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skilfully blended the materials taken from these various sources-the richest he could have chosen-adding not a little of his own, which is valuable by itself. His remarks on the "Prophets " are among the most satisfactory we have seen; certainly they are among the most lucid and readable; but whether they are orthodox or heterodox, we will not pretend to say, for it is none of our business.

Speaking of the mission of Christ, Mr. Allen says: "Historically regarded, Jesus is uplifted on the great wave formed by the confluence of three main courses of ancient life and thought-the Hebrew, Oriental and Greek-all embraced in the imperial sway of Rome" (p. 412). This is Bunsen's idea, in another form; but, need we say, that it is not the less worthy of attention on this account? If Mr. Allen is guilty of no further transgression than to cast in a new mould the views of a mind like Bunsen's-one of the most profound scholars of modern times-a man capable of analyzing the nicest shades of meaning in the Hebrew text—he will be entitled to approbation rather than censure. Although the work before us exhibits much learning and research, it is eminently popular in its style; at least, sufficiently so to place it within the reach of any family possessed of ordinary intelligence.

The Life of Nelson. By ROBERT SOUTHEY. 12mo, pp. 400. London: Henry G. Bohn. New York: Charles Welford. 1861.

Probably no book the author of "Thalaba" has written is more popular than this, not excepting his "Table Talk." This, however, is owing less to its style, undoubtedly well written as it is, than to the impartial spirit that every where pervades it. Ample justice is done to the British hero; but no effort is made to cast unmerited odium on a brave enemy. All the incidents of Nelson's life are graphically related. While nothing has been omitted that would have done him the least credit, his faults are not denied, though they receive gentle treatment.

Southey was too familiar with the noblest productions of the human mind-those of the wisest of mankind-not to be aware that perfection is not the lot of humanity, even in its most exalted state. He knew that the greatest men have often the gravest faults, and that the most insignificant have least. This is particularly true of the world's heroes, from Achilles, Alexander, and Cæsar, to Napoleon. Perhaps the only exceptions in all history are Washington and Wellington, each of whom was as mild and upright in peace as he was brave and terrible in war.

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It is because biographers of the present day forget this, that they write so much in the epitaph style that their productions are worth nothing. There is many a "Life" of Nelson. We have read, or, rather, tried to read, at least a dozen; but Southey's is the only one we would venture to quote. The present edition is finely illustrated with engravings from designs by eminent artists, including Duncan, Foster and Westall; and has the additional advantage of a copious alphabetical index.

Philosophie de l'Histoire de l'Humanité. Par J. G. HERDER. Traduction de l'Allemand, par EMILE TANDEL. Tome I. London: D. Nutt.

1861.

The most eminent historians of the nineteeeth century have availed themselves, to a large extent, of the thoughts of Herder. Some of the best passages in "Buckle's History of Civilization" may be traced to the work now being translated by M. Tandel. Our own Prescott has drawn not a little of his philosophic inspiration from the same source. Nor will the fact seem strange to those unacquainted with the writings of Herder, when they bear in mind that Goethe, Schiller, and Wieland, the three greatest and most dissimilar minds of their time, acknowledged their indebtedness to the author of the "Philosophy of History." As a critic, he has had no superior among his cotemporaries. No other writer has done so much to cultivate the aesthetic taste of Germany. He regarded poetry as an art; and he was equally familiar with the poetry of the Hindoos, the Hebrews, the Greeks, and the Romans; and in comparing the poetry' of one nation, ancient or modern, with that of another, he made it a point to deduce conclusions which he renders available, in another form, in the work before us. In short, his writings form a wonderful compound of philology, metaphysics, mythology, æsthetics, criticism, and pantheism.

SCIENCE.

1. Commentaries on the Surgery of War in Portugal, Spain, France, and the Netherlands, from the Battle of Rolica, in 1808, to that of Waterloo, in 1815, with Additions relating to those in the Crimea, in 1854– 55, &c. By G. J. GUTHRIE, F. R. S. Sixth Edition. 12mo, pp. 614. 2. Notes on the Surgery of the War in the Crimea, with Remarks on the Treatment of Gun-shot Wounds. By GEORGE MACLEOD, M. D., F. R. C. S. 12mo, pp. 402.

