The authoress of the Heir of Redclyffe' has given young people→ young girls especially—a Christmas present, in the shape of a very lively tale, Countess Kate' (Mozley). There is no affectation of good talk in this little book; but with rare skill right principles and views are insinuated rather than dictated. The contrast between the method of this writer and the Religious Tract Society's writers presents a curious study in literature.

'The Churchman's Guide to Faith and Piety' (Masters) is signed 'R. B.' There are few laymen in the Church of England to whom we are more indebted than to the editor of this admirable volume. It is a worthy completion to the series which has made R. B. a household name in Church families. Following his mother, the Church of England, Mr. Brett-why should we conceal his name?-arranges Devotions, Prayer, Praises, and Meditations for every Season and Festival of the Church's year. For a single Manual, we know nothing which can compare with this practical and sober, yet most religious, collection.

"The Chorale Book,' edited by Dr. Bennett and Mr. Goldschmidt (Longmans), is the companion to Miss Winkworth's well-known Lyra Germanica,' to which it supplies the ancient tunes and melodies, many of which, though Lutheran in form, are derived from the old Latin Services. The hymns we think very unsuitable to English habits and English religion; but the tunes are, besides being important historically, calculated to enrich our meagre congregational music.

Mr. Francis Hooper has published two large volumes with the title • The Revelation of Jesus Christ Expounded' (Rivingtons). He complains, and not without reason, that his Interpretation has not attracted notice. Nor has it, at least in proportion to the undoubted learning, sincerity, and carefulness which the author has bestowed upon it. We cannot honestly say that we have read it through; but we can say that we have seen enough to convince us that Mr. Hooper is not addicted to any extreme He is always schools, and that he is neither fanatical nor shallow.

reverential, and he evidently does not attempt to stretch Scripture to his own views. If we cannot agree with all his conclusions we must pass a tribute to his research and candour. Anyhow, it presents a favourable contrast, as well as offers a controversial opposition, to Mr. Elliott's pretentious dogmatism and Dr. Cumming's self-satisfied imbecility.

'Some Words to Country Lads' (Mozley), is an attempt, in harmony with some successful endeavours in the same direction, already favourably known by one of our previous articles, to impress the most unimpressible class in our social system.

'Ancient History for Village Schools' (Mozley), seems to be dictated by the same spirit: the object sought is to clothe the dry skeleton of facts with some healthy human interest.

Among the various affecting sermons preached at the anniversaries of that excellent institution the Church Penitentiary Association, none exceeds in power, both of feeling and diction, Mr. Liddon's, delivered in the

present year.
(Spottiswoode).

Its title is, 'Active Life, a criterion of Spiritual Life'

Before their bulk overpowers us we may as well put down the titles of such works, besides those already mentioned, which touch on the Colenso controversy:-'A Few Words with Bishop Colenso;' by Dr. Beke (Williams and Norgate)-The Integrity of the Holy Scriptures;' a Sermon by Dr. Beke (Masters)-'The Pentateuchal Narrative Vindicated;' by J. C. Knight (Bagster).

Dr. Neale has written what is something more than a popular pamphlet in his 'Earnest Plea for the Scotch Liturgy; a Letter to the Bishop o Brechin' (Masters). The very highest English, perhaps European authority in this branch of theological learning, he speaks not as a partisan, but as a teacher.

Among the best recent sermons are two lately preached in the University pulpit at Oxford; one on the contrasted training of 'Samuel and King Jehohash,' by Mr. Haddan; the other by Dr. Millard, on 'The Sin of Bloodguiltiness.' The subject of both sermons, though differently handled, is the same-the grave responsibilities of graduates and undergraduates alike; with especial reference, in Mr. Haddan's sermon, to the sceptical tendencies of the day.

