Art. IX. First Impressions on a Tour upon the Continent, in the Summer of 1818, through Parts of Italy, Switzerland, the Borders of Germany, and a Part of French Flanders. By Marianne Baillie, 8vo. pp. 375. London. 1819. THIS is, on the whole, a pleasant volume, carrying the reader without fatigue, an agreeable post-chaise tour through Paris, Lyons, Turin, Milan, the Simplon, Geneva, Berne, Nancy, Rheims, Calais, Dover, home. In general, it is written with simplicity and ease, but there is an occasional attempt at vivacity and airiness, which usually misses its object, and excites an extremely uncomfortable sensation in the perusal. Now and then, too, we meet with a lofty and dashing allusion to points of theology, commonly accompanied with a damnatory reference to Calvin and his followers. These obnoxious sectaries will, however, recover from their consternation when we assure them, that the lady has not the smallest knowledge of the subject on which she writes so flippantly; and they will probably agree with us in wondering at the ingenuity which could contrive to exbibit among the first impressions of a Continental tour, the signs of a snappish disposition to quarrel with her neighbours on the score of their religious creed. We would fain hope that reflecdition and right feeling may hereafter dictate to Mrs. Baillie, a language less tinctured with virulence and self-complacency. But, not satisfied with the indulgence of this unaccountable tendency to vituperate Calvinism, she avails herself of a visit made by a friend of hers, the purest and most romantic child of nature,' to a set of 'ignorant' and 'unsophisticated' mountaineers, blessed with the singular virtues,' innocence,' and customary et ceteras of such people, to make a triumphant attack on the doctrine of Original Sin. The advocates for the doctrine of original depravity, and who deny that man is rendered vicious chiefly by circumstances, might have been somewhat staggered in this plain tale,' so truly calculated to put them down." We are unwilling to say harsh things to a lady, and shall therefore abstain from treating this delectable sequitur as it deserves; but we shall take leave to intimate, that infidelity, as well as hypocrisy, may have its cant, and that sundry passages in the present volume may serve to prove, that a sectarian temper is not confined to the admirers of Calvinism. The scenery, manners, and costume, on the road from Calais to Paris, are slightly but agreeably described, and the little rencontres between the travellers and interesting or common-place hostesses and filles de chambre, are amusingly sketched. The height of the buildings, the narrowness of the streets, the want of accommodation for pedestrians, and the villanous' and various' congregation of foul smells,' gave Mrs. Baillie a feeling of disgust towards Paris, which all its novelties and exhibitions were insufficient to remove. After a short stay in the Capital, her party quitted it for Lyons. At Saulieu, Two very pretty, modest, rustic lasses waited upon us, named Marie and Lodine. Lodine was a brunette, with an arch, dimpled, comical little face, (round as an apple, and equally glowing,) teeth white as snow, and regular as a set of pearls; but I rather preferred the opposite style of Marie, who was slighter in her person, graver, and whose large dark eyes and penciled brows alone gave lustre and expression to an oval face, and a pale, yet clear and fine-grained skin: those eyes, however, were not so often illuminated by bright flashes of innocent gaiety as those of Lodine, but they made amends by the length and beauty of their soft black lashes. Lodine's admiration was prodigiously excited by my English ear-rings and rings, &c. She took them up one by one to examine, and exclaimed frequently that she had never seen such beautiful things in her life.'. Mrs. B. and her friends reached Lyons in time to witness the rejoicings on the fête de St. Louis, ⚫ which is always celebrated with particular pomp and splendour. It was also the great jubilee of the Lyonnese peruquiers, who went in procession to high mass, and from thence to an entertainment prepared for them. The jouteurs (or plungers in water) likewise made a very magnificent appearance. They walked two and two round the town, and after a famous dinner (laid out for them in a lower apartment of our hotel) proceeded to exhibit a sort of aquatic tournament, in boats upon the river....... The dress of the combatants (among whom were several young boys of eight and five years old) was very handsome and fanciful, entirely composed of white linen, ornamented with knots of dark-blue riband. They had white kid leather shoes, tied with the same colours, caps richly ornamented with gold, and furnished with gold tassels. In their hands they carried blue and gold oars, and long poles, and upon their breasts a wooden sort of shield or breast-plate, divided into square compartments, and strapped firmly on like armour....... Against this they pushed with the poles as hard as possible, endeavouring to jostle and overturn their opponents; the vanquished, falling into the water, save themselves by swimming, while the victors carry off a prize.' If Mrs. Baillie means that plungers in water,' is the meaning of jouteurs, she is much mistaken; the word means tilterscombatants at a joust or tournament.