noxious to health. The water, however, which passes along the new pipes is far purer than the wooden pipe water; and the very worst that can happen to us is, that if a portion be long detained, we drink a slight chalybeate, without having to travel from home for it.

We cordially recommend Mr. Matthews's work; it will be found useful, and many of its details are very interesting to every class of readers.

The Philosophy of Morals; an Investigation by a new and extended Analysis of the Faculties and Standards employed in the determination of Right and Wrong, &c. &c. By Alexander Smith, M. A. Smith, Elder and Co., London.

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We had feared that philosophy had taken flight from amongst us, scared by the flimsy and perishable productions that have displaced her from our literature. It is impossible to look without pain on the works that are daily issuing from the press all the higher and more classic departments of human knowledge are, in a great measure, neglected; and we are inundated by works whose existence is hardly protracted beyond the time required for the drying of the paper on which they are printed. So excessive had the evil become, that it led to a reprint of our standard authors, in a size and dress to suit the depraved taste of modern readers and many of our sterling old Divines, and other bright luminaries of our national literature, have been instrumental in giving a more healthy tone to the popular mind. We trust to witness this first step towards regeneration, followed up by original works of standard value. We trust to see the intellectual energies of authors devoted to nobler purposes than of late they have been applied to; and we trust that the incubus of ephemeral catch-pennies will be speedily removed, which have enthralled and smothered the more generous feelings and profound judgment, which have been lying latent for want of proper stimulants. The work before us is one that would lead us to believe that our anticipations are not unfounded—that mind is beginning to rouse itself: would to God that it may be properly seconded!-that a demand for an elaborate and philosophical work may convince publishers that the era of smothering important works is passed away, and that they may safely venture to hold out prospects of encouragement, which will be responded to by men whose productions will stamp the character of the age! and we shall then see, that literature has nobler purposes to effect than to amuse by its absurdity, and entice by its cheapness.

Mr. Smith's work is truly named The Philosophy of Morals; it is a fundamental treatise, showing the moral structure on which is built theology, jurisprudence, and general politics; and if wanting in some of the characteristics of Paley, Reid, and Stewart, it has merits denied to those profound thinkers and able and elegant scholars.

"By what faculty or principle of our mental constitution is it that we perceive a moral distinction in characters and actions,—that we approve of one person or act, disapprove of another, determine one to be good or right, another to be bad or wrong? Is it an independent power or capacity essentially distinct from any other with which the mind is endowed, and adapted to a specific purpose of its own?-or is it resolvable into any other power or capacity, which is therefore to be viewed, as in this respect, merely exercising itself after one specific mode, or on one particular class of objects ?

Secondly. It being, at all events, the fact that we have a perception of such distinctions, do the characters or actions that are thus distinguished as good or bad, respectively, possess any assignable quality in common, more than being so distinguished-any quality on account of which it is that they are so distinguished; and, if so, what is that common quality? Wherein, as

regards the actions themselves, does a good action differ from a bad or an indifferent one? What is the object of approbation in one action-of disapprobation in another? For what is one approved-another disapproved?" These are the subjects of investigation in a Theory of Morals, and they are very ably and clearly handled by our Author; many difficult and obscure points are placed in a new light, and many trains of sentiment and principles of action are logically and profoundly investigated.

"It is a question," says Mr. Smith, "that has always presented itself to the philosophical inquirer, how Infinite Power, guided by Infinite Wisdom, and prompted by infinite benevolence, could have suffered the existence of that least of moral and physical evils that afflict our earthly condition."

This is, indeed, a question which springs up in the mind of the believer in the goodness of God, and we recommend Mr. Smith's fine argument to the attention of every reader and thinker.

Our own opinion, as to the "principle of utility," differs, in some respects, from that of this profound moralist: his extended examination of the subject is one fraught with important considerations, especially as a new school of philosophy and political economy has been founded on certain doctrines derived from it.

The entire work, indeed, is one of great and sterling merit. An analysis of it, such as it deserves, would occupy an amount of space we regret we cannot afford to it. Not only does it contain an analysis of the Philosophy of Morals-there is also mingled in it a fine spirit of Christian philosophy. The last division of the work, "On the Relation of Morality and Religion, Natural and Revealed," is especially valuable. Minds fitted for abstract and subtle philosophising, are often led into error by Hume and Gibbon; the former was an especial master of the art of reasoning, and we would exhort such individuals to take up Mr. Smith's volumes and consult them.

History of the British Colonies. By M. Martin, Esq. F. S. S.Possessions in Asia. Vol. I. Second Edition. Cochrane and Co., London.

It is gratifying to observe that this national work has been duly appreciated by the public. A history of our immense Colonial possessions-of the great interests connected with them—of their bearing and influence upon the mother country, with a clear view of the policy which had been operating upon them, was a desideratum in our language. With an external empire ramifying itself into every part of the globe, there was a complete blank in our literature of works relating to its people, its laws, its customs, its physical aspects, its industrial and economical character, its productions, and its governments, previous to Mr. Martin devoting his energies to the task of giving to the public his comprehensive and most valuable work-a noble monument of perseverance and industry, and of a sagacious and powerful mind.

