late Governor of Ceylon. He is accused of gross misgovernment, wanton
cruelty in suppressing native insurrection, and the production of false
evidence. Lord John Russell announced that he should postpone the Budget
and the Income Tax, until this charge, which was in effect one against
Government, had been disposed of. Upon which the mover announced that he
should postpone his motion until after the introduction of these
measures. Lord Torrington, in the House of Lords, came forward and
challenged the prosecution of these charges.
A coal-pit disaster occurred near Glasgow, involving a terrible loss of
life. While 63 men and boys were at work in the mine, an explosion of
fire-damp occurred. Of those in the mine all but two perished.
A searching investigation is going on into the adulterations of articles
of food. It is asserted that there is scarcely an article which is in
any way susceptible of mixture, that is not mingled with others not
merely of inferior value, but in many cases of the most loathsome and
disgusting nature. Ground coffee is specified as particularly subject to
adulteration.
A somewhat singular controversy has arisen in reference to a body of
refugees from Hungary, who have recently arrived at Liverpool. They
number 262, of whom the majority are Poles, the remnant of the Polish
legion in Hungary. Government wishes to send them to America, and offers
a bounty of L8, to each man who will go. They wish to remain in England,
evidently anticipating an uprising in some part of Europe, where their
services may be called into requisition. They are entirely destitute of
means of support, and in England can only maintain themselves by
begging.
The frigate St. Lawrence, having on board the contributions to the
Exhibition from the United States, arrived at Portsmouth on the 13th of
March. A meeting of the American exhibitors has been held at London, at
which great dissatisfaction was expressed with many of the arrangements.
They object in particular to the appointment of jurors to decide upon
the merits of foreign productions; to bronze medals being awarded as
prizes, when more valuable ones had been promised; to the high price of
season tickets; to contributors being compelled to pay for admission,
and be at the expense of their own fittings; and to the delay in
affording protection to the articles which require a patent. Some
leakage has occurred in the roof of the Exhibition Building; but it is
hoped that it may be obviated. All opinion adverse to the suitability of
the painting of the interior has passed away. The theoretical views of
the decorator have been abundantly justified by the practical effect.
Another expedition in search of Sir John Franklin is to be fitted out
this season. The little "Prince Albert" is to be sent out, it is hoped,
under happier auspices than attended her former voyage. It is expected
to reach Lancaster Sound, by the middle of June. The vessel will be laid
up for wintering in Prince Regent's Inlet. The party will then proceed
in boats as far as practicable. When these can no longer be worked,
native "kyacks" will be used, which will enable the explorers to reach a
point some one or two hundred miles further than boats could carry them,
as the kyacks can be hauled up and dragged over the ice. The expedition
will remain out for at least one season; and a very extensive search to
the westward of Boothia is proposed. It will be under the command of
Capt. W. Kennedy, who has had no small experience in these icy regions.
We do not learn whether Mr. Snow, from whose interesting book we copied
so largely last month, is to be attached to this new expedition.
FRANCE.
The most striking incident which has occurred since our last has been a
debate on a proposition to repeal the law exiling the Bourbon family. M.
Berryer, acting in the name of the Legitimists, opposed the motion on
the ground that the Count of Chambord is not an exiled Frenchman, but an
extruded king, who could not stoop to accept a permission to re-enter
his own hereditary dominions. M. Thiers, as the organ of the Orleanists,
advocated the proposition. The Minister of Justice, in the name of
Government, was favorable to the principle of the bill, but was opposed
to pressing it at present. The Assembly was thrown into violent
agitation by a speech from M. Dufraisse, one of the most able and
earnest of the Montagnards, who delivered a speech which would not have
been misplaced in the mouth of Robespierre or Danton. "The pale head,
compressed lips, and intense expression of the young lawyer of the
Mountain," says an eyewitness, "reminded the auditors, not without a
shudder, of such a thoroughbred Jacobin as St. Just." He declared that
the laws of proscription were just, and ought to be maintained. "The
Revolution can not ask pardon of the dynasties it has justly upset. Have
the family of Orleans laid aside the claims of their birth? Have they
rendered homage to the sovereignty of the nation? Do not the descendants
of St. Louis continually dispute the independence and the conquests of
the people? You tell us that royalty never dies; we reply, Nor does its
punishment. If the principle of sovereignty is eternal, so shall its
punishment be eternal. The law ought to chastise the voluntary
representatives, the willing heirs of a principle which the people have
abolished." He went on to vindicate the execution of Louis XVI., and
declared that those who voted against the death of that monarch,
meditated a return to royalty, and reminded the Assembly that among
those who voted for the execution, was the grandfather of the princes
whose banishment was sought to be repealed. The speech caused a perfect
storm of passion in the Assembly. Members rushed to the tribune, and
shook their fists in the speaker's face. M. Berryer proposed the
adjournment of the question for six months, as he could not vote on the
same side with those who advocated such doctrines. This, which is looked
upon as equivalent to a rejection of the proposition, was carried by
acclamation.
Rumors have for some time been rife of an intended fusion between the
Bourbon and Orleans interests, with a view to a speedy restoration of
the monarchy. These would seem to be put to rest by a letter from the
Orleans princes in England to the Orleans Committee in Paris, in which
they declare that they will negotiate only on the soil of France, and
while out of their country will take no part in political questions. The
prolongation of the term of the President is urged in many quarters as
the only practicable safeguard against socialism and anarchy. The
present aspect of affairs seems to indicate that he will be continued in
office in some shape or other.
The Bishop of Chartres, in a pastoral letter, attacks a late circular of
the Archbishop of Paris, recommending the clergy to abstain from
politics, and to yield obedience to the laws of their country. The
bishop considers that when destructive principles are advanced, the
clergy should be found ready to oppose their progress; and he sees no
reason why the ecclesiastical body should be enjoined to take no part in
public affairs. The archbishop, in reply, denounces the conduct of the
bishop, as an unwarrantable interference with his jurisdiction, and as a
breach of the respect due to him as metropolitan: and refers the
bishop's letter to the provincial council to be held during the present
year at Paris.
The Professors of the College of France held a meeting at the Sorbonne
to take into consideration the tendency of the lectures of M. Michelet,
which were considered prejudicial, in a moral and political point of
view to the students. He himself declined to attend, but defended
himself in a letter stating that his lectures were blamed only by the
Jesuits and the enemies of French nationality. His colleagues, by a vote
of 17 out of 21 decided upon a vote of censure against him, and that the
minutes of their proceedings should be transmitted to the Minister for
approval. It is said that M. Michelet his resigned his chair.
GERMANY.
The German mists grow thicker. All that can now be affirmed with
certainty is, that the Dresden Conference has been no more able to
improvise a German Empire than was the Frankfort Parliament. A month
ago, and it seemed that Austria had outgeneraled Prussia, and made
herself absolute mistress of Germany, and was in a fair way to become
ruler from the Rhine to the Alps. The petty states of Germany were in
alarm; the kingdoms of the second rank began to see themselves in
danger, and to talk of a central power, from which the constitutional
element was not altogether excluded. It is now said that the King of
Prussia is again ambitious of playing the first part on the German
stage, and has refused to sanction the concessions made by his minister.
