ness sions which called forth all the glow of his heart, and sympathy of his nature. In On the 6th of last May, the anniversary meeting of the patrons and friends of the « Artists' Benevolent Fund» was held at the Freemasons' Tavern, the Right Hon. Frederick Bobinson, Chancellor of the Exchequer, in the chair. the course of the evening, Mr Shee, R. A., proposed as a toast The health of Thomas Moore, and Thomas Campbell,» which was drunk with enthusiastic applause. Immediately after this Mr Moore rose, and returned thanks as follows: To my political and historical recollections fresh gaiety, good humour, and cordiality grace a about me-1 am most ready to bear testimony poet's festival, than at this farewell dinner to and homage before the world. Yes, gentlemen, « Tom Moore.»> there may be, and there are (for God forbid that To the above specimens of our author's oratoI should circumscribe virtue within any particu- rical powers, we subjoin here two other speeches, lar latitude), there may be, and there are high of more recent date, which he delivered on occaminds, warm hearts, and brave arms every where. But for that genuine high-mindedness, which has honesty for its basis-the only sure foundation upon which any thing lofty was ever built-which can distinguish between real, substantial greatness, and that false, inflated glory of the moment, whose elevation, like that of the balloon, is owing to its emptiness, or if not to its emptiness, at least, to the levity of its freight for that good faith, that punctuality in engagements, which is the soul of all commercial as well as all moral relations, and which, while it gives to business the confidence and good understanding of friendship, introduces into friendship the regularity and matter-of-fact steadiness of busifor that spirit of fairness and liberality among public men, which extracts the virus of personality out of party zeal, and exhibits so often (too often, I am sorry to say, of late) the touching spectacle of the most sturdy political chieftains pouring out at the grave of their most violent antagonists such tributes, not alone of justice, but of cordial eulogy, as show how free from all private rancour was the hostility that separated them-and lastly (as I trust I may say, not only without infringing, but in strict accordance with, that wise tact which excludes party politics from a meeting like the present), for that true and well-understood love of liberty, which, through all changes of chance and time, has kept the old vessel of the Constitution sea-worthywhich, in spite of storms from without, and momentary dissensions between the crew within, still enables her to ride, the admiration of the world, and will, I trust in God, never suffer her to founder-for all these qualities, and many, many more that could be enumerated, equally lofty and equally valuable, the most widely-travelled Englishman may proudly say, as he sets his foot once more on the chalky cliffs,' This is my own, my native land, and I have seen nothing that can, in the remotest degree, compare with it.'-Gentlemen, I could not help,-in that fulness of heart, which they alone can feel towards England who have been doomed to live for some time out of it-paying this feeble tribute to that most noble country, nor can I doubt the cordiality with which you will drink 'Prosperity, a long prosperity to Old England.'» This speech was hailed with the warmest ac- This speech was received with repeated cheerclamations, and the utmost hilarity prevailed tilling, and the eloquent speaker sat down amidst morning grey began to peep. Never did more the loudest applause. I assure the meeting that I feel very sensibly and very strongly the high honour which has been conferred on me, nor do I feel it the less sensibly, from the kind and warm-hearted manner in which the toast has been proposed by my excellent friend and fellow-countryman. have my name coupled with that of Mr Campbell, I feel to be no ordinary distinction. If a critical knowledge of the arts were necessary for a just admiration of them, I must at once admit, much as I delight in them, that I cannot boast of that knowledge. I am one of those uninitiated worshippers who admire very sincerely, though perhaps I could not, like the initiated, give a perfectly satisfactory reason for my admiration. I enjoy the arts, as a man unacquainted with astronomy enjoys the beauty of sun-set, or the brilliant wonders of a starry night. Amongst the many objects of commiseration with which the world unfortunately abounds, there is not one that appeals more intensely to the feelings than the family which a man of genius leaves behind him, desolate and forsaken; their only distinction the reflected light of a name which renders their present misery more conspicuous, and the contemplation of which must add poignancy to their sufferings. There is no object under heaven more sure to be visited with the blessings of success than that which has in view the alleviation of such misery. I am happy to find that the Government, of which the Right Honourable Chairman forms a part, has taken the fine arts under their protection. It is for them a proud and honourable