Star.
London, England, 1830-10-27 00:00:00

LITERARY INTELLIGENCE

.entizhip's Oaring for 1831.-Bmtru and ELDZIL

The • Annual." area clans of Literary productions of which this
country niay just be proud. The idea of an annual volume of poetry
and fiction, illustrat.d by engravings, originated on the Continent, and
e rentem INT some years ago seeing a volume of thi,t kind of no mean
pretensions as to beauty from the Leipaic press. The press v.; Preis,
too, haseelways prodeced a supplyof hide Annual Miscollaniesas Birth.
di.t• or New I ear's presents of great elegance and lash e• L'Almattach des
Muses," a work something of this kind was cortunenced more than forty
years and t••iistrtl through the reost stormy periodsof the revolutio.l.
We have been surprised and amused at readirg the volumes of this
work, which were pios!ished during the early terrific years of the French
revolution. We find, about the year 17110, duo 474171 et and the Rm.
press Josephine, both figured as contributors of Verses to 'hi.; 111i.cel-
lany, and that Collor d 'Herbois was then known only a. ateriter of dra.
matic pieces and love songs. Fabre d'Eglatt:inr, the revolution ...r ~e
the calendar, was likewise a frequent contributor of Madti,zal., oriel
mach in • ,cene articles of fabric. As we posses,: the voluntes,we may, per..
baps, se:.•ct a few sitecit-tens from them, by men of after relebtity in the
politic l world.

This courfrv, although not claiming priority as to the intention
of this of literary works, has far—very fat—surpassed
all that was ever accomplished in this line by any other ; and
as a proof of it, we need only refer to the volume now be-
fore use—We cannot designate it:as the first rose in bummer, bCC.AI:r it
happens unfiirtunately thsit our simile would he out or 8C11114!!, but
we may say, as the snowdrop of our winter bouquet. we welcome this
new volitive of " Friendship's Offering," being the seventh of that
elegant Annual.
The embellishovnts of this volume, 13 in number, arc not surpassed
by any pictorial embellishments we have ever seen. Not to siircify
some of the plates, as pleasing us more than others, would, perhaps,
leave an inference that had not closely examined them; but ready
when all are beautiful, it is not an e 'sr task to define a Cause of prefi•-
renee.—atid attempt it, it will prove ratlitsr a preteretee of
subject than a preft.resite of execution. " The plate to illustrai. the
31aid of Rajah:atm. by "'ender," we think is one of the most (ottani-
:4:ly executed—but when we lo 4: in the fair fax of " Adelaide,"
it pleads powerfully against any preference.
• The Halt of the Caravan," by Bramiard, is likewise a most bees-
tifully executed plate. St. Murk's PaLce, at Venice," engtaved by
Roberts, flan one of Peones drawings is executed most painfully correct.
The literary merit of this volume, like its predecessors is of a high cha-
racter of excellence ; as evidcnce fur which we need only mention, that
among its contributors are the names of Alias Matford, Honourable
Mrs. Norton, Miss Jewabury, Mrs. Taylor, 31iss Strickland, Mrs.
hail among the ladies, and Harry Cornwall, T. H. Bayley, Allan
Cunningham, Oak, Ilanini, Pringle, Delta, Kilning, and Roscoe,
among the gentlemen.
The tabs are all of them intcresting, at,! how coul:1 they fail to be as
when froni the pen+ of Miss 3litforil, Mr. Gil!, the author of the
O'Hara family, mid other experienee.l eel able writers of epics of do-
mestic life. It is of r custom gtnerally to extract.. a elatribution front
all the works we inaction. and our readvis wilt, wi• are sure' be pleased
by the following verses, by un old torourite, T. Harries Bayley. We
will. we could borrow the accompanying beautiful eugraving —of "the
accepted" as easily as we din the leuer-press.