12 FEBRUARY 1842, Page 18

PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED.

Prom Febnutry 4th to February 10th.

BOOKS.

General History of the World, from the earliest times until the per 1831. By CHARLES VON ROTTECE, LL.D., Professor in the UniT versity of Frieburg, &c. Translated from the German, and continued to 1840. In four volumes.

The Daughters of England, their Position in society, Character, and Responsibilities. By Mrs. Maas, Author of "The Women of Eng- land,' &c. [The Women of England by Mm Bunts, has reached, we believe, a seventeenth edition ; and we think her Daughters of England is likely to be as successfuL The subject is one which interests every middle-class family ; for what is so interesting as the training and formation of a daughter's mind and habits, from the time when she finishes her education till she settles for life ? The treat- ment of the subject, too, is as judicious as its choice : there is nothing to startle by its novelty, nothing to puzzle by its profundity. The substance of the advice is sensible, conventional, and judicious, and not so transcendental as to be above attainment in practice: the form of the composition is fluent, pleasing, and elegant, occasionally rising to feminine eloquence, and though not even aiming at condensation never appearing verbose. The Daughters of England is the best example of agreeable and disguised commonplace we re- member to have met since the days of HANNAH MOORE ; and we think it ex- cels the productions of that amiable and excellent person in having less of twang. These, however, though great elements of popularity, are only the general merits of the work. Mrs. Emas has infused into it a distinctive character, which separates it from the flowery and elaborate abstractions of numberless fine men, who preach upon the "duties of the female sex." It has the tact and the grace and the experience of a woman ; not obtruded, perhaps not. thought of; but pervadiug the whole body, and only markedly appearing upon fitting occasions.] Spinal and Nervous Diseases, Rheumatism and Paralysis; or Cases and Observations illustrating an improved treatment By JOHN Hay RoneursoN, M.D., Author of "Spinal Diseases, with an improved. Plan of Cure."

[In December 1840, we noticed a publication of Dr. ROBERTSON on Spinal Diseases with an Improved Plan of Care ; the object of which was to attri- bute more complaints to affections of the spine or the adjacent muscles than are generally classed under the head of spinal diseases, to make soreness to the surgeon's touch the test of dorsal affections, and to advocate dry cupping and acupuncture as an extraordinarily successful mode of cure. The present publi-

cation is a sort of supplement to the former book ; containing some more cases of pinal, or, as the author would prefer to call it, dorsal disease, with narratives of his treatment successfully applied to chronic rheumatism and paralysis. We remarked on the former work, that the results of the practice "would not,

el priori, be expected from the means employed"; and the cases in the present book are of a more extraordinary kind than those in the former. At the same time, we believe that acupuncture or dry cupping will rarely do any harm ; and they certainly deserve trial on a class of complaints which are now abandoned as incurable, or subject the patient to months of restraint and social privation. If they only affect half of what Dr. ROBERTSON says they do, they

illbe a boon to humanity.]

On Deafness from Morbid Conditions of the Mucous Membrane of the Stomach, Throat, and Ear, the effect of cold, dyspepsia, scarlatina, measles, &c. (Contributions to Aural Surgery, No. TV.) By JAMES YEARSLEY, M.R.C.S., Surgeon to the Institution for Curing Dis- eases of the Ear, Sackville Street, Piccadilly. [The substance of a series of papers which appeared in the Medical Gazette, endeavouring to show that deafness frequently originates in a diseased state of

the mucous membranes (linings) of the stomach and throat, the symptomatic

deafness eventually becoming organic. This opinion is perhaps rather asserted than proved in Mr. YEARSLEY'S brochure; but important results in the animal economy so frequently ,,depend upon remote or apparently trivial things, that

the hint is worth pursuing by aural practitioners. The preventive treatment recommended in the first stages—early hours, exercise, regular living, especially in regard to indigestible food, and the avoidance of sudden changes in the tem- perature—will at all events benefit the general health; and this will very pro- bably alleviate the disorder, or cure it altogether if only slight, whether the deafness be organic or nervous. For nervous deafness, (which the "Surgeon

to the Institution for Diseases of the Ear" considers far less common than is generally maintained,) Mr. YEARSLEY proposes a simple test : "if the ticking of a watch," says he, "can be heard when applied closely to the auricle or held between the teeth, it cannot be the auditory nerve that is in fault." This test, however, is only partially conclusive. If the " ticking " cannot be heard,

we may conclude that the function of the nerve is suspended or destroyed; but if the sound is perceptible, we see no reason why we may not truly infer that the nerve is only debilitated ; and that the deafness originates in general disorder of the nervous system, or a morbid condition of the auditory nerve.]

Zachary Cobble; a Rigmarole in Rhyme.

[An impudent attempt on public patience. Zachary Cobble is a Reforming schoolmaster; who seems, so far as we can understand the "rigmarole," to start as candidate for some borough. In pursuit of this object, he is led through a variety of adventures, of the most absurd, pointless, and unintelligible kind. The writer seems to have been reading BUTLER, and all the faults of

Hudtbras are not so much imitated as caricatured; and the ,grotesqueness of the knight's adventures, which in the confusion and fanaticism of the civil war might have more probability than we can now apprehend, are applied to existing times,—so far as a mind so inferior as the writer of Zachary Cobble can apply any thing which he derives from BUTLER.] Lady Alice; a Ballad Romance, in seven parts. By EE-Tore. [This poem is a very striking example of the facility which Dr. JOHNSON ascribed to the old ballad style when he extemporized a parody on Percy's Reliques. We doubt whether the author of Lady Alice possesses any true poetical spirit ; and when here and there he deviates into any other measure than " Come, my lad, and drink some beer," his muse begins to halt : but the poem though long, is readable, and agreeable too.] The History of Initiation, in twelve Lectures ; comprising a detailed Ac- count of the Rites and Ceremonies, Doctrines and Discipline, of all the Secret and Mysterious Institutions of the Ancient World. By the Rev. GEORGE OmvEn, D.D., D.P.G.M. for Lincolnshire, &c. A new edition.

