The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1854-04-18 00:00:00

REVIEWS OF BOOKS.

The Mediterranean : a Memoir, Physical, His-
torical, and Nautical. By Rear-Admiral Wil-
liam Henry Smyth. London : Parker and Son.

One of the remarkable features, which have
grown into prominence, out of the long-continued
European peace, now rudely broken, has been the
conversion of our naval and military officers into
the concoctors of books. To call them literary
men, in the strict sense of that term, might not
be quite an appropriate appellation ; but it would
be as unjust as it would be untrue to deny to many
of them the title of scientific men, and close ob-
servers. Among the latter of these, and occupyinc,
a place as conspicuous as it is honourable, stands
Admiral Smyth, a gentleman who, from 1810 to
the close of 1824, devoted assiduous and xmweary-
ing attention to the survey and general hydro-
graphy of the Mediterranean—till his day, in all
senses connected with the science of latitude and
longitude, in a useful and practical form, an
almost absolutely unknown sea. In the first in-
stance, in 1810, unaided by government, and
prompted only by his own love of his profession,
Admiral (then Lieutenant) Smyth, while in com-
mand of the Spanish gun-boat _Mors aut
made accurate observations in the Bay of Cadiz,
and, finding these differ considerably from the
fixed points and soundings laid down in the recog-
nized charts, he gradually extended his observa-
tions, and, by dint of perseverance and demonstra-
tion, was ultimately enabled to extend and perfect
such observations, under the authority of govern-
ment, till his labours at last resulted in an elaborate
and admirable series of charts of the whole of the
Mediterranean. Having long since completed his
charts, which have been published by the Admi-
ralty, and which associate his name and his
laborious researches indelibly with the hydro-
graphy and navigation of that important inland
sea, we need proceed no further with that topic,
mention of which was only necessary to ensure a
welcome reception for the memoir with which he
now still farther augments our knowledge of it
and the contiguous waters. To the mariner his
work will be a valuable one, treating, as it does,
of all the phenomena, aerial and aquatic, which a
long familiarity with these, combined with atten-
tive and judicious observation, have enabled him
to acquire and reveal. This book, like the charts
of its accomplished author, is scarcely less valuable
for dispelling imaginary dangers, than for the
means afforded by which to avoid real peril. To
the general reader it will recommend itself by
various charms, treating, as it does, in an authorita-
tive as well as popular way of the atmospheric
changes to which the region occupied by the iredi-
terranean is subject. As already hinted, his ob-
servations extend to the contiguous waters, and
as these waters, at the
.present moment, possess
an interest probably never before felt by British
readers, we extract the following brief but graphic
delineation of

TUB BLACK SEA (Pontus Euxinus).
An inland basin with a margin of coast generally
elevated and rocky, having a transverse diameter of about
650 miles from west to east, a conjugate one of more than
300, and an area of 172,000 square miles. Its modern
name is supposed to originate from the dense fogs which
occasionally cover it, or the danger of its navigation
arising from these fogs : at all events, it was much
dreaded by the ancients, who placed their Cimmerian land
of utter darkness on its northern shores. Besides the
fresh water from Asia Minor, it receives some of the
largest rivers in Europe, including the Danube Oster),
Dnieper (Borysthenes), and Dniester (Tyras), the Don
(Tanis), and the Kouban ; its waters are in consequence
only brackish ; and it is singular that, with such alarge
and constant accession of fresh streams continually

-------
pouring into it, any _ saltness should be retained. Its
depth in general is great, no bottom being struck with
160 fathoms of line ; but off the mouth of the Danube the
water deepens very gradually, and nearly as much so from
Serpent's Isle by Odessa to the Crimea. The streams of
the great rivers produce strong currents, particularly in
the beginning of summer, when they are increa' *1 by the
melting of the snows ; and when strong winds act against
these flowings, a chopping sea is produced, which in foggy
weather is dangerous to small craft. Independently, how-
ever, of such chances, the Black Sea is free from any
dangers ; having, with a trivial exception or two, neither
islands, rocks, nor reefs in the general track of naviga-
tion : and almost everywhere there are excellent anchor-
ages, affording good riding for the largest ships. Its
trade consists of grain, wine, timber, charcoal, pitch,
potash, fish, caviar, isinglass, shagreen, salted provisions,
cheese, poultry, butter, wool, hides, hemp, tallow, honey,
tobacco, salt, iron, copper, and saltpetre, but especially corn.

