PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED.

(Front the 9th September.)

Rocas.

The Courtship of Niles Standish, and other Poems. By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Author's protected edition. Studies of Christianity: A series of Original Papers. Now first collected or new. By James Martineau. Notices of Madras and Cudalore, in the last Century, from the Journals and Letters of the earlier Missionaries of the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge.

Gunnery in 1858: being a Treatise on Rifles, Cannon, and Sporting Arms ; ex- plaining the principles of the science of Gunnery, and describing the newest improvements in Fire Arms. By William Greener, C.E., Inventor of the Expansive principle, as applied in the Minie and Enfield Rifles, and author of " The Gun." With numerous illustrations.

'reeds and Wild Flowers : their uses, Legends, and Literature. By Lady Wilkinson. Illustrated by twelve Coloured Engravings, and twenty-six Wood-cuts.

The New El Dorado ; or British Columbia. By Kinahan Cornwallis, Author of " Yarra Yarra," Sze. With a Map and Illustration by the Author.

How we arc Gorerned ; or the Crown, the Senate, and the Bench. By Albany Fonblanque jun., Esq., of the Middle Temple, Barrister-at- law.—The idea of this handy constitution-of-England book is derived from Lord St. Leonards' exposition of real property law, but with an ap- propriate change as to framework. Instead of writing to an old friend on the look out for an investment, young Mr. Fonblanque addresses his "dear cousins" who are coming up to London to see the sights. They will be present when the Queen opens Parliament, and pa over the Houses ; the young barrister will introduce them to the courts of law and point out the big wigs; they will be taken to a dockyard and the camp at Aldershot; but their Templar cousin truly argues that they will fail of rightly comprehending the significance of what they see unless they know something of the history and nature of Sovereign, Parliament, army, navy, and law. These things considered in their divisions and broader principles, but not pursued into their details, are the subject of Mr. Fonblanque. He tells of the origin of the Peers, and traces briefly the growth of the com- mons, expounding their functions, powers, and privileges. He also de- scribes the powers and prerogatives of the crown; enters shortly into the national debt, local government, the church, and the army and navy; and winds up with a notice of the various branches of law and the respective courts where equity, common law, and criminal law are administered. There is of course nothing novel either in view or research ; nothing that is which may not be found in standard works. The exposition XI clear, rapid, and agreeably done. It may be doubted whether it is always accurate, though the points may be of no practical importance, or turn

upon mere expression. For instance, we cannot think that during the palmy days of the feudal system, the barons let their own estates when they went to war, or received rent. The feudal barons, lesser or greater, were gigantic farmers or planters, who cultivated their lands by serfs, without approach- ing even a metayer system. Mr. Fonblanque says that Charles the Second was the first monarch who borrowed money on the national credit. No doubt that King raised money in any way he could, even to the extent of realizing Falitaff's idea, and "robbing the exchequer." He was not, however, the first. English monarch who got into debt by a good many. Henry the Third is the earliest King whose debts are recorded; but his father John and his uncle Richard doubtless had a few items. Elizabeth died in debt ; James the First was burdened with debts all his reign and left a good many behind him. Even Charles the Second suaceeded to some of the Interregnum's; but the national debt in our modern accepta- tion of the term originated with William the Third. In his picture of the free-born Englishman, Mr. Fonblanque describes him as having a right to live in his country wherever he pleases ; but surely that practi- cally depends upon overseers and the law of settlement. Such things are only slight blemishes, but they would be as well rectified in a new edition.

A Hand Book of the Principal Families in Russia, originally written in French by Prince Paul Dolgorouky. Translated into English with Annotations and an Introduction. By F. Z.—" The original work, of which this is a translation, is understood to have been suppressed by the Russian Government, and is very scarce; and its author is said to have incurred by it the temporary displeasure of the Emperor." It may be so; but we should like to have had more specific information. In the Hand-Book itself there is not much to raise suspicion. There is nothing extraordinary in a prince having a turn for pedigrees, and nothing in the classified lists before us with their biographical notes, which transcends princely powers of authorship. The princes themselves are arranged in alphabetical order, according to their descent from Ruric or Guidimene, or their creation by imperial power. Then follow houses descended from Runic without titles. Next come Counts, Boyards, and Barons, the last title carrying "with it a ludicrous notion" in Russia. The notes are generally brief and bare ; occasionally they give sonic biographical particulars. The book is incomplete- a good many families including Baron Brunnovr, being omitted. This could scarcely arise from ignorance in Dolgorouky ; but it might from enmity. However, it is a fault that ignorance would easily fall into, as the occasional sarcasms that may arise from personal feeling could easily be imitated. However, as we say, the book might pass for a prince's, or be produced by anybody else.

