Stanza the seventh begins thus

"The Spirit lowers and speaks-tremble ye Wild Woods!"

Here it must be observed that "wild woods" is not meant for a double rhyme. If scanned on the fingers (and we presume Mr. Mathews is in the practice of scanning thus) the line is a legitimate Alexandrine. Nevertheless, it cannot be read. It is like nothing under the sun; except, perhaps, Sir Philip Sidney's attempt at English Hexameter in his "Arcadia." Some one or two of his verses we remember.

For example:

"So to the woods Love | runs as well as | rides to the | palace ; Neither he bears reverence to a | prince nor | pity to a | beggar, But like a ❘ point in the midst of a | circle is | still of a nearness.

With the aid of an additional spondee or dactyl Mr. Mathews's very odd verse might be scanned in the same manner, and would, in fact, be a legitimate Hexameter:

"The Spi | rit lowers | and speaks | tremble ye | wild woods." Sometimes our poet takes even a higher flight and drops a foot, or a half-foot, or, for the matter of that, a foot and a half. But these are trifles. Mr. Mathews is young, and we take it for granted that he will improve. In the meantime what does he mean by spelling lose, loose, and its (the possessive pronoun) it's-reiterated instances of which fashions are to be found passim in "Wakondah?" What does he mean by writing dare, the present, for dared, the perfect ?—see stanza the twelfth. And, as we are now in the catechetical vein, we may as well conclude our dissertation at once with a few other similar queries.

What do you mean, then, Mr. Mathews, by

"A sudden silence like a tempest fell?"

What do you mean by a "quivered stream;" "a shapeless gloom; "a" habitable wish;" "natural blood;" "oak;" shadowed air;' ;""customary peers," and "thunderous noises?" What do you mean by

"A sorrow mightier than the midnight skies?"

What do you mean by

"A bulk that swallows up the sea-blue sky?”

Are you not aware that calling the sky as blue as the sea, is like saying of the snow that it is as white as a sheet of paper?

What do you mean, in short, by

"Its feathers darker than a thousand fears?

Is not this something like "blacker than a dozen and a half of chimney-sweeps and a stack of black cats,” and are not the whole of these illustrative observations of yours somewhat upon the plan of that of the witness who described a certain article stolen as being of the size and shape of a bit of chalk? What do you mean by them, we say?

And here, notwithstanding our earnest wish to satisfy the author of "Wakondah," it is indispensable that we bring our notice of the poem to a close. We feel grieved that our observations have been so much at random ;—but at random, after all, is it alone possible to convey either the letter or the spirit of that, which, a mere jumble of incongruous nonsense, has neither beginning, middle, nor end. We should be delighted to proceed-but how? to applaud-but what? Surely not this trumpery declamation, this maudlin sentiment, this metaphor run-mad, this twaddling verbiage, this halting and doggerel rhythm, this unintelligible rant and cant! "Slid, if these be your passados and montantes, we'll have none of them." Mr. Mathews, you have clearly mistaken your vocation, and your effusion as little deserves the title of poem (oh sacred name!) as did the rocks of the royal forest of Fontainbleau that of "mes déserts" bestowed upon them by Francis the First. In bidding you adieu we commend to your careful consideration the remark of M. Timon, que le Ministre de l' Instruction Publique doit lui-même savoir parler Francais."

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Voice coded lam Fa'ar ampliñotar, a, a mpok Je zal some difab i gotong & peb

istel ta de Sages maly urdertook ji arī kad endi I ther magnan I me vel, receimai, hout by the pub'e and the max dsammante few, at hangt same a, the esines Diesel that IH SLIT TSS at macon, ok sommi & vent powerful fiction by FM Bernais... The angina, asta however—ar gen a haza Fale'—na mian lang before the pricieran of “Mscimus" Bek mäegondor, a ☛ tus fact. There is not the slightest ground for the chagge dimakan. The thesis and madens of de zwo works are Wally assimila :—the thes of resemblance arises and from the absume benty of this wrought by both,

→Martin Faber" was succeeded, at short intervsk Nya great number and variety of fetions, some brief but many of the ordinary DITE size. Among those we met motiv “Gay Fires.” “The Partisan.” *The Tomasson" "Mold champe."-Beauchampe," and "Richard Hundis" The last two were issued anonymously, the author wishing to ascertain whether the success of his books (which was great) had any thing to do with his mere name as the writer of previous works. The result proved that popularity, in Mr. Simms's case, arose solely from intrinsic merit, for "Beauchampo" and Richard Hurdis" were the most popular of his fictions, and excited very general attention and curiosity, "Border Beagles" was another of his anonymous novels, published with the same end in view, and, although dis figured by some instances of bad taste, was even more anes cessful than “Richard Hurdis."

