but they want power, which we are afraid Hervey's comThe Rev. Charles Hoyle positions will always want, has a number of sonnets scattered through the volume; but they are all as dull as they can be we do not say they are destitute of talent, but they are terribly dull. James Montgomery continues to write pretty profusely in the Annuals; but we cannot say that his minor pieces Alaric appear to us in general worthy of their author. Watts has himself three or four very pleasing and beau"tiful poems in his Souvenir." The Anniversary," in Who the author particular, is one of his happiest efforts.

of "Lillian" is we do not know, but it is evidently a person of considerable poetical ability, as the following touching and original composition proves :

"How shall I woo her?--I will try
The charms of olden time,
And swear by earth, and sea, and sky,
And rave in prose and rhyme;-
And I will tell her when I bent

My knee in other years,

I was not half so eloquent,

I could not speak for tears!

"How shall I woo her?-I will bow
Before the holy shrine ;

| And pray the prayer, and vow the vow,
And press her lips to mine;
And I will tell her when she parts

From passion's thrilling kiss,
That Memory, to many hearts,
Is dearer far than bliss.

Nor clasp those links again;

thod Love's toil, I know, is little cost,

My Love's perjury is light sin;

But souls that lose what I have lost,-
What have they left to win?"

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There is a good poem by Barry Cornwall, called "The Ruins of Time;" and a very respectable one by Mr Moir, called Flodden Field." Thomas Haynes Bayley has

WHERE IS MISS MYRTLE?
AIR Sweet Kitty Clover."
"Where is Miss Myrtle?-can any one tell?
Where is she gone, where is she gone?
She flirts with another, I know very well;
And I am left all alone!

She flies to the window when Arundel rings;
She's all over smiles when Lord Archibald sings;
It's plain that her Cupid has two pair of wings;
Where is she gone, where is she gone?
Her love and my love are different things;
And I-am left all alone!

"I brought her one morning a rose for her brow ;
Where is she gone, where is she gone?

She told me such horrors were never worn now:
And I-am left all alone!

But I saw her at night with a rose in her hair,
And I guess who it came from,of course, I don't care!
We all know that girls are as false as they're fair;
Where is she gone, where is she gone?

I'm sure the lieutenant's a horrible bear:
And I am left all alone!

"Whenever we go to the Downs for a ride,
Where is she gone, where is she gone?
She looks for another to trot by her side:
And I-am left all alone!

T

And whenever I take her down stairs from a ball,
She nods to some puppy to put on her shawl:
I'm a peaceable man, and I don't like a brawl;-
Where is she gone, where is she gone?

But I would give a trifle to horse whip them all;
And I-am left all alone!

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"She tells me her mother belongs to the sect,
Where is she gone, where is she gone?
Which holds that all waltzing is quite incorrect, }} [
And I am left all alone!

But a fire's in my heart, and a fire's in my brain;
When she waltzes away with Sir Phelim O'S

I don't think I ever can ask her again; to SURVỵ À
Where is she gone, where is she gone, good
And, lord since the summer she's grown very plain,
And I am left all alone!

She said that she liked me a twelvemonth ago,
Where is she gone, where is she gone?or
"And how 'should I guess that she'd torture me so ?
And I am left all alone!!!

Some day she'll find out it was not very wise,
To laugh at the breath of a true-lover's sighs;
After all,-Fanny Myrtle is not such a prize!
Where is she gone, where is she gone?
Louisa Dalrymple has exquisite eyes:
And I'll be no longer alone!"'

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1

1

We have scarcely said any thing of the prose Tales; and the reason is, that we have only read one or two of them. We can easily perceive, however, that some of them are excellent. They are contributed by Mr Fraser, the author of "The Kuzzilbash,”—by Mr Leitch Ritchie, the author of “ Tales and Confessions," by Miss Mitford, by Mr Macfarlane, the author of " Constantinople in 1828,"-by Derwent Conway,-by William Howit,— and by the authors of "Selwyn" and "Tales of the

some humorous stanzas called "Vanity Fair," and some O'Hara Family." There are three anonymous sketches,

The Last Man in Town," "The Discovery," and Morning Calls," which appear to us very poor, and Take it for all in all, which we wish had been omitted, however, this is a volume calculated to afford amusement for many a long winter night.

