have been given to the volume, if the notes were embodied in the work itself; Planck being the basis, and the annotations inter

woven.

10.-The Library of American Biography. Conducted by Jared Sparks. Vol. II. Boston: Hilliard, Gray, & Co. London Richard James Kennett. 1834. pp. 407.

THIS Volume contains the life of Alexander Wilson, the American ornithologist, by W. B. O. Peabody; and the life of Captain John Smith, by George S. Hillard. To an admirer of romantic enthusiasm and a lover of nature, we cannot imagine a richer treat than the life of Alexander Wilson. The lover of birds (and who does not love them?) cannot but love their enthusiastic friend, their eloquent advocate and biographer. Let such an one seat himself by a window, which looks out upon a well cultivated garden, or variegated parterre, with a wooded variety of hill and dale in the back ground, and there mid the mingling melodies of the songsters that haunt such a sylvan scene," let him turn over the pages of this delightful biography. He will then be in a mood rightly to conceive and appreciate the character of Wilson. He was no ordinary man; and if genius alone can truly delineate genius, no common man may presume to write his history. To say then that Mr. Peabody has succeeded in his difficult attempt, is no mean praise. He has not indeed added much that is new to our knowledge of the history and character of Wilson. The biography of Mr. Ord, prefixed to the American Ornithology, made up as it is for the most part of copious reflections from the letters and journals of Wilson, gives us perhaps as complete and interesting a view of the man and the ornithologist, as it is possible to give. Mr. Peabody, like a faithful and industrious bee, has gathered the honey from this wild mass of flowers, and served it up for us in a new, clear and beautiful comb. It is indeed "sweet as the honey-comb," and we are grateful for his industrious toil. But the flowers themselves are beautiful and fragrant, and possess a thousand charms and odors, which no art can extract, no alchemy condense; and if we regret any thing in this charming sketch, it is the loss of Wilson's own beautifully descriptive letters. For the place, however, which it occupies in the American Biography, Mr. Peabody's life is perhaps better as it is, and will be an acceptable offering to the lovers of fine writing and taste.

We make room for the following particulars in the life of Wilson. He was born in Paisley, in Scotland, on the 6th of

July, 1766. His parentage was humble, but honorable; his parents being Scotch peasants, and distinguished for the proverbial good sense, intelligence and piety of their class. His

early advantages of education were meagre; but his tastes even from his childhood were highly intellectual and poetical. He was apprenticed to a weaver, and spent seven years of his life in this humble occupation. He then left the loom for the pack, and made the tour of Scotland in the character of a travellingmerchant or pedlar. But caring much more to behold the beauties of nature, than to display his wares, he met with little success in his new calling. The pedlar, whose feelings of rapture at the grand and beautiful in nature, burst forth in such expressions of delight as these, was illy qualified for the low pursuits of his sordid vocation. "These are pleasures," he says, "which the grovelling sons of interest, and the grubs of this world, know as little of, as the miserable spirits, doomed to everlasting darkness, know of the glorious regions and eternal delights of paradise." He made several attempts at poetical composition, and published a small volume of fugitive pieces, which never brought him either fame or money. He was not wanting in poetic feeling, but was trammelled by the laws of versification. His prose is poetical, and his poetry prosaic. In 1793 he resolved to emigrate to America, the land of freedom and plenty. With him, to resolve was to execute. For four months he devoted himself to the labors of the loom, in order to obtain the means of paying his passage, and lived in the mean time on a system so rigidly economical, that his whole expenditure did not exceed one shilling a week. With his characteristic energy and enthusiasm, rather than give up the opportunity of his passage, as the vessel in which he wished to embark had her full complement of passengers, he consented to sleep on the deck through the whole passage. On the 14th of July, 1794, he landed in America with but a few shillings in his pocket, and those borrowed from a fellow-passenger, without a letter of introduction or a single acquaintance. A stranger in a strange land, without even an object of pursuit, he set out on foot with his fowling-piece in his hand for the city of Newcastle, near which he had landed. Free, unembarrassed, cheerful, with eye, ear, and heart, to see, hear, and feel all that was beautiful and new, he gave himself up entirely to the guidance of chance. The first object that attracted his attention, and which probably gave direction and character to his subsequent life, was a red-headed woodpecker, which he shot. For the details of his subsequent history, we must refer our readers to the life itself. For several years he followed the laborious occupation of a school-master, devoting himself with assiduity and zeal to the self-denying duties of his office. His leisure hours were employed in the study of natural history, as appears from a letter written by him at this time, in which he describes the state of his own apartment, crowded with opossums, squirrels, snakes, lizards, and birds in such numbers, that they gave it the appearance of Noah's ark. Wilson

was fortunate in forming the acquaintance of Mr. Bartram, whose fine botanical garden was situated near his school house. To the assistance and sympathy of this gentleman, and the facilities his grounds afforded for studying the habits of the birds, which were attracted to them, the world owes probably the development of Wilson's taste, and the conception of the American Ornithology. Seven years were spent by this devoted and enthusiastic naturalist in unwearied and unrewarded toils, travels, and sacrifices in the execution of this noble work. His enthusiasm, firmness and perseverance, which formed the principal elements of his character, have been the theme of frequent admiration and praise. Were not the evidence incontrovertible, it would hardly be believed that "a single individual, without patron, fortune or recompense, accomplished in the space of seven years, as much as the combined body of European naturalists took a century to achieve." "But it is literally true," says Mr. Ord, "that we have as faithful, complete, and interesting an account of our birds, as the Europeans can at this moment boast of possessing of theirs." Wilson has figured and described in his work 278 species of birds, 56 of which had not been noticed by any preceding naturalist. The whole number of birds figured is 320. He died in Philadelphia of the dysentery on the 23d of August, 1813, aged 47.

