MISCELLANEOUS LITERARY NOTICES. FRANCE. Provincial Libraries.-The Chambers grant considerable sums for the endowment of libraries in the different Departments. This year they voted 200,000 francs for this purpose. Great complaints are made of the manner in which the books are selected. Worthless ro tensive sale. A valuable historical poem of the sixteenth century, entitled De Tristibus Franciæ, from a MS. in the civic library of Lyons, has been published at Lyons and Paris; the poem gives a minute description of the civil and religious wars of France under the sons of Catherine de Medicis, and represents, by a variety of illus trative tracings, the costumes, &c., of that eventful period. The British government having removed the restrictions which, under the post-office regula tions, prevented the admission of Galignani's Messenger into Great Britain, except under a high rate of postage, it may now be received in the same way as the other Paris newspapers, viz. by payment of only one half-penny postage. mances and books of a very inferior description quis de Salvo, has commenced a series of anecThat interesting and elegant writer, the Marare said to form the chief mass of the accessions dotes, sketches, and tales, under the title Papiers to these libraries by order of the ministers. détachés; this work will no doubt have an exThis reproach seems to us the more extraordinary, as there can be no doubt that M. Guizot, at least, has a sincere desire for the moral improvement of his countrymen. The salaries of the librarians are remarkably low-800 francs per annum for the head-librarian, and 600 francs for the sub-librarian. The arrangement of the books is said to be very defective, and it is with the greatest difficulty that strangers can obtain a sight of the manuscripts and rarer works. The buildings are many of them roomy and spacious, Two literary novelties are announced, and are having been cloisters which were declared na- the subject of much conversation at Paris. The tional property during the French revolution. first, Sentiment de Napoleon sur la Divinité de The number of readers is very small; at Rouen, Jesus Christ, is from the pen of M. de Bauterne, Nantes, Lyons, the most literary cities after Pa- and will contain some hitherto unpublished paris, nine was the average number; in smaller pers written by the Emperor; the second is a cities of 30,000 to 40,000 inhabitants, as Tours, Angers, Bourges, more than three were seldom found. We copy this from a German journal, in which the writer says that he speaks from long experience. If his statement be correct, we hope that measures of improvement will be adopted. Dictionnaire de l'Armée de Terre, which occupied the late General Bardin during the last thirty years of his life. The first part of this highly interesting work is now ready. GERMANY. It has now been clearly ascertained that the Baron von Hügel has published two volumes words Anglois, François, j'amois, j'étois, &c., of his travels in the East, under the title of were formerly pronounced the same as moi, toi, "Kaschmir und das Reich der Siek," in which &c. The change in pronunciation took place he relates his travels in a pleasing style. He after the marriage of Catharine de Medici, in appears to be an amiable man, and to have 1553, when a number of Italians became at- made a good use of his fortune, and, with all tached to the French court; these persons could the bonhommie in the world, he contrives ocnot pronounce the oi, and it became fashionable casionally to direct the reader's attention. It at court, in deference to the queen, to pronounce would not be uninteresting to compare his reit as ai; Voltaire was the first who introduced port with that of our countrymen travelling in this system in his writings, after which it became general. Boileau, Racine, and Molière followed the early and correct method. M. Biot has announced a Dictionary of the ancient and modern names of the towns, &c., in the Chinese empire. this direction. The work is to extend to four volumes; the two last will probably contain the history of Cashmir. A work has been lately published under the title of "Der Religions-Krieg in Deutschland, oder Elisabeth Stuart" (The War of Religion in Germany, or Elizabeth Stuart), which con- and on the Orinoco, from his reports and comtains an account of the fortunes of the Prince munications to the London Geographical SociePalatine, son-in-law to James the First of Eng-ty, (during the years 1835-1839,) with a map land. The residence of the unfortunate pair in and six coloured views. Alexander von HumHolland is very interesting. boldt will add a preface, and his Essay on some important points respecting the Geography of Guiana. The Leipzig Easter Catalogue contains 4513 books that have already been published, and 424 that will be published in the course of the present year. The former were published by 527 booksellers: 650 works issued from the press for 74 Leipzig houses; 70 for 7 in Dresden; and in the rest of Saxony 10 publishers published 85 works; 165 Prussian booksellers published 