two halts; that the herie I am to ride will give me milk, and that he hopes to make me one of the Eshrub el Rukh, which performs the whole journey without eating, its allowance being camel's milk. I find I can work hard the whole day upon a draught of this, its satisfying quality being such that no other food is required. I have been some time in training; a small portion of meat but every other day, no bread, a little tea; and milk, the day I do not take meat. With the exception of my stay at Mogadore, I have had no bed for five months; I can nearly warrant myself sun-proof, my face, hands, and arms, feet and legs, having been three times excoriated. I have now acquired the power of resisting the action of the sun; I have adopted, in toto, the Arab dress, and am nearly as brown as some of the Paria caste.

"From this we are to set out on the 6th of June, that being one of their lucky days; so that by the time this reaches you, I hope, please God, to have arrived, or nearly, at Timbuctoo."

The above is not the latest of Mr. Davidson's letters which have reached England, and that have appeared in the London journals. In one dated Glamiz Wad Noon, September 25th, particulars are enumerated which show that he had not proceeded either on the 6th of June, or in the manner previously proposed. He now expected to start in a very few days, and to travel in company with the whole of a tribe, in number amounting to two hundred men, and having six hundred camels. Thirty camels were to carry his baggage-the presents he was obliged to take, "and the money, all in cowries, ten camel loads of which only equal £100 sterling, make it very bulky." He mentions two spots, two hundred miles distant from one another, the nearer being about six hundred miles across the Desert, as the only places at which they shall get meat, and that their usual food will be barley and dates ground up together, and moistened with milk or water. He adds, "I have lately had a trial of this fare, as I have been on an excursion of ten days; part of it through a beautiful country, as to scenery, but wholly without drinkable water. Many herds of gazelles, &c. were seen in the course of this not inconsiderable expedition, when it is considered that besides the want of water, "the heat we found excessive"-" yet I did not suffer, though my companion, Abú Bekr felt it much." Mr. Davidson's hardihood and resolutions were not, however, to be long unassailable by human violence, for it is understood that he met his death before the middle of December.

Several points for observation are suggested by the foregoing accounts, and by every glance which one may take of Africa. One has already been alluded to by us, viz. that the civilisation of the negroes who inhabit the interior is superior to what characterises a vast proportion of those on the coasts. One reason which ought to be assigned for this apparently contradictory statement, when we consider the facilities of intercourse with distant and enlightened nations, offers an awful accusation against the most enlightened

kingdoms of Christendom. What is Abu Bekr's story, after he was brought near to the shores of Africa, and within the scope of Christian gold, avarice, and piracy? Why, "they sold me to the Christians." What was his case has been the fate of millions of the negroes, and hence great debasement of mind, and disruption of social relations. We can see no other cause for the anomaly alluded to, when comparing the African nations on the coast with those which dwell in the interior.

Another fact stares one in the face when meditating on the past and the present condition of certain African nations. Take those that border the Mediterranean-take Egypt; why is it that these which approach so near to the parts of the globe which have been most civilised, whether ancient or modern times be included, have retrograded so wofully from what they once were? Why is the country, which is enriched by the Nile, and which was the cradle of science and the arts, now chiefly celebrated for being the grave of the same? Or take the regency of Tunis at the present day, and compare therewith what the beauty and magnitude of its architectural remains proclaim-for these are the most permanent and faithful chroniclers of ancient civilisation. Let Sir Grenville Temple be heard when describing as he does in one of his works, the amphitheatre at Tunis, now called El Jemme, but anciently Tysdrus.

"Though yielding in magnitude and splendour to the Coliseum, it is still one of the most perfect, vast, and beautiful remains of former times which exist, to our knowledge; or, as I should perhaps more correctly state, to my own individual knowledge; combining in itself more of those united properties, than any other building which I can at this moment bring to my recollection.

