15 MARCH 1845, Page 19

PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED. Froni March 7th to March 113th.

'BOOKS.

Revelations of Spain in 1845. By an English Resident. 'In two volumes. Impressions of Australia Fella, during four years' residence in that

Colony; Notes of a Voyage Round the World; Australian Poems, &c.

By Richard Hewitt.

The Royal Phraseological English-French, French-English Dictioneaw. By J. Ch. Tarver, French Master, Eton, and late French Master of H. R. H. Prince George of Cambridge. English-French Part. [This is the first half of a French Dictionary, that, as its title imports, gives Mt merely the various signification of words, but renders whole phrases in one lan- guage by corresponding idiomatic sentences in the other: in short, it is a dic- tionary of equivalent terms—an interpreting lexicon, teaching how to use as well as to understand the French language. For instance: if you wish to render into correct French a particular sense of the word " about," on referring to this dio- tionary there will be found a great many English sentences in which this word is used in different senses; these are arranged under several heads, and against each is put a corresponding sentence conveying the same meaning ,in French. So with the verbs: the various signification of ' bring," " come," go," &c. according as they are combined with the prepositions, about, forward, forth, in, of, au, out, through, &c., are rendered by corresponding phrases in French. The participle present, when used adjectively or substantively, is also translated as a separate word. Idiomatic turns of expression, and proverbial epithets, are also parallelled by some analogous figure of speech; though the at- tempt is not always successful, and is sometimes carried too far. or example, "hoity-toity" is not convertible to ". alms done." Nor would "hobbledehoy be properly used in English iscrlance where "adolescent" would be in French. The meaning of "Hobson choice" is &early enough rendered by the phrase " e'est laisser on prendre"; and in such cases all that should be attempted is to ex- plain the meaning it is not necessary, were it possible, to pair off such facons ds parley. We allude to these particulars, however, not in an exceptional nt df view, but to illustrate the extent to which the compiler has earned his .• :.edit task.

M. Tarver has aimed at producing " such a work as would enable an English- man to translate his own language mto grammatical, idiomatical, written, and colloquial French"; and enable the Frenchman to do the same in English. To say that, so far as the thing is possible, it is done, -would be more than we can pretend to do from a hasty glance at one part of the work: but this, we belie% is the only attempt of the kind that has been made; and M. Tarver has spared-no pains to make it complete. He has collated the best dictionaries both of English and French lexicographers; and brought to his-task a long experience of the wants of pupils, and a pretty intimate knowledge of the English language as well as his own. This laborious work has grown under the ahthor's hands: the plan of his Dictionnaire des Verbes was extended and applied to all the other parts of speech, until in the present encyclopedia. of French and English phraseology it has become grammar, dictionary, and dialogue-book, in one. Its utility to the learners of both tongues will be very great; and the linguist will find it serviceable for reference. The typography is beautifully clear.] Sancta Vigilice; or Devout Musings on the Heavens, in Verse. By the Reverend C. D. Strong, M.A., Curate of Brampton Abbotts, Hereford shire, &e. [The solar and stellar systems are the subject of Santee Vigilice; which consists of six cantos, in an irregular stanza of Spenserian sound, containing ten linos instead of nine. Of these cantos, the first has the solar system for its theme; the second, the sun's path on the ecliptic; the Northern and Southern constella- tions are the subjects of the three next; and the last contains a vision, in which some of the planets and some of the virtues inculcate, conjointly with the poet, various religions and moral doctrines. The objection to Mr. Strong's plan is, that it is neither scientific nor poetical The wonders of astronomy may be told in verse; or they may perhaps be pre- sented in a species of allegory, where the different systems or constellations might be represented in the guise of their controlling spirits. But Mr. Strong's Sancta Vigilitv seems constructed to exhibit a not very definite view which he has formed of the impropriety of the Pagan appellations, (Scorpio, for instancits est well as of the theological conclusions that may be drawn from astronomy. there seems a want of tangible purpose in his plan, which takes no hold-of the mind; and his verse, though-scholarly in its character, regular in its flow, and possessed of the full-resounding line, is somewhat deficient in native via.] • Richarda Romance of Real Life. By Charles Whitehead, Author of " The So *tnry." [This new edition of Mr. Whitehead's clever application of the biography of Savage to the purposes of fiction is included in a single handy volume of Mr. Bentley's " Standard Novels." The only new literary feature is the Preface; in which the author, somewhat angrily, defends the claim of Savage's maternity and paternity, against the objection of some reviewers, founded upon the doubts of Boswell and the bold denial of Galt. The whole argument we need not enter into; but the following particulars are curious both in themselves and as a picture of manners. They are quoted to show the error that Boswell fell into, in searching the register of St. Andrew's, Holborn, for the name of the poet's alleged father Ri- vers. By his " own name," Johnson seems to have meant his Christian name.

