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at the head of a school of geologists whose views are not so generally accepted. But though a heretic to the orthodox, he is yet orthodox to the heretic. He opposes the development theory of Lamarck and the author of the Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation, and denies that in the history of the strata there is any evidence that the lowest forms of animals were created first. This controversy has given rise to numerous schools of philosophy, on whose principles, however, it is not necessary that we should here dilate.

In 1828, Sir Charles Lyell undertook a journey with Sir Roderick Murchison (then Mr. Murchison) to France and Italy. In this journey they visited the volcanoes of Auvergne, the south of France, Nice, and the north of Italy. The two geologists made public the results of their researches in three memoirs, read before the Geological Society, and printed in the Edinburgh Philosophical Journal.

But Sir Charles Lyell has not only travelled over the greater part of Europe in pursuit of science; he has twice visited the United States of America for the same object, and has delivered courses of lectures before the scientific institutions of this country. His chief aim, however, has been to examine the geology of the New World. His papers on this subject are very numerous and important. In addition to this series of papers, Sir Charles has published two works giving an account of his travels in this country. The first appeared in 1841, and was entitled Travels in North America, with Geological Observations on the United States, Canada, and Nova Scotia, 2 vols. 8vo, with a geological map. These volumes contain an account of personal incident, as well as popular descriptions of the geology of the districts visited. They also describe the educational institutions of this country, and strongly insist on their superiority to similar institutions in Great Britain, on account of the extensive cultivation of the natural sciences. In his second journey he more particularly visited the Southern States, and records in his work his personal adventures, together with an account of the geology of the districts through which he passed. The work is entitled A Second Visit to the United States, and was published in 1845.

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Sir Charles was married to the eldest daughter of Leonard Horner, Esq., in 1832. In 1836 he was elected president of the Geological Society, an honor which he again enjoyed in 1850. For his great and valuable scientific labors, he, in 1848, received the honor of knighthood, and in this present year her Majesty has still further recognized his eminence as a scientific man, by conferring upon him a baronetcy. In 1855 he had so far outridden the early unpopularity of his views of geological science that the University of Oxford, his own Alma. Mater, conferred upon him the degree of Doctor of Civil Law.

Sir Charles Lyell has been long connected with the British Association, in which he has held almost every office, and he is generally admitted to be one of its most active and efficient members. The Transactions of this body contain many papers from his prolific pen, and the geological section of the Association would not be deemed complete unless assisted and graced by his presence; his attendance at these sections, and the great intelligence and research he brings to bear upon the various theories started, always adding much to the interest of the meeting. In electing him to the distinguished position of president of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, the learned body have evinced a just appreciation of the valued services he has rendered to the cause of science; they have paid a well deserved tribute to an eminent savant, and have certainly succeeded, if we may adopt a familiar expression, in putting "the right man in the right place."

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ON THE CLIFFS.

WHILE the little ones gather flowers, Or rustle about in the corn,

I'll pray to the sea

To bring to me,

The schooner, the Golden Horn.

The horizon, gray and dim,
Scarce darker than the sky,
Hides all behind,

That I fain would find.
Would I had power to fly

Like the gull that now alights

On the waves with its snowy breast;

And a moment more
Whirls over the shore-

On sea nor land at rest.

Little gray blots of ships;
Nearer, a tawny sail,
Ochry red;

And overhead,

The breath of a southern gale.

A dancing, glittering sea,
Purple and laughing green;
With a ripple of gold
On every fold,

And a ruffle of surf between.

The barley is glossy as silk,
Bowing to every cloud;
And clickety-clack,
Tickety-tack,

The bird's rattle sounds so loud.

The wind-mill there on the hill Is tossing its arms about; Signalling

To the ships on the wing, And the waves below that shout.

Glitter and dance, ye waves,
And bear my darling home;
The boy with the hair
Curling so fair-

I love him where'er he roam.

Who knows but those broad brown sails,

Rounding the Foreland there,

Bring him to me

From over the sea,

Safe from the cruel gales?

No! for they tack again,
And bear away to the west;
And he I know,

Straight, straight would go
Back to his mother's breast.

The poppies are fluttering red
Over the chalk-cliff's edge;
Nodding to me,

And then to the sea,
From every sun-burnt ledge.

