form the physical, mental, and spiritual peculiarities with which the public is already well acquainted through the medium of Mrs. Gaskell's interesting memoir. Here and there, it is true, the real gist of such an article as the title announces is incidentally touched upon, but with an evident embarrassment and timidity of expression which destroys its value as a "psychological study." Ordinary readers and critics have not failed to discover for themselves that the painful and unnatural isolation of the Bronté family powerfully affected the development of their character, and that Jane Eyre is as faithful a transcript of Charlotte Bronté as any individual can give of him or herself. As an ordinary review this paper will be found interesting enough. As a psychological study, it is utterly valueless. 5.-Health and Beauty. By Madame Caplin. IF stays must be worn at all, by all means let us have scientific staymakers like Madame Caplin, who has devoted herself to the study of the human figure and its artificial needs of requirement and support. We are not of those who think stays indispensable, providing always that from infancy upwards they have at no period been worn. Let nature have fair play, and the muscles will do their own work. It is the unnatural use of stays which renders the muscles flaccid and incapable of sustaining themselves. Still, while it remains the fashion to case the female "human form divine" in whalebone and steel, let all who wear the armour consult those who know what the peculiar figure requires, in preference to the fashion-mongers, who have but one pattern of stays for all shapes and sizes, and whose one ambition seems to be to conform nature to the senseless and arbitrary mode of the moment, manufacturing waists under the arms, or on the hips, as fashion requires. Madame Caplin's corsets are made on anatomical principles, and deserve the attention of all who value rational and sanitary modes of clothing. We commend her and her gay little volume to the notice of our stay-wearing readers. FOREIGN LITERATURE. 6.-Aus America, Erfahrungen, Reisen, und Studien. (Studies, Experiences, and Travels in America.) Vol. II. By Julius Fröbel. Leipsic: Weber. London: Williams and Norgate. Second Notice. THE new volume of M. Fröbel's work carries us away from the well-trodden ground of the Eastern States, across the still wild, unsettled, and mostly uninhabited regions lying between the Missouri and the north of Mexico, and again from New York to Texas, and across the valley of the Colorado to the Francisco. In the spring of 1852, having given up the share he had taken in the Editing of the "New York Allegemeine Zeitung," and considering that a residence in that city did not promise him much more of material than of spiritual profit, the author made an arrangement with a mercantile house to accompany a cargo of goods to be sent from Missouri to Chihuahua. Rapid as has been the advance of a civilized population over the North American continent, there are still immense tracts so insecure and inhospitable, and so exposed to the ravages of hostile Indians, that they cannot safely be traversed otherwise than in great caravans; and as these journeys are often attended with no inconsiderable risk both to persons and goods, no small share of personal courage, as well as a sagacity and readiness to endure occasional hardship and privation, is often required to conduct them to a successful issue. The progress of these numerous caravans is necessarily very slow. In many places it is found that the ten mules are insufficient to drag one of the waggons, weighing five or six thousand pounds each, over a hill, or through a morass, and three or four extra pairs have to be harnessed in turn before each, in addition to the efforts of eight or ten men; and as the caravan must keep together, it sometimes effects very few miles in a day, though at other times, when none of these difficulties occur, as much as eighty miles may be done in four and twenty hours. The waggons are of great strength, and frequently perform the whole of their enormous journey without accident; but to provide against disasters carry with them spare wheels, axletrees, and all the more important parts of a waggon, besides plenty of axes and hatchets for cutting wood, and of spades and pickaxes, windlasses, levers, and crowbars to mend the roads when necessary, and of course a plentiful stock of firearms and weapons. The caravan joined by M. Fröbel, consisted of eighteen waggons, each drawn by ten mules, with the necessary number of additional ones for changing—and a numerous personnel of waggoners, muledrivers, &c.; escorted by the second partner in the firm to which the goods belonged, as well as by the Author. The travellers appear to have carried with them on this occasion a most abundant stock of necessaries and unnecessaries, for besides flour, pork, tea, coffee, sugar, &c., we hear of preserved meats and delicate vegetablesasparagus and cauliflowers, pickles and preserves, oysters and lobsters, chocolate, claret, and champagne: the latter being provided for the especial benefit of a lady who formed one of the party. The consumption of sardines in the wilderness is so great that M. Fröbel thinks you might find your way from Independence to Sante Fe by following the line of tin cases thrown away on the route. There was not, as will be seen, much danger in the present instance of the travellers suffering from privation-but even with all these appliances of comfort and luxury the journey had its rough passages. Here for instance is an account of one of the halts. "On the 17th of September we came towards nightfall to a place called Middle Springs, but did not reach our camping place till ten o'clock, just as a storm was coming on. The driving up the waggons, so as to form them into a corral, the unharnessing and collecting the cattle amidst lightning and thunder and the blackest darkness, made a wild scene; and scarcely was this effected, before the most tremendous storm broke from the north that I have ever witnessed in the American prairie. The power of the wind, which shook even the heavy loaded waggons, made the protection of every kind of garment utterly inefficient; and a lined woollen cloak of the thickest kind, as well as two blankets that I threw over it while I was keeping my watch, were blown through as if they had been made of muslin. The shivering mules crowded together and sought protection behind any object that presented itself, even getting on the lee-side of me as I stood, in hopes of my keeping the wind off them. Along with the wind came a mixture of rain and snow, and the darkness was so thick that I found myself running against the cattle and the waggons without seeing them; and when I left my post, after a two hours watch, I was benumbed as well as wet through. Perhaps, for the European reader, I may add that, as a matter of course, I had to pass the night in my wet clothes; but my own experience, as well as that of others, has convinced me that the most absurd prejudices prevail in civilised life as to what people cannot bear without injury to their health.” Here is another incident of travel of a more amusing kind. "Among the