"Io amo per esempio vedere ogni giorno questo bel sole nel suo tramonto, certo ch' egli si leverà domani in tutta la sua limpidezza et non fosco, non appannato come la luce degli occhi d' un ubriaco seccome avviene in quella maledetta affumigata Londra dove si elevano come da un calderone turbini di nerissimi vapori.”— expositors of the laws both human and divine, Another piece of marvellously cool impudence as this enlightened gentleman. In his drama is that of taking whole passages from Byronof Massaniello a very curious scene occurs. It travestying them into very inflated prose, and is a well-known historical fact that when the passing them off as original-Ecce signum SeDuke d'Arcos was closeted with the "hero," colo XIX. Quadro III. Epoca Seconda. after an hour had elapsed, the populace became furious at the non-appearance of their idol, and broke out into terrific exclamations. Massaniello explained the cause to the terrified duke, and proposed that he should show himself in friendly conference with the viceroy at a window of the palace. At the sight of Massaniello the mob was at once quieted, and on a sign which he further made, the crowd dispersed. This scene is represented by M. de' Virgilii, and he thereupon causes the popular leader to talk popular philosophy very much as follows: MASSANIELLO AL VICERE. "Non tema per nulla V. E. Il nostro popolo è docile ai commandi, solo che questi sien ben dati" which is, being interpreted, "Now don't be frightened, please your excellency; our people are uncommonly obedient to orders-provided always that they like them "--for if it be said, that a more literal translation would say, "if they be judiciously given," we at once reply, who is to be the judge? Then Massaniello takes off his cap and twists it about a little, and forthwith all the people go away; and this is, We cannot go on-everybody knows the ef fective stanzas from " Beppo," of which these words commence a translation: "I like to see the sun set, &c." Nor can we see much more merit in the translations professedly offered from Byron; that glorious passage from Marino Faliero, is "I speak to Time and to Eternity, Of which I grow a portion-not to man!" thus rendered, "Io non parlo al uomo ma al tempo ed alla eternita, di cui vado a far parte." The very point and beauty of the passage is destroyed by this needless transposition, to say nothing of rendering "Marino Faliero," 66 Cain" and all save " Manfred" of Byron's dramas into that most languid of all species of composition, modern Italian prose; but we will close our task while we have a small remaining portion "Per mostrare quanto sia agevole farsi ciecamente ubbidire da questo popolo a torto calun-of patience. niati di rebellione." After this we may take a little slice of moral philosophy, and we shall see how the school of Le roi s'amuse,” and “Lucrece Borgia" is transplanted on the southern side of the Alps, in "Il Secolo XIX.," the epoca terza, quadro IV., terminates thus. 66 "ARNOLDO. Dimmi Amelia non é il bacio la piu eloquente parola di amore? la bacia fortemente fortemente! Sara questio bacio suggelo d'un eterno AMELIA. Jo sento sfogarmi, sento struggermi. Oh miserabili nella nostra condizione! Ma se avverrà che tu voglia sacrificarmi ARNOLDO, (risentito). Sacrificarti Contessa! AMELIA. Misera me-io non so dove mi trove nè che mi dica-Solo-volea dirti-mi amerai tu? ARNOLDO, (con ardore). The gems ART. XIII.—Catalogue des Pierres Gravées An- Fino alla Morte! si ed anche dopo-se dopo. The editor of the British and Foreign Review permitted himself to be made the agent for the circulation of all the mischief that an incompetent and discharged employé could inflict on the present purchaser. He had never seen the gems, imagined them to be in Florence, and had he seen them is no judge of their value; yet notwithstanding he published an ill-natured disquisition on them, which is only remarkable for its inconsistency with itself, the grossest ignorance of gem engraving, and an utter want of truth. Such a statement cannot injure the gems, to general bearings. It will necessarily become a which it is clear Canova, Thorwalsden, and oth- book of extensive reference to all historians, and er distinguished artists, are largely indebted. we shall, on some future occasion, probably do The editor must also become one of the cognos- better justice to Signor Alberi and his distincenti before his judgment can affect the ques- guished collaborateurs. Venice passed a law tion. He owes a deep apology to the injured in 1296, that all her ambassadors, when their proprietor, and if it be not forthcoming, we shall embassy was over, should relate to the council assuredly state further facts that will materially that appointed them the circumstances of their damage the character of that journal for fair-mission. From the several statements thus ness and impartiality. made the work before us is compiled, and it is If any evidence were wanting of their perfect an invaluable accompaniment to the study of beauty, we conceive that the other evening it ancient history. Cibrario has already seized on was furnished during the time we were occu- the narratives of the Venetian ambassadors to pied in their examination. A Cinque Cento Gem the state of Savoy in 1574, 1670, and 1743. of the first character was placed in the field of