The wild geranium, too,

Has a butterfly fluttering round
But the thistle's alone.
My own-my own,

He is far on the rolling Sound.

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Then as I wandered free

In every field, for me

Its thousand flowers were blowing!

A veil through which I did not see,
A thin veil o'er the world was thrown,

In every bud a mystery;

Magic in everything unknown:

The fields, the grove, the air was haunted,
And all that age has disenchanted.

Yes! give me-give me back the days of youth,
Poor, yet how rich!-my glad inheritance,
The inextinguishable love of truth,
While life's realities were all romance-
Give me, oh! give youth's passions unconfined,
The rush of joy that felt almost like pain,
Its hate, its love, its own tumultuous mind;
Give me my youth again!

BELLS BY NIGHT.

-Faustus.

"TIS Sabbath-eve: from the old kirk tower
Merrily chime the bells by night;
The organ peals with thrilling power,
And the windows glow with holy light-
Merrily chime the bells by night.
Year by year to the pilgrim throng,
Warningly speak the bells by night:
"Life is short, eternity's long;

Children of darkness waken to light"-
Warningly say the bells by night.
Over the grave of the patriot slain
Solemnly rolls a dirge by night:

"The good are gathered like ripened grain— Why should we weep when angels delight?" Solemnly echo the bells by night.

Lone do I list to a curfew-bell

That wofully throbs within me to-night!

Of waning life its pulsations tell;
And many a legend does memory recite,
That mournfully wrings my heart to-night!
-J. W. Montclair.

SONNET.

DIE down, O dismal day! and let me live.
And come, blue deeps! magnificently strewn
With colored clouds-large, light, and fugitive-
By upper winds through pompous motions
blown.

Now it is death in life-a vapor dense

The far snow-shining mountains, and the glens Creeps round my window till I cannot see Shagging the mountain-tops. O God! make free

This barren, shackled earth, so deadly coldBreathe gently forth thy spring, till winter flies In rude amazement, fearful and yet bold,

While she performs her customed charities. I weigh the loaded hours till life is bareO God! for one clear day, a snowdrop, and sweet air! -David Gray's Poems.

TWO.

Two buds plucked from the tree;
Two birdies flown from the nest;
Two little babies snatched

From a fond mother's breast;
Two little snow-white lambs
Gone from the sheltering fold;
Two little narrow graves
Down in the churchyard cold.
Two little drooping flowers,
Growing in a purer air,
Blooming fragrant and bright
In the great Gardener's care;
Two little tender birds,

Flown far from fear and harm;
Two little snow-white lambs
In the good Shepherd's arm.
Two little angels more,

Singing with voices sweet,
Flinging their crowns of gold
Down at their Saviour's feet.
Free from all earthly care,

Pure from all earthly stainOh, who could wish them back In this drear world again?

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BRIEF LITERARY NOTICES. The Histoire de la Société Française sous le Directoire, like the previous book of MM. d Goncourt, will be eagerly read, but the impression which it leaves is painful in the extreme. We here have to deal with one of the most corrupt epochs of French history, and the sketch presented to our view is, moreover, painted in colors which dazzle us by their brilliancy, whilst at the same time they are ill assorted and spoiled by want of taste. It is no easy task to give an adequate description of the style which MM. de Goncourt have thought fit to adopt; all we can say is that the volume is made up chiefly of extracts taken from the newspapers, the pamphlets, and the correspondence of the day. The title Histoire is scarcely applicable to such a work, for where we expected seriousness and dignity we find nothing but anecdotes and comparatively trivial details. The mass of information brought together by MM. de Goncourt is wonderful, but it is ill digested, and leaves no distinct trace upon the memory. The chaos presented by French society immediately after the Reign of Terror, when a certain degree of quiet seemed to be restored, is reflected in the work before us; and in that dazzling panorama where Madame Tallien, Madame Récamier, and Madame Hamelin move about like the presiding deities of dissipation and pleasure, we regret both the more seri ous pages of M. Thiers and the lively souvenirs of the Duchess d'Abrantès. The Histoire de la Société sous le Directoire belongs neither to the class of historical compositions nor to that of memoirs; it is a cross between the two, and as such it is not pleasing.-Saturday Review.

