silent, when the solemn pause was broken by the commencing of the Miserere, in low, rich, exquisite strains, rising softly on the ear, and gently swelling into powerful sounds of seraphic har mony. The effect produced by this music is finer and greater than that of any admired art; no painting, statue, or poem, no imagination of man, can equal its wonderful power on the mind. The silent solemnity of the scene, the touching import of the words, "Take pity on me, O God," passes through to the inmost soul, with a thrill of the deepest sensation, unconsciously moistening the eye, and paling the cheek. The music is composed of two choruses of four voices; the strain begins low and solemn, rising gradually to the clear tones of the first soprano, which at times are heard alone; at the conclusion of the verse, the second chorus joins, and then by degrees the voices fade and die away. The soft and almost imperceptible accumulation of sound, swelling in mournful tones of rich harmony, into powerful effect, and then receding, as if in the distant sky, like the lamenting song of angels and spirits, conveys, beyond all conception to those who have heard it, the idea of darkness, of desolation, and of the dreary solitude of the tomb. A solemn silence ensues, and not a breath is heard, while the inaudible prayer of the kneeling Pope continues. When he rises, slight sounds are heard, by degrees breaking on the stillness, which has a pleasing effect, restoring, as it were, the rapt mind to the existence and feelings of the present life. The effect of those slow, prolonged, varied, and truly heavenly strains, will not easily pass from the memory.' The description of the ceremonies of Easter Sunday is still more magnificent: but we must refer the reader for it to the volume itself; and we feel the less difficulty in doing so, because it is a book which every person of taste and feeling will hasten to add to his library. We observe that it is dedicated to his Majesty, by his permission. We apprehend, from some circumstances which the editor rather insinuates than discloses, that the author's imagination held too unrestricted a sway over the closing years of his life, and, deluding him into those day-dreams which are so delicious to cultivated minds, gave him a distaste for business, that proved injurious to his family. It has been, unfortunately, the fate of too many men of genius to neglect the realities of life, for those visionary enjoyments which are found in the world of meditation. We cannot but admire their enthusiasm, though one must lament its consequences to those whom it may have practically affected. It is, therefore, peculiarly creditable to the editor that she has occupied her time in revising and perfecting this beautiful monument to the author's memory. ART. (99) ART. XV. The English Flora. By Sir James E. Smith, President of the Linnæan Society. Vol. III. Longman and Co. 1825. THIS number of the third volume of the English Flora comprizes the British plants of the seven classes in the Linnæan system Polyandria, Didynamia, Tetradynamia, Monodelphia, Diadelphia, Polyadelphia, and Syngenesia. It is almost needless to say, that the botanic characters both of the genera and species are clearly and definitely traced, and are sufficiently copious, without being redundant. The known localities of the more rare species are given, and where doubts occur with respect to the classification of any species the best authorities are quoted, and the reasons for placing it in the present arrangement assigned. The work, when completed, cannot fail to add to the reputation the author has attained, and to be regarded as a valuable addition to the library of the botanist. The English Flora, we will however venture to suggest, is not free from a defect common to almost all botanical works: utility is too much overlooked; and the natural history of those plants which are eminently serviceable to man, is given as briefly as that of the most useless weed. The discoveries which have been recently made in vegetable chemistry, are not noticed where we might naturally have expected to find them: thus, under the genus Papaver, Poppy, we have six species, of which the fifth species, the White Poppy, Papaver somniferum, yields the milky juice that forms opium : but of this important vegetable substance we are briefly told, The milky juice, when dried, becomes opium, which, as Haller observes, is far more potent and dangerous in hot countries than in our cooler climates. The capsules boiled afford a gently narcotic infusion, and used to be kept in the shops: but the foreign opium is more certain, and more manageable, in proper hands, such as alone should direct, its use.' Surely some notice might have been taken of the recent discovery of the narcotic principle existing in opium, to which alone it owes its power: this substance, called by the French chemists Morphine, when separated from all the other vegetable matter in opium, is one of the most powerful and concentrated poisons hitherto discovered, but, when properly combined and diluted, is now extensively used in medicine. Some account of the preparation of opium, or a reference to the best account of it elsewhere, would have added value to the article. It may be said, perhaps, that to have enlarged on the uses and properties of plants, could not be done without greatly increasing the size and price of the work : to this we reply, that a judicious curtailment of the letterH 2 166309 press press in some of the less important species, would have left space sufficient for more valuable matter: for instance, under the genus Hieracium, Hawkweed, we have nearly sixteen pages devoted to eighteen species of a plant, none of which have either use or beauty to recommend them to particular attention: part of the space is occupied in stating the merits or demerits of former classifications of these species. The author concludes his account of this genus with recommending an accurate examination of it on its native mountains: but he adds, Whoever wishes to render himself master of this subject should have abundant leisure and patience to inves tigate each wild species in different soils and situations, and to cultivate each under his own actual inspection. They might then, by a good botanist, be