The illustrious author of the History of the a compound microscope of sufficient power to Popes, Leopold Ranke, has also not been slow indicate the circulation of the sap in a leaf to cull out all he required for his own work, by just plucked for that object. The carving be looking minutely into the Venetian reports of came a caricature, but these matchless speci- embassies to Rome. Signor Alberi has given mens of Grecian artists only appeared if possi- both a faithful and readable detail with all the ble heightened in beauty when inagnified to accuracy required, and yet has not adhered to a thirty times their original size. They were rigid transcript of the ancient orthography in bought of the Poniatowski family, of that por- the fashion of Tommaseo, who has not altered tion of it legitimated by the Duke of Lucca, a letter, but has preserved every fault even of who received them from that member of their the amanuensis. Immense stores of this pubhouse that sat on the throne of Poland. It is lic and authentic character exist in Florence, in some satisfaction to think that these at least the Riccardi and Magliabecchi libraries, and the have been rescued from the ruin of Poland, and Archivio Mediceo; Venice, Turin, Rome, Vithat England will be enabled to secure them enna, Berlin, Paris, and Gotha, all furnish a while they remain in her land, from the grasp further contingent. Venice followed a fixed ing power of Nicholas. If the Etruscan vases routine as to her embassies. She sent fur paand the Elgin marbles have added highly to trician ambassadors to Vienna, France, Spain British art, and even Wedgwood owns his obli- and Rome. Naples, Turin, London, and Milan gations to the former, and every one of our had also resident and kept also a residente at sculptors exhibits little more than imitations of Venice. Extraordinary circumstances of course the latter, these gems will not be found to min- led to different functionaries, and we have acister to taste in an inferior degree. Here noth-cordingly ambassadors, plenipotentiaries, negoing is mutilated, but all as perfect nearly as from the day of the carving by the artist, from the care that has been taken for their preservation. Our best die-sinkers and medallists give but one verdict on their exquisite beauty, and whether we turn to Messrs. Wyon or Messrs. Tassey the same report reaches us. We trust they will be secured for the British Museum, which contains nothing of equal value. One peculiar feature connected with them is the continuity that they exhibit; the adventures of Jupiter, Venus, Mercury, are given consecutively, and the mythological illustration is complete, which proves, we conceive, that they were designed from maguificent statues that are now lost for ever, and of which these remain the only existing types. The most beautiful ancient statues, the Apollo Belvidere, for example, are rivalled and outmatched, and casts from these gems should adorn the library of every scholar and lover of antiquity, both for their perfect execution and complete illustration of points of classical interest. In an essay on Gem Engraving in some future number we shall revert to this subject. ART. XIV.-Relazione degli Ambasciatori Ve- tiators; and authentic records of these persoDS were kept by the Maggior Consiglio, the Senate, and the Council of Ten. The first published embassy by Signor Alberi is entitled, “Relazione di Borgogna con aggiunta di alcuni particolari intorno i Regni d'Inghilterra e di Castiglia letta in pregadi da Vincenzo Quirino 1506." It is quite evident, from the minute details here given, that the Venetians kept their eyes open in all countries into which they entered. The following geographical statement has now become curious with respect to England. "This island of England is divided into three partsEngland, Wales, and Cornwall, and each of these parts has a language so entirely different from the rest, that the people of the one are unintelligible to the other." The ancient Cornish, on which this statement was grounded, has now nearly vanished. Among the most important of our nobility he numbers, the Duke of Northfolck and the Earl of Northumberland, and estimates their several rentals at 30,000 ducats. The Bishops of the whole isle be states as twenty-two, and two archbishops; the orders of St. Benedict and St. Augustine had fifty-six houses, and their property he estimates at 400,000 ducats per annum; the order of St. Bernard, 260,000 ducats; other monasteries received 62,000 ducats. The parishes amounted to 5,200, the clergy to 10,000, and their revenue to 120,000 ducats. The whole ecclesiastical revenue he states at 860,000 ducats. The vast preponderance of the foreign clergy over the British is ap parent from the above statement. This may give our readers an idea of the interesting contents of these volumes The embassy of Nicolo Tiepolo to Charles V. 1523, follows, but we cannot give any more from it than a single extract on Luther. Luther takes from the pope all preeminence and pontifical authority, condemns confession, gives the communion in both kinds, denies the merit of human works, removes all religious vows, allows priests and monks and nuns to marry, does not consider that Christians ought to observe fasts or festivals, destroys all images, and removes many other rites and institutions