and their vicinity, will lay down his book without a strong desire of visiting that British land of faery. Kendal, Windermere, Ambleside, Derwentwater, Skiddaw, Borrowdale, and Keswick are among the objects of attraction visited and described in the principal tour; but, in addition to this, three separate excursions conduct the reader to points not included in the plan pursued by the travellers in the former part of the volume. Mr. Baines seems to have spared neither time nor labour in making himself personally acquainted with all that deserves notice in his romantic neighbourhood. The result of his exertions has been for some time before the public, and has already received a substantial proof of their approbation, in the speed with which two editions have already been exhausted. This extensive patronage of the work is certainly well deserved; for all who intend to visit the heights of Skiddaw, or the banks of Windermere, -the quiet beauty of Borrowdale, or the pleasant cheerfulness of Keswick,-will find, in the " Companion to the Lakes," every direction which can render their excursions agreeable. The itinerary added to the tour will not be considered the least useful part of the volume, and the accompanying map is executed with neatness and accuracy.

The Works of Jonathan Edwards, A.M., with an Essay on his Genius. and Writings. By Henry Rogers.

The works of Jonathan Edwards have been too long before the public to render any explanation of their general import and character necessary; nor, indeed, were the case otherwise, would it be possible to afford even a slight sketch of the collected labours of so Herculean an intellect within the limits to which we are restricted. It is with great satisfaction we find that a more complete edition of the works of this singularly acute and original author than any yet published has lately issued from the press, preceded by an essay on his genius and writings, which may justly be compared, for depth of thought and elegance of diction, with any piece of English composition relating to mental or ethical science which the present day, remarkably distinguished as it has been for eminence in both these branches of philosophy, has yet witnessed. On this essay we shall offer a few remarks, although our observations must necessarily be far more limited than the subject deserves. To do justice to the productions of an intellect far above the ordinary cast and structure of that with which the majority even of the more intellectual part of mankind are favoured; to find a proper scale for the estimate of its powers, or to determine from what particular faculty or from what peculiar combination of qualities, emanated that astonishing mental strength, on the effects of which the greater number of readers look much in the same manner as on the mighty operations of external nature,-well acquainted with the effects presented to their senses, although they are without the remotest idea of their producing causes, requires a mind endued with energies nearly akin to those which form the object of its examination, and a power of observation as rare as the existence of the original talent to which it is directed, because it is produced precisely from the same origin: for, as in art, so in science and philosophy, that peculiar capacity for just appreciation, which, in one instance, is designated taste, and, in the other, judgment, is only the offspring of like powers or similarity of feeling. The development of the peculiarly-constituted mind of Jonathan Edwards, and the attempt at an analytical investigation of its subtle and various properties, might well appear a task not lightly to be undertaken, nor holding out much promise of success to any one engaged in the scrutiny. Its singular conformation has, however, to use the language of anatomy, at length found an able demonstrator. Mr. Rogers traces the deductive talents of the subject of his essay from their first germ to their full display and matured energy, and follows, with an observant eye of philosophic investigation which no

vestige of its presence escapes, the various modifications and phases through which the predominant faculty he is tracking was doomed to pass, from the time when the future author of the treatise on the Human Will, half seduced by the sweet voice of external nature into the more flowery paths of inductive wisdom, for a moment

"Relaxed his ponderous strength and bent to hear," to the period at which his athletic reason, strengthened by a long course of intermediate exertion, stood forth the incontrovertible and victorious champion of truth on a field where the most highly celebrated for intellectual qualities have been repeatedly foiled, and on which none but either the most profound or the least reflective of mankind are ever hardy enough to venture. We can confidently assert that no intelligent reader will follow this examination of one of the most curiously-constituted minds, which have left the traces of their existence on the hearts or understandings of men, without a feeling of more than ordinary gratification: for, if our curiosity is excited, and our fondness for observation gratified by the discoveries of the physiologist or the secrets of that wonderful laboratory contained within us for the subordinate purpose of sustaining mere animal life,—if the complex combinations of vessels, the judicious distribution of glands, and the extensive apparatus of microscopic alembics and stills necessary for the purposes of digestion and assimilation in the human body, have power, when exhibited before us, to awaken an expression of delight, it is hardly necessary to enlarge upon the much higher interest which must arise from an analysis of the faculties of any individual mind, and from laying open to our view all that is remarkable in those mystic sources from which the reasonings and feelings proceed which constitute the peculiar bias and temperament of each. After this investigation of the intellectual properties of the subject of his essay, Mr. Rogers proceeds to a critical consideration of their results as displayed in the famous treatise on the "Human Will," a work embracing, of course, the grand question of election, and indirectly connected with that still more dim and intricate labyrinth, the guiding clue through which lies in the hands of the great teacher Death alone," the origin of moral ill." On this point of metaphysical divinity, which must be acknowledged to be so fertile in contending difficulties, and which so few have approached in the confidence of mental prowess without finding themselves eventually in the predicament of the celebrated wrestler of old, this is not the place to make any observation. Edwards has been generally acknowledged to be victorious; nor, indeed, laying aside the general tendency of Scripture in his favour, will an antagonist easily be found of sufficient argumentative abilities to confront him. Mr. Rogers sums up his propositions and deductions in a clear and concise manner, and lays before the reader a general plan of their relation to the question at issue. His remarks lessen the supposed absolute contradiction between the two systems of necessity and free-will, in page 34, do great credit to his acuteness and discrimination, and are far more to the purpose than any results deducible by human ingenuity from hypothetical data; while his observations on the treatise on " Religious Affections," "God's Chief End in the Creation," and other minor pieces, are equally felicitous and just. Short as our notice is, we must here bring it to a close.

