present, but that every advantage might be derived from a little innovation. He has been unreserved in his censure of public schools as they are now conducted; but he hopes the reader will be able to gather from his observations, that his sentiments would be decidedly in favour of them, if they would condescend to adopt a few changes in their general plan."

There is a Chapter under the title of "Prejudice-obstinate adherence to established systems -- superfluous rules, definitions, exceptions," &c.; and a few lines from which shall be extracted as a specimen of the Author's style:

"The Poet Cowley, who was not only a man of genius, but a respectable scholar also, related of himself, that his Master at Westminster School could never prevail upon him to learn the common rules of grammar. Perhaps he was at the time reckoned a stupid boy, and considered as being deficient in memory; whereas he really possessed too much imagination and fancy to confine his attention to a string of words, and had intellect enough to imbibe a sufficient quantity of learning, without stopping to pick up the unnecessary appendages.'

"It would take more than two years' argumentation to persuade Winchester, Eton, Harrow, or Westminster, that Latin and Greek may be learnt without the assistance of so many sign-posts and directions, and that practice will do more in a week than rule and precept will do in a month. Sir William Jones would never have been so eminent as a linguist, if he had found it necessary to study one-fifth of the languages which he could speak, in the same manner as boys study the elements of Latin alone. The celebrated Barretier is said to have been master of five languages at nine years of age; but from what Johnson has been able to collect of his life, it is quite clear, that the method by which he was instructed was very unlike that which is adopted at our public schools. 'The first languages which Barretier learned,' says his Biographer, were the French, German, and Latin, which he was taught, not in the common way, by a multitude of definitions, rules, and exceptions, which fatigue the attention and burthen the memory, without any use proportionate to the time which they require, and the disgust which they create.""

"Dr. Johnson, who was qualified for any thing rather than a schoolmaster, and whose mighty genius would have been lost under the vapours of an academic employment, failed in his attempt

to acquire reputation in that profession. He found it impossible to gain even a livelihood; for most probably he adhered to the prescribed form of tuition which has existed for ages, and endeavoured to do nothing more than other masters at the same place had done before. Milton, on the other hand, was of service to his pupils, and improved their minds, if not his own income, by the novel method which he employed of cultivating the moral, as well as the physical and mechanical powers of the understanding. But the Sage of Litchfield, instead of applauding his industry and good intentions, misunderstood and mis-stated his system, and spoke in contemptuous terms of the wonder-working Academy,' which he said, had never to his knowledge produced any very eminent man.' ”

75. Six Letters on Singing, from a Father to his Son. By the Rev. C. J. Smyth, A. M. late Fellow of New College, Oxford, Chaplain to Lady Bayning, and Rector of Fakenham Magna, Suffolk. 8vo, pp. 28. Baldwin, Cradock, and Joy.

MR. Smyth's musical talents have long been very justly and highly appreciated; and these instructions to of Amateurs, and still more so of his Son are well worth the attention Singers by Profession.

"Six Letters," he tells his Son, "will cost me only a few hours labour; and if you have sufficient confidence in my judgment implicitly to follow my directions, the result, if my principles are just, will be such, that a good master may finish you as a Singer, and will have no bad habits to conquer; and you will not have occasion to spend more time in unlearning than you did in acquiring

those defects.

"I will be as plain as possible: those who think clearly may always write clearly; and in almost every Didactic Work we should avail ourselves of familiar illustration; and it is often more intelligible, always more impressive, than dry reasoning delivered with mathematical conciseness and precision.

"I must begin with first principles. He who begins ILL rarely ends WELL. In singing, the management of the breath is of the utmost importance; the breath should not be let out too fast; husband it well; the loudness of the tone does not depend on the quantity of breath you afford to any given note or notes.

"A Singer should never begin a passage with his lungs empty, but always fill his chest moderately full of wind before he begins singing; and whenever

he has an opportunity, imbibe as much breath as he can, and keep his chest expanded. You may have observed, that professional singers of great eminence pout themselves out, as it were, like pidgeons, before they begin to sing a passage: they are wise in so doing-utility demands this sacrifice of appearance.

"When you are singing, stand erect; hold your head rather high; do not tuck your chin into your cravat - this position of the head obstructs the passage of the voice: this will be the case also if the teeth are not kept open at a sufficient distance. The Italians sing with bocca ridente, a smiling mouth*. A person once observed to a professional Musician of eminence, a friend of mine, that Signior Rauzzini always sang as if he were smiling; my friend replied, that he could not execute what he did with his mouth differently formed. The keeping the mouth continually round, with a view to produce a particular kind of tone, makes dreadful havock with pronunciation.