It seems probable that Germany will fall back upon the old Frankfort
Confederation. In the mean time, we present the following, as what seems
to us the condition and designs of the principal parties; premising that
the very next intelligence may present them under an altogether new
aspect:--Austria wishes to enter the Germanic Confederation with all her
vast and heterogeneous population; thus binding all Germany to assist
her, in the event of any new Hungarian or Italian outbreak. She also
wishes to secure the Federal Executive. If she succeeds in these
projects, the weight of her foreign possessions gives her the
preponderance in Germany, while Germany secures to her the control of
her foreign territories. The interests of the people and princes of
Germany for once coincide in opposing this claim. The vacillating policy
of Prussia has arisen from doubt, whether more could be made out of
Austria by putting herself at the head of the German States, or out of
these States, by joining with Austria. The ultimate decision of this
question is more likely to be effected by accident than by settled
policy.
ITALY.
The feelings of uneasiness, and vague apprehension of insurrection
throughout the Italian Peninsula are nowise abated. Austrian troops are
concentrating within her Italian territories. The railroad across the
Milan Alps, from Cilly to Trieste, is advancing with great rapidity. The
completion of this road will enable Austrian troops to be sent from
Vienna to Milan in twenty-four hours.
The Austrian Government has issued an ordonnance directing that in those
parts of Italy which are still considered in a state of siege, no
journal shall mention in any way, directly or indirectly, the titles of
the prohibited revolutionary books and pamphlets which are in
circulation among the people.
Radetzky has issued a proclamation, under date of Feb. 21, from Verona,
directed against revolutionary proclamations and pamphlets, threatening
death against all who are engaged in circulating them. Every one into
whose hands such a pamphlet may fall is directed to deliver it to the
nearest person in office, though but a gendarme, and at the same time to
declare how it came into his possession; the punishment for failure to
do this is imprisonment in irons for a period of from one to five years.
Washington's Birthday was celebrated at Rome with great enthusiasm. At a
public dinner, Mr. Cass, our Charge, presided and made a speech. Two
odes, by Mrs. Stephens, were sung. Among the guests were Archbishop
Hughes, and Mr. Hastings, the American Protestant Chaplain. The report
that the American Protestant chapel at Rome had been closed is
authoritatively contradicted by Mr. Hastings, who speaks in terms of
high praise of the liberality which has been manifested toward him by
the papal authorities.
LITERATURE, SCIENCE, ART, PERSONAL MOVEMENTS, ETC.
UNITED STATES.
The Exhibition of the National Academy of Design is now open. It is
universally admitted that the paintings surpass those of any previous
year The opening of the Exhibition was celebrated, according to custom,
by a dinner, attended by artists, amateurs, and men of letters.
Admirable speeches were made by Rev. Doctors BELLOWS and BETHUNE, who,
though pole-wide apart in the sphere of theology, spanning the distance
between Arius and Calvin, find common grounds of sympathy in their love
for, and appreciation of Art. Mr. DURAND, the President, in a very
felicitous speech, narrated his experience as an artist and as one of
the founders of the Academy.
Mr. GREENOUGH, at Florence, has nearly completed his group of the
_Pioneer_, for the Capitol at Washington. It represents a backwoodsman
rescuing his wife and child from an Indian who is in the act of
smothering them in the folds of his blanket. The action of the group
symbolizes the one unvarying story of the contest between civilized and
uncivilized man. The pioneer, standing almost erect, in the pride of
conscious superiority, has dashed upon one knee the Indian, whose
relaxed form, and cowering face upturned despairingly, express
premonitions of the inevitable doom awaiting him, against which all his
efforts would be unavailing. The heavy brow, compressed lip, and firm
chin of the white man announce him one of a race born to conquer and
rule, not so much by mere physical strength as by undaunted courage and
indomitable will. Those who have seen the group pronounce it to be a
sublime conception grandly executed.
A portrait of Mr. Calhoun, painted at Paris by Mr. HEALEY for the Common
Council of Charleston, was exhibited at the Exposition in Paris, where
it was pronounced one of the best portraits of the season. The size is
seven feet ten inches, by four feet seven. The sum paid for it is one
thousand dollars. We believe it has been forwarded to Charleston.
Among the pictures by our artists, completed or in progress, we notice
one by Mr. WRIGHT, representing the well-known story of Washington and
the damaged cherry-tree, which is executed with decided cleverness.--Mr.
DUGGAN is engaged upon a David and Goliath, one of those massy subjects
affording ample scope for the bent of the artist's genius.--Mr. STEARNS
has upon his easel a painting of the Interview between Tecumseh and
General Harrison, at Vincennes, in 1811. By some oversight no seat had
been provided for the Indian chief. The unintentional discourtesy was
corrected by General Harrison, with the words, "Warrior, your father,
General Harrison, offers you a seat." Tecumseh drew up his stately form
to its full height, and raising his hand to heaven, exclaimed proudly,
"My father! The Great Spirit is my father, and the Earth my mother; she
feeds me and clothes me, and I recline upon her bosom!"--Mr. T. A.
RICHARDS has recently completed a painting which might appropriately
enough be named "Recollections of Lake Winnipiseogee," portraying rather
the general characteristics of that lake, than depicting the particular
features of any one portion. The scene is an autumn morning, with the
sun bursting forth from the train of a passing shower which has
sprinkled diamonds over foliage and flower.
JENNY LIND is verging New York-ward. Her next concert here is announced
for May 12. The New York firemen have procured a testimonial to be
presented to her in acknowledgment of her munificent donation of $3000
to the funds of the Department. It consists of a complete copy of
Audubon's Birds and Quadrupeds of America, in a beautiful case; and a
gold box, appropriately ornamented, containing a copy of their vote of
thanks to her. The following ratherish pretty and altogether German
lines were contributed by her to the album of a gentleman in Washington;
"In vain I seek for rest
In all created good.
It leaves me still unblest,
And makes me cry for God.
And sure, at rest I can not be
Until my heart finds rest in thee."
The renowned TUPPER is undergoing the process of lionization. He has
introduced a new feature into his representation of the part, by the
recitation in public of his own verses. He has produced for the Great
London Exhibition a "Hymn for all Nations," which is to be translated
into thirty different languages, set to music, and printed. This
polyglott will be a philological curiosity, if no more.
Mr. CRALLE, the intimate friend and confidential secretary of Mr.
CALHOUN, is engaged in preparing for publication the Works of the great
southern statesman, to be accompanied by a Biography. The whole will be
comprised, probably, in six octavo volumes. The first volume, which is
now printed, and will soon be ready for publication, is occupied by an
elaborate disquisition on Government, and a Discourse on the
Constitution and Government of the United States. These treatises have
always been spoken of as the "great work" of Mr. Calhoun's life, setting
forth in a systematic manner his views upon the philosophy of civil
government. The treatises were commenced many years since, but never
received the final revision and correction which the author intended to
bestow upon them.
The Complete Works of ALEXANDER HAMILTON are now in course of
publication by C. S. Francis & Co. They are mainly printed from the
manuscripts purchased by Congress, under the direction of the Library
Committee. The collection will extend to seven octavo volumes.
It has long been suspected that colors were depicted on Daguerreotype
plates, if they could only be developed. Mr. HILL, of this State,
announces that he has succeeded in producing pictures in which every
tint and shade is accurately represented. We are assured by one of our
most eminent operators, one of the very few who have seen the pictures,
that there is no doubt of the fact. The inventor as yet keeps his
process a secret, though we understand that he is preparing a memoir in
relation to it.
BAYARD TAYLOR'S El-Dorado has been translated into German by C. Hartman,
author of a Geographical and Historical Description of California.