Some judicious emendations and many important additions have been made to this volume, devoted to our Asiatic possessions, since the publication of the first edition; and the whole has been thoroughly and carefully revised. The additional chapter which is given on the Hindoos abounds with curious and interesting matter; from which we extract the following, on the habits of the Brahmin :

"When the dinner is prepared, the Brahmin first washes his body in warm water; during which operation he wears his dolee, or that cloth which, fastened round his loins, hangs down to his ankles when washed, he hangs up the dotee to dry, and binds in its place a piece of silk, it not being allowable for a Brahmin to wear any thing else when eating. If a person of another caste, or even a Brahmin, who is not washed, touches his dotee

while drying, he cannot wear it without drying it again. After going through several forms of prayer, and other ceremonies, he sits down to his food, which is spread on fresh-gathered leaves, fastened together to the size wanted by the company. The dishes and plates are invariably composed of leaves: a Brahmin may not eat out of any thing else. Tin vessels, or copper tinned, may be used for cooking, but a Brahmin cannot eat out of them. The food, after being prepared in the kitchen, is placed in distinct portions on dishes of different size, form, and depth, in the large verdant covering in a regular manner. In the centre of the cover is always a large pile of plain boiled rice, and at a feast there are generally two or three heaps of white and yellow rice, seasoned with spices and salt; and two of sweet rice, to be eaten with chatna, pickles, and stewed vegetables: the latter are chiefly brenjals, bendre, turoy, and different kinds of beans, all savourily dressed, and heated with chilies of every description. The chatna is usually made from a vegetable called cotemar, to the eye very much resembling parsley, but to those unused to it of a very disagreeable taste and smell: this is so strongly heated with chilies as to render the other ingredients less distinguishable. The chatna is sometimes made with cocoa-nuts, lime-juice, garlic, and chilies, and, with the pickles, is placed in deep leaves round the large cover, to the number of thirty or forty, the Hindoos being very fond of this stimulus to their rice. These pickles are not prepared with vinegar, but preserved in oil and salt, seasoned with chilie and the acid of tamarinds, which in a salted state is much used in Hindoostan. Brahmins, and many other Hindoos, reject the onion from their bill of fare. Ghee, which in deep boats, formed of leaves, seems to constitute the essence of the dinner, is plentifully dispensed. The dessert consists of mangoes, preserved with sugar, ginger, limes, and other sweetmeats. Such is the entertainment of a rich Brahmin, who eats no food."

The volume has our very hearty commendation. The statistical information it embraces is wide, and has been collected with great pains, and is remarkable for its accuracy; and the remarks upon men and manners are distinguished by a philanthropic spirit, highly honourable to Mr. Martin. No library, whether public or private, can be considered complete without this work, both as a book of reference, and for agreeable and instructive reading.

A Practical Treatise on Brewing and Storing Beer. By W. Black. Smith, Elder aud Co., London.

A very useful work is this, and one which will be gladly received by the public. It is purely practical, and Mr. Black's experience renders his recommendation of great value.

Remarks on the Character ascribed by Colonel Napier to the late Right Honourable Spencer Perceval, &c. &c. By Dudley M. Perceval, Esq. James Fraser.

It is a noble task for a son to vindicate the name of a father it is a noble task for a son to step boldly forwards into the ranks of literary warfare, and, using truth and reason as his weapons, strike down the asperser and calumniator of a father's reputation. Mr. Perceval has fought the good fight manfully, and has driven home his weapon. We trust that this controversy will bring forth a life of Spencer Perceval, with notices of the statesmen with whom he was more immediately connected. The growth of liberal opinions has thrown a species of obloquy upon many men deserving well of their country; and if the rescue be not undertaken by those connected with them, or in possession of cotemporary and perishing materials, our future historians will err widely in their estimate of more than one public man.

A Century of Original Aphorisms, on the proximate causes of the Phenomena of Nature. By Sir Richard Phillips. Sherwood, London.

The title of Sir Richard Phillips's brochure explains the character of its pages, and we give a few remarks from his preface, in order to show with what expectations he has placed them before the public.

"This Century of Aphorisms' is intended to place on record the principles of a new, and, as is presumed, a rational system of Natural Philosophy, on which the writer has bestowed those laborious investigations which originality always demands.

"He began with general doubts about the reasonableness of prevailing doctrines, but he has been stimulated to originate and perfect a SYSTEM, by the illiberal misrepresentations of which he found himself the object.

He does not flatter himself that in his time a theory will be accredited which opposes the established dogmas of the Schools, since men have always more difficulty in unlearning than in learning; and some crafts fancy that they enjoy exclusive protection in mysteries and superstitions, to which this system is directly opposed.