graver and better ones called "The Neglected Child.' We like also Lunacy," by John Bowring," The Legend of the Drachenfels," by Winthrop Mackworth Praed, the "Sonnets to Columbus," by Sir Aubrey de Vere, Bart., and the "Address to certain Gold Fishes," by Hartley Coleridge, a young man of great genius, but we are afraid never destined to turn it to good practical The Amulet; a Christian and Literary Remembrancer. The three poems by the three American poets "A Summer Scene," by Robert Morare all interesting. ris of Philadelphia, is one of the best things in the volume, and certainly calculated to make some of our own minstrels look to their laurels. We have room for only one other quotation, and it shall be a lively anonymous piece, entitled,

Being at present so circumstanced, as to prevent me from writing any thing expressly for your very beautiful and interesting work,The Amulet,"-I place at your disposal some lines, which, though h they may deserve little notice, were written at an age and on an oecasion that may, perhaps, disarm ériticism. 780 My dear Sir, sincerely yours, Most

"It is my greatest glory, that I have seldom been present at outrageous deeds of sin and wickedness; indeed, my very presence is often sufficient to deter men from deeds of evil. The Juvenile Forget-me-Not A Christmas and New Plots, contrived with the greatest secresy, are sooner or later Year's Gift, or Birthday Present, for the Year 1830. brought to me, and I am generally enabled to subvert them. Edited by Mrs S. C. Hall. London. N. Hailes.racteristics, I may affirm that I have no dark side in my "As candour and sincerity are my distinguishing chaPp. 229.

men.

and have done more to its elucidation than most practical I owe a debt of gratitude to Sir Isaac Newton: his discoveries and writings have developed my faculties, and enlarged my capacity,

"Poets of renown have celebrated my praise; but to the best of poets, Homer and Milton, I was almost a stranger. I am not known as an author, and I never preached a sermon; yet myReflections on Mankind' have been of incalculable benefit to the human race. Critics will tell you that these reflections are not solid,-in fact, have no weight, though they confess they bear some colour of truth.

"I will confess my want of gravity; but I have other properties or qualities, which supply that of solidity. I have an unvaried rectitude of principle, and pursue that line of conduct which leads me directly to my object. My power surpasses that of the greatest potentate on earth; yet so far from exciting fear, or terror, by my presence, fear flies at my approach. I am the harbinger of joy; and it is only in my absence that men turn pale with affright!.

"My form is slender and agile. I can pass through the narrowest passage; yet I am, at times, so large, that the most spacious chamber will not contain me. "I cannot describe to you the garb by which to recognize me, as I vary it continually, both in form and colour; and without vanity or extravagance, I conform to every variety of fashion. My constitution is such, that I cannot exist in a dungeon, nor even in a room, if the shutters be closed, and have no aperture. But I must now conclude with a most humiliating confession: you have heard the German story of a man who had no shadow-I am in the same predicaTo this, we shall add the following little poem by Mrs Hemans, which ought to be set to music immediately, and sung everywhere:

ment!"

Come to thy father's hall,

Thy mother's breast!

1

O'er the far blue mountains,
O'er the white sea-foarn,

***Come, thon long-parted one!

en Back to thy home!”ituire gli zme We have, at present, given our readers only a few general ideas regarding these delightful books; but they will not be surprised at our not being more minute, when they consider that we are not only the first in Scotland to speak of them at all, but that we have also the start of the London Periodical Press.

tinetly than he has done. As to his impartiality, we confess we were not altogether so sure; for we were well aware that the natural tendency of the education of a clergyman of the Church of England was to foster every and the obstinate enemy of all prelacy. But we are hap kind of prejudice against the leader of the Independents, py to say that our fears have proved unfounded, and that as far as we can judge from the contents of the first volume, which takes us down to the death of Charles L., Dr Russell has allowed himself to be led away by the prepossessions neither of one party nor the other, but has throughout expressed his opinions candidly, temperately, and, we think, justly. Thus, while his style is charac terised by great precision, and that useful strength which arises from the rejection of all superfluous ornament, the reader, who is anxious only to investigate the truth, may safely take him for a guide, and will find him one who thinks for himself, without being either too tame or too violent. We do not, of course, mean to say that the book contains no statements which may not be cavilled at by the partisans of either side; but only that the auther is fairly entitled to, claim to himself the merit of having avoided the two extremes, and of having given “an impartial view of Cromwell's conduct, in his early life, in his first entrance upon public business, in his achievements as a soldier, and in his rise to political power." That he will be equally impartial when he comes to sperk of his government of the three kingdoms, we have every reason to hope, his character throughout being made to depend upon his actions, and the reader being constantly supplied with evidence, by means of which he may met only form his own judgment, but may also ascertain the accuracy of the opinions which have been propagated by others.

