MONTHLY SUMMARY OF FOREIGN LITERATURE, MUSIC, AND ART. BY CHARLES G. LELAND. RECENT GERMAN LITERATURE. Works on Hungary are multiplying to such a degree, that we might almost deem the excitement regarding that unhappy land begun, instead of ended. Among the latest and most important, we may cite "Der Winterfeldzug, 1848-9, in Ungarn, unter dem Oberkommando des Feldmarschalls Fursten zu Windisch-Grätz,”—id est,- -"The Winter Campaign in Hungary, in 1848-9, under the command of Field-Marshal Prince Windisch-Graetz; written according to official sources, and published by command of his Excellency the Field-Marshal, with maps and plans." Of which work a German reviewer remarks:-"This long-expected book takes one of the highest places in the literature of the most recent histories of battles, from its accurate account of the events described, but principally from its complete statement of the plans and intentions of the Marshal. In it the reader, generally by verbal accounts of the reports, testimonials, and the results of reconnaissances, is skilfully put in a position to comprehend the different situations of the royal army. This manner of setting forth the subject, in connexion with the unfortunate termination of the operations of this campaign, gives the work much of the appearance of a vindication, and raises the veil from the well-nigh unintelligible last part of the defensive manœuvres, viz., of the movements on the Theiss and by Ofen-Pesth. Insufficient powers, principally caused by the, perhaps, too greatly extended administrative regulations; the want of intelligence-the trifling results obtained from reconnaissances, which failed, principally from a want of light cavalry-the differences of opinion between the Field-Marshal and his generalsthe consequent delays in comprehending countermanded regulations, and certain errors and misunderstandings, on the part even of the best generals, put the victorious army, almost without their own knowledge, on the defensive, and led them back to Pesth. The determination of the Field-Marshal, behind the Gran, to hinder the relief of Comorn, was wrecked, by his displacement from the post of over-commander, for which no more unfortunate time could have been chosen. The book is divided into three parts, the first of which contains the representation of the state of the attacking army, developes the plan of the campaign and its operations, to the taking of Ofen-Pesth. The second part concludes with the battle of Kápolna. The third part sets forth the concentration on the river Theiss, the observation of it, and the defensive movements against Pesth, to the recall of the Marshal from the command of the army. This last part may be mentioned as the most interesting, and is tolerably rich in authentic documents, as to the movements of the Hungarian army." There appears to exist at the present day, in Germany, a very decided literary movement on the part of the Jews, whose object is to show the world what their nation has effected, during the "The middle ages, in Poetry and Philosophy. We have more than once, of late, observed the republication of such works, and now remark the translation of the " Divan," of the Castilian ABU'LHASSAN JUDA HA-LEVI, translated, with a biography and remarks, by ABRAHAM GIGER, and published by KERN, of Breslau. We learn that the attractive poems of this Hebrew philosopher of the eleventh century, who was distinguished as a man and as a poet, are here reproduced in an exquisite and accurate translation. noble, pure soul of the poet, is again mirrored in this outpouring of true poetry; nor does the translation less evince a noble inspiration and love of his author, in whose biography the separate poems are interwoven, according to the date of their composition, and as indications of the different epochs of the life and spiritual developments of the poet. An explanation of all the more difficult passages in philosophy and learning, is given at the end of the book, which is, of itself, remarkable for the beauty of its appearance. "Neues Leben," or, "New Life," A Tale by BERTHOLD AUERBACH. Published by BASSERMANN, of Mannheim. We had intended, out of love to the Dorfgeschichten and Gevattersmann, to have briefly dismissed this work, but the following short review, from the Leipzig Central-Blatt, contains so much which may be of profit to a vast array of novelists and novellettists in our own country, that we make no apology for communicating it en gros : limits, furnishes a pitiable, and, at the same time, "A bounded talent, unacquainted with its own ridiculous spectacle. This is, unfortunately, the case with the author of the Dorfgeschichten. He knew how to find and cull field-flowers, and, of course, thus succeeded in the saloons; and the public, accustomed to esteem every novelty according to the interest of the material, esteemed