tres et Penses. It has often been remarked that several English writers have conquered a place amongst the purest and most idiomatic French littérateurs. Madame de Tracy is a case in point; for her maiden name, Sarah Newton, sufficiently denotes her extraction, and, if we may believe her biographer, she was of the same family with the immortal author of the Principia. Taken to France at an early age, she soon became completely French in her tastes, her feelings, and her opinions; but she combined with the feminine accomplishments of her adopted compatriotes a seriousness of character which seems more distinctively English. The Essais Divers, consisting of three volumes, are an unpretending work, well-written, and calculated to leave the most favorable impression of the authoress. We have, first, the journal of an excursion to Plombières, in company with Madame de Coigny, which, according to M. Sainte-Beuve, is the gem of the collection. Then come abridged translations of two English tales; and, finally, a biographical éloge of Madame de Tracy's father-in-law, the celebrated id ologne Destutt de Tracy. The second volume is entirely taken up with essays on Saint Athanasius, Saint Ambrose, and Tertullian, illustrated by extracts from their writings; and the third contains detached thoughts, letters, passages from journals, and an account of the lady herself, composed by one of the most distinguished contributors to the Journal des Débats, M. Cuvillier-Fleury.-Ditto.

The Conversion of the Holy Roman Empire: the Boyle Lectures for the Year 1864. Delivered at the Chapel Royal, Whitehall. By Charles MERIVALE, B.D. Longman. Eight lectures are con tained in this volume, with an appendix of illustra tive and explanatory notes. Mr. Merivale attrib utes the conversion of the empire to the following influences: First, the conviction wrought by the external evidences of Christianity—that is, by the apparent fulfilment of recorded prophecy, and by the historical testimony to the miracles on which its claims to some extent rested. These evidences he admits, however, owed much of their weight to the uncritical and credulous character of the age in which they were first adduced, and, to avoid discussion, does not dwell on them. Secoud, the internal evidence that is, the appeal made by Christianity to the intelligence and moral sensibilities of men-a species of testimony so markedly distinctive of the true religion, yet bearing a mysterious affinity to some of the highest aspirations of the heathen philosophy. By this evidence the most refined and intelligent of the heathen were actually converted, and no other possesses equal importance. Third, the godly examples of the Christians throughout the trials of life, and especially in the crowning trial of martyrdom, which produced millions of conversions. Fourth, the temporal success with which Christianity was eventually crowned. This decided the multitude.-The Reader.

We remember reading, in one of M. SainteBeuve's Causeries du Lundi, an interesting article which made us wish that we could, like the critic, have access to privately printed books, and to literary treasures reserved for a limited circle of friends. The article in question referred to Madame de Tracy, who was evidently a person of no ordinary merit, and who, without aspiring to the dignity of blue-stockingism, had given proof of high intellectual as well as moral qualities. We are happy to say that the restrictions imposed by the delicacy of Madame de Tracy's intimes are now removed, and the public at large An American Dictionary of the English Lanis allowed to read and enjoy the three volumes guage. By NOAH WEBSTER, LL.D. Thoroughly left by her under the title of Essais Divers, Let-revised and greatly enlarged and improved by C.

* Histoire de la Société Française sous le Directoire. Par MM. DE GONCOURT. Paris: Didier.

Essais Divers, Lettres et Pensées de Madame de Trucy. Paris: Plon.

A. GOODRICH, D.D., LL.D., and NOAH PORTER, D.D. Springfield, Mass.: G. C. Merriam. 1864. 4to. Pp. lxxii. 1768. With 3000 Engravings. In the preparation of this new edition of Webster's Dictionary, no pains have been spared to make it the most complete and useful Dictionary of the English language. It is about thirty years since Dr. Webster completed his great labors, and English lexicography has since advanced at an unprecedented rate. This edition has been in the course of preparation for more than five years; and full thirty years of literary labor, by highly competent scholars, have been devoted to it. The Vocabulary has been enlarged, so that it now contains upwards of 114,000 words, being 10,000 more than are found in any other lexicon. Rejecting self-explaining compound words, and words so obsolete or technical that they are seldom or never used, all terms are retained which can fairly claim a place. As the English is still a growing language, there must be in every new lexicon some new words or new significations of old terms. The Etymology has been thoroughly revised, under the charge of Dr. C. A. F. Mahn, of Berlin; so that, though much remains to be done in this direction, it is here presented more carefully and fully than in any previous work. Able scholars in this country and Europe are now at work in this field, and before many years we shall doubtless have a tolerably complete etymological dictionary of our language; but for the present this edition of Webster must take

the lead.

ones.

