1811.

Glasgow Magazine.—A monthly work, the revival of one of the last century, under the same title, containing many very able original papers, from the pen of Mr. Mennons, Jun. its Editor; but chiefly filled with judicious Selections, &c. It ran to nearly a dozen numbers.

1814.

The Druid.-Edited by Mr. (now Dr.) Kennedy, then keeper of the Glasgow Public Library. It extended to a few numbers in octavo.

1817.

Attic Stories.-This work was projected by six young men, but chiefly contributed to by three of the number, Messrs. Crawford, Brown, and Young. It forms one middling-sized volume, altogether of original matter, remarkable for justness of sentiment, purity of style, (although with a copious table of errata,) and delicacy of humour, after the model of the older essayists, rather than for unabating spirit, variety of contents, or vigour of imagination. It was published once a fortnight, and ran to twenty-six numbers.

The Student. This work is in twenty numbers of sixteen pages each. It was edited by one in reality a student, now an able clergyman of the Secession church. It failed to arrive at popularity from too closely adhering to the exploded machinery of the older essayists, but contains the best memoir of Professor Richardson, from the pen of the editor, that has appeared.

1818.

The Wanderer.-The success and yet premature conclusion of " Attic Stories," shortly after led to the publication of this work, the amiable and ingenious editor of which, Mr. William Hamilton, was soon after cut off from the love of his friends, and from those fine reveries of a poetical imagination, with which the few numbers that the work consists of are filled. Its verses were good; and in it first appeared two songs now eminently popular, and a burlesque ballad, which Lord Byron is reported to have winced at. Money was lost by its publication.

The Protestant.-This work which extended to four volumes, now compressed into two, and its publication over two or three years, is of a polemical character, and arose out of the use of some phrases in a letter from a Roman Catholic, published in one of the newspapers. It

contains a great many extracts, and some communications, yet the greater part of it is from the masculine pen of its able editor, William M'Gavin, Esq.

66

The Echo.-An indescribable work, got up by a Glasgow printer settled at Dumfries, but published here, whose object, as professed in its extraordinary prospectus, was To eye Nature's walks '-obstetrically to assist her, without o'erstepping her modesty-to cull her perfections-to silently bound her exuberance-to give a conduit to her murmurings, by insinuating the lenitive of precedent to the sorrows impassable to sympathy." It existed for a month.

The British Magazine.-Edited by a Medico Author— one Dr. Andrew-and filled with excellent but unacknowledged extracts, and original plans of benevolence, and reports of societies-whose aim was their only merit.

1820.

The Enquirer.-A fortnightly publication, which forms a thin volume, was edited by two young men-a cleric and a laic. It contains many admirable papers, in a style between the quiet humour of " Attic Stories," and the fine romance of "The Wanderer;" and in its imitations of old English poetry, a gentleman, Mr. William Motherwell, first felt his way to that fame he must eventually command. It did not " pay."

Old Whig-A monthly magazine, originally issued with a well-written prospectus, and the intention of being solely a political journal, when the Borough Reform question ran high. It soon found that it must needs try to be amusing; had two or three good literary papers, and like its projector, changed its coat and marched off, no one knew whither. The Editor employed was a Mr. M'Donald, a teacher of English, now deceased.

Christian Recorder.-A religious magazine intended to have been the organ of the Secession Church, then formed by the union of two great bodies of dissenters. It was edited by Dr. Andrew, and did not succeed.

Christian and Civic Economy, by Dr. Chalmers. The two first volumes of this admirable but lengthy work, were published in quarterly numbers. It had a great sale while the economical views of its author were startling from their novelty.

1822.

Literary Reporter.-A small work of modest preten

sions, edited by its printer, Mr. John Graham. It forms two budgy little volumes, chiefly filled with extracts from the larger periodicals of the day.

Literary Melange.-An ill printed, but respectably compiled selection from the magazines of the day, although it even went back to pieces so venerable as "The Bashful Man," first edited by the late Mr. J. Tait. It forms two volumes; but the original papers would not fill a tythe of its bulk. On its demise, the printers projected a weekly paper on the same plan, but of greatly diminished size and price.

-Its title was

1823.

The Emmet, which, after lingering for some time, obtained an editor of great talent in the person of a young gentleman, now a distinguished preacher, who, in conducting it, merely sought to experiment on his versatility of talent. His papers, and those of some stated assistants, were powerfully, although hastily, written. It still, however, chiefly consisted of selections, too often unacknowledged, from other works—these, indeed, forming the chief bulk of the two volumes to which it extended. Upon the whole, it paid.

The Independent Methodist Magazine.—A work begun during this year, still continues to be printed in this city, and to have an extensive sale among the sect in England, whose organ it is; but its existence is hardly known here beyond their pale of communion.

