[Author Unknown]
[Published in The Pioneer, January, 1843 (1:1)]
[Edited and Annotated by Max Cunningham for the University of Arizona Antebellum Magazine Project, May 4th, 2015]
“American Criminal Trials,”[1] by P.W. Chandler,[2] editor of the Law Reporter,[3] has been received in England with extraordinary favor: perhaps no American book, since Irving ceased to publish, has been noticed more extensively or in terms of higher commendation. The Long Spectator[4] gave it two extended notices, the last of which styles the work “an able and interesting volume,” and says “the autumnal leisure having enabled us to peruse it with attention, we propose to notice it more fully, as well for the merit of its execution, as for the curious picture of old colonial manners it presents, and the suggestions it offers to the students of history and human nature. The plan and execution of the American Criminal Trials are rather peculiar. They are not a mere servile copy or dry abridgment of existing reports, where the only merit of the compiler consists in calling public attention to certain proceedings and facilitating their perusal by collecting the scattered records into a series; nor are they merely a skilful and elaborate description of singular trials, suppressing what is formal and subordinate and bringing out the more striking points. Although skilful in his treatment and often graphic in his effects, Mr. Chandler has generally chosen such American criminal trials as throw a light upon American colonial history, or exhibit the phases of public opinion – it may of public madness. Hence there is frequently an interest over and above that of the facts of the trials themselves, from the public events with which they were connected, or the singular and criminal delusion which they record.”
The London Examiner[5] says “it is extremely well done: the author’s style is clear and simple; his habit of patient investigation sits easily upon him; and none of the graphic or more striking points seem to have escaped his notice. We trust he will be encouraged to proceed with his scheme, which deserves welcome from both countries.”
The Monthly Review[6] also notices the work very favorably, and the Law Magazine devotes to it a leading article of nearly thirty pages.
Tappan and Dennett,[7] of this city, have in press and will publish in the course of this month, a “History of the Hawaiin or Sandwich Islands,”[8] by James. J Jarvis,[9] member of the American Oriental Society,[10] and formerly editor of the Sandwich Islands Gazette[11]. It will give an account of the ancient manners and customs, poetry, &c., of the people of the islands; of their early traditions – of the discovery by the Spanish in the sixteenth century, and of the re-discovery by captain Cook,[12] with many particulars not before published, respecting his unfortunate death by the hands of the natives. It will also include a life of Talyehameha the Great, - the civil and political history of the group, and the introduction and progress of Christianity and civilization unto the present year.
It will be issued in one volume, large octavo, in beautiful style, with steel plates of scenery, portrait, and a map, and with numerous wood illustrations of the finest description.
E.P. Peabody,[13] 13 West street, Boston, will soon publish the first American edition of the celebrated “Confessions” of St. Augustine. The translation adopted in this edition was made in England in the seventeenth century, but whether it is that of the Roman Catholic Sir Tobias Mathews, in 1624, or the Protestant Rev. W. Watts, D. D. in 1650, we are unable to say. We believe, however, that it has been slightly revised, and in some parts the recent version of Rev. E. B. Pusey, D. D., in Oxford, 1841, has been substituted for the older translation.
Little and Brown,[14] of this city, will in a few days publish a work in two volumes, 12mo., entitled “Life in Mexico during a residence of two years in that country. By Mme. C--- De La B---.”[15] There is a preface to it by William H. Prescott, the distinguished historian of Ferdinand and Isabella, who says—
“The present work is the result of observations made during a two years’ residence in Mexico, by a lady, whose position there, made her intimately acquainted with its society, and opened to her the best sources of information in regard to whatever could interest an enlightened foreigner. It consists of letters written to the members of her own family, and really, not intended originally, -- however incredible the assertion,-- for publication. Feeling a regret that such rich stories of instruction and amusement, from which I have so much profited, myself, should be reserved for the eyes of a few friends, only, I strongly recommended that they should be given to the world. This is now done, with a few such alterations and omissions as were necessary in a private correspondence; and although the work would derive more credit from the author’s own name, than from anything which I can say, yet as she declines prefixing it, I feel much pleasure in making this statement by way of introduction to the public.”
