Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1853-10-08

Ing or promise, gatherlng up ITO Jouniui eetb''9 a
preparing like giant to its course The very dis
similarity of their position, in the contrast It suggests
furnishes the best means for comparison
The English character has afforded another parallel by
which to illustrate the taiana subject deliberately dis
Guessed in his second volume The skin with which IT is
shows the authors power OF seizng the physog
no,ny of nation and transferring IL with great force and
felicity TO his canvass 1t is that the English travel
Ter has sat for his portrait to faithful hand.
The work concludes with notice Of Of the most
important writer's Who from the time OF Petrarch, have
portrayed with less minuteness the condition Of
italv The authors commentaries his predecessors
suggest some original and quite striking views Of their
characters as writer's; and most of them per-
sons Of high position the republic of letters the obser
vatons have additional interest, and form welcome
tribution to our stores of literary criticism.
The plan OF Mr.. Hillards book is novel one. 1t is
neither manuel da poyogeIr literary philoso-
phca disqusition on the country. 1t is something COM
pounded of all these and for that perhaps better
suited to obtain large and lasting popularity than if
devoted to other of the subjects exclusively On
many the pages meet with footnotes which, to
thinking, out Of place. at least to any great amount
in work like this. In protested historical work notes
may be of service the writer aordng him the
of making critical remarks which in the text would break
the thread of the narrative and also for Introducing
might fall much below the dignity ofthe historic
cotiunus. But Mr.. Hlards book is too familiar
plan itself to admit of this objections and it is moreover
too rambling and discursive in its plan suffer from
the intrusion of any epsodica matter in the text Where
there is story there is thread Of interest to be
broken In nine out Of ten it would be better in
stead of thus awkwardy resortng notes at the bottom
Of the page have incorporated their substance in the
body Of the text.
The style of the work with many reader of epcurean
refinement who attaches value to the form than to
the ond will constitute its greatest charm 1t is in writ
ing what the Corinthan capital is in architecture the
NEST luxuriant and finished form of expression Full,
flexible and harmonious it is rich TO exuberance but
with nethng in it tawdry merctrcious The poetic
fancy Of the author overfows in SMILES which sparkle
along his pages-scrvng, however, the perfection Of
smile, to illustrate quite much to adorn. Mr. Hill
lard is master of language, and employs his col
ored ephets with the skill Of great artist The
parent flow of his dction reflects from mirror every
hue Of the scenery through which he passes This easy
uency of expression may suggest the idea of facility
composition leading the reader to suppose that it must
have weled out it spontaneously from the foun-
tain Of the authors mind But the elaborate finish of
performance refutes the superstition. Boileau boasts
somewhere, in alusion the soft and flexible compost
ton of Racine that he had taught him to write with
verses that cost much labor says modern Italian
bard condensing the idea happily into line This ella
borate arce might be charged by querulous critic
bemish Mr.. Hllard's style of writing 1t may re-
mind of the cultivated English landscape the parks
and the lawns smoothed with the roller shaver with the
scyhe with almost every dried leaf combed away from
their surface giving the turf the gloss and smoothness Of
velvet, until the traveller signs for something were
only bit Of ragged rock broken fence to vary the
monotonous beauty of the scenery
But instead Of dwelling on such trivial faults-the
greatest Of which would be the want of faults
il is better to adopt generous criticism, and turn
to what is worthy Of admiration in these volumes 1t
has not been purpose to write panegyric But the
pcrusa of the work. which has revived the faded reco
lectons Of other years. has given such sincere delight
that have been DESTROYS commend the perusal Of it
to others OF thing doubt while the book
in obedience to its title, supplies the reader with such
lively picture of modern Italy may the purpose
Of temporary amusement it is destined by its
Solid instruction. its curious criticisms and the beautiful
forms in which they conveyed, to take permanent
place among tho classics Of American literature