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But, in justice to the author, we must say that there are several passages showing a pleasing selection of imagery and elegance of description, as

Calmly and slowly through the sky
The evening clouds came floating by,
Tinged by the setting sun's red beam;
While gently glides the crystal stream
To the deep murm'ring ocean. Stars
Light their pale lamps, and drive their cars
Through the dark vault of heaven; the

moon,

Fair empress of the midnight noon,-
Comes forth in all her glory,-pale,
Yet beautiful; while on each sail
That slowly glides along the sea,
Rising and falling heavily,

She pours her placid light. Each wave,
Which then, with rolling deep and grave,
Comes slowly on, drinks of her light,
And, for a moment sparkling bright,
Adds lustre to the calm still night.

Sermons on the Seen and Unseen. By Rev. E. Caswall, A.M.-It would be unreasonable to expect novelty of remark, or ingenuity of argument, in the exposition of the main and leading doctrines of Scripture which form the subjects of all practical discourses. One writer may excel another in happiness of illustration, in elegance of arrangement, and in clearness and propriety of style; but, generally speaking, there can be no other very discriminating marks between them. To be plain, perspicuous, and in earnest, is what we require in discourses from the pulpit, and to this praise the author of the present work is justly entitled. The two sermons on Angelic Ministrations and Satanic Influences, are a little more removed from the ordinary topics we meet with, especially the former, and may be read with pleasure and improvement. The following passage shows the author's style and manner :"Commence (your repentance) at once. Learn to be temperate, to be gentle, to be charitable, to be self-denying. Humble yourself before those who despise you. Submit to your superiors with a willing mind. Be strictly honest and honourable in all your dealings. Assist those who have injured you, be even earnest in assisting them. Make an abundant restitution to all whom you have yourself injured in any way. Open your hand liberally to supply the necessities of others. Assist the fatherless and widows in their affliction. Keep yourself unspotted from the world. Be diligent in your prayers. Be earnest if you have a household in commencing at once family worship morning and evening. Speak truth with your neighbour in the smallest trifle. Govern

the words of your lips and thoughts of your heart. Throw up your idle companions, your vain occupations, your needless extravagances. Attend with regularity the services of the church. Keep holy the Sundays, the festivals, the fast-days," &c.

The Castle of Ehrenstein; a Romance. By G. P. R. James, Esq. 3 vols.-This is of a different character from Mr. James's other writings, and has a more decided claim to the title of a romance. He has penetrated more deeply into the regions of the marvellous, and has employed in the working-out of his story what appears at first sight to be supernatural influences, but which, as the tale proceeds, resolve themselves into a very ingeniously contrived system of delusion, employed by some of the chief actors in the story in order to effect a particular object. But, independently of this machinery, the work is one of great interest, and displays rather more than usual of the author's power of describing stirring and eventful scenes and incidents, as well as the more quiet details of domestic life. It is this capability of contrasting the stillness and excitement of human life which constitutes one of Mr. James's chief qualifications as a writer of fiction, and throws the charm of perpetual variety over his works.

2

Home Influences; a Tale for Mothers and Daughters. By Grace Aquilar. vols.-We are not quite of that class of persons for whose improvement and instruction these tales are intended; perhaps we are not of the proper sex, and therefore we may be wrong in thinking that some parts might be abridged, and some few omitted, with advantage; but it is very probable that younger people will feel interested in these minutiæ and details, which we can hardly enjoy, and feel the application of history and moral which have little influence on our more aged bosoms. However that may be, the work is one that contains much important instruction in the pleasing vehicle of fictitious history. The characters are cleverly drawn, and well contrasted, and the whole story of Ellen and her suffering is painted with such a very vigorous pencil and such power that it kept us throughout in the most painful interest for the final catastrophe. We recommend the author to proceed in her work, so well commenced; and, as she watches the various movements and feelings of the youthful mind, as she estimates the powers of resistance and the liability to failure, as she sees the force of habit and the influence of example, she will be able to observe from whatever quarter danger may arise, and to

present at least a picture of the approaching foe, so true in its lineaments as to awaken in time the unsuspecting heart of youth, and make it grateful for its foreknowledge of what, under other circumstances, it might not have had power or will to escape from safely, or to encounter with

success.

