Reviews Of New Books.

near , were quite different in character and hahits from those of Carnac . 'The . 1 . oiikamelites wero unsociable , disobliging , and rude ; the inhabitants of Carnac , on the contrary , were fond of society , goodnatured , and polite . The picture was draivn by one who could hardly be supposed disinterested ; but it agreed with my experience . After giving mo so much infocmatiou , tho widow- Gilclas thought that it Avas my turn to be communicative ; and insinuated a wish to knoiv what brought me to Carnac . I told her that I was ivnlkiug through Brittany

out " . if mere curiosity ; upon which she mado out the whole history in a succinct form , without further assistance from me . ' Ces messieurs , ' meaning the photographers , who had preceded me by tivo days , ' ces messieurs font des pliotographes , ot monsieur va ii pied , n ' est co pas ? Oui , cud ! lit monsieur , sans doute , fera un petit ouvrago . Oui , oui !' Then , putting ou her host smile , ' Et monsieur aura-t-il la bontd do faire mention de l'Hote ] du Commerce ? ' I assured her J would ; a promise which I thus fulfil . "

"Wc have all heard , read , or experienced tbe misery of travelling with unamiahle companions , and Mr . Jephson treats us to a specimen of this class , and draws thc picture so capitally that few wit ! be found who cannot say , "I met one of the same at . " lie tells us : —

" Opposite to me wero a married couple ancl their boy . French people never have more than one hoy or girl . 1 had observed tho entrance of the party . The gentleman marched in front , with his eyebrows elevated , and his nose folioAving bis eyebrows ; and having hung his hat upon a 2 ieg with a , defiant look , be scanned the table AA'ith . an air of disgust , as if he could not find any place good enough for him to sit down at . At length , having selected chairs to his mind Cor himself , his wife , and little hoy , ho sat doAvii , helped himself and partners ivith apparent

loathing , ancl iu the intervals of eating , darted looks of hatred and susp icion at tho rest of the company , particularly at any Avight whoso eyes might wander toAvavds the region Avhere sat his fair one . She meanwhile displayed her ring bedizened bands , which she evidently thought handsome , and seemed not at all displeased to attract attention . Ho occasionally addressed her ancl the boy in gruff and monosyllabic words . 1 AA'as determined to try what ivould bo the effect of boarding thc lion in his den , and as an experiment asked him some trivial question ; upon which 1-iis eyebrow .- * nearly touched the roots ofhis hair , and ho replied , after a moment's pause , and in a most magnificent tone , ' Monsieur , jo no sais nas !'"

In juxtaposition , when you meet a gentleman on his travels , and that man a Frenchman , nothing can be more agreeable , as the following sketch shows , and Mr . Jephson naturally describes his tAvinge of remorse , ivhich every Englishman feels , for not entering into the s ]_> ii . t of fraternization ivith as much hearty good ivill as your foreigner does . Thc close of thc folloiving extract is to thc purpose : —

<; 'Throughout my tour I ivas generally fortunate in my companions of travel . If I could not laugh with them , I could laugh at them . On this occasion my follow traveller ivas a most agreeable and intelligent 'Breton gentleman . I learned , partly from his conversation and partly from the host at Auray , that having begun life ivith a moderate competence , he bad become a timber merchant , and was IIOAV one of the richest men in the province . He certainly deserved to succeed , for I never saw

a man so anxious to please . Every one seemed to know him , and he took off his hat as scrupulously to the peasant returning from ivork as to the gentlemen who passed us in their gigs . He was as polite to Monsieur Flori .-mt , the conducteur , as if M . F . had been his equal . His line intelligent face and floiA-mg beard had prepossessed me in bis favour , and his conversation confirmed my good opinion . He kneiv many Englishmen , and was about to send his tivo sons to school in England ; I recommended Eton , but lie reminded me that Bretons were Catholics , and that he must therefore look out for somo Catholic school .

This brought out from ill . Idoriant , the conducteur , a story of a couple of English schoolboys who hacl travelled with him tivo or three days before . They were asking him the French for different things on the road . Presently a flock of geese appeared , and thoy wanted to know their French name . M . Eloriant told them that geese were called des Anglais ; for , he said to me , you know they hiss and gabble like people talking English . Tho boys said nothing ; but on seeing a pig by the roadsidethey asked M . Floriant how that was called . He lied' vn

