ON THE

ttat.T HOTTES OF FBENCH TRAHSLÀTTOH.

From the "Examiner," Féb. 2€Ok, 1858.

Professor Mariette is a teacherwithont dulness, who adds to a close intimacy with the literature of his own country the relish of a well-read Englishman for English books. The first part of his excellent little volume, entitled Half Hours of Translation, îs a well-ehosen séries of extracts from good Eagfish writers, very various in style, and in the form of idiom employed. Now it is the prose of Macaulay, now the prose of Charles Lamb, that yields an extract for translation into French; this passage is from Dr. Johnson, that from Mr. Dickens. The range of sélection is, in fact, over the whole of the wide field of English prose, between the essays of Lord Bacon and those of contemporary journalists. The choice of each extract has been. obviously founded not upon its merit more than its convertibility into French. Every passage may be so transîated that a good translation shall seem to contain not the words only but the thoughts also, and some one of the moods of a Frenchman. In foot-notes, carefully appended to each passage, the labour of the pupil ïs lightened — or the work of self-education is assisted — by the supply of fragments of translation where the two languages differ in idiôm. In the second' part of the book, Professor Mariette has taken the trouble to translate from contemporary French authors choice illustrations of the French of to-day, and so to translate thexn that they may by a skilful hand be faithmlly returned to France. Hère again notes Tielp the studenttosecure a mastery over French idiom, but the help becomes less fréquent as the volume draws towards a close. In the extracts from French writers thpre is thcsame regard paid to variety of tone, and the student who throughout the first part of the book is speaking the thoughts of his own land in the language of a neighbour, in the second part of the book, when he does not mistraoslatè, is actually writing French thoughts in the Frenchman's way.

From the " Literary Gazette," Feb. 27/A, 1858.

Professor Mariette, of Kmg's Collège, London, has compiled a very useful school-book for students of French. Half Hours of Translation consiste of extracts from the most celebrated English and American authors, which the student is to render into French. Hère are little tit-bits from Addison»

OPINIONS OF THE PRESS— (ConHmud. )

Lord Macaulay, Sidney Smith, Carlyle, $urke, Mackîntbdi». Dickens, Mrs. Stowe, and a host of others. The second part is composée! of translations from the French of De Tocaueville, Montalembert, Victor Hugo, Chateaubriand, Mignet, and others» intended to be rendered back again into the original. The advantage of this plan is, that the pupil will hâve a fized standard with which he may compare lus own œmposiùon. At the foot of the pages the principal idioms are explained as they occur. Independently of its educational uses, this is really a tnost amusing book, and one over which an idler might be tempted to dawdle for a whole morning.

From the " Critic, w Feb. zph, 1858.

A Sélection from "the best British and American authors," intended as a class-book for exercises. — We hâve no doubt that the volume will answer its purpose admirably.

From the " Athen^eum," Marc h 2jth t 1858.

M. A. Mariette, Professor of French at King's Collège, bas well supplied a want of advanced Students in his Half Hours of Translation. The passages from English and American literature are ail taken from good authors, and the translations from the French are in pure, idiomatic English. Useful aid is supplied by the notes:

From the " Morning Chronicle," August ïjih, 1858I

This is a work which was much wanted. Every student of French must, again and again, hâve experienced the well-known difficulty of finding proper extracts for translation. And çvert when, which was very rarely indeed, a judicious passage was to be found in an educational treatise, the absence of any explanation of idiomatic phrases rendered it almost useless to the beginner. This resulted from the fact, that collections of extracts were invariably made by mère teachers of words — mea who, however painstalung and laborious they might be, had not those higher qualities which such a task demands. The essential différence between this book and any similar undertakings is owing to a very simple cause. The author is obviously one who is not mercly well acquainted with English lirerature, but also is able to appreciate it with the genuine spirit of a literary gentleman and an accomplished scholar. Beyond ail doubt, this work of Professor Mariette is by far the best that has yet published on the subject.