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worst of lives in the colony. Against that we might set successes within our own knowledge attending female emigration to New South Wales. But, in fact, all these earlier cases of female emigration were ill conducted; and the conduct of emigration has much improved under the supervision of a responsible board.

contest, to create ultra-cheap occupations, of which a failure, as the women were abandoned to the the remuneration borders on starvation; and the special demands of the London market for females, which concentrate upon the capital the over-abundant supplies of the country. A statistical writer in the Examiner ably illustrates this position, and shows that to such attractions for females in want of employment will be added the very great one of a free passage to the colonies; and, ever on the watch to block out dangerous rivalries, the faithful ministerialist of the evening press seizes upon the illustration to prognosticate that Mr. Sidney Her-will be in itself an absolute good; but the emigrabert's plan must end in "failure."

In its indirect and secondary consequences the measure may not work so perfectly. The translation of these wretched women to a happier clime

tion may be exceeded by the female immigration into That would be true if Mr. Herbert's scheme London. Secondary consequences, however, genpretended to regenerate the women of England, to erally point to broader causes and suggest larger reconstitute the elements of society in the empire remedies than the topical palliatives of proximate city, or to fulfil any other enterprise as vast and causes. So it is here; and, in truth, if the working "revolutionary"-according to the cant phrase, of Mr. Herbert's plan exposes the evil anticipated, which characterizes any social measure that is it will have done a greater service than its author thoroughly effective by that epithet. But his plan contemplated. We do not wonder that the official has no aim so wide. To counteract the broad mind is dismayed at the anticipation. What the causes of the evil, it would be necessary to improve objection really means is, that the emigration mathe state of the industrious classes; to revise the chinery of the country is so weak that it will not morals of commercialism, and some other morals; bear the strain put upon it if an impulse be given or to relieve the pressure of supply upon the de- to emigration in any particular quarter. We quite mand for women, by a general and constant draft | believe that: we believe that the desire to emigrate upon the people, especially in the agricultural dis-so pervades the country, and is capable of such contricts, such as would result from systematic colo- stant and ready extension, that a facility offered in nization on a national scale. Mr. Sidney Herbert any quarter will draw to it immense numbers seekis not in office, and he is not called upon to super-ing the help; and we further believe, that, for sede the functions of government in that regard. this reason, the working of Mr. Sidney Herbert's Meanwhile, the victims pressed forward by the plan will render it imperatively necessary to prosystem suffer; and it is not in human nature-¦vide for that additional strain by strengthening the though it may be in official or highly cultivated general emigration machinery of the country. Inpolitico-economical nature-to abstain from help-deed, the fact must be self-evident to all who have ing the afflicted. Mr. Herbert steps forward to access to information on the subject. We said that help the sufferers of the sex which is dear to all the project threatened the most distasteful of all men of manly heart, just as an individual British things to the official mind-trouble, and the imposofficer might have rushed forward to rescue a Hin-sibility of evading duty. It does so; and under doo woman thrown under the car of Juggernaut, any other circumstances, enormous pains would be although he might not have power to abolish taken to set influences to work in dissuading Mr. the Juggernaut system. What if a second victim Herbert from his plan. He has gone too far, and be found? Perhaps she might have been slain too openly, for that; but the patrons of official intoo, in any case: at all events the one is saved; terest cannot refrain from trying a little of such more than that, humanity is vindicated and hope is dissuasion as consists in disparagements and hints restored to helplessness. For, be it always before of inconvenience. The ex-minister is scarcely the us, that privation and pain are not the worst evils man to be deterred by those motives; he may not that we can suffer the worst of all is the despair of have anticipated all that he was undertaking when helplessness abandoned by sympathy. We can all he volunteered to rescue the London needlewomen, of us endure suffering; none of us abandonment. but we fully expect that he will go through with To the abandoned, Mr. Sidney Herbert has ap-it, even if it oblige him to see that the national peared as the impersonation of human aid and sym- emigration machinery be rendered effective. The pathy-to woman in her lowest abjection the broth- Globe hints a hope that Mr. Sidney Herbert, imerly help of man. Apart from the mere material pressed with the mischief that may flow from his consequences, either way, that assertion of a high benevolent intentions, may give up the scheme of and immortal sentiment is worth any sacrifice. his own accord-of course return to Queen VicIn its primary and direct consequences, the toria and the other subscribers their money, apoltransfer of women from over-womaned London to ogize to the needlewomen for his rash promises, the under-womaned colonies can do nothing but and take a tour to hide his blushes in the ruins good. We assume, indeed, that it will be properly of Petra, or disperse them on the unblushing conducted, and therefore do not think it worth prairies of the West. But the Globe dares not while to pause upon the objection of another critic, say that it hopes Mr. Herbert will be so obliging; not unbiassed by party rivalry, that the female it only tries to work upon his fears. No; he is emigration of 1831 to Van Diemen's Land proved too well backed: the thing is done.

