clared his belief in the truth of the Bible, and has stood firmly by the Christians, even sometimes pleading with the Queen in their behalf.

A violent persecution occurred in 1849. The Queen considered her son, to whom she was much attached. as the victim of witchcraft, and this, perhaps, helped on by political rivals of the prince, may have influenced this persecution. Two thousand persons were involved in it, and suffered various punishments, eighteen, as we stated, having been put to death. Some apostatized, but others, hitherto pagan, now joined the Christian

ranks.

Mr. Ellis was treated with great kindness. His interview with the prince and princess royal, and with the Christians, was exceedingly pleasant and gratifying. Public worship is prohibited, but there seems to have been no obstacle interposed to the freest private intercourse. Mr. Ellis is very properly reserved in regard to their religious intercourse, but long and interesting conversations were held. We should gather, from the whole tenor of the book, that, except among the pagan priests, Christianity is generally popular.

The Malagasy are not negroes, but obviously from the same general stock as the Sandwich and Society Islanders. They are Polynesian. This, their language, character and appearance all show. The ruling race is called Hova. They seem much brighter than the Hawaiians, and, Mr. Ellis thinks, would improve rapidly under instruction. The interest clustering around the young prince, now twenty-five, is absorbing. His life is hardly considered safe, particularly as he is not very cautious in regard to it. He seems to be as devoted to his mother as a son can well be. Mr. Ellis' request that prayer may be offered in his behalf, is truly appropriate.

The state of civilization is in advance of our impres sion in regard to it. Their dress, dwellings and manners all show much that is interesting. "The majority of the people certainly presented well proportioned, high, perpendicular foreheads. The foreheads of the women were not inferior to those of the men."

The island of Madagascar is larger than Great Britain and Ireland combined, and contains more than three millions of people. The Hovas do not seem, before Radama's time, to have extended much beyond Ankova, the central province of the island. But he, with the assistance of the fire-arms which he imported, extended their dominion much farther.

In regard to the course pursued by the Christians, during the persecutions, Mr. Ellis makes these interesting remarks:

It has been already stated that the government had forbidden the performance of any act of Christian worship under the severest penalties. There has, consequently, been no public worship, or other outward religious observance; but I learned that in reference to those teachings which enjoin the avowal of such as make profession of their faith, and the uniting in fellowship for commemorating that ordinance whereby the disciples of the Lord Jesus do show forth his death until he come, they had been accustomed, in more than one locality, to follow as closely as possible the few simple and affecting directions of the Saviour himself, and the illustration of those, given by the great apostle of the Gentiles. They had, I was informed, at times found a difficulty with regard to the elements to be used; but, so far as their circumstances admitted, they had followed the word of inspired truth. Nothing traceable to the latent influence of idolatry, or commended by imaginary fitness or advantage had, so far as I heard, been introduced. I was informed that, although they knew the peril to which they were exposed, they had been accustomed to listen to the words of instruction and encouragement, to sing the praise of the divine Redeemer, and to draw near the mercy-seat. These simple services were held, not only in the habitations of men, though chiefly at the midnight hour, but alone on the distant mountain's side, in the dreary cavern, VOL. VIII.-11

or in the concealment of the remote, and almost impervious forest. pp. 185-6.

Mr. Ellis is a botanist, and describes the rich trees and flowers con amore. We should quote from these, as from other parts of the book, if we were not so pressed for space. The residence in the Mauritius affords scope for some very pleasant pictures. The book, in short, is interesting to a very wide circle of minds.

To leave off with a pleasant impression, we quote the following touch of the æsthetic:

While sailing along in sight of Bourbon, we were told by some on board that there were great numbers of tamarind and other fragrant trees, and that at certain seasons of the year, the odors from the tamarind blossom and other flowers were wafted far over the ocean, perfuming the air. We were, however, beyond the reach of these odorous breezes, or the fragrant trees were not in blossom, for none of the perfume reached us, or we might have realized the truth of Milton's lines

As when to them who sail

Beyond the Cape of Hope, and now are past
Mozambic, off at sea north-east winds blow
Sabean odors from the spicy shores

Of Araby the Blest; with such delay

Well pleased they slack their course, and many a league
Cheered with the grateful smell old Ocean smiles

NOTICES OF NEW BOOKS.

