29 JANUARY 1842, Page 17

PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED.

Prow January 141e to January 57tii. BOOKS.

The Martyr of Erromanga ; or the Philosophy of Missions, illustrated from the Labours, Death, and Character of the late Reverend John Williams. By JOUR CAMPBELL, D.D., Author of "Jethro," " Mari- time Discovery," &c.

Poems. By ANNE BELLE.

Journal of a Tour in Greece and the Ionian Islands; with Remarks on the recent history, present state, and classical antiquities of those countries. By WILLIAM MURE of Caldwell. In two volumes.

Agricultural Tour in the United States and Upper Canada, with miscel- laneous notices. By Captain BARCLAY of Ury.

Deux Ans en Eseagne et en Portugal pendant la Guerre Civile (1838-- 1840.) Par le Baron CHARLES DEMBOWSKL Political Economy. By J. BROADHURST, Esq.

Rambling Recollections of a Soldier of Fortune. By W. H. MAXWELL, Author of " Stories of Waterloo," &c. With a portrait of the Au- thor, and illustrations by H. K. BROWNE.

[A series of tales, set in a framework ; the framework sufficient but nothing more, and the tales having no novelty either in substance or form. Their merits are such a general knowledge of life and manners as can be picked up by most men of active habits, like soldiers and sportsmen ; together with a ready fluent style, and an artist-like mode of getting up and grouping scenes and situations. These merits, however, are pretty well balanced by faults. Truth and consistency are sacrificed to melodramatic effects; nor is there so much vraisemblance in the military scenes as in some of Mr. MAXWELL'S former tales. He says, indeed, that all his stories have a foundation in truth: but to make this available for fiction, two things are needful,—the alterations made in the facts must be consistent with their original character, and the nature of the facts must be sufficiently general for fiction ; otherwise a man might search the Police Reports and the Newgate Calendar for " interesting facts," and "cases of atrocity," and by dressing them up in inflated language become a novelist without trouble.

To us, however, the pervading fault of Mr. MAXWELL'S Rambling Recollec- tions is their triteness. Had not GLEto and many others, including himseK thrown their military and sporting experience into the form of fictions, these tales would have been striking. Coming after so many others, they want novelty they are not only repetitions of an often-told tale, but of a tale that Mr. MAXWELL has told already, and perhaps told better.] The Peerage, Baronetage, and Knightage of Great Britain and Ireland; including the Junior Branches of the Nobility, and all the Titled Classes. Second Year. By CHARLES R. DODD, Esq. Author of "The Parliamentary Companion," &c. "This new edition of the best and most useful of Peerages, or rather of a Dic- tionary of the Titled Orders, has been revised to the close of the year; embra- cing the alterations produced by deaths, births, promotions, and the change of Ministry, as well as the corrections and improvements suggested by expe- rience. Among these last are biographical notices of Privy Councillors, now incorporated in the general dictionary; the dates of birth (where attainable) of all the ladies who are married to noblemen or gentlemen mentioned in the work, have been stated, and the years of their deaths recorded ; an obituary of the titled dead in 1841 has been given, and will be annually continued ; the lists of the orders of Knighthood have been perfected ; and biographies of the Scotch Bishops, who "all enjoy the prefix of Right Reverend" have been added.

To those who live in society, a work giving an account of the elite of that society is not so much an utility as a necessity: but even the cynic may find a value in its pages, for, dealing with positive facts, it presents, so far as it goes, a representation of the reality. Here at page 473, for example, is a list of the members of the Garter, the moat distinguished, we are told, of the orders of Knighthood, and designed as the reward of merittaut cannot be supplied by meaner pay. Well, the Knights are forty in number: of thee four are crowned heads ; seven are members of the Royal Family, including Prince ALBEHT, the infant Prince of WALES, and the sons of the King of HANOVER and the Duke of CAMBRIDGE. Of the remaining nine-and-twenty, five only—WEL- LINGTON, WELLESLEY, GREY, LANSDOWNE, and ANGLESEY—RTC distin- guished for public merits, or, it might almost be said, known to the public, but that the Marquis of HERTFORD IS not altogether undistinguished, nor the Dukes of DEVONSHIRE and RICHMOND, though in different ways. The others are ot wcaXot. Who knows any thing of the public merits of the Dukes of NEWCASTLE, RUTLAND, SOMERSET, NORTHUMBERLAND, NOR. FOLK, DORSET, and GRAFTON ? who, excepting heralds Or courtiers, knows any thing of the Prince of LEININGEN ? Were a satirist desirous of throw- ing ridicule upon the Order of the Garter, he could not do better than print a list of its members. The Thistle and St. Patrick are even worse : Lord ABER- DEEN is the facile princeps of both orders.]

