BAGNALL' S BUNGLES. 95 



for this practical utility we are referred to the con- 

 tents of the book, where it " will be clearly seen "... 



Very well ; we will take Mr. Bagnall on his own 

 terms ; and in endeavouring to answer our second 

 critical query Is the book, as a book, a good one or 

 a bad one ? judge him by the test he himself pro- 

 poses. We can, at least, trust to merit the acknow- 

 ledgments which he promises to all who may succeed 

 in pointing out any little defects or deficiencies, so as 

 to render future editions " still more worthy of public 

 approbation." 



"With the utmost diffidence, we think then, Mr. 

 Bagnall, that you say nothing in your book which 

 has not been said a dozen times before ; and that what 

 you have said is as badly expressed as possible. 

 Here is, for example and it may be taken as a 

 fair specimen of the whole an illustration of the 

 " practical " instruction which it is his ambition to 

 impart : 



" Floating thence [from Brayweir] on the bosom of the 

 majestic Thames, the reader may come to an anchor and a 

 luncheon also, at Monkey Island, which is a good half-way 

 house from his starting-point and Windsor ; and if tired of 

 his piscatory amusement, he may for an hour indulge his 

 curiosity and love of the antique by inspecting relics of ages 

 long since passed away. Dropping slowly down, the Wal- 

 tonian disciple will find some fine stretches of water between 

 this island and his destination ; and trusting that his sport 

 will be commensurate with his expectations, I will do the 



