152 
- Of Mr. Gatr’s novels we have already 
had frequent occasion to express our fa- 
vontable opinion, if not altogether our 
decided approbation, But we are at a 
loss to perceive in the Provost any addi- 
tional or even equal manifestation of those 
graphic powers which, with so correct 
and lively a hand, pourtrayed some admi- 
rable likenesses, though it must be con- 
fessed somewhat too free, in the ‘* Ayr- 
shire Legatees,” and in the “ Annals 
of the Parish.” Certainly none in the se- 
ries that follow are quite comparable to 
them; and, in particular, Sir Andrew 
Wylie never met with that grace and fa- 
vour in our eyes that his more fortunate 
predecessors enjoyed. While the author 
confines his genius within the scope of his 
own observation and experience, content 
to describe what he bas really seen and 
felt, relating to national manners, among 
certain scenes aud characters in the rural 
and middle order, rather than in lofty, 
romantic, or very refined scenes of life, we 
think he is often eminently happy and 
suecessful. He sometimes startles our 
preconceived notions, also, “ of the fitness 
of things,” by venturing beyond the 
bounds of the probable, not to say of 
the possible ; and seems at otler moments 
to forget, that Du sublime au ridicule il 
ny a gwun pas. 
We venture to recommend to the notice 
of the public a little volume, entitled A 
Journal of Voyages and Travels, by the late 
Tuomas REEs, Serjeant of Marines, pub- 
lished for the benefit of his orphan daugh- 
ter. We are pleased to find, in addition 
to its claims upon our liberatity and com- 
passion, that the work is well entitled, 
from its own intrinsic merits, to some 
share of public attention and encourage- 
ment. In some of its descriptions it is 
highly pleasing znd ctirious, and gives a 
very picturesque and clear view of many 
of the scenes through which the author 
passed. The remarks of an_ individual 
in Mr. Rees’s rank of life, on the cha- 
racter, scenery and manners of other 
conntries, must be at all times interesting 
and curious. Norare we disappointed in 
this respect in the work before us; his 
account of Persia is at once clever and 
amusing, strongly coutrasted with the 
nsual style and manner of travellers, and 
described in a tene of genuine truth aud 
originality. Most sincereiy do we join the 
fair editor in her charitable wishes in be- 
half of the orphan object of her regard. 
May the obscure author and unknown edi- 
for be alike sheltered from eriticism and 
contempt; and may the voice of compas- 
sion plead successfully with the opulent 
and humane to encourage its circulation. 
We are at last presented with the title 
ef what we have for a long time had far too 
much of in reality, in a volume of Nonsense 
Verses, with an Introduction and Notes. 
Literary and Critical Proémium. 
[Sept. 1, 
They are announced to be from the pen of 
Mr. James Harvey, in the modern taste 
for adopting false names. As the author's 
object is of course to establish, as far as 
possible, the absurdity and ridicule inhe- 
rent in such a work, he seems not to have 
exercised his faculties in vain, and has often 
happily succeeded with his readers in 
producing, —either with him or at him,— 
some hearty laughs. He mostly, however, 
appears to be too much above the level of 
his subject, and Jabours to lower himself to 
the true nonsense point in vain. With a 
genius evidently capable of better things, 
we know not why he should thus wilfully 
try to fool the public and himself, while 
so many poetical fools, without half his 
taste and talents, are engaged daily and 
hourly inditing serious nonsense enough. 
From the Three Perils of Man, or War, 
Women, end Witcheraft, it would appear 
hardly possible we should escape, or, at 
least, from the persevering industry and 
very prolific genius of Mr. HocG, of 
which a Border Romance, in three volumes, 
is no slight additional proof. Judging 
from this specimen, we are sorry to ob- 
serve that the excellence of bis literary 
efforts seems by no means to keep pace 
with the multiplicity of his works. 
Though the first volume ‘is in parts finely 
and powerfully written, the story begins to 
droop and fall away sadly before it reaches 
the end. Were it not for the aid of ma- 
gic, with the frequent and compassionate 
teats of wizards, ghosts, devils, and brow- 
nies, always conveniently at hand, we 
really think the border romance would 
never have got across the Scottish borders, 
The chivalric period and good King Ro- 
bert, it seems, have helped him over, 
though we cannot but think he must mere 
than once have stuck fast. The times and 
the characters are nevertheless very touch- 
ingly and romantically drawn, and we 
have some good sieges, both of love and 
war, battles, and wild hair-breadth adven- 
tures and escapes, which, with some exer- 
tion, succeed in keeping ns awake to the 
end of the third volume. 
The justly popular study of the present 
day, which searches after and discriminates 
the genera and species, and inquires into 
the former habits of the vast multitudes of 
beings, of shell-fish in particular, which in- 
habited the waters of our planet during 
the progress of accumulating ifs strata, or 
of animals which lived upon local parts of 
the surface in a more advanced stage to- 
wards its present state, has received most 
important aid from a small volume now 
before us, entitled, An Introduction to the 
Study of Fossil Organic Remains, especially 
those found in the British Strata, by JAMES 
Parkryson, fellow of the College of 
Surgeons, author of “the Organic Re-, 
mains of a former World,” 3. vols. 4to, 
&c. &c. In the preface, the author mo- 
destly 
