of inquisitors, endeavour to draw out the young man, whilst his father, who is sensible of the lad's imbecility, practises a thousand devices to cover over his errors. The character of the lady's father is finely developed in a situation, where he has to struggle with the duties of a loyal subject and his paternal feelings; for, by the intrigues of the elder Yang, now rendered hostile to this father by the firm rejection of his suit, the latter is appointed to a perilous political mission. Extricated from the danger, the old gentleman finds himself and his family enmeshed in a series of crosspurposes with the real hero of the story, who, in his turn, commits a thousand mistakes, and is involved in a thousand misadventures. Incidents thicken upon each other, so as more strongly to confirm the interest, without in the least affecting the unity of the story, until the proper season arrives for the usual mutual understanding between all parties, and a general reconciliation of interests. The peculiarity that will most strongly rivet the attention of the European reader in these volumes, is undoubtedly the course of love which the hero is obliged to run. The effect of a system of polygamy on society appears to be, to make divisible, as it were, a passion which, to our western notions at least, is the most exclusive in the whole catalogue. The lover of this romance is blessed with two mistresses, who are each conscious of his divided adoration. As the gentleman sighs, dies, and indites double, he must be the pink of industry, as compared with our European heroes. The two young ladies, instead of waging war under the banner of the green-eyed monster, are only more firmly leagued together; and all their mutually explained hopes and wishes aspire to an union with the object of their double attachment.
Throughout the volumes will be found a very small portion indeed, which is of the strictly narrative writing. The story is rather acted and spoken before us by the persons themselves, who thus imperceptibly disclose all the parts of their character, even to the nicest shades. bears in no part the least appearance of artifice. We perceive in it no straining of circumstances to produce surprise or terror; and there is neither a battle nor a death, to call up our sympathies, from beginning to end: but all the passions of our gentler nature are kept in constant agitation. We feel that we have contracted an intimacy with beings of our own walk, and we attend them with interest through all the turns of their fortune. We are thus brought at once into the circle of Chinese society, and admitted, as it were, among its members.
An English version of this romance is now in the press*, under the superintendence of an experienced hand. The difficulty of a translator's office on this occasion is to be faithful to his text, to preserve that air of simplicity and nature, which characterizes the only European version we yet possess of the Chinese original, and at the same time to guard his composition from the impurities of a foreign idiom. This task, we have reason to expect, is likely to be accomplished in the forthcoming translation.
* Printed for Messrs. Hunt and Clarke, Tavistock-street.
ART. XI. Continuazione della Storia d'Italia dal fine di quella d Guicciardini fino al 1789.
THIS is the title of a projected work in which Botta, the Italian historian, undertakes, at the solicitation and with the support of his Italian friends and admirers, to write the continuation of Guicciardini's history of Italy from the period at which the Florentine historian left it, to the year 1789 where it will join Botta's lately published history of the revolution. Botta intends to follow as much as possible, the method, and imitate the style of Guicciardini, so as to form a complete narrative of the affairs of Italy, written almost entirely by one hand, from the end of the fifteenth century, a period in which that country underwent a total political change, from the turbulent condition of the middle ages to that of a modern nation. Among the principal events which Botta will have to narrate, are the continuation of the wars between Charles V. and Francis I. and their successors in Piedmont, and in the Milanese, the revolutions of Naples and of Genoa, the means used by the Medici to obtain possession of the principality of Tuscany, the siege of Sienna, and the abolition of that republic, the council of Trent, and its consequences, the reigns of the princes of Savoy, especially that of Emanuel Philibert, the wars between the Porte and the republic of Venice, with the attacks of the former of the islands of Cyprus, Candia, Corfu, and Malta, the wars of the Spanish, and of the Austrian successions; the useful reforms Maria Theresa and of Joseph II., in Lombardy, those of Ferdinand d Medici, of Leopold and Ferdinand of Austria in Tuscany, and those a Charles and of Ferdinand of Bourbon at Naples, the reigns of many pontiffs, from Paul III. to Pius VI., and the vicissitudes of opinions, an the essential changes which took place during the last century in the stat of literature, sciences, and arts, forming altogether a period equalled in it importance by few in the history of the world, and inferior to none.
