The Southern Literary Messenger, Vol. II., No. 1, December, 1835Various
General
The Southern Literary Messenger, Vol. II., No. 1, December, 1835
Various
American literature -- 19th century -- Periodicals
Article III is headed "a Voyage of Discovery to Africa and Arabia,
performed in his Majesty's Ships Leven and Barracouta, from 1822 to
1826, under the command of Capt. F. W. W. Owen, R. N. By Capt. Thomas
Boteler, R. N. 2 vols. 8vo. London, 1835." Captain Owen sailed in
January 1822 in the Leven Frigate, accompanied by the Barracouta, a
ten-gun brig, with instructions to survey the entire Eastern coast of
Africa, the Western coast of Madagascar--the islets and shoals
interjacent--together with the Western coast of the Continent from the
Zaire to Benin, and from the Rio Grande to the Gambia. All this was
accomplished in five years. The narrative of Boteler, who was
lieutenant of the Leven, is nothing more than a revised edition of
that originally prepared by Capt. Owen, and which was a failure in a
literary sense. The Review, as usual, says very little concerning the
manner in which Captain Boteler has performed his task.
Article IV. "Deontology; or the Science of Morality: in which the
Harmony and Coincidence of Duty and Self-interest, Virtue and
Felicity, Prudence and Benevolence, are explained and exemplified.
From the MSS. of Jeremy Bentham. Arranged and edited by John Bowring,
2 vols. octavo, London, 1834." "This book," says the Reviewer, "simply
contains Mr. Bentham's thrice told tale upon Utility. It furnishes us
with no fresh illustrations, no better system than we had already
found in his 'Principles of Morals and Legislation.'" We heartily
agree with the critic that there was no necessity for the publication
of these posthumous volumes. They add nothing to the work just
mentioned, and are, in many points, inferior. But the Notice concludes
in the following words. "Is it to be wondered at, that the most
learned, accurate, and philosophical nation in Europe--the
Germans--treat with contempt ignorance and insolence like this? They
admit the merits of Mr. Bentham as a jurisconsult, in his analysis and
classification of the _material_ interests of life; but their
metaphysicians and moralists agree, we believe without an exception,
in considering his speculative philosophy as undeserving even the pomp
and ceremony of an argument." We have only to add, that, in our
opinion of the metaphysics of Mr. Bentham, we are, by no means,
Germans to the very letter.
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