PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED.

The most solid book among the week's publications is the collection of Lectures and fugitive Essays on questions of Political Economy by the late Professor Jones. The introductory sketch of his life and the esti- mate of his scientific character by his friend and old fellow student, Dr. Whewell, is a genial production, claiming for his hero quite as high a place as he is entitled to in economical philosophy, though not higher than he deserves as a title-law improver and Tithe Commissioner; but the two dasses of character are different. We seem to see the reasons which prevented Richard Jones from sustaining the expectations formed of him from his first work on "Rent," the commencement of an inquiry into "the Distribution of Wealth and the Sources of Taxation." Jones was -genial, and loved society. He was a practical man, and gave him- self up to practical business with great zest; and he conscientiously dis- charged his duty as a Professor of Political Economy at King's College and Halleybury, collecting vast masses of facts, and going through his courses. But he did not like the labour of arranging his materials and presenting them with that finished workmanship which is necessary to produce a standard exposition of economical science.

Mr. Kayo's biographical and historical narrative of "Christianity in India,"—that is of the missionary efforts which have been made there,— is the result of a long contemplated intention. So much allus'on, how- ever, is made to the feelings of the public during the recent mutiny, that it is difficult to avoid supposing that this feeling has not suggested the time of publication. As a craftsmanlike résumé of a subject which has an interest for numbers, it may prove a useful book ; but the story has al- ready been treated in such ample detail and such variety of forms, that we shall be agreeably disappointed if it turns out anything more than a clever compilation. The personal life of Charles the Second, -with notices of his "mimic statesmen" and followers of both sexes, would form a curious book, though requiring a peculiar genius in the writer as well as delicate handling. Mx. Clayton, though apparently aiming at something of this kind, seems really to have written a history of the King rather than of "the Merry Monarch," introduced by a similar account of his father and mother. However, action, anecdote, and personal traits, appear to prevail over grave discussion.

We have no doubt that Mary Howitt's "Popular History of the United States" will accomplish what it appears to intend ; the furnishing of a clear and fair account of events and persons on a scale midway be- tween -a common "abridgment" and an elaborate history. Materials are plentiful, and at hand, though in a scattered form ; and Mary Howitt has ability to present them in an attractive manner, and sense to com- ment on them judiciously.

The tide of fiction may occasionally seem to slacken, but it never ceases to flow. The three novels are all of the day., or at least profess to depict modern life. Colonel Money's "Wife and Ward," however, carries the leader to India, its society, and sports, and of course its mutiny.

BOOKS.

Literary Remains, consisting of Lectures and Tracts on Political Economy,

of the late Reverend Richard Jones, formerly Professor of Political Economy at the East India College, Haileybury, and Member of the Tithe and Charity Commissions. Edited with a Prefatory Notice, by the Reverend William Whewell, D.D., Master of Trinity College, Cambridge.

Christianity in India. An Historical Narrative. By John William Kaye, Author of " The History of the War in Alfghanistan," &c., Fe.c.

Personal Memoirs of Charles the Second; with Sketches of his Court and Times. By J. W. Clayton, Esq., Author of "Letters from the Nile" Sic. In two volumes.

A Popular History of the United States of America : from the Discovery of the American Continent to the present Time. By Mary Ilowitt. Illustrated with numerous Engravings. In two volumes.

The Wife and the Ward; or a Life's Error. Lieutenant-Colonel Edward Money, Turkish Service (late Bengal Army), Author of " Twelve Months with the Bashi-Basoulis.'

Gilbert Midhurst, 111:P. By Charles F. Howard. In two volumes. Blight; or the Novel Hater. A Tale -a our Own Times. By the Author of ' Good in Everything," &c. Sze. In three volumes.

The Armies of the Great Powers. By Lascelles Wraxall, Author of "Hand- book to the Naval and Military Resources_ of the princip4 Luropean Na- tions."

The Scottish Annual for 1859. Edited by C. R. Brown.—The cross of St. Andrew and the Scottish lion rampant in gold on the cover mark the national character of this volume. Its appearance reeds to mind those long neglected favourites of the public, the " Annuals " of former years, which survived for a long time the vituperation of Southey and other litterateurs, and only died out-as books of-newer fashion came into vogue. With the exception, however, of a portrait of Lord Clyde, and a vignette of Burns's monument, neighbouring Kirk Alloway, The Scot- teed Annual derives no advantage from art. Its claims are purely lite- rary, and are based on a laudable intention to represent from year to year the clement of Scottish nationality in our literature. It numbers already some thirty contributors, including the editor, Mr. C. R. Brown, Reverend G. Gilfillan, Reverend W. and Mr. A. J. Symington, Dr,

