A maxim of one of the subjects of this interesting volume deserves to be placed as a motto on every book, in which mercantile transactions are recorded: "The whole value of wealth consists in the personal independence it secures." And when wealth has been secured, no apophthegm is so worthy of remembrauce as that which the same enterprising merchant and generous gentleman, Peter Chardon Brooks, a few days before his death, imparted to his sons, "Of all the ways of disposing of money, giving it away is the most satisfactory." These precepts are the crucible in which all the dross of lucre may be refined into pure gold. Keeping them in view, adopting them as the rule of life, and the strife for wealth is as high, as noble, and as true a contest as any in which man can engage. And the chief aim of a book like this, its most gratifying result, is the inculcation of these principles. We find the memoirs of men who, to keen sagacity and broad comprehensiveness, have united scrupulous honor and munificent liberality. They gained during life, not only the means, but the end. They employed the riches which their intellect, prudence and industry, had accumulated, in satisfying those inclinations which belong to the best instincts of nature. When we consider the importance which is attached to worldly prosperity, the deference which is eagerly paid to the possessor of property; when we reflect how apt men are to forget the means employed, so long as the end has been achieved, we must are responsible for the preservation of its intrinsic We have perused this collection of memoirs with not looked for such fine sentiments from one whose The following is an incident of a different character, which occurred in the National Convention, during the French Revolution, and of which he was an eye-witness. He related it with great effect. Soon after the death of Robespierre, one of his former associates proposed a sanguinary law, which was objected to by a member, who had been a butcher, as unnecessarily cruel. The deputy who proposed it said, with a sneer, that he had trade had been blood. The butcher, a burly, powerful man, starting to his feet, as if he would destroy his opponent, exclaimed: "Scélérat! scélérat! Je n'ai jamais trempé mes mains que dans le sang des animaux. Sentez les vôtres."-("Wretch! wretch that you are! have never imbrued my hands but in the blood of beasts. Smell of your own!") great worth and respectability, and enjoyed the entire confidence of the community. No chapter will be more eagerly read than that which treats of Stephen Girard, whose character was sufficiently paradoxical to give him the interest which attaches to an eccentric. The time of the annexed anecdote was about a year after this wealthy "merchant and mariner " had established the Girard Bank, and will convey some idea of his decision, resources, and good luck : Meanwhile, an interesting circumstance occurred, which enabled him, by his bank, in 1818, to accomplish an enterprise which was of great importance to the city of Philadelphia, by the increase of its trade, as well as which accrued to the national treasury. It happened that which were furnished to the government by the duties to his own funds in its profits, besides the advantages his ship, the Montesquieu, was captured at the mouth of the river Delaware, as was alleged, by a British frigate, and as this vessel had an invoice cargo of two hundred thousand dollars-consisting of teas, nankeens, and silks-from Canton, it was determined by the captors, in preference to the hazard of being re-captured by an American ship in their attempt to carry their prize to a order to give him the offer of a ransom. Applying to British port, to send a flag of truce to Mr. Girard, in his well-stored vaults, the banker drew from it the sum of ninety-three thousand dollars in doubloons, which was transmitted to the British commander, and his vessel was soon seen coming into port with her rich cargo; which, notwithstanding the price of the ransom, is supposed, by the advance of the value of the freight, to have added a half a million of dollars to his fortune. An introductory essay, by George R. Russell, LL.D., exhibits research, and is a creditable literary performance. The Ocean. By P. H. GOSSE, Author of "An Introduction to Zoology," "The Canadian Naturalist," &c., with 52 Illustrations. From the last London EdiWe quote a passage from the life of Peter Chardon tion. Philadelphia: Parry & McMillan. 1856. Brooks, by the Hon. Edward Everett, which gives "Some love to roam o'er the deep sea's foam, when an animated description of the condition of our com- the wild winds whistle free," and some do not; a merce, immediately after the war of Independence: great many do not. For our own part, we prefer to The commerce of the country again started into being gather shells" along the peaceful shore. But Mr. from the wreck of the Revolution, and from the pros-Gosse loves to do both, and has done more. He has tration, not less disastrous, which continued after the dived down to the bottom of the sea, explored its return of peace. Trade not only returned to the chanbe prepared to find that, in the pursuit of fortune,nels in which, to some extent, it had flowed before the secrets; as it were, turned it inside out, and shown war, but it began to extend itself to seas never before up, not merely the floral and botanical resources of visited by American vessels. Not only were the ports the saline regions, but the actual condition of society of Western Europe resorted to by a daily increasing therein. And such society! From the tiny pinnumber of American ships, but those of the Baltic and head-sized, eight-footed bivalve Entomostraca, pirouthe Mediterranean were now, for the first time, visited etting about among Fuci and Confervæ in every little by our countrymen. Not content with this, our mer- pool along the shores of Britain, up or it may be chants turned their thoughts to China, to the Indian down, to the two hundred-ton whale, rolling in blubArchipelago, to the northwestern coast of our own continent, and the islands of the Pacific, several of which berous bliss through the arctic seas. Of course our were discovered by our navigators. The courage and readers know all about Entomostraca, Fuci, Conferva, self-reliance with which these enterprises were under- and all the other cabalistic diphthong terminations, taken, almost surpass belief. Merchants of Boston and that constitute the familiar nomenclature of our Salem, of moderate fortunes, engaged in branches of fishy friends. If they do not, there is no excuse for business, which it was thought in Europe could only be their ignorance; they have only to consult Mr. Gosse, safely carried on by great chartered companies, under and set up an Aquarium. The labors of Messrs. the protection of government monopolies. Vessels of two or three hundred tons' burden were sent out to cir- Gosse, Kingsley, Scoresby, and a few more enthusias cumnavigate the globe, under young shipmasters, who tic naturalists have, within a few years, secured a had never crossed the Atlantic. The writer of this me deep interest in deep sea affairs, among all persons moir knows an instance which occurred at the begin- having any pretension to scientific acquirements. ning of this century-and the individual concerned, a Old "ocean," from being often enraged, has become wealthy and respected banker of Boston, is still living"quite the rage," and to keep an Aquarium, is now ship on her voyage from Calcutta to Boston, with among us-in which