1 JUNE 1844, Page 17

PUBLICATIONS RECEIVER.

From May 24th to May 30th.

Boors.

The Life and Correspondence of Thomas Arnold, D. D., late Head Master of Rugby School, and Regius Professor of Modern History in the Uni- versity of Oxford. By ARTHUR PERRI:ITN STANLEY, MA., Fellow and Tutor of University College, Oxford. In two volumes. Richard III. as Duke of Gloucester and King of England. By Cenorazie A. HALSTED, Author of the " Life of Margaret Beaufort." &c. In two volumes.

The H— Family ; Triilinnan ; Axel and Anna ; and other Tales. By FREDRIKA BREMER. Translated by MARY HOWITT. In two volumes. German Experiences : addressed to the English, both Stayers at Home and Goers Abroad. By WILLIAM HOWITT, Author of "The Rural and Social Life of Germany," &c. Sketches of the Reformation and Elizabethan Age, taken from the Contem- porary Pulpit. By the Reverend JOHN OLIVER WILLYAMS HAWELS,, M.A.

Commercial Statistics. A Digest of the Productive Resources, Commer-

cial Legislation, Customs-Tariffs, Navigation, Port, and Quarantine, Laws and Charges, Shipping, Imports and Exports, and the Monies, Weights, and Measures of all Nations : including all British Com- mercial Treaties with Foreign States. Collected from Authentic Re- cords, and consolidated with especial reference to British snd Foreign Products, Trade, and Navigation. By JOHN MACGREGOR, Author of " British America," and one of the Joint-Secretaries of the Board of Trade. In three volumes. Volumes I. and IL

[This is a work we have as yet only looked at ; and that sight has filled us with wonder, for the immense extent and variety of the suhjects treated of, as well as the enormous number of the facts. In turning over the two thousand and odd pages of which the two first volumes consist, amazement, we think, is the predominant feeling, such as GOLDSMITH'S rustics felt at the acquirements- of the village schoolmaster—

"And still they gazed, and still the wonder grew That one small head could carry all he kuew." And, judging from our passing glances, what Mr. MACGREGOR knows is a good deal more than mere statistics or public documents: he seems to have mastered those general features of the country which more or less determine the nature of its pursuits and the character of its people, and to have made himself ac- quainted with the productions of its provinces or districts. We shall endea- vour to return to this remarkable work when the pressure of the season will permit us. its the mean time, we should conceive it indispensable to the publicist, the economist, the merchant, or the library.]

Rose D'Albret, or Troublous Times; a Romance. By G. P. R. JAMES, Esq., Author of " Darnley," &c. In three volumes. [The scene of this fiction is laid in France, on the borders of Normandy, during the wars of the League, shortly after the accession of Henri Quatre; and the aim of the author has been to depict the state of society and domestic manners at that period. To accomplish this, he has chosen a simple story of family-in- trigue, developing social character and usages, but only indirectly involving political feelings and the intervention of historical personages. Rose D'Albret is an heiress, and the ward of ber uncle ; who, instigated by his artful sister, plots to marry her to a cousin she dislikes, and to trick the cousin she loves out of his estate as well as of his claim to her hand : but the King being vppealat to, exercises his privilege of garde noble to frustrate the scheme. So far as description goes, the picture of these " troubloue times" is no doubt correct, according to the memoirs and other records of the sixteenth-

century ; but the images are leas vivid than in some romances of Mr. JAMES: and the interest of the tale is weakened by diffuse and uncharacteristic dia- logues, which retard the progress of events, and seem only useful in filling up the measure of three volumes. The work, we are told in the preface, bas been written a long time; and though not utterly unworthy of Mr. JAMES'S reputa- tion, it will not add to it.]

The English Fireside; a Tale of the Past. By JOHN MILLS, Esq., Author of "The Old English Gentleman," &c. In three volumes.

