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THE COUNTRYMAN.
But no tidings did come from the Esquimaux, j a brief prefatory notice, says that the poems
Where his sail the lost rover last spread.
In despair did he call to the white bear,
* Can you tell me the fate of Sir John ?’
But he got from the white bear no answer—
Then swiftly he hurried him on.
And he called to the sky above him,
And he called to the polar breeze,
And he called to the tloating icebergs,
And he called to the depths of the seas.
All these parties, so eloquently appealed to,
S ave no satisfactory answer, and, if Dr. Kane
id address them in such language, he must
have known, beforehand, that they could
throw no light on the subject.
But, finally, after the navigator had nearly
enquired of every fish, and other natural
thing 1 #
Up sprang-, in his pathway, a monster,
With countenance grizzly, and grim.
This monster, as we learn in the sequel, turns
out to be death, and he tempted Dr. Kane to
realms which no skill in navigation could re
lease him from. Let us hope that they are
neither as cold as the polar regions, nor as hot
as the other extreme.
The idea of the author is very good, but it is
ao marred in the illustration, as to be simply
ridiculous. Poetry is a thing of art as well as
conception ; and let no man, who has not the
art, ever attempt to embody in verse, what the
•lightest lack of art may turn into farce.
But to put the capacity of the writer to an
other test, we select the following from one
of his poems, entitled, ‘A Universal Ode,
for the Inauguration of James Buchanan
By the blood of martyr Warren,
Shed for you on Bunker Hill,
When the venal cohorts foreign,
Came your patriot sires to kill,
Cease your striving, be entreated,
Cease your striving, be repeated.
******
Massachusetts, Carolina,
Sisters in the war for right,
Let no petty difference, minor,
All the fruits of vict’ry blight.
Join once more your hands long parted,
In the union, both one-hearted.
This is the average of the poem, and not
nuch below the average of the work
Nothing more need be said. We only hope
that southern literature will not be measured
by this specimen of it.
It is impossible to conceive how there should
b« auch identity between the two articles, un
less we adopt the idea that the editor of the
Dslta had never seen the book which he criti
cised, and borrowed hia article from the Tri
bune.
To the foregoing criticisms we have no ob
jections to interpose, at this late day, and
ought never to have had any, because there
was too much of justness in them, though they
were not altogether just. But we did once
ttrpoae objections to them, and (foolishly
enough) wrote a reply, published at the time it
was written, and which we will present our
readers in the sequel. What made us write a
reply to our critics, was the justice and truth
contained in their articles; for if these had
been devoid of justice and truth, we would
never have troubled ourself to reply.
But we pass from the criticisms of the Delta,
and Tribune, to that of the Mobile Mercury,
which we here present our leaders;
“NEW BOOKS.
•The Discovery of Sir John Franklin, and other
Poems.’ By J. A. Turner. Mobile and New
York; published by S. H. Goetzel & Co., and
William N. White, Athens, Ga., 1858, pp.
96.
We are indebted to the Mobile publishers for
a copy of this volume, of which the author, in
with a few exceptions, are arranged in the or
der in which they were written, which will ac
count for the juxtaposition of poems entirely
diverse in their Dature, and spirit. After a de
liberate look at every individual poem, of the
whole forty-seven—a rainy day must be our
excuse for having spent so much time over
them—we are satisfied that the juxtaposition of
many of the lines, in the respective pieces, is
to be accounted for on the same principle.”
Of the Mobile papers, the only one that spoke
the least lavorably of our book was the Regis
ter, as follows:
Poems, by J. A. Turner.—From Messrs. S.
H. Goetzel & Co., publishers in New York, and
Mobile, we have received a small volume of
poems, by J. A. Turner, of Georgia, just issued
trom their establishment. The verses are very
creditable, and some of them exhibit evidence
of high cultivation, aud true inspiration. We
cannot refrain from calling attention again to
the worthy effort of these enterprising gentle
men, to foster, and encourage southern litera
ture. Already they have been instrumental,
notwithstanding the severe financial pressure,
in giving to the reading public some of the
handsomest contributions of southern genius,
to the treasure-house of American letters.”
We have one other notice, only, of our little
volume, taken from the Madison Family Visi
tor, as follows:
NOTICES OF PUBLICATIONS.