The work will consist of eight thick volumes 8vo., and Botta require six years to write it. It is to be printed and published at Paris, unde Botta's eyes. The first volume will be ready for the press in July, 1827 and the last in 1832. The limited subscription was opened at Mr. Cac cia's, a banker, at Paris, which, we believe, has been already filled up, s as to defray the first expenses, and to assure the author a monthly allow ance of 500 francs, whilst engaged in his laborious undertaking. We ar inclined to augur well of this new work of Botta, in which, no doubt h will avoid those failings that have been criticised in his otherwise cleve and powerfully written history of the late Italian revolutions. Botta i perhaps, of all Italian writers, he who knows best his countrymen and th general spirit of the age we live in. An universal history of Italy is still desideratum in Italian literature; Bossi's voluminous work being littl more than a useful but plain chronology of events.
THIRD VOLUME OF THE MONTHLY REVIEW.
ABEL-REMUSAT, his French version of the Chinese novel called Iu-Kiao-Li, 540
Abuses in Chancery-see Chancery Actors, remarks on the education of, 366 -what they should study, 367-writ- ing for particular ones, a cause of the degraded state of our drama, 371— remarks on several, 460, 461. Acting, English, remarks on, 462 Affection, parental, of two bears, men- tioned by Parry, 65
Agriculture, petitions respecting, passed in 1825 and 1826, 27-steady improve- ment of, 28-flourishing state of, in the south of France, 96-mode in which it is conducted, ib.-state of the neigh- bourhood of Avignon, 95, 96, 97. Agriculturists, none in Prussia resembling our farmers, 5-not benefitted by the corn laws, 204-the corn laws never come into operation except at the mo- ment the farmers do not want them, 207-why the agriculturists have fallen in national importance-they begin to admit the impolicy of the restrictive system, 312
Air, atmospheric, plan of a new vehicle to be propelled by, 228
Aliments, the intermixture of, strongly condemned, 43-the consequence of such intermixture stated, ib. Alla Giornata, a novel, by Lady Char- lotte Campbell, 191-character of the work, 194-the narrative part objec- tionable, the descriptions superior, 197, 198
Amending, power of, in bills in Chancery, greatly abused-case of its abuse, 249 -remedy for, proposed in the Chan- cery report, 250
America, United States of, close resem-
blance of their institutions to those of Great Britain, 45-scarcely changed in their internal condition by their inde- pendence, 46-they had from their commencement as colonies free institu- tions, 47-Connecticut had acquired its constitution before the revolution, and Rhode Island still preserves that
which it had received from England, 47-the geographical position of the United States favourable to their inde- pendence, 48-the nature and extent of their territory afford every facility for commercial grandeur, 49-the rapid increase of their population, and of their tonnage, ib.-The question ex- amined, whether their confederation is likely to be permanent? 50--52, 53, 54-their elements of social strength compared with those of England, 50, 51-their constitution has hitherto re- alized all its objects, 51-their whole national debt less than half the interest annually paid on our own, 51, 52— their revenue, 52-the strong difference of character between the people of the north-eastern and the southern and back states likely to lead, in time, to their separation, 54-the elements of American jurisprudence stated, 54, 55 -the common law not popular in the United States, 55-the composition of their courts, ib.-the importance of the supreme court dangerous, 55-its cha- racter and duties, 56-the court of Chancery, ib.-a want of dignity in the inferior courts, ib.-State of society in, as compared with that of Great Bri- tain, 57, 58-much blemished by the existence of slavery, 58-the identity of language and priority of literature, will always preserve the moral influ- ence of England over the United States, 58, 59 View of the present condition of the United States, by a Russian, 45-the discussions relating to the original union of the States-the moderation of the people of, in model- ling their government-great difficul- ties of the task, 516, 517—the encou- ragement given to the slave trade, the great stain of the United States, 523- disgraceful refusal of the senate to sanction the agreement of the President to a treaty branding this traffic with the character of piracy, 524 Amulet, an annual publication, its me- rits, 274-its controversial spirit ob- jected to, 275-extracts from, 276-- abounds in turgid writings, 282
