Harper's New Monthly Magazine, No. XI.—April, 1851—Vol. II

In Short

This installment of a premier nineteenth-century monthly miscellany offers a sweeping panorama of Victorian-era intellectual and popular culture. Rather than a single narrative, the issue functions as an archive of its moment, assembling literary appreciations, investigative journalism, serialized fiction, and political digest. Readers encounter appreciations of Washington Irving, deep dives into industrial innovations like the Great Exhibition's Crystal Palace and plate-glass manufacturing, tales of arctic exploration, tragic historical episodes from the French Revolution, and serialized domestic novels. It endures as an invaluable artifact of the 1850s Anglo-American reading public's mind, capturing a period caught between romantic nostalgia, social reform, and rapid technological transformation.

The Story

The volume opens with a warm literary tribute to Washington Irving, celebrating his place as a foundational figure in American letters. The tribute traces his career from his early satyric writings under the pseudonym Jonathan Oldstyle and his contributions to Salmagundi to his celebrated Knickerbocker's History of New York. Highlighting his blend of subtle satire, gracious humor, and moral observation, the text paints Irving as a beloved cultural icon whose personal character matches the gentle brilliance of his prose.

From literary reflection, the issue transitions into the physical marvels of the industrial age. A detailed architectural and technical report examines the construction of the Crystal Palace for the Great Exhibition. It breaks down the furious debate surrounding its interior decoration—specifically whether to bronze the metallic frame or paint it using primary colors to enhance light and shadow—and marvels at the building's unprecedented economy, vast dimensions, and record-setting assembly time of just 145 working days.

A spirit of adventure and noble enterprise follows in an account of the Grinnell Arctic Expedition. The narrative details how New York merchant Henry Grinnell personally financed and outfitted two vessels, the Advance and the Rescue, sending them into frozen seas to search for the lost polar explorer Sir John Franklin, driven by civic duty and moral obligation.

Fiction and dramatic narratives form the magazine's emotional core. In a suspenseful romantic scene, a narrator timidly approaches a gloomy house where his beloved Gertrude resides, filled with dread over a mysterious truth he must confront. In another narrative fragment, a dialogue unfolds involving Astræa, a group of women embroidering tapestry, and a sharp-tongued, cynical figure referred to as a "dwarf" or "Mephistophiles," exploring social expectations, vanity, and gender roles. Elsewhere, a historical snippet set in the circle of Sir Thomas More depicts the famous scholar Erasmus sharing a humorous story about monkly hypocrisy, fasting, and tame hares in a peaceful garden setting.

Political drama takes center stage in a recount of the French Revolution, where Madame Roland and the young Girondin deputy Barbaroux discover a secret letter offering money and marriage in exchange for supporting an appeal to save the life of King Louis XVI. This is paired with vivid ethnographic journalism, including a microscopic look at the Cornish pilchard fishery, detailing the meticulous, salt-layered preservation of fish by local women, and a harrowing first-person descent down seventy fathoms of mine shafts in Cornwall, where the narrator is physically hauled across perilous chasms by a seasoned miner.

Moving toward domestic dilemmas, stories of self-sacrifice and working-class struggles emerge. A narrator discovers that his young beloved, Lucy, has secretly given her heart to his clerk, Tom Lawton; overcoming his grief, the older man chooses forgiveness and resolves to facilitate their marriage. Social observation extends to London street life, detailing the harsh, retaliatory subculture of costermonger youths warring with the police, followed by poignant profiles of rural laborers struggling against falling wages, lack of schooling, and systemic poverty.

The narrative arc culminates in multi-chapter installments of Bulwer-Lytton's serialized novel My Novel; or, Varieties in English Life. Through witty family debates over romantic behavior and the rural interactions of characters like Signor Riccabocca, Lenny Fairfield, and Parson Dale, the work explores class dynamics, homeopaths, and regional slang. Finally, the issue closes with concise news summaries—such as the sudden political crisis and resignation of Lord John Russell's British ministry over budget disputes—and reviews of new American literature, including G. H. Hollister's Indian war romance Mount Hope.

How It Unfolds

Celebrating an American favorite The issue begins with an affectionate retrospective on Washington Irving, detailing his early health struggles, European travels, and his rise to literary fame through Salmagundi and Knickerbocker.

Building the glass cathedral An architectural report examines the radical engineering of the Crystal Palace, explaining the scientific color choices for its interior and highlighting its extraordinary construction speed and low cost.

Sailing into the frozen north The narrative recounts the departure of the Grinnell Expedition, praising merchant Henry Grinnell for funding the rescue effort to find Sir John Franklin's lost arctic ships.

Unraveling gothic and romantic mysteries Fictional excerpts follow angst-ridden lovers, mysterious house calls, and sharp social banter between the graceful Astræa and a mocking, cynical observer.

Conversing with Renaissance scholars A reflective scene depicts Erasmus laughing over monastic hypocrisy with Sir Thomas More's family while watching tame hares skip across the lawn at dusk.

