The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1838-05-08 00:00:00

LITZRARY NOTICES.

Blackwood's Magazine. May, 1838.
The best.article in the present nUmber4is_ " Father
Tom and the Pope ; or a Night at the Vat ican"-L-show-
ing how Father Torn went to take pot-luck at the Vati-
can—how Father Tom sacked his Holiness in Theology
`and Logic—how Father Tom made a hare of his Holi-
ness in Latin—how Father Tom and his Holiness dis-
puted in Metaphysics and Algebra—and the reason why
• Father Torn was not made a Cardinal. The dialogue is
eminently rich and characteristic. The practical jokes
:are extremely laughable; and the sly hits at the doc-
trines of transubstantiation and the authority of the
church are exceedingly well managed. " Tomkins
Ite-
•divivus" does not rise much above mediocrity. Of the
,-epigranis it may with truth be said "sunt plura mala."
The remarks upon "The supposed sensibility and intel-
ligence of Insects" display much profound reasoning.
.The writer has evidently studied the subject with great
'attention. "Sketches of Modern- Greece" are very in-
teresting, though melancholy in some of their details.
"'The Battle. of the Frogs and Mice" is capitally ren-
dered. The stictures on "M. Athanase Cocquerel" are
-sensible and judicious. "A Vision of Noses" is a splen-
did article, in which the absurdities of the craniological
school of philosophy are exposed to merited ridicule.
" The Arabian Empire" is a paper of a very curious cha-
-radar, the style of which is exquisite. " Our two
Vases" will be found as replete with sparkling gems as
ever.

Fraser's Magazine. May, 1838.

A splendid number, as gay and frolicsome-as the merry
May itself. " Lessons of Illiberalism" ought to be read
by every man and woman in Great Britain, and we sin-
cerely hope that means will be taken for the purpose of
this powerful article an extended circulation. its
reasonings are unanswerable. " Casa Wappy" is a spe-
cimen of true pathos. "The Anatomy of Gaming," by
the immortal Nimrod, continues to interest and instruct
as much as usual. We hope that the exposure s hick
Mr. Apperley has given of the iniquities of the gaming
- table will deter many. from rushing into the toils of the
artful blackleg. The essay on " The effect of abolish-
ing all laws relating to Debtor and Creditor" is very
dispassionately written. " A Cantab's notion 3 of April
Fools, May-day, and other Sentimentals," are particu-
larly lively. " The Newspaper Press of Scotland" em-
bodies a historical critique on the Edinburgh papers.—
" Naval Novelties" is a very well-written paper on the
po-dtiliarities of style, of Captain Marryat and Captain
'-Grascock. We do not much admire "Our Club at
Paris." The style is too rhapsodical. The analysis of
" Mitchell's Thoughts on Tactics" is one of the best ar-
ticles in the present number. "The Yellow Plush Cor-
respondence" is piquant-in the extreme. The characters
are extremely well developed. The criticisms on " Chan-
Aling's- Literary ' and Political Essays" are, in our °pi-
llion, much too favourable. " Christmas Revels," the
'Great Fire of 8.," and a continuation of "The Homeric
Ballads" are all capitally good.