"Singing in the throat is occasioned by making a kind of tone which conveys to a hearer the idea that the singer has a swelling in his throat, and in addition to this inconvenience has a cord tied tight round his neck. It is very easy to sing the words Do and Sol in the throat. It is not without effort that a person can sing La' in the throat. In order to avoid this most disgusting defect, all good singers practice divisions and exercises in solfeggi, to the syllable' La.' The Italians, who hold guttural singing in utter abhorrence, always practise to

some such word as La,'' Fa,' or the word 'Amen.' I never heard an Italian sing in his throat; but I do remember to have heard a Singing-master of great eminence in the Metropolis, who is now no more, form his tone so high in the head, as absolutely to fall into the contrary extreme of nasality-a subject I shall now explain.

"In the first place, sing the word 'nation' to any notes you please. Now sing it again, holding your nose-the tone will become intolerably nasal. Nasality of singing, therefore, is occasioned by the sound being obstructed in the nose the passage through that organ is not free. For this reason no Orator or Singer ought to take snuff.

"A good portamento implies also that the notes be properly sustained. He who sings tremulously †, and makes that kind of close shake which old-fashioned violin and bass players were so fond of, fails egregiously as to portamento. In order to acquire the faculty of sustaining notes, without which your good voice and ear will never conduct you to excellence, practise daily the sustaining about twelve notes of the ascending and descending diatonic major and minor scale, beginning at any pitch which is not too low for your voice, or would carry you beyond its natural or artificial compass."

In the concluding Letter he says,

"I shall now open my heart to you with respect to Teachers of Singing. With very few exceptions, the only good English Singing-masters have either been taught by Italians, or have

·

adopted

"It has been the amusement of a few leisure hours to collect the most instructive as well as beautiful passages, and by bringing them into a more modern and compendious form, to endea

vour to render them more useful."

In its present form the Work has an eminent tendency to advance the interests of sound Religion and Morality, and to convey instruction in very pleasing language.

19. La Vérité sur L'Angleterre. Par un Français; publiée et dédiée à la Nation Anglaise, par J. A. Viévard, Proprietaire - Editeur. 2nd Edition, 8vo, pp. 222, 212. De Boffe.

THE production of a generous and enlightened Frenchman; who, grateful for the asylum he received in this Kingdom during the period in which the legitimate King of France and the

Princes of the House of Bourbon were protected in this free and happy country, is desirous

"à refuter les exagérations, les impostures, et les absurdités, contenues dans les livres, dont certains écrivains, guidés, sans doute, par la haine et la passion, ne

cessent d'inonder la France, l'Allemagne,

et les Pays-Bas, contre la Nation, le Gouvernement, et les Dames Anglaises.” 80. The Chemical Guide; or, Complete Companion to the portable Chest of Chemistry, being an Epitome of Modern Chemistry. By Richard Reece, M. D. Author of the Medical Guide and Dictionary, &c. &c. 12mo, pp. 335. Longman and Co.

THE advantages to be derived from prosecuting the cultivation of the Sciences, in the manner pointed out by the illustrious Bacon, is particularly demonstrated by the discoveries which have of late been made in Chemistry. Modern Chemistry may, indeed, be considered as a new branch of Science, and well exemplifies his observation, that “quandoquidem natura rerum magis se prodit per vexationes Artis, quam in libertate propria." It is to the patient investigation of Nature, in the manner advised by him, that we owe the knowledge we have acquired in this, the most delightful and useful of all the sciences. The Physician, the Agriculturist, the Artisan, and the Manufacturer, are well acquainted with the advantages resulting from its present state of perfection; but it is not within these bounds that the benefits

deduced from it are confined; it affords to the human mind an inexhaustible variety of subjects for reflection and investigation, of the most interesting and important kind: it embraces all the regular operations and phenomena of nature. The Philosophic Chemist walks abroad and looks around him with observation and ideas so different from those of other men, that he is like a superior being. In contemplating the works of Nature, he enjoys the exquisite delight of looking through effects up to their causes, and anticipating future consequences.

Another circumstance which renders the study of this Science particularly interesting is, that every person of moderate intellectual powers will, in the course of their study and experiments, meet with subjects and appearances for original investigation, that may give rise to new discoveries and improvements. A Newton in Chemistry has not appeared, nor is dent will not languish for want of the it probable ever will exist: the Stuhope of ever knowing any thing more than what has already been known.

