Ah! gay days of life, when the hours danced along And waving with breezes of balm and perfume! But those days are gone by, and the finger of Care Has wrinkled my forehead, and silver'd my brow; Yet, sweet's the remembrance of pleasures that were, In life's cloudless May-day, twice ten years ago. And yonder's the bank, by the wild winding rill, And the bank is still green, and its flow'rets are seen But mute is the song that enliven'd the scene, Yon wide-spreading thorn still blooms in its prime, As I press'd all her beauties beneath its thick shade.— REVIEW OF NEW BOOKS. The Second Edition, with considerable Additions and Corrections, of a Welsh and English Dictionary: to which is prefixed, a Grammar, and an Outline of the Characteristics of the Welsh Language. By W. Owen Pughe, D. C. L., F. A. S. Denbigh, 1832. Gee. THE publication of this high standard of literature ought to have had an earlier notice from us, though we do not find we have much to say; for, to do justice to the review of a dictionary, would require us to go into the elementary character and structure of the language, to analyze its words, to explore their etymology, and a hundred things, which would demand more time and space than we could at this moment bestow. The name of the compiler, who has devoted the greatest portion of a long life to the study of the Welsh language, and who has occupied so distinguished a station in our literary sphere, is sufficient in itself to stamp a value on the work, without our tribute of applause or approbation. Till of late years, the cultivation of literature in the Principality has been miserably neglected; but now, as the reading and studying its language is daily becoming more general, this second edition of a Welsh and English Dictionary will be found an inestimable treasure. It contains some thousands of additional words; and many which were incorrect in the former edition are rectified in this: the following are selected as specimens. Sal, s. safety, plight, relief, health. Hoe, s. respite, quiet, rest. Mar, s. that is active, flitting. Enid, s. the woodlark. We are able to confirm the correctness of the explanation here given to the foregoing words, by the peculiar quality of the letter w, which, when added as a termination to nouns, describes a state or condition somewhat the reverse, or beyond what is expressed in their simple form. For instance, w added to the noun sal, which means, as we have stated, safety, health, &c. becomes salw, an adjective, the meaning of which is despicable, vile, illness in the same : manner, hoew means alert, lively, &c. the reverse of hoe; and marw means dead, mortal, &c. a state beyond mar. We could introduce abundance of similar instances in support of this extraordinary and interesting feature in the language. Among the several improvements in this new edition, particular attention has been paid to what was before very imperfect, the proper names of birds and fishes. But, much as we appreciate the work, and highly as we esteem the judgment and talent of Dr. Pughe, as the best Welsh scholar of the age, we must beg to differ from him in the derivation of many words; and, without making any comments which might lead to a controversy, we shall merely point out the following: cymro, cymru, uogell, uew, ciniaw. There is one thing, however, in the present edition, which we notice with deep regret; that is, a departure from a decided improvement in the orthography, which consisted in the substitution of v for f, f for ff, and z for dd, knowing, as we do, the author's professed aversion to such a change. The publisher excuses himself by stating, that, in order to suit the taste of the public in general, he is permitted to revert to the vulgar orthography of our language, as the most likely means, according to his opinion, of avoiding loss by the undertaking. Now, for our part, we should rejoice to see the old Bardic alphabet denominated Coelbren y Beirdd re-established as our orthography, it being simple and complete. Besides showing the radical powers of the letters, it is modified by certain signs to denote the mutation of sounds peculiar to the Welsh, still preserving the fundamental characteristics of their originals, which cannot be done by the Roman alphabet. But we know, from experience, so much of the deep-rooted prejudice of the ignorant against any attempt to alter our present imperfect orthography, that it would defy the most powerful argument. We could wish that the various quotations translated from our ancient laws, poets, &c. dispersed throughout this work, partook more of the English idiom, instead of being so strictly literal; and often, to us, ambiguous. The Grammar, and the Outlines of the Characteristics of the Welsh Language, which are prefixed, we consider very valuable. The former, a composition of much labour, displays great talent and research; the latter assumes the same character, and shows the remarkable affinity between the Welsh, the Hebrew, and the Greek languages; and contains many interesting observations worthy the attention of the philologist, the