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honor. The umbrellas of the royal family are white. The whole of that part of the river in which the royal barge lay was covered with boats which appeared to be of gold, with gay banners and streamers, bands of music, and dancers exhibiting their powers on the benches. As the boats moved to and fro in the royal presence, the rowers, an expert, cheerful, and animated race, accompanied their labors with songs.

Notwithstanding the personal correction which his Burman majesty occasionally inflicts upon his courtiers, the latter always appeared most pertinaciously intent upon elevating his dignity, of course in the hope of conferring more importance on themselves. On these occasions they showed themselves greatly superior in the invention of arguments to our western courtiers.. One of these orators, being desirous of insisting upon the most cogent reason why peace should be maintained between England and Ava, observed, that the same sun en→ lightened both countries; a discovery which the Burmans appear to have made only since the war. To make it seem as if the king of Ava and the king of England were the only great potentates on earth, the orator described his Burmese majesty as the sovereign holding dominion over that part of the world which lies towards the rising sun; and the king of England as the sovereign ruling over that portion of the world which lies towards the setting sun. A most admirable specimen of rhetorical amplification!

Society, both among the Burmans and Talains, is divided into seven classes; viz. the royal family; the public officers; the priesthood; the merchants, or "rich men;" the cultivators and labourers; the slaves; and the outcasts. With the exception of the Saubwas, or tributary princes, no class of public officers are hereditary; the rest being all liable to be dismissed by a nod, without the power of transmitting their rank, their titles, or even their property, to their descendants. As in Turkey, men are raised from the lowest ranks, those of slaves and outcasts excepted, to the highest offices in the state, and their titles always keep pace with their promotion in office. A poor merchant appears to belong to no class; for it is only when. a man has acquired considerable property that he is regularly admitted into the caste, as it were, and registered as a "rich man. This title being generally allowed to become hereditary,. a man very frequently belongs to the class of "rich men" who has not a shilling. Those merchants who possess wealth are placed under the protection of the court; that is, instead of being liable to be plundered at uncertain intervals, they are subjected to regular periodical extortion, which is an advantage.

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At all public festivals, which of course are multiplied for the purpose, they are compelled to make presents to the king; and the princes of the blood, with a truly royal condescension, together with the principal officers of the court, borrow money of them without the smallest intention of repaying it. It would appear that the air of the court is not regarded by the merchants as extremely propitious to virtue; for shortly after the arrival of the English embassy, a merchant of Saguing, whose daughter had been invited to receive her education in the palace, paid a thousand ticals (1007.) to escape the honour. The labouring class of the population is divided into proprietors and common labourers, the latter constituting the great majority. Every man in the country is regarded as the king's slave, and his services may at any time be commanded by the government in any way it may judge proper. Being the king's property, every man desirous of travelling must obtain his owner's permission, which is granted for a limited time; but women, who are apparently considered to be more valuable than men, are never permitted to quit the country under any consideration whatever. Regulations not greatly dissimilar existed among the ancient Spartans, though founded on a very different basis.

The present work of Mr. Crawfurd, like all those which he has already published, contains a large store of information, and many sound and judicious remarks on the institutions and manners of the East.

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ART. V.-Satan. By R. Montgomery, 12mo. p. 391. S. Maunder. 1830. IT would be a satisfaction to the Arch One to see the price at which he is rated in Mr. Montgomery's list. The Omnipresence of the Deity is valued at seven shillings and sixpence; A Universal Prayer for the same money; while Satan stands at half a guinea! He is not only highly-priced, but he is particularly distinguished. The Omnipresence of the Deity is plumped up with other poems.' The Universal Prayer clubs with "Death" and "other poems. "Satan alone has a book to himself. The pride of Lucifer, proverbially abundant, must needs be swelled by these marks of consideration, and thus it is, that men are prone to send apples where there are orchards. To him who has much, more is given; bad qualities are fed with compliments delicately indirect, and so the pattern people of this virtuous age demoralize the very Devil himself. When Mercury made experiment of his estimate among men, he

experienced a far different treatment. "Buy the other Deities," said the dealer to the disguised God, "and I will fling you that fellow into the bargain." Should Satan go in masque as a Saint to Mr. Maunder's in Newgate Street, he will find a more flattering treatment of his fiend-head, for, with the exception of the place of publication, which seems rather more personal than consists with taste, he has every reason to be gratified with the consideration in which he is held, and the value put on him—and as for the venue, which savours of disrespect, he would hardly have been at home in Paternoster-Row.