3. A Treatise on Gun-shot Wounds.

By F. LONGMORE, Esq. 12mo, pp.

132. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott & Co. 1862.

Although these works are designed mainly for the medical profession and for military officers, they are so free from technicalities, and contain so much, in which all have more or less interest, that they will have more readers among the general public than many of our modern novels. The Commentaries is particularly attractive; which is sufficiently proved by the fact, that that now before us is the sixth edition. It consists of thirty lectures, fifteen of which have appeared in the London Lancet; the remaining fifteen having been published separately. It has the advantages of a copious table of contents, an alphabetical index, an index of cases, pictorial illustrations, statistics, &c. The "Reports from the Crimea," in the addenda, form a valuable feature of the work.

The other two works are less elaborate, and less valuable; but there is a good deal that is new, even to the professional man, in each. Dr. Macleod observes in his preface, that the war in the Crimea did not last sufficiently long to add much to the stock of medical knowledge; "yet,” he says, "it has shown us wounds, of a severity, perhaps, never before equalled; it has enabled us to observe the effects of missiles introduced for the first time into warfare," &c. Many of the cases of gun-shot wounds, given by Longmore, may be said, literally, to possess a painful interest. His is a slender volume; but it is because it contains nothing superfluous. As Inspector-General of Hospitals, and Professor of Military Surgery at Fort Pitt, Chatham, he has had ample opportunities for observation and experiments, and he has turned them to judicious account. The three volumes are got up in tasteful style, showing that, although the Messrs. Lippincott & Co. may be said to possess a monopoly in all works relating to the war, they are not the less willing to incur the necessary expense to render them suitable for the library or the family bookcase, as well as for the camp.

MISCELLANEOUS.

The Works of Thomas Hood, edited by EPES SARGENT. Vols. I., II. 12mo. New York: George P. Putnam. 1862.

We have no intention of reviewing the works of Hood. No one having any acquaintance with English literature needs any criticism of them; for who has not read them?-who is not aware of their characteristics? Certainly, we do not suppose that there are a half dozen of our readers with whom the author of the Song of the Shirt is not a favorite. Little more is necessary, therefore, on our part, at least in this department of our journal, than to announce that the volumes now before us are of the Aldine edition of his works, which is to be the most complete ever issued. This we are told by the editor in his preface; and, judging from the two volumes on our table, we have every reason to accept his statement as correct. They are printed in large, clear type, on fine, tinted paper, tastefully illustrated, and elegantly and substantially bound.

No thoughtful person can read Hood without feeling the better for it; one is the more content with himself, with his neighbor, with all the world. No other writer of modern times has done more to show the absurdity of envy, superstition, vanity and prejudice. Without long sermons, or violent denunciations, he has exhibited vice as the loathsome thing it really is. The first impression we receive of the author from his works is one of levity. But, on a closer examination, we soon discover a deep undercurrent of feeling. We find that there is often sadness even in his smile. At the same time, his humor is essentially genial-his wit never hurts, though always keen. Indeed, he seems to have a horror of

giving pain, even to his enemies. Yet his could hardly be called a happy disposition; at all events, certain it is that he enjoyed but little happiness himself. During most of his life he suffered in turn from poverty and disease; for it was not until his race was nearly run that the public began to appreciate him; but ever since his reputation has been gaining. He has by no means been as successful in his prose as in his poetry; but there are few finer satires, in any language, than his Up the Rhine, in which he exposes the absurdities of the travelling part of his own countrymen. This is given in full in the second volume of the new edition, together with his Romances and Extravaganzas, including "Mrs. Peck's Pudding," ""The Schoolmistress Abroad," &c.

L'Église et la Société Chrétienne en 1861. Par M. GUIZOT. London: Williams & Norgate. 1861.

