A French edition of Paul and Virginia, corresponding with those
of Gil Bla.s and Moliire, is publishing in parts in London : the three first are before us. It is a most charming specimen of an illustrated book : the text is inlaid with wood-engravings, in which the art is carried to a perfection that we hardly supposed it capable of; indeed it may compare with line engraving in elaboration and force of effect. The designs themselves are full of grace and simplicity, displaying a facile invention imbued with the spirit of the story. Initial letters, and bead and tail- pieces composed of beautiful landscapes, rich with the prodigal luxuriance of tropical vegetation, and enlivened by the introduction of some incident in the story, and ornamental scrolls of' fruits and foliage, designed with a degree of taste and fancy unknown in this country, are scattered through the pages in profusion ; and in addition to these, are separate designs on a larger scale, which exhibit more prominently the talent and skill of the artist in drawing and grouping the figures. Who the designer or designers are, we are not informed : they are evi- dently of the French school ; but the engravings are mostly by English artists, WILLIAMS, ORItIN SMITH, idle.
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