There is much grandeur in certain lines and conceptions in the poem entitled Silence;" some extracts we must attempt: He is the saddest despot, and his realm The personification of the Despot following, is in the highest degree bold ;—the effects of his rising, his finding utterless voice, mysterious and full of power,-are marked not only by poetical, but original conception: But, rising then, A moving thing of wonder and of life, He shall have language, and his lips shall break The spell that seals them down. His song shall wake Shall drink no sounds-shall hear no breathing words, The embodied silence, which still beckons me, From "The Shipwreck," we must quote for their striking force and condensation, a line or two from many: -Hope, that linger'd long, * God; what a cry was that! a living death The "Inutile Pursuit" is a fine rebuke to the low spirit of worldliness and utilitarianism, by the Poet, conscious of the truth and significance of his vocation, who Like the warm painter, of his own bright hues The conception so spiritedly embodied in "The New Moon," may more than excuse its quotation entire : Bend thy bow, Dian! shoot thy silver shaft Hangs heavy o'er the dwelling of sweet night!" Even as I spake the words; and, in the west, Gushed out to hail her, as if then first bless'd But our limits compel us to restrain our gladly copying pen, and do little more than allude to the abundant treasures, which we have, as yet, barely indicated as existing in these volumes. The Lost Pleiad" has been long and very extensively known and admired. We can do no more here than allude to that peculiarly happy and pregnant line, in which the lone, long, weary vigil of the stars is told When the stars turn to watchers, and do sleep. A kindred line occurs in the fine ballad-"The Story of God's Judgment." The murderer unexpectedly confronted with an object which recalls his crime, when, pitiless, he heeded not his helpless and youthful victim's cry to the Omnipotent, All-seeing Father, whose Providence is now demanding, as it were, the blood of his child,--the murderer in the wild remembrance of the scene, in the confused thought of the relation of helpless man to God—hears with the ear of conscience "the cryings of a child": -the murderer's brain grew wild, The story of" Albert and Rosalie," is calculated to strike deep chords in many-many hearts; and it is no less valuable for its lesson, than beautiful and pathetic as a poem. Our prescribed limits are narrowing, and yet we have given but a faint shadow of the poetry which glows in these little volumes. From the many beautiful songs in "Areytos," we can give but a specimen. They are conceived in the true spirit of the troubadour," and will find, (as we doubt not they have found already,) many an echo in young and gentle hearts. Here is a beautiful song, full of music and feeling : Awake, awake, dear Lady, Why wouldst thou lose these hours, When the moon grows bright in the balmy east, The breeze like the spirit-bird comes on, And a voice goes forth through the air, that soon Will glide into melody. For thee, for thee, These murmurs rise and fall; With me, with me, On love and thee they call; Wake from the sleep that brings, Awake, awake, dear Lady, And hark the passionate song, Nor longer thus cold, delay to shine, For thee, for thee, These tribute flowers unfold; With me, with me, They murmur, thou art cold; Thine is the crowning part, Thine the sweet boon to bless, When passion first implores and triumphs through distress. The troubadour gives a salutary lesson to wooers in the following: Hear the tale of a boyish heart, Hear and be wise when you go to woo; And touching the sigh at its dying close. Hear the tale of a boyish heart,— With a wild love he seeks young Summer's charms, And clasps her to his arms; Lifting his shield between, he drives away The ancient tyrant whom he boldly braves, And, to his northern realm compelled to fly, Melted are all his bands, o'erthrown his tow'rs, The Sonnets entitled "Grouped Thoughts," contain much that we ought, perhaps, in justice to the author have selected for quotation rather than some of the passages we have extracted. thor, we hope he will forgive us this omission, If this paper should ever meet the eye of the aufor the sake of the opinion which we now express, that those Sonnets will truly repay the thoughtful perusal of the philosophical mind, the deep heart, and the cultivated taste and imagination. There are among them some of the very best specimens of the sonnet to be found in any language; and this is saying much, when we consider how terse, condensed, and pregnant, the nature of the sonnet requires it to be, in order to win the praise of excellence. How noble is the following conception of the majestic mountains, in one of these sonnets: How calm the silent mountains, that, around, Bend their blue summits, as if grouped to hear Some high ambassador from foreign ground,- Two of the sonnets, which are connected, we must make room to introduce, for the sake of the strikingly beautiful, and Platonical conception, which they so originally and philosophically present: The thought but whisper'd, rises up a spirit, A spirit born for earth, and armed with power, From utter desecration. It may fall, Thy structure,-and its gray stones topple all,- Grows hush'd, as if a shape, unseen, beside him heard. At every whisper we endow with life A being of good or evil,-who must, thence, And born of curses, through the endless years, The "Cassique of Accabee." while beautiful and of well sustained interest as a story, is, in our estimation, also particularly remarkable for its psychological display of the characters introduced. We can, however, only snatch in passing the following beautiful thought: But soon a shadow rose above his brow; Which finds love's secret out, And, o'er its sunniest bower, still spans an arch of tears. Other pieces in the volume are of a still higher character; but only one more extract, of a truly lofty grandeur, are we