hope to call the attention of our readers more adequately to the contents of these volumes ere long, but we are not disposed to forego the earliest opportunity of apprising such of them as are 'Commercial' men, and indeed all who are interested in marking the progress of states and of civilization, of the appearance of this long-projected work. For this purpose we think we cannot do better than allow Mr. Macgregor himself to speak. The Preface commences thus:

'The progress of Europeans in America, from the discovery of that hemisphere, by Columbus, in 1492, down to the present time, affords the most interesting, as well as the most instructive, study for all classes of readers. The philosopher, the historian, the legislator, the navigator, the traveller, and the enthusiastic adventurer, will all find the most abundant materials for study, in the facts, as far as they can be ascertained, which have distinguished the modern nations of America-from the date of their first settlement, and during their struggles and growth, in maintaining their establishments, until they became more powerful than the aboriginal occupants.

The progress, and present condition of the Spanish and Anglo-Saxon colonies, which have achieved their independence as organized republics-of the vast region in which Portugal planted settlements, and which has become an independent sovereign hereditary empire-and of those colonies which still remain subject to the crowns of England, France, and Spain, constitute a work of such varied magnitude, that the mere attempt to have undertaken it, may be considered rash and presumptuous. That the application and labour which has enabled to produce the work which I now submit to the world, has been necessarily long and severe, will, I believe, not be denied me. That it is the first work embracing so many subjects, will also be granted. The responsibility of undertaking it I can merely justify by ascribing its origin to an enthusiasm, which accompanied me, in my youth, to the British settlements in America-and which was first inspired by the writings of Robertson, Charlevoix, and Raynal-by poring over Hakluyt and Purchas, and the more recent collections of voyages and travels, and by an ambition, entertained in perusing with delight the travels of a near relative, the late Sir Alexander Mackenzie, to the Arctic shores, and afterwards across the broadest part of the continent of America to the Pacific. The more I studied the progress of European settlements in America, the more thoroughly was I convinced of what I deemed an infallible truth-that THE HISTORY OF NAVIGATION AND COMMERCE IS THE HISTORY OF CIVILIZATION.

'Robertson, Raynal, Burke, and others, but none down to the more recent, and, in a political, commercial, and maritime view-the most important period, have written historical annals of the progress of European settlements in America. But all published accounts appeared to me defective, if not altogether wanting, in statistical accounts of the planting, growth, and condition of the several States of North and South America; and during the many years which occupied me in collecting and arranging the materials of these volumes, I was throughout convinced that no satisfactory accounts of the western hemisphere could be executed, unless the work comprehended the historical, geographical, and statistical progress of America.

'This was the groundwork of my attempt and of my labour. This work, which has been the result of both, I now humbly submit to the public judgment.'

XXX. The Works of Josephus: a new Translation. By the Rev. ROBERT TRAILL, D.D., M.R.G.Á., &c. With Notes, Explanatory Essays, and Pictorial Illustrations. Royal 8vo. Parts I. II. III. Houlston and

Co., London. 1847.

This publication will supply a want which has been long felt; and great praise is due to the publishers for the spirit with which they appear to have committed themselves to their enterprize. The translation by Whiston is cold and uninteresting, and the manner in which he has acquitted himself as editor is exceedingly slovenly and defective. Dr. Traill has entered upon his labours

with a much more just conception of the services to be expected from him. The following is the announcement of the publishers.

'The entire works of the Jewish historian constitute, in this translation, two portions; of the first containing the LIFE, by himself, the JEWISH WAR, and the two books against APION, is now announced as in course of publication. The second portion, to succeed immediately the completion of the first, will comprise the ANTIQUITIES, and perhaps some apocryphal pieces which have usually been attributed to him.

The first, as above described, will appear in twelve parts, price five shillings each, published monthly. Each part to contain five sheets of letter press, super royal 8vo, and six or more engravings. In the course of the FIRST PORTION of the work, and distributed through the twelve parts of which it will consist, will be given-ONE Hundred EngraviNGS, most of which are views of the scenes of the history, taken on the spot expressly for this work, by WILLIAM TIPPING, Esq., and executed on steel in a finished style, or in imitation of the original sketches. The remaining plates will consist of highly-finished medallion heads of the Grecian and Roman personages mentioned by Josephus, and of outline plates of bas-reliefs, coins, plans, and elevations of architectural remains, maps, &c.

The first part is introduced by an Essay on 'The Personal Character and Credibility of Josephus; the second and third include nearly fifty pages of elaborate notes on the history and on the illustrations which accompany it. Of these contributions by the editor, it must suffice at present for us to say, that in respect to learning, judgment, and a manly independent spirit, they are such as become the scholarship of the age.