Nichol, William Mecca11, James Ballantine, and others equally well known, with several ladies to grace the company. The contribution of Dr. Nichol is an account of Donati's comet, marked by his usual graphic power and skill in generalization. Mr. Brown contributes among other papers, an interesting article on Keats, with whose family circle he ap- pears to have some acquaintance, and we observe an earnest article en- titled "The Communion Stones," by the Reverend William Symington, which links the heroic days of the Covenanters with the relies that exist in our own peaceful times. A pleasing variety is given to the con- tents of this volume by the alternation of stories, sketches, and poems. Apropos of the Burns festival there is a sketch of his position as Scot- land's representative man; and a very genuine specimen of the sonnet on the recent decease of Mrs. Begg, the poet's sister. "A Walk to El- lerslie " deserves mention, both for the love of nature displayed in its lines, and as a tribute to the memory of Wallace. For this revival of a

once favourite form of publication the Scottish public owe thanks to the editor Mr. Brown, andahis chief collaborateurs Mr. Symington and Mr. James Ballantine.

The Law Magazine having been amalgamated with the Law Review, those interested in the science of jurisprudence and constitutional history have now the advantage of the combined strength of the two periodicals presented to them quarterly ;—and the legal professor has one efficient instead of two imperfect literary organs. In the last number of the joint periodical, there is an essay on the late Baron Alderson, which takes a more impartial view of his character than Eve find in the publish- ed biographical sketch by his son. The writer admits the great talents of the Judge, allows that his success was well earned ; but pronounces I him to have been an unequal judge. There was, he says, "a cer- tain grotesqueness of character, even the practice to which he sometimes gave way of seeing or making fun when it would have been more de- corous not to have been jocular." The article entitled "Curiosities of Law—conveyancing among the Copts of the 8th centn.ry," is very in- teresting to antiquarians as well as to conveyancers who are desirous of /mowing how their brothers at Thebes, 1000 years ago, carried on their chamber practice. "The British Jurisdiction, civil and criminal, in the Ottoman Empire," is a remarkable phenomenon in international history, is ably expounded in an article written by one who evidently knows the state of the consular courts at Constantinople very accurately. The work on "lea Elements de droit Tonal," by M. Ortolan, (professeur a la Faculto de Droit de Paris) a book of great science, is brought home to the English reader in an elaborate review. In the Remarks upon the "concentration of the Courts of Justice," on the eight acres of ground to be cleared away between Temple Bar and Lincoln's Inn, the Law Maga- zine gives its adherence to a concentration and while approving of the choice of the spot; but shows that the proposed entire appropriation of eight acres now covered with habitations of the poor to be a profligate waste.

A Hand-Book of Hospital Practice. By Robert D. Lyons, IC.C.C., late Pathologist-in-Chief to the British Army in the Crimea, &c. &c.— A guide to the medical student in the observation and examination of patients. He is told how to look at his subject, and to what points he should chiefly direct his attention. The indications, or rather the posi- tive knowledge of interior organs to be gained by percussion and auscul- tation are dwelt upon, and directions given for their practice. And so we proceed through other examinations into the condition of the patient.

There are also a glo%iisry, directions for writing prescriptions, secundum artem, as well as for reporting cases. It is a sensible and useful book, but, of course, completely professional.

Comets ; their Constitution and Phases. By Christopher Kemplay.— This "attempt to explain the phenomena [of comets] on blown prin- ciples of physical laws" is as old as 1842, when the substance of the book was read before the Leeds Philosophical and Literary Society. It slumbered then, because some persons of scientific attainments, though commending the ingenuity of the theory, forbore "to assent" to its truth. This theory is that a comet is "a body of gaseous matter, homo- geneous, and indistinguishable in its parts, and nearly, but not perfectly transparent." The volume chiefly consists of the illustration and en- forcement of this principle.

A Journal of the French Embassy to China, in 1698-1700. Translated from an Unpublished Manuscript by Saxe Bannister, M.A. Queen's College, Oxford.—A volume more curious than necessary, and arguing greater industry on the part of Mr. Bannister than a perception of the actual wants of the public. Nearly one-half of the book consists of an introduction designed to prove that the world is mistaken in supposing that the Chinese, whether people or government, were opposed to inter- course with foreigners, the author quoting Kinaban Cornwallis as an authority on Japan. The remainder of the book narrates the outward and return voyages of the Amphitrite to China with the Embassy, but gives no particulars of the Embassy itself, as the writer of the Journal was retained with the ship. As a picture of a sea-voyage, upwards of a century and a half ago, the narrative has a curious interest; but its main incidents have been published already.

