The Press. — London, England, 1854-01-07 00:00:00

20 tion rather loosely put together, anti is evidently written in haste, and up to the last moment. It con tains, indeed, reference to the news received in Lon don so lately as the 28th ult. Its tone is, however, lofty and earnest ; and the writer denounces with in dignant eloquence the mingled pusillanimity and in• capacity of the Aberdeen Government. The critical miscellany appended to the number, in which the se • 'acted "books of the quarter" are classifid and gr ouped under the title of " C o ntemporary Liter e ature," forms one of the most valuable features of the Review. Nowhere else, indeed, can we find so copious an ac count of current foreign literature, or one written with a fuller knowledge of the authors and works flourishing contemporaneously among our continental neighbours One failure, indeed, we notice. In his brief account of the " INlemoires de Bilboquet," lately •iblished in Paris, the writer does not seem aware THE PRESS. A of Wler's Poems "is the c article of the nEvlEW Dublin " University Magazine for this month. By " Waller" our readers must not understand the poet of the seventeenth century, but the bard of the nineteenth, who, under the name of " Slingsby," has written a quantity of miscellaneous verse, of varied degrees of merit. He is a man of undoubted abili ties, with a remarkably versatile mind, a practising barrister at the Four Courts, Dublin, a suitor in the bowers of the Muses, a ripe scholar, with consider able research, and a sentimental religionist ! His political and unavowed articles would, if collected, prove him to be a most pungent and formidable essayist, who, in years gone by, has done excellent service in the cause of Irish Conservatism. The other articles in the University are not particularly interesting ; and it is not one of the best numbers d this periodical. SATTJRDAY, are sufficiently diversified in subject, and many of them piquantly written. Under the pseudonym of " Sir Nathaniel" the writer of a series of sketches of American authors devotes some pages to another transatlantic celebrity, Mr. Donald Mitchell, also bet ter known abroad as well as at home by his "nom de plume" of Ikey Marvel. Of this series we are told by the editor himself that it " excited so much " attention and gained so favourable a reception in " the United States." The "Record of tbe Gold Fever," though written upon a subject which is getting some. what worn, contains a graphic narrative of the suffer ing and disappointment too often experienced at the diggings by those whom the gold fever takes thither without the personal qualifications and intellectual disqualifications almost indispensable to furnish forth a successful " digger." Mr. Dudley Costello continues his series of French historiettes, of which we cannot say much. His stories consist chiefly of published in Paris, the writer twee XIV& rma. , ..• ........ a that the amusing work in question is a mere squib, --- intended solely to burlesque the egotistical "Me- Tait has eight articles besides the "Political Regis- old jokes put into a French dress, and anecdotes moire" whereof M. Veron has issued the first two ter" and notices of literature. The first, on " France cheaply gleaned out of the Parisian newspapere. In Vs of (as he threatens) a long series of pretentious vo- and her Commercial Relations," is perhaps the most present specimen the " difficulties" of M. Alexis k i . rogere . in London are thoroughly hackneyed ; and lumen. ---...,. important. It appears that aM. St. Fee h, who . the principal incident of the hero's career is bor - wae employed in the customs in France, has lately lowed without acknowledgment from M. We 's Tire new-year's number of Blackwood is character- written a work, and dedicated it to the head of that recently-published book, " Les Anglais chez eux." iced by more than wonted solidity. Eschewing, as a department, in which he "professes to elucidate the matter of principle, the fleeting trivialities which Principles "of the fiscal system of France from 1791 Ainsworth's Magazine opens the year with a fair most of our southern monthlies so eagerly app m- to 1831. The results of his labours are seven con collection of miscellaneous papers, chiefly consisting piste, Ebony supplies his readers with more cited? ns, of . which this is the last : of novels,. , o , r _ , novelettes, presented whole or "to be substantial fare. Thus, in the present number, n "'l o consider as a principle that in all treaties to he continued. Their peculiar character or individual egotiated with England must of the conditions which she we have papers entitled " The Past and Future ' will propose are those which we ought to avoid." purpose it is not easy to describe, but they appear of China," the " Painter in Persia "—based upon The Emperor has, we are glad to say, without a upon the whole tolerably readable. the " Voyage en Perse," undertaken at the instance treaty reduced the duty on coal and iron to the equal of the French Government, and related by M. Flan- benefit of France and England. In combating the THE number of the Art-Journal (new series, No. 61) din, an