enmity as poor William did, he hardly merits William's punishment for endeavouring to secure their friendship.

"The Fortunes of De la Pole" is a tale of guilty love and vengeance. In the description of the feelings which led to a horrid and unnatural murder, in the picture of the murder itself, and of the disfigured corpse, in the remorse and the spectral visitations that followed the commission of the crime, we recognise the hand of a master. The story, however, appears to us to be too purely horrible. The exhibition of the depths of human depravity may excite an intense interest, but this interest is not favourable to virtue and happiness. Our feelings and conduct towards our fellow-men must depend upon the ideas we entertain of their characters, and it is better to accustom ourselves to consider man as an amiable being, than as a fiend.

"The Lord of the Maelstrom" is a lively sketch of the ancient superstitions of the North of Europe. Its personages are the gods of the Scandinavian mythology, the inhabitants of the halls of Valhalla, who are brought before us with all their spiritual and bestial attributes, and made to live and move upon the scene. The story is full of incident and action, of high-wrought, romantic, and picturesque description, and is told in a spirited and agreeable style.

There are a few specimens of the author's poetical powers in this last story. These do not strike us as above mediocrity. As a writer of prose fiction, however, both in this and the preceding tales, he maintains a very respectable rank, and we hope we shall soon have an opportunity of renewing our acquaintance with him in that character.

American Journal of Education. Vol. I. No. 1. January. 1826. 8vo. pp. 64.

THIS is a new monthly publication, to be devoted exclusively to education. Periodicals have recently been multiplied to such an extent as to oblige us to relinquish the design of noticing each one as it appears. But this, whose title we have given above, professes to treat a subject in which we have ourselves taken so deep an interest, and to which we have appropriated so large a portion of our own pages, that we are unwilling to let the opportunity pass without announcing the appearance of so zealous a coadjutor, and recommending it to the public attention. We believe that the field is yet amply large for these, and even a greater number of fellow-labourers, and we are glad to see those enter, who seem to be zealously affected in a good cause.

INTELLIGENCE.

PUBLIC LIBRARIES IN FRANCE.

IN Paris the Royal Library has above 700,000 printed volumes and 70,000 manuscripts; the Library of Monsieur, 150,000 printed volumes and 5,000 manuscripts; the Library of St Genevieve, 110,000 printed volumes and 2,000 manuscripts; the Mazarine Library, 92,000 printed volumes and 3,000 manuscripts; the Library of the City of Paris 20,000 volumes. All these are daily open to the public! In the departments, there are twenty-five public libraries, with above 1,700,000 volumes; of which Aix has 72,670; Marseilles, 31,500; Toulouse, 30,000; Bourdeaux, 100,000; Tours, 30,000; Lyons, 106,000; Versailles, 40,000; and Amiens, 40,000. In the Royal Library at Paris, there are several uncollated manuscripts of the Scriptures.

EDUCATION IN THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS.

In a description of Manilla, found in White's Voyage to Cochin China, the following account is given of the means of education in that city. "There are in different parts of the city various establishments, whose object is the education of youth; among which is a patriotic school for children, founded and directed by the citizens, under the protection and patronage of the governor; the Royal and Pontifical University,' where are taught the elements of civil and sacerdotal jurisprudence; the Royal College of St Joseph' is contiguous to the convent of the Jesuits, which was erected previous to their expulsion. There is also 'the Royal College of St John of Lateran,' for the education of male orphan children. Other establishments, for the education of female orphans, are also in the city, the most ancient of which is the 'College of St Potenciana,' for the orphans of Spanish soldiers; and the 'College of St Isabel,' where girls are prepared for the monasteries. They are, however, not obliged to embrace the monastic life when they leave the college, a fund being provided for fitting them out in marriage, if they prefer it. The Convent of St Clara,' or Franciscan Nuns, is celebrated for the austerity and rigid observances of its members; and we may add the Beaterio, or religious house of St Catherine, of the same character as the former. There are, besides these, several schools for the education of the Indians and Mistezas, or half casts; and seminaries for the purpose of instructing youth as missionaries to the neighbouring islands and kingdoms."

