MONTHLY OBSERVATIONS. Natural Occurrences in December. [1821. creature becoming torpid, to pass through this state without loss of life, is, that this sluggish circulation should still be adequate to furnish irritability sufficient for vitality to act upon. In this month, the kingdoms of nature are usually considered as presenting to our view a blank; the gloom of which can only be relieved by the anticipation of better days. But if we more narrowly investigate the subject, we shall find as much to excite curiosity, and raise admiration, as in the more cheerful seasons of spring and summer. Our misapprehension springs from fixing our eyes on wrong objects, or not rightly viewing right ones. The providence of the Deity has fixed the residence of various animals in countries where the variation of the seasons is so great, that while there is abun-up in hay or grass collected in sumdance of food and warmth at one period, but little of these necessaries are to be found at another; and the manner in which creatures, thus circumstanced, are enabled to survive these deprivations is worthy of notice. Even in the human body an effect of extreme cold is to induce a state of torpor; and those who perish from this cause, if not conveyed to a warm place, are found to die with the least suffering imaginable. Another circumstance necessary to the safety of life, seems to be, that the body should be protected from the open air, to which, if it were exposed, the degree of cold might be so great as to exhaust the whole remaining warmth; or the alterations of temperature might cause such irregularity of action in the vessels as their small degree of power would not enable them to support. Uniform protection from cold seems, therefore, necessary to torpid animals; and they seek it under ground, where they lie wrapped A similar effect, but not ending in such a tragical result, is produced from the same cause in many creatures which have constitutions not capable of resisting its violence. The irritability of the heart and arteries not being operated on, through the abstraction of the usual stimulus of heat, a slower degree of the circulation of the blood is the result; hence follows a more languid action of the bodily organs; and in consequence the waste of vital energy is so little, that the creature consumes not more life in a month at this season, than in a summer's day. If the pulse beats but three or four times in a minute, instead of sixty times, every other function acts, and consequently wears, in the same proportion; and the only circumstance necessary to enable a No. 34.-VOL. III. mer; and sometimes beneath the snow itself, which, being a non-conductor of heat, answers the same purpose. The bat seeks some solitary cavern or crevice, where, suspended by its hinder legs, it continues wrapped about by its leathern wings. No creature appears capable of living in a state of torpidity, and of surviving it, whose life cannot be retained with a circulation from twenty to thirty times slower at one time than at another. Those which have not a sufficient supply of the irritable principle with so great a diminution of arterial action, may, indeed become torpid; but the torpidity will invariably end in death. Animals which assume this state in one country, know nothing of it in another; and except reptiles, the greater part of British animals may rather be said to doze than become torpid: a mild day revives them; and the dormouse and squirrel then visit their hoard of nuts, and the bat flies abroad in pursuit of insects. Animals awake in a temperature considerably lower than that in which they passed into the torpid state; the reason of which seems to be, that during the time of inaction, the irritability not being carried off as it is produced, is accumulated; and the vessels become thereby 3 Y 1067 Poetry of Mr. Leigh Hunt. 1068 so much more liable to be affected by oUR METROPOLITAN SCHOOL of poets. the application of stimuli. A similar effect is seen in vegetables. Having suffered a diminution No. 1.---The Poetry of Mr. Leigh Hunt. of their irritability by the summer's process of flowering and fruiting, the decrease of the usual stimulus of heat causes them to sink into a state of inaction. Winter, by inducing this effect, is as necessary in the economy of nature, as summer itself. During its dominion, irritability is again accumulated, and with a warmer sun the vegetable awakes to life with renovated vigour. In mild seasons, a few spring flowers are seen; and black hellebore, helleborus niger, has been called Christmas rose, because it sometimes flowers in this month. The sketch, and it is a mere sketch which has been attempted, of natural occurrences in the ever varying seasons, will afford a glimpse of the Deity, who has created these things for the purpose of helping us in our endeavours to understand his nature; and the more we understand, the more intensely we shall exclaim-Oh, the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!