This is a neat 12mo of about 400 pages, "designed to present such historical facts connected with our early history, and descriptions of interesting localities with which they are connected, as are deemed of essential importance to the numerous visitors who resort to the spot, rendered memorable as the scene where the foundations of republican institutions were first laid in this western world, and the principles of religious and civil liberty were successfully established in New England." The design of the author has been accomplished. Although much novelty can hardly be expected in relation to subjects which have already become trite, though not uninteresting, yet by a judicious collection of facts and a pleasing presentation of them, the work is well adapted to engage the attention of the reader, and to furnish him with the information desired. It commences with a brief detail of the circumstances, which led our Pilgrim Fathers to leave the land of their birth and embark for a country of pathless wildernesses, abounding in savage beasts and still more savage men. It follows them in their voyage, through storms and perils to them unknown before; it describes their arrival at Cape Cod, the sufferings, privations, and hardships they endured, and the subsequent increase and growth of the infant Colony, all in a manner highly instructive. The various places of interest to a traveller in the town of Plymouth are distinctly and minutely pointed out, and many matters of importance are related concerning them. Several ancient documents of great value are also inserted, together with some notice of the Pilgrims. The volume closes with a collection of Hymns and Songs, selected from the productions of our best authors, composed with express reference to Anniversary Celebrations in Plymouth and other parts of the United States. The work is embellished with a map of Plymouth village in 1846, a frontispiece engraving of the town and harbor of Plymouth, also several other designs. It is a book eminently useful to the traveller, and valuable to the historian.

The History of Charlestown, Massachusetts. By Richard Frothingham, Jr. "The History of a Town is united with that of the Country to which it belongs, and with that of the ages through which it has stood." Charlestown: Charles P. Emmons. Boston: Charles C. Little and James Brown. 1845.

This is a work issued in numbers of about 50 pages each. The author states, in the commencement, his sources of information to be, the town Records; Records of the first church in the town; the Colony Records; the Probate and Registry Records; and private collections of papers. From such materials we should think a most perfect history can be made. We are pleased to see an interest arising in the minds of many, concerning our local or town histories, for by this means only can that of the state be rendered accurate. "Each town has some noted spot where the Indian may have fought for his burial-places, or the colonists for their freedom; that may have sheltered a hermit or a regicide; that superstition may have invested with a fairy legend, or nature have robed with more than fairy magnificence. Each has its Liberty Tree, its Green Dragon, its Faneuil Hall, where its patriots may have counselled or acted. And each has had citizens who laid its foundations, perhaps in hardship and danger." It is for the local annalist to gather these traditions and facts, from which the state historian may form a comprehensive and accurate account. This work is embellished with quite a number of interesting engravings. Four numbers have appeared, containing much useful and curious matter, and we hope soon to see the remainder. The work is highly deserving public patronage, and we hope that Charlestown and its vicinity especially, will amply reward the author for his indefatigable labors.

A Gazetteer of Massachusetts, containing Descriptions of all the Counties, Towns, and Districts of the Commonwealth; and also, of its principal Mountains, Rivers, Capes, Bays, Harbors, Islands, and Fashionable Resorts. To which are added Statistical Accounts of its Agriculture, Commerce, and Manufactures; with a great variety of useful Information. By John Hayward, Author of the "New England Gazetteer," "Book of Religions," &c. Boston: John Hayward. 1846.

This is decidedly a valuable work. The name of the author alone would guarantee an elaborate, and, so far as within his ability, a strictly accurate publication. It presents Massachusetts in a statistical, historical, and topographical light, and is filled with such matter as would be deeply interesting to the antiquary, and the man of business, indeed to all in Massachusetts who take any pleasure in knowing the condition and prosperity of their own state. It is a work useful for reference in regard to education, internal improvements, matters of commercial importance—and may be regarded as a universal Gazetteer. We cheerfully commend it to the patronage of the public.

Epitaphs from the Old Burying-Ground in Cambridge. With Notes, by William Thaddeus Harris, Junior Sophister in Harvard College. Cambridge: Published by John Owen.

It has been, and still is, the disposition of the public, to regard the resting-places of the deceased with aversion, rather than with pleasurable interest. This we think should not be the case. 66 Forget not the faithful dead" is worthy to be inscribed at the entrance of every cemetery, and these, instead of being permitted to run to waste. should be adorned, and made pleasing to the sight. Thus the grave may be divested of its gloom, and the graveyard, now an object of terror, may become frequented as a place for calm, serious, and profitable meditation.