LANGUAGE OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS.

THEIR Colloquial language, like that of Java, Borneo, Sumatra, and many other islands in these seas, is a dialect of the Peninsular Malay, from whence it is thought they originated; and so striking is its similarity among all these islands, that the natives of each can in a greater

or less degree understand that of all the others. The characters of their written language differ widely, and great varieties of arrangement exist among them. The Tagalis write from top to bottom on palm leaves and strips of bamboo; and many of the Moors or Mahomedans use the Arabic characters. White's Voyage to Cochin China.

LANGUAGES OF AFRICA.

THE languages of Africa must, according to M. de Seetzen, amount to one hundred or one hundred and fifty. They differ from one another in the most striking manner, and have so few features of mutual resemblance, that the attempts made to classify them have proved fruitless. The Berber language has indeed been found to prevail from Morocco to Egypt. The three negro languages of Mandingo on the Upper Senegal, of Amina on the Gold Coast, of Congo on the Congo Coast, seem to be extensively diffused; and the same may be said of the Caffre Bejooanas. But the general character of Africa in this respect is still that of a multitude of confined idioms, which seem to comprehend many sounds scarcely articulate; some that are very strange, sometimes howlings, sometimes hisses, contrived in imitation of the cries of animals, or intended as watchwords to distinguish hostile tribes from one another. This fact perplexes those who consider the unity of the human race as a demonstrated historic truth; but it appears to us, that in Africa, and every where else, true history, going back to the most remote times, finds the human species like the plants and animals, disseminated over the surface of the globe, and divided into numberless small tribes or families, each speaking a peculiar idiom, imperfect, and often singularly distorted. The artificial combination of these primitive jargons has given origin to the regular languages, which probably began with the formation of cities.

Malte-Brun.

THE SINGULESE LITERATURE.

THE Singulese language, like the other Indian dialects, has its origin in the Sanscrit, mixed with what is called the Pali. It is, however, a peculiar language, and not, as some have asserted, the same with the Siamese. It has also a peculiar written character unknown in any other country. It is always written from left to right. Among this people, language is almost the only subject that is carefully studied. There are various dialects appropriated to different casts and to different occasions. Reading and writing are general acquirements among the men, but form no part of female education. Their books are written on talipot leaves, which are duly prepared, cut to a uniform shape, and connected together into books by a string passing through holes in the leaves. They are fond of intricacies and displays of art in language. One poem is considered as an extraordinary effort of genius, because it admits of being read from left to right, up and down, and various other ways, making sense in each. The compositions which approach nearest to poetry are addresses to the chiefs, expressive of respect, or soliciting them for favours.

OSTRICH HUNTING.

OSTRICH hunting is a curious amusement of the Arabs. Twenty mounted on the horses of the desert, which are as transcendent among horses as the heiree is among camels, proceed to windward in quest of an ostrich track, and when they have found one, follow it with the utmost rapidity, keeping at the distance of half a mile from one another. The ostrich, fatigued with running against the wind, which beats against his wings, turns about to the hunters, and attempts to penetrate their line; but they surround him, and all at once fire on the bird, when he falls. Without this address they could never take the ostrich, which, though destitute of the power of flying, surpasses in running the swiftest animals.

VARIETIES.

The University of Alabama.—The trustees of the University of Alabama have made a report, by which it appears that 12,718 acres of land belonging to that institution have been sold, producing with interests and rents the sum of $276,956 17. There remains yet for sale 33,361 acres ; and it is supposed the aggregate produced by the whole will exceed $750,000.

Valuation and Population of Ohio.-The total value of the several counties in the state of Ohio according to the returns of the different county assessors, is $59,924,770. The population of Ohio, as was stated by Mr Wright, one of the representatives in Congress from that state, in his remarks on the judiciary bill, is now about one million. When the state was admitted into the Union, in 1803, her population was less than fifty thousand.

