Weekly national intelligencer., 1854-11-18
NEW BOOKS.

"TnE WESTERN HOxE AND OrHrn PoExs. BY Mr. E~
II. SIGoURsEY. Philadelphia: Parry McMillsn, suc-
cessors to A. Hart, late Carey Hart, 1854" With o
very hne portrait Of the authoress limo pp S59 For
sale IN Washington by FRA1cK TAYLOR, Pennsylvania
This volume contains many poems that have before
been published and among them that which gives title
to the collecon-the longest but in opinion by no
means the best in the book Mrs SIGoUHSEY is Of
the most industrious writer's have of either SEX From
the number OF her productions il very certain she
no idle bread but the readers Of the pieces which
are from time to time given to the public must not
pec to find her always under inspiration Of the muse
The character of Mrs sigourneys mind is essentially
grave and reflective, not fanciful and impusve Deeply
imbued with the religion Of the Gospel it have
been her design in every thing she has written prose or
poetry 10 point out, illustrate, enforce by example
important moral religious truth versifcation
is with her altogether secondary object and Co
have been resorted only from the belief generally we'll
founded that impressions easily upon
minds of the young and become more permanent, when
conveyed the smooth succession Of harmonious sounds
than through the harsher medium Of didactic prose.
In the volume before there many pieces Of more
than common merit of which, as they in different
styles Of composition it would be difficult to say which
is best. The 'Scottish Weaver which occupies moro
than twenty pages and which, she tells in note 40
the end is almost literal version of circumstances
lated in book recently published in England and writ
ten by the himself struck being partics-
ary Interesting, from it's simplicity the deep patnoa
the story and the important moral it incucates s.The
Indian Summer is short piece in blank verse,
tanning beautiful thoughts and poetic imagery
Much has been said about the origin Of the which,
by consent, has been given to the fine weather
with which generally blessed in this climate in
the month of November In short note to this piece
Mrs. Sigourney what authority she does say tells
that aged chief said to ancestors the white
mans is past and gone, but that of the Indian
begins when the leaves fall'" The sanzas to Memo
ry are very beautiful and So indeed, might 60
to say Of nearly all the poems in this collection BuE
wherefore should enlarge upon the merits Of lady
who has for than quarter of century annually
contributed much to the entertainment and instrus
ton Of the public?
i FAMOUS PSRsoss AND PLACES. ByN PARKER WiLLFs-
New York Charles Scribner, 1854" limo PIP. 432-
Bor sale in Washington by TAYLOR MAURr, Psnnsyl-
i vana avenue.
The critic by trade is placed in false position when
he happens light upon book in which he find
appropriate food for the carpng, cynical procvities II
his appetite. Like shark of his element his weapons
are longer of 1t is the natur of the crttsr
breathe freely only when in full chase of his prey Te
pounce upon the faults of unwary author is all Of life
he enjoys there be beauties in his way he leaves them
to the discovery Of the reader and this is the true in
stinct Of courtesy for who does not know how much
enhances the delight Of every dscoverer to feel that hs
owes it to his own unprompted taste or genius!
Simply to announce that book is from the pen Of n
p Wills would be enou h. no doubt awaken all ths
interest in the reading class which author publisher
could desire But then to stop here what would become
of The trader The poor critic must do something shaw
that he is part and parcel Of the literature of the days
20 r., hat Late
rant orator called the tomahawk of vtuperative SATIRE
he must either be content swell the echo of the aung
multitude or like ohelo, cry my "occupatons gone
We that the greater part of these sketches
famous persons and places have not already appeared
under other FORMS but the admirer of the lively and
ingenious author will not be sorry to them collected
in single volume, which may be picked or laid down.
leisure inclination may prompt without taxing tha
memory preserve the continuity Of its narratives
There is familiar and sprighness in Mr.. Wiiss
epistolary style, freshness Of life and truth in hiE
pencillngs" and better than ALL gentlemanly avoid
ance Of any expression that offend the most scrupu
ous decacy which will always make his book safs aS
well as agreeable mpanon for the drawing
plain democratic Citizen of the "sovereigns" OF tho
United States might complain perhaps that the author
betrays too marked fondness for the higher orders
OF society in his travels but he had the good FORTUNES
to obtain an introduction and to be often domesticatcd
with Of the oldest and noblest English families il
would have been ingratitude rather than right Amsri
can feeling in him not to have warmly expressed hia
pleasure at their reception and treatment Of him. There
hardly letter that does not contain something
ing sketch description to excite the interest and
awaken the historical "reminiscences Of the reader He
must be gloomy misanhrcpe indeed who cannot smile
at the udicrous of confusion produced at Lord
Egnton's tournaments by sudden fall of rain. The
description is highly dramatic and the contrast Of
tunes before and after the shower is hit off with admir-
able felicity.
FATAL CArAsTRoPHE.-0n Tuesday evening, at Prosi-
dence, boy who had gone off with gun against his
fathers his said that he would go down
into the cellar and pretend to hang himself that his
father would not punish him. His father homo i'm
hour, and, upon going into the cellar, found his
hanging dead He had mounted upon acask and fsstsn-
ed rope about his neck and it supposed that the csk
fell over and the little fellow left suspended
49, ID. Ada II a.