The Press.
London, England, 1857-05-09 00:00:00

THE PRESS.

sion and reflection of the study. Much the
same, according to Mr. Seliar, are the charac-
teristics of the speeches iu Thucydides. The
outline of the real argument is perhaps pre-
served, but the filling up and the general
reflections are his own. They are not suffi-
ciently passionate, or " cogently deductive,"
for an audience. " The thought which per-
" vades them is not that which effects imme-
" diate persuasion, but which enlightens all
" time."

Mr. Seller has noticed an important feature
in the character of Cleon :

The speech of Cleon, in the debate about Mitylene, is
consistent with he character Thuey.lides generally attri-
butes to him, in regard to the violence of the policy
advocated and the imputation of corrupt motives to hi,.
opponents; and it is true to the type of a demagogue in
this subtle point, that, when the poplar will appears
likely to declare against him, he denounces free institii
tiona as in •ompatible with foreign empire, atal itivei2lis
against that liberty of discussion to which he owed all his
influence and popularity.

Compare with this Mr. Cobden's denuncia-
tion of leading articles, and we find ono more
illustration of the hackneyed truth that
extremes meet, and not least of all in
polities. As free discussion is the soul of
constitutional government, because by that
each class in the State is enabled to keep
before the public eye what is excellent iu
itself, and thereby to preserve the balance of
all, so as it is in this graduation of classes that
personal ambition finds its greatest enemy,
that which is its principal support has ever
been hated alike by the despot and the dema-
gogue.

Of Mr. Church's article on Montaigne we
can only say that it seems a very thoughtful
and skilful paper; but as the subject has so
recently been before the public, we cannot
discuss it more particularly.

From Bombay to Bushire and Bussora, including
an Account of the Present State of Persia.
By William Ashton Shepherd. London :
Bentley.
Tins is a slight but pleasing volume, full of
pen-pictures, and not dealing much with solid
realities, or the grave emergencies now de-
pendent on our Oriental policy. We are dis-
appointed in the portions which profess to
treat of " :he present state of Persia." The
author appears to be a surgeon, and his
volume is free front any offensive pretentious
ness. Its dedication would disarm the most
corrosive of reviewers :—.• To her who has
" been my solace in sickness, and companion
"in trouble, this little volumeis dedicated ;" and
an amiable, genial spirit pervades every page
in the work. We suspect that its writer is a
great admirer of " Eiithen," and we are occa-
sionally reminded of Mr Kinglake as we turn
over these vivid landscapes on paper. What
can be more lifelike than the following first
view of Bushire ?
The boatswain, after twice emptying his lungs, and
perfuming a series of ups and downs with his whistle, as
gruffly bawled " Hand 4, hanker ship," laying a strong
emphasis on the " hen," and rolling out the r of the " ker,"
as if the hands and ship were of only minor consideration.
And von low town with its eight or nine mud chimneys. its
two round towerr, its rather important spread of white flat.
roofed houses, some dozen dive trees, and two flagstaff..
from one of which is flying the Lion and Sun of Persia.
front the other, in this the corner nearer to the sea, the
Ensign of England; yon town, looking like a city, hall
built on the extreme of a sandy penimmla, of whic!t the sea
at some time has been heartily tired, and so thrown it up ;
with the mountain of Hallilah in the hack (mound, and a
few native boats in the fore—is liu.hire. The offer of a
seat in the captain's gig tempts us on shore, which we reach
by pulling some five miles round, the anchorage being
about two and a half as the sea gull would fly. The tom n.
as we near it, presents sundry round towers linked by low
walls, that endeavour to look martial and formidable, but so
pitiable is the attempt at fierceness, that no one would envy
the position of the gunner who had to are the first thirty•
two-pounder from them, as those white sandstone. mud-
cemented walls would never stand the recoil, but rattle down
about his ears.
We have pulled past those twelve or fifteen hnealows
with their high grotesque prows and low sterns, their heavy
masts raking forwards in the endless and vain effort of
pushing down the prow. with their ro-gh sides and wide
seams caulked with oiled cotton, and looking as if no im•
provemeiu MA taken place in shipbuilding since the
days of Nearchus. We have passed those few timbers
just seen above the surface at high water (said to be
the wreck of the only man of war ever built in Persia,
and that by Nadir Shah, with the timber of Mazan.

