Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 56, Number 347, September, 1844

In Short

Published in September 1844, this issue of Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine gathers political commentary, dramatic fiction, poetry reviews, and scientific essays under one roof. The collection opens with a biting Tory critique of French radical socialist Louis Blanc and transitions through high-stakes narrative fiction, historical poetry, and ethnological analysis. It culminates in an exuberant, multi-page report on the massive Burns Festival in Scotland. Blending high intellectual debate with popular entertainment, this volume remains a vibrant artifact of Victorian literary culture, illustrating how nineteenth-century journals shaped public opinion, nationalist pride, and cultural taste.

The Story

The volume opens with a sharp political assault on French journalist and socialist M. Louis Blanc. The writer attacks Blanc's history of the 1830 Revolution as a bitter work of partisan malice rather than objective scholarship, while offering an intriguing, detailed breakdown of the Saint-Simonian religious-socialist movement. From contemporary political turmoil, the magazine pivots to frontier narrative in "A Night on the Banks of the Tennessee." Here, a drenched narrator and his companion Richards navigate the treacherous swamps of Alabama alongside Isaac Shifty, a quintessential, slow-talking Connecticut Yankee whose pedantic negotiating style nearly leaves them stranded.

Historical dramatic verse follows in "The Execution of Montrose," depicting the tragic, dignified final march of the Great Marquis through the hostile, mobbed streets of Edinburgh, where even his enemies are awed into silence by his heroic composure. Darker narrative shadows emerge in "The Witchfinder," a historical tale set in sixteenth-century Hammelburg. A tormented, crippled witchfinder mutters outside a dark prison cell, driven by twisted notions of divine vengeance, while the young artist Gottlob and the secretive Magdalena look on during a tense religious procession.

Intellectual enquiry takes over in "Natural History of Man," an essay reviewing Dr. Prichard's ethnological studies. The text examines inherited animal behaviors—such as peccary-hunting dogs and setting-dogs backing each other in the field—before analyzing whether Indigenous American nations descended from a highly civilized ancient state based on their complex linguistic structures and agricultural traditions.

Critical fury returns in a scathing review of Coventry Patmore's debut poetry collection. The reviewer mercilessly ridicules Patmore’s verse as naive "namby-pambyism," viewing it as the final, degraded dregs of the "Cockney School" of poetry spawned by Keats and Shelley.

Fiction resumes in "Marston; or, The Memoirs of a Statesman," tracking a young British officer during the French Revolutionary Wars. Marston describes the grand, emotional military parade in London reviewed by King George III, his brilliant tactical defense of a besieged chateau, and his bitter-sweet romantic reunion with Lady Tracey, his former childhood crush now transformed into a stately matron.

After the brief romantic sketch "It Is No Fiction," the issue reaches its emotional peak in a grand reporting of "The Burns Festival." Over 80,000 people gather near the River Doon to celebrate Robert Burns, joining in unison to sing "Ye banks and braes" and listening to passionate tributes by Professor John Wilson and Lord Eglinton. The issue closes with "Stanzas for the Burns Festival" by Delta, celebrating Burns as a transcendent poet whose memory unites peer, peasant, and nation.

How It Unfolds

Analyzing the French radical The issue opens with a scathing review of Louis Blanc’s history of the 1830 Revolution, dismissing his political journalism as partisan gossip. The writer then transitions into a detailed examination of the Saint-Simonian movement, analyzing its utopian doctrines and social structure.

Navigating the Alabama swamps A drenched traveler and his friend Richards find themselves stuck in a mud hole in Alabama. They are reluctantly rescued by Isaac Shifty, a deliberate, bargaining Connecticut Yankee who shuttles them toward Bainbridge while putting them through an agonizing interrogation.

Marching to the scaffold The narrative shifts to verse in "The Execution of Montrose," telling the story of the fallen Marquis led through Edinburgh in a cart. Despite the taunts of the Covenanting crowd and Argyle, Montrose's serene majesty silences the mob and draws tears from onlookers.

Confronting the witchfinder In the German town of Hammelburg, a crippled, fanatic witchfinder stands outside an empty cell, raving against suspected witches. Meanwhile, in the crowded town square, the young artist Gottlob swears an oath to the mysterious Magdalena to protect the innocent purity of a young girl.

