Page images
PDF
EPUB

blood royal, had, with much trouble and vast expense, a hunting match for the entertainment of our most illustrious and most gracious queen. Our people call this a royal party. I was then a young man, and was present on that occasion. Two thousand Highlanders, or wild Scotch as you call them here, were employed to drive to the hunting ground all the deer from the woods and hills of Athol, Badenoch, Mar, Murray, and the countries about. As these Highlanders use a light dress, and are very swift of foot, they went up and down so nimbly, that in less than two months' time they brought together 2000 red deer, besides does and fallow deer. The queen, the great men, and others, were in a glen where all the deer were brought before them. Believe me, the whole body of them moved forward in something like battle order. This sight still strikes me, and ever will, for they had a leader, whom they followed close wherever he moved. The leader was a very fine stag, with a very high head. The sight delighted the queen very much, but she soon had occasion for fear, upon the earl's (who had been accustomed to such sights) addressing her thus: Do you observe that stag who is foremost of the herd? There is danger from that stag, for, if either fear or rage should force him from the ridge of that hill, let every one look to himself, for none of us will be out of the way of hearing, for the rest will follow this one; and having thrown us under foot, they will open a passage to this hill behind us.' What happened a moment after confirmed this opinion, for the queen ordered one of the best dogs to be let loose on one of the deer: this the dog pursues, the leading stag was frighted, he flies by the same way he had come there, the rest went after him, and break out where the thickest body of the Highlanders was. They had nothing for it but to throw themselves flat on the heath, and to allow the deer to pass over them. It was told the queen that several of the Highlanders had been wounded, and that two or three had been killed outright; and the whole body had got off had not the Highlanders, by their skill in hunting, fallen upon a stratagem to cut off the rear from the main body. It was of those that had been separated that the queen's dogs and those of the nobility made slaughter. There were killed that day three hundred and sixty deer, with five wolves, and some roes."

We are by no means very partial to the music of the bagpipe; and the execrable performances with which we are often assailed by peripatetic bagpipers, even in the streets of this our own romantic town, are not much calculated to reconcile us to the tones of that horrible instrument. However, chacun à son gout; and as we have a vague apprehension that these our sentiments may sound very like heresy in the ears of a very extensive circle of acquaintance beyond the Grampians, we shall endeavour to pacify our Highland friends, by means similar to those which the sibyl employed for stopping the mouth (we should rather say mouths) of Cerberus ; Melle soporatam et medicatis frugibus offam Objicit.

TRADITIONS AND ANECDOTES OF THE BAGPIPE.

"There is at Rome a fine Greek sculpture, in basso relievo, representing a piper playing on an instrument bearing a close resemblance to the Highland bagpipe. The Greeks, unwilling as they were to surrender to others the merit of useful inventions, acknowledge, that to the barbarians-i. e. the Celts-they owed much of their music, and many of its instruments. The Romans, who, no doubt, borrowed the bagpipe from the Greeks, used it as a martial instrument among their infantry. It is represented on several coins, marbles, &c. ; but, from rudeness of execution, or decay of the materials, it is difficult to ascertain its exact form. On the reverse of a coin of the Emperor Nero, who thought himself an admirable performer on it, and who publicly displayed his abilities, the bagpipe is represented. An ancient figure, supposed to be playing on it, has been represented, and particularly described, by Signor Macari, of Cortona, and it is engraved in Walker's History of the Irish Bards; but it does not, in my opinion, appear to be a piper. A small bronze figure, found at Richborough, in Kent, and conjectured to have been an ornament of horse furniture, is not much more distinct. Mr King, who has engraved three views of it, and others, believe it to represent a bagpiper, to which it has certainly more resemblance than to a person drinking out of a leathern bottle.

"The bagpipe, of a rude and discordant construction, is in common use throughout the East; and that it continues the popular instrument of the Italian peasant is well known. In this country, it is the medium through which the good Catholics show their devotion to the Virgin Mother, who receives their adoration in the lengthened strains of the sonorous Piva. It is a singular, but faithful, tradition of the church, that the shepherds who first saw the infant Jesus in the barn, expressed their gladness by playing on their bagpipes. That this is probable and natural, will not be denied; but the illuminator of a Dutch missal, in the Library of King's College, Old Aberdeen, surely indulged his fancy when he represented one of the appearing angels likewise playing a salute on this curious instrument. The Italian shepherds religiously adhere to the laudable practice of their ancestors; and, in visiting Rome and other places, to celebrate the advent of our Saviour, they carry the pipes along with them, and their favourite tune is the Sicilian Mariners, often sung in Protestant churches.