The Modern Cambist : forming a Manual of Foreign Exchanges, in the differeut occupations of bills of exchange and bullion ; with various formulae, and tables of Foreign weights and measures compared with the Imperial standards. By WILLIAM TATE. Fourth edition, with extensive alterations and additions.

[The present edition of this useful publication on practical exchanges is in many of its particulars a new work. " The portions relating to Russia, Sweden, Saxony, Turkey, Egypt, the Ionian Islands, Malta, Gibraltar, the British Colonies in North America, the West Indies, Spanish America, the Brazils, the Cape of Good Hope, and the Mauritius, have been rewritten, partly in consequence of recent changes in some of the monetary systems, and partly to allow of the introduction of further matter. The alterations in the French tariffs of the values of gold and silver have rendered it necessary to cancel all former explanations and tables, and to substitute for them such as agree with the present regulations. The same has also been done in the valu- ation of gold at Hamburg."

To many, a note upon the introduction will have most interest. When the First Part of The Commercial Tariffs and Regulations of the several States of Europe and America, compiled by Mr. M‘GnEooa from Board of Trade do- cuments, presented to both Houses of Parliament by command of her Majesty, and "published by Authority," fell into Mr. TATE'S hands, the accountant, ac- customed to minute accuracy in the most trivial things without any parade, fancied he had got hold of something extraordinary : and so it seems he had. The publication relates to Austrian monies, weights, dec.; and Mr. TATE first declares that the terms are incorrect—the names of the coins are expressed in what BUTLER calls "a Babylonish dialect." This mixture of tongues, how- ever, reflects rather on the lingual than the monetary knowledge of the Board of Trade : it would hardly mislead any one, going little beyond bifstek instead of "beefsteak." The practical errors are of a graver nature, because they affect the substance of the information. Mr. TATE enumerates them.all : we need only take a few. "Of the seventeen descriptions of foreign. silver

coins stated to be current, not one of them is so"; "of the eleven descriptions of foreign gold coins, (double and single sovereigns included—which, however, are also wrong,) all their gold tariff valuations are incorrect"; 'the valuation of the Vienna mark of fine gold is also altogether wrong," &c. &c.