him as a poet, because he had made familiar a poetical element hitherto unknown. For this in It was nocent error it must now dearly atone. not enough for Herr Auerbach to observe, to collect, and pencil simple sketches after Nature; he believed himself capable of psychologically developing, in all its depths, a character-to weave or unbind a plot, and to poetically touch upon, and accord, the disharmonies of our times. The product of this error is now before us in three volumes, and it would be difficult to find a more chaotic composition. An officer in the Baden rebecomes a village schoolmaster, partly with a volutionary army, who has escaped from prison, view to fundamentally reforming the people, and partly to find his lost mother. He is pardoned and removed, finds his mother, learns that he is a prince's son, marries a miller-girl, and lives happily as a farmer (Bauersmann) and the father of a family. Much that is possible and impossible takes place in the work, but we find in it nothing like a plan or a catastrophe, and the elements of which it is composed may be described as an ex of editorial trumpets, on its first appearance, does not appear to please as well, on a reperusal. I: was a pretty idea, and nothing more; nor does the work itself, though not devoid of great merit. deserve nearly as high a rank in literature as We have always been disposed to allow Heine a high rank, as wit and poet, but are really occa sionally at a loss to comprehend on what the extraordinary enthusiasm, entertained toward tim by certain admirers, is based. tremely simple love story, which, without impe- | mancero of Heine, though received with a flourish diment, runs on in the flattest and most commonplace manner; forming the centre around which are grouped a mass of heterogeneous figures and tales, many of which are not, indeed, without merit, but are all blended together, and spun in with a superfluous mass of political, social, peda-Wolff or Herder's collections of National Ballads. gogic, and, alas! philosophic observations and tendencies. What the hero shall and will do-forsake the world, find his mother, or marry, and get in his crops-is not, by any means, evident; and still one motive displaces another, poetically considered, since the poet can only experience simple emotions. Yet, just in proportion to the PROF. DR. L. WIESE'S "Deutsche Briefe über weakness and want of all inner development, Englische Erziehung," or, "German Letters of which we find in the ideal and suggestive figures English Education," will be found peculiarly inof the book, is the excellency and accuracy of teresting to all who read or write on schools. many of the portraits, as, for example, that of the The general conclusion of Prof. Wiese's is, that miller, which, from its energy and excellence, "English schools are especially adapted to form would have made the fortune of another of the the character, and German the intellect. In Eng author's 'Village Tales.' What we find, how- land, the greater stress is laid upon what a maz ever, most repulsive, is the pretension of the author is able to do-in Germany, upon what he knows, to write a book with a (political) tendency, when But, in fully recognising the merits of English no such tendency is to be found in it. The entire school-education, the author is still inclined to atmosphere of the book is that of the latest Past,' doubt, whether the imitation of them in Germany with all its 'burning questions. All plans for bet- would be attended with like prosperous results. tering the world are therein discussed; men and For the true strength of English education cortheir relations appear simultaneously; political sists precisely in this, that it has sprung from the opinions flit in wildest charivari through each political states-life,' as well as from the powerother, as in a coffee-house; the aristocratic demo- ful and vital morality of religious and family life cracy appears out of caprice; the aristocratic con- and cannot be separated therefrom. This fearstitutionalist from a feeling of right; a similar re- dation can never be laid by schools, and he who publican from a feeling of humanity; the bitten hopes to attain its results, by improving them, bearistocrat, the Gothaist, the ragged democrat, and gins at the wrong end." In the conclusion of all the rest of the political species, as they appear this work, the author shows himself familiar with in the newspapers, and- what is the result? the religiously-governed schools of Belgium, and The result is simply nothing! The poet may let expresses himself, in this particular, highly pleased such questions lie, and, as a rule, he will do well; with them. We trust that, for our readers, this but when he awakes them to life, when he stirs work will require no other commendation that up deeds and persons, he must have courage to