Though foot and tongue falter, No liquor, no liquor! Delighted as we had been with Crofton Croker's Fairy Legends, it was with no slight anticipation of festive enjoyment, that we took up "Daniel O'Rourke; or, Rhymes of a Pantomime, founded on that Story," from the pen of the same gentleman. The admirable story of Daniel O'Rourke, which has been dramatised at two or three of our theatres, will be recollected by every reader of the first series of the Fairy Legends. For smartness and for breadth of humour, it has rarely been surpassed. In the slight brochure before us, the raciness of spirit by which the original was distinguished has been most successfully preserved. One slight pas-viously acquired popularity in the pe sage, or scene, must suffice for a taste: Enter Daniel O'Rourke, with a bottle in his hand, singing. AIR" The last Rose of Summer." 'Tis the last sup of whiskey Left here all alone! All the rest of the bottle Is cleaned out and gone. I'll not leave thee, thou lone drop! (drinks.) Dan. By all that's bad, I'm thinking That I've been drinking; Is turning round, And every star is winking!— And then what's this?—I thought that I most Knew every inch of sod round Ballyhooly; A single step-but stick just like a log. Bad luck to you, above all bogs that ever yet But grief's no good-I'll sit upon this stone! (Sings.)— Good liquor-good liquor Makes the heart to beat quicker, And the blood to flow thicker, They who leave it behind 'em, Some grave, and some gay " Poems, by riodicals of the day-are, from their quiet and graceful simplicity, entitled to a niche in the critical department of LA BELLE ASSEMBLEE. We quote some stanzas entitled The Heliotrope : There is a flower whose modest eye Is turned with looks of light and love, Let clouds obscure, or darkness veil, Canst thou not trace a moral here, False flatterer of the prosperous hour! And thou art faithless as the flower! NOVELISTS. As we have repeatedly had occasion to observe, the past season-if it be yet past-has been more than usually prolific in works of fiction; many of them, if not of the highest class, far above mediocrity. The principal, we believe, have been already noticed in our regular monthly views; but there are yet some that we have slightly to mention. "The Night Watch, or Tales of the Sea," in two volumes, is evidently, as it purports to be, the work of a sailor; of one who is completely at home on the watery element, and as completely abroad when on shore. His nautical sketches are spirited and Good liquor, good liquor! | graphical in an eminent degree; but, unluckily, we cannot hit upon a single excerpt, sufficiently isolated in its character, at once to gratify the reader, and to Their liquor, their liquor! render justice to the author. We can, From black-jack of leather, therefore, only say, that to those who are partial to productions of this class, a perusal of the work will afford abundant gratification. "The Confessions of an Old Maid," in three volumes, are not deficient in amusement; but we doubt-or rather we do not doubt their being the veritable production of one of the sisterhood. An interesting tale, the vehicle of yet more interesting information, presents itself in a volume, bearing the title of "Sophia de Lissau, or a Portraiture of the Jews of the Nineteenth Century; being an Outline of their Religious and Domestic Habits, with explanatory Notes, by the Author of Elizabeth Allen, or the Faithful Servant." To those who have not made the subject their study, the views here given of the manners and customs, religious rites and ceremonies of the Jews, will possess all the charm of novelty. We shall select one or two brief passages; and, first of marriage : The nuptial canopy is composed, in general, of crimson velvet; it is square, and supported at each corner by four of the persons present; a piece of carpet is spread beneath it, and the bridegroom and bride, the rabbi, and all concerned in the ceremony, stand under it, while the contract is read, &c. It is deposited at the synagogue, and is brought to the house where the wedding is celebrated by the servants of the synagogue, and carried back as soon as the ceremony is over. The marriage ceremony is always celebrated with splendour and show by the Jews; nor are the poorest among them exempt from this custom. As every guest brings a present, chiefly consisting of plate, according to ability, the lower orders, especially, are anxious to invite as many as possible on that account; for which purpose they generally hire a public room, to accommodate such a large assemblage; and not unfrequently, when the wedded pair are very poor, these gifts are disposed of immediately, to defray the expense of the feast, and assist the young couple in house-keeping. A friend, on whom dependance can be placed, is stationed near the entrance of the apartment, to receive the presents of the guests, as they arrive; another writes down each person's name, and their gift, which is instantly deposited in a chest; and, after all invited have arrived, it is locked and put in a place of safety. If any person invited is prevented attending, this circumstance does not prevent their gifts from being regularly sent No. 42.