“NAVAL DRY DOCKS OF THE UNITED STATES." ALBANY, August 26th, 1852. TO FREEMAN HUNT, Editor of the Merchants' Magazine :— I beg to refer you to the article "Dry Dock," in Appleton's Dictionary of Mechanics and Engineering, published some two years and a half since, wherein you will find word for word nearly the whole of the extracts which you have made from, and credited to, the work published by Mr. Norton. Under these circumstances I appeal to you, if it is not due to the Messrs. Appleton, who have the copyright of the Dictionary, and to myself, the contributor of the article referred to, to correct your notice of the work in question. Respectfully your obedient servant, W. J. MCALPINE. It is due to all parties to state, in reference to the subject of the State Engineer's letter, that no evidence appears in the work of Mr. Stewart, "On Naval Dry Docks," which was before us at the time the article was written, that the extracts which we made were other than original. It is true that it is to be found almost word for word in Appleton's Dictionary of Mechanics, but it appears there likewise as original. It might have been an oversight in the author of the volume on " Dry Docks," in omitting to give credit to the latter work; or he might have conceived that the latter work was, to some extent, compiled from other sources, and not strictly entitled to the credit. However the case may be, if there had been any indication that the extracts which were made were other than original, in the volume of which we were speaking, the Merchants' Magazine would most cheerfully have followed its long established rule, which is also the Scriptural rule, of giving "honor to whomsoever honor is due." THE ECONOMICAL HARDWARE MERCHANT. A few years since, a worthy hardware merchant, who had made his fortune at the business in the city of New York, determined to sell off his stock and retire. His goods were soon disposed of, and the shop empty. In sweeping out the store one day, he found in the crevices and corners a few shot (about twenty) of all sizes; he gathered them up in the hollow of his hand, and stood for some seconds gazing at them; at length, seizing his hat, he rushed into an adjoining liquor store, where they also sold shot, and thus addressed the proprietor:-"In cleaning my store I found a few shot; they are no use to me, but to you they are worth something. I don't value them very highly, but perhaps (here he lowered his voice) you would give me half a glass of beer for them." Reader, do you suppose this worthy, we should, perhaps, say mean, hardware merchant was either a patron or reader of the Merchants' Magazine? PAYMENT OF DEBTS BY BANKRUPTS. We occasionally see the announcement in the public prints, says the Sachem, that some individual, who had been unfortunate in business and compelled to avail himself of the lenity of his creditors, or the forms of law, to obtain a legal discharge from the payment of his debts, had again embarked on the dangerous sea of trade, been favored with prosperous gales, and had liquidated the old indebtedness, principal and interest. Such conduct is frequently lauded in most extravagant terms, as though the morality which impelled the act were of a higher order than could reasonably be expected from frail humanity. We see nothing in such an act beyond the performance of a duty which is demanded by the plain precepts of pure morality. We are not of the number who measure their duty to others by what the law prohibits and enforces. We acknowledge, in the matter of paying debts, the higher law of conscience and fair dealing between man and man. We do not find fault with the statute which enables the honest debtor, upon a surrender of his property to his creditors, to obtain his discharge from his liabilities. Were there no such provision, a single unfeeling creditor might doom to helpless poverty and misery his unfortunate debtor, and those dependent on him for support. But we do find fault with, and most conscientiously condemn that lax morality which considers a debt paid by a release, voluntarily given, or a discharge obtained by operation of law. It is true that in such a case the law will not enforce payment, notwithstanding the individual thus discharged may afterwards have abundance and to spare, wherewith to cancel his debts. But the moral duty still remains, and, in our opinion, no one who has it in his power to pay his debts, and refuses to do so on the plea that the law will not compel him, is entitled to be considered an honest man. MAILLEFERT'S INVENTION FOR BLASTING ROCKS. NEWBURYPORT, September 13, 1852, TO FREEMAN HUNT, Editor of the Merchants' Magazine : DEAR SIR-In your number for September, you have an article on Mr. Maillefert's invention for blasting rocks under water without drilling, and I am informed by the same article that Mr. M. has taken out a patent for this process. It is true that his application of the process is new, but the process itself is an old one, and has been long in use for a different but similar purpose on the