342 
forming a complete dictionary of the 
Scotch poets. One objection only we 
have to make to the execution’ of these 
volumes, but for that we have undoubtedly 
good grounds. We allude ‘to the evident 
insufficiency of claim to the title. of poet, 
and to the station which’ they here oc- 
cupy, which may fairly be alleged against 
the subjects of some, even of the longer 
essays. The publication of a few sonnets, 
or tolerable verses, cannot invest the au- 
thor with a right “to read his history in 
a nation’s eyes;” and the editor must be 
aware that those only ouglit te be admitted 
into a collection of this nature, whose com- 
positions already are, or at least ought to 
be well known to the public. 
A small and very useful work has lately 
been published by Mr. J. HARRISON 
CurTIs, in farther illustration of the treat- 
ment he employs for the Cure of Diseases of 
the Ear. The object of his book is to de- 
monstrate to the profession, that affections 
of this organ, like other diseases, will, for 
the most part, yield to scientific treatment. 
His cases of deaf and dumb are highly 
interesting, and reflect much credit on his 
perseverance, as he is unquestionably the 
first: medical character who has attempted 
to relieve thisimperfection. His example 
seems, indeed, to have actuated several 
eminent foreign physicians: among them, 
Dr. Jrarv, physician to the Royal In- 
stitution for the Deaf and Dumb, at Paris; 
and Dr. DeLeav and Dr. MatatTinpes, 
of Vienna. 
Old Stories, by Mtss SPENCE, have af- 
forded us much entertainment. This lady 
is particularly happy in the descriptive. Her 
character of the village landlady is natural 
and well drawn; and the village funeral 
is related with much feeling and pathos. 
The tournament in Chirk castle is excel- 
lent; the incident of the ring is perfectly 
original, and many of the sentiments are 
striking and beautiful. We much admired 
Madoce’s wild rhapsody, when he discovers 
himself; and the death-bed scene of Sir 
Humphrey Kynaston, in the last story. 
Miss Spence has certainly increased her 
literary reputation by Old Stories, and we 
recommend the perusal of them to our 
readers. 
An acquisition to science is gained by 
the publication of Mr. Jamieson’s Celestial 
Atlas. The only good works of the kind 
to which) the student in astronomy could 
heretofore refer, were the expensive, and 
therefore scarce, works of Bode and Flam- 
stead; and, though we have so many conve- 
nient geographical atlasses, we have yet 
had no celestial one adapted to general 
use till the present work appeared. Mr. 
Jamieson’s work is not, however, a mere 
collection: of barren charts, but his thirty 
divisions of the heavens are each accompa- 
nied by full and accurate disquisitions, 
historical, tabular, and scientific ; contain- 
Literary and Critical Proémium, 
[May 1, 
ing many amusing and instructive details, 
whicl’are no'wliere else to be found in our 
language.’ The engravings are neat and 
elegant, and° every ‘recorded’ star is laid 
down with evident care and accuracy. In 
short, we can conscientiously’ recommend 
this Atlas to schools and students, as well 
as to practical ‘astronomers; and its pabli- 
cation cannot fail to add to the number of 
those who successfully cultivate the most 
popular and sublime of all the sciences. 
A volume, called the Universal Traveller, 
has appeared within the month, which 
conveys to the public at large the substance 
of forty of those modern Travels in all 
Nations, which, from their costliness and 
bulk, have hitherto been limited to the in- 
accessible libraries of the wealthy. A 
work having such an object, executed with 
care and fidelity, and illustrated by one 
hundred effective engravings, is not only 
above criticism, but stands in no need of 
recommendation. The bare announcement 
of its title and design will be the means of its 
rapid distribution through every village of 
the empire, where it will first make known 
the names and publications of the travel- 
lers whose labours have supplied its con- 
tents. Many works of imaginary travels, 
filled with the conceits and fictions of the 
writers, have some years past been 
adopted in schools and families; but it 
would be an instance of incorrigible folly 
and perverseness to continue to prefer fic- 
tions to realities in seeking either amtse- 
ment or instruction. It is such voltimes as 
this which render the English people the 
most intelligent in the world. 
Messrs, Noet and La PLACE, professors 
in the University of Paris, having made a 
Selection from the Classic Authors of 
France; and their work having been 
adopted in that country like Blair’s Class 
Book or Enfield’s Speaker in England, it 
has been judged proper to reprint it in 
London for the use of students and French 
teachers. The original work is in two 
loosely printed octavos, but the London 
edition has been re-printed in duodecimo, 
with a selection only of the poetry, at 6s. 
The entire work is a valuable contribution 
to education, morals, and religion. 
The author of Headlong Hall, and of se- 
veral other well known and entertaining 
productions, has just added to them ano- 
ther very pleasant volume, entitled, Maid 
Marian, full of the same whimsical kind of 
satire and quaint humour with which his 
other works abound, Out of the venera- 
ble materials composing the ancient bal- 
lads and plays on the story of Robin 
Hood, he has chosen as much as suited his 
fancy, and, throwing in some well-imagined 
additions of his own, he has connected a 
tale, which, though the subject of it be 
more than thrice-told, is certainly hy no 
means tedious. We are to receive as au- 
thentic such of the old legends asrepresent 
‘Robin 