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Such being the view we entertain of Dr Russell's Life of Cromwell upon these essential points, we need scarcely add, that we look upon it as likely to prove, when com pleted, a valuable and excellent work. The period of British history which it embraces is, without question, the most important in the annals of this country; and though a great deal has already been written upon it, the story can afford to be told over and over again every fifty years; for every new generation likes to have these great events put into their own language by some of their own contemporaries. It is, of course, needless to enter here into any analysis of Cromwell's career; and we shall reserve Some farther remarks, which we may have to make upon Dr Russell's work, till the appearance of the second vo lame. Meantime, the following passage, descriptive of Cromwell's Parliamentary abilities, and of his personal appearance, affords a fair specimen of our author's style;

No wise panegyrist of Cromwell will maintain that, in point of wealth, learning, eloquence, dress, or any external accomplishment, he could bear a comparison with the ma Sjority of the members even of the Long Parliament. The secret of his elevation, therefore, must be sought for in the exercise of talents which were entirely independent of those outward advantages, which, in the first instance at least, conciliate attention, and bespeak a favourable bearing even in the most factious assembly. Fervour, zeal, and knowledge of the subject under debate, command at length the most reluctant auditor, and confer the charm of oratory on a bare statement of facts. We find accordingly that he on gained the respect of the House by the depth of his arguLife of Oliver Cromwell. By the Rev. M. Russell, ments, though delivered without grace, eloquence, or even LL.D. In two volumes. Vol. I. being Volume clearness; and he gradually rose in the favour of the more XLVII. of Constable's Miscellany. Edinburgh, 1829. discerning of the members, by his penetration, his unwearied diligence, his courage, and perseverance. He accommodated WHAT the readers of a popular work like Constable's himself to the dispositions of the leading persons of his own Miscellany naturally look for in a Life of Oliver Crom-side; he studied carefully the views and temper of every well, is clearness and impartiality. From what we know one whose influence was likely to shape the determinatioas of Dr Russell's literary acquirements, we never entertain- of his compatriots; and he availed himself equally of the ed any doubt, that in the first of these respects his book strength and of the weakness of character which he found

.:

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"This chapter, which

would be exactly what it ought to be. We find, accord-prevailing around him.s been devoted to the domestic ingly, that to great simplicity of narrative he unites great history of Cromwell, may be properly concluded with a accuracy of information, and that no one could have told short description of his person. He is said to have beeft in the story of Cromwell's extraordinary career more dis-early life of a robust make and constitution, and his aspect

manly, though clownish. At a later period, he became what Noble calls rather a coarse-looking man.' He had suffered much from the fatigues of a military life, from the anxiety which surrounded the high station to which he ultimately attained, and perhaps from the disappointments incident to an ambition which aspired to a still more lofty eminence. His countenance was usually weather-beaten, his complexion sallow, his features strongly marked, and his nose of a flaming red. In a volume entitled Butler's Remains it is said that Cromwell wants neither wardrobe nor armour; his face was naturally buff, and his skin may furnish you with a rusty coat of mail; you would think he had been christened in a lime-pit, and tanned alive. There is much more abuse of this contemptible kind to be found in other royalist writers, who, when the governmetit was restored, thought they could not supply too strong food to gratify the appetite for revenge which the severities of the Protectorate had excited. It is not to be questioned, however, that his physiognomy must have presented a particular conformation. Clarendon says, that he had something singular and ungracious in his look and appearance. And a lady, who records her recollections of him in the Annual Register, remarks, that when she saw him, his face was very pale, and his nose of a deep red." he sa

