1830.] 



Domestic and Foreign. 



589 



been said a thousand times, and we ourselves 

 often feel the force of it deeply : but the sweep- 

 nets of the law are greater still; and de malis 

 minima is a sound rule in the choice of evils, 

 from the days of Cicero, and before, to our 

 own. If, moreover, this great book of 1024 

 pages, with close type and narrow margins, 

 will tend to keep the tradesman out of the 

 law's clutches, and secure to him his rights, 

 he will, perhaps, screw up his courage to 

 grapple with it ; but really we cannot but 

 think the bulk and even " solid contents" of 

 it might have been less without any material 

 loss. In an appeal before the Lords, a few days 

 ago, the leading counsel (one out of three) 

 spoke seven hours and a half; when the chan- 

 cellor's patience being exhausted and well it 

 might he interrupted him with this remark : 

 4 ' You have been speaking seven hours and a 

 half, and are not yet coming to a conclusion. 

 Truly, I think there is no case, however 

 complicated, but, with a little pains, counsel 

 might bring within the compass of three or 

 four hours; or if not, how is the business of 

 the House to be got through ?" In the same 

 spirit we are tempted to ask, if the legal 

 knowledge necessary for a tradesman cannot 

 be conveyed in a smaller compass than 1024 

 such pages, how is he to possess himself of 

 them and manage his business at the same 

 time? 



We do not of course pronounce upon the 

 soundness of the law ; but the author is a 

 professional man, an intelligent person, and 

 his reputation is at stake. We can say, also, 

 that we have dipt in several parts, and cer- 

 tainly found the information we looked for. 

 The multitude of cases on every point, very 

 briefly yet' clearly stated, furnishes both 

 amusement and information, and at the same 

 time large materials for meditation. They 

 are calculated, we fear, to confound any but a 

 legal head, or a very hard one. The grounds 

 of decision delivered by successive judges are 

 often technical ones, varying in principle and 

 contradictory in fact; appealing to reason, 

 and setting common sense at defiance. 



A Manual of the Economy of the Human 

 Body in Health and Disease, $c. 1830. 

 Books of " Domestic Medicine" for the most 

 part confine themselves to the description of 

 disease, to the details of symptoms, and the 

 treatment and cure of them. Something be- 

 yond these matters seems desirable for com- 

 mon information; some knowledge of the 

 structure and functions of the different parts 

 of the frame; some acquaintance with the 

 general economy of the system, without which 

 the directions for diet and regimen must often 

 be obscure, and calculated rather to perplex 

 than enlighten, to puzzle and mystify rather 

 than guide to any useful application. The 

 prevailing ignorance on these points is noto- 

 rious : " Even persons otherwise of enlarged 

 minds," says the writer, and perhaps correctly 

 enough, "are every day to be met with, who 



scarcely know on which side of the body the 

 stomach or liver is situated, and who are in 

 utter ignorance of the simplest laws of animal 

 economy." This sort of information, accord- 

 ingly, it is the compiler's especial purpose to 

 communicate, and he does communicate it in 

 a very simple and satisfactory manner ; and 

 nothing more seems necessary but to per- 

 suade people to read, which is, after all, the 

 most difficult point. Books, and good books, 

 abound ; but activity activity that demands 

 abstraction is scarce. If people were as eager 

 to gain knowledge, as to get money and fine 

 clothes, how wise we should all be ! and, by 

 the way, how superfluous books would be- 

 come ! a rather alarming anticipation. In 

 this excellent little book, every age is con- 

 sulted for. The management of children is a 

 main point; and the best methods of render- 

 ing old age comfortable are suggested on the 

 authorities of the ablest physicians. The 

 author forgets nothing not even to conciliate 

 the doctors. " A host of prejudices, which 

 the medical man finds it often more difficult 

 to combat than the disease itself, will be thus 

 banished;" that is, if the patient read his 

 book, and gets better informed ; " the sick 

 will be more disposed to listen and adopt 

 rational advice, and be better able to distin- 

 guish sound judgmentj enlarged experience, 

 and patient observation, from shallow pre- 

 tension, base chicanery, and impudent em- 

 piricism." 



Conversations upon Comparative Chrono- 

 logy and General History, 1830. These 

 are really very well managed little dialogues. 

 The writer's distinguishing object is to fix 

 the young student's eye upon periods and 

 contemporaneous events; introducing occa- 

 sionally remarkable details of the incidents 

 recorded, the better to keep the attention 

 alive, and assist the memory. The intro- 

 ductory conversation concerns the different 

 modes of computing time adopted by differ- 

 ent chronologists ; much of which might 

 have been omitted, safely and greatly to the 

 relief of the young people for whose informa- 

 tion it is intended. The Cosmogonies which 

 follow, both of the bible, and of idolatrous 

 nations, ancient and modern ; as well as the 

 mythologies of Persians, Indians, Scandina- 

 vians, &c., are well stated and extremely 

 useful. The Chronology and general his- 

 tory are carried down to the birth of Christ, 

 and will be followed, if the present volume 

 sells, which it doubtless will, by a similar 

 one to the present times. We had marked 

 sundry little absurdities ; such as the Bible 

 History of the Creation, being illustrated by 

 Milton's noble poem of Paradise Lost. Al- 

 luding to Homer's and Hesiod's language 

 respecting Iris, Mrs. S. observes 



Some .have derived the bows of Apollo, Diana, 

 and even Cupid, from the same origin. 

 LOTA. Of Cupid, mamma ? 

 MRS. S. Yes ; for strange to say, this heathen 



