The Express.
London, England, 1858-01-23 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

27t. Lett", of Betrothei. Lcapouss.

This is a novelty in literature. That Maidens have
ban betrothed, and that betrothed maidens have written love
Wan, *we is every reason to believe. Indeed, we should
not be cessesabie with r if we boldly asserted that
doh nes the ease. That the oust= was known to the
entisiste is elver tram the tradition' which have reached us
liwpmtlag "the derk•balred, spotless, sweetly-emiling
Sappho," es Alcor terms her. That it was not lost in the
ink age, to evident by the impassioned 'pinkie of Midi%
Hoed
" Ils those deep solitudes and awful cells
Where heavenly pismire contemplation dwells."
And that love letters, in the emanation of the moderns, are
*meat reale', is mean from the pope/a:Ey of " Hen-
rietta Temple." But for bend fide love letters to be pub-
lished simply on the plea at their own merits is at first eight
rather au extraordinary procedure. Of amatory writing we
may may what Dr. Johnson said of devotional poetry, " that
the paucity of lie topics nave= pespetael repetition." Hence
probably it is that se math enumment is created in courts
of law by the poblis weal el love letters. Everybody has
some notion ed what is ossaing, Ind laughs at finding that
what dem sem le se very ekes to, or so very cowl more
award ihms, hie weeonception The "Letter of a Betrothed"
are wrings to show that good nese and refined merit are
by us none inconsistent with the expression of the most
sant hangs of affection. They establish their point
prettily eneegh, and ought to be bound up in future with
that mythical voLmns, " The Complete Letter Writer."
Die Mohawk Me. Three Volume*. Newby.

In taking up thee. three excessively thin volumes
the first quid= that occurs to um ie—have we not reed all
this MAIO The reader exclaims with Wordsworth :

" My heart is idly stlned,
And the same sounds are la my oars,
Wild is my youthful day I heard."
We bad thought that the North American Indian was used
up, sad that MS ethnology had discarded him for rams
lan known. Tile author of theme three volumes, and of "The
Fall of the Nan floang," a work of which we most, however,
mlastently =atm oar gamma, thinks otherwise, end eo we
have ea old skim with variations, very manznendably got up,
with ell the proper raembleary sad appersdas, which might
per kir a lolka al maiderable merit If we could forget the
saletema of numb palthatiese es the "PadrW' end the "Last
of the Nohlosnm." As It la, the Ode sea address Itself
to those renders only whose indinatainMe appetite for mere
novelty of narrative readers the laramible to all other con-
sideratima.

Ohat &gni. ma ?Amami ewe. By King Fliewax.L.
Baiiiry.

Airy Aire and Minim for sietity. By X. 0.. spit nrz.
nth.

Airy Tabla. By COTIIIIRT BID; B.A. With Musks-
. doss, by Aim= CIOWQVILL. Batley.

We have witnewed within the Let few years a
wonderful reaction l the public mind. There was a thee—
oar adddie-eired redden ma renumber it well—when the
selhookosotsr was greed, sad useful knowledge mew
quietly wee to gnat demand. Doll doge rejoiced greatly,
far woe not their lifinennium already come ? All mem, lore
wee Imploded. Jock Homer was pat,in the owner and old
Mother Hubbard was cruelly confined to the en;heard to
which she went to fetch her poor dog a bow. Bat the
world soon got tired of this precocious sham; sod testy a
Bon he potdceate is tot a pleasant sight. If all the world
Is solitary—lf plillemphy ma give no definite answer le
the errant pretioalege of the hump lesert—if the moo I
know the mare I neat to know, and the lees chance there is
of my knowing it, why should I make my short Ilk Wm-
able P Let zee Mho the goods the gods provide, and be
thankful. Somehow or other humanity will persist to be-
lieving that there is Neon than ordinary men can em and
bear—that then Is mother world than the matter-of-tact one
la which we live—end that around us, by day and night,
an signs and wonders—fairies and demons—air, from
beeven, bleats frees
. _

" Black spirits and white,
Blue 'wits and grey."
The authors whom we have placed together at the
hied of this article are all stoutly of this opinion, and
they have done the best they could to make others of the
mum opinion, and at this sewn of the year we confess that
it is by no means Inpopehr, and gay bachelors at unreason-
able hours finding their vielig way Into lonely chambers in
the Temple or Lbemula'a-lan, sad elderly or senaltive parties
main to a troubled deep alter a too ample supper, do
setnally beer and me damp Shp. We all know the demon
of domebee west mod beedgmet dead Mr. Priirweire demons
er sheets ere of the sem thereeter —theme besevolcmt par-
anoias indeed, end acme to ms—es a awleb German lady,
• royal &vomit*, tahmeall ea anspwated English public a
haradrid years ago—hw our "geode' dome of Mr. Friewell'e
Wee we hams reed ere, bet they will bra emceed reeding.
The Fes* Chemise refer private eating. Bame al the young
Needs of the entherimellepleisni to her that d the pub-
lished Wks alestlng words were merit only for grown-up
people. NM* We *sedate dem net apply so her work.
which drones to be a ilavonelle with the yew. But frot
the very pew remnad is to lir. Cuthbert Beide "Wig
Fables." Hard end be the beset of boyar phi who am reed
wlthest modes of the beentliel dentift of the
polite hog Lieksywickey, by mum of which lie
via the aseilea heart of Mies Crasher, and lived
lens and happily on the lima estate; and really
we gains love the cannabg Whimitorlyn, who would
net merry the peed daughter of the King of Rat-
leak hat profaned Wiled the beautiful Italia* who was
SS lovely in rebid ea la body, and whom he ultimately mar-
ried, to the joy of all Catlin& And for Barlemugarina—the
Queen of the Twelfth Calcee:-who would not lay him down
end BO" We have ally to odd that m " Fairy Fables "
Aland OrewqeM he. dams Ms Met In illeetratkas, u Cuth-
beet Beth to the isiter-plas.

fIM Almeida if endows. Brehm In. ROBIN?
---- - - - -

sox, LL.D., !.8.8.L., b Loudon : W.rd sad Co.

Than is • pill dal Sand decimals& in
this vehmeon • map* in vigil dalm•tb• hi dem
sag oil marelly kdramtlag. Ms Utl Is sot ham. Or
salheradlhar ii it Thew* no- an, air Mad Ni their
Medlar wiles ; tar do vs sae why ow pod nue hap
Met WPM sal Ohms asillaL Mawr, doeraim, Pod,
Dania, Wieldpla, Woke, Lear, Xadsr, Tycho-
InistoLagire, Odin, the Plpls Nam, Onsavall, era
dr Doe. Oargo eel* Wailer dTi Sy Chap{ Popsy,
Looks, it Dr. rilrelligies peel aes•. It is tams dr hat
unid gatimma is se ill• Wye of mad* he ha eat •
ladloaos, while we Pad ad diraesdio, bat of whisk we
give s paw Is Mine ask at it mire as night flee
Ai, Wag to

4411, blears Orel of sale mincth"
wan, the 1555 kid beacon slid. "N.
,IN Dr. Penmen, " aro 111 the rain will yes de, sr
ojoy me hop ipso la Sims of the pabikt, be so dee*
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