1824.

Western Luminary.-A quarto weekly paper meant to be on the excellent plan of the "Liverpool Kaleidoscope." It was projected by Mr. Northhouse, at first with the co-operation of a distinguished author, who, however, wrote only one paper or two, and luckily withdrew. It was generally filled with any rubbish sent to its editor, that could save him the trouble of preparing a single original article; but the 12th and 15th, and part of the 13th and 14th, as if to make amends for this, were from the pen of a gentleman prevailed upon to superintend it during its conductor's illness, and who wrote till it was decently interred-and its editor perfectly recovered.

The Rush-Light, was a tiny, and ably written satire, by Messrs. H. B. M'Lean and G. Lewis, upon the sounding title and pretensions of the " Luminary." It existed for

a month.

The John Knox.-A work projected at the time discussion ran high on the Plurality Question. The incongruous characters of its contributors could not but have prevented its eloquent editor from establishing it successfully. It has some able papers. Money was lost by it.

The Glasgow Mechanics' Magazine.-Projected soon after the appearance of the London work of the same name, and far more ably supported and elegantly got up. Its original prospectus was catchpenny, but not so most of its numbers. It was published by Mr. M'Phun, and successively edited by Mr. Wallace and by Mr. Leighton. Its success was extraordinary for a time, and the work in five volumes, more than the bulk of one of which may be considered as original matter, must long be regarded as indispensable in all libraries of utility.

The Scots Mechanics' Magazine was projected by several friends to the diffusion of knowledge, and edited by Mr. Wallace on his secession from the former. It forms one volume, and contains many able scientific and some literary papers of merit.

M'Phun's Glasgow Magazine.-This work was printed in octavo, and beautifully got up. It was of some mettle, but injured its sale by threatening to aim at more than it was able to hit-the personalities, the "Noctes," and the brilliancy of Blackwood. It was, however, guilty chiefly in its threats, and deserved more success than it met with, since it did not extend to a volume.

Theatrical Observer.-This was the first of a series of small works, with variations of title, but without difference of plan, or, as it was surmised, essential change in management, such as "The Dramatic Review," &c.; which, following up, at a weekly distance, the successful daily example of Mr. Huie, the Bookseller, of Edinburgh's little work-itself a copy of a Liverpool plan-sought to excite a taste for theatricals among the mass of the community in Glasgow, gratify what portion of that already existing, and obtain for their conductors nightly indulgence in a favourite amusement during succeeding winters. There had been nothing of the kind attempted in Glasgow since the before-mentioned Mr. Fulton had a critical quarrel with Mr. Putnam and Mr. Foote, about the year 1809. Previous to that season, sundry attempts had been made to institute a weekly bar of criticism for the performers of our then new and splendid theatre, but with even less success than has attended these.

1825.

The Looking-Glass.-A folio collection of sketches, alf of them humorous and exaggerated, but few of them simply characteristic, engraved from clever designs by a Mr. Heath, and better suggestions by Mr. H―k.

The Conjuror.-A weekly periodical, edited by a young gentleman of considerable talent and experience, son to the compiler of the "Bibliotheca Britannica." He had previously published one number of a magazine in Edinburgh, for circulation here, but suppressed it. The plan of the work, which occasioned the circumlocution of every number being introduced by-" Ladies and Gentlemen from "The Conjuror,' in propria persona, materially interfered with the success many of its papers deserved; and a clever, but ill-advised, although perhaps merited satire inserted in it, gave the work the coup-degrace about the fourteenth number.

The Academic.-A very able fortnightly publication, got up by the English students attending the university during that session. Its papers mostly consist of class exercises and prize themes, written with learning and elegance, but not with brevity. It was edited by a Mr. Evans, a distinguished scholar, and now a dissenting divine in London, but was little known beyond the walls of the college, and forms a very thin volume.

1826.

The Collegian was meant to be a continuation of the preceding work, but neither reached its reputation nor its size. It, however, contains one or two able papers by Mr. James Blair, a student, then in the Gown Classes, and his friends. It is elsewhere referred to in this work.

The Religious Observer.-A weekly periodical of great utility to that part of the public to whom it was addressed. Its success for a time was great, but the vacillation of popular favour prevented its continuance. It was contemporary for a while with "THE ANT."

The Battering-Ram.-This year a miserable thing, printed on whited-brown, from worm-eaten types, with scot and water, appeared under this title. By catering for the lowest vulgar, about the laziness of clergymen, &c. it became often asked for by them, but was never sold by any respectable bookseller.

The Christian Pioneer.-A small monthly magazine, ably edited by Mr. Harris, the Unitarian clergyman here.