modernized and paraphrased, but all these adaptations fall short of the nervous power and gushing melody of the original : Dame Naturis menstralis on that other part, burgh; one in that of Trinity College, Cam-rightly judged that there was an advantage bridge, containing marginal notes in Douglas's in using a different, and not inferior MS. for own hand; one in Lambeth Library, and one his text. A short poem of Douglas's upon in the collection of the Marquis of Bath. It Conscience,' extending only to four stanzas was printed (inaccurately) by William Cop- of seven lines each, which is all that remains land, at London, in 1553, and with much care of his works besides the three main poems, is and zeal at Edinburgh, in 1710, by Ruddiman, printed from the original in the Maitland MS. whose edition marked an era in Scottish biblio- The remarks of the editor upon the language graphy, as its valuable glossary did in the are accurate, and in accordance with the results study of the language. It was printed for of the most recent investigations; and his the Bannatyne Club in 1839, in two quarto Glossary, so far as we have been able to test volumes; a third, to contain introduction, it, is full and satisfactory. We may confinotes, and glossary, having never appeared. dently predict that this will long remain the 'King Hart' exists only in the Maitland MS. standard edition of Gawin Douglas, and we at Cambridge, whence it was printed, with shall be glad to see the works of other of the many misreadings, by John Pinkerton, in old Scottish poets edited with equal sympathy, 1786. Of the Palice of Honour' no MS. fidelity, and success. Baith to dame Natur, and the fresche Venus, is known, and we owe its preservation to an Rendryng hie lawdis in thair obseruance, edition printed at London by William CopQuhais suguryt throtis mayd glayd hartis dans, And al small fowlis singis in the spray: land, at the same time, and with the same inacWelcum the lord of lycht, and lamp of day, curacy, as the 'Eneid,' and to a much better Welcum fostyr of tendir herbys grene, edition by Henrie Charteris, Edinburgh, 1579, Welcum qwyknar of flurist flowris schene, which has thrice been reprinted within the Welcum support of euery rute and vane, Welcum confort of alkynd frute and grane, last hundred years. Curiously enough, no Welcum the byrdis beyld apon the breyr, complete collection of Gawin Douglas's extant Welcum maister and rewlar of the yeyr, works has been printed previous to the edition Welcum weilfar of husbandis at the plewis, now before us, which is uniform with the Welcum reparar of woddis, treis, and bewis, series of "Ancient Scottish Poets" issued by Welcum depayntar of the blomyt medis, Welcum the lyfe of euery thing that spredis, the publisher, whereof Dunbar, Lyndesay, Welcum stourour of alkynd bestiall, and Henryson have already appeared, under Welcum be thi brycht bemis gladand all ! the scholarly editorship of Dr. David Laing. The language of Douglas occupies an inter- We heartily congratulate both publisher and mediate position between the Early Lowland author upon the justice which has at length Scotch of the fourteenth century, which was been done to Douglas. Mr. Small has eviidentical with the old Northern English, and dently made his work a labour of love; and the Middle Scotch of the sixteenth, when the he will earn the thanks of every friend of language, through orthographical peculiarities, Scottish Literature for the loving care, perand Celtic, French and classical influences, severance, and accuracy with which he has attained its greatest dissimilarity to English. edited the poems, and collected everything The spelling also in which his works have that was capable of throwing light upon them come down to us surpasses in irregularity and their author. The introductory biograthat of the language a century earlier, or half-phical sketch, in which the editor has satisfaca-century later; and this added to peculiarities torily settled some contested points in the life in the rhythm and uncertainty in the accentua- of Douglas, such as his alleged connexion tion of proper names renders the translation with Hawick and Herriot, the account of of the Eneid hard reading to the beginner; the poems, and of the manuscripts and earlybut these surface difficulties are soon sur- printed editions which have preserved them, mounted, and the genuine merits of the work give everything that could be desired or amply repay the necessary trouble. obtained. Numerous fac-similes also adorn still in manuscript, it became apparently well and illustrate the volumes. The Palice of known to the author's contemporaries; and the Honour' is reprinted from the Edinburgh edibest proof of the estimation in