Mr. Taylor's Life of the Poet Cowper is now nearly completed in one volume, demy 8vo., and will be published in the course of this month.

The Third Number of the Parent's Cabinet of Amusement and Instruction is now ready, and contains-Harry the Shrimper ;-Geography, No. 1;-Chat in the Play Room.

The Tropical Agriculturist, a work of much labour and research, and of the greatest importance to all connected with our various Colonies, is now at press, and is expected to be ready in the course of next month.

Part IV. of the Byron Gallery, containing five splendid subjects from the Corsair, Don Juan, The Island, &c.; is just completed.

The Citizens of London have a great treat preparing for them in a work which will be shortly published, entitled, The Chartered History of the Twelve Great Livery Companies of London, principally collected from their Grants and Records; with Notes and Illustrations, an Historical Introduction, and copious Accounts of each Company and of their Estates and Charities; with attested Copies and Translations of all the Companies' Charters, from their foundation to the present time. By William Herbert, Librarian to the Corporation of London.

The Journey of an Invalid from Calcutta through the Straits of Sunda, to Van Dieman's Land, will be published in the course of this month.

On New Year's Day, complete in one volume, uniform with the Waverley Novels, The Ghost-Hunter and his Family, by the O'Hara Family, forming the first monthly volume of the Library of Original Romance, edited by Leitch Ritchie.

Just published, The Nautical Magazine, vol. 1, containing the most authentic information relating to Maritime Affairs in general, in boards, 11s. 6d.

Drama.

DRURY-LANE.-A report was prevalent turing the month that the prices for admission to the two large theatres would be reduced, but this has been contradicted by the lessee of this establishment. We believe the thing has been talked of, but the rival managers could not agree. VOL. I.-No. 6.

A new drama, the production of Mr. Power, who is already well-known to the public both as an author and an actor, was performed last Saturday evening. It is entitled St. Patrick's Eve; or, the Order of the Day. There is no complexity in the story. It is simple, and it is interesting. Captain Schoenfeldt (Mr. Stanley), the ward of Frederick the Great, who is personated by Mr. Farren, has married, without the consent of his guardian and sovereign, Catherine (Mrs. Nesbitt), his cousin. The King, who is strongly attached to the young warrior, gives him an opportunity for the display of his martial prowess, by placing him in the command of a party who are ordered on a dangerous reconnoisunce of the enemy. Catherine, deeply afflicted at this dangerous mark of the King's favour, entreats her husband to write to her, should he escape in safety, before midnight. Gustavus complies with her request, and engages his friend Major O'Dogherty (Mr. Power), in case untoward circumstances should occur, to communicate the result to his young bride. Gustavus then proceeds on his expedition. Meantime, the King issues an Order of the Day, denouncing the penalty of death against any person in his camp who, after sunset, shall be guilty of having light or fire in his quarters. This order, given in a very cold season, is generally felt as a great annoyance, and by none more than Major O'Dogherty; but he is a true soldier, and though he grumbles, he determines to obey the mandate strictly. We find him in his comfortless habitation, pipe in mouth, endeavouring to persuade himself that he is smoking, and, in the same breath, lamenting that he is forbidden so to indulge himself, as fire is denied him. While he is thus soliloquising, Gustavus enters. He has succeeded in the object of his expedition; but unfortunately has received a wound in his right arm, which is rendered wholly useless. He is most anxious to apprise Catherine of his situation, and he requests his friend O'Dogherty to write a note to her. The difficulty is how this is to be effected in the dark. O'Dogherty steadfastly refuses, in spite of the entreaties of the young soldier, to break the Order of the Day by striking a light. He boasts much of his self-denial, seeing that he could at once procure a flame by the aid of his newly-invented pistol tinder-box. Gustavus instantly wagers him a rouleau that his invention, if tried, would fail to produce fire. The wager is accepted, the pistol is snapped, the tinder is ignited, and Gustavus, while the Major is exulting in his victory, lights a candle. Wrought upon by the earnest entreaties of his friend, O'Dogherty proceeds to pen an epistle to "Dear Catherine." 2 P

