boots and his breakfast were to him matters of much more importance than the future of all North America. WANDERINGS OF A BEAUTY: A Tale of the Real and Ideal. By MRS. EDWIN JAMES. New York: Carleton. 1863. An entertaining little romance, which will be specially acceptable to the 'regular English novel' devourers--a by no means inconsiderable proportion of the public. Its heroine--a beauty--moves in English society, is presented to the Queen, is victimized by a rascally husband or two, and visits America, where she ends her adventures--_a la Marble Faun_--rather more obscurely than we could have wished, by 'enduring and suffering,' but on the whole happily, so far as sentiment is concerned. As the story contains to perfection every element of the most popular English novels of the day, yet in a more highly concentrated form than they usually present, we have no doubt that its sale will be very great. The volume contains a very beautifully engraved portrait-vignette, 'after a miniature by Thorburn,' which is worth the price of the book, and is neatly bound. Gentlemen wishing to make an acceptable gift to novel-reading friends will find the 'Wanderings of a Beauty' well suited to the purpose. THE PRISONER OF STATE. By D. H. MAHONEY. New York: Carleton. 1863. We may well ask 'what sustains the hopes of the rebels?' when such a mass of treason as this wretched volume contains is suffered to be freely published and circulated. That the Administration can find the force to oppose open foes in the field, and yet make no exertion to suppress traitors at home who are doing far more than any armed rebels to reduce our country to ruin, is a paradox for whose solution we have for some time waited, _not_ by any means in patience.