Warnings of the Holy Week. By the Rev. W. Adams.-These lectures were preached by the author in the church of St. Peter in the East, Oxford, during the holy week of 1842. With a few alterations, they are published as they were delivered. To each lecture is prefixed the gospel narrative of the events to which allusion is made in it. The lectures themselves appear to be composed with great care, and contain much useful instruction and affectionate and earnest exhortation; and, all of them being connected with some portion of the sacred history, are well calculated to excite and detain attention. The Warning of Pilate, the Signs of our Lord's Presence, and the Remedy for anxious Thoughts, are among those with the excellence of which we were deeply struck, where all are worthy of praise, and, being once read, will be read again.

The Book of Thought. 2 vols.-This work consists of a selection of "Passages from various writers relating to Religion, Morals, Manners, and Characters," noted down in the reading of a literary and studious man. The only fault we find with it is, that the author has so seldom quoted his authorities; we presume he often copied out the extract, and forgot the book from which it was taken. Yet the name of an author seems to awaken attention, to excite curiosity, and often to lead to a further perusal of his writings. As books have so multiplied that to select is difficult, and to read all impossible and useless, such selections as these, if made with judgment and taste, are very desirable; and we think they will grow in favour with the public, and become more numerous. If placed in classes, as to subjects and dates, they might be made something far higher in their purpose than merely to afford an hour's agreeable reading.

The French Prompter of Mons. Le Page, arranged in the Dictionary form, is likely to become as popular as his other excellent works; for such a manual will never be a useless companion, even when the language is supposed to be acquired.

LITERARY AND SCIENTIFIC INTELLIGENCE.

UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD.

June 14. This day was the Commemoration of Founders. The Bishops of Winchester, St. Asaph, and Oxford, were present. The honorary degree of D.D. was conferred on the Right Rev. G. J. T. Spencer, of Univ. coll. Bishop of Madras; the Rev. Augustus Short, M.A. of Christchurch, Bishop designate of Adelaide, South Australia; and the Rev. Robert Gray, M.A., of Univ. coll. Bishop designate of Cape Town, Cape of Good Hope; and the degree of D.C.L. on Gen. Sir Peregrine Maitland, G.C.B. late Governor of the Cape of Good Hope; and on Henry Herbert Southey, M.D., F.R.S., Physician in Ordinary to his late Majesty King George IV. The Rev. Charles Perry, D.D., late Fellow of Trinity college, Cambridge, Bishop designate of Melbourne, Australia, was also admitted ad eundem gradum. The Creweian oration was delivered by the Rev. W. Jacobson, Public Orator. His observations were principally allusive to the foundation

of Sir Robert Taylor, and the galleries of art recently erected from the funds of Dr. Randolph, assisted by the munificence of the university. The prize compositions were afterwards recited in their usual order.

The Chancellor's Prizes have been adjudged as follow: viz.

Latin Verse.-" Turris Londinensis." John Conington, B.A. Fellow of Univer sity.

English Essay." The Political and Social Benefits of the Reformation in England." Golden Smith, B.A. Stowell Fellow of University.

Latin Essay."Quatenus Reipublicæ intersit, ut Jurisprudentia Romanorum inter litteras fere humaniores colenda proponatur." Edwin Palmer, B.A. Fellow of Balliol.

Sir Roger Newdigate's Prize for English Verse." Prince Charles Edward, after the Battle of Culloden." John Adams, Commoner of Magdalen Hall.

Dr. Ellerton's Theological Essay on

"The Importance of the Translation of the Holy Scriptures" has been awarded to John William Burgon, B.A. Fellow of Oriel; and Mrs. Denyer's Theological Essay, the subject "Prædestinationis et Electionis nostræ in Christo pia consideratio dulcis suavis et ineffabilis consolationis plena est vere piis," has been adjudged to the Rev. William Jackson, M.A. of Queen's College.

UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE. The Porson Prize, for the best translation of an extract from one of our great poets into Greek verse, has been adjudged to Mr. G. J. Gill, of Emmanuel College. This prize was gained by Mr. Gill last year also.

The Chancellor's gold medal, for the best English poem, was awarded to Henry Day, of Trinity Hall; subject, "Sir Thomas More."

The Camden medal for Latin hexameter verse was awarded to James Camper Wright, of King's College; subject, "Ecclesia Cathedralis nuper apud Indos exstructa."

Sir Wm. Browne's medals have beeu adjudged as follow:

Greek Ode.-B. F. Westcott, Trinity. Subject-"Pericles Moriens."

Latin Ode.-D. J. Vaughan, Trinity. Subject-"Collegium S.S. Trinitatis apud Cantabrigienses jam trecentissimum annum agens."

Epigrams.-D. J. Vaughan, Trinity. Subjects-Greek, Ωθούμενός τε καὶ ὠθῶν; Latin, "Sui lena Natura."

THE PARKER SOCIETY.

At the recent anniversary of this Society it was announced that the books which will be next issued to the subscribers are the remaining volumes of the Works of Bishops Jewel and Hooper-Bullinger's Decades-Queen Elizabeth's Liturgies and Occasional Services-some valuable unpublished Letters-and Archbishop Parker's Correspondence. These will probably be followed by the Reformatio Legum Ecclesiasticarum, drawn up under Archbishop Cranmer's authority-Dr. Olde's Acquittal of the Church of England reformed, from the charge of heresy -the conference of Rainoldes with Hart -the important works of Archbishop Whitgift, Dean Nowell, and Bishop Cooper with Rogers on the Thirty-nine Articles-and various sermons and treatises of the Bishops and Divines by whose authority the present formularies of the Church were first put forth and sanctioned. The report shewed that the income and

expenditure of the last year had each been about 6,8007.

THE LONDON LIBRARY.

May 29. The sixth annual meeting of the subscribers of this institution was held in St. James's-square, Lord Lyttelton in the chair. During the year just closed, 112 new names have been added to the list, being an increase of seven in number, and of income of upwards of 2007. beyond those of the previous year. The aggregate number of members on the 1st of May was 720 annual, and 115 life. The funds of the year have been rather heavily drawn upon by the expenses of removal to the present premises in St. James'ssquare; but the whole, including the advance of 3001. made by the Society's bankers, have been paid off. Very considerable and important additions have been made to the library, which at present numbers more than 30,000 volumes. The circulation of books during the year was 33,643, an increase of about 6,000 over the previous. The receipts were 2,911. 19s. 10d., and the expenditure 2,7907. 19s. 9d., leaving a balance in hand of 1211. Os. 1d.

ROYAL SOCIETY OF LITERATURE.

April 29.

At the anniversary meeting of this Society, the President, Henry Hallam, esq. took the chair, and delivered an address, in which, after commemorating the deceased members, Mr. Sharon Turner, Dr. Bostock, and the Rev. James Parsons, B.D. he made the following remarks on the proceedings of the Society during the past year :

"The inquisitive spirit of Europe has turned of late years with a continually increasing ardour towards the ancient history of nations long regarded with an indefinite or mysterious veneration, but surrendered in general to the domain of uncertain tradition or speculative hypothesis. The great discoveries to which Young led the way, which Champollion brought to light, and which have been successfully followed up by later inquiries, have set out, as it were, by metes or bounds, the waste lands of primæval history, and established not only determinate truth, but even chronological exactness, over many centuries of Egyptian civilization. Nor are there wanting the strongest reasons to believe that a monarchy hardly less renowned than the Egyptian, and, if possible, still less within the limits of certain knowledge, that of Assyria, will be brought before our eyes in a far more definite outline than the dim shadows which have hitherto enveloped it permit us yet to perceive. It has

been of late a favourite object with our own contributors to illustrate Egyptian antiquity. In comparison with the revelations of those primitive ages which the monuments of Egypt have made under the hands of acute and laborious men, the petty illustrations of Greek archæology, which remain as the gleanings of a vast harvest, valuable as we may justly think them in themselves, sink into relative insignificance. We cannot therefore, in my judgment, regret in the slightest degree, that Hellas has, for the time at least, given way to the parent, as some would say, of its civilization, its arts, and its philosophy, to a land at least in which these flourished at a much earlier era than in Greece.

