Harper's New Monthly Magazine, No. VI, November 1850, Vol. I

From France the only intelligence of interest relates to political movements, concerning which, moreover, there is nothing but partisan and unreliable rumors. The President, in his various letters, addresses, &c., insists uniformly on the necessity of maintaining the existing order of things, and speaks confidently of an appeal to the people. Contradictory rumors prevail as to his intentions – some believing that he meditates a coup-d'état, but most regarding his movements as aimed to secure the popular vote. The Assembly is to meet on the 11th of November, and his opponents intend then to force him to some ultra-constitutional act which will afford them ground for an appeal. A series of military reviews has engaged public attention; they have been closely watched for incidents indicative of the President's purposes: it is remarked that those who salute him as Emperor are always rewarded for it by some preference over others. – The Councils-general of France have closed their annual session. The chief topic of their deliberations has been the revision of the Constitution, and the result is of interest as indicating the state of public opinion upon that subject. It seems that twenty-one councils separated without taking the subject into consideration; ten rejected propositions for revision; two declared that the constitution ought to be respected; thirty-three departments, therefore, refused, more or less formally, to aid the revision. On the other hand, forty-nine councils came to decisions which the revisionist party claim for themselves. But a very great diversity is to be perceived in these decisions. Thirty-two pronounced in favor of revision only "so far as it should take place under legal conditions," or "so far as legality should be observed;" two of those called attention to the forty-fifth article of the constitution, which makes Louis Napoleon incapable of being immediately rechosen; but another demanded that his powers should be prolonged. One council voted for revision, and also desired to prolong the President's power; ten simply voted for revision; five pronounced for immediate revision, but by very small majorities; one went further, and proposed to give the present Assembly – which is legislative and not constituent – authority to effect the revision. Three councils express merely a desire for a remedy to the present situation. Thirty-three departments have not pronounced for the revision, or have pronounced against it; thirty-three are in favor of a legal revision; thirteen demand the revision without explaining on what conditions they desire to see it effected; and six demand it immediately; making the total of eighty-five.

From Germany the most important intelligence relates to the Electorate of Hesse Cassel, a state containing less than a million of inhabitants, and having a revenue of less than two and a half millions of dollars. By the Constitution the Chamber has the exclusive right of voting taxes. The Elector, acting probably under the advice of Austria, resolved to get rid of the Constitution; and as the first step toward it, he appointed as his minister Hassenpflug, a man wholly without character, and who had been convicted of forgery in another State, and with him was associated Haynau, brother of the infamous Austrian General. Months past away without the Chamber being summoned, but at the time when the session usually closed, the Parliament was called together, and an immediate demand made for money and for powers to raise the taxes, without specific votes of the Chamber. The Parliament replied by an unanimous vote, that however little the ministers possessed the confidence of Parliament, they would not go the length of refusing the supplies, but requested to have a regular budget laid before them, which they promised to examine, discuss, and vote. To so fair and constitutional a resolution the minister replied by dissolving the Parliament, and proceeding to levy the taxes in spite of the Parliament and the Constitution. The cabinet went to the extremity of proclaiming the whole Electorate in a state of siege, and investing the commander-in-chief with dictatorial powers against the press, personal liberty, and property. The town council unanimously protested against these arbitrary acts; and such a spirit of resistance was excited that the Elector and his minister were constrained to seek safety in flight. The Elector left Cassel on the morning of the 13th, and arrived the same evening at Hanover, where he was afterward joined by Hassenpflug. Some of the accounts state that M. Hassenpflug was agitated by terror in his flight. On the 16th, the Elector and his ministers were at Frankfort. The government of the Electorate had been assumed by the Permanent Committee of the Assembly. – In Mecklenberg-Schwerin a similar revolution seems likely to take place. In October, 1849, a new Constitution was formed by the deputies of this Duchy, which received the assent of the Duke. This Constitution was quite democratic in character. The Duke now feeling himself strong enough coolly pronounces the Constitution invalid, absolves his subjects from all allegiance to it, and restores the old Constitution, which was formed in 1755. It is supposed that the Diet will adopt the Hesse Cassel system of stopping the supplies, and so starving out their sovereign.

