and, before a judgment is formed of them, an
impartial consideration should be given to their
works. Let them not be estimated according to
the biassed misrepresentation of employed political
partizans, whose interest it has been to set them
before us in an unfavourable light; or, of a weak
and superficial woman, whose mortified vanity has
led her to pour out the vial of her pert contumely
upon "America and the Americans."
It has been asserted that no American poet has,
as yet, produced a continued poem, capable of
arresting attention, and entitled to rank among the
leading poetic efforts of other countries. This is,
in some degree, true; but if we look into the pecu-
liar circumstances of that country, we shall observe
the true causes which have operated to produce this
result. We shall perceive, from examining the
situation of the American people, that it is less
attributable to a dearth of poetic talent, than to a
combination of circumstances prejudicial to its
development; and we shall perhaps conclude, from
an inspection of the specimens here collected, that
American intellect is not incapable of producing
poetry of a very high order; and of adapting its
energies to the successful prosecution of even the