The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-12-25 00:00:00

LITERARY Npuc,s,

A Faithful Picture of the French Revolution, with a full de-
scription of the attendant horrors, illustrated by numerous
details of the sanguinary cruelties committed by the mob
and the military on the helpless and innocent populace.
By W. Currie Arncil, A.M.
This is an exceedingly instructive and well written little
volume, and is most seasonable at a time when a reckless
desire for political mutations, which would but result in con-
fusion and ruin, pervades the minds of the ignorant, who
constitute a large portion of our population, and who are but
too prone to give a ready ear to the delusive doctrines of the
infidel and the anarchist. The author, in his preface, re-
marks :—" In the present state of the public mind, and of
public affairs, the records of the French Revolution form a
book in which some of the wisest political and moral lessons
may he read. Arising from causes so numerous and so
mixed, leading to results so disastrous, and holding out to
the masses of society an example, not only of the danger, but
inefficiency, of suddenly shaking off any established rule, the
scene can scarcely be brought too broadly, or too often, be-
fore the public eye. The haze that surrounded the events as
they occurred at the time, is now nearly dispelled, and the
details can be presented in their true colours."—The autho-
supplies a narrative of deep but painful interest ; and conr
eludes in the following words :—" The Revolution bad by
this time reached in its blighting influence every class of the
community, from the highest to the lowest, whether they
were those who first fanned the flame or at last yielded to its
fury. The king, the clergy, the nobility, the burghers, the
peasants, and the paupers, were all in their turn crushed be-
neath the wheel which their own hands had helped to set in
motion, or to whose revolutions they wished to give addi-
tional rapidity. France had now become a self-conquered
and self-exhausted country, and had every other nation in
the world, pursued the same course at the same time, the
human race would have become extinct. It devolved upon
the daring and dauntless genius of Napoleon, to fix upon the
only door of escape, from misery, starvation, and death, by
replenishing the exhausted treasury, feeding a famished sol-
diery, and employing an idle population in the territories,
and at the expense of surrounding nations. He led his troops
into the fertile plains of Lombardy, into which, as into a pa-
radise, thousands flocked after him, not so much to share his
glory, as to avoid the wretchedness that encircled them at
home, victory crowned his arms, and encircled that head
with a diadem, which by a slight reverse in his earlier mea-
sures, might have been made to roll on the scaffold."

On the Principles of Sound; their application in the con-
struction of Public Buildings, Ss.c." By A. NV. Webster.

London.

Mr. Webster is already known to the scientific world as
the author of " A Treatise on the Structure of the Ear, and
Deafness ;" and the present work will, we doubt not, add to
the fame he has acquired as an aurist. The author first di-
rects himself to furnishing a popular definition of the princi-
ples of sound—its origin, motion, sonorous pressure, trans-
mission in various substances, the attraction of sonorous
atoms to solid bodies, and the general principle of sound.
Under this head he supplies a number of highly interesting
facts, evidently the result of long application and experiment,
directed by a vigorous mind, and conveyed in a manner which
renders the study of the science at once pleasing and instruc-
tive. The second part relates to the application of the prin-
ciples laid down, to the construction of public buildings ; and
as this involves valuable practical facts, we submit a few ex-
tracts. He states—

" It has been assumed by Palladio, and is generally ad-
mitted, that a chamber best adapted for the purposes of bear-
ing, seeing, sufficient ventilation, and elegance of appearance,
should be of the following proportions;viz., the breadth two-
thirds of the length, and the height four-fifths of the breadth;
thus a room 60 feet long should be 40 feet wide and 32 feet
high. The church of St. Mark, at Kennington, is construct-
ed on nearly these proportions, in respect to length and
breadth.

" The hall of Christ's Hospital, Newgate-street, is 157
feet long, 52 feet wide, and 47 feet high. A pulpit is erected
against one of the side walls, at an equal distance from each
end ; and though the orators are generally youths, whose
ages range from sixteen to nineteen years, hearing through-
out is perfectly good.
" The theatre of the Royal Institution, Albemarle-street,
is stated by Dr. Faraday, in his examination before the
House of Commons, to be almost perfect for a single
speaker; and though often referred to, preparatory to the
construction of other theatres in London and elsewhere, none
equal it in the facility with which the speaker is heard.' It
is a building the plan of which is rather more than a semi-
circle, and is 60 feet from side to side, and 44 feet from back
to front. It has a large gallery. The walls are ordinary
walls, and the theatre is c.,nstructed within them ; in many
places we pass between the theatre and the walls. The for-
mer is wood (fir) all round. It will hold about eight hun-
dred persons."
" The French Chamber of Deputies was erected on the de-
sign of a committee of the most eminent architects of France,
who had previously examined the most celebrated ancient
and modern buildings, to guide them in the plan of its con-
struction. It is of a semicircular form, surmounted by a
flat dome, and the chord line is about 96 feet. The chamber
is addressed from a rostrum a little in advance of the straight
side, and is admitted to be admirably adapted to its purpose;
but the principles of its construction are inapplicable iu a
great degree to the Houses of Parliament, where the speeches
are delivered from opposite sides, and from no particular po-
sition. Under such circumstances, probably the square form
is the best ; and I have found, on inquiry, that the late House
of Commons, or St. Stephen's Chapel, was of the proportions
before detailed, in respect to length and breadth, being 60
feet by 40 ; but its height was only 26 feet ; and every per-
son entering that house must have been struck with the low-
ness of the ceiling, which resembled rather the proportions
of a rabbit-hutch than those of a dignified house of assembly."
With reference to the new houses of parliament, our author
says—

