com their long and weary journey over And all their fellow banks and braes." In the midst of a tremendous midnight storm, Benjamin has an opportunity of evincing his humanity to a female in distress, the wife of a lame sailor, who is travelling with a model of Lord Nelson's ship the Vanguard. The Sailor and the Waggouer jog on most cordially till attracted by the sound of "a village Merry-night," "a term well known in the North of England, as applied to rural festivals, where young persons meet in the evening for the pur jovial crew; and are tempted to waste two hours. The True Stories," in the first pose of dancing. Here they join the Volume, XXV in number, mence with "the Creation of the World," and are continued in chronological order to "the retreat of the Ten Thousand Greeks, in the year before Christ 401," one of the most interesting portions of Antient History. " Xenophon has written a charming account of this wonderful retreat, in which he himself acted so noble and conspicuous a part; many men have gained high fame, by victories and battles, but the brave and skilful manner in which this defeated army was led home in safety, confers more honour on its conductors than ever conquest bestowed." The Second Volume continues the series of "Stories," to the year before Christ, 42; and the Third, to the death of Charlemagne in 814. Three more Volumes, we understand, are intended to be published, in the autumn of the present year, from Modern History. 17. year The Waggoner, a Poem. To which are added, Sonnets. By William Wordsworth. 8vo. pp. 68. Longman and Co. MR. WORDSWORTH's productions cannot possibly be charged with precipitancy; the present Poem having been written so far back as the 1806; and, notwithstanding "the higher tone of imagination, and the deeper touches of passion, aimed at in Peter Bell," we cannot but think "The Waggoner" is, to say no more of it, not less meritorious than the former Poem. The style is simply elegant, and unaffected; and we have accompanied honest Benjamin and his Team, with much satisfaction, through The Sailor's narrative of the Battle of the Nile is excellent; and the conviviality of the little party at the Inn is well described. In the middle of the Poem, the fertile Muse of Mr. Wordsworth is induced, by the surrounding scenery, To quit the slow-paced Waggon's side, Where no disturbance comes to intrude Her unsuspecting eye, perchance, We would gladly accompany the Muse's flight, to "the ridge of Nathdale Fell," and "the ruined towers of Threlkeld Hall;" but we must proceed, with the honest Waggoner, up Castrigg's naked steep (Where smoothly urged the vapours sweep Along-and scatter and divide Like fleecy clouds self-multiplied) The stately Waggon is ascending With faithful Benjamin attending." On the arrival of Benjamin at Keswick, the owner of the team, indignant at the delay which had oc curred, "AGAIN his faithful Friend attends him." But this jeu d'esprit is not (as may probably be expected) a parody on the preceding Article; which it resembles in nothing but the title page. On the contrary, it was in fact written before the publication of "The Waggoner of W. W." and might with propriety have been called à Continuation of the Adventures of Peter Bell (see Part I. p. 442), and of the severest ridicule on its worthy Author. In a long and witty Preface the two former Peters are introduced, in friendly conversation, in a stagecoach; which ends in the Parodist's obtaining possession of the MS Frag; ment now given to the Publick; and in that Preface are some keen political truths. The following observation may refer to more persons than one : "So much were we struck in the early days of our observation with the incongruities, the abuses, and the very palpable penury of virtuous principles in the distribution of Law and of Government; that we had determined to abandon the land of our fathers, and endeavour to find among distant barbarous climes; Rivers unknown to song; where first the sun Gilds Indian mountains, or his setting beam Flames on th' Atlantic isles ;' -some state of society, which, though void of our boasted civilization, yet would be equally divested of the superlative degree of iniquity which seems always by some fatality to attend upon its progress. We looked abroad, and like the dove which found no resting-place till she once more alighted upon the Ark which she had left, we found that it was possible, even in the midst of the system which we deprecated, to live, to enjoy, and to prosper." From so rambling a performance, we may be content with a few detached lines : "Another tale in verse I'll sing, Or Benjamin who drives the Waggon? "I love the words which run so easy- "Now Peter be oft thought of marrying, Happy was Peter and the widow, To 22 pages of fanciful poetry are appended 46 pages of humourous prose. 