shores of North Carolina. For miles along those shores, and extending far out to sea, are numberless sand-bars, at all depths and of all sizes. Within these bars, deeply covered by the sand, lie buried huge trunks of the cypress and red oak, which are sought for by the inhabitants of the coast, and when found converted to various uses. The process of discovering and obtaining possession of these resembles, in every respect, that of Mr. M., except in the use of the battery, the knowledge of that useful article not yet having penetrated the tangles and morasses of the Dismal Swamp. The trunks are discovered by probing the sand with long poles, the contact of which with a hard substance indicates the presence of the object of search. The position of the log being marked, it is freed from the superincumbent sand, and loosened from its bed, by a subaqueous explosion of gunpowder, exactly after the fashion of Mr. M.'s discharges upon Pot Rock and Gridiron. The connection of the flask or canister with the surface is effected by one of the enormously long hollow canes of that region, through which the train is laid which fires the flask. This process has been used there for years, as is well known to all who are conversant with that region, and must have been seen thousands of times by the persons employed on the Coast Survey, who have been stationed about Cape Hatteras, and to them I refer for confirmation of my statement. Yours, respectfully, ADULTERATION OF PALE ALE. I. J, GOODWIN. Dr. Liebig writes to a gentlemen in London on the subject of the adulteration of pale ales, by the use of strychnine. This poisonous alkaloid is largely used, so it is said, as a substitute for hops, in the manufacture of beer, and great alarm has been excited by late developments among the lovers of ale. Liebig recalls the memory of the Westphalian brewer, of a quarter century ago, who fell to adulterating his beer with nux vomica. Speedily ill effects produced an exposure: medical men now find a remarkable similarity between the effect of nur vomica and that of strychnine. Good ale depends upon the careful selection of the best malt and hops, and continental brewers are acknowledged to be inferior to the English; while Dr. Liebig, speaking from his personal experience in sundry chemical investigations, denies the imputation of the poison. And he adds that this mode of adulteration can never take place, because of the criminality of the act, and its certain detection. VALUE OF MONEY. If you want to learn the value of money, says the "Knickerbocker," go and labor for a day or two as a hod-carrier, beneath the scorching rays of a summer sun. This is an excellent idea, and if many of our young gentlemen had to earn their dollars in that way, how much less dissipation and crime we would witness every day! So of our fashionable young ladies, if they, like some of the poor seamstresses of our large cities, had to earn their dollars by making shirts at ten cents apiece, how much less finery should we see about them, and how much more truthful notions would they have of their duties of life and their obligations to the rest of the world. THE BOOK TRADE. 1.-The Son of the Wilderness; a Dramatic Poem in Five Acts. By FREDERIC HALSA. Translated from the German, hy CHAS. EDWARD ANTHON. This drama is one of the most effective acting plays, and at the same time one of the most beautiful poems of the later literature of Germany. Under the name of Ingomar, it is familiar to English and American audiences; and Mr. Anthon's translation should make it a favorite with English and American readers. It is a rare instance of the union of freedom and fidelity in translation. To render word for word and at the same to transfer the spirit of the original, are the two great aims of translation; a difficult task, even in rendering prose. To render verse into verse is most difficult of all. This task Mr. Anthon has performed with rare success. We have compared his work with the original, and except in several instances of apparently intentional omission (on account, we suppose, of the too great freedom of the original) it is remarkably literal. Yet the English verse of Mr. Anthon is natural, vigorous, and idiomatic. It is English poetry of a high order. It reads as if original. It deserves a place among the few very successful translations we possess. We do not think we go too far in assigning it a place by the side of Coleridge's " Wallenstein," which has been called a transfusion rather than a translation, and which, in fact, has probably less claim to the merit of strict fidelity to the original. Mr. Anthon has recently been appointed professor of history and belles-lettres in the Free Academy. His beautiful translation furnishes satisfactory proof of his qualifications for an important branch of his new duties. 2.-Stray Meditations; or Voices of the Heart in Joy and Sorrow. By Jos. P. THOMPSON, Pastor of the Broadway Tabernacle. 