of Italy, which he dedicated to his illustrious predecessor in the same walk. In this work he insists, in terms at once clear and impressive, upon the entire independence of Italy. At any other epoch than the present, a writer who should have so boldly put forth these sentiments would have, at least, subjected himself to perpetual exile. But Balbo lives quietly at Turin, and is received with the highest consideration at the royal court. The same is true of Count Petitte and M. Massimo d'Azeglio-both of whom have recently published some important works, the former upon Railroads in Italy, and the latter upon the present condition of Rome. There is nothing in all this which should awaken the jealousy or hostility of any European power. But, as might readily have been foreseen, the attention of the Austrian Government has been awakened, and its fears excited, by these evidences of a progress and reviving feeling of nationality which can scarcely fail, in the end, to detach the Italian States from all dependence upon Austria. Diplomatic remonstrances have not been wanting; but the King, Charles Albert, has maintained with firmness his rights as the free sovereign of an independent State. The resentment of Austria has been manifested in a recent decree, published in the Milan official Gazette of April 20, subjecting the wines of Piedmont to a most exorbitant increase of export duty; but the king has promptly met this blow by another, which relieves from duty many articles of French production, which before were almost excluded from his dominions. Thus, while Austria cuts off trade with the Italian States, they invite trade with France; and the inevitable result of the movement must be, to perfect their independence of Austria, and to open a profitable and liberalizing commerce with their western neighbors. It is, of course, received with lively satisfaction by the people of France; and the Debats pays the king a just and lofty tribute for the enlightened policy which he has adopted: The King, Charles Albert," says that journal, "knows better than any monarch of the time, that public opinion is mistress of the world, and that nothing can escape the severe impartiality of her decisions: he is therefore determined, now and hereafter, to merit her approval. This approbation he will not lack, neither in Italy nor in France nor in the rest of Europe, if he will continue to show himself friendly to safe and useful reforms, to guide the high faculties of his people towards profitable works of labor and of peace, and to attain thus the glorious future reward for the House of Savoy." The position which Austria occupies in regard to this movement, and the general prospects of that old bulwark of European 66 despotism, are very forcibly set forth in this brief paragraph from the London Times: ing and a prophetic eye the present condition pire, which extends from Semlin to Milan, and the future destinies of that great Emwe should be filled with unwonted and melancholy forebodings as to the trials it may have at no distant period to undergo. A childish Emperor, a decaying minister, a bigoted family council, an aristocracy ill acquainted with its duties and its rights, a bued with the most anti-social doctrines, an peasantry which is in some provinces imunformed middle class, an embarrassed treawhich surround with sinister presages the sury, and a dissected territory, are things House of Austria. Her foreign rivals, to the east, to the north, and to the south are incited to press on in their respective lines of alarm of the Cabinet of Vienna. Russia has policy by the evident embarrassment and her designs, more than commenced, upon the Slavonian populations; Prussia has affected to take the lead in the affairs of Germany; and in northern Italy the national competitor for power is to be found in the House of Savoy. With each of these States Austria has formed close alliances, for the purpose of crushing popular movements, and each of them will prove her formidable rival checking the advancement of the time; but and opponent whenever it is discovered that the true basis of their power is the free national development of their respective dominions." "If we were to scrutinize with a search intelligence, we have but little this month. Of miscellaneous, and especially literary The publications of the four weeks that have been of but slight importance. The have elapsed since our last review, seem to London Athenæum has a long critical notice of the little volume of Poems entitled "Man in the Republic," by Mr. MATTHEWS, of which a second edition was recently issued: it closes with this paragraph, which, in its praise and censure, seems to us alike discriminating: "Our readers will see there is something of originality in this design and its treatment; and the execution is, in parts, good. An expressive carelessness of performance, reasonable allowance, and an occasional at times--a looseness of metres beyond all turgidity of tone-a lifting, as it were, of the author's self up on stilts quite out of the sight of small men-disfigure a thoughtful and characteristic work. How, in a new edition, which this is, these faults have not been corrected, we are at a loss to understand. The little duodecimo is worth the pains; and we welcome heartily a minstrel from the music." great continent who treats us to American Letters from Italy all notice the plans for various reforms which are on foot in that country. While the Pope has forbidden the construction of