461

deran brought on men's hacks over the far mountains) ;
we have nearly run down that heavy boat with six
Nubian rowers singing to each stroke Of the o'er, who
ha i as little idea of making room for the gig, as a bull
has 01 the Pope ; and so, after rounding a host of sand-
banks, and grounding on as many m )re, shaving through a
small fleet of bugaluwa and escaping a collision, we have
arrived at what is called a jetty, " The Custom-house Jetty,"
a long strip stolen from the sea, built upon date tree trunl a,
and boasting a very primitive crane, rather like a gallows,
and near to which is a brass nine•pounder, really a very
respectable gun on a broken down carriage. Filth hest s,
mud pools, dogs, monkeys, hawks, fowls, horses, cam' Is,
donkeys, Arabs, Turks, filthy diseased children, ty
peeping women, Armenians and Persians, are all here to
stare at us, and get as much in our way as they possilt y
can, and crowd round, and all but touch us. That slim
eager•l'oking Jew, with his small leering eyes, has already
settled the quality of the cloth that covers our backs, the
price he would give, ask, and profit make on it ; and that
tall fair•faced Armenian is puzzled to think why our e-
ligion is not as pure as his. That Persian, with his
animal eyes and handsome face almost effeminate, has
measured us front head to foot, and called its mentally
F'erity;ee ; while the Arab, stroking his red beard, has not
even bestowed a thought on us, we are an far beneath his
notice. There, facing us, is the Custom Louse, a large
building with a large gateway, surmounted by a square
tower with Venetian windows opening on each side, where
sit and watch tee tax•takers.

But there is a second view of the same
scene, which is presented with no less felicity
by the writer :

Next to the Customhouse is the largest of the two can•
vanserais which Bushire boasts ; you know it by tht se
bales of merchandise unloadilg from that string of came:s,
which wilh their legs tucked under them, their mild small
eyes, and ever moving jaws, have brought their bodies to
the ground, and are submitting to the abuse of that fero-
cious•bioking driver, with pistols in his belt in company
with three daggers and a sabre, together with a variety of
cartouch boxes and several ramrods.

We have entered, and found it to be a large square sur•
rounded by high walls, with long rows of stabling for the
mules and horses (the camels may lie about outside), and
arched recesses in the walls, for the accommodation of the
merchants and their goods; with a large square planet m
in the middle raised some five or six feet from the ground,
on which they sleep in the hot weather. Unless you wish
to be covered with vermin of every species, and filth of
every sort, make your exit. Go not to the left, it would
bring you to the towers we have already seen, where the
accumulated filth of the city is thrown ( for there is no
drainage here), and which sends forth a stench that would
be smelt through all the gunpowder that could ever he
exploded thence at any bombarding enemy. Go not to the
left, but turn to the right; some twenty yards will bring
you to the extremity of the bazaar. Heed it not, or you
will be late for dinner at the Residency; you have a mile
and a half to walk yet, up that short scramble on your
right, between the walls of those two-storied houses (all
the houses are, two-storied in this city ), keep close to the
wall and be careful not to slip from that shelving path
only half a foot broad, or you will sink ankle deep in slush.
lint what is to be done? you are face to face with a half-
naked filth-covered Persian, who coolly asks von to give
him something, pointing to his lips and patting his
stomach; he has not the remotest intention of getting
out of your way till you have paid him. Seize him by the
only bit of cover he has about his chest, lift him up, and
deposit him in the mud he would force you into, leave him
there to re"over from his astonishment, but shake your
hand, or other life than that which you care for will infest
it ; now to sure that our friend will remember you when
you next meet, and will make room f,,r you.
The defences of Bushire are not consider-
able. Mr. Shepherd thus describes them:—
I counted, as T rode round the wall and through the
town, a dozen pieces of cannon, the majority of them
brass nine pounders, four of which were stationed so as to
command the gateway; one had its position on the quay,
and three were honoured as the guard of the governor's
residence. The soldiers (of whom there were many
loitering about, and pretending to do duty on the walls)
presented the most grotesque and mixed appearance.
Some (evidently the body-guard of the governor) wore, in
imitation of our army, shell jackets and white trousers,
but so loose that they had room in their flapping legs for
at least a corporal's guard. The shsll-jackets had been
bought and exported from India. Their arms consisted
of the Company's old flint muskets and bayonets ; and
with those, following a really very respectable fife and
drum, they marched round, morning, noon, and night, to
relieve guard. But the majority of the soldiers were
armed with matchlocks and pistols, one or two daggeis,
and a straight, short sword; from the shoulder-bel a bung
pendent cartouch boxes, with different-sized cartridges,
powder-horns for loading, and different ones for priming,
ind various siz d ramrods, with their high, conical-shaped
Brown felt cap stuck down on one side, as is the custom
only of the military; their .fl-wing robes, reaching down
to the knees and drawn in at the waist; their short loose
tucked up trousers, stockintiless, and perhaps yelow.
slipper enveloped feet, they looked as grotesquely ridicu-
lous as it is possible fur irregulars to look.
The publication of this work is timely ;
but it adds little to our previous knowledge of
the ground described. Its author hits literary
talents ; and we have perused his graphic
recollections with pleasure. The volume would
have been improved with a map.

