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Church in a private room in a Swiss hotel; nor will we further canvass the various external extravagancies set forth as models for our imitation in these volumes. We must not, however, dismiss the "Lady Alice," without a passing comment on the frequent "improprieties" to be discovered throughout, and on the general tone of false sentimentality, which renders the novel rather dangerous reading for young ladies. Nevertheless there is an elegance in the style, artificial indeed, and yet not without a charm of its own; and though the monstrous improbability of every incident narrated, and the utter unreality of every character depicted must be patent to the most careless reader, we should conceive that "Lady Alice" was a book likely to be much sought after by the young, and not altogether neglected even by the grave and the wise.

XXXVIII. Seven Tales by Seven Authors. Edited by the Author of "Frank Fairlegh." London: George Hoby (Rice's Li

brary), 123, Mount-street, Berkeley-square. 1849. WE are really sorry on Mr. James's own account that he should favour the public with so poor a "rechauffé " of his former doings as the so-called tale of "Norfolk and Hereford," which makes one in the volume under our consideration. It is utterly meaningless, utterly purposeless, utterly dead; vague common-place without form or interest or reality, and this from the author of "The Gipsy" and " Morley Ernstein;" one, take him all in all, of the most eminent novelists of our country. Nevertheless, even "Norfolk and Hereford" will, we presume, find its admirers; and to these we leave it, content to have entered our protest against this descent to the level of dulness of a man of real and high abilities. Mr. James does not do himself justice: he has no right to scribble, when it is in his power to compose: he has no right, in fact, to set about any literary undertaking, without some definite purpose! Wherever he has secured this, he has written well, sometimes beautifully; but random spoiling of good paper and using up of good pens is altogether inexcusable. This much of censure dismissed, little remains but to praise this volume. Miss Pardoe's "Will" is by no means devoid of interest or of power, if not altogether untinctured by vulgarity; and Mr. Tupper's "King Verie" is fresh and genuine, and displays no little antiquarian lore. Mrs. Hall's "Last in the Leap" will probably find many admirers, though this lady is no great favourite of ours. S. M.'s "A Very Woman" has much of that peculiar analytic power, which "The Maiden Aunt”

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has so often displayed in the pages of "Sharpe's Magazine." is quiet, earnest, and rather grave, but psychologically truthful; a study in fact of a very superior order. E. J. B. contributed a rather pretty tale entitled "The Trust;" and the editor has given us a rattling, spirited, harum-scarum version of "The Mysteries of Redgrave Court," in which a race betwixt a phaeton and a chaise is to be especially noted, which really rivals Turpin's ride to York in Ainsworth's first and best romance. On the whole the collection can fairly be recommended, as a very pretty giftbook, containing nothing objectionable and much that is clever and amusing, and therefore an appropriate ornament for drawingroom tables.

XXXIX.-Earl Grey's Circular. (A Memento.) London: Riving

tons.

THE circular of Earl Grey on the subject of the official titles of Romish bishops, was a very remarkable instance of the desire of statesmen in the present day, to concede every demand which may be made by Romanism. It was only to be expected, that they who suppressed ten of our bishoprics in Ireland, for the purpose of gratifying the Romish party, should take the first available opportunity for acknowledging the authority of their bishops. Lord Grey, however, was in so much haste to pay this tribute, that he was far from scrupulous in seeking precedents to justify him, and accordingly he referred to authorities to justify the recognition of Romish ecclesiastics in the Colonies as "archbishops" and "bishops," which, on examination proved to be wholly incapable of justifying his proceeding, as he was himself obliged to admit. The author of the pamphlet before us has ably pointed out the inexcusableness of such conduct, and entered on a very interesting discussion of the whole question of the titles and spiritual position of such bishops as schismatics. But really, what can we say, after the deplorable exhibition which has just been made in the public papers, where we find a correspondence between Lord Palmerston, Lord Normanby, and Prince Castelcicala, Cardinal Antonelli, "R. Archbishop of Nicæa " Apostolic Nuncio, Pius IX., and Queen Victoria, in which England appears as the friend of the papal power? The Sovereign is made to address a letter to the Holy Father," who is "much affected_by_the interest and sympathy which her Majesty the Queen of England has been pleased to express for him." Application is made to England to co-operate in the restoration of the Pope to his temporal authority, on the ground that this authority is requisite for

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the exercise of his spiritual supremacy, which the English Government is supposed to be anxious to maintain; and in fine, though England is too far off from the scene of action to take any active part, and will content herself under all circumstances with "observation," while the Roman Catholic powers proceed to overthrow the Roman Republic, and replace Pius IX. on his throne, yet it is distinctly explained that the Pope has the best wishes of the English Government for the undisturbed exercise of all his powers temporal and spiritual! And yet these are the kind of men who nominate our bishops!

XL.-A few Words on Cathedral Music and the Musical System of the Church, with a plan of Reform. By SAMUEL SEBASTIAN WESLEY, Mus. Doc. London: Rivingtons.

ANY suggestions on the subject of cathedral music from one so well qualified by practical experience to express an opinion as Dr. Wesley, must be of very great value, and will, we have no doubt, command attention. The state of our cathedral and choral music generally is certainly not what it ought to be, and we fear, that as men are constituted in the present day, it will be impossible to expect any very decided improvement, unless larger funds are expended in the maintenance of choirs.

