rature of the law, a subject which, to Mr. Sumner, has always been invested with peculiar charms.

In 1843 he again occupied the chair as lecturer at the Cambridge Law School. In 1844-6 he edited an edition of Vesey's Reports in twenty volumes. This was a great undertaking, but was ably executed. The critical and explanatory notes which he contributed to the work, and the biographical sketches of eminent lawyers introduced, were exceedingly useful, and tended greatly to enhance the value of the original production. In noticing this work, the Boston Law Reporter speaks in the highest terms of the extensive professional resources of Mr. Sumner, and of the rare legal knowledge which he displayed in his editorial labors. It says:

"Wherever the occasion offers itself, the editorial note has been expanded, till it assumes something of the port and stature of a brief legal dissertation, in which the topics are discussed in the assured manner of one who feels that his foot is planted on familiar ground, and whose mind is so saturated with legal knowledge, that it readily pours it forth at the slightest pressure, reminding us of those first 'sprightly runnings' of the winepress extracted by no force but the mere weight of the grapes. Mr. Sumner has also introduced a new element into his notes. We allude to his bio

graphical notes of the eminent men whose names occur in the reports, either in a judicial or forensic capacity, and to his occasional historical, political, and biographical illustrations of the text. In what may be called the literature of the law,-the curiosities of legal learning-he has no rival among

us."

On the 4th of July, 1845, Mr. Sumner delivered an oration before the authorities of the city of Boston, entitled The true Grandeur of Nations. This is an admirable production, and contains many passages of remarkable beauty and power, glowing with the noblest expressions which the art of oratory can exhibit. It is, indeed, a wondrous masterpiece of eloquence, and one of Mr. Sumner's finest oratorical efforts. Moulded in classic beauty, elegant in diction, and abounding in stirring sentiments and facts, it appeals to the heart with irresistible force. It is hardly necessary to add, that this oration, pronounced in those bewitching, musical tones of voice, for which Mr. Sumner is so distinguished, produced an overwhelming effect upon the audience, and was received with much applause. As an advocacy of the doctrine of universal peace among nations, we know of nothing of the kind which equals this effort in beauty of conception, force of argument, and elegance of composition. Judge Story, who

entertained different views from Mr. Sumner as to the justifiableness of war in some cases, wrote him in reference to his oration, as follows:

"It is certainly a very striking production, and will fully sustain your reputation for high talents, various reading, and exact scholarship. There are a great many passages in it which are wrought out with an exquisite finish, and elegance of diction, and classical beauty. I go earnestly and heartily along with many of your sentiments and opinions. They are such as befit an exalted mind and an enlarged benevolence. But from the length and breadth of your doctrine as to war, I am compelled to dissent. In my judgment, war is, under some (although I agree not under many) circumstances, not only justifiable, but an indispensable part of public duty; and if the reasoning which you have adopted be sound, it extends far beyond the limits to which you have now confined it. It is not, however, my intention to discuss the matter at all with you. I am too old to desire or even indulge in controversy. No one who knows you can doubt the entire sincerity with which you have spoken. All that I desire to claim is as sincere a conviction that, in the extent to which you seem to press your doctrines, they are not, in my judgment, defensible. In many parts of your discourse, I have been struck with

the strong resemblances which it bears to the manly enthusiasm of Sir James Mackintosh; but I think that he would have differed from you in respect to war, and would have maintained a moderation of views, belonging at once to his philosophy and his life.”

One of the most elaborate and beautiful passages in this oration, is that depicting the glories of the universal reign of peace, which we hope is speedily to shower its blessings upon the world, and which at least is to prevail in the day of millennial glory, when human and divine knowledge shall extend over the whole earth, and when nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither learn war any more. We delight to lay before our readers a passage so happy in its construction, and at the same time so just and pleasing in its senti

ments:

"That Future, which filled the lofty visions of the sages and bards of Greece and Rome, which was foretold by the prophets and heralded by the evangelists, when man, in Happy Isles, or in a new Paradise, shall confess the loveliness of Peace, may be secured by your care, if not for yourselves, at least for your children. Believe that you can do it, and you can do it. The true golden age is before you, not behind you. If man has been driven once from Paradise, while an angel, with a flam

ing sword, forbade his return, there is another Paradise, even on earth, which he may form for himself, by the cultivation of knowledge, religion, and the kindly virtues of life; where the confusion of tongues shall be dissolved in the union of hearts; and joyous Nature, borrowing prolific charms from the prevailing Harmony, shall spread her lap with unimagined bounty, and there shall be a perpetual jocund spring, and sweet strains borne on the odoriferous wing of gentle gales,' through valleys of delight, more pleasant than the Vale of Tempe, richer than the garden of the Hesperides, with no dragon to guard its golden fruit.

"Let it not be said that the age does not demand this work. The robber conquerors of the Past, from their fiery sepulchres demand it; the precious blood of millions unjustly shed in War, crying from the ground, demands it; the voices of all good men demand it; the conscience, even of the soldier, whispers Peace.' There are considerations, springing from our situation and condition, which fervently invite us to take the lead in this work. Here should bend the patriotic ardor of the land; the ambition of the statesman; the efforts of the scholar; the persuasive influence of the press; the mild persuasion of the sanctuary; the early teachings of the school. Here, in ampler