desty is a merit, whether nakedness ought to be
a show; but I'll say no more, for I dare say you won't make me go there
again."

"No, that will be the best way to settle it."

The plot of the Contrast is not, as the reader may perceive, one of
fashionable life: it has more of the romance of nature in its
composition: the characters are not the drawling bores that we find in
fashionable novels, though their affected freaks are occasionally
introduced to contrast with unsophisticated humility, and thus exhibit
the deformities of high life. The whole work is, however, light as
gossamer: we had almost said that a fly might read it through the
meshes, without endangering his patience or liberty.

* * * * *

THE LIBRARY OF ENTERTAINING KNOWLEDGE

Maintains its rank in sober, we mean useful, literature. The volume
before us contains such matter as is only to be found in large and
expensive works, with a host of annotations from the journals of recent
travellers and other volumes which bear upon the main subject. This part
of the series, describing vegetable substances used for the food of man,
is executed with considerable minuteness. A Pythagorean would gloat over
its accuracy, and a vegetable diet man would become inflated with its
success in establishing his eccentricities. The contents are the
Corn-plants, Esculent Roots, Herbs, Spices, Tea, Coffee, &c. &c. In such
a multiplicity of facts as the history of these plants must necessarily
include, some misstatements may be expected. For example, the opinion
that succory is superior to coffee, though supported by Drs. Howison and
Duncan, is not entitled to notice. All over the continent, succory, or
_chicoree_, is used to _adulterate_ coffee, notwithstanding which a few
scheming persons have attempted to introduce it in this country as an
improvement, by selling it at four times its worth. Why say "it is
sometimes considered superior to the exotic berry," and in the same
page, "it is not likely to gain much esteem, where economy is not the
consideration." We looked in vain for mention of the President of the
Horticultural Society under Celery; though we never eat a fine head of
this delicious vegetable without grateful recollection of Mr. T.A.
Knight. All preachment of the economy of the Potato is judiciously
omitted, though we fear to the displeasure of Sir John Sinclair; nor is
there more space devoted to this overpraised root than it