Dr. Wesley begins by laying down as first principles, that in order to have even a moderately correct and impressive performance of cathedral service, there must be competent performers or ministers-the guidance of an able precentor-and musical compositions of the higher order of talent. The music of the Church is antiphonal: it must be sung by TWO CHOIRS; now, as Dr. Wesley remarks:

"The least number of men which can constitute a cathedral choir capable of performing the service is twelve; because each choir must have three for the solo or verse parts, and an extra three (one to a part) to form the chorus; six on a side, that is: now so far from this, the least amount of necessary strength, being what is found in anything like constant attendance at our cathedrals generally, there is not one where such is the case: not one which has the requisite number of singers in daily attendance.

"Whether music be performed in the church, concert-room, theatre, or elsewhere, the requisite details of action are all one, and as they ever existed, so will they remain. A fact, which renders inexplicable the recent proceedings of the ecclesiastical commissioners, who certainly did not purpose what their acts were sure to bring about, namely, the extinction, or at least the further deterioration, of cathedral worship.

By the musical system of the Church, the daily services are dependent on the clergy, the minor canons being now, as in early times when choirs were first formed, as well as when subsequently reformed, responsible for a share of the musical duty; constituting, in fact, the choir; for without their attendance (the whole of them) at every service, the number prescribed is not made up.

"The Church commissioners reduced the number of minor canons to six, or four, in all cases; and seem to have contemplated their abstaining from all participation in the choral duties, and this without substituting the requisite lay singers in their stead, or making any provision whatever for the due performance of the choral worship.

"The minor canons (chanting excepted) have ceased to be efficient, in a musical sense, so that the choirs are not the worse off on this account; but in one diocese (Hereford) the members of the choir were all in holy orders. Therefore, when the exquisite restoration of Hereford cathedral, now in progress, is complete, (a restoration, be it said, which entitles its projectors to general obligations,) those who imagine that the choral service will be again open to them, in the same condition as formerly, will find things to be as is here stated; for, as the late Church Bill restricts the filling up of vacancies, all recent deaths in the college of vicars are irremediable losses, and the number essential to the performance of daily service will be found no longer to exist.

"It will be seen that the arrangement above referred to gives a chorus of one to a part. Now, this is in itself a thing ridiculous enough, we must confess. What, for instance, can any one who has visited the opera houses, the theatres, Exeter hall, or any well-conducted musical performances, think of a chorus of one to a part? Ask the men working the mills of Yorkshire and Lancashire what they would think of it? And yet, this amount of chorus would be a vast improvement on the present state of things at cathedrals; for there may be sometimes seen one man singing chorus! This is the way in which God is worshipped in England in the noblest of her temples, and this desecration has been sanctioned by the ecclesiastical commissioners ! No wonder that men of sense should be found to cry, Cut in down: why cumbereth it the ground?' And why is it what it is? Simply for this reason, that it is conducted by those who understand not the subject. The clergy are the irresponsible directors of cathedral music. The views of the highest order of musical professors are never brought to bear on the subject."

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Dr. Wesley is of opinion that much of the ineffectiveness of choirs arises from their being under the management of clergy, who know very little about music. There may be reason in this, certainly; but it is, after all, a choice of the lesser of two evils in many cases; for though the clergy may not know very much of music, the organist frequently is so little imbued with the right tone of feeling and taste in such matters; so little disposed to adopt really good models, and so inclined to introduce paltry

compositions of his own or his friends, that it is difficult to place implicit confidence in him. Most cordially do we concur in the truth of the following remarks of Dr. Wesley:

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"Music, as it is now performed in our cathedrals, when compared with well-regulated performances elsewhere, bears to them about the proportion of life and order which an expiring rushlight does to a summer's sun. The higher order of musical composition belonging to the Church is now lost sight of. No new efforts by men of commanding talent are perceptible. Nor is this to be wondered at, seeing that the choirs have long been reduced below a state in which such compositions could be sung with effect. Thus it is, that the choral service of the Church presents not one feature in its present mode of performance which can interest or affect the well-informed auditor; except so far as it may remind him of a grandeur that exists no longer, and of a great school of musical composition, which, as far as the Church is concerned, seems almost to have passed away.

"The musician cannot but be impressed with the importance of the connexion which his art has ever maintained with the ceremonial of religion; and the Church must claim his gratitude for the careful and systematic nurture and support which, until recent times, it has invariably received at her hands: and never can it be forgotten by him, that the Church school of music is the foundation of every good musical education, inasmuch as it affords the means of producing the most grand and solemn effects by a process of composition at once the simplest and the purest. This simplicity and purity of style result from the efforts of ages devoted to the advancement of counterpoint; which advancement was, no doubt, hastened by the but too wellfounded clamour of the people in religious matters, both here and abroad, about the time when music first assumed a finish and perfection which might entitle it to the admiration of 'all time;' notwithstanding the fact that music itself, at the period in remark, became a just object of aversion, from its numerous abuses, not the least of which was, its being sung invariably to Latin words.

"The claims of singers, too, as regards performance, may have had weight in exacting from the composer clearness and simplicity in the contexture of his score; the discredit attending error in public performance falling to their door, not his; and the difficulties of that performance being greatly enhanced by the absence of all instrumental accompaniment, as was the frequent case.

"That the Church has been the originator of all improvement in the art of music, and has, from the earliest periods, availed herself of every excellence which the advance of time supplied, is demonstrably a fact. Specimens in composition by the precentors of early times show that the clergy, to whose management the music of Divine worship was confided, held the same position in the highest departments of composition which Bach, Handel, and other great men have done in recent times. They were, in fact, capable not merely of writing up to the standard fur

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