19. Familiar Lessons on Mineralogy and Geology; explaining the easiest Methods of discriminating Minerals, and the earthy Substances, commonly called Rocks, which compose the primitive, secondary, Floetz or Flat, and alluvial Formations: to which is added, a Description of the Lapidaries' Apparatus, &c. With Engravings and Coloured Plate. By J. Mawe, Author of "The New Descriptive Catalogue of Minerals," &c. &c. 12mo. pp. 78. Longman and Co. THE Author of these "Familiar Lessons" has" carefully avoided obscure terms and technical phraseology, studiously aiming at simplicity in description." "His endeavours to become explicit, may have unavoidably betrayed him into a repetition of expression. It is his chief desire that an acquaintance with our mineral resources may be cultivated rather as a recreation than a study; that the produce of our mines may be regarded as an an object of interest, and that the traveller may be able to recognize the substances that compose the ground on which he treads. Mineralogy may be contemplated in two points of view: we may consider it as closely connected with the more common affairs of life, and consequently inviting us to pursue it from its utility; or by affording to us continual examples of mathematical regularity, and of the undeviating order of Nature, it may, like Astronomy, accustom the student to sublime speculations, and thus become the means of enlarging and dignifying the faculties of his understanding. Rare specimens are by no means necessary to obtain a competent knowledge of Minerals. A careful perusal of a small and select collection, will benefit the student more than many hundreds expended in mere rarities, though such are, indeed, beneficial to the private or public dealer, who may artfully introduce them to the opulent amateur! The Author, well aware of defects, solicits the assistance of the better informed Mineralogist, and will feel himself greatly obliged by any useful communication on this subject. He is aware of the difficulties which attend any one who endeavours, to simplify what is complicated, or to disentangle what is perplexed in any science: confessing his little pretensions to theoretical knowledge, he undertakes the present labour with great diffidence, being conscious of the excellent and learned elementary treatises from which he has received instruction and delight. The present little work is intended as a guide to more comprehensive publications, and the author will think himself amply remunerated, if it should become instrumental in promoting the interest of the science." 20. Greenland, and other Poems. By James Montgomery. 8vo. pp. 250. Longman and Co. GREENLAND, which comprises the greater part of the Volume, is a Poem entirely of a religious character; the story is founded upon the settlement made by the Christian Missionaries in the country which gives its title to the poem. The natural peculiarities of that remote and singular region give opportunity for much new and beautiful description. Of this, the following comprehensive and vivid sketch of Greenland itself affords a fine example: "Far off, amidst the placid sunshine, glow [snow, Mountains with hearts of fire and crests of GENT. MAG. August, 1819. Whose blacken'd slopes with deep ravines entrencir'd, [nings quench'd, Their thunders silenc'd, and their lightStill the slow heat of spent eruptions breathe, [wombs beneath. While embryo earthquakes swell their Hark! from yon cauldron cave, the battle sound Of fire and water warring under ground; Rack'd on the wheels of an ebullient tide, Here might some spirit, fall'n from bliss, abide, Such fitful wailings of intense despair, Such emanating splendours fill the air, -He comes, he comes; the infuriate Geyser springs Up to the firmament on vapoury wings; White whirling clouds his steep ascent pur- throne, The mighty apparition towers, alone, Rising, as though for ever he could rise, Storm and resume his palace in the skies. All foam, and turbulence, and wrath below, Around him beams the reconciling bow; Signal of peace, whose radiant girdle binds, Till Nature's doom, the waters and the winds; While mist and spray, condens'd to sudden dews, The air illumine with celestial hues, spheres ; He yields, collapses, lessens, disappears; Darkness receives him in her vague abyss, Around whose verge light froth and bubbles biss, While the low murmurs of the refluent tide Far into subterranean silence glide, The eye still gazing down the dread profound, [sound. When the bent ear hath wholly lost the -But is he slain and sepulchred?-Again The deathless giant sallies from his den, Scales with recreated strength the ethereal walls, Struggles afresh for liberty, and falls. Some Some interesting episodes are woven into the principal fable with great skill; the story of a whole people lost by the accumulation of ice seems a bold attempt at a competition with the greatest of living poets. The opening of the first Canto pre sents a painting of great beauty and novelty, upon a subject which has given occasion, perhaps, to as many efforts at descriptive embellishment as any other. "The moon is watching in the sky; the stars Are swiftly wheeling on their golden cars; Reflects a cloudless firmament beneath; With evanescent motion to the West, The pageant glides through loneliness and night, [light." And leaves