of the church, both in worship and practice." The next account is "La Relazione di Francia del clarissimo Marino Giustiniano tornato ambasciatore dal Christianissimo, 1535." Tommaseo has published this paper as well as the next, the embassy of Marino Cavalli, 1546. The paper following is of the same date, 1546, and is an account of the mission of Bernardo Navagero to Charles V. Two years after we have the embassy of Lorenzo Contarini to Ferdinand king of the Romans, which closes the first volume. The following description of Ferdinand is singularly characteristic of the age. "As to intellect, this prince has fine and acute perception, speaks well Spanish, German, Latin, and Italian; replies fast and reasons well, knows a little about everything, likes to question people and to talk with them, and has a most capital memory. He amuses himself with mechanics, especially artillery, and has a liking for it. He is a capital negotiator, does everything himself, everything passes through his hands, and no deputy from any country, be his business what it may, has anything to do save with the king. As to moral virtues, his Majesty is most religious; nor has he ever altered the true worship of God. Every day, as soon as he gets up, he tells his beads, hears the mass also daily, every feast day repeats the service from the breviary, attends vespers every evening, and at least one sermon, but often two. He confesses and communicates two or three times a year, and finally, we trace in his Majesty no leaning except to the true religion. He is so temperate in his passions that he is believed never to have had intercourse with any other woman than his wife, neither during her life nor since her death." We must now terminate our notices of the valuable volumes of Signor Alberi, which contain facts of the utmost importance to all lovers of history; and in order to guide them to what they may require, we shall give the space of time the work at present embraces, and the localities where the embassies were directed. It begins with 1506, and extends in the present volumes in our hands (four) to 1579. The first is before our readers. The second contains embassies to Charles V., to the Convent of Nizza, to Ferdinand, King of the Romans; Matteo Dandolo to France; Marini Cavalli to Charles V.; Daniele Barbaro to England; Giovanni Cappello to France; Giovanni Micheli to England; Anonymous to England; Giovanni Sorenzo to France. These are followed in the next volume by the missions of Marco Foscari to the republic of Florence; Carlo Capello, three years, after, to the same; Vincenzo Fedeli to the court of Florence; Andrea Boldu to the court of Savoy. The next volume consists of a series of embassies to the Ottoman empire. We shall conclude with one more extract from the last volume. "The importance of the grand signor would appear trifling if we were simply to estimate him from his low and mean palaces, but our notions become altered when we see him on horseback, as we do every Friday, going to the mosque, and far more when he holds a horse divan, for then he discovers the proud pomp of his state, being accompanied by an infinite number of horsemen and foot soldiers, who sparkle in gold and gems; without a sound, in uninterrupted silence he moves on; his people evince a readiness to serve him-an obedience, a devotion, that, as it is unexampled in any court, confuses the spectators. But what still more confounds and confuses them, is that in that spot where military skill most flourished, inventions of science, the reasoning arts, the noblest writings, the finest laws, the most prudent sages, now there appears not a trace of them. The miserable realms are in the hands of barbarous and brutal chiefs. Grass covers the most famous cities; the finest buildings are either buried, or destroyed, or ruined; brutal violence has extinguished not only virtue, arms, literature, obscured all liberty and nobility, but uprooted even their memory. These lovely countries are so bare of all culture, that the wretched inhabitants have a proverb, 'Where the Ottoman steed puts his feet, the grass never grows."" THE above is a compendium for Italian education, and we perceive with great pleasure that the author has selected principally English works for this object. He appears in some respects to have very just ideas of education, and we quite agree with the principle he lays down, that amusement is too little intermixed with instruction in elementary schools. The false methods pursued in education have prevented many persons from becoming educated. The following scheme of schools in the LombardoVenetian kingdom seems to comprise an immense course. In elementary schools they teach, 1st. The principles of the Catholic Faith; 2d. Reading; 3d. Writing; 4th. Arithmetic; 5th. Tables of weights and measures; 6th. Rules to express ideas in writing. The higher elementary schools are taught in the three first classes besides the above, and a continuation of the arithmetic, 1st. The principles of the Roman Catholic Faith, with a compendium of sacred History and an Exposition of the Gospel; 2d. Calligraphy; 3d. Orthography; 4th. Italian grammar; 5th. Instructions for composition; 6th. Reading and writing Latin under dictation. In the 4th upper class, which is divided into two portions, they teach the principles