Off

A

462

LITERATURE.

THE New Quarterly Review is so good that the
probability of its achieving an independent and
special position as the literary periodical of the day
is beginning to approach a certainty. Something of
the same character may be traced in its pages as has
won such great and immediate success for the Oxford
and Cambridge Essays. Many of the articles bear
marks of being written by men who have devoted
special thought to one subject, and who do not take
it up merely because it is a topic of the day. By
this kind of management a Review is doubly
benefited. In the first place, by the intrinsic
excellence of its matter ; in the second, by its com-
parative independence of mere literary merit. A
man who is master of his subject can always com-
mand our attention, either as a speaker or a writer ;
but be who knows no more of it titan those whom he
professes to instruct, is compelled to fall back upon
brilliancy of style or sprightliness of fancy to avoid
utter dulness. And when we remember that th 3
writers who at any one time possess either of these
two qualities may usually be counted on the
fingers, we shall at once see the advantage gained by
any periodical which resolves not to rely for success
upon such purely precarious qualities. As it
happens, the style of the writers in the New
Quarterly strikes us as particularly good; but if it
were not, the papers would still he of great merit.
Among the best we should class " Pre Raphaelitism,"
the review of Mr. Brough's translation of Beranger,
and "Judicial Reforms in India." The review of
the career of the Emperor of the French is written
in an impartial spirit, and does justice to the
Emperor. The raviewer evidently has a thorough
acquaintance with the secret political history of the
period. Among some of the anecdotes related is one
of the conduct of Baring Brothers, in the year 1803:
In 1804, Napoleon had an impoverished exchequer.
To make head against the persevering animosity of Eng•
land, fresh wars were contemplated, and an extension of
means to defray them was necessary. Spain, by treaty.
had agreed to pay a yearly subsidy to France of 7:2,000.(HW
francs. These payments became greatly in arrear, and the
Emperor, through his Minister 13arbil! Marbois, threatened
to sack Madrid. In this untoward position M. Ouvrard
proposed to relieve the Spanish monarchy, end to subsidise
prance,
by making use of the treasures lying at the com-
mand of the Spanish Government in Mexico and Peru,
but which could not be reached on account of the war,
and the sweeping command that England exercised on
the seas.

By a commercial agreement between Ouvrard, Hope,
Labouchere, and Baring Brothers, ratified at Amsterdam
on March 5, IHUS, backed by A preconcerted arrangement
with the French Ministers of War, of the Marine, and of
the Interior, these Mexican treasures were made available
fur Spain primarily, and for France ultimately, in despite
of the vigilance of the English navy. The commercial
Whigs furnished funds for the campaign of Austerlitz.
But the impatience and financial ignorance of Napoleon
closed this source of wealth
Had not Napoleon's violent and arbitrary dissolution of the
close relations of Ouvrard t Hope, Labnuchere, and Baring) with
the Spanish monarchy the silver mines of Mexico would,
after the unavoidable delay of a few months, have long been
made tributary to France.--I.Volfc, e. v. p. 107.) Iu the business
undertaken by Messrs. Hope and Labouchere, the London
house of Baring Brothers and Co. took part; yet this fact was
kept secret on account of the state of relations during the war.
1, at that time, had no knowledge of the cireuinsiance, and only
heard it upon my first return from America, when Mr. Henry
Hope communicated it to we.—(Nolte, chap. iii. p.:6).

