is a most beautiful and lusty child; and how, much respect for that of Parson Adams, not Dick is becoming a great scholar, for whenever the best of his comedies. Of the projects that his father's Virgil is shown him he makes also occupied him in these years, especially shrewd remarks upon the pictures. In that that of his fish-pool invention, we have nothing same letter he calls her "poor, dear, angry, to say, but that Addison, who certainly did not pleased, pretty, witty, silly, everything Prue;" sneer at him in the "little Dicky" of the secand he has never failed, through all these ond Old Whig, ought to have spared him, not years, to send her the tenderest words on the less, the sneer in that pamphlet at his " "stagmost trivial occasions. He writes to her on nated pool." Steele did not retort with anyhis way to the Kit-Kat, in waiting on my Lord thing more personal than an admiring quotaWharton or the Duke of Newcastle. He tion from Cato; and his Plebeian forms in this coaxes her to dress well for the dinner to respect no contrast to the uniform tone in which he has invited the Mayor of Stock- which he spoke of his friend. But his children bridge, Lord Halifax, and Mr. Addison. He were his greatest solicitude, as well as chief writes to her when he has the honor of being delight, in these latter years, and, amid failing received at dinner by Lord Somers; and he health and growing infirmities, he is never writes from among the "dancing, singing, tired of superintending their lessons, or of hooping, hallooing, and drinking" of one of writing them gay and entertaining letters, as his elections for Boroughbridge. He sends a from friend or playfellow. After three years' special despatch for no other purpose than to retirement in Wales, attended by his two little tell her she has nothing to do but be a darling. daughters, he died there at the age of fiftyHe sends her as many as a dozen letters in the three. course of his journey to Edinburgh; and He had survived much, but neither his when, on his return, illness keeps them apart, cheerful temper nor his kind philosophy. He one in London, the other at Hampton Court, would be carried out in a summer's evening, her happening to call him Good Dick puts him where the country lads and lasses were at in so much rapture, that he tells her he could their rural sports, and with his pencil give an almost forget his miserable gout and lameness, and walk down to her. Not long after this her illness terminated fatally. She died on the morrow of the Christmas Day of 1718.

order on his agent for a new gown to the best dancer. That was the last thing seen of Richard Steele. And the youths and maidens who so saw him in his invalid-chair, enfeebled and Of his own subsequent life, the leading pub- dying, saw him still as the wits and fine ladies lic incidents were his controversy with Addi- and gentlemen had seen him in his gayety and son on the Peerage Bill, where we hold him youth, when he sat in the chair of Mr. Bickerto have had much the advantage of his adver- staff, creating pleasure for himself by the comsary in both his reasoning and conclusions; munication of pleasure to others, and in proand the production of his comedy of the Con- portion to the happiness he distributed increasscious Lovers, the most carefully written and ing his own.

the most successful though in our opinion, with

The Christ of History; an Argument grounded in the Facts of his Life on Earth. By John Young, M. A.

They cannot be separated in the mind, though they may be on paper. If this, however, can be done, it is beyond the power of this writer to do it properly. He is somewhat reckless in the statements on which he bases his arguments; affirming general propositions which common experience contradicts, in the extent to which he pushes them. He has besides a sectarian narrowness of view, and a platform of self-sufficiency in reasoning, very unfit for the difficult subject which he has taken up.-Spectator.

The object of this work is to deduce the divine nature of Christ from his human biography, so to speak to avoid-at least in terms, for it is very difficult to manage it in fact-all proofs drawn from the supernatural, and confine the argument wholly to the natural. The idea is not new. The original and elevated nature of his doctrines, and the purity of his life, have been often dwelt upon as proofs of the supernatural character of Christ. What Mr. Young does is ENGLISH PREACHERS IN PARIS.-The followmore completely to develop the idea, by pursuing have been selected by the Bishop of London ing it into the details of the life, and to assume to preach to the English during the Exhibition a good deal as fact which is merely presump- at Paris in the Church of the Consistoire, which tion, as the private life of Christ from birth till has been placed at their disposal by the Rehis thirtieth year. Dealt with in this way, it may be doubted whether opponents would grant the premises Mr. Young assumes. We certainly think that if we are to take the biographical facts of the Gospel, they must be taken as they are.

formed Church of France:-Archdeacon Sinclair, Rev. J. R. Gleig, Rev. H. Melvill, Rev. R. Bickersteth, Rev. Richard Burgess, Bishop of Oxford, Bishop of Jamaica, Hon. and Rev. M. Villiers.

