SIR FRANCIS VINCENT'S ARUNDEL.

THE object of Sir FRANCIS VINCENT in this novel, is to present his view of the _leading causes and characters of the French Revolution by the means of a fiction ; and this object he has effected with a cleverness and skill which argue powers of observe. tion, considerable reading, and sufficient literary ability. In saying this, we would not have it inferred that we agree with Sir Passe's in all his views, or for that matter in any, where they differ from those which existing authorities establish beyond question. Allwe mean is, that he has examined the question (hr himself, and drawn his own conclusions ; that he has so fully possessed himself with the Spirit of his subject, as to be enabled to discard those shows points which would seem the most taking to a vulgar novelist, who would merge his fiction in his history ; and that he describes with ease, nicety, and spirit, the Royalists, Moderates, and Sans-Culottes. Marie Antoinette especially is drawn with , much discrimination and delicacy, as a female pol itician a woman, and a queen ; artful in endeavouring to gain partisans-- touched with the distress which she has unconsciously caused, when it is visibly present, disregarding it whets removed from he sight—and turning upon her followers without scruple aS S0011 as they refuse to be her tools. Lafayette, though not a conspicuous figure, is truly hit off, in his excessive vanity, his weakness in relation to the task he had undertaken, and his good intentions. The coarse brutality of Marat loses nothing in the hands of Sir FRANCIS VINCENT, anti, as regards the purposes of art, is per- haps an exaggeration, if not a caricature ; but Robespierre and Danton urn drawn with great tenderness, and display much skill as respects the intention of the author—which is to attribute the Reign of Terror to overpowering circumstances and not to the nu- tural disposition of its ostensible leaders : he has accordingly shown them in the earlier period of their career, and less engaged in public afftirs than in acts of personal gond-nature. Mirabeau is also sketched with power ; and a rather difficult point is well bit—his intellectual dignity and superiority is preserved throughout, whilst his selfishness and corruption are distinctly presented.

Many of the characters in the fiction are also well drawn. The passing sketches of the French nobility, and the polished profligacy of the old regime, are painted by one who has an actual acquaintance with the aristocracy, and the external pleasantry and decorum which gild their vices. Comfits a cour- tesan, and to a certain extent a victim of the privileges of the ancient nobility, is a very finished portraiture—thoroughly French in her character and the circumstances which have developedit; but both she herself, and the part she is made to bear in affecting the conduct of the story, are too foreign to assort very well with English ideas of morals or propriety. De Beauvoisin, the newly- ennobled son of' the rich banker, and his fitther, are also drawn freely and with a liberal spirit ; but are snore general specimens, we should imagine, of 1840 than 1790. The story in its ramifications is complex and long, but simple enough it) its leading points. Arundel, a young Englishman of noble birth but reduced fortunes, sets out for Paris at the commencement of' the Revolution, with a view to examine closely the aspect of affairs, and perhaps to side with the friends of liberty. Thrown amongst the leading persons of all parties, ins finds his fortunes in a measure mixed up with them. The Queen endeavours to gam him through her own fascinations, and the beauty of an attendant; who of course becomes the heroine of the tale. Arundel, however, disapproving of the objects of the courtiers and the policy of the Court, steadily refuses to join the Royalists, though he (lees good service upon various occasions. Mirabeau ttlso wishes to inlist him in his views; but can do no more than get him to beceme the channel of cominunication with the Court. Robespierre, whose life he saves by accident, is eager for Arundel to join bins ; but he pre- fers the army, after preserving his mistress and her Whet'. In the field he partakes of the dangers and glories of the campaigns of the Rhine and Italy, till a wound and a capture prepare the de- nouement.

It may be objected that the various distinguished persons with whom Arundel associates, and the important liatts he purr wins, are somewhat unlikely. It must however be remembered, that the

period was one of extraordinary occurrences, and that the fortunes of hundreds and thousands in real lifb were much more startling and various than any thing in. the novel. The incidents, moreover, are naturally planned, and naturally told—excepting the embassy tim Ru sia, which is scarcely within that vraivemblable the novelist should always aim at.

