On this page
-
Text (1)
-
A T M E E B [ S 215 _ LEA f> . No. 276, ...
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
-
-
Transcript
-
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.
A. Batch Of Books. The World In The Midd...
letteeve the most-instructive parts ^ itejfrtw . ewiotedbgr the founders of SSSLuk ?^ bffity Sow * ene * able only as * ey grow very old ; immortal S ^ Th ^ rmortafty . Some day no d ^ bt—perhaps when the coming isZ- < zSer pauses t o meditate—mediwval times ^ may rise into fashion ^ Sded ge Ssionists . Meanwhile Professor K ^ pen has collected , Ind conSactlf digested , considerable stores of knowledge on the national Sfei 3 territorial dietributions of the Middle Ages ; history m its
« rlminent Enes on a geographical basis . He sketches political change throwrh eight periods , conveniently aivided by the movements of races , front the division of the empire on the death of Theodosius to the Ottoman conquest ; the whole well illustrated by historical maps af ter Spruner . Considerable artistic power , w & ieh would seem to be native to the Dane , is displayed in giving life to the usual historic skeleton . If the accounts of manners and institutions are necessarily brief they are neither meagre nor colourless , and the numerous illustrations , and sometimes anecdotes , are pertiaeftt and suggestive . As here , from many examples , speaking of the common origin of the Danish and English people : —
The heathen Angles , Saxons , and Danes tad the same religion . Their common deftfes Tyr , Wodin ( Odin ) , Thnr ( Tor ) , Frea ( Freia ) , & c , still survive , and are daily suggested to onr memory in the appellation of the days of the week common to both Dane * and Anglo-Saxons . The-same mystic bemgs : gud , god ; alfar , aelfe , ylfe , < avas ; uwwtter , wihte , wights ; dvergjar , dveorgs , dwarfs ; jotnar , jcetter , jotaas ; troll , fcrtM ^ i tw > llea ; hel , telly & e-r were worshipped or feared by both nations , and occur loot yfmdy xa , their ancient poetical remains , but alao in the popular superstitions and hi ^ 1 » rin nf their sfcfll flourishing posterity . Their gods and b-eroes have likewise the ^ am e ; j » ames : Wodin , Odin 4 Skiold ,-Scyld ; Holfdan , Haelfdene ; Ubbe , UflSo , Offa ; f Twotfr-. Ttftlf-Again , on the Uormans : — The'Ifonnaiis are still the best mariners of France , and all their most disting-aMied admirals were of Norman descent . We discern , Ekewise , this Scandinavian influence in the naval expressions of the French language , such as for instance : esqztqf , iaaimes , raai & ngs , gar & ngiss , telery ngher r sferwww , and many others , all of Danish -ongin .
And as a specimen of the gossip by "which dry history is occasionally ilxtHttr & tetx ¦;¦*—• Ths . manners in Scandinavia were still very coarse during the fourteenth century . Albert orMecMenburg used to call Margaret the Breechless Queen—Dronning Bvxelos —and . he sent her a whetstone , three feet in length , with the intimation to lay aside her sword and attend to sharpening her needles . This ungracious compliment the Demsh Queen answered by sending him in . return a chemise of hers , attached to a Hag-aterfF , for Ms colours , when marching bis army against her . Nor did this epigrammatic war terminate with the defeat of -Albert at Falkiiping , for Margaret ABdered hen indiscreet prisoner to her presence , and clapped a < fool's cap , with a tail nineteen * yards long , on his- head , for a muck crown , and sent him , thus exposed to the sooiSxtgs / Qf the populace , to the dreary prison-vaults of Lindenholm Castle , in Skaane . Anuyig the many historical relics still deposited in the sacristy of the splendid cathe-• dralof . Upeala , the traveller will behold the enormous -whetstone , the smock banner , and the lengthy fool's cap of Prince Albert .
