152 Literary and Critical Proemium. 



racfers who figured in the Court of ihe 

 Grand Monarque. It is impossible to se- 

 lect paiticular illustrations tVoui a book 

 wliicli tlirougliout is so replete with anec- 

 dote and interest. Of lierscW, she is frank 

 enough to say, " I am unquestionably 

 very ugly; I have no features; my eyes 

 are small, my nose is short and thick, my 

 lips long and flat ; I Irave great hanging- 

 cheeks and a large face ; my stature is 

 short and stout; my body and my tliighs 

 too are short, and upon the whole, I am 

 truly a very ngly little object. Hands 

 more ugly than mine are, perhaps, not 

 to be found on the vvhele globe !" After 

 tins specimen of her honesty in speaking 

 of herself, no one can doubt her inte- 

 grity in other respects. The work con- 

 tains very characteristic traits of Louis 

 XIV., the Princes and Princesses of the 

 Couri, and of those famous ladies, Fon- 

 tange, La Valliere, Montespan, and Main- 

 tenon; the ministers Louvois, Lorraine, 

 law, and Dubois; of Philip V., Louis 

 XV., and a hundred others. The style of 

 the original is such as might be expected 

 from a Princess, loose and desultory : but 

 the translation appears to be carefully 

 performed. In every respect, it is one 

 of the most original and amusing moisels 

 of History and Biography which has 

 lately come under our notice. 



An elegant translation has appeared of 

 Stendhal's Life of Rossini, from which 

 has been expunged certain anecdotes 

 which disfigured the original French work, 

 and some recent facts added, which bring 

 down the narrative to his debut in Lon- 

 don. Envy may be excited by the indis- 

 creet zeal of friends ; but, if Rossini is 

 fairly judged by his own merits, he will 

 enjoy a prolonged reputation in the musi- 

 cal world, and his Biography be an object 

 of general interest. 



Magcndie's Formulary is a little book of 

 Medical Science, clearly translated from 

 the French by Surgeon Hauen; and, in 

 our opinion, likely to he of great utiUty. 

 It explains the discovery, manner of pre- 

 paration, and application, of several vege- 

 table poisons, which have recen'.ly ob- 

 tained much consideiation, and are pro- 

 bably as yet but very imperfectly known. 

 The names of those eminent chemists, 

 Pelletier and Conrtoi?, appear in these 

 pages under fresh circumstances of scien- 

 tific merit, and the compilation of the 

 work itself is another gratifying proof of 

 the respectful estimation in which Mon- 

 sieur F. Magendie deserves to be held. 

 The importance of the matter which tills 

 its pages, will, as a thing-of-course, 

 pirculate the work ; and it here remains 

 Jbr us only to add, that the execution of 

 |hc translator's part will in uo respect 

 diminish its acceptability. 



A whimsical production on the Fruits of 

 his Experience, has appeared from the pen 

 of a good Mlversmith, but meagre politi- 



cian and historian, Mr. Joseph Bras- 

 BuiDGE, of Fleet-Street, The thing is- 

 beneath criticism. Mr, B.'s knowledge 

 and anecdotes flow from the boozing- clubs- 

 and smoliing -shops which abound in ihu 

 courts of Fleet-street, of most of which he 

 appears to have been a constant attend' 

 ant. Mr. Fox and Aid. Skinner are 

 branded as revolutionists and the friends 

 of reform ; and the opponents of the late 

 war are often named as advocates of 

 atheism and rebellion. All the low titllc- 

 tattle of his sottish companions about th& 

 origin of prosperous men, and many do- 

 mestic stories, are retailed with little re- 

 gard to the decorum of the public press ; 

 while the vi-ces of the book have no coun- 

 terbalance, either in talent or in useful 

 information of any kind. 



A new edition, revised to 1824, has ap- 

 peared of those most useful compendiuuis 

 the Peerage and Baronetage Charts. As 



specimens of typography, they are not 

 exceeded; and, after a careful examina- 

 tion, we can pronounce them to be as 

 correct as they are palpably elegant and 

 convenient. 



CnraUina is a selection from the classical 

 arrangement by Lamonroux, Histoire des 

 Pidiiiiun Corallisdncs FkxibUs, of that very 

 curious department in natural history 

 which is commonly understood by the in- 

 descriptive name of corah. A wotk on 

 the subject was most desirable in our lan- 

 guage, and it cannot but be receivetl as a 

 very flattering indication of the diffusion 

 of science amongst us ; aad, at the same 

 moment, a proud compliment to the ladies 

 of these islands, tliat the present volume is 

 a tianslation by one of their sc^•. We 

 need scarcely add, that it is a very neat 

 production. While we make oiu- personal 

 acknowledgments for the service thus 

 anonymously done us, we feel a strong 

 sense of very pleasing confidence, that 

 avocations for the diversion of our drawing 

 rooms, so instructive and commendable as 

 are the contents of this book, will be con- 

 siderably enhanced by this fair birth of 

 female study. 



Men of science will derive much in- 

 struction, and speculative pliilosophers 

 much gratification, from the perusal of 

 Ezekial Walker's Philosuplucal Essays. 

 Mr. AValker introdnces New Outlines of 

 Chemical Science, and illustrates his doc- 

 trines by many ingenious, and by some 

 conclusive, experiments; but, as he believes 

 in imponderable elements, and in the con- 

 stant agency of immaterial powers, liis 

 conclusions are not to oiu' taste. Such 

 fancitr-s might have been giavely mentioned 

 in the age of James the First, but they are 

 ill-suited to the coiumon sense which per- 

 vades society in the age of Geort;c IV. To 

 the other nicompreliensible powers with 

 which superstition has disgraced philoso- 

 phy, Mr. W. has superadded Pholosin lu 

 the cause of hjjht, and Tkcrmogen as. Ihe 



cause 



