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The romancer is in it, as he should always be, a necromancer; and his spirits, quietly as they are invoked, are spirits of no ordinary power. We rarely find so much strength of grasp and so much self-restraint united as in the entire tale-to which the reader is referred for the solution of the mystery so powerfully indicated in the above."

widely differing from its predecessor,-exceeding I had no confidence in his legal acquirements, and it, perhaps, in artistic ingenuity-if less powerful, though the judges regarded affectionately his perless painful also-rich in humors and characters-sonal character, and greatly admired his genius, yet and from first to last individual. It is thus made his arguments were listened to with comparatively evident that Mr. Hawthorne possesses the fertility little attention. It was said, however, that he deas well as the ambition of Genius: and in right of termined if possible to get on in the more arduous these two tales, few will dispute his claim to rank walks of the profession, and hoped for especial amongst the most original and complete novelists favor in the Rolls Court, having married at an that have appeared in modern times. early age Miss O'Halloran, niece to Sir William MacMahon, (who then presided in that court), and niece also to Sir John MacMahon, who at that time was private secretary to the Prince Regent. But all this gossip of the "Four Courts" ended in nothing. Mr. Sheil, instead of an eminent lawyer, became a political agitator, and in the Roman Catholic Association reached a position second only to that of Mr. O'Connell. His speeches at public meetings in Dublin, the first of which was delivered by him at the early age of 18, attracted the admiration of all classes; his passionate tone delighted the vulgar, his wit and exquisite fancy charmed the most cultivated minds, while his perfect amiability of character, his high and generous nature, secured the friendship of every one who enjoyed the advantage of his acquaintance. With all this celebrity, however, he was not making a fortune, and when literature offered to him some of its rewards, he gladly contributed to the monthly periodicals of that day, producing at the same time the tragedy of "EvadCatholic Relief Bill of 1829, when it became law, opened to Mr. Sheil a new and more extended sphere of action; he was returned to Parliament for Lord

Yeast, a Problem, by Mr. KINGSLEY, author of Alton Locke, republished by the HARPERS, is thus noticed by the Athenæum

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"Yeast,' though written in a narrative form, scarcely pretends to be a novel :-and notwithstand ing some strongly-drawn scenes and fine passages of description, they who take it for amusement are likely to be disappointed. It is a book of social pathology; and the characters introduced are vigorously sketched and vividly colored diagrams illustrating the different phases of the disease and disorganization that are going on in the inner conditionne," and many other dramatic works. The Roman

of England. They who are in earnest themselves about such matters, will readily see that earnestness is at the root of the author's fault. In 'Yeast,' as

in Alton Locke,' he is honestly engrossed with his subject. There are throughout a singleness of purpose and an absence of self-seeking, which we take to be the first things needful in those who do any kind of work, and without which genius itself carries no weight and inspires small reverence."

Death of Richard Lalor Sheil.-One of the most brilliant rhetoricians of the age in which he lived has prematurely closed his remarkable career in a foreign land, and in a manner so sudden that the surprise which the event must occasion will be only exceeded by the deep affliction of his friends and the regret of the public. The Right Hon. Richard Lalor Sheil was a native of Dublin, born in the year 1793. His father, imitating the example of many Irish Roman Catholics of good family, sought in other countries that independence and those means of advancement which the penal laws, then in force, denied them in the land of their nativity. He resided for many years at Cadiz, and engaged in mercantile pursuits with more than ordinary success. Having amassed a competence, he returned to the county of Watertord, purchased an estate, and built a mansion. Unfortunately he was again led into commercial speculation, which proved of a disastrous character, and he eventually died, unable to bequeath to his son more than the means of acquiring a liberal education. That education commenced at Stoneyhurst, was continued at Trinity College, Dublin, where the young Mr. Shiel, then remarkable for the precocity of his talents, graduated with much distinction, and at the age of 21. In the year 1814, he was called to the Irish bar. In the profession of the law, though he attained the rank of Queen's counsel, he never enjoyed a lucrative practice. On remarkable occasions he held briefs and made showy speeches, but the attorneys

Anglesey's borough of Milbourne Port, and soon became one of the favorite orators of the House. At first there was some disposition to laugh at his shrill tones and vehement gesticulation, but Parliament soon recognized him as one of its ornaments. His great earnestness and apparent sincerity, his unrivalled felicity of illustration, his extraordinary pow er of pushing the meaning of words to the utmost extent, and wringing from them a force beyond the range of ordinary expression, much more than the force of his reasoning or the range of his political knowledge, obtained for him in Parliament marked attention and, for the most, unqualified applause. When he rose to speak, members took their places, and the hum of private conversation was hushed, in order that the House might enjoy the performances of an accomplished artist-not that they should receive the lessons of a statesmanlike adviser, or follow the lead of a commanding politician. Still, for twenty years, he held a prominent place in the House of Commons, though throughout a great portion of that period he represented very insignificant constituencies. Mr. Sheil was returned for Milbourne Port in 1830, having been an unsuccessful candidate for the county of Louth. In 1831, however, he got in for Louth; in 1832 was returned for Tipperary, without contest, and again in 1835; but in 1837 there was an opposition, against which he prevailed. His principal influence in that county, exclusive of the weight of his public character, is understood to have been derived from his second marriage with the widow of Mr. Edmund Power, of Gurteen, which took place in 1830. It will be remembered that the eldest son of that gentleman fell very recently by his own hand; and during his minority whatever influence he might possess as a landlord was in a great degree at the command of Mr. Sheil, who continued to sit for Tipperary till 1841, though he encountered some