rest excited by the adventures of the virtuous Urania, by Venosta's Memoirs; and also by those of the heroic, but unfortunate Adelaide, lady of the Beacon Tower. Miss Owenson's Novice of St. Dominick, and Wild Irish Girl, possess an extraordinary portion of attraction. The language of these novels is elegant, brilliant, and animated; and the plot and incidents are fraught with interest of no common stamp. Added to the requisite merits of a novel, the Wild Irish Girl contains much pleasing and useful information on the manners and customs of the Irish.-The first-mentioned novel deserves, indeed, more praise than we have room to bestow on it. The combination of historical facts with fictitious narrative is continued through the work in a striking manner; and we must declare, that with respect to originality of thought, and beauty of language, we do not recollect any modern work of fancy, which is superior, if equal to it. In this point of view, her Wild Irish Girl is greatly its inferior. Mrs. Temple, the fair author of some excellent poems, of which we took ample notice in our preceding volume, has produced a ponderous novel, in five volumes, entitled Ferdinand Fitzormond. It contains several interesting situations, and a number of beautiful pieces of poetry; but some of the characters are unnatural, and the interest is diminished by the extent to which the subject is carried. Donald, though a novel, exhibits nothing of novelty.. Poetical justice is, however, strictly observed. Epicharis; or, the Secret History of the Conspiracy of Piso against Nero; and Madame de Maintenon; both of them translations from the French, are historical romances; which, as confounding truth with fiction, are highly objectionable. The translation of the latter work (Madame de Genlis's) is miserably executed. Mr. Lathom, who is so well known, and has been recently so much admired, in the novel-reading world, has presented us with Human Beings, which are not to be classed amongst those " faultless monsters which the world ne'er saw." Taking truth and nature for his model, he has produced a striking and an interesting picture. The parentage and loves of the drummer-boy and orphan-girl, and the persevering benevolence of the worthy Lewitzer, ought not to be" damned by faint praise." Mr. Curties's Monk of Udolpoh is deserving of association with most of that gentleman's other performances. The interesting Hersilla exhibits one of the finest patterns of filial piety we have ever seen pourtrayed in a novel: neither is the character of the Monk himself over-drawn, as is, in general, the case in productions of this kind. The hero of the piece claims our particular attention, as possessing much merit. Lorenzo is a most virtuous character, worthy of imitation and we will hope, notwithstanding the ery against the times, that there are, in real life, many such to be met with. The Baron de Falkeinheim, is an unaffected, welltold tale, but exhibits no very striking feature. Madame de Genlis's Alphonsine, or Maternal Af fection, may class with the finest productions of that lady's pen. Much novelty of idea is displayed, and the character of the heroine is admirably drawn. Kotzebue, the universally attractive Kotzebue, has produced four volumes of Nouvellettes; the translation of which has been perused with uncommon avidity. The original work is excellent; but we could have wished the translation to be both more correct, and more elegant. The success of Mr. Surr's Winter in London, has, as is usually the case under such circumstances, called forth a herd of imitators. Amongst these, A Winter In Bath claims the first notice. Without the aid, however, of an imitative title, its intrinsic merit would have insured and commanded a gratifying reception from the public. The story is well written, the incidents are good, and the characters are excel* lently pourtrayed. About the same time that A Winter IN Bath made its appearance, a Mrs. Bayfield had a novel ready for publication, under the title of Love as it may be, and Friendship as it ought to be. Her bookseller, however, imitating Mr. Surr's title, and perhaps conceiving that he might safely practise an imposition on the public, gave Mrs. Bayfield's novel the title of A Winter AT Bath. This circumstance excited much contention between the booksellers; and we are not certain whether some legal proceedings were not commenced upon the subject. Mrs. Bayfield very candidly declared, not only that the fraud was carried on without her approbation, but without her knowledge. The Invisible Enemy, the Bravo of Bohemia, Dellenborough Castle, Castle