Why does not government at once propose a National Theatre, suited to the hours observed by the better classes of society for recreation, and devoted to the evening exhibition of one great play, whether Tragedy or Comedy? This would be enough for minds that are so constituted as to prefer quality to quantity; and the management might be so conducted as to present, in succession, the mighty works, not only of Shakespeare, but of Jonson, of Beaumont and Fletcher, of Ford, of Massinger, and of Shirley. As it is, the mass know nothing of the riches of our dramatic literature. Shame on England, that this can be said with truth!

If such an experiment as this were fairly tried, can there be a doubt that it would prosper? Would not all the great actors flock to it, when they wanted (as they want now) an asylum from managerial cupidity and cunning? Would not the mightiest poets in the language be proud to indite the good matters that they had imagined in their hearts for such an establishment? Let it be tried, and, take our word for it, dramatic genius would revive, like an eagle with his youth renewed. The thunder would yet be upon the beak, the lightning would still flash from the eye; the soul of Poesy would be kindled; the torpidity of death that now clings about the heart of its worshipper, whether writer or reader, would melt and dissolve itself into a dew; the solid flesh would perish, the subtle spirit emerge from its dark confine; Genius and Taste, those glorious twins, would arise like giants refreshed with wine; and the Stage would again hold the mirror up to Nature, and within its magic glass shew shapes of Beauty, not only not excelled as yet, but not even equalled or approached.

And say we this, while the memory of Shakespeare is with us like a divinity? Away, say we, with all idolatrous worship! None shall yield to us in admiration of Shakespeare, but we will not adore. Man is yet Man. Poets have been since Shakespeare, and will be. Let it be confessed, that great improvements have of late years been made in the mechanism of the poetic art, in all its departments. Facilities of composition originate from this, the results of which cannot be

nius yet to be achieved, and that will be achieved; before which all that has been, how glorious soever, shall be as Hesperus to Apollo, as the dawn to noon, as spring to summer. The ancient Spirit is not dead; old times are breathing in the new, and divine Imagination is as immortal as it is

creative.

Nor is all the poetry to be found in books, or all acting on the playhouseboards. Men are living, who are acting poetry better than your verse-spinners can write or your histrions perform it. All energy of purpose, which exceeds the value of the end proposed, in other eyes is poetic. Men have been living who have acted poetry, and that not only on the great stages of the world

not only the Napoleons and the Cæsars, but in the drudgery of common endeavour, and on the derided hobbyhorses of private pursuits: such men, for instance, as the late Sir JOHN SINCLAIR, Baronet.

This veteran patriot and distinguished senator was accustomed to say of himself, that, excepting renowned conquerors or legislators, no one had ever been so extensively celebrated. His innumerable writings on all imaginable subjects certainly spread his fame to all quarters of the globe; and it may be affirmed that no man ever engaged in more multifarious pursuits, or devoted his energies to their completion with less interested feelings.

Since the age of sixteen, when his first Essay appeared in a provincial paper, until the day of his death, a period of sixty-five years, this indefatigable writer had the press constantly employed on his lucubrations.

Sir John Sinclair was born at Thurso Castle, county of Caithness, on the 10th of May, 1754, and was, consequently, upwards of eighty-one years of age. His mother, Lady Janet Sutherland, daughter of Lord Strathnaver, paid particular attention to the education of her son. After studying some time at the high school, he attended the university of Edinburgh, and successively those of Glasgow and Oxford. In 1775 he was entered a member of the Society of Advocates, and was soon afterwards called to the English bar,having studied the law from a conviction that every one ought to have some profession.

He was unanimously elected mem

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represented alternately with Bute, he sat intermediately for Lostwithiel, in Cornwall, and Petersfield, in Hampshire.

The improvement of agriculture and the breed of cattle were the objects which he pursued with unwearied diligence. In 1791 he proposed the formation of a society in Scotland for the improvement of British wool, of which he was chosen president; and in 1793 he procured the establishment of the Board of Agriculture, to which, it has been justly observed," this country principally owes its rapid advancement in rural and agricultural affairs." Over this institution he was appointed by charter to preside. In this same year he suggested to the minister the necessity of issuing exchequer bills, a measure which was immediately adopted, he being nominated one of the commissioners. The effect of this was the relief of the country at that critical period. He submitted plans for the improvement of the public highways, the extension of our fisheries, employment of the poor, the adjustment of the corn-laws, &c. &c.; and, although thus actively employed in his senatorial character, he found time to attend to a thousand other matters, which he said he was enabled to accomplish by taking every thing coolly, and never allowing himself to be flurried or annoyed by circumstances.