12mo. pp. 228. New York: A. S. Barnes. This is not a volume of elaborate and consecutive essays, with a pretense to logical or rhetorical completeness; but a book of fragments, embodying thoughts that flowed at ease through the author's mind. It claims to be "Utterances of the Heart;" but there are no expressions of the heart above the common sensations which pass through every person's mind when feeling and affection flow on in an even tenor. Of course it has no claim to any such pretension, further than we may regard the author as a good-natured man. It is what may be called a clever book-more interesting to the writer and his friends than any one else; and containing nothing by which it may make any special claim upon the attention of the public. 3.-Five Years in an English University. By CHARLES ASTOR BRISTED. Second edition. 12mo. pp. 441. New York: G. P. Putnam. A second edition of this agreeable volume has already made its appearance. It presents a picture of English university life, just as it is; a subject of which very little is known in this country, but one that is full of interest to every scholar and literary man. The picture here presented is written in a somewhat egotistical style, which a pure taste would condemn. But for this, the author makes an ample apology. It must be remembered that the subject is one of the most difficult of which to make an interesting book; yet the success of the writer has been proved by the reception of his work. 4.-Atlantic and Transatlantic; Sketches Afloat and Ashore. By CAPTHIN MACKINNON, R. N., Author of "Slaver Warfare in the Parana." 12mo. pp. 324. New York: Harper & Brothers. Capt. Mackinnon is an intelligent educated Englishman, and writes with candor and fairness. He commends the civility of Americans to Englishmen in particular. The work contains much interesting and valuable information, and is written in a very agreeable and pleasant style. Few works relating to this country are more deserving, or will attract more attention from the American people. 5.-Tallis's Scripture Natural History for Youth. London and New York: John Tallis & Co. Parts 15 and 16 of this excellent work contain some thirty beautifully executed colored illustrations. It is beyond all cavil the best work of its class published. 6.-An Address Delivered before the Association of the Alumni of Harvard College, by ROBERT C. WINTHROP, July 22d, 1852. 8vo., pp. 59. Cambridge: John Bartlett. Whatever Mr. Winthrop attempts with his pen possesses a dignity, gracefulness, and elegance attainable by very few of our public men. The annual meetings of the Alumni of Harvard contain a body of men unequalled in intelligence, education, and mental accomplishments by any other general assemblage in the country. On such an occasion the subject of this eloquent discourse was, "The peculiar obligations and duties resting upon educated men, and the temptations which interfere with their just discharge." It is not proper that we should follow the speaker through all the points of his address, but we desire particularly to turn the attention of all our readers to this pamphlet, which is the gem of the season of a year so fertile in public addresses, and assure them that its perusal will impart abundant satisfaction, and impress them with noble and sublime views of their duties and dangers as educated men. 7.-Shades of Character; or, the Infant Pilgrim. By ANNE WOODROOFFE. 2 vols. 12mo., pp. 329 and 308. New York: Robert Carter & Brother. This is one of those thoughtful tales, free from the exaggerations which are usual in such works, and aiming to present various phases of character, such as are affected by religious influences. Of course there is here a wide field for delineation, and the author has improved it to portray not only the good, but many of those whose characters are misguided and distorted. It is a work which will interest and instruct all readers who are gratified with the serious class of tales. 8.-America as I found it. By the author of "Mary Lundie Duncan." 12mo., pp. 440. New York: Robert Carter & Brothers. The portion of America viewed by this author is confined to very small districts of the United States; nevertheless it is regarded by her as of sufficient extent to represent the whole continent. The volume consists of every-day observations among a very clever portion of the community, chiefly in New York and the region around. Hospitality and respect were everywhere extended to the matron, and with the best feelings at heart she has written a very pleasant narrative of her visit from England to this country. There is a large portion of the reading public which will be pleased with these views of a pious, thoughtful, intelligent, and sensible writer. 9.--Pierre; or, the Ambiguities. HERMAN MELLVILLE. York: Harper & Brothers. 12mo., pp. 495. New Melville's reputation as a writer is widely spread. The reception of his earliest works by the public has been of the most flattering kind. This volume is more imaginative in its character than the former ones, and aims to present the workings of an over-sensitive spirit. The story is well told as usual, although not perhaps equal in interest to some of the other volumes from the same pen. 10.