come wo.'"—Another expedition for Cuba, under
General Lopez, had sailed from New York. A Spanish
squadron had been sent out to intercept it.

Another great fire at San Francisco has done extensive
damage to the part of the city which was spared by
the previous conflagration. The place is described as in
a state of great and increasing demoralisation. Lynch
law prevails; it is administered by a "Committee of
Vigilance," whose sentences are executed as summarily
as they are pronounced.—The San Francisco papers
contain accounts of the arrival of Terence Bellew M'Manus,
one of the Irish political convicts of 1848, who had
escaped from Van Diemen's Land; he reached San
Francisco on the 5th of June. He was heartily greeted
by the citizens; a public dinner was got up to welcome
him. The mayor presided, and Californian senators
and Representatives sat around. The following is a
specimen of the toasts drunk at this celebration:—"Our
guest, Terence Bellew M'Manus: Ireland gave him
birth, England a dungeon, America a home, with a
hundred thousand welcomes." (Music, "Home, Sweet
Home.") It is stated that about the time M'Manus got
clear off, a like attempt was made by Smith O'Brien,
O'Donoghue, and O'Doherty. The sum of 600l. had
been put into the hands of an Englishman named Ellis,
to purchase a brig, which was done, and after loading
and clearing at the customhouse, a concerted signal was
to be given by the exiles, on the beach, when a boat was
to be sent on shore from the brig. • The knave, however,
had informed the government officers of the project
during the day; and as soon as the signal was given for
the boat, the exiles were secured by the officers and
carried back.

NARRATIVE OF LITERATURE AND ART.

THE extraordinary dulness of the past month in regard to all literary subjects is the only noticeable literary
feature of it. The dulness has not been enlivened by Colonel Rawlinson's discoveries (important as they
must be allowed to be) identifying the Assyrian kings whose palaces were recently excavated by Mr. Layard;
nor have the discoveries of the Manchester Chetham Society, to the effect that Milton's eldest daughter could
not write, that his second could not spell, and that his youngest was in much the same condition as her
sisters, excited much perceptible curiosity or interest. Inferences in matter of this kind are too freely drawn upon
very hasty assumptions; and it would at least require better evidence to overthrow the pleasant belief (hitherto
resting on supposed credible testimony) that the "poet blind but bold" was indebted to the patient kindness
of his youngest daughter for not a little of the learning of which his genius made such inspired and noble use.
It is not unconnected with these subjects to record gratefully the very favourable answer just given by the
Master of the Rolls to a memorial presented by the leading English authors for permission to search the
national records free of cost. He proposes to concede at once a part of the privilege asked, with a view to
complete acquiescence ultimately, if what is now granted shall be found to work satisfactorily. This will
greatly facilitate discoveries in our national history and literature.

Rarely have fewer books issued from the press in any
single month, during the last twenty years, than in the
month just passed; and even the two books published
in it, of greatest pretension, have been translations from
the French. The completion of Lamartine's first volume
of his History of the Restoration confirms, on the whole,
the favourable impression with which its opening chapters
were received; and M. Mignet's History of Mary
Queen of Scots has contributed some interest, even some
novelty, to that over-written subject. For it is at least new
feeling to experience no sense of partisanship in reading
of Mary Stuart; and the view which M. Mignet takes,
in holding her responsible for a guilty complicity in the
murder of her second husband, but in acquitting her of
the more frivolous charges of inconstancy and
self-indulgence, is probably the right one.

The Hakluyt Society have added to their very
interesting publications, Richard Hakluyt's translation of
the account of De Soto's Discovery and Conquest of
Florida, with an additional account curiously corroborative
of all its substantial details discovered and translated
by the editor, Mr. Rye, of the British Museum.
This expedition was not without valuable results of
an incidental kind, though in its main objects it failed
so lamentably; and the narrative now given is
extremely vivid and striking. Another volume, curiously
illustrative of the past, has been published with the
uninviting title of Consuetudines Kanciæ. This is, in
other words, a history of the Gavelkind, and other
remarkable customs of the County of Kent. The author
is a skilled antiquary, and gives many sound reasons
for his belief that in not a few of those peculiar customs
may be directly traced the famous and venerable laws
of Edward the Confessor. Another smaller book deserves
mention with these. Doctor Latham has added to those
researches and speculations as to races which have
lately been found to explain so much of the peculiarities
of national habits, customs, and laws, a sketch of the
Ethnology of the British Colonies and Dependencies.

What other books of the month may claim to be best
worth mention, are books of travel. One of our eastern
residents (Mr. Neale) has published an intelligent Eight
Years in Syria and Palestine; a lively and observant
writer has published Recollections of a Ramble from
Sydney to Southampton; and Mr. Waddington has
translated a German author's fanciful and imaginative
impressions of Eastern travel, under the title of The
Morning Land, or a Thousand and One Days in the
East. What is too obviously fiction is too much blended
in this book with what is stated to be fact, but the
Georgian, Armenian, and Russian scenes described are
new and good.

The rest of the month's literature has been made up of
pamphlets, reprints, or guide-books; and of the latter
only two may be singled out as having anything of literary
mark or value. Murray's Handbook of London is
an excellent abridgment, with much new matter
descriptive of existing streets and objects of interest, of
Mr. Peter Cunningham's more important London
handbook; and the same publisher's Handbook to the
Antiquities of the British Museum may be said to be the only
clear and consistent account that has yet been attempted
of our great public collection of national remains of art,
as they are now placed and classified, and enriched by
the recent accessions. It is written by Mr. Vaux, who
holds an office in this department of the Museum.

At Her Majesty's Theatre, the regular season terminated
on Tuesday, the 26th; but extra performances, at
playhouse prices, were announced for the remainder of
the week. In the early part of this month, Signora
Barbieri Nini, a singer of great Italian celebrity, made
her first appearance in this country in the character of
Lucrezia Borgia, in which she displayed dramatic and
vocal talents of the highest order.

At the Royal Italian Opera, the regular season has
also terminated, but is to be followed by several extra
performances. Gounod's grand opera, Saffo, produced
on the 9th instant, had a succès d'estime, but not proving
attractive, had only two representations.

The only provincial musical festival this year is that
of Worcester, which began on the 23rd, and terminated
on the 27th instant.