-Some good description occurs of the mountain of Savoy, and ample evidence is given of the admirable arrangements made by Napoleon for the safe and commodious passage of these elevated regions. On Mont Cenis, the party noticed the Hospice occupied by a set of kind and attentive monks. We passed by the Hospice, originally built by Charlemagne and re-established by Bonaparte, who really put us in mind of the Marquis of Carrabas, in the fairy tale of Puss in Boots; for if we saw any road better than another, any house particularly well calculated for the relief of travellers, any set of guides whose attendance was unusually convenient and well-ordered, or any striking improvement, in short, of whatever nature, and were induced to inquire, by whom all had been done," the answer was invariably, Napoleon! Napoleon! Napoleon !' At Turin, Mrs. B. was sadly annoyed by the effluvia of garlic, a universal ingredient in the cookery. In the neighbourhood, she met the king of Sardinia taking his evening ride. He is described as a little thin man, apparently about fifty-five, with a countenance expressive of good nature. The prince and princess of Carignano are spoken of as universally beloved. While at the Opera, Mr. B., feeling something tickle his forehead, put up his hand, and caught hold of a monstrous black spider, at least four inches in circumference.' 4 In the journey through Switzerland, the party followed a route which, though well described by Mrs. Baillie, does not offer any other than well-known objects. Some particulars are stated of the singular habits of the idiot artist Mind: he was a Cretin, and did not appear in any respect superior to that miserable race, but in every thing not immediately relating to his art, exhibited every symptom of confirmed imbecility. His animals, however, are said to be painted with great force and truth. He lived in the midst of a menagerie of cats, and from his skill in representing that species, has acquired the mock-heroic distinction of le Raffaelle des chats. A few plates, not remarkable for excellence, accompany the volume. ART. X. SELECT LITERARY INFORMATION. Gentlemen and Publishers who have works in the Press, will oblige the Conductors of the ECLECTIC REVIEW, by sending information (post paid) of the subject, extent, and probable price of such works; which they may depend upon being communicated to the public, if consistent with its plan. The Rev. T. H. Horne's Introduction to the Critical Study and Knowledge of the Holy Scripture, will be ready in the course of October next, in four large volumes, 8vo. each containing not less than 650 pages, closely but handsomely printed; with fifteen plates of maps and fac-similes, besides numerous other engravings inserted in the body of the work. The delay in the publication has been occasioned partly by the accession of new matter (amounting to considerably more than one third), and partly by the Author's desire that the supplementary Volume (of which a limited number of copies only is printed) may appear at the same time, for the accommodation of purchasers of the first Edition. This supplementary Volume will comprise the whole third Volume of the new Edition, besides all such other historical and critical Matter, as can be detached to be useful, together with all the New Plates and fac-similes. Vol. I. contains a full inquiry into the genuineness, authenticity, and inspiration, of the Holy Scriptures; with refutations of the infidel objections lately urged against them, Vol. II. treats on Scripture Criticism, and on the Interpretation of the Scriptures, with select lists of the best books on every subject thereiu discussed. Vol. III. contains a summary of Biblical Antiquities, including so much of Greek and Roman Antiquities, as is necessary to elucidate the Sacred Writings, together with a geographical index of the principal places mentioned in them. Vol. IV. comprises historical and critical Prefaces to each book of the Old and New Testaments, and three indexes.-I. Biographical.-II. Of Matters. And III. Of the principal Texts cited and illustrated. Shortly will be published, (dedicated by permission to the Earl of Liverpool) The Dying Confessions of Judas Iscariot a convincing Evidence of the Divine Ori gin of Christianity. An Essay. By the Rev. Benj. Cracknell, D. D. &e. Nearly ready for publication, a new and beautiful edition of Moral Gallantry and other Essays, by the late Sir George Mackenzie, of Roseneath. In the press, A Reply to Samuel Lee, Professor of Arabic in the University of Cambridge, refuting his remarks on the New Translation of the Bible. By L. Bellamy. Sir George Nayler is preparing for publication, by command of his Majesty, a full account of the Ceremonies observed at the Coronation, illustrated by plates. The Rev. James Townley has in the press, in three octavo volumes, an introduction to the Literary and Ecclesiastical History of the Sacred Scriptures, and the Translations of them into different languages. Mr. John Mawe is printing a second edition of his Travels in Brazil, which will