Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1853-09-17
BOOK NOTICES.

| Six MONTHS IN ITALY, by GEORGE STILLMAN
| HILLARp, in vols Boston, TIcKSon s. Co. Wash
ington, TAYLOR MAuRY.
From the high eulogum passed on the Roman law and
the FORUM in page 294 would infer that the writer Of
these volumes is lawyer and from internal evidence
scattered through the pages, should pronounce him
gentleman Of amiable disposition, sound jurist and
ripe classical scholar Not biased by education, not
brstng with prejudices national religious did he visit
the land of the Olive and the Eternal City but with that
happy fund of good temper and intelligence which dis
nguish the American traveller Europe he appears to
have passed unrufed through the vexatous ordeal Of
mendacious Vetturini, conscientious Landlords, and
swarming Sanguisugi.
quote the udicious remarks Of the author on the
Apparatus Crcus the prerequisites for every traveller
about to visit Italy:
sA persons who travel at all visit Italv. No other
country combines many attractions or speaks with 40
many different voices of invitation Not to be drawn to
Italy not to be grateful for having it, remem
Der it with vivid interest is to be Indifferent to every
thing that took place before ourselves were born No
other country has been fruitful Of great men, no one
has passed through such historical changes The paths
of the statesman the scholar the christian pilgrim and
the artist will meet upon her soil focal point Of at
traction.
"a perfect preparation for Italy falls not within the
power OF man for that would include knowledce of
Roman history, Roman literature, and Roman law; Of
Italian history and Italian lterature the history Of
the christian church. and of art in all its forms
Of knowledge tells. The scholar who has merely read
Virgil has in Italy sensible advantage over him who
has not Let every one, therefore, who contempates
tour through this classic land occupy his mind vigorously
IN the needful preparation The learning the bet
ter; but little is not dangerous An ignorant man in
Italy is blind man in picture gallery
New Highlander himself our tourist discourses some
what irreyerently of his elder brethren:
1T need hardly be said that the English at Rome ara
popular either with the Italians or with their fellow
form Tho
nnumerable caricaures, and hardly book of travels
appears any language but their own which is not sea-
soned with stories if not trueof English phlegm,
English rudeness, or English eccentricity."
On the mooted question Of the cebacy of the clergy
our author has recorded his own notions mastery
discussion of the topic will be found in page 1885, VOL l.
We have been much edited by the spirit of mild phi
osophy and liberalty running through these pages.
vein of humor and repose pervades the narrative en-
yened at times with glowing description. We conclude
with that Of Vespers:
Mymost delightful recoecons of ST. Peters are con-
nected with the Sunday Vespers which never failed to
attend They performed in Of the side chapels
and lasted about hour The music was Of peculiar
kind such hardly be heard of Rome not SOM
bre and monotonous, like that which usually hear in
Protestant Churches but music which at elabor-
ate expressive, and sacred; weaving solemn airs into
complicated tissue of harmony The voices not Of
the first class but they admirably trained and the
performers sang with the unconscious with which
common men talk. Without pretending to understand
and interpret all the language which music speaks to
trained ear, felt that the highest charm OF music was
there, and that the strains in unison with the
and the day. Before the close Of the services the shades
Of evening began to settle upon the church. and the dis
ant arches shrouded with the grey veil of twilight
silence, deep palpabe, and oyerpowering came down
upon the the the voices had ceased The
power OF such moments and such influences be felt,
but not described. What is blended with what
we hope or what we The gloom is peopled with
airy shapes and visionary voices mingled with the
sounds which die along the arches As forms grow dim
and shadowy the shadows become substantial The living
and the lfeess change places. The kneelng monk be-
comes statue, and wandering ray of light falling
upon the drapery of female saint gives the marble
momentary touch Of life
EI.T,IDrro OF RHETORIC, by RICHARD WHATELY,,
Do, Archbishop of Dublin. New York, HARPEas.
Washington, TAYLOR MAuRY
In exact erudition, Archbishop wHArELY stands aeie
Prueps. His rhetoric and iasi~ L- tner
stand as textbooks the tripods of Oxford and Cam
bridge Nothing, therefore, be said here that may
add to the reputation of these classics except perhaps
that additions have been made in this edition.
chiefly the Illustrations for rhetoric like logic being
an instrumental art and having Of its
own, the examples and illustrations of course bound
less, as is the range Of those arts themselves O.