railroads in his dominions, in Tuscany they are undertaken in every direction. From Leghorn to Pisa one has been for a long time in operation, and it has been recently opened to Porte d' Erra, whence, in October, it will be carried to Empoli; and in 1847 the connection between Leghorn and Florence will be complete. A railway from Florence to Pistoria is to be constructed within two years: from Pisa to Lucca in October; and from Empoli to Sienna in six months. Great preparations are in progress for the Scientific Reunion at Genoa, to commence on the 15th and terminate on the 29th of September. The Marquis de Brignoli, Sardinian Ambassador at Paris, is to preside, and the city has voted 100,000 francs towards defraying the expenses of the meeting. An immense statue of the Emperor Francis I. has just been issued from the Foundry of Viscardi, and at the latest date was on its way to Vienna. Its gigantic proportions, as well as its successful execution, entitle it to attention. It is nine braccia high, and weighs 37,000 Milanese pounds. The monarch is enveloped in a large and rich toga, and his brow is surrounded by laurel. His right hand is in a raised position, as if in the act of addressing the people; and in his left he holds a sceptre, which is supported upon his arm. It was modeled by Marchesi, and a letter in the Athenæum says that the precision of design, the energy of expression united to sovereign beauty of form, the exactness in all the rilievi and in all the folds, give this statue the appearance of life and motion, and make it a splendid triumph of Art. It is stated by a German journal that the basis of a Treaty has been agreed upon between France and Austria for the recipro cal protection of Literature and the Arts against piracy. The Temperance cause is making such rapid progress in the northern kingdoms of Europe, as to render the statistics of its results worthy of record. There are now in Sweden 323 societies, placed under a central direction, composed of the Count de Hartmannsdorf, the Baron de Berzelius, and Professor Retzius. The members are 88,687 in number-being a twenty-eighth of the whole population. Of the Stockholm Society, the King and the Prince Royal are members; and it had obtained the King's authority to convoke in the capital, for the 15th of June, a Congress of all the Temperance Associations throughout Sweden-to which those of foreign countries were invited to send deputations. It is stated that upwards of five hundred distilleries have been shut up in Sweden in the course of the last two years. In Norway, the first society of the kind was established so lately as the end of 1844; and there are already ninety-two, counting 11,000 members. Last year an address was presented by the Storthing of Norway to the King, in which they requested that a commission of jurisconsults might be sent to England, France and Belgium, to examine into the practical working of the Jury institution, and its results moral and material. His Swedish Majesty has complied with the wish of that body, and appointed M. Ole Munch Roeder, Professor of Law at the University of Christiana, and M. Emilie Aubert, Advocate to the Appeal Court of the Province of Bergen, to carry it into effect. CRITICAL NOTICES. Graydon's Memoirs of his own Times: Littell. In our days of universal authorship, especially when the startling enunciation of a great name is not iterated-a name got without deserving, and lost perhaps with shame it is necessary to give some account of a writer who was popular in his day, and is now revived again for our especial wonder. In the Editor's introduction, we find the following allusion to the Author, which we copy, as much for our own future enlightenment as that of the Public. "Mr. Graydon," he says, " was one of the few survivors of that old school of accomplished gentlemen who flourished before our Revolution;-at a period when the courtesy of society was not disturbed by insubordination in systems, nor violated by laxity of sentiment." To this "Senti ment we interpose an objection; there was one instance of insubordination in the system of writing, which is practically illustrated in this book. The author seems to have been a man of attainments and taste, but we look in vain for one sparkling thought, one ingenious term of expression or one original idea. Notwithstanding these defects, it has merits the most essential and useful. As a work of historical reference and Biographical reminiscence, wherein personal recollections of Washington, Hancock, Lee, Wayne, Warren, Green and others is given, it is valuable and interesting, inasmuch as it includes anecdotes, which convey an insight into the character of each, as well as acquaints the reader with characteristic incidents relating to the war and those who periled their lives and fortunes, to give it a successful termination. One irredeemable fault is the excessively minute detail upon the most trivial subjects, and upon men, too, with whom the reader can have no interest or sympathy. In one passage we are informed that "Mr. Pike was a poor fencer," again, "We were not displeased with Paine for calling King George a royal Brute," and in similar passages throughout the work, an evident garrulousness mars insufferably the interest of the reader. The notes by the Editor form the most amusing episode in perusing the volume. The subject which Mr. Graydon handles, leaves a place still vacant for the exercise of a vigorous and descriptive pen, to bring into historical