Anatomy, the study of, calculated to in- spire religious sentiments, 85-names of several great men mentioned, upon whom it had that effect, 86, 87 Angelo, Michael, his painting of the roof of the Sistine chapel, 132-state of his body after death, 134 Anglo Saxons, poetry of, 183
Answer in the court of Chancery-the de- fendant's statement-objections to the process for compelling it to be given in, 245
Antiquities, Britton's architectural of Great Britain, 375
Aperçu de la situation interieure des Etats Unis d'Amerique et de leurs rap- ports politiques avec l'Europe, par un Russe, 45
Aphorisms, opinions, and reflections of the late Dr. Parr; with a sketch of his life, 103
Architects, lives of celebrated, 125—cu- rious facts relating to, 126 Architectural, Britton's antiquities of Great Britain, vol v., 375 Architecture, remarks upon, 127-eccle- siastical, various opinions as to its ori- gin in England, 378-the Saxon order, 382-the Norman, 383-first pointed style, 384-second pointed style, 385- third pointed style, 386
Aristocracy, hereditary, none in the
United States, but the senate stands in place of such an order, 48-curious ex- emplification in the early history of the United States, of a desire to form three dignified classes, 48-an aristocratical faction exists in America, 48-though it has in some degree declined since the death of Washington, ib. Armenian, christians, account of, by Dr. Walsh, 275-their origin and charac- ter, 276-their religion-sketch of an Armenian family, 277, 278-their care of the memory of the dead, 279-their numbers, 280
Armies, standing, remarks of Mr. Hamil- ton, an American, upon, 518 Arndt, Moritz, his leisure hours, 476 Attachment in the court of Chancery, a ludicrous process, 245, 246 Aurora, displays of, observed by Captain Parry and his companions, 63, 64-no sound was ever heard by them to issue from this phenomenon, 64 Autobiography, collections of lives written by the parties themselves; a serviceable and cheap publication, 217 Authority, civil, two definitions of, 90 Avignon, points of interest of,88-climate
of, 93-proverb respecting it, ib.-state of society there, ib.
Azote (Nitrogen), derived from food, and not from respiration, 40
Bakou, celebrated fires of, 456 Ballad, a curious old one, 222 Balloon, ascent of the Duke of Orleans in one, 429
Bank, a national, intended to be esta blished in Poland, 9-singular plan by which it is to relieve the land-owners there, ib.-not likely to succeed, 10 Barlow (Mr.), his plate for correcting the influence of local attraction on the mag- netic needle, 63
Barometer, the, useless at Port Bowen, 64 Bateman (Dr.), some account of the life and character of, 80-his birth and education, 81-his filial piety, 82-he makes the most diligent use of his time,83-contributes to several medical periodicals, and to Rees's Cyclopædia, ib.-is a materialist, 84-becomes a convert to Christianity, and dies, 85 Bible societies, treatment of, by the Em- peror Alexander-the prompt assist ance given to, by the various sects in the southern provinces of Russia, 115 Bills in Chancery, their nature and ob- ject, 243-case of abuse of the power of amending them, 249 Biography, auto-see Autobiography Biographical sketches of British charac ters recently deceased, commencing with the accession of George the Fourth, with a list of their engraved portraits, by William Miller, 112
Bise, the, an Alpine wind, so called at Avignon, 93
Bonaparte see Napoleon. Books, "number books," description of, 235-their injurious tendency, 236- they are dearer to the public than really good books-mode of getting them up-ludicrous specimen of igno- rance in one of them, 237
Botany Practical, by W. Johns, 437. Botta, an Italian undertakes to write a continuation to Guiccardini's history, 542
Bowditch, (Mrs.), her tale of Amba, or the Witch's daughter, 287 Britton, (John), his 5th vol.
