struction. The interest and value of the natural history stories are much enhanced by appropriate illustrations.

Alley Moore: A Tale of the Times. Showing how Evictions, Murder, and such-like pastimes are managed, and justice administered in Ireland; together with many stirring incidents in other lands. By FATHER BAPTIST. 2 vols. in one. Boston: P. Donahoe, 1864. THIS volume only reached us just as we were going to press; such is its character that we should otherwise have reviewed it at length, for we have been eye-witnesses to some of the startling scenes which it so graphically and truthfully describes.

99.66

1. The Martin and Nelly Stories; or, The Two Fairy Dreams. By JOSEPHINE FRANKLIN, author of "Nelly and Her Friends," Nelly's First School-Days," &c., &c.

2. Martin. By JOSEPHINE FRANKLIN, author of "Nelly and Her Boat," &c., &c.

Boston: Taggard and Thompson, 1864.

We have found it much more agreeable to examine these tiny volumes than many pretentious novels in thick duodecimo form. They are written in that simple, but suggestive, communicative style which rarely fails to captivate the minds of children, and give them the impression that it is pleasant rather than irksome to learn useful lessons. The series entitled "The Martin and Nelly Stories," to which they belong, are favorites with the little ones throughout the country. As we have not seen the rest, we can only say that, if they are equal to the new volumes, they deserve all that is said in their favor even by the most enthusiastic of their admirers.

Insurance Papers, Statements, &c. New York, Boston, and Philadelphia.

THE insurance documents of the past month are remarkably barren of interest; it would, however, be very erroneous to infer from this that there has been any falling off in the business, for the contrary is the fact. Never were our principal companies more actively employed; we doubt whether they ever received, or paid a larger amount during any corresponding month than they have during that which ended on the 15th of December instant. But at this season very little is published on the subject; scarcely any but the quacks make much fuss at Christmas times.

It is incredible what a large number of new companies have commenced operations lately. We have ourselves counted eighteen, and we are assured that there are nearly as many more. Those who have obtained charters, and complied with the requirements of the State Superintendent, do not probably exceed half a dozen. Several of the new corporations, with and without charters, do not seem to inspire much confidence; and so far as we can judge from appearances, we think the public right in being a little sceptical. At the same time we refrain from mak

ing any observations in respect to any particular company which might injure its prospects, bearing in mind that appearances often deceive.

It seems, indeed, difficult to believe that parties, who do not find it convenient, or advisable to secure any better office than a small basement, whose furniture would scarcely bring fifty dollars at auction, can insure either life or property to the extent of tens of thousands of dollars. But those who act most suspiciously are entitled to a fair trial, before they are pronounced guilty of any attempt to defraud those who choose to pay them for their policies, even when they undertake to insure things never insured before.

We are assured that much more damage was done to American shipping by the recent cyclone on the coast of India than was at first supposed. We are informed that several New York vessels, laden with large and valuable cargoes, were totally wrecked; but most of them were insured wholly, or in part, by some of our best companies, who have already given their checks for large sums. Were we to mention the sums thus paid by the Columbian Marine Insurance and the Mercantile Mutual, of Wall street, we should seem to be indulging in the fabulous, and we should at the same time displease the principal officers of those companies, who literally prefer to do good by "stealth and blush to find it fame."

There are good fire companies to be found in all parts of the city; but if we are not very grossly misinformed, the really reliable marine companies are nearly, if not exclusively, confined to Wall street. From our own knowledge we do not know anything to the contrary, but rather think the information we have received is correct. Nay, from all appearances we should hardly think it safe to insure a ferry horse-boat in half the marine companies out of Wall street. Not that we can pretend to have much faith in all the marine companies in the latter. Thus, for example, the Sun Mutual may be a very excellent institution, and even have some distant resemblance to the great luminary whose name it bears; but we confess that if we had a ship insured in that quarter, and heard it was wrecked, we should have serious misgivings as to whether we should ever receive the amount of our policy. We should be afraid that the blame would be thrown on the captain, or the first or second mate; or, if anything of that kind would not do, on the shipbuilder, or the shipcarpenter. But we had almost forgotten that the Security Fire Insurance Company of Pine street, is now empowered to carry on the marine business also; and in order to do so the more effectually, it has increased its capital stock to $1,000,000, making its total assets, $1,462,643. This, therefore, may be regarded as an exception to the general character of the trans-Wall street marine companies.