Prospects of the Peace Society.-Arbitration on national differences and the abolition of private war on the ocean,-two changes in which our country has the glory of having taken the lead,-may be considered as accomplishing the ardent desires of the friends of peace. When we left some of our differences with Great Britain to the arbitration of the Emperor of Russia, it certainly was not expected that this decision would be enforced by the sword. What then could have enforced it but public opinion? If our national differences may be settled by arbitration, all others may be. If private war on the ocean can be abolished, Mr Ladd's Address. why may not public war share the same fate?

Statue to the Memory of Dr Jenner. The execution of this public monument reflects the highest credit upon the sculptor, R. W. Sievier, Esq. The Doctor is represented in the gown of his Oxford degree. In his right hand, which crosses his body and supports a fold of the gown, he holds a scroll; and in his left, which drops carelessly on the side, the appropriate academical cap. The whole figure is distinguished by classical elegance and simplicity. The statue is seven feet in height, placed upon a pedestal and base of eight feet. Upon the die of the pedestal is simply inscribed, "Edward Jenner," with the time and place of his birth and death.

New Waverley Novel.-The new novel by the author of Waverley was announced in London to appear in January. Its title is "Woodstock, or a Tale of the Long Parliament."

The Expiation.-The author of "Lights and Shadows of Scottish Life" has announced a novel under this name.

British Manufactures.-Two hundred and fifty thousand hands are now employed in Great Britain spinning cotton twist; they can do as much work as twenty-five millions of hands could before the introduction of steam and machinery.

Making Pins by Steam.-An immense establishment is erecting for the manufacture of pins; in which they are to be made by one blow of the machinery to be worked by steam, at the rate of ten thousand per minute!

Indigo Manufacture.—The dry plant is put into an earthen jar with hot water, and stirred round and worked till the colour is pressed out. The liquor is then strained through the bark of a tree into another jar, where it is left for eight or nine days. The sediment is poured afterwards into a broad shallow hole in the sand, which absorbs the water, and leaves the indigo in solid cakes.

Education of the Caffres.-At the age of twelve years, the children receive a sort of education from the chief of the horde. They are divided into companies, which are educated according to the exigency of the service. The boys are appointed to the care of the cattle, at the same time the public officers exercise them in the use of the javelin and club. The girls are taught, under the inspection of the chief's wives, to make cloths, prepare food, and in a word to perform the work of the hut and garden.

New Comet.-The Moniteur states, that M. Pons has discovered another new comet, at Florence, on the 7th of November. It was first seen in Eridanus, at about 54° of right ascension, and 14° south declination. It requires a good telescope to render it visible; and, according to M. Pons's observations, moves at the rate of about twenty minutes per day in a southwest direction.

Bibles. The number of editions of the Bible at present in the library of the king of Wurtemberg, amounts to four thousand different editions in all the European languages; two hundred and ninety of which are in French, and two hundred and fifteen in English.

Pyramid of Cheops.-The height of a pyramid ascribed to Cheops, and situated on the west bank of the Nile near Djizeh, is four hundred and forty-seven feet, that is, forty feet higher than St Peter's at Rome, and a hundred and thirty-three higher than St Paul's in London. The length of the base is seven hundred and twenty feet.

Trade of Odessa. In the course of September, the exports from Odessa, were: Russian goods, 2,781,419 rubles; foreign, ditto, 715,675 rubles; in the whole 3,497,094 rubles. Seventy foreign merchantmen arrived in that month, and seventy-five sailed.

Tea Plant in Brazil.-Orders have been issued in Brazil for the establishment of botanic gardens in all the provinces; and the attention of the planters has been called to the cultivation of the tea plant, of which one proprietor has already four thousand on his estate in fine order.

Sardinian Edict.-A royal Sardinian edict, lately issued, directs, that henceforth no person shall learn to read or write, who cannot prove the possession of property above the value of 1,500 livres, about sixty pounds sterling. The qualification of a student is the possession of an income of the same amount.