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Spectator,

form-Common Sense of Funerals - Carousing by Wholesale-Needle-women's Rescue,

POETRY.- Death of Francia, 316; My Youngest; Perseverance, 352.

337

347

349

353

374

376 to 383

SHORT ARTICLES. Negro-English Bible, 346; Southey's Visit to America; Jewish Scripture MSS., 352; Curiosities of Science, 373.

PROSPECTUS. This work is conducted in the spirit of Littell's Museum of Foreign Literature, (which was favorably received by the public for twenty years,) but as it is twice as large, and appears so often, we not only give spirit and freshness to it by many things which were excluded by a month's delay, but while thus extending our scope and gathering a greater and more attractive variety, are able so to increase the solid and substantial part of our literary, historical, and political harvest, as fully to satisfy the wants of the American reader.

The elaborate and stately Essays of the Edinburgh, Quarterly, and other Reviews; and Blackwood's noble criticisms on Poetry, his keen political Commentaries, highly wrought Tales, and vivid descriptions of rural and mountain Scenery; and the contributions to Literature, History, and Common Life, by the sagacious Spectator, the sparkling Eraminer, the judicious Athenæum, the busy and industrious Literary Gazette, the sensible and comprehensive Britannia, the sober and respectable Christian Observer; these are intermixed with the Military and Naval reminiscences of the United Service, and with the best articles of the Dublin University, New Monthly, Fraser's, Tait's, Ainsworth's, Hood's, and Sporting Magazines, and of Chambers' admirable Journal. We do not consider it beneath our dignity to borrow wit and wisdom from Punch; and, when we think it good enough, make ase of the thunder of The Times. We shall increase our variety by importations from the continent of Europe, and from the new growth of the British colonies.

The steamship has brought Europe, Asia and Africa, into our neighborhood; and will greatly multiply our connections, as Merchants, Traveliers, and Politicians, with all parts of the world; so that much more than ever it

--

And

now becomes every intelligent American to be informed of the condition and changes of foreign countries. this not only because of their nearer connection with ourselves, but because the nations seem to be hastening, through a rapid process of change, to some new state of things, which the merely political prophet cannot compute or foresee.

Geographical Discoveries, the progress of Colonization, (which is extending over the whole world,) and Voyages and Travels, will be favorite matter for our selections; and, in general, we shall systematically and very fully acquaint our readers with the great department of Foreigú affairs, without entirely neglecting our own.

While we aspire to make the Living Age desirable to all who wish to keep themselves informed of the rapid progress of the movement--to Statesmen, Divines, Lawyers, and Physicians-to men of business and men of leisure-it is still a stronger object to make it attractive and useful to their Wives and Children. We believe that we can thus do some good in our day and generation; and hope to make the work indispensable in every well-informed family. We say indispensable, because in this day of cheap literature it is not possible to guard against the influx of what is bad in taste and vicious in morals, in any other way than by furnishing a sufficient supply of a healthy character. The mental and moral appetite must be gratified.

We hope that, by "winnowing the wheat from the chaff" by providing abundantly for the imagination, and by a large collection of Biography, Voyages and Travels, History, and more solid matter, we may produce a work which shall be popular, while at the same time it will aspire to raise the standard of public taste.

TERMS. The LIVING AGE is published every Satur-[ Agencies.-We are desirous of making arrangements day, by E. LITTELL & Co., corner of Tremont and Brom-in all parts of North America, for increasing the circulafield sts., Boston; Price 12 cents a number, or six dollars tion of this work--and for doing this a liberal commission a year in advance. Remittances for any period will be will be allowed to gentlemen who will interest themselves thankfully received and promptly attended to. To in the business. And we will gladly correspond on this insure regularity in mailing the work, orders should be subject with any agent who will send us undoubted referaddressed to the office of publication, as above. Clubs, paying a year in advance, will be supplied as follows:

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Complete sets, in twenty volumes, to the end of March, 1849, handsomely bound, and packed in neat boxes, are for sale at forty dollars.

Any volume say be had separately at two dollars, bound, or a dollar and a half in numbers.

Any number may be had for 12 cents; and it may be worth while for subscribers or purchasers to complete any broken volumes they may have, and thus greatly enhance their value.

