more than his missionaries or curates, acting by his authority, without which they had no right either to preach the gospel, or to administer the sacraments, within the district under his superintendence. The Presbyters, indeed, sat with the Bishop, as his counsellors, in what was called-not a Synod-but the Cmsistory; and gave to him their advice respecting the best mode of administering the affairs of his district-answering to what we now call a Diocese, but which was then called in Greek, wagoniz. The Presbyters, however, had no authoritative vote in the Consistory; and as the Deacons were not permitted even to sit with the Bishop and Presbyters, they, of course, never gave an opinion but when they were asked." "Such was the constitution of what is now called a Dio cese, before Christianity became the established religion of the empire; and it suffered no important change for many years after the several dioceses were divided into what we now call Parishes, and a minister permanently settled in each of them. The Bishop still continued the chief Pastor of the whole diocese the parish ministers officiating under him, by his authority, and as accountable to him for their conduct in the pastoral cure with which he had intrusted them. Upon this principle it is, that the Church of England, at this day, styles the Bishops, in one of her prayers, the PASTORS of God's flock; and in another, begs our Heavenly Father to give grace to all Bishops and Curates,' including certainly under the term Curates, all who, under the Bishop, have the cure of souls." "As the Bishop was in the Primitive Church the Pastor of the whole diocese, he had at least as great need of counsel, after the diocese was divided into parishes, as he had when all his clergy lived with him in the city; and, therefore until he was provided with a permanent Council-resembling the Dean and Chapter of more modern cathedrals-he was accustomed, from time to time, to summon the parish ministers, or a committee of them, to meet him in a Consistory, not only that he might enquire into the state of their several congregations, and the progress of the gospel around them, but also that he might receive their opinions and advice, together with the reasons on which their opinions were founded, respecting any new regulation proposed to be introduced into the discipline or worship of the diocese. In deciding that question, if the Presbyters should be unanimous, in giving an opinion in direct opposition to the judgment of the Bishop, he must have been a self-sufficient and very arrogant man, if he introduced his novelty into the diocese, without previously consulting his comprovincial colleagues; though there cannot be a doubt, but that, by the constitution of the church. he had authority to do so. On the other hand, had the Presbyters called with one voice for any change of the worship or discipline of the church within the diocese, their voices would have been of no avail, if opposed by the Bishop; because it was by authority derived from him that they had any right to officiate within the diocese. If, indeed, they considered themselves as aggrieved, or the church as injured, by what they would, of course, call their diocesan's obstinacy, they might appeal from his judgment to a Provincial or National Synod, of which the decision was always deemed final; but, till that sentence should be pronounced, they were in duty bound to obey their Bishop in all things as they had hitherto done. That, even in the very earliest age of the church, appeals were made from the disputes or decisions of one church, to the Apostles or Bishops of other churches met in Synod, is rendered indisputable by what we read in the fifteenth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles; and every one must perceive, that the calling together of such Synods, occasionally, was, in that age, more particularly necessary to preserve the unity of the church, which is everywhere represented in the New Testament, as one body, of which Christ is the head. The Bishop of the chief city of the province had, generally, the privilege of convoking such Synods, and of presiding in them when met ; but though the Presbyters often sat with the Bishops in Synod, and reasoned on the subjects that were under discussion, there is not on record a single Synod in the Primitive Church, in which the Presbyters appear to have given a judicial or legislative vote. They frequently, indeed, expressed their acquiescence in the decision of the Synod, as the Deacons, and even the laity who were present, sometimes did; but the decision itself was the decision of the Bishops alone." Bishop Gleig next proceeds to apply his general principles to the particular case of the communion over which he presides; a part of his task, which, as it has a refer ence to certain matters of detail, does not admit of a convenient analysis. We can perceive, however, from the cautions which are administered, and