The Press.
London, England, 1857-08-01 00:00:00

THE PRESS, AUGUST 1, 1857.

during that, I believe, much miscontrued period. He
would be a bold geologist, who, after this discovery of Mr.
Bunbury's, should affirm that the interior of a carboniferous
continent may not have been studded with the most highly
organised structures of the vegetable kingdom, because
geologists do not happen to disinter their relics from among
the swamp plants of the Palaeozoic coal.

Over the Sea ; or, Letters from an Officer in India
to his Children at Home. Edited by the Rev.
S. A. Pears. London : Hatchard.

THIS is a very pleasant, sensible little volume, tho-
roughly well adapted to amuse and interest children,
wil bout being childish in itself. The circumstances
selected for narration and description show a culti-
vated taste and good judgment. The few hints upon
religion and conduct are unexaggerated, and becom-
ing in a work of this nature ; and the author's
political confession of faith is what might be ex-
pected from a sensible, simple-minded man who had
never troubled his head very much upon the
subject.

At Home and Abroad. By Miss Pardoe. London :

Lambert and Co.
THESE little stories are all nicely written, and we are
glad to see them republished. Father a•id Son,"
and " The Artist and his Mother," are, in our
opinion, the best. They are well adapted for the
railway reading of young persons, and are always
pure and healthy in tone.

The Forfeit Hand, and Other Tales. By T. C.

Grattan. London : Hodgson.
MR. GaArrAN has long established his title to rank
among our popular novelists. " The Heiress of
Bruges " and " Jacqueline of Holland " are still
widely read. The present little volume contains
matter not at all inferior to these celebrated tales.
Mr. Grattan has studied carefully the history, man-
ners, and general " costume" of the countries and
the period in which he lays the scene of his stories ;
and this, combined with considerable constructive
skill, cannot fail of producing readable and creditable
f►ctions.

PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED-JuLy 30.
BOOKS.

Letters from High Latitude. Murray
Grammatical and Idiumalic Studies of the French Language.
Longman'
Life and its Realities. Georgian& Lady Chatterton. Three
Vols. Hurst and Blackett

Eseayi; on Natural History. Third Series. Charles Water-.
low. Longman*
A Portion of the Journal kept by Thomas Raikes, Esq.,
from 1831 to 1847. Vols. 111. and IV. Ditto

Revision of the Liturgy. Groombridge—The Manchester
Exhibition ; What to Observe. Murray—A Vindication of
the Clergy Daughters' School. Murray—Bengal: its Landed
Tenure and Police System. Ridgway—What will the Com-
mons do with the Divorce Bill! Ridgway—Comments on
the Decimal Coinage Commission. Ridgway—Corrections
of a Few Errors contained in the Life of Sir C. Napier—
Smith and Elder—The Mutiny in the Bengal Army. J.
Chapman—The Authorised Report of the Mercantile Law
Conference. Longmann—Our County Courts. Partridge
—Official General Guide to the Crystal Palace. Bradbury
and Evans—The Admission the Jews into Parliament.
Skeffington—Why should we Petition against the New
Divorce Bill ! Skeffington.

PERIODICALS.
Irish Metropolitan Magazine. Simpkin and Marshall—
Davenport Dunn. Chapman and Hall—Paved with Gold.
Chapman and Hall—G'olburn's New Monthly. Chapman
and Hall.

IUS C.

HER MAJESTY'S THEATRE.
MOZART'S " NOZZE DI FIGARO."

Is Mr. Holmes's interesting " Life of Mozart" there
are some curious details of the first representation
of Le Nozze di Figaro at Vienna in 1786,
a work undertaken at the suggestion of the
Emperor Joseph, who was present at its pro.
duction, and who was appealed to in the Imperial
box, by the composer, to put down a cabal amongst
the singers—some of those conceited artistes having
determined that the Is'ozze should not be a success.
It is recorded that the refractory performers were
brought back to their duty by this Royal interven-
tion ; but whether the Emperor, like the Czar
Nicholas, went behind the scenes, or sent for the
singers, is not specified. Mme. Storace and Signor
Benucci were in the original cast. Kelly, in his
reminiscences, describes Mozart at the rehearsal in a
crimson pelisse and gold-laced cocked hat, giving
time to the musicians ; and when Benucci with
stentorian lunge came to the passage in the 4i Non