66 Melaia and other Poems. By Eliza Cook. Illustrated edition, 8vo. Tilt, London : 1840. ELIZA COOK!-who is Eliza Cook?. we have often exclaimed, as we met with the name appended to some sweet little gem in the corner of a newspaper. At first we imagined she was an American authoress, and that her poems were transferred from the Ame rican annuals and magazines to the English newspapers. But no; it would seem from the present volume that Eliza Cook is an Englishwoman; and the preface, which, however, gives no clue to her resideuce, speaks of the rapid sale of a large edition and the increasing demand for more." This is very mysterious. We know a little about books and authors, and certes we never heard of this previous edition; and though we have consulted several of our critical friends, they are all in similar darkness. Be this, however, as it may, we can truly say that this is a truly charming volume, got up by our friend, Mr. Tilt, in the most beautiful style. The numerous vignettes are exquisite little gems, in every respect worthy of the verses; and the volume will be equally welcome to the lovers of poetry and the fine arts. The Oriental Annual for 1840; containing a series of Tales, Legends, and Historical Romances. By Thomas Bacon, F.S. A., &c. With Engravings by Finden, from Sketches by the Author and Captain Meadows Taylor. London: C. Tilt. 1840. THIS is one of the most interesting of all the Annuals, devoted to the illustration of the manners, customs, and superstitions of the inhabitants of the vast provinces of British India. Any thing which would make us better acquainted with the prodigious continent whose destinies are for the present united to those of Britain, must be valuable. We have always considered it a radical defect in our present system of education, that while in all the great schools the pupils are carefully instructed in the language, history, antiquities, literature, and religion of Greece and Rome, they are left totally uninformed both of the history of Ireland and of all our colonies. Thus men grow up enthusiastically attached to the scenery of the classics, and thousands of visitors run to explore every ruin, hill, valley, or fountain alluded to by Homer or Virgil; while scenes no less beautiful, and no less interesting when known, in every part of the British empire, are totally unnoticed. The very names appear harsh and unmusical to those whose ears have been pre-occupied by the heroes of Homer. Hence a want of sympathy with those various tribes and nations which own the sway of Britain. Nothing appears to us better suited to remove that apathy than the publication of such volumes as that now before us. Admirably written and tive the imagination, and gradually insplendidly embellished, it leads capterests us in scenes well worthy of our attention. We esteem the drawings contributed by Capt. Meadows Taylor (the Thug) extremely valuable, and production of a volume in every way congratulate the publishers upon the worthy of the advanced state of the arts in Britain. The Evils inseparable from a Mixed Currency, and the Advantages to be secured by introducing an Inconvertible National Paper Circulation, throughout the British Empire and its Dependencies, under proper regulations. An Essay, by William Blacker, Esq. in 8vo:-London: 1839. THE object of this little pamphlet is to demonstrate the evils of the present system of currency, and to recommend the adoption of an inconvertible government paper currency. He purposes thus to prevent the variations in the value of money, which unquestionably take place under the present system, whether arising from over-speculation or from other circumstances; such as a deficient harvest, causing an increase in the amount of our imports. Another object which he has in view is, to render our currency more independent of the financial operations of other countries. At present, any rival power, by raising a loan in England, and receiv ing the amount in gold, might almost exhaust the Bank of England and compel it to limit its circulation, and contract its discounts, and derange the whole trade of the country. We have not space to say much upon the merits of this book; but we can assure our readers, that even those who may think the author's project impracticable, will admit that it is the most ingenious and the most feasible that has yet been proposed for the purpose, and that if it fails, no other plan of inconvertible paper money can succeed. His proposal for establishing a uniform currency throughout the colonies of England, is particularly worthy of attention. The whole work is evidently the production of a man of strong common sense, and much acquired information; and we know no way by which a person can acquire a knowledge of the principles of banking and currency, at so slight an expenditure of money and time, as by purchasing and reading this little book. Actress's Legacy, 547. Address and Remonstrance to her Ma- Adrian, a Tale of Italy, by H. Cook Anster, Doctor, our Portrait Gallery, Anthology, the Cheltenham, critical Asia Minor, Fellowes's excursion in, Australia, third article, 84. Bateman, Lord, the Loving Ballad of, Beaumont, l'Irlande, Sociale, Politique Benjamin, Park, lines to Mary by, Blacker's Essay on Mixed Currency, critical notice of, 728. Burton's, Dr., Journey to Jerusalem, Carleton, W., the Three Wishes, 600. Cathedrals, the English, and the Church VOL. XIV. Catiline, by J. E. Reade, critical notice Church Commission and the English ; Confessions of Harry Lorrequer-Chap. Constantinople, Walsh and Allom's, and Continental Gossipings, by Harry Lor- Cook's, Eliza, Poems, critical notice of, 728. Cook's Adrian, a tale of Italy, critical Corner, the Poet's, 717. Critical Notices :-Dr. John Smith's stantinople, 616; Colonel Torrens on Dawn, Morning, and Evening, by C. M. Devoted One, and other poems, by 613. Dugald Moore, Review of, 174. Fellow's Excursion in Asia Minor, Re- Female Portraits, No. III. Lady Syden- Ferney, the last Heir of, a Legend, 643. Germany, Bohemia, and Hungary, 33. the Lily of the Valley, 485; Lines Hamilton, (Miss E. M.) Sonnets sug- Hawkins, Bisset, review of his "Ger- Jones' Jacob, Tragedies review of, 163, Ireland, Lady Chatterton's Rambles, in Ireland, De Beaumont's work on review Ireland, Lord Roden's Committee on Irish Political Novels the Manor of 137; part III. 290; part IV. 419; Lines by E. M. H. [Miss Hamilton,] Lockrin, the reign of, Review of, 173. Lorrequer, Harry, Continental Gossip- Mary, Lines to, by Park Benjamin, 637. Moore's, Dugald, Devoted Oue, and Oriental Annual for 1840, Critical No- Portrait Cæsar,-our 123. Ouseley's Vision of Death, &c. Critical Park's Blindness, or the Second Sense Physic and Physicians, Critical Notice Physician, Lines to a, by E. M. H. Polish Chateau in the last century, part Popery, England versus, 559. 155; No. II. 470; No. III. 547; Portrait Gallery, our, No. I. Rev. Cæsar Otway, 396; No. II. Dr. Anster, 544; a Memory of Johnstown, (Co. of Wex- 717. Psalter, in English Verse, [by the Rev. J. Queen, the, the Parliament, and the Address and Remonstrance to Her and Hungary, 33; Hawkins' Germany, Reade's, J. E. Catiline, Critical Notice of, Roden's, Lord, Committee on the State Ross's, J. W., Ninian, a Poem, Critical Sabbath Musings and Every Day Scenes, Saints, Lives of, canonized 1839, Review- Schiller's Song of the Bell, Translated, Selma, a Tale of the Sixth Crusade, Re- Smith's, Dr. John, Songs, Critical No- Spartacus, a Tragedy, by Jacob Jones, State of Parties in the British Empire; Sullivan's, Jim, Adventures in the Great Summer Sonnets, by W. D. 328. Sylva, a, by B., 596. Tales and Narratives-Jim Sullivan's of, 393. Under-Teacher, the, 155. 713. |