the insinuations which are conveyed, that there is nothing perfect under the sun; and that even an Episcopal church, if it were to meet frequently for business, would exhibit some symptoms of that frailty incident to human nature which has, ever since the world began, prevented men from being "of one mind in a house." He concludes by saying, "I am aware, that, by some who may hear, or perhaps read this discourse, I shall be contemptuously called a high churchman; but to be a high churchman, in the only sense which the word can be allowed to bear, as applicable to any in the present day,' and more especially to any in our church-I say, with a prelate in whose footsteps I should be proud to tread, even at a distance, God forbid that this should cease to be my public pretension, my pride, my glory.' I trust, however, that I may appeal to you, my brethren, to bear witness, that my firm belief in the apostolical origin of the three orders of Bishop, Priest, and Deacon. has never made me a tyrannical or troublesome Overseer of those who are placed under my pastoral superintendence, though I have never failed, and I trust never shall fail, to maintain, with the utmost of my poor abil ties, the rights of my own order, as well as the rights of theirs." We take not upon us to determine whether or not Bishop Gleig belongs to the order of churchmen, with whom he appears so willing to suffer the martyrdom of public opinion; but we have no difficulty in asserting, that he belongs to that class of reasoners whose judgment will always be received with respect, and whose arguments will lead even those to think whom they do not fully convince. Did we belong to the communion of which the Bishop is a member, we should be inclined to take our place on that particular side, if there be more than one, which he adorns with so much learning and talent. Four Years in Southern Africa. By Cowper Rose, THIS is a very pleasant piece of desultory reading,somewhat superficial, but nevertheless affording frequent snatches of information, which may be turned to good account. The author resided first at the Cape, and afterwards at Graham's Town, the capital of Albany, seven hundred miles to the north-east of the Cape, whence he frequently crossed the frontiers of the colony, and made various excursions into Kafferland. The contents of his work are principally extracted from letters which he wrote to his brother during his residenee in this part of the world. The style is easy, and the descriptions of manners and scenery are often spirited; but there is a want of scientific knowledge, and of any regular design in the book. It is rather a piece of pleasant gossip concerning the Dutch settlers and the savage aborigines, than a work of grave authority and important instruction. Instead, therefore, of examining its materials with the nice eye of a critic, we prefer gleaning a few of those passages which pleased us on perusal, and which will not lose any of their interest by being detached from the context. Our extracts will, moreover, enable our readers to form a fair opinion of Mr Rose's merits as a writer : LUXURIES IN SOUTHERN AFRICA.-"Now, though all the subjects of interest I have been describing are rather of the savage order, you are by no means to infer that we are 'out of humanity's reach,' or wholly deprived of communication with the polished world. No: we hear every nine days from Cape Town, the African seat of government, learning and science-laugh if you will-and we receive the English newspapers, and read the advertisements of Warren's blacking, and Charles Wright's vinous wines, and the mysterious hints of changes in the Ministry, and the announcement of a new Premier, who is dead before his longsought-for dignity is known in Africa. Then we have Bishop Horsley. Walter Scott's last work, which has ceased to be his last | flocked to see the Hottentot woman, of whom so decent an exhibition was made, the greater part thought that she was a phenomenon in her own country, and were by no means aware th the females of a whole people scarcely yielded to her in a point of beauty. This strange formation comes on after they have borne children, for their figures, while young, are frequently remarkably fine; the form of their necks, shoulders, and arms, being generally good: their walk, too, is easy and elastic, and some of the movements of their dances, in which they twist beneath each other's arms, their steps keeping time to their voices, would do credit to a ball-room. They possess a very quick and accurate ear for music, and sing the hymns they learn at the Missionary PROOFS OF A KAFFER GIRL'S LOVE.-" There was one Institutions very sweetly. In Italy or Spain, were their young and finely-formed girl in the group, with her wild voices borne on the evening breeze in the Hymn to the Virexpressive eyes, and beautiful teeth, on whom I flatter my-gin, the sentimental traveller would be in ecstasies; but to self with having made an impression. Her mode of showing admire creatures with noses and mouths so peculiar, would it was singular-She picked some vermin from the hairy betray a sad want of taste."