NEW EDITIONS.—The Rev. J. J. Taylor's Retrospect of the Religious
Life of England (Triibner) appears, with" an introductory chapter on recent developments," by Dr. James Martineau, a chapter, we need scarcely say, of the greatest interest. We would note particularly the section on ' Science and Ethics," dealing with what is beyond doubt the most threatening attitude assumed by science with regard to belief. The authority of conscience, Dr. Martineau thinks, "does not vanish on oar remembering that it is not a first phenomenon, but, like ourselves, has come to be." But if it has grown to be what it is, may it not grow out of what it is ? Now we find it personified in the life of Christ. Can we imagine an age when that life shall only represent an immature, even a revolting conception of morality ?—Philip's Atlas of the Counties of England,reducedfrom the Ordnance Survey, by Edward Weller (Philip and Son.)—This is a splendid volume, with forty-seven maps, executed in the very best style, and a copious index. Nothing could be clearer than the maps, though they contain the names of every village, hamlet, and even cluster of houses. For purposes of reference, they are divided into squares, marked with numbers and figures, a plan far more convenient than the old method of defining position by degrees of latitude and longitude. (We may mention, by the way, that Witney, in Oxfordshire, is marked in the index as situated in B 3, whereas it should have been C 3.) A noticeable feature is the distinguishing of the Parliamentary divisions by different colours. Wiltshire, for instance, is curiously variegated, with its numerous borough territories,—Cricklade, as large as a little county, Malmesbury, Chippenham, &c. It is one of the strange anomalies of our electoral system to find one parish, Minety, wholly surrounded by the boroughs of Cricklade and Malmesbury, and probably similar in every respect, but possessed of a different franchise. Why should a Hankerton labourer have a vote, while his neighbour in the next field has none 2—The City of London Directory (Collingridgo) appears in a sixth yearly issue. An excellent map, dis- playing the various wards of the City, first attracts our attention. Under the items of hospitals, schools, &c., the Directory is not as copious as it might be. A complete list of the medical officers of a hospital and of the masters of a great City school is at least as important a piece of information as a complete list of tailors and tobacconists, and might have been obtained without difficulty. In the list of the City churches, &c., the printing is somewhat defective, and we notice one or two errors. A little more space and attention given to the non-commer- cial part of the book would not be wasted. There is an interesting account of the Livery Companies of the City. The usual streets, alphabetical, and trades' directories follow, and there is a useful appendix of Public Companies, stating capital, dividend, &c., when- ever these were to be learnt.—Pompeii: its history, Buildings, and Antiquities, edited by Thomas Dyer (Bell and Sons), one of the volumes of " Bohn's Illustrated Library," appears in a new edition, "revised and enlarged."—We have also to mention The Theatre of the Greeks, by J. W. Donaldson, D.D. (Bell and Sons); Memoirs of Eminent Etonians, by Sir E. Creasy, supplemented by a number of biographies of those who have passed away since the edition of 1850, beginning with the Duke of Wellington and ending with Bishop Patteson ; and Greek Moods and Tenses, by William W. Goodwin (Mac- millan), a remarkably valuable contribution to classical scholarship from the other side of the Atlantic. Dr. Goodwin is a Professor in the University of Harvard.—Of yearly publications, we may mention The Year-Book of Facts in Science and the Arts, edited by Charles Vincent. (Ward, Lock, and Tyler.) The first article relates what is described as " the chief scientific event of 1875," the discovery of the new metal, "gallium." Physics, chemistry (a head under which .a vast variety of interesting results are catalogued), technology, geology, mineralogy, anthropology, natural history, in its various branches, are successively discussed ; geography, meteorology, including balloon researches, astronomy, mechanics, have chapters allotted to them. Under "Mis- cellaneous," we have the opinion of the Royal Academy of Medicine at Brussels on the case of Louise Latour and the alleged stigmata. It seems that she is not permitted to be observed continuously by scientific men. No doubt that is a very trying demand for any private person, and hardly one which any purely scientific interest would render it a duty to concede. But there is truth in the Academy's remark that "It is of no use to talk of miracles, even when eleven doors are shut against deceit, as long as the twelfth is left open."
Previous page
