MONTHLY REVIEW OF LITERATURE. 361 



FEMALE CHARACTERS OF THE WAVERLEY NOVELS. PART IV. LONDON. 



CHAPMAN AND HALL. 1833. 



This number contains fancy portraits of Edith Bellenden, Isabel Vere, 

 Julia Mannering, and the Rebecca of Ivanhoe. The first has many claims 

 .to a favourable notice ; but the costume is too modern and miUinerish. The 

 features are pretty, but the neck is not drawn with taste nor even with 

 correctness. In Isabel Vere, the large ugly cap, and the huge eyes over- 

 power, and render the lower features insignificant. Rebecca is sadly mis- 

 represented she looks like a young lady from Houridsditch in her Sabbath 

 attire. But Julia Mannering is a jewel. This plate, which is delightfully 

 drawn, and engraved with much feeling, is worth more than the price 

 charged for the entire number. 



FINDEN'S GALLERY OF THE GRACES. LONDON. CHARLES TILT. 1833. 



WE like this alliterative title Gallery of the Graces ! It is an announce- 

 ment of a series of lovely eyes, all sensible and sweet ; delicate noses, re- 

 trousses, aquiline, or Grecian ; dimpled chins, dancing curls, or softly-flow- 

 ing ringlets. It speaks of shining silks, coronets of pearl, veils, neck-laces, 

 and ear-rings. Our curiosity is excited to know if, in this book of beauty, 

 we shall discover any resemblance to the one set of features that we have 

 once gazed at with more than admiration whether accident may not reveal 

 to our eyes an expression that will haunt us for the next six months. If, in 

 this second number of the Gallery, we do not find exactly the face we want, 

 we will not say it is the fault of the artist or engraver. The heads are exe- 

 cuted with becoming delicacy, and much taste is displayed in the arrange- 

 ment of the hair and costume. 



There is both beauty and mystery in Mr. Hervey's accompanying poems ; 

 but there would be more of the former, were there less of the latter. His 

 lines on the engraving subscribed 



" with eyes 



Bright in the lustre of their own fond joy," >iao;' 



we like as we read but having read, forget. How different our emotions 

 on perusing his verses which accompany the second engraving ! The feelings 

 and the imagination are here both taken captive. Who but must acknow- 

 ledge the touching beauty of the line in italics in the following verse ? 



" What portion have I in this low, dim earth, 



Where grief is nourished by the hand of joy,- 

 Where love is as a fount of tears, and mirth 



Grows pale, to find her echo is a sigh, 

 Where time wrecks something with its smoothest waves,. 

 And every year sets up memorial graves 1" 



THE SLAVES ; WITH SONGS AND OTHER POEMS. BY GEORGE ROBBINS. 



LONGMAN AND Co. LONDON ; AND J. DRAKE, BIRMINGHAM. 1832. 



WE cannot say all for Mr. Robbins's poems that we could wish : his sen- 

 timents are worthy of a better garb than that in which they at present ap- 

 pear. We understand that he is a mechanic, without education ; and we 

 should presume, from his poems, a young man. But, however these draw- 

 backs may enhance the comparative merit of the writer, they will not affect 

 the public judgment upon his work, which, as the author himself admits, in 

 his preface, must not be estimated by the difficulties encountered ia producing 

 it. The purposes to which the author's muse is devoted, are noble and 

 just ; and though he neither is, nor, judging from this attempt, ever will be, 

 a Corn-Law Rhymer, his poetry is better worthy of encouragement than 

 that of some of his noble and right honourable rivals-. 



M. M. No. 87. 2 Q 