African Sketches. By Thomas Pringle.

Mr. Pringle assimilates some rare qualities, both in his individual character and the character of his writings. We have the opportunity of knowing that he is not one possessed of a Janus-like fame-he has not a different countenance for private and public transactions. He is a Christian without bigotry-refined in his simplicity, and supported in all he does by genius and truth; everything he writes tends to good and benevolent purposes, because he thinks rightly, and speaks as he thinks. Can anything

then that is not both pleasing and instructive proceed from so well organized a mind? These sketches are, in truth, the most interesting we have read for months. The volume is divided into two parts, prose and poetry; or rather, we should say, according to its arrangement, poetry and prose-the poetry consisting of miscellaneous subjects-the prose being a narrative of what the author felt, saw, and suffered during a residence of six years in Southern Africa. Some of the pieces have appeared already before the public, and Mr. Pringle's admirers will be most happy to find them collected. The results dependent upon the wise and equitable settlement of our relations with the tribes of Southern Africa have led him to devote an extent of space to the discussion of that interesting topic-the peculiar importance of which will be felt by our lawgivers, as well as by all connected personally or otherwise with African affairs: thus it will be seen that those sketches are valuable, not only on account of their individual beauty and local interest, but because of their moral and political information; and we only regret that the space allotted in our Magazine for reviews cramps our pen, or we would enter fully upon the subject. We must therefore content ourselves by recommending the volume sincerely to our readers, fully assured that they will be well recompensed for the time bestowed on its pages by the pleasure and information they cannot fail to obtain.

A Selection of Irish Melodies. The Poetry by Thomas Moore. With what "rainbow feelings" have we looked upon this volume! What recollections have crowded our memory of the young! the bright! the beautiful! whose voices sung the melodies that from time to time appeared, wedded to the sweet poetry of the most perfect lyrical writer of the age. It is pleasant to observe, that though in this the tenth number of "Irish Melodies" the verse is not as buoyant, as light, as gleesome as in former times-yet the feeling, the grace, the sensibility of the poet are undiminished; wisdom has modulated, not unstrung his harp; and to our taste, the subdued feeling of many of the present compositions forms a happy contrast to the spirited lays of his earlier years. We feel that without this number the series would have been incomplete. The great difficulty that Mr. Moore had to encounter from the commencement of his undertaking was the moulding his poetry to the frequently wild and almost unmanageable cadence and time of the melody; and it is no small praise to say, that in no instance has the difficulty baffled the poet; his ingenuity has kept pace with his genius, and both united triumphed over every obstacle, and preserved the music of his native land in all its purity. We wish Mr. Power all success with this new publication; he has been for years and years the best patron of national melody, and always ready to push forward musical genius, even at a time when it was not so much the fashion as it is at present so to do.

The Sabbath Minstrel; a Series of Melodies from the Works of distinguished Composers; selected and arranged for one, two, and three Voices, with Accompaniment for the Piano-Forte. By John Blockley, This work, a meritorious attempt to present for general use a small body of devout minstrelsy, free from all unnecessary heaviness and repellant monotony, has now been completed, by the publication of its twelfth part, and forms the material for a handsome volume, which may occupy the music-desk with especial propriety on the evening of the Sabbath-day, or at any time when the cheerful aid of music is sought in connection with devotional sentiments. It is an evidence of a right sense of the importance of his object, that the compiler has taken his stores from the first sources, both musical and poetical; and he is thus enabled to offer an array of bright names, in tempting promise of the value to be found in the varied production to which they severally contribute, For those whose love of

music is of that craving species that must always have something of positive novelty, he has introduced a few pieces of his own composition, expressly designed for the work-a step with which (since he has been some time before the public with credit as a composer) we shall not critically quarrel. This collection will serve to fill a void that must have been long sensibly felt by the more sober spirits among the class of musical amateurs. Why should sacred music be all of the massive character that would confine its practice to cathedrals and churches? Why should it not find its way (when divested, as in this case, of whatever is cumbrous and inapplicable) into private societies and home-cherishing circles?

Discoveries in Asia Minor. By the Rev. F. V. I. Arundell, British Chaplain at Smyrna.