If here and there we find Irish history , according to Thomas Moore and ¦ " iWialter , Scott ' s , numerous works" cited in the margin , the authorities compiled , firom are generally orthodox and trustworthy . Not less substantial ^ surely would have been the title to a " Manual of Mediaeval Geography , " had the author , materially speaking , brought it within the common grasp ; for as a handbook it can only serve for popular use in Patagonia . The long banished folio of the old world it would seem is coming into fashion in the new . Our hint might tend to the Professor ' s popularity here , at least , ^ heuil'd he carry out his projected Historical Geography of the Modern World . Availing BSmself of . the public interest now turned towards Russia , Dr . Latham has made an intelligent and useful contribution to popular knowiajge . by ii & , account of the various zutcesof that extensive waste of empire , -accompanied by ,, and in some degree founded upon , the ethnological and
-Statistical map published by the Imperial Geographical Society of St . Petersburg-in £ 852 . It may occur to some that Metternich ' s famous mot might be applied further north than Italy , and the term Russian , if not Russia itself , regarded as something of a . geographical expression . On imperial authority we find the non-Russian population of Europe in some fifteen divisions of race , forty and more of tribe , and a guess at eight and a half millions of souls . The three leading stocks , or families , which we commonly find * termed as Tshudes or Fins , Tartars , and Slavonians , Dr . Latham , ibr plausible reasons of expediency , calla Ugrian , Turk , and Sarmatian . Under tho Ugrian , he classes the population akin to the present inhabitants of Finland wheresoever they may be found , the chief characters being their language ; a race with the exceptions of tlie Laps of Sweden and Norway , and the Magyars of Hungary , peculiar to Russia . The tribes arc numbered thus :
1 . SaOToyedaa ..... 4 , 495 d . Kurclians proper . . 171 , 696 . 2 . Yeauseiana .... not stated a . Quaina .... not stated 3 . Yukohiri do . b . Tavestrlana ... do . -4 . Laps 2 , 289 8 . Permians : -5 . Voguls 872 a . SaranionB 70 , 905 16 . Ostiaka not statod 6 . Pormiana . . . . 62 , 204 7 . Fins : c . Votiaka 186 , 770 a . Tslr ad ...... 15 , 617 d . Beaormaniona . . . 4 , 545 b . Vod 6 , 148 c . ( Ksthoniims .... 688 , 490 0 . Volga Fine : d . Liefa 2 , 074 « . Tahcreraia 16 & 076 KdtndUuia : o . Mordvina .... 480 , 241 o ^ , Aunwnoiw » t .... 29 , 375 c . Talmvmli . . . ~ . 420 , 062 AiSdvoJtot 42 , 979 c . Tzhor 17 , 800 tygraians . . . 2 , 016 , 600 The / Xxuslw inr Xatav « , ia » e thus * emu wierated :
1 Tatars * 4 . Khivans a . Of Permia , Viatka , Kazan , 5 . Bashkirs 392 , 072 and Simbrisk . 6 . Meshtsheriaks .... 79 , 941 6 . Sarator , Astrakhan , 7 . Kirgiz . ' .... 82 , 000 and Caucasus . . 1 , 284 , 234 8 . Teptyar not stated 2 . Karakalpaks .... 60 - ——3 . Trukhmen ( Turcomans ) . 7 , 321 Turks ..... 1 , 845 , 843 Still following the classification of the non-Russian population , we come to the third , or Sarniatian division , according to Dr . Latham ' s nomenclature : Lithuanic branch : 1 . Lithuanians .... 716 , 880 2 . Servians 1 , 383 2 . Lets 872 , 107 3 . Poles 477 , 535 Slavonic branch : 1 . Bulgarians .... 77 , 102 Sannatians .... 2 , 145 , 013 The remaining Non-Russians are stated thus : Rumanyos ( Wallachians and Persians : Moldavians ) .... 498 , 469 1 . Kuzzilbash .... 64 G Mongols ( Kalmuks ) . .. . 119 , 162 2 . Sarts ( Bokharians ) . not stated Greeks 46 , 773 Indians 10 Armenians 37 , 676 Albanians . . . - 1 , 328 Germans ( Deutsche ) . . . 373 , 000 French 250 „ ( Swedes ) . . . 11 , 470 Jews : Dioscurians : Talmudic 1 , 054 , 407 1 . Georgians .... 1 , 000 Karait 5 , 725 2 . Iron ( Oset ) .... 1 , 650 Taigani ( gipsies ) . . . 48 , 247 3 . Circassians 175 Miscellaneous . . . 2 , 201 , 188 Making a total of ... 8 , 507 , 637 Non Russians . And from the statistics of Schaffarik 35 , 000 , 000 Great Russians . , „ 13 , 000 , 000 Little Russians . „ „ 2 , 700 , 000 White Russians . Making a total of ... 59 , 207 , 637 trader the government of the Great God of the Muscovites . Dr . Latham ' s able and interesting work is the second contribution to " The Ethnographical Library . " It seems to us that it might have been made more generally useful bad it Jpe en preceded by a general exposition of the leading principles of the science ; for as portions of the present treatise are in some respects controversial , the tyro must read witb a large faith in the science of his preceptor . The present number of Bonn ' s Standard Library is the third and concluding instalment of Mrs . Foster ' s excellent translation of Conde ' s history of the dominion of the Arabs in Spain , a valuable addition to the stories already made by the publisher to the popular knowledge of historic