a youth of nineteen commanded å nothing in the shape of a chart on board, but the small map of the world in Guthrie's Geography. And from the same article, a picture of the times, in the character of a contemporary of his subject:— the competitors will often throw aside the pure raiment of virtue and honor which they fancy may impede their progress. And, as we are prone to indulge the selfishness within us, so do we cast the responsibility of our acts upon our neighbors' shoulders, and justify our own departures from the right by an appeal to example. What can, then, be of more service to those whose characters are yet to be formed, than the presentation before them of those instances, which the lives of many American merchants afford, of wealth acquired without stain, and dispensed without stint, of men whose sweetest sympathies and noblest charity have been enlarged and indulged in exact proportion to their ability for so doing? The same occupations may be enlisted in behalf of the most diverse motives. The miser who counts, with trembling fingers, his golden gains, is influenced by the meanest incentives; he shuts himself from the world, and denies his humanity; while he who husbands the stores which he has gathered to feed the hungry, and to sow as seed again upon the soil, is the benefactor of his race. Commercial pursuits are but now having their true dignity recognized. They are the pioneers of civilization, and through their potent influence the old lines which separated country from country, and man from man, are being obliterated; they are opening all the gates of the world, levelling the ramparts that ignorance and superstition have raised, and dissipating the mists which prejudice and passion have interposed between us and the light. In its more humble manifestations, commerce conduces to the convenience and the comfort, the health and the happiness of mankind. In the short period of a day, we are indebted to the four quarters of the globe for those things which we have begun to look upon as the necessities of life. We rise from a pillow, whose contents may have been plucked from the white breast of an arctic bird, and we drink a beverage made from the berry of South America, or Asia, or, perhaps, from the leaf, which is the produce of China. We wear garments that may have been sheared from the sheep of Spain, or stripped from cattle that have browsed on the steppes of Russia. The silk-worm of Italy, the dyetrees of the Indies, metals from the mines, contribute to our wants. Each separate material and element of food and dress, of ornament and use, is obtained from different sources, and often from remote regions. All this is through the agency of commerce. Surely, the character of such a profession is as grand and elevating as any other, and those who practise it Among the most eminent merchants of this day was Thomas Russell, who was one of the first who engaged in the trade with Russia, at the close of the revolutionary war. He was of an old Charlestown family (if any thing relating to families can be called old in this country, especially in reference to the middle of the last century), and resided there a part of the year till his death. This estimable gentleman was regarded, in this day, as standing at the head of the merchants of Boston. He lived at the corner of Summer and Arch streets. According to the fashion of the day, he generally appeared on 'Change in full dress; which implied at that time, for elderly persons, usually a coat of some lightcolored cloth, small-clothes, diamond or paste buckles hair, and a cocked hat; in cold weather, a scarlet cloak. at the knee and in the shoes, silk stockings, powdered A scarlet cloak and a white head were, in the last century, to be seen at the end of every pew in some of the Boston churches. In the latter part of his life, Mr. Russell built the stately mansion in Charlestown, which till within a few years was standing, near the old bridge, used as an hotel. Though living on the bank of Charles river, on great occasions, before the bridge was built, his family drove to town in a coach drawn by four black horses, through Cambridge, Brighton, and Roxbury. Mr. Russell, at his decease, in 1796, is supposed to have left the largest property which had at that time been accumulated in New England. He was a gentleman of ladies, as to keep an equipage. Ere long it will be as great an object of ambition among blue-stocking nothing uncommon to hear one scientific young lady asking another sea nymph, after the health of her "dear pet of a dolphin," and her of the dolphin, enquiring in return after her friend's charming family of "aggregate polypes." Like the goddess of beauty herself, the fair nymphs of the present day are rising on shells from the surf of the sea, and we need not be surprised if we meet them at an evening party, costumed à la mer-corsage trimmed with chorda filum (sea lace,) and supported with Laminaria digitata (sea girdle). Then may the digital support which has been so much favored in our modern waltzes, be scientifically dispensed with, greatly to the relief of anxious parents. So much for the badinage of the subject. In truth, the study of the plants and products of the ocean, is one of the most ennobling and instructive that can do much to popularize this study. Whilst conveyoccupy the human mind. The present work will ing with clearness and simplicity the most interesting details of the nature of the plants, animals, animalcules, and general phenomena of the ocean, he exhibits throughout a feeling of true piety and christian faith. His present work is well adapted for the study of the youth of both sexes, and will afford much entertaining information to the general reader of mature years. In his philosophical considerations on the design and purposes of the ocean, we however meet some ideas of a rather contracted nature. To argue that the "great deep" was fashioned and laid down with a view to further commer cial intercourse among men, is to limit the providence of the great Artificer to the wants of the least numerous of his animal creatures. Why may we not rather believe that the Supreme Being takes delight in all Aside from the grand part which the ocean plays in the complex machinery of our planet, can we not find a far more glorious purpose in the ocean, as a home for the mighty host of animated nature that dwells in its waters, than as a medium for the interchange of commodities among men. ""Tis but a part we see, and not the whole." The present work of Mr. Gosse does not pretend to a strictly scientific character. It is rather descriptive than analytical, and we do not feel disposed to very rigid criticism on its style. We are thankful for the information it affords, which we know to be the result of careful observation and patient research. Some of the friends to whom Mr. Gosse introduces us in this volume, are worthy of intimate acquaintance. Let us specify a few of them: ENTOMOSTRACA.