THE BIOLOW PAPERS. * THE Biglow Papers were originally a series

of nine political sa- tires in the New England dialect, and in verse, which appeared from time to time in the Boston Courier during the war in which the United States were engaged with Mexico thirteen years ago. The author belonged to the party opposed to that measure, be- cause he says, "I believed our war with Mexico (though we had as just ground for it as a strong nation ever had against a weak one) to be essentially a war of false pretences, and that it would result in widening the boundaries, and so prolonging the life of slavery. Believing that it is the manifest destiny of the English race to occupy this whole continent, and to display there that practical understanding in matters of government and colo- nization which no other race has given such proofs of possessing since the Romans, I hated to see a noble hope evaporated into a lying phrase to sweeten the foul breath of demagogues." The papers had a great run in their newspaper stage of existence, and e Major tDowning' Zettere, the first of their family stock, and the sayings and doings of the famous Clockmaker they were read with avidity by men of 'all shades of opinion through- out-the Union. In their collected form they passed through four editions in America, and the, copies which crossed the Atlantic found such favour in this. country that they appear to have all.

• The Biglow Papers. By Saves Russell Lowell. Newly Edited. witb a Erefae, by-the Author of" Tom Brown's School Days," Published by TrSbner and Co.

passed into the tenacious hands' of'book-borrowers. " I may re- mark, in passing," says the English.editor, " that the impossibility of keeping a copy of the Biglow Papers for more than a few weeks (of which many of us have had repeated and sorrowful' proof) shows how .much an English edition is needed." The book undoubtedly owed its first vogue to party feeling, but it is impossible to ascribe to that cause only so wide and en- during a popularity as it has won. This must assuredly rest upon a much broader basis than sectional interests and animosities ; and, indeed, it is a happy necessity of literary genius that it can- not be witty and humorous for the special purposes of the passing hour alone. Strive as it may, it cannot be wholly one-sided, and absolutely " to party give up what was meant for mankind." " Je prends mon Bien oU je le trouve," said Voltaire, and those- who love wit and humour may make lawful prize of them, from whatever camp they issue. To read Hudibras with glee, it is not necessary that one should share the author's predilection for the cause of Charles I. ; the Whig, who could see no fun in the poetry of The Anti-Jacobin, must be a singularly cold-blooded and narrow-minded animal ; and we do not find that Sam Slick is welcome only to those who belong to Judge Haliburton's school of politics. Human- nature is the same in all parties, and blows which the masterly satirist deals out against one party often rebound upon all, his own included. The English editor declares that " in Lowell the American mind has for the first time flowered out into thoroughly original genius " ; and that " for real unmistakable genius,—for that glorious fulness of power which knocks a man down at a blow for sheer admiration, and. then makes him rush into the arms of the knocker-down, and swear eternal friendship with him for sheer delight, The Biglow Papers stand. alone." It may be allowable to make some deduc- tion from this extreme measure of praise, in consideration of the entire sympathy which the writer of it avows with Mr. Lowell's political opinions ; but surely he must be a man of rare powers who is thus spoken of by the author of Tom Brown's School Days. Less questionable is the following passage from the editor's preface, which we accept without abatement.

" The very slight knowledge which every educated Englishman has of Transatlantic politics will be quite enough to make him enjoy the racy smack of the American soil, which is one of their great charms ; and, as to the particular characters, they are most truly citizens of the world as well as Americans. If an Englishman cannot find Bird-o'-freedom Sawins,' John P. Robinson,,' pious editors,' and candidates facin' south-by-north' at home—ay, and if he is not conscious of his own individual propensity to the meannesses and duplicities of such, which come under the lash of Hosea— he knows little of the land we live in, or of his own heart, and is not worthy to read the Biglow Papers.' "