disruption, from want of capacity, of purpose, | dangers have been hitherto warded off, mainly and of hold on either the practical wants or the through the alteration in the personnel of the ideas of both the masses of the people and the Committee as originally proposed, through the thinkers. Since that interregnum, the news enforced publicity of its proceedings, and the from our army has been less and less discourag- emphatic warning given and heightened by the ing; the resources of the country are beginning refusal of an important section of the Cabinet to tell somewhat in proportion to our expec- to sanction the Inquiry. But if the Inquiry is tation on the comfort and efficiency of our to do good, it can only be as the preliminary to soldiers; and whatever serious feeling of des- action. The evils which its evidence lays daily pondency remains arises from the growing doubt before the public. exemplified in particular inof the heads that direct that vast array of phy-stances, have all been known to official men long sical force and scientific skill. At home the in- ago. Ministers who have themselves filled ofdignation of the public has been glutted with fices in connection with the War departments, political victims; and, inferior as the new Gov- Ministers and Members of Parliament who bave ernment is in talent and high reputation, all men sat upon Military Commissions, the public in feel that Lord Palmerston must be supported, general who have read frequent debates on these simply because he is filling a place which it has matters, have not allowed these evils to remain been found extremely difficult to find any one to from ignorance, but from apathy. It is not the fill. He has only to display invention, firmness, public who have stood in the way of their being and a determination to rely on his services to reformed long ago; it is the Ministers, who will the country in her need, rather than on great not give up patronage, who will not offend families, to commute his temporary power into a political supporters; it is Members of Parlialasting tenure. We regret to say he has to do inent, who insist on sharing the spoils of this; for it is what ought to be no matter of office and patronage. So far as the public is to doubt after two months' occupancy of the proud blame, it is for not perceiving that the efficiency position, for which so much action of a dubious of the public service is of the highest importance character has been expended, so many high con- and the truest economy. Will the stronger light siderations thrown aside, so many friends and thrown by recent failures and recent disclosures rivals made tools or victims. raise up a spirit in the nation strong enough to insist that the public services shall be professions in which work is done, and not titular occu pations in which office-hours are kept and officerules observed? If the inquiry does this for us, we shall willingly withdraw all refined and hypothetical objections to its constitution and funetions. At present we have seen no symptoms that encourage us to expect from the present Government any thorough reform of the system. When we do see them, we shall be among the first to welcome them.

The position of the country just now is, however, far more really favorable to the vigorous prosecution of the war than it was last year. Nothing can be more detrimental to any permanent success against a great military power than ignorance of our own weakness and of his strength. The Reform-Club braggadocio was but a type of a state of feeling common throughout the country, from which neither ministers of state nor ploughmen were free, and which was not more a sin against good taste than it was a real source of danger. It was dangerous both in ex- The reform of all branches of our military and posing us to defeat from the enemy and to disap- of many of our civil services, is equally a nepointment at home, not unlikely to lead to a cessity whether the war with Russia come to a general reaction against the war, and sure to be speedy termination or not. The exposure of laid hold of for their own purposes by the Peace-our weakness has been complete; all Europe at-any-price party. The former peril we have knows it: unless the remedy be as complete and encountered in the modified form of non-success as public, our prestige-and that means to the height of our hopes; the latter, to the power to enforce our rights without going to credit both of the constancy and the understand-war-is irreparably damaged. Still, no sane ing of our people, has been safely passed. Sobered man would advocate a continuance of the war and awakened from dreams of easy and rapid triumph, the English nation has distinguished between official lapses and national weakness; and, solely anxious to discover and amend the errors which have obstructed the success of its armies, has given no indication of faintheartedness in the prosecution of the war, or of reluctance to meet the emergency. This state of public feeling forms the most hopeful element in our prospects; and, if it do not evaporate in talking and pamphlet-writing, it will lead to results that will amply compensate for the humiliation and distress of the last four months.

Our

merely to stimulate the country to increased attention to its military establishments. That would be indeed a putting of the cart before the horse. It may, however, tend to console us, in case the Vienna Conference fail to procure peace for Europe, that continued war will have the effect of teaching us practically what is required to make our establishments perfect, and to enforce public attention to carrying out the lesson. Our own opinion is that diplomacy will hardly suc ceed at present in finding the solution that arms have hitherto failed to disclose. It is not on newspaper paragraphs of the most doubtful auIt is in its influence upon public feeling that thority that we found our anticipations of the the beneficial effects of the Committee of In- failure of the pending negotiations, but on the quiry may be expected. Those effects may be sure ground of a knowledge of the interests and so useful as to fully counterbalance all the danger passions of the contending nations. The Conto which the Inquiry exposed our Executive ference will not break off on the "third point" vigor and Our French alliance, but which because Lord John Russell and M. Drouyn de