"It is the popular opinion, that the Virgin Mary is very fond, and is an excellent judge, of music. I received this information on Christmas morning, when I was looking at two Calabrian pipers, doing their utmost to please her, and the infant in her arms. They played for a full hour to one of her images, which stands at the corner of a street. All the other statues of the Virgin which are placed in the streets, are serenaded in the same manner every Christmas morning. On my enquiry into the meaning of that ceremony, I was told the above-mentioned circumstance of her character, which, though you have always thought highly probable, perhaps you never before knew for certain. My informer was a pilgrim, who stood listening with great devotion to the pipers. He told me, at the same time, that the Virgin's taste was too refined to have much satisfaction in the performance of these poor Calabrians, which was chiefly intended for the infant, and he desired me to remark, that the tunes were plain, simple, and such as might naturally be supposed agreeable to the ear of a child of his time of life."

"How many anecdotes might be given of the effects of this instrument on the hardy sons of Caledonia! In the war in India, a piper in Lord M'Leod's regiment, seeing the British army giving way before superior numbers, played, in his best style, the well-known Cogadh na Sith, which filled the Highlanders with such spirit, that, immediately rallying, they cut through their enemies. For this fortunate circumstance, Sir Eyre Coote, filled with admiration, and appreciating the value of such music, presented the regiment with fifty pounds to buy a stand of pipes.-At the battle of Quebec, in 1760, the troops were retreating in disorder, and the general complained to a field-officer in Fraser's regiment of the bad conduct of his corps. Sir,' said the officer, with a degree of warmth, you did very wrong it forbidding the pipers to play; nothing inspirits the Highlanders so much; even now they would be of some use. Let them blow, in God's name, then!' said the general; and the order being given, the pipers with alacrity sounded the Cruinneachadh, on which the Gael formed in the rear, and bravely returned to the charge.-George Clark, now piper to the Highland Society of London, was piper to the 71st regiment, at the battle of Vimeira, where he was wounded in the leg by a musket ball, as he boldly advanced. Finding himself disabled, he sat down on the ground, and putting his pipes in order, called out, Weel, lads, I am sorry I can gae nae farther wi' you, but, deil hae my saul if ye sail want music;' and struck up a favourite warlike air, with the utmost unconcern for any thing but the unspeakable delight of sending his comrades to battle with the animating sound of the piobrachd.

"It is a popular tradition, that the enemy anxiously level at the pipers, aware of the power of their music; and a story is related of one who, at the battle of Waterloo, received a shot in the bag before he had time to make a fair beginning, which so roused his Highland blood, that, dashing his pipes on the ground, he drew his broadsword, and wreaked his vengeance on his foes with the fury of a lion, until his career was stopped by death from numerous wounds. It is related of the piper major of the 924, on the same occasion, that, placing himself on an eminence where the shot was flying like hail, regardless of his danger, he proudly sounded the battle air to animate his noble companions. On one occasion during the Peninsular war, the same regiment came suddenly on the French army, and the intimation of their approach was as suddenly given by the

[ocr errors]

1

pipers bursting out their Gathering. The effect was instan- stone's work. His hero is a young Saxon, by name taneous; the enemy fled, and the Highlanders pursued.

[ocr errors]

Edmund, whose birth is unknown, and who has been It would be easy to extend our extracts from these educated as a sort of foundling in one of the monasteries. interesting volumes, but we have said enough to give our He grows up into the possession of all manly virtues and readers a general idea of the nature and spirit of Mr all noble graces. He becomes acquainted, by accident, Logan's work, and we have only to add that it is worthy with Alfred, who, in his adversity, has been wandering of a careful perusal by all who are interested in its sub-in disguise over his kingdom; and afterwards joining ject. The volumes, illustrating as they do the peculiar habits and the history of an interesting and loyal portion of his majesty's subjects, are with great propriety dedicated to King William the Fourth.

