spirit of man is man. Or if the reality of spirit be denied, that mysterious phase of man's nature which some call spirit, is the real man. And a system of intense spiritual thought and belief, whether called religion or by some other name, must sway the life of man, and in a direction the opposite of the low, the stupid, and the brutal.

The great fundamental ideas of true religion were in the Brahmanic system, however distorted and obscured. The fundamental ground of morals, the eternal distinction between right and wrong, was there. Conscience was there, awake, though groping. Retribution was there-the solemn sense of responsibility at a future judgment. The beautiful feeling of reverence, and the worship which expresses it, were there, and with a depth and steadiness of tone which Christians might often observe with profit. No science can be complete, no civilization wholly sound, under which men grow insensible of the reverential worship æsthetically due to infinite perfection, whether actual or ideal. Prayer, as of a child to a father, was there, shining in the light of its own eternal fitness, and prompted there as elsewhere by Nature-the common mother's voice; and in some degree, too, the filial loving trust in a perfect father's care, which prayer supposes. The great idea of law as brooding over the universe, was no stranger to Hindu thought, even from the earliest times. The idea of the efficacy of the contemplation of the Infinite to lift the soul as by a heavenly gravitation, so peculiar to the Brahmanic system, though lacking some elements of Christian worship, was itself a most significant and pregnant truth. The soul, like the body, must grow in strength and beauty by the use of food appropriate to its nature. Thought, especially when true, and great, and sublime, is the soul's true food. And where shall that be found if not in the Absolute and the Eternal; and the vast circle of ideas which center therein? That the soul can habitually lift up its eyes to behold these objects, attune its ear to catch the low whispers that from them sing through the universe, can gird up its loins to comprehend and awaken its moral sense to feel their beauty and value, and not be somewhat elevated and purified thereby, is a conclusion too absurd to be entertained.

True, Brahmanism everywhere falls short of its own great end. Its ideas on the nature of sin and holiness were less clear than could be wished. It was paralyzed in a measure by the fatal want of full and clear personality in its God. No Divine redeemer had bought the sinful soul with his blood. The magic key to unlock the human heart, found in the Cross of Christ, it missed. It knew not how to utter clearly, much less to carry into effect, the momentous truth, "Ye must be born again." The consummate victory over sin and death it could not win. The ineffable holiness of the highest Christian character it has never seen. It has not been able to hold itself up to its own earlier level. It is less pure and purifying and valuable to-day, than two thousand years ago. But its great failure, in comparison with Christianity, will clearly after the study of Buddhism.

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Yet is there no such gulf between it and Christianity as is often supposed. In the darkness of unassisted nature it was no mean attempt. No Christian can study it unmoved with heartfelt sympathy; sympathy which we may well believe will be shared by Him who shall sit on the judgment throne. If "he deserves help who helps himself," the Hindu deserves the aid of the Christian philanthropist. A religious and conscientious nature like his is the very ground and soil for Christian missions. And no more appropriate appeal can be made to the Indian mind than in the words of the Apostle to another branch of the great Aryan race: "Whom, therefore, ye ignorantly worship, Him declare I unto you."

ART. V.-OPPERT'S KINGDOM OF COREA.

A Forbidden Land: Voyages to the Corea. With an account of its Geography, History, Productions, and Commercial Capabilities, &c. By ERNEST OPPERT. With two charts and twenty-one illustrations. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 182 Fifth Avenue. New York: 1880. 8vo. pp. 350.

THIS is, in many respects, an interesting book. A volume which can tell us anything reliable about the inhabitants and condition of a land so little known as Corea, is likely to be acceptable. The principal interest of the present one, however, lies in the narrative of Mr. Oppert's three attempts to reach Saoul, the capital, and open communications with its authorities. In his account, he tells us enough to show that he is one of that class of adventurous men who are willing and desirous of running great risks for the sake of excitement and a chance of success, but not so willing to bear patiently the failure of a pet scheme; and who never give a thought as to what may be the evil consequences of their deeds upon others who come after them. His account of this expedition to exhume the relics of an ancient Corean king, in order to use them to extort a treaty of amity and commerce from the authorities of that land, will form a rare chapter in its future annals; and the attempt has already placed him in a conspicuous niche. among modern buccaneers.

He withholds some features of these attempts to open a trade with Corea which would have shown more clearly the inducements that promised some return for the outlay in the kind of goods taken there; but gives us proofs of his own daring, and notices of the resources, inhabitants, and policy of the Corean Kingdom, which make altogether a readable volume.