These statements we give on Mr. TATE'S authority : and it should be men- tioned, as a probable drawback to them, that when he privately called attention to the errors, his papers were, on the second application, returned t3 him without comment. At the same time, it is likely enough that the accountant is right. When Mr. TATE is more familiar with official documents, he will be less surprised at discrepancies, not merely in foreign currencies but in home accounts, where the compilers possess onginal knowledge, and which also profess to have been checked and examined by a superintending depart- ment. Official statistics are useful as furnishing a proximate idea of the facts ; very often they are the only data can be obtained, and have therefore a value, on the principle that "any thing is better than nothing": but for ourselves we can say, that after some experience, we have no faith in the exact accuracy of any thing which emanates from a Government office.] Ecclesiastica ; or the Church, her Schools, and her Clergy. By EDWARD MAHON ROOSE, Of Lincoln's Inn, Esq. [This volume consists of—first, a brief resume of the history of the Anglican Church, from the Reformation under HENRY the Eighth till the Revolution ; second, an historical and descriptive account, an expanded catalogue rai-onne, dour Public Schools and Universities, and the great Church Societies ; third, te list of the Bishops and Archbishops since the Reformation, prefaced by an account of the legal powers and privileges of Episcopacy; fourth, notices of the most eminent divines, whether distinguished for theology, literature, or science; fifth, sketches of the careers and characters of the living Bishops, and a few of the most eminent clergymen, or what Mr. ROOSE thinks such. The facts and positive information contained in the volume have a distinct and tangible value; though they have been collected upon no very definite plan, and not always judiciously chosen. For example, the expense of educa- tion at some of the public schools is given with great fulness and clearness, at others insufficiently, and not very intelligibly ; in the scant mention of emi- nent men educated at public schools, the notice is sometimes limited to divines, sometimes it includes others—as at Harrow, where ROBERT BLAND, a minor poet, is mentioned, and BYRON left out. In the more narrative or argumenta- tive passages, (for the book is a kind of covert encomium on the Church of England,) Mr. ROOSE displays a scholastic 'and readable composition; but there is no evidence of mind in his style, and he is not over strict or scrupulous in his deductions. He has the confidence, for instance, to tell us that the Church was the great barrier against Infidelity during the last century, though it is pretty generally believed that the Church herself was Infidel : it is matter of testimony and notorious fact that the revival of religion began with WESLEY, WMITFIELD, and their followers the Methodists; that the Church resisted this revival as long as possible, even to such persecution as the times per- mitted; and that it was public opinion which improved the practice of the Church and elevated the character of the clergy, not the Church which oper- ated upon opinion.] The Classical Pronunciation of Proper Names, established by citations from the Greek and Latin Poets, Greek Historians, Geographers, and Scholiasts, and including a Terminational Synopsis of Analogy, Etymo- logy, &c. With an Appendix of Scripture Proper Names carefully ac- cented. By THOMAS SWINBURNE CARR, King's College School, Lon- don; Author of the " History and Geography of Greece," &c. [By this publication Mr. CARR has rendered good service to the classical stu- dent, and indeed to the public in general; for there are few common readers who are not sometimes puzzled by names, which they can pronounce properly by chance only. The Classical Pronunciation of Proper Names is an improve- ment over WALKER'S Key in various respects. It is far less complex; instead of attempting to fix the pronunciation merely by a variety of rules, difficult to retain and often begging the question in dispute, Mr. CARR affixes to each name a quotation from some ancient author, which settles the pronunciation, and thus substitutes proof for authority, ancient usage for modern deduction. The arrangement, too, is more easy for reference, more neatly presented, and more closely packed. It may also be carried in the pocket ; which WALKER'S Key cannot.

These particulars relate to the utility of the publication as a book of refer- ence : there are some remarks on the metres and syllabic accentuation, as well as question. relating to the names, which will render it useful in school as an exercise.]

Mesopotamia and Assyria, from the earliest period to the present time ; with illustrations of their natural history. By J. ItAieeie FRASER, Esq., Author of an " Historical and Descriptive Account of Persia," &c. With a map and engravings by JACKSON. (Edinburgh Cabinet Library.) [This new volume of the "Edinburgh Cabinet Library "gives a concise, clear, and readable account of the interesting countries of which it treats. Though in some sense a compilation, it is the compilation of a man who is versed in his subject, and feels an interest in it, not merely from a liberal curiosity, but from that peculiar feeling we entertain towards places with which we have been personally acquainted. As regards the past history of Mesopotamia and .Assyria, this feeling is, of course, only indirect : in describing its present con- dition, Mr. FRASER not only brings his experience to bear upon the subject, but uses it to test the descriptions of other writers. This is especially the case in the most interesting chapters, those on the ruins of Babylon, &c., the man- ners and character of its inhabitants, and the features of the country.] Affections of the Head and the Nervous System ; being fifty-two Cases treated with success on the Homceopathic principle. By JOHN EPPS, M.D., &c. Second edition.

CA series of cases in which the head has been affected, if not primarily ; and where a cure has followed the prescriptions of Dr. EPPS. The treatment has generally been homceopathic; but, speaking from description, the nature of the complaints has been such that we should rather incline to ascribe the merit of the cures to the physician, and the confidence felt in him, than to the virtues of homeeopathy.] Female Character ; an Essay. By ALBERT PENNINGTON. Second edition.