probably cleared up without much uncertainty. We may ask, what would the botanist gain by this long and patient investigation? Perhaps he might divide one of the present species into two, to one of which he might give his own name, and thus become identified with a useless weed. In other departments of natural history, we also frequently see utility too much disregarded, and classification and arrangement considered as the main objects of science, instead of occupying their due places as her hand-maids. An antient fabulist relates, that the celestials once upon a time became botanists, each god and goddess selecting a favorite tree; and when the Goddess of Wisdom was censured for having chosen a plant possessing so little beauty as the olive, she replied, " Nisi utile quod facimus stulta est gloria." The reply is well worth the deep attention of modern botanists and naturalists: for no true or permanent glory can be derived from their pursuits, except they be founded on utility; this, which ought to be the main object, should never be degraded to hold a secondary place, or, as is sometimes the case, be entirely lost sight of. The genus Tilia, the Lime-tree, and its three species, are described in our author's happiest manner: to the characters are added some interesting particulars in their natural history. We shall select as an example Tilia Europea; Common smooth Lime-tree; - Linden-tree. After the generic character, we have the following character of the species: Nectaries none. Leaves twice the length of the footstalks, quite smooth, except a woolly tuft at the origin of each vein beneath. Cymes many-flowered. Capsule coriaceous, downy.' Then follow the names given by other botanists and references. In woods and hedges, or upon grassy declivities. A tall and handsome, hardy tree, with smooth, round, brown, leafy, spreading branches, green while tender. Leaves 3 or 4 inches broad, broad, and rather more in length, undivided; unequal and some what heart-shaped, as well as entire, at the base; the margin acutely and rather unequally serrated; the point elongated, acute, serrated at its base: upper surface quite smooth, of a bright pleasant green; under paler, or slightly glaucous, likewise smooth, except small depressed tufts of brown woolly hairs, where the lateral ribs branch off from the five principal ones. Stipulas oval, smooth, in pairs at the base of each footstalk, soon deciduous. Footstalks cylindrical, slender, smooth, not half so long as the leaves. Flowerstalks axillary, cymose, or imperfectly umbellate, smooth, hardly so long as the leaves, drooping, with from 6 to 10 flowers; each bearing an oblong, smooth, pale, flat, entire, veiny, membranous bractea, originating above the base of the flower-stalk, and for about half its length firmly united therewith, its blunt point nearly on a level with the flowers, or longer. Fl. greenish, delightfully fragrant, especially in an evening. Pet. obovate, pale, lemoncoloured, destitute, like all our European species, of the scales, or nectaries, attached to the petals of the American ones. Stam. spreading, shorter than the corolla. Anth. yellow. Germen densely hairy. Stigma 5-lobed. Capsule downy, leathery, not woody, uncertain in the number of perfect cells and seeds. This is certainly the Common Lime-tree of the north of Europe, which Linnæus understood by T. Europaea, in his Species Plantarum, and, I presume, in his Flora Suecica. The Swedish writers quoted by De Candolle confirm this point, but the plate of Fl. Dan. t. 553. seems to be our parvifolia. T. Europea is culti vated all over England, and in many parts of Scotland, and though Ray could not meet with it indubitably wild, no one can doubt its being perfectly naturalized. The French "growing tired of the Horse Chesnut," as Du Hamel reports, adopted this tree, for ornamental plantations, in the time of Louis XIV. It generally composes the avenues about the residencies of the French as well as English gentry of that date, and Fenelon, in conformity to this taste, decorates with "flowery Lime-trees" his enchanted Isle of Calypso. The bark of this, and perhaps some other species, makes the Russia garden-mats called Bast. Bees collect much honey from the flowers. The smooth, light, delicately white, and uniform wood, useful for some domestic purposes, served Gibbons for his inimitable carvings of flowers, dead game, &c., so often old English houses. An antient Lime of great magnitude, which grew where the ancestors of Linnæus had long resided, is said to have given them their family-name, Linn being Swedish for a Lime-tree.' in ART. XVI. Dublin University Prize Poems: with Spanish and German Ballads, &c. By George Downes, A. M., Author of "Letters from Mecklenburg, Holstein," &c. 8vo. pp. 91. Baldwin and Co. T .99%T & Ir is not often in this poetical age, when the versifying part of our population is so rapidly increasing, that any among the countless progeny of Apollo are able to surpass the compositions H 3 positions contained in this volume. The larger pieces have much merit: but our preference is strong in favor of the Spanish ballads. The German ballads and miscellaneous poems evince considerable ability. There is also something spirited and lofty in the following passage from a poem in blank verse on The Expedition to the North Pole.' 'There is a region where the Cloud-King holds Roderick's Lament in Solitude' is a charming ballad: but we think still better of The Lover on the Banks of the Ebro,' of which the two last stanzas will give some notion. Leafy poplars tall; Sands of dazzling white; Where my capricious fair one loves to stray, Holding her gladsome way. Ask her the nymph with footstep light, The nymph that holds my heart in thrall Ask her if, in her frolic glee, That laughing maid remembers me! Birds with tuneful tongue, That chaunt triumphantly at morning hour Sweet welcome to Aurora fair and young, Ask her on Ebro's bank the sweetest flower Ask her if, in her frolic glee, That laughing maid remembers me!' The following are the concluding stanzas of The Minstrel,' from Goethe, with which we must conclude our extracts and remarks: I warble as the little bird, That perches on the spray, The song itself is all I ask But, please it you to grant a boon, A beaker of the goodliest wine The |