results of our modern researches among the hoary monuments of the Nile valley. Tried by this test, what is your opinion, Augustus, of Mr. Smith's contribution?"

"On the whole," replied the young critic thus appealed to, "I am much delighted with the work, and I am confident that, wherever known, it will be a favourite with the young. It is quite a beau ideal biography, and cannot fail to charm the lovers of true romance. We have here personal incidents of the most extraordinary kind, historical episodes, glimpses of old Egyptian society, beautiful explanations of the singular phenomena of the Nile, especially in reference to the seven years of plenty and the seven years of famine; and all these subjects interspersed with judicious practical lessons, which are the more welcome as they grow naturally out of the narrative, and are never allowed to become tedious. The just proportions in which the different elements are mingled form one of the most noticeable excellencies of the production.'

"And how far, Emmeline," inquired the Editor, "do your views coincide with those just expressed by Augustus, who, as we all know, is a little bit of an enthusiast upon Egyptian subjects?"

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True," said the smiling girl; "yet in this matter I am not dis. posed to be behind him in commendation. If he was struck by the skilful blending of the various good qualities apparent in the composition of the work, I also have been equally charmed with the simplicity and familiarity of the style. Bearing in mind the class for whom it has been specially written, it could scarcely have been better done. The author has wisely resisted those temptations to diverge into discussions and learned details on knotty antiquarian points which beset the path of the students of Egyptian history. There are no irrelevant chapters coming in ever and anon to break the easy flow of the narrative. The only seeming exceptions to this rule are, a concise summary of Egyptian history, a short descant upon Egyptian slavery, a description of the rise and diffusion of the waters of the Nile, and a few similar points, the elucidation of which is essential to the intelligibility of the history. No Sunday-school teacher, who is desirous of interesting his or her pupils in the early vicissitudes of the Hebrew people, should be without a copy of this work. Such is my feeling as regards its value."

"I was much struck," said Mrs. M., "with the explanation given, from Mr. Osburn's 'Israel in Egypt,' of the meaning of Joseph's Egyptian name, Zaphnath-Paaneah. It is worthy of being remembered. 'It is evidently composed of two words. Similar examples of names of princes consisting of two words might be cited from contemporary monuments. The first of these words has not been found in the name of any prince of the epoch of Joseph. But if we assume that it must have embodied some allusion to the qualities of Joseph, on account of which it was conferred upon him, it presents but little difficulty. It was probably tseph-nath," he who receiveth Neith," i. e., the inventrix of the art of weaving, and the goddess of wisdom. With the other name we have still less difficulty. It actually occurs in a tomb at Sacchara, as the name of one of the princes of Usercheres, about 150 years before Joseph's time-pah-noech. Its import, also, corresponds exactly with the occasion on which it was given. It

means, "he who flies from (avoids) pollution," especially adultery. So that the first name conferred by Pharaoh upon Joseph com memorated the divine wisdom to which he owed his exaltation, and the second his innocence of the crime for which he had so long suffered imprisonment.''

Several other instructive passages were read by different members of the literary conclave, which led to much pleasant and profitable conversation; but we need not quote them here. At length the Editor suggested that it might be acceptable to the readers of the Magazine, if the graphic description given by the author of the solemn and mag. nificent funeral of the patriarch Jacob were reprinted. "It will afford," he added, "a foretaste of the treat which awaits those who may resolve to procure the work for themselves."

"Well, Emmeline," said Augustus, with a significant smile, as he glanced at two numbers of the journal in her hands, "I suppose the HERALD OF PEACE is as bellicose as usual. One of my friends, referring to the tone and temper of its articles the other day, remarked that he thought it ought to be entitled THE FIREBRAND OF WAR. The course its writers have pursued since the existence of this deplorable war has certainly given some colourable justification for such a cruel sarcasm. As a sincere friend of the sacred cause of peace and human brotherhood, I am grieved to observe the truculent spirit which it breathes towards the public men and public journals by whom the war has been defended and advocated. The motives of our leading journalists have been impeached, or, as many would say, aspersed; selfish and sinister considerations are unhesitatingly im puted to them; to raise the circulation of their respective publica tions, and to put filthy lucre into their purses, they are gravely charged with the crime of hounding on a nation to a career of selfdestruction, and covering some of the fairest regions of the earth with desolation and woe. Much as I hate war, and long for the halcyon return of international concord, I cannot believe in anything so unpatriotic, so base, so inhuman. Then, as I observed, the reputation of such of our leading men as have lent their countenance to the present contest, has been systematically assailed, and their alleged inconsistencies held up to public reprobation

"But you must admit, Augustus," said Mrs. M., interrupting him, "that the war journals, as they are sometimes invidiously called, have been very far from guiltless in this matter. By the contemptuous and withering terms in which they have been wont to speak of those who condemn the war as unnecessary and indefensible, they have provoked reprisals."

