Eternity Realized; or, a Guide to the Wales." Ye Right Reverend Fathers in God, Thoughtful. By Robert Phillip, of Maberly Chapel.

The paper, the typography, the plates, and the general superior execution of this work, comprehending many volumes in one, and that one published at the astonishingly moderate price of 28s., reflects the highest credit on the stereotype press established at Bungay, and conducted by J. B. and C. Childs. This work, and Ainsworth's "Thesaurus," are wonderful specimens of what talent and enterprise can achieve, and what meritorious demands individual exertion may make upon public patronage. We sincerely hope that these costly speculations will be encouraged by the community at large, and that all the standard works of British science and literature will follow in their train. Thus an elegant and extensive library may be comprised in the narrowest limits, and placed within the

reach of the most moderate means.

An Historical Sketch of Sanscrit Literature; with copious Biographical Notices of Sanscrit Works and Translations. From the German of Adeburg. With nume rous Additions and Corrections. Oxford. D. A. Talboys, 1832.

It is not often that we meet with the three characters of author, printer, and bookseller in the same person; and, certainly, modern times have not exhibited the combination in a light more advantageous than in the present instance. Oxford may well be proud of a man who can superintend one of the best presses in the city, and, at the same time, put forth works of profound research on subjects of growing interest, not only to the University, but to the empire at large. The work before us, as calculated to facilitate and extend the study of Sanscrit literature, will no doubt ensure the approbation of all who are competent to form a judgment of its merits; and we should say, the time is arrived when such a work is imperatively called for, whether we consider the state of intellectual acquirement which distinguishes our age and country, or the benefits which European scholars, thoroughly versed in Sanscrit literature, may confer upon the millions by whom it is held in sacred veneration. Of the tongue itself, Sir William Jones observes, "The Sanscrit language, whatever be its antiquity, is of a wonderful structure; more perfect than the Greek, more copious than the Latin, and more excellently refined than either."

M. Von Humboldt speaks of it in terms more philosophical, but expresses approbation not less warm and enthusiastic. The author of this historical sketch, without dwelling on the intrinsic virtue of Sanscrit as a perfect and beautiful language, eloquently remarks upon its relative importance as connected with some of the noblest pursuits of the human mind. those who study the history of man, Sanscrit literature offers a surprising mass of novel information, and opens an unbounded field for speculation and research! A language (and such a language!) which, upon the most moderate computation, dates its origin beyond the

"To

earliest records of profane history, and contains monuments of theology, poetry, science, and philosophy, which have influenced, perhaps, a hundred millions of human beings, through a hundred generations, is a phenomenon in the annals of the human race which cannot fail to command attention. Common sense and experience suggest that those facts only require to be known to excite a more general interest in this new department of literature." The work which Mr. Talboys thus introduces to the public is not a bare translation of Adeburg, but to a great extent original; and the result of his own enquiries abundantly shows that this particular branch of study has afforded subjects of sufficient interest to exercise the talents of writers of the highest reputation for taste and genius; and that Sanscrit literature still contains inexhaustible mines of wealth for those who have the industry to work them.

The foundation of a Professorship of Sanscrit in the University of Oxford, and the late election which has raised Mr. Wilson to the Profes. sor's Chair, are events of no ordinary interest in the history of modern literature; but when viewed in connexion with the great object of the founder, they increase in magnitude, and throw all mere worldly considerations into the shade.

"This is no other than the conversion of the natives of India to the Christian religion, which, in the opinion of this munificent individual, who spent his life and acquired his fortune in the East, could not be more effectually promoted than by his countrymen, who might engage in this arduous work, cultivating a more general and critical knowledge of the Sanscrit language."

We entertain the same opinion, and in every view recommend Mr. Talboys' work, especially to those who feel the importance of conveying the knowledge of christianity to a hundred millions of their fellow-creatures.

A Treatise on the Reform Act. By William Russell, Esq. of Lincoln's Inn, Barrister at Law.

At a time when the dissolution of the present Parliament is known to be at hand, and the representatives of the people are about to be returned, for the first time, according to the provisions of the new law, a treatise like this of Mr. Russell's cannot fail of proving useful, indeed almost indispensable, to every man in any way concerned in an election, whether as candidate, agent, or elector. It presents, in the first place, a careful commentary upon the whole of the Reform Act, arranging its provisions in the order most favourable to perspicuity, and affording a particular explanation of such parts of the statute as have been considered doubtful or obscure. To this are added, detailed practical directions for the use of those who are to carry the provisions of the act into effect. An Appendix contains copies of the Act itself, and of the Order in Council of the 11th of July.

