trust, for the sake of humanity, if not of England, that this class constitutes no leading portion of her aristocracy. Of the description which Mr. D'Israeli gives of the nation of the Poor, under the sway of Victoria, we have less reason to doubt the fidelity. His developments on this subject, may all find illustration, from a single extract which we make from these pages. Hear him:

"They come forth: the mine delivers up its gang and the pit its bondsmen; the forge is silent and the engine is still. The place is covered with the swarming multitude; bands of stalwart men, broad-chested and muscular, wet with toil and black as the children of the tropics; troops of youth-alas! of both sexes, though neither their raiment nor their language indicates the difference, all are clad in male attire; and oaths that men might shudder at, issue from lips born to bear the words of sweetness. Yet these are to be- some are-the mothers of England! But can we wonder at the hideous coarseness of their language when we remember the savage rudeness of their lives? Naked to the waist, an iron chain fastened to a belt of leather runs between their legs, clad in canvass trowsers, while, on hands and feet an English girl, for twelve, sometimes for sixteen hours a day, hauls and hurries tubs of coals up subterraneous roads, dark, precipitous and plashy: circumstances that seem to have escaped the notice of the Society for the abolition of negro slavery. These worthy gentlemen, too, appear to have been singularly unconscious of the sufferings of the little Trappers, which was remarkable, AS MANY OF THEM WERE IN THEIR OWN EMPLOY. See, too, these emerge from the bowels of the earth! Infants of four and five years of age, many of them girls, pretty and still soft and timid, &c."

So much for this picture. Its truth is attested, not by the novelist merely,—not by the philanthropist, too apt to color his philosophies and facts with the feelings of his heart, but by stern and calculating business committees of the House of Commons. The truth of this history is beyond denial. Mr. D'Israeli does not seem to be prepared with any specific mode of operations by which to relieve this misery. It is the worst feature in the domestic condition of England, that it baffles the judgment, and sets at defiance all the speculations of the statesmen. Nothing but a revolution-such a revolution as the English nobility are not willing to contemplate just yet,-can possibly save them,-if things continue thus much farther, from insurrection and civil war. The nostrums of the politicians, -where they venture upon any,—are palliatives merely, putting off the evil day, and scattering, for awhile, those humors, which, gathering to a head at last, must find their relief in some fearful crisis. This romance deserves to be read. It is somewhat curious and worthy of remark, that the very condition of ancient England, when it was called, and deserved to be called "Merrie England,”—over which Mr. D'Israeli seems to gloat with the most hankering solicitude, was one in which the relation of the feud to his lord, was not greatly superior—nay, was very much like-to that of the slave, at this time, in the old established planta tions of the South. Ours is in truth not so much slavery as feudality. Discard the ordinary terms of argument, and look at the intrinsic condition of things, and our bondmen appear in quite as independent,-and in fact a much more secure attitude than that of the Commons in Harry the VIIIth's time. They enjoy better food, as much freedom, and greater security from injustice;—and, if not at, liberty to exercise, in all respects, that sovereign will, which is but a poor substitute for the substantial necessities and comforts of life,-are yet secure from hunger and starvation, secure of protection, of tendance in sickness, and a shelter when the frosts of age come on.

Harper's Illuminated Bible. We are in receipt of this beautifully printed edition of "the Book," up to, and inclusive of, the thirty-third and thirty-fourth parts. We do not see that the publication deserves less of the favor of the press than it did

when its first numbers were issued. Chapman and Adams have admirably sustained themselves. The cuts are usually in good keeping with the subject. If there be a defect at all-one sufficiently marked to be the subject of commentit arises necessarily from the somewhat arbitrary plan of the publication, by which the artist is required to find, in every chapter, something upon which to exercise his genius. This requisition would present a difficulty, not only beyond the powers of any one, but almost superior to those of any collection of artists. There are some portions of evey work, the Bible particularly, which are so abstract and spiritual in their nature, as to defy the pictoral arts-unless indeed, you take such liberties with the subject, as would scarcely be allowed to art, in dealing with a work of such sacred character as the present. Allston, we know, shrunk from the attempt to delineate the Saviour. Chapman who designs these illustrations, is perhaps the only painter in America, who could have met the exactions thus imposed upon him, with such uniform excellence, and so well avoid the monotony which the constant repetition of similar forms and topics so inevitably imposes upon the artist. He extorts a pleasing image from the most unmalleable verses, and contrives to find the concrete, in conceptions the most sublimated and ideal. This work, when finished, will be a monument of his ingenuity and industry, as it is of the providence, the bounty, and the various other wondrous manifestations of the Great World Artist! The "Resurrection of the dry bones," in one of the later numbers, is an unhappily chosen subject, with which no painter could succeed, and in the treatment of which, Mr. Chapman has been guilty of a decided failure.

