THE FAMILY LIBRARY. 15 



ness of useless detail, has never been better told. Volumes 

 so rich in information will be devoured by youth, and are 

 worthy to be consulted by the maturest reader. 



The work is written with fairness and impartiality, free 

 from party-spirit, and the author has interwoven with his 

 narrative all the new illustrations and anecdotes furnished 

 by Bourrienne and the other fast-following memoirs of the 

 French press. 



THE EUINS OF ANCIENT CITIES. 



By CHARLES BUCKE. 2 Vols. Illustrated. 

 Cities, like men, flourish and decay, and each possess their 

 annals. The poetic conception of personifying these broken 

 records of natural grandeur originated with the editor him- 

 self ; but, in carrying out his design, he acknowledges Rollm 

 as his guide. This elegant and accurate writer confesses 

 that he does not hesitate to rifle the cabinets of others to 

 enrich his own ; that he often transcribed without quoting, 

 and introduced solid reflections borrowed from the sterling 

 works of others. This compilation is also a beautiful bead- 

 roll, the precious production of many minds : it is a fair 

 fabric of costly materials raised by a literary architect, whose 

 industry, experience, and candour, are already acknowledged 

 by the public. 



SALMAGUNDI; 



OR, THE WHIM- WHAMS AND OPINIONS OF 



LAUNCELOT LANGSTAFF, ESQ. 

 With numerous Cuts ly GEORGE CRUIKSHANK. 



The earliest paintings of the greatest masters sometimes 

 differ considerably from those of their maturer years, and 

 not unfrequently surpass them in brilliancy and freshness. 

 If the Salmagundi Papers be compared with the subsequent 

 works of the same author, they will not be found inferior in 

 originality, vivacity, or virtuous tendency. While satire is 

 the adopted weapon of chastisement, it wounds the vicious 

 only. "We have," say the authors, "no fear of the censures 

 of the wise, good, or fair, for they will ever be sacred from 

 our attacks. We reverence the wise, love the good, and adore 

 the fair : we declare ourselves champions in their cause in 

 the cause of morality and we throw our gauntlet to all the 

 world besides." 