Endnotes
[1] Published in two volumes that culminated in 1844, American Criminal Trials was written by Chandler as a large collection of famous criminal trials in the United States, detailing the proceedings of the cases along with their outcomes. In Chandler’s own words, he hoped that the cases “serve to illustrate the morals and manners, or the religious and political history of this period, and thus commend themselves to the American reader, the object of the author will be fully accomplished” (V-VI).
[2] Peleg Whitman Chandler was born in Maine in 1816, the son of a lawyer. Chandler went on to study law himself, working as a law reporter and eventually passing the bar exam, opening a law practice in Boston. The rest of Chandler’s career was littered with successes: Chandler was at one time a member of the Boston common council, Massachusetts House of Representatives, Council of the commonwealth for Boston, and even a seven-year run as city solicitor for the city of Boston.
Chandler was also a prolific writer, publishing works such as Bankruptcy Laws of the United States, and the System with rules and forms in Massachusetts (1841) and Revised Ordinances, Boston (1850), along with the previously mentioned American Criminal Trials. Chandler died in 1889.
[3] The Law Reporter was a monthly journal founded by Chandler himself in 1839. The publication ran in Boston until its close in 1848.
[4] The London Spectator or as its called today, The Spectator, is a conservative magazine published in the U.K.. It currently holds the record for being the longest-running published magazine in the English language at 122 years since their founding in 1828.
[5] Published in the U.K. from 1808-1806, The Examiner was a paper that focused on domestic topics in Britain. While the paper ran for quite some time, it shifted hands for publication numerous times, eventually leading to The Examiner’s downfall.
[6] The Monthly Review was another British periodical, founded in 1749. Running until 1845, The Monthly Review is now recognized as the first periodical in England to offer reviews in its publication.
[7] Tappan and Dennett were well-known publishers who operated in the city of Boston, during the same time The Pioneer was being published.
[8] The title of “sandwich islands” was the name originally given to the Hawaiian Islands when they were discovered by British explorers in 1778.
[9] A well-known newspaper editor and art critic in the United States, James J. Jarvis was known for being a proponent of Oriental culture in the American antebellum era. Not only did he publish a number of works both from the Hawaiian islands and on the topic of them, but he is also known for being one of the first American art collectors to purchase master works of Italian art.
[10] The American Oriental Society is the oldest learned society in America, founded in 1842. Devoted to a singular academic focus, the society is dedicated to studying the literature and languages of Asia through topics such as philosophy, literature, and archaeology.
[11] “The Sandwich Islands Gazette” was the first English-language publication, founded in 1836.
[12] The title of “captain Cook” refers to James Cook, the famed British explorer who originally discovered the Hawaiian Islands in 1778, and coined them the “sandwich islands”.
[13] E.P. Peabody refers to Elizabeth Palmer Peabody, a well-known Bostonian who was born in 1804. One of Peabody’s best known achievements in Boston was opening a book store in 1842, which not only housed great works of literature, but was also known for fostering a great deal of discussion and congregation with such famous authors as Margaret Fuller and Ralph Waldo Emerson.
[14] Little, Brown and Company is one of the most well-known and oldest literary publications in the United States. Founded in Boston in 1837, Little, Brown and Co. publish literature of all kinds in multiple formats, with a focus on works of fiction.
[15] “Life in Mexico: During a Residence of Two Years in that Country” was a work written by Frances Calderón De La Barca in 1843. The work documents De La Barca’s journey from New York to Mexico and his time there in great detail, as he kept notes and letters on a frequent basis.
This portion of The Pioneer is particularly enlightening for a number of reasons, offering up different reflections of the periodical’s intentions and designs. Unlike the majority of what The Pioneer is most famous for, this snippet of the magazine gives the reader a few pieces of different works of literature that the periodical is covering, with little else given. While the piece may seem like a review at first, it is in fact a collection of quotes from other literary journals. The focus, rather than being on the authors, is instead is on the works themselves. Thus, the works chosen to be included in this entry can reveal what The Pioneer may have been driving towards at the time.