which it was tion of 1579, the collations with the London held is to be found in the fact that the version text given in the notes serving to show the of the second and fourth books of Virgil by immense inferiority of the latter. OccasionHenry Howard, Earl of Surrey, celebrated as ally the Edinburgh text is at fault, as in the the first specimen of English blank verse, notable case of the stanza quoted above, transfers many passages from the translation where Cowkelbyis Sow,' the name of a now of Douglas, with no more than verbal altera- well-known Scotch poem, is, by a very obvious tions, as is instanced by Mr. Small after Dr. error, made' Cowkewyis Sow.' In this case, Nott, in the following among other pas- as the poem in question is in existence, and its title undisputed, we think it would have been better for Mr. Small to correct in his text the very palpable blunder of his authority. The London edition, it may be noted, here omits the entire stanza, for the apparent reason that the printer could make nothing of the strange names, so that the Edinburgh edition is the only authority. King Hart' is printed from the Maitland MS., care being taken to ensure a better transcript than that of Pinkerton; and the Eneid,' from the Elphinston MS. in the University of Edinburgh, with collations of the others of similar age. The Cambridge MS. is a slightly earlier authority; but, as it was printed for the Bannatyne Society's edition, Mr. Small has sages: DOUGLAS. The Greikis chiftanis, irkit of the weir, SURREY. While The Greek's chieftans all irked with the war A huge horse made, high raised like a hill, Romolo. Dramma in Tre Atti in Versi. Di Signor De Gubernatis is too well versed in the critical investigation of myths and legends not to appreciate thoroughly the conclusions which have been drawn as to the historical existence of Romulus. But, so far from interfering with his plan, the legendary character of the founder of Rome is, he considers, an advantage to the poet. "I no longer," he says, "seek for my dramas the illustrious personages of history, I desire instead to represent the ideal types. . . for I have learnt too thoroughly what great historical characters must become in tragedies and in novels." His theory is that "art, whether it idealizes them in order to ennoble them, or whether it lowers them in order to render them infamous, always transforms, or rather disfigures, them." Thus, according to Signor De Gubernatis, the poet is obliged to search for mythical subjects more congenial to poetical imagination which should not be bound to follow humbly in the footsteps of history. We confess we do not fully accept the theory put forward by the author of 'Romolo.' It is, at least, doubtful whether the Italians themselves will be filled with admiration at the ideal types which are to take the place of historical personages in dramatic performances. At any rate, we are not as yet able to judge of the effect of 'Romolo' on the stage, as it has only just been completed and not yet performed. The present moment would certainly be especially interesting for a comparison of the effects, if not of the merits, of the mythical as well as of the historical drama. Amongst the most successful plays lately brought out in Italy are several which treat of the national history, such as 'Cola di Rienzi,' and others, by Signor Pietro Cossa. Whether this dramatist has given a faithful picture of the characters he has endeavoured to portray, we know not; but he has successfully attempted to place on the stage historical personages, who, as Signor De Gubernatis thinks, can hardly ever be fairly reproduced on the stage. The author of 'Romolo' has struck out a new path for himself in Italian dramatic art, and his latest work is likely to be applauded in the theatre. It, however, can lose little in the reading, as the drama depends far more on the capacity of the actor to give effect to the author's conception than on stage business or elaborate scenery. In the main Signor De Gubernatis has faithfully followed the legend, but he has also very skilfully interwoven with the ancient traditions other analogous traditions, which give additional interest to the play. The alleged oppression of the Sabine women by their lords and masters, which renders them willing to seek the protection of the heroic King of Rome, is a point which is well imagined by the author. In a dialogue between Acca Larenzia, the foster-mother of Romulus and Remus, and Tizia, the Sabine queen, the contrast between the Romans and their neighbouring rivals, instituted by Tizia, is all in favour of the former. The lines which describe the sad plight of the Sabine women may serve as an example of the style of the