Mr. Voght, of Hamburgh, who visited Scotland to observe the system of education and agriculture there practised, speaks of Sir John as the most active man he had ever met; and, after enumerating a number of the improvements he had effected, and plans he had proposed for the public benefit, he adds: "One would hardly believe that a man who has done so much, and who is perpetually imagining more, is little above thirty years of age, and colonel of two regiments of Fencibles!" In 1794, an influence, equal to that of Scotland's most potent nobles, enabled him to raise, with great facility, two battalions of one thousand men each. The Ross and Caithness Fencibles were also the first force of that description the services of which were extended beyond Scotland; and so complete were these corps, that, on being reviewed in Ireland, the inspecting general remarked that he had often heard of a regiment one thousand strong, but he had never before seen one.

In 1786, Sir John made a tour in the north of Eurone which ·

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him to the most distinguished persons in the countries he visited, and procured a large accession to his literary correspondence. This was, indeed, the most extensive, perhaps, ever known, -for that desire of writing, which he said he could not live without indulging, increased his list by new, and prevented the loss of old, correspondents. The two heavy volumes of letters which he published a few years ago, with facsimile autographs, as a selection, is a literary curiosity.

In 1782, he published Observations on the Scottish Dialect, and the same year produced tracts on the militia and standing army, on the navy, the improvement of the representation, &c.; next year, besides smaller works, the History of the Revenue, in three vols. 8vo., which Mr. Vansittart, the chanchellor of the exchequer, pronounced the best on the subject, was published, and three editions speedily sold. The statistical account of Scotland, commenced in 1790, was completed in twenty-one volumes, after seven years' labour; and at a subsequent period of his life he made an excellent analysis of this important work. By his unceasing exertions at the Board of Agriculture, the survey of the whole kingdom of Great Britain was completed, in eighty volumes, those which relate to the counties of Ross, Caithness, Sutherland, Orkney, and Shetland, being drawn up by himself. Numerous were the pamphlets he sent forth on the subjects of agriculture, malt-tax, poor and corn-laws, currency, manufactures, fisheries, &c. &c. was appointed by the Highland Society, of which he was an original member, to superintend the publication of the originals of the Ossianic poetry, to which he prefixed an elaborate dissertation, where much curious evidence on that mysterious subject is brought forward. The Code of Health and Longevity, in four volumes, has been so much esteemed as to go through several editions, and be translated into several continental languages.

He

Sir John's favourite system was codification. His Code of Agriculture has passed through a number of editions, both at home and abroad. Codes of "Finance" and of "Statistical Philosophy" were in preparation; but the two great works which for many years received his most solicitous attention, and were nearly_completed were a

"Code of Religion,"-the last of which he thought an appropriate closure of his literary life.

In 1786 he was created a baronet of the united kingdom, and was appointed one of the privy council. His other honorary distinctions were numerous, and bestowed by learned bodies and others, in different parts of the world. He was so confident of obtaining a peerage, that he had chosen the title; but an unfortunate vote, adverse to the minister, frustrated his ardent expectations.

In 1776 he married Sarah, only daughter and heiress of Alexander Maitland, Esq., Stoke Newington, a near relation of the Earl of Lauderdale, by whom he had two daughters, Hannah, now dead, and Janet, married to Sir James Colquhoun, of Luss, Bart. On her death he married, in 1788, Diana, daughter of Alexander Lord Macdonald, by whom he has left twelve sons and daughters, the eldest of whom, the member for Caithness, is now in possession of the title and estates.

In politics, Sir John Sinclair was a supporter of the constitution in church and state; but he sometimes keenly opposed the ministers, when conscientiously differing in opinion. In person, he was tall, spare, and straight as a rush. In his youth, he was remarkable for his personal beauty; his flaxen ringlets depended in graceful wreaths from his shoulders; and, even at that age, he possessed a gravity of deportment and habit of reflection quite unusual. As he grew up, his manly and athletic form developed itself; and in the uniform of his regiment-plaid and trews his person was shewn to great advantage. His private life and domestic virtues have been frequently eulogised; his talent for conversation, and promoting the happiness of his guests, being very striking. In his latter days, he presided in his family like a patriarch,-kind and indulgent, but never permitting any thing like dictation. When from home, the correspondence was kept up with surprising regularity and minuteness of detail.