Lhuys are not skilled negotiators, but because in in such a cause against such a foe. What Prusthe nature of things the demands we have to sia will eventually do, we do not profess to foremake of Russia cannot be reconciled with her see. Her destiny will of course depend upon assumed position in Europe, and we have not her action; and it is for her statesmen and thinkyet lowered that position down to our demands. ers to settle the question with the besotted facRussia will not consent to make concessions tion that hems round the throne, and prevents which we have not shown ourselves strong the popular will from acting on the Sovereign, enough to wring from her. The war will go on; who is not a bad man but only a weak king. and we trust that our statesmen are not such fools For England, France, and Austria, they will as to have entered upon this Conference without commence the final stage of the drama with binding Austria not to recede from the alliance purposes cleared at last from all hesitation and on any such ground as that Russia has conced-all doubt. This service the Conference will have ed all she asks, and only refuses to concede de- performed. What indefinite results may accrue mands which she cannot join in demanding. from their alliance for the cause of liberty and Such a blunder would be impossible in an unpaid attaché.

We may therefore expect, that when Louis Napoleon enters the gates of Windsor Castle as the guest of our Sovereign, it will be as the member of a fourfold alliance actively engaged in war with Russia. Sardinia has set an example to the minor states of Europe, which shows that free institutions and a spirited foreign policy are naturally connected. Wherever real freedom, real civilization is strong enough to express itself, there we may fairly look for allies

freedom of thought throughout Europe, for the reconstitution of effective barriers against Russian aggression, for the redistribution of the territories of Europe-it would be premature to guess. But all calculation must be set at nought, all reason confounded, if such Powers cannot, in a righteous and unselfish cause carry their purposes into execution. The Easter that sees this alliance of interest and sympathy ripen into an alliance of action, will be memorable among the sacred anniversaries of a far distant future rejoicing in its results.

A tur

health of all the famous electricians of England, Holland, France, and Germany, are to be drunk in electrified bumpers, under a discharge of guns from the electrical battery."

A DISCOVERY interesting to archeologists and somewhat humorously, in a party of pleasure on historians has just been made in the village of the banks of the Schuylkill. Spirits at the same St. Leger (Pas-de-Calais). M. Dussillon, an time are to be fired by a spark sent from side to architect, while having a well bored near a side through the river without any other conductor chateau which he is building on the estate of the than the water; an experiment which we some time Count d'Aoust, discovered, at a depth of about since performed to the amazement of many. twenty yards below the surface, a large excava- key is to be killed for our dinner by the electric tion, which led to a long and extensive gallery, shock, and roasted by the electric jack, before a on either side of which was a range of twenty-fire kindled by the electrified bottle; when the six rooms, paved with a kind of hard cement. According to a work published in 1815, by General de La-chaise, prefect of Pas-de-Calais, these vast subterranean passages are not less than 1,000 yards in length; but since 1789, the entrance to them was lost, and it is only now that by chance the excavations have been again discovered. During the long wars of the League, they served as a place of refuge for the peasants, who frequently retired into them, with their families, furniture, and cattle. Very large thigh bones of horses, the bones of the heads of sheep, and iron spoons and forks, have been found there. An old chateau in the neighborhood having been inhabited in the 16th century by a reigning Prin-Year-Book. By Mrs. Loudon, Author of The

cess of Schwarzemberg, and other personages of distinction, it is probable that subsequent searches may lead to discoveries very valuable

to antiquaries.

TELEGRAPHING through water, NOT A RECENT DISCOVERY.-Dr. Franklin, in 1748, thus wrote to his friend Peter Collinson of London. "Chagrined a little that we have hitherto been able to produce nothing in this way of use to mankind, and the hot weather coming on when electrical experiments are not so agrecable, it is proposed to put an end to them for the season,

Professor Morse, we have understood, made similar successful experiments nine years ago in communicating across the Susquehanna River, and has been for some time prosecuting experiments with the view of forming a telegraphic communication between the United States and Great Britain."-Vide Washington Intelligencer, Oct. 5, 1854.-Notes and Queries.

MY OWN GARDEN; or the Young Gardener's

Ladies' Companion to the Flower-Garden," etc.

A good idea well executed. The first object of My Own Garden is to admonish parents to grant a proper plot of ground to little folk, and not let the gardener fob them off with some damp overshaded spot, where nothing will grow nicely, and where the young gardeners will catch cold. The land being obtained, Mrs. Loudon proceeds to instruct her readers how to lay it out, what to do in each month, and what to cultivate throughout the year. Four wood-cuts exhibit groups of the best flowers for the-four seasons, and the last chapter contains lists of the most available plants.—Spectator.