The Works of Virgil closely rendered into English Rhythm. By the Reverend R. C. Singleton, M.A., late Warden of St. Peter's College, Radley. In two volumes. -Volume II.—The four years' delay in the completion of this ingenious work has unfortunately arisen from the bad health of the author. The object of Mr. Singleton * was to introduce into the English method of teaching Latin, an improved mode of con- struing, by requiring pupils to translate into rhythmical English. Upon this proposition we remarked, that bad translation partly arises from the pupils imperfect knowledge of the foreign language, and no very perfect mastery of his own ; but that to translate in the way Mr. Singleton pro- poses would require in addition a grasp of the original author if not a knowledge of the nature and life he depicts, which very few students can have. We are still of opinion that the plan is hardly practicable. But the !work will be found very useful as an aid to adult or semi-adult readers who wish to acquire or renew a knowledge of Virgil. The criti- cal notes will be found advantageous ; the "illustrations from British poets of the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries," if not al- ways arguing so close an imitation of Virgil as the editor seems to think them, are curious, and will form a relief.

Robert Burns, a Centenary Song, and other Lyrics. By Gerald Mas- sey.—Mr. Massey was a candidate for the Burns Prize poem, and his

• Spectator for 1855, page 319.

effort was placed fourth on the list of those which the judges recommended for printing. With this "reward" he says he is satisfied ; but he does not seem to feel so. We do not, however, think that his poem impugns the decision of the Committee. His idea may be more fresh and less formal than that of Isa Craig, but it does not admit of such complete presentation of the whole subject, at least the subject is not so fully pre- sented. A rich poetical feeling runs latently through the centenary song ; but as in "the other lyrics" Mr. Massey has not allowed himself time to develop his ideas into poetry. The ode on the Old Temeraire tugged to her last berth, is far inferior to Ruskin's prose on the same theme.

The Alloway Centenary Festival. An ode. By Robert Story.—Mr. Story is reciter as well as poet, and enacted bard at the "centenary fes- tival" held in Burns's Cottage. The verses do not rise above pleasing commonplace, but the passage is true enough in which the author ex- plains the cause of the neglect of the poet in his life time and bids the present generation look at home.

Here and There in London. By J. Ewing Ritchie. Author of "The Night Side of London," &c.—A collection of sketches of places or scenes in London, popularly interesting for themselves, as the Houses of Lords and Commons, the Reporter's Gallery, Exeter Hall, and, for humbler examples, an Omnibus Yard, or the New Cattle Market. They are sketched without any great painter-like perception, or penetration below the surface, but they are lively and attractive, partly perhaps owing to the nature of the subjects. They are possibly a collection of articles, but we see no notice to that effect.

Charlotte and Myra. A Puzzle in Six Bits. By Winwood Roads.— The story of a fast young man, who, on the recommendation of an aunt, goes into the country to marry a young lady, and gets involved in an action for breach of promise. Some ideas of social satire seem to ani- mate the writer, though the most censurable thing in the book is the cha- racter of the autobiographic hero.

The new edition of the week is that of Croker's-Bosweirs-Johnson, commenced by Mr. Murray in shilling parts, ten of which will complete the work. It is a wonderful shillingsworth. About the interest of Boswell's original life nothing need be said, even if we do not place him in the unapproachable rank Macaulay has assigned to him ; while Croker's additions, original and selected, seem really to include all that can be said upon Johnson's biography. And then look at the price ! at the rate of two pages for a farthing, and with capital illustrations. At one time of day those to the present part would have been reckoned cheap at the price of the part itself. There are six portraits of Johnson at various periods of his life by Reynolds, Barry, and Nollekens, with Bozzy from a Sketch by Laurence. Messrs. B.outledge continue the publication of the works of the Elder Disraeli, beginning with the "Amenities of Literature." It is not free from that appearance of rash assertion, into which a love of rhetoric so often leads its followers ; but it is perhaps the best of its author's mis- cellanies. It is certainly the most interesting from its connection with the history of English literature. That most useful annual, "The Foreign Office List," has also made its appearance ; and a complete repertory it is of Foreign Office statistics, regulations, and personel, past and present.

Bosweirs Life of Johnson. Edited by the Bight Hon. John Wilson Croker, L.L.D., F.B.S. With Illustrations. Part I.

Amenities of Literature, consisting of Sketches and Characters of English Literature. By Isaac Disraeli. A New Edition, edited by his son, the Right Hon. B. Disraeli, Chancellor of her Majesty's Exchequer. In two volumes. Volume I.

The Foreign Office list: containing Diplomatic and Consular appointments, Regulations respecting Examinations, Passports, Foreign Orders, 8r.c., January 1859. Compiled by W. II. Cavendish and Edward Hertslet, of the Foreign Office. Fourteenth Publication.