Binding. We bind the work in a uniform, strong, and good style; and where customers bring their numbers in good order, can generally give them bound volumes in exchange without any delay. The price of the binding is 50 cents a volume. As they are always bound to one pattern, there will be no difficulty in matching the future volumes.

ences.

Postage. When sent with the cover on, the Living Age consists of three sheets, and is rated as a pamphlet, at 4 cents. But when sent without the cover, it comes within the definition of a newspaper given in the law, and cannot legally be charged with more than newspaper postage, (14 cts.) We add the definition alluded to:

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Monthly parts. For such as prefer it in that form, the Living Age is put up in monthly parts, containing four or five weekly numbers. In this shape it shows to great advantage in comparison with other works, containing in each part double the matter of any of the quarterlies. But we recommend the weekly numbers, as fresher and fuller of life. Postage on the monthly parts is about 14 cents. The volumes are published quarterly, each volume containing as much matter as a quarterly review gives in eighteen months.

WASHINGTON, 27 Dec., 1845.

Of all the Periodical Journals devoted to literature and science which abound in Europe and in this country, this has appeared to me to be the most useful. It contains indeed the exposition only of the current literature of the English language, but this by its immense extent and comprehension includes a portraiture of the human mind in the utmost expansion of the present age. J. Q. ADAMS.

LITTELL'S LIVING AGE-No. 302.-2 MARCH, 1850.

From the Spectator. TITMARSH'S REBECCA AND ROWENA.* THE plan of this jeu d'esprit is the most appropriate to the season of any of the various books that have been devised since Dickens first set the fashion of Christmas stories; for it is based upon the comic extravaganza which introduced the pantomime proper of the olden time, when pantoIn Rebecca mime aimed at a continuous action. and Rowena there is the same jovial defiance of times and manners as in the extravaganza, where the old "Lord of Misrule" might seem to have run riot; but there is in the book-what the theatre only attempted in a superficial way, if at all a sensible if not a profound view of life and its affairs; good-natured hits at the predominance of sentiment and the presence of silliness in modern novels and theatrical pieces; with satire upon the conventionally perverted views of history, which only falls below the lofty style of the greater satirists by reason of the author's quiet and effortless jocularity.

The story of Rebecca and Rowena is a facetious continuation of Ivanhoe. The professed purpose is to correct an alleged error of novelists in treating only of the youth of their heroes and heroines, and closing their story with marriage, to the omission of so many years and such important periods of life. Perhaps the real purpose of so shrewd a critic as Mr. Titmarsh is to throw a little ridicule over Scott's failure in his heroines and heroes, as well as in his rose-colored exhibition of the age of chivalry. Rowena is painted as a pattern lady who neglects her duties, both as a wife and mistress, to discuss theology, dispense charity, and observe the holydays of the church. She henpecks Ivanhoe, keeps him at a distance on account of her royal birth, and loses no opportunity of twitting him with his love for Rebecca. Wamba the Jester is silenced; the castle is so intolerably dull that everybody avoids it; Ivanhoe takes to sporting and drinking, and finally resolves to join Richard the Lion-hearted in France.

He

dels in Prussia and Spain, rescues Rebecca at the
siege of Valencia, and the scene drops upon their
marriage; a few sentences indicating their future.
For "Nemesis is always on the watch ;"
career.
and Mr. Titmarsh falls into the same custom, as
regards Ivanhoe's second marriage, which he has
written his book to ridicule.

There is no lack of variety and grotesque interest in what may be called the incidents of the piece; but the real interest arises from the manner in which the age of Richard the First is modernized, and the broad and general truths which lurk under much of the seemingly special satire. In this account of the Lion-hearted dancing and singing in the camp before Chalus, the jokes are of wider application than to kings and princes.

It pained him [Ivanhoe] to see a man of the king's age and size dancing about with the young folks. They laughed at his majesty whilst they flattered him; the pages and maids of honor mimicked the royal mountebank almost to his face; and, if Ivanhoe ever could have laughed, he certainly would one night, when the king, in light-blue satin inexpressibles, with his hair in powder, chose to dance the Minuet de la Cour with the little Queen Berengaria.

Then, after dancing, his majesty must needs order a guitar, and begin to sing. He was said to compose his own songs, words, and music; but those who have read Lord Campobello's Lives of the Lord Chancellors are aware that there was a person by the name of Blondel who in fact did all the musical part of the king's performances; and as for the words, when a king writes verses we may be sure there will be plenty of people to admire his poetry. His majesty would sing you a ballad, of which he had stolen every idea, to an air which was ringing on all the barrel-organs of Christendom; and, turning round to his courtiers, would say, "How do you like that? I dashed it off this morning." Or," Blondel, what do you think of this movement in B flat?" or what not; and the courtiers and Blondel, you may be sure, would applaud with all their might, like hypocrites as they were.