Let the veteran author of this work take up what subject he may, he is sure to be read from one end of Europe to the other—a distinction to which his contributions to the history of modern civilization would eminently entitle him, had he no other claim on public attention. Besides, he is the oldest living statesman in Europe; and he has always been distinguished for his liberality of thought and sentiment. While the prime minister of Louis Phillippe, his being a Protestant himself did not lessen his solicitude for the Catholics of Denmark and Sweden, who were just then suffering persecution at the hands of the governments of those countries; and he took equal pains to secure liberty of conscience for the Protestants of Spain, Austria and Tuscany.

Before it was known that he intended to take any part in the controversy relative to the temporal power of the Pope, it was agreed, upon all hands, that his views on the subject would have great influence. Few thought, that he would be in favor of upholding His Holiness in the exercise of his territorial sovereignty. But this is what he undertakes to do in the volume before us; and, it must be admitted, that he adduces pretty cogent arguments in support of his view of the case. He feels sure

that whatever those say who call themselves liberal Catholics, that Catholic Christendom would not tamely submit to the humiliation of the Pope. Another remarkable feature in his book is, his want of faith in Piedmont, on the ground that no nation can continue to prosper without acknowledging the temporal influence of some branch of the Christian religion. Had the book fallen into our hands in time, we would have discussed the question, with which it grapples, at some length; as it is, we can only indicate, to those interested in the controversy, the position which it takes, reserving our comments for a future occasion.

Die Inseln des grossen Oceans im Natur und Volkerbeben, dargestellt. Von GEO. HARTWIG. Wiesbaden: C. W. Kreidel. 1861.

Dr. Hartwig of Heidelberg, the author of this work on the islands of

the Pacific, has a reputation as a scholar-especially in ethnology-second only to that of Professor Adelung, of the same celebrated university. Our German readers will be particularly pleased with the present publication, creditably characteristic, as it is, of the fatherland. In general, the amount of knowledge contained in a German work is rather widely diffused for our taste; the fruit, good as it is, is too often so overloaded with the leaves, that it requires no ordinary resolution and patience to gather it without leaving the best part still hidden. With the work now before us, the fact is the reverse. The author has carefully collected the reports of the most reliable navigators, geographers, naturalists and ethnologists, and blended the essences of all together-refuting what seems exaggeration, or mere conjecture, and so arranging the rest that "he who runs may read." Indeed, it is but rarely we find so large an amount of valuable and interesting multifarious information compressed within equal bounds; and still more rarely do we find any work of the kind so excellently illustrated.

1. What a Little Child should Know. By JENNY MARSH PARKER. 2. The True Hero.

3. Around the Manger; or, Christmas, Past and Present, with Chrysostom's Sermon.

4. Seed for Springtime; or, Common Names and Common Things in the Church and Liturgy. Explained for young learners.

5. The Island of Life, an Allegory. By a Clergyman.

6. Frank Earnest; or, Going into the Master's Vineyard.

7. The Light of the World; or, Footprints of Christ our Lord. New York: Gen. Prot. Epis. S. S. U.

1861.

We pretend to no gravity that would exclude the consideration of books for the young in a literary and educational journal-especially those that are religious without being sectarian, as in the present case. We think it rather our duty to bear in mind that the oldest and wisest of ourselves were once young, and “pleased with a rattle, tickled with a straw." It is well to remember, also, that it is the earliest impressions that have the most enduring influence in the formation of character. A bad book, put into the hands of a child, does more harm in a year than a good book can remedy in two years. This is true as applied even to the style alone; not to mention religious or moral tendencies.

For these reasons, we think we could not occupy the brief amount of space now at our disposal with anything better than a few remarks, warmly commendatory of the tiny volumes before us. Five of them are by Jenny Marsh Parker. We have not the pleasure of any personal knowledge of the lady; we are not aware that we have ever seen her; but her religious stories are undoubtedly the best that we have taken the pains to examine. Her "Seed for Springtime," "Frank Earnest,'

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