1830.] 



Domestic and Foreign. 



219 



alive in the promotion of it for the press not 

 to swarm with elementary works of every 

 description, in addition to what each joint 

 stock knowledge company sanctions by its 

 approval. Sunt bona, sunt quadem medi- 

 ocria, sunt mala plura. The work before 

 us belongs to the former class. Without any 

 pretention or parade, it affords a clear but 

 simple view of the elementary properties of 

 light : the principles of the science are per- 

 spicuously laid down and applied to illus- 

 trate the theory of optical instruments, and 

 the more striking natural phenomena. 

 With the whole of this book we have been 

 much pleased, and by persons little versed 

 in mathematics, it will be found extremely 

 useful indeed, if the remainder of the 

 author's course of natural philosophy, which 

 will speedily appear, is to be judged by 

 this specimen of his labours, there will be 

 few, if any, productions on the same sub- 

 jects, better adapted for general circulation. 



Time's Telescope ; 1830 This annual 

 melange a combination of the Almanack 

 and the Album is very well calculated to 

 convey much useful information to certain 

 classes, in a very agreeable way. Its mate- 

 rials are thrown together under the heads of 

 Remarkable Days Astronomical Occur- 

 rences and the Naturalist's Diary, and each 

 of these for every month in the year. 

 Under the first head fall short notices, taken 

 chiefly from the periodicals, of eminent indi- 

 viduals, who have died in the course of the 

 preceding year and some many years ago 

 placed at the anniversary of their deaths ; 

 and of some who are stiU living, as Scott 

 and Moore commemorated at the anniversa- 

 ries of their birth; together with snatches 

 of poetry from the popular writers of the 

 day, at every seizable opportunity which 

 the calendar presents. The Astronomical 

 Occurrences and the Naturalist's Diary are 

 full of very valuable matter, conveyed in a 

 plain and intelligible manner. The wood- 

 cuts are numerous, and are relative, gene- 

 rally, to objects of sufficient interest. Among 

 them we observed Sir Walter Scott's Whim- 

 sical Buildings at Abbotsford, and Moore's 

 Cottage, near Devizes, where the editor in- 

 forms us God-wot the Poet lives rather re- 

 tired than otherwise, while all the world sup- 

 poses him involved in all the follies and 

 gaieties of life. 



Though the editor of the preceding vo- 

 lumes has disclaimed having any thing to 

 do with the present, the change is not per- 

 ceptible the manner and materials are es- 

 sentially the same though the old Editor 

 would probably not have committed so gross 

 a blunder as the following : 



" Jan. 23d, 1806, Right Hon. William 

 Pitt died. This eminent statesman com- 

 menced his parliamentary career early in 

 life, having taken his seat soon after he came 

 of age. He had not long been a member 

 when he was attacked by Sir Robert Wai- 

 pole, and taunted with his youth ; to which 



Pitt replied in a speech which might be re- 

 garded as a model for young men to imitate. 

 It is worthy preservation, and will justify 

 insertion on this day.'* 



And then follows Lord Chatham's well 

 known speech, which is very safely preserved 

 in numerous records though he, it is 

 equally well known, was as much entitled 

 to the credit of it, as this well-read editor of 

 Time's Telescope. 



Moments of Loneliness, or Prose and 

 Poetic Efforts, $c. By Sibella JEliz. Hat- 

 field; 1829 Printed at Falmouth, as was 

 this volume of odds and ends and occasional 

 scraps at the very Land's-end it is a pity 

 it had not remained in that corner of the 

 world ; and the author's parents, to whom, 

 11 by their affectionate permission," she duti- 

 fully dedicates, been spared the expense of 

 carriage. Not that the contents are worse 

 than scores of similar books which fall into 

 our hands, and of which the world never 

 hears, even from us but mere mediocrity, 

 especially in poetry, no mortal can bear, not 

 connected by love, or friendship, or neigh- 

 bourhood ; and scarcely then. The folly is, 

 not in printing for private circulation, to 

 save the labour of copying, at the obliging 

 importunities of friends, but in publishing, 

 and hoping such things will sell. It is 

 marvellous that anybody can still be found, 

 of man and woman born, even in so remote 

 a spot, to imagine for a moment that strang- 

 ers will buy them. Nobody, now-a-days, 

 and let the publishers of such i things listen 

 to us nobody purchases a volume of any 

 kind, and especially of poetry, unrecom- 

 mended on the chance of what he may 

 find ; the very numbers forbid ; and books 

 of indispensable importance crowd upon all 

 who have money to spare to the full amount 

 of their available funds. We are far from 

 saying this is the worst volume that ever 

 Was printed ; but really, on glancing over it, ' 

 our eyes caught nothing better than the 

 piece we copy : 



ON BEHOLDING A BEAUTIFUL AND 

 WELL-KNOWN SEA PROSPECT. 



How altogether lovely ! what a glow 



Of gold around the sky, and on the sea! 



Yon glorious, gorgeous sunset canopy 



Is worthy of this paradise below. 



This prospect is no stranger unto me ; 



Mine eye can claim acquaintance with each 



hue, 

 Oft seen before : yet, as on novelty 



1 gaze intent, oh, magic memory! 

 Thou fixest thus my gaze uponthe view, 

 And drawing feelings out in bitter tears, 

 Thy long-resisted influence appears 



Too much too much, I will not, must not weep. 

 Scene of the beauteous land, and glorious deep, 

 Once more, once more, we part perchance for 



years : 

 Let me bear from thee, as from some loved 



friend, 

 Lessons that make me worthy here to bend. 



2 F 2 