At this moment the patrol is heard approaching, Gustavus runs to the door, but, seeing the King advancing with the guard, he makes his escape. The monarch now enters; and the place being in complete darkness (O'Dogherty having covered the lantern with his hat), is mistaken by the Major for Gustavus. A momentary conversation ensues, which ends in the Major's being placed under arrest, and ordered to be tried by court-martial for a breach of military discipline. Gustavus now rushes forward, eager to avow his participation in the offence, and to share the fate of his kind-hearted comrade. He is, however, prevented from carrying his design into effect by the (aside-given) remonstrance of O'Dogherty, who reminds him that he has a mother and a wife, for whom he ought to live. The King gives the young soldier, in consequence of his wound, leave to visit his family. He hastens to call them to the presence of the monarch, in the hope that the entreaties of his mother, Madame Schoenfeldt (Mrs. Faucit), whose hospitality had been enjoyed by Frederick for three months, and the tears of Catherine, may soften the heart of the rigid disciplinarian. Catherine adroitly manages to have an interview with the King, who is led to believe, from the fragment of the note which he found in O'Dogherty's chamber, that she is in love with the bold Irish dragoon. After hearing her supplication he offers to release O'Dogherty, who has been condemned to death, if she will immediately marry him, and fly. to some other country. Thus situated, she is forced to confess that Gustavus, not O'Dogherty, is her lover. Moved by her affliction, the King consents to give her the means of admittance to the Major, leaving it to her own wit to devise the best means for his liberation. She, enveloped in a large cloak, and accompanied by her mother and Gustavus, visits O'Dogherty. They advise his immediate escape, disguised in Catherine's dress. The Major will not listen to the proposal, until Gustavus declares that if it be not accepted he will acknowledge his share in the breach of the Order of the Day, and perish with his friend. This reconciles the Major to flight; and when the guards arrive to lead him to execution, they find, instead of the veteran, the amiable Catherine, accoutred in his military roquelaire. The Major and his friend Gustavus make the best of their way to a neighbouring wood, on the skirts of which, in a lone cottage, the King has taken up his quarters, his only companion being Docteur Mouchet (Mr. Younge), a French philosopher, who has determined to betray his master and benefactor to the enemy. For that purpose he has entered into a compact with Baron Trenck (Mr. Mathews), the relative of the celebrated prison-breaker of that name, who,

with a party of his Pandours, is lying in wait to seize the King. Their plan is overheard by O'Dogherty and Gustavus. The latter instantly proceeds to apprise the nearest piquet of the monarch's danger; while O'Dogherty rushes into the cottage, where the Pandours have already surprised the King, and, after exclaiming that the house is surrounded by a regiment of Prussians, privately intimates to Frederick the necessity of his immediate escape. The trick is, however, speedily discovered; and the Major is in danger of being immolated, when the King, attended by a body of guards, rushes in and saves him. He is pardoned, and rewarded with knighthood and a colonelcy. The liaison between Gustavus and Catherine is sanctioned; Trenck and his confederates enter into the service of Frederick, and the French philosopher is dismissed with mortifying contempt. This drama is smartly written.

Captain Polhill announces the engagement of Madame Schroeder at this theatre, and Madame de Meric is also forthcoming.

COVENT GARDEN.-The manager of Covent Garden has prudently determined on opening the Theatre only three or four nights in the week, until Christmas; and the actors have agreed to submit to a reduction of their salaries one half during this period.

M. Laporte has engaged T. P. Cooke, who has played his favourite part of William, in Black-Eyed Susan, with his accustomed success.

A musical piece has also been brought out, under the melo-dramatic title of the Dark Diamond. The scenery is imposing; the music, by M. Adam, showy; and the dancing good. With these aids, and the additional attraction of Ellen Tree, Miss Shirreff, and Harriet Cawse, the play was allowed to be announced; but it is not likely to have a very long existence.