It is no trifling recommendation to the value of such a work as this, that it comes from the pen not only of a practical professional man, but of one of the eminent triumvirate of lawyers who were employed by Government to draw up the 3A 2

bill for Parliament. It has, in fact, undergone the strict revision of Mr. Roscoe, as well as of Mr. Russell, so that it may well claim to be considered a faithful and authentic exposition of the meaning and intent of the original framers of the Reform Bill, coming, as it does, with the sanction and approval of those who had such ample opportunity of becoming acquainted with the principles on which the provisions of the law were founded, and the views with which its enactments were framed. The work, which reflects the highest credit on Mr. Russell's professional diligence and skill, is dedicated, with peculiar propriety, to the author's noble relative, Lord John Russell, a name so highly distinguished, and so prominently connected with the reformed law of election, that the one cannot be pronounced without the mind being carried, by a natural association of ideas, to the consideration of the other. This able volume will doubtless become a manual in the hands of every one Interested in the changes produced by the important law which it so minutely developes, and so clearly explains.

all things in common that none of the members of this church ought to cohabit, but be literally virgins; and that to dance and be merry is their duty, which part of their destinies they take from the thirty-first chapter of Jeremiah." There is, in page 148, a sneer at the doctrine of the Trinity, and a dissenting clergyman, though, as there is no established church in America, it is difficult to learn where Mr. Ferrall found his dissenting divine. A stale joke is thrown in at page 175, at the expense of the Baptists; and, in short, every passing remark seems intended by the writer to show his utter contempt both of religion and its ministers. We deprecate campmeetings, and the fanatical fooleries of some of the sects in America, with quite as much earnestness as Mr. Ferrall; but we beg to remind him, that the time when it was fashionable to sprinkle literary works with irreligion and impiety is gone by. With this abatement, we are pleased with Mr. Ferrall's lucubrations; he has sometimes given us graphic descriptions which we feel to be true to nature; and that portion of the volume which shows up the duplicity and meanness of the President towards the aborigines which remain in the vicinage of the Georgian

A Ramble of Six Thousand Miles through State, we most cordially approve.

the United States of America. A. Ferrall, Esq.

By S.

Another work on America! Well, the subject is not yet exhausted. America opens still a wide field. In the researches of the naturalist, and the speculations of the philosopher, it is a new world, and it must be traversed again and again, and by men of different habits, manners, and pursuits, before it can be correctly and extensively displayed in this far distant hemisphere. We could well dispense with all the trash that for the last ten years we have been doomed to wade through, in the form of travels, narratives, histories, and treatises, purporting to throw light upon the present state, prospects, and destinies of America. It is a comfort, however, to know that it no longer incumbers the public; nobody reads it, and it has been long since forgotten. There are a few valuable works which hold their place in public estimation, and we should be glad to see their number increased. Mr. Ferrall's Ramble" is a light production, offering no great pretensions; if it does not instruct, it will please-it is the lively narrative of what passed under the author's own view. If it does not always display accuracy or extent of information; if, in a few instances, we detect prejudice, and if sometimes opinions are volunteered which are not improved by fact or reason, the deficiencies and the faults are redeemed by the general good sense, good nature, and liberal notions which characterise it as a whole.

We wish the Author had not betrayed an evi dent repugnance to Christianity, and that he had approached the subject of religion with something like a recognition of its nature and claims. Take the following specimen of flippancy and ignorance :

"At Lebanon there is a large community of the shaking Quakers. Their tenets are strictly Scriptural. They contend, that confessing their sins to one another is necessary to a state of perfection; that the church of Christ ought to have

We give the following for the amusement of the few Conservatives who may honour our pages with an occasional glance :

"An account of his late Majesty's death was inserted in a Philadelphia paper, and happened to be noticed by one of the politicians present, when the landlord asked me how we elected our king in England? I replied that he was not elected, but that he became king by birthright, &c. A Kentuckian observed, placing his leg on the back of the next chair, That's a kind of unnatural.' An Indianan said, 'I don't believe in that system myself. A third, 'Do you mean to tell me, that because the last king was a smart man and knew his duty, that his son or his brother should be a smart man and fit for the situation? I explained that we had a premier, minister, &c.: when the last gentleman replied, Then you pay half a dozen men to do one man's business. Yes, yes, that may do for Englishmen very well-but I guess it would not go down here -no, no; Americans are a little more enlightened than to stand that kind of wiggery.' During this conversation a person had stepped into the room, and had taken his seat in silence. I was about to reply to the last observations of my antagonist, when this gentleman opened out with 'Yes, that may do for Englishmen very well-but it won't do here. Here we make our own laws, and we keep them, too. It may do for Englishmen very well to have the felicity of paying taxes for the support of the nobility. To have the felicity of being incarcerated in a gaol for shooting the wild animals of the country. To have the felicity of being seized by a pressgang, torn away from their wives and families, and flogged at the discretion of my lord Tom, Dick, or Harry's bastard.' At this the Kentuckian gnashed his teeth, and instinctively grasped his hunting knife; an old Indian doctor, who was squatting in one corner of the room, said slowly and emphatically as his eyes glared, his nostrils dilated, and his lip curled with contempt-The Englishman is a dog'-while a

Georgian slave, who stood behind his master's chair, grinned and chuckled with delight as he said- Poor Englishman, him meaner man den black nigger.' To have,' continued the radical, who was an Englishman, the liberty of being transported for seven years for being caught learning the use of the sword or the musket,-to have the tenth lamb and the tenth sheaf seized, or the blanket torn from off his bed to pay a bloated, a plethoric bishop or parson,-to be kicked and cuffed about by a parcel of "Bourbon gendarmerie"-Liberty !-why hell sweat'-here I slipped out at the side door into the water-melon patch."