distinction, that, while they show they possess the talents of statesmen, they also prove they have the liberal feelings which belong to men of taste.» At the 37th Anniversary of the « Literary Fund Society,» Sir John Malcolm introduced the health of our poet in the following manner : << It is another remarkable feature of this Institution, that its applause may be valuable to genius, when its money is not wanted. I allude to one now present amongst us, whom I have not the honour of knowing personally, but whose fame is well known all over the world. I now claim the liberty to pay my tribute of admiration to the individual in question; for, although I have spent a great part of my life in distant climes, his fame has reached me, and the merit of one of his works I am myself well able to appreciate -I mean Lalla Rookh-in which the author has combined the truth of the historian with the genius of the poet, and the vigorous classical taste of his own country with the fervid imagination of the East. I propose the health of Mr Thomas Moore." The health was then received with all the honours; upon which Mr Moore rose and said : "I feel highly flattered by the compliment now paid me, although there are others who might more justly have laid claim to it-I allude to the translator of Oberon (Mr Sotheby), whose genius instructed, enlightened, and delighted the world, long ere a lay of mine appeared before the public. I cannot, however, but feel myself highly honoured by the manner in which my health has been received in such an assembly as the present. The soldier is delighted with the applause of his companions in arms; the sailor loves to hear the praises of those who have encountered the perils of the deep and of naval warfare; so I cannot help feeling somewhat like a similar pleasure from the approbation of those who have laboured with me in the same field. This is the highest honour which they can offer, or I can receive. As to the Honourable Baronet who has proposed my health in so flattering a manner, I feel that much of what he has said may arise from the influence of the sparkling glass which has been circulating among us. (A laugh.) I do not by any means say that we have yet reached the state of double vision (a laugh), but it is well known that objects seen through a glass appear magnified and of a higher elevation. There is an anecdote in the history of literature not unconnected with this topic. When the art of printing was first introduced, the types with which the first works were printed were taken down and converted into drinking-cups, to celebrate the glory of the invention. To be sure, there have been other literary glasses not quite so poetical, for it has been said, that as the warriors of the North drank their mead in the hall of Odin out of the skulls of those whom they had slain in battle-so booksellers drank their wine out of the skulls of authors. (Laughter and applause.) But different times have now arrived; for authors have got their share of the aurum potabile, and booksellers have got rather the worst of it. There is one peculiarity attendant upon genius, which is well worth mentioning, with reference to the great objects of this admirable Institution. Men of genius, like the precious perfumes of the East, are exceedingly liable to exhaustion; and the period often comes when nothing of it remains but its sensibility; and the light, which long gave life to the world, sometimes terminates in becoming a burden to itself. (Great applause.) When we add to that the image of Poverty-when we consider the situation of that man of genius, who, in his declining years and exhausted resources, sees nothing before him but indigence-it is then only that we can estimate the value of this Institution, which stretches out its friendly hand to save him from the dire calamity. (Applause.) This is a consideration which ought to have its due effect upon the minds of the easy and opulent, who may themselves be men of genius; but there may be others who have no property to bestow upon them; and the person who now addresses you speaks the more feelingly, because he cannot be sure that the fate of genius, which he has just been depicting, may not one day be his own.» (Immense applause.) In 1823, Mr Moore published « The Loves of the Angels," of which two French translations soon after appeared in Paris. While Mr Moore was composing this poem, Lord Byron, who then resided in Italy, was, by a singular coincidence, writing a similar poem, with the title of « Heaven and Earth,» both of them having taken the subject from the second verse of the 6th chapter of Genesis : And it came to pass, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.» The two poets presumed that the Sons of God were angels, which opinion is also entertained by some of the fathers of the Church. We have already alluded to our author's « Memoirs of Captain Rock,» the celebrated « Rinaldo Rinaldini» of Ireland; or rather the designation adopted by the « Rob Roys of that unfortunately divided country. Mr Moore has since increased his reputation, as a prose writer, by his publication of the Life of the late Right Honourable Richard Brinsley Sheridan, which, from the superior sources of information at his command, is, in a literary point of view at least, a valuable acquisition to the lovers of biography. We here annex a list of Mr Moore's works, with| their respective dates of publication, as far as we have been able to verify them. The Odes of Anacreon, translated into English verse, with notes, dedicated by permission to his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales (his present Majesty). 