Mr. SAMUEL MAVERICK, of Pendleton, S. C., who is still living, assisted
in packing the first bale of cotton ever sent from the United States to
Liverpool. It was sent in the seed, and the consignee informed his South
Carolina correspondent that the article was useless, could not be sold,
and advised him to send no more.
Dr. GOADBY, who has recently delivered in this city a very interesting
course of lectures upon insects, has a most valuable series of
dissections, prepared at a cost of labor which would seem almost
incredible. The anatomy of a caterpillar, comprising three distinct
preparations--its nervous system, its organs of respiration, and its
organs of nutrition--occupied the undivided labor of thirteen weeks, at
the rate of fourteen hours a day.
Gen. HENDERSON, who was on trial at New Orleans on the charge of being
implicated in the Cuban invasion, has been discharged, the jury being
unable to agree. The District Attorney therefore entered a _nolle
prosequi_ in the case of Governor Quitman and all others under
indictment.
EUROPEAN.
The new Leipzig _Deutsches Museum_ (Westermann Brothers, New York,)
promises to meet the want which we have for some time found it
impossible to supply, of a German literary Magazine. In the recent
revolutionary storms this class of periodicals generally went down, so
that for information as to the working of the German mind we have been
forced to rely upon chance notices in the political journals, or trust
to foreign sources. It is published semi-monthly. Its cost in Leipzig is
12 _Thalers_; and is furnished here for the same number of dollars.
Under the title of _Causeries du Lundi_ M. St. Beauve has just put forth
a volume of sketches of contemporary French authors, which almost forces
us to envy the happy land blessed with such a number of men, the worst
of whom exceeds our ideas of any attainable height of perfection. A word
or two of criticism is awarded to Lamartine, but too bland to wound even
the vanity of the gentle Alphonse. But Girardin and Villemain, Cousin
and George Sand, Thiers and Montalembert receive a most unqualified
apotheosis. The title of "Monday Chat" simply indicates that the book is
made up of articles which appeared on Mondays in the _Constitutionnel_
newspaper.
Pictures by the "Old Masters," as all the world knows, are manufactured
as readily, and almost as extensively, as calico. It is not, however, so
well known that "old and rare editions" of books are produced nowadays.
The passion of book-collectors has given a new impulse to this business.
Within a few months the beautiful editions of the classics of the
Elzevirs and the Stephens have been reproduced with wonderful skill. In
paper, type, ink, and binding there is no perceptible difference; while
the precise air of antiquity desired is produced by chemical means.
M. Feuillet de Conches, a Parisian virtuoso, and great admirer of La
Fontaine, has spent a vast sum in having printed for his own sole use a
single copy of the works of the famous fabulist. It is illustrated in
the most gorgeous style, by the first artists of the day; and is
accompanied with notes and prefaces by the most eminent writers, and is
a very miracle of expensive typography and binding.
Victor Hugo has published nothing for some years, having been paid by a
publisher not to print. Report says that he will, at the close of his
term, which soon expires, make amends for his long silence by issuing
poems to the amount of three volumes, and romances to that of twelve.
A work by Origen, the celebrated Father in the Church, hitherto unknown,
has been discovered and published by the librarian of the National
Assembly--so M. Villemain announced at a recent meeting of the _Academie
des Belles Lettres_ at Paris. The work traces the heresies of the third
century to the writings of the Pagan Philosophers, and throws new light
upon ancient manners, literature, and philosophy.
In the album presented to the King of Bavaria by the artists of Muenich,
is an admirable composition by Huebner. It is an expression of the
feelings of a large portion of Upper Germany. It represents a female
prostrate upon the ground, with the arms crossed, the face entirely
hidden, in an attitude of the deepest despair. The long hair floats
over the arms, and trails along the ground. The whole figure is a
mixture of majesty and utter abandonment. The simple title of the piece
is--"Germania, 1850."
_Yeast: a Problem_, is the Sartor-Resartorish title of a collection of
papers reprinted from Fraser's Magazine, where they have excited no
little attention. It purports to be a sample of what is fermenting in
the minds of large classes of young men of the present day, and
leavening the whole mass of society. Though published anonymously, it is
known to be written by the author of "Alton Locke," and partakes largely
of the merits and defects of that remarkable work. It is to be
republished by the Harpers.
In WALTER SAVAGE LANDOR the material for an admirable newspaper writer
has been thrown away. Witness the following double-handed hitting in a
letter to Lord Duncan, who lately won a victory over the Ministers, "...
A quarrel about hats, caps, and stockings, and the titles they confer,
is too ridiculous. Is a hunchback to be treated with gravity, with
severity, because an ignorant rabble calls him _my lord_. If I chose to
call myself Lord Duncan, I should only be laughed at. People would
stare; some would ask, 'Is this the great Lord Duncan who won the Battle
of Camperdown?' Others would answer, 'No; nor is it he who won as great
a one in Westminster the other day. He is an impostor: haul him out; but
don't hurt him:' I have the honor to be, etc."
_Dahomey and the Dahomans_, by Frederick E. Forbes, gives an interesting
account, drawn from personal observation, made during the last two
years, of the manners and customs of this savage people. Among the most
revolting is the _Ek-que-noo-ah-toh-meh_ or "Throwing of Presents," in
which the king occupies himself for many hours in throwing gifts from a
raised platform, to the people below. The last of these gifts consists
of a number of live prisoners, who have been exhibited bound upon the
platform; they are flung down to be cut and torn in pieces by the
savages. On the occasion when the author was present there were fourteen
of these victims, of whom he succeeded in saving the lives of three. The
object of the expedition was to induce the king to abandon the
slave-trade, and was altogether unsuccessful.
_The Dynamical Theory of the Formation of the Earth,_ two mighty octavo
volumes, elicits the following complimentary remarks from the
_Athenaeum._ "This work is saved from being mischievous only by the
circumstance of the excessive dullness diffused over these twelve
hundred pages--which will in all probability prevent their being much
read.... Of no one department of science does the author appear to have
a correct conception. His views are all distorted. He is false alike in
his Mechanics, in his Geology, in his Natural History, in his Chemistry,
in his Electricity--in every other consideration of the physical
agencies, and still more false in that which we suppose we must bring
ourselves to call his Logic."
_Memoirs of a Literary Veteran_, by R. P. Gillies is a book almost worth
reading, quite worth looking at. The author, nephew to the celebrated
historian of Greece, born to a fair estate, and with a propensity to
make verses, spent the one without turning the other to any special
account. Amidst much idle matter, whose only purpose is to swell the
bulk of the volumes, are some rather interesting anecdotes of literary
celebrities. Some over-laudatory epistles from Sir Egerton Brydges, and
a characteristic letter or two from Wordsworth, containing among other
matters, a criticism upon Scott's Guy Mannering, in which considerable
praise is awarded to the management of "this lady," as he solemnly
denominates Meg Merrilies, are perhaps the best things in the book. It
reminds one, but at a wide interval, of Leigh Hunt's Autobiography.
_A Life of Hartley Coleridge_ prefixed to a volume of his poems, tells a
sad story of powers neutralized and a life thrown away. He was the
eldest son of _the_ Coleridge, and with a portion of his father's genius
combined a large share of his infirmity of purpose and feebleness of
will. He gained a college fellowship, and forfeited it within a year, by
intemperance; after which he maintained himself by his pen. The Life is
by his brother, Derwent Coleridge. The Poems are of decided merit. They
are to be followed by a collection of his prose writings.
OBITUARIES.