Saint Herbert's Isle, a Legendary Poem, with smaller Poems. By the late John Bree, Esq., of Emerald, near Keswick.

This is a very beautifully written poem, and will induce many a reader to share with his family much sorrow for the Author's death. He was evidently a man of deep feeling, a kind and amiable disposition, and a true lover of nature amid the sweet solitudes of the romantic spot on which he dwelt. His poetical powers were of a high order, and the volume (which, it appears, his widow has given to the world,) is a fitting monument by which his memory will be preserved. That his loss was a sad one, we require no evidence but his own verse to prove, but we should have been pleased to find the volume accompanied by some memoir of the man whose mind must have been one of no ordinary class.

Characteristics of Women, Moral, Political, and Historical. With fifty vig nette etchings. By Mrs. Jameson.

There are few things that afford us greater pleasure than the ability to award praise-warm as it is sincere. Few books have ever come under our notice better deserving the strongest recommendation it is in our power to bestow, than the work of Mrs. Jameson now upon our table. Her talents are not only of the highest, but also of the rarest order-of such an order, indeed, as it is the lot of few women to possess. She does not skim the surface of things, but dives deep into their most hidden mysteries, unravelling and explaining all. With naturewith human nature more especially-she has that acquaintance which arises from long study and unwearied thought. Yet there is a grace and elegance of mind that brightens all she does; and though a philosopher, she is still a woman. To illustrate the female character, under its various modifications, and in different situations, Mrs. Jameson has taken the heroines of Shakspeare's plays, one by one; commencing (after a beautiful and admirably written introduction) with those of "intellect," under which she classes Portia, Isabella, Beatrice, and Rosalind; then arraying those of "passion and imagination;" and thus proceeding under other headings to analyze the whole, showing forth their

beauty and their value so skilfully, that we honestly confess we have marvelled at our former doubts upon the subject, and thank the fair author for having even increased our admiration for the ever-mastering genius of Shakspeare. It is true, and Mrs. Jameson herself makes the observation, that Shakspeare's women are inferior in power to his men, adding, "for in Shakspeare the male and female characters bear precisely the same relation to each other that they do in nature and in society; they are not equal in promiin power, they are subordinate throughout." We would add, (not for the purpose of exhibiting our gallantry, but from a sense of justice,) they are subordinate, not from any lack of intellectual strength, but for want of that mental cultivation which it has been the

nence nor

Policy of ill-educated and illiterate men to with

hold from them. We do not say that women should be taken from our homes, and sent with their delicate frames to work the every-day work of men, amidst the bustle and the turmoil of the world. But we do say that they ought to be sufficiently cultivated to render them enlightened and intellectual friends and companions-fit mates for men of science, of literature, and of art. We turn over the leaves of these delightful volumes, and at every page meet with observations and sentiments we long to engraft upon our pages.

The feelings of the commentator, warmed by her subject, have come forth with a vigour of She need expression as earnest as it is rare. not have told us, that "out of the fulness of We her own heart and soul has she written." have felt that it was so, or she could not have written thus-"Shakespeare, who looked upon women with the true spirit of humanity, wisdom, and deep love, has done justice to their natural good tendencies and kindly sympathies."

And Mrs. Jameson, without exaggeration-without extravagance-has truly and faithfully followed his example.

No woman ought to be without these Characteristics; which point out so beautifully to her the pure and exquisite friendship of Beatrice and Hero-Rosalind and Celia; teach her to practise, like Viola, generosity towards her rivals -instruct her in all that is good, and make her abhor whatever is bad in woman. In truth, also, no gentleman should be without them; for though he will see that "there is a mixture," yet it is a mixture of which women may well be proud, so immeasurably does the good preponderate perchance it may lead men of stubborn or tyrannical tempers to think more kindly of those whose chief fault it is, "to love not wisely, but too well!"

The volumes contain upwards of fifty fanciful vignettes, etched by the Author, who is no mean proficient in the sister art. They are sweetly designed, and executed with much spirit and effect, adding much to the interest of the work, which, taken altogether, is one of the most delightful of modern times. Mrs. Jameson may rest assured that while she increases an already high reputation, she merits the gratitude of her own sex in an especial manner, and may well expect the best thanks and the warmest support she can receive from the other.

THE DRAMA.