After the restoration of 1815, the Baring Brothers and
Labotichere were extricated from a financial dilemma, in
conjunction with their old ally, M. Ouvrard, by the Tory
Duke of Wellington. Truth is no doubt stranger than
fiction, and not always so agreeable in its subject matter
to the Whigs. If Napoleon had been a financier, according
to the views of Prince Louis Napoleon, France at present
would have possessed the mines of Mexico.

French policy in Italy is regarded altogether favour•
ably :

The French expedition to Rome against Mnzzini and
Garibaldi, at once destroyed their hopes of France making
war against monarchical Europe, in favour of political
communism. Austria, forgetful of former benefits received
from Russia, and which were given not grudgingly or of
necessity—indiaposed towanls England—inimical to
Prussia—not loving France—and intent on crushing Sar-
dinia, kept a lowering eye on Italy, and was prepared to
take advantage of the growing confusion in the Peninsula,
to pour her armies into Modena and Tuscany, and along
the shores of the Adriatic towards the Abruzzi. The
cccupation of Rome by a French army paralysed her
movements. It was a masterstroke of policy. Tuscany
was relieved—Sardinia was saved, awl empowered to
assume an attitude of independence, that, in an after•day,
made her a valuable auxiliary in the Russian war. This
was entirely attributable to the far-sighted measures of the
Prinee.Prosident. The ultratnontanes held the march of
the French army Roinewarils as a "pilgrimage of st.r.ctitv
to the shrine of St. I'eter." The Jesuits, less amiably
confiding, doubted a Bonapartist crusade in honour of lie
Immaculate Conception. The treaty or treaties, signed
or unitigued, between England, France, anti Austria, that
have been lately divulged, do not materially affect the
po4itimi of the allies in Italy. The reluctant confession,
extorted by Mr. Disraeli, has only damaged the Whigs in
the estimation of the Italians, and made them set a higher
value on the presence of a French army out Latin ground.

THE PRESS.

'The French policy will, iu the main, be really and intrin-
sically dominant in Italy. And Sardinia will not forget—
and the Sailli offer at Florence will serve for inwruction—
to whom she will he indebted, and on whom she may rely
for future independence.
The political article entitled " Parties anal Politics
in the New Parliament" is slashing and indiscreet.
An article on universities, more especially the
London University, contains some passages worth
the consideration of academical authorities.

In Blackwood, politics are represented by No. IV.
of "Letters from a Lighthouse." This is a truly
admirable paper—the style short, sharp, and eine-
tive ; the argument close and clear; and the conclu-
sion such us none but the wiliully blind can dis
regard. The sketch of the It idical party is
masterly. In " Lays of the Elections," the " Cock of
the Hustings" is a wonderfully humorous and
ringing piece of verse. Maga is liberal enough to
continue two excellent stories—" Mr. Love
Story," and the regular tale, "The ithelings ;" both
are as good as good can be.

Fraser opens with an article entitled Impe
rielism," which we should most heartily wish to see
engraved on the memory of all Englishmen. It is
at once a spleniidly eloquent invective, and a fault.
less chain of reasoning. The fools and the profli-
gates who are provoking Providence to bless us
with a Xing Stork, have never received a severer
or more merited castigation. The false glitter
which surrounds the diadem of a despot is sternly
swept away, and the metal shown as it is—some-
thing worse than iron. But the gifted author of
this noble essay will, we hope, allow us to point out
to him that whatever might have been the real
opinions of Lord Bolingbroke, the aim with which
" The Patriot King " was written is not that here
attributed to him—namely, to paint the beauty of
absolutism. He saw clearly, and we believe gladly,
that the days of absolute monarchy were over, and
"The Patriot King" was an endeavour to place this
truth before the eyes of the high Tory party in as
palatable a form as possible. He wished King and
Parliament each to occupy their legitimate place,
and he believed that both James 11. and Sir Robert
Walpole had equally missed the mark. But he was
as little for reviving the regime of the former as for
supporting the pretensions of the latter. The May
instalment of "The Interpreter," a paper on " Crows
and Choughs," and another on the " Mythology of
Finland," are such as to constitute this number one
of the best we often get.