"Truth, however, must ultimately prevail, and perhaps this natural System of Physics may flourish in the twentieth century, and place in the shade the vaunted principles which were so ostentatiously put forward in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries."

The Works of William Cowper: his Life and Letters. Edited by the Rev. T. S. Grimshawe, A. M. With an Essay on the Genius and Poetry of Cowper, by the Rev. J. W. Cunningham, A. M. Vol. VIII. Saunders and Otley, London.

Another volume of this splendid and perfect edition. Its contents are many of the Poet's minor pieces-the "Olney Hymns and Translations:" all bear the impress of the affectionate, the gentle, and the amiable man; and the refined intellect, the holy imaginings, and the high aspirations of the Poet. The "Olney Hymns were the joint production of Cowper and his kinsman and attached friend and trusted correspondent, the Rev. Dr. Johnson: there is great sweetness of versification, and a fine strain of piety running through them, particularly through those contributed by Cowper. The Biographical Sketch of the rev. gentleman cannot fail to attract attention; it is a very singular record. The observations on Madame Guion and her mystical writings, which occupied so much of Cowper's attention, are hardly plain spoken enough: they were of a nature to fascinate a mind like his, as their close appeals to the Deity found a responsive echo in his own heart. The translations are well known: those of Milton's Latin poems exhibit, in a striking point of view, the different intellectual powers of the two poets; the versions are flowing and elegant; but, to use a figure of speech, they are Hercules in the dress of Omphale. The illustrations are a portrait of Johnson, and a lovely vignette of a rustic bridge. The work, as a whole, is a truly elegant one, and should form part of every family library.

Evolution; or The Power and Operation of Numbers-in the statement, the calculation, the distribution. and the arrangement of quantities. By Thomas Smith. Longman and Co., London.

Mr. Smith is already favourably known to the public as a man ardently desirous of promoting the great cause of education, and that by the best and most certain method-namely, simplifying elementary instruction, and laying

down plain and practical principles, in place of loading the mind with technicalities and abstractions so fatal to the acquisition of permanent and useful learning. Ocni funiculum torquere might be too truly the motto of most public teachers, to whom rules and routine are, like the laws of the Medes and Persians, unchangeable, however absurd and pernicious. It is greatly to be desired that some national institution existed for the education of men intended for schoolmasters: every man thinks himself qualified for the task of instruction, but we are certain that five-ninths of those who make a trade of it are no more fit for the office than for judges in a land of precedents and authorities.

"Evolution" is a lucid treatise on numbers, in which the student is led step by step to examine and appreciate their powers as they gradually unfold themselves before him. It is exceedingly clear in its details, and will afford the examiner a very pleasant and invigorating mental exercise.

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Tremordyn Cliff. By Frances Trollope, author of the "Domestic Manners of the Americans," &c. &c. 3 vols. Bentley, London. We should be unjust to Mrs. Trollope were we to deny her the possession of talent; and, indeed, did our opinion incline that way, our gallantry would forbid its expression. There is, however, a 'knack' possessed by some writers of acquiring notoriety, (which is equivalent to reputation,) quite independent of mental excellence: this "knack," we grieve to say, lies, as near as human ingenuity can discover, in writing coarsely, vulgarly-caricaturing, in short, nature and language; and, in place of holding up the mirror of social refinement and moral excellence to the view of mankind, teaching it to laugh at the tricks of low buffoonery and indelicacy. More than one author and authoress, of the present day, have played "Polichinello" to admiration.

"Tremordyn Cliff" is utterly at variance with all our ideas of a rational novel; its characters are strained, its incidents improbable, and its catastrophe fit only for a melodrama: it is a kind of Sapphic effort, but a dreadful failure.

Indian Sketches; taken during an Expedition to the Pawnee and other tribes of American Indians. By J. T. Irving, Junior. 2 vols. John Murray, London.

Two amusing volumes; but hardly bearing analysis, as they are mere sketches. They relate, however, to an interesting race now rapidly in the course of extinction, and, as such, may be taken up and read with interest.

Gleanings in Natural History: Third and last Series-to which are added Notices of some of the Royal Parks and Residences. By Edward Jesse, Esq. John Murray, London.

We are now indebted to Mr. Jesse for three very charming volumes, in a style of writing and homeliness and truth of observation, for the origin of which natural history is under unspeakable obligation to White, of Selborne. The volume, like its predecessors, is filled chiefly with anecdotes of animals, illustrative of their habits and instincts. A single extract will suffice to show its nature:

"Mr. Knight, the intelligent nurseryman in the King's Road, Chelsea, who has done so much in introducing new and beautiful plants into this country, keeps a large number of toads in his stoves, as he finds them beneficial in destroying wood-lice, which injures his plants. The heat in some of the stoves, on the 1st of August, was 130 (showing how capable toads