-Insects with Shells. such a position; the edge of the cliff so projected that he never could be seen from the top, even if any one were to look for him; death seemed inevitable, and he felt the hopelessness of his situation. He remained many hours in a state bordering on stupefaction; at cessful, must be fatal. Having commended himself to length he resolved to make one effort, which, God, he rushed to the margin of the cave and sprang into the air, providentially succeeded in grasping the pendulous rope, and was saved. unsuc From Mr. Gosse's description of "the Arctic Seas,' we are entirely at a loss what to extract; perhaps it is better we should extract nothing. The region does not suit us. We assert that we actually caught a slight cold in reading the accounts of those seas. Next to being cold is to look on cold objects; and next to that, is to read careful descriptions of cold districts. The difference is only in degree, not in kind. Conceit can take us down to zero, as well as up to consumption. Therefore shall we pass the Arctic Seas, and all the enticing descriptions of the Aurora Borealis, Mock suns, and Alpine icebergs, right whales and wrong whales, et hoc genus omne. Hold, there is one class of arcticites that, being invisible to the naked eye, might escape the observation of such of our friends as may "winter" in Greenland, and we had better introduce them here: MEDUSE. On our rocky shores may be found in abundance creatures still more minute than these, [sea beetles] whose manners, lively and sportive, are highly interesting. allude to the marine Entomostraca, or insects with shells, and particularly to those of the genus Cythere, scarcely any of which exceed in diameter a large pin's head, and most of them are not equal to that of a small one. Imagine a pair of bivalve shells of this size, irregularly oval, or kidney-shaped, from which, slightly separated, protrude four pairs of little curved claws, or feet, most delicately fringed, and kept in constant motion; and from one end a pair of jointed antennæ. Mr. Baird, who has attentively studied their manners, gives the following pleasing account of them: "These insects are only to be found in sea-water, and may be met with in all the little pools amongst the rocks on the sea-shores. They live amongst the Fuci and Conferva, &c., which are to be found in such pools; and the naturalist may especially find them in abundance in those beautiful clear little round wells which are so often to be met with, hollowed out of the rocks on the shores of our country, which are within reach of the tide, and the water of which is kept sweet and wholesome by being thus changed twice during every twenty-four hours. In such delightful little ponds, clear as crystal when left undisturbed by the receding tide, these interesting little creatures may be found often in great numbers, sporting about amongst the confervæ and corallines which so elegantly and fancifully fringe their edges and decorate their sides, and which form such a glorious subaqueous forest for my-"make southings" and get down into the Atlantic riads of living creatures to disport themselves in. Further on, he tells us of other members of the same family, "marine species of the genus cyclops, almost equally minute and equally interesting." Of them he says, " It is a remarkable character of all these pretty little water fleas, that they have but a single eye, which is generally of a bright crimson hue, sparkling like a little ruby, and is set in the front of the head." Would not we like to have a collection of those little ruby-eyed fellows! All our young friends will be interested to learn how the poor little "hermit crab" is sponged out of his house. Arctic Sea, that the water, instead of retaining its usual Navigators had often noticed, in certain parts of the transparency, was densely opaque, and that its hue was grass-green, or sometimes olive-green. It is commonly known as the "green-water," and though liable to slight shiftings from the force of currents, is pretty constant in its position, occupying about one-fourth of the whole Greenland sea. Mr. Scoresby was the first who ascertained the cause of this peculiar hue: on examination he found that the water was densely filled with very minute Medusa, for the most part undistinguishable without a microscope. He computes that within the compass of two square miles, supposing these animalcules to extend to the depth of two hundred and fifty fathoms, there would be congregated a number which eighty thousand persons, counting incessantly from the Creation until now, would not have enumerated, though they worked at the rate of a million per week! And when we consider that the area occupied by this green-water in the Greenland seas is not less than twenty thousand square miles, what a vast idea does it give us of the profusion of animal life, and of the beneficence of Him who "openeth His hand, and satisfieth the desire of every living thing!" Taking "our departure" from Greenland, let us with our author-figuratively, of course. Here is a description of the manner in which the voracious shark, that "follows on our lee," raises his young sharkies: pro The mode by which the race of these formidable creatures is continued, differing as it does so greatly from that of most other fishes, is exceedingly curious. The Shark, instead of depositing some millions of eggs in a season, like the Cod or the Herring, produces two eggs, of a square or oblong form, the coat of which is composed of a tough horny substance; each corner is longed into a tendril, of which the two which are next the tail of the enclosed fish are stronger and more pre hensile than the other pair. The use of these tendrils A singular little creature, called the Hermit Crab appears to be their entanglement among the stalks of sea-weeds, and the consequent mooring of the egg in a (Pagurus), the hinder part of whose body is unpro- situation of protection and comparative security. Near tected, except by a soft skin, is endowed with an instinct which prompts it to seek some univalve shells, the head there is a slit in the egg-skin, through which the water enters for respiration, and another at the into which it thrusts its abdomen, henceforth using it as a house. Now there is a species of Sponge found opposite extremity by which it is discharged. That on our coast (H. suberea), of a corky substance, which part of the skin which is near the head, is weaker and grows on the surface of similar shells, overspreading for the easy exclusion of the animal, which takes place more easily ruptured than any other part; a provision and enveloping them; and it so happens that in the great majority of instances, the Sponge is found upon the egg, the remainder being attached to the body of before the entire absorption of the vitellus or yolk of the individual shells inhabited by the Hermit. Grathe young fish, enclosed in a capsule, which for awhile dually and insensibly the Sponge grows over the it carries about. The position of the animal, while shell, and at length creeps round the edge of the lip, within the egg, is with the head doubled back towards and begins to line the inside: the constant motion of the tail, one very unfavorable for the process of breaththe crab, who is very active, retards the growth for a while, but eventually the Sponge prevails, and the Her-ing by internal gills, and hence there is an interesting mit, finding his premises becoming every day more and provision made to meet the emergency. On each side more contracted, is at length compelled to seek another gill-opening, containing vessels in which the blood is a filament of the substance of the gills projects from the lodging. exposed to the action of the water. These processes are gradually absorbed after the fish is excluded, until which the internal gills are scarcely capable of respiration. After this, may it not be very appropriate to call a “hard-hearted" landlord, who keeps putting up the rent year after year-A SPONGE? Whilst de scribing the shores of Britain, Mr. Gosse relates an incident of absorbing interest, connected with FoWLING IN ORKNEY I