The Royal Library at Berlin is said to contain six hundred thousand volumes. The books are not contained in one hall, but in an extensive suite of rooms. These rooms are filled with racks for the books, and the general subject is placed in conspicuous letters at the top of every case of shelves. Books of all languages are thus brought into the closest contact, and the scholar of a particular science has but to resort to that part of the library where his favorite branch is represented, and he is certain to find the best works, in whatever language published. Among the curiosities of the library are a collection of manuscript writings from some of the most distinguished men whom Germany has produced, from Goethe, Leibnitz, Frederick the Great, Klopstock, Lessing, Wilhelm von Humboldt, Frederick Schlegel, and a few others. There are three specimens from Goethe's pen, very indistinct, but yet written, apparently, with some care. Corrections were frequent; in one place the word had been twice corrected. Frederick, apparently, wrote in great haste; the signature, however, was more carefully executed. Humboldt wrote a fine, neat hand, perfectly free from blots and without corrections. Lessing's was much the same, but corrected in many places. Klopstock wrote with a trembling hand, and his manuscript is read with great difficulty.

In another case are curiosities of a very different nature. Here are the Bible and the prayer-book of Charles the First; the former was placed to his lips at the moment before his execution. How it came into the possession of the Prussian government is not stated. The Bible is of very unpretending appearance, but the prayer-book is very beautifully bound-its cover is of tortoise-shell, secured by massive gold clasps. Luther's Hebrew Bible, and his own German translation, are here too, and close by a sheet from the reformer's pen. The writing is bold and free. In the next case, to make a strong contrast, is one of Tetzel's famous indulgences, and a letter from that great man, Ignatius Loyola, the founder of the Order of Jesus. Other objects of interest are Zwingli's Bible, a specimen of Melancthon's hand-writing, a very old copy of the Koran, and a beautiful series of portraits of the leading reformers, from the pencil of Louis Cranach. For Luther's own copy of the Old Testament the English government has offered $100,000.

Honorary Degrees.-The crop of doctors, both of Laws and of Divinity, has not been so large this season as usual. At some colleges we perceive they have been under the necessity of doctoring men already doctored. We append a

list of such as have come to our notice :

Harvard University conferred the degree of D. D. upon Rev. J. H. Jones, of Philadelphia; Rev. Baron Stow, of Boston; Rev. George Ware Briggs, of Salem; Rev. Edward Cook, President of Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin; Rev. Chandler Robbins, of Boston; Rev. Samuel Osgood, of New-York. Of LL. D. on his Excellency Henry J. Gardner, Governor of Massachusetts; Hon. Nathan Appleton, of Boston; Hon. Robert C. Winthrop, of Boston; Nathan Bishop, Esq., of Boston.-At Columbia College,

N. Y., the degree of D. D. was conferred on Professor Russell Trevett, the Rev. Joseph Few Smith, of Newark; the Rev. William E. Eigenbrodt, the Rev. John M. Macauley, and Joseph H. Coit.At Hamilton College, the degree of D. D. was conferred upon the Rev. S. H. Gridley, of Waterloo, and Rev. Matthew Henderson, of Newark, N. J.-At Dartmouth commencement the degree of D. D. fell upon Ebenezer E. Cummings, Carlton Hurd, and Elisha Rookwood; and of LL. D., on Isaac F. Redfield, Matthew Harvey, Jacob Collamar, and Salmon P. Chase.At the commencement at Emory and Henry College, the degree of D. D. was conferred on Rev. D. R. Me Anually, editor of the St. Louis Christian Advocate.—At Madison College, Mississippi, the degree of D. D. was conferred on the Rev. John B. Clemson, rector of the Church of the Ascension, Claymont, DelAt Dickinson College the degree of D. D. was conferred on Rev. Wm. H. Rule, of the British Wesleyan Connexion, and on Rev. James II. Perry, of Brooklyn,