In this volume a complete transcript is made of the epitaphs in the burying-ground, from 1653 to the year 1800; but in the years succeeding 1800, with a few exceptions, the names only of those, to whose memory monuments have been erected, are given. In addition to these, which are 670 in number, there are brief notices of many, whose monumental inscriptions are given. A table, also, of the deaths of many, whose monuments have crumbled to dust, or whose remains were deposited in tombs, is appended. It is a volume of 192 pages, octavo, printed at the University press, and must be interesting to those who delight in curious and antiquated matters. We hope others will be induced to prepare like collections from those spots where,

"Each in his narrow cell for ever laid,

The rude forefathers of the hamlet sleep."

The author is a son of Thaddeus William Harris, M. D., Librarian of the University, and grandson of the late Rev. Thaddeus Mason Harris, D. D., of Dorchester. We may at some future time make extracts from the work.

Loring's Massachusetts Register, or Record Book of Valuable Information, for the year 1847. Designed as a Suitable Companion for the Professional Man, the Merchant, the Public Officer, and the Private Citizen. Boston: James Loring, 132 Washington Street.

This volume is the eightieth of the Massachusetts Register, and its value as a work of reference will, we think, be appreciated by the public for as many years to come. Such a work is much needed by all classes of business men throughout the state. It comprises statistics of civil officers; professional men; societies and associations, literary, scientific, religious, and benevolent; commerce; mercantile affairs; naval and military officers; courts and justices; institutions of learning, and also those for benevolent purposes; corporations of all kinds. It is literally multum in parvo. Mr. Loring, who has much of a historical taste, deserves great praise for his endeavors to render it accurate and useful; and it should have an extensive circulation in the state. The publishers of the Register have been as follows:

In 1767, Mein and Fleming, at the London Bookstore, north side of King street, now State street; in 1774, Mills and Hicks, School street, next door to Brackett's Tavern, sign of Cromwell's Head; in 1779, Thomas and John Fleet, sign of the Bible and Heart, corner of Cornhill and Water street; in 1801, John West and Manning and Loring, until 1813, when its publishers were West, Richardson, and Lord, and the present publisher, who has been a proprietor for forty-six years past.

A Statistical View of the Population of Massachusetts, from 1765 to 1840. By Jesse Chickering. Boston: Charles C. Little and James Brown. 1846. pp. 160.

"The object of this essay is to exhibit the increase of the population of Massachu setts, and the changes which have taken place in the number and proportion of the inhabitants in the several parts of the Commonwealth, during the period of seventyfive years from 1765 to 1840." "The censuses consulted in the preparation of this work are the Colonial census, ordered in 1764 and finished in 1765, and the six censuses of the United States, taken at intervals of ten years, from 1790 to 1840." The number of inhabitants in Massachusetts in 1765, from various calculations is estimated at 244,149, exclusive of 1,569 Indians. In 1790, according to the United States census published in 1791, the population was 378,787, which is adopted as the true number; in 1800 it was 422,845; in 1810, 472,040; in 1820, 523,287; in 1830, 610,408; and in 1840, 737,700. The U. S. censuses of 1790, 1800, and 1820 were taken August 1st; and those of 1810, 1830, and 1840 were taken July 1st; so that the intervals between the second and third, and the fourth and fifth were two months less than ten years, while that between

the third and fourth was two months more than ten years. These differences in the length of the intervals affect the numerical results, but so slightly, as not to be materially important in the comparative results, especially for so long a period as from 1790 to 1840. The least increase discovered in any period is in that embracing the time from 1810 to 1820; probably owing in some degree to the war then existing with Great Britain and the emigration of many citizens to the West. In the period from 1765 to 1790, the increase was greater than it has ever been.

The increase of Boston, in proportion to its inhabitants, from 1765 to 1790 was very much less than that of the country towns, while from 1790 to 1840 it was very much greater, thus showing the modern tendency to centralization. Besides the great amount of statistical matter of which the above is an exceedingly brief epitome, it contains a table showing the average number of inhabitants in each year, according to the U. S. censuses, together with the increase, on the supposition of a uniform rate of increase in each year, the same being carried on to 1850, at the rate of increase from 1830 to 1840. Much other valuable matter is contained in this publication; manifestly of great labor and of apparent accuracy. Such a work as this of Dr. Chickering was much needed to rectify the many errors which had arisen in the taking and computing the censuses. We only add, that could such a statistical view be taken of every state in the Union, many important facts would be discovered and many data be obtained, from which inferences might perhaps be drawn greatly interesting and useful.

