Reviews.

¦ -a Boys' Own Library . Wild Sports of the World , No . III . S . 0 . BEETON , Strand This number is by no means inferior to the former , and at a present moment will be peculiarly interesting to the iders , to whom it is addressed , giving a good ' popular scripfcion of the Gorilla , with some excellent extracts and cs from the work of M . Chaillu , which has been the object

so much controversy amongst scientific men . The illusitions are all admirable ancl the Wild Sports of the World timot prove otherwise than acceptable to many ; olthe rising aeration now home for the holidays , and we ' recommend ¦ ihers of families at once to purchase a- number and connee themselves of its value . ie Life Boat ; orJournal of tlie National Life Boat

Institu-, ion . Tho title of this Magazine bespeaks its subject , it being the gan of the excellent society established with the view of ¦ oyiding life boats for every part of the Coast of the nited Kingdom , and the promotion of improvements in o boats . As an evidence of what the society is doing the u * nal is worthy of perusal , and will doubtless tend to

oinofce the interests of the Institution . The present ituber contains an excellent article "The Ramsgate Life b iat , " b y the Rev . J . Gilmore , M . A ., reprinted from Macillan ' s Magazine .

j ., i glishwoman ' s Lomestic Magazine for July . S . 0 . BEETON . This is a good average number of this popular Magazine . 1 contains , in addition to the usual amount of letter-press , < i- excellent coloured engraving of the fashions , and a full s-eet of engravings as patterns for sleeves and bonnets . T ic " Family Secret " is continued and gains in interest as ifc

proceeds . '' The Domestic History of England" is also worthy oi perusal , but the fair editress must have surely been caught napping when she admitted such an article on the Volunteers as the " The Conquering Hero . " " The Marchioness of Aure-Ixmne , " is a neat little tale , and the chapter on Mocking Birds highly interesting to the admirers of the feathered race .

Notes On Literature, Science, And Art.

NOTES ON LITERATURE , SCIENCE , AND ART .

Mr . John Stuart Mill , in his . new work , Considerations on Sep-resentaiives Government , remarks : — " I am far from condemning , in cases of extreme exigency , the assumption of absolute power in the form of a temporary dictatorship . Free nations have , in times of old , conferred such power by their own choice , as a necessary medicine for diseases of the body politic which could not be got rid of bless violent means . But its

accepy tance , even for a time strictly limited , can only be excused , if , like Solon or Pittacus , the dictator employs the whole power he assumes in removing the obstacles which debar the nation from the enjoyment of freedom . A good depotism is an altogether false ideal , whicli practically ( except as a means to some temporary purpose ) becomes the most senseless and dangerous of chimeras . Evil for evil , a good despotism , in a country at all advanced in civilisation ,

is more noxious than a bad one ; for it is far more relaxing ancl enervating to the thoughts , feelings , and energies of the people . The despotism of Augustus prepared the llomans for Tiberius . If the whole tone of their character had not first been prostrated by nearly two generations of that mild slavery , they would probably have had spirit enough left to rebel against the more odious one . " We are sorry to have to chronicle the death of the talented

English poetess , Mrs . Elizabeth Barrett Browning , which took place at Florence , on Sunday morning , June 30 th . It is pretty generally known that the late AVilliam Etty , R . A ., was the son of a baker at York , ancl that he assisted his father in the shop , until , at twelve years of age , he was bound apprentice to a printer at Hull ; but both in the baker ' s shop and the printing

office his tastes were for the fine arts ; and when assisting his father , the neighbours used to patronise him by giving him coppers to buy drawing materials with . Mr . Eglingtoii , of the Liverpool Academy , we understand , has just finished a painting representing the embryo artist as a Crocked boy , busy with a few colours , inside his father ' s shop .

The Elegy on Lesbia ' s Sparrow , " by Catullus , has been very much admired both in ancient and modern times . Mr . Theodore Martin thus renders it in his recent Catullus translated into English Verse : — " Loves and Graces , mourn with me , Mourn , fair youths , where ' er ye be .

Dead my Lesbia ' s sparrow is , Sparrow , that was all her bliss , Than her very eyes more dear ; For he made her dainty cheer , Knew her well , as any maid Knows her mother , never stray'd From her lap , but still would go Hopping round her to and fro

, And to her , ancl her alone , Chirrup'd with such pretty tone . Now he treads that gloomy track , AVhence none ever may come back . Out upon you , and your pow ' r , Which all fairest things devour , Orcus' gloomy shades , that e ' er Ye should take my bird so fair !

Oh , poor bii-d ! Oh , dismal shades ! Yours the blame is , that my maid's Eyes , clear eyes ! are swol'n and red , AVeeping for her darling dead . Lesbia , we may mention , was a feigned name for the poet ' s friend , Clodia . For ourselves , tho lines " To Sirmio . " on which the bard had a villa , are more to our tasto . They are thus ably translated by Mr . Martin : —

Sirmio , thou fairest far beneath the sky Of all tlie isles , and jutting shores , that lie Deeply embosomed in calm inland lake , Or where the waves of the vast ocean break ; Oh joy of joys , to gaze on thee once more ! I scarce believe that I have left the shore Of Thynia , and Bithynia's parching plain , And gaze on thee in safety once again !

Oh , what more sweet than when , from care set free , The spirit lays its burden down , ancl we , AVith distant travel spent , come home and spread Our limbs to rest along- the wished-for bed ; This , this alone , repays such toils as these ! Smile , then , fair Sirmio , and thy master please , — Ancl you , bright Lydian waves , your dimples trim ,

Let every smile of home be wreathed for him 1 " Thackeray seems to have been alike out of humour and out of a subject when he penned the following sentences for the Cornhill Magazine : — "A favourite liar and servant of mine was a man I once had to drive a brougham . He never came to my house , except for orders , ancl once when he helped to wait at dinner so clumsilthat it was agreed we would dispense with his further

y efforts . The ( job ) brougham horse used to look dreadfully loan ancl tired , ancl the livery-stable keeper complained that we worked him too hard . Now , it turned out that there was a neighbouring butcher ' s lady who liked to ride in a brougham ; and Tomkins lent her ours , drove her cheerfully to Richmond ancl Putney , ancl , I suppose , took out a payment in mutton-chops . We gave this good Tomkins wine and medicine' for his family when sick—we supplied him with little comforts and extras which need not now be

remembered—and the greatful creature rewarded us by informing some of our tradesmen whom he honoured with his custom , "Mr . Roundabout ? Lord bless you ! I carry him up to bed drunk every night in the week . " He , Tomkins , being a man of seven stone weight , ancl five feet high ; whereas his employer was—but here modesty interferes , and I decline to enter into the avoirdupois question . Sow , what was Tomkins' motive for the utterance and dissemination of the lies ? They could further no conceivable end

or interest of his own . Had they been true stories , Tomkins ' master would still , and reasonably , have been more angry than at the fables . It was but suicidal slander on the part of Tomkinsmust come to a discovery—must end in a punishment . The poor wretch had got his place under , as it turned out , a fictituous character . He might have stayed in it , for of course Tomkins had a wife and poor innocent children . He might have had breadbeer

, , bed , character , coats , coals . Ho might have nestled in our little island , comfortably sheltered from the storms of life ; but we were compelled to cast him out , and send him driving , lonely , perishing , tossing , starving , to sea—to drown . There be other modes of death whereby rogues die . Good-bye , Tomkins . And so the nightcap is put on , and the bolt is drawn for poor T . " Having got rid