-Pp. 102, 103. side of her carosse, and offered them to me; and, on my exhibiting some symptoms of disgust, laughed most heartily | at my fastidiousness, and put one in her mouth, to show that it was good. It was the first mark of attachment which I had received since I left Cape Town, and I was affected accordingly; and had but the refinement of sentiment been added to so touching a proof of love—had she but sung, I give thee all, I can no more, A NIGHT-SCENE IN CAFRARIA." There was no moon, but the stars shone in brightness and in beauty on a darkblue sky. I listened, and at times caught wild, remote sounds-the nameless sounds of night. Who that has passed a night in savage solitudes, has not felt how distinct its sounds are from those of day, has not discovered a voice and a language in the night-wind as it moaned by, different from the rush of any sound on which the sun ever shone,like spirit-warnings from the past? I listened, and could imagine, in the distant booming hollow noises, that hunI know not what the consequences might have been." dreds of elephants were crossing the hills, and again all was A KAFFER CHIEF.-" The Kaffers, among whom we still as death; and then would come the wild melancholy had passed the night, are the nearest to our frontier line, and howl of the wolf, and its short whoop, the next nearer than bear the character of great plunderers, and even among the the first, and then, by sending a brighter flame from the tribes are considered desperate, and called the Murderers. fire, all again would be hushed; and then the stillness was Enno, their chief, is a singular old man, to whom I after-interrupted by the croak of the night-raven as it sailed down wards paid another visit, and was interested by some pecu- the ravine, catching the scent of the dead elephant; that liarities characteristic of the mingled simplicity, cunning, ceased, and I heaped more dry wood upon the fire, until it and feeling of the savage. threw up its bright flame gleaming with an indistinct and lurid light on the surrounding bushes. Then came a strange noise, as of some animal that was approaching us: it came nearer, and roused my little companion, who said it was the hyena with its hideous laugh and chatter-the most wild, unnatural sound that breaks the silence of night in these tremendous solitudes. The morning-star rose over the dark brow of the mountain-the first signs of day followed. We took our guns and lighted sticks from the fire, and left our bivouac, rather anxious to join our companions, and to break a fast of nearly four-and-twenty hours."-Pp. 226-8. "In an excursion that I made with the Landrost of Albany into Kafferland, our first night's halt was near this tribe, and we were in consequence honoured with the Chief's company, and with that of his principal followers, some crouching down in the tent, while others choked up the entrance with their tall forms. We were dining, and food was given to Enno, who, I observed, always distributed a portion of it to his followers On receiving a potato, and his being told that he might have them in his own country with very little trouble, he slowly and calmly answered, I am very old, too old to learn new things; but I will take every thing that you will give me.' We laughed, and told him that it was a very clever answer. Yes, I have lived a long time in the world, and have learned cunning,' was his reply. "The manner in which he tried to procure a present was amusing. It was not for the sake of the present, but that it would be asked of him by others whether the Landrost had passed through his country; and on his answering, Yes, they would enquire what present he had received; and when he should say None, they would naturally reply, Then you must have behaved ill to him, for he is very generous.' He was a strange being, and possessed more talent than any Kaffer I ever saw, his words coming from him very slowly and innocently, while there was a slight twinkle in his small sunken eye that belied his lips. I saw a white Kaffer among Enno's tribe, a hideous being, daubed with red clay; and, on enquiry, found that it was the son of the Chief; and heard that, on Enno's being teased about his colour, and hints thrown out of unfair play on the part of his wife, he laughed it off, and asked if they had never known a black cow have a white calf. One more anecdote, and I have done with him. He was at the Landrost's house, and, in order to see its effect upon him, a lady was seated at the piano playing a simple air, (and seldom has it been my chance to hear any one who played so sweetly,) when the old man, who was listening intently, suddenly stopped her, saying, That is enough; it reminds me of the loss of my child; and it tells me I should go home and