From The Spectator.

BISHOP COLENSO'S TEN WEEKS IN
NATAL.*

tion is pursued through many more discussions with natives than we can find room for; but we quote one or two. This was the first occasion when the question was mooted among rather advanced converts at a station near Maritsburg.

THIS volume is the narrative of a preliminary visitation of his diocese by Dr. Colenso, to examine the ecclesiastical condition of the province, and to make acquaintance with men After a while, we got into pretty general talk and things previously to taking up his per- on Missionary matters-the Kafirs always obmanent residence. It was ten weeks well serving the admirable law of never speaking two employed in preaching, catechizing, confirm- at a time. I found, as I had been led to expect ing, and administering other spiritual offices by Mr. Allison, that his people were unanimous throughout the more settled parts of Natalin their disapproval of the word for God, now in visiting native chiefs, and conversing with u Tiro,-which, they said, "had no meaning whatcommonly in use among the Missionaries less distinguished Kafirs, in order to smooth ever for the Kafirs. They used it because they the way for systematic educational and mis- found it in their Bibles; but it was not a word sionary attempts, and in sketching a plan for of their language at all.” "The proper word for a college, a cathedral, and other matters con- God was iTongo, which meant with them a Power nected with education and the church, so far of Universal Influence-a Being under whom all as the funds will permit the plans to be car-around were placed." "For instance," said one,

ried out.

if we were going on an expedition, we should, in ordinary circumstances, have trusted to our if some unusual danger of the desert threatened household gods, which we call ama Hlose; but

The narrative is a plain unaffected account of a good deal of rough riding and personal adventures of a slight kind, intermixed with us, or if a violent storm terrified us, we should sketches of civilized people thrown back upon throw these away, and trust in iTongo. All a primitive state of life, from which they are the Kafir tribes, whether on the frontier or to slowly emerging. There are favorable pic- the North, would understand iTongo; but the tures of the colony as a field for emigration, latter would have no idea whatever of what was and many notices of the Kafirs; of whose meant by a uTixo, though the former are now qualities the Bishop entertains a better opin- used to it through the Missionaries." ion than many other persons. The features

stances.

which raise the book above the common nar- This assertion did not turn out to be cor ratives of colonial travel arise from the reli- rect; as the Bishop tested in numerous ingious character and scholarly acquirements of the Bishop himself. He appears to be a man of largely catholic feelings, who, regretThe true words for the Deity in the Kafir lanting what he deems error in the various deno-guage-at least in all this part of Africa-are minations from the Independent to the Roman- The Almighty, and um Velingange, literally. The um Kulunkulu, literally, The Great-Great One ist, can thoroughly appreciate all that is good. First Comer-out The First Essence, or, rather, He looks at the native with a more philoso- Existence. It will be seen, as my narrative prophical eye than has been usual. The Bishop ceeds, that in every instance, whether in the is quite as religiously disposed as the Mission-heathen kraal, amidst the wildest of savages, or aries in general, but with a larger and more in the Missionary station, in the presence of penetrating ken. The difficulties of translating the teacher, who was himself surprised at the retheological or religious ideas into a language sult, my inquiries led me invariably to the same that has no equivalent words, for the reason liar to them from their childhood, as names for point-namely, that these words have been famithat the people have no equivalent thoughts, Him who created them and all things," and as has often been observed upon. The early traces of a religious knowledge, which, however missionaries assumed that this was the case originally derived, their ancestors possessed long with the native South Africans as regarded before the arrival of missionaries, and have handthe word "God," and used a Hottentot term ed down to the present generation. The amount to express the Creator and Disposer of all of unnecessary hinderance to the reception of things. This word appears in all the transla- the Gospel which must be caused by forcing upon tions of the Bible, though it convey no mean- them an entirely new name for the Supreme ing to the Kafir mind. After many inquiries, Being, without distinctly connecting it with their the Bishop satisfied himself that the Kafirs own two names, will be obvious to any thoughtreally had two terms analogous to the words ful mind. It must make a kind of chasm be"Elohim" and "Jehovah." The investiga

Ten Weeks in Natal. A Journal of a first Tour of Visitation among the Colonists and Zulu Kafirs of Natal. By John William Colenso, D. D., Lord Bishop of the Diocese. Published by Macmillan, Cambridge.

tween their old life and the new one to which

they are invited; and it must be long before they can become able as it were to bridge over the gulf, and make out for themselves, that this strange name, which is preached to them, is only the White man's name for the same Great Being of whom they have heard their fathers and moth