2nd and 3rd William IV., with an outline of the Legal History of Ireland, and copious Indexes.

TRAVELS.

Notes of a Wanderer, in Search of Health, through Italy, Egypt, Greece, Turkey, up the Danube, and down the Rhine. By W. F. Cumming, M. D. in 2 vols. London: Saunders and Ottley, 1839.

This is a personal Diary of considerable interest, discursive and familiar, rather descriptive than meditative; yet giving the external aspects of life in various forms, with spirit and fidelity.

Germany; The Spirit of her History, Literature, Social Condition, and National Economy; illustrated by reference to her Physical, Moral, and Political Statistics, and by Comparison with other countries, by Bisset Hawkins, M.D. Oxon, F.R.S. London: John W. Parker, West Strand, 1838.

This writer has endeavoured to compress too many topics into one volume, and has accordingly failed. As a review of modern German literature, it is thoroughly contemptible. The volume is without soul-such a lifeless compilation we never encountered,— yet is it entitled, The Spirit of German History, &c. Where is the spirit? Verily, the dry bones, here scattered, live not!

Of Mr. Parker's next book we can speak in terms of great commendation.

Letters of Eminent Persons; selected and illustrated by Robert Aris Willmot, Esq, 1839.

Mr. Willmot is an elegant writer, not without learning, and very diligent in literary researches. No library should be without this volume.

Statistics of the Colonies of the British Empire, in the West Indies, South America, North America, Asia, Austral-asia, Africa, and Europe, comprising the Area, Agriculture, Commerce, Manufactures, Shipping, Custom Duties, Population, Education, Religion, Crime, Government, Finances, Laws, Military Defence, Cultivated and Waste Lands, Emigration, Rates of Wages, Prices of Provisions, Banks, Coins, Staple Products, Stock, Moveable and Immoveable Property, Public Companies, &c. of each Colony; with the Charters and the engraved Seals. From the official Records of the Colonial Office. By Robert Montgomery Martin, Esq. London: Allen and Co., 1839.

Mr. Montgomery Martin's qualifications are too well known, to require more than an announcement of the existence of this bulky volume. It is a work of marvellous labour, and shall be cherished by us as a valuable book of reference.

We have much neglected a very worthy contributor of our own; we allude to Mr. George Downes, to whom we are indebted for our Norse papers. We beg to announce an important work of his, as in the Press." Three Months in the North, including Excursions

to Tellemark and Ringinge." By George Downes, M. A., M. R. I. A.; author of "Letters from Mecklenburg and Holstein," "Letters from Continental Countries." &c. We doubt not of this volume exhibiting contents as rare as they are important.

The Wizard of Windshaw. In three volumes. London:
J. W. Southgate, 1839.

The interest is so per

This is a tale of the Nineteenth Century. petually kept up, that every page of the romance must be read. As a maiden production, it is of great promise.

We are also glad to be able to speak in favour of "Argentine, an Auto-Biography," published by Smith, Elder and Co. of Cornhill. We mention these books, to shew that where the political agitation of the times shall permit to literature its proper play, there are the materials for a demonstration of considerable talent. Genius, however, is at present, latent-but, IT IS, nevertheless.

SCIENTIFIC EXHIBITIONS.

The Eccaleobion.-We have delayed noticing until the present time an exhibition in Pall Mall, which bears this rather unfortunate title, because we wished to devote more time to it, than we usually can spare for such subjects. We have no hesitation in pronouncing it one of the most interesting exhibitions presented to the public of late years, and, especially as the proprietor, Mr. Bucknell, is extremely intelligent, affords an opportunity for the investigation of nature, which ought not to be neglected. The rooms should be visited, however, frequently by those who wish to understand the whole process thoroughly. The Eccaleobion is a machine invented by the proprietor, for the purpose of artificial incubation; to hatch eggs by means of warmth, without the assistance of the parent bird. The merit of this apparatus, consists in the contrivances by which the heat is uniformly and constantly regulated, so as to preserve the exact temperature necessary for the life of the embryo. By means of glazed doors to the different departments, the visitor can see the eggs arranged in all stages of incubation, from the time when it is fresh deposited, to the period of the chick struggling through the shell, and emancipating itself from its prison-house. After this, the birds are seen in their progress towards full growth, in different partitions around the room;-and the way in which they are reared and managed is, of itself, both pleasing and instructive, especially to the younger part of the community. But there is much more to engage the attention of the scientific, and suggest to the philosopher ample scope for contemplation. The progressive series of phenomena which take place daily during the progress of incubation, are beautifully illustrated; the visitor can watch the changes of the embryo from the first speck of existence, until it is perfected. Microscopes and other glasses are at command, and eggs are opened and arranged on tables in the order of their growth, while every information may be obtained to assist the researches of the curious. We confess that we have been much delighted with this exhibition, and think it will be useful to all those who

wish to investigate the phenomena of life more closely than has hitherto been done. The pamphlet of Mr. Bucknell, under the same title of the Eccaleobion, is well written, and evinces more than an ordinary knowledge of the subject.

THE BALLOT, THE CHARTISTS, AND GOVERNMENT PLAN OF EDUCATION.

To meet the difficulties of their present position, the ministry have consented to leave the Ballot an open question. On Tuesday, 18th June, Mr. Grote made his annual motion on the Ballot; and the occasion was graced by the first speech delivered by Mr. Macauley since his return to England, and election for Edinburgh. The motion was lost by 117-the ayes being 215, and the noes, 333.

Such is the natural result of the responsibility that the Queen has been advised to take upon herself: it will require, on her part, all the force of personal character to evade or subdue the perils which surround all responsibility. Every act of the sovereign should go to restore the equilibrium that has been disturbed. It is the opinion of many, that recent events have had a tendency, on the contrary, to increase the disturbance. We confess that we have doubts whether, after all, it be more than the death-struggle of party. At any rate, it seems agreed, that we have no Government. The last Quarterly Review attributes this result to the Reform Bill, which, in the Duke of Wellington's opinion, rendered it impossible from the first, for any Government to act efficiently.

