PROGRESS OF PUBLICATION.
THE number of literary births still continues unabated, but the offspring is not of a very giant kind. We remember no period 83 continuously fiuitful as the first month of January 1838, the productions of which promised so little, and made good their pro- mise. The demand for something new to read increasing with the capability of reading, yet without furnishing genius or even high literary ability to supply the market, our bibliopoles have esta- blished literary manufactures to satisfy the craving of the public for some new thing. It' this answers, no blame is attached either to factory-master or factory. man. We mention it merely as a truth, and as a word of explanation to those happy persons, who, confining their studies to the treasures of the past, and their reading to the very ate of the present day, are unconsciously led to conclude that every new book must of necessity have lieu/ matter, and wonder how reviewers can complain of dearth in the midst of apparent plenty. Alas ! they little know that much which promises so fair is either mere compilation, as old in matter as the rules of grammar, and without any novelty of form ; or mere invention—the product of green minds, uncultivated oy study, devoid of experience, and ignorant of life, the result of whose labours is " not fiction, but falsehood ;" or mere flat com- monplaces, as " general as the casing air," and of as little value in literary exchange.
These are not particular observations, made in reference to the following catalogue of, in sortie part, unexamined new arrivals; but if any of the four or five leaders should not hereafter be ree turned to, the world will be at liberty to guess why.
1. Warner Arundell; the Adventures of a Creole. By E. L. JOSEPH, of Trinidad. In 3 vols. 2. Royston Gower; or the Days of King John. An Historical Ro- mance. By THOMAS MILLER, Author of " A Day in the Woods," &c. In 3 vols. zt Tales and Sketches of the Scottish Peasantry. By ALEXANDER BETHUNE, Labourer. 4. Thoughts on Tactics and Military Organization, together with an Inquiry into the Power and Position of Russia. By Lieutenant- Colonel J. MErcitELL, H. P., 8,:c. A series of papers, the greater part of which hays appeared in the United Service Journal ; and which, if they should not be available for our public library, will unquestionably render us good service in disciplining our ideas on military matters, and perhaps furnish some hints on Army Reform. 5. The Fourth and concluding Volume of Mr. FORSTER'S Lives of Eminent British Statesmen, in " Lardnees Cabinet Cyclopedia." It contains the biographies of VANE and MARTEN, with an appendix of curious documents relating to VANE, and chiefly from his own pen. 6. The Fourth Volume of "Southey's Poetical Works ;" containing Thalaba the Destroyer, with a short new preface, giving an account of the time and circumstances of its production. 7. English Songs and Ballads. By ALEXANDER HUME, Author of Scottish Songs. A volume seemingly of flowing and clever verses, but not exactly poetry. S. The Second Volume of BENTLEY'S cheap edition of " Mar- ryat's Novels ;" containing Jacob Faithful. 9. Ward's Miscellany of Literature, Science, and Religion. A pe- riodical of selections, published weekly, and forming, now it is collected, a bulky volume, containing more matter, or rather more type, than suffices for the Histories of HUME, ROBERTSON, or GIBBON. Let us point from this 1111 industrious moral. The
leisure of one or two days in the week enables anybody in a year to read through a volume larger than either of our standard histo- rians; the spare hours of a few months steadily applied ought therefore to master one of these classics, and a year to complete the trio. Which of our readers will begin from this day forth ?
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