PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED.
Booxs.
Lives of the Queens of Scotland and English Princesses connected with the .&gal Succession of Great Britain. By Agnes Strickland, Author of "Lives of the Queens of England." Volume I.
Eatharw; a Tale. By Julia Cavanagh, Author of "Woman in Finne;" &c. In three volumes.
Glimmerings in the Dark; or Lights and Shadows of the Olden Time. By F. Somner Merryweather, Author of " Bibliomania in the Middle Ages," &e.
Scripture _Lands ; described in a series of Historical, Geographical, and Topographical Sketches. By John Kitto, D.D., F.S.A. And illustrated by a complete Biblical Atlas, comprising twenty-four Maps, with an Index of Reference.
[This book, forming part of Bohn's "illustrated library," is a valnahle publication. It contains twenty-four maps or plans, illustmtiug the geography of the Bible, beautifully engraved, and as distinct in the maps of the larger regions as is practicable in their limited size, which is determined by that of the volume. These maps are accompanied by "sketches" from the pen of Dr. ;Kitto, which in their turn illustrate many of the maps, not silty by geographical, topographical, or historical descriptions of the country, but by learned disquisitions on curious and interesting subjects. Thus, the first map gives rise to an investigation of the site of Paraffise this is followed by a description of Mount Ararat, and an account of Professor Parrot's ascent ; as this, again, leads to an inquiry into the dispersion of Noah's descendants : and in these and other eases, Dr. Kitto exhibits not only a familiar acquaintance with the "book learning" of the subject, but a practical knowledge of the countries. An index of names is added, exhibiting in the tabular form every particular, including the latitude and longitude where practicable.]
Popular Mineralogy; comprising a Familiar Account of Minerals and their Uses. By Henry Sowerby, Assistant Curator Linn. Soo. [This book forms part of a series in course of publication by hfessrs. Benham and Reeve, with, the object of exciting to the study of natural history by presenting its leading principles and striking facts in a popular form, accompanied with plates, to exhibit the figures to the eye. The true mode of popularly explaining the principles of any science, is by rejecting all that is superfluous or subordinate, and presenting the essential information in the most pellucid style. In Popular Mineralogy, the author aims too much at amusing the reader by extraneous matter,—a remarks on the attractions of the science, and causes of its comparative neglect ; so that the student is delayed at the threshold. The space occupied by such matter would have been bettor employed in an explanation of the chemical knowledge necessary to even a general understanding of mineralogy. With this exception, the book is likely to attain its end: it contains good directions for forming and arranging a collection, and a description of the component elements and characters of minerals, illustrated by coloured plates of the principal kinds.]
Agricultural Physiology, Animal and Vegetable, Designedlor the use of Practical Agriculturists. By T. Lindley Kemp, M.D.
[The purpose of this work is to popularize physiology for farmers, in order to enable them to understand the natural processes going on around them, and to help them to a profitable result ; most attention being paid by theauther "to those principles which bear upon the art of the manufacturer of animal and vegetable food." There is, as the writer intimates, little originality in the book, beyond the general idea of applying botanical and • vegetable physiology to the practice of agriculture; and this, it strikes us, is most effectually done in the appendix, by a zeries of papers on various processes of farming.]
2s First Book of History. England. In two parts. Edited bythe Reverend G. R. Gleig, MA., Inspector-General of Military Schools. (School Series.) • [These little books are not onlygood in themselves, but promise a whole crop of goodness in educational literature. Mr. Gleig truly observe; that the generality of our school-books are without any connected plan. Their object seems to be to teach reading, not to convey knowledge, or to stimulate the mind to continue study after it has left school. To accomplish this large purpose will be the end of the " school series," if encouraged. The present History of England is a sample, and a very good one,—clear, comprehensive, and conveying knowledge, but perhaps, in the earlier parts, a little more written down than is needed. The first forty or fifty pages are indeed designed for the very humblest pupil ; being, except proper names, written in words of one syllable, and throughout the next fifty pages only words of two
• syllables occur. The plan was suggested, Mr. Gleig says in his preface, "by witnessing in our Regimental Schools the efforts of grown men to master the first and chief obstacles which stand in the way of all instruction. It is neither edifying nor pleasant to watch a grenadier putting letters together, which, after he has succeeded in converting them into words, inform him that Tom is a good boy, and spins his top,' &c."] A Memoir of John Carter. By William James Dampier, That of Coggeshall.
[John Carter was a weaver, who lost the use of his limbs by a severe injury to the spine, and lived for fourteen years in a recumbent posture. To employ himself, he learned to draw with his mouth, by a penoil or brush placed between his teeth : he attained so much excellence, that his copies from prints, 8ce. might almost be mistaken for line-engravings, and became much sought after. Till his misfortune, Carter had been a careless liver, although
• religiously brought up ; but that accident revived his early feelings, and he lived and died a pious member of the Church. The memoir, illustrated by engravings, is pleasantly drawn up by the Vicar of his pariah, and not, as is frequently the case, overdone.] The Foundling ; or the School of Life. From the German of Gustave Merit;
[Published in the form of a juvenile book, though the German character of the tale renders it less so in its incidents than English stories of the same class. The " foundling " is one of twins stolen in infancy ; but Bablifin is restored to his parents, while Christlieb is adopted by a poor musician, and brought up to the art in which he turns out eminent. Eventually he is restored to his parents, but not before several scenes occur in which the brothers are mistaken for one another, and frequently with a broadly humorous effect].
_Philip of France and Marie de Meranie ; a Tragedy, in five acts. As performed at the Royal Olympic Theatre. By J. Westland Marston.
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