The Second Part consists of translations from some of the most popular French writers of the present age. It may be as well to repeat, that my reason for introducing those translations is, that I believe there is no better way for an English pupil to become perfectly acquainted with French composition than by endeavouring to reproduce the wording of a text from a translation which retains the peculiarity of character, the idiosyncrasy of the writer; whilst simply rendering French into English is too often but a mere unprofitable guesswork. Besides, I am of opinion that the student must be stimulated by the thought that the text which he is trying to reconstrue does actually exist -a kind of mark, as it were, for him to aim at.

This Second Part, progressive in itself, must be considered quite independent of the First, and not as its continuation. It will, on the whole, be found very easy, and might have been placed at the beginning of the book were it not for its peculiar character, which, in fact, makes it little more than an annex to the principal portion of the work.

In conclusion, I trust that whilst the great variety of subjects, all carefully selected from the original works, will give this volume an interest

which a sameness of matter generally fails to awaken, the quality and spirit of the extracts will prove true to the object I have always had in view as a lecturer and a teacher-that of raising,

as much as lies in my power, the tone of mind of the young student.

KING'S COLLEGE, LONDON;

February, 1860.

A. M.