COOPER'S SATANSTOR

Is the first of a series, intended to paint, in order to preserve, colonial manners during three periods of time, and to point a moral touching the " great New York question of the day, Anti-Rentism,"—which Mr. Cooper conceives to be much more disgraceful than even Repudiation. Unlike some of his later fictions, however, each of these works will be complete in itself, with " its own hero, its own heroine, and its own manners " ; although we expect that successive representatives of the family of Littlepage will appear on the scene, and probably some other individuals who figure in the opening novel. The title of Satanstoe (Satan's Toe) is derived from the name of a farm which belonged to the family of the hero, Cornelius Littlepage ; but beyond furnishing some remarks on Dutch superstitions in general, and the legend which represented the Devil as leaving the mark of his toe on the property in flying from the district, the title contributes nothing to the story. The novel is written in the autobiographical form : it commences about the year 1737, but the principal action takes place twenty years afterwards, about the time of Abercrombie's disastrous attempt upon Ticonderoga. Of course, Satanstoe contains the usual quantity of love and rivalry, necessary to give it the novel interest; the characters being so selected as to exhibit in themselves the manners of the period, and so connected with some of the leading public events of the time, as to bring the history generally before us ; whilst the fortunes of individuals are affected by the turn given to historical events, though the persons are not themselves historical.

In the management of his design, Mr. Cooper exhibits his usual

owledge, skill, and breadth. The then marked and less amalgamated races of the colonists are presented, in the genuine New Englander or Yankee, the New York Dutchmen of various shades, and the Anglo- American of pure or mixed descent. The Negro race, then numerous in New York, but only as domestic slaves, are also exhibited, though pot for the first time by Mr. Cooper, or in the most striking way ; the officers of the King's troops are brought into a sort of contrast with the provincials and the settlers ; and we catch an occasional peep at the magnates or great landowners of the colony, whose families are still distinguished in New York, though they take no part in the story otSatanstoe. In like man- ner, there is a display of customs; some of them—as the Negro saturnalia, and the jovial sprees of the Dutch at Albany—perhaps derived from the tra- ditions of Mr. Cooper's youth; others—as sleighing—in existence still, though the style of doing the thing may be different. These topics are connected with the conduct of the characters; as are some of the common phaznomena of nature or the march of public events. A sadden break-up of the ice on the Hudson, involving the safety of the lovers and two ladies, not only gives occasion to a stirring incident, but a striking scene of na- tural magnificence. The expedition of young Littlepage and a Dutch friend to take possession of a distant purchase, leads to a descrip- tion of life whilst camping out. The operations before Ticonderoga, in which some of the principal persons act as volunteers, serve to introduce a sketch of the campaign, and what is more, to bring the Indians on Ravensnest, the new settlement of the heroine's father ; where we have the usual defence and attack after the fashion of frontier warfare ; with the defeat of which, the stir of Satanstoe concludes.

In addition to these merits of plan, the novel exhibits Mr. Cooper's

knowledge of life, which prevents him from introducing any gross ab- surdities of villany or melodrama into his story. His composition is, as usual, quiet, sustained, and natural, though with this writer's heavy slowness, especially felt in the more level parts. Notwithstanding all these characteristic merits of the author, Satanstoe is by no means one of his best works. The manners of the period, or what are intended for such, do not seem to us any manners at all. They do not look like those of the colony at the time ; they are not those of England; neither, as far as we can undertake to judge, are they those of either country now. To use an Americanism, they rather look like Mr. Cooper's notions " of manners, as formed upon his knowledge of America and his obser- vations in England, than a representation of Colonial manners in the middle of the last century. Hence, as a true picture of national man- ners and of the Colonial and English feeling, we think The Linwoods of Miss Sedgwick a better book than Satanstoe, though as a work of art it may be inferior.

Another defect of Satanstoe is perhaps unavoidable in one who writes so much and is so limited in his subjects. The fiction wants essential novelty. We may not have met the exact forms before, but the sub- stance is almost a repetition. The two young heroines—friends, both nonsuches, but one with all the virtues and all the graces—are usual with Mr. Cooper when engaged in a land love-story. The want of fresh- ness, however, is more felt in the larger events : the scenes of new settlers' life, the back-wood campaign, the sagacity of Indians on the trail, and the incidents of border warfare, though not presented in the par- ticular guise of those in Satanstoe, have often been done in other, and, we think, in more forcible and effective forms.

The two most novel points in the book are the characters of Guert Ten Eyck—a young, manly, openhearted Albanian of Dutch descent, given to rollicking and rough sports, but checked in his wild career by his love for Mary Wallace the friend of the heroine; and Mr. Jason Newcome—a young New England schoolmaster, hypocrite, and i