The "bad taste" of the "Border Beagles" was more

* Wiley and Putnam's Library of American Books. No. IV. "The Wigwam and the Cabin." By William Gilmore Simms. First Series,

particularly apparent in "The Partisan," "The Yemassee," and one or two other of the author's earlier works, and displayed itself most offensively in a certain fondness for the purely disgusting or repulsive, where the intention was or should have been merely the horrible. The writer evinced a strange propensity for minute details of human and brute suffering, and even indulged at times in more unequivocal obscenities. His English, too, was in his efforts exceedingly objectionable-verbose, involute, and not unfrequently ungrammatical. He was especially given to pet words, of which we remember at present only "hug,” “coil," and the compound "old-time," and introduced them upon all occasions. Neither was he at this period particularly dexterous in the conduct of his stories. His improvement, however, was rapid at all these points, although, on the two first counts of our indictment, there is still abundant room for improvement. But whatever may have been his early defects, or whatever are his present errors, there can be no doubt that from the very beginning he gave evidence of genius and that of no common order. His "Martin Faber," in our opinion, is a more forcible story than its supposed prototype "Miserrimus." The difference in the American reception of the two is to be referred to the fact (we blush while recording it) that "Miserrimus" was understood to be the work of an Englishman, and "Martin Faber" was known to be the composition of an American as yet unaccredited in our Republic of Letters. The fiction of Mr. Simms gave indication, we repeat, of genius, and that of no common order. Had he been even a Yankee, this genius would have been rendered immediately manifest to his countrymen, but unhappily (perhaps) he was a Southerner, and united the southern pride-the southern dislike to the making of bargains with the southern supineness and general want of tact in all matters relating to the making of money. His book, therefore, depended entirely upon its own intrinsic value and resources, but with these it made its way in the end. The "intrinsic value" consisted first of a very vigorous imagination in the conception of the story: secondly, in artistic skill manifested in its conduct; thirdly..

in general vigour, life, movement-the whole resulting in deep interest on the part of the reader. These high qualities Mr. Simms has carried with him in his subsequent books; and they are qualities which, above all others, the fresh and vigorous intellect of America should and does. esteem. It may be said upon the whole, that while there are several of our native writers who excel the author of "Martin Faber" at particular points, there is, nevertheless, not one who surpasses him in the aggregate of the higher excellences of fiction. We confidently expect him to do much for the lighter literature of his country.

The volume now before us has a title which may mislead the reader. "The Wigwam and the Cabin" is merely a generic phrase, intended to designate the subject-matter of a series of short tales, most of which have first seen the light in the Annuals. "The material employed," says the author, "will be found to illustrate in large degree the border history of the South. I can speak with confidence of the general truthfulness of its treatment. The life of the planter, the squatter, the Indian, the Negro, the bold and hardy pioneer, and the vigorous yeoman-these are the subjects. In their delineation I have mostly drawn from living portraits, and in frequent instances from actual scenes and circumstances within the memories of men."

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All the tales in this collection have merit, and the first has merit of a very peculiar kind. "Grayling, or Murder Will Out," is the title. The story was well received in England, but on this fact no opinion can be safely based. The Athenæum," we believe, or some other of the London weekly critical journals, having its attention called (no doubt through personal influence) to Carey and Hart's beautiful annual "The Gift," found it convenient, in the course of its notice, to speak at length of some one particular article, and "Murder Will Out" probably arrested the attention of the sub-editor who was employed in so trivial a task as the patting on the head an American book— arrested his attention first from its title (murder being a taking theme with the Cockney), and secondly, from its details of southern forest scenery. Large quotations were