TIMON, BUT NOT Or ATBENS.

TBIS is a singular publication. The author is a person of some reflection and ability, with a critical perception in music and paint- ings. Ile is also one who has thought much, it' not very skilfully, on many tathjeets, and has observed what is passing around him. lie possess( s, moreover, some power of writilio% but not any ttrt ; that is, he is not merely unequal, but recosionolly displays a weak- ness, or a flatness, which persons with greater skill would not sink to, though they might probably not be able to rise to sonic of his better pos:.ag, S.

The views of the writer in politics are those which will distinguish Deniscracy ; but he is sadly deficient in the (If the Frenchman. Advocating the power of the people tool t.f equality, he abuses kings, princes, courts, mid aristo- cracy, in olio onnicestuvil strain ; nt.ither perceiving that sovereigns and nob:lily 'nese not self.creatioits, but spra11o. in a met:sure from the necessities of ssiciety, and were. in their origin, a less evil than anarchy ; nor allowing those institutions PUch merit as they may fairly lay claim to; nor admitting any good quality in the persons formed immediately under them. Hence, his general views are frequently partial—not so much lidse as one-oided. The same defcct is visible in his judgment on writers : both llunE 1: tool PALEY, comnple, are attacked 1br isolated passagt s—their great general te:rit is overlooked. hi drawing single characters, this delict i. rot so : the author paints t he existence of ptsjudice or even tyrtuotv in te opinion, without eliorgintr it as a crime upon the perst,n, or :Mooing it to vitiate his general character. The vi,oss of the writes are brought litrword in the form of a novel, in which all the qualities of a 11:1 loll are sacrificed to the philosopliy. There is a Tory lonsmet, Ntit II a Radical son; there is a 1115115:11,as: lady of rank converted to Methodism ; then there are the friends and connexions of these persom4 ; there is Tinton himself--a mysterious personage Ill society, who only de- scends. from. Ins reserve and gloom t4) talk with ao intimate the high philosophy of the book : and these people are all contempo- rary (if not exactly connected) with the struggles tbr carrying the lieform Bill and for overthrowing the Pnit. Iinistry. But, though there is some love, with the prospect of ii c011ple of mar- riages, there can scarcely be said to be a story ; and there is no- thing dramatic in the action, persons, or dialogue. The people are puppots—sometimes cleverly made, but still mere puppets; they talk, not naturally, but to carry out some objects of the author : and the political, philosophical, or critical parts, have, as may be supposed, a more truthful air than the dialogues of society. 'The " fmis " is reached not by the march of events, but the march of disquisition. It might have been 'stopped at an earlier period ; it might have been indefinitely continued: indeed a hint is thrown out at the end, that after Timon's return from abroad the public may be furnished with his "opinions bearing more immediately on the present crisis."

It follows that the interest of the work lies in its parts and pas- sages; and the narrower the range of the subject, or the greater its simplicity, the sounder the conclusion to which the author comes.

A C5(ITICIS3I ON PORTRAIT-PAINTING.

I have become almost a fixture of late in the Gallery of the Louvre. The old masters well merit the fame they have acquired. You perceive at once without having seen the originals, that the portraits by Itubens or ke are klithful likenesses. The impression that they are so is intui- tive; and thc r000n I take to be this—in ideal laces, by which I mean faces sketched from fancy, there is never that accordance between the features which is to be found in nature. The eye, for instance, has a certain expression with which that of the mouth is not III 111115011 ; DOW 111 nature the feelings of the mind have their correspondent action throughout the countenance. In all the distinguished productions of the Flemish and Italian masters, this consistency is remarkable, and is the secret of the powerful interest they produce. The man, and the mind of the man, is seen upon the canvas as the painter saw it ; the features all harmonize, the same tone pervades them throughout, and they are all in sympathy ith the feelings out of which their prevailing expression arises. But in modern likenesses, as they are called, how often do we perceive in the eye a look of thoughtfulness, while the eyebrow betokens a steady com- posure, and the mouth an expression differeut from either. 'flag defect I have never observed in the works of any artist of real genius.

THE BRILLIANT S'TYLE OF PIANOPORTE■PLAYING.