As a work of fiction, judged by the test of the effect it is I kelyto produce upon readers of fiction, there are two leading limits, which will be likely to militate against its popularity in two different direc- tions. The mere novel-reader will be apt to weary of the histori- cal parts : not that they are treated drily or disconnected with the fortunes of Arundel, but that their bearing- on the mere novel- story—the loves of Arundel and Gertrude de Romainville—is sometimes remote, and sometimes not perceptible. The more critical reader, who would value these scenes for their intrinsic merit, will perceive faults and inconsistencies its the novel, which seem to spring from a desire of doing too much. The story pro,-

nerly ends, when Danton, to secure himself from the denunciation "of a Sans-Culotte for saving aristocrats, requires Arundel and Gertrude to marry, and her father is reconciled to the match. The separation is such as reflects no particular credit upon the lover's temper ; and though it is skilfully enough used to test his fidelity and prove his noble-mindedness, the story drags henceforth till the catastrophe, for nothing that is done directly advances it. This long-drawing-out, too, produces an inconsistency in the cha- racter of the Marquis de Romainville: the match of convenience he contemplates for his daughter, his hatred of the people and loyalty to the King, arc in proper enough a French nobleman, but not to the person he turns out to be. The grounds of his hatred to Arundel, too, seem insufficient ; and the governing incident of the whole distress is unlikely to have happened with an English- man such as the hero is represented.

The political or revolutionary scenes are not the best adapted

for extract ; we will therefore take sonic miscellaneous passages.

EARLY MA RRIAC ES.

Great as may be the inconveniences attending early marriages, they are not to he compared to those attending long engagements. The position of both parties is, in a manner, the reserse of that which they will respectively occupy 'Defter life. The lady commands, the gentleman obeys; and when this state of things has lasted fin any length of time, it is no easy matter to restore them again to their natural state; for although no woman of sense who respects her husband and herself sill ever wish to domineer, and no man of spirit would submit to it, yet the precise limits to which authority may fairly be ex- tended on the one hand,anu obedience expected on the other, are so ill aletined, that it requires very often great tact and management to adjust the balance; and this difficulty is naturally increased when the parties have been fin a long time playing directly the contrary parts. Lovers, too, are naturally living in a state of complete deception and hypocrisy, in most eases probably quite un- intentionally ; but ivhere there exists a wools desire to please, there must also necessarily exist a strong anxiety to keep one's faults in the background, and exhibit only the most pleasitig part of one s character. Half the mihappiness that exists in married life is, I believe,. to be at ributed to the discoveries that flee eellStallIli making of the great difilwence of dispositions before and afier marriage. 7 hen come accusations of deception—very unfairly, f,r, a4 I be- fore said, the fraud wns an involuntary one, and inherent in human nature ; ac- cusations are followed by recriminations and all the misery and bitterntas of married strife, merely because the lovers expected to mossy angels, and tind out that they are united to human beings like themselves. " I cannot say I have made these matters my study," said Anode], half smiling, " but surely a %vomit has a better chance of becoming thoroughly ac- quaint-IA with a man's disposition, by U lung and intimate intercourse with him, than if she has only known him a sliest time ; and there is always the chance that the long habit of keeping a sa.ict guard over ourselves may eradicate, or at least dinnnish any evil propensity of our nature." " h grant that, where there are any strong pascions or positively vicious in- clinations," rejoined Sir John, " they will probably occasionally force them- selves into notice in the course of a long intimacy ; but how seldom is this the case! Ninety-nine young men out of a hundred are free front any positive vice; even if the seed devil exists, it generally takes years to develop it ; and it is only when vice has become a confirmed habit, that it exhibits itself in strong colours." What chance has a girl of knowing how a man spends his time when he is absent lion, her society ? I I ow. fin instance, can .l is Arun- del know that Charles is not a gambler, violent in temper, tyrannical to his infetiors, addicted to women or the pleasures of the table ? 'Why, even I. with much better means of information, cannot be sure on all these points ; though I believe him to be free front them as eolith-need vices. She cannot know, as I do, that he mire lost a considerable sum at Newmarket ; that he hall a horse there, milliner under another man's name ; Hutt he was by oo means the most sober man at 'Cambridge ; that just Mitre he left Eton, he fowled himself in love with a very worthless wotmuitu ; and that only last year he had to pay ten pounds for breaking his servant's head. You scent surprised at the accuracy of my information. A father is too noxious not to take care to be kept an courant of his son's follies. Now, do von suppose that if any one were to tell all this to Miss Arundel, she would believe one word of it ? No; she fancies she knows Charles too well to allow that he could be capable of such enormi- ties, as she would think them. We think them follies of youth , and though as a father I cannot approve of' them, I cannot consider theta as proofs of a vicious disposition. I believe him to he wild nail thoughtless, but I trust he has good prineiples; I know him to have an exist lent heart ; and I believe there is no bet he;' way Of cuintirnil rig his prilleiples :URI putting a stop to his thought- lessness, than by marrying him to a beatnifill and sensible girl, to whom he is sttached, nod by whom his atiMaion is returned."