Wiley and Putnam continue to give us at regular periods, some of the most delightful of modern publications. We have scarcely done justice to their "Library of Choice Reading,” of which several numbers are now before us, and to which no brief summary like the present can possibly do justice. We must now content ourselves, with a brief glimpse at their general merits, premising that some few in the collection, as Eöthen, &c., have already received our attention in previous issues. That we should speak of them a second time, is due to their merits, and to the fact that we desire to speak of them in groups and families, according to a reasonable classification. We do this, as we perceive that no such order has been observed, in the arrangement and composition of the several numbers, as they have been bound in volumes. This, we think, an important matter, which may well provoke the attention of the publishers. Of these groups or families, the collection before us, comprises three at least, each essentially differing from its fellows in certain vital characteristics. This difference, as it affords us a desirable variety, is, of course, one of the proper recommendations in the functions of a Library. "Eöthen," "The Crescent and the Cross," and the "French in Algiers," are works of kindred nature, being lively narratives of travel and adventure in eastern countries. Of these, "Eöthen" is the work of the better artist. It is compact and finely imaginative,-the mind of the author giving a distinct and individual coloring to all the objects of his survey. "The Crescent and the Cross," is the work of a writer of livelier and more sanguine temperament. The rapidity of the author's mood carries you over the scenes which he describes, so that they occur to you in picturesque glimpses very much as you behold them in the unfolding scenes of a panorama. His fancy gives life to his narrative, which his temperament informs with enthusiasm. In this particular, he resembles our American traveller, Stephens,-to whom, however, he

is altogether superior in resources and education. "The French in Algiers," embodies two narratives, by persons of very different manner from either of the former. "The Soldier of the Foreign Legion," is one of those lively and goodhumored wanderers, who will contrive to make themselves tolerably happy and at home in almost any situation. His narrative, accordingly, is that of the purely practical adventurer, who has no flummery, and precious little sentimentality; but who observes curiously, sees with his own eyes, and takes in, at a glance, the entire whole, or all that is worthy of notice, in the scene before his vision. His narrative is a very pleasant one, and, with that of "The Prisoners of Abd-elKader," affords a very clear and correct idea of the condition of the French conquests in Algiers, and of the habits and character of the natives. To these may be added "The Journal of an African Cruiser," and Headley's "Letters from Italy"-works belonging to the "Library of American Books," but proper for this collection, belonging to the same department of letters, uniform in size and style with, and quite worthy of, the family connection. In the second group, we bring together "The Amber Witch," "Undine and Sintram," "The Diary of Lady Willoughby," "The Ancient Moral Tales, from the Gesta Romanorum," the "Tales of Zschokke," from the German, and the "Crock of Gold," a rural novel, by Martin Farquhar Tupper. These works, all, more or less, confine their appeals to the affections and the sensibilities. The first is a very beautiful tale of domestic life, giving a rare picture of fortitude and virtue under the severest trials. The "Diary of Lady Willoughby" is a very successful attempt, by the hands of a nice artist, so to imitate the supposed style and manner of a lady of quality, in the times of Cromwell, as to impose upon the reader such a picture of the condition of the country, at that exciting period, and of one select family in particular, as to beguile him of all doubts, while he is reading it, that the narrative is a true one. The exquisite displays of the pure female heart of the supposed writer, in the prosecution of her daily duties, and the endurance of her domestic burdens, increased heavily by the hands of civil war, soften and sweeten the picture of that external world which she describes, and which is made most beautifully to contrast with the dear and simple events of daily life at home. "Undine and Sintram," are, in like manner, pictures of domestic affections and human sensibilities, under other circumstances, and beheld through the medium of the imagination purely. They are among the very best specimens of that fanciful and sublimated style of conception and composition, which, in latter days, we have learned to associate almost too exclusively with the genius of the German. In the "Ancient Moral Tales from the Gesta Romanorum," we find the sources of much of the material, which is to be found embodied and elaborated in the more intense and spiritual among the writings of modern and recent writers. We may see where Shakspeare (at second hand, perhaps,) and Southey, directly,-have borrowed some of those plots and incidents, which delight us in the forms of poetry and the drama. The "Gesta Romanorum," was the work of the monks of the middle ages, and it speaks well for their taste, their knowledge of art, and their skill in composition. The collection is at once pleasing and instructive, and the tales are each preceded by certain colloquies, developing their sources, objects and moral, which materially assist and inform the reader, and betray good taste, acuteness, and sometimes originality of suggestion.

