The Press. — London, England, 1857-08-22 00:00:00

828 pared with either of the above mentioned works ; but the writer catches up the tone of middle-class society and draws its weaknesses and its virtues, its open follies and secret sorrows, with a light and easy pen. She has some sense of humour, some pathos, and con siderable pictorial skill. Mr. Waterton's " Essays on Natural History" (5) form a quaint and amusing little volume. The author has the contempt of a practical observer for all bookish pedantry, and evidently takes delight in all old-lashioned ways and things. So far indeed does he carry this disposition, that, if we are to believe him serious, he is still in politics a genuine Jaco bite, as he is in religion a sincere Roman Catholic. His allusions to " Charley," to " Hanover rats," and " starving Guelphs " fattening on the fertile plains ot• England," are worthy of the October Club; and we fancy he must sometimes examine himself in the glass, as the unique relic of a bygone age, with as much curiosity as he finds himself investi gating antediluvian skeletons. His book con tains some very readable and indeed remark able chapters upon various sorts of animals — monkeys, foxes, dogs, snakes, and pigeons, forming his chief subjects ; and all are treated with a queer, kindly humour, which, if not of the highest order, is certainly quite original. His principal delight is in contradicting the learned writers on these subjects. But we must say his assertions, whether true or false, are scantily supported by facts. His style is singularly desultory ; ho constantly seems to break off in the middle of his stories, and he frequently alludes to others of startling in terest which he never tells us. The treatise upon " The Remarks on " the Differences in Shakespeare's Versifica tion " (6) is a natural consequence of the works of Collier and Halliwell, and a credit able addition to our Shakespearian literature. It may seem strange that, with all that has been written on Shakespeare, so little should be known about him ; and that, if he had but lived a hundred years earlier, he would have been as unintelligible as Homer to the crit;cs of the penny press—great and mysterious, but never likely to be popular. The author of this treatise examines Shakespeare's first, second, and third styles in the same vein as that in which Kugler and Dr. Waagen die ' course on Raphael's Umbrian, Florentine, and Roman manner. He aims at proving that the dramatist wrote during his youth in a smoother strain than in his later life ; that the lines of his youth are less frequently broken, and run less interruptedly, than those of his later life ; that he was more careful in versification, and avoided the use of double endings and of weak monosyllabic terminations (such as if or and) in youth, but fell into the opposite extreme in later life. To the Shakespearian student this examination will be of great value, and the treatise may be commended for its careful working out of the arguments proposed and the aptness of its parallel passages. More than this—the shreds of criticisms on the plays and their philosophy are often original and valuable, being couched in sober language, and avoiding those tenth-rate Germaniams which beset Shakespeare's emotional com mentators. PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED—AvousT 20. BOONS. The Young Bride. 3 vole. - By Mrs. Briscoe. Hurst and Blackett. Our Indian Army. By Captain Rafter. D. Bryce. Sir Tears in India. By Colonel Mackenzie. Bentley. Roughing it in the Bush. By S. Moodie. Bentley. Panne. By George Meredith. Smith and Elder. City Poems. By Alexander Smith. Macmillan and Co. Nearer and Dearer. IL Beatley. THE PRESS, kuGusT 22, 1557. The Bombay Quarterly &Hew. Smith and Elder. The Crisis is India : its Causes and Remedies, R Bentley— Tcalltory Rviertion. Stiaioll I. and 11. By L.M.S., I)lpr,re —Crumbs fur the Manchester School of Politicians to Digest, J. R. Taylor—Address at the Anniversary Meeting of the Royal Geographical society—The Eclogues of Virgil, Lord Brougham's Speech on Parliamentary Beforiss, J. Ridgway. ($) Essays ert Natural History. By Charles Waterton, Esq. London : Longmans. (6) Remarks on the Differences in Shakespeare's Versitkagion Difertni VAw Mfe. 1.4.1a10a; Juba W. Parker and Boa. THE WELLINGTON MONUMENT. THE exhibition of models for the Wellington Monu ment would not inspire an observer with a high idea of English sculpture. We are ready to admit the difficulties of producing a monument, and especially a monument to one whose achievements were so many, so various, and so glorious, as were those of Arthur Duke of Wellington. Bat the mission of genius is to overcome difficulties, and to a sculptor of genius the temptations to mediocrity are no more an obstacle than the obstructions of first invention. A poor sculptor might well consider it impossible to conceive any other idea than the British Lion crown ing the Duke of Wellington amid the applause of the East India Company and the British Greoadiers. But, to judge from