A neat little volume, well filled with information, has made its appearance under this title;[2] the object being to present sketches of living notables—­men who, in their several walks of life, tread in advance of the general multitude in this and other countries; and from whose actions we may learn the character and aims of the passing era.  The idea of gathering together materials of this kind, and laying the result in an accessible form before the public, is a good one.  All will depend, however, on the manner of execution.  The attempt before us, being the first of its kind, is perhaps necessarily imperfect, and we may expect some improvements should the work realise the expectations of its publisher.  For example, we miss the names of various men of note, to whom England owes many acknowledgments—­such as Dr Neill Arnott, Mr Edwin Chadwick, Archibald Alison, &c.—­and in several instances, also, the sketches actually given are very deficient in attainable facts; while there occur notices of individuals whose names can scarcely be said to be known to the public.  With these imperfections, the work is a handy biographic compendium, full of amusing particulars, that cannot fail to be useful in the way of reference.  To provincial libraries, the book will be a cheap and agreeable accession.  As a specimen of the manner of execution, we present the following scraps of quotation:—­

’Brooke, Rajah Sir James, is a Somersetshire man, born on the 29th of April 1803, at Combe Grove, near Bath.  His father was engaged in the civil service of the East India Company; and when of sufficient age, the future rajah was sent to India as a cadet, and, on the Burmese war breaking out, went to the scene of operations; entered upon active military service; and whilst storming a stockade, received a bullet in his chest.  This wound kept him for awhile balanced between life and death, but a strong constitution stood him in good stead, and he was able to reach England on furlough, to seek the full restoration of his health.  When sufficiently strong, he set out on a tour through France, Switzerland, and Italy, the languages, as well as manners and condition of which he studied; but the longest leave of absence will expire at last, and we find our hero, in due course, again setting out for the East; failing, however, to reach it at once, for the ship in which he sailed was wrecked on the Isle of Wight.  In his next vessel, he was more fortunate, and safely reached India, to resume his duties; but finding a long official correspondence requisite to explain why a shipwreck should have delayed an officer’s return, he resigned the service of the East India Company, and in 1830 sailed from Calcutta for China.  “In this voyage,” says Captain Keppel, in his Expedition to Borneo, “while going up the China seas, he saw for the first time the islands of the Asiatic Archipelago—­islands of vast importance and unparalleled beauty—­lying neglected and almost unknown.  He inquired and read, and became