‘ The Discovery of Sir John Franklin, and other
Poems.’ By J. A. Turner. Published by S.
H. Goetzel and Co., Mobile and New York,
and Wm. N. White, Athens, Ga.
We are indebted to the author for a copy of
this neat little volume, oi about one hundred
pages, containing foity-seven pieces, on vari
ous subjects, in verse. We cannot, perhaps,
better show the talent, and the taste of the
writer, without extracting largely from the
work, than by giving a portion of the table of
contents, as follows—
Discovery of Sir John Franklin—A Univer
sal Ode, for the Inauguration of James Buch
anan—‘Cutting a Swell’—Carpe Diem—The
Rainy Sunday—All Things Speak of God—An
other Case, Not Reported in the Books—Lines
composed on Murder Creek, Oct. 1st, 1848-
Song of the Swiss Home-Sick—A Life in the
Woods for Me—To Pyrrha
Life js a Struggle—Cut Off in Beauty’s Bloom
—Sweet is the Note that the Wild-Bird sings—
Oh ! Ask Me not to Sing again—’Twas by Oco
nee’s Dimpling Wave—By Moon-Light Weep
ing—Song of the American Revolutionist--Lines
in Memory of John C. Calhoun—‘Ever Up
ward, ever Onward,’ etc.”
It will be seen that iI we expected any ap
plause from the publication of ‘Sir John,’ etc.
(and of course we did, or we should not have
published him) we were most grievously disap
pointed.
As we have said, we wrote a reply to the
Delta, and Tribune, which we will publish
hereafter. But we wish it distinctly under
stood, that, in publishing both the criticisms,
and the reply, we look upon them entirely as a
matter of the past, and we have no further in
terest in them, now, than just simply to make
up the record.
Pap for Traitors.—“The New
York Chamber of Commerce, in dis
cussing the application of Col. Al
len, for relief for the people captured
in Savannah, by Sherman, used such
language that even the applicant,
yankee as he was, indignantly with
drew his application from the consid
eration of that body. The Philadel
phia Inquier comments upon this, in
language which lead^ us seriously to
consider whether life is a boon, while
purchased by assuming a position in
which a people may be thus spoken
of :
Taking umbrage at remarks made
in debate, by members of the com
mittee appointed by the Chamber of
Commerce, he withdraws his applica
tion to that body, aud suggests that,
if the chamber desires to act inde
pendently of him, it can do so by
sending its contributions to Gen. Gea
ry. The case seems to be this : The
citizens of Savannah are„ too proud,
to beg, and yet will accept charity.
They do not wish to starve, and we
are able to buy what they want, al
though it will be at the sacrifice of
one description of needful food for
others. Perhaps Col. Allen is some
what ‘high strung’ in his sentiments.
It is almost time for him to get over
that, and to cease to be sensitive as
to what is said about bis ‘mission.’
For the sake of the needy people
whom be. represents, it would be well
for him to recollect that be is not now
the representative of southern pride,
but of southern want. The easiest
ihe Huntsman way by which he can effect his pur-
■" ' ’ *' which is
pose, will be by a dignity
free from techiness.”
A Success at Wilmington.—It
affords as great pleasure to learn that
dispatches were received in this city,
yesterday afternoon, announcing that
our troops bad successfully repulsed
the enemy, in their advance upon
Wilmington. The yankees were, it
is said, severely punished.—Gonstitu*
tionalist 24th~
“The Shipping Gazette says, that'
advices from Nantes confirm the re*
port that ex President Juarez has is
sued letters of marque to Americans,
against French ships, and especially
against steamers of the Freach Trans-
Atlantic company. One of these
steamers, having on board <£200,000
in specie, was conveyed from Vera
Cruz, by a French man of war.
The Army and Navy Gazette ridi*
cules the idea that Sherman was ob*
liged to leave Atlanta.”
The LaGrange Republic announces
the death of Col. James A. Russell,
at LaGrange, on monday last, from
the effects ol a bruise, received in At
lanta, sometime in September of last
year. Col. R. was well known in his
section as a public speaker, and a man
of literary ability. He was 34 years,
of age.—Sav. News, Apl. 12th ’58.