The Definitions of Dr. Webster have always had the highest reputation; and the present edition improves in this respect upon the previous The order of the definitions is, in many instances, changed so as to give the literal sense first and then the derived. Numerous extracts have also been added from the best writers. No one can consult the work without profit on this score; though there is here, too, an endless field, and, of course, a great variety of usage. Ham ilton, we see, is largely used, and rightly too, for philosophical terms. But Mansel's definition of Personality (as we can conceive it, it is essentially a limitation and a relation ") represents the view of a special philosophical tendency, and is, on the face of it, inconsistent with the ascription of personality to God. A learned friend has pointed out to us the definition of Temeration as temerity-Jeremy Taylor being cited as authority; but he uses the word in the sense of stained, polluted, (derived from temero.) The same friend criticises the definition of citizen-"one who has the privilege of voting," etc.-as too narrow: it is not the American sense or usage. But these are slight points compared with the general fulness and accuracy of the definitions.

Places is a novel attempt, and very successful. Besides this, we have a Pronouncing Vocabulary of Scripture Names, of Greek and Latin Names, of Modern Geographical and Biographical Names, of English Christian Names; a select list of Quotations and Phrases from various languages; Abbreviations and Contractions; Arbitrary Signs in Writing and Printing; and Ancient, Foreign, and Remarkable Alphabets. Nor must we omit to commend Professor Hadley's excellent Brief History of the English Language. This great work is an honor to American scholarship. It is a monument of careful and protracted labor. On the whole it is now the most complete Dietionary of the English Language. Those engaged in it, and foremost among them that accomplished scholar, Professor Noah Porter, are to be congratulated for their high success in a laborious undertaking. And the publishers have shown great efficiency and a laudable ambition, in producing a work which, on the score of typographical clearness and compression, and whatever goes to make a convenient and elegant book, stands foremost among the productions of modern book-making.-Presb. and Theol. Review for Jan.

The Autumn Holidays of a Country Parson. Parson." London: Longman & Co. A vein of By the author of "The Recreations of a Country sly humor runs through the book, making it very pleasant to read, We scarcely know which chapters to point to specially where all are good in their way; but the reader will get, perhaps, as fair an estimate of the author's powers in the chapter "Concerning the Estimate of Human Beings" as in any. "Concerning Ugly Ducks; or, Some Thoughts on Misplaced Men;" "Concerning the Right Tack, with some Thoughts on the Wrong Tack;" "Concerning Needless Fears," should also be read by those who like this class of gossip. Ticknor & Fields, Boston, have also brought out an American edition in good style.

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Literary Sisters in America." It is composed of some thirty short papers on a variety of topics, mainly illustrative of the habits and man

ners of our common ancestors in the olden time. They are common-sense sketches, not over lively and not sensational, but healthful and improving.

Moods. By LOUISA M. ALCOTT, author of

"Hospital Sketches." The same publisher. 1865. A novel of decided interest, and one which gives tone and breadth to the moral feelings.

Among the other points that give preeminence Real and Ideal. By J. W. MONTCLAIR. Philato this work are the careful revision of the Pro-delphia: Frederick Leopoldt. New-York: Hurd nunciation, with a full list of words differently & Houghton. 1865. A small book of poetry, pronounced, and Dr. Goodrich's able paper on elegantly printed. The poems are short, some of the Principles of Pronunciation; a Table of dif- them only tolerable, while others possess confering Orthographies, with Mr. Wright's Rules siderable poetic merit. Several of them are transfor spelling certain classes of words; and the ad- lations from the German. We extract one poem dition of a list of Synonymes to the most impor- in our Poetry department. tant words. Some 3000 pictorial illustrations are incorporated in the work, and are much bet ter than verbal descriptions. Mr. Wheeler's Vocabulary of Names of Fictitious Persons and

History of the Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States of America. By ABEL STEVENS, LL.D. New-York: Carleton & Porter. 1864.

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