The Sea-Kings in England: An Historical Romance of the Time of Alfred. By the Author of " The Fall of Nineveh." 3 vols. Edinburgh. Robert Cadell. 1830. MR ATHERSTONE has in this romance carried us back to the very earliest period of authentic English history. The annals of the ninth century, though meagre and obscure in so far as Britain is concerned, may be relied on with something like certainty. This is chiefly to be attributed to the influence of such a man as Alfred: great kings call into existence trust-worthy historians. When a country is parcelled out into a number of petty principalities, all at loggerheads with each other, there is a perpetual confusion of small events, interesting to the small men of the day, but a lucid narrative of which is seldom or never transmitted to posterity. The more commanding genius of Alfred raised him above 'these semi-barbarous broils; and they who chronicled passing events, perceived, that by making him the hero of their story, they obtained a nucleus round which to wind the whole thread of their narrative. Still, the materials they have transmitted to us are few and unsatisfactory, and in attempting any thing like a domestic picture of these remote times, much must be left to the imagination of both the reader and writer.

the Saxon army as a volunteer, he performs such prodigies of valour, as to make the reader rejoice when he is discovered to be the son of Alfred's brother, and heartily to approve of the conduct of the monarch, in conferring on his nephew the earldom of Wilts and the hand of the fair Elfrida, the daughter of the Earl of Somerset. But Saxons, the Danes, and especially their two Sea-kings, while our affections are thus engaged on the side of the Habbo and Sidroc, are on the whole the most prominent of all the dramatis personæ. Hubbo and Sidroe, strongly contrasted as they are with each other, are the two characters, in the delineation of which the author has put forth his powers with the most success. Hubbo, the bloody and ferocious savage, with a gigantic frame and iron nerves, the blind worshipper of Thor and Odin. whose only delight is in the spilling of blood, and whose only hope is to drink in Valhalla long draughts of beer and mead out of the skulls of the enemies he has slain, is excellently relieved by the portrait of Sidroc, his no less powerful and far nobler brother-in-arms,—a barbarian and a pagan it is true, but one whose mind is in advance of his age and country,a generons foe and a warm friend. With both Hubbo and Sidroc, but particularly the latter, Edmund has much to do. The former is his determined and inveterate foe; the latter, though often opposed to him by the chance of war, entertains for him all that friendship and admiration which kindred spirits can hardly avoid feeling towards each other.

Mr Atherstone is very happy and graphic in his descriptions of battles, whether they be general mêlées or single combats. In this respect he is deeply imbued with the Mr Atherstone is a man of talent. As a poet, his de- old Homeric spirit, and enters into all the details with a scriptions are gorgeous, and his style epic and dignified, minuteness too vivid to be tedious. The heaviest parts though somewhat heavy withal. He has been rather of his work are those where the incidents are scarcely too highly praised both in the Edinburgh Reviw and important enough to justify the length of narrative which Literary Journal, and he has been too severely cut up in accompanies them. But on the whole, we hesitate not Blackwood's Magazine. He has read much, is an accom- to say, that our author has in this production turned up plished scholar, writes in a vigorous and manly manner, new ground, and that, though from the nature of the possesses a vivid fancy, and though we cannot say that soil it was impossible to sow it very thickly with all he enters intensely into the nicer shades of feeling, he is those little minor graces which may be introduced on evidently not deficient either in heart or head. Judging more modern fields, he has reared a goodly harvest of à priori, therefore, we should have thought it likely that bold and striking delineations. The picture of Danish Mr Atherstone would produce a highly respectable his- manners-wild, warlike, and uncultivated as they were torical romance; and having read his " Sea- Kings," weis vigorously dashed off; and the state of Anglo-Saxon see no reason to deny that our expectations have been fulfilled.

were a race

[ocr errors]

society is placed before us probably as well as it was possible to have done, considering the remoteness of the period referred to.

"The Sea-Kings of the North," says Sharon Turner, in his learned history of the Anglo-Saxons, 66 As a specimen of Mr Atherstone's style, we shall give of beings whom Europe beheld with terror. Without a a few of the first pages of the story, which opens in the yard of territorial property, without any towns or visible following spirited manner : nation, with no wealth but their ships, no force but their crews, and no hope but from their swords, the Sea-Kings swarmed upon the boisterous ocean, and plundered in every district they could approach. Never to sleep under a smoky roof, nor to indulge in the cheerful cup over a hearth, were the boasts of those watery sovereigns, who not only flourished in the plunder of the sea and its shores, but who sometimes amassed so much booty, and enlisted so many followers, as to be able to assault provinces for permanent conquest." Upon this text Mr Atherstone's Romance is founded. To revenge the death of Ragnar Lodbrog, a Sea-King, who had been slain by Ella, King of Northumbria, eight kings, and twenty earls, the children, the relations, and companions of Raguar, sailed from the Baltic, with a force such as the winds had never before wafted from the peopled north." The devastations they committed, and the battles they fought, principally in West Saxony, form the subject of Mr Ather