ISAAC HILL, formerly Governor of New Hampshire, and Senator in Congress,
died at Washington, March 22d, aged about 63. He was born at
Charlestown, N. H., the son of a farmer, and at an early age learned the
trade of a printer. He established the first Democratic paper at
Concord. To his able conduct is in a great measure to be ascribed the
ascendency which his party acquired in the State, about the year 1828.
Though possessing few of the external qualifications for a popular
leader, being feeble in person, and altogether destitute of oratorical
power, his unrivaled tact and untiring industry gave him an uncontrolled
influence in the State. He was chosen State Senator; and subsequently
United States Senator, which office he held from 1831 to 1836, when he
resigned, in consequence of having been elected Governor of New
Hampshire. He filled the executive chair for two or three terms, and
then retired to private life. In 1840 he was appointed Sub-Treasurer at
Boston; but the repeal of the Sub-Treasury Act the following year
vacated his office. He then returned to New Hampshire; but his star had
waned. He disagreed with his party on the subject of corporations and
other radical questions, lost his political influence, and fell into
comparative insignificance, as a politician, though he always adhered to
his party. For a number of years he edited an agricultural paper of
considerable merit. He suffered much from impaired health during the
last years of his life; and died in moderate pecuniary circumstances.
MORDECAI MANASSEH NOAH, long known as an able editor and active
politician, died in New York, March 28. He was born at Philadelphia,
July 19, 1784, and has thus attained to within three years of three
score and ten. He was apprenticed to a carver and gilder; but early
abandoned that trade and devoted himself to literature and politics. He
removed to Charleston, S. C., in the early part of the present century,
where he took an active and influential part in public affairs. Having
declined the offer of the consulship at Riga, he was appointed, in 1813,
consul at Tunis, and was charged with a mission to Algiers. This latter
he accomplished, after some adventures, and repaired to Tunis. At the
expiration of ten months he was recalled, under charge, we believe, of
some pecuniary defalcations. Upon his return to this country, he became
connected with the political press. In 1822, he was elected Sheriff of
the City and County of New York, which office he held but a single year.
In 1829, he was appointed Commissioner of the Supreme Court of the
United States, and Surveyor of the port of New York. In the mean while,
he had formed the project of collecting his brethren the Jews, and
rebuilding the city of Jerusalem. He issued a singular proclamation,
appointing Grand Island, near Niagara Falls, as the place of rendezvous,
and summoned the scattered tribes to transmit their contributions. We
have no means of knowing how far he was in earnest in this scheme. At
all events, it came to nothing. In 1840, he was elected Judge of the
Court of General Sessions, which he held till the law constituting the
court was changed. Mr. Noah was, however, more known as an editor than
as a politician. Though without any very lofty aims, or high
qualifications, he was an agreeable and sprightly paragraphist,
possessed of an unfailing good-humor, and a large fund of general
information. He was connected successively with a number of papers, and
at the time of his death was editor of a Sunday paper, _The Messenger
and Times_. He also published at different times a number of works of a
miscellaneous character, chiefly essays and plays, some of which met
with great success at the time of publication; but none of them
possessed sufficient vitality to take a permanent place in the
literature of the country. His death was the consequence of a paralytic
stroke. He lived and died a believer in the faith of his fathers, the
Hebrew religion; and was buried with the solemn ceremonies practiced by
the ancient chosen people. He was of a most generous and genial nature,
and enjoyed the warmest good-will of all with whom he was brought into
personal relations.
GEORGE M. BROOKE, Brevet Major-General in the United States army, died
at San Antonio, Texas, on the 19th of March. He was a native of
Virginia, and entered the army in 1808. He was brevetted
Lieutenant-Colonel in 1814, for "gallant conduct in the defense of Fort
Erie." A month later he received the rank of Brevet Colonel, for
"distinguished and meritorious services in the sortie from Fort Erie."
In 1824, he was made Brevet Brigadier-General for "ten years' faithful
service as Colonel." In 1848, he was brevetted as Major-General for
"meritorious conduct, particularly in the performance of his duties in
the prosecution of the war with Mexico."
ALEXANDER S. WADSWORTH, Commodore in the United States Navy, died at
Washington, April 9, in the 61st year of his age. He was a native of
Maine. He entered the service in 1804, and for many years served with
distinction. His commission of post-captain, bears date from 1825. His
name stood the seventh on the naval list. Severe and protracted illness
had for many years disabled him from active duty.
SAMUEL FARMAR JARVIS, D.D., died at Middletown, Conn., March 26th. He
was born in January, 1787. He had the reputation of being one of the
ripest scholars in the Episcopal Church, and was a member of the
principal literary and historical societies in this country. His
extensive acquirements, and fondness for accurate investigation procured
for him the appointment of "Historigrapher of the Church," which was
conferred upon him in 1838, with a view to his preparing a faithful
"Ecclesiastical History, reaching from the Apostles' time, to the
formation of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States." The
first volume, forming a Chronological Introduction, was published in
1845. It is understood that a continuation of the work was nearly ready
for press at the time of his death.
JOHN S. SKINNER, Editor of the "_Plough, the Loom, and the Anvil_," and
well known for his agricultural writings, died at Baltimore, March 21,
aged about 70 years. He was universally esteemed for his social
qualities, unassuming demeanor, and generous impulses. His death was
occasioned by a fall into the basement in the Post Office at Baltimore.
Literary Notices
Ticknor, Reed, and Fields have issued _The House of the Seven Gables_, a
Romance, by NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE, which is strongly marked with the bold
and unique characteristics that have given its author such a brilliant
position among American novelists. The scene, which is laid in the old
Puritanic town of Salem, extends from the period of the witchcraft
excitement to the present time, connecting the legends of the ancient
superstition with the recent marvels of animal magnetism, and affording
full scope for the indulgence of the most weird and sombre fancies.
Destitute of the high-wrought manifestations of passion which
distinguished the "Scarlet Letter," it is more terrific in its
conception, and not less intense in its execution, but exquisitely
relieved by charming portraitures of character, and quaint and comic
descriptions of social eccentricities. A deep vein of reflection
underlies the whole narrative, often rising naturally to the surface,
and revealing the strength of the foundation on which the subtle, aerial
inventions of the author are erected. His frequent dashes of humor
gracefully blend with the monotone of the story, and soften the harsher
colors in which he delights to clothe his portentous conceptions. In no
former production of his pen, are his unrivalled powers of description
displayed to better advantage. The rusty wooden house in
Pyncheon-street, with its seven sharp-pointed gables, and its huge
clustered chimney--the old elm tree before the door--the grassy yard
seen through the lattice-fence, with its enormous fertility of
burdocks--and the green moss on the slopes of the roof, with the flowers
growing aloft in the air in the nook between two of the gables--present
a picture to the eye as distinct as if our childhood had been passed in
the shadow of the old weather-beaten edifice. Nor are the characters of
the story drawn with less sharp and vigorous perspective. They stand out
from the canvas as living realities. In spite of the supernatural
drapery in which they are enveloped, they have such a genuine expression
of flesh and blood, that we can not doubt we have known them all our
days. They have the air of old acquaintance--only we wonder how the
artist got them to sit for their likenesses. The grouping of these
persons is managed with admirable artistic skill. Old Maid Pyncheon,
concealing under her verjuice scowl the unutterable tenderness of a
sister--her woman-hearted brother, on whose sensitive nature had fallen
such a strange blight--sweet and beautiful Phebe, the noble
village-maiden, whose presence is always like that of some shining
angel--the dreamy, romantic descendant of the legendary wizard--the
bold, bad man of the world, reproduced at intervals in the bloody
Colonel, and the unscrupulous Judge--wise old Uncle Venner--and
inappeasable Ned Higgins--are all made to occupy the place on the canvas
which shows the lights and shades of their character in the most
impressive contrast, and contributes to the wonderful vividness and
harmony of the grand historical picture. On the whole, we regard "The
House of the Seven Gables," though it exhibits no single scenes that may
not be matched in depth and pathos by some of Mr. Hawthorne's previous
creations, as unsurpassed by any thing he has yet written, in exquisite
beauty of finish, in the skillful blending of the tragic and comic, and
in the singular life-like reality with which the wildest traditions of
the Puritanic age are combined with the every-day incidents of modern
society.