behind a rippling wake of At the conclusion of this Canto, after defending the absurdities of Idolatry and Superstition, the Poet adds, "The Runic Bard to nobler themes shall string [sing: His antient harp, and mightier triumphs For glorious days are risen on Iceland:clear The gospel-trumpet sounds to every ear, And deep in many a heart the Spirit's voice Bids the believing soul in hope rejoice. O'er the stern face of this tempestuous isle, Though briefly Spring, and Autumn never, smile, Truth walks with naked foot th' unyielding snows, And the glad desert blossoms like the rose. Though earthquakes heave, though torrents drown his cot, [lot Volcanoes waste his fields,-the peasant's Is blest beyond the destiny of kings: -Lifting his eyes above sublunar things, Like dying Stephen, when he saw in prayer Heaven open'd, and his Saviour beckoning there, 21. Parliamentary Letters, and other Poems. By Q. in the Corner. Small 8vo. pp. 109. Baldwin and Co. THESE Letters, from an electioneering Candidate to a Friend in London, are familiar and amusing. They begin thus: "My dear cousin Edward, I know you will stare, [me his heir! When you hear that my uncle has made In his will he has left me his mansion and goods, [woods; His household appendages, acres, and And I mean, as I'm greatly enrich'd by his bounty, [the county." To sit down in splendour, and stand for Of his qualifications he speaks modestly, * One of the finest specimens of Icelandic poetry extant is said to be the "Ode to the British and Foreign Bible Society," composed by the Rev. John Thorlakson, of Bægisâ, the translator of Milton's " Paradise Lost" into his native tongue. Of this Ode there is a Latin translation by the learned Iceland Professor, Fiun Magnusson. A spirited English version has also appeared. Thorlakson is a venerable old man, and holds church preferment to the amount of six pounds five shillings per annum, out of which he allows a stipend to a curate. See our Part 1. p. 464. They [dead. And quote from all languages, living and If one, thus enlighten'd by college and schools, [rules, Were to measure my speeches by critical Or to treat my remarks in a scholar-like way, [I say? O! how should I answer? or what should For even suppose I'd the volumes to quote; -Ye gods! what a trouble to learn them by rote !!" His friend in return, gives him some sound advice, intermixed with jocularity; and, inter alia, says, "Let not expensive dinners give you This is a tax which greatness must sus- meet, Without a dinner all seems incomplete : At JUSTICE MEETINGS, where grave sages sit Arranging roads or rates, as they thick fit; At QUARTER DAY, when lawyers are intent From the minor Poems, we take one short extract : "Dear Laura! when you were a flirting young miss, And I was your dutiful swain, Your smiles could exalt to the summit of bliss, Your frowns could o'erwhelm me with pain. Your were dear to me, then, love, but now the pert flippancy of haberdashers' shopmen; they collect shreds and remnants of knowledge, which they puff off with a smile of the most perfect complacency; and if they obtain encouragement, they will try to sport with a commodity which they mistake for wit. What could induce Miss Plumtre to enlist into this class of bookmakers? Did she conceive that any tissue would serve for a Residence in Ireland, or that from her any thing would be acceptable? Sterne was vain enough to suppose that his readers would tolerate whatever flowed from his pen; and perhaps Miss P. was of opinion, that if she tried sometimes to be pompous, and other times to be facetious, she should ingratiate herself with the multitude, and even impose on the Critick. In the writer's serious accounts and remarks, however, we find much to applaud; and though she be generally desultory, and frequently incorrect, her pen is guided by humanity, and by a desire of promoting the improvement of the country which she attempts to describe. Impressed with the conviction that the people of Ireland have laboured under the foulest imputations and aspersions, she laudably exerts herself to render them justice, and notices their defects in order to advance the important object of their amelioration. In the summer of 1814, Miss Plumtre was led, from a combination of circumstances, to visit Dublin and the North of Ireland, in company with two friends. Liverpool was the place fixed on for embarkation; but the party were, by the persuasion of a friend, induced to alter their plan, and they chose Bristol as the most eligible spot to take shipping, and, by adopting this latter resolution, Miss Pluintre had an opportunity of visiting Bath, of which she has given an interesting description; but that celebrated city is too well known to need any notice here. After a short stay at Bristol, during which she collected many interesting mineralogical specimens, she set off for Liverpool, according to her original intention, and arrived there on the 14th of July, about eight in the morning, and on the following day embarked, having joined company with two officers going to Ireland; the voyage was te |