THE LATE MR. HORNE TOOKE. MR. HORNE TOOKE was one of those who may be considered as connecting links between a former period and the existing generation. His education and accomplishments, nay, his political opinions, were of the last age; his mind, and the tone of his feelings were modern. There was a hard, dry materialism in the very texture of his understanding, varnished over by the external refinements of the old school. Mr. Tooke had great scope of attainment, and great versatility of pursuit; but the same shrewdness, quickness, cool self-possession, the same literalness of perception, and absence of passion and enthusiasm, characterised nearly all he did, said, or wrote. He was without a rival (almost) in private conversation, an expert public speaker, a keen politician, a firstrate grammarian, and the finest gentleman (to say the least) of his own party. He had no imagination (or he would not have scorned it!)-no delicacy of taste, no rooted prejudices or strong attachments: his intellect was like a bow of polished steel, from which he shot sharp-pointed poisoned arrows at his friends in private, at his enemies in public. His mind (so to speak) had no religion in it, and very little even of the moral qualities of genius; but he was a man of the world, a scholar bred, and a most acute and powerful logician. He was also a wit and a formidable one: yet it may be questioned whether his wit was any thing more than an excess of his logical faculty: it did not consist in the play of fancy, but in close and cutting combinations of the understanding. “The law is open to every one: so," said Mr. Tooke, “is the London Tavern!" It is the previous deduction formed in the mind, and the splenetic contempt felt for a practical sophism, that beats about the bush for, and at last finds the apt illustration; not the casual, glancing coincidence of two objects, that posts surdity to the understanding So, on another occasion Allan Gardiner (who was a candidate for Westminster ed to Mr. Fox, that he was always against the minister, way right or wrong," and Mr. Fox, in his reply, had overanan Z slip of the tongue, Mr. Tooke immediately seized on and he thought it at least an equal objection to Sir Ala was always with the minister, whether right or wroE: retort had all the effect, and produced the same sņem most brilliant display of wit or fancy: yet it was on. ing a flaw in an argument, like a flaw in an in-data-nt kind of legal pertinacity, or rather by a rigid and constar of attending to the exact import of every word and ca sentence. Mr. Tooke had the mind of a lawyer; but a plied to a vast variety of topics and general trains of speez Mr. Horne Tooke was in private company, and friends, the finished gentleman of the last age Ha were as fascinating as his conversation was spirited and de He put one in mind of the burden of the song of The Old Courtier, and an Old Courtier of the King's" He was ever, of the opposite party. It was curious to hear our m sciolist advancing opinions of the most radical kind wither mixture of radical heat or violence, in a tone of fashiona? chalance, with elegance of gesture and attitude, and with perfect good-humour. In the spirit of opposition, or in of logical superiority, he too often shocked the prevali wounded the self-love of those about him, while he him played the same unmoved indifference or equanity He the most provoking things with a laughing gayer, and a pedite attention, that there was no withstanding He threw orbers their guard by thwarting their favourite theories, and then avz-ind himself of the temperance of his own pulse to chale them madness. He had not one particle of deference for the opine of others, nor of sympathy with their feelings; nor had be any chư nate convictions of his own to defend— "Lord of himself, uncumbered with a creed ** He took up any topic by chance, and played with it at will, har s |