The Rev. Mr. Arundell, as resident for many years in this great emporium of Asia Minor, had opportunities of acquiring local knowledge, and, as a man of learned education and classical attainments, had more capabilities of applying it to a useful purpose than tourists who only pay a passing visit, and whose education does not qualify them for learned inquiries. Of these superior advantages Mr. Arundell has been assiduous in availing himself; and he has now published two works on Asia Minor of a very interesting character:-one" A Visit to the Seven Churches of the Apocalypse," published a few years ago, in which he has given the public, not only the most recent, but the most full and accurate account of the actual state of these places at the present day; the other, the work before us, enlarging his former information by the discovery of cities of former renown, of which it had been supposed, like those of ancient Troy, etiam perière ruinæ. Among these are the towns of Apamea and Sagalossus, and the great city of Antioch, in Pisidia, with rivers whose course had eluded the research of former antiquarians, and the Salt Lake of Anava, described by Herodotus, but which other travellers had searched for in vain. We regret that we received the work too late to enter this month into details of these discoveries, or fairly to appreciate their value, which we propose to do in our next number. In the meantime, we congratulate that part of the public who take an interest in such knowledge, and surely there are few whose minds are not imbued with the love of such illustrations of ancient lore, whether sacred or profane,—that, in the British Chaplain of Smyrna, they find a congenial spirit, who possesses a zeal in the pursuit, a sagacity in the discovery, and a judgment in the application of his learning, which fully qualify him for the undertaking.

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Allan Breck. By the Author of "The Subaltern." 3 vols.

This work has been for some time before the public, and is estimated as it deserves. The author was one of the earliest to lay by the sword and assume the pen; and although many of our soldiers and seamen have since followed his example, his name continues high in the list-he is not a Subaltern" among the corps of literary battlers. His novel, "Allan Breck," cannot fail to sustain his reputation; it is full of knowledge of the world-kindly and christian-like, although perhaps studied in a rough school. There is a deep and exciting interest about it which carries the reader forward, and leaves him well satisfied with himself, the writer, and the world.

The Gardener's Magazine, and Register of Rural and Domestic Improvement. Conducted by J. C. Loudon, F.L.S., &c. &c. 8vo. Nos. L. and LI.

These numbers may be considered as the commencement of a new series of this long-established and most useful work; and, though some

what diminished in size, as well as considerably lowered in price, they are as excellent as any of their predecessors. The work is now published monthly-a change that seems to have given the greatest satisfaction to all whom we have heard mention the subject..

The Hamiltons.· 3 vols.

This is a very lively and amusing book, full of the brilliancy and tact that have rendered Mrs. Gore so decidedly and so deservedly popular. Without any new or prominent development of character, it contains sufficient to while away some tedious hours, and perhaps draw tears even from those who have sympathized with "Mothers and Daughters,” which we have ever looked upon as the fair lady's chef-d'œuvre.

Mrs. Gore appears to have changed her politics, but we cannot condemn her if she has done so for conscience' sake, though we differ from her upon more than one point. We are quite willing to pay tribute to the talent with which her arguments are supported; her style is more piquant than powerful, but she is ever right in a moral point of view, and it is with this conviction fully upon us that we recommend the Hamiltons so strongly to the perusal of our friends.

We cannot, however, conclude this brief notice without suggesting to Mrs. Gore to strike into some new style of composition. The race of fashionable novels is fairly run out-exhausted-hunted down; and though the broad universe is open to our modern novelists, they appear-with few exceptions-to submit quietly to the confinement of Almack's and St. James's, and to suffer the feelings and acts of poor human nature to remain unregistered."We would change all this."

Treatise on the Progress of Literature, and its Effects on Society. 8vo.

The subject of this volume, as interesting as it is comprehensive, has been handled by no incompetent exhibitor. Much sound sense, and some acuteness of reasoning, applied to the illustration and advancement of benevolent views, constitute the author's claims to notice and respect. He has drawn an instructive sketch of the general character and progress of literature in ancient and modern times, and has marked his sketch throughout with many skilful touches, representing the effects which literature, in its fluctuating, but ultimately progressive, course, has wrought on the habits and condition of society. He is a decided and consistent advocate of mental enlightenment in its widest application; he introduces a variety of striking facts in the historical and literary career of our own country, and thence, makes an impressive induction of the advantages politically and socially derivable from the increase of general knowledge and intellectual culture. The speculations in which he proceeds to indulge as to the future prospects of society are of a highly encouraging tendency, and perhaps not too enthusiastic to be legitimately deducible from his previous statements of causes and effects; at all events, he is manifestly the earnest friend of his species, in which character, while we cordially welcome him, we will give him room to recommend himself to the attention of our readers, through the means of the following little extract from his pages:

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"If, instead of the violent extremes of profuse expenditure and hopeless poverty, of intense exertion and lifeless torpor,-the nations of Europe had applied the immense resources of wealth and talent which they have wasted on war in cultivating the arts of peace, with a constant and equal activity, such as individuals observe when left free to the pursuit of their own interests, what an astonishing progress might not have been made in wealth, intelligence, and happiness !”