14 JANUARY 1843, Page 19

PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED, From January 6th to January 12th.

Boors.

The Naval Club; or Reminiscences of Service. By M. H. HARKER, Esq. (" The Old Sailor.") In three volumes.

Methodus Medendi; or the Description and Treatment of the Principal Diseases incident to the Human Frame. By HENRY 1.14Coastec, M.D., Consulting Physician to the Belfast Hospital, &c.

Ensamples of Railway-making ; which, although not of English practice, are submitted, with practical illustrations, to the civil engineer, and the British and Irish public. [The object of this volume is to suggest the expediency and demonstrate the possibility of making branch railways on an economical plan ; the outlay being proportioned to the probable returns in each ease, so that capital may be in- vested with a reasonable prospect of profit. The average cost per mile of the British railways has been 30,0001; the average of the Belgian is only 15,0001., of the Prussian 9,0001., and of the American 4,000/. ; the last two, however, being

mostly single tracts. The average cost of the railways proposed by the Irish. Commissioners is from 8,000/. to 12,000/. per mile, with a probable return of 3i per cent; but Mr. WEALE, in the " Preliminary Observations" to these " Ensamples," suggests the practicability of forming single lines, suitable for remote districts, at from 4,0001. to 5,000/. per mile, yielding at low rates of traffic a profit of from 8 to 10 per cent. This is to be accomplished, first, by having steeper inclines or gradients where needful; second, by substituting timber fur brick and stone in the construction of bridges and viaducts; thus saving the expense of deep cuttings and embankments ; and third, by substituting the " slotted rail " on continuous hearers for the edge-rail on chairs. This pro- position is purely speculative, not being based on any exact calculation : the evidence given in support of its feasibility comprises the substance of the volume, and consists of two separate parts : the first is a scientific description of the mechanical works on the Utica and Syracuse Railroad, with specifica- tions and estimates, furnished by Mr. R. F. Isncaw000 of New York, and illustrated with twenty plates, exemplifying the moat economical system of American railways : the second is a statistical account of the railways of Bel- gium in 1842, compiled from official documents by Mr. E. DOBSON, and in- cluding detailed descriptions of the works, with statements of expenses and proceeds. These are two valuable contributions to the economics of railway- communication, apart from the theory propounded by Mr. WEALE—or rather in his name, for the idea is not original—and afford some of the data for calcu- lating the minimum cost of engineering works for lines of transit.] An Exposition of the Pathology and Treatment of Tubercular Phthisis. By SAMUEL FLOOD, M.R.C.S. London, &C. [The point of this little volume is, that tubercles in the lungs are only a symptom of consumption, and not strictly speaking a cause of it. The origin of the disease, says Mr. Ft000, is deeper, and arises in the first place from a scrofulous constitution ; but its more immediate devel,,pment, he argues, is to be traced to the mesenteric glands, which becoming morbid, cause an obstruc- tion of the lacteal vessels, and so deprive the blood, and of course the body, of its due nutriment. The treatment he recommends for this primal complaint is counter-irritants on the stomach, and iodine with cantharides to be taken internally. The last point mooted by Mr. FLOOD is worth attention ; though it is pro- bable that he is drawing general conclusions from particular cases, and it is by no means so certain as he seems to think that we can cure a morbid state of the mesenteric glands—as witness the number who die of the affec- tion. The other views have no novelty. Sir JAMES CLARK, in his Treatise on Pulmonary Consumption, ascribes the original cause of the disorder to scrofula; and a great part of his elaborate work is devoted to prevention, the pith of which is, Strengthen the constitution by invigorating, that is nourishing the system.] The Last Ball; and other Tales. By GEORGE Soisr, Esq., BA., Author of "Frolics of Puck," &c. In three volumes.

[The Last Ball is a story of Charles the Second's days, introducing Bucking- ham, Rochester, and other wits and courtiers of the time, by connecting them with the pursuit of the heroine, a Spanish beauty and fortune. This story oc- cupies the first volume : the remainder of the work consists of a good many short tales, some of which strike us as having been published in periodicals. It is in these shorter tales that we think the author is most successful: his narrative is rapid, his incidents are effective, and his persons powerfully sketched ; but he can do little more than sketch. He wants ease and buoyancy for the sustained fiction, and his dialogue is somewhat forced and artificial.] Floral Fancies and Morals from Flowers. Embellished with seventy illustrations by the Author.

