whose devoted adherence to a lost cause every one admired, but lamented that their talents were thrown away to such a useless purpose. kan The publication of this brochure, the trial and speeches of the advocates, shew most forcibly the difference of public opinion and feeling in France and England. Any person in this country, who should undertake to write down almost every institution in it, would be looked upon as a pitiable "maniac," as M. le Comte has chosen to designate those of his own phase of opinion, whereas in France he is regarded as a dangerous theorist, playing with an edged weapon, which may prove destructive to himself and others. Again, if an advocate of our courts, especially of such standing as M. Berryer, dared to call in question the right of the sovereign to the throne in such an open undisguised manner, and to strike at the very foundation of the government, he would run a great risk of having his gown stripped from his back by the Lord Chancellor, and be incapacitated from further practice. In one of these cases there exists less liberty of discussion in France, because it threatens directly the public peace; in the other there is more license permitted, because free scope is given for every argument calcu lated to benefit or prejudice the accused. But with respect to public feeling, it cannot be doubted that very little sympathy exists among the great body of the French nation, for the upholders of what they designate a constitutional monarchy, on the model of English institutions. The Empire is their beau idéal of government, and the antipathy re-aroused by the insulting rejection of the Imperial dispatch of last year, has only served to increase their attachment to a rule, which has been always the antagonist of the British monopoly of trade, and the egotism of the British foreign policy. ART. X.-HEALTHY MUSHROOMS.. 1. Checkmate, a Tale: London: Bentley. 1858. 2. The Coquette, by Biddulph Warner Dublin: William Robertson. 1858. 3. Hills and Hollows: London: Newby. 1858. The great and good St. Francis of Sales, deep versed as he was in the science of souls, was but an indifferent adept in natural history. Yet it is probable that if ever the pure-minded and humble servant of God felt a temptation to vanity, it would arise from his quasi-respectable stock of information concerning the animal and vegetable kingdoms. Among passages breathing of heart-felt piety, profound theological science, and deep skill in the direction of souls, you will be surprised into a smile by some amusing mistake concerning the habits of animals or properties of plants, quoted from Pliny, Aristotle, or some lazy naturalist, who preferred hearsay to actual observation. One chapter is devoted to a parallel between mushrooms in the physical order, and amusements in the moral order (so to say); and as he probably knew as much about that shy and discreet production of nature as Dr. Goldsmith at all events, we do not scruple to make a quotation in order to help out our own design. "I say of dances, Philothea, as Physicians say of Mushromes ;• the best of them are nothing worth; yet if you will needs eat Mushromes, be sure they be well drest. If you must go to a Ball, &c. Eat but seldom and little of Mushromes (say the Physicians); for be they never so well dressed, the quantity makes them poysonous.— Dance but little, and very seldom, &c. Mushromes, according to Pliny, being spongy and porous, easily draw infection to them; so that being near Serpents and Toads, they receive venom from them. -Masques, Dances, &c., attract the vices and sins of the time, &c. But above all, they say that after Mushromes we must drink wine ;and I say, that after dancing it is necessary to use good and holy meditations, &c." Taking the liberty of classing Novel and Romance-reading with the dances and other amusements quoted from Philothea, Our quotations are from a scrubby little copy, printed in 1705; but by whom or where published the title-page does not condescend to say. The Italics and spelling are not ours. we require the reader's respect for the admonition of the Saint, in the selections he makes at the circulating library, which since the days when George the Third was king, has become a kind of necessary evil. Requesting the reader advanced in life, to recal how interested and engrossed he was, more than one time in his youth, even to the neglect or bad execution of necessary duties, by the perusal of an exciting work of fiction; let him lay hand on heart, and say if indiscriminate and unrestrained novel reading can possibly be a healthy occupation for the young heart or the young understanding. If the book can be merely taken up to pass an unoccupied or weary hour during a journey, or after mental fatigue, and if the work is innocent of inculcating false doctrine or unsound morality, there is nothing to be said. Compared with the corresponding class of literature in France, we may be said to possess a sound and healthy crop of fictitious literature, but still it requires the utmost care in the pulling up of weeds and noxious plants, before we can let our youth wander at will through the garden, and pluck up and eat at random. Checkmate is a vigorously written and interesting book, and when read from beginning to end, of an edifying tendency. This we say advisedly, for if the reader leaves off in the middle, or with two-thirds of the number of pages accomplished, it will not be a bit more edifying than any other exciting story of the ordinary run. Indeed one particular incident may be