which they consist, that they were the results of some State enterprise, undertaken by a spirited and ambitious government, which aimed at exalting the national character, and its own, by the munificence of its patronage of the fine arts.

Our admiration, however, was not a little heightened for the great work, when we found, that the herculean task was altogether the proposal, as it was the execution of mere individual impulse, talent, and perseverance. We are sure that every reader will partake of our surprise, when he understands something of the details of the vast undertaking, to which we have now called his attention. We find in history, a great many allusions to the existence of Mexican antiquities. It was always understood, that the first Christian missionaries to Mexico, discovered, and became possessed of, various interesting relics, relating to the ancient state of that province. In some instances, it was known that these relics were, from time to time, transmitted to Europe, where they were always regarded as objects of great consideration. From the effects of political vicissitudes, these curious objects were scattered through the different countries of Europe, and to this circumstance it may probably be owing, that so little use has been made of those documents, towards illustrating the genuine history of ancient Mexico. Hence it is, that the early inhabitants of that interesting country, have been so strangely misrepresented; hence do they appear in history, as only a band of rude barbarians, who were indebted to their invaders for all the knowledge which they possessed of the arts of civilization.

Justice, however, though tardily, has been rendered to the aborigines of Mexico. The dispersed paintings and hieroglyphics of ancient Mexican execution, and which-seen in their separate condition, as they were preserved in countries remote from, and unconnected with, one another-are, in the present publication, brought into one brilliant collection, forming not merely an object of interest for the curious in art, but a subject of necessary and profound study for the historian. In the details of these extraordinary productions, will be found traces of a highly cultivated state of society; of an acquaintance with refined morality, with an influential religion, with laws, arts, sciences, and even the more delicate habits of domestic life. Thus, then, the union of these various performances of Mexican skill-the display of them in one unbroken series, will have the important effect of repealing, as it were, the early history, as it now stands, of Mexico; of shewing that civilization was not so bounded in its diffusion, as we have been led to suppose; but that the human mind had, even in the remote times to which we allude, vindicated its power of progressive advancement, without any other stimulus than what it derived from its own energy. The importance and interest belonging to the considerations, to which these facts give rise, are too obvious to require that they should be more particularly dwelt on.

It will then be understood by the reader, that the volumes before us consist, for the most part, of Fac-similes of the known collections of old Mexican paintings and hieroglyphics, which have been preserved in any of the Libraries or Institutions of Europe. The contents of each volume we shall, however, specify, premising that the four first consist entirely of Fac-similes of paintings, hieroglyphics, or drawings, whilst the three last are occupied with comments and explanations, in different languages.

In the First Volume: Copy of the Collection of Mendoza, from the Bodleian Library at Oxford.-Of the Codex Telleriano-Remensis, from the Royal Library at Paris.-Fac-simile of an Original Mexican Hieroglyphical Painting, from the Collection of Boturini. -Fac-simile of an Original Mexican Painting, from the Collection of Sir Thomas Bodley in the Bodleian Library.-Fac-simile of an Original Mexican Painting, from the Selden Collection of MSS. in the Bodleian Library.-Fac-simile of an Original Mexican Hieroglyphic Painting, from the Selden Collection in the Bodleian Library. In the Second Volume: Copy of a Mexican MS., from the Library of the Vatican.-Fac-simile of an Original Mexican Painting, from the Bodleian Library.-Fac-simile of an Original Mexican Painting, from the Library of the Institute at Bologna.—Fac-simile of an Original Mexican Painting, from the Imperial Library at Vienna. Fac-similes of Original Mexican Paintings, from the Royal Library at Berlin; and of a Mexican bas-relief, from the Royal Cabinet of Antiques.

In the Third Volume: Fac-simile of an Original Mexican Painting, from the Borgian Museum, at the College of Propaganda in Rome.-Fac-simile of an Original Mexican Painting, from the Royal Library at Dresden.-Fac-simile of an Original Mexican Painting, in the possession of M. de Fejérváry, at Pess, in Hungary.-Fac-simile of an Original Mexican Painting, from the Library of the Vatican.