Miss Clavering had been seduced into the brilliant style of playing not only by Iter own remarkable power of execution, but by the high estimation in which that at le was held, as well by amateurs as by distinguished professors. At a party one evening, at w hich Delamere was present, a lady of great repute as a pianist t'at down to the instrument, and played the Lichnowsky sonata of Beetlim en with a dazzling rapidity that was truly wonderful. I. ••insly played," said one of the party, con ling 'I to Delamere who was conversing with Emily ; " this shows what may be done by the pianr;forte."

Delainere 110111101 assent, not caring to intitnate any ilifferetice of opinion; but when twain left alone with Emily, he expressed his sentiments without reserve.

" Asqo showing what may be done hj- the pianoforte, it shows what may be done upon it With ten lingers, but nothing more. If music had 110 other end but exhibit the manual dexterity of the performer, it would not deserve to rank higher as sin art than oily other sleight of hand. III %%hat We have just heard, the beautiful thoughts of Beethoven were all dispersed in air. They were sacri- ficed to display. All a performance, it was a specimen of marvellousexecution; but as Cillbotlying the conception, the genius, the inspiration of that great composer, it was a complete failure." Emily felt the truth aml force of these remarks, and from that evenilig she gave up the brilliant school for the intd- /cirtuoi.

A TARTV-3IAN'S REASONS FOR IIIS VOTE.

13ut if the king's ministers take an erroneous view of the subject, are you bound to take the same view of it ? If the course taken to protect and perpe- tuate the wealth mul es„ssiolancy of' the establishment will lila to its downfall do vou think it proper to Ildlaw them blindfold over the precipice ?

*.o, not in the wale you put it, my good friend, eertaioly net ; but you over- look a distinction width, in politics, ought never to he disregarded. It is not because I differ fl' Ill the man, that I ain therefore to abandon the Minister. This distinction onelit never to be lost sight of. I sometimes, for instance, change my opinion during a debate; but I do not, on that account, alter my . And why P—because Illy rote is given, not as this or that measure may deserve to be carried, but that the King's 'Ministry may. be kept in office; and how can this he done if they are not efficiently supported: How are they to cope with their enemies if their..Piends desert them ?

A PAIITY-MAN'S NOTIONS or PUBLIC DUTY.

You are speaking as a moralist, not as a polhician. be of any weight, a party must Silenk With Oil)' V&A:e and act with mie mind. Without thus ad- hesive psi!. Vs it w,e,1,1 split ;old go to Iii)' ('45 nienilier, for instance, who has elected to take sa at on the ministerial Lenchi.,, is bound to consecrate

n11 his means or ,c t. 1 ice to the support of the party lie has espoused. Having

once inlisted I 1 III, If, Ile is virtually pledged to up the government against its opponent,. It is not his business to sent tillize 11)4,' measures .brought for-.

ward on his ,itle of the house—his duty is to advocate them. Ile is in the con- dition of the coutHel olio has taken his brief at the bar ; the right or wrong of Ills client's cause i • 1:1) concern of his ; il becomes his task to defend it. It is the ',inn! 54 ill: !lie iiie4 Itb.a. of a party ; it; on any proposed measure, lie were to told the 11:11lcull 1 s which his own reason sugg, stud, to the arguments brought agaiu,:t it I.y Oh, r t,i,;e, all confidence vaatIrl be at an end, and public 15(151- II IS'.' 41 cadd COIIIC to a Si,11.

TORY REMINISCENCES.

Sir Felix IIweal to nem. to these good old times. "I well remember," said

II', the other day, in a:: :do. r-clinner C:011 Vi•I'Siliii111, st Whidi present,

• listore whom his most frequent topic was the dangei which attends all political elialeses, "I well remember the time when the majority, seated in the House of Commons by the 010011, the borough-holders, and the Peers, was 424. .Ministers had then a It'll' It equal to tile weight they hail to sustain ; and 101 II0t, 115 1104,, C411111...011 to truckle to popular opinion at every turn of the (sum. r. When the sp.:rit. of Reform stalked abroad, as it nmv and then did,