cry.' The child to whom he alluded, and to whose death Enno often recurs, was shot on some occasion by the Cape Corps. "Nothing can be in stronger contrast, than the wondering savage that is sometimes seen in our towns, surrounded by all that is strange, by a thousand things that speak to him of his hopeless inferiority; and the same being in his own beautiful country, where his energies and his knowJedge are fully equal to every circumstance that can occur.' -Pp. 90-3. HOTTENTOT WOMEN." I believe that when the English A TRAVELLER'S FEELINGS." I looked back from the last hill from which it was visible, on Wesleyville, with its humble white cottages crowning the gentle slope, and shaded by their bright mimosas; on its fields and gardens that lay near the stream, whose waters flowed so calmly and coolly beneath the trees; and I thought that I had never beheld a scene so calculated for rest and happiness. Such are the thoughts that arise on viewing many a spot which we are borne quickly past on life's swift current, and on which we look back with regret and longings. To destroy the phantasy, it would only be necessary to grant the wish; for we are then quickly made to feel 6 'How ill the scene that offers rest, And heart that cannot rest, agree.' The feeling was but of a moment; and when I looked forward, I was ready to exclaim, No; I would not exchange the excitement of my present situation, with that airy outline of beautiful mountains, and those dusky wild groups around me, for all that life could offer of refinement and tranquillity.'"-P. 159. This book is well adapted for those who wish to obtain some notion of the customs and manners of Southern Africa, without any close study or much intellectual ex ertion. The Life of a Midshipman; a Tale founded on Facts; and intended to correct an injudicious predilection in Boys for the Life of a Sailor. London. Henry Colburn and Richard Bentley. 1829. 8vo. Pp. 264. We are well pleased with the design of this work, the more especially as we think something of the kind was needed to counteract the many books of an opposite tendency which have issued from the press of this country and which have too often had the effect of inducing boy of an ardent temperament and lively imagination, to sacrifice their happiness for life, in pursuit of a phantom which they had been rashly led to believe was to be found only on the deck of a man-of-war. There are, no doubt, persons to whom the sea is, of all others, the most suitable and delightful of professions; but there are many others who devote themselves to it on the slenderest and most childish motives. By some early and accidental association of ideas, happiness is united with this peculiar mode of life, and a choice is made before reason or experience can possibly have suggested a cause for judicious preference. The author of the work before us informs us in his preface, that he is himself a sufferer from the error against which it is his object to guard his youthful reader. "I was caught," he says, "by the specious allurements of the profession; my mind fixed solely on its pleasures, without waiting to scrutinize the pains which accompany them; in an unguarded moment I entered on board a ship of war, and though forty years of my life have been spent in the service, I have not, to this hour, grown inured or reconciled to the annoyances which betrayed themselves after the first forty hours I spent on board;-so much for a hasty attachment to a pursuit for which, by nature, I was never intended." To this he judiciously adds," To my young friends for whom this little work is designed, I have but one word to say. I do not, by any means, wish to depreciate the life of a sailor in your estimation; I merely wish to show it to you as it is, and leave it for you to form your own estimates of its advantages. It combines many allurements with numerous privations; but so does almost every other pursuit in life; and if you are prepared to take the bitter with the sweet, and know accurately the proportion they bear to each other before you make your election, I have little doubt but your choice will be a happy one, and my object will be fully attained." In furtherance of this object, we are presented with a "round unvarnished tale," simply and prettily told. There is no exaggeration, no scenes of imaginary distress; the whole is a picture of what occurs every day; and, whilst we conceive that a perusal of this book will divert the thoughts of many young persons from a profession for which they were never intended, it will not prevent one truly hardy and adventurous spirit from braving the dangers and the glories of the sea. A Cours de Litterature Française. Par M. Villemain. 