---Certe Deus carmine dignus est. Utinam modo dicere possem Who to Deity belong. Live for ever, glorious Lord! JONATHAN COUCH, (Concluded from col. 976.) But having now discharged the most unpleasing part of our critical duty, in pointing out the blemishes of our author, we approach the more delightful one of doing justice to his merits. "Audi alteram partem" is an observation no less applicable to criticism than to law. Though Mr. H. cannot be allowed a very high place in comparison with many of his greatest contemporaries, he must still be allowed to possess no small share of positive excellence, and this of a very original stamp. There is a liveliness and clearness of thought and expression in his whole manner, which cannot be easily mistaken. This is no less manifested in his poetic than in his prose composition, and is what entitles him to the character of a remarkable, if not of an able, writer. As an editor of periodical papers, either in politics or literature, whether Examiners or Indicators, he is distinguished for a degree of ability and information in conducting them, not only highly respectable, but which we have seldom seen surpassed. The "Indicator" embraces a range of literary subjects, equally amusing and original, and occasionally treated in a very happy manner. On the "Examiner," and the more tender ground of politics, we do not choose to touch, further than to remark, that Mr. L. H.'s own hand is easily discernible in it, from its peculiar characteristics of shrewdness and of force, of flippaney and of singularity. His earlier poems are still more original than his later productions, with less correctness and cultivation, and a stronger tincture of quaintness and familiarity. These qualities, with an air of youthful vigour and freshness of character, are strikingly manifested in the poems entitled "Foliage," in his "Hero and Leander," and several other of his minor pieces. Of this originality and liveliness of genius, we shall subjoin a few specimens, which may not be wholly uninteresting to our readers. The description of our poet's favourite village retreat, is at once characteristic of the beauty and singularity of his manner. It is 1069' Poetry of Mr. Leigh Hunt. in the height of Mr. H.'s natural description, but has something too much like a bird's-eye view of the scenery he delineates. SONNET. DESCRIPTION OF HAMPSTEAD. "A steeple issuing from a leafy rise, seen, Now down below with smoking roofs between, Nature's own ground; woods that let mansions And cottaged vales with pillowy fields beyond, blue, And that clear path thro' all, where daily meet Cool cheeks and brilliant eyes, and morn elastic feet." There is much affectionate feeling, mingled with a tinge of affectation, in the following tender lines to his little boy : TO T. L. H. SIX YEARS OLD, DURING A SICK- 1070 "Full of little loves for ours; Full of songs and full of flowers;" but we have promised to cull from the poet's "Foliage," a few only of the brightest and the greenest leaves, forming a fresh and glowing wreath for the poet's brow. We have pretty stoutly insisted on his faults, and we now take the more pleasure in exhibiting his merits. We were much struck with some late Princess Charlotte. It is entitled lines in a tribute to the memory of the "His Departed Love, to Prince Leopold." (set to music by Vincent Novello.) The Princess is supposed to address her beloved Consort: "I know, dear love, thou canst not see Thou can'st not touch or come to me, But all this pow'r is mine; A hundred brides, who all like me And we inhabit wondrous bow'rs, The leaves are thick and flow'rs grow bright. Then turn thee to thy wonted will, Dry thine and others tears; And when thou too art fancied dead, Such lines are expressive of much feeling, and no little poetic power, while there is less of Mr. H.'s peculiarities observable than usual. But it is not in the descriptive or pathetic only that he excels, he can occasionally strike a bolder chord, which vibrates on some of the strongest feelings of our nature. His natural style of expression is also well adapted to give clear and forcible versions of some of the great poets of antiquity. Thus in his translations of some very pathetic parts of the great father of poetry, Homer himself, he has succeeded far beyond our expectations. It is really too good to omit. Priam, in anguish for the loss of Hector, and getting ready to go and ransom the body, vents his temper on his subjects and children. We think