One evening, it was the evening of the 27th
March, 1199, his majesty, who was in the musical
mood, treated the court with a quantity of his so-
called compositions, until the people were fairly
tired of clapping with their hands and laughing in
their sleeves. First he sang an original air and
beginning,
poem,

is in close attendance upon the king at his siege
of the castle of Chalus, and is left for dead in the
breach when Richard is mortally wounded. The
news of his death having been carried to England,
Rowena marries Athelstane; and when Ivanhoe
returns some years afterwards, it is to come upon
an illustration of one of the most unsentimental
passages in Don Juan. Smothering his vexa-
tion, Ivanhoe disguises himself, settles in York,
and leads a moderately comfortable life till the
death of Athelstane and Rowena; then he starts
as a knight-errant; and, after slaughtering Infi-Rule Britannia, Britannia rules the sea,

* Rebecca and Rowena : Romance upon Romance. By
Mr. Michael Angelo Titmarsh. Illustrated by Richard
Doyle. Published by Chapman and Hall.
25
VOL. XXIV.

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LIVING AGE.

Cherries nice, cherries nice, nice, come choose, Fresh and fair ones, who 'll refuse? &c. The which he was ready to take his affidavit he had composed the day before yesterday. Then he sang an equally original heroic melody, of which the chorus was,

For Britons, never, never, never slaves shall be, &c. The courtiers applauded this song as they did the other, all except Ivanhoe, who sat without

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COMMANDERS OF THE FAITHFUL.

The Pope he is a happy man,
His palace is the Vatican :

And there he sits and drains his can,
The Pope he is a happy man.
I often say when I'm at home,
I'd like to be the Pope of Rome.

And then there 's Sultan Saladin,
That Turkish Soldan full of sin;
He has a hundred wives at least,
By which his pleasure is increased:
I've often wished, I hope no sin,
That I were Sultan Saladin.

But no-the Pope no wife may choose,
And so I would not wear his shoes;
No wine may drink the proud Paynim,
And so I'd rather not be him;
My wife, my wine, I love I hope,

And would be neither Turk nor Pope.

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Leading on my fierce companions," cried he. "over storm and brine,

I have fought and I have conquered! Where was glory like to mine?"

Loudly all the courtiers echoed "Where is glory like to thine?"

"What avail me all my kingdoms? Weary am I now, and old;

Those fair sons I have begotten long to see me dead and cold;

Would I were, and quiet buried underneath the silent mould!

"O, remorse, the writhing serpent, at my bosom tears and bites;

Horrid, horrid things I look on, though I put out all the lights;

Ghosts of ghastly recollections troop about my bed

of nights.

"Cities burning, convents blazing, red with sacri-
Mothers weeping, virgins screaming, vainly for
legious fires;
their slaughtered sires."—

The ballad of King Canute, illustrating a
well-known story, is an example of deeper thought
and satire at the same time, there is a boundary,
not always easily to be defined, beyond which it
becomes questionable whether ridicule should be
pushed. Conventional hypocrisies, sentiments, and
heroics, are bad, but avowed conventional sordid-"Such
ness is worse: men find no difficulty in acting
down to low theories.

King Canute was very weary-hearted; he had
reigned for years a score;
Battling, struggling, pushing, fighting, killing
much and robbing more,

And he thought upon his actions, walking by the
wild sea-shore.

"Twixt the chancellor and bishop walked the king
with steps sedate,
Chamberlains and grooms came after, silver sticks
and gold sticks great,
Chaplains, aides-de-camp, and pages-all the
officers of state.

Sliding after like his shadow, pausing when he

chose to pause;

If a frown his face contracted, straight the courtiers dropped their jaws;

If to laugh the king was minded, out they burst in loud hee-haws.

But that day a something vexed him, that was clear to old and young:

66

a tender conscience," cries the bishop. every one admires.

"But for such unpleasant bygones, cease, my
gracious lord, to search:

They 're forgotten and forgiven by our holy mother
Church;

Never, never does she leave her benefactors in the

lurch.

"Look! the land is crowned with minsters, which
Abbeys filled with holy men,
your grace's bounty raised;
where you and

Heaven are daily praised:
You, my lord, to think of dying on my conscience,

I'm amazed!"

"Nay, I feel," replied King Canute, "that my end is drawing near.