Miss Kelly has played very successfully in the Innkeeper's Daughter, which was acted for the first time on the 26th ult.

QUEEN'S THEATRE.-Mr. Wild continues, by his exertions in the presentation of novelties, to deserve the approbation of the public. In addition to the Wood Devil, which is the great attraction of the evening, he has brought out the Forest of Blois, the plot and incidents of which are founded on a supposed adventure of the late Emperor of the French. It contains some very scenic and dramatic positions, and the characters are all well sustained. There is also, the Adventures of a Day, or Fairly taken in, in which Mrs. Selby, who is a very clever actress, sustains five different characters, and is perfectly at home in them all. Crofton is an excellent melo-dramatic performer; and the whole of the company are respectable, and deserving of encouragement.

COSTUME OF PARIS.

Notwithstanding the great affluence of new materials that November presented to the Parisian world, December has been equally fertile in novelties; and the selection is really difficult, when a lady is forced to chuse among so many elegant competitors for female favour.

To the list of new fabrications for cloaks, given last month, we have to quote

L'Arsinoe of thibet, in two shades of colour.

Les Damaquinés has bouquets of varied colours, woven in damask patterns.

Le Golconde is maroon and green or granite, and green has the appearance of embroidery.

L'Olympie has designs of maroon and Turkish yellow.

In dinner dresses the Moire Persique is much admired: it is in stripes, alternately watered and satined.

For evening parties, a pretty silk, which has running over it a woven pattern resembling blonde: it is called blondine.

Then for ball dress we have the Gaze cristal, which promises to supersede the Donna Maria, which it far exceeds in beauty. It is made with broad stripes of embroidered satin or brocaded satin, and then it is splendid for court-dress.

Gaze Zephir has an exquisite lightness: it is scattered over with large leaves of open work.

The Gaze Sylphide has been described last month. It is very much the rage at present, and is produced in new and beautiful variety.

Gaze Cezalma is a material of elegant lightness and graceful drapery.

For home costume, merino, Abbevilles (the Norwich manufacture of the last article is admirable), Irish poplins, and bombazins are usually worn.

In satins we see a great variety, among which we note satin du Levant, satin de varsovie, and figured Oriental satin.

Hats and bonnets. Decidedly the cha. peaux have taken the lead this winter in preference to the bibis bonnets, so long the rage; not but what the lovely little cottage bonnets are most recherche with elegant women. Hats of black velvet begin to be seen

they are lined with

cherry-coloured velvet, a ruche of blonde round the interior of the edge, that is trimmed with black and cherry-coloured plumes and black ribbons. Others are of ponceau velvet, lined with satin of the same, and a white plume and ruche. Some are of lilac satin, lined with black velvet, and ornamented with a heron's plume. Hats of green satin, lined with velvet of the same, and trimmed with bouquets of scabiouses are fashionable. But watered silk in granite, maroon, and the dahlia colours promise to be very general this winter. The brim is cut slanting, a good deal thrown up, and in some instances not quite so small as last month. Plumes, the same shade as the hat, or fringed with the colour of the trimming, are often worn: aureole trimmings of blonde are worn inside the front sometimes, to as to cover the whole and appear beyond it.

WALKING DRESS.-Pelisses and walking gowns are made perfectly plain in the back of the corsage, and with five flat folds on each shoulder, which are confined on each side, under the belt, but do not cross on the breast. Double capes, cut so as to show the corsage, are the last winter fashion.

The favourite material is still watered silk, in which the granite and dahlia shades, and some most beautful hues of dark green, are the favourite colours. When the weather requires it, cloaks of a great variety of patterns and forms, chiefly figured, are thrown over the pelisses; some are made with capes, but the newest cloaks are plaited or gathered very full into a cape of the peignoir form, and have no falling cape or pelerine ; when capes are worn, the full ones and pointed pelerines seem to divide the mode: perhaps there is a greater number of the former. No short fur is worn in boas, except the variety of sables or the martins. Isabella bear is the favourite fur, and when soft the darkest is preferred.