*-Vol. VII. in their names; but those who are merely invited to tea and dance, are not expected to bring any present. It may here be observed, that the Jews consider it a highly meritorious act to promote marriage, or in any way to assist in its celebration; but those who are in their year of mourning for a near relative may not attend a wedding-feast, nor be seen where music or cards form any part of the entertainment. Wednesday is the day on which the Jews celebrate their marriages, and a second ball on Thursday evening concludes the feast; but if either of the party have been previously married, Sunday is the day chosen, and music and dancing form no part of the entertainment. The choice of Wednesday for the above purpose still continues among the Jews; but, like many other of their observances, the original cause for selecting that day has long ceased to exist, and had its origin simply because, as the Sanhedrin held its sitting on Thursday, the newly married man could immediately bring his wife before them, if he had any ground of complaint. A Jewish funeral is described with yet more of picturesque detail; but we can venture only upon the close of the passage. The body, in its grave-clothes, having been placed in the plain deal shell prepared for its reception-the lid fastened-and removed to a lower apartment, into which the near relatives were led to perform the ceremony of rending, their garments over the deceased- An aged Jew, whose province it was, then advanced, and, in audible accents, renounced, in the name of his relatives, friends, and, lastly,of all Israel, any farther connexion with the departed, either here or hereafter. The body was then lifted into the hearse, and followed by various friends, and by the religious societies he had formerly belonged to, and lowered into a grave, which his nearest relatives first assisted to fill, and which was then closed to open no more, as more than one corpse is never laid in the same grave. When the procession returned, a meal of eggs, boiled hard, with salt, was laid before the mourners, who kindled a light of pure olive oil, which was kept burning during the seven days of close mourning, and which was lighted up on the anniversary day of death, as long as the departed had a near relative living. These seven days are observed by the family sitting on the ground, with rent garments and dishevelled hair, while their friends come to condole with them on their loss; ten Jews regularly attend, morning and evening, to recite prayers. The bereaved rela tives wear their beards unshaved for thirty complete days; and the sons of a departed Jew at2 T tend morning worship eleven months, with scrupulous exactness, to recite certain prayers deemed requisite to facilitate the entrance of the soul into final happiness. In the rage for autobiography why should we not be indulged with the autobiography of a tailor? Accordingly, we have "The Life of Mansie Wauch, Tailor in Dalkeith; written by Himself." For this eminently amusing jeu d'esprit, the public are indebted, we believe, to Mr. Moir, the Delta of Blackwood's Magazine, in which publication some portions of the work appeared previously to its assuming the form of a volume. Its humour is quiet, yet fresh, natural, and in the highest degree characteristic. This will be sufficiently shewn by a single extract-all that our limits will allow-in which the autobiographist sketches his own portrait, and tells us how he felt and acted the first time that he was in love: Having come into the world before my time, and being of a pale face, and delicate make, Nature never could have intended me for the naval or military line, or for anv robustious trade or profession whatsoever. No, no-I never liked fighting in my life; peace was aye in my thoughts. When there was any riot in the streets, I fled, and scougged myself at the chumley-lug as quickly as I dowed; and, rather than double a nieve to a schoolfellow, I pocketed many shabby epithets, got my paiks, and took the coucher's blow from laddies that could hardly reach up to my waistband. Just after I was put to my 'prenticeship, having made free choice of the tailoring trade, I had a terrible stound of calf-love. Never shall I forget it. I was growing up, long and lank as a willow-wand. Brawns to my legs there were none, as my trowsers of other years too visibly affected to shew. The long yellow hair hung down, like a flax wig, the length of my lantern jaws, which looked, notwithstanding my yapness and stiff appetite, as if eating and they had broken up acquaintanceship. My blue jacket seemed in the sleeves to have picked a quarrel with the wrists, and had retreated to a tait below the elbows. The haunch-buttons, on the contrary, appeared to have taken a strong liking to the shoulders, a little below which they shewed their tarnished brightness. At the