have heard of an individual, who either from choice or necessity, was accustomed to go alone on these expeditions; supplying the want of confederates above by firmly planting a stout iron bar in the earth, from which he lowered himself. One day, having found such a cavern as I have mentioned, he imprudently disengaged the rope from his body, and entered the cave with the end of it in his hand. In the eagerness of collecting, however, he slipped his hold of the rope, which immediately swung out several yards beyond his reach. The poor man was struck with horror; no soul was within hearing, nor was it possible to make his voice heard in Closely following on this description of a shark nursery, Mr. Gosse gives us, from the Mag. Nat. His. 1839, an exciting account of the capture in the Gulf of Paria, of an enormous Pristis Antiquorum (saw fish), weighing "nearly 5 tons." Although Mr. Pristis Antiquorum cannot correctly be called a "top sawyer," as he carries on his trade in such great depths, we question very much whether any of the gentlemen rejoicing in that designation on land, could enter into anything like a successful competition with him as an effectual "saw bones." There is quite a family of those 5 ton sawyers "settled" in the Atlantic. Note, that it took one hundred men nearly the whole of the day," to haul that fish on shore! It is not our 'yarn:" you will find the whole story at page 207 of Mr. Gosse's book. We could dwell with fascinated fancy over our author's description of the natural phenomena, which his practical eye discovers in the Caribbean sea. 66 Many of the fishes of these seas partake of the brilliancy of color with which the birds and insects of the same sunny region are so lavishly adorned. I have seen some of great beauty, readily captured with a hook from the deck of a vessel in shallow water; such as the Yellow-fin (Sparus Synagris) which has its body marked with longitudinal bands of delicate pink and yellow alternate; the fins are bright yellow, and the tail fine pale crimson." The man who could stick a hook into such a fish as that with a "fine pale crimson" tail, deserved to have a hook in his "own gullet," with a fish at one end "to pull it." The exact couplet is somewhere in Byron. From "Florida, Florida, far away," away to the tranquil shores of the Pacific, we now accompany our author; and here having ample sea room, we must have a slight quarrel with him. Referring to Balboa's discovery of the great South Sea, Mr. Gosse says: At the head of a little band of men, guided by a Mexican, he succeeded, after severe privations and imminent dangers, in crossing the isthmus that connects They had arrived at the foot of a hill, from the top of the northern and southern portions of the continent. which the Indian assured him he would obtain a sight of the wished-for sea; when in the enthusiasm of the moment, leaving his companions behind, the Spanish chief ran to the summit, and beheld a limitless Ocean sleeping in its immensity at his feet. With the spurious piety common to the times-a piety that could consist with the grossest injustice, the blackest perjury, and the most barbarous cruelty, he knelt down and gave thanks aloud to God for such a termination of his toils; then having descended the cliffs to the shore of the Ocean, he bathed in its mighty waters, taking possession of it by the name of the Great South Sea, on behalf of the King of Spain. This harsh sneer at the "spurious piety" of the devout though daring Spaniard, is unworthy of the christian charity which characterizes so much of Mr. Gosse's writings. We shall merely remind him of the merciful mandate, "Judge not, lest thou shalt be judged." Whoever loves nature in all her changing moods, will follow Mr. Gosse through the coral, crystal, and volcanic islands of the Pacific, and away to the Indian Ocean, and the shores of China and Japan. We must part company with him here after one extract more, descriptive of the perpetual warfare that rages among the inhabitants of the deep. WARS OF THE FISHES. It is worthy of observation that, with very few exceptions, the immense population of the Ocean is carnivorous. The principal circumstance that regulates the choice of diet among fishes seems to be the power of mastery. Of terrestrial creatures, a very large number are peaceful, never, under ordinary circumstances, willingly taking the life of even the most helpless around them; but the sea is a vast slaughter-house, whero nearly every inhabitant dies a violent death, and finds We have just seen a grave in the maw of his fellow. the Sword-fish preying upon the Albacore, and the Albacore, upon the Flying-fish; while the Flying-fish itself, though so general a favorite, is the greedy de vourer of other fishes smaller than itself. Yet let us not arraign the providence of God, as if it were cruel and unkind: a sudden termination of existence is the the overflow of animal life could be checked.' most merciful mode, as far as we can conceive, by which creditable to the press of Philadelphia, and the "52 It is necessary to observe that this reprint is highly illustrations" are well worked, and greatly enhance the value of the book. The Rise, Progress, and Present Structure of the English Language. By the Rev. Matthew Harrison, A. M., Rector of Church Oakly, Hants; late Fellow of Queen's College, Oxford. Second American Edition. Philadelphia: E. C. & J. Biddle. 1856. An admirable work! We are glad to see a second edition called for. It is a work eminently sugges tive. By what is done in it is shown what is to be done as regards the perfecting of our own language, and how to do it. Some of the critical reasonings, and of the analyses of sentences and words, are singularly felicitous. Many scholars say: "I can understand the grammatical construction of a Greek or a Latin sentence, I cancomprehend its syntactical arrangement, and the mutual dependence of its several parts; but in English I see nothing but the force of custom, and the unbridled licentiousness of idiom." Mr. Harrison replies: "It may be asked, have these gentlemen ever paid a fiftieth part of the attention to the construction of the English language which they have paid to that of classical literature? The Greek and Latin languages to them have been the study of a life, the English frequently little more than an incidental acquisition, a matter of ear and imitation rather than of grammatical principle.” This treatise consists of three parts: Historical, Philological, and Grammatical. It is not only very valuable for every one who desires to understand and to reason on his own Language, but it is excellently adapted for the higher classes of schools. [Mar. 15, 1856. he has rather confined himself to an exhibition of many of his countrymen are sceptical as to its exist the bright side of the picture, because he fears that ence. He suspects that Americans too commonly go to England, prepared to dislike it, and soon cross the channel determined to be happy in France." Mr. Coxe's remarks on English Society, a topic on which he largely descants, strike us as singularly penetrative and correct. Free from the regular worship of rank which distinguishes too many travelling republicans, and yet capable by the culture, and refinement of his own mind of appreciating the As a specimen of the book, and as an admirable happy in the choice of this motto, for the next thing phases of a peculiarly constituted society, he has piece of reasoning on grammar, we subjoin the following on the too often conflicting merits of shall and