From the Louisville City Gazette.
The Southern Literary Messenger is the title of a periodical, published at Richmond, Virginia, that has no superior, either in the taste and genius of its contributors, or the beauty of its mechanism. Its criticisms are prepared with peculiar justness and acumen—not leaning to the side of mercy, and throwing a protecting veil over the sins and faults of others, but plainly pointing them out—not screening the errors of a friend, or sparing the tender places of an enemy. Such guardians we want to preserve the vigor of American Literature. There are some nurses so tender and so indulgent, that the children under their tutelage, either die of a surfeit of sweets, or languish through their too great care and tenderness. This will never be the case with our literature while guarded by such vigilant sentinels as the Southern Literary Messenger.
We had an opportunity, while conducting a periodical in a neighboring city, of seeing some of the earlier numbers of the Messenger, and on such occasions expressed the gratification and pleasure enjoyed in their perusal. And it is not only well sustained, but improves. Lionel Granby is kept up with spirit. Edgar A. Poe sprinkles his gems among the leaves of the Messenger. George H. Calvert, Esq. of the same city, freights it with the researches of ripe scholarship in the lore of German Literature. The May number is excellent, and we shall recur to it often, before it gives place to its successor.
We are indebted to Mr. White, the publisher, for his present, and assure him he could not have sent us a budget which would have been received by us with more pleasure.
From the Oxford Examiner.
Southern Literary Messenger.—He who assumes to himself the province of amusing and instructing mankind for “a consideration,” is amenable at all times to just criticisms. The publisher of a newspaper or journal of any kind, should never feel hurt, as a caterer for the public appetite, if some of those to whom they minister should growl and find fault. He ought not to claim pre-emption over all other men, but should be satisfied if he occasionally received an approving nod. It is always a strong evidence of a want of force of mind to fly in a passion at the suggestions of a friend, when they are disposed to disapprove of our acts, although they may be unjust. We make these preliminary remarks in allusion to a hasty notice we took of the April number of the Messenger, which the publisher was polite enough to send us. Our time is generally much occupied, and we perhaps gave that number and others which have been occasionally handed us by a friend, rather a hasty perusal. We felt then, as we do now, that the editor's criticisms were unnecessarily, perhaps, strictly severe in some instances. The eagle who towers above all other birds, and even dares to look upon the sun, would not, unless hard pressed, condescend to notice the earthly flutterings of a tomtit—he aspires to higher game.
We may have done the editor injustice; and we hardly expected him to send us another number—but perhaps, in his youthful days, he has read the fable of the gnat and the ox—whether he did or did not, we feel obliged to him for the May number.
We have always freely accorded to Mr. White almost unrivalled excellence as a printer, and we now as freely accord to him the most unqualified praise for the matter as well as the manner of his last number.