LITERARY NOTICES

A new work by Rev. William R. Williams, the eminent Baptist clergyman in New York, has just been issued by Gould, Kendall, and Lincoln, entitled Religious Progress, consisting of a series of Lectures on the development of the Christian character, founded on the beautiful gradation of religious excellencies described by St. Peter in his second Epistle. The subjects, which succeed each other in the order of the text, are, Religion a Principle of Growth, Faith its Root, Virtue, Knowledge, Temperance, Patience, Godliness, Brotherly Kindness, Charity. No one who has read any of the former productions of the author can fall into the error of supposing that these topics are treated according to any prescribed, stereotyped routine of the pulpit, or that they labor under the dullness and formality which are often deemed inseparable from moral disquisitions. On the contrary, this volume may be regarded as a profound, stringent, and lively commentary on the aspects of the present age, showing a remarkable keenness of observation, and a massive strength of expression. The author, although one of the most studious and erudite men of the day, is by no means a mere isolated scholar. His vision is not confined by the walls of his library. Watching the progress of affairs, from the quiet "loop-holes of his retreat," he subjects the pictured phantasmagoria before him to a rigorous and searching criticism. He is not apt to be deluded by the dazzling shows of things. With a firm and healthy wisdom, acquired by vigilant experience, he delights to separate the genuine from the plausible, the true gold from the sounding brass, and to bring the most fair-seeming pretenses before the tribunal of universal principles. The religious tone of this volume is lofty and severe. Its sternness occasionally reminds us of the sombre, passionate, half despairing melancholy of John Foster. The modern latitudinarian finds in it little either of sympathy or tolerance. It clothes in a secular costume the vast religious ideas which have been sanctioned by ages, but makes no attempt to mellow their austerity, or reduce their solemn grandeur to the level of superficial thought and worldly aspirations. The train of remark pursued in any one of these Lectures can never be inferred from its title. The suggestive mind of the writer is kindled by the theme, and luxuriates in a singular wealth of analogies, which lead him, it is true, from the beaten track, but only to open upon us an unexpected prospect, crowned with original and enchanting beauties. His power of apt and forcible illustration is almost without a parallel among recent writers. The mute page springs into life beneath the magic of his radiant imagination. But this is never at the expense of solidity of thought or strength of argument. It is seldom indeed that a mind of so much poetical invention yields such a willing homage to the logical element. He employs his brilliant fancies for the elucidation and ornament of truth, but never for its discovery. On this account, he inspires a feeling of trust in the sanity of his genius, although its conclusions may not be implicitly adopted. Still, with the deep respect with which we regard the intellectual position of Dr. Williams, we do not think his writings are destined to obtain a wide popularity. Their condensation of thought, the elaborate and often antique structure of their sentences, the profoundly meditative cast of sentiment with which they are pervaded, and even their Oriental profusion of imagery, to say nothing of the adamantine rigor of their religious views, are not suited to the great mass of modern readers, whose tastes have been formed on models less distinguished for their austerity than for their airiness and grace.

Gould, Kendall, and Lincoln, Boston, have recently issued neat reprints of The Poetry of Science, by Robert Hunt, a popular English work, exhibiting the great facts of science, in their most attractive aspects, and as leading the mind to the contemplation of the Universe; The Footprints of the Creator, by Hugh Miller, with a memoir of the author, by Professor Agassiz, who characterizes his geological productions as possessing "a freshness of conception, a power of argumentation, a depth of thought, a purity of feeling, rarely met with in works of that character, which are well calculated to call forth sympathy, and to increase the popularity of a science which has already done so much to expand our views of the plan of Creation;" and a third edition of The Pre-Adamite Earth, by John Harris, whose valuable contributions to theological science have won for him a high reputation both in England and our own country.

