SATIRE.

Selected.

Each pow'r that sov'reign Nature bids enjoy
Man may corrupt, but man can ne'er destroy:
Like mighty rivers, with resistless force

The passions rage, obstructed in their course,
Swell to new heights, forbidden paths explore,
And drown those virtues which they fed before.
And sure the deadliest foe to virtue's flame,
Or worst of evils, is perverted shame:
Beneath this load what abject numbers groan,
Th' entangled slaves to folly not their own!
Meanly by fashionable fear opprest,
We seek our virtues in each other's breast;
Blind to ourselves, adopt each foreign vice,
Another's weakness, int'rest, or caprice.
Each fool to low ambition, poorly great,
That pines in splendid wretchedness of state,
Tir'd in the treach'rous chase, would nobly yield,
And, but for shame, like Sylla, quit the field:
The daemon Shame paints strong the ridicule,
And whispers close, "The world will call you fool."
Behold yon' wretch, by impious fashion driv'n,
Believes and trembles while he scoffs at Heav'n.
By weakness strong, and bold thro' fear alone,
He dreads the sneer by shallow coxcombs thrown;
Dauntless pursues the path Spinoza trod;

To man a coward, and a brave to God.

Faith, Justice, Heav'n itself, now quit their hold, When to false fame the captiv'd heart is sold: Hence, blind to truth, relentless Cato dy'd; Nought could subdue his virtue but his pride: Hence chaste Lucretia's innocence betray'd, Fell by that honour which was meant its aid. Thus Virtue sinks beneath unnumber'd woes, When passions, born her friends, revolt her foes. Hence Satire's pow'r: 'tis her corrective part To calm the wild disorders of the heart. She points the arduous height where glory lies, And teaches mad Ambition to be wise; In the dark bosom wakes the fair desire, Draws good from ill, a brighter flame from fire; Strips black Oppression of a gay disguise, And bids the hag in native horror rise; Strikes tow'ring Pride and lawless Rapine dead, And plants the wreath on Virtue's awful head.

Nor boasts the Muse a vain imagin'd pow'r, Tho' oft' she mourns those ills she cannot cure. The worthy court her, and the worthless fear; Who shun her piercing eye that eye revere, Her awful voice the vain and vile obey, And ev'ry foe to wisdom feels her sway. Smarts, pedants, as she smiles, no more are vain, Desponding Fops resign the clouded cane: Hush'd at her voice, pert Folly's self is still, And dulness wonders while she drops her quill. Like the arm'd bee, with art most subtly true, From poisonous vice she draws a healing dew. Weak are the ties that civil arts can find To quell the ferment of a tainted mind: Cunning evades, securely wrapt in wiles, And Force strong-sinew'd rends th' unequal toils; The stream of vice impetuous drives along, Too deep for Policy, for Pow'r too strong;

(From the Bulletin of the American Art-Union.)

FOREIGN OPINIONS RESPECTING AMERICAN ART.

The foreign journals are beginning to bestow some attention upon the increased interest in Art matters which is manifesting itself in America. The London Art-Journal for October has an article on the subject, in which our progress in this department is ascribed very justly to the several Art Union societies, of which the American Art-Union "is the most important in its number of subscribers and in its operations." The writer then gives a particular account of our association and its programme for the present year. Of the engravings for the subscribers of last year he says:

The print to which each subscriber for the year became entitled is from Leslie's "Anne Page, Slender and Shallow" a work well known in England and engraved for the American Art-Union by C. Burt, of New York in a way that would do no discredit to any European Artist. The character of the origin il has been well preserved throughout, and certain portions of the plate show masterly execution. Leslie's pictures, from his peculiar arrangement of chiar oscuro, require great skill on the part of an engraver to prevent their being translated by mere patches of black and white; r. Burt seems to have felt this difficulty without knowing well how to overcome it, and. consequently, his work is deficient in that balance of harmony which is indispensable to bring the whole composition together; and in some parts the application of the 'burnisher' would have been useful in getting rid of a little crudity; still the merits of the print greatly outweigh its defects.