1829. the opinions which generally prevail in this country; but appear to us to contain much truth, though the influence of French literature over that of England is too much exaggerated when it is remarked of English historians generally," I see in the English historical school the impress of Montesquieu and Voltaire: both that philosophical liberty, and that superior reasoning, of which they set the example. Robertson himself, the wise, the religious Robertson, as well as the sceptical and lively Hume, steadily follow the path of Montesquieu and Voltaire." After sketching the moral and intellectual qualities required by an historian, M. Villemain asks," Has Hume realized this type which I have endeavoured to trace? Far from it. His reasoning is elevated; his understanding full of sagacity; his style elegant and pure; but almost none of the higher qualities of the mind are found in his work. He has no ardent zeal for accuracy: he is easily satisfied. You will often find material errors. This sometimes arises from his having a contempt for his subject. Neither do we always find in Hume a sufficient love of humanity or of liberty." Regarding the manner in which Hume has arranged his work, M. Villemain says, that, following Voltaire, he has "broken it down too much into parts, dividing into chapters human life, and the existence of nations; throwing on one side the arts, commerce, literature, and the sciences, under all forms, and then placing on the other men and events." He instances, in support of this charge, the chapters at the end of the reigns of Elizabeth and of James. To Hume's style, our author objects that it is uniform throughout, in barbarous and in civilized times, and holds up his countrymen, Chateaubriand, in his romance of Rene, and a young writer, Thiery, in his history of the Normans, as having avoided this defect. We confess we regard this criticism as over-refined. We do not see what good would arise from an author's adapting his style to the various epochs of history; and the works referred to by M. Villemain by no means support his objection, as they both treat of ancient times alone, and do not embrace a variety of epochs. This is what "There is a certain neutral tone,” says our author, “in the writings of both Hume and Robertson. Imagination is the quality which was awanting in these otherwise superior men. They were both indebted to study and natural intelligence, but were not assisted by the actual presence of great events." Alluding to the introduction to Charles the Fifth, he says, "It would seem that the historian had forgotten this very simple truth, that in order to be brief, he should be characteristic; that if he says EVERY nation, in judging of its own literary produc- little, that little should have something striking that would tions, or of those of other countries, will be found to form live in remembrance. If you suppress many circumstances, a different estimate of their value from that formed by preserve others with something so lively or singular about its neighbours. Each has a standard of excellence which them that the mind will never lose hold of them. Rois essentially and distinctly its own. It is true, pro-bertson, on the contrary, tells us, that a certain barbarous gressions and changes take place in this standard; but still the national differences remain. In general, the opinion formed by a country of its own literature, is higher than that entertained of it by other countries. While Shakspeare's immortal genius was applauded to the echo in England, Voltaire, the chief critic, and the dramatic idol, of France, talked of "Hamlet" as "one of those monstrous farces that the English call tragedies," and wondered "that" it could be tolerated in a country that had produced Cato! But France now judges more wisely of our Drama, and borrows largely from it. Collision of opinion is favourable to truth, and we are, therefore, at all times anxious to pay due attention to the criticisms of foreigners upon our more distinguished authors. It is with this view that we beg to introduce M. Villemain to our readers. He is at present held in high estimation in Paris, where he delivers lectures on Belles Lettres, a selection from which he has now published. The short extracts we are about to make exhibit views of two of our most celebrated historians somewhat different from people, the invaders of civilised Europe, had in a high after it has been reduced into forms academically designed? It is thus that unfaithfulness arises from the misfortune of the historian not having enough of imagination and passion." These extracts will suffice as a specimen of M. Villemain's manner of criticism. There is much freedom of thought throughout the work. The style is somewhat rhetorical, but is distinguished by considerable clearness and precision; the lectures are enlivened by occasional anecdotes of eminent men, and we can recommend them to our readers with confidence. Epicharis, an Historical Tragedy. By the Author of Transactions of the Literary and Antiquarian Society of Perth. Vol. I. 4to. Perth: Printed by R. Morrison, for the Society. 