68 Literary and Critical Proémium. 
as one of the most rational of his rational 
toys. 
The refined taste and extensive erudition 
displayed by Mr. DiBprn in the numerous 
splendid volumes which he has already 
ushered into the world, must attract the 
earnest attention of the lovers of bibliogra- 
phy to. the Ades Althorpiane, containing 
anacccunt of the mansion, books, and pic- 
tures at Althorp, the residence of Earl 
Spencer. This magnificent work consists 
of two volumes, highly ornamented with an 
immense variety of illustrative plates, ex- 
ecuted in the first-style of art. It is di- 
vided into three heads, detailing with great 
minuteness, first, the History of the Family 
of the Spencers ; secondly, the History of 
the Mansion of the Spencers ; and, thirdly, 
Bibliographical Notices concerning the 
Spencer Library. Many excellent en- 
gravings are given of family portraits, the 
earliest of which is that of Sir Joln 
Spencer, knight, the father of the first 
baron, taken in the year 1590, at the age of 
fifty-seven. A Supplement to the Biblio- 
theca Spenceriana is appended to this 
work, which must be in the highest degree 
acceptable to those who are familiar with 
the former productions of Mr. Dibdin’s in- 
dustry, and who are able to appreciate the 
acuteness and learning which have raised 
him to so distingdished a rank in this 
branch of letters. 
We observe, with pleasure, that Mr. 
AntHony Topp 'THomson has: been in- 
duced to publish Part I, of his Lectures on 
the Elements of Botany, containing the de- 
seriptive anatomy of those organs on which 
the growth and preservation of the vegetable 
depends. These Lectures were not origi- 
nally written with a view to publication, 
being designed for the use of the author’s 
pupils ; but, fortunately, as we consider it, 
for the public, circamstances have oc- 
curred which have rendered it expedient 
for Mr, Thomson to commit his labours to 
the press. In preparing them, however, 
for this process, many additions and altera- 
tions have been made; so that, except in 
the form of the work, the present composi- 
tions vary very considerably from the ori- 
giual manuscript copy. The distinguishing 
feature in the style of this agreeable author 
consists in a peculiar clearness, and a syste- 
matic connexion and regularity of plan 
which render his~works a most desirable 
assistance to students. The present. vo- 
lume will, undoubtedly, find a prominent 
station on the shelves of all lovers of this 
science; but itis to the younger and less 
erudite branch of readers that we would 
more earnestly recommend it. For this 
description of students, it will be found to 
contain a library in itself; and, a great 
number of the illustrations being cut in 
wood, and thus interspersed with the text, 
material assistance is, by this means, 
aiforded to those who peruse-it, without a 
previous knowledge of the science. 
[Auge 1, 
In an animated and pathetic Address to 
the People of England, the Rev. T. S. 
Hucues has generously exerted himself 
to attract the public sympathy, in a still 
more lively degree, to the cause of the 
Greeks; a subject on which, particularly 
since the horrible extermination of the 
inhabitants of Scio, it is impossible to rer 
flect without feelings of the deepest sor- 
row and indignation. To every quarter 
of Christendom this unfortunate nation 
has looked for assistance in vain. There 
is something in the sight of a people with 
arms in their hands, contending for liberty 
and life, which legitimate governments can 
ill bear to look upon. From the ambition 
of Russia, at least, some interested aid 
might have been expected. It is not dif- 
ficult to divine the powerful motive by 
which her grasping arm has been withheld: 
Her interference would be the signal for 
the dissolution of the Holy Alliance, on 
the preservation of which the tranquillity 
of Europe, or, in other words, the conti- 
nuance of despotic governments, depends. 
In the heart of their kingdoms, a more for- 
midable foe than the Turk, in the height 
of his power, is busily at work ; and every 
project of ambition, every feeling of ri- 
valry and hate, must be sacrificed for the 
common defence. For this, the atrocities 
of a barbarous crew, unworthy of the 
name of a nation, must be tolerated ; for 
this, the blood of thousands of Christians 
must flow unrevenged. To their own 
‘courage alone, it seems that this devoted 
people must owe their emancipation ; and, 
should they succeed in this noble object, 
we trust that their victory may be produc- 
tive of results as gratifying to the friends 
of mankind, as they will be destructive to 
the selfish despots, who have sacrificed to 
their own nairow policy the interests of 
religion and humanity. 
The work of the well-known Abbé de 
Praprt, entitled Europe and America in 
1821, recommends itself to the attention 
of every friend of liberty, by the jusiness 
and extent of its political views, and the 
talent, as well as the moderation, which 
the author evinces in the support of his 
doctrines. We fully coincide with him in 
opinion, that the great struggle now either 
pending or approaching, in every part of 
the Continent, between arbitrary and con- 
stitutional principles, must terminate in 
establishing the sovereignty of the people, 
and in the complete overthrow of the pre- 
sent allied system of military government. 
With the same certainty that man will 
pursue with steadiness the means of hap- 
piness, we may conclude that the nations 
whose minds are now fully roused to the 
importance of the question, and whose 
state of information enables them properly 
to investigate it, will resolve on the adop- 
tion of a free form of government. To 
this: result the excellent work on whieh 
we are now commenting is well calculated 
to 