The verses which constitute the chief matter of the book are professedly written by Hosea Biglow, a young farmer who writes in that quaint dialect which Sam Slick has made familiar to Eng- lish readers. They are edited, with a general preface, introduc- tions, and notes by Parson Wilbur, an imaginary personage, who greatly amuses the reader by his little vanities and pedantries, his "infinite faculty of sermonizing," his simplicity and humour, and is very useful to the author, as enabling him to glance obliquely at many things which were beyond the horizon of his other cha- racters. The first copy of verses is a derisive ode addressed by Hosea to a recruiting serjeant who had tried to 'list him, thinking he " hadn't gut his eye teeth out." The second is a piteous letter from Birdofredum Sawin, who has gone to Mexico for glory and finds himself confoundedly taken in. " What Mr. Robinson thinks" is a commentary on a letter published by that politician. The word " furrer " in the third line is the New England equiva- lent for furrow ; and the phrase "to draw a straight furrow" is metaphorically to live uprightly or decorously.

"Guvener B. is a sensible man ; He stays to his home an' looks arter his folks ; He draws his furrer ez straight ez he can, An' into nobody's tater-patch pokes ;— . But John P.

Robinson he Sez he wunt vote fer Guvener B.

aint it terrible ? Wut shall we du ?

We can't never choose him, o' course,—thet's fiat ; Guess we shall hey to come round, (don't you ?) An' go in fer thunder an' guns, an' all that ; Per John P.

Robinson he Sez he wunt vote fer Guvener B.

Gineral C. is a dreffie smart man : He's ben on all sides thet give places or pelf;

But consistency still wuz a part of his plan,— He's ben true to one party,—an' thet is himself ;—

So John P.

Robinson he Sez he shall vote fer Gineral C.

Gineral C. he goes in fer the war ; He don't vally principle more'n an old cud ; Wut did God make us raytional creeturs fer, But glory an' gunpowder, plunder an' blood ?

So Jahn P.

Robinson be Sea he shall vote for General C,

We were gittin' on nicely up here to our village,

With good old ideas o' wut's right an' wut amt. We kind o' thought Christ went agin war an' pillage, An' thet eppyletta worn't the beat mark of a saint ; ButJohn P.

Robinson he Sea,thisitind o' thing's an exploded idea.

The aideof our country must oilers be took,

An' Presidunt Polk, you know, he is our country An' the angel thet writes all our sins in a book Puts the debit to him, an' to us the per eontry ; An' John'''.

Robinson he Sez this is his view o' the thing to a T.

Parson Wilbur he calls all these arimunts lies;

Sez they're nothin' on airth but jest fee, few, fum ;

An' thet all this big talk of our destinies

Is half on it ignorance, an' t'other half rum ;

But John P.

Robinson he Sez it aint no sech thing ; an', of course, so must we.

Parson Wilbur soz he never heerd in his life Thet th' Apostles rigged out in their swaller-tail coats An' marched round in front of a drum an' a fife, To git some on 'em office, an' some on 'em votes; But John P.

Robinson he Sez they didn't know ererythite down in ,Tude.e.

Wal, it's a mercy we've gut folks to tell us

The rights an' the wrongs o' these matters, I vow,— God sends country lawyers, au' other wise fellers, To drive the world's team wen it gits in a slough ; Per John P.

Robinson he Sex the world '11 go right, of he hollers out Gee."

From a speech by Increase D. O'Phace, Esq., on the occasion of Mr. Palfrey's refusal to vote for the Whig candidate for the Speakership, we quote one or two ingenious sentiments.

" A merciful Providunce fashioned us holler

0' purpose thet we might our principles swaller ;

It can hold any quantity on 'em, the belly can,

An' bring 'em up ready fer use like the pelican, Or more like the kangaroo, who (with is stranger) Puts her family into her pouch wen there's danger."

And- " I'm willin' a man should go tellable strong

Agin wrong in the abstract, fer thet kind o' wrong Is oilers unpop'lar an' never gine pitied, Because it 's a crime no one never committed; But he mus'n't be hard on partickler sins, Coz then he'll be kickin' the people's own shies. "

Passing over "A Debate in the Sennit," we come to No. VI., " The Pious Editor's Creed," some portions of which we give for sake of the profession.