, rep , cochou . ' 'All , ' said one of the hoys , 'in England AA-O call those animals comlncleurs . ' To clo M . Floriant justice , he enjoyed the retort quite as niueli as the boys , though it , was made at his OAVU expense . " The afternoon was lovel j ' , and the country through which we passed rich beyond measure ; but tho recollection of that drive from Hemiehon to Auray always tills me ivith remorse . My agreeable companion was a great connoisseur in fruit , and particularly curious in peaches . Somewhere

jiearLaiidev . 'iiit he had a house aud gardens ; ancl when the coach stopped to change horses , his servant came up with tAA'o remarkably fine peaches in a basket , the only ones which were yet ripe . One of these he gave to U . Floriant , the conducteur , and presented me with the other , which was by far the finest . I protested against leaving him without any , but he ivould hear of no excuse . At last f took it , but never recollected that there AIMS a via media , as Dr . Hook says , betAveen eating the whole and refusing the whole : for I might very well have divided it , and insisted on hi ., taking half , liver since ( haA'e been mortified

beyond measure when I think how selfish I must havo appeared . This is the sort of thing in which an Englishman fails . He is continually guilty of acts which make people set him down as selfish and brutal when in reality he is only awkward and reserved . But my Breton friend seemed to take it all as a matter of course that the conducteur and I should eat his poaches and . leave him Avithout any ; and ivhen we got down at tho Hotel du Pavilion d ' eu Haut , at Auray , he left some friends to whom ho AA'as talking , to follow mo into the hotel and shake mo by tho hand . "

In taking leave of Mr . Jephson , and his Narrative of a Walking Tour in Brittany , we arc constrained to add that thc book has such an air of downright honest good humour , pleasant scenes , and graphic description , that ive naturally warm into sympatlry ivith one of so genial a disposition ; and if the rather copious extracts AVC have given should sufficiently interest our readers to peruse the work itselfwe are sure they will coincide ivith us in

, our estimate of its contents , aud let us add , as a parting advice , that if it is possible to enhance the pleasure of a story well told , J no one will he content without coupling with Mr . Jcphsou ' s work Mr . Lovell Reeves ' s photographs .

L lie IVar in Italy ; villi , a Preliminary Ilislori / of the Vicissitudes and Pulley of Napoleon IU . VVy li . II . NOI . AX , Eh . !_ ) ., & c . ( Part I ) . London : John Wesley and Co ., 5-1 , Paternoster Row . Our brother , Dr . Nolan , who has long been favourably known in the literary Avorld by soA'cral ivories of importance , and especiall y of late by his valuable " History of the . British Empire in India , " has extended his labours in the field of history to a

subject replete with interest , and ivhich , he plainl y shows us in the introductory chapter of the work before us , demands the serious consideration of every patriotic Englishman . It seems perhaps somewhat early to commence thc relation of those hostilities ivhich haA'e so recently been terminated , or at least suspended 'for a time , by thc treaty of Villa Franca , but the materials at the command of the chronicler of the present

clay arc so ample , and to a certain extent so trustworthy , that the same lapse of time which was found necessary to sift out the actual facts of former great campaigns , seems not so imperatively required in the present instance . AVith regard to thc other part of the subject—the previous career and probable policy of the remarkable individual whoso will noiv constitutes the sole law of the great French nation—ive can hardly imagine a theme more

pregnant with instruction ; and if handled in the same able manner as thc matter of Pro . Nolan's former works , wc may expect a treatise of no ordinary i-alue . The past fifty years of Napoleon IlL contain incidents and vicissitudes enough to stock half a dozen romances ; and the success which has ci'OAvned his ambition hitherto may well cause us to think of possible contingenccs in

thc future . The author's introductory chapter touches upon many important topics , lie refers to the importance of a continental war to this country , and to the great excitement that the recent embroilment gave rise to throughout the whole of Europe . He points to the perils of the suspected alliance between France and Russia , which has had its effect already in alarming confederated

Germany , and which if it prove true , is fraug ht with momentous consequences to England . The question as to the future of Italy ( AA'hich the recent Parliamentary debates show to be , in all thinking men's minds , as unsatisfactory as ei'cr , ) will no doubt receive a just and discriminating examination from our historian , who points out some of the points most necessary for adjustment , and has some eloquent remarks upon the sympathy which ought to be

—and is felt for that ill fitted and beautiful country . Of the influence exercised by Louis Napoleon upon the freedom and progress of mankind , Bro . Nolan ivell observes : — "Napoleon Buonaparte is undoubtedly the author and occasion of this war . "When , as President of tho French Republic , ho attacked the new-bom freedom of Home , to re-establish the throne of the pontiff , he laid the train which his OAVU hand fas antiicfas IIOAV ignites . What

per . shall be the future of this adventurous politician '_ Is lie destined to shoot , like a fiery meteor , over at least this hemisphere , and then perish , his policy sinking into ' the blackness of darkness forever ? ' Is he to be a now apostle of nationalities , at the same time propagating novel forms , both of . freedom and despotism , as the comet , which , forming separate nuclei , ceases to be , yet propagates and multiplies itsoltj giving rise to neiv wonders ?"

It is hardly fair to pass criticism upon a work of which so small a portion has been given to the public ; but we have satisfaction in saying , that as far as it has advanced , it has greatly pleased us . The commencing sketch of the career aud character of the first Napoleon is draivu with a firm and truthful hand , and his heartless ambition , witli its wonderful results , arc well depicted . It is the object of the author to show that the policy of Napoleon J . is