XXXI. The Works of Walter Savage Landor. In two vols. Royal 8vo, pp. 578, 675. Moxon. 1846.

Any discussion as to the genius or writings of Walter Savage Landor would require large space; and that ground, moreover, has been sufficiently occupied of late elsewhere. But it is proper to intimate to our readers that this is not a mere reprint of the author's former works. The first and second series of the Imaginary Conversations, as printed in the first volume of this edition, are much enlarged. The greater part of the Conversations, the Hellenics, and many of the Poems and Dramatic Pieces, in the second volume, are now printed for the first time. The great difficulty obviously attendant on this Imaginary Conversation scheme is, that a man who would do it well, needs to concentrate in himself all the peculiar kinds of greatness that have distinguished all the great men whom he undertakes to represent. But, on the other hand, this is a difficulty inseparable from Epic poetry, and from every department of dramatic literature; and the true light in which to view these 'Conversations' is as so many dramatic scenes in prose. To his function, as thus viewed, Landor has applied himself with the impulsive power of genius, and with a sincere worship of truth, but of truth, we regret to say, in certain of its humbler, not in its highest forms.

XXXII. A Practical Treatise on Weaving by Hand and Power Looms, intended as a Text-Book for Manufacturers by Hand and Power Looms, and Power-Loom Engineers; and especially designed to forward the Extension of Machinery in all kinds of Plain Weaving. By GEORGE WHITE. 8vo, pp. 360. Niven, Glasgow. 1846.

The title of this book states with sufficient fulness its main purpose, but the ultimate aim of the writer is to enable the manufacturer to cornbine the knowledge of the weaver with that of the engineer, and by so doing to overcome difficulties which neither the knowledge of the engineer nor that of the manufacturer is adequate to surmount, while the knowledge of each

belongs only to each. The book contains a large number of plates, illustrative of the parts which treat of machinery.

XXXIII. The Pulpit and the People; or, an Inquiry into the Cause of the present failure of Christian Agency. By PETER RYLANDS. 118. Ward and Co. 1847.

8vo, pp.

A new instance of the old mistake. The existing ministry in the Church has not done all the good which Mr. Rylands thinks should have been accomplished by it, and to our author it is quite clear that the thing to be done now is not to attempt any reform or improvement of this instrumentality, but to get rid of it altogether. So Christianity has not done all the good in the world which the Deist thinks should have been effected by it, as a supposed revelation from God, and to him it is quite clear that the thing to be done, in this case, is not to attempt any reform or improvement of this system, but to get rid of it altogether. Indeed, if strong apparent failure is to be taken as a sufficient ground for rejection, we see not how Mr. Rylands can stop even at Deismif consistent he must go one step farther. Oh! this curse of confused and narrow thinking! Next to blank ignorance, it is the foe from which Christianity has suffered most, and from which evangelical non-conformity is now suffering its great mischief—a mischief from which it will be hard to secure to it even a tolerable rescue.

XXXIV. The Syrian Churches: their early Liturgies and Literature. With a Literal Translation of the Four Gospels, from the Peschito, or Canon of Holy Scripture in Use among the Oriental Christians from the Earliest Times. By J. W. ETHERIDGE. 12mo, pp. 638.

This is a volume of curious erudition, containing material that will be of value to the ecclesiastical historian, and the learned divine.

XXXV. Prevention Better than Cure; or, the Moral Wants of the World we Live in. By MRS. ELLIS. 8vo, pp. 336. Fisher and Co., London.

1847.

Mrs. Ellis has formed a just estimate in respect to not a few of the wants of the world we live in ;' and she has done much to direct public attention to the source of evils which are generally felt and deplored. The maxim of this treatise has been, in effect, that of all her writings-viz., that it is the part of folly to expect, that adult life will ever be other, in the main, than the early life has been; and that nothing short of better customs in respect to general education, can give existence to a better condition of general society. This book consists of judicious counsel on this subject, expressed in language which if wanting in the force and point so generally demanded by the public taste in our day, will be acceptable to not a few on account of its easy propriety and elegance. Had a book of this sort been published by Mrs. Hannah More, some thirty years since, it would have passed through half a dozen editions in a twelvemonth.

XXXVI. Political Economy, and the Philosophy of Government; a Series of Essays Selected from the Works of M. de Sismondi. With an Historical Notice of his Life and Writings. By M. MIGNET. Translated from the French, and illustrated by extracts from an unpublished memoir, and from M. de Sismondi's private journals and letters, with a Preliminary Essay by the Translator. 8vo, pp. 459. Chapman, London.

1847.

This is a handsome volume in appearance, and it is rich in its substance. Sismondi had all the industry of Gibbon, with a love of freedom, and a love of

humanity, to which that cold egotist was wholly a stranger. He was one of that rare class of writers who can spend the greater part of life in studying barbarous chronicles, and dry legal authorities, and come forth with their own taste unimpaired, and their own fire unabated. He wrote history, too, as we have said, not that he-M. De Sismondi, might attain to the fame of having done a clever thing, but that he might be read, and that men in reading him might become wiser and better. This volume gives an account of his life and works, and consists of a series of papers which may be said to present the scientific results of his historical studies.

XXXVII. First Impressions of England and its People. By HUGH MILLER, author of the Old Red Sandstone,' &c. 8vo, pp. 407. Johnstone, Edinburgh. 1847.