"In addition to this print, each subscriber also received a copy of a work entitled 'The Gallery of American Art consisting of five engravings in line of about ten inches by six in dimensions. The subjects of these are A Dream of Arcadia,' engraved by Smilie, after Cole; "The Image Breaker engraved by A. Jones after Leutze; Dover Plains engraved by Smilie, after Durand; The New Scholar, engraved by Jones. after Edmonds; and The Card Players," engraved by C. Burt after Woodville. Our space precludes us from examining these prints respectively; we can only refer to them in general terms of commendation.

The writer then goes on to notice the Bulletin in a complimentary manner.

The Builder, a London Weekly paper, chiefly devoted to architecture, has a column or two in almost every number appropriated to American Art news.

We see it stated in the London "Builder." (a long distance to receive the news from,) that Mr. Elliot, the portrait painter, has received an order from a merchant in this city, but formerly of Syracuse, to ps $2,000 worth of portraits, being twenty in number, of the first settlers of the latter place. They are inte or one of its public buildings.

North Second street [Westside,] between fathematical Instruments.

In a late number of the Western Journal and Civilian we noticed the peculiar relations which the Gulf of Mexico presents in respect to the principal geographical divisions of the earth, and endeavored to show how much the future prosperity of the region watered by the Mississippi and its tributaries depends upon the channels through which its inhabitants may carry on their foreign trade.

Had the use of steam as a motive power been confined to river navigation and labor saving machinery, the Gulf of Mexico would have been always regarded as the natural and most convenient commercial thoroughfare between the valley of the Mississippi and foreign countries. But the Locomotive and the Ocean Steamer are producing a revolution in commerce which must, in a great degree, affect the private and public economy as well as the commercial and social relations of every civilized people. And although these mighty engines are rapidly overcoming the principal obstacles to commercial and social intercourse, yet, owing to their tendency to centralize commerce and capital, it has become necessary, in an economical point of view, that the people of every State, and indeed of every county, should adopt some measure to protect their own interests against the monopolizing power of steam.

We have so often remarked upon the ruinous policy of carrying on our foreign commerce through the Eastern cities, that we refrain

from discussing that topic in the present article. A glance at a map, exhibiting the lines of railroads projected, and now in progress of construction, from the Atlantic to the Mississippi, will show that, when these projects shall have been completed, the entire commerce of the West will be placed under the control of New York, and other Eastern cities. And, instead of becoming commercial emporiums, our towns will be reduced to the condition of mere depots for receiving and forwarding commodities in transitu; unless we can devise some plan that will counteract the influence of the railroad system which is designed to connect the Mississippi with the Atlantic coast.

The Central railroad of Illinois, in connection with the Mobile and Ohio railroad, though conforming in its direction to the natural laws of trade, is too remote from the Mississippi to increase its commerce or to enlarge materially the growth of the river towns. Its location is well calculated to promote the interests of the region through which it passes; but it will add little, if anything, to the commerce of the Gulf of Mexico. Nor will its connection with a railroad to New Orleans be of much benefit to the people in the immediate valley of the Mississippi river. And hence we must look to a more direct route to New Orleans, than can be obtained through the States of Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee. We must have a route connected with the commerce of the river located with a view to the development of the resources of the States west of the Mississippi.

A line drawn from St. Louis to Helena, Arkansas, and thence South until it intersects the railroad proposed to be constructed from New Orleans to Holly Springs, Mississippi, may be regarded as the shortest practicable route between the valley of the Upper Mississippi and New Orleans. On an air line the distance from St. Louis to New Orleans is about six hundred miles, and the railroad proposed by the way of Helena, would probably not exceed 650 miles, and might be travelled from New Orleans to St. Louis in twenty four hours.

The distance from St. Louis to New Orleans, by the route here proposed, is less by about four hundred and fifty miles than from St. Louis to New York. And estimating the cost of railroad transportation at three cents per ton per mile, which may be regarded as the average rate on dry goods, the charges on this class of merchandize from New Orleans to St. Louis will be less by sixty