PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED.

BOOKS.

An Account of the Cultivation and Manufacture of Tea in China; derived from Personal Observation during an official residence in that country from 1804 to 1826; and illustrated by the best Authorities, Chinese as well as European; with Remarks on the Experiments now making for the introduction of the Culture of the Tea-tree in other parts of the World. By Samuel Ball, Esq., late Inspector of Teas to the Honourable United East India Company in China. Chemical Technology; or Chemistry applied to the Arts and to Manufac- tures. By Dr. F. Knapp, Professor at the University of Giessen. Edited, with numerous Notes and Additions by Dr. Edmund Rouolds, Lecturer on Chemistry at the Middlesex Hosetal; and Dr. Thomas Richardson, of Newcastle-on-Tyne. Illustrated with two hundred and twelve engravings on wood. Volume I. (Library of Illustrated Standard Scientific Works. Volume III.)

The Pentamerone; or the Story of Stories: Fun for Little Ones. By Gbins batiste Basile. Translated from the Neapolitan by John Edward Taylor, With Illustrations by George Cruikshank.

[The Pentamerone is a collection of fairy tales in the Neapolitan dialect, that appeared in the seventeenth century. They are held to be traditional; which they doubtless are in substance, but the crowded imagery and epithets, with tilo frequent allusion to heathen mythology, mark the hand of the professional author, not free from the pedantic manner fashionable in his age. The framework is no i greatly dissimilar to that of the Arabian Nights; nor are the tales themselves very opposite in general character, though of course modified by the opinions of Europe on the subject of magic and enchantment, as well as by the national spirit and ideas of the Neapolitans. The original number of tales was fifty: of those Mr. Taylor has only translated thirty; the gross licence in which Basile allowed his humour to indulge being wholly inadmissible at the present day in a work intended for the general reader. The translator has also modified the Ian. guage occasionally. The " licence," however, is too deeply seated to be always got rid of by verbal corrections; frequently belonging to the subject itself, as ui the Arabian Nights, and indeed most of the tales and ballads of former ages, Giarnbattista Basile's "Fun for the Little Ones," as we have it here, is not, how- ever, more questionable than the Arabian Nights.

Great credit is due to Mr. Taylor for the industry and skill he has displayed in mastering the Neapolitan dialect of the original, and presenting it vividly to the English reader. The manner, style, and even the very colouring of Basile, seems presented. Uuless there was often a species of literal slowness in the original tales, their spirit has not been so successfully caught. The interest rests upon the surprising character of the story and its incidents, rather than upon the nar- rative; which, though not fiat, frequently approaches tameness. Whether the tales are indigenous to the South of Italy, or come as some think, from Venice, or Cyprus, or further, many of them seem to have been originally oral; and man.. ner and voice would have given effect to particularity and iteration, which in print the reader outruns; as the skill and animation of the story-teller might have redeemed the peculiar slowness we speak of. The Pentamerone is a proper ad- dition to our stores of traditional literature, with sufficient interest in its stories as such; but it is more curious as a specimen of Southern or South-eastern mind. It is, however, a book for the study rather than the children's room, not.. withstanding its pretty garb and cuts.]

Arthur Frank/and, or the Experiences of a Tragic Poet; a Tale. [This is not the experiences of a tragic poet, but of a veterinary surgeon, who took to literature and love at the end of his apprenticeship. The author would seem to have written Arthur Frankland as a vehicle for some notions be has on literature, philosophy, and other subjects. What they are is not very clear, nor is it needful to inquire: the world will lose nothing by the uncertainty. The publica- tion of Arthur Frank/and is one of the greatest mistakes we bare met with.] Dysphonia Clericorum, or Clergyman's Sore-throat; its Pathology, Treat- ment, and Prevention. By James Meekness, M.D., Member of the College of Physicians, London, &c. [A treatise on affections of the throat, resulting in weakness or loss of voice; to which all public speakers are liable, but clergymen much more than others, al- though the actual exertion does not seem BO severe in their case as in that of some other speakers. The causes of this seeming anomaly are, in the opinion of Dr. Mackness—natural unfitness in the voice for the professional demand upon it; the strain upon the nervous system in town parishes, where the claims upon con- scientious clergyman are incessant, quite apart from duty in the church: to which may be added, a monotonous feeling in reacting the service, or deficient elocuticn. Upon one if not both of these last points Dr. Idackness's opinion is confirmed by Mr. Macready: the tragedian writes—" The labour of a whole day's duty in s church is nothing in point of labour compared with one of Shakspere's leading characters, nor, I should suppose, with any of the very great displays made by our leading statesmen in the Houses of Parliament. lam confident as to the first; and feel very certain that the disorder which you designate as the clergyman's sore-throat, is attributable, generally, to the mode of speaking, and not to the length or time or violence of effort that may be employed."

