286 A T o/w fur the Month, MARCH, 



errors, not those of writers are good things occasionally ; though not 

 so common, unfortunately, now, from the improved style of all typographi- 

 cal arrangements, as they used to be. They do happen, however, some- 

 times, and they are of two kinds : the first, where the handwriting of 

 the author has been unintelligible to the compositor ; and we find a 

 little slip of notice at the end " For ' horse' read, ' coal-scuttle ;' " or 

 " For < Dr. Kitchiner/ read < the Duke of Gloucester/ " &c. &c. : and 

 the second, where the printer has not understood the form of ex- 

 pression used by the writer, and supplies or alters a word, according to 

 his own view of the proper sense. A good example of this last, we re- 

 collect, appearing in the " Times" newspaper, on the death of Mr. 

 Rennie, the famous engineer. Some writer, speaking metaphorically 

 people will be tropical of the great extent, as well as variety of his 

 works the Breakwater at Plymouth, the Suspension Bridge in Wales, 

 &c. &c. used the words " Wherever bridges were to be built, or waters 

 to be fettered \" The printer, not being able to understand how " fet- 

 ters" of which he had naturally but one conception could be applied 

 to water y thought there was a mistake in the MS. and wrote, " Bridges 

 to be built, or waters to be filtered I /" The change of a letter pro- 

 duces a still more singular blunder in " The Bijou" of this year. For in- 

 dulge their " laughters," which was the proposition of the author, the 

 line reads and in very strange connection too " indulge their daugh- 

 ters." The best thing, however, that we have seen of this kind, is in a 

 translation, in an evening paper, of a French criticism upon Madame 

 Pisaroni, a new singer at the French opera ; in which the critic, speak- 

 ing of the lady's power, as an example to the rising vocalists, says, " Quel 

 modele pour les jeunes cantatrices," about the theatre. The translator, 

 desiring to be very recherche, preserves in his version the word " canta- 

 trices." What an example for the " young cantatrices about the theatre/' 

 But the printer, not understanding the refinement, supposes a mistake, 

 and reads, " What an example for the young cockatrices about the 

 theatre !" 



" Ministerial " explanations" still continue. For the evening of this 

 day (Monday the 25th), fresh disclosures in the House of Lords are 

 threatened. The parliamentary " fiction" of not supposing strangers, 

 and least of all " reporters/' to be present during the debates of the two 

 Houses, has led lately to some very odd anomalies. While on the one hand 

 the Reverend Mr. Shepherd on behalf of his opponent, Mr. Huskisson is 

 out of patience with the " strange" mistakes of the people of the "press," 

 Mr. Herries, on Friday night, appeals, in direct terms, to the reports of 

 the " Times" and the " Morning Chronicle," for the real effect of a 

 speech of his on a former evening, in answer to the mistakes of Mr. Dun- 

 combe. It is only just, as far as the point goes, to observe, that Mr. 

 Herries is perfectly correct in his account of his own statement ; but, 

 by an extent of "disorder," which demonstrates the impossibility of 

 keeping people from doing that which they are materially interested in 

 doing, and to which there exists no other than a formal objection, both 

 Houses of Parliament, for the last ten days, have been absolutely 

 sparring at each other through the newspapers. 



New books (of merit) have been scanty during the last two months. 

 Nothing of striking value has appeared, except Mr. Washington Irving's 

 " Life of Columbus," and Mr. Leigh Hunt's " Lord Byron." The last 

 production, however, has excited some interest, and a great deal, more* 