[Rustic scenery, poaching in various phases, country sports, with the pursuit of an alleged murderer and a criminal trial, are the materials of this fiction. The characters consist of a squire in debt, his son in love, an old maiden lady, an heiress in love with the squire's son, a clergyman's family, one of whose daughters is smitten with a poacher disguised as a captain, who subsequently turns out a natural son of a gentleman, together with gipsies, rustics, a be- kniled fair one perpetrating suicide, and Mr. Bamfylde Moore Carew. Par- ticular descriptions of scenery and rural character are truthful, though literal ; but the combination of the materials into a whole story is absurd, and the author), feeble moral sense still further detracts from the interest by destroying all sympathy towards the persons for whom he wishes, we suppose, to excite it.]

A Great Country's Little Wars ; or England, Afghanistan, and Scinde.

By HENRY LUSHINGTON.

[This volume consists of four papers, two of which relate to the invasion of A. fghanistan, and are in the main a reprint of two articles published in a pe- riodical about a twelvemonth since : the other two mays refer to Scinde, and appear for the first time. The gist of the whole is to put both wars upon the Whigs and Lord AUCKLAND ; for Mr. LUSHINGTON holds that the war in Scinde was in a great measure forced upon Lord ELLENBOROUGH by the policy of his predecessor. The tone taken by the writer is high in its politico-moral view; and the book may be consulted as a good précis of the policy and pro- ceedings of the two wars, subject to the bias we have mentioned.] A Treatise upon the Law, Privileges, Proceedings, and Usage of Parlia- ment. By 'riE101i&S ERSKINE MAY, Esq., Barrister-at-Law, Assistant- Librarian of the House of Commons.

This publication is something more than the titlepage promises; for though the second book treats of the practice and proceedings in both Houses, and the third describes the rules and regulations respecting private bills, the first book is a species of constitutional treatise, under the guise of an exposition of the constitution, powers, and privileges of Parliament. It will he found a useful volume, either to the practical man, whose ambition or avocation connects him with Parliament, or for the studious, who merely wish to acquaint themselves with its origin, history, powers, and rules, as a matter of liberal curiosity.] Practical Grammar, or Composition Divested of Ddficulties. By G. JACOB HOLLOAKE.

[Mr. Hoevouie seems so well satisfied with his own production, that be might dispense with criticism altogether, or turn critic for him- self. As a series of smart remarks, expounding science in the conjoint style of Punch and an Ultra-Radical setting the world to rights, the publication may be of use to adults whose education has been neglected; for Practical Grammar furnishes a series of short-cuts to writing, and gives some sound hints upon the subject. For children we ;think it of little use: it imposes too much upon the exertions of the student in the way of collecting vocabularies for himself; and many may object to the classification and no- menclature. Adjectives and adverbs are called "descriptives"; the possessive case is also called the " descriptive " case ; conjunctions are named " connec- tives," prepositions "objectives"; and the parts of speech are reduced to six. As a mere system, the publication, short as it is, could be made much shorter ; but, looking at the character and apparent objects of the writer, his smart dis- quisitional remarks are necessary, till his plan has superseded other methods.]

Songs for the Nursery.

[These songs are likely to be heard in every nursery and cottage throughout Scotland ; for they are written in the Scottish dialect, adapted to popular tunes, and breathe a sprit of affection and tenderness that will recommend them to mothers. These homely ditties are the production of several contemporary poets ; the principal contributors being JAMES BALLANTYNE, JOHN CRAW- FORD, GEORGE DONALD, WILLIAM FERGUSON,F WILLLAM MILLER, ALEX- ANDER RODGER, and ALEXANDER SMART. They are calculated, by the happy admixture of pleasantry and pathos, of moral precepts and poetical fan- cies, to promote kindly feelings, good behaviour, and a love of simple and in- nocent pleasures among the young bearers. The little volume is embellished with a few appropriate wood-cuts, and is got up in a neat but inexpensive manner.] Mohammed and other Poems. By Lieutenant HAMILTON H. MACLEOD,