will: I shall go to town to-morrow tention of doing a certain thing is expressed, without Here simply the inany anticipation of, or reference to, hinderance. But when I say I will go to town to-morrow, I declare my resolution to do so, in spite of all opposition. I must and will go to town to-morrow. Now, we must bear in mind that, in both these cases, the person that speaks is also the person that is about to act. He, therefore, at pleasure, expresses an act of simple volition, or of fixed own option; he has the control of both in his own mind. Both are at his But when we pass to the second person, thou shalt or will, it is to be borne in mind that, though the second person is the actor, the first is still the speaker. If, therefore, the acting of the second person is dependent upon the will of the first, the first person says to the second, thou shalt, and not thou wilt, for the willing rests with the first; but if the first leaves the second to net as he may think proper, he says thou wilt, and thus claims no control over that willing. Again; in the third person, he shall or he will, we still see the same principle. When the first says he shall, he deprives the third of the exercise of his own will; but when he says he will, he leaves him the exercise of that will, and simply expresses his belief that it is the intention or will of the third person to do this or that. purpose, according to circumstances. The principle to be borne in mind in the distinction of shall and will is, that it is always the first person that speaks; and that, in the first person of the verb, the speaker is also the agent; but that in the second and third, the first person is the speaker, but the second or third the agent. Hence, as volition is allowed to the second or third person, or control exercised over that volition, the use of will and shall must vary in passing from the first to the second and third persons. When, however, we pass to the interrogative forms of shall and will, the case is reversed. person of the verb we simply inquire what the will of In the second that person is, the act of volition remaining in the breast of that person, and not being subject to the control of the person asking. We, therefore, say wilt thou? or will you? again, the act of willing remains with that person, and In the third person of the verb we simply ask for an enunciation of that will; as, will he? if plural, will they? Thus: Shall I go to London? wilt thou go? will he go? shall we go? will you go? will they go? This distinction of shall and will does not form a part of the system of a Latin or a Greek verb. There is a quiet joke in the preface of which the reader, who is familiar with our own school-books, will be able to make a more extended application than the author contemplated. He says:— It is notorious, that, at our public schools, every boy has been left to pick up his English where and how he could; and many of the old exercise books, put into his hands to be translated into Latin, would often serve the equally useful purpose of exercises to be turned into English, though the authors themselves have either been insensible to this double advantage, or too modest to hold it forth to the public. Did you ever consult "Goold Brown's Grammar of English Grammars." Winter Studies in the Country. Parry & McMillan, 1856. This is almost perfect; but the author was un- beyond the motto without observing how much more has chosen. derable originality.-Scenes, such as we really see, And Emerson, in starry lines That gleam on thought's remote confines. The following extracts are particularly happy. * Yet sometimes from the wood I hear The "echoing axe-stroke," and the "glittering and so concludes what, in our opinion, is a queer Or else the stars with varied ray, Sure enough! It is a little different. BOOK NOTICES. Impressions of England; or Sketches of English his delicacy in mentioning the details of private life. pointed out its advantages and disadvantages with an admirable sagacity. Not less worthy of praise is cred rights of its home and hearth violated by being lic eye. We commend the volume to the especial No family that showed him hospitality has the sanotice of all travellers who meditate the writing of held up to the rude and inquisitive gaze of the pub a book, that they may see how a " gentleman" should Professor Vaughan, after lecturing before various From the superior merits of this first number, we aside this number for some little time, we do not The Prophets of the Restoration; Such works as the above, are of the highest use- The notes vation lies in the application of it." "The force of this obser- New York Church Journal, but are here given in These sketches were originally contributed to the a revised and complete form. They were written in the year 1851-at the close of which the imperial the famous Dr. Coxe of Brooklyn; this will give the power was revived in France. Mr. Coxe is the son of present volume an interest in the intrinsic merit. The writer is deeply versed in histhe contents are well worthy of perusal for their eyes of many. But toric lore: indeed if the proverb "like father like child" be true, it would be a wonder if he were not. places he visits, the author gathers skilfully and This is one great charm of the book. At all the spins into a silken thread, the various events which have there in times past transpired. and thus makes The Hundred Dialogues, New and Original; dea clue for him who travels only in imagination. Congreve, in running up the sum of things desirable, finished with " a table free, and elegantly neat," and wondered with an excusable enthusiasm" what could be wanted more for mortal bliss." men of taste will fail to appreciate the spirit of this But few pleasant specification. Elegantly neat"-is almost better than sumptuously filled, and we have thought, in looking at this little volume, that something of the same æsthetical sense must certainly rule in books. Hard is the heart of the man who, picking up Winter Studies, would not be tempted to read it. The bibliopole saw fine sights in dull shrivelled leaves and antique type, and a beautiful vista down every worm-hole; but in the days of the bibliopole books were not put forth in this style. Such exquisite paper, handsome type, and so finely worked, and notwithstanding that it is a volume of poetry, only forty pages! It takes a great man to write a says, that the faults and vices of England have been There is something very genial in this book. He sufficiently dwelt on to be well known, and therefore he tried to see if there might not be something in English society by which we could profit. He thus speaks of himself in the preface: "He has aimed, therefore, to present his countrymen with a record of the pleasures which travel in England may afford to any one predisposed to enjoy himself, and able to appreciate what he sees. He confesses, also, that Prophetic Office and its Relation to the Old TestaNature of the Prophetic Gift," "The Nature of the ment history," In the Introduction, the author discusses "The toration" and "The Literature of these three Pro""The Historic Features of the "Resphets." signed for Reading and Exhibition Academies, and Private Circles. in Schools, all the dialogues, numbering one hundred and sevenBENTLEY FOWLE. Boston: Morris Cotton. BY WILLIAM teen, were original, we were prepared to find a After having been informed by the preface that very dull collection. We could not see wherein lay the advantage of avoiding selections that, by the exercise of a wise