1173 works, not one-third more than in Saxony. There were 449 works published in Berlin by 48 booksellers. In Vienna 183 books were published by 19 booksellers; the other cities of Austria contributed 108 works, (14 publishers.) Thus the whole number of works published in this extensive empire amounts to little more than one-third of those issued in the small kingdom of Saxony. We are glad to learn that the King of the French has conferred the Cross of the Legion of Honour on Jacob Grimm. This great scholar has published in an Epistle to Lachmann, a kind of supplement to his classical work, "Reinhart Fuchs," which contains fragments of an old German poem on the subject, together with one in modern Greek. Both will prove welcome additions to the numerous admirers of sly Renard. As Mr. Borrow's very interesting work on the Gypsies of Spain will doubtless direct public attention to that singular people, it may not be amiss to observe that Mr. Graffunder, a gentleman in the service of the Prussian governTHE CENSORSHIP.-During the Easter book-ment, and inspector of the schools in the dissellers' fair, the two general meetings were trict of Erfurt, published a small volume in held, at which the difficulties under which the quarto on the subject a few years ago, entitled trade laboured in consequence of the injurious "Ueber die Sprache der Zigeuner, eine gramrestraints of the censorship were discussed. matische Skizze." (On the Language of the M. Reimer, one of the most respectable book- Gypsies, a grammatical Sketch). This gentlesellers of Germany, whose publications are al- man was commissioned by the government to most all of a highly valuable character, pro- inform the Gypsies in this neighbourhood, that posed a resolution, to the effect, that no book- notwithstanding they had hitherto rejected all seller should publish any works written by a attempts to civilize them, one last offer would person holding the office of censor. This ex- be made, to induce them to abandon their vaga. treme measure met with considerable opposi- bond mode of life. Not content with merely tion, and was finally declined. It was at length executing his commission, he humanely endearesolved to present a petition to the Saxon gov-voured to convert the children, and in the ernment, requesting it to use its influence with course of his efforts, found himself induced to the Diet at Frankfort for the removal of the present provisory restrictions of the press, for bringing into active operation the 18th section of the well-known decree of the Diet, and for allowing in the mean time at least such a limited freedom of the press as had been granted by the Diet in 1819. A committee was appointed to conduct this affair. A new edition of the works of Jacob Böhme is now in the course of publication in Leipzig. It will consist of six volumes, three of which have already appeared. Several biographical accounts of John Brentz, the apostle of the Reformation in Würtemberg, have recently been published, the best of which is undoubtedly that edited by Messrs. Hartmann and Jäger, and published by Perthes. study their language. He has given the result of his observations with equal modesty and humanity in the little work above mentioned, which confirms (if confirmation were necessary) Mr. Borrow's assertion, that the language was of Oriental origin and identical with that of the Spanish Gypsies. We should be very glad to see some remarks on the grammatical structure of the language from the pen of one who possesses such great advantages in this respect as Mr. Borrow. It is stated that the King of Prussia has commissioned Herr von Bülow to propose to the Diet at Frankfort, that "scientific works and all volumes containing a certain number of sheets shall be published without being subject to the censorship. We hope that the report is true, as the restraints of this institution operate very injuriously. Will it be believed that it is only recently that visiting cards have been freed from the inspection of the censor? Professor Haupt has just published the first number of a new periodical for German Antiquities ("Zeitschrift für Deutsches Alterthum.") Its contents are principally philological, and, judging from the first number, likely to Captain Moltke, one of the Prussian officers prove very interesting. Jacob and William who entered the service of the Sultan, has pubGrimm, Beneke, and other eminent scholars, lished an interesting volume on the state of the are among the contributors. We direct the at- Turkish empire. He and his companions in tention of German scholars to the valuable pe-arms, von Fincke, Mühlbach, Fischer, and riodical now concluded, which was published Laue, had excellent opportunities of observing by Messrs. Haupt and Hoffmann von Fallersle- the state of the Turkish army before the battle ben, under the modest title of "Alt-Deutsche of Nisib. The observations on the capabilities Blätter" (German Leaves). of Asia-Minor deserve general attention, as Mr. George Wigand, of Leipzig, has just is- everything indicates that this unsettled counsued a prospectus for publishing (in German) try must shortly undergo a considerable Mr. Robert Schomburgk's Travels in Guiana change. 