" It Is nothing to the discredit of Boswell's vigilance that he could not do so. Igno- rant of the _following circumstances, It was labour in vain to turn over the parish register.

" From ' The Earl of Macclesfield's Case,' then, which in 1697-8 was presented to

• the Lords In order to procure an act of divorce, it appears that Anne Countess of Macclesfield, under the name of Madam Smith, was delivered of a male child in Fox Court, near Brook Street, Holborn, by Mrs. Wright, a midwife, on Saturday 16th January 1696-7, at six in the morning; who was baptised on the Monday following, and registered by the name of Richard, the son of John Smith ; that the child was christ- ened on Monday 18th January, in Fox Court, and from the privacy was supposed to be Illegitimate. It also appears, that during her confinement the lady wore a mask. Conformable to this statement is the entry in the register of St. Andrew's, Holborn • which is as follows, and which unquestionably records the baptism of Richard Savage, to whom Lord Rivers gave his own Christian name, prefixed to the assumed surname of his mother. • January, 1696-7, Richard, son of John Smith and Mary, in Fox Court, in Gray's Inn Lane, baptised the 111th.'

" Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation": its Argument Exa- mined and Exposed. By S. R. Bosanquet, Esq. [This publication has all the air of a review of The Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation, published in the guise of a book. Yet it is not a good re- view either; for those who have no knowledge of the Vestiges will be left in ignorance by Mr. Bosanquet. Nor does he do much in forwarding his own es- pecial object; which is to uphold the Mosaic account of the creation, against any science which may seem to oppose it. We are far from sure, either, but that he is attaching too much importance to the book reviewed; not for its hterary merit, which is unquestionable, but as a philosophical argument,. From the very nature of the case, the Vestiges can only be considered as an ingenious speculation; but Mr. Bosanquet treats it as if it were a system and its author setting up for a Newton. The praise of reading, however, cannot be denied to Mr. Bosanquet: he perseveringly tracks all the variations Of the text in the three editions of the Vestiges.] The English Cathedral Service; its Glory, its Decline, and its Designed Extinction.

[At the present time, when so much is said and done towards restoring the ancient architecture and ceremonial forms of the English Church, the preserva- tion of its cathedral music, and the renovation of the "bare, ruined choirs," are points especially worthy of? consideration. To avert, if possible, the impending fate of those well-springs of sacred harmony the cathedral choirs-by showing wherein the threatened danger consists, and contrasting the past and present state of church music in England-is the purpose of this strong but true state- ment of the case. It is a reprint of two able articles that lately appeared in the British and Foreign Review; and their scope is similar to that of papers on the subject which have appeared from time to time in the Spectator. The writer aims neither to cathedralize the ordinary church service nor to in- troduce the music of the Popish mass into our cathedrals: he simply con- tends for a restoration of the choirs to their original efficiency, so as to enable the chants and anthems of Tanis, Purcell, Gibbons,. Blow, Croft, Boyce, and other English composers of church music, unrivalled in their line, to be properly per- formed.]

The World of London. A new series. By John Fisher Murray. In two velum's.

