but they certainly seem to us to bear out the

explanation placed branch of the Church at the present day; the character of her services, her discipline, her system of government, and her relations to slavery.

on the queen's conduct by the popular instinct. She had a silly, It does not come within the scope of our author's work to touch on perhaps an extreme, fondness for Leicester, and like all queens the theology or the learning of the American clergy; but we gather —who are obliged by the necessity of their position to make the first from his general statements that the Church in America knows nothing advances—she was very indecorous in her display of attachment, an as yet of any but the two old-fashioned parties viz, the High Church indecorum, however, which did not extend, as she said, to "aught and the Low, and that what in England we understand by "Broad" unseemly." Leicester was the head of the Catholic party, and Eliza- Church has not yet made its appearance there. A great portion of beth, conscious that her throne depended on her own legitimacy, the book is taken up with describing the progress of what the Layman struggled to conquer a passion which she felt to be inconsistent with calls "the Church movement" in America, the meaning of which all the triumph of the Protestant cause. During the struggle, Cecil, a persons conversant with ecclesiastical phraseolog,y in England will un- fervent Protestant, talked treason in the Protestant interest, and derstand at once. The improvement of church architecture, the in-

when it was over, served her as queen never yet was served. troduction of choral services, and of all which constituted in Land's mind "the beauty of holiness," are dwelt upon by the Layman as most of the glican commumon • and a general disposition among the

clergy to vindicate their sacerdotal character. If we may trust the Lay- man, this party forms at present a large majority in the American Church: the Low Church party, oddly enough, being most numerous in some of the older States, the aristocracy of which is supposed to re- present, to some degree, the Cavalier emigration from this country. It is, however, a source of constant mortification to the High Church party that some of the most distinctive affirmations of their own theory, which exist in the English Prayer-book, have been eliminated from the American one—namely, the Athanasian Creed, the Absolu- tion in the Service for the Sick, and some particular expressions in the Communion Service. A memorial has been presented to " Convention" to have these venerated testimonials to her Catholicism restored to the Liturgy of the Church; but it is very improbable, we should imagine, that the request will be granted. The government of the American Church is vested in Diocesan Synods, controlled by a General Con- vention, which meets every three years. In both of these bodies there is a considerable admixture of laymen, though, according to our pre- sent author, the influence of the bishops is practically paramount in the Convention. The lay element, however, is productive of consider- able good in averting all causes for jealousy between the clergy and the laity, and. giving to the acts of the Church the sanction of the whole body of her communicants. The discipline of the American Church, as it is in no way fettered by the State is more efficient and more popular than our own. An offender against the canons of the Church is at once excommunicated by his Inshop ; and the Layman thinks that none of the difficulties in relation to such a work as "Essays and Reviews," which have so puzzled our own hierarchy, would have been experienced in America. How far this is an unqualified advantage, is, however, a matter of opinion. The Layman tell us nothing very distinct about the revenues of the Ame- rican Church. In the richest diocese in America—namely, that of New York—the bishop has 15004 a year, and the clergy receive stipends in proportion. American bishops, we should add, are chosen by the Church, including laymen, in each diocese. American schools are, in the Layman's estimation, essentially "Godless" ones; and the Church has recently been making great efforts to establish schools of

her own, in which ri truly "Catholic" education is to be imparted to

American boyhood. The Layman deservedly reprobates the attitude of everybody, its of the American Church towards slavery, which, in the slave States at least, it not only tolerates but commends. Many of the bishops and clergy are themselves slaveowners, and go further than the laity in thew neat for the peculiar institution, endeavouring to deduce express injunctions in its favour from the New Testament. We should add that a propos of the Church's labours amon,,c- the Indians will be found a complete and interesting account of the missionary Eleazar Williams, supposed to be Louis XVII. of France. The evidence here given, if rehable,.is tolerably conclusive. Of the book generally we may say that it is very interesting; but that the impressions which it conveys must not be too hastily admitted, since, although it is tem- perately written, the writer's bias in favour of Sacerdotalism is so strong, and so unchecked, that we cannot accept without reserve his Recollections of the American Church. American Slavery and Colour. By William Chambers, Author of "Thin"s as they are in America." London: W. and R. Chambers; New York: Dix and Edwards.—This book was first published in 1857, and was acknowledged, we believe, to form a highly valuable contribution to our stock of information on the subject. The author has now republished the volume with an appendix purporting to com- plete the survey of his subject down to the present time. It does not, however; contain much matter of later date than the original publica- tion of the book, except the declaration of secession by the Legislature of South Carolina. The body of the work contains, of course, a variety of passages most interesting at the present moment, and speculations as to the possibility of disunion, of which some have been nullified, while others seem likely to be borne out, by passing events. One feature of American slavery, which is here placed in a very clear light, is that it has now ceased to be a question of colour, and that the justice and expediency of enslaving the whole pauper population is openly professed by the South, which maintains, with perhaps more plausibility than Mr. Chambers is willing to allow, that slavery and democracy are inseparable.