" I On believe in Freedom's cause, An in convartin' public trusts

Es fur away ez Paris is ; To very private uses. I love to see her stick her claws a a a a In them infernal Pharisees ; It's wal enough agin a king

To dror resolves an' triggers,—

But libbaty's a kind o' thing Thet don't agree with niggers.

I du believe the people want A tax on teas an' coffees, Thet nothin' Ant extravygunt,— Purvidin' I'm in office ; Fee I hey loved my country sence My eye-teeth filled their sockets, An' Uncle Sam I reverence, Partic'larly his pockets.

I du believe in any plan 0' levyiu' the taxes, Ez long ez, like a lumberman, I git jest wut I axes : I go free-trade thru thick an' thin, Because it kind o' rouses The folks to vote,—au' keeps us in Our quiet custom-houses.

I du believe it's wise an' good To sen' out furrin missions, That is, on sartin understood An' orthydox conditions ;- I mean nine thousan' dolls, per ann., Nine thoussue more fer outfit, An' me to recommend a man The place 'ould jest about fit.

I On believe in special ways 0' prayin' an' convartin' ; The bread comes back in many days,

An' buttered, tu, for sartin ;— I mean in prey-in' till one busts

On wut the party chooses, I du believe thet I should give rout's his'n unto Cesar, Fer it's by him I move an' live, From him my bread an' cheese air ; I On believe thet all o' me Doth bear his souperscription,— Will, conscience, honour, honesty, An' things o' thet description.

I du believe in prayer an' praise To him thet hez the grantin' O'jobs,—in every thin' thet pays,

But most of all in CANTIN' ;

This Both my cup with mercies fill,

This lays all thought o' sin to rest,— I don't believe in pnncerple,

But, 0, I do in interest.

I du believe in bein' this Or thet, ez it may happen One way or t'other hendiest is To ketch the people nappin' ; It aint by princerples nor men My preudunt course is steadied,— I scent wick pays the best, an' then Go into it baldheaded.

In short, I firmly du believe In humbug giserally, Fer it's a thing thet I perceive To hey a solid wally This bath my faithful shepherd ben, In pastors sweet teeth led me, An' this '11 keep the people green To feed ez they her fed me."

In No. VII. a candidate for the presidency replies to " suttin" questions proposed to him by Mr. Hosea Biglow. His political character is summed up in these lines.

" I'm an electic ; ez to choosiu'

'Twixt this an thet, I'm plaguy lawth ; I leave a side thet looks like losin', But (wile there's doubt) I stick to both ; I stun' upon the Constitution, Ez preudunt statesmen say, who've planned A way to git the most profusion

0' chances ez to ware they'll stand.

Kind o' promiscoous I go it Fer the Noll country, an' the ground I take, ez nigh ez I can show it, Is pootygen'ally all round."

The letter closes with a P.S.

" Ez we're a sort o' privateerin', 0' course, you know, it's sheer an' sheer, An' there is sutthin' wuth your hearin'

I'll mention in your privit ear ;

Ef you git me inside the White House,

Your head with is ru kin' e 'flint

By gittin' you inside the Light house Down to the eend o' Jaalam Pint.

An' ez the North her took to brustlin' At beim' scrouged from off the roost,

I'll tellye wut '11 save all tusalin'

An' give our side a harosome boost,— Telr em thet on the Slavery question I'm water, although to speak I'm lawth ; This gives you a safe pint to rest on, An' leaves ma frontin• South by North."

The volume closes with two more letters from Mr. &twin, &- which he relates how awfully he has been cut up and maimed in the war, and announces his intention of standing for the presi- dency—upon his wooden leg. He thinks " Old Timbertoes" is a name of strength-

" thet's wut the people likes, Sutthin' combinin' morril truth with phrases sech as strikes."

But if aliases are wanted, who can refuse to vote for the ONE- EYED SIARTERE11, or the BLOODY BIRDOFREDIIM ?