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the hosts of islands that shine above us in the heavens, as easily as by a common chart we may find out the relative situation of Great Britain itself. Thus is a grand point gained for the promotion of a science, which requires only such facilities as this work supplies, to be universally pursued as the most fascinating, the most sublime of all others. The six maps of the stars, published by the Society for the Diffusion of Knowledge, are also deserving of our applause; but they want the tabular explanations of Sir W. Herschell in order to render them useful to the classes for which they are intended.

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IN a new introduction which the author has prefixed to this volume, he informs us that the original of his Spy,' was a secret agent, employed by the American Government, in the early stages of the Revolution, for the purpose of tracing and communicating the operations of the British Authorities, which were directed towards the enlistment of royalist bands in the then infant Republics. It seems that when the war was ended, a grant was made by Congress in favour of this individual, who had undergone a series of marvellous perils and escapes; but such was the spirit of patriotism by which he was animated, that he then refused the reward of his labours, saying, that the country could not well afford it. He has since, however, accepted the grant. The tale itself has long been well known in Eng

land; and, though unequal in its style and interest, it, nevertheless, deserves a place among modern standard novels. The frontispiece and vignette are badly engraved, and there is still room for improvement in the typography of this collection. In all other respects the series is entitled to our approbation, and is, we believe, becoming highly popular. At least, it ought to be.

ART. XVIII.-The Panorama of Constantinople, and the Companion to the Panorama; comprising a Description of the most Remarkable Objects in that City and its Suburbs, with Sketches of the Manners and Customs of its Inhabitants. London Leigh.

1831.

FROM the castles of Europe and Asia, on one side, to Calcedone and Mount Olympus on the other, we have here a truly splendid pano

rama,

filled with objects at once highly picturesque, and replete with the most affecting historical associations. The Sea of Marmora, gradually narrowing into the Thracian Bosphorus, divides the picture into two parts; Constantinople, and its pleasant suburbs, Galata, Pera and Topana, being on one side; and the Turkish Cemetery, and the new and old quarters of Scutari, on the other, The Panorama, when fully opened out, must measure, we should think, from eight to ten feet in length. As a mere lithograph, it is an excellent work of art; the long perspective of this magnificent assemblage of scenery, stretching along either shore, being presented to the eye in the most pleasing and effective manner. With the assistance of the Companion,' we may easily imagine ourselves sailing up the Dar

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danelles, or traversing the streets of Constantinople, exploring its public buildings, and observing the motley groups of people by whom it is inhabited; thence we may, in a moment, transfer ourselves to the shady groves and gardens, and beautiful cemeteries, on the Asiatic shore. Mr. Leigh has produced several valuable works in this line of publication; but the Panorama now before us surpasses them all, in the execution as well as in the very happy choice of the subject.

ART. XIX.-Family Classical Library. No. XVII.-Horace Translated. By William Francis, D.D. Vol. I. 12mo. pp. 296. London : Valpy. 1831.

INSTEAD of placing in an appendix the best translations, by various hands, of several of the Odes and Satires of Horace, we wish that Mr. Valpy had either incorporated them in the text with the versions of Francis, or excluding his, in those instances in which his are of inferior merit, substituted others in their room. Of the two plans, we should have preferred the former, as the reader would then have a pleasant opportunity of indulging his critical taste, by examining the points upon which the translators differ from each other, and ascertaining the comparative accuracy and elegance of their productions. Undoubtedly as a whole, the translation of Francis is the best that has yet been published, and this reprint of it in so cheap a form, will be generally acceptable. The Classical Library is, we hope, taken in by every well educated family. There is no publication consisting of the same number of volumes, that contains so dense and diversified a body of matter, calculated to instruct, and enter

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and Cradock. 1831. GENERAL history versified is bad enough in all conscience; but topography versified, a full, true and particular description in rhyme of an old castle, is of all other things the most intolerable. Mr. Bird should rise above such leaden themes as those which Framlingham, even with the aid of superstition and legend, can suggest. He is a man of much research, and his industry in giving to the world the results of his investigations is highly commendable. But if he choose always to confine them to the vehicle of poetry, we fear that he will have misspent a great deal of precious time, and have, unintentionally, devoted a great deal of good paper to the use of the trunk-makers.

