1. Des Comètes en Général et en Particulier de la Comète qui doit reparaître en 1832 et dont la 2. Des Comètes en Général et en Particulier de celles qui doivent paraître en 1832 et 1835. A Discourse upon the Life, Character and Ser- vices of the Hon. John Marshall, LL.D., Chief Justice of the United States of America, pronounced X. THE ANTHRACITE COAL TRADE OF PENNSYLVANIA, 241 1. Reportof the Committee of the Senate of Pennsylvania, upon the subject of the Coal Trade. 2. Comparative Views of the most important Anthracite Collieries in Pennsylvania; exhibiting their Avenues to Tide Water; with an Appendix, Map and Draught of Comparative Heights and 3. Report of the President and Managers of the Schuylkill Navigation Company to the Stockholders. 4. Report of the Board of Managers of the Le- high Coal and Navigation Company. I. POPULAR POETRY OF THE TEUTONIC NATIONS 1. Volkslieder der Deutschen. Eine vollständige 1. The Elements of Moral Science. By FRAN- 2. Christian Ethics; or Moral Philosophy, on the Principles of Divine Revelation. By RALPH WARD- LAW, D. D. From the Second London edition, with an Introductory Essay. By LEONARD WOODS, D. D. III. THE ALCESTIS OF EURIPIDES, WITH NOTES V. PROFESSOR HITCHCOCK'S REPORT ON THE GEOLO- Report on the Geology, Mineralogy, Botany and Zoology of Massachusetts, made and published by order of the Government of that State. With a De- scriptive List of the Specimens of Rocks and Mine- rals collected for the Government. Illustrated by 1. A History of the Town of Concord, from its earliest Settlement, to 1832; and of the adjoining Towns, Bedford, Acton, Lincoln and Carlisle; con- taining various Notices of County and State History, not before published. By LEMUEL SHATTUCK. 2. An Historical Discourse, delivered before the Citizens of Concord, 12th September, 1835, on the 1. A Discourse on Natural Theology, showing the Nature of the Evidence and the Advantages of the Study. By LORD BROUGHAM, F. R. S. 2. Lectures on the Atheistical Controversy; de- livered in the Months of February and March, at Sion Chapel, Bradford, Yorkshire. Forming a First DREWS. VIII. THE SOCIAL CONDITION OF WOMAN 1. Memoirs of Celebrated Women of all Coun- 3. The History of the Condition of Women, in NORTH AMERICAN REVIEW. No. XC. JANUARY, 1836. ART. I.-Means of ascertaining the Genuineness and Integrity of Ancient Writings. 1. A History of the Transmission of Ancient Books to Modern Times; or a Concise Account of the Means by which the Genuineness and Authenticity of Ancient Historical Works are ascertained; with an Estimate of the Comparative Value of the Evidence usually adduced in support of the Claims of the Jewish and Christian Scriptures. By ISAAC TAYLOR. 8vo. London. 1827. 2. The Process of Historical Proof Exemplified and Explained; with Observations on the Peculiar Points of the Christian Evidence. By ISAAC TAYLOR. 8vo. London. 1828. We have placed the titles of these books at the head of this article, not with the intention of entering into any minute analysis of the respective works to which they belong, but for the purpose of recommending them to our readers, and as introductory to an inquiry, we propose to institute, into a particular branch of the "Process of Historical Proof." The former of these works, namely that relating to the "Transmission of Ancient Books," is the most succinct and comprehensive statement of the subject in the English language, with which we are acquainted. It makes no pretension, as the author himself says, "to communicate information to those who are already conversant with matters of antiquity, literary or historical, and whatever might seem recondite, or whatever is still involved in controversy, has been avoided. Nor has the author loaded his pages with numerous references, which, though easily amassed, would have increased the size of the volume without being serviceable to the class of readers for whom he writes." The only work in English, to be named in comparison with this treatise, is that of Mr. Astle.* And this, though very elaborate and trustworthy, and superbly embellished with fac-similes of ancient manuscripts, and in all respects, a learned and valuable work, is yet too minute in its details to be of general interest, and too expensive to be within the reach of the great mass of scholars in this country. The design of the latter of these books, Mr. Taylor states, as follows:-" After exemplifying, in a signal instance, the ordinary process of historical proof, I have endeavored to suggest hints for analyzing, with fairness and freedom, the Christian Records, viewing them merely as the materials of history." And "instead of taxing the attention of the reader, by placing before him a set of abstract principles of evidence, or of distracting his attention by adducing a multiplicity of instances, he proposes to select a single instance, and to exhibit, link by link, the entire chain of proof by means of which the absolute certainty of events alleged to have taken place nearly five hundred years before the birth of Christ, may be satisfactorily established. He selects the history of Herodotus, and the principal events of the Persian war, as affording fair samples of this species of reasoning, in the two departments of literary and historical proof." This design, we think, is carried forward to a very successful issue. The genuineness of the work of Herodotus is satisfactorily established, and the argument from the genuineness to the authenticity of the history very well put. But the parts of the treatise which strike us as particularly valuable, are the chapters on the "Use of Ethical Writings as the Materials of The Origin and Progress of Writing, as well Hieroglyphic as Elementary, Illustrated by Engravings taken from Marbles, Manuscripts and Charters, ancient and modern; also some account of the Origin and Progress of Printing. Second edition, with additions. By Thomas Astle, Esq., F. R. S., F. A. S.; and Keeper of the Records in the town of London. 4to. London. 1803. |