Delaware inquirer. (Wilmington, Del.) 1859-18??, 1860-02-11
Correspondence Of the Delaware Inquirer.
Literary Intelligence.

Literary Intelligence.
A sharp thrust al Dieken's-D. Au6ignes Refor-
naation--CaptGin MeC2iRtock's Arctic Nara
Gpe-Poems Jg Sidney Do6eii--Me Water
Witch-AnaVdi Of .Seientic DiscoreIy--7hs
STU Hour; rdiudJie htde religious roiume-
announcement
A recent number of the Saturday Recietr, one
of the ablest of the London critical journals,
contains trenchant article on Dickens Tale Of
Two Cities, cutting into the last work Of Boz
in most caustic and racy manner. II compares
Dickens latest effort with the last work that
Scott wrote, qualifying each example as the
result Of mine exhausted, but making this
difference in favor Of Waverly, that his last eff
forts have the "negative value Of being only
bad They are not'-the receiver says" of
fensvo or insulting. The usual strong men,
the usual terrific combats, and the usual up
holsters are brought upon the stage, They are
no doubt greatly the worse for wear but If they
were good OF their kind there would he moth
ing to complain of. The soup is cold, the NUT
ton raw, and the fowl tough, but there dre
soup mutton, and fowls for dinner, not puypy
pic or stirred "a - We notice the whole of this
sharp and saucy article copied into this weeks
number 1919, for Feb. llth) of LiNe's Liriag
ig,, which also contains its usual amount Of
| light and heavy reading from the foreign Re-
views, and the powerful London daily press.
Many persons cannot afford to buy at one
time a good edition of valuable work, like
D1ubigncs' History of he Reiormdton for in
stance which cost in the original editions from
ten to twenty dollars, and are therefore COM
4 PEELED to do without Il work which they would
be glad 10 possess. To such it is IL boon to
l..
easy weekly or monthly instruments, and hence
the plan and origin of serial publications,
whereby many volnminous and valuable works
are made accessible to every household. Mcssrs.
| Freeman & Robinson, N Fifth street, Philndel-
pha, are now issuing the above important
work, ID 1ubjgncs Reiormdfion in this accepts
bic form. Each part contains forty-cglt large
octave pages handsomely printed on fine white
paper and emhellished with a fine steel cngra-
wing by John Sartain, of Philadelphia, the most
| elegant steel cngraver in the country The
! whole history will he completed within given
number of parts to form two spltndid volumes,
and more desirable publication has never
! been offered to the public. The parts are in
I form to he sent by mail to any address.
! We have before announced as in the press of
Messrs. Ticknor l. Fields, Boston, Capt. HcClm-
tockS NayrdUre The Fate Of Sir John Franklin
! Discovered. This anxiously expected story of
Arctic discovery is now published, making II
| very handsome crown octave volume, with all
the original matter, maps and plates of the
! English edition. Me,srs. Ticknor Il Fields, who
pay more to English authors and publishers
| than any other firm in the United States, have
also paid handsomely for the preference of
publishing this work. This is not through COM
pulson, but simply an honorable recognition
and appreciation of the courtesies of trade 1t
( might he supposed that the rights they hon
esty and fairly secured, would be held sacred
by other publishers but it appears that such is
I not the case. We have before alluded to the
two firms of Harpies inNew York, and this week
1 third liarpie turns up in the city of Brotherly
Love. This last contemplate and obscure in
terferer with dearly purchased privileges propo-
! ses TO issue an edition of the McClintock Mar
rative offering as his only extenuation that he
purchased an early copy. o, most liberal most
| praseworthy But the public will bear in mind
that there is but one Legitimate edition. and
that all others now or hereafter to be issued
should he avoided like chronic itch.
+ The same publishers issue one Of their cx-
quisite blue and gold editions OF the poets, in
32 mo-, pocket size, containing Poems dy Sid
meg DobeH, This author, who for some years
has kent up n sensation among the English
critics. now for the first time makes his appear
ancc before American readers That he is ad.
mitted at once into Mcssrs. Tcknor Fields
sky and gold Walhalla, is argument enough
that he is worth an American hearing. Many
of his poems are exquisitely tender and pleas.
ing, while the fire of II new genius scorning the
conventional trammcls of old verse, burns il
every thought. The volume is small and com.
pact, containing the contents of no less thar
three entire English volumes within its covers
Mcssrs. ". A. Townsend 4 Co magnificent
uniform edition OF Coopcr's novels, with Oar
ley's Illustrations, this month reaches TIL
Water witch, one of the very best fctons tina
Cooper ever wrote, ranking with The Spy
The Red Rover and 1.-THE Pioneer Thi
splendid uniform series is being continued will
all the spirit and noteworthy features which
marked the very first volume. Darbcy's de
, signs are Just rs inimitable the engrayngS OF
steel and wood are as wei! done, the paper i
as fine and soft to the touch, the Typography a
clear and beautiful and the binding as elcgan
and rich looking as when "The Pioneers wa
set before the public us Il promise of what wa
10 come We believe, as the publishers hay
/ faithfully executed their task thus far, that tn
public have shown by their appreciation of tn
, undertaking in most hearty welcome to tn
| volumes as issued. The subscription list, a
i Mr.. S. McTIcnry's 18th and Walnut streets, Phila
I delphia, is constantly extending
The most useful of the "Annuals,' whic
regularly make their appearance about the frs
y
I ate perusal, and the most valuable for afte
reference, is The Annual Of Scientific Discovery
@ or Year Book of Facts, in Science and Art, edte
@ by David A. Wells, and published every year b.
!, Mcssrs. Gould 4 Lincoln Boston. The yolum
n now freshly issued, a compact duodecimo q
i 1870 pages, exhibits the most important discoy
!. cries and improvements in Mechanics, Usefu
! Arts, Chemistry, Natural Philosophy, Astrono
Y my, Geology, Botany, Zoology, Geography
! Antiquities, etc, together with notes on III
: progress of Science during the year 1859
Obituaries of eminent Scientific men, etc. Tn
I fullncss and careful execution of the work. ar
o only equalled by the variety of its subjects
: which will interest not merely the man OF sci
@ fence, but the general reader, the farmer Iii
: mechanic, etc. The book is monument O
n laborious industry.
The same publishers issue little volume
g The Sill Hour, by Professor Phelps, which vii
d be hailed as treasure by all religious people
n 1t is devoted to the subject of Prayer, and, il
II clear and touching language portrays the mo
Il tivcs and feelings which should COVE christ
!. people in approaching the throne OF trace, ex
d posing also the mistaken and dangerous opin
Is ions current among false worshippers. 1t is
n forcible, earnest, and practical treatise.
n A new novel, against Wind and Tide, by tina
n capital author, Holmes Lee, is in the press o
n Messrs. Townsend & Co., New York.
Il Messrs. Ticknor 4 Fields publish this week
n new volume Of Sermons, by the Rev. Fredercl
c W. Robertson, and have nearly ready new vol
r umes, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Emerson, Chas
d Elliott Morton, Julia Ward Howe, and others