We regret to notice the death of Mr. Hannay, Consul
at Barce- lona, a very witty and accomplished man of letters, who had been a midshipman, and wrote two of the best sea novels, "Singleton Fontenoy " and " Eustace Conyers." There are chapters in the former which for wealth of political epigram rival anything Mr. Disraeli has ever produced. Mr. Hannay was a strong Tory of a type now becoming almost extinct,—the Horatian Tory, who would only have heard St. Paul gladly after he had heard him quote Menander, and holds polish to be an indispensable intel- lectual quality. He had bitter prejudices, and was perfectly reckless in his condemnation of individuals ; but he had genuine wit, keen insight into character, was, says the Pall Mall Gazette, an unusually able speaker, and was through a very difficult life always independent and himself. His literary defect was a certain want of general sympathy, of which he was, we think, con. Scions, and which spoiled his career as an Editor in Scotland, -
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