relief the deeds of miraculous bravery and daring which won the band of revolutionary heroes an imperishable heritage. What was deficient in striking, dramatic splendor, such as was portrayed in Napoleon's career, would be supplied by instances of endurance and almost insurmountable difficulties and calamities with which the times were so imminently rife. The field for such narration is a good one. Mr. Graydon's book is mainly valuable for affording some historical points of view. Voyages in the Arctic Regions. Harper & Brothers. In perusing this volume we are struck with the peril and endurance with which the pursuit of extending and improving science is attended, and the splendid resuits accruing to those who survived the trial. Arctic discovery has been prosecuted by Great Britain almost exclusively, and the benefit of her discoveries has been practically demonstrated in the advancement of every kind of science. The voyage of Captain Ross was chiefly for the purpose of making a series of observations on terrestrial magnetism, a subject which is now changing the whole face of the globe. This book contains an account of all the voyages made since 1818, including two attempts to reach the north pole; but it strikes us, that the author has too much epitomized the narrative except in the instance of Parry, whose discoveries were little less important than those of Captain Ross. Dr. Johnson said that the man who had seen the wall of China, might be said to confer a lustre on his grandchildren. Since the opium victories there, Lord Macartney's grandchildren, according to this theory, have been covered all over with "lustre," to the prejudice, perhaps, of their relative's achievements. What would the learned lexicographer say to a man who had stood on the point whereon this globe of ours forever turns, and contemplated the manifold enlargements of physical science such hardy enterprise was sure to beget? Not the least interesting of these narratives is Franklin and Richardson's Journey, which was made, not for the discovery of a northwest passage, but for facilitating one, and for extension of geographical knowledge in that part of the Polar Sea. To those fond of stirring adventure, and a knowledge of these remote regions, this volume will be an auxiliary; but, as we previously remarked, the account is in too abbreviated a form. Views and Reviews in American History, Literature and Fiction. By W. GILMORE SIMMS. New York and London: Wiley & Putnam. This is the best volume of Mr. Simms' miscellaneous writings that we have seen. The style, as usual, is graceful and clear; and with most of the opinions expressed we most heartily accord. We especially accept the earnestness with which he urges the variety and fitness of the materials to be found in this country for the purposes of 'creation in Literature and Art. He has illustrated this subject with much force and illustration, through a hundred pages of the present volume, under the title of "History for the Purposes of Art." He afterwards partially reoccupies the same field in an interesting essay on "Indian Literature and Art." We do not always agree with his deductions-but they deserve attention for many reasons. The breadth and compass of our resources for the moulding of thought into new formsin marble, on the canvas, or the written page-is not appreciated. In this volume of Mr. Simms, there is more light thrown upon the subject than any other writer has furnished. The remainder of the volume is taken up with a sketch of Daniel Boon, a long essay on Cortez and the Conquest of Mexico, and a review of the writings of Cooper. History of the Bastile. By R. A. DEAN- This is one of the most interesting books we have met with for a long period. An epitome of the history of France, interspersed with captivating anecdotes and individual sketches, for four centuries back, may be gleaned from its pages. There is more information in it relating to France, her court, and chief characters at different times, than we have ever before seen about any nation in the same compass. The famous Prison was the genius loci, where the various political factions which distracted France for three centuries, darkly consummated their many schemes. Those who would know with what fidelity their commissions were executed, must consult this author. In point of historical accuracy and research the book is truly remarkable, from the fascinating form in which both are embodied, and the light they shed upon the most obscure epochs. "The Bastile" flourished through many reigns of tyranny and oppression, and was the exigent of each; but it subsequently fell before the advancements that crumbled into dust the feudal hereditaments of France. We have no space to give its merits a more elaborate survey, but in looking over the volume, we have been impressed with the sad truth it teaches. From the earliest history of France the same great scheme of iniquity has been enacted, and Kings, Queens, Bishops and Plebeians, played alternately the parts of victors and victims. Such is all history, and such is humanity! One fact may not be uninteresting to the American reader. After the demolition of the Bastile, its key was presented, by General Lafayette, to General Washington, by whom it was placed in the hall of Mount Vernon, where, we believe, it yet remains, enclosed in a glass case, fastened to the wall, for the inspection of the curious. Achievements of the Knights of Malta. By ALEX. SUTHERLAND, Esq. Carey & Hart's Library