As a manual for the navigation of the Mediter-
ranean, Admiral Smyth's book should be in the
hands of every officer trading to that sea. To the
geographical student it will be scarcely less wel-
come or less useful ; and the classical scholar will
find in its pages explanations of many circum-
stances and phenomena, alluded to in such terms
by ancient authors as leads to confusion and mis-
trust.
_ .

Cavalry ; its History and Tactics. By Captain
L. E. Nolan. London : Bosworth.
Since the rupture with Russia has become a fait
accompli, our literature, as well as our amuse-
ments, are taking quite a military turn. Cam-
paigns and expeditions take the place of narratives
of peaceful travel ; and camp incidents are con-
siderably more in request than adventures in Hyde
Park or piscatory excursions to the banks of the
romantic Wye. From the prevalence of this gun-
powder tendency, it is readily apparent that, in
spite of the " Peace Society," the process of trans-
formation among pruning-hooks and spears,
plough-shares and swords, is undergoing a re-
versed transition to that inculcated by the " suck-
ing doves" of Manchester. A scarcely less obvious
conclusion is likewise forced on us, that many a
hand, now gracefully wielding the pen, will, ere
long, be found grasping the sabre. To our point,
however, from which we have been somewhat un-
intentionally induced to stray. At a time when
we are Just starting on an arduous military
struggle, the opportunity is favourable for critically
overhauling our " means and appliances " of
In the work before us, the author, with
a soldier's'*
eye, scans the history of cavalry tactics from the
time of " Macedonia's madman" to a period long
subsequent to that of " the Swede." The various
exploits and evolutions performed by cavalry in
the renowned fields of yore, or in more modern
days, are learnedly
and enthiastically discussed
and canvassed by Captain Nolan himself an
officer of Hussars, and evidently a keen scrutiniser
of cause and effect. In tracing the progress of
British cavalry tactics, and their most successful
promoters, we find the annexed

CHARACTER, OF OUR GREET )lILITABT REPUBLICAN.
Cromwell, 44 years of age when he first drew a sword,
showed himself a great soldier at the very. onset. He
himself raised, organised, and disciplined his troops of
horse, and set his men an example which they were not
slow in following. His mental and bodily energy, his
vigorous conceptions, quick decision, and the dread vehe-
mence with which he urged his war-steed into the thick
c..f. battle, made him a cavalry leader second to none in
"'story. Indefatigable and active, a good horseman, and
Perfectmaster of the broadsword, he had undoubted
ascendancy over the minds of his followers, and led them
through or over all obstacles that human prowess could
surmount.

In the above picture we have delineated many
of the mental and bodily peculiarities certain to
produce a gallant leader, and willing, as well as

emulous followers. Almost within our own times
we have had such a leader in the late Marshal
Beresford, the contagion of whose feats of skilful
bravery formed at once an incitement and an
example to deeds of valorous and successful daring,
and during the Peninsular campaigns contributed,
in a marked degree, to the success of our arms.
Captain Nolan is severe upon the ill-adapted
nature of our cavalry equipments, which he main-
tains, by their great weight, are serious impedi-
ments to the freedom of action in the soldier, and
most detrimentally oppressive to the horse. Him-
self attached to the light cavalry branch of the
service, he maintains its superiority in actual com-
bat over the heavy dragoons, and adduces nu-
merous instances and some cogent reasoning in
support of his opinion. With deference we must
interpose a doubt as to the absolute truth of his
inferences in this particular. The nature of the
duty expected to be performed by the two respective
classes of cavalry must, in a great degree, settle
the probabilities of their relative fitness for its per-
formance. For purposes of escort, skirmishing, or
pursuit—three important branches of cavalry ser-
vice—the palm is in all probability due to the
light cavalry ; for sustained operations of assault,
supporting or completing an impression made
by infantry, and for repelling the aggressive
movements of light horsemen, a body of heavy
dragoons seems naturally, and has, in point of
fact, been found the most deadly and efficient.
Captain Nolan is justly severe upon the constraint
and absence of free action imposed upon our
cavalry soldiers, as an article of faith and a matter
of duty, and maintains, with much feasibility of
argument, that well-poised accoutrements, and
agility of body and limb, constitute first-class
elements in the offensive or defensive capabilities
of a cavalry soldier. He reprobates, in eloquent
and convincing terms, the steel scabbard, as en-
tirely destitute of a single advantage to recommend
it, and enlarges upon its detrimental effects in
blunting the sabre's edge, reducing that important
arm from being, as it ought to be, a cutting in-
strument, to little more than a bludgeon of steel,
nearly as formidable to him who wields it, as to
him against whom it is wielded. As was to be
expected from one of practical experience, like
Captain Nolan, we have some admirable remarks
on the training and breaking of young horses, in
which a system of gentleness, combined with
restraint, but founded on the principles of reason,
are strongly and convincingly dwelt on. In short,
in Captain Nolan's book, the reader, whether
military or civilian, will find much to amuse and
interest, and no little to instruct him.