-At La Grange College, Ala., the degree of D. D. was conferred on the Rev. Mr. Mitchell, of the Presbyterian Church of Florence, Alabama; Rev. T. W. Dorman, Rev. Joseph B. Walker, and Rev. Thomas L. Boswell, of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. At the same time the degree of LL. D. was conferred on the Honorable John S. Brien, of Nashville.-At Oglethorpe University, the degree of D. D. was conferred upon the Rev. Sylvester Woodbridge, of NewOrleans, and the degree of LL. D. upon the Rev. J. H. Thornwell, D. D., President of the South Carolina College.- At Trinity College, Hartford, the degree of D. D. was conferred on Rev. Thomas Fielding Scott, Missionary Bishop of Oregon.- -At Maryville College, Tenn., the degree of D. D. was conferred upon the Rev. A. H. Dashiel, of Shelbyville, Tenn., and the Honorary LL. D. upon the Rev. S. H. Cox, D. D., of Owego, N. Y., and Rev. T. H. Skinner, D. D., of NewYork City. By the Wesleyan University, at Middletown, Conn., the degree of D. D. was conferred upon Rev. David Patten, of the Concord Biblical Institute, Rev. D. P. Kidder, of New-York, and Rev. Schuyler Seager, of Lima Seminary. His Excellency, Governor Minor, a graduate of old Yale, received the LL. D.--At Lafayette College, the degree of D. D. was conferred on the Rev. William Blackwood, of Philadelphia, and that of LL. D. on David Codwise, Esq., of New York City.

The Michigan Senator.-Mr. Derby has made arrangements for the publication, by subscrip tion, of the "Life and Times of General Cass," to be issued in one large volume of eight hundred pages, uniform in style and manner to "Benton's Thirty Years in the Senate." The volume is compiled by W. L. G. Smith, Esq., and will be published under the revision and superintendence of General Cass himself.

Silvio Pellico. - An Italian periodical, the Civilta Cattolica, announces that it is about to publish several manuscripts left by the late Silvio Pellico, and that they consist of correspondence, of moral, political, and religious treatises, of historical romances, of tragedies and poems. The romances, it appears, are not terminated; one, called Raffaella, was given up by its distinguished author because he had the modesty to think it inferior to the Promessi Sposi of Manzoni. The Civilta says that, in compliance with the solicitation of his friends, Silvio Pellico wrote his autobiography; but though, in the opinion of people who were allowed to read it, it possessed the highest interest, he, after the revolutionary movements of 1848, announced that he had destroyed it, and it has not been seen since. It is nevertheless hinted that a copy of it may some day sec the light.

Mr. Bailey, the author of Festus, has a poem in press entitled "The Mystic," which is described as wilder in imagery and purpose than "Festus;" dealing with higher and more mysterious arguments, and having in it still less of human sympathy and human emotion. Another poem, lyrical in form, is to accompany "The Mystic."

in the following order :-Reference books, poetry and romance; history and biography; politics; theology and philosophy; law; diplomatic and congressional; agriculture and science, and miscellaneous. These are all in the mansion library room and the law office. There are twelve hundred law and congressional books in the old Winslow House awaiting better accombook in the whole library.

In a recent sitting of the Academy of Inscriptions et Belles Lettres, at Paris, an account was given of the discovery at Beyrout, at a great depth under ground, of the tomb of a Phoenician king, containing-what is very curious indeed -a long inscription in Hebrew. The inscription dwells principally on the nothingness of human grandeur, and concludes by vowing to the wrath of Astarte any one who shall profane the tomb. A detailed account of the curious discovery is to be given to the French Institute by the Duke de Luynes, on the approaching annual meeting.

Biblical Literature.-To the library of Biblical Commentaries we have to add one just published in London, The Epistles of St. Paul to the Thessalonians, Galatians, and Romans, by B. Jewett, M. A. The work contains a body of text, and laying open the entire history of the philosophical criticism, based on Lachmann's apostolic doctrine, as well as tracing the varieties of interpretation, from the Textus Receptus, which Mr. Jewett discards, through the other existing manuscripts, which he examines.

