PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED.

Address at the Opening of the National Association of Social Science at .Dublin, on Wednesday, August 14, 1861. With Notes. By the Right ROL Lord Brougham. (From the "Transactions of the Association.") London: John Murray.—Most of our readers must have read this address in its original shape as it appeared in the Times newspaper. The document is a curious one, as showing how very indeterminate the idea of "Social Science" still is even among its foremost promoters. Of course if the word social be understood in the largest possible sense, there is nothing which relates to the constitution of society that will not come within the range of this science. But in that case legal science, political science, and all the physical sciences would become subordinate to the architectonic science of society, which would thus aspire to the same eminence as the old universal science, or science of being, supposed to be attainable by the old schoolmen, if not even by Plato himself. But if social science is only meant to be the latest born of the family of co-ordinate sciences, then it seems to us that many subjects are attempted by it which are not properly within its scope. From this address we find that law reform, the treatment of criminals, and even foreign affairs, are supposed to form branches of social science. To us they seem rather to form part of the science of government. And if social science confined itself to just those things which, though deeply affecting the welfare of society, lie without the sphere of laws and institutions, it would, we think, be mapping out for itself both a more intelligible and a more useful field of operations. Lord Brougham's remarks, however, upon all the subjects herein suc- cessively reviewed are extremely general and cursory, so much so that it is difficult to glean any direct expressions of opinion upon any one of them. What there are, however, we will sum up as briefly as pos- sible. Lord Brougham adheres to his opinion in favour of cheap newspapers : saying that the good which they do by their power of preventing a monopoly is greater than the evil which they do by their outrages on taste. No doubt this is so. But we can scarcely agree even with one so well qualified to form an opinion as Lord Brougham, that the influence of the Edinburgh and Quarterly has been greater since the establishment of other reviews than it was before. In the controversy between the English and Irish convict systems, Lord Brougham is decisively for the Irish. He speaks very favourably of "the establishment of unions by the working classes, for the purpose of sharing in the profits on the goods consumed or used by them," and thinks that the system will have the effect of preventing; strikes. While speaking on the subject of foreign affairs Lord Brougham took occasion to say that he condemned the means by which the kingdom of Italy was created as much as he approved the end. He spoke hope- fully of Turkey, eulogistically of the Emperor of Russia, and of Austria he observed, that she alone possessed "what is absolutely necessary to the permanent existence of a free government—an aristocratic body independent of the sovereign and the multitude—a class of wealthy landowners, not like the Prussian proprietors looking to place and patronage." On the other subjects, such as intemperance, employ- ment of women, schools, &c., his Lordship said nothing particular or characteristic.

..4 Reply to the Observations of the "Quarterly Review" on the Auto- biography qfAdmiral the Earl of Dundonald. By Marcus. London: Bentley.—We always thought that the effort to whitewash the repu- tations of Lord Gambier and Lord Ellenborough at the cost of re- blackening that of Lord Dundonald, was an act much to be regretted. Even-handed justice must of course be meted out to all parties. But still the offences charged on Lord Dundonald were so wholly different both in kind and degree-from those imputed to Lords Gambier and Ellenborough, that we are almost tempted to say it were better that some injustice were done to the two latter, than that any fresh doubt should be thrown upon the honour of the brave old Cochrane. How- ever wrong, for instance, Lord Ellenborough might have been, his error was but one of judgment. Undue harshness in a judge is to be deprecated, lut it is no crime, and not for a moment to be weighed in the balanpe against downright fraud. But the Quarterly critic wrote as if le thought that as much injury was done to Lord Ellen- borough by iccusing him of excessive severity, as to Lord Dundonald by accusing him of knavery. Marcus takes up the cudgel for the latter, and wields it with considerable effect. He proves over agni the accuracy of all Lord Dundonald's statements concerning the affair of the Basqi4e Roads, and vindicates him over again from the charge of having ta4npered with the funds. Chambers'4 Journal for September.—A very good monthly number of this pop ar periodical. It contains the usual mixture of amusing short tales and sketches, among which "Town or Country," and

"Very Ex rdinary," are, perhaps, the two best, with a variety of other matte • relating more or less to the events of the day, and on social and ec4nomic subjects.

Cross Coun 'ry. By Walter Thombury, Author of "British Artists from Hogartli to Turner." London: Sampson Low.—Mr. Thombury states in sreface that the present volume of reprints represents a campaign oil some ten years in periodicals." And, according to mo- dern fashion, they are now presented collectively to an expectant public. From', the glimpses of autobiography which we obtain from them, we learn that Mr. Thombury is an old Etonian, a present Templar, and devoted to field sports, especially hunting. These pursuits he van -ies by occasional bursts of antiquarianism, and by

tours through L'ie United Kingdom, and the results of his experience form the staple o A the book before us. Mr. Thombury writes with

great animal- spi: -its, which, however, betray him into occasional in-

adverteneies, as vi Then he talks approvingly of trapping and shooting foxes in a hunting') country like Wiltshire—language a little at variance with the e,nthusiashi elsewhere expressed in favour of "a forty minutes' burst," and the pro Ifessional tone of his diction whenever he has occa- sion to talk of hor. ses. To describe Leighton Buzzard, Berkhamp- stead, and Woburi -I as being in Buckinghamghire is not strictly accurate, two of the :se towns being in Bedfordshire, and the other in Hertfordshire. Noi : do we very well see how snipes could be shot,

and salmon killed uj. um the same day, without some violation of those sporting laws with N% Vhich Mr. Thornbury is so familiar. Surely his numerous friends an ()long the landed aristocracy of this realm, with whom he is so frequently running down to stay, will stare at these passages when they come across them. The scenes in Ireland display rather a lame attempt at an imitation of Irish wit, as well as of Irish brogue ;.and, on the whole, we cannot compliment our Etonian friend on the discretion which he showed in republishing these sketches.