66

[ocr errors]

"It was in the month of September, 870, and on the morning of the second day after the feast of St Maurice, that the monks of Croyland Monastery were, with cheerful voices, performing the matin service. There were but few of the society present-for upwards of 200 of the mast vigorous, under the command of Tollius, himself a monk of the fraternity, but in years gone by a distinguished military leader-had a few days before marched to oppose the northern hordes, who were cruelly ravaging the country. The hearts of the venerable abbot, and of the community with him, were filled with hope; for, on the morning before, they had received intelligence that the Earl Algar, who commanded the Saxon army, had gained a decisive victory over a considerable body of the Northmen, and had driven them at night to their intrenchments, with the los of three of their sea-kings. Those who remained in the monastery were chiefly aged men and children,—but thei confidence was in God; and they trusted he would deliver them from the hand of their strong and merciless invader. Cheerfully then they sang, and the voice of the solemn orga:

[ocr errors]

*

rolled its thunders through the vaulted pile. But a vehement knocking at the great gate disturbed them, and the song of praise suddenly ceased. For a moment no one - stirred, though the blows upon the oaken portal were incessant and increasing. All looked upon the grey-haired abbot, and expected his command. The heart of the old man_beat with unusual violence; and, for an instant, he stood irresolute what to do. Was another victory obtained over the Pagan destroyer? and did the messengers of the glad tidings, in the ardour of their joy, forget the reverence due to the place, and the solemn worship? or were the tidings evil, that so strangely disturbed the bringer?-or was, indeed, the enemy himself at the gate?'

"Such were the thoughts that in an instant glanced through the mind of the astonished abbot; but as instantly he felt, that, good or evil, the tidings must be heard, and themselves must abide the event. Collecting, then, his spirits, and assuming a look and tone of apparent calmness, he said to those around him,- Fear not, my brethren, nor let your hearts be sunk within you. Haply the tidings may be good; and our fears may be turned into rejoicing; but if they be evil, let us not forget that we are the servants of Him, who knoweth best that which it is good for us to do or to suffer. Undo the gate, therefore, and let us know the worst!'

"While he spake, the strokes upon the door were incessantly repeated, and voices were heard without, exclaiming, • Open the gate! open the gate! or ye are all dead men!" "Two aged porters now moved tremblingly to the door, and drew up the massive iron bars which secured it. They had no sooner done this, than three youths, with terror in their looks,-panting for breath,-bathed in sweat, and covered with blood and dust, rushed into the chapel. They were clad in light armour; and their whole appearance bespoke that they had come from some desperate conflict. In an instant they were recognised as three of the younger monks, who, a few days before, had gone forth with Tollius against the invaders; but at the first glance all knew that their tidings were disastrous. With rapid step they went up the echoing aisle ; and, as they approached the abbot and the monks, who stood near the altar, the foremost of the three, Osbald of Bardeney, cried out,

"The enemy is at hand! Holy Father, we must flee swiftly, or perish! The valiant Earl has fallen! Tollius, Morcard, Ósgot, the brave Sheriff of Lincoln, Leofric, and Wibert, have perished! Every man that was with them, save us alone, hath fallen; and we have fled all night to warn you of the danger.-Stand not amazed, Holy Father and brethren! Take what you can of value, and leave this place! for, assuredly, ere the fourth hour, the destroyer will be upon you!'

“Oswald paused a moment for breath, and his companion, Bernard, instantly pursued, For the love of Christ, holy father, speed you now! Speed you! There is no hope but in flight, for there is not one man left to oppose the horrid crew, save ourselves!'

"The aged abbot stood for a moment speechless; then turned to the monks, and said, My children! the evil hour is coming upon us; and the issue is known to God only. If he will yet deliver us, or if this day the crown of martyrdom shall be placed upon our heads, the wisdom of nan cannot foresee. But we are in the hands of God, and that which he willeth for us is best. Not the less, my children, may we justly strive to escape from the clutches of this fearful and accursed enemy, and to save from pollution and from spoil the costly vessels which have been hallowed to the service of the Lord. Bestir ye, then, my children, ye that have strength and youth, take ye your charters, your holy relics, and your jewels,-get ye into your boats, and flee to the marshes, and to the hiding-places; and there remain till the tempest hath passed by. Fling ye also your household goods into the waters, that they may lie unseen; so, haply, if ye return hither, they may again be found, and made fit for your use. But delay not, nor let your strength fail ye.'