Navigating political intrigue and heavy industry Articles shift rapidly from Madame Roland uncovering a royalist bribe during the French Revolution to step-by-step descriptions of Cornish pilchard curing and dangerous mine exploration.

Choosing generosity over heartache A heartbroken suitor discovers his love prefers his young employee, masterly controlling his envy to bless their union and guide them to marriage.

Observing street youths and rural laborers Journalistic pieces document the fierce anti-police subculture among London costermongers alongside portraits of uneducated yet noble rural workers facing dropping wages.

Exploring English village life Serialized chapters of My Novel feature lighthearted philosophical arguments among the Caxton family, village gossip regarding local doctors, and the moral growth of young Leonard Fairfield.

Reporting national politics and book releases The volume concludes with objective news coverage of the 1851 British ministerial crisis caused by an unworkable budget surplus, followed by reviews of contemporary American historical fiction.

The People

• Washington Irving: An revered American author celebrated for his rich humor, gentle satire, and enduring public affection, whose long career helped define early national literature.
• Henry Grinnell: A wealthy, altruistic New York merchant who spent his personal fortune to purchase, strengthen, and send out rescue ships to locate lost arctic explorers.
• Astræa: A dignified and graceful woman who leads a domestic circle in embroidery while deftly parrying the cruel, sarcastic insults of a bitter companion.
• Mephistophiles / The Dwarf: A sharp-tongued, cynical observer who uses mockery and sneers to wound others, frustrated by the natural harmony and shared tastes of those around him.
• Erasmus: The famed Renaissance humanist, depicted as thin, witty, and lighthearted, enjoying playful banter about appetite, fasting, and domestic pets at Sir Thomas More's estate.
• Madame Roland and Barbaroux: Figures of the French Revolution; Madame Roland uses her sharp intellect to deduce that a hidden paper in Barbaroux's pocket is a massive royalist bribe intended to spare King Louis XVI.
• The Unnamed Miner: A physically powerful, generous Cornish laborer who safety lifts and carries a terrified visitor across dark, precarious mine chasms far below the surface.
• The Selfless Suitor: A middle-aged man who experiences deep grief upon discovering his beloved Lucy loves his young clerk, Tom Lawton, but conquers his hatred to secure their happiness.
• Lucy and Tom Lawton: Young lovers who suffer under the guilt of secret courtship, fully prepared to take the blame until forgiven by Lucy's generous suitor.
• Joel: An remarkably mature, quiet boy who takes immediate, total responsibility for his younger siblings after their mother's death, managing household chores and playtime with steady affection.
• Signor Riccabocca, Parson Dale, and Leonard Fairfield: Central characters in the serialized fiction; Riccabocca is an eccentric Italian exile, Dale a philological parish parson, and Leonard a studious, hardworking youth seeking self-improvement by a garden fountain.

In Its Own Voice

"He commenced his career as a writer almost with the commencement of the present century."

Context: An opening literary appreciation establishing Washington Irving's long-standing, foundational presence in American letters.

"A combination of the primary colors, red, blue, and yellow, is most pleasant to the eye."

Context: An explanation of the color theory applied to the iron and glass structural beams of the Great Exhibition's Crystal Palace.

"You are but a light and a little man, my son! only let me lift you about as I like, and you shan't come to any harm while I am with you!"

Context: A reassuring miner speaks to the frightened narrator after picking him up to carry him over a dangerous pit inside a Cornish mine.

What It's Really About

Behind its diverse contents, this issue wrestles with the tension between dramatic material progress and fundamental human morality. The non-fiction selections marvel at human ingenuity—whether constructing a thirty-three-million-cubic-foot glass palace in under five months or engineering plate glass—while simultaneously asking how societies preserve empathy, duty, and spiritual grace amidst rapid change.

The fictional narratives and social profiles explore duty, self-sacrifice, and quiet dignity. Whether it is Henry Grinnell risking his fortune to save lost sailors, a heartbroken man choosing forgiveness over jealousy, or a young orphan boy silently raising his siblings without complaint, the volume repeatedly elevates selfless integrity above individual ego. It asks its readers to balance the dazzling, loud advancements of industrial civilization with the quieter, permanent virtues of domestic kindness, social justice, and personal honor.

Why Read It Today

This collection offers readers an unvarnished, immersive time-machine experience into the Victorian mind. Rather than viewing the mid-nineteenth century through a modern historical lens, one reads the exact mix of news, serialized art, science, and moral reflection that an educated household digested in April 1851. It captures an era standing on the cusp of modern technology while still deeply tethered to traditional social structures.

The writing varies from the formal, elevated cadence of Victorian literary criticism to the lively, authentic slang of rural taverns and London street vendors. Readers will encounter period-specific challenges: archaic spellings, dense paragraphs, specialized industrial terminology, and political debates regarding nineteenth-century British parliamentary procedure. Additionally, the texts reflect the unexamined cultural assumptions and class attitudes of its era.

Yet, for anyone interested in literary history, early journalism, or social development, the issue is rich and deeply engaging. The prose possesses a confident, measured clarity that rewards patient reading, presenting an extraordinary cross-section of a world discovering the power of steam, iron, and mass media.