Mr. H. very power- 1071 Poetry of Mr. Leigh Hunt. 1072 fully preserves the feeling and spirit | Brave sons in Troy, and now I cannot say "Off, with a plague, you scandalous multitude; on, Shall have gone down into the darksome house. killed, Instead of Hector, at the ships! Oh me, Liars and dancers, excellent time-beaters, But perhaps the following is even superior, both in the subject and execution of it. The poor old king approaches the tent of Achilles to petition for the body of his favourite son, whom he had slain. "Great Priam came, without their seeing him, And kneeling down he grasped Achilles' knees, And kissed those terrible hands, man-slaughtering, Which had depriv'd him of so many sons. To foreign lands, and comes into the house 'God-like Achilles, think of thine own father, Who is, as I am, at the weary door Of age and tho' the neighbouring chiefs may vex him, And he has none to keep his evils off, The knees of many of these, fierce Mars has loosened; And he who had no peer, Troy's prop and theirs, Him hast thou kill'd now, fighting for his country, Hector; and for his sake am I come here He spoke; and there arose But when divine Achilles had refresh'd To this specimen of Mr. L. H.'s powers as a translator, we must beg leave to add a no less admirable one from the Italian. It is Torquato Tasso's celebrated Ode on the Golden Age, sung by the chorus in the beautiful pastoral drama of the Aminta: CHORUS. "O, lovely age of gold! Not that the rivers roll'd With milk, or that the woods dropp'd honeydew; Not that the ready ground Or the mild serpent had no teeth that slew; Or that the heav'n which burns, But solely that that vain And breath-invented pain, By vulgar minds appall'd, Nor did its hard law bind is permitted. 1073 Answer to a Query on the Division of the Earth. Then among streams and flowers Went singing carols without torch or bow: [low Sports and low whispers; and with whispers Our sorrows and our pains, But oh! thou love's and nature's masterer, Too small a circle for thy mighty sphere? Go, let us love; since years No trace allow, and life soon disappears, &c. 1074 sical Journal," will not, perhaps, be I am, your's, respectfully, 125, Oxford-Street, London. PELEG means to divide, therefore it is said, in his days the earth was divided. Some have thought that this has relation to the earth; that originally it was in one compact mass, and that at this period of the world it was divided by an earthquake as it is now; but a supposition of this nature cannot be admitted, because it leaves us to conclude that the Divine Being could not foresce what should happen, and therefore, that when the time came, he found it necessary to make this division. But leaving such suppositions to those who can be satisfied with them, I shall give what I conceive to be a more rational account of this transaction, more consistent with the understanding of the original writer of the sacred scriptures, which treat only concerning things appertaining to religion, and the future state But we must here interrupt our visions of the "golden prime," and take our leave of the poetry of Mr. H. to pursue more serious duties, and fulfil the higher and more useful objects of our work. Though moral and religious views, and the promotion of peace and good will to man," with christian knowledge and humility, be the chief aim of our uniform and unremitting efforts, we are occasionally glad to season our instruction with the glad voice and the fresh and invigorating spirit of the muse. In accomplishing this, however, we shall endeavour to bring before our readers-ch. xi. i. And the whole earth was of of man. By the earth, in scripture language, is frequently meant the inhabitants, Gen. vi. 11. The earth also was corrupt. only such of our distinguished poets, one language.--ch. xix. 31. After the whose works are equally celebrated manner of all the earth.- Psalm c. for taste and genius, as for the purer Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all qualities and more ennobling princi-ye lands.-Deut. xxxii. 1. Hear, O ples of humanity, morals, and religion. R. T. earth, the words of my mouth.-1st Kings x. 24. And all the earth sought Solomon.-Therefore it is more consistent with enlightened reason, and we have the authority of scripture to conclude, that some other division was meant by the sacred writer.Now, as it appears that these names were given by the patriarchs to their descendants, to signify the states of these patriarchal churches, it is also as certain that at this time there was a division made among them, for a singular change took place in the first order of patriarchs, from Adam to Enoch, who are said to have lived 800 years after the birth of their suc cessors. Thus: |