pleasingly done, and most materially contribute to the interest of the volume.

Random Recollections of the House of Commons. By One of No

Party.

This is a pleasant and amusing book. The author announces himself as of no party, and proves it. It is high praise to him to say, and we do not say it by way of paradox, that impartiality is likely to be the only serious fault found with his recollections. To those who are actively engaged in politics, strong likings and dislikings are not only natural but necessary. The book, however, as we apprehend, will find its greater number of readers among the uninitiated in politics, and to them it will be entirely satisfactory and delightful. Nothing is more welcome than a familiar description of things remote. Our country friends, now, will most especially enjoy the book. Its style, we should say, is agreeably suited to the subject, graphic and unforced; without any pretensions of a generalizing or philosophical sort, but with occasional remarks that are both sharp and subtle.

It is not a book for criticism. The singular impartiality we have already noticed forbids us to be critical. We would as soon be ungrateful. It extends over a period of five years, from 1830 to the close of the last session. The names it includes are those of the leading members of all parties, of those who are accustomed to take a prominent part in the proceedings of the House. Some of the most interesting passages of those proceedings have occasional notice, no less than the personal and oratorical peculiarities of the members. The evident experience and shrewdness of the writer have not saved him however from occasional errors both in fact and observation, as where he describes Mr. C. Buller as the member for Liskeworth, and says that Mr. Praed "stands full six feet two." There is no such place as Liskeworth, and Mr. Praed does not stand higher than five feet ten. He is below, rather than above, the ordinary size.

As a fair specimen of the writer's style, and because it has reference to a man of letters, whose brilliant career we watch with extreme interest, while at every step it is realizing some promise of distinction-we take from the chapter devoted to "New Members" the following notice of the first speech, and the general peculiarities of Mr. Serjeant Talfourd:

"It was far too refined: it was one of the most elaborate and philosophically reasoned I ever heard delivered in the house. There were but few members who, even after the most close attention, would have been able to follow the speaker, and if once you lost the thread of his argument, the rest would have been in a great measure unintelligible to you. It was exactly a speech of that nature which ought to have been delivered in a quiet, snug room, to a dozen or so of the most philosophical men of the present day. In that case it would have been appreciated: the admiration of it by such an audience would have known no bounds.

"Mr. Serjeant Talfourd is poetical and eloquent in the highest degree. His matter almost cloys one with its richness. In beautiful and appropriate imagery, he excels all men I ever heard speak:-I mean in the more carefully wrought pas sages when speaking on important questions. He is fond of introducing a great deal of scriptural phraseology into his speeches. In his maiden effort in Parliament there was much of this. He talked of quitting themselves like men,' of being 'knit together in love,' &c. &c. His second and, I believe, only other speech in the house, was in defence of the Municipal Corporation Bill. It was very short. It did not occupy above ten minutes in the delivery. It was much less refined than the other, and was delivered at a more suitable hour of the evening, and to a House in a more attentive mood. It consequently told with better effect. Still, the reception that he met with on the occasion was not at all equal to what

would have been expected by those who have heard him in the courts of law. In person Mr. Serjeant Talfourd is about the middle size, and well made. His hair is black, and his complexion very dark. His features are small, and his face round. He has the most piercing eyes I ever saw; they have much of what lovers call a languishing expression about them. His face has altogether much of a soft and feminine appearance. He is a man of much kindness of heart, and much affability of manner. I question if there be a man of more cultivated mind in the house. He is about forty years of age."

An Examination into the Ancient Orthography of the Jews. By Charles William Wall, D.D., Senior Fellow and Professor of Hebrew, Trinity College, Dublin.

Trinity College, Dublin, though one of the richest as well as the most learned universities in Europe, has obtained the appellation of the "Silent Sister," for its members are seldom heard to speak in the literary world, and when they do, like Irving, they choose an unknown tongue. On its first establishment by Queen Elizabeth it was without a library, till it was supplied by extraordinary means. The soldiers of the Reformation, after they had defeated the soldiers of the Inquisition at Kinsale, thought the best boon they could confer was to supply the new college with books; so the plunder of the Spaniards was converted into a literary gift, and, by a strange order of things, the military supplied the literary community with the means of prosecuting its studies. At this time, too, the college produced men whose works are standards of excellence at this day, and no university has produced a superior to Usher, the first Provost of Trinity College, Dublin. Since his time the books which the learned body has produced have been "few and far between," and what is still worse, on such subjects as scarcely any man but a member of a college would read. Dr. Barret published an extraordinary composition on the signs of the zodiac, and now Dr. Wall has not been behind him in the obscurity of his subject by taking up Egyptian hieroglyphics.