the former productions of oar sculptors, we should have supposed that there were few whom utter lack of originality would have driven to fix on such inane allegories. In this expectation we must confess we were entirely disappointed. Going through the rows of models with an earnest desire to find something fit for a hero's tomb, some thing worthy of Gibson, Bailey, Macdonald, Bell, or Westmacott, we found nothing that might seem appropriate for the site selected, or for the person to be commemorated. Some would suit a public square, or the corner of a street, being architectural rather than statuesque. Bat, take them all in all, there was not one fit for a Christian church—for an English church. We decline to particularise any of the designs, as the best are but comparative suc cesses. If we were not reassured by the belief that many of our young artists are absent from the ex hibition, we should form a very low opinion of the state of sculpture among us. Bat we are firmly convinced that some who have not exhibited could concesse more original ideas, and could execute them better than any of the eighty-three whose models form such an unsightly assemblage in West minster-hall. HER MAJESTY'S THEATRE.—MIIe. Piccolomini and Signor Giuglini will appear again at Her Majesty's Theatre during the ensuing month. The operas of La Traviata and Don Giovanni will be performed with the same unprecedented cast as during the opera season. PRINCESS'S THEATRE.—The dramatic season at this theatre has closed, after, we believe, a very sue • cessful season. We are not in general admirers of Mt. Lean's Shakesperian upholstery, but we must do him the justice to say that, in his representation of The Tempest, he displayed greater good taste, and achieved more beautiful effects, than in any of his previous decorated revivals. Of his lavish liberality in the "setting up" of these plays it is needless to speak. We trust that the past season has well re• munerated him, and that the rumour of his retire ment is unfounded in fact. The Royal Italian Opera, about to be given at this theatre under the direction of Mr. Beale, will commence on Monday with the performance of La Traviata, the character of the heroine being sustained by Mine. Gassier, supported by Signor Mario and Signor Dragone, and an efficient band and chorus selected from those of Her Majesty's Theatre and the Royal Italian Opera. Signor Dragone, the new baritone, who will make his debut on the occasion, was the original repre sentative in his own country of the character of Ger most, in which he is now to appear before a London audience, and by his performance of which he has achieved a high reputation. He possesses a voice resembling in a remarkable degree that of Graziani, both in quality and power, and his abilities as an actor are such as to justify the belief that he will be heartily welcomed by the opera-goers of London. MR. CHARLES MATHEWS.—This distinguished co median having completed a most successful engage ment at the Haymarket, will sail to-day for the United States, where he is about vto make a pro fessional tour. SOME. EXCELLENT MAPS of India and Delhi have been this week published by Messrs. Stanford, and Mr. Wyld, and by Messrs. M'Clute. The maps of Delhi are extremely valuable at the present moment. pug ffiarket an tits laitliigenct. FIID►T EVINII4O. Tait return of the Bank of England for the week ending the 13th inst., shows the following chauges compared with that for the week preceding:— Decrease in Circulation . Decrease in Public Deposits Increase is Other Deposits Decrease in Securities 473,638 Decrease in Bullion Increase in Rest Increase in Reserve .. Bullion iu Both Departments .... 11,239,906 Circulation, including Hank Post Bills .. This comparison bears evidence of a reduced demand for money in the increase of Private Deposits, and the de crease of securities ; and as a necessary consequence the Reserve has enlarged, the stock of unemployed notes being now 5,6te4,7401. The Bullion, however, shows a falling off. The reduction in the amount held by the Bank has been continuous for the last two or three weeks ; and there is little probability of any change in this respect for some wedge to come, seeing that the Australian vessels now ovisios are still delayed, and that France is a very active competitor for the purchase of all that arrives from other quarters. The falling off in the amount of Public Deposits is no doubt owing to payments in redemption of the Danish Sound Dues. The Money Market has been easy all the week—the terms having been under the Bank minimum throughout, and the supplies, on the whole, remarkably good. Yet, along with this state of things, there is a very appreciable degree of apprehension as to the future, arising from the gloom which hangs over our relations with India, for it is universally felt that, although the whole charges of restoring order and compensating sufferers for the destruc tion of property will ultimately be imposed upon India, the provision for these purposes must substantially