"At these words, every monk, with the exception of about thirty aged and feeble men, set instantly and strenuously to the work. The children, also, animated by a boy ten years of age, of remarkable beauty, and ever the foremost in the childish sports and enterprizes, exerted themselves to the utmost of their strength in the removal of such lighter things as were intrusted to them."

[ocr errors]

"Ethelburga was pale, of a slender and delicate form, and about the common stature of females. Her hair was of the prevailing colour of the Saxon race, which might be called a golden red, or a reddish gold. Her eyes were blue, and mild; the characteristic expression of her face was sweetness and gentleness; but at times it would brighten with animation, and devoted enthusiasm. Her step was light, her motions were graceful. She had a laugh ready for mirth, and a tear ready for sorrow. She was fond of music, but played upon no instrument; delighted in books, but, till shortly before her appearance in our story, had never been taught to read. Her instructor was of course Edmund: but never mind that; it is by no means inevitably necessary that masters should fall in love with their scholars; it is at least quite sure, that very few scholars are disposed to fall in love with their masters.

"True enough it was, that the handsome and noblelooking youth was well known to have recently become her instructor in reading, and even in writing, an excess of learning that seemed ridiculous for a female; plain enough was it to the eye of all, that he accompanied her often to the religious duties of the priory, and sometimes, though rarely, when she joined her father in the chase; that he was seen alone with her in the garden, and in the fields, and on the hill tops, where they went together to see the sun rise, or set, or to look forth upon the magnificent prospect of hill and valley, and distant sea, with its two enchanted islands, and its dim background of Welsh mountains; that he appeared affectionate and devoted to her; eager to afford her amusement, and assiduous to guard her from pain or annoyance, but yet-yet'-said the puzzled and dissatisfied prognosticators, somehow or other, it isn't quite the thing now. He likes her well enough, that's sure; and looks well enough on ber: but, what the plague! when he sits cheek-by-jowl for hours with her, poking over the black letters, can he never find time to take her a soft smack on the lily-white cheek?-or even to squeeze her hand, that's whiter and softer than fresh curd, when he puts the long goose quill between her slim fingers? And when he helps her over a ditch or a stile, what, the good Virgin! might he not now and then clasp her small waist, and no great harm done, instead of handing her over, as he does, so trimly and delicately, with his face as bright as the morning, and as cold as the dew? We know well enough, neighbours, that our good men courted us in another guess fashion ;-but, somehow, times seem changed; and God above only knows what is coming upon us. Men are not the men they used to be, since these cursed Danes began to trouble the land as they do; and what will become of it at last, passes man's wisdom, or woman's either, to make out,' ”

of the battle scenes, of which we have already spoken Did space permit, we should gladly quote one or two with the praise they deserve, and which are indeed the principal features of the work; but we find their length rather impracticable for our purpose. We could have wished that Alfred had been brought a little more prominently forward; but the author no doubt felt that this was difficult ground. In conclusion, we may remark, that they who expect to find in this romance the materials of an everyday novel, will be disappointed; but that they who like to be carried away into older and sterner times, and to have their minds refreshed and their ears stirred up by the trumpet sounds which rung through the land ere civilisation had flung her flowers over it, will do well to indulge in a perusal of the "Sea-Kings in England." The work to which, in general spirit, it appears to us to bear the closest resemblance, is the German romance of "The Magic Ring," by the Baron de la Motte Fouqué.'

The Edinburgh Cabinet Library. Vol. 11. Narrative of Discovery and Adventure in Africa, from the Earliest Ages to the Present Time. Edinburgh. Oliver and Boyd. 1830. 12mo. Pp. 492.

As we said last week, this is an excellent and useful volume. That full justice might be done to the subject, the publishers, we observe, have liberally added several extra sheets without any increased charge. The preface Take also the following passage concerning a fair lady, gives a succinct and clear account of the nature of the who, however, is not the heroine of the tale: work, and we therefore present it to our readers;

PREFACE.

