rencounter between a bear and one of the best chasseurs The proceedings, after the cordon had been completed, are of Dalecarlia Jans Svensson: thus narrated:

"For a while, all remained pretty quiet; but presently The bear is hunted both in summer and winter; but afterwards, the tremendous shouts of the people opposite to most frequently in the latter season. Indeed he is rarely us, and these, probably, at little more than two hundred pursued in summer, unless he has carried his attacks upon paces' distance, together with the very hearty firing that was the cattle of the peasantry too far to make him any longer vouring to make their escape in that direction. The scene kept up, plainly told us the remaining bears were endeatolerable as a neighbour. In an event of this kind, the had now become very animating, for at one period we countpeasantry of the district are summoned to form a skalled no less than ten shots in the space of about a minute. a rising en masse for the purpose of surrounding and driving the bears into a narrower space, where the huntsmen may have an opportunity of killing them-much after the fashion of the Highland "tinchal." Our author gives detailed accounts both of a winter and summer skall at which he was present.

her; but as she quickly disappeared in a thick brake, we had no great reason to suppose it took the desired effect.

"A somewhat similar anecdote to the above was related to me by Lieutenant Oldenburg. Two of his friends, whose names I forget, when on a journey in the winter time, were accompanied by a favourite dog, which was following immediately in the rear of the sledge. All of a sudden, two famished wolves dashed at the dog, who ran to the side of the vehicle, and jumped over the shafts, between the horse and the body of the carriage. The wolves, nothing deterred, had the audacity to take a similar leap; when, as ill luck would have it, they got hold of the poor animal. The dog, however, was large and powerful, and his neck, besides, was armed with one of those formidable spiked

"In the space of two or three minutes, during which several shots were fired immediately opposite to us, we again saw the old bear. Owing to an intervening brake, however, my view of her was much more indistinct than that obtained by my companions, who were a pace or two to the left of me. At this time she was standing motionless, with her front towards us, and at about 90 paces distant. Jan Finne and Lieutenant Oldenburg now lost no time in discharging the rifles with which both of them were provided. Jan Finne fired the first; and, though without a rest of any kind, with so good an aim, that his ball, as he subse-collars so common in Sweden. From these causes, he was quently found, entered her breast near to the shoulder, and ran the whole length of her body, when it lodged in her haunches. She did not, however, alter her position, and only noticed the wound she had received by a little shake of her head. Lieut. Oldenburg was, however, more fortunate; for, dropping on one knee, and though, like Jan Finne, without a rest, he took so good a direction, that his ball entered the heart of the animal, when she instantly fell dead upon the spot.

"The firing in front of us was, at intervals, still kept up for a minute or two longer, and then ceased altogether. On this, Jan Finne, after we had advanced up to the bear, which Lieutenant Oldenburg and himself had just shot, hallooed to the people to halt: though at this time we were hardly 50 paces from them, not one of whom could we distinguish in consequence of the closeness of the cover. Jan Finne now informed Mr Falk, who was along with his division, and immediately opposite to us, that three of the bears were dead within the ring; for, independently of the two that we ourselves had killed, we observed a third lying hors de combat at some little distance. In reply, that gentleman told us a fourth was killed near to where he stood; so that the whole of those of which he had come in pursuit -and we had not the good fortune to meet with others in the same ring-were now all slaughtered."-Vol. i. p. 18792.

enabled to escape from the fangs of his assailants, when he at once sprang into the sledge, as if to claim protection from his masters. Here, however, the wolves were afraid to pursue him, though, for a considerable distance, they still continued to follow the vehicle. On this occasion, both of Lieutenant Oldenburg's friends were unarmed, and, in consequence, the beasts escaped with impunity."-Vol. ii. p. 170-2.

the lower animals, that the huntsmen have taken the hint It is from the knowledge of the wolf's predilection for of a lure for bringing him within shot. In one particular, he resembles a most respectable club in Edinburgh, (consisting chiefly of lawyers,) being very fond of a pig. The wolf-hunters take one of these animals in their sledge, and begin, as soon as they are in the forest, to pull his ears, or prick him with a corking pin. Its screams attract the wolves, who are dispatched as they approach, by the rifles of the huntsmen. This sport is not unaccompanied with danger. The horses are apt to get terrified by the approach of the wolves, and, in their agony, break the shafts, or overturn the sledge, in which event the wolves, having once tasted blood, have been known to attack the hunters. The most striking feature of the wolf's character is, that, however ferocious in the free forest, he becomes timid as soon as he is enclosed within a narrow space. We select the following for such of our readers as love to sup full of horrors:

