I would have been monotonous. We do not see the necessity of this, and are of opinion, that it would have been an easy task to him to compose a series of simple and useful explanations and comments, and we cannot but believe, that it would have been an agreeable one. In the mean time, though the execution of this work is not exactly what we should have wished, we desire to give due credit to the good intention of the compiler, and to wish success to this and every attempt to make the study of the Bible a part of the regular education of youth, and to lead them to the habit of reflection on its contents, instead of a mere formal perusal

of them.

The Edinburgh Review, or Critical Journal. (No. LXXXV.) November, 1325. Boston: Wells & Lilly. 1826. pp. 262.

THIS number contains but few articles likely to be very interesting to American readers in general. The most so perhaps are those on Fraser's Tour through Khorasan in Persia, and the Memoirs of Samuel Pepys Esq., secretary to the admiralty in the reigns of Charles II. and James II. This Mr Pepys would seem from several circumstances to be the original of Sir Walter Scott's Percie Shafton. Like him he was the descendant of a tailor, though a kinsman to a noble family. And he certainly equalled if he did not surpass Sir Percie in his regard for the res vestiaria and the unction, with which he dilates upon "welts, slashes, and hanging sleeves." For the rest, he gives such a view of the interior of the court of the profligate and contemptible monarchs, whom he served, as could not fail to please the whig palates of the Edinburgh reviewers. In the course of the article the reviewer takes occasion to relate several stories of the second-sight, which puzzle us a good deal; for it seems impossible that he can really believe that these stories afford any confirmation of this ridiculous pretension, and yet they are told in a manner, which leaves us to suppose that he thought it necessary to doubt them. It seems to us that a belief in the truth of all of them is perfectly compatible with a conviction of the absurdity of the notion of the second-sight.

Deutsches Lesebuck für Anfänger. Cambridge Universitäts Druckerei bei Hilliard und Metcalf, für Cummings, Hilliard, & Co. Boston. 1826. 12mo. ONLY five sheets of this book are yet published, containing the preface, and extracts from Lessing, Schiller, Heeren, and Richter. It is the work of Dr Follen, late professor of the civil law in the University of Basle, in Switzerland, and now lecturer on the same science, and teacher of the German language, in the University at Cambridge. It will supply a deficiency that is just beginning to be felt in this country, that of a good introduction to the German language.

INTELLIGENCE.

English Periodicals. After an unusually long interval, we have recently received several London periodicals; from which we learn what are the new publications of pith and moment. Among these, is Butler's "Life of Erasmus." But it would seem, that it is rather an outline, than a full and perfect biography. Erasmus was certainly one of the most learned men of the 16th century; and did much by his writings to bring on the reformation, though he was not so decided as Luther in his opposition to the errors of papacy. It is said "to be a valuable work, although a brief and rapid sketch, and calculated to please the man of letters, as well as the general reader."-" My Thought Book," by Thomas, is said to be an interesting volume, containing much original matter, and written with great vigor and independence, yet with much liberality. It is singular, however, that he should intimate a belief, "that the diffusion of information among the lower classes of people will be productive of vicious conduct."-" Beauties of Modern Poetry," by Carey. Vol. I. of the "Life of Napoleon," by Scott. This, we think, must be a great treat to the politician and the scholar. Sir T. Byerly is also preparing for the press the "Life and Times of Napoleon," which is to be an extensive work. An abridged "History of Russian Literature" is also announced. It is mentioned as a profound and able work. The first part embraces the early period of the empire to the time of Peter the Great; the second, from that time to the present.

"Changes produced on the Physical condition of Countries by the Destruction of Forests." This volume is published in Holland. "To naturalists, this must be a curious and useful work."

Barclay on the present "State of Slavery in Jamaica" has excited more than common attention. It appears, that slavery in the British colonies has apologists, who contend, "that it is a mild and enviable state of servitude, and is not different from domestic bondage in patriarchal days." There is also an evident dislike, if not contempt for the poor Africans, who are " guilty of a skin not coloured like our own;" which is a plea for keeping them in a state of oppression and servitude, utterly inconsistent with the spirit of christianity. Mr Canning is for a gradual and eventual emancipation. This only is practicable, perhaps.