The moral remedy, therefore, is—more skill in elocution, and greater interest in the subject. The general medical means are hygienic—rest, improvement of the general health, and strengthening the constitution. The medical treatment must vary with the case; and for this recourse must be had to the book, or rather to the practitioner.] Nimrod; a Dramatic Poem, in five acts.

[Nimrod exhibits considerable abilities and some poetical power, misapplied on too mighty a theme and too ambitious a treatment. To rise to the spirit of those more than heroic ages that were before the Patriarchs, is almost a hopeless task for any one not possessing Miltonic power; and it is by no means easy to give even a primaeval and Oriental air to such a dim and remote subject as Nimrod. The author has further complicated his fable and multiplied his difficulties by introducing angels, Satan, and an angelic chorus; of whom only Satan and Abed- dons contribute to affect the fortunes of Nimrod, the others being mere surplusage. Defects and mistakes of plan, however, are not the greatest faults of this poem, although they are considerable: it is the small and modern manner, the want of dignity in the supernatural beings, and the very drawingroom style of much of the poetry, that mar Nimrod, notwithstanding, as we have said, both ability and poetical power in the writer.]

The Sea-King; a Metrical Romance, in six cantos. With Notes, Historical and Illustrative. By J. Stanyan Bigg.

[The Sea-King is not so remote or so difficult a subject as Nimrod; but it fails equally, though from widely different causes. In Nimrod there is thought, and substance, with incidents natural enough upon the writer's conception of his subject, as well as closeness and strength of expression. In The Sea King there is very little snore than words—as an Irishman might say, it is full of emptiness; for even its persona are shadowy and unreal. Mr. J. Stanyan Bigg cannot revive, he can only dilute into next-akin to nothingness the superstitious and legends of the Northmen. But for the author's obvious earnestness, it might be thought that The Sea-King was a grave parody after the manner of Hood's "Forge,' though wanting Hood's matter, force, and fancy. The style, after Coleridge and some translators of tales of diablerie from the German, is the cleverest part; but one soon tires of nothing bat style.] Dreams of my Youth; Poems, By Fanny Kortright.

The longest poem in this volume is called "Francesca"; and is a tale of the rove of a German prince, Albert, for the heroine, a noble Venetian. The father objects to the match on the ground of disparity of blood; Francesca refuses a private marriage; Albert is sent to the wars, where he distinguishes himself like a knight-errant; but fame cannot console him for the loss of his love; and, to save his son's life, "the stately Ernest" consents to the marriage. All difficulties would now seem to be ended, bat Francesca dies at the altar—very needlessly. This poem, and several others of a similar character in the book, are examples of the evil of injudicious imitation. Byron's tales is in "Francesca" the model of Fanny Kortnght; and considerable ease and fluency of versification, as well as clearness in narrative and at least prettiness in sentiment, are marred by a bad choice of subject and treatment. The basis of Byron's tales was drawn from na- ture, though changed (and not always improved) by art. Hence, the parts had s certain consistency and truth; which an imitator, applying the manner to a to- tally different age and mode of life, necessarily wants. The times of "Francesca' seem to be modern, when princes, and scarcely high-born ladies, do not die for love; and the more subordinate incidents are equally incongruous. A subject ands knowledge of it are greater elements of success, even in poetry, than many people