"The following circumstance, showing the savage nature of the wolf, and interesting in more than one point of view, was related to me by a gentleman attached to the embassy at St Petersburg; it occurred in Russia some few years ago. "A woman, accompanied by three of her children, was one day in a sledge, when they were pursued by a number of wolves. On this, she put the horse into a gallop, and drove towards her home, from which she was not far distant, with all possible speed. All, however, would not avail; for the ferocious animals gained upon her, and, at last, were on the point of rushing on the sledge. For the preservation of her own life and that of the remaining chil

After the bear has been fairly ringed in, individual hunters sometimes venture to attack him. Sometimes he is found so immersed in his winter sleep, that his enemy is able to dispatch without awaking him. At other times he is on the alert, and either shows fight or bolts. When he has recourse to the latter alternative, the huntsman occasionally manages to overtake him on his skider, or snow skates; and some of the most interesting portions of the narrative now before us, are those in which the author is represented as gliding up and down the abrupt steeps of Wermeland and Dalecarlia, through their immense pine forests, sometimes alone, sometimes with a single attendant, encouraged to follow up the traces of the bear by the occasional challenging of his dog in the distance. It is in such situations that we feel the full romance and attrac-dren, the poor frantic creature now took one of her babes, tion of the bear-hunt. We regret that we have not found one manageable extract that could give our readers an idea of its fascination, and must therefore refer them to the book itself.

Next in importance are the wolves, which are generally met in droves. They are more bloodthirsty, but weaker and more cowardly, than the bear. They sometimes venture to attack him, but generally come off with the worst, notwithstanding their superior numbers. They seldom attack human beings if they can get any other food-a fact of which the following anecdotes are strongly corroborative :

"Some fifty years ago, and when quite a boy, Captain Eurenius was, one starlight and very cold night, returning from a dance in the vicinity of Wenersborg. It was Christmastime, and there were fifteen or sixteen sledges in company; most of the horses were provided with such bells as those of which I have made mention. In the middle of the cavalcade, was a sledge occupied by a lady; at the back of the vehicle, as is frequently the case, sat the servant, who was driving; whilst on a bear-skin, which covered her feet, a favourite lap-dog was reposing. In passing through a wood, however, and in spite of the jingling of the bells, &c., a large wolf suddenly sprang from the thicket, when, seizing the poor dog, he leaped over the sledge, and was out of sight, in a thick brake on the opposite side of the wood, in the course of a few seconds.

and cast it a prey to her bloodthirsty pursuers. This stopped their career for a moment; but after devouring the little innocent, they renewed the pursuit, and a second time came up with the vehicle. The mother, driven to desperation, resorted to the same horrible expedient, and threw her ferocious assailants another of her offspring. To cut short this sad story, a third child was sacrificed in a similar manner. Soon after this, the wretched being, whose feelings may more easily be conceived than described, reached her home in safety. Here she related what had happened, and endeavoured to palliate her own conduct, by describing the dreadful alternative to which she had been reduced. A peasant, however, who was among the bystanders, and heard the recital, took up an axe, and, with one blow, cleft her skull in two; saying, at the same time, that a mother who could thus sacrifice her children for the preservation of her own life, was no longer fit to live. This man was committed to prison, but the Emperor subsequently gave him a pardon.

This gentleman related to me another curious circumstance regarding wolves: it happened at no great distance from St Petersburg, only two years previously. A peasant, when one day in his sledge, was pursued by eleven of these ferocious animals; at this time, he was only about two miles from home, towards which he urged his horse at the very top of his speed. At the entrance to his residence was a gate, which happened to be closed at the time; but the horse dashed this open, and thus himself and his master found refuge within the court-yard. They were followed, however, by nine out of the eleven wolves; but,

very fortunately, at the instant these had entered the enclosure, the gate swung back on its hinges, and thus they were caught as in a trap. From being the most voracious of animals, the nature of these beasts, now that they found escape impossible, became completely changed; so far, indeed, from offering molestation to any one, they slunk into holes and corners, and allowed themselves to be slaughtered almost without making resistance."-Vol. ii. p. 173-5.

