1822.) 
and conduct of the work, we fear that such 
must, ere long, be its fate. It is too 
serious and prosing for light readers, and yet 
possesses not sufficient gravity and informa- 
tion to make it valuable to those of another 
class. ‘There is, moreover, too great an 
assumption of authority, too much of the air 
critical in its pages, though they are by no 
means ill-written or devoid of clever ideas. 
We are inclined to exceed the usual 
length appropriated by us to books of mere 
amusement, in favour of Vargas, a Tale of 
Spuin. Indeed, it can searcely be said 
to come under that class, conveying, as it 
does, agreat deal of information respecting 
the customs and government of Spain 
about two centuries ago, at which time the 
story is laid. It was after the esta- 
blishment of that execrable tool of tyranny 
and oppression, the Holy Inquisition, that 
many of the events pourtrayed in these vo- 
lumes, and, we believe, recorded in the 
history of that nation, fook place. By se- 
lecting this scene and these times, the au- 
thor has conferred much novelty and in- 
terest on his situations, and he has used his 
advantage well. Some of his characters 
are drawn with a bold hand. The roman- 
tic heroism of Meneses is peculiarly de- 
serving of this praise. Pablo the arch- 
bishop, and Churipample the gituno (gyp- 
sey,) are also very good characters. We 
are surprized thatthe latter does not take a 
greater share in the story. Vargas and 
Cornelia, the hero and heroine, though cer- 
tainly possessing much merit, are not equal 
to the snbordinate characters in point of 
originality. The scene of the escape from 
the prison of the Inquisition is perhaps the 
best in the work. The interest is very 
well kept up, and the circumstances are 
seldom forced or unnatural. As an histo- 
rian, the author has described with much 
spirit the events he has chosen, but we are 
surprised to find that they have scarcely 
the least connexion with his story, as, for 
instance, the liberation of Perez, with 
which the book opens. He sometimes, 
too, descends to a disagreeable quaintness 
of style, and to jokes, which we are sure 
are not Spanish. With.these we are dis- 
pleased, nor do we much like the introduc- 
tory chapter. We must condemn the 
hackneyed trick of ushering volumes 
into the world as the productions of the 
late Mr. Cornelins Villiers, or any such 
imaginary personage, especially when they 
are likely to be creditable to their author, 
as we feel convinced these will be. 
The Child’s Friend, an entirely new and 
systematical arrangement of all the sounds, 
combination of characters, and exceptions, 
in the English language, by the Rev. W. 
Draper, though a small work, may be of 
great utility. Whatever regards the edu- 
eation and comfort of children is of the 
first importance, A veteran (of seventy- 
seven years, by his own account,) who has 
passed his whole life in active tuition, 
3 
Literary and Critical Proémium. 71 
comes forward and presents the rising 
generation with a set of lessons, in which 
all the regular principles of the language 
are, set forth, before any of the exceptions 
are introduced ; a method yet unattempted, 
for, to use his own words, ** None have 
hitherto weeded the language of its irregu- 
larities, so as to present its pure analogy 
unencumbered with exceptions; but, it 1s 
still offered to the pupil as a mass of confu- 
sion, in which, to the same combination of 
letters, a variety of sounds is applied with- 
out any intimation which constitute the 
rule, and which the exceptions,’ Al! 
this is literally true, and a matter of 
which foreigners have long and loudly com- 
plained. Upon the whole, we conceive, 
that the many difficulties attending the 
attainment of our language, and the nu- 
merous anomalies with which it abounds, 
were never before reduced so perspicu- 
ously to order, nor diyided into such easy 
and gradual steps. 
—— 
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