Professor Longfellow is revising two volumes of new poems; both will probably be published before the year is out. One is a collection of lyrics; the other is a narrative poem, based upon Indian legends. The hero is said to be a kind of American Prometheus.

A curious collection of books is advertised for sale at St. Petersburgh. It consists of several thousand volumes exclusively relative to Turkey, and cost not only vast sums, but thirtyseven years' labor to form. It is the property of M. Liprandi, Councillor of State, brother of one of the Russian generals, whose name is frequently before the public as a commander in

under Methodist patronage and control.

The Lecture Season.-A convention of delegates from the literary associations of this state was held at Syracuse last month, at which a union was formed for the delivery of lectures on a systematic plan. The state is to be divided into six districts, and a member of a central committee to be appointed to each district, who will procure information concerning the number of lectures desired, the prices paid, &c., within his district. The president is to communicate with lecturers, and carry out the plans of the committee so far as possible.

Many of our readers are acquainted with the Mémoires de la Marquise de Crecy, which, published in French and translated into English, excited great sensation some time ago, and which even now are not unfrequently referred to as possessed of authority. A publication which has just been made in France proves them to be entirely false. This, indeed, was already known to people who occupy themselves specially with French literature.

Daniel Webster's Library.-The number of volumes in Mr. Webster's library is six thousand. Of these, two thousand are political, congressional, and diplomatic; one thousand historical; five hundred dictionaries, cyclopædias, and hand-books; five hundred works on agriculture, and a great number of maps and guide-books. The library is arranged in cases

the Crimea.

Literary Relics.-Mr. H. G. Somerby arrived

nations from George Peabody, the American banker in London, for the Peabody Institute at Danvers, Mass. They consisted of a volume of autograph letters from Washington, Franklin, Jefferson, Jay, Henry Laurens, Robert Morris, General Schuyler, Robert Livingston, John Quincy Adams, and other eminent Americans.

New Works.-Messrs. Longman and Co., of London, announce for publication the third and fourth volumes of Macaulay's "History of England;" "A Portion of the Journal kept by Thomas Raikes, Esq.," comprising Social and Political Life in London and Paris during the period 1831-1847; "A View of the Brazils, seen through a Naval Glass by Edward Wilberforce;""Eight Years' Wanderings in Ceylon," by S. W. Baker, Esq.; "The Dead Sea, a New Route to India," by Captain Allen, R. N., F. R. S. ; the third and fourth volumes of James Montgomery's "Life and Writings," and the third and fourth volumes of James Silk Buckingham's "Autobiography." Two more volumes are also announced of "Moore's Memoirs."

A pension of $250 a year, from the Civil List of Great Britain, has been granted to Dr. Dick, the author of some excellent works on

Christian Philosophy. "We only regret," says the Atheneum, "that a larger sum was not at disposal for the recognition of the literary services of so estimable a man and useful a writer."

"A Last Word on Sir Hudson Lowe," by Barthelemy Baron de les Cases, is the title of a new work recently published in Paris, and which is now exciting no little attention. In reviewing it the Athenæum says:

"It was once dangerous for a person of the name of Lowe to travel in France. St. Helena is said to have been avenged on Sir Hoodson Lor many a time and oft after that hard and rude janitor slept with his fathers. In the present instance, Mr. Forsyth's justifleatory publication is condemned as a long, dreary, and fastidious diatribe, and the Revue des Deux Mondes is lectured for having dragged it from its oblivion.' The baron adopts, with additions, the view taken by all reasonable men of Sir Hudson Lowe's conduct toward Napoleon. Without resuming the discussion, we may say that his criticism, though a little violent, is precise, and goes to the bottom of the subject: at the same time, we are glad that it is to be 'the last word' on this bitter topic."

Dr. Flügel, Professor of English Literature at the University of Leipsic, died recently in that city at an advanced age. He compiled an excellent German-English and English-German dictionary, and superintended many translations from our language.