-A Manual of Grecian Antiquities. with Numerous Illustrations. By CHAS. ANTHON, LL. D. 12mo. pp. 436. New York: Harpers & Brothers. This volume is prepared upon the same plan as the "Roman Antiquities," by the same author. The materials appear to have been gathered from the latest and best sources. They are arranged with a clearness and method which will render their comprehension by the student easy and rapid. 11.-A Journal of Summer Time in the Country. By Rev. ROBERT ARIS WILLMOTT, incumbent of Bear Wood, Berks, author of "Jeremy Taylor, a Biography." 18mo. New York: D. Appleton & Co. Another volume of " Appletons' Popular Library of the best Authors," and equal in value and interest to any that have preceded it. The selections are made with commendable taste and judgment. 12.-The Indian Tribes of Guiana. By Rev. W. H. BRETT. 18mo., pp. 352. New York: Robert Carter & Brothers. This work embraces accounts of the British missions among the various tribes at Guiana, from the year of their commencement until the present time. Aside from its value to those who take an interest in Christian missions, it contains much incidentally interesting information touching the tribes of the Guiana Indians. 13.-The Men of the Time; or Sketches of Notables. 12mo. pp. 564. New York: Redfield. The plan of this work is excellent. It consists of a series of sketches of living authors, architects, artists, composers, demagogues, divines, dramatists, engineers, journalists, ministers, monarchs, moralists, philanthropists, poets, politicians, preachers, savans, statesmen, travelers, voyagers and warriors. That portion of it relating to the eminent men of England and the Continent, derived from various German Conversations-Lexikon, is quite complete, and embraces brief notices of almost every European of reputation. The failure is in the home biography. Some of the most prominent men are omitted entirely, and others introduced who possess little or no merit in any of the departments of life. On the whole, however, it is an interesting volume, and contains, as President Fillmore says, " precisely that kind of information, that every public and intelligent man desires to see; especially in reference to the distinguished men of Europe." 14.-Memoirs of the Life and Writings of Thomas Chalmers, D. D., LL. D. By his son-in-law, Rev. WILLIAM HANNA, LL.D. In four volumes. Vol. 4. 12mo. New York; Harper & Brothers. In the three preceding volumes, Dr. Hanna confined himself to the labor of the biographer as distinguished from that of the critic or the historian. The present volume is devoted to a general narrative of the disruption in the Scotch Church. Few works devoted to theological biography, will be more prized or read by men of intellect in the Christian church, irrespective of sectarian tendencies. 15.-The History of the Restoration of the Monarchy in France. By ALPHONSO DE LAMARTINE, Author of the History of the Girondists." Vol. 2. 12mo. pp. 499. New York: Harper & Brothers. The present volume completes the history of the Restoration. Lamartine may be regarded as the poet historian. The translation appears to do full justice to the original, which is perhaps the highest praise that we could bestow on anything from the pen of the gifted Frenchman. 16.-The Works of Shakspeare. By the Rev. H. N. HUDSON, A. M. 18mo. New York: James Munroe & Co. The fifth volume of this beautiful edition has made its appearance. Our opinion of its merits has been so frequently expressed in this department of the Merchants' Magazine, that it seems almost a work of supererogation on our part to say more. It is, of all editions yet published, a favorite one with us, and we have some half-dozen or more. 17.-Hagar; a Story of To day. By ALICE CAREY. 12mo., pp. 300. New York: J. S. Redfield. Although a story of every-day life, there is a freshness and a flowing fancy about these pages which invest them with much attractiveness. The tale itself is simple, possessing no special intricacy of plot, but its characters are delineated with a tenderness and pathos, so pure and free from affectation, that they secure the interest and gratification of the reader. 18.-Waverley Novels. Illustrated Library edition. Vols. VII. and VIII. Boston: B. B. Mussey. The seventh and eighth volumes of this handsomely printed and bound Library Edition of the Scott Novels, embrace Ivanhoe, the Bride of Lammermoor, and A Legend of Montrose. 19.-Tallis's Illustrated Atlas and Modern History of the World. London and New York: John Tallis & Co. Parts 50 and 51 of this splendid collection of Maps, and with letter-press description, contain maps of Leeds, Aberdeen and Perth, with their public buildings, done in the highest style of the art. 20.-The Life and Works of Robert Burns. Edited by ROBERT CHALMERS. In four volumes. Vol. 3. 12mo., pp. 317. New York: Harper & Brothers. This is, in our judgment, the most desirable edition of the life and works of Burns ever published. |