The canto closes with a tribute of praise to the courage of those, who on Mount St. Bernard exert themselves in saving the travellers, that, without their assistance, would perish under the snow.

The fourth canto, on Earth, records the wonderful discoveries of modern chemistry. Lavoisier's name is introduced:

"Lavoisier, tu parois, et par toi l' univers

"Apprend que l'eau contient deux principes divers.”

but not a tear is dropped on his barbarous fate. The account of the diamond contains a just tribute to Newton :

"Il pare la grandeur, il orne la beauté,

"Et pour comble d'honneur ce Newton, qui des mondes
"Dirigea dans les cieux les sphères vagabondes,
"Jetant un œil perçant dans l'avenir lointain
"Dévina son essence et prédit son destin."

An animated description of the revolutions of our globe names Cuvier as the principal discoverer of the organic remains of animals in the quarries near Paris, and closes with this spirited abhorrence of war :

"Mais plus puissante encor que le feu du volcan,
"Et la mer turbulente et l'affreux ouragan,

"La guerre aux pieds d'airain, l'inexorable guerre,
"Bouleverse en courant la face de la terre.
"Parcourez l'univers, voyez de toutes parts,
"Des plus fières cités les cadavres épars:

"Sion pleure son temple, Athènes son portique,
"Rome à ses murs nouveaux demande Rome antique,
"Et de sa vieille pourpre étalant les lambeaux
"Son ombre ensanglantée erre sur des tombeaux.
"Tombeaux, trônes, palais, tout périt, tout s'écroule;
"Dans le même torrent le même sort les roule ;
"Tandis que de l'Olympe habitant les sommets,
"Dieu seul voit tout changes et ne change jamais."

Mr. De Lille now enters upon the theme announced by the title of his poem, the three kingdoms of nature. In his fifth canto, on the Mineral Kingdom, he briefly enumerates the

different mineral and metallic substances; and to prove himself an adept in his new art of treating a subject by digressing from it, he tediously narrates the adventures of Ormond, Dolcé, and Elvire, who being obliged to fly from Florence during a political storm, find shelter in a deserted mine, and when restored to their former greatness, apply themselves to study.

This heavy narrative takes up twenty-one pages, and the didactic or descriptive part of the canto not more than seven, in which we find many verses as unintelligible as

"Et ce metal docile où l'onde s'emprisonne."

Who would guess that this is lead? Quicksilver, however, is well described

"Et le mercure enfin qui connu par son poids

"En globules roulants glisse et fait sous nos doigts."

We only lament that the author has not availed himself of the affecting story of that Austrian nobleman who for a time was condemned to the quicksilver mines at Idria in Friuli, and whose young and beautiful wife voluntarily accompanied him to such a dismal abode.

In the sixth canto, on the Vegetable Kingdom, we recognize the elegant translator of Virgil's Georgics. The formation and grafting of plants; the circulation of their juices; their peculiar characters and nature; their colours, attributes, and varieties, are followed by a just tribute to the memory of Linné, of whom it is prettily said, that

"Le Zephire agitant ses ailes odorantes

"Porta vers son berceau les doux parfums des plantes ;
“Déjà ses yeux fixoient leurs formes, leurs couleurs
"Et ses mains pour hochet demandèrent des fleurs.”

From the rearing, habits, and loves of plants, which are described in Mr. De Lille's best manner, he passes to the principal vegetable products which constitute the food of man, or enlarge the sphere of his enjoyments; and the fire with which

he sings champaign, leads us to suspect that the sparkling glass had not been long removed from his lips when he wrote:

"Mille vins différents, sous mille noms divers,
"Vont charmer, égayer, consoler l'univers ;
"Aï brille á leur tête, aï dans qui Voltaire
"De nos légers François vit l'image légère:
"C'est l'ame du plaisir, le charme du festin.
"Dans le cristal brillant son nectar argentin
"Tombe en perle liquide, et sa mousse fumeuse,
"Bouillonne en pétillant dans la
coupe écumeuse
"Puis écartant son voile avec rapidité
"Reprend sa transparence et sa limpidité.

"Au doux frémissement des esprits qu'il recèle,
"L'allégresse renait, la saillie étincelle ;

;

"Son bruit plait à l'oreille, et sa couleur aux yeux;
"Son ambre en s'exhalant va faire envie aux dieux,
"Et l'odorat charmé savourant ses prémices,
"Au goût qu'il avertit en promet les délices."

The canto closes with the episode of Columbus, mentioned in our introductory remarks.