"Which, in consistency with their own principles, they ought never to have resorted to," added Augustus, somewhat tartly. "They are reviled by their opponents; and, by way of exemplifying their pacific sentiments, they immediately revile again. They are assailed by irritating and undeserved epithets; and as an illustration of the superiority of their views, they hurl the missiles back into the face of their assailants. If the warlike spirit is to be judged of by the heat and intensity of the words bandied to and fro, it would be difficult to determine which party is the fiercer of the two."

"Oh! Augustus," exclaimed Emmeline, visibly vexed to hear such charges brought against the friends of a cause, for the advancement of which she had for years earnestly laboured and prayed-" I have not noticed the glaring offences against consistency and Christian charity to which you refer. Surely you cannot have attentively read the early numbers for the present year."

"Indeed I have, my gentle friend; and meet in them with corroborations of many of my complaints. I there find two or three elaborate articles exposing the self-contradictions of such men as Mr. Fox, M P., and Dr. Vaughan. The latter gentleman, as is well known, is the editor of the British Quarterly Review.' A few months ago he inserted a powerful article favourable to the great contest which was then raging in all its fury, and which was severely criticised and condemned by the 'Herald of Peace.' In a more recent number of the Review, there appears a real, though not ostensible, reply to these animadversions. To this reply Mr. Richards makes his rejoinder; and in order to render it the more crushing, he quotes against Dr. Vaughan the editor, the sentiments of Dr. Vaughan the author, culled from his able work on The Age of Great Cities;' and not content with this fatal thrust, the prostrate champion of war is twice slain, by means of a polished shaft taken from the speech of the Rev. Robert Vaughan of Kensington, delivered at the annual meeting of the Peace Society, in the year 1827. Whether such a style of treatment is more likely to amuse or to exasperate will depend mainly upon the temper of the individual thus compelled to contemplate his alleged transmutations. Very similar is the operation performed upon Mr. W. J. Fox. While addressing the good folks of Oldham upon the all-absorbing topic of the day, and justifying the vigorous measures taken by the present administration, by the magic wand of the Herald' he is suddenly confronted with utterances and word-pictures delivered and drawn years before, and which rise like rebuking spirits from 'the vasty deep.'

"Nor are publishers exempt from the surveillance of our peace friends. They are not, it appears, to be allowed to issue information on the subject of the war, under the presumption that they will thereby foster and inflame the war-spirit. Thus, in an exceedingly impertinent letter from a correspondent, there is a sweeping censure passed upon Messrs. Chambers for daring to publish their History of the Russian War.' In my humble opinion, such a record had far better emanate from them than from any less scrupulous house. But the head and front of their offending appear to be, that 'the first part includes a map, showing the territorial aggressions of Russia in Europe, since the middle of the seventeenth century.' ' And why not, asks the correspondent, 'accompany this with other maps, showing the territorial aggressions of other states also-not omitting our own immaculate selves? What impartiality can be expected in a history which thus begins with biassing the mind of the reader ?' This is about the stupidest question I think I ever heard put. As well might we complain to the publisher of a History of British India, that the map by which he designed to exhibit the acquisitions of the Honourable East India Company was unfair, and ought to be exchanged for one showing the territories of the United States.

This extraordinary tenderness towards innocent and unoffending Russia on the part of the so-called peace party, is a mystery that utterly baffles my comprehension."