He was prone to talk with much complacency of his excellent health and protracted life; and he appeared offended if any one insinuated that he was suffering from his literary pursuits, or otherwise. He had also mourning-never wear

himself to Bayswater, where he thought he escaped the effects of the "Buttercup and Hay-fever." He took a quantity of mustard-seed with his breakfasttea, which he called the elixir of life, and was fond of trying various methods in exemplification of his own precepts for the attainment of old age.

On the day of his death he had a grouse for dinner, which he ate with an evident goût, and drank his usual glass of sherry-negus; but his race was run, and immediately afterwards, feeling his end approach, he desired to be left alone, while he prepared for his entrance on eternity; in a few minutes afterwards he called his attendant, and died in his arms without a sigh.

The public bodies of Edinburgh unanimously offered to attend the funeral; but the family only permitted a deputation of the Highland Society to shew this mark of respect. The magistracy, however, dressed in their official robes, trimmed with crape, attended at the chapel of Holyrood; and as the procession entered the palaceyard the soldiers drew up, and presented arms.

The writings of Sir John Sinclair, intended to benefit mankind, were very unprofitable to himself; and his wellmeant speculations often turned out as useless to others as disadvantageous to his own interests. The ardour with which he prosecuted any plan which to his sanguine imagination promised success, prevented that cool forecast which would have exposed its ultimate futility; while his own rectitude of heart led him to adopt the suggestions of others, whose views were selfish and sinister. He frequently met with ungrateful returns for essential services; and some instances occurred of that remorse which impelled its victim to offer restitution to their benefactor of sums which had been unjustly withheld. We believe an act of high-minded generosity to a late royal individual, which subjected Sir John to great inconvenience, was never requited.

His property in Caithness, the northern position of which required all the efforts even of Sir John Sinclair to ameliorate its condition, was an excellent field on which to experiment; and, truly, he did incalculable service to his native county. He effectually promoted the fishing interests; he

And lines of road and

mesticate on those chilly moors a numerous breed of Spanish sheep, he lost his labour and his money; for, notwithstanding the leathern boots with which they were carefully provided, while his tenants, it was observed, walked unshod, they all perished. The enlarging his farms, or ejecting his cotters, a systern then raging throughout the Highlands, subjected him to much obloquy. His agricultural experiments were generally abortive, more, how

ever, the consequence of impatience in waiting the result of a fair trial than from any defect in his plans. He lately endeavoured, with great zeal, to introduce spade husbandry; and, instead of" speed the plough," he adopted the more alliterative motto-66 speed the

spade."

Although characteristically calm, collected, and very observant, he occasionally displayed surprising indifference. He once accompanied the late Duke of York, expressly to witness a review of the children of the military school; but, instead of participating in that de

light, which, from Sir John's known partiality to children, his royal highness believed the spectacle would af ford, he sat down in abstraction for a few minutes under a tree, and shortly ordered his carriage, to take him home!

A little vanity and egotism might have been overlooked in Sir John Sinclair. Fame was, perhaps, the primum mobile in all his deeds of patriotism and acts of beneficence. No man could ever more promptly avail himself of the ideas of others, or, by clothing their expressions in his own style, appropriate their sentiments. They were no doubt occasionally amplified, and much improved; but the repetition of this assumption of the thoughts of others, perhaps not meant for the public eye, must have frequently deterred correspondents from being communicative. Had Sir John dropped his literary pursuits, or slackened in his book-making, years ago, his fame would have been greater than we fear it now is; but, take him all in all, Scotland has just reason to be proud of such a son.

WHEN we last addressed our readers, the case of the gentlemen in Downing Street seemed verging close indeed upon desperation. It could hardly have become worse, without putting an end to their political existence. Their majority, slender enough originally, had been gradually melting away, till it became matter of doubt which way the balance inclined. During the last session they had seen each of their three secretaries of state discarded by their constituents,-Russell by Devonshire, Palmerston by Hampshire, and Grant (per proxy) by Inverness; and since the close of the session, out of four vacancies by death, they had lost the two seats which were previously occupied by Whigs, without even daring to contest those which had been held by Tories. In fact, in every possible direction they beheld nothing but defeat and disgrace. The Northamptonshire contest, in which the great Fitzwilliam interest was shamefully discomfited, even in its strong hold, seemed to form the climax of their misfortunes; and nothing now remained to expect, but the announcement of positively their last appearance on the stage."