In the Fourth Volume: Monuments of New Spain, by W. Dupaix, from the Original Drawings, executed by order of the King of Spain, in Three Parts.-Specimens of Mexican Sculpture, in the possession of Mr. Latour Allard, in Paris.-Specimens of Mexican Sculpture, preserved in the British Museum.-Plates copied from the Giro del Mondo of Gemelli Carreri; with an Engraving of a Mexican Cycle, from a Painting formerly in the possession of Boturini.-Specimen of Peruvian Quipus, with Plates representing a Carved Peruvian Box, containing a collection of supposed Quipus.

The Fifth Volume contains: Commentaries of early French, Spanish, and Italian, on the Hieroglyphical Paintings in the First Three Volumes.-Commentary of Dupaix, on the Monuments of New Spain, displayed in the Fourth Volume.-The Sixth Book of the inedited MS. of Sahagun's History of New Spain, treating of the Rhetoric, Philosophy, Morals, and Religion of the Mexicans.

The Sixth Volume is a Translation of the Fifth, with copious Notes, by the Right Honourable Lord Viscount Kingsborough.

The Seventh Volume contains the whole of the MS. of the History of New Spain by Sahagun, in the Original Spanish, with the exception of the Sixth Book, printed in the Fifth Volume.

The reader, whose knowledge of the geography of Europe enables him to appreciate the length of the pilgrimage which the artist must have accomplished, in order to inspect the original collections, in the various places above enumerated, will, after all, have a very inadequate impression of the toil, the inconvenience, and the numerous difficulties, with which he was beset in his interesting journey. To surmount such obstacles, as he must undoubtedly have met with, required a rare provision of the virtues of patience and fortitude. Mr. Aglio, however, seems to have united those qualities, in an eminent degree, to the peculiar genius and skill, which would enable him to take advantage of his facilities; and to him, to his perseverance, and professional ability, we owe the present complete and truly beautiful copy, of the most singular pictorial records, that were ever traced by human ingenuity. It appears that this distinguished artist devoted the whole of six years-almost the term of an apprenticeship-in travelling and copying for this great work. So much time, employed by the master of such a pencil as Mr. Aglio commands, ought to have secured a fortune, at any rate; but we doubt much if he has chosen the sort of performance, that will be popular enough to produce that desirable consequence; and, therefore, we can only regard the present, as one of those rare instances of disinterested enthusiasm in the pursuit of a favourite employment, in which the artist is stimulated, much less by the hope of enlarging his estate, than his reputation.

We are informed that Mr. Aglio was encouraged and assisted, in this work, by Lord Kingsborough, the son of the Earl of Kingston, A taste so legitimate and rational, as this statement implies, in a young noble of Ireland, is a novelty that we were not prepared for. His lordship seems to have taken the letter-press under his active jurisdiction; and, judging from the copious notes, which, by their extensive occupation of the pages, leave the unhappy text, at a complete minimum of space, we should say, that his lordship was profoundly and variously learned; and that sacred or profane history was alike familiar to his memory. It is, however, a question, how far the recondite, though able disquisitious, in which the noble editor thus indulges, are calculated to add popularity to the great work itself. A folio of metaphysics, is an awful companion in the nineteenth century; and we own, that for once that we have peeped at his lordship's lucubrations, we have turned fifty times to the variegated pages of Mr. Aglio's department.

It is time, however, that the reader should be introduced, more particularly, to the nature and the execution of this splendid per

formance. The portion of the work, which we select for illustration, is that called, the "Collection of Mendoza," since it is more connected with the manners and habits of the Mexican people, than any other. The paintings, in general, may be stated to be hieroglyphical narrations or descriptions, by means of painted symbols or objects familiarly known, which, by their relative arrangement in the picture, represent a certain set of ideas-thus performing the common use of words. We select some examples from the commentaries on the collection of Mendoza.

'The description of what was customary with the native Mexicans at the birth of a male or female infant; the rite and ceremony of naming the children, and of afterwards dedicating and offering them at their temples, or to the military profession, according to the signification of the figures which follow on the other side of the leaf, which are accompanied with brief explanations, in addition to the description given in this page of all the said figures, which is as follows.

