ART. XVII.-Songs and Ballads. Published by Henry Richardson, Greenwich. THIS is a very pleasing volume of poems; some of them affording evidence of considerable excellence. We must content ourselves with a few extracts. There is, however, a want of condensation, and some of his epithets and adverbs are repeated till the ear is wearied. This is always a test of good taste, and it should never be indulged in save in the most passionate of poetry. Tennyson, the sweetest and greatest of our lyric bards, has very often verged upon the borders of the "usque ad nauseam." The following poem is one, however, of a superior order, and should encourage the author to rise into loftier regions. "Let there be weeping and a sound of woe, Of wailing and despair Rending of robes-in dust, a crouching low- How many in the bloom of youth we saw, Go forth, whose noble forms we see no more, The ears of those who loved them pine in vain No foot-fall from them shall be heard again- The god-like-where are they who bounded by, Like young Apollo's, the soft breeze on high They come not back whom we had looked to see, Proud conquerors in the holy games, with glee, With linked dance and song and flashing torch, For them, through flower-strewn streets-through each white porch, The daughters of Athene who shall tell Of their untimely fall, So well beloved by those they loved so well, How will they rend their braided hair with shrieks! By Samian virgin touched, of nuptials speaks- Up to the unpitying heavens let shrieks ascend, Beat your white breasts-your cherished tresses rend― No more, Ilissus, by thy mazy stream, By green Cephissus' side, More fair than forms that haunt the maiden's dream, Shall bound Athene's pride The river nymphs in many a sparry grot, In many a dewy cave, Swell their bright streams with tears for their sad lot, Dumb be the voice of love, that voice so sweet- Let, through the dance, no snowy twinkling feet When those we mourn were nigh! Oh for the pleasant hours that never more Oh for the vanished hours! shrieks wildly pour- How through the city's streets the laughing throng, With jest and whispered word and mingling song, How, in the time of blossoms, did we love, While bent the cloudless sapphire sky above, Then fled the winged hours, lightning-sandalled by ;— Hymettus' grassy sides, or, basking, lie Where haunts the bee the thyme- To deck their high arched brows or garland ours- ART. XVIII.-The Ocean Flower, a Poem, &c. &c. By T. M. Hughes. Longman. 1845. THIS is a volume of very agreeable and elegant verse, or we rather ought to say half a volume of verse, inasmuch as the first part of the book is a prose account of Madeira. We have not had time to look over the historical part, so as to give any opinion on its accuracy; but we are aware of the opportunities enjoyed by the author, and that Mr. Hughes has been for many years a resident in that beautiful island which he calls the "Ocean Flower." On this "conceit" a poem in ten cantos has been formed, which we shall leave the reader to judge of from the following extracts: "THE PARADISE OF FLOWERS. Their native land is here, And sunlight robes the year. "THE BEAUTiful Nun. "Saint Clair hath many daughters Fair and gentle, wed on high, And penitential waters Stream from many a lustrous eye; But all in Southern splendour Stare from orbs as black as coal, Save one whose blue eyes tender Melt while piercing to the soul! "Her auburn hair descending, Did the convent's rule allow, With snowy shoulders blending, Might make hermits mourn her vow! Such radiant play of feature, Such a smile was never seen; A scandalous procedure "Twas to shut up Clementine! "Oh, where in all the island May another blonde be found, In glen, or plain, or highland, On or under all its ground? Make Clementine a Sister! Hide that sunny face from man! Would the Abbess, when she kist her, Had been cloistered in Japan! "Yet Clementina's steadfast, Be't devotion, be it pride; And when she might have sped fast In scorn or depth of feeling, She prefers the cold Saint Clair!" We can cordially recommend this volume to all who are interested in the island of Madeira, as being the pleasantest book hitherto written on this "Flower of the Ocean and Gem of the Sea." ART. XIX.-Travels in Western Africa among the Soosoos, Bulloms, &c. being the first undertaken by the Church Missionary Society for Africa and the East. By the Rev. Abraham Walker, A.M. Rector of Gallo Meath. Dublin: Curry, 1845. THE labours of Mr. Walker in the volume before us are of a highly creditable character. From the scattered fragments of the papers of the Church Missionary Society he has contrived to frame a volume of deep interest to every one who feels a desire for the conversion of the heathen. He confesses that his great object is to rouse into action a missionary spirit of keener ardour than that which at present distinguishes Christendom. With the aspect of the unrequited and unappreciated labours of Dr. Wolff before our eyes, this we fear will be difficult. We admit the necessity for exertion, the West African mission is one of the most interesting and important conceivable, and it has a faithful chronicler in Mr. Walker. The reaction from the triumphs of Muhammedanism produced the Crusade, and to these religious wars we are primarily indebted for our first acquaintance with Africa. Reprisals as Muhammedanism sunk in Spain soon took place on the Moorish countries of Africa, and to Dom Henry III., son of John