Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1854-09-30
NEW BOOKS.

NEW BOOKS.
" TIE School FOR PoIIrIos," dramatic nousl by CHAs
GAYARRE. New York, d. Appleton Co., 346 ant
S4S Broadway, 1850 limo. PIP. 1853.
This is admirable hit at the tergiyersatens and 50
mersets of the politicians of the day. The author o.
usual in all such cutting sarcasms dsclams all intention
to be in his dcineaion of the Of hi
drama and indeed there is much that every mere Do
tician, In every section Of the country might take
himself that we have to doubt that the
Of political degradation he describes altogether ic
tious The author is known as gentleman Of high
standing in New Orleans, whose occasional visits this
city have made him acquainted with most Of our emf
nent men, who will doubt be ready to testify to his
respectabiity and his entire freedom from all malevo-
lent design in the construction of his dramatic novel,
The characters in TRUTH well delneated that every
reader win fancy that the author had some particular
individual in his eye Of his own familiar acquaintance
So it is and must be, with oil true painters Of nature
the individual is but type of his kind and descrip-
ton sufficiently correct to lead to knowledge of the
cannot but be recognised faithful portrait
every individual of the family Those to whom the seye-
ral characters applicable would do well profit by
the useful moral which the book intended to convey
All readers viii find amusement in the lifeke scenes
which it depicts
CAPTAIN CAsor, Tpeny PEARS Of african lslaper
being an account of his and adventures the
coast in the interior, shpboard, and in the West
Indies, Written out and edited from the Captains
| journals, memoranda and conversations by BRASrz
MAYER. New York: d. Appleton g. Co. vol, limo
PIP 44S
1t is fortunate for Mr. MAYER that he is already SO
extensively and favorably known as scrupulously
accurate and faithful historian, the public might be
apt regard his editorial labors in the present instance
effort Of invention, attempt at the marvellous
sort Of sequel to Gullver the recent German
Baron who gave his to proverb. The career and
adventures of Capt Cano certainly abound in the mira
bia but would not that account venture to say
that he was not Of real flesh and blood, since we
have in time many verfcaons Of the adage that
truth is often stranger than fiction We live in an age
prolific Of wonderful things that like the Indian we
have almost ceased to be to astonshed at any
thing or hear If Capt. Canot has told the truth
and if we to believe him in any thing, we give
him credit for his proesscd devotion to that yrtuehere
is enough in his life have enriched the autobographies
of half dozen heroes. He extraordinary man.
Nature had endowed him with gifts; and had he
chosen honorable field for the exercise of his en-
terprising and fearless spirit there be doubt he
would have achieved that the proudos Of his
temporares might have enyied We say this of course
in the superstition that Capt Canot was something more
than mere nomias um6ra, the fgment Of romance.
In the latter casc the editor perhaps could hardly have
chosen better for the display Of his powers,
which has been little hacknied by novests That
portion of Africa which constituted the great mart for
slaves long ashe trade in them was unrestricted has
been less known any but the traders themselves than
most other parts of it, except in the geography Of Its
streams and the natural productions of its soil and
climate. Of the habits, customs, manners, and charac
tiers Of its many tribes and their respective chiefs or
soyeregns could judge only by the captives taken in
49,
residence of twenty years among these sable children
of the Sun sufficient to enable the most lisess OBJ
and the most intellect become thorough
ly acquainted with them; but such would hardly
have been able to communicate his knowledge others
to any profitable extent Much Of the value of the work
is doubt attributable to the accomplished writer who
edits it but there must have been many sterling thoughts
and reflections in the journal ~d congregations of the
which rendered the task Of the editor compare
lively light Still there internal evidencesin the
attractive arrangement of the Incidents the panoramic
effect Of the descriptions and delineatons and above a
in the easy flow Of practised stylethat It'll to Mr.
Mayer and not to Capt. Canot that the reader must
acknowledge himself indebted for of the inter-
esting narratives to be found in our literature.
We extract passage from his dedication to N. P.
MILLS which will not only explain the EDITORS
for undertaking the work, but furnish to readers
fair sample Of the attractive mahner in which it has
been executed:
"Let me tell you why undertook this task but first
let me assure that entertaining the story might
have been for large class Of readers, would not have
composed line for the qualification of scandaous
curiosity My conversations with Canot satisfied that
his disclosures thoroughly candid than those
of any who has hitherto related his with
the traffic thought that the evidence of who for
twenty years played the chief part in such drama
Of value to society," which is making its mind only
about great political and domestic problem but rs to
the nature of the itself thought that true pic
ure Of aboriginal Africa, unstirred by progress unmod
fed by reflective civilization full of barbarian that blood
and tradition have handed down from the beginning and
embamed in its preudiccs, like the corpses of Egypt
could fail to be of incacuable importance to phan-
thropists who regard people beyond the reach Of
enlightenment. The completed task rises before like
moving panorama whose scenery and back ground
the and tropics and whose principal actor combines
the asuteness of Fouche with the dexterity Of Gil Bias
have endeavored to forth his story plainly pos
sble letting events instead Of descriptions develop
chequered life which necessarily connected with des
peratc Of both colors. As he unmasked his whole
career and gave leave the Incidents have not
dared to hide what the actor himself displayed wish
to conceal"
This very interesting volume may be found for sale at
the Bookstore of Messrs. TAYLOR MAURr, Pennsyl-
vania avenue.
LATE NEWS FROM KAMSCHATKA.
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