Harper and Brothers have published a translation of _Buttmann's Greek
Grammar_, by Professor EDWARD ROBINSON, from the eighteenth German
edition, containing additions and improvements by ALEXANDER BUTTMANN,
the son of the original author. Since the publication of the thirteenth
edition in 1829, which was the last that the author lived to complete,
gradual changes have been introduced into the Grammar, especially in the
department of syntax, which has been expanded and re-written, with the
aid of the extensive investigations of the last twenty years. The
translation bears the same impress of diligence, accuracy, and
philological tact, which is never looked for in vain in the productions
of the indefatigable and distinguished author.
_Ecclesiastical Manual_, by LUTHER LEE (published at the Wesleyan
Methodist Book Room), is a brief treatise on the nature of Church
Government, defending the right of visible church organization against
prevailing latitudinarian and transcendental views on the one hand, and
maintaining liberal principles of polity against the high claims of
Episcopacy and the assumptions of the clergy on the other. The argument
is conducted with candor and moderation, though not without spirit, and
may be studied to advantage by all who would understand the points at
issue.
_William Penn, An Historical Biography_, by WILLIAM HEPWORTH DIXON
(published by Blanchard and Lea), is a new and complete life of the
founder of Pennsylvania, derived from contemporary papers that have been
brought to light within a recent period, and from original and
unpublished documents. The view given by the author, of the religious
system of Fox and Penn, as coinciding with the principles of republican
freedom, is a reproduction of the admirable exhibition of Quakerism
presented by Bancroft in his History of the United States. In the
Appendix, the charges against William Penn by Macaulay are submitted to
a rigid examination; the evidence on the subject is skillfully and
thoroughly sifted; and the strongest case made out for the accused
against the insinuations of the ingenious and eloquent historian. With
his warm sympathies in favor of the subject of his narrative, and the
familiar knowledge of his career gained by the researches of several
years, Mr. Dixon has produced a genial and instructive piece of
biography, sustaining the claims of the illustrious Quaker to the noble
and elevated rank in which he has been placed by the general voice of
tradition.
_Physico-Physiological Researches on the Dynamics of Magnetism, &c._, by
Baron CHARLES VON REICHENBACH, translated from the German, by JOHN
ASHBURNER, M.D., is a scientific treatise, showing the relations of
magnetism, electricity, heat, light, crystallization, and chemism to the
vital forces of the human body. It is founded on an extensive series of
experiments, which tend to bring the mysterious phenomena of Mesmerism
within the domain of physics, and in fact to reduce the whole subject
of physiology to a department of chemical science. The papers, of which
it is composed, were originally intended as contributions to the "Annals
of Chemistry," conducted by the celebrated Professor Liebig, in which
periodical they appeared in the year 1845. In the present collected
form, they have received some necessary corrections, but their spirit
and substance are presented without alteration. The investigations, of
which the results are here described, are of a singularly curious
character, exhibiting the most astonishing developments, with a
philosophical calmness that is rare even among German savants.
_The Rangers; or, The Tory's Daughter_, is the title of a novel
illustrative of the revolutionary history of Vermont, by the author of
"The Green Mountain Boys," published by B. B. Mussy and Co., Boston. It
gives many agreeable descriptions of Vermont scenery, with sketches of
its social life during the war of the Revolution, and shows considerable
skill in combining the prominent historical facts of that day with the
fictitious incidents of a lively and exciting plot.
_The Ballads and Songs_ of WILLIAM PEMBROKE MULCHINOCH (published by T.
W. Strong), is a collection of fugitive poetry, inspired with the
genuine breathings of Irish patriotism, frequently displaying great
facility and sweetness of versification, and pervaded throughout with a
winning sentiment of tenderness and human sympathy.
Harper and Brothers have published a neat volume, entitled _Nature and
Blessedness of Christian Purity,_ by Rev. R. S. FOSTER, with an
Introduction by EDMUND S. JANES, D.D., one of the Bishops of the
Methodist Episcopal Church. Without aiming at any rivalry with other
writers on the subject, the author devotes his work to the maintenance
of the views which are set forth by the standard Wesleyan authorities.
Avoiding all considerations of a purely speculative character, he
presents the practical aspects of his theme, with discrimination,
earnestness, and force. His style, which is always animated and
effective, betrays the influence of profound and accurate thought, and
is equally adapted to make a favorable impression on the understanding
and on the heart of the attentive reader. The well-written Preface by
Bishop Janes, gives a lucid summary of the contents of the volume, with
a warm commendation of the manner in which it is executed.
_Lyra Catholica_ (published by E. Dunigan and Brother), is a collection
of the Hymns of the Roman Breviary and Missal, with others adapted for
every day in the week, and the Festivals and Saints' Days throughout the
year. The translation of the Breviary, by Mr. Caswell, is adopted
without change, and forms the first part of the present work, while the
second part consists of hymns and anthems from various sources,
especially from the contributions of Rev. F. W. Faber, Matthew Brydges,
Esq., and Rev. William Young. The third part is devoted to sacred poetry
of a less strictly devotional cast. In addition to a few pieces from
modern poets, it contains a selection from the compositions of Catholic
writers belonging to an earlier age of English literature, including
"the simple and earnest strains of Southwell, a poet, priest, and
martyr, whose unshaken soul passed away in song from the fires of
persecution; Crashaw, whose tender fancy and graceful zeal have extorted
the highest praises of unfriendly judges; the manly virtue of Habington,
pure in an age of license; the later compositions of Dryden, the
atonements laid by his repentant muse on the altar of religion."
_The Soldier of the Cross_, by the Rev. JOHN LEYBURN, D.D. (published by
Carter and Brothers), is a popular and attractive exposition of
Ephesians vi. 10-18, consisting of a series of discourses delivered from
the pulpit, but recast into the form of plain and practical essays,
written with considerable force. The talents of the author and the taste
of the publishers have made an addition to our religious literature, of
which the public estimation is indicated by the early call for a second
edition.
_The Irish Confederates, and the Rebellion of 1798_, by HENRY M. FIELD
(published by Harper and Brothers), is a lively historical sketch of the
movements of the Irish patriots in behalf of the freedom of their nation
toward the close of the last century. The volume opens with a rapid
survey of Irish history, traces the love of liberty among the people,
describes the causes of their national characteristics, and minutely
portrays the events of the fruitless struggle, which terminated in the
complete subjection of their beautiful island to the British crown.