Of the seventh and eighth cantos, which treat of the Animal Kingdom, the former relates the general organization of animals, their varieties, forms, qualities, instinct, labours, and industry; and glances rapidly at the beaver, elephant, bee, ant, silkworm, whale, insects, serpents, and birds. The snail is well described, "Ce reptile gluant qui traine sa maison:"

but when, speaking of its eyes, Mr. De Lille adds

"Ces yeux pour l'œil de l'homme admirable spectacle,
"Dont les nôtres à peine égalent le miracle,

Et que Dieu seul peut-être une fois put former;"

he is evidently betrayed into a reminiscence of a line of Voltaire's-

L'instruction fait tout, et la main de nos pères
'Grave en nos foibles cœurs ces premiers caractères;
"Que l'exemple et le temps nous viennent retracer,
Et que peut-être en nous Dieu seul peut effacer.'

We cannot refrain from transcribing Mr. De Lille's apostrophe to those descendants of the feathered tribe that are doomed-

To brook the harsh confinement of the cage.'

it offers so characteristic a contrast with Thomson's sentiments on the same subject.

The thoughts of the Frenchman, accustomed to the fetters of despotism, and wearing them with his usual levity, are entirely engrossed by the frivolous advantage which the imprisoned bird derives from being fed and nursed by the hands of beauty-whilst the English bard bemoans, with exquisite feeling, the loss of liberty, which nothing can compensate, and the calamities which are its inevitable attendants.

The French poet says―

Fiers d'habiter une brillante cage,
"Déserteurs des forêts et transfuges des bois,
"Paisibles casaniers vous vivez sous nos toits.
"Là sans aller au loin quêter à l'aventure
"De vous, de vos enfants l'incertaine pâture,
"D'une jeune maitresse esclaves favoris,
"Par elle caressés et par elle nourris,
"Au lieu du ver rampant, de la sale chenille,
"Le sucre le mouron nouroit votre famille;
"Chaque jour la beauté revient d'un air riant
"Vous offrir le biscuit et l'échardé friand,
"Porte sur vos besoins une vue attentive,
66 Soigne la propreté du lieu qui vous captive,
"A vos maux passagers assure un prompt secours,
66 Prépare vos hymens et soigne vos amours,
"Vous apprête du bain la fraicheur délectable :
"Vous luvez dans sa coupe, assistez á sa table,
"Folâtrez sur son sein, perchez sur ses cheveux,
"Et son amant lui-meme est jaloux de vos jeux.

Born on the soil of true liberty, and unused to consider the gilded chains of slavery otherwise than as chains, the English poet exclaims

Be not the Muse asham'd here to bemoan
Her brothers of the grove by tyrant man
'Inhuman caught, and in the narrow cage
From liberty confin'd and boundless air.
Dull are the pretty slaves, their plumage dull,
Ragged, and all its bright'ning lustre lost;

Nor is that sprightly wildness in their notes,

< Which, clear and vig'rous warbles from the beech.'

The last canto exhibits a short view of the manners of different animals. The fidelity of the dog

Un riche marchandoit le chien d'un malheureux, "Cette offre l'affligea: Dans mon destin funeste, “Qui m'aimara, dit-il, si mon chien ne me reste ?

is contrasted with that of the cat, which is—

"Fixé par l'habitude et non par l'amitié."

In the description of the horse, Mr. De Lille has enfeebled the never yet excelled picture drawn by Job.

The whole concludes with the assertion of man's superiority over the brute creation :

"L'homme lit dans les cieux il navigue dans l'air,
"Il gouverne la foudre, il maitrise la mer,
"Emprisonne les vents, enchaine la tempête,
"Et roi par la naissance, il l' est par la conquête."

which superiority is particularly asserted at the moment of death, when

du tombeau qui s'ouvre à sa fragilité, "Part le premier rayon de l' immortalité."

The notes, which form at least one-third of the two volumes, explain the meaning of some verses that would be unintelligible without them, and elucidate some modern discoveries. We doubt, however, their being perfectly satisfactory to the philosophical enquirer.

We certainly allow great merit to Mr. De Lille's new poem on the three Kingdoms of Nature. It betrays no symptom of the author's advanced age, and if it does not add any thing to his well-earned fame, it is sure not to detract from it. The few incidental blemishes, which we have ventured to notice, are far from obscuring the numerous beauties of the work: but independent of the objections which we have stated in general against all attempts to combine the embellishments of poetry