" Presuming that the area of St. Stephen's Chapel was
sufficient for the members of the House of Commons, the
number of which remains the same, I would recommend that
its old proportions of length and breadth be preserved, hut
that the ceiling be elevated 6 feet, thus making it 32 feet ;
and that the house, to at least the height of 20 feet, should
be lined with wood of a durable kind, as its reverberating
quality is improved by age and dryness. This lining should
not touch the floor, but be separated from it by a marble
skirting, to cut off all sonorous communication. Galleries
should be erected at each end. That in front of the speaker,
for strangers, should extend from side to side, and might be
made 124 feet deep, while that at the opposite end, behind
the speaker, might be 74 feet deep, and devoted to the use
of members or select visitors. There would thus remain an
arena of 40 feet square, in which no galleries, projecting or
retiring should be permitted."

The reader will find in the third part of the work an inte-
resting exposition of the structure of the various parts of the
ear, and its adaptation fotiike faculty of hearing—illustrated
by an engraving; but weillust refer the reader to the work
itself, which will amply repay a careful perusal.

A Retrospective Address to the Provincial Medical and

Surgical Association. By R. Wakefieid Scott, M.D.

This address was delivered by our townsman, Dr. Scott,
to the Provincial Medical and Surgical Association, which
held its eighth anniversary at Southampton in July last.
As the title states, the address is retrospective. Com _
mencing with the large field of anatomy and pathology, Dr.
Scott observes, that the past year has been more than usually
fertile in contests between rival claimants for discoveries.
He then refers to a controversy in which was re-opened a dis-
cussion respecting the discoveries in the nervous system of
Sir Charles Bell. Dr. Scott embarks rather warmly in the
controversy, and, after what appears to us a fair examination
of the claims on all sides, comes to the conclusion, that, no
other than Bell can claim the merit of the discoveries alluded
to. The present amount of our knowledge in other branches
of this division, but relating chiefly to the nerves, is then
described. The physiology and pathology of the fluids form
the next branch of enquiry : this, with the remarks on the
organic chemistry of the blood, the structure of the mucous
membranes, are strictly professional. The experiments of
M. Orfila to ascertain whether arsenic exists naturally in the
earth of cemeteries (which recently obtained some attention
in this country from their connection with an alleged case of
murder in France) are alluded to in that branch of the Re-
trospect which relates to medical jurisprudence. Dr. Scott
thinks with most scientific men in this country, that little or
no importance can be attached to the present results of these en-
quiries. Various improvements are next enumerated in materia
medica and therapeutics, some of which are described ; this is
a very interesting portion of the address, and it seems to us tha
it may be read, not without advantage, by every practitioner
Some medical observations on fever and various diseases con-
clude what may be called the strictly professional part of the
work. We should not, however, omit to state, that Dr.
Scott earnestly presses upon the members of the association,
the utility of medical statistics, as the means of procuring the
best information on the influence of local causes in the general
health and Inortali roklhe country. The details thus sup-
plied, he mention- :Tied to be arranged each year by
a section appoin 'tfripurpose. After naming the ap-
pearance of so •• raters, and the death of some of the fathers
of the profes .n in most becoming terms, Dr. Scott con-
cludes by a few appropriate general remarks, on the union,
for general purposes, which is happily prevailing among his
brethren.

When we mention that Dr. Scott was selected to deliver
the Retrospect annually published by the association, after
Dr. Forbes, we pay a higher tribute to the industry and
learning of the author, and also to the merit of the work be-
before us, than any we are able to reduce into language.

A ONE-SIDED FENCE.—The New York Sun describes a
fence made of such crooked rails, that every time a pig
crawled through it came out on the same side.
A NEW TALE OF THE BORDER.—An honest countryman
of the North called one morning at the printing-office of a
newspaper, formerly published in Aberdeen, and thus
ad-
dressed Mr. B—, the head of the establishment—" They
tell me, sir, that you print things here. Is't true 2"" Quite
true," was the reply. " But I want to know if you print a'
torts of thing.; ?" "0, yes, to be sure, all sorts of things."
"! Here, then !" exclaimed John, with an air of great satisfac-
110n, laying at the same time a large parcel on "
,the table,
clap a flower-border roan' that ; its myelin rite s shawl.