' milli-ders put it 111:1, pe toy iv, and drove it hack at to its hiding-place. They bestirred thsia-, It: s, too, jut other Says. [Perhaps the Whigs arc not

inoiv quiet then public op;nion compels them to be.] They bought up such a port ion of the III iv 'r,'s+ as would keep the puldie mind from tieing whisked. about II:: l'VIT.y IS 1114 Of (10:1 rite. The clerical niagbtrates and the influential Lindh:Ade,: Id each couoty kcpt their Q.(' ,teadily upon the 111.1V:11111erS which the intikae; .:,,k e. the perusal Of their customers. They took ill an opposition .41 I' at thIck p: lit. Hy this anti (11111_i' Incans they got the pro- vincial h It'',, s • -111.11 under their control. The Attorney-General, w as :41,...;•■,, i; ; and not only did he keep a sharp look.out, but the snie:, of go%. I nt v....re always on the watch-tower. The seditious were potmeed upon :tt 4.1(011411t When they thought no eye was upon them.

A CHARACTER.

Lord West! as ...a •.v.:- 01.e f t hat class of persons, more numerous than it is imagined to In', 11 la Ic ia a state of perpetual warfare with their own better principles. With all that inilli-ters to ties happiness of life in abundance, he had no real enjoyment of existence. 1111111fereut to the pleasures of the table, frugal in his g.eneral habits, and addicted personally to no pursuits that weighed heavily on his pme, yet, owing to the expense of his second table, of a con- stant suecessioe of visiters, of an excellent racing stud and the best pack of hounds ill the county, kept more for the accommodation and amusement of his friends than Itint,elf, and to the management of' a steward who was all in all with the tenants, :nal whose accounts were never audited, it was always with difficulty that ii iliC0111C, ample as it was, could be made to meet the de- mands upon it. The great difference bet ween a small fortune and a hire one is, that the one you spend upon yourselfand the other you spend upon other people. Lord 'West - botok was a strikinr, example of this truth; convivial, generous, and confiding

or at least ought to be, taught charity to others, by the consciousness of what there is to forgive in ourselves.

A PRETTY REMARK PRETTILY ILLUSTRATED.

There was something akin to philosophy in the apathy of Lord Trecastle, but it was of that kind which contributes nothing to happiness. He had an in- ward tendency in his nature which would have gone far to counteract it, had not the force of example in his childhood, and the whole training of his boyish years, checked its development. Sensibility is inseparable front thought when- ever the physical organization is not faulty. All the finest attributes of hu- manity spring from the social warmth and susceptibility of the heart. The sages tell us that life is a dream : it may be PO—it is at least something to have our fancy and our feelings awake; but under the spell of indifference it becomes a dreamless sleep, and the two states differ as the iris, whose arch spans the heavens with its prismatic splendour, differs from the lunar rainbow, svlitch, cold and colourless, rests on the silent hills.

A considerable part of the book consists of a long account, with illustrative documents, of GEORGE the Fourth's treatment of his wits, from his first letter of thanks for accepting his suit, till he finally succeeded in driving her abroad. The person who produces the documents, and principally carries on the com- mentary, is 'ninon himself: they consist of letters from the Prince, the Princess, George the Third, and other parties engaged in their matrimonial squabbles, together with a narrative from the Princess's pen of her husband's conduct : the object of their production is to show the villany of princes and courts, and to trace much of the pre- sent democratical feeling in the people to the exposures consequent upon the Parliamentary persecution of Caroline of Brunswick. It is intimated, though not directly asserted, that. these are original documents. Whether they have appeared before, in the many publi- cations, some authentic, some "founded on facts" as the programmes have it, which have come forth at different times since the scandal- loving world was first excited by the reports of the " Delicate In- vestigation," we are not prepared to say, nor is it worth while to inquire. Taking them as " counterfeit presentments" of a real correspondence, the vraisemblance is open to critical challenge. The personal character of the writers does not appear in their let- ters ; and though this would not in itself be conclusive, since the letters very probably would have been composed by others, or pared down by advisers, yet they all, more or less, seem to emanate from one mind. The person having these documents, too, must have more : and no satisfactory reason for their long suppression, or their present appearance, is set forth.