In

added to his knowledge, and matured his judgment. regard to posthumous publications, however, the very refrom the papers of the deceased will naturally comprehend verse of all this is to be apprehended. The first selection such as are of most value; and if, by the success of one volume, the editor is tempted to add a second, his choice is now limited to the pieces, which he formerly rejected. It was perhaps owing to his consciousness of lying under this disadvantage, that the editor has sought to give interest to the present volume, by something of novelty in its arrangement, and variety in its contents. It consists, for the most part, of Discourses, so arranged with their appropriate prayers and psalms, as to form a sort of Directory for Presbyterian worship. All this is, in our opinion, a little unnecessary, since such an arrangement and such materials, being suited to the service of the Sabbath, and the less circumscribed time of those who assemble for the purpose of public worship, will not be found available for family devotion; nor can we allow that, even on the score of curiosity, such a formula can be of value, since, it may be presumed, that it is already sufficiently faTo this, we may add another passage, indicative of the miliar to those who are likely to be readers of Mr. Gracie's tone of impartiality which pervades the whole work volume. We are not aware that our established church "But it must not be concealed that, associated with the holds so mean a place among Christian communities, as extravagance and affectation which deformed a large portion to be in danger of letting its form of public worship be of English society, there was much sound principle, virtue, forgotten, or saved from becoming the subject of antiquaand patriotism. On both sides we see many things worthy rian research, only by the existence of the publication now of admiration. On the one hand, a brave and intelligent people are about to take the field in the cause of liberty, upon under review. Besides a complete Communion Service, which the recent practice of the government had unques this volume contains several miscellaneous Discourses, and tionably made some serious encroachments; and, on the an Essay on the Reasonableness and Advantages of Prayer, other, a generous nobility, supported by the great body of which, though not quite equal to some of the Discourses the minor barons of the kingdom, present themselves in the in his former volume, are all marked with that winning attitude of defending their sovereign against the fury of de- simplicity, good sense, and occasional warmth of feeling mocratical ambition, which threatened to tread the crown and sceptre in the dust. If on either part there was an erand eloquence, which characterise all that we have seen ror, it arose from the undue intensity of a laudable motive. of Mr Gracie's pulpit compositions. The Prayers, of which As in the physical constitution of the atmosphere, the prin- there are several, are not among the least creditable parts ciples which compose the invisible fluid which ministers to of the work: they are neither frigidly elaborate, nor life may, by a slight excess of one of the ingredients, be carelessly familiar; they are generally appropriate, eloconverted into a most virulent poison; so in the temper of quent, and sufficiently enriched, though not cumbered, the British people, at that important crisis, the infusion of with Scripture phraseology. Mr Gracie appears to have an intemperate zeal for matters of inferior consequence, pre-entertained a proper sense of the dignity of his profession, cipitated the most virtuous nation in Europe into the miseries of a civil war.'

Before concluding, we may remark, that we are not quite pleased with the manner in which the important battle of Marston-Moor is described. The whole details

The

are copied from an imperfect account given by a weekly
Journal of that day, called the Mércurius Britannicus, in-
stead of being taken from various sources, and moulded
by the author into a distinct narrative of his own.
battle of Naseby is much better told, and shows what Dr
Russell can do when he chooses. If his second volume
be as good as his first, we scarcely know any work which
has yet appeared in the Miscellany that we shall look
upon as more entitled to popular favour. 10 omdziaqutova

Waugh

WE had occasion, about the end of last winter, to notice at some length a volume of Sermons selected from the MSSA of the late Mr Gracie. We are happy to find that the favourable opinion which we expressed of these Sermons has been confirmed by the public; and the editor pleads the approbation with which the former volume was received as his apology for now presenting us with some more of his brother's papers. This is rather a hazardous experiment, in so far at least as the reputation of the deceased is concerned. In the case of a diving ́author, one successful publication naturally leads us to expect equal, or even greater, excellence in his next performance. We may reasonably hope that he will have profited by the hints of friendship, and the strictures of judicious criticism that he shall have acquired greater correctness in composition that experience shall have

and the importance of its duties. We have no hesitation in again recommending his Discourses to the favour of the public.

History of the Town of Greenock. By Daniel Weir. Greenock. Daniel Weir., 1829. 8vo. Pp. 126. THIS is, of course, a work more of local than of general interest. Mr Weir is well known, in the West country, as an amiable and modest writer, and the author of a number of very pretty verses. His History of Greenock, though the contents are somewhat deficient in lucid arrangement, for which, indeed, he apologises in the Preface, is sensibly written, and is creditable to his industry and research,

merely a single row of thatched houses, and, in the year At the beginning of the 18th century, Greenock was 1716, it contained only four slated tenements. A harbour, however, was built, and the town continued to increase slowly. In 1755, the population did not exceed 3800. Soon afterwards, however, its increase became more rapid, and it started up into a flourishing seaport, a character which it has ever since maintained. Its present population may be estimated at about 27,000, including seamen. Its inhabitants, as was naturally to be expected, have been always more remarkable for opulence and commercial spirit, than for their attention to literature and science. In 1769, the Magistrates, before they admitted Mr John Wilson to the superintendence of the Grammar School, stipulated that he should abandon the “" profane and unprofitable art of poem-making." In 1792, a literary society was commenced, but existed only for about eighteen months. Several other societies for the encouragement of arts, science, or literature, have been attempted since, but have never

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