The only kind of game of much consequence in these northern regions is the elk, which, although only to be traced in its fossil relics in our latitude, still haunts the mountains of Norway. We are heartily sorry we have not time to follow this gigantic stag in his rapid flight over the rocky wild, where he sometimes leads the peasant a dance of many weeks. Our limits warn us to conclude, recommending Mr Lloyd to the serious attention of all true descendants of Nimrod.

The History of the Church, from the Creation of the World to the commencement of the Nineteenth Century, &c. By the late Alexander Smith Paterson. Edited by the Rev. James Brewster. 2 vols. Pp. 970. Edinburgh. For G. Clark and Son, Aberdeen. 1830.

such, especially, we would recommend this well-executed work. In point of information, it falls little short of the more celebrated works upon the subject. With regard to clear and distinct arrangement, it is superior to most ef them; while, in respect to condensation, cheapness, simplicity, and, consequently, general usefulness, it possesses a decided advantage over them all, with the exception o our own old favourite Gregory.

Mr Paterson begins his history with the creation of the world, and brings it down to the commencement of the nineteenth century. His first volume concludes with th establishment of our holy religion by our Saviour and his disciples; the second contains what is properly calle Ecclesiastical History, viz. the history of the Christian church, with the persecutions, corruptions, and heresies, which retarded the progress of the true faith, or disturb ed the peace of the church. On so extensive and so difficult a subject, it was not to be expected that the author should have escaped committing some errors, especially ef strictures, and delivering opinions, to which we can by judgment; accordingly, we find him occasionally making no means subscribe. This, however, is a venial fault, so long as he faithfully communicates the facts, that we may be able to form our own judgment; for we care not

pure text. A more serious fault is his credulity, which is the more to be regretted, because, in the second volume, he has neglected to refer to his authorities, and the reader is thus left entirely dependent on his author's judgmen for facts, some of which stand on good, others on more questionable authority, and others, again, upon scarcely any authority at all. The omission of references, we think altogether unpardonable in a work of this kind; for, except in contemporary annals, where the events related fall under the writer's own observation, no historian has a right to expect that his work will be received as of authority, unless he refers to those sources whence he has derived his information. Every candid and honest historian will be anxious to do so, for the sake of his own reputation; and we can ascribe such omission by our author only to oversight, or perhaps to a reason which disarms all criticism, the want of time, which a mortal illness left him, for completing his labours. On the whole, we can recommend the work to the public in general, and particularly to the theological student, as a carefully executed and most useful Church History.

AN intimate acquaintance with Church History is in-greatly for the comment, provided we have always the dispensable to every Christian minister. It is one of the qualifications which our church most scrupulously requires in every candidate for her priesthood; and with good reason, since, without a competent knowledge of ecclesiastical history, the preacher would be unable to avail himself of some of the most powerful evidences of the canonical authority and integrity of those sacred writings which are the foundation of his faith, and the rule of his obedience, and of whose doctrines he has enlisted himself the champion. It is a mistake to suppose, however, that this study belongs exclusively to the professional theologian. Ecclesiastical, like general history, conveys important instruction under a captivating form; and from the variety of incident, the astonishing revolutions, the collision of parties, the opinions, actions, and character of men distinguished by their faults, their virtues, and their fortunes, which it subjects to our view, it possesses a powerful attraction even for the general reader, especially if he has had courage fairly to cross the threshold of this formidable study, and sufficient leisure to follow up its minute details; for otherwise, church history presents, at the very outset, difficulties, which few save the professional student are willing to encounter. Of these, one of the most formidable is the dry, immethodical, and tedious manner in which writers of church history have generally treated their subject. A clear, authentic, popular ecclesiastical history, is still, notwithstanding the voluminous works published under that name, a desideratum in our literature.

