given him a foremost place amongst our writers. His conversational powers are as remarkable as his purely literary endowments, the keenness of his observation, the poetic fervour of his nature, and the force of his satire being no less apparent in his spoken than his written. words.

Besides his novels and his "Life of Goethe," he has published "A Biographical History of Philosophy," "The Spanish Drama: Lope de Vega and Calderon," a "Life of Robespierre," "The Noble Heart," a tragedy, and "Comte's Philosophy of the Sciences." The "Edinburgh," "Westminster," "Foreign Quarterly," "British and Foreign," and "British Quarterly" reviews, and "Blackwood's" and “Frazer's" magazines have been largely contributed to by him.

SAMUEL LOVER.

THE varied talents of Mr. Lover are familiar to all who care for music or mirth. Indeed few of our living celebrities are more generally known and admired than the author of "Rory O'More," "He would be a Gentleman, or Treasure Trove," and the "Confessions of Con Cregan." Of the goodness of these novels it is needless to speak, for they have long since taken secure places in our standard literature.

CHARLES MACKAY.

THIS poet, who may emphatically be called the lyric poet of the people, was born in Perth, in 1812, but his childhood was spent in London; and in London he has lived, and thought, and written. In 1834, he made his début in literature with a volume of poems, which immediately attracted public attention, and secured for him a place on the "Morning Chronicle," then edited by John Black. In

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1844, he became the editor of the "Glasgow Argus," but he conducted that journal for only about three years. During his short residence in Glasgow, however, the University conferred upon him the degree of Doctor of Laws.

Besides his "Voices from the Crowd," "Voices from the Mountains," "Town Lyrics," "Egeria," "Under Green Leaves," and other poems, Dr. Mackay has written an excellent historical novel, first published in 1841, entitled "Longbeard; or, the Revolt of the Saxons."

ANNE MARSH.

Of late years, Mrs. Marsh's pen has been very prolific, but each succeeding work has tended to heighten her reputation, and widen the circle of her admirers. The daughter of James Caldwell, Esq., a gentleman of considerable landed estate, and recorder of Newcastle-under-Lyne, and the wife of the junior partner of that unfortunate and notorious banking-house "Fauntleroy, Graham, Stracey, and Marsh," Mrs. Marsh spent her earlier years in the privacy and retirement, the giving up of which is a cruel part of the heavy price paid by ladies for celebrity. She was born in the last century, but it was not till 1834 that she published her first beautiful work-"Two Old Men's Tales." These delightful stories have been followed by "Tales of the Woods and Fields," "Triumphs of Time," "Mount Sorel," "Emilia Wyndham," "Father Darcy," "Norman Bridge," "Angela," "Mordaunt Hall," "Lettice Arnold," "The Wilmingtons," "Time the Avenger," "Ravenscliffe," "Castle Avon," "Aubrey," and "The Heiress of Haughton," &c., &c. Besides these works of fiction, which differ in degree of excellence, but are all worthy of ranking amongst our very best standard novels, Mrs. Marsh is the author of "The Protestant Reformation in France,"

HARRIET MARTINEAU.

THE position of this lady is in every respect a remarkable one; the difficulties she has encountered, the prodigious influence she has exercised on her times, the courage with which she has enforced her opinions on politics and religion, and the edifying firmness she has displayed in making her practice, under circumstances of great trial, accord with her principles are alike uncommon. She has sur

passed most men of high mental endowments in the study and illustration of a science, the consideration of which demands all the energy, and all the faculty of continued thought, which are supposed to be the principal characteristics of masculine intellect; yet she has aroused in them no bitterness of rivalry, no humiliating sense of defeat;-men are her warmest admirers. She is no favourite with women; nor is this to be wondered at-for she has no womanly weaknesses, has startled somnolent orthodoxy, and has received general homage as pre-eminently the foremost of her sex. We will not attribute it to jealousy; but women never cordially love a woman remarkable either for beauty or intellect; they often assert with vehemence the mental equality of the sexes, but they do not care to illustrate their general position by particular instances, and they acrimoniously resent the license of him who dares to support their arguments with an example taken from their ranks. It is amusing to hear ladies who ride boldly in the hunting-field condemning Miss Martineau for having mounted a camel; and to listen to English gentlewomen, who bag a hundred head of game in the shooting-season, speak with censorious pity of the bad taste a woman displays in writing about politics.

Miss Martineau's family was originally of French extraction, and settled in Norwich on the revocation of the edict of Nantes. Her father was a trader of that city, who in his path through life had more children than pros

perity, for he met with disasters in business, and she was the youngest of a family of eight children, of whom the Rev. James Martineau was her favourite brother.

Born in 1802, Harriet Martineau had a childhood darkened by physical suffering. She was very delicate, was afflicted with a partial deafness, which rendered her a tiresome companion, and she has never, save for a few hours, enjoyed the sense of smell. Perhaps her feeble health and bodily ailments-cutting her off from many of the amusements of association, and compelling her to be self-dependent for happiness-contributed not a little to the fortitude of her character.

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She was only a girl when she commenced writing-at first as a pastime, but soon from necessity, and with the resolve to make authorship the grave business of her life. In 1823 appeared her "Devotional Exercises for the use of Young Persons," and this production was rapidly followed by "Christmas Day," "The Friend," "Principle and Practice," "The Rioters," "Mary Campbell," "The Turn Out," "My Servant Rachel," &c., &c. In 1831 she published "Traditions of Palestine," and about the same time appeared her three prize essays, "The Faith as Unfolded by Many Prophets," " Providence as manifested through Israel," and "The Essential Faith of the Universal Church," treatises highly esteemed by Unitarians. In due course followed the "Illustrations of Political Economy," which were speedily translated into German and French, and, having made their author famous, were succeeded in due course by "Illustrations of Taxation," and "Poor-Law and Paupers." In 1837 she published "Society in America;" and in 1839 appeared her first tale, long enough to be called a novel, "Deerbrook," which was succeeded by "The Hour and the Man." She next sent forth some excellent tales for children, such as "The Playfellow," "The Settlers at Home," ""The Peasant and the Prince,” ""Feats on the

Fiord," and "The Crofton Boys." In 1843, she published "Life in a Sick Room," the charming result of long years of dangerous suffering. On her recovery from this tedious illness, she produced "Forest and Game-Law Tales," and "The Billow and the Rock." "Eastern Life, Past and Present," containing the impressions made on her mind during her Eastern expedition; a condensation of Comte's "Positive Philosophy," "The History of England during the Thirty Years' Peace," "Household Education," and a "Complete Guide to the Lakes," complete the list of her more celebrated writings. But, in estimating Miss Martineau's industry and usefulness as an author, it must be borne in mind that she has for years been a contributor to magazines, and has been a principal writer of "leaders" on an important London daily paper.

Twice has Miss Martineau been offered a pension by Government, but she has declined the liberal advances on the grounds of conscientious scruples to benefitting by the taxation of the community. At the time of her second refusal to become a recipient of public bounty she was in great pecuniary trouble. Her noble exertions have, however, secured to her an easy competence, and she has for many years resided on her farm near Ambleside.

As a novelist, Miss Martineau has not hesitated to express her deep interest in the honour and good government of her country, and the well-being of her fellow-creatures -a course of conduct, in the opinion of the "Edinburgh Review," warmly to be reprehended.

EMILIA MARRYAT.

IN entering on the field of literary exertion, in which her father had borne so conspicuous and triumphant a part, Miss Marryat acted with no ordinary courage: but her prudence was not less than her self-confidence, for in