judgment, could certainly be made in many respects superior to the original compositions of any one man, be he ever so able. A collection from various authors would have among other recommendations the very important one of familiarizing youth with the names and in some degree the style of writers, a knowledge of whom is as much a necessity of education as anything beyond the simple elements. Yet, after a careful though not thorough examination of this volume, we are glad to say that it has high merit, and has by its intrinsic force overcome the objections with which we started. There is much spirit and variety in these dialogues. The humorous have a vivacity that must delight the young, and those which are serious convey a moral as pleasantly, and more effectively than a fable of Esop. As a supplementary reading book we give it decided approbation. History of Hernando Cortez. New York: Harper & Bros. 1855. This is one of the Messrs. Harpers' pleasant series of books for boys. It contains nothing new, but the old story is told in a familiar, agreeable style and the old exaggerations continued, notwithstanding the author of Mexico, and its religion." There is not a life of Hernando Cortez in print, that would not more appropriately be called the "Conquest of Mexico" and they should be called so; and then the Hero's biography would seem to be what indeed it is, an untouched theme. " are referred to the Department of NOTES AND QUERIES which contains many items of interest, and affords them a medium of communicating with each other. ety of entertaining matter. PARENTS AND TEACHERS are deeply concerned in the success of this journal. Aside from its direct By JOHN S. C. ABBOTT. interest to themselves, it has claims which deserve their consideration. The design of this paper is to cultivate and refine literary taste; it will give the results of the careful examination by competent critics of all important current publications, and will pay parThus ticular attention to the principles contained. meritorious works to, and prevent the reading of perparents and teachers will be enabled to recommend nicious ones by, their children or pupils. The importance of such a journal as the CRITERION to youth cannot be over-estimated, and no parent or teacher should neglect to weigh its importance as an EDUCATOR. The CRITERION is the only FAMILY LITERARY AND CRITICAL JOURNAL IN AMERICA. It has already acquired a very high reputation and, with the encouragement of the public, it shall take rank among the FIRST JOURNALS IN THE WORLD. The support of all the lovers of literature; of all who desire to see the taste of the country elevated and refined, and who would raise some check to the flood of trash continually pouring over the land; of all who wish to see America take that position in literature which she already occupies in many branches of art, is earnestly solicited. TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION per annum, single copy, $3. Three copies, $8. Four copies, $10. Ten copies, $20. Payable in advance. Subscriptions received at the above rates for any term less than a year. Glimpses of the Truth, as it is in Jesus. By the Rev. Octavius Winslow, D. D. Philadelphia: Lindsay & Blakiston. 1856. The writings of Dr. Winslow are well known for their rich views of Christian experience as well as for their fervor and earnestness. To him the Saviour is the one only centre of all true religion; it is his delight to conduct the believer into the Redeemer's presence, and to elevate him above himself by meditation on so perfect and so glorious an object. ought at the same time to observe that the same inconclusiveness of reasoning may be found here, which was a defect in the previous works of the author. The great value of this little book consists in its promotion of true piety and devotion. We Unison of the Liturgy. By Archer Gifford, A. M. New York: Dana & Co. 1856. The object of the above is to show the harmony not only of the Collect, Epistle and Gospel, but also of the lessons of the day with them in the Episcopal service. Where the harmony cannot be found, the author thinks it may nevertheless be profitable to view the lessons in such a light, that the mind may be concentrated on one main topic of interest through the day. The comments offered in this volume, cannot be regarded as of much power; they lack earnestness, force and unction. We regret to notice in it, the continual repetition of the term "The Church," arrogating to this one branch of the Church Militant the sole orthodoxy of the whole. The doctrines taught, however, seem to be evangelical. From Messrs. Leonard, Scott & Co., we have received reprints of the Edinburgh, Westminster, and London Quarterly Reviews, for January. These periodicals require no indorsement; they contain the very best writing of the day. Specimen copies sent on application. CHARLES R. RODE, 118 Nassau St., FROM THE PRESS. "As far as it has gone, it has shown great intelligence, independence, and spirit. The editors, whoever they may be, ing well what they think. As such a periodical is much needed, are practical writers capable of thinking well, and express we hope the undertaking will be largely supported, by publishers no less than by readers."-Putnam's Magazine. In form and general character, it resembles the London Athenæum, and, by the ability and independence of its criti can. cisms, promises to be worthy of its name.-Burlington Sent'l. The next and best movement we have seen lately, is that establishing a beautiful octavo sheet in New York, on the model of the London Athenaeum, as to the style in which it is gotten up, but, in respect to its original matter, strictly AmeriWe refer, of course, to THE CRITERION. We are writing no empty puff of this paper. We mention it on no second person's suggestion. We call attention to THE CRI TERION, because we like the paper, because it is a good one, and because no man, who wishes to keep pace with the literary world, should be without it.-Commercial Journal, Pitts, worthy of being read, untrammeled by publishers' clogs.— Here we have an impartial notice of every new work Cleveland Daily Leader. Its criticisms are just, forcible, and of the first order of lite rary merit.-Legal Intelligencer, Phila. We have watched the issues of THE CRITERION with much interest. and are pleased to say that, in our judgment, it has amply vindicated two things-1st, its own title to the patronage of cultivated persons; and, 2d, the willingness of the American reading public to support a truly talented publication of its kind. Abating its rather hypercritical review of "Hiawatha," all its lengthy critiques have done it honor.New Haven Palladium. TRADE SALES We have before us six hundred and six pages of catalogue of the Spring Trade Sales, consisting of two hundred and fifty one invoices. This catalogue is divided into two books, and the sales are apportioned to two different auction firms. The ostensible cause for this state of things is, that prominent publishers take different views in relation to the rules which should govern these sales, and we consequently find that Messrs. Bangs, Brother & Co., and Messrs. Leavitt, Delisser & Co., whose lists are before us, have published regulations which in some respects differ. Upon examination we see less disparity than we were prepared to expect? The "Trade" are generally well informed of the merits of the controversy, perhaps much better than we are ourselves, but it may not be uninteresting to give the main points upon which the publishers