"The length of the amphitheatre of Tysdrus, which extends nearly east and west, is 429 by 368 feet; and that of the arena, 238 by 182 feet. These two latter measurements are taken from the inner existing wall, the real boundary of the arena being uncertain. The height of the level of the first gallery is 33 feet, and to the summit of the edifice 96 feet. It possesses four ranges of pillars and arches, 60 in number in each, or rather in the three lower ones, for the fourth is a pilastrade, elevated on a stylobata, with a square window in every third inter-pilaster. The capitals are of that

species of the composite order which we see on Diocletian's Pillar at Alexandria, with a slight variation between the second range and those composing the first and third. At each extremity was a grand entrance; but the west one, together with an arch on each side of it, was destroyed, together with the same portion of the whole superstructure, about one hundred years ago, by Muhamed Bey, who thereby wished to prevent the possibility of the amphitheatre being converted into a strong and vast fortress by some tribes of Arabs, then in open revolt against his authority. A very small portion also of the exterior wall of the fourth or upper story remains to this day. The interior of this magnificent building is in a far more dilapidated state than the exterior, which, with the above-mentioned exceptions, may be stated to be in complete preservation; but great part

of the vaulted and inclined plane, which supported the seats, the galleries, and the vomitoria, are still left. The galleries and stairs leading to the different stages were supported by arches and vaults, composed, not like the rest of the building, of large pierres de taille, but of a mass of small stones and mortar; and they have, consequently, in many places fallen in. Under the surface of the arena, as in those of the Coliseum and Amphitheatre of Capua, are seen passages, and little chambers for containing the wild beasts, as well as square apertures opening upon the arena, up which were raised the lions and tigers, enclosed in boxes made on the principle of the pigeon-traps used at shooting-matches, whose sides, on reaching the summit, being unsupported by the walls of the tunnel, fell to the ground, and, working on the hinges which joined them to the bottom of the box, left the ferocious monsters at once exposed to the view of the spectators.” When Sir Grenville says that "the numberless, and stately remains of Roman architecture, which still crown every hill, and moulder in every valley of the regency of Tunis, speak more for the energy and civilising influence of the Cæsars, than the greatness of Rome itself," one cannot but regard the rise of that despotism, error, and mental bondage which the Prophet originated, as being perhaps the greatest scourge which falsehood ever entailed upon mankind, and to a great extent the cause of the lamentable retrogression of those African regions which are amongst the fairest and most favourably situated portions of the globe.

One other point naturally engages the mind when the past and present condition of Africa is the theme of meditation, and this, of course, directs to the future. What can philanthropy hope in reference to this matter? To us the prospect is disheartening. Though known from the remotest times this quarter of the globe is at the present moment far less familiar to the civilised world than the last discovered continents; and its people are the lowest on the mental scale. When to these are added the facts that retrogression and not progression has been Africa's doom for many centuries-that immense tracts are thinly peopled, and others not peopled at all or capable of affording sustenance to human beings, the heart of the philanthropist becomes parched and dreary; the period when even its habitable regions can all be safely or easily visited seems to retire far into futurity; and that in which negro degradation shall give way to light and liberty, to fall only within the compass of the miraculous intervention of an almighty arm.

ART. V.-The Evidences of the Genuineness of the Gospels. By ANDREWS NORTON, Vol. I. Boston: America. 1837.

THE Christian cause is deeply indebted, in as far as man's efforts are to be regarded, to the champions who have stood up to defend, illustrate, and enforce its merits among our transatlantic brethren.