ART. XXI.-The Twelve Nights. 8vo. pp. 404. London: Whit1831. taker, Treacher and Co. UNDER this title we have a collection of stories, all of which, we believe, have already appeared in the Magazines. The author acknowledges that he has borrowed the groundwork and the materials of most of his sketches, from the periodical literature of the French. To him, however, the merit of selection belongs, and also the style in which they are presented to the English reader. The subjects generally are chosen with a view to

effective narrative, and, in this respect, they are sufficiently successful. The Eve of Walpurgis,' the 'Vision of Charles XI. of Sweden,' the tale of the Chest and the Privateer,' would be capital captivators of the attention on a winter's evening. The Button-holder' is but a sorry specimen of French pathos. We hope that the author, when next he appears before us, will present himself in a more original form. His style of writing is so good, that he ought not to throw it away upon exotic subjects. We suspect that his imagination might furnish bim with better materials than the French periodicals, which are, for the most part, very much inferior to our own.

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4. The Deliverance of Switzerland. A Dramatic Poem. Second Edition. By H. C. Deakin. 8vo. pp. 270. London: Smith, Elder, and Co. 1831.

5. Portraits of the Dead; to which are added, Miscellaneous Poems. Second Edition. ByH. C. Deakin. 12mo. pp. 320. London: Smith, Elder, and Co. 1831. 6. Fitz-Raymond, or the Rambler on the Rhine. By Caledonnicus. Svo. pp. 200. Edinburgh: Black. London: Longman and Co.

1831.

1. It has afforded us great pleasure to observe a very liberal list of subscribers at the end of Mrs. Prowse's poems, as she is well entitled to the patronage which she has received. Her 'Autumnal musings,' the first composition in the collection, have reminded us of the golden age of poesy, more than any verses which have for a long time come under our notice. Among the many minor pieces which the volume contains, we were particularly struck with the pathetic beauty of the lines 'written in sickness.'

2. The Vision of Hell' displays a cultivated and prolific imagination. The subject would seem to have been long since exhausted; still the author has not followed servilely in the wake of any of his illustrious predecessors, and some very respectable ideas may be found in bis seven cantos. But will they be immortal? We fear not, for though the man can think poetry well enough, he writes it most abominably.

3. As Mr. Best's 'Beggar Coin' and Satires' have reached the honour of a second edition, we are bound to presume that the public have passed a verdict in their favour. For our own part we had never heard of them before, and we can assure the author, with reference to his note, that whatever our opinions may have been with respect to the

Transalpine Memoirs," we have never felt, nor do we now feel, the slightest hostility towards him, either in a personal or a literary sense. We regret that we cannot join in the chorus of applause, with which, as he intimates, the first edition of his poems has been received by the people at Bath. They appear to us to be among the least meritorious specimens of the muse, which the present season, fertile in wretched verses, has pro

duced. But let not our opinion deter him, from the loftier flights for which he is preparing. We are fastidious: indeed too much so, for our own ease and comfort, since no duty can be more unpleasant than that which, commanding us to express our honest opinions upon all occasions, necessarily compels us frequently to hurt the feelings of those, to whom we would much prefer extending the hand and smile of encouragement. Besides, it appears that verses will sell rapidly in Bath, which no human being can endure in London. haps it is owing to a difference of climate. Therefore let Mr. Best write on. He must excuse us, however, if we cannot at all times comply with his request of reading on; we have no disposition whatever to ride upon the crupper of his Pegasus.

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4 and 5.- The Deliverance of Switzerland,' and the Portraits of the Dead,' by Mr. Deakin, have, also, it seems, passed through the ordeal of a first edition, and have reached a second. This to us seems passing strange, for we think, without wishing to be invidious, that we could point out some poetical works, even of the last year, which contained compositions of a much more striking character, than any that Mr. Deakin has written; and yet the laurel of a second edition has not yet been wreathed round their brows. The dramatic poem, on Switzerland, will hardly be read by any person who has previously tasted of the beauties of Schiller's William Tell; and as to the 'Portraits of the Dead', and the miscellaneous poems by which they are followed, we can only say that, with two or three exceptions, they are very mediocre productions.

