The Press.
London, England, 1854-01-28 00:00:00

SATURDAY,

three proposals that are before the public for the re.
form of the constitution of the University of Oxford
" One ha.been presented by her Majesty's commis:
sioners ; another proceeds from a committee of the
" present governing body of the University ; the
" third conveys the collective opinion of an associa..
" tion composed of a certain number of resident
" members of convocation." A foot-note explains
that the last, the so-called " Tutors' Association," is
not correctly described by that designation ; for, as a
body, the tutors " have taken no part in its proceed.
" ings ; and some of the most influential of them
" have been absent on principle." The second and.
last of the proposals Mr. Barry examines and rejects;
whilst the first, that of her Majesty's commissioners,
he approves of, because the " counter schemes .
" are all exposed to greater objections than the plan
" they are put forward to supplant" Without identi-
fying ourselves with Mr. Barry's opinions, but with
a disposition to combat them when a practical
occasion shall arise, it is due to him to state that he
has discussed this difficult subject calmly and fairly;
and, though many will question his conclusion, all
will derive from his remarks assistance in forming
one for themselves.

The Commercial Products of the Vegetable Kingdos.

By I'. L. Simmonds. London :F. A. Day.
THIS is a large book, but not large enough for its
subject, which is a description of " the cultivation, pre-
" paration for shipment, and commercial value, la.,
" of the various substances obtained from trees and
" plants, entering into the husbandry of tropical and
" sub -tropical regions, &c.," so as to form " a practical
" treatise and handbook of reference for the colonist,
" manufacturer, merchant, and consumer." The
omission of some sections for which there was not
room will prevent the present volume from bearing
that comprehensive character. Gums, resins, cotton,
flax are not in it. These omissions Mr. Simmonds
proposes to fill up in a supplemental volume, and
when that is finished the whole work will be of great
use and importance to commerce and the public
generally. The author expresses apprehensions that
some typographical errors may be discovered ; but,
on the first publication of a large book full of techni•
cal and scientific words, this is scarcely to be avoided.
One great merit in a work of reference this possesses,
and that is a copious index.

Poor Paddy's Cabin; or, Slavery in Ireland. 13y
an Irishman. London : Wertheim and Mackin-
tosh.

IRISH fiction is the most overworked field in popular
1 terature. Edgeworth, Morgan, Banim, Griffin,
Carleton, Lever, S. C. Hall, have loaded our shelves,
and we are rather tired of the coarse contrasts and
polemic spirit of the Irish novelists. " Poor Paddy's
Cabin" wants novelty of subject, for the whole ern•
pire has been talking and reading about " Poor
Paddy" for the last twenty years. The intentions of
this miter are to depict the tyranny of the priests,
a subject not very suitable for a pleasant fiction. We
suspect that the author could do better upon plain
facts, treating them as an essayist. He has not
given us enough of the pathos or the humour of his
countrymen ; and his dialogues are deficient in the
Hibernian vivacity demanded by his subject We
have read, however, many worse first attempts at
fiction than "Poor Piddy's Cabin." The following
is the mode in which " Poor Paddy " is described
as putting down a priest at argument upon the value
of the Bible :
" I tell you, Paddy, you can't understand a word of it,"
said the priest in a loud tone.
" Why, then, can't 1, your reverence? I thought I
could till now."
" Oh, Paddy, how could you understand it, when even
I myself couldn't understand it except by the tinantion!ia
consent of the Fathers, as our fine creed by our Pope Pius
says?"
The Fathers, your reverence! Wisha, then, who are
they? I never heer'd of 'em in my life."
" You never heard of them," said the priest, "and yet
you expect to understand that book !"
" Will your reverence tell me -who are they sia
Paddy.
" Why, Paddy, there is St. Jerome, and St. Crysostora,
and St. Gregory, and St. Basil, and St. Bernard, and
good many others."
" And will your reverence tell me, did they live
with four
ore
or after the Apostles that used to go out

Lord ?"
" Oh, Paddy, they all lived several hundreds of year'
after our Lord and his Apostles, but "
" Oh, I understand, your reverence,—l sees how it is;
there are all them Fathers ;—and sure 'tie hard to fia .em
all, to ask the'r consent to read the Bible : but I'll tell.
you reverence what's rannin in my head all this time,
said Paddy, opening his Bible and glancing from gospel to
gospel. " Here I have the Grandfathers, Matthew, Mark'
Luke, and John, awl they rest of 'em: they are milder, and
I know where to find 'em. And now your reverence will
pardon me for asking you, why was the Bible written al
all, if it isn't to be read by the people?"