"Don't say so," exclaimed the courtiers, (striving each to squeeze a tear ;)

"Sure your grace is strong and lusty, and may live this fifty year."

"Live these fifty years!" the bishop roared, with actions made to suit ;

"Are you mad, my good lord keeper, thus to speak of King Canute?

Men have lived a thousand years, and sure his | suited to his station, and based on the best dictates majesty will do 't.

Adam, Enoch, Lamech, Canaan, Mahaleel, Me-
thusela,

Lived nine hundred years apiece, and may n't the
king as well as they?"-
'Fervently," exclaimed the keeper, "fervently, I
trust he may."

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"He to die?" resumed the bishop.

like to us?

of common sense, which through life the sculptor developed in a most exemplary manner, for whatever may be the opinion of the world as to his merits as an artist, or his accomplishments as a man, all agree in acknowledging his remarkable and undeviating sagacity.

In other words, the old gentleman wished to do "He a mortal something which he did not do, but which his son nevertheless developed, for everybody acknowl edges it. It is very well that everybody doesbecause we are thus saved the trouble of explaining it.

Death was not for him intended, though communis omnibus;

Keeper, you are irreligious, for to talk and cavil thus."

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At page 5 a well-known anecdote, of not a little interest in Chantrey's life, is thus darkly hinted at by Mr. Jones:

During the time that Chantrey was a carver in wood, he saw Mr. Rogers, and received employment from him. At an after period, when the artist had risen to eminence, the poet was reminded by the sculptor of their previous interview; and the frank, courteous, and friendly recognition of each other cannot be described adequately by any one after having been heard by many in the admirably descriptive language of the author of the "Pleasures of Memory."

That is, a thing which has been heard by many in admirably descriptive language cannot be described adequately by any one. Profound, but inconvenient. We would rather have had it told by any two, or half-a-dozen, than missed it altogether.

The supposed resemblance of his hero to two very remarkable faces is fondly dwelt upon by Mr. Jones. The first is to Shakspeare:

No one, after reading this volume, will presume to question the variety or profundity of its author's classical erudition. That very rare work, the Ars Poetica of Horace, is at his fingers'-ends. The Epistola of the same ingenious writer have not escaped his research. Quintilian and Cicero are friends at his elbow. "Ομηρον 'Ιλιάς is a familiar Soon after this time Chantrey went to Ireland, book to him. He has scanned the marvels of the where he suffered so severely from a fever, that his Historia Naturalis with the elder Pliny. Elian disease he lost his hair, and was bald at his restorarecovery was doubtful; and in the progress of the has made him free of the gossip of the Varia His-tion to health, and so he remained during the rest toria. He has sauntered with Pausanias among of his life, which, however, rather improved than the buildings, temples, statues of the Elhados injured the character of his head; and to those who Ieginynais. Is it surprising that he should have never saw the sculptor, a portrait of Shakspeare forgotten his English, if he had ever happened to may supply a resemblance, as the pictures and prints of the immortal poet have often recalled his acquire it? open countenance to the memory of his friends. Whether it was the rest of his life, or his restoration to health, or the loss of his hair, which improved the character of his head, and what his baldness had to do with the openness of his countenance-we leave the reader to find out. The second resemblance is to Socrates, and here Mr. Jones, in the confidence of his classics, carries the likeness into mental qualities :

Nevertheless, when one would write an English book, there are prejudices that would seem to exact some small preliminary knowledge of the language. Cicero has even gone so far as to remark (we need not quote the De Oratore to so profound a classic as Mr. Jones) that it is a disgrace not to be properly acquainted with our mother tongue-but we shall be content to observe, for our own parts, that to be reasonably acquainted with our mother tongue is no impertinent preface to the attempt to write in it. Mr. Jones has hardly been so sensible of this as it was desirable he should have been.

The volume opens thus (the reader will hardly need to be told that the words occasionally marked by Italics in our extracts have been so distinguished by us, and not by the author):

Amongst these busts there is a head of Socrates, to which Chantrey bore considerable resemblance, although the marble has a beard which conceals the mouth, and that feature of the English sculptor was the best in his face, and before he sunk into ill

health it was of the most perfect form and beautiful expression. If the countenance had some similitude, so had the mind of the philosopher and the sculptor, for they were guided alike by strong reaSir Francis Chantrey was born at Norton, in son and rigid investigation; both were slow to de Derbyshire, not far from Sheffield, in 1782. His termine, and required the most accurate evidence for father cultivated a small property of his own. To

decision.

his son Francis he wished to give an education] The vivid Socratic peculiarities, reminding the

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