[This book consists of a series of tales both scientific and moral ; the actors being mostly plants, and their conduct exhibiting botanical properties from which the writer deduces a conclusion applicable to human life. These pro- ductions are called fables : and as far as mere plan is concerned they are so; but they are too long and too flimsy to fall properly under that class of lite- rature. They want the plainness and directness of the fable, whilst their botanical science deprives them of its pangs. The reader, unless a botanist, must peruse the notes before be can understand the force of the text. They are pleasantly written, and may be found a useful introduction to the pro- perties of plants.]

The Holly-Branch ; an Album for 1843. By EMILY DAVIS.

[This Christmas present or New-Year's gift exhibits, very varied accom- plishments in Miss DAMS : prose, poetry, painting, and music, are a rare combination in one lady; and she appears to us to have produced, single-handed, as good a book tor its purpose as some of the Annuals with their combined forces, besides which The Holly Branch has songs set to music.] Hagerman Ready; or the Wreck of the Pacific. Written for Young People. By Captain MARRYAT. Volume III.

[This volume concludes the work, by a vessel calling at the island to carry away Mr. Seagrave and family ; old Masterman Ready having been killed, (and some may think needlessly,) in an attack of savages : the invasion, and the pre- parations for it, form the most stirring incidents in the latter part of this work.]

Ten Thousand Things relating to China and the Chinese; an epitome of toe genius, government, history, literature, agriculture, arts, trade, manners, customs, and social life of the people of the Celestial Empire; together with a Synopsis of the Chinese Collection. By WILLIAM B. LANGDON, Esq., Curator of the Chinese Collection. [This is the magnificent title given to a handsome volume in green and gold, which turns out to be only an expanded edition of the intelligent catalogue of

the Chinese collection at Hyde Park Corner; the Curator of which may be well excused for having caught the spirit of Oriental grandiloquence. The infor-

mation is partly original, and partly gleaned from the works of Davis, KIDD, and other authorities; the additional matter consisting mostly of quotations from published accounts, introduced apropos to the various items of the exhibition. Neither in form nor arrangement, therefore, is this a book for continuous reading, or even for reference apart from the curious objects of the " Chinese Collection" ; to which, however, it fulfils the office of a well- crammed cicerone. There are four-and-twenty illustrations; homely woad-

cuts printed with a tint, representing Chinese costumes, occupations, and furniture; and as the book, which is well worth its price, is sold only at the place of exhibition, the title can deceive no one.]

Criticisms on Art, and Sketches of the Picture-Galleries of England. By WILLIAM IIAZLITT. With Catalogues of the principal Galleries, now first collected. Edited by his Son. [This publication forms the first volume of HAZLITT'S articles on the Fine Arts; which are among the most racy writings of that striking and pecu- liar genius. The volume before us contains the criticisms on the Picture- Galleries of England. published originally, we think, in the London Muga- zinc, the article on Hoc...Riles Marriage-a-la-mode, the essay on the Fine Arts from the Encyclopaedia Britannica, and some other papers. One feature of the book is the appendix, which contains catalogues of the galleries criticised, as well as of the National, at the time of LIAZLITT'S writing, the Angerstein Gallery. The lists of the public collections can be bought, but the private ones are unattainable except in this publication.] Letters to a Young Lady, on the Advantages of Early Piety.

[Four well-intentioned but not very striking letters on the advantage of piety to a young woman, in her personal, domestic, and social life, as well as in her capacity as wife, mother, and mistress of a family.]

Aids to Devotion : being a Manual of Prayers, Meditations, and Instruc- tions, from the best sources. By the Reverend CHARLES BADHAM, Emm. Coll. Camb.

[The object of this little volume is to furnish the devout, especially young per- sons, with a daily manual ; and it consists of prayers or analogous religious Compositions for every day in the week, and for the chief festival or holy days- as Christmas-day. The compositions are principally selected from divines of the Anglican Church, with occasional alterations.] Inglis's Solitary Walks through Many Lands. Third edition. (Popular Library of Modern Authors. Copyright editions.)