Many American names familiar to every one in any degree conversant with theological works, might be mentioned to substantiate the accuracy of our assertion. And here we have another, and to us a new combatant, who, there can be no doubt, will in future occupy one of the foremost ranks in that venerable and gallant army, recruited from many countries, which has fought the Gospel's battles, and won, even upon earth, undying triumphs. Let not our readers suppose, however, that we are about to travel so far beyond our province as to enter upon any elucidation or controversy as respects the theological doctrines of the New Testament. The volume before us will indeed be found by learned divines to be an armoury full of resistless weapons whetted for their peculiar service; but it is a volume also, which in certain capacities, falls directly within the sphere of a journal solely devoted to what is understood by the ordinary phrase general literature; for, as an example of elaborate research, deep erudition, and ingenious yet sound and grave criticism, these Evidences have seldom been surpassed. A favourable presumption will be formed both of the work, and of the author, when it is stated that it had its commencement so far back as 1819, since which time the labours and studies, to render it as worthy as possible of its lofty theme, have been unremitting-every new contribution to knowledge and conviction being laid hold of to perfect

the effort.

Mr. Norton has in a great measure taken a new stand in his endeavour to prove that the Gospels are genuine, or, at least, maintained it in a new manner, and with greater unity of purpose and effect than has, we believe, hitherto been done. That our readers may obtain some notion of the nature of the performance-though it will be an exceedingly imperfect one, both as regards the argument, or the connecting links of the author's acute and powerful criticism, and the perspecuity and propriety of his style-we shall afford a glance at its main features.

One of the most common methods adopted to convince the inquirer or doubter, as to the truth and genuine character of the writings found in the New Testament, is to adduce the testimonies of witnesses, and to endeavour to prove their competency and their credibility. By so doing, however, there have been many failures on account of the authorities quoted being objected to, and, indeed, on account of the contradictions which in the hands of some writers can easily be detected between the evidence furnished by the witnesses brought forward. There is another method which has often been employed with a great measure of success towards the same end, and this is to rest on circumstantial evidence-on circumstances of time, place, historical facts, and even slight events, which if they all agree and none oppose, is without a question the best of all proof; for while witnesses may be guilty of perjury, or a certain

number of them may conspire to trump up a fabulous story, it is impossible that a multitude of incidents which afterwards mutually agree and elucidate one another, but which at the period of their occurrence had no visible connection, should be fabricated by any concert of designing persons. What is required of this circumstantial evidence is, that there be such a chain both unbroken and minutely united-though some of the links may be slight, as no suspicion of concert or of chance can be entertained. When, as in the case of the Gospels, such evidence as this can be found, backed by that of a number of unimpeachable witnesses, the triumph of Christianity over scepticism may be considered complete. This completeness, we are satisfied, has often and long ago been furnished, so as not to leave a foot for infidels to stand upon in the controversy concerning the genuineness of the Gospels.

Still, however complete the arguments of Christian writers may have been in a contest with deists and atheists, it would be too much to say, that the throne of truth cannot receive any additional re-inforcement in its support. It would be rash to declare that there is any physical fact, any moral principle, any laws of congruity such as criticism can detect, which do not offer arguments in support of the highest truths that concern man. If, therefore, Mr. Norton has betaken himself to a new battery, or directed his artillery in an unusual manner, let him be tried according to the execution which he does, not by any assertions about the danger of untried methods.

Well then, our author addresses himself solely in the present volume to the circumstantial evidences in behalf of the "Genuineness of the Gospels," but not as has generally or, perhaps, universally been done by his predecessors, by arguing from circumstances in history that there was such a personage as he, whose life and conversation form the great theme of the four Gospels, or that he promulgated the doctrines therein contained. The point upon which he makes his circumstantial facts to throw light, is, as to whether Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John really wrote the books which are ascribed to them in our Bibles. Now it is manifest, if he can establish this point by circumstantial evidence, he not only must evince an extraordinary acquaintance with ancient literature and history, both civil and ecclesiastic, but the question as to the authenticity of what the Evangelists record, is reduced to such a small and simple point as may very easily be resolved,-not, let it be understood, as between christians and infidels (the latter having by other arguments and long ago been foiled), but as between certain antagonist opinions among professing christians themselves, some schools of whom advance doctrines which are more inimical to the cause of the Gospel, than those of the most inveterate sceptics.

The school of professing christians which Mr. Norton has particularly in his eye, has become numerous in Germany. Eichhorn has