In the meantime, other elements are rising. We think that enough is not made of the CHARTIST demonstrations. The newspapers attempt to cover them with vulgar ridicule, deserving itself only of contempt. The Supplement to the votes and proceedings of the House of Commons (Veneris, 14o. die Junii, 1839) lies before us, containing "The National Petition of the undersigned, for Universal Suffrage," &c. It is an important document; nor should we forget when reading it, that Mr. Macauley, "while professing political allegiance" [we quote the last Quarterly Review,]" to Lord Melbourne, and Lord John Russell, avows his conversion to the Ballot, Household Suffrage, and short Parliaments, almost at the very moment that Lord John Russell distinctly, and Lord Melbourne by inference, were pledging themselves to resist those revolutionary measures." Thus, while every individual of the ministry, and the sovereign herself, are acting each on his and her personal responsibility, the adherents of Government are doing so likewise, and among them a man of great talent is advocating the extreme doctrines of republicanism; for the petition before us claims little more than he demands. "We perform,” it says, "the duties of freemen; we must have the privileges of freedom. We demand Universal Suffrage. We ask for the reality of good, not for its semblance. We

demand the Ballot. To public safety, as well as public confidence, fre quent elections are essential. We demand Annual Parliaments." What next? 1. "We demand that, in the future election of members of your honorable House, the approbation of the constituency shall be the sole qualification; and that, to every representative so chosen, shall be assigned, out of the public taxes, a fair and adequate remuneration for the time that he is called upon to devote to the public service." 2. "The management of this mighty kingdom has hitherto been a subject for contending factions, to try their selfish experiments upon. We have felt the consequences in our sorrowful experience-short glimmerings of uncertain enjoyment swallowed up by long and dark seasons of suffering. If the Self-government of the people should not remove their distresses, it will at least remove their repinings."

Mr. Macaulay stops short of the two last propositions. But if he obtain the three first, the two last must follow, ay, even to the Selfgovernment predicated, in the strictest sense of the words.

But on the other hand an opposing power to these democratic tendencies is shewn in the resistance to the Government plan of education, which, in a remodelled form, obtained last Monday, June 24, a majority of two only! "The craft," said the Times hereon," is burned to the water's edge, and yet it floats." This is indeed the mystery of the times (not the newspaper, by the which they are well enough symbolised, but the things themselves), that the present Ministry, be it a government or not, cannot yet go-out, any more than a Conservative one can yet come-in. Their task is not yet performed.

On the subject of Education we have something, ere long, to write, not of little importance. No doubt that, in its highest sense, Education should be confided to the Church alone. But then, what Church? To the Orielites historico-apostolic church? To our friend Alerist's Syncretic Church? or to that One holy and Catholic Church, which it is our desire always to support, and of which we hold the Established Church of England to be a veritable branch? These are the questions. However they may be answered, certain are we that providence will still continue to justify its participation in the fortunes and destinies of monarchies and peoples; and with His Church, whether either or all of these, He has promised to be present until the End,-the Beginning whereof is even now.

The Earl of Stanhope, in the House of Lords last night, in presenting some republican petitions, gave it (and we think justly) as his opinion, that these extreme demonstrations were legitimate reactions against the New Poor Law-the operation of the Free Trade System, and the necessary effects of the Currency Act of 1819. We should err, however, in supposing that the evil can be cured by a mere repeal of any, or all of these measures. No! We must on-on-on! Not by any negative process, but by some positive institution, big with future-nay, immediate good, the evil must be-not antagonised, but at once absorbed and precluded. 26th June, 1839.

JOHN WILSON in verse, and CHRISTOPHER NORTH in prose, are, we were lately told in Blackwood, the literary glory of Scotland! This sort of egotism is not unpleasant; and, least of all, in a poet and critic, like the writer before us. Poet and critic? Yes, poet and critic! The critic of all poets, save one, who are worthy of any praise, and the critic of WILLIAM WORDSWORTH in particular! Yet who criticises the poetry of John Wilson? Perhaps none can, except himself. And why should not the poetry of JOHN WILSON be criticised by CHRISTOPHER NORTH in the columns of Blackwood's Magazine? We see no reason. Reason! The every-day world, as Dr. Johnson remarks, submits not to her sway; and Unreason is the irresistible ruler of the lower world, wherein the human animal feeds, propagates, and rots. Pab! We know that such a critique would be a glorious thing-even there. Meantime, old Kit shall try his hand in the pages of THE MONTHLY, now flourishing under the superintendence of a gentleman who, like himself, is both poet and critic. Long life to his honour, and good luck all his daysand for that matter, his nights too!

Why has not the poetry of John Wilson been more popular? Simply, because it was too good for the public! He was to Wordsworth, and Coleridge and Scott, what Shelley was to Southey and Byron. His aim was to supplement and complement those three mighty minds, out of whose abundance the myriad intellects of a whole people might be nourished. Noble ambition! - yet vain, as to "gild refined gold or paint the lily-to throw a perfume on the violet," &c.-Reader! you know the rest.

Vain! What is not vain, in the field of temporal endeavour? The vanity of all we are, and all we do, presses even on the gross sense-the man in the moon stops his nose at it, as it reeks heavenward. We saw him do it, as plain as aforetime Caliban beheld him -yet no such weak, shallow or credulous monster either. Doubtless there is profound meaning in Shakspere's ascribing such vision to that thing of the earth, earthy. But the interpretation of the dream must be deferred to more convenient opportunity.

N. S.-VOL. II.