attaché to the French Embassy in Persia— restrictive views of M. St. Ferreol the reviewer for January contains three principal engravings of the "Narcotics we Infuse," and the "Aberdeen quotes that author's own book. Referring to the Goodall's "Raising of th e Ma yp ole," Gibson's " Hy• Cabinet." Among these the article on China is pe- lerlin and Milan decrees, and the English orders in las and the Nymphs," and Stothard's "Vintage," culiarly interesting and suggestive. A review of council, he illustrates the impossibility of restraining with subordinate illustrations of the progress of art- Landor's new work, " The Last Fruit off an Old the expansive and penetrating energies of corn- manufacture, examples of German artists, an engrav- Tree," contains a critical estimate of the author's coerce by the following novel instance of "Dutch ing of the " Pieta "of Michel Angelo, &c. ,ke. piece and influence in literature, written in a jai- courage":— clone and yet friendly spirit. Mr. Candor has, to George Cnakshank's Magazine. Edited by Frank " A Dutch captain declared that if profit were to be made our knowledge, never been weighed more carefully lb a voyage to hell he would sail thither , alt hou g h his sails E. Smedley. No. I. London : Bogue. or judged more leniently than by his present re- a L id e burnt. „ THE great George is liberal of himself in th is new viewer. Some additional chap ters of the Scotch The article gives a clear concise, account of the enterprise. "The Tail of the Comet of iftrie eis an novel commenced in the December number, " The tariffs of France from that of Colbert in 1664 down elaborate performance; "The Seat of War" is Quiet Heart " constitute the only ingredient of an ' to the present period, as 'English the present and imaginative character for which Blackwood has foundwell conceived ; and the gentleman with the Turkish recent state of French and exports and im- pipe in the centre of "The Narcotics we indulge in" room this month. ports generally. In the amount of British exports is a good similitude of the artist. George is fortis- for 185 S-3 we remark a considerable error of the nate this time in having obtained the cooperation Fraser opens the year creditably in some respects. press. For the first. eight months of 1853 our exports of an editor who is himself an apt and readable con- The article on Dr. Veron's " Memoirs" is amiss- are said to be thirty-eight millions :it should be fifty- tributor. A paper on r Magazine Contributions" is rug' — eight millions. The second article is a tale of caustic anti amusing. " Rossini, we are told, lives like a bon bourgeois. Ile American life ; the third attacks the biographical has married Mlle. Olympe Pelitoier, who never calls her mania, and threatens that, Bentley's Monthly Review for January, 1854. husband meshing but mon inimortel. The establishnient "if the evil continues to be undiminished, we shall lay London : Piper, Stephenson, and Spence. of Rossini at Florence is competed of eleven servants, hold of the first offending biography that comes across our and three women au service tie Madame. There is a path and lay bare its every deformity." Tins clever little miscellany this m o n th concludes vaunting and ev • g carriage , and an open landau for Will this check the evil? Listen to eloquent words its papers upon " Early Foreign Preachem." It eon- the service of Mine. Rossini. The maestro makes his that were written of the life and tragic death of rances out the tains also an article upon Maca difficu ulay lties . The of follge neraowing visits on foot like Louis Philippe, with an umbrella unde r unhappy iiaytion : " his arm. Every season Rossini goes to take the waters at " the heart and life of man addressed to man there application at this season : Monte Catini, less, he says, for himself than for his dog. " will always be enough, and more than enough. " THE EDITOR'S SANCTUM. CURTSTNAS EVE.—PrObeIII, Itoseitii: says N'ermi, with true underbred snobbishness, „ The same strong human sympathies that crave to the Editor, surrounded by books and papers, mod smiting ' entertains an affection full of conipinisance for the Arch- " know prompt also to reveal. Vanity will not furiously. Ato s i heard at the door, altieli preeently bishep of Floreuce.: Now, though Ma i mcee the archbishop, opens, and the office potter enters, .tottering under an Me is a famine() per la musics, who ngs buffo as well as " refrain, passion will not be silent, conviction will mense leather sack, which he deposits heavily on the door. eerie, yet the csondeeeension is on the part of the church- " speak ; anguish, which has bled in silence, will " Editor : ' What is the meaning of this ?' man, eighty seven years old, and not on the part of the " utter at last the long-suppressed cry, if not for "Porter : ' Only some more books, sir, sent in for notice composer, whatever be his age. Rossini, we are told by " justice—if not for pity—yet for relief, 'as the this month?' Venni, ' has lust completed the nurchase of the Palazzo " beast crieth expansive, not appealing ' ; and the , " The editor stares for a moment hard in the porter's Pucci, which has cost him 