author, which is remarkable for its dignity, terseness, and simplicity. The Sabine queen says: I Lari amate voi ; ne' vostri canti Mobili eventi; disturbati i can ROMOLO. Mora lo stranier che in Roma He follows Remus, who has pursued Ersilia Lasciam la casa scellerata Da la radice l'albero schiantai Il cui frutto avvelena. Ora mi trema ERSILIA. Amando! Thus, love is to purify the penitent, and as the curtain falls to the words of Ersilia, a funeral chaunt points to the future of Rome, and of the Roman race. Signor Angelo De Gubernatis seems in his preface to promise a drama on the story of Tarpeia, which would follow the incidents already described in 'Romolo.' We trust that before the series of Roman myths is exhausted, he may, himself, be induced to try his hand at an historical play. There is no lack of subjects in the national chronicles, which, treated by a real poet and skilful drama tist, could not fail to evoke more sympathy, even from Italians, than the fine elaboration of the early myth which Signor De Gubernatis has set before us in so attractive a form. NOVELS OF THE WEEK. A Rich Man's Secret. Blot on his Escutcheon.' A Strange Love. By Frank Usher. 3 vols. 'GERALD, AND HIS FRIEND THE DOCTOR' is Introduced to us as it is by an explanatory notice from Lord Lyttelton, and by a second title, " a record of the experiences of certain young men," we find that it is distinctly intended to expose that which the author looks upon as the greatest evil of our times-the leading of a life of impurity before marriage by young men. The book is one which could only be produced by a man of some talent, but it cannot be called interesting; and we fear that those to whom it is specially addressed will be likely to fall asleep over it. We have our doubts as to the value of fiction for conveying "views," except when the art is concealed, which in this case it certainly is not. The "purpose" is ostentatiously proclaimed. 'A Rich Man's Secret' is a bad novel, by a writer not without talent. It is extravagant, full of shameful English and worse French,as, for instance, fraise, a strawberry, for frais, costs, which occurs twice, with an effect on the sense of the passages which is irresistibly ludicrous. 'A Strange Love' is a novel of the same type, but not, perhaps, quite so bad in its style. Both will pass muster in country circulating libraries in wet weather; and both are equally unworthy of serious criticism. Books on folk-lore are generally amusing as well as instructive, nor is Proverbial Folk-Lore, by the Author of 'Songs of Solace' (Simpkin & Marshall) an exception. But they are not the sort of volumes from which it is easy to quote. Some of the contributions from the other side of the Atlantic are the quaintest among the specimens this one has to offer, though they are rather anecdotes than proverbs. Such, for instance, is the story of the enthusiast who, after writing "Grant's the man for President," added, "He's a whole team, a horse extra, and a dog under the wagon!" or that of the advice to "Use Jones's bottled ale if you would keep out of here!" which was to be seen, until lately, "inscribed in large white letters upon the fencing of a New York burying ground." The following, also, seems to have little to do with what is either folk-lore or proverbial:"The present Pope, who, if he is not infallible, at any rate, often says very witty things, is said to have exclaimed, on hearing of Father Hyacinth's marriage, The saints be praised! The renegade has taken his punishment into his own hands! The ways of Providence are inscrutable!" But there are plenty of proverbs, also, classified under some sixteen heads. Tales and Legends of the Tyrol, collected and arranged by Madame la Comtesse A. Von Günther not in the least learned, but quaint, and by no (Chapman & Hall), is an agreeable little volume, means injured by an occasional strangeness of idiom. "Welsh Tyrol" seems at first sight an eccentric English version of the German name for Italian Tyrol, but it flies nearer its mark than many a laugher at the writer's shot would suppose. The "hairy house-worm" is a charming circumlocution for a cat. "Take great care of the hairy been living in disguise in a farmer's house. Some house-worm," says the departing "fairy," who has of the ghost stories are pleasing specimens of their delightful class; and there are several other horrors in the book, small though it be, which may be warranted to make a young reader deliciously uncomfortable. The Earth as Modified by Human Action, by Mr. George Marsh, published in New York by Messrs. Scribner, and in London by Messrs. Low & Co., is a second edition, but so much altered as to be virtually a new book. It is an interesting compilation on