Harper and Brothers have published Nos. 7 and 8 of Lossing's Pictorial Field Book of the American Revolution. The character of this popular serial may be perceived from the extracts at the commencement of the present number of our Magazine. With each successive issue, Mr. Lossing's picturesque narrative gains fresh interest; he throws a charm over the most familiar details by his quiet enthusiasm and winning naïveté; and under the direction of such an intelligent and genial guide it is delightful to wander over the battle-fields of American history, and dwell on the exploits of the heroes by whose valor our national Independence was achieved. Among the embellishments in these numbers, we observe a striking likeness of the venerable Timothy Pickering, of Massachusetts, portraits of Gen. Stark, Joel Barlow, Gen. Wooster, and William Livingston, and exquisite sketches of Baron Steuben's Headquarters, View near Toby's Eddy, The Susquehanna at Monocasy Island, The Livingston Mansion, The Bennington Battle-Ground, and other beautiful and interesting scenes in the history of the Revolution.

Household Surgery; or Hints on Emergencies, by John F. South (H.C. Baird, Philadelphia), is a reprint of a popular and amusing work by an eminent London surgeon, designed for non-professional readers, and pointing out the course to be pursued in case of an accident, when no surgical aid is at hand. The author puts in a caveat against misapprehending the purpose of his book, which he wishes should be judged solely on its merits. No one is to expect in it a whole body of surgery, nor to obtain materials for setting up as an amateur surgeon, to practice on every unfortunate individual who may fall within his grasp; but directions are given which may be of good service on a pinch, when the case is urgent, and no doctor is to be had. In the opinion of the author, whoever doctors himself when he can be doctored, is in much the same case with the man who conducted his own cause, and had a fool for his client. With this explanation, Dr. South's volume may be consulted to great advantage; and although no one would recommend a treatise on bruises and broken bones for light reading, it must be confessed, that many popular fictions are less fertile in entertainment.

An exquisite edition of Gray's Poetical Works has been issued by H.C. Baird, with an original memoir and notes, by the American Editor, Prof. Henry Reed, of Philadelphia. It was the intention of the Editor to make this the most complete collection of Gray's Poems which has yet appeared, and he seems to have met with admirable success in the accomplishment of his plan. The illustrations of Radclyffe, engraved in a superior style of art, by A.W. Graham, form the embellishments of this edition. We have rarely, if ever, seen them surpassed in the most costly American gift-books. The volume is appropriately dedicated to James T. Fields, the poet-publisher of Boston.

The second volume of the Memoirs of Dr. Chalmers, by his son-in-law, William Hanna, is issued by Harper and Brothers, comprising a most interesting account of his labors during his residence at Glasgow, and bringing his biography down to the forty-third year of his age. The whole career of this robust and sinewy divine is full of instruction, but no part of it more abounds with important events than the period devoted to efforts in bringing the destitute classes of Glasgow under the influence of Christian ministrations. Whether in the pulpit, in the discharge of his parochial duties, in the construction of his noble schemes for social melioration, or in the bosom of his family, Dr. Chalmers always appears the same whole-hearted, frank, generous, energetic man, commanding our admiration by the splendor of his intellect, and winning our esteem by the loveliness of his character. Some interesting reminiscences of the powerful but erratic preacher, Edward Irving, who was at one time the assistant of Dr. Chalmers in the Tron Church, are presented in this volume.

History of Propellers and Steam Navigation, by Robert Macfarlane (G.P. Putnam), is the title of a useful work, describing most of the propelling methods that have been invented, which may prevent ingenious men from wasting their time, talents, and money on visionary projects. It also gives a history of the attempts of the early inventors in this department of practical mechanics, including copious notices of Fitch, Rumsey, Fulton, Symington, and Bell. A separate chapter, devoted to Marine Navigation, presents a good deal of information on the subject rarely met with in this country.

The Country Year-Book; or, The Field, The Forest, and The Fireside (Harper and Brothers), is the title of a new rural volume by the bluff, burly, egotistic, but good-natured and humane Quaker, William Howitt, filled with charming descriptions of English country life, redolent of the perfume of bean-fields and hedge-rows, overflowing with the affluent treasures of the four seasons, rich in quaint, expressive sketches of old-fashioned manners, and pervaded by a generous zeal in the cause of popular improvement. A more genial and agreeable companion for an autumn afternoon or a winter's evening could scarcely be selected in the shape of a book.