A TORY IN AN CARLY STATE 01 inc FRENCH REVOLUTION.

The circumstances of birth and long habit had confirmed hini in those doctrines of High Toryism. of which, at the present day, we con hardly form an idea. Monarchs he considered as positive emanations of the Deity ; and all the gradations of the aristocracy as so ninny representatives of the different ours or the celestial hierarchy. Any attempts to limit the authority. or diminish the prerogatives of the crown were , o1ujttjou crimes, which he always expected to see punished b,e some sudden and visible manifestation of the Divine wrath.

These being his political views, it is easy to conjecture with what feelings he regarded the proceedings of the Tiers Et at, who had by this tune assumed the name of National Assembly ; and o !deli he pies tired to himself as a collection or every thing that was bad met vieiotts—an asembly of needy adventurers slid hardy Indians, till ne despleable for their vulgarity, their want of talent, and tin meatiness of their extraetion, and only throlitlable from dick audacity and total recklessness of the consequences of their measures. It is not there- fore sin prising, that when lie heard .thindel express his admiration of their 'animism. and his intentimi Of NMI:, to Frame with tlte avowed purpose of linking his Cute with theirs he srioulti at first imagine that his brain had be- come dieedersd through tl'te annoyances and grief' which he Ind lately under- gone ; and he %ent tired to drop a hint about his endeavouring to compow him- self, and the propriety of Ills seeing Dr. Poo is ; but a hen Arundel proceeded to argue on the subjjet in a manner that could leave no doubt as to his perfect sainte, his count ename el, :wed the "seat concern under which he laboured. " dear Arundel," said he, " thieve it man who is more than double your age, and who lum seen a great deal or the world ; these mad projects can end in nothing butt the ruin of their authors. I will say nothing of their criminality; hot, fin. God's bake, consider for one instant the position in which these patriots You admire so Inuelt stand-'-a few hundred !Ur...thins ragamuffins, totally mosup- ported, except by the lowest rabble of Paris, who would join any cause that offered a fair prospect of riot and opportunities of plunder, undertake to dictate to one of the most powerfill, must ubsolute soyetvigns in Europe, with an im- mense army at his command, wed-appointed and disciplined, and supportml by all the nobility and gentry of the kingdom. Why you might as well attempt to batter down that oak with a penny pop-gan. Luckily for them, they have to deal with a sovereign who curries his good nature and clemency to a fault ; but rely upon it, when once he feels that they presume on this, so far as to direct audacious views against the majesty of his throne, he will sweep them from his path as the sun dispels the morning fog. " No, no, they know better than to awake the sleeping lion. And after all, what is it all about 'Why, everybody knows that the .French were the hap- piest people in the world, and the niost contented, till a set of cursed dema- gogues, for their own selfish purposes, tried to persuade them to the conttnry. On this head I can speak from my own personal knowledge, for I was at Parts when the present King, then Dauphin, was married ; and I saw nothing but

happiness and good-humour, cheerful faces, and merry voices; and certainly they bad not then a monarch like the one they now have. Louis the Fifteenth,

I must admit, was not free from weakness; but his successor I firmly believe to be possessed of every virtue under the sun; and the Queen is au angel upon earth, it' ever there was one."

OLD FEELINGS.

In no country in the world does this feeling exist as it does with us. The sports of the field, the occupations of agriculture, a similarity of interests and

tastes, all combine to promote a good understanding between every class of an agricultural population ; and as nothing is so easy for a country gentleman, living on his own estate, as to conciliate the affections of his humbler neigh- bours, so I know nothing which gives a more unfavourable impression of him

than to find that he bus not succeeded in so tloing. But this warm attach- ment more particularly exists where the hind Ims remained for centuries in the same hands; and many years most elapse before the inhabitants of an estate

can bring themselves to view with the eye of favour those who replace an ancient family. Benefits are unheeded, charity is lavished in vain ; they can-

not so soon change their idols, and are too apt to institute comparisons unfa- vourable to the last coiner, whom they generally look upon in the light of an usurper.