the transfer, modification, and extirpation of species by man, on the effects of forests, of drainage and irrigation on climate, and on many related subjects. WE seldom find space to notice re-issues, but as we did not review M. Champfleury's Les Enfants, published by M. Rothschild, of Paris, on its first appearance, we may state that a fourth "édition de luxe" has just appeared, which forms a charming gift-book. The whole of the illustrations are in perfect taste, and the etchings are very good. FROM a charming little French book, called Le Peuple Roumain d'après ses Chants Nationaux, written by M. Jean Cratiunesco, and published by Hachette & Co., we learn not only more about Roumania than we knew before, but also some odds and ends of things which might interest our readers,-as, for instance, that the last few lines of the French song "Marlborough," or "Malbrook," are also to be found in a Huguenot war-song dated 1563! To the many elegant reprints which have been issued from the press of Lemerre, of Paris, must now be added Le Livre des Sonnets of M. Asselineau. The illustration of the growth in France of this favourite form of composition, from the time of La Pléiade, through the quarrel of the Jobelins and Uranins, to its recent revival by modern French poets like MM. Albert Glatigny, François Coppée, and Catulle Mendès, is complete. There are few French poets of eminence who have not at times essayed to write sonnets. Among those of the older school who have succeeded best are Ronsard, Du Bellay, Agrippa d'Aubigné, Malherbe, and Regnier. Molière and Corneille are, however, among the contributors to the volume. The most delicate of the modern compositions is probably that signed Félix Arvers, which stands number fifty-nine. Griffith and A. Henfrey, Parts XIII. and XIV. Bowman's (H.) Thoughts on Christian Life, 3rd edit. 12mo. 3/6 cl. Law. Amos's (S.) Science of Law, 2nd edit. cr. 8vo. 5/ cl. Sharpe's (E.) Architecture of the Cistercians, 4to. 7/6 swd. Poetry and the Drama. Collection of Old English Plays, edit. by W. C. Hazlitt, Vol. 6, cr. 8vo. 10/6 cl. King's (H. E.) The Disciples, 2nd edit. cr. 8vo. 7/6 cl. Poems, by E. S. H., royal 16mo. 3/6 cl. Arnold's (T.) Introductory Lectures on Modern History, 6th edit. 8vo. 7/6 cl. Parliament, royal 8vo. 5/ cl. R. B. Benson, 8vo. 6/ cl. Gilpin (B). Memorials of the Life and Ministry of, edited by Morley's (H) Memoirs of Bartholomew Fair, 12mo. 3/6 cl. Plutarch's Lives, by A. H. Clough, new edit. 3 vols. 8vo. 50/ cl. Munshi, with Comments by J. T. Thomson, cr. 8vo. 12/ cl Trevethick (R.), Life of, by F. Trevethick, 2 vols. 8vo. 12/6 al. Denton's (J. B.) Storage of Water, 8vo. 1/ swd. Catholic Pulpit, Vol. 1, cr. 8vo. 3/6 cl. D'Arblay's (Madame) Evelina, cr. 8vo. 2/ bds. Lessings Nathan the Wise, translated by E. S. H., 4to. 8/6 cl. Orphan Boy, or from Peasant to Prince, 18mo. 1/ cl. Robinson's (G. T.) Betrayal of Metz, cr. 8vo. 6/ cl. Stretton's (H.) Lost Gip, new edit. 16mo. 1/6 cl. Two Guardians, by Author of 'Heir of Redclyffe,' 5th edit. 6/ "MUCKLE-MOUTHED MEG." WE have on our table A Reference Catalogue of - - Occasions, by J. H. Newman (Burns & Oates). Also the following Pamphlets: Test and Competitive History, by W. M. Lupton (Longmans), The Presuppositions of Critical History, by F. H. Bradley (Oxford, Parker),-Researches in the Life History of the Monads, by Rev. W. H. Dallinger and J. Drysdale,-Cocoa, and its Manufacture, by J. Holm (Rivers),- Lessons on the Prevention of the Spread of Fevers, by the Managing Visitor of the Sanitary Aid Association for the Borough of Hastings (St. Leonards-on-Sea, Dorman),-The Diseases of Dogs, their Pathology, Diagnosis, and Treatment, by H. Dalziel (“ Bazaar" Office), The Micrographic Dictionary, by J. W. The World and the Sects; or, the Charge of the Lord Bishop of Bath and Wells Examined, by J. S. McCorry, D.D. (Burns & Oates), and Some Remarks on the Mode in which Clerical Tithe Rentcharge is Assessed, by the Rev. W. E. Sellon, B.A. (Rivingtons). LIST OF NEW BOOKS. Arnold's (T.) Sermons Preached in the Chapel of Rugby School, Benisch's (Dr. A.) Judaism Surveyed, cr. 8vo. 5/ cl. In the parlour of old Abbotsford, looking out on the Tweed, there was, twenty years ago, a painting (water-colour, I think) of the incident your reviewer of 'Scottish Rivers' refers to, where Scott o' Harden was offered the choice of being hanged or a marriage with "Muckle-mouthed Meg." But your reviewer surely is in error in saying "Sir Walter Scott came by descent from this marriage." I was for a year and a half engaged in literary work in close neighbourhood Rev. W. Rothery, Episcopalian minister at Selto Abbotsford, and one day while so engaged the kirk, told me, in illustration of the