One of the most obvious patterns between the works they focus on is their tendency to try and shed light on a culture, often a foreign one. In "American Criminal Trials," P.W. Chandler introduces a thesis that American culture can be understood and examined through famous criminal trials that have already taken place in the country’s brief history, and he hopes that they “will illuminate the political or religious history of this period” (V-VI). In both James J. Jarvis’ “History of the Hawaiin or Sandwich Islands” and Frances Calderón De La Barca’s “Life in Mexico: During a Residence of Two Years in that Country”, each author attempts to peel back the layers behind their respective cultures through either historical or sociological means. Even E.P. Peabody’s reprint of “Confessions” demonstrates a similar trend to these works. Peabody’s primary intention with her bookstore was to help bring works to light that could be discovered by the general population. “Confessions”, in particular, was a seminal piece of Christian literature that was very important to numerous cultures. This pattern indicates that The Pioneer was very intrigued by the idea of illuminating foreign cultures in their hometown of Boston, all through the various works of literature. In fact, the most “American” piece of them all – "American Criminal Trials" – isn’t even looked at from a critical, domestic point of view. Instead, The Pioneer chooses to highlight the fact that the book “has been received in England with extraordinary favor”, and disregarding completely what American audiences thought of it.
What’s so intriguing about all of this is that The Pioneer is now remembered as a one of the only periodicals of its time that published works that became canonical in American literature. Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart” and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Birthmark” were each first published in this magazine, and are now so well known that they’re often taught in American classes. Along with this, The Pioneer also carries a great deal of local pride in this piece, frequently using of the phrase “of this city” when they discuss some of the authors and publishers discussed here (46). All of these facts would seem to point to a great local pride, but as noted above, this piece hones in on foreign cultures, not their own domestic one. This is not to say that The Pioneer had a total absence of national pride, either. Instead, it helps illuminate some of The Pioneer’s more ambitious and curious notions that survived in the short-lived periodical.
Works Cited
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"About Spectator - The Spectator." TheSpectatorUK.com. The Spectator. Web. 1 May 2015. <http://www.spectator.co.uk/about/>.
"American Criminal Trials." The Pioneer 1.1 (1843): 46. American Periodical Society. Web. 1 May 2015. <http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy1.library.arizona.edu/americanperiodic....
"American Oriental Society." AmericanOrientalSociety.com. American Oriental Society. Web. 1 May 2015. <http://umich.edu/~aos/>.
Chandler, Peleg W. American Criminal Trials. 1st ed. Vol. 2. Boston: Freeman and Bolles, 1844. V-VI. Print.
"Chandler, Peleg W. (Peleg Whitman), 1816-1889." TheOnlineBooksPage.com. Online Books Page. Web. 1 May 2015. <http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/book/lookupname?key=Chandler, Peleg W. (Peleg Whitman), 1816-1889>.
"Charles Dickens, the Examiner, and "The Fine Old English Gentleman" (1841)." Thevictorianweb.org. Ed. Philip V. Allingham. The Victorian Web. Web. 1 May 2015. <http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/dickens/pva/pva351.html>.
Craig, Robert F. "Peleg Whitman Chandler (1816-1889) Papers, 1829-1908." (1999). Peabody Essex Museum. Web. 1 May 2015. <http://www.pem.org/library/finding_aids/MH55_PelegWhitmanChandlerPapers.....
De La Barca, Frances Calderón. Life in Mexico: During a Residence of Two Years in That Country. 1st ed. London: Chapman and Hall, 1843. 1-5. Print.
"First Printing of "The Tell-Tale Heart" From the Pioneer." Poemuseum.org. Poe Museum. Web. 1 May 2015. <https://www.poemuseum.org/collection-details.php?id=196>.
"James J. Jarvis." Biography.com. Bio. Web. 1 May 2015. <http://www.biography.com/search/9353395>.
Mills, William James. Exploring polar frontiers: a historical encyclopedia, Volume 2, p. 157, 2003.
Morse-Harding, Chloe. "Elizabeth Palmer Peabody." BostonAthenaeum.org. Boston Athenaeum, 1 June 2013. Web. 1 May 2015. <http://www.bostonathenaeum.org/library/book-recommendations/athenaeum-au....
The Monthly Review. 1st ed. Vol. 1. G. Henderson, 2, Old Bailey, 1844. 1-2. Print.
"The Origins of American Crime Literature." A Companion to Crime Fiction. Ed. Charles Rzepka and Lee Horsley. 1st ed. Wiley-Blackwell, 2010. 129-131. Print.
Issue:
- January 1843