we think her very successful when she deals directly with the mysteries of divine truth, but because she makes us feel, even when handling the least sacred subjects, that we are in the presence of a heart which, in its purity, sees God. In the writings of such a woman, there must be much which is calculated to be a blessing and a benefit to mankind. If her genius always found a suitable exponent in her style, she would stand unrivalled, we think, among the poetesses of England. . . .
"If any of our remarks have been over-harsh, we most gladly qualify them by saying that, in our humble opinion, Miss Barrett's poetical merits infinitely outweigh her defects. Her genius is profound, unsullied, and without a flaw. The imperfections of her manner are mere superficial blots which a little labour might remove. Were the blemishes of her style tenfold more numerous than they are, we should still revere this poetess as one of the noblest, of her sex; for her works have impressed us with the conviction, that powers such as she possesses are not merely the gifts or accomplishments of a highly intellectual woman, but that they are closely intertwined with all that is purest and loveliest in goodness and in truth."
In 1851, when Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton, now Lord Lytton, was preparing to republish his translation of Schiller's Ballads, he frequently corresponded with Mr Ferrier, whose critical judgment and skill in detecting the finer shades of meaning in the orig-