1841. Niemeyer's Book of Religion for the high-his work on America, has been commissioned er Classes of Society" has been forbidden in by the King of Prussia to visit this country in Prussia. As the work had already gone company with an architect, in order to report through seventeen Editions, the prohibition had on the style adopted in building prisons in England. excited great sensation. NASSAU. The condition of the little duchy of The Editors of the "Hallische Jahrbücher" (a paper published in Leipzig, but edited by Dr. Nassau, as compared with what it was in 1816, Arnold Runge, professor in the Prussian Uni- is most gratifying. In the department of public versity at Halle, and Dr. Echtermayer) have instruction, there were in 1816, 710 masters; received an order from the government to have there are now 853. The salaries of the former the work printed under the Prussian censor- amounted to 136,002 florins; they amount now ship, as several articles respecting Prussia, pub- to 221,026 florins. The country has been dividlished in this journal, had given offence at Ber-ed into districts, so that all the inhabitants can lin. It is reported that Dr. Runge, rather than go to the courts of justice and to the public apothcomply with this order, will sell his property in ecaries, and return on the same day. The sum Prussia and settle in Saxony, whither his co-insured on the National Fire Insurance Office editor has likewise removed. The work will amounted only to 28 million florins; it now exmost probably be forbidden in Prussia. The ceeds 78 millions, whilst the rate of insur"Hallische Jahrbücher," although little known ance has been reduced to nearly one third. in England, must, with all its faults, be consid- The police-taxes on bread, meat, beer, and spirits ered as one of the most valuable German peri- have been abolished. The parents of illegiti odicals. The prevailing tone is that of the mate children were formerly subject to very new or extreme sect of the younger followers severe punishments, which frequently produced of Hegel. Freedom of discussion in matters of infanticide. The new system, by which the religion and politics is warmly advocated, and father is bound to support his offspring, works although there are many opinions expressed in it, which we strongly disapprove, such as the excessive admiration of Strauss, yet we must do justice to the talent and ability with which it is conducted. We believe the editors to be in earnest, which is no small praise when we contrast them with the lackadaisical managers of many of the German periodicals. The journal would gain, were the tone less exclusively restricted to their own peculiar philosophical school; but such as it is, no one can be considered a competent judge of the currents at present at work in the literary sphere of Germany, who does not make himself acquainted with their doctrines. well, only one child in seventeen being now ille- By a recent census the population of the Duchy of Saxe Weimar amounts to 248,498 inhabitants, including Weimar, 11,485 inhabitants; Eisenach, 9340; and Jena, 6004, Cornelius (to whom the artists of Dresden gave a public dinner on his passage through that city) has been received with great honour at Berlin, and elected an ordinary member of the Berlin scientific Art-Union. At a recent meeting of this society on the 15th of May, Professor Schöll read a report of his travels in Greece, in which he gave an account of the devastation which the Parthenon had suffered at different periods. He likewise made honourable mention of the statues and other works of art which had A small pamphlet, entitled Das Ende kommt, been discovered in the vicinity of the temple during the excavations, executed by order of the has been rapidly taken off the publishers' hands, present government of Greece, since the year (Beck and Fränkel, of Stuttgart). This pamphlet 1835. Professor Schöll has brought home draw-states, that after the most careful calculation ings of them taken on the spot, and as he is about the prelate, Bengel, has discovered that the year to publish the journal of his lamented fellow- 1843 is the period appointed in the Scriptures traveller, Ottfried Müller, we hope he will like- for the destruction of the world by fire. A Quarterly journal for ladies, entitled Frauenwise communicate the result of his own obserspiegel, has been commenced under the vations. Professor Zahn, whose valuable collection, auspices of Reichenbach, the eminent Leipzig formed at Pompeii, is well known to all travel-bookseller; among the fair contributors the lers in the south of Italy, has just published the names of Leonhardt Lyser, L. Reinhardt, A. first part of a splendid work, on Pompeii, Hercu-Franz, v. Nindorf, Annette Elizabeth v. D. laneum and Stabiæ. The subjects represented A. Schoppe, Elise v. L-, and Hülle, appear. Professors Hermann and Lobeck have been were discovered in 1839 and 1840, and have never been