He commences with an inquiry into the origin of alphabetic writing, and incorporates in his essay that of the Egyptians, of which he considers the different kinds made use of. There is one monument in England that a man would suppose sufficient to throw all the necessary light on this subject. It is the Rosetta stone in the British Museum, which contains, in high and perfect preservation, a decree of the kings of Egypt, written in Greek, Coptic, and hieroglyphics, and exactly resembles similar things of the present day which we have seen, published in our Ionian Islands, in Greek, Italian, and English, and, as they all mean the same thing, there would be no difficulty in any person who understood one of the languages making out by a little study the import of the other two; but the labyrinth of hieroglyphics is as intricate as ever. Champollion thought he had found out the clue that led through it, and his conjectures were so ingenious and plausible, that he persuaded the literary world he had succeeded. Dr. Wall, however, dissents from this, and propounds his objections to both French and English modes of interpretation.

It does not come within our province or our limits to enter minutely into such subjects. Dr. Wall has employed great industry and ingenuity, but we think with as little success as his predecessors. He has made one discovery, however, which will astonish the learned world,-that the Book of Job was originally written in this occult language..

Flowers of Loveliness.

We have elsewhere spoken of Lady Blessington's merits as the editor of an embellished work; we may therefore briefly notice this exquisite

volume, for which she has written several very elegant poems, to accompany as many admirable prints from the pencil of Mr. Parris. In its external appearance this work has not been surpassed; it is a thin quarto, bound in-chalet. We hope we have used the fitting word; but for the benefit of readers as uninitiated as ourselves, we may explain, that the material is of the kind which ladies wear in their light summer dresses. It is embossed in gold, of a brilliant scarlet colour, and cannot fail of inviting attention to the " metal more attractive" within. The idea of Mr. Parris has been to personify our choicest "home flowers"-the daisy, the rose, the snow-drop, &c. &c.-and into each of his pictures he has introduced a group of lovely women. He has been exceedingly happy in his attempts. The work is, altogether, the most beautiful and interesting of the year, and cannot but have large success.

The Chronicles of Waltham. 3 Vols. By the Author of
"The Subaltern."

Mr. Gleig has been long and highly valued by all true lovers of nature. By nature we do not mean the flimsy frippery-the gilded affectation which passes current with the world as such; the nature we admire does not sit as a tender maiden under a spreading laburnum, with a hat of paille de ris on her head-a bunch of artificial roses peeping from beneath the brim thereof and eyes (as artificial) contemplating a flock of sheep. No -our nature is rustic-purely rustic. Wild flowers, beautiful and fragrant, mingled with the wayside thistles and thorns of life! Homesteads, and farms, and a population, in which a tendency to evil is counteracted by the industrious and the virtuous-who frequently suffer, and yet in time have their reward!

Waltham, its various inhabitants, its politics, its misfortunes, its habits, its virtues, and its crimes, are detailed in the "Chronicles" by the reverend author with an air of truth, and an evidence of feeling and sympathy which I cannot fail to interest the reader; the political bias of his character is of course marked in each story,—and though we do not agree with Mr. Gleig in all his deductions from the various facts he mentions, yet we are of opinion that were some of the tales skilfully altered, so as to chime in a little with the present time, published and distributed by landlords amongst their tenants, a vast deal of good would result, particularly to the middling class of farmers, by having such useful reasoning submitted to their judgment; the peasantry of England will think, and we all know that if thought is not properly directed it becomes a curse, and not a blessing. Mr. Gleig's clear and perspicuous style is peculiarly suited to the comprehension of such a class of persons; and England is not yet deprived of patriotic and benevolent landholders, who would delight in dispensing useful knowledge, moral as well as political, amongst them.

We would also hint to Mr. Gleig, that the frequent use of oaths throughout the volumes are, from the pen of a clergyman, in bad taste,they are unfortunately but too often resorted to amongst the class of whom he treats, but this does not prevent their being offensive; and the utility and value of such books as Mr. Gleig's is lessened if they are rendered by such strong language unfit to be read aloud in the domestic circle. With this single fault, we dismiss these volumes, and hope soon again to be favoured by a continuation of "Chronicles so replete with interest and profit.

"

Musical History, Biography, and Criticism, &c. &c. By George

Hogarth.

At a period like the present, when every one is, or wishes to be considered, musical, it is rather extraordinary that so useful and interesting a

work as Mr. Hogarth has now presented to the public should not have appeared before. There are few (if any) who could have performed the difficult task of illustrating, and at the same time giving the history of this fascinating science so well. Mr. Hogarth has a sufficient quantity of enthusiasm to lend spirit and vigour to all he writes, so that every criticism, every line of biography, must be read with pleasure. He has consulted excellent authorities for his facts, and possesses a fine, and yet not too fine a taste. With an evident partiality for the best schools, he is not bigoted to any; and for the sake of the science, we have only to regret that he does not undertake a work upon the plan of Dr. Burney's" History of Music;" or at least, commencing at the period where the Doctor left off, continue it down to the present time. We cannot do better than quote Mr. Hogarth's object in the present volume, which he so unostentatiously sets forth::

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The author's object is to give that information respecting the progress of music-the personal history of the most eminent musicians-and the present state of the art in this and other countries, which is now looked upon as indispensable to every person of liberal attainments. He has endeavoured to use simple and perspicuous language, avoiding technical phraseology and abstruse discussions; these in truth being wholly unnecessary in treating of music, not as an intricate science, but as one of the most beautiful of the fine arts."