of architec ture, geometry, mechanics, stereometry, design, geometry, natural history, and physics. In the elementary technical school, in addi tion to the above, history, commerce, book- this opportunity of saying that a paper has been keeping, mathematics, history of the arts, chemistry, German, French, and English. prepared by us on the Roman Law of Signor Forti, a most valuable work, and in it we have The Guida dell' Educatore is full of valuable endeavoured to combine all that has been done information on the state of Italy, but our limits recently in England and Germany on that subwill not allow us to extract more. We take ject. MISCELLANEOUS LITERARY NOTICES. AFRICA. ALGERIA.The French press in this country, which is actively employed in printing various oriental works, has received orders from the Minister of War to deposit in the Bibliothèque du Roi at Paris, copies of all works printed in the colony since its conquest. DENMARK. COPENHAGEN. The society of Northern Antiquarians have just published a new volume of their Annals, and also of their Memoirs. EGYPT. In April the Prussian Egyptian expedition is likely to start for Egypt, Dr. Lepsius being at the head of it. FRANCE. The Court of Assize of La Seine has condemned M. Auguste Luchet, author of a romance entitled “Le Nom de la Famille," to two years imprisonment and 1000f. fine, for of fences in the above-named work against public morals, for an attempt to bring the government into contempt, and an outrage on the Roman Catholic religion. GERMANY. BONN.-Two new editions of Gaius have recently been published here. The first new edition commenced by Goeschen, and completed after his death by Lachmann; the second, after Goeschen, Huschke, and Lachmann's text by Boecking. The new periodical edited by Fichte continues to excite a great deal of interest. Three volumes of the new series have already appeared. A new edition of Juvenal by Heinrich, the late professor at our university, is claiming that attention among philologists which it so justly merits. Heinrich devoted a great part of his life to the editing of this author, and it was not till after his death that it was found how much new matter he has furnished for the illustration of this classic. The bookseller Koenig, already so well known as the enterprising publisher of some of the best Sanscrit works lately produced in Germany, has added another to his list of oriental publications; it is "Kammura, liber de officiis sacerdotum Buddhicorum," in Pali and Latin, edited with notes by F. Spiegel. LEIPZIG.-Bibliopolisches Jahrbuch für 1841, fünfter Jahrgang. 8vo. Leipzig, 1842. (Bibliopolic Annual for 1841, fifth year.) The present volume, like all the former ones of this useful annual, not only claims the attention of booksellers, but of all persons connected with the different branches of literature in Ger many. It commences with the law of the press in Germany during the year 1840, and first publishes the Bavarian law of April 15, for the protection of literary property, and the treaty between Austria and Sardinia with the same laudable object, and then proceeds to a history of the press for the past year, including biographies of eminent booksellers and librarians that have died since the publication of the last volume. Then follow, arranged according to the towns, a list of all the booksellers, with short statistical notices of the towns and adjacent districts or provinces, and the most interesting and most laborious part of the book, a catalogue of all political papers, appearing either daily, weekly, or monthly, with the number of circulation, prices of advertisements, &c. After this, we find a list of all public libraries in Germany, which, we confess, is not so complete as could have been wished; and we have detected several errors in the names of the librarians and other persons appointed in them; and much unnecessary labour has been bestowed on the li braries in Saxony, where we find almost every public collection of books in such places as Plauen enumerated, while considerable and valuable collections in many towns of Austria are entirely omitted. The work concludes with a literature of bibliography and books relating to the press, its branches arranged systematically; and under the head of "Gutenbergiana,” we find 134 books, four typographic tableaux, six lithographs, and five medals, all occasioned by the celebration, in the year 1840, of the fourth centenary of the art of printing. We The whole arrangement of the work shows great care and application, and we hope it will meet with the encouragement that it will need to make every new volume more perfect. trust that in its first section it may before long have to record such advancement in this class of legislation, that may justify a hope that in all civilized nations the necessary protection will be afforded to literary productions of all nations. HAMBURO. The posthumous works of Peter the German language. Gries lived for the greatOtto Runge have here excited universal atten-er part of his life at the university of Jena, but tion, not so much because he was a fellow-citi-retired several years ago to conclude his days in zen, but from his having been the intimate his native town. He was upwards of 67 years friend of the most celebrated literary charac- of age. ters of the age, among