Ettrick Shepherd's abiding coarseness, that at a dinner-party, at Abbotsford, Scott of Harden (subsequently Lord Polwarth) inquired of Hogg, whom he met for the first time, what in himself attracted so markedly Hogg's attention. To which Hogg replied that he was looking to see if he (Scott of It did not need a second look at the Laird of Harden to become aware that the peculiarity of the Philiphaugh lass had not been transmitted. And it may be remarked, that the present representative of the Murrays is further removed than most men from Meg's distinction. C. W. E. **Sir Thomas Lauder, a very good authority, states that Sir Walter Scott was a descendant of the above-named pair. * INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT. 29, Paternoster Row, August 17, 1874. "E. R.," in his communication in your last number, has entirely misunderstood my letter of the 8th inst. I did not ask for reference to any case where an English author had lost his rights here by first publishing in the United States. On the contrary, what I did ask was, having in view Mr. Mahony's doubt when he referred to the case pending against a German publisher, is there any case recorded where an English author first published in the United States, and at the same time retained a copyright here, against attempts to reprint the work without authority? That, it will be seen, is another and a very different way of putting the matter. As to "E. R.'s" hint that I may try the other view of the case by reprinting here certain articles which he refers to as having been written by Mr. Dickens in the United States, I have no desire to do so, as, individually, I have no interest to protect, nor do I think there can be any doubt as to the law of the case. Had there been any general principle, at present in a doubtful condition, to be solved, it might have been desirable to try the question. Such, for example, as the well-known case, tried eight years ago, in which I was interested, when the idea that by registering a title at Stationers' Hall the copyright in it was thereby secured, was finally exploded, and the principle clearly laid down that nothing but first publication can secure a copyright, apart altogether from registration. "E. R.'s" suggestion as to the only mode of at present securing a copyright here and in the United States is simply a repetition of what I mentioned in my last letter. I do not, however, think that these International "dodges," if I may be allowed the expression, are calculated to elevate the question of an International Copyright; and, indeed, that they are not more frequent, only shows that they are not held in much favour generally by the leading authors here and in America. I believe that an International Copyright would be a great boon to the authors and publishers of both England and America, leaving the interest of the public out of the discussion at the moment, although I think it could be shown that they also would benefit by the arrangement. On the one hand, authors generally would command a better and, what they have not now, a certain reward for their brain-work. At present, some few authors can command an arrangement which secures them an interest in their works; and it is much to the credit of some publishing houses, both here and in America, that they volunteer a share in the profits. But in the case of a young and untried author, unless he can dispose of the "advance sheets" before his work is published here, his chances of participation in its ultimate success are very doubtful. And this question of "advance" or "early" sheets is well known in the trade to be generally a difficult matter to deal with. On the other hand, an International Copyright would give publishers a security that they would have the monopoly (I know that this is a dangerous word for me to use) of whatever they arranged to engage in. But this would enable them to give a higher honorarium to the author, and would not involve the publication of reprints at the, in many cases, present unprofitable prices, which have to be adopted to prevent others, if possible, from "printing upon them," as the phrase goes. I am aware that once a publishing house has reprinted a book, a code of honour has been laid down that no one else shall print it. But how often is it broken, and bitter feeling thereby engendered? JOHN HOGG. THE CONFUCIAN TEMPLE AT PEKING. AN interesting paper, which has since been published separately, under the title of 'The Stone Drums of the Chou Dynasty' (Harrison & Sons), was recently read before the North China branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, by Dr. Bushell, of Peking, on some ancient inscriptions which are preserved at the present day in the