disagree. Messrs. Leavitt, Delisser & Co., in an address to booksellers, say: Booksellers generally; and opportunities were afforded In former times the Trade Sales were attended by purchasers for good bargains. At that time the rules announced in the Catalogue. This regulation induced of the sale allowed publishers to sell only the quantity them to put in large quantities; and thus the purchaser had some opportunity of obtaining stocks on better than ordinary terms. Some time ago, however, regulations were adopted by which contributors were allowed to withdraw their books when unsatisfactory prices were offered; and to duplicate when they sold that publishers having the privilege of duplicating, at full price. The working effect of this plan has been, have contributed very small quantities of books; and many have refused to sell even these unless they brought prices entirely satisfactory to themselves. Thus, purchasers were entirely debarred the possibility of ob taining any advantage by purchasing at the sales, and all inducements to attend them were destroyed. For these reasons, the large buyers generally have not found it to their interest to be represented at the sales of late years. This has caused the sales to dwindle into comparative insignificance. Among their regulations is one which particularly relates to the above passage. It will be observed, at least it so seems to us, that their intention has not been entirely carried out. 8. The quantities of books invoiced in the Catalogue to be sold without reserve. The contributor to have of any line, not exceeding in amount that named in the the right at the time of sale to sell an additional quantity Catalogue; unless the quantity named in the Catalogue shall be sufficient to amount at the retail price to $100, or upwards, in which case the contributor may duplicate without limit. Withdrawals or additions, (except under this rule) to be notified to the Auctioneers, at least one week before the sale. The clause in the rules which Messrs. Bangs, Brother & Co. have adopted, reads thus: 1st. All contributions announced in the Catalogue to be sold without reserve, unless withdrawn before the commencement of the sale, contributors being allowed the privilege of increasing the quantities at the time of sale, if they so desire. We shall offer no opinion upon the matter, further than to suggest, that if there really be any important difference of opinion among those who contribute to the sales, as to how the sales should be conducted, whether the buyers, whose interests are professed to be promoted, should not decide upon the course to be pursued in future. As it is, we may safely assure our readers that the list of books now offered, is of the greatest magnitude and importance, and conveys a gratifying evidence of the enterprise and prosperity of the publishing interest of this country. It is our hope that the present Spring Trade Sales may be not only remu Its original matter (literary reviews, art-talk, &c.), betrays a real critic and scholar-it is keen as the edge of a Toledo blade, and touches its subject to the quick. Its literary and art miscellany is tasteful and fresh. It is a pleasure to take up such a journal, with which one may be entirely sure of never being bored by critical shallowness and editorial egotism.nerative to the contributors, but satisfactory to the New York Evening Mirror. buyers; and it appears very likely, that the present competition may have an excellent effect on both classes. We have no hesitation in assuring our readers that it is far the best literary journal which has ever been published in this country. It excels all previous ones in its taste, its very evident from the contents of each number.-Mining Journal. Mr. Frederick Parker, Nos. 50 and 52 Cornhill, is our agen judgment, its literary merit, and in its independence, as is in Boston. In Philadelphia the CRITERION may be obtained of T. B. Pugh, 205 Chestnut; W. B. Zieber, 44 South Third; and G. C. Drovin, 38 South Third. MEN OF LETTERS, by taking the CRITERION will obtain all intelligence concerning the PUBLISHING OF BOOKS; the CONTEMPLATED ISSUES OF NEW WORKS. and all the GOSSIP RELATING TO LITERARY MEN AND MATTERS. All who claim the rights of citizenship in the republic of letters, shonld become subscribers.-Newark Daily Advertiser. It is a very excellently edited sheet, something after the style and manner of the London Athenæum. The reviews are very elaborate and very fair, and the notices of new books are what such notices ought to be-we believe honest, candid criticisms, although we must say that, in the number now be fore us, there is more of gall than of honey.-N. Y. Dispatch. BOOKSELLERS AND PUBLISHERS. LIBRARIES AND LITERARY ASSOCIATIONS, The attention of all in the Trade is solicited to the will find a weekly list of all NEW PUBLICATIONS in prospectus of this Journal. The usual discount allowed AMERICA and EUROPE, with their prices, and much valuable information connected with similar organiza-on subscriptions. On reference to the terms for advertisements, it will be seen that the prices are much less HISTORICAL SOCIETIES AND ANTIQUARIANS, than that of any other similar paper. tions. Forbes Athenæum, No. 871 Broadway, New York. Such is the style and title chosen by Mr. Philip J. Forbes to designate the agency which he has opened to supply books, apparatus, works of art, &c., &c., and especially to select, procure and arrange libraries private and public. Gentlemen fitting up and furnishing their library rooms in private mansions, will find the aid of a competent book purchaser and librarian, like Mr. Forbes, no slight advantage both in a bibliographic and pecuniary sense. Mr. F. also offers his services as an agent in procuring information on any subject, literary or scientific, by consultation of our public libraries or personal advice. Mr. Forbes is well and favorably known as former librarian of the N. Y. Society Library. CORRESPONDENCE. Washington, Ga. Feb. 20th, 1856. EDITOR CRITERION. When Apollo swapped away his enchanting Caduceus to Mercury, for the Lyre, he betrayed not only his regnant power, but his genius; for, although the rod, twined at one end by two serpents twisted together, signified wisdom; yet, by his superior clairvoyancy, he knew that the Lyre was a loftier emblem of love and wisdom united-being a symbol of the heavens. When Hafiz, the celebrated Persian poet, read his poetry to his magnificent master, for every beauty in the verse he gave him a costly PEARL; and for every extraordinary simile, he presented him with a diamond of the purest water. This was patronizing genius with the truest conception of the reward justly due to him. So let us render unto every man that which is truly his own. Addison was given £300 for his Latin poem on the peace of Ryswick; and for his remarkable simile of the Angel in his poem on the victory of Blenheim, he was made under-Secretary of State. In the far off Pacific seas, we are told by travelers, there are coral islands, around which rise, in sublimest beauty, granite walls, against which beat the storm-lashed billows in everlasting fury, while within is a serene Lagoon upon whose placid bosom Peace lies slumbering in divine repose. So do the nightingales sing in the groves of the Furies. With this Ithuriel spear-this diamond-pointed Stylus-will I now engrave on the tablet of eternity Truths which shall never die. In my first Letter on Trochaics, I affirmed that the celebrated German poet, Ferdinand Freiligrath, was mistaken in supposing that Professor