A tout ensemble in walking dress, that first appeared on the 20th November, is as follows:

Walking dress of clear brown Ottoman satin; the skirt quite plain, the sleeves plaited into low poignets turned up with

three ornamental buttons. A large black cachemere, a boa of martin, a hat of granite velvet or watered silk, trimmed with a simple knot, and a demi-veil of blonde. Another:-A pelisse or redingote of watered silk of vert Acanthe; at the hem three tucks of velvet of the same shade; a pelerine of velvet, open in front; hat of plain black velvet: mantle, buridan.

Another ensemble is as follows:

Dress of dahlia watered silk, with a bias at the bottom of two hands breadth of velvet of the same shade; at the head of this hem a rouleau of martin fur; a little velvet collar trimmed with martin : poignets of the same. Bibis bonnet of vert chosu velvet, lined with white satin, and a white plume and blonde demi-veil. On cold days, a splendid buridan mantle, with full sleeves, is partially thrown over this costume. Cloaks are seldom made without full sleeves, particularly when they have no capes.

EVENING DRESS. After having quoted the materials most used, we have only to say that no very important change has been effected in the form of dresses; the various new gauzes and muslin worked in lamb's wool and floss silks are the most admired; of the latter, those worked in rich but simple wreaths are most sought for. A few tout ensembles will best show the Parisian style :

Robe of blue silk muslin worked with white silk flowers, the corsage draped on the breast, under an agraffe of pearls and diamonds; the ceinture of blue satin without buckle or knot; the short sleeves very full but not stiffened, they fall to the elbow very gracefully: necklace of three rows of large pearls fastened with a diamond clasp; turban of silver gauze, whose ends are finished with a fringe of diamonds.

Another. A robe of vert bourgeon (bud green) velvet; chemisette a la vierge in blonde, quite plain to the throat, but figured round the throat with a shell pattern; in place of a ruche are six or seven rows of large pearls fastened on the top of the chemissette, and forming what is called a collier de chien round the throat. The hair a la Sévigné, falling low on the cheeks; a bandeau of pearls, fastened by an antique cameo in front; girandole pearl earrings.

Another.- —a dress of India muslin, embroidered in crimson sea-weeds, ane

DESCRIPTION OF PLATES.

223. CARRIAGE DRESS.-Hat of granite-coloured moire, lined with white satin. It is trimmed with a deep demiveil of blonde, arranged in a mode entirely new, being placed at the lower part of the crown instead of the edge of the brim, and it falls in full draperies behind in a very graceful fashion; the crown is retreating with very low ribbon knots, but with a long knot de-zephyr depending in lappets behind; the crown ornamented with a plume of wild flowers. The dress is of granite coloured or myrtle green satin, with two deep capes of plush two shades darker than the dress. 'These capes are cut in the new mode, slanting on the breast. The skirt is trimmed with plush at the bottom, in a border of two hands depth. The corsage folded in large flat plaits that do not cross. The sleeves plain, of the usual form, and poignets of plush; ruche of tulle, edged with a binding of narrow satin ribbon to suit the dress.

222. WALKING DRESS.--Bibis bonnet of dahlia coloured watered silk, lined with white plush; the ribbons are gauze, figured with dahlia satin spots; the flowers, a bouquet of scabiouses, of many shades of amaranth, harmonising with the hue of the bonnet. The pelisse is of emerald-green watered silk (or moire), with a deep cape, cut to shew the chest, and a pointed collar of sable fur; it is surrounded entirely with sable fur, and trimmed up the fronts with sable of a moderate width. The corsage arranged in broad flat plaits, which do not cross, but are confined beneath the belt. The