4to. 1800. A Candid Appeal to Public Confidence, or Considerations on the Dangers of the Present Crisis. 8vo. 1803. Corruption and Intolerance, two poems. It is well known that the Memoirs of Lord Byron, written by himself, had been deposited in the keeping of Mr Moore, and designed as a legacy for his benefit. It is also known that the latter, with the consent and at the desire of his lordship, had long ago sold the manuscript to Mr Murray, the bookseller, for the sum of two thousand guineas. These memoirs are, however, lost to the world: the leading facts relative to which were related in the following letter addressed by Mr Moore to the English journals: «Without entering into the respective claims Poems, under the assumed name of the late of Mr Murray and myself to the property in Thomas Little, Esq. 8vo. 1808. these memoirs (a question which, now that they A Letter, to the Roman Catholics of Dublin. are destroyed, can be but of little moment to any 8vo. 1810. M. P., or the Blue Stocking, a comic opera in three acts, performed at the Lyceum. 1811. Intercepted Letters, or the Twopenny-Post Bag (in verse), by Thomas Brown the Younger, 8vo. 1812. Of this upwards of fourteen editions have appeared in England. one), it is sufficient to say that, believing the manuscript still to be mine, I placed it at the disposal of Lord Byron's sister, Mrs Leigh, with the sole reservation of a protest against its total destruction-at least without previous perusal and consultation among the parties. The majority of the persons present disagreed with this A Selection of Irish Melodies, continued to opinion, and it was the only point upon which there 9 numbers. Mr Moore completed the translation of Sallust, which had been left unfinished by Mr Arthur Murphy, and he superintended the printing of the work for the purchaser, Mr Carpenter. The Sceptic, a philosophical satire did exist any difference between us. The manuscript was, accordingly, torn and burnt before our eyes; and I immediately paid to Mr Murray, in the presence of the gentlemen assembled, two thousand guineas, with interest, etc., being the amount of what I owed him upon the security Lalla Rookh, an oriental romance, dedicated to of my bond, and for which I now stand indebted Samuel Rogers, Esq. 1817. The Fudge Family in Paris, letters in verse. 1818. National Airs, continued to six numbers. Ballads, Songs, etc. Tom Crib's Memorial to Congress, in verse. Loves of the Angels. 1813. to my publishers, Messrs Longman and Co. « Since then the family of Lord Byron have in a manner highly honourable to themselves, proposed an arrangement, by which the sum thus paid to Mr Murray might be reimbursed to me; but, from feelings and considerations which it is unnecessary here to explain, I have respectfully, but peremptorily, declined their offer.» Before we proceed to offer a few unprejudiced Rhymes on the Road, extracted from the jour-observations on this unpleasant subject, we deem it proper to lay before our readers the various opinions, pro et contra, to which this letter of nal of a travelling member of the Pococuraute Society. Miscellaneous Poems, by different members of Mr Moore gave rise. It is but justice, however, to the Pococurante Society. Fables for the Holy Alliance, in verse. Mr Moore's high and unblemished reputation to premise, that neither by those who regretted the burning of Byron's Memoirs, as a public loss, nor by those who condemned it as a dereliction The Life of the late Right Honourable Richard of the most important duty he owed to the meBrinsley Sheridan. The Epicurean. Odes on Cash, Corn, Catholics, etc. For Lalla Rookh Mr Moore received 3,000 guineas of Messrs Longman and Co. For the Life of Sheridan he was paid 2,000 guineas by the same house -Mr Moore enjoys an annuity of 500 l. from Power, the music-seller, for the Irish Melodies and other lyrical pieces; and he is engaged to write for the Times newspaper, at a salary of 500l. a-year. mory and fame of his noble-minded friend-by none of these, nor by any one we ever heard of, has Mr Moore's honour, disinterestedness, or delicacy-extreme delicacy-ever been, in the slightest degree impeached. The enemies of « The Burning" said, that Mr Moore's explanatory letter was an ingenious but not an ingenuous one-for that, at any rate, it threw no light on the subject.