I. THE GREEK TESTAMENT: With a critically revised Text: A Digest of various Readings: Marginal References to verbal and idiomatic usage: Prolegomena: and a critical and exegetical Commentary. For the use of Theological Students and Ministers. By HENRY ALFORD, B. D., Minister of Quebec Chapel, London, and late Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge. In Four Volumes. Vol. I. containing the Four Gospels. New York: Harpers. 1859. pp. 835.

This splendid work is one of the best things ever done by the Harpers. It is an exact reprint of the English edition. It is, in short, the critical edition of the New Testament.

One chapter of the Prolegomena gives a very interesting and complete account of the previous editions. 1. The received text. 2. The "first systematic attempt as embracing in itself some previous partial ones"—that of Griesbach, 1796-1806. 3. The next considerable attempt, by Dr. Scholz, late Roman Catholic professor of sacred literature at Bonn. 4. Lachmann's in 1831 and 1842. This, Mr. Alford does not regard as valuable. 5. Muralt's, 1846, on which Mr. Alford does not place much dependence. 6. Dr. Tischendorf's, Leipzig, 1841 and 1849. The second is by far the most important. Mr. A. considers Tischendorf's text as very far superior to any which preceded it. Yet he adds: "The fact of my not having adopted it myself will show that I do not consider this praise to be in all cases deserved. His book is very unequal. It will be found that the differences between us are both numerous and important."

Mr. Alford gives, 1. His corrected text. 2. The various readings from Scholz, Lachmann and Tischendorf. (ed. 2.) These, by an ingenious system of abbreviations, are brought into a very small space, considering the mass of information given. 3. Critical notes. The text, speaking roughly, takes up one-fourth of the book; the various readings, one-fourth; the notes, one-half. Then there are marginal references, in regard to which Mr. A. says: "The references are not those usually printed in other editions. Those are references to the subject-matter of the text, and are most useful and necessary to every biblical student. As, however, they are now to be found in many editions of our English Bible, it seemed unnecessary to reprint them here. Instead of them, I have drawn up a body of references to verbal and idiomatical usages,

which I hope will be found an addition to an apparatus criticus, as tending to exhibit, simultaneously with the text itself, the peculiarities and dra heróueva of the passage under consideration."

Any one who has edited or printed will be prepared to appreciate the following: "No reference has been inserted which has not been verified; and I trust that the accuracy of the printing has corresponded to my earnest desire that the whole may be found correct."

Mr. A. makes the interesting remarks that the Apocrypha approaches even more nearly than the LXX. to the peculiar Hellenistic style of the New Testament, and that Xenophon is particularly useful among classic writers, for the New Testament. The description of the apparatus criticus will be found very convenient. These are MSS. uncial and cursive, ancient versions and the Greek and Latin Fathers.

We cannot too earnestly commend this noble work. If any of our wealthy friends, our church sessions or trustees, or any groups of ladies desire our opinion of a valuable present for their minister, we recommend Alford's Greek Testament.

II. COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN. By Dr. AUGUSTUS TпOLUCK. Translated from the German. By CHARLES P. KRAUTH, D. D. Philadelphia: Smith, English & Co. 1859. pp. 440.

This translation is not by Dr. Krauth, of the Gettysburg Seminary, but by his son-pastor of the Lutheran Church at Pittsburgh. There are seven editions of the Commentary, as we learn from the translator's Preface. The first was published in 1826, the second in 1828, the third in 1831. None of these were translated. The fourth appeared in 1833, and was translated by the Rev. A. Kaufman, minister of the Episcopal church in Andover. The fifth edition appeared in 1837, and the sixth in 1844. The latter was materially altered. From this, Dr. Krauth's translation was begun in 1854, and was "sufficiently advanced to have been furnished for the press in 1855." Meanwhile, a seventh edition dated July 2, 1857, made its appearance. Dr. Krauth has drawn additions from this, which are included in brackets. He thinks this plan better than a translation from either the sixth or seventh editions, because "in the seventh, much of the most valuable matter of the sixth is omitted, under the supposition that the reader has access to the earlier editions."

It is surely unnecessary for us to commend Tholuck. It is more to the purpose to say that the translation strikes us as well done.