The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1852-10-21

Methodist s-aets arc hero immortalised, while the
6rst OF modern historians rhierry the able critic
Professor Ampt the eloquent lecturer Stephens, the
sarcastic author Of anti.Oonigsby, William Norsh,
are passed over ia silence. OF the modern British
poets Bailey, the aathorof Festrs, Is despatched.
in five lines, and Sydney Yendys, who has been pre-
nouneed to be the man Of the time, Coventry at
more, Scott, Buchanan Reid, aud others, wholly
omitted. In Exchange, We have q fun aud par
ticulsr account Of the life AID sdventures Of
that great man, p. I. Bamum. We arc not
sure whether the authors who noticed are
not more legitimate objects Of. COMMUNICATION
than those who are ignored. rhe praise Is
laid on 70 clamsily that it resembles paid pub
more than jud,eiOas appreciation, and &c rarely
happens that writer Is given credit for all his titles
70 distinction. Thus Lord Mahon's biography does
not contain single allusion to mis- Life of Condo,
which is universally admitted to be his best work.
Aohillis life TO terminate in 1919, whereas
his fame viii rest his controversial exploits since
that year. M Cremieux is defrauded of the nobest
act he ever committed-rehabitatiug his fathers
memory by paying, in full, the debts for which he
had compounded with his creditors No mention
is made Of the Bhthedale Romance in the article
on Hawthorne; Of Pierre in that on Herman Mel.
vile; of Caret and Olives in that on ANGUS Reach,
Though their three works published some time be-
fore August 1852 tue date of the preface to tho Men
Of the Time" These who have enjoyed opportuni-
ties Of apprecatpg the vast scientific lore of Pro-
fe,sor Agassz, will be surprised to learn from this
work thaJ he has been amusing himself by writing
impressions de royagc ON Lake Superior-the COM
piler having blunderingly confounded the natural
that region, with Mr.. Cabot's tour on Lake Superb
or, to which it 10 appended. The compiler does not
know why Lord Palmerston resigned Office in De-
him with al the PARTICULARS. He tells as that Sir
James Graham sits in Parliament for "the pocket
borough Of Ripon," mistake which can only be
explained by surprising that Mr. Redhelds book
contractor lives in a wilderness or cellar, where
the reports Of Sir James's famous speech ut Gar
lsle returning thanks for his election, could not
reach him. He calls Earl Grey Colonial Secretary
that Lord John Russell and the wings are yet ia
power in Great Britain. He represents Abdul Mod.
jd as a wise, liberal, and sagacOus monarch;
whereas every schoolboy knows that the present
tellect and deprayed tastes even among the degra-
ded sultans who have preceded him-that precocious
deoauchery has wasted both his mind and body.
He pretends to give biographical sketch Of the
famous Abd-el-Kader, but confines himself to de-
scribiDg the French campaign in Algeria, and does
not condescend to allude to the series Of romantic
incidents which placed the African chiefuain in po
sition to cope with the power OF Franco. He calls
Papineau the leader of the French party in Lower
Canada. Every reader of the newspapers could have
told him that since Papineau's return under the
general amnesty, he has been o complete nonentity,
without single follower in the Canadian Parlia-
ment
The compiler has been directed by his employer to
copy largely from the .Galeris des Cotemporarains
pOooCo3
requisite industry or ability to perform this simple
task. Here and there he copies sentence bodily
from the clever workofthe ''Hommede Iien;" but he
never catches the character Of the nun he attempts
to portray, and not unfrequently commits the gross
est blunders Ofcarelessness. Thus he tells that
NJ. de Sainte Beuve was born in 1903 instead Of
1904; cOoly states that "hs first appearance in the
Globe newspaper was as the champion of tLe roman
tic school," when it is notorious that the Globe
was to the last hostile to Victor Huge and his
party, and that Sainte Beuve, when he deserted the
classics and Joined Lamartine's banner, was forced
to resign his post of literary editor and does not
seem to know that one of the most finished and re-
markaole performances Of the French essayist
was biography Of our Jefferson. Barante is treat
and this new Dryasdust actually translates saudi
teur aG cOnseH d'eat' by the phrase Judge Of the
Privy Council" which novel dignity he tells US
was held by the historian.
Nothing but the countless proofs of the compilers
ignorance which these pages afford could explain
the false coloripg in which the dispute of Armand
Carrel and Girardn is described If he had taken
the trouble to read carefully the book he was copy
ing from. he would have that the editor of the
National was rs much to blame as the editor of the
Psesse. Theirs biography is a tissue Of plumbers.
April, l79O-not Tin 1885," he was not offered the
Ministry of Finances when the cabinet of August
1880, resigned; he was not mere national guard in
lS4S, but most active sharer in the movement; he
is not resident of Switzerland, but is still laugh
ing. chattering. and writing at Paris.
We have said enough to show the manner in
which the work has been got up. If anything was
wanting to render it utterly worthless the deficiency
would be supplied by the want of order and method,
there being no alphabetical arrangement of matter
beyond the classification of the sketches under
twenty. four different letters. Searches are thus
rendered a very laborious task; and when, as must
be the case in nine instances out Of ten the student
discovers that the biography he is in quest Of is not
contained Ia the work, or that It swarms with such
errors to be worse than valueless, we can well
imagine his throwing the ssMen Of the Time" to the
furthest corner of the room, to some fitting
receptacle for such unmitigated trash.
Theatrical and Musical.
BowERy THEATRE.-The entertainments announced for
this evening the drama of la Tour de Nesle" Ro
bert MAcare,n and tho Pirate Of the Islesn in which
Aesns Eddy and Stevens, Miss Heron, and other artists
Of celebrity will appear The performances at this estab
mfhnsnt generally speaking have given general satsfac-
ways good, and the artists employed by Mr. Hambin
all persons Of great dramatic celebrity.
BROADWAY TREATRE-Mr. Forrest, at the request Of
many Of his friends, will appear to- night in his great
He win be assisted in the other leading characters by Mr.
Conway Mad. Ponisi and Mrs. Abbott. 1t being the
little doubt the theatre will be crowded in every
partment The entertainments will conclude with the
farce Of Ladies, Beware
NrBLo's GArpEr-The dramatic company will open the
amusements OF this evening" With the laughabe piece
called Forty and Fifty after which the French and
Spanish dancers will display their Terpsichorean abilities
In grand which will comprise several beau
tiful The abilities Of Madle Pougsud and Ssnorita
Soto too we'll known to require any eulosy The
tertanments viii terminate with the Caph Of Bagdadn
BuRToS's THEATRE.-This prosperous establishment
patrons all Of whom delighted with the entertain
ments The ansgement ia good, and the selection of
pieces always OF character to please the visiters
appears Uncle john in the piece Of that The
concluding piece will be that which has always drawn
large houfss, namely-the comedy Of David Copper