The Dublin University Magazine contains a very
pretty story, entitled "A Sketch of Two Homes ;"
the continuation of a capital historical and antiqua-
rian paper on Dublin Castle. At present we are
brought no further than the reign of Henry 11. We
look forward to the succeeding numbers with great
interest. The most remarkable article in the present
number is, however, that on Whewell's •' History of
Moral Philosophy in England." It displays great
knowledge of the subject, an exuberant fancy, and
occasional passages of elegant and poetic style. The
difficulty of grasping moral philosophy among the
various conflicting theories which time has produced
is very cleverly illustrated :
We have read of a beautiful old experiment, the PAM.
genesis. There is placed before the eyes a vase of trans-
parent crystal, which appears t 3 contain nothing hot water,
with a sediment of ashes. But, upon the application of
heat, the particles of the ashes move in wavy lines of the
most delicate tints, until the Um of a perfect flower is
produced—a fairy creation, which, when the heat is with.
drawn, collapses as quickly as it has blossomed. Some-
thing in this way the successive theories of virtue and
duty seem to the student to be but the ingenious phy.
things of superior intellects—which have no substantial
shapes and no permanent colours—which are excited by
the warm touch of genius, and when that is removed sub.
side into a worthless sediment.

The review of the two first volumes of " Napier's
Life " is complete and careful, giving the general
reader all he wants to know in a readable shape,
with a running commentary of illustration and
criticism. The following little sketch of the lonian
Islands may be interesting to some of our readers :
The lonian Islands, at this period, were in a semi•barba•
rolls condition ; in that condition, at least, which the world is
in the habit of calling se 1:i barbarous. They seem to have
presented pretty nearly the same aspect on a smaller scale
as the Highlands of Scotland previous to the rampsign
of 1). The land was owned by small retitle' chiefs, descen•
dents of Venetian and Neapolitan families ; and the ground
was tilled by the peasantry, in whose veins probably flows
the same blood as in those of the " high-coureged " Ceplial-
lenes who followed Ulysses into Aria. For more than
four hundred years, the condition of these islands had, in
all probability, known little change. From 1:11t, when the
leading naval empire of the fourteenth century inclosed
them in her grasp, to 1797, when the last Doge of Venice,
feinting with emotion, did horn tge to the Austrian com-
missioner, they had followed the same lyvs soil been
governed by the same masters Fully occupied with am•
tinental affairs, Venice probably paid but little attention
to the internal administration of the islands. The seig-
niors were above the law, and frequently sat upon the
bench to overawe the judges. They lived as such men
invariably will live. Agriculture was neglected beyond

S ATURDAY,

the production of bare necessaries, and the lords of the
different valleys waged incessant wars against each other,
varied by occasional frays to the mainlaild, for the pur-
poses of plunder and rape. Under the blue sky and
delicious climate of the Mediterranean, they doubtless
passed a pleasant existence, till transferred at the Con-
gress of Vienna to the new mistress of the ocean, under
wbose protection, let us hoe, they may remain fur not a
shorter period than under the old Queen of the Adriatic.
Mr. Mortimer Collins has some pretty verses called
"The Organist."
The remaining magazines we are sorry we have
only space to notice very briefly. Bentley is good.
Mr. Dudley Costello's story, and the contributions of
the author of "The Red Court Farm," continue to
keep this magazine ono of the most interesting we
have.—Colburn gives us a continuation of the
lawyer's servants, entitled " Parkwater," which pro-
n►ises well—very well. "The Baths of Lucca," by
Florentia, continues very amusing. The other
papers are average.—The great recommendation of
Tait is in liberality in point of quantity. It is well
written too. But so many articles, :43 directly con-
trary to our own political views, cannot be expected
to elicit praise. Those which are not political we
have read with much pleasure, " Roads Through
Life" and "B oken Memories" especially.—The
National Magazine continues to merit the praise we
have all along bestowed on it. Among other articles,
"Lord Erlistoun" may he mentioned as a very
attractive tale, though marked by one or two little
blunders in regard to country life, such as that rook-
shooting and partridge-shooting go on at the same
time of the year.—The West of Scotland Magazine
has more light literature than usual. Two rather
amusing tales, a paper on " Clerical Authors of
West Scotland," " Dr. Livingston and the Probable
Future of Africa," are the best specimens of its
powers.—ln the Churchman's Review " Bishop
Biomfield and his Times" is still the leading attrac-
tion. The Review, however, is remarkable for a paper
of short pithy paragraphs on the leading ecclesiasti-
cal subjects of the day.—Paved with Gold con-
tinues to increase in interest. Having run away
from school, little Philip becomes first a cress-seller,
then a crossing-sweeper, and promises ere long to
be "a tumbler." It is one of the best serials we
have, and much better than Little Dorrit.—We
fear the Train does not quite exemplify the motto
placed on the titlepage, but it is very readaole over
the postprandial cigar. We recommend it to eschew
politics as it has hitherto done. The specimen in
the present number is ominons.—Of the Irish Metro.
politan Magazine and the Commercial Magazine,
which we have only just received, we can only say
that from glancing at their table of contents they
appear to be improving, and to promise some enter-
taining reading.

