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x. 38, 39, entirely to pass over the very obvious allusion to immersion as the primitive baptism. This Commentary has the rare excellence of being" complete in itself, and leaving nothing to be eked out or supplied by reference, even to the writer's other publications."

DARKNESS IN THE FLOWERY LAND; or Religious Notions and Popular Superstitions in North China. By the Rev. M. Simpson Culbertson, of the Shanghae Mission of the B. F. M. of the Presbyterian Church. (New York: C. Scribner; 16mo; pp. 235.)

Whatever pertains to the spiritual interests of 400,000,000 of his fellow-beings, cannot be uninteresting to the Christian, and although China, with its various religious sects, has long beeen better known to Christendom than most other heathen nations, yet we welcome with pleasure any new contribution to our knowledge, which may serve to kindle afresh the flame of missionary zeal. The author of the work before us, aims "to present a picture of Chinese religion in its every day dress, as it appears in its practical working among the common people, rather than as it is found in the metaphysical writings of philosophers and sages." His experience of eleven years as a missionary in China has given him unusual facilities for the task, and he has condensed in this little volume a great deal of information, both as to the superstitions and religious rites of the Chinese, and as to the efforts made by Christians to plant there the Cross of Christ.

HISTORY OF THE INDUCTIVE SCIENCES, from the earliest to the present time. By William Whewell, D.D., Master of Trinity College, Cambridge. The third edition, with additions. (two vols., 8vo; pp. 566, 648. N. Y.: D. Appleton & Co. 1858.)

Our space will not allow us to notice these noble volumes as they deserve. They have been before the public for twenty years, and we need only say that in this edition the history is brought up to the present time. To trace the rise, progress and development of those grand and comprehensive systems of science which are the glory of modern civilization, from the first rude germ to the magnificent proportions they now assume, is a task of no ordinary magnitude and difficulty. To do it thoroughly and minutely, for any one of the sciences were the work of a lifetime. Of course a work which proposes, as this does, to give the history of all,-Astronomy, Mechanics, Hydrostatics, Optics, Acoustics, Thermotics and Atmology, Electricity, Magnetism, Chemistry, Mineralogy, Botany and Zoology, Physiology, Comparative Anatomy and Geology-must necessarily avoid descending into minute detail, and select only the most important epochs of the advancement of scientific truth, and point out the men by whom the great truths were discovered. This has been the wise course of the author. By a careful selection of facts, and a peculiarly judicious arrangement of them, he has succeeded in presenting in lucid order a vast amount of information, and although his work can never be popular, in the ordinary sense of that term, yet as a book of reference for scholars and students, it supplies an important want.

A TEXT-BOOK OF VEGETABLE AND ANIMAL PHYSIOLOGY. Designed for the use of schools, seminaries and colleges in the United States. By H. Goadby, M.D. Professor of Vegetable and Animal Physiology and Entomology in the State Agricultural College of Michigan; Fellow of the Linnæan Society of London, etc., etc. Embellished with upwards of 450 illustrations. (N. Y.: D. Appleton & Co.; 8vo., pp. 313. 1858.)

At the first glance we discover that the author is a thorough enthusiast in his favorite studies. He speaks of being "enraptured with the surpassing beauty" of the wondrous organizations he describes, and repeatedly alludes to the "charming" and "beautiful" sights exhibited by various preparations, and tells us that "the injected preparation of the mu

cous membrane of the stomach of the human subject is a magnificent spectacle !"

We like that, and it prepares us at once to expect_the_thoroughness and completeness which we find everywhere in his book. It is a labor of love, and not mere drudgery. The microscope has opened a new era in the study of Physiology, and our author has availed himself fully of its revelations. In no text-book of the kind, with which we are acquainted, is the subject treated in a more complete and interesting manner. The illustrations, too, are of uncommon excellence. They are peculiar, consisting of white figures on a black ground, an admirable method of exhibiting the delicate lines of microscopic objects.

(N. Y.: Harpers.)

MEMOIRS OF RACHEL. By Madame de BWhile reading this book, we were strongly reminded of the inspired declaration, "She that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth." A poor beggar girl, of Jewish birth, she rose, by the power of her transcendent talents, to be the greatest tragic actress of the age, the spoiled favorite of nobility, nay, of royalty itself. Her life was devoted to the stage, all her wonderful powers were dedicated to dramatic art, and if we must judge of its moral influence by the character of this its most admired representative, it is found sadly wanting. Her portrait, as drawn in this memoir, by one who evidently sympathizes with the main object of her life, and who draws a veil over her worst faults, yet presents a fearful picture of vanity, caprice, arrogance, ill-temper, obstinacy, selfishness and covetousness, and all this illuminated by the light of her genius, only to glare with greater hideousness from the canvas. It is an intensely painful spectacle, and the few words of religious devotion uttered by her Jewish brethren around her dying bed, only render more impressive the contrast presented by her utterly godless life. We contemplate the scene with the feelings which we might have in gazing upon angel ruined," and we recommend the volume as an effectual antidote to any budding passion for stage-life, and as a striking commentary on the moral influence of theatrical exhibitions.

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MEMOIR OF JOSEPH CURTIS: A Model Man. By the author of "Means and Ends,' "The Linwoods," Hope Leslie," &c., &c. (New York: Harper & Brothers. 1858.)

Quite a refreshing contrast to the book just noticed. A modest, humble business man, with a heart full of love, a mind fertile in plans of usefulness, and dauntless energy and perseverance to carry them out, Mr. Curtis "served his generation by the will of God." He labored at the very foundations of society, with the children and young men; and the House of Refuge, the Public School, and his band of apprentices furnished him with abundant and blessed employment. Although we dislike the title "model man," as applied to any save Jesus of Nazareth, yet so far as he followed Christ, his life furnishes a beautiful example of unostentatious, constant usefulness.

HISTORY OF KING RICHARD THE SECOND OF ENGLAND. By Jacob Abbott. With engravings. (16mo; pp. 347.)

HISTORY OF KING RICHARD THE THIRD OF ENGLAND. By Jacob Abbott. With engravings. (16mo; pp. 337. New York: Harper & Bro.'s. These little volumes contain vivid sketches of the lives, not only of the two kings named, but of their immediate predecessors; and gloomy pictures they present of the depravity of human nature. Their history is almost one black catalogue of crime. Ambition, cruelty, treachery, lust, war and murder stain nearly every page, with scarcely a single gleam of the nobler traits of humanity. We question if Mr. Abbott has not, in his love for republicanism and hatred of despotism, shaded the picture too darkly. The style, while sufficiently simple to be comprehended by the young, is yet not too childish to interest the adult.

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