fairly objected to, where a conscientious lady consents to use her influence in a manner directly the reverse of what her conscience approves, in order to save her scamp of a brother from an imminent danger. It is probably the first production of the author. There is a surprising absence of decision in a war of wits between the good presiding genius and the evil character for the time. One is determined to gain his selfish object, the other equally determined to frustrate his designs; yet each merely watches the other's motions, and seems as ignorant of what the next move may be, as of the quadrature of the circle. It reminded us how "Lord Chatham with his long sword drawn, Was waiting for the Earl of Chatham." In a later stage of the story, the person who represents the hero, and who has both penetration and resolution, has to perform two exploits, the second depending on the success of the first. He takes time enough for reflection on the connection of both, but when the first step is won, he is completely at fault as to how he may place his foot on the second, though character, fortune, and happiness are at stake. Again, the chief incidents of the story are powerfully and spiritedly narrated, but the reader does not clearly see the natural connection of each with its predecessor: and he finds that after the good genius already mentioned has outraged her own conscience, engaging herself to do such and such things, she still remains with folded arms, and does-nothing. She acts with as much energy as Box or Cox, we forget which, who with the wish fathering the thought, and anxious to get a few minutes' sleep, hoped the rasher of bacon would considerately give itself a turn on the coals. The work more resembles a number of scenes and situations with the connection and the disposing causes very slightly indicated, than a compact story. The proofs do not seem corrected with the care which the merit of the work and the good appearance of the volume ought to require. Whoever goes through the book, will not be at a loss to feel that the author is a Catholic; but there is no controversy, nor sketching of Protestants in Indian ink, or sepia, or bistre, nor any conversion, these processes so dear to Mrs. Sherwood and Charlotte Elizabeth, as applied to Catholics. Whatever villany occurs is perpetrated by a Catholic who has discarded his early religious impressions. In the excellent novel of Mount St Laurence there is a fault in our eyes: among all the members of her Protestant family, there is scarcely an estimable character. Very probably there are Protestant families so circumstanced: would to God they had no counterparts among ourselves. "The Deil's in Hell And Dublin City; That nigher he should come t' oursel, Is unco pity." Burns. But a person in fault will bear a reproof from a relative or friend, which will only make him angry when coming from an indifferent person or a stranger. Our author is certainly wrong in allowing the sincere and unselfish Julia Manners, a Protestant lady, to consent to a wrong line of conduct, even under the terrible circumstance alluded to. : In the opening of the work we have a graphic sketch of the family and home of a French nobleman, an Emigré, settled in the North of England. The early part of the day is spent by him in the dress and occupations of an English country gentleman in the evening he resumes the tongue, aud manners, and "garb of old Gaul." We suspect our author to have spent some of his life east of the Manche, from the spirit of many passages in his work. The daughter of this gentleman, Lucy Deguseau,* is the Ingenue of the story. Julia Manners, an elderly maid, cherishes her with the love of a mother. These, with the dissipated Lieutenant Rawson, Julia's half brother, and Ernest Deguseau, Lucy's cousin, who has forsaken his early devout practices, and squandered his property, make up the principal personages of the story. The Count has lost his beloved wife, and a cloud has in consequence fallen on his daily life. We will here use our author's words. "For some years his existence was very melancholy, until gra dually his affections became absorbed in his daughter. As she grew up into youth and loveliness, he found himself imperceptibly weaned back to the world, engaged in its interests for her sake, bound to life by a fresh and natural tie. We men are always clumsy at feminine descriptions: though we may sometimes succeed in drawing a caricature, a vindictive oid maid, a managing mother, yet it must be some revolting monster, a campaignre, or a Becky Sharp. Maidenhood, fresh, blue-eyed, laughing maidenhood,-anything really feminine, requiring quick sight, and delicate pencilling, is utterly beyond our reach, mere hewers of wood as we are. sess. If I tell the reader, that Lucy Deguseau was fresh-colored, had blueish eyes, a neither very long or well-formed nose, that she gener ally dressed in light-colored airy fabrics, and that her expression was bright and pleasing, I have given nearly all the information I pos The Misses Smyth of Smythgrove, said she was unformed, vulgar, had no manners whatever: how could she, with her fondness for poor people, and her disgusting habit of kissing their nasty children? The rich manufacturer's lady.. had nuch pious commiseration for the poor little creature, brought up in Popish darkness; and took care to keep her supplied with the newest editions of the Rev. Ebenezer Glyde's remarks on the Bishop • The compositor occasionally improves the name for the worse, by setting it down de Guseau. |