[An amiable and well-intended series of exhortations to the ladies, mingled with a due proportion of the duke as well as the utile ; to which, and the im- portant nature of the subject, Mr. PENFINGTON is probably indebted for his MICCe10. Though obvious in point of matter, and rather commonplace in style, Female Character can do no harm ; and to a very large part of the sex, may be of more benefit than a better work.] The Literary Society ; a Sketch. By an Observer.

[A sketch of a literary society, with the characters of its members and an ac- count of some of their proceedings ; apparently imitated from the older essayist', only more extended. It is puerile in style and manner, with an occasional good thought ]

Knight's English 1311scellanies—Brand*s Popular Antiquities. By Sir II. ELLIS. Volume III.

[This volume completes this curious and agreeable publication ; and it will be to many the most interesting of the series, as it deals with popular supersti- tions—witchcraft, ghosts, charms, fortune-telling, and the other modes by which ignorance and folly have sought to discover what was beyond their

powers—the cause of natural operations, or a particular knowledge of the future.]

Ode on the Birth of the Prince. By CHARLES RANN KENNEDY, Esq. Marriage ; a Poem, in four cantos. By the Reverend HENRY EDWARDS, Author of " Piety and Intellect Relatively Estimated," &c.

[An expectant bridegroom inditing verses on Marriage, and dedicating the doggrel to his bride-elect, may plead the lover's privilege of scribbling non- sense; but to rush into print under such circumstances, is unpardonable folly, the proper punishment for which is insured by the act of publication.]

Waverley Novels, Vol. IX.—"The Abbot."

Rational Reading Lessons ; or Entertaining Intellectual Exercises for Children. By the Author of " Diversions of Hollycot, or the Mother's Art of Thinking," &c. [A. varied selection of interesting lessons, in which words obviously suggested by the context are omitted, that the child may supply them ; a number, refer- ring to the Key that accompanies the little book, taking the place of the word. The " elliptical method" of printing reading-lessons insures the pupil's atten- tion; but is apt, we should fear, to direct it to the phraseology rather than the sense, and to interfere with the free exercise of the fancy of the youthful reader. Questions for examination, at the end, should seem a preferable mode of testing the pupil's knowledge of what has been read.] The Parliamentary Companion, for 1842. Tenth Year. By CHARLES R. DODD, Esq. [In addition to the usual corrections, preparatory to the commencement of the session about to open, this political treasure has, in each statement of the po- pulation of places returning Members to the House of Commons, incorporated the results of the late Census. Altogether, it is an indispensable little vo- lume—the neatest and most perfect of the kind that has ever appeared.]

SERIALS.

What to Teach and How to Teach it, so that the child may become a wise and good man. Part L—The Cultivation of the Intellect. By HENRY MAYHEW.

[Mr. MAYHEW says that he has been more anxious to render his style accept- able " to the advocates for precision than to the admirers of prettiness—in a word, to the logician than to the litterateur." It strikes us, however, that be has failed in fulfilling his intentions: on any topic, we should have rated What to Teach and How to Teach it as too much characterized by phrase-balancing, and efforts after verbal smartness; but in a didactic work the obvious strain- ing after effects of style is quite out of place. What to Teach and How to Teach it is not the production of a man thoroughly versed in his subject, and presenting his ideas with the clearness which such knowledge generally insures; but the opinions of a theorist, upon questions of which we should think he has had little or no practical experi- ence. These ideas are also delivered with prolixity, not so much because the periods are in themselves verbose, but because the ideas they convey want novelty or purpose. The sum and substance of Mr. MAYHEW'S views are—that a proper education ought to be moral as well as intellectual; that different minds have different powers of attention, and to excite the attention of the pupil by stimulating curiosity is the great art of the teacher ; that abstract ideas, such as the rules of grammar, being less capable of this effect than sensible ones, the present mode of teaching is for the most part wrong; and that "whenever the acquisition of a task is disagreeable to the pupil, either the task is unfit to be taught or the teacher unfit to teach it." These leading prin- ciples are expanded, varied, and swelled out by a number of subordinate or col- lateral ideas ; but no hint as to the way in which such desirable ends are to be practically accomplished is given, beyond those sort of general directions which seem to nig more characteristic of a " litterateur " than of any other per- sonage. It will be seen that Mr. MAYHEW is one of that numerous class which fancies that a task is to be rendered agreeable, and learning to be made as pleasant as sport. That many teachers are greatly incompetent, is true,—arising, perhaps, from their miserable remuneration; and that many of the books, especially the modern books, for youth, deal with matters beyond the comprehension of children, is also a fact. But we believe there is no royal read to knowledge of any kind, any more than to geometry ; and if there were, it may be ques- tioned whether the plan of teaching children nothing but what is delightful for them to learn is the best kind of discipline to form a steady, industrious, and patient habit of mind. HALeAst seems half-inclined to attribute the sturdi- ness of the English character under the TUDORS and early STIIA.RTS to the flagellations which were then the fashion at school. It is not impossible that the slight and superficial character of modern teaching, evading difficulties and rendering every thing as attractive as possible, may create that disposition to sounding emptiness and easily-acquired generalities, and that aversion to severe and laborious investigation, which characterize a good many of our "rising young men."] Cumming's Fox's Book of Martyrs, Part X.

