Page:The Southern Literary Messenger - Minor.djvu/69

 Rh One commanding article is a defence of the Right of Instruction, by Roane, in reply to Judge Hopkinson. Morna and Simms furnish most of the poetry. Mr. Poe does nothing but editorial work, and in ten pages reviews, without any harshness, "Philothea," a romance by Mrs. Child; "Sheppard Lee," written by himself, and the "Life and Literary Remains of Wm. Hazlitt," by his son, E. L. Bulwer and Sergeant Talfourd. This number ends with a sad item: "The illness of both publisher and editor will, we hope, prove a sufficient apology for the delay in the issue of the present number and for the omission of many promised notices of new books."

The critical notices are all that Mr. Poe contributes to the October number. He immolates "The Swiss Heiress; or the Bride of Destiny. A Baltimore Tale." "It should be read by all who have nothing better to do. We are patient and having gone through the whole book with the most dogged determination, are enabled to pronounce it one of the most solemn of farces. Let us see if it be not possible to give some idea of the plot." Having given that, he concludes: "Humph! And this is the Swiss Heiress; to say nothing of the Bride of Destiny. However—it is a valuable 'work'—and now in the name of 'fate, foreknowledge and free will.' we solemnly consign it to the fire." Prof. Roszel's Address