[A republication of a series of papers that have appeared in Bentley's Miscel- lany; indicating, in the smart exaggerated manner of a shrewd and dashing magaziner the most telling points and striking characteristics of London life. The external appearance of the Metropolis and its inhabitants-the distinguish- ing features of the different classes of people and the places they frequent-the shops, taverns, and suburban hannts-the Courts of Law and Parliament-are sketched in a broad, free, caricature style. The aim of the writer is rather to amuse than inform,-though there are some useful hints for the provincial ad- venturer, in a chapter headed " How to get on in London ": hence his selection and treatment of salient points is influenced more by the desire to be effective than the determination to be true. The result is an odd admixture of the literal and the grotesque-of the real and the fictitious; which would puzzle a stranger, and give rise to the most extraordinary misconceptions. The outer and inner aspects of the " world of London ' are so intermingled too, that the interpreta- tion of its signs and wonders is almost as inexplicable as they are in themselves: and this is principally owing to the allusive mode of description employed, which presupposes a knowledge of the existence depicted. It is, however, an amusing sketch of Cocknies and Cockneydom, both for those who are and those who are not acquainted with London life.]

The Toting Ladies' Reader; or Extracts from Modern Authors, adapted for educational and family use. With Observations on Reading Aloud, as connected with social improvement, and remarks prefixed to the divisions

of the work. By Mrs. Ellis, Author of "The Women of England," &c. [The feature of this elegant selection is a classification of subjects under various heads,-as narrative and descriptive, pages illustrative of principles, and so forth. In a general introduction, Mrs. Ellis dwells upon the family import- ance of good reading aloud, as a means of instruction and of cultivating the domestic affections, whilst as a general amusement it certainly, she says, equals music. With her recommendatory remarks are blended some directions for ac- quiring the art of reading, but rather critical than didactic; for the elements of reading or elocution cannot be taught by precept. Hints of a more specific kind are prefixed to each class of selections, indicating the spirit of the particular style of reading required to do justice to the theme. The subjects selected are from modem authors • Burke and Mrs. Barbauld being the oldest. The selection con- tains both poetry and prose, but the prose greatly predominates.] Will 's Grammar; interspersed with stories. For the use of children. By Mrs. Marcet, Author of Conversations on Chemistry," &c. [This useful little book is substantially the same as Mary's Grammar, but adapted to boys instead of girls; which has not only involved changes of person, but of illustrations more fitted for little lords of the creation. The principle of the book is that on which we believe all successful teaching must rest-impres- sion by reiterated exposition without apparent repetition. The'mode is the form of dramatic dialogue; which enables the subjects to be varied with less appear-

ance of effort.] •

Home Sermons; each six minutes long, designed especially for the use of families at morning and evening devotion. By the Reverend Alfred Williams, M.A., Alternate Morning Preacher at Berkeley and Quebec Chapels, &c. [These sermons are chiefly designed for the use of those families who have daily worship; where, from their brevity and practical aim, they are likely to be found useful. The "six minutes" of the titlepage will partly depend upon the reader; but few of the discourses really exceed six pages, allowing for head and tail white paperl An Introduction to Heraldry. By Hugh Clark. The fourteenth edition, improved and enlarged. 'I he seventy-first year of publication. [" Who lasts a century can have no flaw "; and surely, in these ephemeral timer, we may compound for seventy years, especially when coupled-with fourteen edi- tions. Criticism in such a case is clearly limited to externals; which are here of the neatest kind, in type, illustrations, and binding. Additions have also been made by a cunning hand; not upon the science of heraldry, which we take it is fixed, but upon practical matters, such as new Orders and new Honours.]

The Works of Edmund Spenser: with Observations on his Life and Writings. A new edition. Complete in one volume.

[A handsome edition in a single volume, including the prose "View of the State of Ireland,' and all the poetry. It ranges with the single-volume editions of Byron, Scott, and other fashionable writers, at about half the price.]

The Seasons. From the German of Fouqu6. Winter: Siutram. Edwin the Fair; an Historical Drama. And Isaac Comnenus • a Play. By Henry Taylor, Author of " Philip Van Artevelde." Second edition. The Blind Wife; or the Student of Bonn. A Tragic Romance. By Thomas Powell. Second edition, revised.

SERIALS. •

British Manufactures-Metals. By George Dodd. (Knight's Weekly Volume.) [A succinct and popular account of the various processes of manufacturing me- tals, from the smelting of the ore to the fashioning of the various articles into which it is made; compiled from various sources, and illustrated with cuts. It i is not confined to iron, tin, copper, lead, and other metals found in the mines of this country, but includes also gold, silver, &c., and the processes of electro- plating.] The Progress of Music on the Continent of Europe, from the earliest ages to the present time: a popular sketch. (New Library of Useful Know- ledge.)