Codex Diplomaticus, has never yet been printed in full. Zabłocki and Boguslawski ornamented the stage by pieces of a truly national and moral tendency; and the tragedies of Wenzyk, founded on passages of Polish history, have other merits besides the patriotic spirit that gives them a charm in the eyes of his countrymen. The sacrifices and personal efforts of Ossolinski also communicated a powerful impetus to the progress of literature. We might justly be suspected of prejudice or partiality did we omit to mention that the king, Stanislaus Poniatowski, and his cousins, the Princes Czartoryski, have powerfully contributed, by their exertions and liberality, to advance the interests of science. The dismemberment of Poland checked all at once the rapid progress which had thus again been set on foot, although it was unable to put a stop to it altogether. Indeed there is scarcely any science that has not of late had a worthy expounder. Jundzil, Jarocki, and Jurkiewicz have written on natural history; Stroynowski, Damiłowicz, Linde, Bantkie, and Rakowiecki on legislation; Dowgird and Znosko on logic; Skarbek on political economy; Sniadecki and Chodkiewicz on chemistry; Drzewinski on natural philosophy; Sniadecki, Szahin, and others on astronomy; John Sniadecki, Poilński, and Twardowski on mathematics; Mianowski, Niszkowski, Herberski, Trank, and Szymkowicz on medicine; Golembiowski, the Bantkies, Niemcewicz, and many others on points of history, &c., &c. But how shall we pay the debt of gratitude we owe our venerated friend and master Lelewel, the first historian of his age, who is now sharing the too common fate of patriots and all the miseries of exile, and whose magnanimity and disinterestedness have led him to decline all proffers of succor, even during the time of his greatest need! a man who was the esteemed friend of Lafayette, and of whom a recently published work speaks in the following terms: "About the same period two historians applied themselves to the total transformation of historical science. Niebuhr elaborated the history of Rome, which has the most charms for a German, and Lelewel that of his own country. Both found their subjects in a state of terrible confusion; both were possessed of immense erudition, were conscientiously diligent in their researches, and free from all bias of judgment; both were enabled to scrutinize the documents subjected to their inspection by the possession of a critical acumen and by a profound knowledge of the national idiosyncrasies of the Roman and Polish mind; and both, looking upon the history of a people as its life, were gifted with that creative power which embodies in popular forms the thoughts and the character of a nation." At this time in Germany, Goethe and Schiller were no more; Byron had lately perished in Greece; and Europe would have been left without any great poet, had not Poland presented her with Adam Mickiewicz and Bohdan Zaleski, whose fame needs not the aid of our feeble powers of praise. In Germany, France, and all Slavonia the works of these two poets are known and regarded with just appreciation. Mickiewicz now resides in Paris, where he occupies the chair of Slavonic literature in the University, and Zaleski shares the fate of the majority of his bro ther exiles. We have also a young and promising poetic genius in Severin Goszczynski; but his career is still before him, although his mind is full of the inspiration of the past. The fatal 8th of September, 1831, sounded the knell of the final destruction of Polish independence. God alone knows when his anger will be appeased; but his humble people cease not to labor in the work of redemption. The Polish literati have since then been divided into two classes, those who have remained at home, and those who have sought an asylum in a foreign land. The former are naturally prone to dwell on the fatal past, groping amid ruins and ashes, and endeavoring to save from the general wreck the remains of their household gods; while the latter are more apt to indulge in visions of brighter days to come. Much might be said on these topics, but the wounds that have been inflicted on the heart of the nation are too deep and too recent to be probed even by the most tender hand. We will conclude with a list of the most eminent periodicals now published in Poland. Of these there are five in Leopol and one at Przemysl, in Austrian Poland. In Prussian Poland, there are three in Leszno and three in Pozen. Of those in Russian Poland there are fifteen in Warsaw, two in Wilna, and also one in St. Petersburgh. Of those published abroad, there are three in Paris, one in Brussels, two in Poictiers, and two in Strasburg. The most important in a literary point of view and with regard to the manner in which they are conducted are "Pismo o rzeczach Slawianskich, the Biblioteka Warszawska, and the Tygodnik sztuk pienknych, at Warsaw; the Tygodnik rolniczy i przemysłowy, the Lwowianin, and the Rozmaitosci, at Leopol; the Kurier and Encyklopedia, at Wilna; and the three published at Cracow, especially the review edited by Helzel. The Tygodnik Peterzburgski is of importance for the news it contains, as well as for the attacks continually made by it-to order-against the Polish nation.