adventurer. This worthy is depicted with a fulness disproportioned to his actual appearance in the present series : but he seems to be merely a foundation of the next ; where, we reckon, he is to figure as one of the leaders in the fraud which has grown to the present " Anti-Rentism " of New York. Mr. Cooper puts him forth as a type of the New Englander or Yankee proper : but, we must confess, he seems to us no bad representative of the predominant political party in the United States. There are traits in the following passing sketch of Mr. Jason, when about to start for the back-woods, that must strongly remind any one of American principles of Government diplomacy who has paid the slightest attention to their practice. " Mr. Worden had been offered a seat in a Government conveyance; and Jason managed to worm himself into the party, in some way that to me was ever inexplicable. It is, however, due to Mr. Newcome to confess that his faculty of obtaining favours of all sorts was of a most extraordinary character; and he certainly never lost any chance of preferment for want of asking. In this respect Jason was always a moral enigma to me; there being an absolute absence in his mind of everything like a perception of the fitness of thiugs, so far as the claims and rights of persons were connected with rank, education, birth, and experience. Rank, in the official sense, once possessed, he understoodand respected; but of the claims to entitle one to its enjoyment he seemed to have no sort of notion. For property he had a profound deference, so far as that deference extended to its im- portance and influence; but it would have caused him not the slightest qualm, either in the way of conscience or feeling, to find himself suddenly installed in the mansion of the patroons, for instance, and placed in possession of their estates, provided onyhlie fancied he could maintain his position. The circumstance that he was dw under the roof that was erected by another man's ancestors, for instance, and that others were living who had a better moral right to it, would give him no sort of trouble, so long as any quirk of the law would sustain him in possession. In a word, all that was allied to sentiment in matters of this nature was totally lost on Jason Newcome ; who lived and acted, from the hour he first came among us, as if the game of life were merely a game of puss-in-the- corner, in which he who inadvertently left his own post unprotected would be certain to find another filling his place as speedily as possible."

The passages of incident are neither so striking as many previous scenes by Cooper, nor so capable of exhibition by extract unless at great length. We will therefore take a picture of humour ; the subject, a discussion as to where Master Littlepage should be sent to college ; the New Eng- landers still getting it.

" I was present at the conversation which decided the question as regarded my future education; and which took place in the common parlour, around a blazing fire, about a week before Christmas, the year I was fourteen. There were present Captain Hugh Roger, Major Evans, his grandfather and father,] my mother, the Rev. Mr. Worden, and an old gentleman of Dutch designation and extraction, of the name of Abraham Van Valkenburgh, but who was familiarly called by his friends 'Brom Follock, or Colonel Follock or Volleck, as the last happen to be more or less ceremonious, or more or less Dutch. Follock, I think, however, was the favourite pronunciation. This Colonel Van Valkenburgh was an old brother- soldier of my father's, and indeed a relation; a sort of a cousin through my gre,at-

other, besides being a man of much consideration and substance. He lived in Rockland, just across the Hudson; but never failed to pay a visit to Satanstoe at that season of the year. On the present occasion, he was accom- panied by his son Direk, who was my friend, and just a year my junior. " Vell, den,'—the Colonel commenced the discourse by saying, as he tapped the ashes out of his pipe for the second time that evening, having first taken a draught of hot flip, a beverage mach in vogue then as well as now,—' veil, den, Evans, vat is your intention as to ter poy ? rill he pe college-Tarnt, like as his grant-fat'er, or only school-Tarnt, like as his own fat'er ? ' The allusion to the grandfather being a pleasantry of the Colonel's, who insisted that all the old- country born were college-resat' by instinct.

" To own the truth, 'Brom,' my father answered, 'this is a paint that is not yet entirely settled, for there are different opinions as to the place to which he shall be sent, even admitting that he is to be sent at alL' " The Colonel fastened his full projecting blue eyes on my father, in a way that pretty plainly expressed surprise. Vat, den, is dere so many colleges dat it is hart to choose ? ' he said. " ' There are but two that can be of any use to us ; for Cambridge is much too distant to think of sending the boy so far. Cambridge was in our thoughts at one time, but that is given up.'

" Vhere, den, ist Crunprige? ' demanded the Dutchman, removing his pipe to ask so important a question; a ceremony he usually thought unnecessary.

"'It is a New England college—near Boston; not haff a day's journey distant, I fancy.'

" ' Don't send Cornelius dere ' ejaculated the Colonel; contriving to get these words out alongside of the stem of the pipe.

" You think not, Colonel Follock,' put in the anxious mother; 'may I ask the reason for that opinion ? '

" Too much Sontay, Matam Littlepage; the poy wilt be spilt by ter ministers. He will go away an honest lot and come pack a rogue. He will l'arn how to bray and to cheat.'

Hoity toity ! my noble Colonel !' exclaimed the Reverend Mr. Worden, affect- ing more resentment than he felt: 'then you fancy the clergy and too much Sun- day will be apt to convert an honest youth into a knave!'

though he took occasion, while he drew the pipe out of his month, in one of its The Colonel made no answer' continuing to smoke very effios ophicalljr;

periodical removals, to make a significant gesture with it towards the rising sun, which all present understood to mean down East,' as it is usual to say,. when we mean to designate the colonies• of New England. That he was understood by the Reverend Mr. Worden, is highly _probable; since that gentleman continued to turn the flip of one vessel into another, by way of more intimately blending the ingredients of the mixture, quite as coolly as if there had been no reflection on his trade.

" ' What do you think of Yale, friend 'Brom? ' asked my father, who under- stoat the dumb-show as well as any of them. " No tifference, Evans; dey all breaches and brays too much. Goot men have no neat of so much religion. 'Then a man is really goof, religion only does him harm—I mean Yankee religion.' " 'I have another objection to Yale,' observed Captain Hugh Roger, which is their English.' " Och ' exclaimed the Colonel, del English is horriple! Wass dan ast to ns Tatch: " ' Well, I was not aware of that,' observed my father. "They are English, Sir, as well as ourselves, and why should they not speak the language as well as we?'

" Why toes not a Yorkshireman, or a Cornishman, speak as veil as a Leo- nel:ter ? I tell you what, Evans, I'll pet the pest game-cock on ter Neck against the veriest truighill the parson ha.st, ter Preenent of Yale calls peen, pen, ant r o o f, ruff—and so on.'