The work at present under our review is one of considerable merit; and it derives a peculiar interest from being the posthumous publication of a very young man, a probationer of our own church. It indicates a degree of learning, and especially research, highly creditable to the author, and leaves us reason to lament that his very promising talents have been so soon lost to the community. Some readers will esteem it an advantage, others a disadvantage, that the history is written in the form of question and answer. Unquestionably this form will render it more useful to public schools, and students whose object is to prepare themselves for sustaining probationary trials on Church history. To the general reader, however, who studies amusement as well as instruction, a continuity of narrative would be more pleasing; and he must feel it rather an annoyance than a help, to have the flow of narrative perpetually interrupted by the scholastic reciprocation of question and answer. For the student again, who wishes to impress on his own memory minute facts, and for the teacher, whose business it is to guide the studies of others, this form possesses a positive advantage; and to

Vol.

The Lives of the most Eminent British Painters, Sculp
tors, and Architects. By Allan Cunningham.
III. (Family Library, No. XIII.) London. John
Murray. 1830.

THIS Volume contains the lives of our most eminent British sculptors, is dedicated to Chantrey, and is, in our opinion, superior to either of the two which have preceded it. It places the heroes of the story before us in their studio, and in their hours of leisure, depicts their aspirations after eminence in art, and their habits and manners, when the mind was at rest, and the possessor of a soaring spirit had subsided for a while into the class of ordinary men. It is at the same time arranged in such a manner, and contains such occasional disquisitions, as fit it to supply the place of a history of British sculpture, from the Revolution in 1688, down to the present time. It evinces in the author an extensive knowledge and just feeling the art. It is at once popular and instructive.

To Roubiliac, who, with exquisite mechanical dexteri ty and a lively fancy, is still apt to be frippery, succeeded Nollekens, Banks, Bacon, and Flaxman, who, by the aid of strong good sense and just feeling, and some of them by the superaddition of a higher ingredient, placed the sculpture of Britain on an equal footing with that of the continental nations. Townley and other amateurs worked by their side with zealous admiration; but the event

"There was a despondency in the youth's manner that deeply affected this Princess. 'Dear Edward,' she replied, clasping his hand, we have been fellow prisoners long, and sympathy has lightened the burden of our chains. Can I forget our walks in this beauteous park, and the love and confidence we have felt for each other? My dearest boy, when I am Queen, Esther will claim a boon from Ahasue-engravings, the one of Grand Cairo, and the other of rus, and Warwick shall be the chief noble in my train.' the Cape of Good Hope, illustrate and enhance the volume.

A Treatise on the Law of Scotland respecting Tithes, and the Stipends of the Parochial Clergy; with an Appendix, containing Illustrative Documents not before published. By Sir John Connell, Knt. Second Edition. 2 vols. Svo. Edinburgh. Thomas Clark. 1830.

THIS work, which is the only available one on the branch of law it discusses, has received some important additions in the present edition. It is unnecessary to enter into any detail concerning a book, which no lawyer or clergyman will go without, and which no other person will purchase. It is worth while, however, noticing in reference to it, the retributive justice by which the tithes of which our old barons despoiled the church, have become the veriest plague to which their descendants are liable-a source of incessant, petty, teasing annoyance.

New System of Commercial Arithmetic; or, Guide to B siness and Science; for the Use of Schools; in which the Principles of the Rules, and the Reasons of the Operations, are fully explained. By Robert Murray, Master of the Commercial and Mathematical Academy, 10, Nicolson Street. Edinburgh. John Boyd. 12me. Pp. 443.

ARITHMETIC, which is unquestionably one of the most important branches of education, has generally, we be lieve, been taught in a most superficial and unscientific manner. Neither the principles on which, as a science, it is founded, nor the application of these principles to the various departments of business, have been duly elucidated and inculcated; and young men, on leaving school, commonly find that their acquirements on this head are wofully deficient. This is to be attributed chiefly to the character of the class-books put into the hands of youth. The systems of arithmetic at present used in schools, The Wine Drinker's Manual. London. Marsh and whatever be their merits in other respects, are so exMiller. 1830. 12mo. Pp. 296.

