PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED.

Tax number of publications keeps up, but the opening week of this year exhibits no greater promise in novelty of subject than did last year's close. Mr. Dyce's " Shakespeare " is in itself beyond all value, and we do not doubt will be found to be a capital edition of the poet editorially speak- ing; but it is by no means a novelty. Neither can India be considered a new subject ; though Mr. Ludlow appears to have brought to it an acu- men which will put various things in a new light. The two posthumous volumes of Lectures and Essays by the late Samuel Brown may contain some useful or remarkable matter, but are not likely to exhibit much of the promise and novelty we speak of.

BOOKS.

The Works of William Shakespeare. The Text revised by the Rev. Alexander Dyce. In ISh.

British India, its Races and its History, considered with reference to the Mutinies of 18.57 : a series of Lectures addressed to the Students of the Work- ing Men's College. By John Malcolm Ludlow, Barrister-at-law. Lectures on the Atomic Theory, and Essays Scientific and Literary. By Samuel Brown. Volumes I. and II.

Northern Travel : Summer and Winter Pictut es of Sweden, Lapland, and Nor- way. By Bayard Taylor.

Some Deficiencies in our English Dictionaries: being the Substance of two Papers read before the Philological Society. By Richard Cheuevix Trench, D.D., Dean of Westminster.

Merope : a Tragedy. By Matthew Arnold.

The Letters of a Betrothed.—We laugh at the "Polite Letter-writers" of a former age ; yet they were something at all events to the inditer of a less schoolly-educated generation, who had nothing to work upon. They embraced most of the prosaic occurrences of life. We do not re- member whether they contained a lady's acceptance of a proposal ; we are quite sure they did not extend through the varying incidents of a "long engagement," with the lover's absence, the betrothed's tour to Paris, many little. incidents and numerous fancies, till the last epistle previous to the ceremony—" The thought grows frightful, 'tis so wildly dear." We are quite certain that none of the old epistolary correspond- enee directories had the elegant literature of this volume, or its feminine grace and animation of style and sentiment, with an earnest glow of feeling, whose exhibition in a single young woman would have caused our grandmothers to put their fans before their faces. Whether it is quite so safe a guide to follow as those more practical productions, we cannot tell ; though it is ever so much better to read. Would this out- pouring on some hitch in the correspondence be a safe experiment, espe- cially in too frequent doses of such strength ?

"Then, when the postman arrives, I sit down, sick and faint, saying, He has no letter, I know he has none,' while I listen with all my life in my ears for the step that is to bring it to me. And it does not come ;—a passionate despair overwhelms me, and I feel as if it never, never can come now, and as if I could not support a renewal of this suffering for another twenty-four hours.

"And I can do nothing ! there is the terrible part. It is this forced in- action that wears me so frightfully ; another day's hope gone ; and what is there for it ? just to sit down saying, Wait, perhaps tomorrow may bring a letter, perhaps the day after' perhaps a week, perhaps never ! But there is nothing you can do ; sit down and wait ! ' Frank, is it your fault, this suffering I endure? If it be in any degree whatsoever, for God's sake do not again subject me to it, for the burden is greater than I can bear. Is it your misfortune ? are you ill ? No answer, no answer ! nothing but a stony silence mocking me."

Transatlantic Sketches. By Professor Kelland.—Scotch University Reform having lost its freshness, Professor Kelland thought he could not better meet his classes than by an account of a vacation-trip to America. Vocational in one sense the excursion was not, as it involved the business of an institution ; which, however, furnished a companion to the Pro- fessor, and what was perhaps as good, "a purse." His business-tour was confined to Canada ; and among other things the traveller was pre- sent at the gathering of an American Scientific Association at Montreal. His journey through the States embraced the settled part of the Western frontier, an excursion into Tennessee and Kentucky,, including a visit to the celebrated Mammoth Cave, and a return to New York via Phila- delphia. The journey was too rapid, and the account is too brief, to admit of much elaboration either in observation or remark. What there is appears sound, and is certainly fresh and pleasant. Here are a couple of samples. Presbyterianism in America.—" My custom was to attend the Presbyte- rian service, that I might learn how the sons of severe Scotland conduct themselves under a change of circumstances. If the specimens I stumbled on may be regarded as a fair average sample of the whole, I have but a sorry report to bring back. The first preacher we listened to gave us an animated onslaught on Calvinism, slashing the doctrines of the Shorter Catechism unmercifully. The next said nothing intelligible at all. A third lectured his audience for an hour on their want of interest in church matters ; and from their apparent want of interest in the lecture, I have no doubt they deserved all they got. A fourth was a plain-spoken earnest man, remind- ing me a little of old Scotland. But the grand characteristic feature of all

the churches was the singing. This was performed by a professional quartett, with florid accompaniments on the organ. As an Episcopalian, I find no fault with the organ, quite the contrary ; but I think some of the sympho- nies and voluntaries with which we were favoured, belonged rather to the school of Rossini and Verdi than to that of Handel and Sebastian Bach, and should have been reserved for the operahouse."

