tion. Not many years since, the side of this hill fell in, and discovered a deep and frightful chasm; smoke and steam at present issue from it in vast quantities, accompanied by a tremendous noise. Looking down through this opening, a body of water is seen boiling with great violence. An appalling roar is incessantly reverberated from side to side within the dome, and is increased at short intervals by sudden and violent explosions. The surface of this hill, the sides of the cavern, and the innumerable crevices in the ground are coated with sulphur. Every stone has been more or less changed, while not a shrub or plant flourishes for many yards around.'

There is not a little in this description to remind one of the 'Locus exciso penitus demersus hiatu

Parthenopen inter magnæque Dicarchidos arva
Cocyta perfusus aqua,'

of Petronius.

Dr Webster suspected that sulphuret of iron in the act of decomposition was the cause of the phenomena observed about these hot springs, and on digging, he had the satisfaction of finding large quantities, several feet below the surface, under loose masses of basaltic fragments, which contained, without doubt, microscopic portions of the sulphuret. Breislak found the same at Solfatara, and regards its operations in the same light. There is nothing unreasonable in supposing it to be the cause of such partial and confined effects, but we do not see how it could ever have been thought adequate to the production and enkindling of volcanic fires.

It would be thought unreasonable perhaps to complain of our author for not doing more, when he has done so much, and been so faithful in what he has done, but we should have been pleased if he had furnished us with a few more means of judging of the antiquity of these volcanos, and of the number. of eruptions they have poured out. The depth of the currents of lava might in many cases be exactly ascertained, and the fact determined whether they flowed over others more ancient, or whether the whole surface of the island above water is the effect of one mighty convulsion. We are inclined to believe, from all that we gather from his accounts, that it is the production of repeated volcanic eruptions, but that none of them ever burned for any considerable time. It is not improbable even that a process has been employed in its formation similar to that which produced the recent submarine vol

rocks, sometimes imbedded in the masses of pumice, which in many parts of the island cover a great extent of surface. These two volcanic products are observed constantly passing from one into the other, leaving it scarcely possible to distinguish the line of separation, still less to doubt that they were at one time the same identical substance. All the other marks by which the mighty effects of the agency of fire are recognized, such as scoriæ, volcanic sand, ashes, tuff, breccias, and lava in every state of decomposition and new combination, are spread over the whole island, so as to leave no doubt which of the elements has exercised dominion there. A farther resemblance to the volcanos heretofore known is observed in the minerals found by Dr Webster among the rocks of St Michael, which had undergone either but a slight or no change by the action of fire. Those mentioned by him are felspar, augite, hornblende, olivine, mica, haüyne, leucite, arragonite, and oxidulous iron, but he does not appear to have found either meionite, nepheline, or pleonaste, which are thus far the peculiar characteristics of Vesuvius. In many respects, however, the masses, which contain these minerals from St Michael, have a striking resemblance to those from Vesuvius, particularly a semivitrified kind of felspar, which we doubt not is the eisspath of Werner and the German mineralogists. We trace also an almost perfect similarity to the solfatara of the Campi Phlegræi, in his description of the country around the Caldeiras:

'As we pass along the narrow road from the village to this spot,' says our author, the gradual change from a fertile to a barren soil is observed, and within a few yards of the hot springs, nearly all traces of vegetation are lost. At the extremity of the road, the ground is almost snow white, and then acquires a reddish tinge; this increases in intensity and brightness, and finally passes through an infinite variety of shades to a deep brown. The vicinity of the springs is indicated by the increased temperature of the earth, a sulphureous odour, and the escape of vapour or steam from every crack and fissure in the ground. The volumes of smoke and steam rolling upwards from the surface to a great height, till they are gradually diffused through the atmosphere, or mingle with the heavier clouds that crown the summit of the mountains, produce a striking effect.

A few yards from the principal Caldeira is an elevation of about fifty feet in height, and probably as many in extent, composed of alternate layers of a coarser variety of sinter and clay, including grass, ferns, and reeds in different states of

1

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IV

tion. Not many years since, the side of this hill fell in, and discovered a deep and frightful chasm; smoke and steam at present issue from it in vast quantities, accompanied by a tremendous noise. Looking down through this opening, a body of water is seen boiling with great violence. An appalling roar is incessantly reverberated from side to side within the dome, and is increased at short intervals by sudden and violent explosions. The surface of this hill, the sides of the cavern, and the innumerable crevices in the ground are coated with sulphur. Every stone has been more or less changed, while not a shrub or plant flourishes for many yards around.'

There is not a little in this description to remind one of the
'Locus exciso penitus demersus hiatu

Parthenopen inter magnæque Dicarchidos arva
Cocyta perfusus aqua,'

of Petronius.