East and West; or, Once upon a Time. By J. Fraser Corkran. In three volumes. Hurst and Blackett.—This is a book of which we should wish to speak favourably if we could. The author shows a laudable desire to escape from the trammels of conventional fiction. The scenes, persons and events are uncommon; and had the writer as much power as be has independence of thought, he would have given us a very striking tale. A good deal of the story is occupied with Bethnal-green and its old population of silk-weavers, which offer almost virgin soil to the literary ploughshare. The French revolution of 1848 also plays a part in the tale, and the death of the Archbishop of Paris at the barricades is one of the incidents described. There appear, as far as we can see, to be two morals to the story, which are pointed by two harsh and unbending parents, one of whom drives his son into a madhouse, and the other into a company of strolling players. Mr. Lush, a wealthy city man, has a son of rather unsettled intellect, who marries a beautiful Irish peasant-girl, thus disappointing his father's more ambitious projects. The father bribes everybody con- cerned to spirit away the wife to France; persuades his son that the marriage being contracted with a Papist is null, and has the satisfac- tion of seeing him go mad in consequence. He, however, recovers both his wife and his senses in the course of the three volumes, and a child into the bargain, which, however, is killed in Paris. Mr. Elias Mathews, a sanctimonious Bethnal-green hypocrite, has a son, Obadiah, whom he drives out of his house by harshness. The boy first, as we have said, becomes a strolling actor, then a literary man in Paris, and finally, like some of the other characters, also disappears into space in the most unsatisfactory manner. These are the two main lines along which the story travels, but there are plenty of cross roads, and subor- dinate incidents, of which we can only repeat that if they had been more skilfully handled we should have liked them better. The book as a whole is feeble. Mr. Corkran is unable to work out his own conceptions ; his colours are faint and confused, and even his language is at times indistinct if not absolutely. incorrect!. East and West might fairly be described as a story without an ending; for very few of the chief. personages are accounted for in the last chapters, the author seeming to have written on till he had no more to say, and then to have left off.

Clerical Papers by one of our Club. Oxford and London: J. H. and J. Parker.—The modesty of the preface which is prefixed to these little tracts would disarm criticism, even if they presented more to criticize than they do. Without rising to anything either very striking or very forcible, they contain much plain good sense; and no doubt describe correctly enough some of the more obvious causes of the un- popularity of the Church. of England, and the difficulty which her clergy experience in gaining a real hold on their parishioners. The first essay on "The Character which most wins its way in Parochial Work," decides that the best plan for a clergyman to pursue with regard to dissenters is neither to fight them nor make allies of them, but "to gonion steadily in his own way." The second essay, on "The Public M • 'strations of the Church," recommends the separation of the services, and that more feeling should be thrown into the delivery of both the liturgy and the lessons. The third essay, on "Preaching," recommends that in future candidates for holy. orders should be in- structed in extempore preaching, and contains also some useful hints upon subjects for sermons, and the mode of handling them best calcu- lated to attract uneducated hearers. In the fourth essay, which is on "The Education of the Poor and Parochial Teachers,' the writer merely repeats what has often been said before, that we must be care- ful to adapt the education of the poor to their real wants, and the training of the village schoolmaster to the position which he is destined to occupy. He thinks that both of these precautions are too much neglected in our educational system, and we are not indisposed to agree with him.

The Oriental Budget. Saunders and Otley.—The name of this useful and well-executed periodical is now changed to the literary Budget. It is admirably adapted to keep Indian and colonial readers abreast of English literature, and more than fulfils its object of being a monthly dthenaum. It contains a literary and a political summary of each Month, and original articles upon literarysubjects, and on such poli- tical ones as relate to India and the colonies. Thus a great deal is given beyond the reviews of new books, which, however, are careful and complete.

The Post-Revival : a Word of Advice to Workers among the Poor. By the Author of "Christian Oratory in the First Five Centuries." London: Bell and Daldy.—The practical suggestions contained in this little tract would be equally good whether we accept the hypo- thesis to which we owe them or not, that is, that after every religious "revival" there comes a period of great mental activity before man- kind relapse into their normal torpor. This is the time, says the author, in which all great discoveries are made, and this is the time in which you can get nearer to the hearts of the poor than at any other. There are, however, two assumptions inlhis statement, the fallacy of which would seem to contract very greatly the sphere within which the results of his experience are applicable. The first is the universality of religious revivals, whereas, in fact, they are extremely partial. The second is the assumption that rural and urban populations are in this respect on an equal footing. But why should we limit the author's suggestions within the boundaries here indicated 11 They consist of a

plan of lectures to be delivered to working men; and of English readings to be used in their cottages The history of the Bible, the history of the early Church, the laws of health, and some simple

rules of political economy, are offered as examples of the first: and selections from Tennyson, Burns, and Macaulay of the second. The advice offered is the result of the author's own experience, and we

really cannot see why such lectures and such readings should not be just as wholesome for the poor under ordinary circumstances, as while

still feeling the effects of the so-called "revivals." It is just on this point that the author fails to explain himself, But seeing that the mystery so created does not in the least affect the pratical utility of his hints, we May leave him IO settle the "revival" part of his theory in his own way.