' 27th Regiment K N. L

[A Madras publication. The poem of Mohammed is founded on a not very creditable anecdote of the Prophet in possessing himself of the wife of his freed- man; another long poem is called Remorse, and is derived from the common stock of common stories. The manner of Mohammed is an echo of Childe Harold; that of Remorse of the Giaour, without any thing in the tales which renders such a style consonant to the subject.] The Poetical Works of Robert Southey. Complete in one volume. The entire Poems and Prefaces of the late Laureate, embraced in a single ee- l-time to range with the similar collections of Bellow, SCOTT, and others. We are glad to see that the demand for this author's poetry is such as to justify this publication : we should have guessed that a selection of his minor tales and miscellaneous poems would be much more popular.] The Dictionary of the Farm. By the Reverend W. L. RHAM, Vicar of Winkfield, Berkshire. (Knight's Books of Reference.) This volume is compiled, or rather arranged, from articles contributed by the to Mr. RHAM to the Penny Cyclopedia; and it forms a condensed account of agriculture, clear, terse, and readable, in which practice predominates over science, although founded upon it. The titlepage indicates that every subject is treated under its respective name. The work is a dictionary, not a conti- nuous or classified treatise.] Sermons which have been Preached on Public Subjects and Solemn Oc- casions, with especial reference to the Signs of the Times. By FRANCIS SKURRAY, B.D., Rector of Winterbourne Steepleton, Dorset, and Perpetual Curate of Horningsham, Wilts. Iu two volumes. Second edition.

[The first volume of these Sermons was originally published in 1817, the se- cond in 1832; and the Signs of the Times, to which some of the earlier dis- courses refer, carry us back to the Revolutionary war, and the topics prevalent daring the time of Volunteers and threatened invasion. The style of such sermons is, of course, somewhat passed ; and Mr. SKURRAY deals largely in quotations from Scripture, which give to his composition a kind of patchwork character : but his views are sensible, though not at all rising beyond his age; and there is something of interest in the topics of the first volume.]

Conversations on the History of England, for the Use of Children. By Mrs. MARCET.

[Completes the little child's book, or at least, comes down to GEORGE the Third, although the only subject treated of is the loss of America. Perhaps the all but contemporary events of that reign, and the reigns of his sons and granddaughter, will furnish materials for another tiny book.] SRRIALS.

Western Barbary, its Wild Tribes and Savage Animals. By Josh A. DRUMMOND HAY, Esq. (Colonial and Home Library.) [An original work, apparently of a very fresh and amusing character, on a fresh subject. We shall return to Western Barbary as soon as we have gone through It : those who do not feel inclined to wait for our reading, had better buy it at once.] Wagner's Elements of Comparative Anatomy, edited by Al.PRED TULE: Part IL The Anatomy of Birds. (Complete.)

PERIODICALS.

The Jamaica Monthly Magazine, No. L [This is a very praiseworthy attempt to introduce the belles lefties into Ja- maica; and entitled to every indulgence, not only, as the editor requests, for the " disadvantages of a first number," but for the novelty of the undertaking. In point of variety the articles are amply sufficient,—about halls doz..n tales, some to be continued, sketches of scenery and characters, the commencement of a tour in Central America, a review of the Baptist Missionary, Mr. PHIL- LIPPO'S Jamaica, and a sprinkling of poetry, some of it pretty good. The execution of the plan, however, seems to be to some extent deficient in fitness and freshness. Of five prose tales, only one relates to modern society in Ja- maica, two are mere Cockney stories, and the West Indian character of the re- mainder is accidental or belonging to a remote time. The review-of Mr.

LIPPO'S book is Colonial—indeed, rather too much so; and perhaps the sketches - and travels want matter and vigour. In fact, we should say there is too much oft/wiling in the work, and too much of drawing upon fancy. In England, a Colonial publication will be valued just in proportion as it exhibits the Colo- nies; and we suspect it is much the same in Jamaica: for mere articles with Tropical touches and the usual miscellanea of a magazine can be procured from London as readily as they can be furnished abroad, and of a better quality.]

ILLUSTRATED WORKS AND PRINTS.