A "Sketch of the Life of the late Emperor Alexander" is also in the press in England; as also a volume, in which it is attempted to show that Burke was the author of Junius!" Greece vindicated; or the Result of a Visit to the Morea in 1825."-" Theology of the Puritans."-" Causes of the slow Progress of religious Truth;" a Sermon by R. Aspland, a Unitarian minister.

"Hebrew Tales." The preface and notes contain much Jewish learning. The parables from the Talmudical books, are somewhat similar to those in the New Testament.-A Translation of Mignet's "History of ⚫ the French Revolution."-Some of the reviews complain, that the science of Mathematics is less cultivated in Cambridge than formerly.-There have been considerable pecuniary embarrassments among booksellers, which have retarded several new works, prepared for the press and already announced.

A correspondent of the Monthly Magazine laughs at the criticisms in the New York papers, respecting the Italian Opera. The editor of that work is also very severe upon the article of the North American Review of last October, on Byron and his poems. He considers the remarks of the American reviewer unjust, and not in good taste. He is charged "with being fond of grandeur which borders on bombast; and not an admirer of nature and simplicity." The article is long and much in detail. The writer approves, in most cases, of what the American critic had condemned, and censures what he had commended. We enter not into the merits of the case; but simply state the fact. “Who shall decide when doctors disagree?" The quotations from Pinkney, an American poet, which had been praised by the North American, are also denounced as wholly destitute of the true spirit of inspiration. How much of these critical remarks are to be set down to national prejudice we will not undertake to say.

Among the patents lately granted, we notice one for improvements in

the construction of watches.

Greek Tragedy. An Italian writer, Sig. Betti, has lately published a work, of which the principal object is to show that the ancient Greeks rarely made use of the passion of love in their tragedies, because the main design and tendency of their theatrical representations was to form good citizens. Qu. What is the tendency of these representations in our days?

Recovered Works. It is said, that considerable portions of the lost works of Polybius and Diodorus have lately been discovered, upon parchment, which had been written over by the ecclesiastical writers of later ages. This was not an uncommon practice with the writers of the earlier periods of the Christian era.

The Game of Chess. A French writer, M. Villot, supposes that the origin of this game was astronomical, and endeavours to prove it by painting out its coincidences with the ancient Egyptian calendar.

We intended to give a short abstract of M. Villot's explanation, but on the whole are inclined to doubt whether it would be perfectly intelligible to our readers, and the rather, as we were not sure that we always understood it perfectly ourselves. The king, according to him, represents the sun, and the queen the moon. The former is sometimes on a black square and sometimes on a white, and thus gives us alternately day and night. The queen is always placed in the first instance on her colour because the moon in opposition (the white queen) affects a bright colour, and in conjunction (the black queen) affects a black one, &c. &c.; from all which he concludes that the game is a monument of the astronomical researches of the Egyptians, and faithfully represents the division of time adopted by them.

Mummies of Animals. Professor Reinhard of Copenhagen has published an account of some mummies of cats lately examined by him. They have been so perfectly preserved that even the blood vessels of the intestines can be traced. The bones were evidently separated and afterwards reunited so nicely, that the separation can hardly be perceived. They resemble exactly the wild-cat of Europe. The Philosophical society of Newcastle, has lately examined the mummy of a ram, probably more than 2000 years old, in which the hair and bones were in a state of perfect preservation.

Unicorn. Evidence, more or less credible, continues from time to time to appear, of the existence of the Unicorn, an animal, which has usually been classed in modern times with the Sphinxes, Gryphons, Sirens, Hippogriffs, and other fabulous animals. This evidence has always been derived from Central Asia or Africa. The Bulletin of Sciences for the past year notices two instances of this kind. The first is contained in a letter from a German traveller to the Baron de Zach, dated May 3, 1824, and is as follows: "A slave in the neighbourhood of Koldagi told me of his own accord, that in his native country (Central Africa), there existed an animal of the size of a cow, which had the graceful form of the gazette; the skin furnished with hair, which was short and yellow, inclining to red; a white stripe along the forehead and nose, and upon the former a long and straight horn. The animal was called Nilukma. I have more than one reason to place confidence in this account of the slave, and the rather as I had never questioned him on the subject."

