The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1855-10-16 00:00:00

SUPPLEMENII TO THE LL'ERPOOIt- STANDARD.

138

about before the pretender Demetrius allied him-
self with Mahomet, son of Amurath, Sultan of
the Turks, by which he sought the infidel aid in
obtaining possession of Constantinople.
.the -wars which arose out of the contention
between the troops of the Greek Christians and
those of the aggressive Mussulman leader for pos-
session of Constantinople, the author has -an
ample field for the exercise of descriptive talent,
and of that he freely avails himself. Conspicuous
among the military elements of civilised as op-
posed to barbarian warfare in those days was a
remnant, and a distinguished one, of the famous
"White Brotherhood," a band of free-lance mer-
cenaries, composed of North Britons, Swedes,
Norwegians, and Danes, who in all cases choosing
their own leaders, and fighting under their own
standards, had made themselves famous by the
bravery of their exploits in the intestine wars of
the Italian States and among the petty rulers of
Greece. This formidable band, about five thou-
sand in number, ranged themselves with alacrity
under the rule of Constantine, and animated by
fanatical zeal against the Turks, as well as by the
encouragement of good pay and liberal largesses,
'they performed prodigies of valour, and served as
a model on which to form the armies of the
Empire. The host of fearless warriors thus
banded together by the ties of bravery and a re-
lentless esprit d'corps was led by a Scottish hero
known as the Knight of the Falcon, and his ad-
ventures, together with those valiant confederates,
afford ample scope for the dramatic talent of
Captain Spencer. In his description of fearful
combat and fierce encounter, our author takes
especial delight, and such delineations of martial
prowess and exertion as he crowds his pages with
would indeed have been out of place among the
" dry historical details" which he has adopted
the romantic form of narrative to avoid. Of
course love, which we are told rules alike
The court, the camp, the cottage, and the grove,
forms an important element in the " Last Days of
an Empire,"and its hero, the Knight of the Falcon,

So faithful in love and so dauntless in war,
performs a good many prodigies in both " lines of
business," as the theatrical phrase has it.
The story, albeit bordering a " leetle" too much
on the marvellous side of historic action, is never-
theless told with energy, and although the dra-
matic movements are occasionally encumbered
with considerable verbosity of dialogue, the in-
terest is generally well sustained, and the scenes
and incidents iniagined and pourtrayed with skill
and success.

The Dublin University Magazine. Dublin :
James M'Glashan.

The October number of this magazine is full of
rich and mellow fruit, in this respect resembling
a well-cared-for farm. Abundant stores of nutri-
tious Mental alimenthave been sedulously collected
and carefully garnered in its well-arranged repo-
sitories. It is rather more politically important
on this occasion than it has been for several pre-
vious months, opening with a well-concocted
paper on that interminable topic " the War,"
and closing with one on " Educational Reform,"
the centre between these front and rear divisions
being occupied by a pungent article on " The
Civil Service," founded on the report by Sir
Charles Trevelyan and Sir Stafford Northcote,
eked out by the opinion of the Rev. Mr. Jowett ;
and an able statistical glance at the " Origin of
the Russians." These may be designated the
heavy battalia of the number, and they are coun-
tenanced by a fair array of prose and verse. Among
the former we have continuations "Alberico
Porro " and of Lever's- tale of the " Fortunes
of Glencrore." Calcraft spins on an amusing.
yarn of biographical memoranda of the " Dra-

matic Writers of Ireland." The number is also
enriched by an able and vdl-spirited review of
the literary character and abours of Nathaniel
Hawthorne, Consul in Lilerpool for the United
States of America. From tic preceding enumera-
tion, it will be seen that, variety of contents
and in the interest of the abjects discussed, the
October number of the Bain Magazine will bear
a favourable comparison Wih its predecessors.

Proceedings of the Liverpoil Literary and Philo-
sophical Society. No. /1. Liverpool : Printed
for the Members of the Society, by H. Green-

wood.