middle of the back, the tails terminated, leaving the well-worn rear of my corduroys, like a full moon seen through a dark haze. iad! Oh! but I must have been a bonny My first flame was the minister's lassie, Jess, a buxom and forward qucan, two or three years older than myself. I used to sit looking at her in the kirk, and felt a droll confusion when our een met. It dirled through my heart like a dart, and I looked down at my psalm-book sheepish and blushing. Fain would I have spoken to her, but it would not do ; my courage aye failed me at the pinch, though she whiles gave me a smile when she passed me. She used to go to the well every night with her twa stoups, to draw water after the manner of the Israelites at gloaming; so I thought of watching to give her the two apples which I had carried in my pouch for more than a week for that purpose. How she laughed when I stappit them into her · hand, and brushed bye without speaking! I stood at the bottom of the close, listening, and heard her laughing till she was like to split. My heart flap-flappit in my breast like a pair of fanners. It was a moment of heavenly hope; but I saw Jamie Coom, the blacksmith, who I aye jealoused was my rival, coming down to the well. I saw her give him one of the apples; and hearing him say, with a loud gaffaw, "Where is the tailor ?" I took to my heels, and never stopped till I found myself on the little stool by the fireside, and the hamely sound of my mother's wheel bum-bumming in my lug, like a gentle lullaby. Two volumes of "Tales of the West, by the Author of Letters from the East," offer a rich banquet to the lovers of the tender, the romantic, the imaginative in fiction. The scenes of these tales, seven in number, are laid in Cornwall, a part of our island to which little attention has hitherto been paid by novelists, although it abounds with the richest, the wildest, and the most sublime material. Mr. Carne, the author of these elegantly-written tales, has shewn himself fully sensible of the value of the mine he has opened-fully capable of employing its contents to every requisite advantage. We cordially recommend these volumes to the notice of our readers. THE FINE ARTS. We have the pleasure of announcing the completion of a truly elegant and truly valuable work-" Walpole's Anecdotes of Painting in England, &c. &c., with considerable Additions; by the Rev. James Dallaway," in five royal octavo volumes, uniform with Park's edition of "Royal and Noble Authors." Every connoisseur, and every amateur, also, are acquainted with the original work, in seven little quarto volumes, printed at Lord Orford's private press, at Strawberry Hill. Some time since, Mr. Dallaway, already distinguished in the world of art as the author of a production entitled, "The Sculpture and Painting of the Ancients," undertook the editorship of a new edition of Walpole's book; and it is barely justice to say, that he has executed his task in the most creditable and satisfactory manner. He has carefully revised the text, furnished many original notes (keeping his own matter distinct from Lord Orford's, by means of brackets) and thrown the whole into a very handsome form. Independently of some fine wood-cuts, the graphic embellishments of the work are-as may be inferred from the names of W. Finden, Worthington, Watt, Gibbon, Cooke, &c. —of a high order of excellence. EDUCATION. Amongst works of education of the higher class, we have to mention "Elements of Rhetoric, by W. Whately, D.D.,|| Principal of St. Alban's Hall, Oxford." | This is the soundest and clearest work -distinguished by unusual vigour and closeness of reasoning-that we ever read upon the subject. Notwithstanding all that has been written by envious and malignant critics-by rival grammarians and lexicographerswe are decidedly of opinion, that, in Johnson's "Dictionary of the English Language," "the critical reader will find the errors few, when the magnitude of the work is considered; unimportant, when compared with the value of the quantity of knowledge conveyed. The uncritical reader will find it a manual (as we may now call it) on which he may rely for ample information on every point which can require it. He will find it a work of great industry and great knowledge; a work which, more than any other since the common translation of the bible, has tended to fix the English language. He will find it a treasure of his native tongue, stored up by one of its greatest masters, by one of the greatest minds that ever adorned his country, at a period when, having produced works which genius, or taste, or wit, or erudition, have rendered immortal, the language of England had become classical."