The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1852-05-13
LITERARY NOTICES.
CentreUiHe, Indiana.

New AND IMPROVED STANDARD FRENCH Ann
ENGLISH AND ENGLISH AND FREScm DICTIONARY.
By A. g. Collot late Professor in the University of
Co. For sale by Taylor 4 Maury, Washington,
d. C., Pa avenue above 9th street.
MIR. Collot complains in his preface of the
want Of comprehensive and complete French
and English Dictionary, and criticises very freely
the performances of other photographers The
works of Fleming and Tibbins he dismisses as
more bulky than meritorious, containing vast
mass of materials, badly arranged, and marred
by definitions often false and erroneous" To
Spiers he comedies accuracy of definition 50
far as he attempts to define; but he leaves
many words underlined wearies the student
with a complex system of figures and signs
and, as to pronunciation, gives no rule what
ever for the modification which the vowels up
dergo when they change their position in the
words.
Mr. Collot Of course endeavors to avoid the
errors of his predecessors to supply their de-
fciencies, to improve on their excellences.
And he has given us very full dictionary,
satisfactory, we judge, as regards definition;
but he must allow us to say that his rules for
pronunciation will never teach an American or
Englshman to talk French like Frenchman.
On the contrary, a cursory examination has
convinced us that they must at times mislead
the student For example, what kind of
sound would he be taught to give to the words
bien, ten, &c, by such instruction as this
"En frequently takes the sound of in in bien,
tien, mien, which are pronounced bin, TIN,
mi-in.'
A Frenchman would be puzzled to make any
sense out of such sounds as these
WHAT / SAW IN LONDON. By David II. Bartlett
Auburn: Derby Miller For sale by R. Farm
ham. Pa avenue. Washington, d. C.
This is the result of observations in the great
metropolis, made during residence there of
two years, by Mr.. Bartlett one of our young
and enterwising cOuntrymen. Our readers
will reeOllect him as at one time the London
correspondent of the Era He deals with
men and things, and the traits Of English
everyday life, kindly and pleasantly, and he
has made a neat volume of excellent reading
The KNiokERRocKER. May, 1852. New York:
Samuel Hueston.
The great attraction of the May number is
a long extract from an unpublished Poem, by
Halleck. The editors gossip is delightful.
BEEcHER's WORKS Vol III. Boston: John p
Jewett Co For sale by X. Farnham Pa. avenue
and 18th street. Washington.
We are glad that the works Of DR.. Lyman
Beecher are about to be given to the public A
prominent actor in the generation that is
now passing away, he has outlived neither his
energy nor reputation. Few controversialists
hsve been so successful, few preachers SO effect
i've few lecturers 80 popular. His writings so
far as published, are characterized, as might
have been anticipated by those who have list
ened to his oratory, by fire and force Of intel
lect, great boldness of conception, imagery of
rugged magni6cence, and an untamed energy of
expression, at times abrupt and startling.
The volume before us contains sermons de-
livered on various occasions. Pity they bore
not another title-so different are they from
much of the humdrum that goes under that
name. The publishers have adopted a very con-
venient form, and the typography and paper are
every way agreeable to the eye
They will oblige us by sending us the first
volume.
NoTEs, EXPLANATORY AND Practical, ON THE
REV nv
York: Harper 4 Brothers. For sale by Franck
Taylor, Pa. avenue Washington, d. C.
This volume closes the commentaries of Mr.
Barnes on the New Testament When, twenty
years ago, he commenced his labors, his plan
embraced only the four Gospels; but as is
often the case, it grew upon his hands, and at
last he has completed his Notes upon the whole
of the New Testament, in series of eleven
volumes. In the preface he states curious
fact. 1t seems that, to prevent his literary la
bors from infringing upon his pastoral duties,
he adopted the rule, at their commencement,
to devote to them only the early hours of the
morning rising at four or five o'clock, and
ceasing to write precisely at nine. these
Notes on the New Testament" he says land
also the Notes on the Books Of isaiah lob, and
Daniel, extending in all to sixteen volumes,
have all been written before nine o'clock in
the morning and are the fruit Of the habit Of
rising between four and five o'clock" That
fact in worth an essay on early rising and
shows the Intellectual wealth that may be
accumulated by economzing time.
As to the mode Of Interpretation adopted in
his comments on the Revelations, Mr. Barnes
informs us that without any preconceved the
cries or prejudices, without any bias without
even a definite idea Of the general purport Of
the book when ne commenced his Notes upon
it, he has reached conclusions which coincide
nearly with the views taken by the great body
of Protestant Divines.
VERY IMPoRTANT-The New York Democrat
and the New York Star are delighted with the
course Of the Hon. Mr.. Hart the only Demo-
cratic member from that city. We have not
the pleasure Of knowing the gentleman, and in
fact nothing has occurred to remind us of his
presence in Congress. We learn, however,
from these papers, that "no Northern man in
Congress stands higher IN the ESTIMATION o.
Southern members than Mr.. Hart" This Is
very important information. MIR MARI Is
highly favored, and should make MS eA",.eu
position matter of devout thanksgiving. The
first care Of Southern man IS 70 s'a"a mig"
in the esteem of his constituents tue mrs. uu'y
Of Northern man is TO stand high in the es-
lem Of Southeru men. We who live south OF
Masoo and piuou's line hope Northern men will
always understand their duty
rIa \ ao,slature Of naIaware