American Feeling towards Britain.—" One topic more, and I have done. The temper of the American people towards the British is not, I am per- suaded, that of warm fellow-feeling. It may be the remembrance of having separated from us by force ; it may be the oonaciousneas of following in our wake in so many things which elevate humanity; it may be jealousy of the

• wer which has barred them from a portion of the continent of North • o erica ; it may be a too sensitive amour propre constantly wounded by the teasing of our literary men; it may be any or all of these which ruffles the skin of an Amerbein : however it be accounted for, I am persuaded that cordial love towards us as members of the same family does not exist. There is respect, and cold distant regard, but no more."

.Dry Sticks Fagoted. By Walter Savage Landor.—In part a collec- tion of published—poems shall we say, or jeux d'esprit—as well in Latin as in English. Other parts have perhaps been legally published, for the pieces have circulated in manuscript, though some without the author's consent. A copy was "procured fi om a person who had engaged to transcribe them. Precaution is hereby taken against subtraction, or what is worse, addition. This is an excuse for some few levities." Let us hope that a few of those few were written "long long ago."

Ghost Stories and Phantom Fancies. By Hain Friswell, Author of "The Sham Pamphlets," &c.—As regards framework, this collection of tales of diablerie, incidents of crime, and the like, might rank as a Christmas book ; indeed, the introductory story, with its memory of many Christmas dinners, is by no means the worst part of the volume. The stories themselves are too worldly and too advanced for children ; in point of merit they take rank with magazine tales.

- — Two little Christmas volumes or gift-books come before us from Mr. Bentley. "Fairy Fables," by Cuthbert Bede, have more of fancy in them than of genuine fairy spirit, though the fairy form is there. With the exception of "The Queen of the Twelfth Cakes," they all refer to animals or trees, which take upon themselves the action and discourse of human beings. This is done cleverly, but somewhat formally, with knowledge of a naturalist kind, and a good many satiric hits at actual affair's.

Fairy Tale Charades." There are several volumes of "acting charades" for young people. These dramas are written for little peo- ple; and pleasant enough they are—just the very things for children to act. Dramatic spirit we have no right to look for, but there is dramatic situation, sometimes comic, and fit for the end in view—as the unlucky nose in "The Fairy Mount."

Fairy Fables. By Cuthbert Bede, B.A. With Illustrations by Alfred Crowquill. Fairy Tale Charades, for Acting. By M. G. Avenue.

The great reprint of the week is a new edition of James Mill's "His- tory of British India," with Professor Wilson's continuation of the nar- rative, and his copious corrective, explanatory, and it may be said expan- sive notes. Faults and shortcomings of various kinds may be found in Mill's India. The writer may have his prepossessions, as who has not? he bimeelf would have despised the critical objection that he is deficient in warmth and brilliancy of colouring : the alleged fault of dryness is rather a merit, accompanied as it is by an unimpassioned clearness, not devoid of animation when the narrative requires life. Various histories

of India by able men practically versed in the subject have limited appeared ; but we suspect that if a man were mited to one history of Ind'a, he ahould take James Mill's. The work appears to be merely a reprint, without fresh matter since Professor Wilson's last edition. It is of neat appearance and handy form—somewhat minute-looking in size, for those who think that history should not sink below an ample octavo ; but it is perhaps all the more fitted for use. The two volumes contain the Hindoo sad lishometan histories, and bring down the story of the trading com- pany to the beginning of the last century.

The tenth volume of Dugald Stewart's Collected Works contains the Memoirs of Adam Smith, Robertson, and Reid, with a Life of the philosopher, and a speaking portrait, after Wilkie. This closes the edition in a disbursing sense : an eleventh volume, containing index, and the quotations translated, will be given gratis to subscribers. Surely this may be called an unequalled edition ! Religious books still prevail. Dr Cumming's new edition of his Apocalyptic Sketches has been revised and enlarged, with a reference to "recent stirring events" that bear on the fulfilment of prophecy. Archdeacon Pratt has not perhaps so tough a subject in his endeavours to show "Scripture and Science not at arianee," as the Doctor deal- ing with the Apocalypse, though his theme is far from easy. The Atth- deacon concludes in—cultivate science, hold fast by Scripture.

The History of British India. By James Mill, Esq. Fifth edition, with Notes and Continuation, by Horace Hayman Wilson, M.A., F.R.S., &c. &e. Volumes I. and II.

The Collected Works of Dugald S'tmeart, Fig., F.R.SS., Professor of Moral Philosophy in the rnieersity of Edinburgh, Sze. &c. Edited by Sir William Hamilton, Ban., A.M., (Oxon,) Professor of Logic and Metaphysics in the University of Edinburgh, ice. Volume X.

Apocalyptic Sketches ; or Lectures on the Book of Revelation. By the Ete%e- rend John Cumming, D.D., F.11.S.E., Minister of the National Scottish Church, Crown Court, Covent Garden. New edition, thoroughly revised, corrected, and arranged. Volume I.

Scripture and Science not a' Variance ; with Remarks on the Historical Cha- racter, Plenary Inspiration, and surpassing Importance of the earlier Chap- ters of Genesis. By John II, Pratt, M.A.. Archdeacon of Calcutta, Author of " The Mathematical Principle, of Mechanical Philosophy." Second edi- tion, with new matter.