published; they are of the size of the invested with the order of St. Stanislaus by the originals, and mostly coloured in lithographic Emperor of Russia, in approbation of their great literary attainments. oil-coloured impressions. We believe that Dr. Julius, well known by VOL. XXVII. The new number of the Deutsche Vierteljahr schrift (German Quarterly Review) contains several interesting articles: among others The North and Eastern Boundaries of France, considered in a Military View; and The South Western Frontiers of Germany; The Print Trade and Fine Arts in Germany; and A Project for a General and Uniform Post for the whole of Germany. Dr. Emanuel Tafel, the chief librarian at the Tübingen royal library, so well known to the theological and learned world by his strenuous advocacy of the Swedenborgian doctrines, has just published the second part of E. Swedenborgii Adversaria in libros Veteris Testamenti Historicos, and has commenced a Magazin für die wahre Christliche Religion und ihre einzige Erkenntnissquelle die heilige Schrift, to be continued monthly, in which he will be assisted by many eminent divines. The twelfth volume of his Arcana cœlestica quæ in scriptura sacra seu verbo Domini sunt detecta opus E. Swedenborg, is already in the press, and the thirteenth, which is the concluding volume, is promised in the course of the year. A respectable German journal gives the following not very flattering description of Hamburg: "The children of the affluent receive some children's books as presents at Christmas; the lover gratifies his mistress with an Annual, on account of the pictures and binding; young people buy occasionally a couple of volumes of the Cheap Miniature Library; the pious purchase a few tracts, Witschel's Morning and Evening Sacrifice, or the Hours of Devotion; those who wish to secure themselves in conversation, perhaps a Conversations lexicon, but that is all; and it is very rare to find a library in a rich family. The men content themselves with reading the German, French, English, and American journals at the Börsen-Halle and in the principal coffee-houses; the ladies read the periodicals. and the contents of the circulating library, and the more fade these are, the better." We trust this report is somewhat exaggerated. ITALY. The celebrated Allgemeine Zeitung is no longer to be seen in the Papal States, in consequence of the increased rate of postage which has been levied on this publication by the government, in revenge for the violent political articles and criticisms which have recently appeared, reflecting on the administration. A grammar of Music, entitled Teoriche elementari di Musica, has been published at Naples; it is from the pen of Alessandro Mampieri; and another interesting musical publication, Memorie de Compositori di Musica del Regno di Napoli, racolte dal Marchese di Villarosa. The Mahommedans have 5296 Mosques, and 14,517 Priests. The Calmucs have 76 Temples for the worship of Buddhism. The Emperor has presented the Academy with several interesting MSS. relating to Russian History from the year 1074; of these, there are nearly four hundred documents copied by Turgeneff from original MSS. in the Vatican at Rome; one document gives the particulars of Jeremiah's Journey from Constantinople to Moscow, and several relate to the wars which occurred in Russia between 1568 and 1650. The government, laws and statutes from 1356 to 1700 are in the course of publication, and will comprise five large volumes. SWEDEN. H. B. Lewin, Esq., of Stockholm, has lately published, in the Swedish capital, a complete English translation of those celebrated numbers of Professor Geijer's "Litteratur-Blad" which treat of the Poor and the Poor-Laws. Some copies will doubtless make their way to England, and cannot fail to excite the attention of our countrymen to the sentiments of so great a philosopher as Geijer on a subject so momentous to all Europe. Count Björnstjerna's answer to Mr. Laing (an answer in which little is replied to), has lately appeared in a Swedish dress. A spirited Swedish bookseller has commenced republishing here a series of the "Danish Classics." They will cost only one-fourth of the Danish price, and will rather advance than disserve the interests of the Danish booksellers, as they will be bought by a class who would never have purchased the absurdly expensive original copies, and will excite a taste for Danish literature which cannot but lead to expensive purchasers of other works. The celebrated Crusenstolpe, who has already written and published three volumes since his imprisonment, has now brought out two more still more captivating than the preceding, and which have already reached to a second edition. They are called Morianen, eller HolsteinGottorpska Huset i Sverige (The Moor, or the Holstein-Gottorp Dynasty in Sweden). The third and concluding volume is expected shortly. The whole work is a kind of almost-all-true historical romance, full of secret history, and sketching, with delightful truth and colouring, Swedish men and manners, and the courts and governments