Tracing human and animal nature An extensive scientific essay reviews Dr. Prichard's work on natural history and ethnology. The author discusses inherited canine instincts and explores grammatical structures and agricultural traditions among Indigenous American societies to evaluate their historic origins.

Maundering over modern verse The magazine turns its critical guns on Coventry Patmore’s new volume of poetry, quoting several passages to mock their perceived absurdity. The reviewer declares the work to be the ultimate degradation of English poetry, hoping the style dies out entirely.

Defending the chateau In the serialized novel Marston, the narrator describes the departure of the Guards from London under the gaze of King George III. Marston earns military glory by repelling a French attack on a chateau, followed by a tense, melancholy reunion with his past love, Lady Tracey.

Honoring the national bard The volume concludes with a massive coverage of the Burns Festival near the River Doon. Speeches by literary luminaries, crowd choruses of Scottish folk songs, and commemorative poetry by Delta unite tens of thousands in nationalist celebration.

The People

• M. Louis Blanc: A French democratic journalist and political historian whose radical party bias and sharp critiques of royalty draw the reviewer's intense skepticism.
• Isaac Shifty: A slow-moving, intensely inquisitive Connecticut Yankee in Alabama whose pedantic bargaining tests the patience of stranded travelers.
• The Marquis of Montrose: A noble Scottish commander brought to his execution in Edinburgh, whose serene bravery facing death awes the hostile crowd into silence.
• The Witchfinder: A crippled, vengeful religious fanatic in Hammelburg who perceives himself as doing holy work while hunting down helpless women.
• Gottlob: A passionate young artist attending a solemn cathedral procession, bound by a sacred promise to guard an innocent young woman's purity.
• Coventry Patmore: A contemporary young poet whose debut collection is held up by Blackwood's critics as the absolute nadir of English poetic decline.
• Marston: A British military officer during the French Revolutionary Wars who proves his heroism in battle while harboring an unrequited, lingering passion for a childhood friend.
• Lady Tracey: Formerly the young object of Marston's devotion, now a refined matron whose unexpected presence overpowers him with nostalgic grief and adoration.
• Professor John Wilson (Christopher North): A dominant literary voice and orator at the Burns Festival who champions the emotional and moral core of Scottish peasant poetry.

In Its Own Voice

"It is not a history, but a scandal, that he will write. M. Louis Blanc has distilled the bile of journalism..."

— From a scathing political commentary critiquing French radical journalism and the historiography of the 1830 Revolution.

"A traitor sold him to his foes; O deed of deathless shame! I charge thee, boy, if e'er thou meet With one of Assynt's name..."

— From "The Execution of Montrose," depicting a veteran passing down the tragic memory and martial duty of revenge to a younger generation.

"To the peasant the book lies upon his shelf a household treasure. There he finds depicted himself--his own works and his own ways."

— From the coverage of the Burns Festival, celebrating how Robert Burns gave voice to the everyday life and spiritual depth of the Scottish working class.

What It's Really About

At its core, this issue of Blackwood's explores the conflict between institutional authority and popular emotion across politics, history, and art. Politically conservative, the magazine defends traditional social hierarchies against radical French republicanism and Saint-Simonian utopianism. Culturally, however, it celebrates the authentic, organic emotion of the common folk—whether analyzing inherited animal instincts, rejecting modern "degraded" poetry, or elevating Robert Burns as a national saint. The recurring thread is a search for noble heroism, whether found in a royalist general walking to the gallows or a peasant poet whose verse binds an entire nation together.

Why Read It Today

Reading a nineteenth-century literary periodical offers a unique, unvarnished window into the Victorian mind. Rather than receiving history through a single modern lens, the reader encounters the immediate, unedited rhythm of 1844: raw political anxieties, thrilling serial fiction, razor-sharp literary takedowns, and genuine romantic sentiment.

The issue demands patience. Modern readers must navigate dense period rhetoric, lengthy political summaries, romantic melodrama, and regional dialect. Yet the reward is immense. The prose alternates between muscular, caustic critique and soaring, lyric reporting. The sheer energy of the Burns Festival coverage, paired with the biting wit of the book reviews, reveals a media landscape as dynamic, opinionated, and culturally ambitious as anything published today.