The North American Review : No. MECH., July 1861. London: Sampson, Low, and Son.—This review differs from our English ones chiefly in the greater number and consequent greater brevity of its

' articles. The present number, for instance, contains thirteen papers, which average less than twenty pages each; but the subjects are well selected, the treatment of them shows both taste and learning, and if we except a little want of finish in the construction of sentences, the writing, in the majority, is good. The most important atticles in this number are on "The Public Lands of the United States," "The Life of Lord Bacon," and "The Right of Secession." The most in- teresting, from another point of view, are the papers on "Major An- dre," and "French Criticism." In the first-mentioned article the author labours to skew that the sale of public lands ought not to be regarded as a regular source of revenue, and he is in favour of giving; them to settlers under proper conditions, as the best method of pro- moting agriculture, and the general prosperity of the commonwealth in the long rim. The article on "Bacon' is an admirable specimen of criticism, and exhibits the vulgarity, the vanity, and the utter shal- lowness of Mr. Dixon's apology in the clearest and most con- vincing light. " TheRight of Secession," a review of the manifesto of Mr. Jefferson Davis, is an elaborate argument against that right, Which, though ingenious and logical, seems deficient in .practical sense. It is, however, well worth studying by those who wish to acquaint themselves with the "case" of the Northerners as seen through their own spectacles. The article on "Major Andre" is written with spirit and elegance; the conclusion, of course, being in favour of the sentence by which he was executed. The article on "French Criticism" shows real literary talents, which are principally devoted to the writings of M. Taine. We slould add that a very careful set of minor literary notices concludes the Review.

A Popular Treatise on Comets. Reprinted from "Popular Astro- nomy.' By Fraucois Ara.go. Translated from the original by Admiral Smyth, D.C.L., For. See. RS., &c., and Robert Grant, Professor of Astronomy in the University of Glagow. London : Lougman.—The editors of this volume have conferred a great boon on society by its publication. As a history of comets at once popular and exact it is complete. It may be divided roughly into two parts : the first ex- planatory of the nature and course of comets as far as observation has established them, and giving a most interesting account of all those which are called calculated comets, i.e. those whose periods of revolution and peculiar features have been ascertained and registered, so that their reappearance can be predicted, and their aspects recog- nized; the second occupied with speculations on certain unsolved cemetery problems, such as the transparency or opacity of the nucleus, the nature of the tail, the possibility of a collision with the earth, the manner in which comets either do or may affect the condition of the earth, and others of equal scientific importance, though of less general interest. The number of calculated comets at the present day amount to 225, of which twenty-eight have been discovered since the publica- tion of this treatise; while it is estimated that the solar system may perhaps contain altogether as many as 350,000 comets. As to the nuclei of comets, M. A.rago inclines to the theory of their transparency, and thinks that if there does exist in the nucleus any solid and opaque part, it is of exceedingly small dimensions. Concerning the tails of comets, he is of opinion that no existing theory furnishes a sufficient explanation of the phenomena. "However" he adds, "science has not remained stationary in regard to this subject since the time when

the imperfect and insufficient theories which we have discussed above were Imagined. It is known, for example, in the present day, that the greater number of the tails of comets are cones, or hollow glinders." The notion of a collision between any comet and Ine earth he wholly derides; and also advances excellent reasons against the popular belief that comets affect the atmosphere of the earth, generate epidemics, and modify the temperature of the seasons. He tells us also that it is not impossible for the earth, one of these days, to be divorced from her connexion with the ahn, and to take up with some hairy interloper into his sphere, roand whom she will revolve as a satellite, though without affecting the conditions of animal existence. We recommend this little volume

most warmly to all of our readers who are ignorant of this department ?f astronomy; for it is not only a luminous and exhaustive treatise, out it is written in a most agreeable and interesting style.

Guide to the -buy Competitive Eraminations, i &c. &c. By Capt. Hutchinson, Royal Artillery. London : Edward Stanford.—It s only the first few pages of each division of this little work which demand any special notice, the remainder consisting in each case of extracts from examination papers. But the introductory portions are com- pletely and carefully executed, and seem to give the reader all that kind of information which he would look for in a book of the kind. The terms of admission to the artillery, the line, and the marines are all fully described; and the preparatory studies and expenditure clearly and concisely explained.

Arithmetic for the Use of Schools. By Edward Liddell, Assistant- Teacher, Homerton College. Second edition. London : Longman.— This is one of the best school arithmetics we have met with. The rules are explained with more clearness than is usual; and the examples seem very well arranged. The Illuminated Family Bible. To be completed in Twenty-fonr Parts. Part I. London: Beeton.--This publication is certainly got up in a style superior to the old class of Family Bibles. We don't know that we altogether admire the illuminations, but the illustrations are better than any with which we are acquainted in the same description of book. The paper is very good, and the type clear, though perhaps hardly black enough. But the most characteristic feature of Part I. is a printed form of family register prefixed to it, for the names and destinies of the different children of the household.