Dr. Reece's "Chemical Guide," like the other productions of that Gentleman's pen, is stamped with a peculiar character; it displays a scientific account of the subject treated of, containing much original matter, expressed in a clear and easily intelligible manner; such as should ever be the style of the language of true Science. Cicero said of Socrates, "that he had brought Philosophy down from Heaven to dwell in the houses of men." present Work has contributed much to draw from the clouds Medicine and its attendant Sciences, and diffuse the knowledge of them amongst mankind.

The

The "Chemical Guide" contains a lucid explanation of all the principal operations of Chemistry; the nature, analysis, and elective attractions of its agents, and much miscellaneous information of importance to the Artizan and Agriculturist. And, what must render this Work peculiarly use. ful to the Student, every theory, every enunciated fact, is accompanied with directions for conducting experiments in a safe and easy manner; which, at the same time that they strongly impress the fact on the mind, incite to perseverance in the pursnit, by the entertainment which they afford.

The

The Author, in treating of Combustion, favours the opinion of the light being furnished by the combustible body, and caloric by the oxygen; which by their combination form fire.

In the Essay on Animal Chemistry the theory advanced seems to be very ably supported by facts.

We quote the following passage: "The brain is the seat of sensation and volition, and, by a variety of experiments, is clearly concerned in the pro duction of animal heat. If the communication of a part with the brain be cut off by dividing the principal nerves, the heat is considerably diminished; and by tying the principal artery so as to prevent the flow of blood through it, the same effect will follow; which shew that the evolution of heat is dependent

on both the nerves and arterial blood. Analogy also confirms this, and demonstrates that heat is the effect of decomposition, and consequently is the result of more than one power. In explaining then the origin of animal heat, it may be observed, that oxygen, the principle of combustion, is supplied from the atmosphere by the lungs during respira tion; and that this oxygen, combining with the red particles of the blood, imparts to it its brightness and florid colour. That the blood, thus oxygenated, or having received the principle of heat, is propelled by the heart through the arterial system, to every part of the body. It is in its passage through these vessels it parts with its oxygen, when it is returned again to the heart by another series of vessels termed veins, to be transmitted through the lungs for the purpose of being re-oxygenated. Hence

the blood in the veins and arteries exhibits different appearances, that of the latter being bright and florid, while the former is of a dark colour, in consequence of the absence of oxygen.

66 By the brain is produced a subtle fluid which is conducted to every part of the body by means of branches termed nerves: these filaments of the brain

take the course of the arteries or vessels containing the oxygenated blood. By the union which takes place between subtle or nervous fluid, and the oxygen of the blood, a species of animal combustion is produced; for the nerves, as appendages of the brain, are positively electrified, while the arterial blood, in consequence of the oxygen it holds, is negatively so. Betwixt them, therefore, it is highly probable a disengagement of calorie takes place; the nervous or

galvanic fluid, and the oxygen, thus coming in contact, a general disengagement of heat ensues, and the principle of vitality is thus conveyed to every part.”

The reputation of the "Medical Guide" of the same Author is well established. To those who possess it we would strongly recommend the "Chemical Guide," as containing valuable and necessary information for understanding the nature of disease, and the operation of remedies. It will convey to the Chemical Student, in a clear and entertaining manner, all that is requisite for acquiring a general knowledge of the Science, and also contains much and valuable information for the use of the Agriculturist and Artizao. The instructions for making the various re-agents employed in Analytical Chemistry are more full and clear than are to be found in most other works of the kind.

Though we cannot certainly caress this well-intentioned Bard, we are so kind as to let him speak for himself; and the Argument of the first Canto, and the concluding lines, may be sufficient:

"Advice to Hayti, sent from London,
Lest she unhappily be undone.
This grave epistle is begun,
By shewing what ought to be done;
And what the King ought not to do;
Wrote and presented at one view:
Rules which, experience declares,
Should guide monarchial affairs.
How to promote emancipation,
How to create a mighty Nation
Of which we presently display
The whole paraphernalia."
"To you, O King, I now commend,

;

The weeping tribes of Africa, Release, console, instruct, befriend

Snatch Cruelty's steel goad away; The altars of proud Avarice Destroy-prevent the sacrifice May Heaven your sympathy reward, And shield you by an angel-guard-May Heaven forbid the negroes' cries, And the young Nation patronize ; — Les Negres, Je commende à vous — Adieu!-Je vous commende à Dieu."