1827. AUTHORS and publishers are such a busy generation, that we feel ourselves sufficiently tasked, in our character of newsmen of the literary world, to keep up with the helter-skelter race of novelty; and can seldom indulge in that pleasing leisure, which would allow us to cast a glance backwards on old favourites, and, under the inspiration of their society, compile retrospective reviews. In order to become the subject of one of these, a book must be decidedly interesting, and must, moreover, be placed, by some lucky chance, into our hands at the right moment. This has been the fate of the first, and, as yet, the only volume of the Perth Literary and Antiquarian Society's Transactions, which we were under the necessity of consulting for the elucidation of some obscure matters in the depositions of the witnesses in the prosecutions for accession to the Gowrie Conspiracy-a necessity which has brought to our notice a very creditable product of the literary garden of Scotland, over every shoot of which it is our most immediate and pleasing task to keep watch. This society was instituted on the 16th of December, 1784, at the suggestion, and by the active exertions, of Mr Scott, then senior minister of Perth. Its original plan restricted the exertions of its members to investigating the History, and preserving the Antiquities and Records of Scotland generally, and more particularly of the district with which it was immediately connected. As soon as the plan became generally known, a number of distinguished antiquarians and literary characters wrote to the society, expressing their approbation and wish to co-operate in its views. This general sympathy encouraged the body to extend its original plan; and it assumed, in consequence, the name, which it still bears, of the "Literary and Antiquarian Society of Perth." About the beginning of the year 1786, the funds of the society were found to have accumulated sufficiently to admit of the purchase of some books as the commencement of a library. During the turbulent period which elapsed from 1792 to 1802, the society seemed to be in abeyance. In the latter year it began to revive; and in the year 1806, a charter and seal of cause was obtained from the magistrates of Perth. Up to the year 1818, the museum and library of the society were kept in a closet adjoining the Perth Public Library. They were then removed to an apartment in the same building, and, in 1819, proper cases were fitted up for their preservation. Owing to the want of such repositories, many manuscripts and other valuable donations previously presented to the society have been lost; but since that period, they have been most carefully preserved, and have increased rapidly, both in number and value. In 1822, the subscribers to a monument proposed to be erected to the memory of Thomas Hay Minshull of Glenalmond, offered to construct that building so as to contain halls for the Public Library of the city and the Museum of the Literary and Antiquarian Society, provided the two institutions would raise funds for fitting up the interior of their respective halls. The offer was accepted; and the hall of the society was opened for the first time on the 2d June, 1824. Its col We have been disappointed in this tragedy;—it is cold, and meagre, and unpoetical. There is no strong interest attached to the plot, no fine perception of human nature in the delineation of any of the characters, and no lofty or impassioned thoughts, clothed in vigorous and animated language, in the whole play. It is a dull, tame piece of respectable mediocrity, clearly proving, that though Mr Lister may write a tolerably successful novel, which, we believe, “Granby" was, he is altogether unfit to tread in the footsteps of the tragic muse. Besides, he has either chosen a bad subject, or else he has spoiled it by his mode of handling it. We take little or no interest in any of the persons of his drama; and instead of the catastrophe being naturally evolved from the previous events, which ought to rise, one out of another, like a flight of steps, the different acts are clumsily tacked together, and the fourth and fifth would be quite as intelligible, though the preceding three were left out altogether. The whole looks ill-digested, or rather the product of a mind incapable of taking a clear and comprehensive view of the subject. From the use made of Volusius Proculus, in the second act, we are naturally led to believe, that he is to be an important person in the conduct of the plot; but instead of this, we never meet with him again after the first scene of the third act; and the interest is ultimately made to turn upon quite a different point from that to which it is directed at the outset. This is very unskilful; and the truth is, there is no plot at all in the piece. There is a conspiracy formed against Nero; and, with the exception of Subrius Flavius, all the conspirators are actuated by unworthy motives. Flavius is attached to Epicharis, a Greek freedwoman, and to her