1 83 1 .] Moiithli) Review of Literature. 21 3 



his fancy. The tone is every where satirical, but the scenes are often too 

 strictly true to be thus fairly characterised. Nevertheless, caricature is insepa- 

 rable from an attempt prompted by a love of the ludicrous, and a desire to 

 produce effect. Tlie scenes are almost wholly referable to profligacy in high 

 life and low life, and some of them border too close upon the coarse, to be 

 redeemed by the humour, which, itself, partakes too much of levity, whatever 

 be the subject it touches. Among the scenes of happiest execution are a case 

 of Bastardy — Crim-con — the Fire King — Popular Preachers — Body- Snatching 

 — Burkeing — Poaching — Fighting — St. John Long — Robert Taylor, &c. Next 

 to the exhibition of the ludicrous, a favourite object is to expose the absurdity 

 of certain laws of the country for the administration of them — not occasionally 

 without good ground, though the caricature is generally something too broad. 

 Few, we take it, have children fathered upon them without pretty good reason ; 

 and as children cannot yet be legally smothered, when they come mal-a-propos, 

 and must therefore be maintained, whose evidence would the author recommend 

 in preference to the mother's ? The scenes in Paris consist chiefly of gaming- 

 houses and intrigues, and present nothing very attractive, and are certainly 

 detailed less humorously than the London ones. Among the best portions of 

 the volumes is a chapter entitled Vocabulary of Ton — English Ton — on which 

 the writer defines and describes the Piage — Lion — Tiger — Tuft-hunter, (not 

 forgetting Tommy Tuft, the poet) — Toad-eater — Chaperon — Eligible — Objec- 

 tionable — Exclusive — Exquisite — Dandy — Parvenu — Intrinsic — Nobody — Bore 

 — Eccentric — Twaddler — Almack's — Terra Incognita, &c. Some of these, both 

 names and things, are getting out of date, but the portraits are often well 

 sketched, and furnish the best proofs of the author's powers. 



Something of a story runs through the volume, so as just to bring the book 

 within the class of novels. The hero is a Spaniard, who, visiting England, gets 

 entrapped into marriage with a courtezan ; and going to France, to escape her, 

 is followed, and eternally bothered by her. 



The History of Poland from the earliest Period to the present Time, 

 BY James Fletcher, Esq., of Trinity College, Cambridge. 



A sketch of the History of Poland, published very opportunely, to refresh 

 the memories of some, and communicate to others, to whom Poland is new, so 

 much of the general story as will serve to screen gross ignorance, by a few 

 glances at the subject, and coloured with the hues of modern sentiments. A 

 generation has passed since the final partition, and till now, for many years, 

 no stirring motive has presented itself for thinking of Poland at all, and of 

 course the subject has been lost sight of by publishers. The early history of 

 the country is lost in the fog of distant ages — impenetrable to the sharpest eye 

 — and sifting and guessing are for mere antiquaries. Mr. Fletcher accordingly 

 cuts the difficulty, and commences his book with establishment of the Piast 

 family in 830, whose authority, with some few interruptions, continued to 1386. 

 The Jaquilons succeeded — the first of whom married the last female of the 

 Piasts — till 1572 ; from which period the crown became elective, and, of course, 

 gave occasion to tumults and turmoils at every succession from the elective 

 epoch, to the final i)artition of Poland. Mr. F. tells the story in considerable 

 detail, without appealing directly to authorities, but with much general truth, 

 and in a liberal spirit. The marks of youth are upon the performance — but of 

 vigorous youth — the quotations and the flowers are the outpourings of recent 

 acquirement, and of recent conception, and may very well be tolerated. I'he 

 glance at the present state of aflairs is taken from the " Metropolitan." 



Nothing can be more distressing for the novice than the pronunciation of 

 Polish names. Mr. Fletcher has considerately collected a few directions to 

 relieve the common embarrassment. 



All vowels are sounded as in French and Italian, and there arc no diphthongs, 

 every vowel being pronounced separately. The consonants are the same as in 

 Englibh, except — 



