The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1847-10-12 00:00:00

much calculate(
rived

dred, and especially of Bir

whole proceedings; an
he may say with Enea

must, 'how-ever, proceed to g

arrangement of the work

Th; opening chapter, from page 1 to rage 50, is occu-
pied with a brief sketch of the history of England, from
the earliest ages of which we have record, to the division of
the soil amongst the Norman followers of the Conqueror ;
and although the author apologizes for the length of this
chapter, yet such length has been plainly rendered neces-
sary to enable the reader to comprehend thoroughly the
position of the country at the period from which the prin-
cipal families in the hundred date their titles. The re-
trospect is also interesting from the fact that Chester, its
capital, was a city of note both in the time of the Romans,
and as having been in the time of the Saxons the capital
of the kingdom of Mercia, and its chief defence for many
centuries, both before and after tile conquest, against the
hostile incursions of the Welsh.

The second chapter, pages 51 to 134, a most interesting
one, is devoted to a history of the city of Chester, from its
early obscurity to the time of the Romans, by whom it
was used as a place of great resort and strength, and an
important and flourishing port, and subsequently through
the Saxon era up to the present day, when it has almost
ceased to merit that title. We have in this chapter de-
tailed the share taken by its citizens in the various rebel-
lions and wars of the Saxon monarchs, in their resistance
to the Normans, in the civil wars of the Roses and, later,
the sufferings of the city from its loyal adherence to the
royalist cause, from which time its prominence ceased, as
we do not find that the citizens interfered in the attempt
to re-introduce the Stuart dynasty, after its expulsion
from the throne by the Prince of Orange. The ecclesi-
astic history connected with Chester is also luminously
traced. _ _ _ _

s 135 to 170 are occupied with a general

criptive

tate of fts climate, roads,

cultivation, &c., together with a very interesting inquiry
into the probable condition of the estuaries of the Dee
and Mersey in early periods. Pages 171 to 304 contain
sufficient notices of various parishes and places in the
hundred. with the antiquities to be found in them ; and

page 304 commences a history of " Claughton and ancient
Birkenhead," which is traced from the Norman conquest
to the present day, and necessarily occupies a considerable

Cory and present condition of the now important town of
Birkenhead, together with every particular connected
with its general and financial affairs, form one of the
most important features of the work. We have al-
ready spoken of the peculiar fitness of Mr. Mortimer for
this part of his task ; and only feel bound to say here that
he has executed it with great judgment and fairness. It
may appear singular to a reader of this notice, not con-
versant with the affairs of the locality, that we should use
the latter word in speaking of such a publication. The
initiated, however, will understand us well ; and for those
who are not so it will be sufficient to explain that this
portion relates to the proceedings of, and has been written
amongst, a community which unfortunately is greatly

0 ,
divided at present, and yet that it cannot be said to have
any leaning of praise or dispraise towards either. The
work concludes with a most interesting appendix, con-
taining extracts from some of the authorities who have
been consulted. It is also interspersed throughout with
valuable notes ; and contains a map of the hundred and
several illustrations._ _ _ _

We congratulate Mr. Mortimer upon the manner in
which he has executed his arduous task, and trust that his
work will meet the extensive sale which it deserves.

The Drawing Room Magazine for September and Octo-
ber. London : Houlston, and Stoneman, and Bogue.

This monthly publication, in addition to devoting a
considerable portion of its columns to articles of choice
literat-Te, affords much information interesting, and we
may almost say in the present day, indispensable, to ladies,
on the subject of fancy needle work. Each part contains
a number of beautifully executed coloured drawings of
ornamental and useful articles,. which are accompanied
with ample directions for their manufacture. In the
number for October are given engravings of a knitted shell
mat, crochet cheese doyley, neck tic in Grecian netting,
and crochet couch or chair cushion. The design of the
cover of the magazine is the most chaste and delicately
beautiful one we have ever seen.

Hoyo's Weekly Instructor con
able a

4-sins much that is valu-
h a beautifully

and is enriched wit
engraved portrait of Professor William Allen, whos
was very prominently identified with the cause of slavery
abolition, and of whom a well written biography is given
in the pages of the number before us. Where so much is
excellent we are slow to find fault, but we think the style
and sentiments of the articles entitled " Reminiscences of
a tour to England," by the Rev. G. Gilfillan, are not, on
the whole, creditable to that gentleman, though portions
of them may be impartial and graffic.

The half-yearly volume of Sharpe's London 1
offers an extraordinary mass of excellent matter, as in-
structive as interesting, and is embellished with six large
exquisitely fine engravings. An attempt to enumerate
the contents of this volume is utterly vain, but they are
not the less valuable in kind, notwithstanding. The new
editor promises in the preface of this volume to render his
pages still more attractive by " introducing a higher and
purer style of writing than has hitherto been observable
in the pages, and to make perceptible in the tales and
stories a deeper and more elevated tone of feeling." He
also announces his intention of giving more frequent no-
tices and reviews of new publications.

klagazine

Religion and Poetry

Nisbet and Co, London

This work consists of a considerable number of selec-
tions from the poetical works of the Rev. R. Montgomery,
who, as our readers well know, has devoted his genius and
talents to the service of Christianity, and done all in his
power to cement the alliance of poetry and religion. The
compiler has classified the extracts under their appropriate
heads, and seems to have culled the most interesting
passages from the author's poems. A very effective and
elaborately written criticism, on the poetry of the rev.
gentleman, is given in the volume in the shape of an in-
troductory essay. The writer of it is Archer Gurney, the
author of " King Charles the First," &c. The critic's
opinion will no doubt be read with some degree of inter-
est, since, as he well observes, " there are few subjects on
which more conflicting opinions have been expressed than
the degree of merit attributable to Mr. Montgomery's
poetical works."

VARIETIES

Liverpool has become one of the first, if not the first,
corn ports in Europe.
THE TONGUE.—By examining the tongue of their
patient, physicians discover the diseases of the body ;
and philosophers, the diseases of the mind.—Poynder.
INGATESTONE, ESSEX.—This word, in Saxon, signifies
" The One God's stone," having been anciently so called
by our Saxon invaders, who found there the Christian
cross erected in opposition to the many false gods of their
, idolatry. '