Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1848-09-02
NATIONAL INTELLIGENCER.
NOTES on NEW BOOKS.

iacIdiag part Of The Arkansas, Del Norte, aud Gila
Rrers. BIZ Lieut. Colonel WIN. H. EMssr mule IN
1857 rchh the adrancea guard Of the army Of the
West" 3eM Congress, la session. Senate Erecuttce
document No. 7, December l6, ls47 Read and order
ed 10 be printed, and that thousand cPes in adton
to the usual number be printed for the Of the Senate,
Washington WelGeH@ Van Benttuyen printers, 1913.
spo., 4l6pp, - . .
o. enterprisng book publishers in the present
day, they of whose issues the above is one-the
Congress of the United States we mean--the firm
of the Capitol-are growing to be one of the most
productive, il not most discriminating As blblio-
poles, the business which they drive is not perhaps
immensely profitable: nor can we always entirety
commend the paper and print which they use ; nor
say that for topographic correctness their editions
always vie with the 8 Immaculate" texts OF 3D.
doni or Baskerville or FOULS or Didot. The royal
press of Parma, the imperial of Paris, hepapal OF
the Vatican, give one, 1t may be more, OF the dMce
of printing and possibly republican press might
afford us higher utile as to the wear and tear Of
those double gates of knowledge, our eyes. But
what then? Germany, reputed the most erudite
country in the world, rejoices in endless loads of
the most execrably printed books the student has
ever shed tears over since the art which shenvented
was born. Perhaps by vieng with her in lampblack
looking pages we shall rival her in learning. And,
if printing be so vile in the land which was its
cradle, why not be as wreched in another, which IS
perhaps 10 be lis grave
Amidst, however, this desert OF brown paper be-
grimed with blotty ink, there are-though at long
'mtervals-green spots. Such, as 10 the mechan!-
cal execution was the recent narrative of the explor
ing expedition under Capt. WILKES such are to
be. we know, the several sequels containing the
natural history of the same voyage; and the forth
coming charts of our coast survey are becoming
national monument of art as well as science among
Us. The " State Papers, issued from this Office,
tof which we may now speak because the edition
is exhausted,) form necessary help to the more
recent history, diplomatic and legislative of our
Government; while Mr.. FoRcE's able and tho
roughly skilful Documentary History"is gradual
ly enlightening and establishing all the earlier
mails of our Contederacy. These examples, COM
paratve!v few as they are, of what an enlightened
considerate system of governmental publication can
achieve for the information of the county. should
animate the great Book-concern'' of which we
are speaking TO the idea of better things, wiser
munhcence in the endlessy and often uselessly
multiplied volumes which they print, as if for the
sole benefit OF conlectloners and retail grocers TO
Line trunks, clothe spice, or futtering in a row,
Re-trnge the walls Of Bedam and Soho
Even if patronage to the press and Jobs to paper
mills De the relgning care of Congress, why not
FOR printing the valuable is surely as remunerative
as the worthless-make the public instruction at
least subsidiary thought! 1t were easy to point
out hundred subjects Of national concern on which
might be employed with excellent fruit the enor-
nous, the needless expenditure now lavshed every
year mare and more, upon publications, ordered in
endless multiplicity of copies, that, unread but by
the weary composltors, pass at into waste pa
per and are sold by the pound, or, at best, perish
utterly. after some impending party struggle, some
election at hand that has given them birth and sees
them die. Each department of our public service
the fiscal, so well begun by DR.. Mayo the reve-
nue., the public domain, the coinage, Including our
medaliic history our treaties and negotiations our
consular establishments: the rise and progress of
particular cultures that Of the chief useful arts
our public works, our system of Notifications, our
military and naval establishments our CARRYING
trade. our fisheries sur furs and peltries our saed
provision trade. and that of breadstutfs our coA,
IRON, copper, salt, gypsum lead, and other mineral
statistics; our timber trade the history of our In.
dian relations and policy. All these. we repeat,
and many other subjects of the highest public mo.
ment solicit governmental attention, but solicit ii
IN valn while things bad or preposterous, schemes
OF enlarged dominion forever useless, if each new
acquisition is to be no better managed than the DID,
seem alone TO commend themselves 10 the practical
thought OF our Executive and Legislature. "Gov-
ernments" some wise radical not long since pro.
nounced) " do US good enough when they abstain
from doing us harm;" but ours is really getting
quite beyond this sagacious notion of rulers mega.
lively good it takes, TO be sure. excellent care to
exercise no beneficial powers but, alas it is most
eager and active of every pernclous one. Really,
except that It's presence, its personal aspect and
discourse are not quite so imposing, it is marvel
lously like Millions description of Belial:
a fairer person lost not heaven he seemed
For dignity composed and high exploit
But all was false and hollow, though his tongue
Dropped mamma and could make the worse appear
The better reason, to peTplex and dash
Maturest counsel. For his thoughts were blr:
To rice industrious, tut to muller deedS
Ti0torous and siothfuL
Among the book-enterprses Of the house which
We set out with commemorative, hardly any have
been so popular as its publications Of the several
Exploring Expeditions of Col. Fremont and, fol-
lowing up the same track, it has now given us a
hastier and therefore more imperfect journal, but
one, nevertheless, Of great interest and mer-this
of Col. EMORY. Dispatched upon this forlorn ser
vice with only twenty-four hours intellectually
more than time enough for making those testament
airy dispositions Of ones affairs which seem the
most indispensable preparation for such expedi-
tion-and taking the field rather the chief of a
little typographical party TO army on its march
than a. scientific explorer or observer, Mr. Emory
has yet contrved on, Of very little than field
notes 10 make narrative often quite agreeable, and
81 IL