THE RELIQUES OF FATHER PROUT.
Tint papers composing the olla podrida of' these volumes origi- nally appeared in Fra.ser's Magazine. The framework in which they are set displays no peculiar novelty or felicity ; yet is well enough adapted to the purposes of a periodical, as it admits of great variety. The idea of the scheme is essentially similar to the " Noctes " of Blackwood, although it differs considerably in form, and the imitation is far from servile'. The principal subject is cri- ticism and foreign lyrics—the Songs of Franca and Italy, with spirited translations, occupying above half of the book : a good part of the remainder contains curious discussions on quaint matters, and the rest is eked out with miscellanies. The au- thor possesses great fluency, some vigour, some fancy, and occa- sionally reaches a florid kind of eloquence; he is moreover a person of extensive acquirements and learning, which he takes a pride in displaying, according to honest Dogberry's direction- " and for your reading and writing, let that appear when there is no need of such vanity." The papers, however, are disfigured by many defects ; and were so obviously written for a magazine, that they should have been carefully revised and very freely pruned before reprinting. They have more than the occasional coarseness of Blackwood, without the genius which redeems it; they are dashed by personal attacks, which have little of point or humour to recom- mend them ; the temporary allusions, that might please a cer- tain kind of readers when the subjects were fresh, have been unable to retain their interest even for a few months; the writer continually " thrusts his person full into your face ;" and, which is worst of all, he is so discursive and diffusive, the collocation of subjects is so disorderly, and the matter bears so small a propor- tion to the language, that—except in the poetry—the reader, like a proprietor of barren mines, is often tempted to exclaim that the gold is not worth the cost of extracting it. Perhaps, after all, we have been criticizing what was not consi- dered by its publisher the most striking feature of his volumes. From the name of the artist standing in juxtaposition with that of the supposed editor, and from the numercus specimens of his pencil so profusely distributed through the book, it is proba- ble that Mr. FRMER thinks the plates as attractive as the letter- press : and so they are. The sketches, illustrative of the different subjects alluded to, are spirited, characteristic, and graphic, with touches of humour, joyousness, or fancy, as the case may be.
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