Mr. Hillard's life of Capt. Smith is a well written, faithful history of one of the most chivalrous and daring spirits, that

ever

lived in the tide of times." The traditionary exploits of the "Father of Virginia," are as familiar as nursery tales. The romantic and magnanimous heroism of Pocahontas is in the mouth of every school-boy. With most of the facts in this life, we had already been made acquainted in Mr. Thatcher's interesting Lives of the Indians. The story however will bear repeating in a new form, and Mr. Hillard deserves the credit of telling it well.

For thrilling incident and chivalrous adventure, the life of Smith will not suffer in comparison with that of any other man. Those who love to read

"of most disastrous chances,

Of moving accidents by flood and field,

Of hair-breadth 'scapes i' the imminent deadly breach,"

may here be abundantly gratified.

11.-Comprehensive Commentary. Vol. I.

We have looked over the first volume of this long expected publication with much satisfaction. It comprises the four gospels, and is contained in about 900 royal 8vo. pages.

The text is

printed in large type in a column on the left side of the page. Underneath is a considerable number of marginal references. Henry's Commentary, somewhat abridged, but unaltered in respect to sentiment or style, occupies in general from one half to two thirds of the remainder of the page. Then follow notes critical, explanatory, &c. from Scott, Doddridge, Bloomfield, Rosenmueller, Stuart, Josephus, Vitringa, Adam Clarke, the editor, &c. Practical observations from Doddridge and others are found at the close of the chapters. What will give this Bible great value is the incorporation with it of Henry's Commentary. We are well satisfied that it has been done judiciously and faithfully. Henry is permitted to speak his own sentiments, in his own quaint and admirable manner. So far as we have examined, the remaining notes are selected with taste and judgment. The paper, printing, and whole mechanical execution are very good. The next volume will contain the first portion of the Old Testament.

12.-Memoir of George Dana Boardman, late missionary to Birmah, by the Rev. Alonzo King, Northborough, Mass. Boston: Lincoln, Edmands, & Co. 1834. pp. 320.

THIS is a memoir of an excellent missionary of the cross, sent out by the American Baptist Board of Missions to Birmah. He was born Feb. 8, 1801, graduated at Waterville College, Maine, in 1822, discharged the duties of tutor in the same institution for nearly a year, spent some time in theological studies in Andover, on the 16th of July, 1825, sailed from Philadelphia for India, arrived in Calcutta on the 2d of December, where, on account of the war in Birmah, he remained till March, 1827. From April, 1827, he labored in the mission at Birmah, with great ardor and success till Feb. 11, 1831, when he was called to his eternal reward. A church was gathered by his labors of more than seventy members. The biographer's labors seem to have been performed judiciously. We take pleasure in commending the volume to all with whom our opinion may have any influence.

13.-Life of Rev. Joseph Emerson, pastor of the third congregational church in Beverly, Mass., and subsequently principal of a female seminary. By Rev. Ralph Emerson, professor of Ecclesiastical History, in the Andover Theol. Sem. Boston: Crocker & Brewster. 1834. pp. 454.

MR. EMERSON is undoubtedly to be numbered among the most useful men who have lived in our country, particularly on account of his efforts in the cause of female education. He communicated an ardor, a high wrought enthusiasm, into the

bosoms of thousands. Just such a man was needed to arouse the community to a much neglected but most important subject. The good which he accomplished was not so much owing to the excellence of his system of instruction, for he often changed his plans, but to the strong feeling in behalf of it, which he every where diffused. His claims to the gratitude of future generations will rest, principally, we think, on this fact. Our readers will peruse the memoir with great satisfaction. The editor has manifested good judgment, and remarkable honesty and candor, in detailing the character of his brother. We are certain that a faithful portraiture is given. There are many collateral facts and circumstances respecting the state of society in New England, for the last thirty years, which give additional value to the volume. We advise the reader to commence with the appendix.

14.-Book for Parents. The Genius and Design of the Domestic Constitution, with its Untransferable Obligations and Peculiar Advantages. By Christopher Anderson. Boston Perkins, Marvin, & Co. 1834. pp. 420.

MR. JAMES, of Birmingham, in the preface to his Family Monitor, has the following remark. "In the ensuing pages, there will be found numerous and long extracts from an incomparably excellent work, by the Rev. Christopher Anderson, of Edinburgh, entitled 'The Domestic Constitution.' Of that volume, the author feels that his own is not worthy, in any instance, to be the harbinger; but should he find that he has introduced any families to an acquaintance with a treatise so well worthy of their most serious attention, he will be thankful for that measure of benefit, and rejoice that he has not labored in vain." From this high commendation, the intelligent reader will not wish to subtract any thing. The book differs from almost every treatise on the subject which we have seen, inasmuch as it goes fundamentally into the most important questions connected with parental duty. It would argue little for the intelligence and piety of the community, if the volume should not become, in the best sense, popular. The principles are illustrated with new and very striking historical allusions.

15.-Familiar Letters on Public Characters, and Public Events; from the peace of 1783, to the peace of 1815. Boston: Russell, Odiorne, and Metcalf. 1834. pp. 468.

The

THERE is a power in names to consecrate or condemn. quaker who from conscientious scruples dismissed a dog that had offended him with the significant address, "Friend, I will not kill thee, but I will give thee a bad name," and immediately