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

better than his poetry. The preface is writ-
ten in fine manly style. If many men of his
calibre, with his sound heart, imaginative
mind, and healthy views, are among the
diggers—as it is likely enough there are—we
need have no fear for the ultimate prosperity
of Australian society.

6. The " Poem " in this case is to the me-
mory of the Duke of Wellington; and the
" Pamphlet " is a bundle of notes tacked to it,
indignantly commenting on the conduct of the
Government. It is certainly remarkable, as
the writer urges, that no sooner was our great
hero laid in the grave than elements of ambi-
tion on one side, and of meanness or worse on
the other, should have gathered to produce
the storm now raging on the banks of the
Danube. Tho verse exhibits hearty feeling
an 4 robust intellect, as in the few lines follow-
ing:—

Lo! safely anchor'd by their rival's side,
Fleets big with fate and arm'd for vengeance ride;
But vain the warlike pomp, the hero crew,
The gallant many serve the craven few;
Condemn'd to wait till dotards courage find
To give the word that saves the human kind.
From the native force and passionate flow of
many passages like the above it seems not im-
probable that the author may become a better
Churchill of his day.
7. If the author of this volume is a young
man we shall expect to meet him in the fields
of literature again. The present volume,
besides a play and translations, contains four
other poems. They exhibit much varied
power over the difficulties of rhyme and metre,
and are on every subject grave, gay, lively,
and severe.

The Russians of the South. By Shirley Brooks.
Traveller's Library, No. 33. London : Long-
mans.

GOOD judgment was shown in selecting the
pi esent volume for the popular " Traveller's
Library." Its title is no misnomer, as its in-
teresting contents present a most lively and
various picture of Southern Russia. In their
original publication we read these letters with
great pleasure, and, apart from their season-
able value, they deserve reperusal from their
graceful style. We like the smoothness and
unstrained composition of Mr. Shirley Brooks.
When occasion requires he can be picturesque,
but there is a balance in his mind, and he is
not always hunting for the merely graphic,
like some writers who think of nothing but
effect. Mr. Brooks addresses the intellect as
well as the eye ; and his account of Russian
agriculture is one of the best that we have
seen. He has successfully hit the medium
between the sketcher and the factological
traveller. Thus, after describing the bazaar
at Odessa, he passes with easy transition to
the condition of the [people, realising at once
their external aspects and internal being :
The persons who preside over them have no affinity with
their wealthy hoards. The peasant here is a wretched-
look.ng being—.lirty, ill-clad, and hungry-looking. His
sluggy beard, huge boots outside his trousers, dingy blue
freak, and rough cap, speak of hardships of all kinds. But
give him a short black pipe, and spirits enough to madden
sal then to stupefy him, and he will not complain of his
lestiny. The female of the same class is even more easily
contented. The tub residences to which I referred are
among the features of the monster market here, and they
are inhabited by women. Elevation, ground-plan, and
other architectural contrivances, are all comprehended in
a single effort. A large black cask, somewhat resembling
a sugar hogshead, is laid on its side, and the house is built.
A quantity of hay is laid inside, and the house is furnished.
The lady gets in upon the hay, and the house is inhabited.
Before the entrance of the mansion she strews the onions,
tomatas, or whatever else she may vend, and during the
hours of business she sits in the tub, smokes her pipe,
chaffers with her customers, and says her prayers. After
business is over she ascertains in which quarter the wind
sits turns the closed end of her tub towards that
quarter, and creeps to rest in peace and tranquillity. But
some of these women are ambitious, and take to building.
They do not, indeed, demand marble staircases and
mahogany doom; but they take two tubs, which are laid
face to face, at a distance of three or four feet—and over
the interstice, tubs and all, is placed a watertight canvas.
The fair occupant (two or three whom 1 saw, though not
literally fair, were extremely pretty) has then two rooms,
besides a hull ; but this luxury is not adopted by the older
class, who think that we ought to adhere to the customs of
our ancestors.

And so throughout this well-timed and most
readable volume. Another of its merits is,
that its writer does not obtrude himself or
his personal discomforts ; and we could desire