Success in Life. The Mechanic, by Mrs. L.C. Tuthill, published by G.P. Putnam, is a little volume belonging to a series, intended to illustrate the importance of sound principles and virtuous conduct to the attainment of worldly prosperity. Without believing in the necessary connection between good character and success in business, we may say, that the examples brought forward by Mrs. Tuthill are of a striking nature, and adapted to produce a deep and wholesome impression. In the present work, she avails herself of incidents in the history of John Fitch, Dr. Franklin, Robert Fulton, and Eli Whitney, showing the obstacles which they were compelled to encounter, and the energy with which they struggled with difficulties. She writes in a lively and pleasing manner; her productions are distinguished for their elevated moral tone; and they can scarcely fail to become favorites with the public.

Alton Locke, Tailor and Poet; An Autobiography, is the quaint title of a political and religious novel, understood to be written by a clergyman of the Church of England, which is said to have fallen like a bomb-shell on the old-fashioned schools of political economy in that country. It purports to be the history of a youth of genius, doomed to struggle with the most abject poverty, and forced by the necessity of his position to become a Chartist and a Radical. Brought up in the sternest school of ultra-Calvinism, he passes by natural transitions from a state of hopeless and desperate infidelity, to a milder and more cheerful religious faith, and having taken an active part in schemes for the melioration of society by political action, he learns by experience the necessity of spiritual influences for the emancipation of the people. The tone of the narrative is vehement, austere, and often indignant; never vindictive; and softened at intervals by a genuine gush of poetic sentiment. With great skill in depicting the social evils which are preying on the aged heart of England, the author is vague and fragmentary in his statement of remedies, and leads us to doubt whether he has discovered the true "Balm of Gilead" for the healing of nations. The book abounds with weighty suggestions, urgent appeals, vivid pictures of popular wretchedness, deep sympathy with suffering, and a pure devotion to the finer and nobler instincts of humanity. With all its outpouring of fiery radicalisms, it is intended to exert a reconciling influence, to bring the different classes of society into a nearer acquaintanceship, and to oppose the progress of licentious and destructive tendencies, by enforcing the principles of thorough reform. Such a work can not but be read with general interest. Its strong humanitary spirit will recommend it to a large class of readers, while its acknowledged merits as a work of fiction will attract the literary amateur. – Published by Harper and Brothers.

The Builder's Companion, and The Cabinetmaker and Upholsterer's Companion, are two recent volumes of the Practical Series, published by H.C. Baird, Philadelphia, reprinted from English works of standard excellence. They present a mass of valuable scientific information, with succinct descriptions of various mechanical processes, and are well suited to promote an intelligent interest in industrial pursuits.

Lessons from the History of Medical Delusions (Baker and Scribner), is a Prize Essay by Dr. Worthington Hooker, whose former work on a similar subject has given him considerable reputation as a writer in the department of medical literature. He is a devoted adherent to the old system of practice, and spares no pains to expose what he deems the quackeries of modern times. His volume is less positive than critical, and contains but a small amount of practical instruction. There are many of his suggestions, however, which can not be perused without exciting profound reflection.

Ruschenberger's Lexicon of Terms used in Natural History, a valuable manual for the common use of the student, is published by Lippincott, Grambo, and Co., Philadelphia.

Another volume of Lamartine's Confidences, translated from the French, under the title of Additional Memoirs of My Youth, is published by Harper and Brothers, and can not fail to excite the same interest which has been called forth by the previous autobiographical disclosures of the author. It is written in the rich, glowing, poetical style in which Lamartine delights to clothe his early recollections, and with a naïve frankness of communication equal to that of Rousseau, is pervaded with a tone of tender, elevated, and religious sentiment. The description of a troop of family friends gives a lively tableau of the old school of French gentlemen, and furnishes the occasion for the picturesque delineation of manners, in which Lamartine commands such an admirable pen. The Confessions would not be complete without one or two love episodes, which are accordingly presented in a sufficiently romantic environment.

