. 074 Fine Arts' Publicaliojis. ' j^iSfov. 



some excellent wood-cuts, illustrating a paper by the editor, called " Anecdotes 

 of Birds" — an article that will not only amuse and edify the young, but will have 

 an equal interest for older readers. We have already regretted our limited 

 space, but we regret it still more now, as it prevents us from quoting half a 

 dozen of these captivating "anecdotes." Mrs. Hall has also an amusing little 

 paper. The "Not" Family. Every boyish reader of the "Juvenile" will be 

 obligeU to Miss Isabel Hill for her Boyish Threats, which will be relished, both 

 for their liveliness and their moral ; and every girlish one, to L. E. L. for her very 

 pleasant account of Mabel Dacre's First Lessons. We have also an interesting 

 American tale, Frank Finlay ; and a short and pretty sketch by Miss Jewsbury. 

 The poetry, principally by L. E. L., Barry Cornwall, and Allan Cunningham, 

 is quite worthy of the prose, the prose of the embellishments, and all of the 

 editor, and her (we hope) numberless readers and admirers. 



T/ie Humourist, a Companion to the Christmas Fireside, by W. H. Harrison. — 

 We think it a bad, or at least a bold plan for any one to attempt an annual, 

 alone and unaided. We have few giants in these days ; and it really would 

 require something like a gigantic humour to supply eighty " ideas" for eighty 

 engravings, together with a like number of articles, prose and verse, to illustrate 

 them — particularly if the author were to furnish as Mr. Harrison does, some of 

 his superfluous thoughts to other annuals. We hardly know the writer who 

 could do this well, and at all events we cannot say ecce homo of Mr. Harrison. 

 Yet his volume is this year, as it was last, decidedly clever ; and contains so 

 much evidence of capability that we regret to see the writer throwing away his 

 strength, and doing nothing, with what, if well employed, would acquire him a 

 better species of reputation than any thing in these annuals are likely to obtain 

 for him. The cuts are almost all failures as far as fun is concerned ; there are 

 a few, such as " Tant Mieux," a Regiment of the Line, &c. that may be endured, 

 but there is nothing of the illustrative kind in the volume that will ever set any 

 table on a roar. Mr. Harrison's papers, prose and verse, are as we have said 

 exceedingly clever — the prose in general the best. The opening chaunt, about 

 Christmas and its departed genius, is a fair sample of the point and pleasantry 

 of the volume. 



The Comic Offering, or Ladies' Melange of Musical Mirth, Edited by Miss L. 

 H. Sheridan. — Mirth does not appear to have been so busy among the annuals 

 this year as last, so that Miss Sheridan has fewer rivals to contend with. This 

 she must almost regard as a misfortune, for she is infinitely better able to meet 

 them than upon her first appearance in an editorial character. Perhaps this is 

 partly attributable to her declining the single combat upon which she formerly 

 ventured, and to her calling in the aid of certain very potent assistants. At all 

 events her volume is a good one ; it has a few weak points we will acknowledge, 

 but it has more than a few brilliant ones. We shall mention some of them — 

 dipping, hap-hazard, among the comicalities that crowd her pages. Let any 

 body look at Scraping an Acquaintance, Dr. Spurtzheim, Pouring over a Book, 

 Sketch of Irish Character, A Bird in the hand. Slight Acquaintance, An old 

 Cat, Full Blow, A bit of Scandal, Family-jars, and others, and say whether 

 he will not quite concur with us that the "thoughts" are as happy as the style 

 in which they are executed. In this last particular Miss Sheridan has been 

 particularly fortunate ; and as most decided instances of success, we shall refer 

 to the first and last items of the volume ; — the Frontispiece, Writers and Readers, 

 executed by Smith from a design by Meadows, more fanciful and facetious than 

 any thing we have seen for a long time ; and the concluding cut. Short and 

 Sweet — by the same artists we presume, for it is in the same, or a still more 

 successful spirit. If we are to speak our mind we would rather have this wood- 

 cut alone, than one half of the illustrations of the annuals. It remains for us to 

 say only a few words upon the literary pretensions of the Comic Offering, not 

 because they do not deserve many, but because the cuts happened to attract us 

 first. Miss Sheridan has herself contributed, very successfully, to the volume ; 

 indeed so largely that we despair of particularizing half that she has amused us 

 in. We may be permitted to say simply, that of the two we have been more 