The Local Historian's Table-Book, Parts I. H. Ili. and V.

Mikan's Method of Teaching Singing, adapted to English by JOHN HULLAR. Anew edition, revised and improved. Farts I. and II.

Wilhelm's Method of Teaching Singing. The Exercises and Figures for the use of Pupils. Book I.

Life and Letters of Cicero, Part V.

Dramatic Works of Massinger and Ford, Part V.

Curiosities of Literature, Part V.

Dramatic Works of .Wyckerley, Congreve, Vanbrugh, and Farquhar,

Part V.

Waverley Novels, Vol. III. Part I.—" The Abbot."

Scott's Prose Works, Vol. II. Part VII.—" Life of Napoleon Bonaparte."

PICTORIAL ILLUSTRATIONS AND PRINTS.

Italy, Classical, Historical, and Picturesque, Illustrated and Described. By WILLIAM BROCKEDON, Esq., F.R.S., &e. ; Author of' The Passes of the Alps," &c. Part L [This beautiful work is intended to present the most picturesque features of the scenery and architecture of Italy in a graphic shape, and to describe the historical facts and poetic associations that invest its lovely landscapes and magnificent structures with charms that add to its 'visible beauties. Mr. BROCKEDON, though the principal contributor, is only one among many : his intimate acquaintance with the geography and antiquities of the coun- try, and the most striking points of interest in its external features, in addition to his skill as an artist and his taste as a connoisseur, eminently qualify him for the task of illustrating Italy both by the pen and the pencil—with the aid of others; and the selection of his coadjutors proves him to be sensible of the value of such assistance. Among the artists who furnish sketches for the views, are the names of EASTLAKE, HARDING, PROUT, ROBERTS, STANFIELD, and Uwnes—would we could have added those of CALLCOTT and TURNER also ; and in the text Mr. BROCKEDON lays under contribution the learned eloquence of EUSTACE and the acute and lively criti- chine of FORSYTH and MATHEWS. Such a combination of talent, literary and pictorial, can only fail of producing a work of lasting interest and high excel- lence from the too great predominance of one individual hand, of which we perceive some symptoms ; or by want of care and finish in the execution, which the satisfactory appearance of the First Part gives no reason to apprehend. Without underrating Mr. BROCEEDON'S talent as an artist, we may express a wish that his share of the views should not be so large as to outnumber the rest : for a field so wide and so richly cultivated demands a variety of powers to glean its choicest products. Looking generally at the three plates that, with the title and descriptive letterpress, constitute the First Part, we find a degree of sameness and tameness, that should be studiously avoided ; and all the views have a dim, cloudy atmosphere, more English than Italian. The view of St. Peter's from the Janiculum Hill, sketched by EASTLAKE, presents the entire of this stupendous structure at one glance, convey- ing an impressive idea of its vast magnitude and extent; but Davin ROBERTS'S pictorial finishing must have thrown a cold veil over the scene, and dimmed its sunny brilliancy. Mr. Baoenntion's view of Ancona is well drawn and composed, and full of life and stir; but its effect is aque- ous and feeble ; and his version of Admiral SARTORIUS'S sketch of Leghorn is somewhat mechanical in its prettiness, reminding one of the artificial neatness of Captain BATTY'S views. In plain terms, there is an appearance of manufacture about the work, which would be fatal to characteristic truth and beauty : and, wishing success to an undertaking that combines the recom- mendation of cheap price with superior excellence, we have pointed out those defects that may be more generally felt than expressed, and which in this stage of the work are easily remediable. The plates are finely engraved in line, by Messrs. BRANDARD, BIGHAM, and COUSEN ; the names OCALLEN, WALLIS, and Wthr.sionz are also among the engravers. The size is imperial quarto, and the paper andtypography are of the best : in short, the work is got up in handsome style.] British Moths and their Transformations, No. III.