The doubts about its authenticity arise from the collaterals. For ex- ample the Introduction purports to be writtcn by the translator of the book ; yet this introduction contains notes "by the translator "; and certainly though written in the character of an Englishman' the intro- duction has a very foreign cast. Then there are notes by the English Editor, who subscribes the preface Leider; and has altered the spelling of Russian names "to accommodate the English spelling to the Russian pronunciation." All this may be nothing, or nothing more than that silliness, which conceives there is much in mystery ; but nevertheless it contributes to raise doubts that a more straightforward dealing would have prevented.

A New Classical Lexicon of Biography, Mythology, and Geography. By Thomas Swinburne Carr, M.A., King's College, London. Author of "Classical Mythology," &c.—This work is founded on the author's "Classical Pronunciation of Proper Names." When meditating a new edition, he thought of adding a brief account or explanation to each name; but found that plan soon involved an extension far beyond a mere vocabulary ; and so the present publication grew up. Its distinctive claims are several. It contains "at least fifteen hun- dred names more than the most complete and two thousand five hundred names more than the most recent of its predecessors." It exhibits the pronunciation of classical names, supported by authorities, while occa- sionally short quotations uphold the authority, and illustrate the subject. The execution, however, is the great point, and that so far as we have examined it, is terse, close, and teeming with facts, yet not altogether excluding opinions. As much amount of information is compressed into brief compass as we ever remember to have seen ; but without involving dryness. The book is of a handy size although containing so much matter, a result attained by the use of small type—a fashionable plan we do not greatly admire.

A Life of Linnaus. By Miss Brightwell of Norwich.—A judicious selection of the known facts of Linnteus's career, well put together, and agreeably presented, though, from occasionally adopting the manner as well as the matter of her authorities, the fair writer imparts an old fashioned style to parts. There is nothing new, nor is there any scien- tific or thorough appreciation of the character of Linnieus, or his position in the rolls of natural history ; but the book well fulfills the object of the author, which is to furnish young readers with a biography of the great naturalist. The volume emanates from Mr. Van Voorst, and is got up" with his well-known taste.

The Progress of Truth. A Fragment of a Sacred Poem.—The author of this fragment resembles those orators of the pulpit and platform who tell us all about a thing before they con-e to the thing itself, interposing so many images between the affirmation and its sequence, that the latter is obscured by the time we reach it. The subject of the poem is the Creation, and the salient points of Bible history to the Crucifixion. He did contemplate an extension of "The Progress of Truth" to the present day, but has judiciously stopped short. The poem is written in the heroic line; and in a mechanical sense the verses are not bad. What H wanted is better matter and a better manner.

The Elements of Inorganic Chemistry. By J. C. Buckmaster, F.C.S., &c.—The elements of chemistry popularly exhibited. The little book is primarily designed for trade schools, mechanics' institutions, and similar popular education places, but is of course available generally.

The only reprint the last fortnight has produced of the slightest conse- quence is a new edition of the celebrated translation of' Tasso by Fair- fax, edited by Mr. Willmott. The editor has prefixed a life of the translator, and the publishers have turned out rather a smart looking book.

Godfrey of Balloigne ; or Jerusalem Delivered. By Torquato Tasso. Tram lated by Edward Fairfax. Edited by Robert Arm Willmott, Incumbent 01 Bearwood. Illustrated by Corbould.

A Handy Book on the Law of Bills, Cheques, Notes, and 10 Us. 133,: yam., Walter Smith, Esq., LL.D., of the Inner Temple, Barrister-at-law. Fouro—; thousand. Enlarged and revised.

Physic and its Phases; or the Rule of Right and the Reign of Wrong A Didactic Poem, in six books. By Alciphron "The Modern Atheiaan.". se: cond edition.