Confucian Temple in that capital. About the time that the characters on the now famous Moabite stone were carved at Dibon, a Chinese courtier in the train of King Hsuan (B.C. 827-782) shaped ten water-worn boulders, which he collected from Pontifical Missal, such as is used at a Bishop's Mass; the critics have always regarded it as a marvel of workmanship, and quite equal to the celebrated one executed by Juvenal des Ursines, Secretary to the Bishop of Poitiers circa 1455, and kept in the Library of Paris. The Polish Count Raczinski, well known as an art critic, speaks loudly in praise of this Missal; and when the late Thomas Boone, the Nestor of booksellers, was in Lisbon, he offered 1,000 guineas for it; moreover, a Paris house raised the bid to 2,500l., but the authorities will not allow it to be sold. The Missal is folio size, and is ornamented with eleven pictures drawn with the pen and beautifully coloured; they are models of composition and correctness of design and perspective. Besides the large plates, there are numerous vignettes and capital letters, which show a most fertile fancy After having lain concealed for thirteen cen- and the hand of a miniature painter. The large turies on the spot on which they were subjected plates are the Adoration of the Shepherds, the to the graving tool of the poet, they were, at Wise Men of the East, the Last Supper, Calvary, length, unearthed. But though their discovery the Resurrection, Descent of the Holy Ghost, excited considerable interest among the scholars Assumption, Scourging at the Pillar, Christ Disof the period, no measures were for some time puting with the Doctors, Our Lady receiving the taken to preserve them from destruction. At Child Jesus, all admirable pictures. Some three length a more than usually zealous Prefect of the years ago the Government allowed the firm of Department removed them to the Confucian Macia & Co., of Paris, to copy the Missal by the Temple in the departmental city of Fêng-hsiang chromo-lithographic process, and the work is now Fu. There they remained until the close of far advanced. A subscription-list has been opened, the Tang dynasty (A.D. 907), when, during the which includes nearly all the crowned heads and troublous times which followed, they were dis-art-academies in Europe. MATTHEW Lewtas. persed and scattered abroad, and it was not until literature revived under the Sung dynasty that efforts were made to recover them. Nine out of the ten were discovered without much difficulty, but it was a considerable time before the tenth was rescued from the collection of a private individual. In the twelfth century A.D. they were carried by a fugitive monarch of the Sung dynasty to Pien-ching, where they were set up in the palace, and where the characters of the inscriptions were, by Imperial order, filled with gold, "to illustrate their value and importance to all men, as well as to prevent further injury and mutilation by the constant practice of taking rubbings and fac-similes." Here they remained until the Niuchih Tatars carried them off, vi et armis, to their capital, the modern Peking. Being in needy circumstances, the Tatars looked upon the gold as their chief attraction, and having possessed themselves of that, they left the drums to their fate. Fortunately the rule of the Niuchih Tatars was of short duration, and during the succeeding Mongolian dynasty (A.D. 1307) these ancient stones were placed in the Confucian Temple, where they at present stand. The inscriptions on the drums are of great value, as furnishing well-authenticated specimens of the characters in use during the ninth century before Christ. From an examination of them it is plain that writing had then reached the transition period, when the original hieroglyphics were being gradually moulded into the phonetic form of characters now employed. The poems, of which Dr. Bushell has given us exact copies, as well as translations as far as is possible from the present mutilated condition of the drums, are written in a precisely similar style to that of the Book of Odes compiled by Confucius, and this, among other well-grounded arguments, is adduced by Dr. Bushell as a proof of the date to which they undoubtedly belong. THE MISSAL OF THE ABBOT GONÇALVES. Lisbon, August 8, 1874. IN the Library of the Lisbon Academy of Sciences, which formerly belonged to the suppressed Convent of Jesus, is preserved one of the most beautiful illuminated Missals in the world. It is the work of Estevao Gonçalves Neto, sometime Abbot of Serem, in Portugal, and afterwards Chaplain to Dom Joao Manuel, Bishop of Vizen, to whom, as a token of gratitude, he presented this precious work of art. The execution occupied from 1610 to 1622, and the