Mr. Oppert visited Nagasaki soon after the opening of that port in 1859, to see what he could do in the way of trade, but apparently without much success. On his return to Shanghai, the claims of Corea to be opened to foreign commerce were

urged upon him by several of his native friends, "enterprising and intelligent Chinese merchants, who had for years past cast their eyes in that direction, and collected a good deal of infor mation upon the commercial capacities of the country." How they obtained it is not stated; and as the only trade with the Chinese coast was carried on by Corean and Chinese boats going across the Yellow Sea from Shantung to the islands in the Archipelago on the west coast of Corea, the information could not have been very accurate or extensive. It was in one of these smuggling craft that an English missionary, Mr. Thomas, lived many months, going from island to island, in order to learn the Corean language, and see what the prospects were for entering the kingdom.

About the year 1866, Mr. Oppert got aid from Mr. Whittall, of the British firm of Jardine, Matheson & Co., to make an attempt in the steamer Rona to find the river leading up to Saoul. A French squadron, in 1845, had surveyed the laby rinth of islands, and had lost two ships in those seas; but the entrance of the River Kang had eluded the eyes of the survey. ors. Mr. Oppert approached the coast in Caroline Bay, where he met a local official named Ta-wha, who did all he could to dissuade his further progress, but agreed to forward a letter to Saoul in which the object of the voyage was stated. The Rona being obliged to remain, a party from her undertook an excursion into the country, which afforded some glimpses of the Forbidden Land. The authorities had set men to watch the course they took, who were found on guard, and thus admonished not to interfere with their progress:

"Descending into the large plain before us, we found several natives squatting down at a certain distance from each other, who tried to prevent our going on by threatening looks and calls. As we had to pass them on our way, I determined to put an end to this at once; and going up to the first lot with the hand to my revolver, made them understand in so plain a way, how little we were afraid of or cared for them, that they turned at once cringingly polite; and passing purposely close by those who sat forming a line further on, without appearing to take any notice of them, while they did not venture to move or utter a word, we walked on without any further hindrance. This was the first and last time that an attempt was made to stop us on the road; and I have no doubt that nothing but the determined, and not to be mistaken way, in which it was treated, prevented a later recurrence. On the contrary, from that time forward, everybody seemed eager to receive us as kindly as possible."-page 198.

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Still such arguments did not further the main object in view; and though Mr. Oppert persistently proposed to remain on shore till the reply to his letter was received, he was unable to obtain permission, and the ship returned to China soon after. On reaching Shanghai, he learned that nine French missionaries had been imprisoned and put to death by the Corean Regent in the spring of 1866; and three others were fleeing and hiding for their lives while he was in Caroline Bay. His ardor in his enterprise was not abated by the sad news. Firm assisted him to renew the attempt in a smaller steamer, the Emperor, carrying six Europeans and nineteen lascars and natives; together with an armament of one nine-pound cannon, a few swivel guns, muskets, revolvers, lances, cutlasses, etc. She reached Caroline Bay in five days, and Mr. Oppert landed near the previous anchorage, where he again saw his former acquaintance, Ta-wha. One of the best defenses of Corea on its west side, is the great extent of the sandbanks made by strong tides which deposit their silt along the shores as they rise and fall twenty feet each ebb and flood.

The next morning the captain went on shore to take observations, and brought back a letter from Père Ridel, one of the French missionaries who had thus far escaped arrest, asking for relief. An answer was returned, but the design to save the refugees was frustrated at this time, though they escaped a few weeks after, with some Christian converts, in a native boat going to Chefu.

Owing to the want of charts it took some days to find the mouth of the River Kang, and the steamer anchored near the town of Kiau-tong, about fifty miles from Saoul. While Mr. Oppert was on shore, he saw an officer and his escort approaching the ship's gig, and hurried down to receive him.

"This officer's large boat had just arrived when I got down to the foot of the hill, but he had such a villainous and repulsive look that I at once declined his offer to communicate with him, and ordered our crew to return to the Emperor. Euraged at my refusal to listen to him, he ordered some of his soldiers, armed with three-pronged lances, looking like Neptune's trident, to retain the gig; but when the most daring made a show of doing this, our uplifted oars descended so quickly and vigorously on their backs, that they retreated faster than they had come, and did not repeat the attempt. Seeing our revolvers pointed at his head, the fellow got cowed, and sulkily assented to follow me to the steamer, where I allowed only himself and two of his secretaries to come on board."--page 245.