permitted to make,-it is from "Heads of the Poets": The master of a single instrument, The sense of the invisible and the true Cheering, as with a promise rich in wings! We have given no idea of the variety contained in these volumes, both of subject and versification. Nor in seeking to do justice to the Poet, have we exercised our critical prerogative of fault-finding; not because we are such indiscriminate admirers as to be unable to point out inferiorities amidst such a large and varied collection of pieces, and even, we venture to say, some faults in passages which we have quoted in this article; but because the beauties and the poetry are infinitely greater than an occasional inaccuracy or carelessness of expression, and especially, because the world is ever ready enough to believe itself eagle-eyed in detecting faults, while it is, alas! but too often strangely dimvisioned to the ready and generous perception of contemporary genius. But we must conclude by expressing our surprise that no edition of Mr. Simms' selected poems has ever appeared under the auspices of a Southern publisher, in a style worthy of the subject; for every triumph which he wins, is an accession to the laurels with which the genius and intellect of her sons have already so nobly crowned the Land of the South. SONNET. METASTASIO. “Leggiadra rosa le cue pure foglie." Ah lovely rose, whose tender leaves the dew, Philadelphia. W. upon the walls around him. He must never lose Sketches of the Virginia Convention of his self-possession for one moment, or for one 1829-30. moment cease to remember that he is in the presence of an adversary who is always ready to take advantage of his slightest mistake. He must have a quickness of thought resembling inspiration, a promptness of decision like intuition, BY HUGH R. PLEASANTS. The imperfect sketches of a few leading char- and a readiness of speech nearly allied to improacters who figured in that illustrious body which visation. Such a man was Charles James Fox, framed the present Constitution of Virginia, hav- the most powerful debater, probably, that the ing met with far more favor than the writer had world ever saw. He is said to have declared any reason to expect, he has been induced to that his marvellous promptitude in debate was continue them. It is proper to say, that in dis- the result of long practice; that he came into the entombing these reminiscences of a by-gone day, House of Commons determined to make himself be shall be careful to say nothing which shall a debater; that in order to do so, he spoke upon offend any human being. When he can find all occasions; that for five years he worried the nothing good to say of a distinguished personage, House beyond expression; but that he finally he will pass him over in silence. There were succeeded in that which had been the great aim many persons, too, of distinction, whom he had of his life. not the pleasure of hearing speak, and of whom, If the late WM. B. GILES was not so great a consequently, he can say nothing; for these debater as Fox, at least he had no superior in the sketches are designed only to convey an impres- American Congress during his time, and that sion of what the writer saw with his own eyes, time embraced the best days of Madison, Bayard, and heard with his own ears. If the previous Dexter, and a hundred others, who have a right career of any person coming under his notice be to be esteemed giants by us, who are posterity to alluded to, it will only be by way of illustration. them. There were some who could make an arHe will take care, in the meantime, to bring no gument as powerful there were others who living character before the public, sympathising could speak as readily, and with as little prepadeeply with Chief Justice Marshall, who, when tiou-but there were none who combined the two told that some person was writing his biography, excellencies in so remarkable a degree-none said, with considerable agitation, "I hope they who could so successfully combat a new view of will let me alone until I am dead." any question, sprung suddenly and in the very Greece and Rome were both famed for the heat of discussion. He caught every movement great orators to whom they had given birth. In of the sort, at the very first hop; he had no ochis peculiar style of eloquence, it is doubtful casion to ask for an adjourument in order to colwhether either Demosthenes or Cicero has ever lect his ideas. He was ready for the debate the had an equal, even to this day. From the very instant the question was sprung upon him, and nature of the occasions on which they spoke, their it made no difference to him whether he was orations were set speeches, elaborated with the caught in a parliamentary ambush, or had to utmost care. They addressed popular assem- fight the regular forces of his adversaries foreblages, for the most part, and their style of speak-warned and forearmed. We have heard that on ing, therefore, more nearly resembles the stump some occasions, during the administration of the speaking of the present day than the eloquence elder Adams, Mr. Madison had prepared notes which may be expected in the British Parliament to answer a great speech made by some great or in our Congress. We doubt very much Federal leader, but was taken sick on the night whether the Greeks or Romans had any idea of before he was to have replied. As it was of the what we called a debater; of a man who does utmost importance that a reply should be made, not put his faith in long preparation, and elabo- he sent for Mr. Giles, and placing his notes in rate set speaking; but who is always ready, upon his hands entrusted the cause to his care. His the spur of the moment, to enter into any debate confidence was not misplaced, for with the little which may spring up, no matter what may be its time allowed him, Mr. G. made one of the ablest tendency, or what his previous degree of intimacy speeches which, at that day, had ever been made with the subject. The Anglo-Saxon