Chambers': Journal. Part XCI. July, 1861. London and Edin- burgh: W. and R. Chambers.—A very amusing. number of this popular periodical. Almost everything in it is good, and some of the sketches and short essays are admirable.

The Ten Commandments, set to Music, arranged as Solo, Duet, or Trio, with the Responses harmonized to be sung in Choruse.somd Ac- companiments for the Organ, Harmonium, Pianoforte, &c. H. and C. Swatton, Holborn-hill.—To throw the Ten Commandments into dog- grel verse, set them to music for the pianoforte, and adapt them to be sung " as solo, duet, or trio," was a conception which for taste and fitness would scarcely be rivalled by a diorama of Mount Sinai in the Colosseum, or by a judge's singing sentence of death accompanied by the sheriff with his flute. Pray for what parts is this duet or trio in- tended? It can scarcely be intended, like the mysteries of the middle ages, for the representatives of divine persons, and if it were, it cannot be said to lie guile in keeping with the parts; indeed, there is a ten- dency to the interpolation of weakly moralities for the sake of filling 4 up the rhyme : "IX. False witness thou shah never bear against another's name, Hate lies, love truth, and e'er defend thy neighbour's honest fame."

" X. Thou shalt not covet house or wife, or man or maid of his, Or ox, or ass, or aught whereof he rightful owner is."

The enterprising publisher would find the ceremonial law even better adapted for his purpose. The Woodbine: Poems by Clara Laud. George Manwaring.—Miss Clara Laud is so exceedingly humble that it is scarcely possible to say anything harsh of her volume. She calls her volume a "Woodbine ," not because it is sweet, but because it clings to others and seeks the shade. The "critic's scorching gaze" and "chilling frown," are to be avoided, and these little verses are to cling to "friendly hearts." It is hard, to say how they are to cling to friendly hearts, unless friendly hearts cling to them, and we fear that modesty, attaching as it is, can- not exert its fascinating influence without some supplementing vital force. If it is made the sole source of fascination there is this dif- ficulty, that it may succeed perfectly in hiding itself altogether. Thus the amiable authoress tells us that her little volume is too feeble to bear the scorching gaze of the noontide sun; too fragile to bear the chilling frown of stern and nipping criticism, and too unpretending to bloom save in the calm and shady Lane of Kindness." We can only say, after examination, that she estimates her poetry quite truly, and that under these circumstances it was a mistake to transplant it into the noisy and glaring Thoroughfare of Print.

A Charge delivered in the Cathedral and Parish Church o St. Michael; Barbadoes, May 16, 1861. By Thomas Parry, D.D., Bishop of Bar- badoes. London: Rivingtons.--This is one of those sober, thought- ful, and truly liberal exhortations, which proceed not unfrequently from the best class of English Churchmen. The chief object which the author seems to have had in view was to regulate the terms upon which the clergy of Barbadoes ought to associate with Noncon- formists. While pointing out to them with the straightforwardness which becomes his position, that to make light of the differences which separate sectarians from the Church is only a spurious liberality, he yet recognizes and applauds the practical good which dissenting mis- sionaries have accomplished in his diocese; and even adds a good word for those "revivals" which have taken place in the West Indies as phenomena which do indicate the existence of increased spiritual earnestness, under whatever debasing forms it may often have mani- fested itself.

The Climate of England, its Meteorological Character Explained, and

the Changes of Future Years Revealed: a Solution of the Great Problem -which has defied the Philosophy of all Ages. With Meterological Tables from the Year 1656 to 1861. Illustrated by, a Chart of the Constella- tions and Solar Systems. With Appendix : 'England's Position, and England's only Hope." By George Shepherd, C.E. &c. London: Long- man and Co.—This is a curious book, if it is nothing else. The author's theory is that our climate is mainly regulated by the planet Jupiter, who brings us fine weather when he is in Cancer or Gemini, and the worst Weather when he is in Leo. There is however, some apparent discrepancy between the text and the tables m this volume, as we find from the latter that Jupiter in Cancer is oftener productive of wet and cold than of warmth. la Shepherd's theory is based upon a careful collation of the fluctuations of English climate during the last two centuries. And it is only just to hun to say that he appears to have expended great industry and pains in the compilation of his tables. The latter half of his volume is devoted to a consideration of means for improving the fertility of the soil of England, as the only way of saving his native country from destruction, and the only hope of the empire he considers to reside in her sewage. Health and Disease, as bzfluenced by the Daily, Seasonal, and other Cyclical Changes in the Human System. By Edward Smith, M.D., F.R.S., &c. &c. &c. London: Walton and Maberley.—We cannot undertake to say much of this volume from a professional point of view, but we can say this much, that it is exceedingly practical, and contains instructions upon all the ordinary functions of human life. These are cleverly and popularly explained. And supposing Dr. Smith to be reliable as a professor of medicine, we have no hesitation in commending his volume very highly. The leading feature in it is "the cyclical changes," by which the human system is affected. We may add that Dr. Smith condemns the use of the Turkish bath by perfectly healthy people.