antiquarian, and the philosopher. This Outline was first published in 1822 by the Cymmrodorion Society, and is inserted in Vol. I of their Transactions. The portrait which adorns the work, engraved from a drawing of that celebrated artist, Mr. T. George (a Cymro), is an excellent likeness of the author. On the Practical Prevention of Dry Rot in Timber; being the Substance of a Lecture delivered by Professor Faraday, F.R.S., &c. at the Royal Institution, February 22, 1833. Together with Observations on the Advantages obtained by the Application of Mr. Kyan's Process for the Preservation of Timber. p.p. 24. J. and C. Adlard. THERE are no parts of Britain which would derive more, if indeed so much advantage, as Wales and Scotland, by the discovery of an effective antidote against the destructive effects of dry rot, because the large tracts of natural and artificial woodlands in those countries must, we conceive, at some time or other, notwithstanding the present depreciation in the value of timber, and the inattention shewn towards this branch of national wealth, prove a source of considerable aggrandizement to their proprietors, and of active employment to the poor.* Of what immense import must it be, therefore, for the dock-yards and timber purveyors to be in possession of a chemical preservative, which will render wood for a long time impervious to decay, and, independent of national advantages attaching to those portions of Britain in which we of "the Celtic" race are especially interested, how important must it be to the whole British empire and its dependencies. The knowledge that our glorious navy may no longer be subject to her insidious and active destroyer, must also be a source of primary congratulation to every patriot: an incalculable national saving will be the consequence. In all erections where wood is the The Athol frigate lately built of Larch fir, from the forest of the Duke of Athol, is a specimen of the fine vessels that may be constructed of native wood. Two plants of this tree, it may be mentioned, planted in 1737, are the parent trees of all of the kind in Scotland. Some vessels have been built in Aberdeen of the pine fir, from the forest of Mar, which of itself could supply an immense quantity were the river Dee of sufficient capacity to float down the huge trees. material, the invaluable discovery will be equally available. We have reason to believe too much has not been said in commendation of this anti-destructive invention. The name of Faraday is a sufficient assurance of its truth; and never do we conceive has the learned professor sanctioned a more important chemical discovery, or added more effectually to the light of science, by the efforts of his own powerful mind, than by directing it to this particular object. We repeat, the prevention of dry rot by the proposed means must eventually prove beneficial in a degree proportionate to its importance. It is unnecessary for us to quote from Professor Faraday's introductory portion of his lecture, which is replete with philosophic reasoning, nor from the arguments and doubts expressed by several scientific gentlemen, as to the perfect success and application of the discovery, because subsequent experiments have, it is believed, proved both its fitness for use and its efficiency. Those parts which we extract cannot be read without strong interest, for all classes of people are more or less affected by the discovery. "A gentleman of the name of Kyan, considering the property of corrosive sublimate, proposed to apply it to timber for the prevention of the dry rot: that is, cases of decay whether they arise from the action of the seeds of cryptogamous plants, vegetating in the wood, or from the presence of the albuminous parts of the tree. Mr. Kyan thought the evil might be stopped; that the commencement even might be prevented by the application of corrosive sublimate, in consequence of the chemical combination which takes place between the corrosive sublimate and those albuminous particles which Berzelius, and others of the highest authority, consider to exist in and form the essence of wood which being the first parts that run to decay, cause others to decay with them. Mr. Kyan's conviction was such, that he went to the Admiralty to place it before them. They required certain trials to prove the soundness of the application, which trials he (Pr. F.) would now have to bring forward. After these were carried on for two or three years, the Admiralty advised Mr. Kyan to take out a patent; and were still engaged in watching the progress of these trials since that period. "He would now tell them how it was proposed to prepare timber, and what the results were. The proposition was to soak the timber itself in a solution of corrosive sublimate. Pr. F. then shewed the model of what is termed a tank, in which the timber is to be immersed in the solution. He said that the meeting must not be struck with the name of that which a few years ago was rather expensive, but now a cheap application, for a pound of it did not cost much in proportion to the good that |