I. of Portugal, may be ascribed the first successes against the Moors in Africa. The "Lord of Guinea" was soon in consequence of these successes a title of the Portuguese sovereigns. Prince Henry's achievements were followed by the celebrated voyage of Bartholomew Diaz, who first christened the Cape of Good Hope "the Cape of Tempests," but the King of Portugal gave it its present title. Vasco de Gama after this reached the Eastern coast, and finally passed on to Calicut. Since this period the adventurous labours of the travellers sent out by the African Association are familiar to all. These labours have determined the position of a considerable number of central places independent of the previous coasting information. Western Africa consists of great numbers of Muhammedans and Pagans. Manding, watered by the Joliba, about seven hundred miles in the interior, holds from the number, civilization and influence of its inhabitants, the first place in Central Africa. The accounts of both Park and Lidyard are favourable as to these people. Here Mumbo Jumbo however practises his mad foolery and cruelty. Most of the Mandingoes have embraced Muhammedanism from Paganism. The Foolahs are next in importance to the Mandingoes, and with them, as with the Mandingoes, a blent mixture of Muhammedanism and Fetishism prevails. The Jaloffs are the third, a remarkable sable tribe, and singular to say, caste prevails among them similar to the Hindoos. Here the singular custom of ordeal by drinking the red water prevails. The Timmanees form another important division, but Ashantee is the most powerful kingdom on the coast of Guinea. The immolation of human victims in this state is perfectly fearful. The present king of Ashantee on the death of his mother immolated three thousand persons to water her grave. An utter recklessness of life prevails among all classes. The following description from Lander of this people is both graphic and fearfully correct in its description of their worse than bestial ferocity. "Prisoners taken in war are immolated to appease the manes of the soldiers of Adoilee slain in battle; and of all atrocities, the manner in which these wretches are slain is the most barbarous. Each criminal being conducted to the fetish tree, a flask of wine is given him to drink. Whilst he is in the act of swallowing it a fellow steals imperceptibly behind him with a heavy club, inflicts a violent blow on the back of his head, and, as it often happens, dashes out his brains. The senseless being is then taken to the fetish hut, and a calabash or gourd having previously been got ready, the head is severed from the trunk with an axe, and the smoking blood gurgles into it. While this is in hand other wretches, furnished with knives, cut and mangle the body in order to extract the heart entire from the breast; which being done, although it be yet warm and quivering with blood, it is presented to the king first, and afterwards to his wives and generals, who always attend at the celebration of these sacrifices; and his majesty and suite make an incision into it with their teeth, and partaking of the foaming blood which is likewise offered, the heart is exhibited to the surrounding multitude. It is then affixed to the head of a tall spear, and with the calabash of blood, and the headless body, paraded through the town, followed by hundreds of spear-men and a dense crowd of people. Whoever may express a wish to bite the heart or drink the blood has it immediately presented to him for that purpose, the multitude dancing and singing. What remains of the heart is flung to the dogs; and the body, cut in pieces, is stuck on the fetish tree, where it is left till wholly devoured by birds of prey." To Bowditch and Landor we owe our most accurate knowledge of this people. The Dahomians complete the list of the nations of these parts. The divinity, alas, of this region is a Tiger. Here, as in Ashantee, human sacrifices are frequent. We think this sad sketch sufficient to show what Western Africa yet remains. Our author next enters on the fearful history of the slave trade, and we regret to say that our latest African intelligence affirms this trade to be in a rapid increase, despite the vigilance of British cruisers. The horrors detailed under this head make us blush for our kind. A most interesting account of the early African churches follows. Cyprian, Tertullian, Augustin, and Origen enlighten this portion of the work with wondrous interest. Our author next passes to African missions in general, which is followed by Church Missions, in which a mass of highly valuable information meets the eye. The conclusion of this important work is so analogous to that of the Polish poet, who traces all the evils of Russia to serfdom, that we cannot but extract it, though we may possibly demur to some its conclusions. "Africa has inherited a peculiar curse. The former part of our volume shows that curse to be in active operation; it was pronounced by the Omnipotent, and no inferior being can revoke it: did not He visit the earth to break every yoke-to remove every curse? Here, too, as on other occasions, man would be wise above what is written; he would apply the lever of his own feeble power to upheave the mighty incumbrance that presses down the souls and intellects of the children of Ham. We have recorded something of the puny struggle and its certain result. Great Britain invited the civilized world to combine with her in |