Architec tural Antiquities of Great Britain, 375 -his egotism, 276-his admirable chapter on the ecclesiastical orders 382 Buonarotti, his share in the building o St. Peter's church at Rome, 133 Butler's Geography of the globe, 105
Campbell, (Lady Charlotte), authoress ( Alla Giornata, 191-her good sens
Chancellor, an account of his avocations
from the Chancery Report, 253-ludi- crous recommendations therein for abridging them, ib.
Chancery, court of, its abuses long endur- ed: only two faint and abortive attempts made to remedy them, 240-recent investigations into them, the result of a growing spirit of inquiry, 241-the exposure contained in the report con- cerning, calculated to excite astonish- ment, 242-objections to the present system of procedure in, stated, 243— facility of perverting its rules and orders, 244-ludicrous proceeding in case of attachment, 245, 246-various modes of procuring delay in, 247, 248 -case of abuse of the power of award- ing bills in, 249-the mode of taking evidence in, defective, the reasons of the commissioners of inquiry for not at- tempting to remedy it, 251-the diffi- culty of obtaining judgment, the great- est vice of the present system, 252— defects in its practice not the only ob- jection to that tribunal, 255, 256- the necessity for a revision of the doctrines of the court, 257-report of commissioners concerning, 240—it is divided into three parts, its exposures calculated to excite astonishment,242 -its want of method, and material omission in, 243-its propositions to correct the abuses in amending bills, 250-it acknowledges the defects in present mode of taking evidence, but suggests no remedy, 251-curious way in which it gets over the necessity of alluding to the excessive power of the Chancellor, 253, 254-a great part of it occupied with refutations of proceed- ings before the Master, 254, 255-se- veral suggestions in it, 256-the lan- guage of it too technical for general use, ib.-still it is a great experiment in English jurisprudence, it proposes to do the best that can be done with the court, ib.
Charlemagne, establishment of his em- pire, 487-his manner of doing it, 490
Chess, the derivation of, 111 China, a romance, exhibiting the man- ners and customs of, 540, 541 Chiverton (Sir John), the romance of, 438
Christianity, introduction of it into the Shetland and Orkney Isles, 479-the Mosaic account of the creation, com- patible with the laws of physiology, 515 Christians, Armenian-see Armenian Cincinnatus, order of, attempted to be established in the United States of America, 48
Clive (Lord), his administration in India,
Cockney, the derivation of, 111 Commerce, between Europe and Asia, new project for carrying it on, 448— the project examined, 450, 452 Commissioners of Inquiry-see Chan- cery Report
Companies, petitions respecting, passed in 1825 and 1826, 27-decline of in 1826, 28-bad odour of those that were established for mining specula- tions, ib. Connecticut, had its constitution before the revolution of America, 47 Constitution, American, difficulties in framing it, 517-some defects in, 521, 524-objections to answered, 522, 525 Conveyance, wonderful improvement in, 225-proper method to increase the velocity of, 227
Conybeare. (John Josias), his illustrations of Anglo Saxon poetry, 183-his in- dustry and opportunities, and the causes of his subsequently leaving the work imperfect, 183
Cookery loosens the texture, and softens the fibres of our food, 38-boiling is better for vegetables than meat, 42- meat if boiled too long, becomes indi- gestible, ib.-mutton loses one-fifth, and beef one-fourth, by boiling, ib.- roast meats more nutritive, but less di- gestible than boiled, 42-baked meats not wholesome, ib.
Coral, manufactory of at Marseilles, 429 Corn, the trade in, greatly depressed in
the districts visited by Mr. Jacob, 3- stock of, in several depots, stated, ib.-- the continued exportation of from any country, injurious to its soil, 11-(See Jacob) laws of, their impolicy, 203- injury they do the agriculturist, 204- the absurdity of their continuance shown, 205, 206-the opening of the ports by virtue of the order in conncil, illustrates the evil of those laws, 208, 209, 210
Council, order in, respecting the importa- tion of corn, 203
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