* * We regret that the distance at which the author of these articles resides from New York, and which renders it impossible for us to transmit him the proof-sheets for his supervision, have caused a few errors, chiefly in numbers and the spelling of proper names, to escape us in the first article, and which the reader will please to rectify as follows: In the introductory notice, the Slavic population are stated at "nearly sixty million;" whereas their number has been statistically proved to amount to one hundred millions. We had also been led to say that the author had suffered heavy loss by the defalcation of his Leipsic publisher;" but he informs us that his misfortunes were owing to a Brussels bookseller, and he is anxious to state that during his stay in Leipsic he met with nothing but the kindest treatment. The number of the Dukes by which ancient Russia was governed, is stated p. 563 at "sixty-five;" it should have been seventy-five. For "Hayen," p. 574, read Hayek. The author objects to the phrase "pure religion," introduced by the translator, p. 575, 1. 9; since, though well inclined towards Protestantism, he does not wish to erect himself into an arbiter on the comparative merits of religious systems. In p. 577, it should have been said that Frederick V. was elected king: he was palatine before. Two lines below, for "always has been taken," read, "the contrary of that which has been taken," the Catholic clergy of Poland having been uniformly noted for their patriotism. For "Sedlacczk," p. 579, read Sicdlaczek, and for "Wuk," p. 580, read Wiuk. ARTICLE VI. RECENT ANTIQUARIAN WORKS ON ENGLISH DIALECTS. From the Archæologist, February, 1842. 1. A Bibliographical List of the Works that have been published towards illustrating the Provincial Dialects of England. ́By John Russell Smith. 8vo. 2. A Glossary of Provincial and Local Words used in England. By Francis Grose. To which is now first incorporated the Supplement by Samuel Pegge. 8vo. Lond. J. R. Smith. 3. Dialogues, Poems, Songs, and Ballads, by various writers, in the Westmoreland and Cumberland Dialects, now first collected with a copious Glossary. 8vo. Lond. J. R. Smith. 4. The Yorkshire Dialect, exemplified in various Dialogues, Tales, and Songs, applicable to the County. To which is added a Glossary. Svo. London. J. R. Smith. 5. John Noakes and Mary Styles; or, "an Essex Calf's" visit to Tiptree Races; a Poem, exhibiting some of the most striking lingual localisms peculiar to Essex. With a Glossary. By Charles Clark, Esq., of Great Totham Hall, Essex. 8vo. London. J. R. Smith. 6. Tom Cladpole's Jurney to Lunnun... written in pure Sussex Doggerel by his uncle Tim.-Jan Cladpole's trip to 'Merricur ; ... written all in Rhyme by his Father Tim Cladpole. 12mo. Hailsham. 7. An Exmoor Scolding; in the Propriety and Decency of Exmoor Language, between two Sisters; ... also, an Exmoor Courtship. A new edition, with notes and a glossary. 8vo. Lond. J. R. Smith. There is perhaps no branch of philological study more interesting than that offered by the examination of our local dialects, from its connexion with our popular manners and superstitions, and from the light which it tends primarily to throw on the history of our language, and through that on the history of the national tribes who joined together in forming the population of our island. We have thought it a duty at an early stage of our periodical to call the attention of our readers to this subject, and we have prefaced our article by the titles of a few of the recent books on this subject, issued by our zealous publisher, John Russell Smith. To all who wish to know what has been done in this branch of research, we cordially recommend his comprehensive and carefully compiled "Bibliographical List." In the mean time much remains to be done, and we hope to be instrumental in different ways in promoting the study. We have already received offers of one or two contributions of this kind; and we invite our readers in different parts of the kingdom to make our work the means of bringing together and publishing original specimens of our scattered local dialects, or lists of peculiar local words and customs. There are three distinct and peculiar characteristics which constitute a dialect: the first is organic form, which is derived from the remotest period of the history of nations-the second is the preservation of old words which are obsolete in other districts, or in the polite language of the day-the third is simple rudeness of speech, which depends upon the social character of the people. It will at once be seen that the first of these characteristics is the one of greatest importance. We can still trace in our dialects the marks of distinction between several large classes. The Northern, Western, and Eastern counties possess each a general character distinct from the others. It is desirable to be able to investigate them historically, and to trace their differences as much as possible to the various original tribes of Saxons, Angles, Jutes, and even still more northern peoples, who settled in our island. To do this we want ancient documents, and these unfortunately are fewer and less perfect than we could wish, and in most cases