"A zealous investigator of Egyptian antiquity, whom we have this year had the pleasure to enrol among our Fellows, Mr. Birch, has communicated several Papers, which we may with confidence expect to be the forerunners of a series, not less creditable to the Society, than important to that department of literature. One of these discusses the early relations of Ethiopia, that is, Nubia, with the Egyptian monarchy. The conquest of the former country has been traced to the twelfth dynasty by Dr. Lepsius, the indefatigable traveller, who has well repaid the liberality of an enlightened Government by the successful result of his local investigations. But it seems to have been under the eighteenth dynasty, with which we are better acquainted, that the repeated victories over the black races of Ethiopia are recorded in monuments. And these, under Sethos I., the second king of the nineteenth dynasty, appear to have extended very far to the southward, even into the heart of Abyssinia.

"A still more interesting inquiry with respect to the palmy age of the Pharaohs is the extent of their Asiatic conquests. Mr. Birch has communicated to us a translation of the statistical Tablet of Karnak, now in the Louvre. This inscription was published in the Hieroglyphics of Dr. Young, by this Society, and has been re-published by Dr. Lepsius. It records the victories of Thothmes I. and II.; in particular the tributes of the conquered nations. The learned contributor of this Paper entertains scarcely a doubt that this is either the actual inscription, which, as Tacitus informs us, was read by the Egyptian priests to Germanicus, or a copy of a similar nature. But this wellknown passage refers the conquests to Ramses. Mr. Birch has endeavoured to obviate this objection. It is an important circumstance, that Tacitus mentions the Bactrians and Scythians among the

nations recorded to have yielded to the Egyptian monarch; and Mr. Birch finds the name of the Oxus on this tablet. This, as is well known, is one of the great problems in primæval history which are yet to be resolved. Several of our decipherers of Egyptian monuments confine the successes of the eminent sovereigns who carried their arms into Asia, to Mesopotamia and the adjacent countries. Nineveh is read by Mr. Birch on this tablet; but Nineveh lies on the Tigris, and though its temporary subjugation, if so it were, would be a remarkable circumstance, it would not necessarily involve that of the eastern provinces of the Assyrian monarchy. It is therefore rather at first a startling hypothesis that the Bactrians, and even the natives of Turkestan, who are generally meant by Scythians, were at any time reduced into subjection by armies proceeding from the Nile; and some, as I have intimated, are disposed to reject this interpretation. It is, however, supported not only by the authority of many persons conversant with the Egyptian characters, but by the passage in Tacitus above mentioned; and still more forcibly by the appearance of animals among the tributes of the vanquished nations unknown to Western Asia, the elephant and the zebu. As no facts can be more important in Egyptian history than those which relate to these early expeditions, in as much as they bear not only on that, but upon Asiatic antiquity, it is greatly to be desired that the great question, whether at any time the armies of the Pharaohs were engaged in war on the borders of the Oxus, should be finally decided. This hope is now perhaps more likely to be realised than when the difficulty first arose. Though we have not, in this Society, any direct connection with those who have explored the ruins of Nineveh, and compelled a language as unknown as that of Egypt, and characters not less difficult, to render up their secrets, we must not only regard them with sympathising interest, but from them may venture to hope for some additional illustrations of the annals of the Nile. This indeed must depend upon what has been thought a disputable ques tion,-whether the Assyrian records, lately discovered and partially deciphered, extend back to a very remote antiquity, or are confined to that later and more notorious period, co-incident with the Jewish history, under the victorious dynasty of Sennacherib and Esar-haddon. But it is certainly known that Major Rawlinson and Mr. Layard, to whose enterprise and ingenuity we are mainly indebted, conceive themselves to have retrieved at Nimroud

the succession of a long series of monarchs, not less than twelve in regular order, belonging to the earlier race of Assyria, who must have been co-existent with the eighteenth dynasty of Egypt. The city of Nineveh, as has been above mentioned, appears on the Karnak tablet, so that some mention of these wars may reasonably be expected, possible as it may be that they will be commemorated with less regard to the glory of Egypt.