Legislative in either House of Congress. bodies have given rise to this character, and it is At the time of the Convention, Mr. Giles was doubtful whether he can be found anywhere else. Governor of Virginia. He was, moreover, sufIf he hopes to rise to the head of his class, he fering uuder the effects of long continued ill health; must possess qualities and talents of a very high but as it was understood that his mind still reand a very peculiar order. He must be as cool tained its elasticity, and his energy was altoand as calm, upon all occasions, as the pictures gether unimpaired by his sufferings, his old con VOL. XVII-38 every where, and sent their ablest men to represent them. Party animosity and party preferences were buried for the time. Persons, who for years had been buried beneath the weight of their obnoxious federal politics, were once more brought out upon an arena from which federal politics were excluded. Nothing was required in the successful candidate but a character for integrity and the acknowledged possession of stituents of the Amelia District resolved once, many a local reputation. The cause was obvimore to trust their rights in his hands. We re-ous enough. The people turned out en masse collect to have heard him speak but once during the session of the Convention, but we could very well conceive that in his palmy days he must have been a host in himself. It was in the great debate to which we have more than once alluded, and which, as we never heard any thing like it. we feel sometimes disposed to call the combat of the giants; for the smallest man engaged in the conflict was a head and shoulders taller than the majority of great men belonging to the present undoubted talents. In this way the State had era. His style of speaking was very different collected in one body all its best men. The from any thing we saw, even at that day, and man, therefore, who had only been great among evidently belonged to another period. He in- small men, stood every chance of being small dulged in none of the frantic gesticulations with among great men. Nothing but talent of a high which orators of the present and of a long prece- order could make a reputation in that illustrious ding day, are and were wont to give force to their body, or secure one already made. It was the arguments. He neither vociferated until he was last place in the world for mediocrity to show unintelligible, nor grew hoarse of utterance, nor off, and the small man who attempted it was as became red in the face, nor sweated like a cart- uuwise as the knight of doubtful prowess, who, horse in the effort to give birth to his ideas. His in order to acquire lasting renown, should have manner resembled that of a man engaged in ear-enlisted among the Paladins of Charlemagne. nest conversation-his tone was animated, as Let him do what he might he was sure to find his genius rose, but it never became harsh or boisterous. His words appeared to flow in a continued, uninterrupted, lucid stream, strong, it is true, but strong without fury-pregnant with thought, but full without overflowing. The great powers of his understanding were apparent, from the very marked effect which he produced upon the Convention. his match, and more than his match, in those around him. What might have immortalized him on a less memorable field was scarcely noticed there. Among those who came off with fame not only undiminished, but even greatly enhanced, was PHILIP P. BARBOUR. This distinguished gentleman may indeed claim to rank among the very The character of Mr. Giles' mind, and his pe- highest of those who made that Convention culiar tastes, qualified him in a very eminent so illustrious. He came to it with a repu degree for the part of a great debater. Contro-tation established by long experience in Couversy was the very element in which he existed. gress, where he had stood among the highest of Those who knew him in private life have often those great speakers who gave a tone and vigor spoken to us of this peculiar trait. If his speech- to the debates of that body in the times that imes, in the manner of their delivery, resembled pri- mediately succeeded the war of 1812. His vate conversation, so his conversation had very strength was well understood in the Convention, much the character of public speaking. He de- for his career had been so long national, that it lighted to introduce, in the private circle, topics was perfectly familiar to all. When, in conseof debate, which were, at the time agitating the quence of the inability of the illustrious gentlecountry, and he discussed them with all the en- man, who had been first chosen as President of thusiasm of a veteran soldier, fighting over his the body on account of the feebleness natural to battles by the fire-side. His memory was a per- his great age, to preside over its deliberations, fect record of all the events which had occurred he declined to serve any longer in that capacity, from the formation of the Federal Constitution; Mr. B. was chosen in his place. The Convenand where prejudice or passion, too often the in- tion had had an opportunity to estimate his tafirmity of great minds, did not warp his judg-leuts at their true value, for he had spoken on ment, no man was more capable of illustrating one or two of the questions which were before them, by argument, by anecdote, by reference to it. He had, moreover, presided over the House facts, and by deductions from first principles. of Representatives with great credit to himself There are few names upon the roll of that Con- and was well known to possess every requisite vention which will stand higher than his, when necessary to a presiding officer. Virginia shall have begun to make up her jewels. Logical acuteness was the distinctive characteristic of Mr. B.'s mind, and it was that which It was very justly said by John Randolph that prevailed throughout every speech which he the Convention of 1829-30 was the grave of ever made in Congress, in the Convention, or at |