-They cavilled at the words and it was the only point on which there did exist any difference between us,» pro -Causa latet, vis est notissima. The Examiner newspaper gave the subjoined statement, which, if it were properly authenticated, would at once set the matter at rest, to the entire justification of the Bard of Erin. "We were going to allude again this week to the question between Mr Moore and the public, respecting the destruction of Lord Byron's Memoirs. We have received several letters express learning the fact, and venting their indignation in no very measured terms against the perpetrators; and we should not have concealed our own opinion that, however nobly Mr Thomas Moore may have acted as regards his own interest, his published letters make out no justification either in regard to his late illustrious friend, whose reputation was thus abandoned without that defence, which probably his own pen could alone furnish, of many misrepresented passages in his conduct; or in regard to the world, which is thus robbed of a treasure that can never be replaced. But we have learnt one fact, which puts a different face upon the whole matter. It is, that Lord Byron himself did not wish the Memoirs published. How they came into the hands of Mr Moore and the bookseller-for what purpose and under what reservations-we shall probably be at liberty to explain at a future time; for the present, we can only say that such is the fact, as the noble poet's intimate friends can testify.» fessing to wonder what other point of any consequence could possibly have been in discussion, save that of preserving or destroying the manuscript. They could not see, or were incapable of feeling, what paramount sense of delicacy or duty could operate upon a mind like Mr Moore's to counterbalance the delicacy and duty due to his dead friend's fame, which, according to them, he had thus abandoned to a sea of idle speculation. Moreover they were, unable to comprehend what business Mr Murraying the extreme mortification of the writers on the bookseller, or any of the gentlemen present, had with the business, when Mr Moore had redeemed the MS., with interest, etc.," and with his own money (that is the sum he borrowed for the purpose). Finally, it was past their understanding to conceive, how any person could allow his own fair, just, and honourabiy-acquired property to be burnt and destroyed before his eyes, and against his own protested opinion, even if, from an honest but too sensitive deference for others, he had conceded so far as to withhold its publication to « a more convenient season; » or simply to preserve it as a precious relic in his family. To this, the firm supporters of church and state-the pure sticklers for public morals-the friends of decorum and decency-the respecters of the inviolability of domestic privacy-the foes to unlicensed wit and poetic license-the disinterested and tender regarders of Lord Byron's character itself, one and all, proudly replied, that Mr Moore had performed one of the most difficult and most delicate duties that ever fell to the This is indeed an explanation « devoutly to be lot of man, friend, citizen, or christian to per-wished,» nor can we conceive why it should be form, in the most manly, friendly, patriotic, and christian-like manner. As a man, he had nobly sacrificed his private interest and opinion, out of respect to Lord Byron's living connexions; as a friend, he had evinced a real and rare friendship by withholding, at his own personal loss, those self-and-thoughtlessly-intruded specks and deformities of a great character from the popular gaze, which delights too much to feast on the When Lord Byron's death was once ascertained, infirmities of noble minds. As a citizen, he had the whole interest of society seemed centered in forborne to display sparkling wit at the expense his Memoirs. Curiosity swallowed up grief; and of sound morality; and, finally, as a christian, he people, becoming wearied by the comments of had acted like a good and faithful servant of the other writers on him who was no more, turned church, in leaving his friend's memory, and ex-with unexampled anxiety to know what he had posing his own reputation, to martyrdom, from the most religious and exalted motives. The private and particular friends of Mr Moore briefly and triumphantly referred to his unspotted character, Which never yet the breath of calumny had tainted, and they properly condemned uncharitable conjecture on a subject of which the most that could be said was still delayed. It is highly probable, however, that Mr Moore will himself fully and satisfactorily elucidate the affair, in the life he is writing of Lord Byron. Such were the conflicting opinions of the time relative to this mysterious and painfully delicate subject) on which, we are bound to offer a few summary remarks. written upon himself. Whether or not the public had a right to these Memoirs, is a question which it is not, perhaps, quite useless to discuss. It is, at any rate, our opinion that they had the right; and that the depository of the manuscript was no more than a trustee for the public, however his individual interest was concerned or consulted. Lord Byron bequeathed his Memoirs to the world. The profits of their sale were alone meant for Mr Moore. Lord Byron's family had no pretensions whatever to the monopoly. And though the delicate consideration of Mr Moore prompted his offer of having the manuscript perused and purified, if such be the proper word, by the nearest surviving relative of Lord Byron, we