"Leaving this vexed subject," interposed the Editor, "upon which, even in our small company, there seem to be differences of judgment and feeling, let us turn to one which, I am confident, will command a general unity of sentiment. Here are the first two parts of a new publication which will be sure to enlist the sympathies of all good men. No sincere Protestant will question the propriety of circulating the Bible among all nations; while well-authenticated informa tion relative to the condition of the various peoples to whom it is introduced, together with sketches of its civilizing, humanizing, and elevating effects upon their characters and lives, cannot but be acceptable. Such is the aim of this welcome publication. It bears the attractive title of THE BOOK AND ITS MISSIONS, PAST AND

PRESENT.'*

"It bears a striking family likeness to that beautiful volume'The Book and its Story'-which interested me so deeply," remarked Edward, suddenly kindling up into animation.

"Yes," observed Mrs. M., "it owns the same parentage, I strongly suspect. It is, I perceive, brought out under the editorship of our friend, L. N. R.,' who, elated by the extraordinary success of her former literary venture, is pluming herself for other and bolder flights. Desirable as such a work undoubtedly is, I doubt whether it will ever attain to anything approaching the sale of her pleasant and instructive Story.'

Then the new serial is not to be published by the Bible Society?" said Ellen, inquiringly.

'No, dear," added Mrs. M.; "by its original constitution, that Society is precluded from committing itself to the issue of any book besides the Bible, and the documents concerning its distribution. It comes out, however, under the sanction and auspices of its Committee, who will afford every facility towards the supply of information likely to be of interest. The amplitude of the field from which the writers will glean their facts and incidents may be judged from the delightful circumstance that the Scriptures have already been translated into 152 languages and dialects. From all the regions where these tongues are spoken, a stream of intelligence is continually flowing into the archives of our great religious societies, of which it will be the aim of the contributors to this work to avail themselves. The views and intentions of its originators are thus expressed:

"There never before existed such a mass of iuformation as may now be obtained on the power and progress of the Book of God. It lies like golden ore beneath the surface of every Protestant mission-field; and abounds in the correspondence of societies especially formed for the issue of the Word. To present this information comprehensively, and yet to group its details in a manner suited to the understanding of the young and the lowly, is the design of this

*Bagster & Sons, London.

new periodical. All the effort, private and public, that has circulated the Divine Book has, of course, a history, and a history that should be made widely known to the masses of the people. The treasury of facts is inexhaustible; but those already known, if unarranged in our minds, take no fixed hold on our memories; and, as new ones will now reach us from all sources, we intend to class them under five heads, and propose to lead our readers into five distinct spheres of observation. These are as follows:

"1. The lands destitute of the Sacred Book, embracing the vast masses of the heathen.

"II. Those countries where the people follow a false prophet, and a false book. This will include all who speak the Arabic language.

"III. Those where the teachers have had the true Book, but have withheld it from the people. This section will comprise France, Belgium, Austria, half of Germany, two-fifths of Prussia, Poland, &c., the whole of South America, with the regions dominated over by the Greek Church.

"IV. The churches which earliest received the Divine Word in its original languages. In this section will be detailed facts of surprising interest concerning the Vaudois valleys, Abyssinia, Egypt, Armenia, and the north of Persia; and it will be inclusive of religious movements among the Jews everywhere: the Jews who were sure that their book was from God, and yet turned away from it for the Talmud, the Mishna, and the Gemara, and have paid the penalty of their evil choice in the humiliation and rejection of more than eighteen centuries.

"V. The field of home-labour, including also particulars from Protestant countries where the Bible is possessed, and from which it goes forth to other lands.'

"The field is indeed wide, and dark, and dreary," sighed the Editor. "The lovers and circulators of the precious Book form a very insignificant fraction of the human family. According to a recent calculation, from definite details, the number of genuine Protestants amounts to only 93 millions; while the members of the Roman Catholic and Greek churches, in which the Book is hidden, amount to 208 millions; those who follow a false book to 110 millions; and those who have no Book to tell them of a Saviour, to no less than 484 millions."

"This is indeed a melancholy picture for the contemplation of Christians in this nineteenth century of the Christian age," observed Augustus. 'But what, Mr. Editor, is your impression as to the execution of the plan, judging from the parts now before us?"

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"On the whole, I am well pleased with the specimens of the work already out. Still, I am not without serious misgivings lest it should imperceptibly degenerate into a bundle of fragmentary scraps—a mere monthly report of the proceedings of the Bible Society. lady-editor will require great firmness, discretion, and skill to avoid this danger. I sincerely trust that she may falsify my apprehensions."

The