400,0110 francs, in addition to " echoes of humanity will catch It up anti respond to face, then, with an exclamation which we shall not here which 6n,10) francs are to be allocated to furnish the ti i t as they do now to this wild reproachful voice repeat, snatches hie hat, lushes past the man (liteielly apartment of his pear wife, as he calls her. " startling us from the tomb." A paper on what is tumbling him over his load), and darts out of the office! A professional opinion of the doctor is thus called "The Shottisham Case "is perhaps, after " [He was traced to the next cabstand, whence, it was cited : France, the most interesting. Elizabeth Squirrel, a asserted, he had gone off at a bantbgallop towards the girl who was dumb, blind, deaf, mesmeric, magnetic, Great Northern Railway, and, we regret to say, he has not "The doctor thinks diseases of the spinal marrow mach cataleptic, poetic, enthusiastic, ttc. itc., about since been heard of. As 80)11 as he returns to his . duty more common now than heretofore. lie alludes to theevery effort will be made to induce him to pay attention to cases of Royer Collard and M. d'Orsay, and attributes the eighteen months ago, said site had lived without the contents of the ssek. _ sus . Editer. l ,, disease to much smoking. Dr. firetonnetut, of Tours, W as eating. The reviewer is indignant with those who called in (he writes) for a celebrated personage (Louis doubt it. Some years ago one Bernard Kavanagh Our Friend. A Monthly Miscellany, designed for Napoleon), who complained of exhaustion and eliervation. got his living by living without eating. He was ' Von smoke twelve or fifteen Aga,* a day,' said he ; ' smoke caught buying bacon while p erforming at Reading, All Classes. London :J. F. Shaw. less, mat your symptoms will disappear.' " and committed to prison. A habeas corpus was Tee object of this miscellany is be>t illustrated by The recantations of " Young Germany" are new moved for, and the return made to it was in effect the pro s p ectus which accom p anies this, its first num- li to magazine.readers, and an antidote to the renewed that he was committed for buying bacon which it ber. It promises to include raving's of John Mitchel, &c. The review of "Bristed's eras believed he wickedly intended to eat, upon which " Plain, moral, theological, and social articles ( suggested Life at Cambridge" contains some interesting per- he was discharged. if Bernard is now free and by current events) ;an original religious tale (to be regu- sonal reminiscences of the author by an old fellow- single, he might marry the girl Squirrel, and the lady continued), embodying valuable information, and le- collegian. "ti allinaceana" is a learned and attractive young couple could live upon nothing. The rest of plete with amusing incidents; reviews of book., etc.; a biography of some celelnsted wan ; an historical remote paper, apparently by the same cuisinier who has pro- Tait is of ordinary merit. The notices of books are blamer ; biblical illustrations ; practical sketches in sided such an elaborate first course of fresh and salt just. science and arts ; industrial gleanings; a stunt moral- waterfish in filmier numbers. In another article in the bearing story ; notes of a naturalist ' • monthly memorial (of same breath, however, Fraser tells us that Lord Pal- Collnirn's New Monthly Magazine com mences its distinguis hed m en recentl y dead) ; a dated s'unimary of the merston's answer to the Presbytery of Scotland was hundredth volume, and completes, within a month chief events of the month, accompanied by a lively end brave and all but universally approved, and takes credit or two, the thirty-third year of its existence. The pointed commentary ; a collection of useful scraps; S r i- for its own courage in adopting the opinions of a arrival' of this epoch is made the occasion for a plea- tome of correspondence ;an ecclesiastical report, tt C. , presumed overwhelming majority. An article on sant and melancholy retrospect of its past career— The work will tie conducted in accordance with the pelt ' Derhyism," with which the number concludes, is melancholy, because of the long muster roll of con- evangelical principles enunciated by the divine volume, one of the many signs of the hysterical frenzy into tributors who have ceased to adorn its pages or the and in perfect unison with the spirit of our Establiebed which a sense of their precarious position has re- literature of their country, beginning with Elia Chtivel " " cently thrown the Radical Peelites. As a specimen and ending with Hood and Barham ; pleasant, be- J of dishonest statement and pure priggishness we cause the editor can still enu merate a band of living The J ournal gimp kin l of Industrial nd M Prog arshall. ress . London could wish nothing better for the Conservative party friends and collahorateurs , and can p oint to the than that it should be read and ridiculed as widely issuing number of his magazine as a proof of con- Tem is the first number of a new periodical. The as possible , tinuekl vigour and success. The papers it contains editor is Mr. William R. Sullivan, chemist to the t 4 .. • -_ _ . , . . 1 ill - 11