6. The 'Rambler on the Rhine,' was originally written, we are told, as a mere domestic journal of an excursion through the scenery of that famed river, in the year 1830. Since then, however, the author, animated no doubt by the sweet voices of friends, has filled up his meagre outline with a metrico-political sketch of past and present times, and instead of confining it to his domestic circle, has dedicated it to the whole British nation! Though his poem is descriptive, it is not meant to be exclusively sofor the ambition of Caledonnicus, alias Fitz-raymond, for he assumes two distinct names, has been to make rhyme subservient to historical recollections, and such politicomoral inductions as were suggested on contemplating the revolutions of empires, and the tempestuous aspect of the times'! Thus, we see, the author proposed to himself a task of no small importance. But how does he accomplish it? We apprehend that one stanza will settle for ever his credit with the reader. The poet thus invokes the shade of Byron :

'Oh! thou proud spirit,-wilt thou, can'st thou, Sire,

Vouchsafe on humble Bardling to bestow

One single spark of that celestial fire, With which you mad'st thy magic

while below?

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312

MISCELLANEOUS INTELLIGENCE.

Foreign Missions.-The intensity of delusion under which the British public labour, with respect to the utility of the various missions dispatched to foreign parts for the propagation of the Gospel, is, to all reflecting minds, utterly unaccountable. It is known that in every quarter of the world the labours of the British missionaries have altogether failed, and indeed, that they do a great deal more harm than good to the cause of Christianity. Nevertheless, the subscriptions to the Church Missionary Society, for the last year, are stated to have amounted to the enormous sum of £46,000!!! The following document, extracted from an American newspaper, supplies a volume of commentary upon the system of imposture which has been for years robbing the public of their money, under the mask of religion :

(From the New York Daily Sentinel,

March 25.)

NECESSARY INFORMATION.-The following talk of some Indians of the Seneca tribe, was published a few days ago in the Washington Globe. We recommend it to the special attention of those who honestly believe that it is more necessary to raise money, by every possible device, for sending missionaries to administer to the supposed spiritual necessities of the "poor Indians," than to supply the temporal wants of the needy nearer home:

AN INDIAN TALK. Washington City, March 5. We, the Chiefs and Sachems of the Seneca nation of Indians at Sandusky, Ohio, have often heard of the goodness of our white brothers and sisters in the United States, and that they have given and sent many presents of money, cloth, and clothing to us, to relieve the distress of our women and children. We thank them for their charity and good will ; but we solemnly say to them, that we have

never received from them a cent. of money nor any cloth or clothing.

Brothers and Sisters,-We speak the truth to you as it is given to us by the Great Spirit, in whom we trust and believe, and wish you to listen to us that you may no longer be in the dark. We hear that collections have often been made in all your churches for us, and that you have intrusted them to the Missionaries, whom we call Black-coats, to present to us.

Brothers and Sisters,-We ask you all, in the name of the Good Spirit, in whom red and white men believe, not to send any thing, to be given us, by the black-coats.

Brothers and Sisters,-We ask you to hear what we say, for it is true. We have found the black-coats treacherous, and they deceive us. They come among us and ask us to give them our property for saving our souls after we die. We do not like it, for they know no more about the next world than we do. We think the Great Spirit will save our souls, and the black-coats cannot.

Brothers and Sisters,-How can we have confidence in men who deceive both you and us? We feel friendship and affection for you, and we know that you feel the same for us. We wish you to know the truth, and we tell it to you. If you send us any more presents, we hope you will send them by honest men, who do not pretend to so much good

ness.

Christian Brothers and Sisters,-We, the red children of Nawoneti, whom we call the Great and Good Spirit, who is present every where, now give you a talk, which we hope will be long remembered by you all. Do not be deceived by the black-coats. We believe they are sent out by the Bad Spirit to make talk to us. If the Good Spirit had sent them out, they would have given us your presents, and their talk would have made us better; but their talks do us no good, and we hear nothing of the presents you send us.

Brothers and Sisters,-The Good Spirit has but one big book; the Bad Spirit has many, very many, books which his white children use to deceive

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