We are well aware that we have given but a very inadequate description of the excellent work of this gentleman, who has so meritoriously devoted his energies and talents for a period so long, and with such success, to the subject on which he treats. We fervently hope, that ere long, we shall see a building erected, in which the deaf and dumb may be received, fed, clothed, and cured, under his auspices and inspection, for when it is recollected that it is only in early infancy that relief may be expected, and that as many as six and seven children are often deaf and dumb in one family, we can but insist on early examination and medical treatment, in preference to the plan now adopted at asylums, which is, that children are not admitted until eight years of age, when the disease is confirmed by time and habit, which, if attended to in the first instance, might be removed.

Journey through Arabia Petræa to Mount Sinai and the excavated City of Petra, the Edom of the Prophecies. By M. LEOn de Laborde. Though this is only a translation from the French, it deserves general attention, not only on account of its topographical curiosities, but principally as it verifies, in the most extraordinary, we might almost say miraculous manner, the prophecies and the incidental assertions of the Holy Scriptures. It seems to us to be a dispensation of Providence that, by such timely discoveries, the waning trustingness in revelation should be invigorated at the precise moment, and at that only, when it is most called for, leaving sufficient room for the energies and exercise of faith, yet never letting the proofs, if diligently searched for, be wholly wanting. That scepticism has lately been gradually advancing we think that any one who has regarded the aspect of the times will not venture to deny. This work will or ought to check that evil immediately. It is a work of coincidence. In this stony desert, that shuts up in its sterile bosom the city of Petra, the former inhabitants had taken advantage of the site in a manner that cannot be equalled on any spot on the face of the earth. It is enclosed on every side with lofty and precipitous rocks and mountains, and can only be entered by one very long and narrow defile, which leads through a passage between the rocks, that are so high on either side that they almost exclude the light of the sun. Now these enclosing stony barriers are perforated on every side by tombs and sometimes temples, cut away from the solid stratum; so that, in working, they always began at the top, and working down they left the entablature, friezes, heads of the columns, &c. cutting away the rock in the interstices. They may well be said to be parts of the living rock. Owing to the dryness of the climate, these edifices, or, more properly speaking, sculptures, are in a state of beautiful preservation.

A Commentary on the Book of Psalms. By GEORGE HORNE, D. D. late Lord Bishop of Norwich. 3 Vols. With an Introductory Essay, by JAMES MONTGOMERY, ESQ. and a Memoir of the Author, by the late REV. WILLIAM JONES, of Nayland.

The first volume of this Commentary forms the 28th number of the Sacred Classics The nature of this work on the Psalms will be best understood by a quotation from the beautifully written Introductory Essay. The reader will find abundance of discriminative as well as elegant strictures on these, regarded as literary compositions, in Bishop Horne's Commentary. This, without being curiously critical, or learnedly elaborate, to perplex ordinary readers, is accompanied in the body of the text of the authorized version, with such occasional new renderings of the Hebrew phraseology as throw real light upon passages either

imperfect in the translation as it stands, or obscure in the original; the Commentator, with consummate good sense, pure taste, and conscientious scrupulosity, always preferring, amidst a choice of difficult readings, that which tended most to edification, and was likely to prevent false impressions of the actual sentiments of the writer, or of the justice, mercy, and truth of God himself, as in the apparent imprecations of vengeance upon the Psalmist's enemies, his avowals of perfect hatred against them, and his protestations, in some places, of perfect righteousness in himself. The whole work is evangelical in its spirit and in its influence. Scripture is employed as the interpreter of Scripture, and while the Old Testament is made to foreshadow the New, the New is made to reflect upon the Old, all the glory of life and immortality brought to light by the gospel. Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever, is revealed in creation, in providence, in redemption, in judgment, in the glory which He had with the Father before the world was, in the grace of His humiliation while He dwelt on earth, in the equity of his mediatorial reign, and finally in the power, might, majesty, and dominion which will be the infinite and everlasting reward for the travail of His soul, when He shall have put all enemies under his feet, and with which he shall be satisfied, when he has gathered his elect from every country under heaven, and through all ages of time."

This reprint of these Commentaries will be looked upon as a boon by all Christians who are truly so in heart and soul.

The Reign of Humbug. A Satire.

