There is no doubt that the grounds around Charlecote Hall, were the early haunts of Shakspeare; and that in the house itself sat the magisterial authority, before which he was doomed to meet the charges, to which his youthful indiscretions had rendered him liable; and, as it remains, to the present time, for the most part, unaltered, and presents to the spectator of the present day the same image that was often, and under such peculiar circumstances, impressed on the eye of our Shakspeare, it cannot but be regarded with the most intense interest by all his admirers.

In conclusion, we would recommend the illustrators of Shakspeare to possess themselves of a set of Mr. Rider’s “Views;” whilst the visiter of Stratford-upon-Avon would do well to lay a copy in his portmanteau—­for they are in truth so many faithful memorials of the great poet of nature.

* * * * *

ON NATIONAL VARIETIES.

(For the Mirror.)

There are few more familiar subjects than that of the varieties of national character, and the resemblances and differences that exist between ourselves and the inhabitants of other countries.  Few conversations occur upon circumstances which may have happened abroad, in which some one has not an anecdote to relate to illustrate the known peculiarities of the nation in question; and the greater part of the travels and tours which now issue in such formidable numbers from the press, are naturally filled with stories and incidents, either to show the correctness of our ideas of the manners and opinions of our neighbours, or (perhaps more frequently) to prove that the public were in error in that respect, up to the time when the traveller in question had discovered the truth, or a clue to it.  The daily accounts of the outrages perpetrated in Ireland, and the alarms that are sounded ever and anon, touching the state of that unhappy country, are continually exciting surprise, that the natives of the sister island should be so unaccountably deficient in that sense of order and sobriety which prevails in Great Britain.  We associate with a Scotchman the ideas of shrewdness and prudence; with a Frenchman, gaiety and frivolity; with a Spaniard, gravity and pride; with an Italian, strong passions of love and revenge:  with a German, plodding industry and habits of deep thinking; and with the northern nations, an honest sincerity and persevering courage.  We sometimes judge with tolerable correctness; at others are wholly mistaken, and not unfrequently run into such extremes, that having established a principle, that a particular people are knavish, or cowardly, or stupid, we are unwilling to admit any exceptions, but include the whole race in our sweeping censure.  We are prejudiced at first sight against a Portuguese or Italian, and are careful of our communications with him, even though we meet him on the high road,