TO BE CONTINUED ¦

POPULAR FICTION. HARPERS' PUBLICATIONS.

XII. Isabel, or the Trials of the Heart. Isabel is a model-girl, to imitate whom, will sadly try the strength of our young damsels. She is almost too perfect; and her exquisite meekness, patience, moral courage, and rare accomplishments, under the most cruel of domestic trials, will, we fear, in one too many instances, rather tend to depress than to encourage the emulous but faltering student. Still, we hope not. The world is too good a one to be lost, and we sincerely trust that this excellent story will find its way into many hands, and thence into many hearts. The volume is intended for the young.

XIII. The Blind Girl. By Mrs. Embury.-Mrs. Embury has written much better things than any contained in this volume. But the "Blind Girl" is not without its merit. The story is pleasing and instructive, and does justice to the noble and judicious charity which its publication was intended to support. To the young, its perusal must be highly useful and agreeable. It teaches good lessons, prompts sweet humanities, and puts in motion the most grateful thoughts. The tales which follow it are of inferior merit, but are commended to us, as they combine good morals with a pleasant narrative.

XIV. St. Patrick's Eve. By Charles Lever.-A story truly characteristic and national:-one of those slight, but graceful and perfect structures of a clever invention, which hold together naturally, excite and finally satisfy curiosity. The tale is a touching one, and furnishes such a life-like picture of the wretched condition, and the worst and best features of the Irish peasantry, as could be given by few other writers than Charles Lever.

XV. The Gambler's Wife.—In this story, which is interesting and full of talent, we are made to sup too much on horrors. There are unnecessary cruelties in the transaction. Murders are done without any profit to the story; and madness and suicide, are the agents which our author employs, very inartisticatly, to produce good morals in parties, with which the suicide and the insane have no necessary connection. The introduction of the Raymonds, and their shocking history, was totally unnecessary to the results; which might, and should have been, brought about by other means. The killing of Lord Percival, for no purpose, but to make way for another man, after his most gratuitous introduction, was a most wanton sample of the sanguinary. But, with all these blunders and defects, and many more which need not occasion remark, the story will interest and counsel. We are not sure, however, that the morals of men are to be much helped, by venting so much anger upon the unconscious agents of their profligacy,—the cards, the dice, and with so little said about their training. The vicious parents, the silly mother, the brutal and bigoted father, are all very well satisfied to place to any accounts but their own, that cruel fate which follows their child, and which is wholly chargeable to themselves.

XVI. The Breach of Promise.-This novel is by the author of "The Jilt," "Cousin Geoffrey," and "The Marrying Man,"—all very readable, but none remarkable books. The "Breach of Promise," is of average merit with these,-scarcely better, certainly not worse;—a pleasant enough story for a summer day,-giving you pleasant glimpses of 'motley,' in groups of people that glide to and fro, as in the figures of a camera without disturbing you, or offending the vision.

BUT in Leviticus may be found the clearest and most explicit legislation on the subject of slavery. The Almighty Lawgiver, not only informs the Israelites, from what people they should obtain slaves, but also in what manner they should be procured, and under what tenure they should be held. "Both thy bond-men and thy bond-maids, shall be of the heathen that are round about you-and of the children of the stranger that do sojourn among you, of them ye shall buy, and of their families that are with you, which they begat in your land; and they shall be your possession:" (i. e. you shall hold property in them.) "And ye shall take them for an inheritance for your children after you, to inherit them for a possession: they shall be your bondmen forever."t Again, "if thy brother that dwelleth by thee be waxen poor, and be sold unto thee, thou shalt not compel him to serve thee as a bond-servant. But as an hired servant, and as a sojourner shall he be with thee, and shall serve thee until the year of the jubilee." "And if a sojourner or stranger wax rich by thee, and thy brother that dwelleth by him wax poor, and sell himself unto the stranger or sojourner by thee, or to the stock of the stranger's family: After that he is sold, he may be redeemed again: one of his brethren may redeem him." What follows the text just quoted, shows in what manner he could be redeemed, and how compensation should be made to the stranger, his master. In another passage in the same book, it is shown as in a corresponding text in Exodus, already referred to, not only how close was the relation between master and slave, but that priests dealt in slaves; being permitted both to buy and to raise them, and doubtless to sell them, for their value would be greatly diminished by not being transferrable.

Published by the New-England Anti-Slavery Tract Association. J. W. Alden, Publishing Agent: Boston. + Levit. xxv. 44, 45, 46. § Levit. xxv. 47, 48.

VOL. II.-NO. V.

+ Levit. xxv. .39, 40.

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