The word humbug is as expressive and more comprehensive than any other in the English language. Thousands of prominent personages, and events equally as numerous, are daily, nay hourly, naturalizing the word in the English language, and of this the author of the satire before us has taken a most unmerciful advantage. He mows, we opine, with a strong scythe; it is not a sharp but a terrible one; it lacerates like a saw rather than cuts like a razor. However, it does its work well. Perhaps he shows his wisdom in this; for who would spoil a finely-edged instrument in endeavouring to hew such blocks of wood as the author has chosen to operate upon. But this powerful coarseness is only in the thought--the versification is singularly neat and polished, and proves the author to be fluent in the noblest diction of the Muse. The tone of the satire is conservative, but not bigotedly so: of course, the shafts of the satirist's ridicule is levelled at the heads of the leading liberals. He seldom misses his mark, but nothing deadens projectiles so much, even of wit, as articles like sandbags, or cushions stuffed with straw. We opine that this clever work with all its various merit, will excite very little attention, unless it find two or three very influential patrons; but this, we fear, is but a hopeless affair; for notwithstanding that we are all just now most obedient lieges under the Empire of Dullness, we have just wit enough to remember the proverb, that "those who have glass windows should not patronise the throwing of stones," and all of us can very glibly decline a few of the tenses of the verb "to humbug!" Had we not so many works to notice, we should certainly here make an extract from this spirited production.

The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction; consisting of Original Essays, &c. &c. Poetry, original and selected, the Spirit of the Public Journals, Discoveries in Arts and Sciences, New Facts in Natural History, &c.

The twenty-seventh volume of the Mirror is now completed, and we cannot but give our tribute of commendation to this, the oldest and most successful of the cheap weekly publications. Many, and some not very

ephemeral, imitations it has seen born and die. Nothing but talent could have acquired for it the pre-eminence that it enjoys, and attention and unfailing ability have preserved it so long in its proud station. It has nearly reached to a thousand numbers. We have always regarded this periodical as a judicious combination of the useful with the agreeable, and, without the scientific pretensions of some of its cotemporaries, and the vapid attempts at wit of others, we think it to contain really more true knowledge than the one class and much more sterling humour than the other.

Recollections of an Artillery Officer, including Scenes and Adventures in Holland, America, Flanders, and France. By BENSON EARL HILL. 2 Vols.

Brochures of this description are always amusing, sometimes instructive: these "Recollections" are, in a great degree, both; yet we cannot help feeling, whilst we laugh heartily at many of his anecdotes, and get very important and correct information upon many points of great interest, that in reading this work we are not employed upon a production of a very high order. The principal claim that it possesses consists in the constitutional vivacity which the author has contrived to transmit from his temperament to his pages, and in the gentlemanly and unaffected air of his narrative. But we find in the volumes neither depth of thought, and but few materials furnished us for thinking. Everything is taken from the surface, nor, though brilliant is the matter accumulated, is it calculated to make a lasting impression on the mind. The book, however, is eminently valuable, and really, despite of the calls upon us for grave lectures, we could not lay this publication down until we had fairly gone through the whole of it. Mr. Hill, who appears to have risen in his profession no higher than the grade of lieutenant of artillery, though he appears to have served much, and with great distinction, narrowly escaping knighthood for the courage and conduct he displayed, tells us that from his earliest infancy he was innoculated with the histrionic virus; the effects of which do not yet appear to have ceased to operate. The consequence of this is, that we have nearly as many pleasant stories of the stage as we have of the contested field. We have no doubt that this, his first work, will meet with that success that will encourage the author to put his very pleasant threat into execution and favour the world with a second.

Notes of a Ramble through France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Holland, and Belgium. By a Lover of the Picturesque.

It is always pleasant to observe the different impressions that foreign countries make upon different travellers, but, the author of this work has travelled so fast in order that he might say he has travelled so much, that he has scarcely allowed himself time to receive an impression at all, consequently he does not convey very favourable ones to his readers. It is a mere journal, recording that I was here to-day, and there yesterday. He has looked into several splendid churches, of which he speaks something more fully, and into many more splendid ladies' eyes, that we cannot help thinking deserved, even from one in such a hurry as himself, a more lengthened chronicle. Though this book is far from being of a high order, we found it, nevertheless, so amusing that we read the whole of it. Its powers of entertaining consist in giving an agreeable fillip to the memory, and recalling to the mind scenes with which we were, some twenty years ago, familiar. Then the rapidity of his progress never wearies, and the absence

of any laboured and shallow disquisitions, so abounding in most works of travels, is a singular recommendation to the volume. After all, notwithstanding its little depth, we do not know whether we do not like these "Notes of a Rambler." So, we cannot do better than recommend our friends to procure the work and judge for themselves.

Report of the Commerce of the Ports of New Russia, Moldavia and Wallachia, made to the Russian Government in 1835, in pursuance of an investigation undertaken by order of Count Waronzow. By JULIUS DE HAGEMEISTER, translated from the Original, and Published by T. F. FRIEBARER.

