow night, or the night afther, the police will be here; an` then it won't be so aisy to manage it safely: "'An' if the Rover doesn't come, what's to be done

'Why, came or no come, we'll go on wid it. You know our first step is to do for the Agent, and our next to get Mr. Tom out o' the way; then the coorse will be clear, and mad Backhan will do the rest.'

" ' Is he bent on takin' her away?' " He is, now; but it was I put it into his head—afther the Rover put it into mine, to be sure.'

It's a right good plan—divil a partier. Let the same Rover alone for a clear

hoe, he's as full of invention as an egg's fell o' malt.' Whist! there's voices: here they are. Oh thin, if they only suspected what a dance we're ladin' thim, it's we might bespake our coffins.

" Yon may swear that. Go and let them in.' "On opening the door, the first that presented itself was the redoubtable Pam Backhan, attended by about two dozen of his own particular faction—desperate and determined men, whose chief delight consisted in following their still more desperate leader in every fight and riot that took place in the country. Rackhan was one of those who could scarcely be said to belong to any particular faction or clan; his principal object was to be engaged in a fight, without any reference whatsoever to its merits. Give him fighting enough, and he cared not a single feather who the party was he fought for or against; nor, indeed, was he hardly ever known to ask, at least until the battle was over, when he sometimes took the trouble of inquiring what the fight was about.

"sow, Paddy,' said Malone, addressing Rackhan in a kind of whisper, yon must spake low; bekaise the family is in the next room, an' we don't know whe- ther they're asleep or not. Man °Moses! what's wrong wid year head ? ' "'Faith, Mat agra, on Friday last, in the Cloughnaboalten fair, there was a fight between my cousins of Cornamucklagh below and them mild enemies of ours, the Traynors. When I saw the decent bit o' fightin' goin' an, I dipped in; and found, Miller we had done, that it was my own cousins I was helpie to leather- an', thank God, we did leather them well, too. The Traynors would put their leather; tmdher my feet ever since, the blackguards.'

" 'An' so you fought against year own flesh and blood, Paddy I' a

'Ay, an I'm not sorry for it, in regard that the blaggard Traynors was the waikest party. Get us some whisky, Mat, an' let us warm our noses, at any rate.'

" They say it's bad for a fresh cut, Paddy,' observed Gnbby; 'it prevents it from hmlln'.'

" a matther for that same, Gabby avick; my flesh has had too much =ice at healin' to be put out of it by a gawliogue o' whisky: send it hether,

The following characteristics of Irish gullibility are not well placed in a soliloquy of Mr. Sharpe ; but the soundness of the advice induces us to quote the passage. "'Now,' proceeded he, continuing his soliloquy after the servant had gone, people would say, if I could be discovered, that I am one of those men who trade upsn the crimes and outrages of the people. Granted; and a good trade I find it. But am I the first that has done so? Am I the first that has, by the means of emissaries and incendiaries, first corrupted them and afterwards won the confi- dence of an unsuspecting Government by pretended discoveries of the very prin- ciples which we have ourselves secretly implanted among them? No, I am not the first, and I will not be the last; for so long as the aforesaid people shall be smileless enough to take the bait, them will be always plenty of those who fish in troubled waters to give it to them. When the peo e despise the admonitions of their own clergy, and of their best and truest friends, I don't see any great harm in taking them into our hands, and turning them, at their own expense to our acceent As for my part, I'm not afraid of discovery; taking care, as fclo, that the instruments I work with, though right well adapted to my purposes are so infamous that any charge or treachery against me or any one on their port would be scouted by the world. Besides, I have them in my power, and that is the best of it.'" Body, alias Leeper, subsequently enters, and the subject continues. "'You found the people as credulous and as easily imposed on as ever?'

' Certainly; and they are of opinion that their great leaders are all at the bottom of the Ribbon system; that it has originated from them, and that nothing but fear of the law prevents them from publicly avowing it,' "'All right, and just as we wish. Why, really, Leeper, it is impossible tore- slat the temptation of misleading a people an besotted as this. They will believe these things, although they know that their leaders have already denounced Rib- bonis' m in every possible form of language: they 'mow, too, that their own clergy have done the same; and yet, no sooner does some scoundrel impostor like yon- " ' Thank you, Sir,' said Body, laughing; but at the same time, while you abuse the tool, don't forget the workman who uses it.' " beg your pardon, Leeper • I did not mean to offend you.'

"'Never mind that,' said Leeper; it's not a trifle should occasion us to quarrel: " Welr reircii;ooner does some rascally impostor assume their dress, language, and religion, than they permit him to lead them, through the means of secret and senseless confederacies into the very traps thus laid for them; yes, and to lead them without the ordinary precaution on their part of inqtury into his true name, character, place of birth, or business in the country. Why, upon my word, Leeper, it's a pleasure, so to speak, to mislead a people who, it would seem, are bent on being misled.'

"'Yea,' replied Leeper; 'but do you know in what light they understand these denunciations on the pert of their leaders ? ' " ' Not exactly: it is enough for our purposes that they neglect them.' "'Their impression and belief are, that their leaders in denouncing Ribbonism, are not serious—that they do so to blind and mislead the Government, which otherwise might suspect the leaders themselves to belong to it. In fact, I agree with you—it would be a pity not to turn such besotted credulity and gross igno- rance to some account: for which reason, I'll drink in good brandy—that they may long continue easy dupes in the hands of their enemies!'"

Though printed in " Duffy's Library of Ireland," Body the Rover was originally intended for a volume of Mr. Carleton's "Tales for the Irish People." This has caused him, as he admits, to "run it more rapidly to a close" than is altogether desirable in an artistical sense; but it has prevented any obtrusion of Repeal objects, except in a few closing hits at the "detective system," and the Government. Let us also add, that we have subjected Rody the Rover to the same test as a half-guinea volume, though it can be had for a shilling. Mr. Daffy has

contrived to publish in his Library for Ireland the cheapest book we have seen.