r devoted admirer at the open door; the girl's expression is
admirable. Another, the Coquette, after Chalon, is engraved in a light,
sprightly style by Humphreys; a beautiful French flirt, at her toilet,
is repelling with her fan--that wand of coquetry--a French Abbe on
bended knee, whilst her other hand is rapturously seized by a second
suitor, just peeping from behind a screen: if such be

A sample of the _old regime_,
I hope the new one's better.

Another pretty piece of intrigue--a girl stealing an opened love-letter
from a fair one dozing on a sofa, and a third advancing on tiptoe from
the door of the room, is highly creditable to Mr. Smirke, the painter,
and A.W. Warren, the engraver. Among the more elaborate plates is an
exquisite creation of Howard's pencil, the Infant Bacchus engraved
by J.C. Edwards; and last, though not least in effect, is Trionto,
a mountain wild and chaos of storm, from a drawing by Martin; but
the engraving hardly approaches the design.

There is much novelty in the present _Gem:_ the prints, prose, and
poetry sparkle most characteristically, and are just such as the title
of the work would lead one to expect to find in it; which is a rare
merit among new books.

* * * * *

Friendship's Offering.

We believe the editor of the present volume to be Mr. Thomas Pringle,
of whose taste and fitness for the task, we spoke in our "Spirit of the
Annuals" for 1829. It contains five or six striking prose articles, and,
we think, fewer poetical pieces than the former volume. Among the tales
entitled to special mention, as evincing considerable talent and more
than the ordinary interest of mere sketches--are Il Vesuviano, a
Neapolitan Story--the Voyage Out, by Mrs. Bowdich--the Lover's Leap,
a Highland Legend, by Leigh Ritchie--a tale of the White Bristol,
(30 pages) from the powerful pen of Mr. Banim--the Fords of Callum,
by the Ettrick Shepherd--Mourad and Euxabeet, a Persian Tale, by Mr.
Fraser--and Whatever betide--for the right, a tale of Old London--the
titles of which will give the reader some idea of the rich and varied
contents of the prose department. The Outline of a Life, by Mr. Kennedy
has all the "fitful fancy" of his earlier productions, but the piece
selected by us for quotation, is

LUCIFER.

_By J.A. St. John_.[3]

[3] We have abridged this tale to suit our limits, though we trust
not at the expense of the interest o