Introduction to M. de I’ Aube pine M. de I’ Aubepine is un

We do not remember to have seen any translated specimens of the productions of M. de I’Aubepine; a fact less to be wondered at, as his very name is unknown to many of his own countrymen, as well as to the students of foreign literature. As a writer, he seemed to occupy an unfortunate position between the Transcendentalists and the great body of pen- and- ink men who address the intellect and sympatries of the multitude. If not too refined, at all events too re mote, too shadowy and unsubstantial in his modes of development, to suit the taste of the latter class, and yet too popular to satisfy the spiritual or metaphysical requisitions of the former ,he must necessarily find himself without an audience; except here and there an individual, or possibly an isolated clique. His writings, to do them justice, are not all together destitute of fancy and originality; they might have won him greater reputation but for an inveterate love of allegory, which is apt to invest his plots and characters with the aspect of scenery and people in the clouds, and to steal away the human warmth out of his conceptions. His fictions are some times historical, sometimes of the present day, and some times, so far as can be discovered, have little or no reference either to time or space. In any case, he generally contents himself with a very slight embroidery of outward manners, the faintest possible counterfeit of real life, and endeavors to create an interest by some less obvious pecularity of the subject. Occasionally, a breath of nature, a rain - drop of pathos and tenderness, or a gleam of humor, will find its way into the midst of his fantastic imagery, and make us feel as if, after all, we were yet within the limits of our native earth. We will only add to this very cursory notice, that M.  de I’ Aubtpine’s productions, if the readers chance to take them in precisely the proper point of view, may amuse a leisure hour as well as those of a brighter man; if otherwise, they can hardly fail to look excessively like nonsense.
   Our author is voluminous; he continues to write and publish with as much praiseworthy and indefatigable prolixity, as if his efforts were crowned with the brilliant success that so justly attends those of Egugen Sue. His first appearance was by a collection of stories, in a long series of volumes, entitled" Contesdeux foisracontees. "The titles of some of his more recent works (We quote from many. ) are as follows :--"Lc Voyage celeste No. Chemin de Fer" 3 toni. 1838. "Le Cultedu Fen", a folio volume of poderous re search into the religion and ritual of the old Persian Ghe bers,published in 1841. Our somewhat wearisome perusal of this startling catalogue of volumes has left behind it a certain personal affection and sympathy, though by no means admiration, for M. de I’ Aubepine; and we would fain do the little in our power towards introducing him favourably to the American public.