be made here. The present rate of expenditure for all pur poses is not far short of 1,000,0001. per week. This enormous outlay must be felt before long. It cannot go on without deranging the ordinary employment of capital in the purposes of commerce • and, as a great proportion of the expenditure will be unproductive, trade in some shape or other, either by the price or the scarcity of capital, or by both, arising from this application of it, must sustain considerable inconvenience. A conviction -of this sort is, therefore, hanging over the market, creating apprehensions of future stringency and fears for commercial profits. But, as just stated, the present supplies are ample, and rates are, for the most part, just under the Bank mini mum. Much of this is owing to a falling off in the de mand, and to temporary circumstances connected with the dispersion of the dividends of the various railway and joint-stock companies. Commerce is unquestionably less active than for some time past, for it must be observed that there is no reduction, but rather the reverse, in the prices of the raw materials for the bulk of our manufac tures, such as cotton, wool, iron, and so on, while the Australianl trade has greatly fallen off, and now the Indian is gradually being contracted. The manufacturers of Lancashire have not discontinued the working of short time. The necessary consequence has been to limit the requirements for advances, and hence the quietness of the demand at the present mcment. On the other hand, the supplies for the time have been increased by the payment of 1,250,0001 by the British Government to the agents of the Danish Government for the redemption of the Sound Dues. Pending the repayment of certain portions of the Danish debt, this sum is being employed in the Money Market. The supplies, also, are further increased, as just intimated, by a great number of dividend payments usual at this period. Thus it happens we have larger supplies. It may be asked, then, why the rate of discount is 'main tained at five and a half per cent.? The answer is that no confidence is felt in the market remaining in this condi tion. The Bank, considering the heavy movements of bullion now going on and the absence of supplies from Australia, will not risk a diminution iu its stook by lower ing the value of money, the more especially as the rate of interest is advancing in Hamburg, Berlin, and other cities in Europe, and that preparations are being made by the Austrian Government for resuming specie payments on the Ist of January next. Under these circumstances, to which must be added the prospect of a loan on account of India, it is impossible to regard the present ease as other wise than temporary. The specie movements of the week have been important. A sum of 1,095,0111. has been sent to India and China, the whole of which, except 16,3471., was in silver, and the other exports have amounted to aout 100,0001. So that the total export has been 1,195,000. The imports have amounted to 500,0001. in value. A large part of the im ports, however, have been purchased for France. The Bank has lost about 16,0031. taken to pay for silver, and purchased 4.0001. of the gold lately sent from St. Peters burg. A very large amount of silver has in the course of the week been received from France and the northern parts of Europe, all of which will be sent to India and China by the next packet. The Continental Exchanges have been tolerably firm and in favour of this country, but to-day they gave way a littte. During the week a moderate advance took place in English Securities of all descriptions, attributable to the good supplies of money and the investments of the public. But, subsequently, when the real state of the Money Market became understood, there was a reaction, and the general result is that the market is now rather lower than it r, as this day week. Consols, which left off last Friday at 911 to improved on Tuesday and Wednesday to 911 to I. Then a destining tendency was manifested, and without any great prepon derance of sales quotations gradually declined until at the close yesterday they stood at 91 to 1. To-day they opened at 91 to and closed at 90j to 91, after a dull and languid market. With some exceptions. Foreign Stocks are lower. Turkish Six per Cents have declined five-eighths. The market has been without animation. Railway , Shares have gone through the same mutations as Consols in the course of the week, the geoeral result now being that there is no material alteration upon the prices of last Friday. Caledonians have fluctuated about two per cent., being declined, in the first instance, through rumours of a reduced dividend, but recovered afterwards when the report proved unfounded. Sheffields have also fluctuated, and have attained rather a better price. Great Westerns are about one-half per cent. better. Canadian and French shares depressed throughout. To-day there was no change of importance. In Joint-stock Banking Shares the most important feature has been a decline in Ottomans, which are now