'As soon as the mother was delivered of the infant, they put it into a cradle, as is represented; and when it was four days old, the midwife took the infant in her arms naked, and carried it into the court of the mother's house, in which court were strewed reeds, or rushes, which they call Tule, upon which was placed a small vessel of water, in which the said midwife bathed the said infant; and after she had bathed it, three boys being seated near the said rushes, eating roasted maize mixed with boiled beans, which kind of food they named Yxcue, which provision or paste they set before the said boys, in order that they might eat it. After the said bathing or washing, the said midwife desired the said boys to pronounce the name aloud, bestowing a new name on the infant which had been thus bathed; and the name which they gave it was that which the midwife wished. When they first carried out the infant to bathe it,—if it was a boy they carried him holding his symbol in his hand, which symbol was the instrument which the father of the infant employed, either in the military profession, or in his trade, whether it was that of a goldsmith, jeweller, or any other; and the said ceremony having been gone through, the midwife delivered the infant to his mother. But if the infant was a girl, the symbol with which they carried her to be bathed was, a spinning wheel and distaff, with a small basket and a handful of brooms, which were the things which would afford her occupation when she arrived at a proper age.

They offered the umbilical cord of the male infant, together with the shield and arrows, the symbols with which they had carried him to be bathed, in that spot and place where war was likely to happen with their enemies, where they buried them in the earth; and they did the same with that of the female infant, which they in the same way buried beneath the Metate or stone on which they ground meal.

'After the above-mentioned ceremonies, when the period of twenty days had expired, the parents of the infant went with the infant to the temple or Mezquita, which they called Calmecac, and in the presence of their Alfaquis presented the infant with its offering of mantles and maxtles, together with some provision; and after the infant had been brought up by its parents, as soon as it arrived at the proper age, they delivered him to the

superior Alfaqui of the said Mezquita, that he might be there instructed, in order that he might afterwards become an Alfaqui: but if the parents of the infant resolved that when he attained a fit age, he should go and serve in the military profession, they immediately offered him to the master, making a promise of him, which master of the young men and boys was named Teachcauh, or Telpuchtlato; which offering they accompanied with a present of provisions and other things for its celebration: and when the infant attained a fit age, they delivered him to the said master.

'PLATE LVIII.-1. The woman lately delivered. 2. These four roses signify four days, at the completion of which period the midwife carried forth the new-born infant to be bathed. 3. The cradle with the infant. 4. The midwife. 5. The symbols. 6. 7. 8. The three boys who named the new-born infant. 9. The rushes, with the small vessel of water. 10. The brooms, distaff, spinning-wheel, and basket. 11. The father of the infant. 12. The superior Alfaqui. 13. The infant in the cradle, whose parents are offering it at the Mezquita. 14. The mother of the infant. 15. The master of the boys and of the young men.

The explanation of the plate which follows, and of the figures contained in it, which treats of the time and manner, in which the native Indians instructed their children how they ought to live, according to the signification of the figures successively represented in the plate which comprises the four sections which follow.

'The first section shows how parents corrected their children of three years old, by giving them good advice, and the quantity of food which they allowed them at each meal was half a roll.

PLATE LIX. First Section.-1. Three years of age. 2. The father of the boy. 3. The boy. 4. The half of a roll. 5. The mother of the girl. 6. The half of a roll. 7. The girl of three years of age.

The second section represents the parents employed in the same way, in instructing their children when they attained four years of age, when they began to exercise them by bidding them to do a few slight things. The quantity of food which they gave them at each meal was a roll.

13. The

"Second Section.-8. The father of the boy. 9. The boy of four years of age. 10. A roll. 11. The mother of the girl. 12. A roll. girl of four years of age.

'The third section shows how the parents employed and exercised their sons of five years of age in tasks of bodily strength; for example, in carrying loads of wood of slight weight, and in sending them with light bundles to the Tianquez or market-place; and the girls of this age received lessons how they ought to hold the distaff and the spinning-wheel. Their allowance of food was a roll.

'Third Section.-14. The father of the boys. 15. Two boys of five years of age. 16. A roll. 17. A roll. 18. The mother of the girl. 19. A roll. 20. The girl of five years of age.

The fourth section shows how parents exercised and employed their sons of six years old in personal services, that they might be of some assistance to their parents: as also in the Tianquez or market-places, in picking up from the ground the grains of maize which lay scattered about, and the beans and other trifling things which those who resorted to the market had dropped;-this was the occupation of the boys. The girls were set to spin, and employed in other useful tasks, that they might