Harper and Brothers have published a cheap edition of Genevieve, translated from the French of Lamartine, by A.R. Scoble. This novel, intended to illustrate the condition of humble life in France, and to furnish popular, moral reading for the masses, is written with more simplicity than we usually find in the productions of Lamartine, and contains many scenes of deep, pathetic interest. The incidents are not without a considerable tincture of French exaggeration, and are hardly suited, one would suppose, to exert a strong or salutary influence in the sphere of common, prosaic, unromantic duties. As a specimen of the kind of reading which Lamartine deems adapted to the moral improvement of his countrymen, Genevieve is a literary curiosity.

Little and Brown, Boston, have published a handsome edition of Prof. Rose's Chemical Tables for the Calculation of Quantitative Analyses, recalculated and improved, by the American Editor, W.P. Dexter.

Harper and Brothers have issued The History of Pendennis, No. 7, which, to say the least, is of equal interest with any of the preceding numbers, showing the same felicitous skill in portraying the every-day aspects of our common life, which has given Thackeray such a brilliant eminence as a painter of manners. The unconscious case with which he hits off a trait of weakness or eccentricity, his truthfulness to nature, his rare common sense, and his subdued, but most effective satire, make him one of the most readable English writers now before the public.

Stockhardt's Principles of Chemistry, translated from the German, by C.H. Peirce, is published by John Bartlett, Cambridge. This work is accompanied with a high recommendation from Prof. Horsford of Harvard University, which, with its excellent reputation as a textbook in Germany, will cause it to be sought for with eagerness by students of chemistry in our own country.

Petticoat Government, by Mrs. Trollope, is the one hundred and forty-eighth number of Harper's Library of Select Novels, and in spite of the ill odor attached to the name of the authoress, will be found to exhibit a very considerable degree of talent, great insight into the more vulgar elements of English society, a vein of bitter and caustic satire, and a truly feminine minuteness in the delineation of character. The story is interspersed with dashes of broad humor, and with its piquant, rapid, and not overscrupulous style, will reward the enterprise of perusal.

George P. Putnam has published A Series of Etchings, by J.W. Ehninger, illustrative of Hood's "Bridge of Sighs." The plates, which are eight in number, are executed with a good deal of spirit and taste, representing the principal scenes suggested to the imagination by Hood's exquisitely pathetic poem.

A.S. Barnes and Co. have published The Elements of Natural Philosophy, by W.H.C. Bartlett, being the first of three volumes intended to present a complete system of the science in all its divisions. The present volume is devoted to the subject of Mechanics.

G.P. Putnam has issued a new and improved edition of Prof. Church's Elements of the Differential and Integral Calculus.

Lonz Powers, or the Regulators, by James Weir, Esq. (Philadelphia, Lippincott, Grambo, and Co.), is a genuine American romance, written in defiance of all literary precedents, and a vigorous expression of the individuality of the author, as acted on by the wild, exuberant frontier life in the infancy of Western Society. The scenes and characters which are evidently drawn from nature, are portrayed with a bold, dramatic freedom, giving a perpetual vitality and freshness to the narrative, and sustaining the interest of the reader through a succession of adventures, which in the hands of a less skillful chronicler, would have become repulsive by their extravagance and terrible intensity. In addition to the regular progress of the story, the author leads us through a labyrinth of episodes, most of them savoring of the jovial forest life, in which he is so perfectly at home, though dashed with occasional touches of deep pathos. The reflections and criticisms, in which he often indulges to excess, though considerately printed in a different type to show that they may be skipped without damage, are too characteristic to be neglected, and on the whole, we are glad that he had enough verdant frankness to present them to his readers just as they sprung up in his mercurial brain. We imagine that the fame of Milton will survive his attacks, in spite of the mean opinion which he cherishes of the Paradise Lost. With all its exaggerations and eccentricities, Lonz Powers has many of the elements of a superior novel – glowing imagination, truthfulness of description, lively humor, spicy satire, and an acute perception of the fleeting lights and shades of character. If it had ten times its present faults, it would be redeemed from a severe judgment, by its magnetic sympathies, and the fascinating naturalness with which it pours forth its flushed and joyous consciousness of life.