The Press.
London, England, 1854-07-22 00:00:00

SATURDAY,

fined within the echoing limits of the mountains or
Palestine. The written word (that is, its universal distri-
bution ) is given to the Isles with unlimited circulation.
These two are the beginning and the end, the limited and
the unlimited. Feeling belongs to Rome, as the Catholic•
or universal systematic sense, the great organiser. Smell,.
or metaphysical taste, belongs to Greece, and the Grecian
nose is, perhaps on that very account, distinguished, in.
social parlance and public estimation, as the model of per-
fection. Taste, or physical refinement and discrimination,
characterises France as the gastronomical and fashion
leading nation of modern times. We know no better
representatives of the five senses of the human body than
these five nations of "The Divine Drama," which represents
the universal or collective body of the civilised man.
Some of our readers might be amused with
the dogmatism and rhapsodical fancies of this.
work; but we must say that many of them
would be offended with the presumption and
flippancy of its composition. They will find
numerous passages written in the spirit that.
is apparent in the following extract, referring,
to the Redeemer :
This era of the humanity of the Jewish mission lasted;
till the great political and final dispersion, and the two,
great principles which thus characterise the whole twofold
mission were personified at last, or summed up in the,
character of that mysterious personage whose most appro..
priate description is the Divine Humanity, the embodiment
of the two natures, the human and the Divine.
Our readers probably do not desire to hear
more of what " that mysterious personage,'"
the " Rev. James Smith, M.A.," chooses to
print about revelation. re have noticed his:
book at such length as being a duty incident
to us as reviewers to give cautions about the.
character of certain volumes which from time
to time are introduced into circulation. If the.
author were content to take a lower theme),
and if he condescended to philosophise with
reference to reality, and to avoid confounding
fancies with facts, he has abilities enough to,
distinguish himself in letters.

The English Envoy at the Court of Nicholas I. By
Miss Julia Corner. London : Hodgson.
•

THIS is an original novel, making its appearance in
the cheap form as one of "The Parlour Library"
series. Miss Corner has applied her talents in a
new department of literature, and her present per-
formance is creditable to her pen. But its title is
calculated to mislead, as no allusions to the " envoy"
and " Court of Nicholas" are made until we are
half way through the volume, and scarcely twenty
pages are then given to the scenes in Russia, which
appear to have been " written in." An English
gentleman, interested about a Russian exile, goes to
Petersburg, and obtains an interview with the Czar,
who is described as swearing "by the holy St. An-
thony" (p. 210), and who filially graciously pardons
the Baron Litofsky. The rest of the novel is a con-
ventional tale, written with fluency, but without any
invention in the characters.

Evelina. By Miss BurnAy. London : Harrison.
To those who now peruse it for the first time
" Evelina" reads like a historical novel, iu which
one is taken back to the formal manners and strong
contrasts of society eighty years since. Few things
are more romantic in the history of authors than
Miss Burney's lather taking "Evelina" home, and
its being read aloud in the family, without any one
suspecting who the real writer was, until, at the end
of its perusal, the weeping daughter threw herself
into her father's arms, and acknowledged its compo-
sition. The work still reads with great vivacity, even
after the voluminous diary of Mme. D'Arblay, in
which the writer's lively pen falls into the same mode
of description. The present edition is neatly
printed, with legible type.

A Practical Legal Guide for Sailors and Merchants.
By William Adam Lock. London : Longmans.
WORKS of this class are better adapted for those who
have to explain the law than for those who have U.
obey it. In responsible positions sailors and mer-
chants act under orders of their principals, or under
professional advice ; and thus, in fact, is " every man
his own lawyer." We doubt, therefore, whether the
word "practical" can be said to describe the charac-
ter of this "Guide." An appendix to the volume
contains the recent orders in council and acts re-
lating to prizes. The work is, with permission,
respectfully and gratefully dedicated to Sir James
Graham.

Verbal Inspiration. By the Rev: Joseph Baylee, D.D.

London: Seeleys.
THE work contains part of an intended course
of lectures on scripture philosophy and exegis,
which it is intended to deliver at St. Ardan's College.
In discussing the question as to how far the writers
of the Bible were inspired, he expresses an opinion