The Press.
London, England, 1854-02-11 00:00:00

PERIODICAL LITERATURE.

NEW PERIODICALS.
THIS is the first part of the Home Companion, a new
cheap magazine, partly didactic, but principally
amusing. Its articles are lighter and more popular
than those of Chambers, but they are not so
instructive. On the other hand, it is cleverly
Illustrated, and is a good substitute (its price being
tevenpence per monthly part) for the old Penny
liagazine. We need not say that all such serials
lave formidable competitors; but It is "a wide-wide
sorld," and there are hosts of persons who will gladly
velcome the cheap and pleasantly attractive pages of
tie Home Companion.

IhE Monthly Journal of Industrial Progress (No. II.)
isa creditable undertaking. Its editor is a chemist
ofrec, gnised reputation, and the journal is under the
pttronage of the leading men of science connected
with the Queen's Colleges in Ireland. The contents
an generally addressed to the industrial classes of
tilt empire. Its "Notices of New Improvements"
are particularly valuable, and constitute its principal
feature. Some of the ot*.er articles are rather stale.

139

"Flax " and "Art-Unions" are subjects about which
enough has been written. Retrospective sketches of
the mercantile life of Ireland would popularise the
periodical for Irish readers, and coax them into the
perusal of its more solid articles. We wish well to
the undertaking, and we look forward with interest
to its future monthly numbers.

THE conductors of the Irish Church Journal state in
their prospectus, "We propose to open our pages to
writers of all shades of opinion," a system which we
do not think suited for literary publications. The
specimen of the first number does not make us
sanguine about its success.

ADDRESSED to "all classes," Our Friend, whose se-
cond number is now before us, appears designed
chiefly for the operative or industrial population.
Its articles are remarkable for brevity and variety.
In the present specimen there are nineteen papers,
occupying about fifty pages. A useful epitome of
current events, brought down to the 10th ult., is ap-
pended to the magazine.

THE Law Magazine (Quarterly Review) contains a
good selection of ten articles besides the other usual
matter. We look forward with pleasure to an elabo-
rate essay on the late Lord Plunket in the next num-
ber, for in this we observe that the space allotted to
the distinguished orator and Lord .Chancellor of
Ireland is only about a fourth of that which is de-
voted to a comparatively obscure Scotch judge, and
even in this short notice there is a ludicrous misprint.
It will surprise Lord Campbell to learn that " he will
" ever be remembered for the parf he took during
" the debates on the Union, and for the attacks made
"on the Treasury bench." Lord Plunket will not be
measured in the history of Ireland, or amongst the
orators, bj the space this careless notice occupies.

THE New Monthly Magazine for February is one of
the best numbers that has appeared for some limo.
The opening article is on "Leasing," and the con.
eluding one is a critical notice of Mr. Bell's edition
of Dryden. Interspersed are a comic tale of " Mick
Cassidy's Boots," by Dudley Costello; a biographi-
cal notice of the American Prescott, recollections of
foreign travel, and a seasonable paper called "Anna-
bel Annesley's First Valentine. The notice of
" Moore's Diary " is below the mark, but the average
merit of the other contributions is fully up to what
we should expect in this old popular favourite.

THE Art• Journal for February contains its usual
complement of designs—the " Val St. Nichols.,"
by J. 1). Harding, being the best of its copper en-
gravings, and the woodcut of Schnorrs' " Return of
the Prodigal " an admirable example of the German
school.

WE have heretofore had occasion to speak of the
talent which the Church of Scotland Magazine and
Review displays, and of the general interest which
many of its articles possess. The present number
exhibits no falling off in either characteristic.
Among its contents is an able paper on the " History
of Gold," wherein we find a curious hypothels
started touching the auriferous strata in Scotland.
Quartz rock, according to the writer, is almost in-
variably rich in gold ; and, as there are eight hundred
square miles of this material, averaging one thousand
feet in thickness, to be found in North Britain,
there are probabilities of incredible treasures to be
extracted when Berdan's or some other scientific
crushing-machine is duly applied.

Tait opens his February number with an anti-Mal-
thusian article, entitled "The True Law of I'opula-
tion," in which almost every paragraph contains a
fallacy, and every calculation a blunder. The re-
maining papers in this number of Tait show a much
better quality, and some of them are highly inte-
resting.

THE name of " William Newton " inscribed as the
editor of the Englishman will sufficiently denote its
purpose. It is designed to advocate the rights of
labour against capital, and the interests of work-
men against employers, upon principles of which Mr.
Newton has already become the exponent through
other channels of publicity. The Englishman com•
menced at the opening year as a weekly journal, and
the present number presents the first four numbers
in a collected form.

[We see no occasion to remark on Ainsworth's Ma-
gazine for February—Paul Peabody (No. IV.)—
Ditainy the Jockey (No.''.)—Household Medicine and
Surgery—M•Phail'a Edinburgh Ecclesiastical Jour-
nal—The People's Magazine—The Family Friend—
The True Briton— and Orr's Circle of the Sciences.]

140

PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED.
Boors.
Our Cruise in the !incline. J. W. Parker and Son.
Paul Clifford. By Sir E. Bulwer Lytton, Bart.
Routledge.
Nog& : the Solace of Rare Leisure. By the Rev. J. Banks.
Hardwicke.
Lady Lee's Widowhood. By Captain E. B. Hamley.
111ackwoods.
The RUSBO. Turkish Campaigns. By Colonel Chesney.
Smith, Elder, and Co.
Adams's Parlianwnt ary Handbook. Edited by E. Morton,
Esq. Adams.
Beflectionsteont Nature. Poems. By 11. Harris.
Pickering.
7'/,c Protestant in Ireland in 18.53. Seeleys.

PAMPHLETS.
Preface to a Complete Edition of Pamphlets on Naval
Affairs. By Vice-Admiral Bowles. Ridgway.
Oxford Reform and Orford Professors. By H. H. Vaughan.
J. W. Parker and Son.
The Theology of Table-Turning. By the Rev. M. S.
Godfrey. Seeleys.
Church Questions, with Scripture Answers and Questions.
By the Rev. J. Lancaster. Seeleys.
A Letter to the Lord Chief Justice of England. Hy
It. Sill.
The Claims of Lord Palmerston to Fill the Post of Prime
Minister of England Considered. Boone.
The French Revolution. A Poem. Canto 11. By J.
Monier. Bosworth.
_ _

NEW Music.
Arouse, ye Men of England. Song. By C. W. Glover.
Jeffreys.

Itt puma.

H►YuARKET THEATRE.—Press of matter compels
us to postpone our notice of Miss Cushman's per-
formance of Meg Merrilies until next week.
THE LYCEU3I.—On Tuesday evening last this
theatre was well tilled, but the audience had scarcely
taken their seats when they were dismissed by an
intimation that there was to be no performance, as
Mr. Charles Mathews was unable to appear. The
following morning the advertisements and bills were
put forth as usual, announcing the evening's per
formance; but, before the doors opened, a placard
was posted, announcing that, owing to unavoidable
circumstances, the theatre would be closed that
evening. No explanation is given of this unexpected
occurrence.