of Adolphus Fredrik and his successors. With a few omissions, we should think a translation could not but be acceptable to the British public. Crusenstolpe is undoubtedly the first prose pen of Sweden ! The diet, which has been, on the whole, rather liberal and rather stormy, is still sitting, and will probably not break up till the end of June. Professors Geijer and Thomander, together with Dr. Bergfalck the great civilian, have commonly spoken and voted with the opposition in the House of Priests to which they belong. Professor Geijer, though no clergyman, is deputy for the University of Upsala. Miss Bremer, the distinguished novelist, (authoress of "Home," &c.) has lately published a charming little sketch of manners in the North and of Norway in particular, under the title of Strid och Frid, eller Teckningar i Norrige (Strife and Peace, or Sketches in Norway). The last new Swedish novel is, Kyrkoinvigningen i Hammarby, by Doctorinnan Fly gare. Herr Hjerta, the enterprising Stockholm publisher, has lately stereotyped an excellent new English and Swedish Pocket Dictionary. It is very neat, very cheap, and is the first book stereotyped in Sweden. Among the remarkable productions of the Swedish press, we must mention the Ordbok öfver Svenska Spräket (Dictionary of the Swedish Language), two numbers of which have already appeared. We cannot decide as to the extraordinary merits it may possess, as the contents of these two numbers have hitherto consisted principally of the Introduction, which is modestly and instructively written. The writer does not lay claim to Herculean philological studies, but to a respectable acquaintance with the languages and dialects nearest allied to his mother-tongue. The periods of publication are too long (one small number per quarter) and the scale too large, all the compounds being debated and printed in the same style as their simple roots. But if only moderately successful in execution, it will be a great favour conferred on the literature of Sweden. We are at length promised a Swedish Review (the old Upsala one being deceased). It is to be published at Lund, under the superintendence of a Committee of Litterateurs. A. L. von Strussen felt has just published a pamphlet on "Attempts to commit Crime." Professor Palmblad's last novel is, "Love and Politics." Rector Almqvist has published a new volume of his "Book of the Rose." It contains two tales, "The Painter," and "The Position of the Clergyman in Modern Times." Dr. H. Reuterdahl has just favoured the lover of old saws and old dialects with a valuable col. lection of "Ancient Swedish Proverbs" from a MS. four or five centuries old, preserved in the Library of Lund University. The text is older and more pure than the similar collections published in Denmark under the name of Peder Lolle. Illustrated Almanacs and attempts at "Annuals," are still issuing from the Swedish press. Some of them are pretty enough. Among the lithograph works of the day ought to be mentioned "The Great Men of Sweden," in monthly parts, from the best paintings, &c. and "The Chiefs of the Diet," now sitting in Stockholm. The melancholy increase of crime, and the defective state of the prisons in Sweden, has induced the Crown-Prince to publish a work on punishments and penal institutions, in which he gives the preference to the Philadelphian system. Afzelius, well known in this country as the first editor of Swedish popular songs, is publishing a work in parts, Fodernelandets Sagehofder (Sweden's traditional History). His object is to illustrate the history of his native country by traditions, songs, monuments, and legends. To judge from the two parts that have appeared, it should seem that Sweden is richer in this department than has hitherto been supposed. The literary remains of Professor Törneros, Latin professor at Upsala, are in the course of publication, under the title of Letters and Journal-Remarks. Only one part has appeared, containing the letters, which are very interesting. The History of Swedish Poetry, in two volumes, and Contributions to Swedish Esthetics, by Mr. Lenström, have not much value as original productions, but they enable the reader to compare the opinions of the most eminent Swedish critics, Hammarskiold, Geijer, Atterbom, and others, from whom the author quotes largely. Professor Palmblad is publishing a collected edition of his novels. We are glad to learn that an attempt on the part of Almqvist to introduce the lascivious tendency of the French romance writers into Sweden has excited the indignation of the public, and we hope that the good sense of the Swedes will prevent the progress of a tone in this department of literature which, we are sorry to say, is occasionally more or less covertly adopted by writers of no mean celebrity in our country. DENMARK. The Northern Antiquarian Society has published a Supplement to the Antiquitates Americanæ. The volume is edited by the learned Secretary, C. C. Rafn. The discovery of an ancient building in Newport, Rhode Island, supposed to belong to the Ante-Columbian Scandinavian dis |