Of the Wall street fire companies the record is different, so far as we are aware. We do not remember more than one in the whole street in

which the public seems to have much confidence, and even this one is partly out of Wall street, we mean the Morris Fire and Inland Insurance Company, the principal entrance to whose building is on Nassau street. For the rest we know no Wall street fire company equal to the Washington or Hope, of Broadway. True, it can boast a good and well-managed life company, one of the best in the country, namely the United States. For the sake of many a widow and orphan, would that the Washington Life or the Guardian Life were equal to it! The prestige of Broadway is well sustained, however, by life companies like the New York, the Equitable, the Knickerbocker, and the Globe. In our opinion the first mentioned would be one of the first in the world, were it not that its presiding officer is sometimes a little rash in arriving at conclusions-a failing, however, which Alexander was as much subject to as he, as we may see from the course sometimes pursued by that great conqueror, even towards his best friends, Aristotle and Parmenio. But if in our opinion the gentleman of the New York Life does not always reason like the Stagyrite on certain recondite subjects, we have not the less faith in his policy on this account, but cheerfully admit that the widow and orphan are entirely safe in his hands.

We know no young company whose prospects are so bright as those of the Globe Mutual Life. We have had the curiosity to compare its first efforts with those of twelve companies now become celebrated for their success, and found that any of them have not received as many premiums during the whole of the first year as the Globe has in the first five months, and that only one received half as many. Of the several new companies that have not yet commenced operations, the only one we know to be possessed of all the necessary resources is the Universal Life Insurance Company of this city, whose plan is as new in this country as itself, since "it purposes to devote itself chiefly," as the directors announce, "to granting insurances upon the lives of invalids, or parties, who, for some specific or general objection on the score of health, have been refused admittance into the various existing life insurance companies." This may seem a rash undertaking, but it has been tested in England by an experience of forty years, and found entirely successful. Among the members of the board of directors, whose names inspire full confidence, is that of Henry B. Hyde, Esq., Vice-President of the Equitable Life, one of the best managed and most prosperous life companies in this country.

The Home continues to be the "observed of all observers" among the fire companies. The worthy president has never forgiven us for presenting his photograph to our readers, comparing him to the illustrious Barnum, and criticising his contributions to the Sunday papers. This, however, will not prevent us from doing justice to his superior skill in that art of "quack, quack," which makes his company superior to all others in the world, so far as words and their repetition ad infinitum can produce

that effect. In visiting prisons and lunatic asylums in all parts of the country for the purpose of learning what we could, we were sure to meet with the Home "statement" in some corner or another. We now have it on every page of the City Directory, and in every other place where the miracles of the quack doctors are blazoned forth. Not content with all this, the distinguished chief officer of that corporation get up maps, on which they also proclaim their enormous capital, their inexhaustible assets, &c., all ending, ex more, like the refrain of a song, with the inevitable "Chas. J. Martin, Prest.; A. F. Wilmarth, V.-Prest.; and John McGee, Secy." Now, if Mr. Barnum has ever gone further than this to puff his Museum, it is one of the many things of which we are ignorant.

THE

NATIONAL QUARTERLY REVIEW.

No. XX.

MARCH, 1865.

ART. I.-1. Orlando Furioso di Messer LODOVICO ARIOSTO. 6 vols. Milano, 1812.

2. The Orlando Furioso, Translated into English Verse; from the Italian of LUDOVICO ARIOSTO, with notes. By WILLIAM STEWART ROSE. London: Murray.

3. Opere Minori in Verso e in Prosa di LODOVICO ARIOSTO, ordinate e annotate. Per cura di Filippo-Luigi Polidori. 2 vols. Firenze, 1857.

Or all modern writers, Ariosto has afforded the critics the most ample themes. More than six generations have warmly disputed as to whether his principal poem should receive one name or another; and the question is still undecided. Some maintain that it is an epic, others that it is a romance, while a third party are equally zealous in undertaking to prove that it is neither an epic nor a romance, but a species of poetry peculiar to the author. These disputes, resumed as they are every succeeding age with renewed vigor, would show by themselves that, let its faults be what they may, the Orlando Furioso possesses the impress of true genius.

But they have been productive of much more important results, for those regarding the poem as an epic have compared it with all other epics, and pointed out the characteristics of each; those regarding it as a romance have pursued a similar course on the opposite side; while the third party have instituted comparisons with the epic and the romance, in order to show how totally different the great poem of Ariosto is from both. Each of the three parties have found