A Discourse delivered before The Maine Historical Society at its Annual Meeting. September 6, 1846. By George Folsom. prove a very flourishing place, and be replenished with many faire Towns and Cit"But I doubt not * * ies, it being a Province both fruitful and pleasant."-F. Gorges. Description * it will of the Province of Maine. Portland: Published for the Society. 1847.

The subject of this discourse is the early discovery and settlement of Maine, and the character of those who were most active in the work of colonization. It clearly indicates the author to be a man of historical research not only in regard to the state of Maine, but also in respect to New England and the early settlers generally. It is well worth the careful perusal, both of those who are fond of historic lore, and those who are searching for truth; as it contains facts which are important and are not generally known.

Mr. Folsom concludes his discourse of 75 pages as follows: "In my humble opinion, Maine owes some public acknowledgment to the memory of Sir Ferdinando Gorges, for having laid the foundation of its existence as a separate and independent community. Bradford and Winthrop are names that will never die amongst their successors at Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay; Pennsylvania will never forget her obligations to the illustrious Friend of humanity who peopled her wilderness; nor will Georgia suffer the memory of the enlightened Oglethorpe to perish; Maryland has stamped the name of Baltimore her 'city of Raleigh,' although the projected colony of Sir Walter proved a splendid upon her brilliant commercial metropolis, and North Carolina has failure. And shall Maine do nothing to mark her sense of the merits of the liberal patron and successful abettor of the first settlements within her limits; who expended a large fortune upon his projects of discovery and colonization; who, when the country was abandoned and denounced by others as too cold and dreary for human habitation, actually hired men to pass the winter here to prove the contrary; and who died without reaping any substantial return for all his labors and outlays, leaving only a legacy of lawsuits to his descendants? ory. From the small beginning he made, this community has become a widely extendIt is time that justice was done to his memed, populous, and wealthy state-rich in her resources, and not less distinguished for the active enterprise and laborious industry of her population. She can well afford to honor the memory of the man who foresaw all this, and devoted the energies of a long life to its consummation."

The Sin and Danger of Self-Love, described in a Sermon preached at Plymouth, in New England, 1621, by Robert Cushman. Boston: Published by Charles Ewer, and for sale by Crocker & Brewster, With a Memoir of the Author. Samuel G. Drake, Little & Brown, James Munroe & Company, Benjamin Perkins, and James Loring. Dec. 22, 1846.

The text from which this sermon was written is, 1 Cor. x.: 24. Let no man seek his own: but every man another's wealth. It is divided into two parts: 1. A Dehortation, con

sisting of the first clause. 2. An Exhortation, comprising the latter clause. The design of the discourse was to keep up the noble flow of public spirit in the emigrants, which perhaps then began to abate, through their accumulating hardships and sufferings, but which was necessary for their preservation and security. The author exhorts his hearers to assist each other in their labors and toils, to distribute their property among those that were needy, and so far as consistent to seek their neighbors' happiness and prosperity. "The discourse is a precious relic of ancient times. The sound sense, good advice, and pious spirit, which it manifests, will, it may be hoped, now, and in all future time, meet with approval and beneficial acceptance in our community." It is written in the quaint old-fashioned style of our Forefathers, and we noticed that the last head of remarks, which contains but one sentence, is just a page in length. The discourse is preceded by a Biographical Sketch of Mr. Cushman, by the late Hon. John Davis of Boston, together with a letter from him to Charles Ewer, Esq., and a brief Address by Mr. Cushman to "his Loving Friends the Adventurers for New England, together with all Well-Willers and Well-Wishers thereunto," dated "Plymouth in New England, December 12, 1621." These several articles form a pamphlet of 32 pages, well printed, which, on account of its Christian and patriotic principles, should be generally diffused. For this improved edition, we are indebted to the liberality of the publisher.

Deficiencies in our History. An Address, delivered before the Vermont Historical and Antiquarian Society, at Montpelier, October 16, 1846, with an Appendix containing the Charter, Constitution, and By-Laws of the Society, the Vermont Declaration of Independence, January 15, 1777, the Proceedings of the Convention, 4th of June, 1777, and the Song of the Vermonters, in 1779. By James Davie Butler, Professor in Norwich University. Montpelier: Eastman and Danforth.