Of Nature and Art in the Cure of Disease. By Sir
John Forbes, M.D. London : Churchill.
SIR JOHN FORBES holds the sensible opinion that the
medical men of the present day exhibit in their
treatment of disease as much want of trust in nature
as over trust in art, and it is to combat and expose
such misconceptions, and to substitute in their place
"juster views of the animal economy in disease and
"juster views of art's relation towards it," that Sir
John Forbes advocates his principles in print.
Ernest Stahl, nearly two centuries ago, iii his " Ars
sanandi cum Expectatione opposite Arti curandi
nude Expectatione," wrore .—" True medical or
artistic, expectation is that which, while carefully
observing and watching the salutary operations of
nature, is content to do so without offering assist-
ance where it is not needed, or 'limiting this assist-
ance to the giving of prudent counsel, such us
recommending to the sick temperance and patience;
yet, in the proper place, recognising not merely the
propriety but the necessity of artificial interference,
and yielding it accordingly; still, however, in every
case, having due regard to the proceedings and co-
operation of nature, according to reassa and ap•
proved experience." "As to the methodus medesuli or
indicaticn of treatment to be followed (tie says, in
another place), it is clear that it must have reference
to the disease itself, and not to drugs or other reme-
dies. The first consideration is—ls it necessary to
prescribe a remedy at all? so, we have then to
consider not so much what remedy is best, as what
effect is desired ? and this is to be sought for not. on
pharmaceutical but pathological grounds. We are to
judge, according to the peculiar character of the
disease, when and in what order the operation indi- •
cated is to be instituted ; and then, and not till then,
it is time to look about fur the instrument with which
we are to work."

Doubtless, between the two evils of doing nothing
and doing too much, the true and rational system is
to be found whereby nature may h, assisted to a
nitre ; but the error of all such writers us Sir John
Forbes is that they take min not as he is but as he
ought to be. Navin of course does a great deal,
does everything for a savage who lives in mountain
air, drinks pure water, and hunts before he eats his
dinner. The viB mcdicatrix in this being is of a far

MAY 9, 1857.

more pungent quality than that in civilised man, who
takes little exercise, eats five meals a day, and drink►
beer, wine, and brandy. The simple rule of use
against abuse in diet is at the bottom of all the new
medical theories. It is the basis of homoeopathy and
of the cold-water cure, and Sir John Forbes would
have us apply it to drugs. To those persons who
habitnate themselves to the constant usP of a pet
drug, we recommend Sir John Forbes' book ; it will
go far to disabuse them of their error ; while for
medical men, we can only say the argument appears
logical and incontrovertible. Sir John, we see, an-
nounces his intention of taking up homa3opathy in a
second volume.

The Egyptians in the Time of the Pharaohs. By
Sir Gardner Wilkinson. London: Bradbury and
Evans.

