The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-10-18 00:00:00

CHAMPAGNE AND BURGUNDY WINES.

Under the reign of Louis XIV., a great dispute arose
concerning the relative merits of Burgundy and Cham-
pagne wines, and the preference due to the one or the
other. This quarrel originated in a thesis, maintained at
the commencement of the 17th century at the Medical
School of Paris, in which it was asserted, that the wine
of Beaune, in Burgundy, was not only the most agree-
able but the most wholesome. This thesis excited no
murmur at the time; from the 13th century the wine of
Beaune had always enjoyed the highest reputation, and
no one dreamed of disputing it. But forty years later
they risked a proposition much more rash than the
preceding one : it was maintained, in the same school,
that the wines of Burgundy were not only preferable to
those of Champagne, but that the latter attack the nerves,
cause a fermentation of the humours, and infallibly bring
on the gout in persons not naturally subject to it. They
fortified this incredible opinion with the authority of the
celebrated Fagon, chief physician of Louis XIV., who
had just forbidden the king, as they said, the use of
Champagne wine. The Champagne people took fire —it
was time—the dangerous heresy threatened to spread ; so
they attacked the Burgundians bravely. The latter de-
fended themselves with equal courage. The battle waxed
warm. Each party sought to crush their antagonists
with heavy writings. The inhabitants of Burgundy pre-
tended that the wine of Champagne owed its vogue en-
tirely to the influence of Colbert and Louvois, the then
ministers, one of whom was a native of Champagne, and
the other in possession of immense vineyards. The
Champagne growers proved that this assertion was false
in every particular. Long before the time of these two
statesmen, said they, the French got tipsy on Champagne
wine ; ergo, they valued that exhilarating liquor. This
argument was irrefragable. They might have added that,
from the 16th century, the wine of Ai, a canton of
Champagne, enjoyed such renown that the Emperor
Charles V., Pope Leo V., Henry VIII. of England, and
Francis I. of France, were anxious to possess this nectar,
and tradition assures us that each of these great sovereigns
purchased a close at Ai, in which a little house was built
for a vine-dresser, who sent them every year a stock of
wine, which enlivened their repasts.
The subject of liquors is pursued at considerable
length, and the book is richly, indeed profusely
embellished with well-executed engravings of the
drinking vessels peculiar to different countries and
periods ; representations of banquets and other
festivities, conspicuous among which is an elaborate
picture of the " grandiose and sympathetic" ban-
quet, as M. Soyer calls it, which took place in the
Guildhall at York in October, 1850, where the
Mayors from all parts of the kil gdom assembled
in festivity, to honour Prince Albert and enjoy
themselves. Altogether the book is a beautiful,
and will be found an interesting one.

Fern Leaves, from Fanny's Portfolio. London :
Ingram, Cooke, and Co.
This beautiful edition of the sage observations
and quietly humorous sketches, is spiritedly illus-
trated by Birket Foster, whose sedate but expres-
sive pencil seems guided by the wisdom, while its
effects are also softened by the kindly humour of
the fair moralist. Of the pen and ink sketches, by
Fanny herself, who, it is whispered, is a near
relative of Judge Haliburton, the world-renowned
" Sam Slick," it would be difficult indeed to speak
in terms of praise .higher than they merit, and
nearly as difficult to pronounce upon them a more
favourable opinion than has been already accorded
to them by the public and the press of Great
Britain and America. They abound in delicate
strokes of satire, tinctured with such a charming
admixture of good sense and kindly feeling, as at
once carries conviction to the heart, while it effec-
tually disarms resentment. The satirical pen of
Fanny is charged with milk, oil, and honey, as well
as gall, the latter ingredient being so sparingly
used, and so nicely commingled, as only to produce
an agreeable flavour in the mixture.

Select Speeches of Kossuth. London : Triibner.
These speeches, which are edited, condensed, and
abridged by Francis W. Newman, under the express
sanction of Kossuth, consist, with only three ex-
ceptions, of those delivered in America, and form
subjects of intense admiration to the editor. His
enthusiasm, however, has not blinded him to the
extreme redundancy of the peripatetic Hungarian's
oratory, although it has prevented him from ob-
serving that the proper instrument for curtailing
the exuberant masses, was the axe and not the
pruning knife. Many of the most offensive points
of bombast by which Kossuth vainly sought to
entrap the sympathies and kindle the enthusiasm
of the cautious Yankees, are judiciously omitted ;
but even yet a vast deal could be spared. As it
is, however, the volume presents a fair memento
of the American performances of a very extraor-
dinary actor. -.

Frederika Bremer's Works. Translated by
Mary Howitt. London : H. G. Bohn.
This, which forms the second volume of Miss
Bremer's works, in the handsome edition published
by Mr. Bohn in his Standard Library, is, like the
other volumes of the series, carefully and correctly
printed from the best text. It is very cheaply got
up, and is altogether a handsome volume. The
beat criticism which can be offered as to the excel-
lence of the work is furnished by the title-page,
which tells us the present is the fourth edition ;
when the works of an author during his lifetime
run through four translated editions, they need
not the aid of commendation ; the public has
already pronounced favourably upon their merits.

The Alain Family. By Alphonse Karr. Trans-
lated by R. B. Brough. London : Ingram and Co.
A stirring tale of personal adventure,well written.
The scene is laid on the Norman coast ; the charac-
ters are ably pourtrayed, and delineate the rustic
manners of the peasantry and middle classes of
that country with fidelity and spirit. The volume
is illustrated by cleverly designed and well executed
engravings.
The Life and Adventwres of Dick Diminy the
Jockey. By Priam. No. 1. London : Vicicers.
This is the opening of a story in which the
" doings" of certain gentlemen on the " turf" are
threatened to be shown up. The tact and readi-
ness of exposition displayed by " Priam" in what
may be called his " literature of the turf " are such
as to hold out the highest promise of which the
kind of work he has undertaken is susceptible ;
and from its commencement we are
.inchned to
augur well of the career of " Dick Dimmy."

NEW MUSIC.

Thomas Baker's Modern Piano-Forte Tutor.

London : Jullien and Co.
The term modern piano-forte tutor is applied to
this work, because its intention is to assist the
pupil in overcoming the difficulties of modern
music. Mr. Baker observes :—" The style of piano-
forte music being, within the last few years, so
entirely changed, and a new school established, it
is necessary to pursue a different course of instruc-
tion, so as gradually to develope to the student
the beauties and peculiarities of the modern
school. Many good players are unable to execute
modern piano-forte music, from not having under-
gone the proper course of instruction to simplify
and explain what appears to them impossible of
execution." To obviate the difficulty here pointed
out has been the object held in view by the author
in this " Tutor," which imparts the necessary
explanations, and by that means facilitates the
labours of the student in this important branch of

study. The plan of instruction is explicit and
efficient, and it ought to be an addendum to the
musical collection of every school and family.

L' Art du Chant, Applique au Piano-Forte.
By T. Thalberg. London : Cramer and Co.
In this publication the intention of Thalberg
has been to accommodate some vocal pieces by the
best masters to the piano-forte, especially attending
to the singinc, part—the melody. His adaptation
of these to the instrument has been very ingenious,
obviating that defect in the piano which renders it
difficult to prolong and sustain sound. The twelve
parts, of which the collection consists, will form
an excellent addition to our general piano-forte
music.

lTalse d' .Adieu—a Farewell to England; the
Atlantic Galap ; News from Home Quadrille—
composed by Jullien. Jullien and Co.
Three admirable compositions for the ball-room,
and quite equal to any of Jullien's former pro-
ductions. There are beautiful touches of pathos
in the " Adieu," and in " News from Home."