he communicates the conspiracy. Through her imprudence, it reaches the ear of Nero, and the natural consequence is, that Subrius and his friends are condemned to death, only the author is pleased to take the three last acts to get them all dispatched. The death of most of them is rather a relief to the reader. At the very conclusion, Flavius is ordered to execution, upon which Epicharis, who had been previously rather severely handled by the Emperor, swallows poison, and dies so instantaneously thereupon, that we conclude it must have been Prussic acid. It is evident that there is here no scope for variety of action; and without variety of action, a tragedy is a dead letter. We have, instead, long consultations by the conspirators, which generally end in nothing; and then we have long complaints by Subrius Flavius; and the consequence is, that the business of the play creeps on, and the reader sleeps by the way. Yet "Epicharis" has been acted success-lection of books, natural curiosities, and works of art, is fully; and this shows two things,-1st, That there need not be a great deal of intrinsic talent in a play to make it go down with a mixed audience; and, 2d, That there was never a more favourable opening for dramatic writers than at present, since every possible encouragement is held out to them, that they may rescue, if possible, the stage from the stigma which has of late years been attaching to it. We feel strongly convinced, that the day is not far distant when some dramatic writers will appear worthy to sustain our ancient reputation in this department of literature; and when they do, the tragedy of “Epicharis" will never more be heard of. daily increasing; and the society, with a liberality worthy of imitation, keep a person who attends at the Museum an hour every day, for the purpose of showing it gratuitously to strangers. The volume of the Society's Transactions, which now lies upon our table, is a satisfactory proof of the importance and interest of the subjects which engage its attention, and, at the same time, of the talents and perseverance which its members bring to the performance of their respective tasks. The first part contains some of the most interesting historical communications made to the Society: the second, the catalogue of the Museum. Among 66 the former are "Copies of papers relative to a Translation of the University of St Andrews to Perth in 1697-8," which throw light both on that unsuccessful attempt to arrange the sites of our academical institutions more commodiously for the wants of the country, and also on the original foundation of the University; Summary of the evidence on the Gowrie Conspiracy, with plans of Gowrie House," an able paper, to which both we and Mr J. P. Lawson are much indebted; and "The History of Scottish Affairs, particularly during the reign of Charles I., by Mr James Wilson, burgher of Dumfries," respecting the author of which we are very desirous to obtain some information. The contents of the Museum are:-I. The Library, a small, but valuable, collection of good solid books, chiefly relating to historical and antiquarian subjects. II. Medals and coins-Grecian, few-Roman, pretty complete-English and Scottish, increasing. The collection is arranged chronologically. We are rather astonished that the Library contains no copy of Anderson's Diplomata Scotiæ, a valuable work, particularly as regards the history of Scottish coins.—III. Natural History. The specimens in this department are not yet sufficiently numerous to admit of scientific arrangement. The cabinet of minerals, arranged according to the system of Professor Jameson, might, however, be easily made the nucleus of a valuable mineralogical collection. The situation of Perth, too, is favourable for such an undertaking. But no member of the society seems as yet to have devoted much attention to this subject.-IV. Antiquities and Curiosities rather deficient. Perth boasts of several inhabitants not unknown in the literary and scientific world, and we are glad to see their names in the list of the society's members. We look with an eye of interest on all such institutions, regarding them as admirably calculated for keeping awake those habits of intellectual exertion, which are so apt to become dormant in those whose fortune has allotted to them a provincial residence. The capital of every country must always be the mart and centre of literary enterprise; but it needs constant fresh supplies from the country, and the more widely the spirit is diffused, the more valuable these supplies will prove. Stories of a Bride. By the Author of the Mummy. In 3 vols. 8vo. London. Henry Colburn and Richard Bentley. 