Bishop of Vizen, who founded the Jesuit Convent, placed the Missal in the Library, where it remains. The book is a Literary Gossip. THE Cobden Club volume on Local Governtain The Local Government of England,' by ment, which will appear in February, will conHon. George Brodrick; of Scotland, by Mr. Caird; of France, by Comte de Franqueville; of Germany, by Mr. R. B. D. Morier; of Holland and Belgium, by M. Émile de Laveleye; of Spain, by Señor Moret y Prendergast; of Russia, by Mr. Ashton W. Dilke; and also an essay on the Local Government of Ireland. The volume will be edited by Mr. Probyn. MR. FROUDE has sailed for America. MR. FURLEY has completed his 'History of the Weald of Kent.' The second volume is to be divided into two parts. He explains the formation of Kentish parishes in the last chapter. MR. NEWTON CROSLAND writes to us to complain that Messrs. Longmans have lately MR. G. H. KINAHAN writes to us to complain of our statement, made last week in our article "Belfast," that "tenancy" in Ireland came in with the English. Of course all turns on the sense in which the word is used, the English or the Irish. Mr. Kinahan adds, "The "Tenant right' law of Ulster is not an English institution, but one of the old Irish laws, that was adopted and insisted on by the Scotch settlers, and to this old Irish law is due, in a great measure, the prosperity of Ulster." In addition to the volume named by us as being in the press, Don Jaime Clark's Madrid publishers, Medina y Navarro, have already issued Vol. V. of that gentleman's elegant, scholarly, and faithful translation of Shakspeare. It contains 'Hamlet' and the 'Merry Wives of Windsor.' When it is completed, we hope to give this Castilian version the detailed notice it merits. WE alluded, some weeks ago, to a new edition of the important county book, 'Ormerod's Cheshire.' Arrangements as to editorship and other matters are now completed. Mr. Thomas Helsby, of Manchester, will be the editor, and in the duties devolving on him he will have the assistance of several gentlemen whose names are known in this field of literature. The work will be published serially, in parts, crown folio size, and an impression will also be issued on larger paper. The original plates contained in the first edition will be given, and it is proposed to bring the history down to the present period. A GENTLEMAN sends us from Dublin a most ingenious defence of the river Liffey against the strictures on its character contained in our article of last week on Belfast. been misinformed as to the 'Letters of Horace MR. BOHN desires us to say that we have Walpole' (edition in nine volumes) being out of print. WE understand that Mr. E. Grant-Duff, M.P., intends, in October next, to start for a six months' tour through India. He purposes, we learn, to devote special attention to Indian botany and archæology, but it is not improfortifying his knowledge of Indian matters in bable that he may take the opportunity of general, and, we hope, with literary results. How they did things in Prussia was thus he begs, that his Accquaintance, by sending a Line, reported one hundred and twenty years without Ceremony, which is the best Way, or by ago by the "Own Correspondent" of Reads any other Way, would very soon be pleas'd to Weekly Journal; or, British Gazetteer, in that appoint a Day, and Hour, and a particular Place too, (which, if left to him to chuse, he would connewspaper for April 28, 1750, p. 1, col. 3 :— trive, should be convenient One) where he might "Dusseldorf, April 15, O.S.... An unlucky Affair make his sincere, and faithful Acknowledgements." happened a few Days ago at Waltenscheydt, a little-See The Daily Advertiser, Tuesday, May 15, town of the Prussian Territory, in the Neighbour 1750, p. 2, col. 2. follows, viz. A Niece of the famous Baron Neuhoff hood of Essen, the Particulars of which are as (once King Theodore of Corsica) having repaired to the Church of that Place, in order to make a publick Abjuration of the Reformed Religion, and go over to the Roman Communion; some Prussian Officers, who were recruiting there and in the Neighbourhood, entered the said Church, Sword in Hand, and carried off by Force the new Proselyte. Upon which the Alarm Bell was rung; Papists and Protestants came pouring down from both Parties fighting Tooth and Nail, with a truly all Quarters, and a desperate Skirmish ensued; laudable Zeal, for the Salvation of the young Lady's Soul. Eight were killed upon the Spot, and many dangerously wounded upon both Sides. However, the Roman Catholicks, being far Superior MR. HENRY BLACKBURN has in the press in Number remained Masters of the Field of a new book, called 'Brittany Picturesque,' to Battle: and having thus rescued their Convert be published by Messrs. Sampson Low & Co. out of the Hands of their Adversaries, carried her It will have numerous illustrations by R. Cal-off in Triumph to Werden. What the Court of Berlin will say to this Affair, we don't yet know." HERE is an example of the old-fashioned way of making announcements of the kind: "On Saturday last was married in King Henry Fitzwilliams Barring the Seventh's Chapel, ton, of Lilly in Hertfordshire, Esq., to Miss Hall, endowed with all the agreeable Accomplishments of Norfolk-street, a young Lady of Great Merit, that can render the Marriage State happy, with a Fortune of 20,000l."