Dr Webster suspected that sulphuret of iron in the act of decomposition was the cause of the phenomena observed about these hot springs, and on digging, he had the satisfaction of finding large quantities, several feet below the surface, u der loose masses of basaltic fragments, which contained, winout doubt, microscopic portions of the solporet. Breitisk food the same at Satara, and regards its operaine in the sime Lect. There is coming visie.pprit, & to be the cause of such parial and exted effects, ba ne do not see how is godit ever bare en tonge van, va production and atinding of roach free

I would be tog made perage vorejas d Dir ar fr not song more 11 de 1 come t auf beer st á Stone Die ont lave

s of net i mary cases te exacty Bernet, aud the fact determined whether they foved over others more an dient, or whether the viale surface of the island above wa is the effect of one mighty convision. We are inclined to Believe, from all that we gather from his accounts, that it is the production of repeated volcanic erpions, but that none of them ever buned for any considerable ime. It is not a midable eventi praces has been employed in its form ed the recent marine vod

at Vienna, and formerly professor in the university there of the oriental languages, biblical archaiology, higher criticism, and doctrinal theology.

The second part, which is short and occupied chiefly with the proper mode of studying the Hebrew, is translated from the preface to the small Hebrew Grammar of Gesenius, who is professor at the university at Hallé, and author of a valuable Hebrew lexicon, and many other philological works.

The third part is an extract from the dissertation, prefixed to the Εκλογαί Ιστορικαι of Wyttenbach, formerly professor of Greek at Leyden, and is introduced to enforce the opinion and the recommendations of Jahn, in regard to the repetition of the lessons, which the student has taken, until he becomes able not only to construe them with ease, but to feel in his own bosom the inspiration and the power with which they were originally written.

Among the various subjects introduced into this publication, the topic, which chiefly occupies the dissertation of Jahn, is the study of the Hebrew. The arguments, which he uses, to show the importance of a knowledge of the Hebrew, are such, we believe, as cannot be readily overthrown; and were we certain that they would be read by all who peruse these pages, we should be quite willing to leave the subject, without any additional observations, in the hands of so able an arbiter. But knowing the probability that this will not be the case, and being in some degree acquainted with the state of sacred literature in our country, we deem it proper to give our own testimony on the point, and to aid the exertions of professor Stuart, to promote among us a more creditable knowledge of the original languages of the bible. 'The holy bible,' says Jahn, 'is the principal source of theology; the fountain, from which, in a special manner, all science of religion is drawn; the foundation, on which its doctrines are built.' If this be the case, it is altogether reasonable to expect from those, who set themselves up as teachers in religion, that they should be minutely acquainted both with its character and the instructions it communicates. An inquiry then arises, whether a man can obtain such a thorough knowledge of the bible, as to authorize him to assume the insignia and perform the sacred duties of a public religious instructer, without an acquaintance with the languages in which it was originally written. Those, who maintain the affirmative of this question, will perhaps tell us,

that a translation is an adequate substitute for the original, and that there is no absolute need either of Greek or Hebrew, provided a man can read his mother tongue.

We are inclined to admit the accuracy of professor Stuart's assertion, who maintains, in one of his notes, that the worst translation which was ever made of the scriptures, contains all that is essential to religion, either as it respects doctrine or practice. Some translations, he observes, have added things. to the scriptures which religion does not require, and some have made one part of the bible to gainsay another; but the worst translation never removed nor wholly obscured the great and leading principles of revealed religion. This is readily admitted, and we may add too in regard to the English translation in particular, that in the main it is a good one, that it is extremely creditable to the age in which it was made, and would probably be a real sufferer, if it were trusted in the hands of modern English divines for the purpose of being

amended.

But, although it may be considered by some a gratuitous assertion on our part, we appeal to the experience of every real scholar in our behalf, when we say, that the best translation existing, whether of the classics or the Bible, fails in a vast number of instances of conveying the precise shape and the true spirit of the original. This results necessarily from the imperfection of language, and is more especially true in regard to versions made from the Hebrew and Chaldaic, in which the Old Testament is written, because these languages differ so widely in many important respects from those of Europe.

We have good translations in English of many of the classics, but certainly the man would gain no credit to himself, who should seriously maintain his thorough acquaintance with the style, the general spirit, and the peculiarities of Homer, from merely having read him in the Iliad and Odyssey of Pope, or even in the more literal version of Cowper. It is not surprising, then, that many parts of our common version, for instance, the books of Job and Isaiah, should convey an imperfect notion of the splendid beauties of their originals. Nor can an adequate acquaintance with those beauties, nor indeed in all cases with the grammatical sense, be obtained even by the additional aid of a commentary.

That the inadequacy of translations cannot be compensated by the aid of a practical or religious commentary merely is