Longfellow obtained the rhythm and metre of his Hiawatha from the Finnish Runes. " He says that he "will not positively assert" that it was modeled after the "National metre of Finland," but written in a modified Finnish metre.' But what sort of a metre is a "modified Finnish metre?" In another place he says: "Mr. Longfellow has certainly not adopted the artificial form of alliteration of the Finnish Runes." Then what did he adopt? A "modified Finnish metre !" But what sort of a thing this is, will never be known in this world. This is said by the same man who calls the "artificial form of alliteration" a 66 measure." About twenty years ago, I wrote the following lines, which may be found in my Lost Pleiad: "Full as the ocean is of water, Is my fond heart for thee, sweet daughter! Ful! as the ever brimful sea, The ever brimful sea, with love- Forever flowing, full forever- No more to how to ruthless Fate; No more to be disconsolate; Here, we see not only the alliteration of liquid consonations; but, also, the orthoepic alliteration of the vowels and consonants. Can anything like this be found in the Finlandic Runes? Let us see from the following specimen of old Scadinavian Runes: [Our correspondent here presents the extract mentioned; but we are unable to print it, for want of the proper types, which are probably not to be found between this and Leipsic.-ED.] But there is nothing in this like Hiawatha. The following is from Frithjof's Saga, where Frithjof and his friend Björn are playing chess: Björn och Frithjof suto badd Vid ett schackbord, skont att skadd. Da steg Hilding in; "Sitt neder! THE CRITERION. Then stepped Hilding in: "Sit down! Drain thy horn, and let me end [Mar. 15, 1856. by Sir Archibald Alison, Bart.; "Memoirs of Mrs. Fitzherbert, with an account of her Marriage with H. R. H. the Prince of Wales," by Hon. Charles Lang. dale; "Ancient Spanish Ballads-Historical and Ro But this is no more like Hiawatha than the pre-mantic," translated by J. G. Lockhart, with a bioceding the responses here being in the first and graphical preface, new edition; "Exercises on Words, second, the third and seventh, the fourth and eighth, designed as a course of practice on the Rudiments of (these constituting the conjugal harmony of the Grammar and Rhetoric," by William Russell. stanza) and the fifth and sixth verses, whereas Hiawatha is without paranomasia. Not only are they different in this respect, but the caesural pauses of the rhythm are in entirely different places. The same may be said of the Kalewala-all the essentials of the rhythm, including the caesural and demi-caesural pauses which constitute the rhetorical and prosodical idiosyncrasy of the Song of Hiawatha, cannot be found in it-there being no such thing in the Oriental Nibelungen Lied as the Occidental alternate contilation of the vowel sounds. It is well known to all those who are acquainted with the Icelandic Poetry, that all the ancient North land Scalds sang in a rhythm similar to that of Vala's Spadom; or The Prophecy of Vala, the following of which is a specimen: "The Asar meet On the Ida plain, But this is more unlike Hiawatha than either of trochaic rhythm, (the meter being quadrameter acat- Till the Iron Horse goes rushing, As if something was the matter, &c., &c. LITERARY INTELLIGENCE. DOMESTIC. "Recollections of the Table-Talk of Samuel Rogers," PARRY & MCMILLAN, Philadelphia, will publish, "Memoirs of Richard Cumberland," written by himself, containing an account of his life and writings, interspersed with anecdotes and characters of several of the most distinguished persons of his time, with whom he has had intercourse and connection, with copious illustrative notes, by Henry Flanders, author of the "Lives and Times of the Chief Justices; " Horace Binney Wallace, Esq., of Philadelphia; "Au•Literary Criticisms, and other Papers," by the late tobiography of a Beggar Boy;" and "The Heroes; or, the Greek Fairy Tales for my Children," by Rev. M. Kingsley. ROBERT CARTER & BROTHERS, N. Y., "Memoirs of the late John M. Mason, D. D.," by the Rev. Dr. Van Vechten; "Memorials of Capt. Hedley Vicars, of the 97th Regiment; and "A Memoir of Adelaide Leaper Newton," by the Rev. John Baillie. H. C. BAIRD, Philadelphia, has in press, "Reports of Experiments on the Strength and other Properties of Metal for Cannon, with a description of the machine for testing metals; and of the classification of cannon in service, by Officers of the Ordnance Department, U. S. Army," by authority of the Secretary of War, in one volume, quarto, illustrated by 25 large steel plates; "The Bookbinder's Manual," by J. B. Treatise on Gas and Ventilation," by E. E. Perkins. and Stereotyper," by D. W. Belisle; Nicholson; "The Practical Printer, Type Founder, Practical Spanish Ballads," WILLIAM GOWANS, N. Y., will issue Rome," and Wirt's "Old Bachelor." Macaulay's Lays of Ancient J. B. LIPPINCOTT & Co., Philadelphia, will shortly publish "The Summer of the Pestilence, a History of the Ravages of the Yellow Fever at Norfolk, Vir ginia, A. D. 1855," by George D. Armstrong, D. D., Pastor of the Presbyterian Church in Norfolk. "National System of Political Economy," by Frederick Liszt, translated from the German by G. A. Matile, Doctor of Civil Law, late Professor of law at Neufchatel, Member of the American Philosophical Society, &c., including the notes of the French trans lation, by Henri Rochelot, with a preliminary essay and notes, by Stephen Colwell. "The Obstetric Memoirs and Contributions of James Y. Simpson, M. D., F. R. S. E., Professor of Midwifery in the University of Edinburgh, &c., &c.," by William O. Priestly, M. D., Edinburgh, and Horatio R. Storer, M. D., Boston, second series, one vol. octavo. The American Sportsman," containing hints to sportsmen, notes on shooting, and the habits of the game birds and wild fowl of America, by Elisha J. Lewis, M. D., member of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, editor of "Youatt on the Dog," &c., second edition, revised and enlarged, one volume, octavo, with numerous illustrations. "Notes of Travel in Egypt, the Holy Land, Turkey, and Greece," by the Rev. Benjamin Dorr, D. D., Rector of Christ's Church, Philadelphia. Abbie Nott, and other Knots," by Mrs. Yale. STRINGER & TOWNSEND, N. Y., have in preparation, "The Naval History of the United States," by J. Fennimore Cooper. Abridged by himself, from the full work, for popular reading, with his latest corrections, and a continuation to 1856, from his posthumous MSS., and other authentic sources; including an account of the Japan Expedition; prepared by the editor of the octavo edition; illustrated with New York is the City of Unrest. Continual changes a fine portrait of the author, on steel, and fifteen ally for the better. Such is the case with the Bookare made in the localities of business, and generillustrations of the principal battle scenes; in one sellers. 12mo. vol., uniform with Cooper's Novels. The example set by Messrs. Appleton in "Frank Forester's Young Sportsman's Complete Manual of lowed by others, and their magnificent establishment moving a little further up Broadway has been fol The following is a verbatim et literatim translation Fowling, Fishing, and Field Sports in general," illusof the above: centre of a great portion of the trade. on the corner of Leonard Street will probably be the Wiley has been in the neighborhood sometime. Mr. Joha Geo. P. Putnam & Co., and Dix & Edwards, have Within the last few weeks, Messrs. Ivison & Phinney, removed to No. 321 Broadway, one door above the |