this. When we reflect that the happiness and side with some party, if not from political, at least order (we might add, the prosperity) of our ows from poetical grounds. Political tendencies, let country, as well as the stability of our instito them be what they will, when taken in earnest, tions, is due entirely to our deeply-settled reve are far too serious a matter to be used for mere rence for religion and morality (since, in this decoration. The style of the author is fully that particular, we are surpassed by no nation), we of Malvolio-nothing is said without a 'fresh as cannot too strongly insist upon the judicious inthe oak-leaf,' 'blue as the heavens,' entrechat. culcation of their principles upon the minds of With him a hound is 'the incarnate joy of hunt- the young in our schools. How often do we hear ing,' and a thief who has stolen a letter, feels, the remark: "Strange, that France can determine after the confession of his evil deed, so much re- upon, or rest satisfied with, no one form of golieved, 'that he could sing, as if just coming from vernment!" Not at all strange, when we reflect a fresh and wavy bath.' Such pretty things as that France, as a nation, generally and singly, is these are, however, not to be found in the Vicar thoroughly, completely, and perfectly demoralized. of Wakefield." The first results of an utter want of moral pra ciples, religion, and heart, in nations as well as individuals, are invariably shown in a mutual want of confidence, and a most unbounded self A third edition of FRIEDERICH RUCKERT'S "Weisheit der Brahmanen,” or, “ Wisdom of the Brahmins," has just appeared at Leipzig. No poet of modern times has done more towards in-ishness, which cares nothing for patriotism, phi troducing the Oriental element into Continental lanthropy, or the public welfare, when an oppor Literature. The French are, probably, more in- tunity to better self at their expense occurs. In debted to him than they themselves are aware. times of great national convulsions, there are bot few intelligent individuals who cannot thus “bdFrom the prolific FRANZ KUGLER, we observe ter themselves"-if so inclined. This has been a play entitled "Doge und Dogaressa." GEROLD, the case in France to a revolting degree, of late of Vienna, has published the collected works of years, from the gang of thieves forming the ProCOUNT ERNST Von FeuchtersleBEN, with a pre-visional Government of 1848, down to the preface by HEBBEL. The second volume of the collected works of Ernst von HouwaLD, have also made their appearance. We also observe a third and considerably varied edition of the "Neue Gedichte," or, " New Poems," of HENRY HEINE, by HOFFMANN and CAMPE, Hamburg. The Ro sent Jeremy Didler incumbent of the imperatorial republican presidential chair. It may be urged against us, that the American character is not utterly devoid of an, at times, somewhat unserapulous attention to its own interests, and that there are many, even in our own country, whe MONTHLY SUMMARY OF FOREIGN LITERATURE, ETC. 349 ར་ཀཀ་འང་ watch political events, simply for the sake of turning them to good private account. we would reply, that under the control of reliTo which gious and moral feeling, as it at present exists in America, these defects can never attain to that colossal pitch of depravity which they have, at the present day, assumed in France, where the simple word, expediency, serves as a broad and ample excuse for any change of doctrine, party, principle, or religion. 66 RECENT ITALIAN LITERATURE.-" Del Rinnovaof Italy." This is the title of a work by the ABBE mento Civile d'Italia,' ""On the Civil Renovation GIOBERTI, and recently published by Bocca, of Turin. work has several claims to public curiosity. The "Beyond the celebrity of the author, this Abbé Gioberti, as a politician and man of letters, has, of late years, been so extensively concerned in Italian affairs, that any work from his pen Students of Oriental languages and literature, Still it is difficult to invariably agree with the could not fail to possess a very peculiar interest. will find an interesting work in the "Quarante author of 'Del Rinnovamento,' in his opinions as Questions adressées par les Doct. Juifs au Prophète to the sufferings of his unhappy country, and the Mahomet. Le texte Turc avec un glossaire Turc- remedies which he proposes; and we find it difFrançais, publié sous les auspices de la Société Orien- ficult to apply to himself, or the individuals whom tale d'Allemagne, par J. Th. Zenker, Vienne," id est, he criticises, or their writings or conduct, those Forty Questions addressed by the Jewish Doc-judgments which he himself pronounces. Yet, tors to Mahomet. The Turkish text, with a Turk- notwithstanding all this, the half-philosophic, ish and French glossary, published under the half-historical treatise On the Civil Renovation