contain some further researches, and be enriched by communications from several men of eminence in that country, Dr. Wardlaw, of Glasgow, has in the press, Lectures on the Book of Ecclesiastes, in two octavo volumes. Mess. Kirby and Spence have in great forwardness, the third volume of their Introduction to Entomology. John Howison, Esq. will soon publish in an octavo volume, Sketches of Upper Canada, domestic, local, and characteristic; with practical details for the information of emigrants. The Private and Confidential Correspondence of Charles Talbot, duke of Shrewsbury, during the reign of William III. illustrated by historical and biographical narratives, is preparing for publication. A history of the Literature of Spain and Portugal, by Frederick Bouterwek, translated from the German, is printing in an octavo volume. Mr. William Robinson is preparing for the press, the History and Antiquities of the Town and Parish of Enfield. Mr. Stevenson has in the press, a practical Treatise on Gutta Serena, a species of blindness arising from a loss of sensibility in the nerve of vision, illustrated by numerous cases. Mr. Phillips (of Bayswater), Author of the Pomarium Britannicum or history of Fruits known in Great Britain, has issued Proposals for publishing by Subscription, a history of Cultivated Vegetables, comprising their Botanical, Medicinal, Edible, and Chemical Qualities, their natural history and relation to art, science, and commerce. will form 2 vols. royal octavo. It In the press, Memoirs of Mrs. Barfield, of Thatcham, (formerly Miss Summers of Hammersmith,) with extracts from her correspondence, by her brother. Preparing for the press, A Gradus ad Heliconem, being a Greek Gradus, to answer to the Gradus ad Parnassum. By the Rev. T. W. Neblock, master of the Grammar School, Hitchin, Herts. A new Edition of Mr. Cuthbert Johnson's Essay upon the Uses of Salt in Agriculture and Horticulture, will appear in the course of a few days. It will be improved by the results of the Experiments of Messrs. Curwen and Cartwright, and numerous other Practical Farmers, and, by favour of the Board of Agriculture, will also be enriched with those of Mr. Sinclair, of Woburn Abbey. The work has been nearly rewritten. On the first of September, will be published, price 1s. 6d. to be continued monthly, Part 1. of the Youth's Evangelical Library. It has been long observed with regret by the Friends of Christian Education, that while the productions of the dramatist and the novelist have been brought under the notice and within the reach of every class of society, in almost every form of se.lection or compilation; still thousands, more piously disposed, are denied access to many highly important and inte-resting passages in the works of our most eminent writers on sacred subjects, through a want of ability to procure, or of time to peruse, the numerous and expensive volumes in which they are contained. This lamented deficiency it is the wish of the Compilers of the Youth's Evangelical Library effectually to supply, by presenting to the Public, at a very moderate expense, the most interesting and instructive passages of Addison, Baxter, Cowper, Doddridge, Flavel, Henry, Law, Leighton, Lowth, Newton, Owen, Sturm, Tillotson, Watts, and various other writers equally admired and approved. This work will be published in monthly parts, price 1s. 6d. each it will be so arranged that each part will be complete in itself, even when one author may occupy two parts; each may therefore be pur chased separately. A brief sketch of the life of the different authors will be given, and each part will be embellished with an engraving. The price has been reduced as low as possible, in order to bring the work within the reach of the higher classes of Sunday schools, as most of the parts, if not all, will form a very suitable and valuable addition to every Sunday scholar's library, Part I. contains selections from the works of Cowper, with a brief sketch of his life and an engraving. Part II. will consist of selections from the reflections and most important notes of Doddridge's Family Expositor. Shortly will be published, a Picture of Ancient Times, and a sketch of modern history, in a most exact chronological order, forming a pair of maps for the study of universal history. By Miss Thomson, teacher' of the French language, geography, history, &c. &c. In these maps, divisions and epochs are carefully observed and distinguished by colours, so that the learner may easily understand and feel an interest in them. -They form a complete line of events, divided by bands each under respective heads. The first chart comprehends from the creation to the birth of Christ, sacred history occupying a separate column; and profane history follows in three divisions. The dates of the world are arranged with those before Christ in opposite columns, distinguished by colours to facilitate the memory. second Map contains the most important names and remarkable events from the Birth of Christ to the present time, with all the reigns of England and France from the Conquest of the Normans to the Death of Buonaparte. No date has been inserted without consulting the most approved authorities. The |