tremely limited in point of size and information, that no · THIS agreeable little work presents us with an account elucidation of principles, no analysis of rules, no “phileThe of the celebrated vineyards, and of the different processes sophy of arithmetic," can be expected from them. of wine-making in different countries. A value is given teacher, however able or zealous, has seldom time to supto both the picturesque details and the practical instruc-ply the deficiences by which these treatises are charactertions, by their being accompanied with a statement of the ised. Among the many improvements which education results of the most recent enquiries of men of experimental has recently undergone, and is still undergoing, we are science. Every body takes a greater or less interest in glad to see an attempt like that made in the work before wine, and every body, therefore, will find more or less us, to promote improvement in the department of arithamusement in the "Wine Drinker's Manual." metic, the most generally important branch of all. Murray's treatise, which extends to no fewer than 443 densely printed 12mo pages, we regard as by far the most valuable work on the subject that has yet appeared, being not more useful for schools than for private students. The Rules and Definitions are given with equal exactness and perspicuity, and the Examples are judicious; while the illustrative Notes, which embrace 150 pages,

Remarks on the Actual State of the University of Cambridge. London. Published by Charles Tilt. 1830. Svo. Pp. 47.

Mr

THEY who are entirely ignorant of the arrangements at the University of Cambridge, may pick up some in-contain the most full and satisfactory analysis of the formation from this pamphlet; but we should grossly principles of the rules exemplified in the body of the flatter the work, did we say that there was much to be work. These Notes, indeed, form the distinguishing learned from it by persons previously versed to any characteristic of the book, and constitute that portion of extent in the subject. The style is ambitious, and not it, in which the greatest ability and originality are disa little puerile. Take, for example, the magnificent com- played; and while they are abundantly plain to the mencement :-" It must be admitted, for it cannot be pupil, are yet of such a nature as to be interesting both denied, by all who are acquainted with the higher and to the teacher and the man of science. The work, bemore intellectual orders of British society, that the ma- sides, embraces various subjects, such as banking, stockjority of those members of the University of Cambridge jobbing, and insurance-office calculations, which we have who annually receive their primary degrees within its not seen treated so fully or in so business-like a manner precincts, are publicly accused of coming forth from in any other publication. There is also appended, a list thence into the world with a share of knowledge and in-of Questions," so extensive," says the author, “as not formation, much inferior to what they had justly been considered as capable of acquiring." The author thought, no doubt, that he was throwing a bomb into this learned institution, but it is only an ill-made squib, better calculated to fizz than to sparkle.

The Pocket French Grammatical and Critical Dictionary; containing the Rules of Grammar and Pronunciation, with the popular errors committed in French conversation, both in France and England; also, the Peculiarities, Niceties, and Difficulties attending French Composition, &c. &c. By Gabriel Surrenne, F. A. S. E. Edinburgh: Printed for the Author, and sold by Oliver and Boyd. 1830. 18mo. Pp. 356.

WE recommend this work to the attention of every one who wishes to perfect himself in the niceties of the French language. A people who laugh so unreservedly as we do, at the mistakes of foreigners, when attempting to speak our language, ought to be on their guard against retaliation. Mr Surrenne's little work is one of the best conceived and most completely executed for the purpose of advanced students that we have seen. It is the production of one who is thoroughly master of his own language, and has a head for scientific arrangement.

only to enable the pupil to elicit from the teacher all necessary information, and to furnish the teacher with the means of exercising the judgment and reasoning faculties of his pupils; but to put it also in the power of those concerned in the examination of schools to ascertain minutely the various degrees of proficiency attained." In short, though a rigid critic might probably discover some minor objections to some parts of this publication, we regard it not only, as we have already said, as the best work on arithmetic that has yet appeared, but as one of the most judicious on any subject, according to the intellectual system of education; and we venture to predict that its success and usefulness will correspond with the character we have given it.

Ireland and its Economy; being the Result of Observations made in a Tour through the Country in the Autumn of 1829. By J. E. Bicheno, Esq., F.R. S., &c. London. John Murray. 1830. 12mo. Pp. 308.

INTO the worse than Cretan labyrinth of Irish affairs, past and present, we have no desire to enter. To such of our readers, however, as feel interested in the subject, and it is an important one, we can safely recommend the