"The object of this volume is to exhibit, within a moderate compass, whatever is most interesting in the adventures and observations of those travellers who, from the earliest ages, and in various directions, have sought to explore Africa; and also to give a general view of the physical and social condition of that extensive continent at the present day. This quarter of the globe has afforded more ample scope than any other to the exertions of that class of men whose enterprising spirit impels them, regardless of toil and peril, to penetrate into unknown countries. Down to a comparatively recent period, the greater part of its immense surface was the subject only of vague report and conjecture. The progress of those discoverers, by whom a very large extent of its interior regions has at length been disclosed, having been accompanied with arduous labours, and achieved in the face of the most formidable obstacles, presents a continued succession of striking incidents, as well as of new and remarkable objects. And our interest cannot fail to be heightened by the consideration, that Britain, by the intrepid spirit of her travellers, her associations of distinguished individuals, and her national patronage, has secured almost the exclusive glory of the many important discoveries which have been made within the last forty years.

ern Africa, and another on Southern and Eastern Africa, and concludes with an account of the social condition of Africa. We do not discover any thing original or striking in Mr Murray's narrative, but it is a good abridgement of what has been already written on this subject. Professor Jameson limits his treatise on the geology of Africa to one chapter of twenty-four pages. It strikes us that this chapter has been rather hurriedly got up, and is very far from exhausting the subject. The general conclusions with which it terminates are interesting, and we shall give them a place:

"From the preceding details, it results,

"1. That of all the quarters of the globe, Africa has the most truly tropical climate.

"2. That notwithstanding its nearly insular form, its extent of coast is much less in proportion to its area, than in the other quarters of the globe.

"3. That the peculiar condition of the human species. the distribution and even the aspect of the lower anima's and plants, and many of the characters of the African chimate, are connected with its comparatively limited extent of sea-coast, its extensive deserts, and arid soil.

"4. That from the maritime situation of Sierra Leone, "The work now submitted to the public, and the recent and its colonization by Britain, and the connexion of the one on the Polar Regions, embrace two of the most inte- southern parts of the great Table Land with the British resting fields of modern discovery. The adventurers who settlements on the southern coast of Africa, we may contraversed these opposite parts of the world, frequently found|jecture that the civilisation of the negroes (if that interesttheir efforts checked, and their career arrested, by the ope-ing race be not destined to extirpation, as has been the fate ration of causes which, although equally powerful, were of the aborigines of the New World) will be effected from yet extremely different in their nature. In the northern these two quarters, through the energy, enterprise, and perseas, they suffered from that dreadful extremity of cold to severance of missionaries, well instructed in the various which high latitudes are exposed; in Africa, from the useful arts of life, and in the simple and pure principles of scorching heat and pestilential vapours peculiar to a tropical Christianity. climate: there, they encountered the fury of oceans and tempests; here, the privations and fatigues which oppress the traveller in parched and boundless deserts. In the former, they had less to endure from that almost total absence of human life which renders the arctic zone so dreary, than they had to experience in the latter, from the fierce, contemptuous, and persecuting character of the people who occupy the interior parts of the Libyan continent. In a word, while exploring these remote regions, they braved almost every species of danger, and passed through every variety of suffering by which the strength and fortitude of man can be tried.

"5. That its springs, lakes, rivers, bays, and arms of the sea, are fewer in number, and present more uniformity of aspect, than is generally the case in other parts of the world.

"6. That it is eminently characterised by its vast central and sandy deserts, its great southern Table Land, and the vast expanses of Karroo ground.

"7. That of all the rock formations, those of lime-stone and sand-stone are the most frequent, and most widely dis tributed; that natron, a rare deposit in other countries, is comparatively abundant in Africa; that salt is very widely distributed, though in some districts it is wholly deficient; "The narrative of these successive travels and expeditions but coal is wanting. And the precious stones, so frequent has been contributed by Mr Hugh Murray. The geological in other tropical regions, are here of rare occurrence. illustrations have been furnished by the justly celebrated "S. That the metals, although met with in diferent Professor Jameson; and for the interesting and very ample quarters, are nowhere abundant; and that, of all the difaccount of its natural history, the reader is indebted to Mrferent metals, gold is the most generally distributed. James Wilson, author of Illustrations of Zoology,' and the principal contributor in that branch of science to the new edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica.

