MONTHLY REVIEW OF LITERATURE AND ART. 597 



cent effects when near. On one occasion, his postillion, to the astonishment 

 no doubt of the gallant captain, was " equally excited with himself, when he 

 desired him to stop the carriage and to listen.'* We recollect having seen 

 a young gentleman who belonged to the 51st, pinch the arm of an Arab to 

 ascertain if he could feel. 



The author proceeds through Brussels to Antwerp, and is " kindly admit- 

 ted" one of a party of " BRITISH AMATEURS," who were located in the 

 Hotel du Grand Laboureur, where they " dined together every day, had a 

 sitting-room appropriated to their own use, separate bed rooms under the 

 same roof, and were not much exposed to the usual hardships and privations 

 occasioned by a state of siege." 



A narrative of the events of the siege that preceded the arrival of the 

 author is here introduced, and there is considerable improvement both in the 

 matter and manner, owing to its coming from another source, it having been 

 supplied by an officer of engineers who had been present from the commence- 

 ment. The gallant captain takes up the subject where his amusing and 

 intelligent friend leaves it. During a visit to the trenches, he tells us he 

 gained the privilege of considering himself baptised, some dust having been 

 blown into his face by the explosion of a shell which had the audacity to fall 

 within twenty or thirty yards of him. Baron Chasse ought to have been 

 tried by court martial, and broke for daring to permit a bomb to go and 

 explode within twenty or thirty yards of a British Amateur. He meets with 

 a suttler. " As it was necessary to go through the form of tasting a glass of 

 gin from a vivandiere, I immediately demanded the usual portion, and drank 

 it off, wishing her health and safety ; she smiled, and was grateful when I 

 presented her with a couple of franks for that, which from a common soldier 

 would probably have brought her about as many sous." Thrice happy 

 vivandiere, to sell your gin, and gratitude, and smiles, at such a rate ! 



Again : " The soldiers pressed us much to take off our caps, as we were 

 looking through the holes, fearing that if the enemy saw us, they would 

 immediately commence a fire in that direction. We gave them some money, 

 and they seemed highly delighted, calling us, ' des braves gens? " The honour- 

 able Captain has omitted to tell us how much he paid for his share of this 

 tickling appellative. 



" December 24/A. This promised to be a most extraordinary day, and I re- 

 mained in bed no later than eight o'clock. On entering the room, our party 

 were all at breakfast, and eagerly waiting for intelligence of what was to 

 happen. Nobody could give us any decided information, but conjectures of 

 all sorts were spread abroad." How very grievous ! to get up in the middle 

 of the night, and then hear nothing but " conjectures of all sorts. " 



The volume is again redeemed by some very sensible and dispassionate 

 remarks on the merits of the defence. It is embellished by three small 

 lithographic sketches, of the most interesting points, accompanied by a 

 plan of the citadel and operations of the siege. On the whole, we 

 cannot do better than recommend the work to the perusal of all who are 

 curious on the subject, leaving them to separate, which they will easily do, 

 the grain from the chaff. 



SKETCHES IN GREECE AND TURKEY. LONDON. RIDGWAY. 



WE really feel indebted to the author of these sketches not more for the 

 entertainment his work has afforded us, than for his having carefully ex- 

 cluded from it, such technical details of temples and amphitheatres, as form 

 the bulk of the books of modern travellers who have visited Greece, and 

 render them unfit for any place, save a shelf in an architectural library. He 

 has gone about not to measure the shaft of a column, but to get an insight 

 into the character of a singular, and hitherto much misrepresented people ; 



