PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED.

Booms.

The Baltic, the Black Sea, and the Crimea : comprising Travels in Russia, a Voyage down the Volga to Astrachan, and a Tour through Crim Tartary. By Charles Henry Scott.

Life and Landscapes from Egypt to the Negro Kingdom of the White Nile: being a Journey to Central Africa. By Bayard Taylor, Au- thor of "Views a-Foot," &c. With a Map and Illustrations by the Author.

The Queens before the Conquest. By Mrs. Matthew Hall. In two volumes.

771e Census of Great Britain in 1851; comprising an Account of the Numbers and Distribution of the People, their Ages, Conjugal Con- dition, Occupations, and Birth-place ; with Returns of the Blind, the Deaf and Dumb, and the Inmates of Public Institutions. And an Analytical Index. Reprinted in a condensed form from the Official Reports and Tables. (By authority of the Registrar-General.) The Charter of the Nations ; Free Trade and its Results : an Essay on the Recent Commercial Policy of the United Kingdom to which the Council of the National Anti-Corn-law League awarded their first Prize. By Henry Dunckley, M.A. [To offer a prize for a treatise on any particular question of policy or religion, or indeed on any subject, will seldom do more than obtain a neat exposition of well-known facts, or a striking statement of arguments not new ; for ex- tempore application can get no further. It is certainly possible that an independent mind may have applied itself to the subject and reached original conclusions at the time the announcement for the prize is advertised; but it may be questioned whether a really original writer would offer himself to the competition, or if he did whether he would be successfuL Truth is generally less an object on these occasions than to put foregone conclusions into a better shape, and to support them by ampler arguments, than the con- cluder himself could reach.

"The Charter of the Nations, or Free Trade and its Results," is the suc- cessful competitor for the prize of 2501. offered by the Council of the "Na- tional Anti-Corn-law League" for the best essay on the subject indicated by the title. Whether this was the best of the thirty-one essays sent in, we cannot of course tell ; but it was one well adapted to take with the com- mittee appointed to adjudicate upon the merits. There was plenty for the money; the writer's views and those of the committee are all as one ; his style, though not so forcible as that of some of the platform school, belongs to the manner the judges are accustomed to ; he exhibits no startling no- velty, and no very philosophical spirit of inquiry after truth. Everything is brought to the test of trade, and that in the trading spirit which is cha- racteristic of "the Manchester school" : it is in fact a partisan work in all except the obvious benefits that have flowed from free trade. Considered in a literary point of view, the work is well arranged : the division is fourfold, and contains-1. the history of the principles of Protection and Free-trade; 2. the commercial or statistical results of Free-trade from the time its doctrines were partially reduced to practice till their establishment under Sir Robert Peel and his Whig successors ; 3. the social, political, and religious effects of Free-trade; 4. the future results of the same principles. The style, as we have said already, is not so forcible as that of some writers of the school, but it is unmistakeably plain.] The Volunteer Rifleman and the Rifle. By John Boucher, formerly of the 5th Dragoon Guards and North British Rifles. [The quantity of powder and ball fired during an action, in proportion to results in the shape of killed and wounded, has been the frequent subject of remark by military writers. But really it ceases to be wonderful with a " contract " musket, when we read Mr. Boucher's simple exposition of the laws of projectiles, and find how much easier it is to miss than to hit, even with the costly finish of a gentleman's rifle, ammunition procured regardless of expense, and all the preparations going on quietly, or at least without hundreds of enemies firing at you. Besides a plain account of those laws a knowledge of which will facilitate the acquisition of a true aim, The Volun- teer Rifleman contains an account of the rifle, with directions for using as well as choosing it. It has also some hints to volunteers as to the best mode of exercising themselves and carrying on war if called out. The book is to a great extent the result of experience. Mr. Boucher appears to have acted as Adjutant to the South London Rifle Association, and to have originally drawn up the exposition for the use of that corps.] The Coalition Guide : Illustrations of the Political History of 1863-'4, from "The Press" Newspaper. r,t selection of leading articles, prose skits, and poetical satires, from the party journal called The .Press. Except in the instance of The Nation news- paper, such collections have usually been made after time has tested the per- manent merit of the writings, and mostly, we think, by. third parties. Prox- imity of time has the advantage, however, of giving a contemporary zest to many of the pieces in this book ; but where that element is wanting, they are generally flat, or flippant, or both. The "leaders" are not better than those of many other party papers; for writers who only look to one side can easily be trenchant. The facethe are not so biting as those of Punch, and of a lower tone. Perhaps "The Popular Member" is the hest of the set.] Glossary of Northamptonshire Words and Phrases, with Examples of their Colloquial use, and Illustrations from various Authors : to which are added, the Customs of the County. By Ann Elizabeth Baker. Volumes I. and II.