This is a well-arranged ligest of the business
transacted during the last the forty-fourth ses-
sion of the society's existeire. From this digest,
we learn that the society limbers two hundred
and four members, one hmdred and thirty-seven
of whom are ordinary and ixty-seven correspond-
ing members ; that twentgour gentlemen have
been added to the list of adinary and one to the
list of corresponding menmers ; that four mem-
bers have died, twelve hay resigned, and three
have been removed from the list, " under the
operation of the second lay," during the course
of the past session—tha for 1854-55. The
number contains several uluable papers on sub-
jects connected with natura history, photography,
and philology ; and concldes with a supplement
to the Flora of Liverpool )y Joseph Dickinson,
Esq., M.D., president of tle society. This num-
ber, which is tastefully ant well printed, is valua-
ble in many respects—chifly as an index of the
industry and intelligence vith which the members
devote themselves to subjets germain to the pur-
poses of literary and philosophical inquiry.

PARIS UNIVERSAL EXHIBITION:

{OCTOBEB 16, 11

turers of the north of Ireland, of Dona 11)
Leeds would like to have at hempenoni
fibree;.A
creased quantities of flax and
seeks for more silk ; papermakers are
,s Tel
in every direction, for refuse-material al/e0
their trade, and the soap-boiler and canfol
are at their, wits' end for substances sue°
can utilize. So it is, more or less,
every branch of industry upon which law:
capital have been at all strongly coace,7o
and, besides- these avowed and pressinco,
there are hundreds of new employments„
to start into life, and only prevented from
there()
so by the absence in the markets et
things which it is known nature has Pri
abundance. Witness, as an exampleclosevd
the rapid manner in which gutta perebad
turned to account as soon as its pecolialit
were ascertained. Ingenious and obsery
triumph over every difficulty, bato4l3:pi
vantages are obtained by bringng '6,4 so
which their inquiries must be proseeet
rod
at hand and so immediately under °l'sriiid,
is the case in these exhibitions. Ast ,105'
tration of this will be. found in the iswoogi
Canada. Knowing that the sturge°llo
in the North American rivers, and grill,
absence of isinglass from that 4f for (la
Professor Owen drew the attention sfilicifit
nial Commissioner to the fact, intt°o
to the chief London importer of thi
What is the consequence 'I Wily, OW
English envier visited the Canadio,;;l6\6
of this Exhibition, the same Conl,n'l:o'l,Y
his attention to the specimens ule,-10'„c"1
and gratefully recounted the 8116e-,00e,"
attended the efforts to establish Pij
this new and valuable product, svPl•ty
entTrhaielseoeflletehteiesntuerfgeoranw.
to 1851, had been rejected 891011 g A
furnishes some very striking es 4131 fu • 41311 ivf
powerful influence exercised 11)' arse' Dee
,1(
opening up new and splendid s?""d"
industry and capital may draw the base °ArY
prodtice ITes
nCif
supplies of material to utilize. 1(°110- .I)slfroV
lemons, citrons, dates, bananas,
almonds, figs, sweet acorns, power; $OO,
grapes, and apples ; Indian corn, 11-c`o'dPedye`
with wheat, oats, barley, and rye, ril/I),Yi
cottons, hemps, and flax; a most Cal'. eraf
tiful show of woods, and many otherq,
dences of the natural resources of th,e,-;11V,
provinces, including lead ore ricil
that exquisite ornamental stone, tilVoill'l4l
rine, a sort of transparent onyx, sa'",:nool ~
brought from quarries which were cy
worked by the Romans. Here
curious specimens of the great WI
fibre of which is admirably nelstit•etli;si
combined with the precious metals:- of 1
walnut, and leather, and for other of}'
purposes. Sir William Hooker or I°4
being naturally, composed of tbin ide7
easily worked ; that a solution of
gives it perfect whiteness, and thB',les
the hues that other textile substaniijit,
has been successfully applied
varnish imparting brilliancy and seavi
tables and screens, to covering 11311e4
boxes, and to the making of woua'„ttelL,
trays, &c. Sir William also directs -
1„.1 in
the crin veyetale of the dwarf P.'"urt“,
lection, which begins to be extensivevotv
to the old/
substitute for horsehair in stuffi'l,
But perhaps the most important Wort.;
tained in the notes addressed by • that
botanist to the Board of Trade
relates to the forests of Algeria,
be of vast extent and value. Thu
of Algiers is said to contain 20S,uv