Among the biographical sketches, those of Curran, Tone, Lord Edward
Fitzgerald, the Emmets, McNevin, and Sampson of course occupy a
prominent place, and are drawn with an affectionate sympathy, which
delights to linger around every memorial of their noble and chivalrous
characters. Mr. Field has enjoyed peculiar facilities for the
composition of this volume. A visit to Ireland some four years since
awakened a strong interest in the fortunes of her people. At a
subsequent period, he formed an intimate acquaintance with several of
the families of the Irish exiles in New York, and from the narratives
thus obtained, was furnished with some of the most valuable materials
for his story. Nor has he neglected the study of the different
historians of the time. His work, accordingly, combines the vivacity of
a personal narrative, with the accuracy of thorough research. It is
deeply imbued with a love of Ireland, with a sense of indignation at the
outrages which she has endured, and with admiration of the valor and
devotion of her gallant sons; though in no case, do the evident
partialities of the writer appear to have interfered with his strict
historical fidelity, or to have tempted him to an uncritical use of the
facts at his command. His style is simple and unaffected, warmed with a
persuasive earnestness, and animated with a chaste enthusiasm, but owing
none of its interest to the allurements of rhetoric. Indeed, a more
elaborate construction would often have been in better keeping with the
dignity of the subject, while the almost exclusive use of short
sentences at length overcomes the reader with a painful feeling of
monotony. There are also occasional instances of careless and
unauthorized expression, which, in a writer of such real ability and
cultivation as Mr. Field, excite the surprise of the fastidious reader.
Harper and Brothers have issued an edition of the _History of Greece_,
by Dr. LEONHARD SCHMITZ, which forms an appropriate companion to the
_History of Rome_, published by the accomplished author four years
since. The purpose of Dr. Schmitz in each of these Histories is to give,
in a popular form, the result of the researches by modern scholars which
have placed the subject in a new light. In the composition of this
volume, the author has availed himself of the erudite labors of Bishop
Thirlwall, abridging his great work in some portions, and interweaving
his masterly views into the texture of his narrative, where a free style
was more suitable to the subject. As a manual for young students in
Grecian history, and a work for general and family reading, this volume
is not surpassed by any production of the present day. The experience of
the author as a practical educator, his admirable classical attainments,
and the caution and soundness of his historical judgments, give him
peculiar qualifications for the task he has undertaken. His style is
simple and condensed; his illustrations are singularly apposite; and his
grouping of topics is picturesque and forcible. For popular use, we have
no doubt, that both the Grecian and Roman Histories of Dr. Schmitz will
speedily take the precedence of all others in this country, as they have
done, to a very considerable degree, in Great Britain.
The popular series of _Franconia Stories_, by JACOB ABBOTT (published by
Harper and Brothers), is completed by the publication of _Mary Bell_ and
_Beechnut_. The excellent author has placed the whole juvenile community
under new obligations by the issue of these delightful stories. He is so
perfectly at home in every phase of country life, and so ingenious in
working up its daily occurrences into a charming narrative, that he can
never fail of a listening audience. Few American authors have the power
of so impressing themselves on the memory and the heart of their
readers. The present series will doubtless add to his beautiful
influence and to his fame.
The Third Number of _London Labor and The London Poor_, by HENRY MAYHEW,
is issued by Harper and Brothers, and will be found to increase the
interest with which that remarkable series has been received by the
public. His pictures of the condition of the laboring classes in London
have a minuteness and vividness of detail which would not disgrace a
Dutch painting.
_The Roman Republic of_ 1849, by THEODORE DWIGHT (published by R. Van
Dien), is a brief historical view of the recent revolutionary movements
in Italy, with biographical sketches of Mazzini, Garibaldi, Avezzana,
Filopanti, Foresti, and other leading Italian Republicans.
Ticknor, Reed, and Fields have issued the fourth volume of their
beautiful edition of the _Collective Writings_ of THOMAS DE QUINCY,
containing _The Caesars_, a work characterized by the subtilty of
reflection, curious learning, and original felicities of expression, for
which the author is pre-eminent.
_Life on the Plains of the Pacific_, by Rev. GUSTAVUS HINE (published by
Geo. H. Derby and Co., Buffalo), is the title of a work devoted to the
history, condition, and prospects of Oregon, with a description of its
geography, climate, and productions, and of personal adventures among
the Indians. It contains a detailed history of the Oregon Mission, drawn
from the most authentic sources, including the notes and journals of the
first missionaries on that station. The journal of the author,
commencing with the departure of the missionaries from New York in 1839,
presents an interesting narrative of the largest expedition of this kind
that ever sailed from an American port, and is enriched with a great
variety of facts and incidents that occurred in the wide field of
observation that forms the subject of the volume. Without pretending to
the graces of literary composition, the writer has produced a work of
sterling value. His authority will no doubt be appealed to with
confidence on all matters pertaining to the important scene of his
labors.
_Hints to Sportsmen_, by E. J. LEWIS (published by Blanchard and Lea,
Philadelphia), is a regular-built treatise on all the mysteries of the
sporting craft. The author writes like an experienced shot. His book is
not only a valuable manual for the sportsman, but a tempting volume for
the lovers of spirited description.
_Curran and his Contemporaries_, by CHARLES PHILLIPS (published by
Harper and Brothers), is a reproduction of the celebrated work of
Counselor Phillips, having been subjected by the author to a thorough
revision and amendment. It describes the interesting period of Irish
history during which Curran was the leading member of the Bar, with
great vivacity and force. Touching lightly on the politics of the times,
it presents a series of personal delineations, which are drawn to the
life by the enthusiastic and genial author. The freshness of his
recollections affords an abundance of piquant anecdote, which, with his
warm sympathies with the Irish character, gives a perpetual liveliness
and glow to the narrative, redeeming it from every approach to dullness,
and sustaining the interest of the reader to the close of the volume.
_Louisiana: Its Colonial History and Romance,_ by CHARLES GAYARRE
(published by Harper and Brothers), is a republication of the lectures
of the author on "The Poetry, or the Romance of the History of
Louisiana," with the addition of seven new lectures, bringing the
subject down to the departure of Bienville, the founder of the colony,
in 1743. Among the interesting topics discussed in the second series of
lectures, are the formation of the Mississippi Company, the History of
Law's financial career, the foundation of New Orleans, the Manners and
Customs of the Natchez tribe, the wars between the Indians and the
Colonists, and others, which bring the romantic incidents connected with
the colonization of Louisiana into prominent view. The period was
fertile in singular adventures, presenting abundant materials for the
poet or novelist. Mr. Gayarre has made a felicitous selection of topics,
which, under the brilliant coloring of a lively imagination, are
presented in a picturesque and attractive form. The substance of his
work is founded on the conclusions of exact historical research, while
the drapery in which its scenes and characters are arrayed form a
graceful accompaniment to the severity of truth. With a perpetual
vivacity of style, and a profusion of glowing imagery, Mr. Gayarre never
becomes tedious or insipid. His volume is always delightful as a poem,
if it is not complete as a record, and will hold a high place among the
popular contributions to the "Romance of History."
E. C. and J. Biddle have published _An Elementary Treatise on Statics_,
by GASPARD MONGE, translated by WOODS BAKER, a work which has obtained a
distinguished reputation in the scientific literature of France, by its
clear and correct style, its rigorous demonstrations, and its
well-connected propositions. It is adapted to fill a place, for which no
adequate provision has been made by the usual treatises on the subject
in the English language. Most of these are voluminous, and suited only
to the more advanced classes of students, or else composed chiefly of
practical and descriptive details. The present volume treats the subject
in the synthetic method, and can be understood without difficulty by
those who are familiar with Euclid's Elements.