it is difficult to fix their exact locality. We do not, however, despair of seeing at some future period the monuments of early English literature classed according to the dialects of the language. In doing this, great assistance will naturally be reaped from an accurate knowledge of all the local dialects as they exist at the present day. In the mean time it is extremely desirable that all the old manuscripts of which the dialect is certainly known should be printed. There is no one more important than the Ayenbite of Inwit (i. e. the remorse of conscience), a theological treatise of the fourteenth century, written in the pure dialect of Kent. The Kentish men are supposed to be of Friesic extraction. It happens unfortunately for our researches on this subject that most of our Anglo-Saxon manuscripts are written in the language of Wessex, the Attic dialect of our forefathers.* There are, however, a few instances of Anglo-Saxon writings, of which the language can be traced to a particular part of the country; and there are, in particular, some fine monuments of the language then spoken in the north of England, such as the Anglo-Saxon ritual, lately published by the Surtees Society, and the still inedited Durham book. We may also point out, as one of the more remarkable specimens of the earlier dialects, the Ormulum, preserved in a manuscript at Oxford, and which we hope will, before long, see the light. Specimens of this work are printed in Mr. Thorpe's Analecta, as well as an Anglo-Saxon homily, apparently written in the dialect of East Anglia. In the twelfth and thirteenth centuries we have more variety of dialects in the manuscripts, and can more easily ascer * While speaking of the Anglo-Saxon language, the study of which has, we are glad to see, found more cultivators of late then formerly, we will take the opportunity of stating that we understand Dr. Bosworth is preparing for the press an Anglo-Saxon and English dictionary, which will comprise the whole of the words in the larger work, with additions, and will be published at a price which will place it within the reach of all who take an interest in the language of their forefathers. tain their locality, because, as there was then no general literary form of our native tongue (the Anglo-Norman being the language of polite society,) every manuscript in the English language exhibits distinctly the dialect of the place where it was written. The case is the same in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries: we have then many characteristic specimens of the language of the north of England; in the "Coventry Mysteries," published by Mr. Halliwell, we have a valuable illustration of the language of the midland counties; the writings of John Audley, of Hagmon, in a MS. in the Douce collection at Oxford, represent the dialect of Shropshire; the dialect of Kent appears in the Ayenbite of Inwit, already mentioned, the most valuable of all the monuments of this class; and we understand that Mr. Wright has discovered that the well-known MS. Harl. 2253 (from which he is editing the lyric poetry in a little volume for the Percy Society,) was written in Herefordshire, and therefore represents the dialect of that part of the kingdom at the beginning of the fourteenth century. It bears some resemblance, in its organic character, to that of Somersetshire and Gloucestershire at the present day. The earlier dialect of the last-mentioned county appears in the chronicle of Robert of Gloucester. With regard to the second characteristic of local dialects, the preservation of old and obsolete words, it is accidental to the dialect, and depends generally on local circumstances. There are, it is true, some words peculiar to particular dialects, which belong, ab origine, to the dialects themselves; but, in general, the quantity of words now peculiar to different districts depends on their distance from great towns, or from a more polished neighborhood. In the change through which the English language has passed from pure Anglo-Saxon to its present shape, the people of towns, and the population of commercial and manufacturing parts of the country, received the new words, particularly those derived from the Anglo-Norman, and lost the old ones, more rapidly and more generally than the rural and remote districts. As the change in this respect must have been extremely partial and unequal, it thus happens that each dialect has, at the present day, a series of words peculiar to itself, which were originally common to all. We may instance the word to lease, which has been long peculiar to the counties on the borders of Wales in the sense of to glean (in harvest,) and which appears to have been so little known in other parts of the country, even in the fourteenth century, that almost every manuscript of Piers Ploughman is corrupt in the only passage of that poem in which it occurs, and in many of them both the meaning and the alliteration is entirely lost,—— "And who so helpeth me to erie And sowen here er I wende, The only manuscript we know which gives the right reading appears to us to have been written on the border. And yet it is only the common Anglo-Saxon word lesan, to collect or gather. Again, Grose gives |