Scripture Prints. Edited by JAMES R. HOPE, D.C.L. Old Testament. Series : from the Frescoes of Raphael in the Vatican. Part I. [This excellent work supplies the want, so constantly felt, of a set of good and cheap prints of Scripture subjects on a large scale, for use in schools and fami- lies. " The object of this work," says the editor, Dr. HOPE, " is to promote a feeling for the higher principles of art in their application to the service of religion ": and a better means could not have been chosen than a selection of the Scriptural designs of RAPHAEL and other great Italian masters; wherein the highest powers of art are exerted by painters imbued with religious senti- ment. The subjects of the Vatican frescoes have been often engraved on a small scale ; but never till now, we believe, of a size sufficiently large, and with that due attention to accuracy of form, requisite to convey an adequate idea of the spirit of the original designs. These prints are pen-drawings, shaded in black and white on a ground of neutral tint; and have been executed, under the superintendence of Mr. LEWIS Ginnie% from copies of the frescoes made by Mr. N. CONSORT, a distinguished Roman draughtsman. They are very bold and effective ; presenting distinctly the leading features of the composition, and developing with masterly skill and vigour the graceful flowing outline of RAPHAEL'S figures. These pen-drawings do not render the chiaroscuro of the picture perfectly, nor the minater delicacies of the faces; but the masses of light and shade are forcibly brought out, and the forms, which constitute the chief beauty of RAPHAEL'S designs, are well dis- criminated. The deficiencies incidental to these shaded outlines scarcely, how- ever, interfere with the expression; so significantly do the action and gesture of the figures denote character and emotion. Fox example, the graceful sim- plicity and ease of Joseph's attitude when relating his dream, indicate his gentleness and ingenuous earnestness, just as the bent and twisted postures of his brethren denote their banded opposition and gathering anger. This is an excellence peculiar to the great masters—RAPHAEL especially, as the most dramatic in spirit : and thus the painter who threw so much soul into his faces can afford to rely upon the suggestive meaning of his forms for conveying the sentiment of his designs. What a lesson to modern designers ! This work will be no less acceptable to students and lovers of art than to teachers of religious truths: in the studio of the painter and on the walls of the school-room the influence of these designs will be equally beneficial.]

Deacon's Drawing Models of the Human Figure.

[A. set of five plaster casts eighteen inches high, of the human form, in different attitudes—standing, walking, carrying, leaning, and striking—modelled by T. SHARP from FLAXMAN'S designs, and published by Mr. DEACON in continua- tion of his Models of Elementary Forms. The muscular development of the figures is gradual ; the first being only a rude indication of the solid masses, and the last completely developed. They are intended to be preliminary to the study of anatomy and the practice of drawing hands and feet on a large scale; Mr. DEACON being of opinion that a knowledge of the outline, proportions, and balance of the entire figure, should precede the study of parts and details. In this view we entirely concur ; being disposed to attribute much of the bad drawing of the figure to a want of this knowledge. For amateur sketchers, who wish to introduce figures into landscapes, these models will be particularly ser- viceable. The name of FLAXMAN is sufficient to recommend the choice of at- titudes ; and the reputation of Mr. SHARP as a modeller guarantees their cor- rectness.] The Pictorial Guide to Greenwich; a Holyday Hand-book. With twenty- three Engravings on Wood, from Original Sketches. [A concise, lively, and graphic description of the various objects noticeable in a trip to Greenwich, pleasant to read and useful to consult: it gives such in- formation as may be desired by the visiter in few words ; mentioning the histo- rical and antiquarian associations, and suggesting the ideas to which they give rise. The writer is not a mere compiler, but one who pours forth in an easy conversational manner the result of his own knowledge of the place and re- search into its history. The wood-cuts embrace the chief picturesque attrac- tions; but the most curious prints are those of the old Palace, and the view of the Thames from the Hill before the Fire of London.

This is the first of a series of Pictorial Guide-books: if the rest prove equal to this, they will be very popular—remarkable alike for excellence and cheapness.]' Skill's Pictorial Geography. England.

[An introduction to geography, with a topographical account of England, illus- trated by wood-cuts of remarkable buildings, &c.]