_Warreniana._--Ticknor, Reed, and Fields have issued a reprint of this
celebrated _jeu d'esprit,_ which still retains its popularity, together
with the _Rejected Addresses,_ to which it forms an appropriate
companion. The peculiarities of Wordsworth, Coleridge, Southey,
Christopher North, Washington Irving, Scott, Moore, Brougham,
Wilberforce, and other names of sufficient eminence to provoke a quiz,
are hit off with capital success. The most astringent features are
always relaxed in the perusal of these amusing pages.
J. S. Redfield has issued an edition of JUNG STILLING'S _Theory of
Pneumatology_, and of CAHAGNET'S _Celestial Telegraph_, which are filled
with the latest information on the whole subject of ghosts,
presentiments, visions, and the world of spirits, obtained professedly
from the most authentic sources. Stilling's work is introduced with a
Preface by Rev. Dr. BUSH, highly commending its purposes and character.
The "Celestial Telegraph" beats Jackson Davis and the Rochester
Knockings all hollow. Whoever is curious in the literature of the
supernatural will find enough here to satisfy the most craving love of
the marvelous.
Ticknor, Reed, and Fields have published a volume of _Poems_, by HENRY
T. TUCKERMAN, distinguished for the sweet and graceful fancies, the
fluent aptness of expression, the joyous sympathy with nature, and the
refined delicacy of taste by which most of the writings of the author
are characterized. The vein of tranquil reflection which pervades them,
and the chastened utterance of feeling which vails rather than embodies
strong emotion, though not among the elements of popular poetry, will
recommend them to the congenial reader.
J. W. Moore, Philadelphia, has published a useful little volume for
students in design, entitled _The Theory of Effect_, by An Artist. It is
intended not only for the use of beginners, but of those who have
attained a proficiency in the art, while they are unacquainted with the
principles on which the correctness of their pictures depends. The rules
of Effect are laid down with great precision and minuteness, and
illustrated with several neat engravings by Hinckley.
_The Volcano Diggings_ is the title of a lively story, by a Member of
the Bar, illustrating the administration of the law in California.
Several scenes, which are evidently taken from the life, are described
with a good deal of spirit, and throw a strong, but not altogether
flattering light on the condition of society at the placers. (Published
by J. S. Redfield).
George P. Putnam has issued _The Wing-and-Wing_, forming another volume
of the Collected Works of J. FENIMORE COOPER. In the Preface to this
edition, the author remarks, that "he acknowledges a strong paternal
feeling in behalf of this book, placing it very high in the estimate of
its merits, as compared with other books from the same pen; a species of
commendation that need wound no man."
The same publisher has issued a new and revised edition of _The Conquest
of Florida_, by THEODORE IRVING. The author expresses his gratification
in finding his account of De Soto's expedition confirmed by the most
recent investigations. His work is justly entitled to the reputation
which it has obtained, as a classic authority, on an interesting period
of American history.
Phillips, Sampson, and Co. have published a valuable collection of
financial essays, entitled _The Banker's Commonplace Book_, containing
Mr. A. B. Johnson's pithy treatise on the Principles of Banking and the
Duties of a Banker, Gilbart's Ten Minutes' Advice on Keeping a Bank,
with several articles on Bills of Exchange, and a summary of the Banking
Laws of Massachusetts. It will prove a useful manual on the subject to
which it is devoted.
TWO LEAVES FROM PUNCH.
[Illustration: ENCOURAGEMENT TO BOOK-LENDERS.
"IF YOU PLEASE, SIR, MASTER'S SENT BACK THE FIRST VOLUME, AND HE SAYS
WILL YOU BE SO GOOD AS TO LET HIM 'AVE THE SECOND?"]
DIPLOMACY AND GASTRONOMY.
It is a very generally received opinion that _gammon_ is the basis of
diplomacy; but the fact is, that it is impossible to conduct
international negotiations on the foundation of that humble and
economical fare, even when rendered more palatable by the addition of
spinach. MR. RIVES, it is said, has written a letter to MR. WEBSTER,
complaining that the American Embassadorship can not be done at Paris
under L9000 a year, and adds that
"_According to_ MR. PAKENHAM, _good dinners are half the battle
of diplomacy, and the most favorable treaties are gained by
liberal feeding._"
This aphorism suggests important reflections.
A main point to be attended to in the formation of a diplomatic corps is
the commissariat; and the force must be well armed with knives and
forks, in addition to being supplied with plate armor.
The trenches in diplomatic warfare must be manned by regular
trenchermen.
Rivals in diplomacy must be cut out by actual carving; and in order to
dish them, recourse must be had to real dishes.
If one diplomatist wishes to turn the tables on another, it is requisite
that he and his suite should keep the better tables.
The politeness of diplomatic intercourse should be qualified, in some
measure, with sauce, and its gravity tempered with gravy.
Treating, in diplomacy, is best managed by giving "a spread."
Bold diplomatists are those "who greatly daring, dine."
The most liberal foreign policy is that of giving grand banquets.
A plenipotentiary should have unlimited powers of cramming.
An embassador has been defined to be, "a man sent abroad to lie for the
sake of the commonwealth;" but the definition must be enlarged to
express the fact, that he is also a person deputed to a foreign country
to eat and drink for the interest of his native land.
The most important diplomatic functions are those of digestion.
[Illustration: SUPPER AT A JUVENILE PARTY.
_Alfred._ "I SAY, FRANK, ARN'T YOU GOING TO HAVE SOME SUPPER?"
_Frank._ "A--NOT AT PRESENT. I SHALL WAIT TILL THE WOMEN LEAVE THE
ROOM."]
[Illustration: ONE OF THE JUVENILES AFTER THE PARTY.
_Doctor._ "AHEM! WELL! AND WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH MY YOUNG FRIEND,
ADOLPHUS?"
_Mother._ "WHY, DOCTOR, HE WAS AT A JUVENILE PARTY LAST NIGHT, AND I'M
AFRAID HE'S EATEN SOMETHING THAT DOES'N'T AGREE WITH HIM, POOR DEAR!"]
CONVERSATION-BOOKS FOR 1851.
It is said that Publishers are getting up a series of Conversation-Books
for the use of foreigners, visiting the Great Exhibition. But the spoken
and written language of London are so different that it is feared these
books will be of little use. Mr. PUNCH furnishes the following
corrections of the two most important chapters, by the diligent study of
which it is hoped that visitors may be enabled to ride and dine.
TO CONVERSE WITH A CABMAN.
_What the Book said._ _What the Man said._
Do you wish, Sir, to ride in C'b? (_from every driver on
my cabriolet? the rank, and as many fingers
held up as there are Cabmen._)
Where do you wish, Sir, that Vere to? (_and a look._)
I should drive you?
I wish to go to the Exposition.
Thank you, Sir. I will drive Vere? (_not understanding
you thither without delay. the foreigner's English._)
What is your fare?
I have driven you two miles. Two bob and a tanner.
My legal fare for driving you that
distance is one shilling and four-pence.
As you have driven fast, there is
one shilling and sixpence.
Thank you, Sir, I am very much obliged Vot's this? (_and a look of
to you. contemptuous curiosity at the
coin presented._)
I shall be happy to drive you in future. Vel, if hever I drives a scaly
furrinrr again, I'm blessed!
Good morning to you, Sir. Ollo! You ain't a-goin' hoff
in this 'ere way.
You have paid me handsomely. Oh--you calls yourself a
gentleman!
TO CONVERSE WITH A WAITER.
Waiter, what have you for dinner?