-See Read's Weekly Journal; or, British Gazetteer, March 3, 1750, p. 4, col. 1. IN reference to the same article, we have to note the appearance of a 'Guide to Belfast, published by the Belfast Naturalists' Field Club. decott and other artists. THE Friend, a monthly magazine, published by the Wesleyan Missionaries in Ceylon, is printing a posthumous work of some length, by the Rev. R. Spence Hardy, entitled Christianity and Buddhism Compared.' The Friend is a revival of the magazine of that name, established in 1837. THE following, from a newspaper dated tion; The reader will recognize in the giver of the Has it been noticed that Ben Jonson's bust in Westminster Abbey shows a sculptural error of the kind referred to in the following verses, taken from "A Choice Collection of Poetry, most carefully collected from Original Manuscripts, by Joseph Yarrow, Comedian, York, 1738"? "On Ben Johnson's Bust, with the Buttons on the O Rare Ben Johnson! what a Turn-coat grown? HERE are two glimpses of London streets in 1750, displaying the figure of an old acin 1750, displaying the figure of an old acquaintance : "On Sunday Night seven Persons, with their Mr. Roubilliac was robb'd of his Watch and Mr. Roubilliac was, no doubt, walking home- : THE Morning Post would not now make a HERE is a more than commonly incoherent WITH reference to a paragraph which appeared in last week's Athenæum, announcing the publication of an edition of the famous Sanskrit grammar, the Kâsikâ Vritti, by Mr. Sripâd B. Thâkûr, it may be stated that an edition of the same work is now being published in the Pandit, by Bâlasâstrî, the coeditor of the Mahabhashya. When there are still so many unpublished texts, as in Sanskrit literature, it is a pity that two scholars should devote their time to the same work. follows:- : "A pamphlet just published at Berlin is exciting much interest in Germany. It is an answer to Mr. Whitney, by Prof. Steinthal, written in the old and antiquated style of literary warfare, and certainly surpassing anything we have lately seen of critical vivisection. The title is 'Antikritik. Wie Einer den Nagel auf den Kopf trifft. Ein freundschaflichen Dialog von Professor H. Steinthal.' ('Anticriticism. How Some one has Hit the Nail on the Head. A Friendly Dialogue by Prof. H. Steinthal.') No one who has read Steinthal had ample reason for being angry. Mr. Whitney's late articles will deny that Prof. No one likes to be misrepresented, least of all at would call, so smart a writer as Mr. Whitney. Yet the hands of so popular and, what the Americans first thoughts were best. When he first saw Mr. we cannot help thinking that Prof. Steinthal's I have spoken, Mr. Whitney has spoken;-let Whitney's attacks and sneers, he said to himself, the reader judge.' Now the intelligent reader is not so entirely extinct an animal as some authors imagine, who, as soon as they are attacked, think it necessary to defend themselves. Prof. Steinthal is not the only scholar whom Mr. Whitney, presuming too much on the ignorance of his American audiences, has either misrepresented or abused. Does it follow, because Mr. Whitney has written something in the American papers, which are open to him and his friends, that, therefore, what he has said is true? There are signs that even in America Mr. Whitney's affectation of superiority begins to excite suspicion, and though his friends have lately been very active in some German papers, we cannot help thinking that Prof. Steinthal exaggerates the effect of such advertisements, when he says, 'The writings threaten to infect Germany with pestilence.' The punishment inflicted by Prof. Steinthal will, no doubt, be felt keenly, all the more so, because he is one of the three scholars whom Mr. Whitney quotes and praises in his Lectures. In his Preface, after stating that the greater part of his lectures consists of philological commonplaces, which require no acknowledgment, he makes an exception in favour of three scholars only, to whom he thinks it right to express his indebtedness, Profs. Steinthal, Schleicher, and Max Müller. 'It is, however, |