Scenery and Antiquities of Ireland Illustrated, Part XI.

Canadian Scenery Illustrated, Part XXIL

PAMPHLETS.

A Letter and a Memorial addressed to the Right front:to-able Lord John Russell, byLieWenallt-COIOUCI TORRENS. [This pamphlet informs us that Colonel Tonanais was dismissed from the South Australian Commission, because, in Lord Jona; RUSSELL'S words, "upon the Parliamentary Committee" of last session "facts had been stated by him at variance with the recollection of the other Commissioners, and he had not been able to bring any proof of his assertions." Colonel TORRENS asserts that he proposed to his brother Commissioners the raising of a loan in March and May 1840. Before the Parliamentary Committee, Mr. Emacrr at one time denied that any Commissioner had distinctly made such a proposition: on a subsequent day, Mr. ELLIOT admitted that a correspondence on the sub- ject did take place between Colonel TIMBERS and the Solicitor to the Board; and that it was mentioned in the minutes "once or twice." Colonel MA- ILERS also publishes the correspondence with the Solicitor, in which a scheme for raising the loan was discussed. This fact forms one of the chief points at issue between Colonel TORRENS and the other Commissioners; but when the Qolonel tendered his proofs, Lord JOHN RUSSELL refused to look at them or revise his decision. The pamphlet goes into very elaborate details to show that almost all the writer's views and suggestions were confirmed and adopted by the Parliamentary Committee. But then, his opponent was one of the "fortu- nate Mots," with whose family Lord JOHN had just formed a matrimonial alliance.] Thoughts on Currency, Banking, and the Funds, Home and Foreign. A Letter to the Right Hon. Henry Goulburn, Chancellor of her Majesty's Exchequer, &c. By THOMAS BRIERLY.

The Office of the Civil Magistrate in its Nature and Extent. A Sermon preached before the Right Hon. the Lord Mayor of London, the Alder- men, and Liveries of Companies, on Thursday September 29th 1720. By B. Innovr, P.D., Chaplain in Ordinary to his Majesty George I. (Reprinted from the "Christian Examiner.") A Reply to a Letter on the Divinity of Jesus Christ, by Olinthus Gregory, LLD. By THOMAS Taiwan, Author of "The Last Thoughts of a Naval Officer." Second edition.

Answer to the "Remonstrance and Warning" of a Committee of the Com- mission of the General Assembly against holding communion with the Strathbogie Ministers. By the Parties to whom that Remonstrance was more immediately addressed.

Observations on the Laws which Prohibit the Free Importation of Human Food. In a Letter to the Constituents of the Commons House of the Imperial Parliament. By a Fellow-Elector.

Rem anti on Trade and Credit. Originally published in January 1840; now reprinted with corrections and additions.

The Crown or the Tiara ? Considerations on the Present Coudition of the Waldenses.

The New World or Mechanical System, to perform the labours of man and beast by inanimate powers, that cost nothing, for producing and preparing the substances of life. With plates. By J. A.. ETZLER. As a sequel of his "Paradise."

British, French, and German Painting: being a reference to the grounds which render the proposed painting of the New Houses of Parliament important as a public measure, By DAVID SCOTT, Esq., Member of the Royal Scottish. Academy of Painting.