Indians present was a man who represented himself as a distinguished chief of the Kiowas. He wore their ordinary leathern dress with a blue woollen blanket over it, and had a red cloth wound like a turban round his head, which gave him quite an Asiatic appearance. It somehow came into my head, however, to present him with an old pair of black trousers, and a silk waistcoat of equally ancient date, to which Robert added an exceedingly shabby felt hat, and the present was received with a rapture that quite made the old gentleman forget the staid decorum of behaviour prescribed by Indian etiquette. Without ceremony he immediately flung off all the garments he wore, which were by no means worthless, and inducted himself without delay into this borrowed finery. When he put on the old hat in place of his red turban, Robert thought proper to add, we thought with doubtful generosity, the present of a small looking-glass. The Indian looked long at his image with speechless astonishment, until at last he broke out into repeated exclamations, at first softly, and then louder and louder, of 'Bueno,' 'Good, good!' In his delight he was willing to present us in exchange with his whole equipment, leathern garments, blanket, bow, quiver, and arrows, red turban, and a pouch embroidered with beads-in short, his entire worldly possessions. "When I signified to him that I required no payment, but meant the things for a present, he spread out his arms as if to embrace some very large object, and declared that I was a 'very fat chief.' "He then commanded all his people to leave the camp, for being quite satisfied himself, he did not see why they should not be, and springing upon his horse without bidding us farewell, he rode off gazing at himself in the glass, and feeling himself with his hands all the way he went. At Fort Fillimore, a military station near the Mexican frontier, a countryman of the Author's who had enlisted in the United States army came to complain to him of bad treatment. The man was handsomely clothed, and his well-fed robust appearance, and the circumstance that he had come out to shoot a turkey or a hare for an addition to his dinner, made rather a curious commentary on his tale of grievances. On inquiry M. Fröbel learned that the supplies of food and clothing made to the American army are so superabundantly liberal that travellers passing the military stations can always reckon on buying from the soldiers unused rations and superfluous clothing in such excellent condition "that no respectable German citizen would be ashamed to appear in them." The discontent of the hero above mentioned appears to have arisen from sheer ennui, and the desire of change of scene for which the vicinity of the frontier afforded such tempting facilities. We regret to be obliged to take leave of M. Fröbel without adverting to various subjects on which he affords us valuable information-but which would unavoidably lead us beyond the narrow limits we are compelled to assign to our literary notices. We understand however that he proposes to embody in a separate work the most important results of his observations on the mental and moral phenomena of the United States. 66 7.-Germaine. By Edmond About. Paris, 1858. THE whole area of modern social life is so constantly and diligently worked in Paris in search of materials for fiction, that an author may be congratulated upon the discovery of a situation that is both new and interesting, as upon a kind of nugget in such exhausted diggins." Granting certain conditions of society, the incidents cannot be considered improbable, and there is as much skilful character painting as the breadth of canvas will admit; so that M. About, already favourably known for his former productions, may be considered as fairly entitled to the honours of his three editions. In speaking of a French novel it may not be unnecessary to add, that though not precisely adapted for reading aloud in a family circle, its general tendency cannot be regarded as objectionable, since it induces a hearty detestation of vice, and a cordial sympathy with what is good and pure. We were inclined to characterize as a Gallicism in morals, the acceptance by the heroine of a marriage her heart abhors, for the sake of a prospective benefit to her parents; but on reflection we find so many virtuous young ladies in English novels who do the same thing, that we can only suppose that our own notions on the subject are by no means up with the most recent improvements. In the present instance, too, most readers will be inclined to record, with respect to Don Diego de Villanera, chivalrous gentleman though he be, the verdict of "served him right." Besides, everything turns out charmingly at last, and what can we wish for more? We should like, nevertheless, to have the opinion of the 'Lancet' concerning the happy dénouement. ་ 8.-L'Honnete Femme. By Louise Veuillot. 3rd Edition. Paris. 1858. M. VEUILLOT appears to much greater advantage as a novel writer than in the columns of the Univers,' of which as our readers know he is the Editor-though his talents for fictitious composition appear to be brought into play in the one case as well as in the other. The Honnête Femme,' in addition to those graces of style which unfortunately often half reconcile us to repulsive subjects in these dainty little duodecimos, has the advantage of a well arranged though simple plot, and shows great skill in the delineation of character, especially in what may be called its morbid anatomy. The development of that of Lucile, from her adoption in her early years of a severe decorum of conduct, on the calculation that it will, as the phrase is, "pay" best, to her ultimate outbreak in the dénouement, under the influence of those explosive forces of passion which sometimes set at nought all prudent calculations, is very clever and artistic, as is also the picture of the state of society, and of the electioneering manœuvres of a French provincial town. The most remarkable feature of the book however as a French novel is that the hero is eminently religious (according to the Romish type of the religious character), and that it is the shield of Faith which he opposes to the "fiery darts" of the Honnête Femme above mentioned. XXVII.-THE 'SATURDAY REVIEW' AND THE THE REVIEWER REVIEWED. 66 THE 'Saturday Review' has addressed to us some temperate, and we have no doubt, well intended criticism. Our contemporary is, to be sure, not satisfied with our fictions, and thinks our disquisitions on political subjects" "very ordinary," but our experienced readers will no doubt have observed that, in matters of taste, differences are not uncommon. We will, therefore, not say a word on this point. We have, indeed, too deep a faith in the importance of the objects we have in view; too earnest a desire for the remedy of those social evils to which we have called attention; too strong a conviction that we have truth with us, and that we have only to struggle honestly and wait the issue; to be turned aside from the consideration of the one really important point upon which our contemporary proclaims his difference with us. He thinks that the "great majority of women who can be profitably employed are |