lite-. " Acheta ' s" floral contribution , if not quite appropriate hy title to the present season , and its own subject is nevertheless , a seasonable and pleasant book , discoursing oa birds and insects and men with kindly feeling and humanity . Logie limps a little in Dr . Lacaita ' Preface , which is characteristic of prefaces . The selections are made by chronological arrangement , with short notices of the author ' s , give a notion of the progress of Italian literature , and , as " a preparatory course to the reading of the Divina Comuaudia of " Alighieri . " Accordingly Dante is preceded by seven authors in eleven pages , and succeeded by some hundred or so in three hundred and fifty . The selection , brief but judicious , gives a fair representation of Italian literature excluding the drama , and will be a useful reading hook . Patriotic earnestness at times bestrides a very queer hobby-horse . There is no evidence to convict the " Patriot ' author of The Fall of Poland of
connexion with any of the Cockney comic schools of professional jocularity yet Bobadil himself could not have propounded a more ingenious strategy than is here gravely laitl down in seventy-seven prefatory pages of history on Russian aggression , embracing twenty-one rules for the regeneration ot Poland and the world . In order to put down ( can the Patriot bo Sir Peter ?) the aggressive system of Russia , the sentiment of " Britannia , Galliti , Hibernia , and Scotia" is to be concentrated into one focus of regenerating light , 4 apart from any government connexion , " as a " prophylactic against any future disorders infused by reason of a vast quadruple alliance _ in-the national-supporting union of the four countries . " The sympathies anil patriotism of all are to be aroused by a general agency and secretary , a preliminary meeting , provisional committee iu London , circulars , from . 100 , 000 to 200 ^ 1 ) 00 handbills " with signs of exclamation , " branch committees ,
& c , & c ., all resulting in a " National Constitution , which is to guide the national will on to the path to victory against Russian aggression and despotism . " That trifling little difficulty commonly called waya and moans is amply provided for in lour lines and tliree-quartors . Then , by two lines and a half additional , the Britannio-Gallioo-Hiberno-Suottish Alliance raiee 500 , 000 troops , 3 O 0 , 000 for imtnediaUj action , the rein winder , As reserve , proceed . " with all their artillery and battering-rams through Germany , putting down all opposition that may bo raised , " enter Poland , seize the fortresses , expel the Muscovite barbarians , and hold possession till " tho national patriotism of the released and grateful inhabitants will raise , a now and permanent constitution ibr the lasting freedom of Poland in tht ) Czartoryaki dynaBty . Rule 20 provides for " similar victories over the
Austrian troops , ' a free Hungary , and a Kossuth dynasty I And why not r The author has no doubt that the efficient production of The Fall oj Poland would " fjo fwr to establish a beginning to the grand national demonstration and national constitution . " It would be ungenerous to the miinacera to anticipate the curiosity of a British public . ' . The makers of language would very much oblige roviewors who nit in judgment on poesy in grosa by a few epithets . In default of phrase , we ca « not bettor describe Mammon ' s Murriage thun aa a soporilio opoa . Wot poppy nor rnandragora , nor all the drowsy syrups , nor modern eloquence of Parliament itself could do their office more wuroly . Nevertheless we roust awake long enough to make some nice additions to knowledge of tuiugs in general . Tlattt celebrated fowl of fable , immortal Phoeuix , turns
A T M E E B [ S 215 _ Lea F> . No. 276, ...
A T M E E B [ S 215 _ LEA f > . No . 276 , aturday , fiffe # ¦ -
-
-
Citation
-
Leader (1850-1860), July 7, 1855, page 18, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_07071855/page/18/
-