[An elaborate and painstaking book, derived from long and vigilant observa- tion as well as from other collections, and leaving, we should imagine, little or nothing to be done as regards the words or phrases used in Northampton- shire. Peculiar to that county many of them are not, but are used in com- mon discourse all over England; a circumstance which the fair writer ad- mits, but excuses by the difficulty of fixing the original locality of a provin- cial word or phrase. In addition to the utility of the book as a dictionary, an olden character is thrown over much of it, either by the word itself or by the thing defined.]

The Library of Biblical Literature : being a Repository of Information,

on Geographical, Historical, Biographical, Scientific, Archieological, and Literary Subjects, in relation to the Sacred Scriptures. Volume L [This ambitious title does not convey a very exact idea of the publication. The volume is a collection published periodically, each tract being complete in itself and containing a subject that has relation to Scripture history. The first number is an account of Assyria, from ancient writers, and the con- temporary discoveries of Layard and others. The second, under the title of " Israel and the Pyramids," contains an historical sketch of ancient Egypt. "The Dead Sea and its Explorers" is a species of geographical memoir. There is a good deal of matter brought together, and not pre- sented unreadably, though with too much fine writing, and some other faults of taste. Moses himself speaks off his own autobiography in "The Plagues of Egypt," and without a particle of dramatic consistency.]

Charles Dallaway ; or the Restless Man.

[The didactic tale of a dissatisfied and irreligious man. In common parlance, Charles is a good fellow, but restless. He had a situation, but was dissatis- fied; he tried commercial travelling, still dissatisfied • he took a wife, with- out satisfaction ; he ran in debt, and was then so dissatisfied that he ran away to the Diggings. There he was fortunate beyond his hopes; and he returns home, to find his wife and little son both dead, and to be converted, pay his debts, and go into partnership with the pattern man of the story.]

Shadows and Sunbeams : being a Second Series of Fern-Leaves from Fanny's Portfolio. Illustrated by. George Thomas. This second series of "Fern-Leaves" resembles the first, which has been widely circulated in the cheap editions. The volume consists of short tales exhibitive of American life, and a variety of thoughts or papers. The book is readable, but rather from the brevity of the pieces than their merit.] Early Musings ; a Collection of Sacred and other Poems. By Amelia Bewsher.

[This collection of miscellaneous poems, many on domestic themes, exhibits grace, delicacy, and feeling ; but the verse is deficient in strength.]

The Dream of Pythagoras, and other Poems. By Emma Tatham; The Yogis Daught4 ; a Tragedy, in five acts. By John Baker Hop-

kins.

First among the reprints stands Mr. Bentley's new and cheap edition of Prescott's "Ferdinand and Isabella," in a single volume, with type enough to satisfy the greatest lover of a bargain, besides being well bound in cloth. Messrs. Routledge have sent forth a neat and yet again re- vised edition of Osler's "Life of Exmouth" ; as well as Bulwer's "Alice," in the well-known popular edition for which the publishers have undertaken to pay so much. The second volume of Mr..Nicol's " Butler " claims a

word for the completeness of the Remains. .

History of the Reign of Ferdinand and Isabella the Catholic of Spain. By William H. Prescott. Seventh edition, revised. In one volume. Author's authorized edition.

The Life of Admiral Viscount .Exmouth. By-Edward Osler, Esq. A new and revised edition.

Alice; or the Mysteries. By Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton, Bart., M.P. (The Railway Library.) The Poetical TVorks of Samuel Butler. With Life, Critical Disserta- tion, and Explanatory Notes, by the Reverend George Gilfillan. Volume II

SERIAL.

The Butterflies of Great Britain; with their Transformations. By 3. 0. Westwood, .L.S., &c. Part I. [When completed, this new edition of Westwood's Butteiflies of Great .Britain will form a handsome, useful, and instructive volume. The textual descriptions of the butterfly, the caterpillar, &c. are clear ; the account of the insect, and its general or special localities, sufficient; and the coloured figures which accompany the text are at once ornament and illustration. The book would be greatly improved by a popular view of the physiology and anatomy of the genus butterfly ; for the first part will be almost useless except to those who have some knowledge of the subject, as otherwise they will not understand the descriptive terms. This is the more desirable, be- cause of all the branches of natural history that of butterflies is the most attractive. The very child instinctively chases a butterfly. Its beauty, its sprightliness, its aerial character, render it the nmst charming of all the insect tribe ; while the transformation is among the most seemingly wonder- ful of Nature's processes. However, the introduction alluded to may yet come.]

Preceded by Observations on presenting the Royal Medals of the year. By the Earl of Ellesmere, K.G.„ D.C.E., Esc., President,

Lord Brougham's Speeches upon National Bducation, House of Lords, 24th July and 4th August 1854.

PAMPALET8.

Address to the Royal Geographical So- Instructions Jbr Potichomanie or the ciety of London, delivered at the An- Art of Decorating Glass to pre it the

niversary Meeting on the 22d May 1854. appearance of Painted Glass,

Decimal Coinage. A practical Analysis of the Comparative Merits of One Pound and Tenpence as the ruling integer of a Decimal currency for the United Kingdom shown by Tables of Merchandise, &C. By James Laurie, Author of " lJniversal Exchange Tables," &c.