Johnson's Lives of the British Poets. Completed
by Wm. Hazlitt. London : Nathaniel Cooke.
The second volume of this very handsome series
of the biography of the British poets is now before
us. It justifies the expectations held out in the
first volume—that the series, when completed, will
form an admirable biographical repertory of those
bright sons of song who have contributed in so
high a degree to the intellectual superiority of the
British race, and who, by their genius and their
labours, have conferred eminence and immortality
upon the English language. In the volume before
us, we have notices, some of them necessarily very
brief, of not fewer than fifty-five poets, differing,
no doubt, in wide degree among themselves as to
relative claims on public attention ; still all of
them sufficiently noted to demand at least a pass-
ing record. Of these fifty-five, twenty are from
the classic and powerful pen of Johnson ; Mr.
Hazlitt standing sponsor for thirty-five. The
lives by Johnson contained in this volume are
Milton, Butler, Denham, Cowley, Dryden, Ros-
common, Sprat, Rochester, Sheffield (Duke of
Buckingham), Duke, Blackmore, Otway, Garth,
Montague (Earl of Halifax), Stepney, Wm. King,
Walsh, Prior, Granville (Lord Lansdowne), and
Pomfret. Of the poetes minores-whose writings
and lives are briefly recounted by Mr. Hazlitt, little
more requires to be said than that they aid in ren-
dering that circle complete which, without it,
would have presented only fragmentary parts.
They are treated with the stall, judgment, and
good taste which form so prominent characteristics
of Hazlitt's writings. When complete, this edi-
tion of the Lives of the Poets will form an orna-
mental, as well as a useful, edition to the library.
It is copiously illustrated, and handsomely got up,
and is withal published at a very cheap rate.

The Works of William Cowper. With Life of
the Author by Robert Southey, LL.D. Lou-

don : Henry G. Bolan.

The third volume of this charming reprint is
now before us, and it forms in itself a literary feast
of no ordinary or trivial richness. The volume is
almost exclusively devoted to the correspondence
of the unhappy, yet graceful poet, whole letters
are justly considered the most perfect specimens
of English epistolary composition extant. In their
arrangement and illustration, the cultivated taste
and masculine intellect of Southey have found con-
genial occupation ; and they are now produced in
a state which, in every point of view, entitles them
to public esteem and patronage. The advantages
of literary care and editorial skill are not the only
claims to public appreciation held out in this edi-
tion of Cowper's works ; the aid of art has like-
wise been liberally invoked in its embellishment,
and numerous portraits and landscapes adorn its
pages. The volume now under consideration is
enriched by two sweet landscapes from the pencil
of W. Hervey, beautifully engraved by Messrs.
Dumb Stocks, and E. Goodall • in addition to
which there are three excellently engraved por-
traits from the burin of Mr. H. Robinson ; not-
withstanding all of which expensive adjuncts, the
edition is got up and sold at an exceedingly cheap
rate.
_ _

History of Turkey. London : Rees.

A history of the origin, progress, and decline of
the Ottoman Empire is peculiarly interesting at
the present time, when almost the whole of Europe
is about being involved in war, in order to save
this bulwark between Europe and Asia from beinc,
absorbed in the great Empire of the North. The
author is Mr. George Fowler, whose work on the
" Lives of the Sovereigns of Russia" has been most
favourably received. He has here briefly shown
from whence the Turks sprung, their irruption and
first establishment in Europe, their conquests both
prior and subsequent to the overthrow of the Greek
Empire, and the prominent political events ofTurkey
to the reign of the present Sultan, including the
revolt of the Greeks. We have also a description of
Constantinople and many of the principal Ottoman
towns, from personal visits of the author, who spent
much time in Turkey, and many interesting statis-
tics of the Turkish Empire, both in Europe and
Asia, while the last chapter is devoted to the his-
tory of Mahomet, the Koran, the doctrines and
ceremonies of the Moslems, and a brief history of
the Caliphat of the Saracenic Empire. Such a mass
of information, within readable compass, on that
extraordinary phenomenon of modern history, the
Ottoman Empire, must prove highly interesting ;
and the manner in which the author has performed
his task will ensure for his book a very extensive
circulation.