1846.

The design of this address seems to be, to illustrate the importance of preserving the fragmentary and unpublished history of Vermont, a state which for interest in its early history is surpassed by no other in the Union. Notwithstanding this, however, it has been greatly neglected. Prof. Butler urges strongly upon the members of the Society to exert themselves to repair the losses, and give to the world an honorable account of the Green Mountain State. While others have given partial and one-sided details of her history, no true son has arisen to vindicate her honor. Says Mr. Butler, "Let us leave our history to be written by foreigners, and it will be the play of Hamlet with the part of Hamlet omitted. The Genius of history says to us, all and each, that thou doest do quickly; like the sibyl to the ancient king, she year by year brings with her fewer and fewer antique records, but unlike the sibyl demands for them an even increasing price. The records of our fathers have in part perished with them,- some of them live in the memories of patriarchs, who still stand among us with eyes undimmed and natural force not abated, as if on purpose that such as hold the pen of the ready writer may still embalm their sayings. Let us redeem the time, since if our old men pass away unquestioned, no buried Pompeii can be raised from the grave to enlighten our wilful ignorance." The discourse is interspersed throughout with historical gems, and in connection with the additional documents forms a valuable production. Professor Butler has kindly furnished us with a genealogical account of the Butler Family, which will be inserted in the next No. of the Register.

The Patrician: Edited by John Burke, Esq., Author of the Peerage, Landed Gentry, &c. May, 1846. London: E. Churton, 26 Holles Street. pp. 94.

The dedication of the work is as follows:

To the Right Honorable Lord Leigh, of Stoneleigh, the first volume of the Patrician is respectfully inscribed.

The number before us is the first of the first volume. Ten have already been issued. It is a work devoted to History, Genealogy, Heraldry, Topography, Antiquities, and General Literature. Each number contains a long list of births, marriages, and deaths. The editor must be a man of varied learning, and particularly acquainted with the subjects of which he treats. The work is not adapted to the public generally, and must, therefore, be limited in circulation. As an English production it may be interesting to the higher classes or nobility of England; but it cannot attract the attention of Americans.

Judges proceeded with great caution, asking advice of some of the wisest and best men in the community, and having the countenance of rulers, ministers, and in general of all classes of men. But the delusion was soon made manifest. Judge Sewall in particular was convinced of his error, in the part which he had taken in the court of trials; and often discovered deep regret and humiliation on account of it. He notes particularly in his Journal of Dec. 24, 1696, on occasion of his son Samuel's reciting to him in Latin a portion of Matthew xii, "the 7th verse did awfully bring to mind the Salem Tragedie." And at a public Fast, Jan. 14, 1697, in the order for which there was some reference to the doings of that court of Oyer and Terminer, and when he was under much affliction on account of the death of an infant daughter and other troubles and crosses, he presented to Rev. Samuel Willard, his minister, a “bill,” which was read in the worshipping assembly; (he standing up while Mr. Willard read it, and bowing in token of assent when he had done;) in which, while with much delicacy he appears to have studiously avoided saying any thing that might seem to implicate the other judges, he acknowledged his own guilt in the decisions of that court, asked the pardon of it both of God and man, and deprecated the Divine judgments on account of his sin or the sin of any other person, upon himself, his family, or the land.

But though he thus condemned himself for the part he had acted in the trials at Salem, yet the public confidence did not appear to have been shaken, either in him or the other Judges. For on the first appointment of Judges of the Superior Court, under the Provincial charter, Dec. 6, 1692, Mr. Sewall was chosen one. The others were William Stoughton, Chief-Justice, Thomas Danforth, John Richards, and Wait-Still Winthrop, each of whom, excepting Mr. Danforth, had been members of the Court of Oyer and Terminer. April 16, 1718, he was appointed to succeed Wait-Still Winthrop as Chief-Justice of the Superior Court. And although from various causes there were numerous changes in this court in his day, yet he still retained his seat on the bench until 1728; when, in consequence of his advanced years and increasing infirmities, he resigned it; having survived more than ten years all those who had been members of that court from the beginning, and having officiated in this capacity under the Colonial and Provincial governments upwards of forty years. At the same time, he also resigned his office of Judge of Probate for the county of Suffolk, to which he had been appointed by Lieut. Gov. Tailer, in 1715.