For several days after this most signal defeat, nothing was heard, in any quarter, but inquiries, Well, what do the ministers mean to do? Even their own most attached journals began to talk of Lord Stanley and the Duke of Richmond; and one of the best informed of them plainly confessed that overtures had been made to the firstnamed of these noble lords. Nothing could be a more explicit admission than this, that, without some help, their case was hopeless.

There remained, however, one chance more. The formal resignation of Lord Melbourne was deferred till the new Municipal Corporation Bill should have come into operation, from which measure great advantages had been promised, and from which some resuscitating hope might yet be derived. The last five days of December were to shew whether or not such an advantage had been gained by this special contrivance, as might support the WhigRadical confederacy in the assumption, that an appeal to the people would be answered in their favour.

December closed, and the results of the municipal elections proved to be of

that medium

or which is

most perplexing. The balance of profit and loss unquestionably appeared to be on the side of the ministry, and in just a sufficient degree to raise them from that despondency in which they were previously sunk; but yet not so decidedly as to warrant a feeling of security.

A general desire for a change was naturally shewn in most of the corporate towns. Having been governed, for a long succession of years, by the same identical persons and families, electing each other, without the least respect to the feelings or wishes of their neighbours, it was natural that in most of these towns a desire for a thorough change should be manifested. This desire was irrespective of party. Whig corporations, like Gloucester or Nottingham, were either wholly or largely disbanded, as well as Tory corpora tions, like Leicester or Liverpool. To try a new set seemed every where the wish, whether Radicals or Conservatives had previously borne sway. Such was evidently the feeling, or the whim; but, as by far the larger proportion of the ancient bodies had been of a Tory complexion, it necessarily followed that this" turn-out" system told most severely upon that party.

The actual result, however, is of a mixed character, and promises nothing decisive as to the future working of parliamentary elections. One of the ministerial journals, to make the best of it, got up a list of no fewer than seventy-six Conservative borough members, whose seats were endangered by the municipal changes. But this exposé, so far from proving his case, only answered the really desirable purpose of establishing, by that close investigation which naturally followed, the fact, that the very extreme extent of the gain upon which the Whig-Radicals might calculate, as resulting from these elections, was about eleven or twelve votes.

To swell out this list, about a score of places were inserted in it, the new councils of which were not WhigRadical, but Conservative! An equal number were passed over, of places now represented by Whigs, but of which the new councils were Conservative! while others were equally divided, and with corporations of such slender means and influence as to be perfectly insignificant in the matter.

On the whole a semen tant therefore, a concession

the Whig-Radical ranks, was shewn to be an abundantly liberal calculation.

After all, however, the result, no matter to what cause it was owing, just brought a sufficient quantum of hope into view to rescue the ministry from the despair into which they were previously falling. It appears to have decided the question, whether or not they should venture to meet parliament. It is now the 25th of January, and, as far as we can judge from present appearances -except a moonlight flitting" should take place meanwhile they will be found in their seats on the 4th of February.

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With such prospects, however, and such means, we may confidently say that never did a ministry, till now, venture to meet parliament. Sir Robert Peel, indeed, a twelvemonth since, opened the political campaign with an actual minority in the House of Commons. But the ground had not then been tried; the votes had not been taken; and it was impossible for the leader of the house then to know what would actually turn out to be the strength of either party. So soon as this was fully and sufficiently ascertained, he bowed to the sense of the majority, and resigned the reins of go

vernment.

But the session now opens under totally different circumstances. The members of the House of Commons have already taken their sides; and we now know who may be calculated on. And what is the present state of parties in that assembly? It cannot be difficult to ascertain this point.

re

At the opening of the session of 1835, a vote was taken on the choice of a speaker. On this occasion it had been most emphatically and unceasingly insisted on, in all the " Liberal" journals, that every man who professed attachment to the principles of form" must vote, without doubt or scru→ ple, for Mr. Abercrombie. The numbers actually arrayed on the opposing sides were, for Sir C. M. Sutton, 306; for Mr. Abercrombie, 316. Now let us ask how subsequent changes have effected this division, and what would be the result could Sir R. Peel, from the Treasury benches, again submit the question to the consideration of the house.

The following table exhibits the actual state of the case at the present moment and the division, if it could