TIII9 popular abridgment of Sir Gardner Wilkinson's
great work upon the " ',Manners and Customs of the
Ancient Egpytians " forms a valuable handbook to
the study and comparison of the different styles of
Egyptian sculpture and architecture in the Crystal
Palace or British Museum. A careful summary
of all that is known of the early habits, pursuits,
and domestic life of the people is given in the first
chapters, but the limits of the work necessarily pre-
clude anything but a general sketch of their advance
in art and science. The progress of the Egyptians,
says Sir Gardner Wilkinson, from early times would
certainly be an interesting inquiry:—

They were a people peculiarly wedded to their customs,
in which time made little or no alteration ; and the few
changes they underwent, or admitted, as in the size of
their temples, or the luxury of their homes, were mostly
consequent upon advancement in wealth and civilisation.
In other respects, they were much the same under the
early and later Pharaohs. But it must be borne in mind
that we tit) not see them in their infancy as a nation ; we
find no archaic style of art, no prinneval habits ; and the
general character of the people, as of their architecture,
had been long established when we first become ac•
luainted with them from their monuments, and continued
to be the same till the decline of Egyptian power. What
their primitive habits were it is difficult to say, or what
they might have become if left unfettered by conventional
regulations.

Nothing has ever yet been discovered to illustrate
the position of the Egyptians when they migrated
into the valley of the Nile, and Sir Gardner Wilkin-
son hazards the opinion that it is "not probable"
anything will ever be found to show what they were
as an infant nation :

Much has been said of resemblances between them and
the people of India; and the cow of Athor, nt Deriders,
worshipped by our sepoy soldiers, has been cited as a
proof of a similarity of religion. Of this, however, we may
be certain, that neither the Hindoos borrowed from
.Egypt, nor Egypt from the Hindoos, who were not even
settled Month of the Purijaub at the time when Egypt was
flourishing. Whatever relationship may have existed origin.
ally between the Egyptian and Hiniloo races before they
both left Central Asia, we look in vain for any between
them after that period. Even if commerce at a later time
established tin indirect intercourse with any pert of India,
this could have hail little influence on the customs of either
people, who never came into actual contact; and with
regard to southern India, the aboriginal tribes of that
peninsula ( its sole possessors in thosedaysl were of atotally
different extraction from the Hindoos, who overran the
eauntry at a period comparatively modern in the history of
Egypt. If certain customs of the Egyptians are found to
resemble those of the Hindoos, they do not prove any
relationship between the two races ; and we may look to
the Asiatic origin of the Egyptians to account for any
analogy between them and other Oriental nations of
antiquity.

This volume is handsomely illustrated with nume-
rous coloured engravings and woodcuts, and contains
in addition a valuable paper upon the study of
Egyptian hieroglyphics, by Mr. Birch.

Doll's New Parliamentary Companion. New Edition.

London : Whittaker and Co.
fly the time Parliament has met for the despatch of
business, this excellent parliamentary handbook,
well printed, carefully edited, and as concise and
accurate as circumstances would admit, is placed at
public disposal. So many changes have occurred in
the House that the publication of a new edition
within the period of the dissolution and re-assent
bling of Parliament reflects the highest credit upon
the industry and skil of Mr. Dod. Several improve-
ments and additions, rendering reference more easy,
have been adopted, such as designating the politics
of peers by word in place of symbol, correcting the
club list, placing the Post-office district initials after
each address, recording the votes against church
rates in 1855, and also the votes of the Liberals who
opposed Lord Palmerston in the China debate, and
of the Conservatives who supported him ; while on
the opinions of new members, Mr. Dod has in all
possible cases preferred the exact words of the
member on the hustings or in his address to any
other definition of his politics. Mr. Dod is forced
to adopt this plan, he tells us, from the close balance
of parties, which necessitates "a more extended
statement than ip the days when ' Whig ' and 'Tory,'

fiE PRESS.

Conservative ' and 'Liberal,' served to classify the
house." In these days, as in those, the House con-
sists of two great parties, the Conservatives and
Liberals ; and the subdivisions Mr. Lod has thought
it necessary to adopt are net always so accurately
placed as we could wish.

PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED.-M.'r

BOOKS.