[A delightful book of a very agreeable writer, made accessible at a cheap price.] SERIALS.

Chambers's Cyclopedia of English Literature. Embellished with engrav- ings on wood. Part 1. [The object of this work is to furnish a review of English literature, with illus- trative specimens and brief notices of the lives of the authors. Besides a short sketch of the history of the English language, and passing notices of the An- glo-Saxon and Anglo-Norman writers, the part contains upwards of twenty authors, with illustrative specimens, beginning with CHAUCER and coming down to Sir THOMAS MORE and Sir THOMAS ELVOT. Of course the early wt of the publication is compiled from the works of Weitrox, WRIGHT, &C.; and probably the latter portion is done after an equally com- pendious mode. But it is well done, exhibiting the shrewdness of perception andjustness of view which characterize most of the books that emanate from the Messrs. CHAMBERS. A cheaper or more useful publication can hardly be imagined; for if the mass of persons did not read this, theyy would read no- thing relating to the subject. As the course of time brings Clwmberas Cyclo- pedia of English Literature among more classic writers, its utility may be questioned. Amusement and an idea of style and manner may be gotten from extracts, but he who wants to profit by a work must read it.] Cabinet Edition of Shakspere, from the Text of the editions by CHARLES KNIGHT; including a selection of Explanatory Notes. No. L-" Two Gentlemen of Verona."

[The text of SUARSPERE is the object of this new edition, which is a reprint from Mr. KinmaT's larger publications. The few foot-notes are limited to verbal illustration ; but the introductory notice is critical as well as bibliographi- cal, though the story of the text stands first. The getting-up and typography are neat.) Popular Flowers. The Geranium ; its propagation, cultivation, and general treatment, in all seasons. To which is added, a list of new and choice plants. With a coloured frontispiece.

The Guide to Service.-" The Nurse."

PERIODICALS.

Foreign and Colonial Quarterly Review, No. L Millington's Magazine for the Young, Part I. Edinburgh Review, No. CLIP. Magazines for January-Church, Christian Teacher, Asiatic Journal,

Bradshaw's Journal.

PICTORIAL ILLUSTRATIONS AND PRINTS.

Abbotsford Edition of the Waverley Novels, Part XIX. Scenery and Antiquities of Ireland Illustrated, Part XX.

PAMPHLETS.

Six Letters to the Right Honourable Sir Robert Peel; being an attempt to expose the dangerous tendency of the Theory of Rent advocated by Mr. Ricardo, and by the writers of his school. By a Political Economist. H. S. Chapman's New Zealand Portfolio, No. VI.-" Observations on the Advantages of a Representative Assembly for New Zealand." Court of Sewers for Westminster, and Part of the County of Middlesex. Address upon the Report from the Poor-law Commissioners, (presented to both Houses of Parliament, July 1842,) in reference to those parts which inculpate the Metropolitan Commissioners of Sewers ; delivered at a meeting of the Court, held Friday 23d December 1842, by the Chair- man, THOMAS LEVERTON DONALDSON, Esq. The History and Mystery of the Exchequer Bills Forgery Examined : a Second Letter to the Right Honourable Henry Goulharn, Chancellor of her Majesty's Exchequer. A Reply to the Prize Essays of the Anti-Corn-law League. By a Lin- colnshire Landowner.

Letter to the Kirk- Session and Congregation of the Established Church, East Kilbride, regarding the late Convocation of Ministers. By the Reverend HENRY MONCREIPT, Minister of that Parish.

The Unemployed, and the Proposed New Poor-law. A Letter from a Ren- frewahire Heritor, to the holders of real property in that County, and other manufacturing districts of Scotland. Savings Banks. The Editorial Remarks and Correspondence which have recently appeared in the Times newspaper on the subject of abuses in these institutions ; with some prefatory and concluding Observations, by a Member of the Stock Exchange.

Music.

"Again our gallant bark's east loose"; a Song. Written and composed by A. P.; arranged by Mrs. H.