he omissions by Mr. Sparks--sometimes from carelessness,
sometimes from ignorance, and sometimes from an indisposition
to revive memories of old feuds, or to cover with disgrace
names which should be dishonored, and his occasional verbal
alterations of Washington's letters, prevent satisfaction with
his edition of Washington."

Since then an able and ingenious writer in the _Evening Post_ has
criticised the labors of Mr. Sparks in the same manner, and in a second
paper conclusively replied to his defenders. We profess thoroughly to
understand this matter; we have carefully compared the original letters
of Washington, as they are preserved in the Department of State, in the
Charleston Library, the New-York Historical Society's Library, and in
numerous other public and private collections, and we have come to the
conclusion that instead of having done any service to American History
by his editions of Morris, Franklin, and Washington, Mr. Sparks has done
positive and scarcely reparable injury; since by his incomplete,
inaccurate and injudicious publications, he has prevented the
preparation of such as are necessary for the illustration of the
characters of these persons and the general history of their times. We
shall not at present enter into any particulars for the vindication of
our dissent from the very common estimation of the character of Mr.
Sparks as a historian; but we may gratify some students in our history
by stating that _A Complete Collection of the Writings of Washington,
chronologically arranged, and amply illustrated with Introductions,
Notes, &c._, is in hand, and will be published with all convenient
expedition. It will embrace about twice as much matter as the edition by
Sparks, but will be much more compactly printed. It would have appeared
before the present time, but for an absurd misapprehension in regard to
certain assumed copyrights, which one of our most eminent justices, and
several lawyers of the highest distinction, have declared null and
impossible.

* * * * *

MR. ISAAC C. PRAY is the author of a beautiful volume on the eve of
publication, on the History of the Musical Drama. One hundred and sixty
pages are devoted to "Parodi and the Opera." Mr. Pray is a capital
critic in this department; he has been many years familiar with the
various schools of musical art, and at home behind the scenes in the
great opera houses of Europe: so th