Tony Lumpkin makes the profound remark, that he reads the superscription of letters addressed to himself without difficulty, while the interior, which is by some considered the cream of the correspondence, is all buz to his eyes, and baffles his comprehension. Similar to this is our remarkable case with regard to a certain or uncertain kind of poetry. We chiefly relish the title pages, which are easy reading, and generally the most unexceptionable page in the book. Mr. Montgomery begins well-Satan, by Montgomery, a bold and original authorship. Then turning the leaf, we are somewhat startled by these three words on the next page, To мY FRIEND. As there is only the difference of the dog's letter between friend and the quality of the subject, we looked to the Errata, thinking it probable there was a misprint of fiend; but as none is acknowledged, we suppose the friend is one whom it is not decorous more distinctly to particularize. It is the fashion of the day to make biography a work of friendship. Moore writes the life of Byron; Campbell is the historian of Lawrence; Paris takes the life of Davy, and Mr. Montgomery handles Satan. Indeed, on looking again at the Address, we discover the ingenuity of the device, on one page stands "To my Friend," "Satan, Book 1st," is the next title, completing the Dedication. As thus, To my Friend Satan his First Book. Horace instructs us that neither gods nor man endure mediocre poetry, and consequently Mr. Montgomery had no course, but to address his song to the third estate, whose liberal patronage of every thing bad may reasonably be reckoned on. The arch enemy's ear for discord must needs be gratified by such verses as we see before us, and as a lover of deceit he will be pleased with lines simulating poetry by the capital letter at the head of each,

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‹ Like dead-sea fruits that tempt the eye,

But turn to ashes on the lips.'

As Milton may be read in Heaven so this is precisely the book fit for Hades, and though we trust we hate the Enemy as

vehemently as all good Christians ought to hate him, yet we own we wish him no worse than a patient perusal of this work to his honour. He will here bathe in a stream of molten lead. Every page is fraught with the weariness that protracts time, and makes a duodecimo a doomsday book.

For the common-place of the thoughts, and the lumbering awkwardness of the verse, where shall we find lines more fit for vexation than these:

The bloom of life, the bright deceit,
The heavenliness of youth is o'er,
And joys that blossom'd once so sweet,

Array them in their spring no more.'

The heavenliness of youth is o'er,' Ye nymphs of Nick what a line is there for ye to sing! How suited to adust lips, and tongues parched to coal. This heavenliness passes away with the crunch of cinders! What demons mouth can twirl it off without a contortion trebly demoniacal. It is a precious Pierian gargle for throats of the tunefulness of Tartarus. Our poet obviously knows how to strike the Infernal Lyre or Liar-we care not how the Printer sets it.

From the following, indeed, it appears that Mr. Montgomery is hand in glove with Satan, and qualified from intimate acquaintance with his sentiments, opinions, observations, and feelings, to give an account of his travels :

'And such a wanderer on earth,

The viewless Power I've dared to draw,
And humanly have given birth

To all he felt and all he saw.'

He says he understands him particularly well,

'And what art thou? the dark Unknown

Thy name to mortals bound and blind

Yet, like a faint-heard mystic tone,

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Thy meaning hovers o'er my mind.'

He is completely possessed of the Devil.

'I see thee in the vigil star

I hear thee in the thunders deep
And like a feeling from afar,

Thy shadow riseth o'er my sleep.'

Mr. Montgomery puts the devil through three books, but we cannot pretend to give an account of his representation of his views and feelings, because we have not the fortune of comprehending the meanings of the Prophet of the Evil one, whose language is of appropriate darkness. An idea does break in

upon us-that, like St. Dunstan, he takes the enemy by the nose, but we cannot speak with certainty. He represents him, however, as a good believer, which is some praise for so bad a character (and indeed we question whether without a profession of faith, the devil himself could make his way through the world), and gives us to understand that he is greatly indebted to the Press, which is the fountain of all mischief, a Versailles Jet of pus and poison.

ART. VI.-1. Thoughts on the present State of the Law of Arrest and Imprisonment for Debt. William Benning, Fleet-Street. 1828. 2. Remarks on the practical Effect of Imprisonment for Debt, and on the Law of Insolvency. By Henry Dance, Provisional Assignee of Insolvent Debtors in England. Ridgway. 1829.

3. Observations on the Insolvent Debtors Act; miscalled " An Act for Relief of Insolvent Debtors." By William Jones, Esq., Marshal of the King's Bench. Hatchard and Son. 1827.

4. Opinion de M. le Duc de Broglie, sur l' Article 3 du Projet de Loi relatif à la Contrainte par Corps. Seance du 13 Mai, 1829. Chambre des Pairs.

5. Reform of the Bankrupt Court: with a Letter to John Smith, Esq. M.P. and an Appendix. By C. Sinclair Cullen, Esq. Barrister at Law, and Commissioner of Bankrupts. Second Edition. 1830.

TO say that the law relating to Debtor and Creditor in this

country is in a worse state than any other part of the law, or, indeed, that any one part of the law is worse than any other, would be hazardous, for there are certain radical defects which pervade the whole field: in deformities-and in deformities aloneis there any degree of uniformity. But as the mere bodily suffering needlessly inflicted by the laws on this subject, is so enormous and so notorious, the demand for amendment has become more busy and strenuous. It is no wonder, then, that worthy individuals, in their great anxiety to get completely rid of the cause of the evil, should have been led into an extreme, and endeavoured also to remove that which was really no cause of the evil, although at first sight it might appear to be so.

Previously to entering into an examination of the state of the existing laws on this subject, it will be desirable to have some standard of reference, by which their propriety either in part or in the whole, may be tested. We propose, therefore, in the first, instance, to inquire what the law would be under a system founded on the greatest happiness principle; a system of law which would clearly define the various rights and obligations of

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