which Niebuhr stands FRANKFORT. Very shortly, it is anticipated, pre-eminent. Many of his writings are de- the commission created for the purpose of revoted to his art (he was a painter,) but the vising the laws of authors and publishers will greatest part are literary subjects, and his cor- be called together. The international law rerespondence forms the most interesting part of specting the works of literature and art, we unthe book His principal work is on the theory derstand, is to be taken into consideration, and of colours, already printed, but this reprint of it is to be hoped that it may lead to some more it is illustrated by his correspondence with satisfactory results than have generally hitherto Goethe on the subject. These works can be with followed resolutions on this subject. The fol justice recommended, and we may add that they lowing persons have been eleected commissionare published for the benefit of his orphan ers to arrange the details: Dr. Hitzig and Mr. grandchild; the father, who inherited the ta- Reimer, the publisher, of Berlin; Mr. Perthes, lents of Runge, having, while painting the publisher from Hamburg; Barth, Winter, and ceilings of the winter palace in Petersburg, Campe; also booksellers from Heidelberg and been killed by the excessive heat by which the Nurnberg. plaster in the apartments was ordered to be dried. THE RHINE.-A storm in the course of last winter carried away the arch of the ruin of Rolandseck, which every traveller to this romantic river will well remember; but Freiligrath the poet was anxious to restore this relic, and has collected all the romances written in Ger-, man and English relating to Rolandseck and its immediate vicinity, Diachenfels and Nonnenwerth; and it is curious to see how many poets have chosen the legend of Roland for their subject-we need only mention Byron and Campbell; and Schiller's "Ritter Toggenburg," a version of the same story, will be known to almost every reader of German poetry as one of the most simple and beautiful romances in that language. Simrock has added a dissertation on the legend, in which he considers it in connection with the similar incidents in Romeo and Juliet, Pyramus and Thisbe, Tristan and Ysolda, and others. We may bere at the same time mention that the beautiful little church above Remagen, on the summit of the Appoli-, narisberg, built by the orders of the Count von Fuerstenberg, is nearly completed, and that Professor Kugler, who saw it some weeks since, pronounced it the most complete specimen of a pure style that this country has produced. LEIPSIC.-Dr. Lepsius, already well known by several works on Paleography, has translated Henry Gally Knight's work on the develop. ment of architecture among the Normans, and added an introductory treatise of the application of the pointed arch in the architecture of the tenth and eleventh centuries in Germany. Since the commencement of the 19th century the following sovereigns have either resigned their crowns voluntarily, or been forced to abdicate;- Gustavus Adolphus IV., king of Sweden was forced to resign, 1809, and died, 1837. Louis Napoleon, king of Holland, resigned, 1810. Joseph Napoleon, king of Spain, was forced to resign, 1813. Jerome Napoleon, king of Westphalia, was forced to resign, 1813, Joachim Murat, king of Naples, was forced to resign, 1815, and died in the same year. Napoleon, Emperor of the French, forced to resign, 1815, and died, 1821. The Dey of Algiers was forced to resign, 1829, and died soon after. Charles X., king of France, forced to resign, 1830, and died 1836. Charles, duke of Brunswick, forced to resign, 1830. Peter, Emporor of the Brazils, resigned voluntarily, 1831, and died, 1834. William H., Elector of Hesse, resigned voluntarily, 1831. Gunther, Prince Schwarzburg, voluntarily, 1835, and died, 1837. William, king of the Netherlands, voluntarily, 1840: being the second of only three kings of Holland, who has resigned his crown of his own free will.-Gottschalk's Geonol. Taschenb. PRUSSIA. BERLIN. The commission for the publication GOTTINGEN.-A new history of Rome, from of the works of Frederic the Great have just rethe fall of the Republic to Constantine, by Dr. ceived, through the Russian embassy, copies of Carl Hoek, a professor at the university, claims the essays, letters, and poems, which were writthe attention of all lovers of history. It is written for to Petersburg. There are in all thirtyten with a view to illustrate its constitution and five different parts all of high interest, and among administration. them the celebrated dream of the king about the various forms of religion, which is indeed the dream of a great genius. HAMBURG. On the 19th of February died, after a severe and lingering illness, Dr. J. D. Gries, privy councillor to the King of Saxony, Another step has been taken towards the pubwell known in the literary world as the trans-lication by laying before his majesty the report lator of several Italian and Spanish classics. His of the details of publication. The expense of translation of Calderon is not only considered the best German version of this dramatist, but to rank among the best adaptations of foreign poetry to the splendid edition in 4to with plates, will amount to at least 60,000 dollars, or very nearly 10,0001. The expense of the small edition has |