This" reading" of the science cannot fail to be most acceptable to the many; and independent of the musical matter of the work, many of the biographies are highly interesting as portraitures of human nature.

Mr. Hogarth apologises with more modesty than we deem necessary, for that he, in his criticisms, differs from many whom he deems superior to himself: if they are really superior, he ought not to differ; but genuine talent is always diffident of its own abilities; and we remember long since considering some of Mr. Hogarth's detached musical criticisms amongst the very best of modern times. His biography of Purcell, though conveying no new information, is highly interesting; but when noting his fondness for maniac music, and commenting upon that most wonderful and super-human composition "Let the dreadful engines of Eternal will," and also speaking of his " Mad Bess" and "I'll sail upon the Dog Star" as they deserve, we wonder how it was that he did not particularise "Mad Tom," which is one of the most picturesque compositions that ever emanated from a musician's brain.

Wherever there is a piano or a music-book, Hogarth's "Musical History" ought to be obtained; and even where those appendages are wanting, the volume no less deserves a place, for the sake of its general information and entertaining character.

My Aunt Pontypool. 3 vols.

We wish, notwithstanding her peculiar characteristics, that we too had an Aunt Pontypool! The race of kind-hearted, simple-minded old ladies is becoming extinct; and their very existence would be doubted by future generations, were it not for such books as the one now upon our table. Smile not, most courteous reader, albeit that being courteous you are inclined to smile; we prophecy a much longer existence for the venerable lady than you, not having the pleasure of her acquaintance, might imagine possible. She will flourish to a green old age-stately and simple-when many younger will be cut off in what they would consider the flower of their prime!

The character of Aunt Pontypool is well conceived, and well drawn; it

is a portrait of Sir Joshua's-animated and alive. There are others in the volumes that some of our readers will perhaps admire more; Colonel Adair, Henry Adair, and the hero's father, are depicted with a skilful pencil, shadowed forth with most excellent discrimination. Lady Mary is graceful and lady-like; and the elder Williamson, the type and semblance of his profession!

Without aiming at the profound, we have seldom met with three more entertaining volumes. The author has endeavoured to preserve a strict incog.; but we fancy we recognise in his pages the style of the writer of Ecarté." The pen is evidently well practised, and well managed

also.

Observations on certain curious Indentations in the old Red Sandstone of Worcestershire, &c. By Jabez Allies.

Although Mr. Allies has expended much labour, and shown no small ingenuity in defence of the hypothesis to which he has devoted the most considerable portion of his work, we confess that we are among the number of readers who will be much more likely to be pleased with his zeal and information, than to be convinced by the arguments on which his theory appears to rest. Still, whether right or wrong in his opinion upon the main subject of his inquiry, we cannot regret the appearance even of a fallacious theory, when its result is to present us with really valuable information upon the topography and geology of a highly interesting neighbourhood. With respect to the peculiar impressions in the sandstone itself, we fear that the present state of geological science is hardly such as to give a satisfactory account of their origin, and few scientific readers, we are inclined to believe, upon considering the matter thoroughly, will be likely to give much more credence to the explanation of Dr. Buckland, than to the somewhat wild and certainly fanciful opinion which Mr. Allies endeavours to maintain. Perhaps a more minute and continued examination of the channel of Sapey Brook, or other localities in which these phenomena occur, will give rise to the discovery of some fact, which will throw additional light upon a subject which, notwithstanding all that has been said on both sides, we cannot but consider still involved in the deepest mystery. Mr. Allies will, in such case, we are confident, not feel disinclined to give up a theory which the most candid reader will at once pronounce untenable, when he remembers how many strata occur between the old red sandstone and the lowest bed in which the remains of mammalia are found, In the meantime, we think it cause of congratulation to the Natural Society of Worcestershire, that they have a member of their council who is willing to devote his time and abilities to investigations which cannot but materially advance the object for which they are associated.

Da Vinci on Painting.

The life of Leonardi da Vinci, the first of the great Italian masters, as written by Rigaud, is now published, and prefixed to the treatise of Da Vinci on Painting, with a memoir, by Brown, of Rigaud. Of the wellknown treatise it would be presumption to speak; of the life of Da Vinci there are few altogether ignorant. It is not only in his capacity of painter that Leonardo da Vinci is entitled to such unqualified admiration, as in having been the founder of a school of painting, and of being at the same time a great sculptor, a bold and successful engineer, and a man of letters. "It is to be remembered," says his biographer," to the immortal honour of Leonardo da Vinci, that he first dissipated the film of ignorance which