You can have what you choose to order, Sir. Din'r, Sir!--Yezzir!
Here is the bill of fare, Sir. S'p, f'sh, ch'ps, st'ks, cutl't,
Sir! r'nd o' b'f,
Sir!--nice cut, Sir!--sad'l mt'n,
Sir!--Yezzir!
--JOHN, att'nd to the gnl'm.--Yezzir!--JEM, mon'y--com'n,
Sir!--'Ere, Sir!--Yezzir!
Waiter, how much have I to pay?
Here, Sir, is your bill. Money! (_calling._)
Permit me to ask you what you Now, Sir? (_and an
have had to eat, Sir? interrogative look._)
St'k, Sir? Yezzir! shill'n, Sir!
'taters, Sir?
I have had a beef-steak, with boiled Yezzir! twop'nce, that's
one-and-three, and
potatoes; I have also had a fried sole, bread a penny, one-and-three
and some bread, and two is one-and-five,
with Cheshire cheese, and sole, you said, Sir? Yezzir!
and a pint of porter. that's one shilling:
one-and-eight and five, thirteen,
Sir, the price of all that is two that's two-and-six; and cheese?
shillings. Yezzir! two-and-eight and four,
that's three shill'n; and
porter is four; three, four,
eight, ten, fifteen--four-and-two.
Thank you, Sir! Waiter, Sir?
Thank you, Sir.
Good afternoon, Sir.
TO FIND ROOM IN A CROWDED OMNIBUS.
_Conductor._--Would any gentleman mind going outside, to oblige a lady?
_Unfortunate Gentleman (tightly wedged in at the back_).--I should be
very happy, but I only came, yesterday, out of the Fever Hospital.
[_Omnibus clears in a minute!_
A FILE TO SMOOTH ASPERITIES.
The _Sheffield Times_ describes an extraordinary file, which is to be
sent from Sheffield to the Great Exhibition. This remarkable file is
adorned with designs as numerous as those on the original shield of
ACHILLES, all cut and beaten out with hammer and chisel. How much more
sensible and friendly to show distinguished foreigners files of this
sort, than to exhibit to them files of soldiers!
THE LOWEST DEPTH OF MEANNESS.
A FARCE, FOUNDED ON FACT.
MR. _and_ MRS. SKINFLINT _are discovered in a Parlor in a Fashionable
Square. The Wife is busy sewing. The Husband is occupied running his
eye, well drilled in all matters of domestic economy, over the
housekeeping account of the previous week._
_Mr. Skinflint._--You've been very extravagant in my absence, my dear.
_Mrs. Skinflint._--It's the same story every week, JOHN.
_Mr. Skinflint._--But, nonsense, Madam, I tell you, you have. For
instance, you had a Crab for supper last night.
_Mrs. Skinflint (startled)._--How do you know that? It's not down in the
book.
_Mr. Skinflint (triumphantly)._--No--but I found the shell in the
dust-bin!!!!
[Illustration: A LITTLE BIT OF HUMBUG.
_Shoemaker._ "I THINK, MUM, WE HAD BETTER MAKE YOU A PAIR. YOU SEE, MUM,
YOURS IS SUCH A REMARKABLE LONG AND NARRER FOOT!"]
FASHIONS FOR MAY.
[Illustration: FIG. I.--PROMENADE COSTUMES.]
This is the season when Fashion is more perplexed than at any other, in
her endeavors to give humanity a _seasonable_ garb. Boreas and Zephyrus
often bear rule on the same day, one reigning with mildness in the
morning, the other despotically at evening. Those votaries of Fashion
are the wiser, who pay court to the former; for, generally, it is almost
June, in our Northern States, before we may be certain that the chilling
breath of early Spring will be no more felt.
This being the season for rides and promenades, our illustrations for
this month are devoted chiefly to the representation of appropriate
costume for those healthful exercises in the open air. The large figure
in our first plate, represents an elegant style of promenade dress.
_Pardessus_ are much worn at this season, made in a lighter manner than
those used earlier. Velvet _pardessus_ with silk or satin linings, but
not padded, are used. Our illustration represents one of black velvet,
trimmed with several narrow rows of satin of the same color. The dress
is amber-colored figured silk, with a very full plain skirt. _Capotes_
or bonnets of satin are also worn. An elegant style is made of violet
velvet and satin, ornamented with heart's-ease almost hidden within
_coques_ of satin and velvet, which are arranged in a tasteful manner
upon the exterior of the _capote_, the interior being decorated with
heart's-ease to match, which may or may not be intermixed with lace or
_tulle_, according to the taste of the wearer.
Costumes for young misses are also represented in our first
illustration. The larger one has a dress of a pale chocolate cachmere,
trimmed with narrow silk fringe; the double robings on each side of the
front as well as the cape, on the half-high corsage, ornamented with a
double row of narrow silk fringe. This trimming is also repeated round
the lower part of the loose sleeve. Chemisette of plaited cambric,
headed with a broad frill of embroidery; full under-sleeves of cambric,
with a row of embroidery round the wrist. Open bonnet of pink satin, a
row of white lace encircling the interior next the face. Boots of pale
violet cachmere and morocco. Trowsers of worked cambric. The smaller
figure has a frock of plaided cachmere. _Paletot_ of purple velvet, or
dark cachmere; a round hat of white satin, the low crown adorned with a
long white ostrich feather. Trowsers and under-sleeves of white
embroidered cambric. Button gaiter boots of chocolate cachmere.
[Illustration: FIG. 2.--EVENING COSTUME.]
Figure 2 represents a most elegant costume for an evening party, or a
ball. It is composed of a beautifully embroidered white satin dress, the
skirt looped up on the right side, and decorated with a bunch of the
pink honey-plant, heading three pink and white _marabout_ tips, from
which depend three ends of deep silk fringe, pink and white. Low
pointed corsage, the top of which is encircled with a small embroidered
pointed cape, edged as well as the short sleeves with a deep pink and
white fringe, and confined upon the centre with a cluster of feathers
and flowers, decorated in the centre with a butterfly composed of
precious stones. The hair is simply arranged with a narrow wreath of
pink and white velvet leaves, finished on the right side with two small
_marabout_ feathers, and two ends of fringe drooping low.
[Illustration: FIG. 3.--MORNING PROMENADE COSTUME.]
Figure 3 is a morning promenade costume. A high dress of black satin,
the body fitting perfectly tight; a small jacket cut on the bias, with
two rows of black velvet laid on a little distance from the edge. The
sleeves are rather large, and have abroad cuff turned back, which is
trimmed to correspond with the jacket. The skirt is long and full; the
dress ornamented up the front in its whole length by rich fancy silk
trimmings, graduating in size from the bottom of the skirt to the waist,
and again increasing to the throat. Bonnet of plum-colored satin; a
bunch of heart's-ease, intermixed with ribbon, placed low on the left
side; the same flowers, but somewhat smaller, ornament the interior.
[Illustration: FIG. 4 AND 5.--HEAD-DRESSES.]
Figures 4 and 5 represent different styles of head-dresses for balls or
evening parties. Figure 4 is a combination of flowers and splendid
ribbons, with a fall on each side, of the richest lace. Figure 5 is very
brilliant. It is a wreath of Ceres form, composed of small flowers in
rubies, emeralds, and diamonds, perfectly resembling natural flowers,
with ears of wheat freely intermingled. At this season the head-dresses
are chiefly of the floral description. Feathers and flowers intermixed,
form a very beautiful _coiffure_.