Essays, Critical and Imaginative. By Pro'essor Wilson.
Part IV. W. Blackwood.
Dark and Fair. By Sir Charles Rockingham. Three
vols. Hurst and Blackett.
New Zealand or Zealandia, the Britain of the South. By
chitties Hurathouse. Two vols. E. Stanford.
Oliver Cromwell's Letters and Speeches, with Elucidations.
Three vols. Chapman And Hall.

Jack Hinton, the Guardsman. By Charles Lever.
Chapman and Hall.
The Two Dianas. T. Hodgson.

Essays and Sketches. By the late W. Pitt Scargill.
R. Hardwicke.
Ballads and Songs. By David Mallet. Bell and Ilalby.
Parlour Library.—Thl Woodman. T. Hodgson.
The Press, the Pulpit, and the Platfur n. C. Newby.
Confirmation Manual. J. F. Hope.
The Reason 11,:hy, Honlston and IVrignt.

Narrative of the-Defence of Kars, Historicil and MilitUry.
By Colonel Atwell Lake, C.B. R. Bentley.
History of the War in Afghanistan. By John William
Kaye. Vol. 11. B. Bentley.
The Sister of Charity ; or, from Bermondsey to Belgravia.
Two vols. R. Bentley.
The Life of Handel. By Victor Schcelcher. TPubner.
G‘rendoline and Winfred. Poems. John Minot'.
A Manual of the Practice of Elections in the United
Kingdom. Denning and Co.
Speeches on Social and Political Subjects. By Henry Lord
Brougham, F.H.S. Vol. 11. • Griffin and Co.
La Fleur et La Fenille. Poeme. Basil M. Pickering.
Handel: his Life, Personal and Professional. A Sketch by
Mrs. Bray. Ward and Co.
Suggestions for the Repression of Crime. By Matthew
Davenport Hill. John W. Parker and Son.

i 1 us IC.

HER MAJESTY'S THEATRE.

Is it necessary for a prima donna t.. understand the
art of vocalisation ? Is it sufficient for a singer to be
enabled to act, and is it quite superfluous to be qua-
lified to master the scales? These questions have
been answered by the frequenters of Her 3lajesty's
Theatre ; and their decision is that they do not
require Piccolomini to be a musician, and that they
are quite content because she can act. The recep-
tion of the new Lucia has established this theory.
Be it so ; but then would it not be expedient to
announce in the operatic aches—" Lucia will be
Played by Mlle. Piccolomini, but the music will be
sung by the other artistes in the east ?" It would be
a libel to so designate her execution of the aria
d'entrata, and of the grand scena in the last act, as
singing, unless it be taken as a burlesque. Of all
the Lucias we ever heard in any country, we cannot
recollect any other instance than that of last Thurs-
day of such a total massacre of Donizetti's score, in
the soprano part, as that by the piquant Piccolomini ;
and she resorts to her " evasions," as a contempo-
rary mildly terms them, with irresistible naiveté. If
she was in a difficulty in an ascending passage, she
gaily tripped over the notes with a spnsmodicfortissimo
which made the judicious writhe and wince, but which
produced thunders of applause from her reckless
admirers. Leaving, however, Donizetti's Lucia to
her fate, Piccolomini's Lucia, if she had spoken the
words, wauld have excited no little interest. There
is much earnestness about her, and when there is a
determination to do, accompanied by youth and per-
sonal attractions, occupants el stalls become very
lenient. There was no end to the ovations she re-
ceived, so our notions must be in a miserable
minority. It was curious to listen to the refinement
and finish of the new tenor Ginglini by the side of
his inamorata." He sang charmingly, and now
and then magnificently. His love phrases in the
opening duo were delicious; there was such intensity
about them, and they were so gracefully conceived
as well as executed. Another fine singer was in the
cast—Signor Belletti, as the inexorable brother,
Enrico. Vialetti as Bidebent did duty as basso se-
condo—his proper place. The incomparable Alboni
will appear next Tuesday as I'osina, with Herr
Reichardt as Count illmarira. Charles Braham is
also engaged as tenor, and it is rumoured that Ma-
dame Frezzolini will also be included in the troupe,
to sing Mendelssohn's Lorely, which is to be put in
action and produced at one of Benedict's three
" musical festivals" at this estAblisbment. Beetho-
ven's " Pastorale " symphony,. is also to be dra-
matised pantomimically.