The Bible in Turkey.-The demand for the Word of God in Turkey has obliged the British and Foreign Bible Society to make arrangements for the printing and publishing of Bibles and Commentaries on an extensive scale in Constantinople. This speaks well for the future. A correspondent, writing to the monthly paper of the Society, says:

"It is a remarkable fact that years ago our Society possessed only an obscure depot in Galata, which was opened only twice a week, and where the Turks never put their foot in, and the Christians entered it rarely and by stealth. Now, besides the great depot, which is kept open all day long in a most frequented street in Constantinople, leading to the principal bazaars, the Society's books are exposed for sale in the grand street

of Pera, at the Scripture Readers' Depository and Reading-room at Galata, at the London Jews' Society's stores at Constantinople; and last, not least, they are hawked about the streets of this vast capital by colporteurs, and may be met with on the great floating bridge, and other parts of the city, taken there by venders of books."

There is a talk of establishing in Paris a large daily newspaper, to be devoted entirely to literary, scientific, and artistic matters. The well-known Dr. Veron is named as the chief promoter of the scheme.

Mr. Vincent Figgins, a well-known English type-founder, has reproduced, for the benefit of the Aged Printers' Asylum, in England, in black letter, cast by himself, and imitated from Caxton's type, the first printer's treatise on the "Game and Playe of the Chesse." A writer in the London Athenæum, who seems charmed with both Caxton and Figgins, says:—

Mr.

"Of this work, Caxton printed two editions-one with the date 1474, and the other without a date, but ornamented with various quaint and rude, but forcible illustrative wood-cuts, the general character of which was imitated in Dibdin's imperfect fac-similes. Figgins has engraved all the wood-cuts completely from tracings made from the copy of the book in the British Museum. He has also printed his edition on paper made expressly in imitation of that used by Caxton, and has bound it in antique style, with appropriate ornamental tooling. The result of all this care and imitative skill is a handsome volume, in small

folio, published at the price of $10. The purchasers will not only have the satisfaction of possessing a work which is curious in itself, and gives a very accurate idea of Caxton's books, such as they first issued from the press, but will have the pleasure of contributing to a praiseworthy and excellent object. All who benefit by printing-and, in some way or other, who does not?-should bear in mind the band of skillful and useful men who, in connexion with this Art of Arts, bestow an almost unparalleled amount of labor and ingenuity, but who cannot, any more than other men, secure themselves from the unavoidable chances and occasional calamities of life."

Arts and and

The American Association for the advancement of Science recently held its ninth annual meeting at Providence, Rhode Island. The objects of the Association are to promote intercourse between those who are cultivating science in different parts of the United States; to give a stronger and more general impulse and a more systematic direction to scientific research in our country; and to procure for the labors of scientific men increased facilities and a wider usefulness. The Association at this time embraces more than a thousand members, consisting not only of those who are actually engaged in scientific pursuits, but of others who are the

patrons and friends of science, who appreciate its importance, and are anxious to aid its

progress.

Photographs.-Mr. Neipce's process of obtaining positive photographs is to expose a sheet of calotype paper to the daylight for a few seconds, or until a visible discoloration or browning of its surface takes place. Then it is dipped in a solution of iodide of potassium, consisting of five hundred grains to the pint of

Sciences.

water. The visible discoloration is apparently removed by this immersion-though such is no really the case, for, if the paper were dipped inte a solution of gallo-nitrate of silver, it would speedily blacken all over. When the paper is removed from the iodide of potassium, it is washed in water and then dried with blottingpaper. It is then placed in the camera obscura, and after five or ten minutes it is removed therefrom and washed with gallo-nitrate of silver, and warmed.

Useful Invention.-According to the London Times, a Mr. Clifford has invented a method of

lowering ships' boats, so as to insure entire security from accident. The whole operation is performed by one man only in the boat, who, by simply paying off a rope, unlashes and frees the boat from the ship's gripes, lowers her levelly into the water, and entirely disengages her, whatever her weight or the number of her crew; and it is impossible for her to cant or turn over in her descent, or for a rope to tangle or catch in its passage through the block which he uses.