[The Reverend Dr. OLIVER is a Freemason of repute, and an enthusiast in the craft; considering pure or primitive masonry "was certainly derived from above." In his eyes the mysteries of Egyptian and classical antiquity, to- gether with the religions of Persia and Hindostan, as well as the mysteries of the Celts, the Druids, the Goths and the different American nations, were all branches of Freemasonry—pure fn their fountain, but corrupted in the streams. The object of his book is to describe the ceremonies of initiation into all these brotherhoods of yore, and to unfold their philosophy, or tenets—to penetrate,

in fact, the impenetrable. In the pursuit of this object, he brings together a vast number of particulars, from a vast number of sources somewhat after the fashion of Mr. O'BRIEN in his Round Towers ; and the book will be found curious, though the author is credulous.] A Complete Treatise on Practical Arithmetic ; containing, besides the common rules, new principles of mental, visual, and expeditious calcu- lation. By JOHN ABRAM. [One object of Mr. ABRAM is to simplify the general rules of arithmetic; but the main feature of his book is what he calls the "new principles of

mental, visual, and expeditious calculation." This principle of working by short cuts in practical arithmetic is by no means new : in actual affairs, indeed, everybody in every pursuit learns by experince some ready way of his own ;

and for short calculation one or two books have been published long ago, as is known to readers of our journal. Some of Mr. ARRAhl'S rules are so obvious as to suggest themselves ; as in multiplying by tens or hundreds, place one or two ciphers on the right side of the multiplicand—thus, 50 by 10 is 500, 8te. Several, though a shorter process, involve a little preparatory acquisition, and are not exercised by another application of what we all know already. Some are ingenious and useful, and worth acquiring.] The Four Reformed Parliaments. 1832 to 1842. Compiled by CHARLES EDWARD LEWIS.

[A useful pocket or hand-book to the politician. It presents-1. A view of the four elections since the Reform Bill; giving the number of the registered

constituency at each election, a list of the candidates, and of the number polled by each, with occasional notes upon their election career, touching the places previously represented, &c. 2. A comparative view of the same four elections:

thus, Devonshire and places within it return twenty-two Members; in 1832 twenty-one were Liberal, in 1835 only eighteen were -Liberal, in 1837 only six- teen, and in 1841 there were only twelve Liberals, and the one Conservative had increased to ten. 3. A list of all the candidates in these elections, arranged alphabetically, with references to the contests in which they were engaged. There is also a variety of miscellaneous information of a smaller kind.] The Year-Book of Facts in Science and Art ; exhibiting the most im- portant Discoveries and Improvements of the past year. Illustrated with Engravings. By the Editor of" The Arcane of Science."

[This volume continues to chronicle the different striking facts and discoveries which the year brings forth in the various branches of art or science; and it forms a collection alike interesting to the mere curious observer and to the practical man. Saying nothing of the hints which may be gleaned from the other and kindred subjects in the volume, we should think the facts in the part devoted to the Mechanical and Useful Arts would render its possession worth its cost to any liberal follower of that wide class of pursuits.] The Book of the Poor Mares Church.

SERIALS.

French Language Acquired in Four Months; an entirely original system for teaching, that language. By M. MARIOT DE BELUVOISLN, (from Paris. Lesson the first. The Gaberhtnzie's Wallet, Part II.

771ornton's History of the British Empire in India, Vol. II. Part IV.

PERIODICALS.

Floricultural Magazine for February.

PICTORIAL ILLUSTRATIONS AND PRINTS.

The Illustrated Shakspere, Part %XXIV. Winkles' Cathedral; Nos. XLIIL and XLIV. Le Keux's Memorials of Cambridge, No. XXIII. London Interior; Part V.

PAMPHLETS.

Remarks on the Conduct of the late Government towards the Crown and Country; in a Letter to the Right Hon. Lord John Russell. By PHOCION.

An Examination of the Question now in Discussion between the American and British Governments concerning the Right of Search. By an American.

A Few Remarks on some Points contained in Mr. Sathorp's Letter to a Friend. By a Clergyman of the Archdiocese of Canterbury, Author of a Letter to Sir Robert Peel on the Supposed Difficulty which Ireland should present to his Government. The Church, in January 1842. Summary of the Debates and Proceedings in Parliament relating to the Corn-laws, from the year 1812 to the year 1840. By CmatEze NEATE, Esq. The Administration of Medical Relief to the Poor under the Poor-lass Amendment Act, and other legislative provisions for the public health, considered in the Reports of the Poor-law Committee of the Provincial Medical and Surgical Association. To which are appended, certain Clauses suggested for insertion in the contemplated Bill for the Further Amendment of the Poor-Laws.

What Can be Done for English Agriculture? A Letter to the Mod Noble the Marquis of Northampton, F.G.S., &c. By JAS. F. W. JOHNSTON, M.A., F.R.S.L. and E., &e. Letter to the Right Honourable George Earl of Aberdeen, KT., &a., Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Chancellor of the University and King's College, Aberdeen, on the State of the Schools of Chemistry in the UnitedKingdom. By WiEmars GREGORY, M.D.. Professor of Medicine and Chemistry in the University and King's College, Aberdeen. Not Over-Production, but Deficient Consumption, the Source of our Sufferings. By W. It. GREG. A Political Pamphlet by a Radical of the Olden Day.