Reviews.

( blank Averse , by the way , ) the dawn of a better and brighter day on this heavy and suffering world of ours . There are passages of considerable force and beauty in the long continued rolls of his poetic lucubration through ten books , but we fear that ,

to use a cant word just now , the poem is hardl y " realistic " enough for a large class of readers . Still wc gladly welcome this " waif" sent to our shores from the far Antipodes , although Ave are not " Millennarians" and find

, 10 , 000 lines rather a tough morsel to digest and to reA'ieAv . AVe admire always the efforts of poetic genius , and consider them " a good thing" for the world and for society .

Ireland Ur of the Chaldees . By Anna AVilkes . Trubner and Co . AVe confess to have boon greatly startled by this suggestion of the fair writer ! In fact , Ave felt at once that Ave wore like Paddy , Avhen his misthress introduced to his notice some one of those happy little

machines for domestic use , whether for churning in the dairy , or for cleaning knives in the pantry , unknoAvii in that good country of potatoes and buttermilk "Bedad , " says he , scratching his head , " Madam , it ' s mighty strange , and it

bothers me eomplately . " After all our exploration of the " Orient Clime , " after the diggings of Mr . Layard , and the labours of Sir H . Eawlinson , to be told that Ireland is Ur of the Chaldees , and that this is to bo proved by a AVOIIprintcd book of 207 close pages , is enough

to take aAvay one ' s breath . But AA'hcti AVO see how ethnology and philology , and more than one other " ology" is pressed very skilfully into Miss Wilkes ' s service ( it may be by the poAver of attraction ) , to support her theories , and enforce her argumentsone can only shake one ' s headand

, , rub one ' s eyes , like the dreamer aAvakened out of his long and fairy sleep . AVe regret to say that Ave cannot concur , on any single ground , with the fair expositrix of ancient names and geographical arrangements . There is a great deal ol

very loose and weak , and therefore mischieA r ous philology afloat at the present day , and AVO fear that M iss AVilkes has been lured by the Will-o ' -AVisp of fancied similarity and derivation , by a vivid imagination , and a considerable " copia verborum , " to propound what is in sober honesty

utterly untenable , and Ave feel Ave must say , puerile . The effect of her explanation would be , to reduce the Bible from an undoubted record of events , the * correctness of which record modern discoveries have most wonderfully demonstrated to the utter

discomfiture of the sceptical school , to a mere collection of mythical rhapsodies ; and Ave oaiinot for one moment accept either Miss AVilkes ' s views , or even her skilful manipulation of historical facts and geographical divisionsand philological

de-, rivations , by which she seeks to give consistency to her very deftly raised , but very fragile " castle in the air . " Ur of tho Chaldees , wherever exactly that spot may

bo , is far away from the Irish Channel ; and the " Green Isle , " the " Terne " of old Minstrel song , is still as ever , and ever Avill remain , in herself and by herself , simply " Ireland ; " " ould Ireland , " if you like . No one Avho has seen her green hills ,

and laughed with her lvarm-hearted people , but Avill always wish her well , but to make her anything else but Ireland would bo " Avrong if possible , and if possible wrong . " Paddy Avould probably stare , if he was told that his country Avas Ur of the Chaldees ,

and not Ireland , and though a lady is always treated very civilly in Ireland , ho would be a very bold man who would take aAvay the " old name" of their country from the Irish people . The Treasury of Language * . A Eudhnentary Dictionary of Universal Philology . —Hall and Co .

Wo have been much pleased witluthis simple and unpretending but very useful little work . The science of Philology has been making vast strides amongst us these last feAv years , and since the publication of Cardinal AViseman ' s admirable work

, the "Connection of scioi-cc Avith revealed religion , " many steps -have been taken in advance . It seems that there are , Avith root languages , and doriv d languages , and " patois " languages , and corrupted languages with languages proper , and

sub-divisions or dialects of the same , little * hort of 3 , 000 knoAvn forms in the world . Of course many of these are practically dead languages , but they have to be considered in a treatise on Philology . It seems impossible to lay doAvn any correct estimate of tho speaking languages of the world , not only so—as opinions may differ on the