for the People, No. II. This is a singularly pleasant book. It tells the story of a wonderful era in our world's history with a charming simplicity and naïveté. It stirs our blood, it makes the heart leap with a generous and kindred enthusiasm, to read of the deeds of those Hospitilliers. It is, indeed, glorious to relieve human suffering, though there is something far more glorious, which is, to prevent it. The world will reach this latter glory only through the first, however, and we hail it as a sign of promise and of progress, when, actuated " by a desire of attaining greater perfection," men and women formally or informally dedicate themselves at the altar of God, as the servants of the Poor and of Christ. Well might the Hospitilliers find constant employment in mitigating the evil that surrounded a people, plunged in misery by terrible wars of religious fanaticism. The same want of wisdom, though differently manifested-the same spirit of war in these last times-may make ere long the necessity for a people compassionate enough to form a new order of Hospitilliers. Whether the demand will create the article, as readily as the necessity has been created, is somewhat questionable. But the Hospitilliers fell from their first estate. They ceased to heal the wounded and the wretched, and went forth a warlike order, rivaling the Knights Templar in creating the evils that they at first sought to cure. For many centuries these two great rivals contested for the palm of chivalric honor, both pretending to be based upon the sternest principles of monkish asceticism, both equally ambitious, and both falling as far short of their profession in their practice, as is usual in this world of pretension. They stood shoulder to shoulder confronting the Infidel on the sands of Palestine, but as soon as success or a truce had caused a cessation of arms, the rancorous hate which their rivalry had fomented, burst forth in mutual recrimination and bloody feuds. The Order of the Knights Templar was finally destroyed by the ferocious hate of Philip of France, backed by the treachery of the Pope. They were massacred in all the Christian countries on the globe, miserably perishing by fire, sword, and tortures, while even the dead were horribly outraged. The quarrel of the wretches who preyed upon them, was only appeased by their religiously ceding the plunder to the Hospitilliers. This Order then became the most powerful in the world, conquered Rhodes, and after a long series of vicissitudes, was finally established in Malta, from which they were driven by Revolutionary France. We may take up this book again. It of fers material for a charming article. Ir is among the most encouraging circumstances of the age, that the news of the peaceful settlement of the Oregon question has been received by the three leading nations of Christendom with undisguised gratification. There is no need here of inquiring whether the claims in dispute were in themselves of sufficient value to have bred the danger of such a conflict. It is enough when an accom plished and proud nation, and powerful enough to defend its pride, sincerely believes that any affair in question touches a vital point of its honor. Its interest may be foregone; a point, even, of national security may be yielded; but its dignity and self-respect will be jealously defended. These are a nation's best inheritance; wealth and power without them are but poor possessions;- but no people can long maintain themselves in their own regard, or in that of others, who do not defend their rights. That England was sincere in asserting that she had rights to be maintained in the Oregon region-that she believed a large portion of the territory was justly hers cannot admit of a doubt in the minds of those who have noted her language and conduct. It must be equally beyond doubt among candid men everywhere, that the counter-claim, so far as urged by the more intelligent and sober-minded of the American people, was in like manner sincerely alleged, and with a full belief in its validity Thus, however small may have been the value of the territory in dispute-and to England, at least, it was comparatively of little consequence there was, within certain limits on each side, a line of honor not to be transgressed by the opposing power, giving to the question a grave character in the eyes of other nations. Unfortunately, according to the feelings of large portions of the respective communities, these lines crossed each other in many points, thus allowing room for many positions to be looked upon by one side as aggressions, when to the other they were but the natural and necessary occupation of grounds of right. It was, therefore, no causeless or insignificant cloud of war through which the star of peace so heavily struggled, and it required distinct concessions on each side, even from those in the State holding to the most moderate of the claims put forth, before the heavens that cover the ocean between us could be made clear again. These concessions were made. The affairs of the English Government, by a good Providence, were in the hands of an administration given to moderate counsels; and the great bulwark of our national interests, the Senate, exercised its ancient prerogative of educing wise results from popular tumult, factious cabals, and that most fatal of all things in a government, an executive at once imbecile and ambitious. But, happily, this was not all. It might, indeed, have been sufficient for present |