"The present volume having for its main object the history of discovery and adventure, does not include the countries on the Mediterranean coast, which, from the earliest ages, have been well known to the nations of Europe. Egypt, again, from its high antiquity, its stupendous monuments, and the memorable revolutions through which it has passed, presented matter at once too interesting and ample to be comprehended within such narrow limits. The history of that kingdom, therefore, has been reserved for a separate volume, which will contain also an account of Nubia and Abyssinia."

That part of the task which has been allotted to Mr Murray is the longest, and probably the most arduous, although it consisted principally in preparing a distinct abstract of the various Travels into Africa, whether early

"9. That no active or extinct volcanoes have hitherto been met with.

"10. Lastly, that Africa is less frequently agitated by earthquakes than the other continents."

There is more novel information and acute thinking in Mr James Wilson's three chapters on the natural history of Africa, than in any other part of the volume. Though he has necessarily been obliged to study condensation, his style is not on that account dry or inelegant. It is distinguished at once by the clear-headedness of a man of science, and the lively fancy of an admirer of general literature.

The volume, in its mechanical details, is exceedingly handsome; but we should have been glad had some of the woodcuts been a little more carefully executed.

Watson, Minister of Burntisland. Edinburgh. Wil liam Whyte and Co. 12mo. Pp. 224. 1830.

or more recent. He has executed his work with judg- Prayers for the Use of Families. By the Rev. Charles ment and propriety. He begins with a general view of the natural features of Africa; he then examines into the knowledge of Africa possessed by the ancients, and the influence obtained by the Arabs in that continent; he next details the discoveries of the Portuguese, of the early English, and of the French, gives a history of the proceedings of the African Association, of Park's first and second journey, of various subsequent travellers, of government expeditions under Captain Tuckey and Major Peddie, Captain Campbell, Gray, Laing, Ritchie, and Lyon, and is still more full in his abstract of Denham and Clapperton's travels; he has next a chapter on West

WE are informed, in a sensible and well-expressed preface, that these Prayers were written, by their respectable author, for the use of his own family, under eircum stances which left him no choice as to the mode of conducting its devotions. A certain and general good has thus been brought out of seeming and individual evil. The same afflictive dispensation, which suspended the personal efforts of the pious author, has been the means of furnishing to the public what we consider one of the

best aids to family devotion which has lately appeared. The prayers are of a convenient length,-sufficiently diversified to suit a multiplicity of persons, circumstances, and modifications of feeling,-are couched throughout in simple, perspicuous, and scriptural language; and if they seldom rise into the moral sublime, always breathe a sincere spirit of unaffected, evangelical piety. In transferring a specimen to our pages, we are guided chiefly by a desire of showing how genuine Christian principles produce in a right-minded man,-not the morose, bigoted, and narrow spirit of self-righteousness,-but, by at once refining his mind and enlarging his views, the pure and lofty character of the good member of society, the disinterested friend, the true patriot, and the large-hearted Christian :

“O Lord, thou art the Creator and the Sovereign of the universe; the God of our life, and the length of our days; the former of our bodies, and the Father of our spirits. On thee we continually depend; and to thee we are indebted not only for existence, but for all the comforts, the privi. leges, and the hopes which render existence a blessing. When we look back on the course of thy providence, we have reason to call upon our souls, and all that is within us, to bless and to magnify thy holy name. We adore thee for the liberality that hath supplied our wants; for the compassion that hath sustained our weakness; for the patience that hath borne with our perverseness; for the more than paternal kindness that hath arranged the circumstances of our lot, and watched over our welfare. At those seasons, when we might justly have been left to ourselves; when, trusting to our own wisdom, we had involved ourselves in perplexities; or, presuming on our own strength, we had exposed ourselves to danger; when our way was hedged up, and we seemed left to suffer the consequences of our own rashness and folly, thou hast interposed for our deliverance, and preserved our souls from death, our eyes from tears, and our feet from falling.

service, kind to one another, and anxious to approve ourselves unto thee. May this day see us advancing in the way to heaven, and be a day on which we shall have no cause to look back with regret, when that great day arrives which shall terminate the affairs of time, and try the value of every man's work. All that we ask is for Christ's sake: And to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be glory for ever. Amen.'

We heartily recommend the volume to public favour; and trust that its circulation may be commensurate with

its worth.

The Utility of Latin Discussed. By Justin Brenait,
Author of "Composition and Punctuation." London.
Effingham Wilson. 1830.