The other is from the Journal of the Asiatic Society at Calcutta. "Mr Hodgson," say they, "the resident at Katmandou, has sent to the museum of the Society, among other curious articles, a large spiral horn, which is said to have belonged to an Unicorn, together with a drawing of the animal, by a native of B'hote. We are assured, that this drawing is an exact representation of the living animal. The horn arises from the middle of the forehead. We are further informed, that this species of deer live in herds; that they feed upon herbs and grass, and that their flesh is agreeable food. The natives call it Chiro; its colour is a bright bay. This animal inhabits the woody country known, by the natives, under the name of Changdung. The testimony of the poor inhabitants of B'hote, who are brought annually by commerce or devotion to Nepaul, appears to be unanimous on the subject of the existence of this animal, but they are not willing to undertake to catch one. They declare, that the Chiro is too large and powerful to be taken alive, or to be killed by their feeble weapons; but they occasionally find a horn, which has been shed by a living Chiro, or which belonged to a dead one. The Hindoos dedicate these horns to their divinities. That which Mr Hodgson obtained, had been brought to Katmandou, for the purpose of being suspended in the temple of Sumb'-hou Nat'h."

Poetry. A Persian poet, at the age of eighty-four, wrote a poem on the adventures of Joseph and Potiphar's wife. It is said to indicate a lively imagination.

The poetical eulogy of the great prophet, by Ebou Abdallah Mohammed, is composed of one hundred and seventy-two distichs, each of which has, in the final rhyme, the letter M, the initial of the prophet's name. Both these works have been lately translated into German.

Gigantic Meteorological Eolian Harp. Captain Haas, of Basle, has designated by these names, an apparatus, which emits of itself a variety of sounds during a change of weather. Since the year 1787, he has had stretched above his garden 15 iron wires, of different sizes, 320 feet long, and at the distance of about two inches from one another. When the weather changes, these wires sound with such loudness, that it is impossible to go on with a concert in the house. The sounds sometimes resemble the hissing noise of water in rapid cbullition, somet that of a harmonicon, and sometimes that of a distant chime, or an eigar Bulletin Car

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Division of Labour. "There was originally," says the Edinburgh Review, "but one, or at most two, Professors of Medical Snience in all our Universities-whose duty, and of course whose right it was, to accomplish students in every branch of that great mystery. With the progress of knowledge, however, the number of labourers was increased and at Edinburgh, we have no fewer than nine Medical Professors. To finish a Doctor, in short, in our improved academical manufactory, he must pass through as many hands as a pin. He is first drawn out and cut over by the Professor of Anatomy-the head is then made by the Professor of the Theory of Medicine, and put on by the Professor of the Practice-he is next silvered over by the Professors of Botany and Chemistry-pointed by the Professors of Surgery-burnished up by the Professor of the Art Obstetrical-and finally papered and labelled by the Professor of Materia Medica. * In very recent times, however, it may be observed, that the Professor of Law has had a rib taken out, and moulded into a separate Professor of Conveyancingand the Professor of burgery has suffered a similar operation in the creation of a kindred chair for Military Surgery-both these last being invasions of the original monopoly of the Professor of Anatomy. Our academical practice presents us with many examples of a teacher being charged at first with one very great and extensive department-and of business being afterwards carved out of it for several other teachers; but we are not aware that a single instance can be pointed out, in which one teacher has been tasked with two separate departments-so separate, that no one has ever proposed or attempted to combine them." Comstock's Mineralogy. J. L. Comstock, M. D. of Hartford, Connecticut, has nearly ready for the press, A Manual of Mineralogy." The work will consist of about 400 pages, octavo, illustrated with coloured engravings and wood cuts.

66

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Popular Songs. The Bohemian government have lately collected the national songs and dances of the country. The collection contains 300 Bohemian and 500 German songs and a great number of the national dances. The first part has been published in Vienna.

Cambridge Graduates. It is mentioned, in an English magazine, as a remarkable fact, that, of the class which was graduated at Cambridge in 1760, sixty-five years ago, six are still living. In our Cambridge catalogue for the same year, there are four; which is a far greater proportion to the whole number in a class. Here the number was twentyeight for that year. In the university in England, it was probably two hundred or two hundred and fifty. In our catalogue, there are two of the year 1756, and five of 1763, who survive.

Literature of the North. Specimens of the works of the ancient Runic bards and modern Finnish poetry have been lately published.

Speculations in Wine.-As an instance of the excessive importations into England during the late rage for speculation, it is mentioned, that the ordinary annual consumption of Sherry wine in England is from four thousand to five thousand hogsheads, but that in the past year, the imports had exceeded twenty-six thousand.