Egypt and Palestine form the subjects of the two last
volumes of the Edinburgh Cabinet Library. They are compilations, by Dr. RUSSELL, of every description of knowledge—History, Geo- graphy, Antiquities—that relates to these two preeminently inte- resting countries. Beautifully printed, industriously and even learnedly compiled, ornamented with valuable cuts and maps, and pregnant and overflowing with information, these two volumes,
• even in this age of cheap literature, seem to exceed all others in cheapness.
The only objection we have to make to this and similar works, is their want of plan. The publications are parts,of a whole, but what is the whole ?—there is no end pointed out—no scheme: they are to embrace no circle of art or science : we cannot look with confi- dence to finding in them any one single subject, on which we may be wanting for information. They are nothing but gigantic miscel- lanies, which will have the magnitude without the order of an ency- clopaedia. LARDNER'S may be said to be some exception to this general censure.
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