maintain that he was right, strictly right, in protesting against its unconditional destruction. For ourselves, we think that, in respect to the burning, Mr Moore's conduct is not clearly understood or appreciated. Some blame, as we have shown, appears to have been attached to his share in the matter, not only in Great Britain, but on the continent, where the subject excited an interest quite as lively as in England. But it is our opinion that Mr Moore's conduct in the affair has been too hastily condemned. One duty, we think, remains for his performance-but one, and that most imperative: it is to give to the world the genuine work of Lord Byron, if it be in his power to do so. The opinion is at all events wide spread, if not well founded, that one copy at least of the original work is in existence. That opinion is afloat, and nothing will sink it. If the Life which Mr Moore is supposed to be preparing come out as his own production, it will be difficult, if not impossible, to convince the public that it is not a compilation from the copy which we allude to, or from a memory powerfully tenacious of the original. If it be not avowed as such, its genuineness will be doubted, and a dozen spurious lives will probably appear, professing to be that identical copy, of whose existence no one will consent to doubt. No reasoning, nothing, in fact, short of Mr Moore's positive assertion to the contrary, will persuade people that he could, for years, have run the risk of leaving so interesting a manuscript, or that he could have entrusted it, without possessing a duplicate, in the hands of any one. And, at all events, it will be thought morally certain, that more than one of those to whom it was entrusted had curiosity enough to copy it; and very improbable that any one had honesty enough to confess it. Besides these reasons for the publication of the real Memoirs, supposing a copy to exist, there is one of such paramount importance, that we are sure it must have struck every body who has thought at all upon the subject. We mean the retrospective injury done to the character of the deceased, by the conjectures which are abroad, as to the nature of the Memoirs he left behind. We do not pretend to be in the secret of their contents, but we are quite sure they can be in no way so reprehensible, as the public imagination, and the enemies of Lord Byron, have figured them to be; and there is one notion concerning them, of a nature too delicate to touch upon, and for the removal of which no sacrifice of individual or family vanity would be a price too high. We have, moreover, good authority for believing that the Memoirs might and ought to have been published, with perfect safety to public morals, and with a very considerable gratification to public anxiety. Curiosity, which is so contemptible in individuals, assumes a very different aspect when it is shared by society at large; and a satisfaction which may be, in most instances, withheld from the one, ought very rarely to be refused to the other. Nothing has ever had such power of excitement upon the mass of mankind as private details of illustrious individuals, and, most of all, what may be called their confessions; and if those individuals chuse to make their opinions as much the property of the world after their death, as their conduct and their works had been before, we repeat, that it is nothing short of a fraud upon the public to snatch away the treasure of which they were the just inheritors. Nor must it be said that the property in question is of no intrinsic value. Every thing which ministers to the public indulgence is of wealth proportioned to its rarity— and in this point of view Lord Byron's Memoirs were beyond price. If they contain gross scandal, or indecent disclosure, let such parts be suppressed; and enough will remain amply to satisfy all readers. But we say this merely for the sake of supposition, and for the purpose of refuting an argument founded in an extreme case; have great pleasure in believing that the only pretence for such an imputation on the manuscript, was the selfish or squeamish act of its suppression. we We trust that Mr Moore will yet consider well the part he has to perform; that he is not insensible to the narrow scrutiny which the public displays in this affair, and which posterity will confirm; and that he will, on this occasion, uphold the character for integrity and frankness which is so pre-eminently his. We speak with certitude of his disinterested and upright feelings throughout; we only hope his delicacy towards others may not lead him too far towards the risk of his own popularity, or the sacrifice of what we designate once more the public property. If credit may be given to Captain Medwin, Lord Byron was most desirous for the posthumous publication of his Memoirs; and he seems, indeed, to have intrusted them to Mr Moore, as a safeguard against that very accident into which the high-wrought notions of delicacy of the trustee, and his deference to the relations and friends of the illustrious deceased, actually betrayed them. Lord Byron seems to have been aware of the prudery of his own immediate connexions; and in the way in |