suppose. This is shown by our fair writer in some of her smaller occasional poems, where the theme is spontaneous and within her compass.] Ecclesia Dei; a Vision of the Church. With a Preface, Notes, and Illas- trations [Ecclesia Dei is a poetical attack upon the Bishops and dignitaries of the Church: won the Bishops, for their repulsive hauteur to the humbler clergy, their neglect of spiritual duties, and their selfseeking; upon the Deans and Chapters, for similar conduct, with the additional and just charge of neglect of the cathedral ser- vice, and the slovenly way in which they permit it to be got through. If animus could constitute a satirist, there is no question but that the author of Ecclesia Dei would take a foremost rank; but the verse hardly has the smartness and spirit of a good lampoon. In prose the author is better. The preface, written in a Tractarian spirit, and charging the schism in the Church and the fallings-off to Rome on the coldness of the Bishops, excites an expectation which the poem itself does not fulfil. The notes are not so good as the preface; being tainted with a vulgar personality. In short, the writer is by no means equ.al to his self- imposed mission. It is not in him to reanimate " Ecclesia Dei."] Legends of the Afghan Countries, in Verse. With various Pieces, Origi- nal and Translated. By Charles Masson Author of "Travels in Ba- lochistan, Afghanistan, and the Panjab," &c. [This volume contains thirteen legends that Mr. Masson picked up in the countries about and beyond the Indus, which he has expanded in verse. The original tales are curious enough, sometimes in themselves, occasionally for their strong resemblance to those of Europe: the Serpent of Vaihund has some- Ogee in common both with the Python and Apollo and St. George and the Dra- gon-unless it has got a little knightly colouring in Mr. Masson's hands. It is probable that these legends would have been more valuable had they merely been translated into prose; for although our traveller's verse is respectable, he has neither poetical art nor genius to improve a national tale by extending it. The miscellaneous poems and translations from the French, so far as poetry is in ques- tion, partake of the character of the Legends-respectable, but not striking.] The Cemetery; a brief Appeal to the Feelings of Society in behalf of Ex- tramural Burial.

[A small brochure in verse, enforcing the objects indicated in the title.] The Rise, Progress, and Present State of Colonial Wools; comprising those of Australia, Van Diemen's Land, and New Zealand; South Africa; British ladle; Peru, Chile, La Plata, and the United States of America: with some Account of the Goat's Wool of Angora and India; and bringing Dates and Statistics, in reference to the subject under consideration, up to

• the latest periods received. By Thomas Southey.

[This volume is in reality a third edition. In 1831 Mr. Thomas Southey first published a Short treatise on sheep end the means of improving the growth of wool, especially addressed to the flockmasters of Australia. In 1840 the author revised and extended that publication; and he has now still farther enlarged it, not only by additional and more detailed information, bat, as it strikes us, by "fresh fields and pastures new." We have no recollection of India, America, and New Zealand, in the former work.] The French. Reading Instructor; in Four Parts. Fourth edition, improved and carefully corrected. By Gabriel Surenne, F.P.S.E., &c.

[One of the best books of its class. It is divided into four parts: the first three consisting of well-chosen selections, commencing with simple fables, anecdotes, &o., and going progressively through a course of prose literature, biographical sketches, and selections from the most eminent dramatic authors of France. The fourth part comprises a translating key, which contains nearly every word in the first section' and historical, geographical, and pronouncing keys. As the volume is intended to introduce the young reader to the acquaintance of the principal French writers, it would be as well if the name of the author were attached to every selection.] The County Courts Law List, for the year 1848.

[This is a very elaborate and well-arranged directory to the Judges and other officials of the various County Courts throughout the. kingdom. It is faller and more readily referred to, we think, than a publication with a similar object that came before us some time since, attached to an altnanack. The list of Officers of Courts would be improved by giving in each case the name of the Judge and Trea- surer, instead of referring the reader to the first district where they occur.]

Ethics of Nonconformity and Working of Willinghood. Reprinted from

the "Nonconformist." By Edward Mall.

SERIAL.

A History of British Mollusca and their Shells. By Professor Edward Forbes, FRS., of Jflng's College, London; and Sylvanus Hanley, B.A., F.L.S. Part L