dote to the elaborate sophistry of Mr. CAMPBELL'S ambitious
_brochure_. . . . WE think we shall publish 'L. D. Q.'s '_Parody_;' but
should like him to change the third stanza, which is 'like a mildewed ear,
blasting its wholesome brothers.' The other verses are capital. One of the
cleverest modern parodies which we remember, was written in a Philadelphia
journal, and touched upon some exciting city event, before the Court of
Sessions. It was in the measure of '_The Cork Leg_,' and _ran_ somewhat as
follows:

'The defendant said that it was too bad
To be taken up before Judge CON-RAD.

* * * * *

Now Mr. H----, the lawyer, was there,
With a pretty good head, but not very much hair,
So little, in fact, that a wig he must wear,
Ri tu den u-den a!'

The parody had the jogging, jolting air of the original, and was replete,
we recollect, with whimsical associations. . . . WE shall venture to
present here the comments of two most valued friends and contributors,
upon the performances of two _other_ esteemed friends and favorite
correspondents. Of '_The Venus of Ille_,' the one writes as follows: 'I
fully sympathise with you in your admiration of this tale, as well as of
'The Innocence of a Galley-Slave.' I could not in the perusal of them both
but feel the vast superiority of the Grecian over the Gothic style. For in
spite of all the humor and wit and nature and pathos of the DICKENS and
LEVER school, there is something more of the Gothic and grotesque in their
paintings than in these pure and unforced limnings of the able Frenchman.
Where the ground-work of the tale is of sufficiently bold conception, and
the incidents offer hooks enough to hang interest upon, there can be no
doubt that this cool style is by far the most effectual in the end. The
more strained and heated style of some other modern authors will be very
effectual for awhile, but the excitement of the reader will flag sooner.
The reason is, that too much descriptive and passionate power is expended
on minor portions of the tale; and the enthusiasm of the reader is
partially exhausted before he comes to the grand catastrophe, where it
should be most of all elicited. But writers like WALTER SCOTT, or this
Frenchman, are self-possessed and meditative in a great portion of their
writings; by skilful touches giving the reader every thing necessary for
him to know in reference to characters and scenes; a