1829. Pp. 307, 322, and 296. THE heroine of this work commences it by relating her own history. She is the daughter of a rich and somewhat fanciful nobleman, who, having at first neglected her education entirely, and afterwards secured her a very superficial breeding under the superintendence of a fashionable sister, dies, and leaves her to her state, and the importunities of lovers. Under the chaperonage of her aunt, she wheels from the town to the country, from England to the Continent, from the Continent to England, and back again to the Continent, until she at length settles for a time at Vienna. There she manages to fall in love, and captivate a handsome, clever, and extremely affected English nobleman. After their marriage, she insists that the marriage jaunt shall be taken in Hungary. They have scarcely entered the country, when they encounter a mysterious sort of a beggar, who, in return for their generosity, bestows upon them a bundle of his compositions. Some days after, Milord breaks his leg, in consequence of an overturn of the carriage; and during his convalescence, his bride reads to him the beggar's MSS. They consist of three Tales,--the Mystic, the Rational, and the Treasure Seeker. The Mystic is the story of a young enthusiastic student, son of an influential burgher of Trieste, whose mystical notions expose him to the seductions of the Carbonari; who is consequently implicated, in a frustrated attempt of that body to make themselves masters of Trieste, and throw off the Austrian yoke; and who, by this unlucky connexion, draws ruin on himself and his father's house. The Rational is a young nobleman, whose principles verge upon Atheism and Materialism, but who is convicted of a certain lurking unphilosophical weakness, by a stratagem of his pretty cousin, and pays her for the lesson by marrying her. The Treasure Seeker contains the romantic adventures of a Hungarian nobleman, which serve to introduce and display some of the characteristics of a class of men, who, in the distant valleys of the Carpathian mountains, devote themselves to the search of treasures, which they believe to have been hid there by the followers of Attila. The Housekeeper's Ledger; a Plain and Easy Plan of keeping Accurate Accounts of the Expenses of Housekeeping, &c. &c. By William Kitchiner, M.D. London. Whittaker & Co. 1829. DR KITCHINER did much in his time, and in his own way, for literature, as is attested by the variety of his lu cubrations, and the peculiar talent displayed in each. Among them we may particularly mention his National, Loyal, and Sea Songs-his Instructions in Singing-his Economy of the Eyes, Spectacles, Telescopes, and Opera. glasses-and his Art of Invigorating and Prolonging Life. Alas! his instructions in this last department served him but little, for he died in the prime of manhood. The Scriptures say, "There is a time appointed for all men to die ;" and Shakspeare says, Death "will seize the Doctor too;" accordingly, Death did seize the Doctor. Not, however, until he had given us, in addition to the works already mentioned, his Cook's Oracle his Traveller's Oracle-his Housekeeper's Oracle-and his Housekeeper's Ledger. Whatever his subject may be, the Doctor always writes practically, and con amore, For his enthusiastic love of sea-songs and national music we should place him beside Charles Dibdin; for wholesome rules regarding eating, drinking, and sleeping, we should rank him with Cornaro; for knowledge of eyeglasses, we should class him with Adie, the optician; for his acquaintance with culinary matters, we should place him with Meg Dods and Mrs Dalgairns on one hand, and Ude, Jarrin, and Glasse, on the other; for his strict attention to morality, we should have no hesitation to lay him on the same shelf with Dr Blair himself; and for a je ne sais quoi sort of dry humour which runs through his books, we should remark that "Il est unique en son genre." But our business at present is more immediately with the Housekeeper's Ledger, a work which we recommend to all new-married ladies who are anxious to be initiated into the many mysteries of housekeeping, and likewise to housekeepers of every description. The contents, exclusive of the Ledger part of the work, are classed under the following amusing heads;-The Elements of Domestic Economy Memorial in behalf of Supper against Dinner-The 'Tis Buts, (a curious poem,) set to music-Old Exactly's Method-Hints on Economy, by Messrs Managewell, Justenough, and Makeitdo-Tom Thrifty on the Pleasure of Early Rising-Excellent Rule of Admiral Ever-ready, and Tom Thrifty's Maxims. The Account of Housekeeping at the end of the volume for every day, week, and month of the year, is calculated to be highly useful. There are also Abstracts of Expenses, Tables of Wages, Receipts, &c., which make the whole complete, and will, no doubt, be turned to good account by those who purchase the work, as the Belfast men say, for the ensuing year. Composition and Punctuation familiarly explained, for those who have neglected the study of Grammar. By Justin Brenan. London. Effingham Wilson. 1829. 12mo. Pp. 144. WE have read this little book with much satisfaction. Something of the kind has been long wanted, and the |