auspices of the Oriental Society of Germany, by of Italy,' is a work useful to all desirous of conJ. THEODORE ZENKER." This work is highly sulting the contemporary history, not only of the spoken of, but we have met with a regret, that, Peninsula, but of Europe." in the transcription of this work, the harmony of the vowels has not been very carefully attended to. The work is, however, welcome, as adding another to the very small number extant printed in the Turkish character. Even in an English Turco-Armenian dictionary, purchased by us, lang syne, in Venice, the Turkish words are printed in Armenian characters! Some apology for this may, indeed, be found in the remark of the learned VIGUIER: "L'étude du Turc, par les caractères Turcs seuls, est une voie longue, pénible, incertaine, qui conduit difficilement les étrangers au terme de leurs désirs." "The study of Turkish by the Turkish characters alone, is a long, painful and uncertain road, which leads, with difficulty, foreigners to the end proposed." lutionnaires. Saint Just." Such is the title of a RECENT FRENCH Literature." Etudes Révowork by E. FLEURY, recently published by DIthe Revue des Deux Mondes, "is clearly indicated DIER, of Paris. in the first lines. Saint Just is one of those Revo"The object of the work," says lutionary figures whom many delight, even at the of virtue and heroism. Monsieur Fleury never refuses to Saint Just the attribute of courage, but present day, to idealize, and adorn with an aureole he reduces to his true standard, the pitiless utopian, who preluded in licentious poems, those ridiculous reveries erected by him into republican institutions. The biography of Saint Just, as described by Fleury, is happily distinguished from We observe by WILHELM PUTZ, teacher in revolutionary epoch, and in which the passions of those works of the present day, consecrated to the Cologne, a work entitled "Die Ueberreste Deutscher that fatal epoch seem still to boil and rage. It is Dichtung, aus der Zeit vor Einfuhrung des Christen- a calm and serious study, by which we are enathums. Für d. Schulgebrauch erlautert." remains of German poetry previous to the intro- of the man, in despite of all the clouds with which "The bled to penetrate, without effort, into the real life duction of Christianity. Explained for the use of admiration or the anger of parties has obscured schools." It is a very creditable feature of Ger- him. The history of the heroes of the Revoluman education, that an effort is very generally tion, when thus described, cannot fail to be read made in all institutions dedicated to instruction with interest, for it unites the charms of an agreeand learning, to render the young familiar with able description, to the utility of grave informathe earlier forms of their own language. We tion." know that in our own city, this defect has been, of late, partially removed, by the introduction into our High School of the study of Anglo-Saxon; but how many schools, academies and universities are there in our country, whose pupils go forth ignorant, even of Spenser, and to whom Chaucer is a well-nigh sealed book? "Glieder einer Kette," or, "Links of a Chain, Victor and Thora," is the somewhat singular title of a beautiful romance recently written by M'ME VON GEHREN, who is said to be the authoress of those charming novels, "A Dutch Tale," and Resignation." "These (The Links), are simple tales of the life of the world, narrated with much grace and simplicity, by a woman who has accurately observed German society. In this writer we find a less accurate form and a less elevated inspiration, than characterises many contemporary writers; but then we find in her great sensibility, refinement of analysis, and power of description." We hope, anon, to be able to chronicle new works by this fascinating writer. there are ever many such, witness the number of Those interested in the history of tobacco,—and odd little opuscles and pamphlets published annually, on the subject, in different countries,will do what lofty title of " Etudes Economiques sur l'Amewell to purchase a recent work, bearing the someParaguay," or, "Tobacco in Paraguay;" by M. A. rique," but whose humble subject is "Du Tabac au DEMERSAY; with "A Letter on the Introduction of Tobacco into France," by M. F. DENIS. known," remarks a French review, "how the "It is Republic of Paraguay has been obstinately closed to all exterior relations-it is a sort of American China. MONSIEUR ALFRED DEMERSAY, lately charged with a scientific mission to South America, has succeeded in visiting this singular country, which, under different regimes, has remained just published a work specially dedicated to the so completely isolated from the world. He has searches of M. DEMERSAY should furnish any culture of tobacco in Paraguay. If these reuseful information to political economists, there is |