AMIDST the infinite variety of our labours, we occasionally meet with something that not only arrests our attention, but gratifies our taste. It is like cracking a handful of Spanish nuts, such as are commonly sold in our shops under that name;-there is certainly now and then one which astonishes by its sweetness and solidity of kernel. Of this class is the little and tasteful volume now before us: it has no pretensions; you can scarcely tell whether it is a book or a pamphlet ; and yet, under a cover at once elegant and novel, it conceals, or rather (if the reader so wills) reveals, a great deal of sound sense and sound reflection. In fact, this is a very pleasing it is elegant and short; instructive on at least as many and instructive little work: pleasing on two accounts→→ -it is distinct and explicit; there is no fudge, no unnecessary amplification, but the author says what he has to say, makes his bow, and is off. Mr Finis is a noble fellow; we have the greatest friendship for him. Though late in his appearance, he is seldom unwelcome; and whether we have hurried on to him with extreme an

"But especially, O Lord, we bless thee for the love thou hast shown us in Christ Jesus. We bless God, who hath not left us to perish under the consequences of our own wilful apostacy from the God who formed and who pre-xiety, or come upon him bump all at once, like a raw served us, but hath laid help for us upon One who is mighty, and hath raised up for us an horn of salvation in the house of his servant David. Herein is love; not that we loved God, but that he hath loved us, and given his Son to be a propitiation for us. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who in him hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places; who hath so loved the world, as not only to bear with it, and to bestow many temporal blessings upon its inhabitants, but to give his only begotten Son for it; and who, having already bestowed upon us his best gift, is willing also with Him freely to give us all things.

"O, that love like this were felt by us to be more than we can resist! O, that the love wherewith we have been loved may awake within us a lively return to him who first and so marvellously loved us! Remembering what we have deserved, and what God hath done for us; remembering the indignation and wrath, the tribulation and anguish, which might justly have overwhelmed us, and the glory, and honour, and eternal life, to which we are called in the gospel; remembering, above all, that, for our sakes, and for our salvation, God sent forth his Son, in the form

of a servant, to die a death of ignominy and suffering; may we feel all the coldness and alienation of our hearts give way before a love which passeth knowledge, and learn to love him who gave himself for us, with all our souls and hearts, our strength and mind, supremely, devotedly, universally, and for ever.

"Nor in our zeal for thy glory, let us ever be unmindful of our duty to our neighbours. May we remember that thou hast placed love to our neighbours as only second in order to love to thyself; and while the throne of our hearts is surrendered to thee, may the affections which find their centre in thee extend their influence through the whole sphere of our connexion with society, and include within their range all whom thou hast united to us by the various ties of kindred, of friendship, of grace, of neighbourhood, of country, or of a common nature.

"This day we entreat thee, O Lord, to instruct and assist us in the discharge of our various and respective duties. May each of us be thankful for thy mercies, zealous in thy

horse against a cross-bar, we are still glad to encounter
him. Now, in plain prose, this is a short work of only
(would you believe it, in this age of amplification?) 82
duodecimo pages, and yet it contains at least 400 good
quarto pages of common sense. What would not Con-
1809! It would have flowed like the celebrated Meander
stable and Sir Walter have made of this, anno domini
through a forty-mile valley of sand and surface.
the Spectator's fashionable lady, it would have been" the
least part of itself!"

Like

We have always been of opinion that Latin is useful in the acquisition of an accurate knowledge of English grammar; we have, besides, in our hours of reverie, thought, and deeply, on the middle station which this language occupies, betwixt the looseness of English, and the redundant accuracy of Grecian literature; and we have, besides all this, formed very un-English notions on the subject of non-sense and all other sense verses; all this we have done, and are, therefore, not a little gratified to thought, and deeply, on the subject. find our opinions confirmed by one who has evidently "The end that I have in view," says our author," is, to encourage the writing of Latin. But this I mean chiefly for prose translations of modern works. My object being utility, I must confess that I consider all attempts at poetry as folly, and complete loss of time. What use are even Milton's Latin verses, though perhaps the best that any modern ever wrote?" In these, and such sentiments, we most conscientiously concur; and we are happy in having another opportunity of complimenting the author of "Composition and Punctuation" on a work, which, unlike many of the present day, contains multum in parvo; in which, in short, good sense and practical utility are in an immense ratio to its size and pages.

« PreviousContinue »