"I do not enter upon shorter or less important communications, during the past year, on Egyptian antiquity. That of Greece, though less prominent, has not passed without regard. We are indebted again to Mr. Colquhoun for the translation of a Paper by the late Dr. Ulrichs, whose investigation of the Homeric Ilium was last year communicated to the Society, through the same channel. A far less uncertain topography, as it might seem, is the subject of his later inquiry. It relates to the harbours of Athens, in ascertaining which, we have the assistance of ancient writers to guide our observations of the locality. Dr. Ulrichs has adopted an hypothesis not conformable, as he admits, to that which high authorities have laid down. It principally consists in placing the Phalerum, the most ancient sea-port of Athens, at Hagios Georgios, where Cape Colias has hitherto been supposed to have been situated, and consequently at a considerable distance from the Piræus.

"Mr. Bonomi, in a short note on the Budrûm Marbles, expresses his confident opinion, concurring in this with Mr. Hamilton, that we possess in them some of the figures executed for the tomb of Mausolus; the vigour of movement and excellence of workmanship being such as indicates the most eminent sculptors.

"Mr. Burgon has directed his attention to some curious fragments of vases; and has come to the conclusion that they belong to a very remote age, even that of the heroic times,-from 1200 to 1000

A.C.

Such an inference he draws from their being found in connection with monuments of Cyclopean architecture, and from the improbability that fictile utensils, when once buried in the earth, should be wholly destroyed, considering their inde. structibility by natural agents. This hypothesis would lead us to think more highly of the early ages of Greece, than many at present might be inclined to do." Notwithstanding the reduction of the terms of subscription, this Society has not materially increased in numbers. Ten members have been elected during the past year, whilst four have been lost by death. From a judgment given by the GENT. MAG, VOL. XXVIII.

Vice-Chancellor of England on the 11th Feb. it is feared that the value of the bequest of 50007. made to the Society by the late Rev. Dr. Richards will be reduced one-half.

ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY. May 24. This was the Anniversary Meeting, the President, Lord Colchester, in the chair. The report stated that the Society at present consists of 672 members; besides 39 foreign and 22 corresponding members. The accessions to the library during the past year consist of 344 books and pamphlets; besides maps, charts, atlases, &c. The gold medals

were presented to Capt. Charles Sturt, for his expedition from Adelaide, by Hardand Dr. Ludwig Leichardt: to the former ley's Ponds southwards, into the interior; to the latter for his overland expedition from Darling Downs to Port Essington. Lord Colchester, in retiring from the President's chair, announced that the election fallen unanimously on W. Hamilton, esq. of President for the next two years had

ROYAL COLLE GE OF CHEMISTRY. June 7. The first annual meeting was held at the College, Hanover-square, B. B. Cabbell, esq. M.P. in the chair. The report of the Council announced the completion of the laboratories, and the success of the Institution. The number of students at present in the college was stated at 38,-making 147 from its establishment. A member of the college, it was said, had expressed his intention, as soon as the institution was free from debt, to invest the sum of 1000l. as a premium for discoveries in chemistry effected therein. Two offers had also been made of donations to the amount of 100%. respectively, for the purpose of raising in each case 1000l. as soon as other persons would come forward to complete the sums. Dr. Hoffman's report announced that the total receipts of the Institution last year, including the previous balance, amounted to 6,8461. 78. ;-out of which a present balance remained of 6227. 18s. 7d. Some conversation took place on the subject of the 1000l. which it was proposed to invest as a prize for chemical discoveries; during which Mr. Blakemore, M.P. (who was understood to be the donor) explained that the premium was to be offered in particular for the discovery of any means which should render iron, when applied to all ordinary purposes, as little liable to rust or corrode as copper.

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