of Berry, Pomeroy, and the Benevolent Monk, are so many modern romances, possessing the usual beauties and defects of such performances. Mrs. Opie's Simple Tales have a far higher claim to notice. This work, consisting of eighteen or twenty tales, pleasingly and interestingly related, possesses the general characteristics of her style and manner of thinking. It may not be amiss to observe, that her style is that of a well-educated and accomplished woman; her manner of thinking, that which does her the highest honour! These tales are truly simple and unaffected, evincing much genuine pathos in the bosom of their fair author;-that bo-. som which has been destined recently to mourn the loss of its departed lord *. In. her own beautiful lines, she may now feelingly exclaim :. "Ee'n reason says I justly weep, And, ah! she says I weep in vain ; The meritorious glances of Constantia de Courcy, Mr. Opie died on the 9th of April, in the present year, the 46th year of his age, we should hope, will not succeed in seducing any of our readers. Her blandishments are the blandishments of a courtezan, who allures but to destroy. Fire-side Stories are very harmless; but they are not sufficiently animated to warm us. Mrs. Parsons, another of our old favourites, has introduced to our acquaintance, The Convict, or Navy Lieutenant. This novel not only possesses originality, but, we think, must excite in every feeling heart, the warmest interest for its unhappy heroine, and her illfated offspring. Mrs. Parsons is well versed in the art of pleasing, at the same time that she unites instruction with amusement. The characters are all well delineated, and not over-drawn: and the moral, such as we could wish implanted in every human -breast. Mr. Armstrong's Anglo-Saxons, or the Court of Ethelwulph, as a strong and pleasing picture of ancient manners, ranks far above the general run of modern romances. So also does The Spaniard, a tale which very forcibly reminded us of the strong vein of satire in Gil Blas. Its comic situations, rich irony, and humorous descriptions, irresistibly impelled the exercise of our risible muscles. The Children of Error, Tynemouth Castle, Wilhel mina, and Dorelincourt and Rodalvi, may be considered as very harmless food for the circulating library. We seldom meet with a novel which contains so much that is good, and so little that is exceptionable, as Mr. Semple's Charles Ellis. The author is a man of no common information, of no common powers of writing; and the execution of his work is, in all respects, creditable to his talents and feelings. Should the fair author of Santo Sebastiano, continue to make such rapid progress in this walk of literature,. we shall soon learn to forget the loss of the amiable and unfortunate Charlotte Smith. The Monk of Dissentis is little better than impo- tion on the public. It is a translation from the vapid and uninteresting German romance of Rudolph of Werdenberg, which had already appeared in English, under its proper title. The Mask of Fashion is a story very feelingly writ ten, interwoven with a description of some of the public amusements and promenades at Paris. It contains, however, much frivolity, and some of its love-scenes are what we could not exactly wish them to be. We could easily swell this catalogue of romances and novels to a far greater extent; but, as we have already noticed every thing of this nature, that is really deserving of attention, we shall proceed to offer a few brief remarks upon such works as fall under the comprehensive denomination of MISCELLANIES. "A thing of shreds and patches." Nothing, we conceive, can be of a more general, or more miscellaneous nature than the Miseries of Human Life. The twelve dialogues, which the work so denominated comprises, treat of the miseries of the country, of London, of games and sports, of public places, of travellers, of social life, of reading and writing, of the table, of domestic miseries, and of miseries miscellaneous. It is a fortunate thing when we can laugh at our miseries; and, notwithstanding we have experienced many of the miseries here alluded to, we have not totally forgotten how to smile. In fact, we have enjoyed many a hearty laugh at the book before us; and, though it abounds with miseries, it is very far from being a miserable performance. The natural companion to a book of miseries ought to be a book of comforts; and, by way of contrast to the Miseries of Human Life, we have accordingly been presented with the Comforts of Human Life. The latter are a sort of parody on the former. To the comforts succeed the Pleasures of Human |