19 SEPTEMBER 1835, Page 20

BLOXAM'S MONUMENTAL ARCHITECTURE AND SCULPTURE.

To the curious observer, who sees in a mound of earth or the mu- tilated effigies of some old monument, a relic of the customs of bygone times—and who would trace the kelings and habits as well as the fashions of dress, and skill in arts, of our ancestors, by means of these mute chronicles of men and manners—we com- mend this work, as a popular and intelligent guide. It is a clas- sified and chronological account of the sepulchral and monumental remains of our forefathers, from the earliest times to the last cen- tury; describing the different modes of burial in various ages, and teaching to discriminate the nation and rank of the individual whose bones alone remain of him, by the shape and construction of the mound under which he was buried, and the articles found in the barrow. The costume of the effigies on sculptured monu- ments, and their style of architecture, more distinctly point out the age and class to which the persons buried beneath them belonged, even where there is no inscription ; but here the unlearned re- quire an interpreter. Mr. BLCXAM has gleaned largely from his predecessors in this branch of antiquarian lore; and professes only to furnish a concise outline of the subject, by way of introduction to its study. To the great majority of readers, however, the in- formation he gives will suffice. He has done for the rites -of sepulture what Mr. PLANCHE did for the fashions of costume; and equally well. The two volumes should stand together on the same shelf of the library. The cuts in.the volume are numerous, awl beautifully executed, and illustrate the text very distinctly. The book is printed at Leicester, and is an excellent specimen of provincial typography.