Mr. Hawthorne has received high praise from men whose opinions we have been accustomed to respect. Hereafter we shall endeavor to speak of his tales with that deliberation which is their due. The one now before us is a simple and pretty story. * * * * * _History of the Life of Richard Cœur de Lion, King of England. By G. P. R. James, Esq., author of “Richelieu,” &c. Two volumes. New York: I. & H. G. Langley._ We like Mr. James far better as the historian or biographer than as the novelist. The truth is, it is sheer waste of time to read second-rate fictions by men of merely imitative talent, when at the same expense of money and labor we can indulge in the never-failing stream of invention now poured forth by true genius. * * * * * _The Effinghams; or, Home as I Found it. Two volumes. By the author of the “Victim of Chancery,” &c. New York: Samuel Colman._ These volumes are satirical and have some fair hits at Mr. Cooper, against whom they are especially levelled; but we like neither this design of personal ridicule nor the manner in which it is effected. * * * * * _Organic Chemistry in its Applications to Agriculture and Physiology. By Justus Leiby, M. D, &c. Edited from the MS. of the Author, by Lyon Playfair, Ph. D. Second American Edition, with an Introduction, Notes and Appendix, by John W. Webster, M. D., Professor of Chemistry in Harvard University. John Owen: Cambridge._ This book excited and still excites great attention in England. It is needless to speak of its merits, which are well understood by all students of Physics. * * * * * _Arbitrary Power, Popery, Protestantism; as contained in Nos. XV. XVIII. XIX. of the Dublin Review. Philadelphia: M. Fithian._ A republication from the Dublin Review of three able articles in defence of Catholicism. * * * * * _Second Book of Natural History, Prepared for the Use of Schools and Colleges. By W. S. W. Ruschenberger, M. D., &c. From the text of Milne Edwards and Achille Comte. With Plates. Philadelphia: Turner & Fisher._ We need only say of this volume that it is a combination of the “First Book” just noticed, although sufficiently distinct in itself. * * * * * _The Amazonian Republic Recently Discovered in the Interior of Peru. By Ex-Midshipman Timothy Savage, B. C. New York: Samuel Colman._ This is a very passable satirical fiction, in the manner of Gulliver. We should not be surprised if it were the composition of Dr. Beasely of this city. * * * * *