Mr. Hugh Miller is a man of genius, and whatever country he may visit, you may be sure his 'impressions' will have equal reference to the land and the people, to the geology of the region and the humanity of it. Many of our glimpses' and recollections' are sad twaddle, but Mr. Miller is no Twaddler. He does not stop with the surface of humanity, any more than with the surface of the earth; and his studies of the changes in society, and of the changes in strata, are alike productive of fruit worth realizing. He has, indeed, produced a very readable and instructive book on things geological, things social, things literary, and things religious, as affecting this realm of England. Good reader, buy the book and read it, and we have no fear of your blaming us for our word of commendation.

XXXVIII. The Ancient World; or, Picturesque Sketches of Creation. By

D. T. ANSTED, M.A., F.R.S., F.G.S.; Professor of Geology in King's College, London, &c., &c. 8vo, pp. 403. Van Voorst, London. 1847. 'The object of this work,' says Professor Ansted, 'is to communicate, in a simple form, to the general reader, the chief results of Geological Investigation. No detailed account of particular districts,-no minute statements with regard to peculiarities of structure exhibited in various formations, or in their fossil contents-must, therefore, be expected; and, on the other hand, the reader will be spared, as far as possible, the mere technicalities of the science, while being informed of the views deduced from the study of them' (Preface). To do this thing well required a thorough knowledge of the subject, and something more than common scientific and literary skill in dealing with it. But the author has shown himself fully equal to his undertaking, and the result is one of the most interesting scientific volumes in our language. The History of the Earth is divided into three parts,-the First, or Ancient Period; the Second, or Middle Period; and the Third, or Modern Period. Under each of these divisions there are five chapters. The following are the titles of the chapters belonging to the Tertiary Period. 1. The Introduction of Land Animals and the commencement of the Tertiary Period in Western Europe. 2. The condition of Europe after the older tertiary beds had been deposited, but previous to the Historic Period. 3. The condition of India, Australia, and New Zealand during the Tertiary Period. 4. The condition of South America during the Tertiary Period. 5. General considerations concerning the results of Geological Investigation. We need only add that the engravings are sufficiently numerous to illustrate the main points of the subject, and that the general appearance of the volume bespeaks the good taste of the publisher.

XXXIX. The Psalms in Hebrew; with a Critical, Exegetical, and Philological Commentary. By the Rev. GEORGE PHILLIPS, B.D., Fellow and Tutor of Queens' College, Cambridge, and Rector of Sandon, Essex. Two vols. 8vo. Parker, London. 1846.

This Commentary on the Psalms is a much more satisfactory publication of its kind than anything of which we were previously possessed on the same subject. Mr. Phillips had before given proof of his competency to the philological department of his labours by the publication of his Syriac Grammar:" and in his general principles of interpretation he has, for the most part, shown a sound judgment, keeping equally clear of neological scepticism on the one hand, and of the extremes of spiritual interpretation on the other. The Hebrew text is given entire, and its interpretation, especially in the earlier Psalms, is very full. To the biblical student, the work will furnish an admirable exercise in the peculiarities of the Hebrew language, and will be in other respects of great value.

XL. The Foundation Statutes of Merton College, Oxford. A.D. 1270; with the subsequent Ordinances of Archbishops Peckham, Chichely, and Laud, from the Latin. Edited by EDWARD FRANCE PERCEVAL, M.A., of Brazenose College, Oxford. 8vo, pp. 141. Pickering, London. 1847. For this volume the public are mainly indebted to James Heywood, Esq., of the Inner Temple, the zealous advocate of university reform: and, as university history is of great importance in relation to all projects for university improvement, this collection of documents relating to the history of Merton from 1270 to 1847, may be expected to have its uses. Merton was the first permanently endowed foundation for the maintenance and education of scholars unconnected with the monastic orders in the University.

XLI. A Body of Divinity, wherein the Doctrines of the Christian Religion are explained and defended. By THOMAS RIDGELEY, D.D. A new edition, revised, corrected, and illustrated with Notes by the Rev. JOHN M. WILSON. Two vols. royal 8vo, pp. 647, 666. Fullarton and Co.

1846.

Ridgeley, like Watts and Doddridge, occupies a middle place between the Puritans and the Moderns in divinity. He has much of the substance of the former school, but is wanting, partly in the discrimination, and in a much greater degree in the literary skill of the latter. His divisions and subdivisions are confounding rather than explanatory, and his style is not only without elegance, but often so wanting in perspicuity as to compel you to guess at his meaning. In the present edition, Mr. Wilson has taken some wise liberties with his author in these respects. He has effaced many of the divisions, and has so far amended the structure of many sentences as to leave the reader in no doubt as to the meaning of the writer. Mr. Wilson's notes, also, are of considerable extent, and so far as we have examined them, are judicious and valuable. Altogether, this edition of Ridgeley is much more valuable than any of its predecessors. Hitherto no English writer has produced a better book on the same comprehensive subject.

XLII. A Compendium of Hebrew Grammar, designed to facilitate the Study of the Language, and simplify the system of the Vowel-points. By the Rev. W. BURGH, M.A., of Trinity College, Dublin. Royal 8vo, pp. 68. McGlashan. 1847.

A grammar,' says Mr. Burgh, 'is one of the few things which are best in extremes. Like a dictionary, it should be either very large or very small.' We