This translation is dedicated to Lord Palmerston, for a very singular reason, with which, however we have nothing to do. The work was originally compiled, as the title indicates, for the service of a present rival, and soon probably of a future enemy. The information it contains, is not, however, on that account, to be despised. We suppose that everybody knows that these ports are situated either on the shores of the Black Sea, or the sea of Azoph, but very few know their rising importance, or their great number. We will mention a few of them: Taganrog, Rostow, and Nakhitchevan, on the mouths of the Don; Odessa, Kherson, and Nicolaieff, on that of the Dnieper; Galatz, Brailoff, Reni, and Ismail, on that of the Danube; all of which rivers discharge their waters in this above-mentioned sea. The sea of Azoph has Marioupol and Berdiansk ; with very many more. Now these ports are outlets for commerce over a vast extent of territories and nations, many of them certainly in a semibarous state, but yet highly productive in all manner of raw materials. Of the shallow and mud-encumbered sea of Azoph, we have not a very high opinion, for the purposes of navigation. Though it extends over so many square miles, its deepest parts do not exceed forty feet, and we think that many centuries will not elapse before it be converted into a vast marsh by the soil and sand that is continually poured into it, from the great rivers that disembogue themselves into its basin. But we should make use of the opportunity, as it will last our time, and the Dardanelles are now open to all nations. This sea penetrates into the very heart of the country that most stands in need of our manufactures. We well know, that here, Russia is lord of the ascendant, but we also know, for her own sake, she will permit us to participate in her commerce, at least for a time. We recommend this work to the earnest attention of the merchant and the members of either house of parliament-it may not, perhaps, be a very amusing work to the general reader-but, if he will take the trouble to go through it, he will find it a very instructive

one.

The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, containing a Faithful Record of the Perambulations, Perils, Travels, Adventures, and Sporting Transactions, of the Corresponding Members. Edited by Boz. With Illustrations by R. W. Boz. And The Library of Fiction, consisting of Critical Essays, Tales, and Sketches of Character.

We notice these two works together, because together they first appeared, and together we are in the habit of receiving them at the beginning of each month. But the race is all in favour of the Pickwick Club,

elderly though its members be, and very obese its renowned chairman and sundry of its members. Boz" is making for himself a standard fame, and this number is, perhaps, the best that has yet appeared. The wit of these papers is subtle and beneath the surface; their humour is not that of extravagance, but of nature. The laugh that the author has raised against the strenuous trifling of antiquarianism is a fair laugh, and it is exquisitely excited. The whole thing is well done, and we shall say no more. In the Library of Fiction, the "Diary of a Surgeon" does not improve. "Sandie Sandeman, the Piper," will be pleasing to a certain class of readers, and of the non-original papers we shall say nothing. The redeeming point of this number is "The Sybil's Stone," by the author of the "Gentleman in Black." Though the idea has often been worked up before, yet it is so pleasantly done that we do not regret its want of novelty. We wish well to this periodical, and we trust that, in its next number, it will put forth greater strength. Even the engravings are infinitely inferior to those of its Pickwickian brother.

Sunday under three heads: as it is, as Sabbath-bills would make it, and as it might be made. By TIMOTHY SPARKS.

We find this very delicate subject well treated, and with that degree of moderation that is always indicative of having the right of an argument. Morality and religion may be, and are, promoted by judicious legislation, but legislation alone never can enforce them. There is a free spirit in the human breast that naturally turns against coercion, and of all laws, sumptuary enactments are the most irritating and most provocative of rebellious opposition. Disguise the affair under what name you will, sabbath-enforcing acts of parliament can be considered in no other light than that of sumptuary laws. We certainly wish for a very general circulation of the little tract now under our notice, though there is something here and there in the tone of it, which we cannot entirely approve.

Chess made Easy; being an Introduction to the Rudiments of that Scientific Game. By GEORGE WALKER, Teacher of Chess.

Chess made easy! we beg Mr. Walker's pardon-he has done as much, nay, more for chess than any man now living, but easy he will never make it. Were it so, it would not be the noble thing it is, nor deserving the patronage and attention of a man so talented as our erudite author. Certainly these pages are the best leading strings in which to put grown gentlemen, who are ambitious of some time becoming a Walker on Chess. Nothing could be better arranged or more lucidly explained, than is the matter of this little preliminary treatise. We play chess ourselves, and do not speak ignorantly. It is the best book to ask for, for persons wishing to learn the game.

Traits and Trials of Early Life. By L. E. L., Author of "The Improvisatrice," &c.

A small volume of about three hundred pages, but full of the finest traits of tenderness, and omnipotent in the calling forth of tears. No one knows, so well as Miss Landon, how to wring the heart, even by