-These remarks are by the editor of a new edition of the work referred to—an edition which, in one volume octavo, of 1,369 pages, is 66 stereotyped, verbatim, from the last folio edition corrected by the doctor." The page, remarkable for the typographical beauty of its execution, is divided into three columns. Its portability will render it eminently desirable for the librarytable, as well as for the school-room. In the preface, Johnson is ably defended against the aspersions of Horne Tooke; and the merits also of Todd, Richardson, and other lexicographers, are discussed at considerable length. Judiciously to abridge an extensive work-to compress the essence of a formidable folio within a moderate-sized duodecimo-is a task of infinitely greater difficulty than is generally imagined. Perhaps Goldsmith's-erroneously called Dr. Goldsmith's-England, is one of the best specimens extant of the art of abridgment; and, from time to time, it has been reprinted, with additions and continuations out of number. The newest, we believe, is-" Dr. Goldsmith's Abridgment of the History of England, with a Continuation till 1828, and Questions for Examination at the end of each Section, for the Use of Schools and private Students; to which is added a Chapter on the British Constitution, &c.; by Robert Simpson." Amongst other points, Goldsmith's work was remarkable for the justness of its proportions; a system from which Mr. Simpson has thought proper to deviate; as, in his continuation, the reigns of George III. and IV. are written upon a scale of vastly greater dimensions than the other parts of the history. "A History of France; with Conversations at the end of each Chapter; by Mrs. Markham, Author of the History of England; for the Use of Young Persons," in two volumes, 12mo., may be deemed an improvement upon the author's former very clever little work. A well condensed History of France had long been wanted; and Mrs. Markham has shewn herself in full possession of all the requisites for its production. Her proportions, as well as those of Goldsmith, are well preserved; and, in a neat, correct, and pleasing style, she has succeeded in conveying all the pith and marrow of her subject. For the inculcation of noble and generous sentiments, a small volume, entitled "Hugh Latimer, or the School Boys' Friendship, by Susanna Strickland, Author of The Little Prisoner, Rowland Massingham, Prejudice and Principle,' &c., may be safely recommended to the rising generation. In common with the other productions for youth, by this lady, Hugh Latimer combines instruction with amusement, and is written in a high tone of feeling that does honour to the author, and cannot fail of having the most beneficial effects upon the mind of the reader. MISCELLANEOUS. victory. The great disadvantage of their relative From this little volume, we could pre- The superiority of the Turks in the use of the sabre is founded partly on the quality of the weapon itself, and partly on their what may be termed national dexterity in handling it. The Turkish sabre, which is wrought out of fine iron wire, in the hand of one of our powerful labourers, would perhaps break to pieces like glass at the first blow. The Turk, on the contrary, who gives rather a cut, than a blow, makes it penetrate through helmet, cuirass, &c., and separates in a moment the head or the limbs from the body. Hence we seldom hear of slight wounds in an action of cavalry with Turks. It is a well UNDER this non-descript head, we must briefly dispose of numerous works, very dissimilar in character. The first to which we shall advert, is a thin volume, entitled "Military Reflections on Turkey ; by Baron Von Valentini, Major General in the Prus-known fact in the Russian army, that a Colonel, sian Service." At a time like the present, when notions are entertained of a war between Russia and Turkey-involving, perhaps, also, the relations of other states -these "Reflections," translated from the third volume of Valentini's Treatise on the Art of War, will prove acceptable, not only to the military reader, but to all who are desirous of obtaining information respecting the character and conduct of the Turks in a state of warfare, their military discipline, the operations which might, with most propriety, be taken against them, &c. Of the feelings on the subject of the|| Ottoman Porte respecting a war with Russia, the following passage is not incurious: Russia is the most formidable enemy of the Turks, not only from her actual superiority, but from the opinion generally entertained among that people. In conformity with an ancient prophecy, the Turks consider it as doomed by their immutable destiny, that they will be driven out of Europe by a neighbouring people, whom they believe to be the Russians, and whose sovereign will enter their capital in triumph. The idea of returning, at some future period, to Asia, whence they came, is tolerably familiar to the most enlightened among them, and they even appear to consider their establishment in Europe as nothing more than an encampment. We may therefore easily conceive that they do not enter the field against Russia with that joyful ardour which is inspired by a presentiment of who was in front of his regiment, seeing the in the hand of him who knows how to use it. It is related that, at the storming of Ismael, a brave A quarto volume of " Letters from the F |
