CRITICAL NOTICES OF NEW PUBLICATIONS. 149 



In his every day duties, Johnson was correct and honest ; but his 

 friendship was selfish and gross, and his sociality too often sensual. 

 As a public character, he is not celebrated — his apathy or his 

 honesty forbad it : as a pensioner, he consented to throw away the 

 law and worship the golden calf. 



We have thus briefly examined the portrait which Boswell has 

 presented to us. A poet and moral philosopher is identified with 

 his works ; nor can we decide on the book without an implication 

 of the writer. Boswell has chosen the only mode by which the 

 character of Johnson could have been drawn — which, in fact, is not 

 from the pen of the Biographist — the impressions arise in the 

 reader's mind from the perusal of his opinions. Boswell has 

 done well in the choice of method ; but how far he has well done 

 the work is another matter. An artist is not required to paint the 

 seams of the coat, nor does it give value to the portrait ; and the 

 frequent fooleries of Boswell tend rather to ridicule his divinity 

 than to awaken our admiration. The humiliation of Boswell was 

 unbecoming a man — it was a disease ; his adulation, however sin- 

 cere, is disgusting to the reader, and his name will be for ever sy- 

 nonimous with servility. 



With all its faults, a library would not be complete without Bos- 

 well, indeed, without Croker's Boswell ; for the work, interesting 

 as it always was, is perfected by the present edition — enriched with 

 the anecdotes of all Johnson's friends — assisted by the remarks of 

 Croker, which are elegantly written. Nor is there less praise to 

 Mr. IMurray, for presenting, at so trifling a charge, a work that is 

 convenient from its size and invaluable for the exquisite illustrations 

 by Stanfield. It is, indeed, a superb work ; and in spite of Review- 

 ers and all evil-talkers, will be printed and purchased from age to 

 age, and age to age. 



I. — The principles of Descriptive and Physiological Botany, by the 

 Rev. J. S. Henslow, M. A., F. L. S., &c., Professor of Botany 

 in ihe University of Cambridge. London : Longman & Co. 



II. — The New Botanist's Guide to the Localities of the Rarer 

 Plants of Britain, by H. C. Watson. London : Longman & Co. 



III. — Remarks on the Geographical Distribution of British Plants ; 

 chiefly in connexion with Latitude, Elevation, and Climate, by H. 

 C. Watson. London : Longman & Co. 



Owing to the late period in the quarter at which we received the 

 works whose copied title-pages head this notice, we are, at present, 

 unable to do more than earnestly invite to them the attention of 

 junior botanists. On detailed inspection they will be deemed, whe- 

 ther taken separately or collectively, truly valuable additions to our 

 yet meagre literature on the interesting departments of physiolo- 

 gical, geographical, and statistical, botany. 



Professor Henslow's work forms the 75th volume of the enter- 

 prising Dr. Lardner's Cabinet Cyclopcedia, It extends to 314 pages, 