Mr. Flower, in his Letter to the Bishop of Exeter, 'The Church of England on the Continent' (Masters), enlarges on the anomalous position of English chaplains and their congregations, and on the injurious consequences resulting from it to them and to the Church. This is an old and acknowledged evil, and it demands an urgent and effective remedy. Perhaps the best that can be devised is that suggested by Mr. Meyrick in his thoughtful paper at the Church Congress; namely, the appointment of a Bishop of the Channel Islands, with jurisdiction over English clergy and congregations in France, Belgium, and Switzerland. This plan would achieve a double advantage; for, though nominally in the diocese of Winchester, the Channel Islanders are, in many respects, practically without a Bishop, and little more than a species of Episcopalian Independents. The Anglican congregations in the North could be provided for in a similar manner, say by a Bishop of Heligoland. We are glad to know that the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel is soon to take this important subject into consideration. Mr. Flower, in the Letter before us, accords high praise to the objects of the Anglo-Continental Society, but does not altogether approve of the works it publishes, as the best adapted, however valuable to English readers, for circulation on the Continent. He mentions three-Cosin's 'Doctrine and Discipline of the English Church,' the Bishop of Oxford's 'Sermon on the New Dogma,' and Canon Wordsworth's 'Theophilus Anglicanus.' He, however, omits Jebb's 'Character of the Church of England,' Dr. Oldknow's 'Validity of Anglican Ordinations,' Massingberd's 'History of the Reformation,' Dr. Cleveland Coxe's 'Letter to the Bishop of Arras,' and others, than which none could scarcely be found better calculated to attain the objects contemplated by the Anglo-Continental Society. Mr. Flower's objections to Cosin's work, and to Canon Wordsworth's 'Theo

philus,' are peculiarly unfortunate. We have abundant practical reasons for saying that better works could not have been selected by the Society, and that they have done good in more than one quarter. The 'Theophilus Anglicanus,' in particular, has proved invaluable.

To the interesting work noticed by us some time ago, 'Madame Swetchine, sa Vie et ses Œuvres,' M. de Falloux has now added two volumes of the same lady's correspondence (Paris: Didier). They comprise her letters to the Countess of Edling, the Princess Alexis Galitzin, Countess Nesselrode, the poet Turquety, the Duchess of La Rochefoucauld, M. Louis Moreau (the translator of S. Augustine), the Viscount de Melun, Father Gagarin, Prince Augustin Galitzin, the Duchess of Hamilton, and other distinguished personages. Considering that Madame Swetchine was not French, though she resided a long time in France, her French is, on the whole, very pure ; and her letters, if not as sprightly and entertaining as Madame de Sévigné's, are at least as solid and as instructive. These letters occasionally throw a good deal of light on some of the minor political events of the day, and would probably have thrown much more, if her accomplished editor had not had the fear of the Imperial Government and the censure before his eyes.

To those who wish to possess a really good account of French literature, we can recommend M. Eugène Geruzez's 'Histoire de la Littérature française depuis ses origines jusqu'à la Révolution,' in two duodecimo volumes (Paris: Didier). It is a substantial, accurate, and comprehensive work, and evinces a wide and minute acquaintance with the subject of which it treats. It has been crowned by the French Academy, and very deservedly so. M. Geruzez's estimate of authors and their works appears to us, taken all in all, most impartial and discriminating.

'Le Père Lacordaire,' by Count Montalembert (Paris: Douniol), contains, as far as it goes, an interesting account of the celebrated Dominican, and, let us add, of Montalembert himself. It is a reprint, with large additions, from the Correspondant. Like everything proceeding from the pen of Montalembert, this sketch of his friend is clear, fresh, vigorous, and full of life; and if the biographer has been profuse in outspoken encomiums upon Lacordaire, it must be confessed that he has been equally profuse in covert sarcasms and sly inuendos at the Imperial Government, and at some of its adherents. Some portions of Lacordaire's life are, however, but superficially treated, and the whole is considered in too essentially political an aspect. As soon as the promised History of Lacordaire and of his works, which we understand has now been some time in hand, has appeared, we hope to devote a paper to this celebrated preacher.

Under the title of 'Le Gouvernement temporel des Papes jugé par la Diplomatie française' (Paris: Dentu), M. Hubaine, or rather Prince Napoleon, has put together the opinions of eminent French politicians and statesmen, during the last two hundred years, on the subject of the Pope's temporal sovereignty. We need not say that, like the Prince's speech in the Senate some time ago, these opinions are strongly adverse to it. But it is not only by such that it is condemned. In Germany, in France, in Spain,

in Portugal, and, above all, in Italy, many warm and enlightened adherents of the Papacy, who look at the matter from a different, and somewhat more disinterested point of view than Prince Napoleon, are fast coming to the same way of thinking, and to maintain with Chateaubriand, that, if the 'Church was obliged in the Middle Ages to assume political functions, for 'the benefit of the European nations, she is equally and imperatively 'bound to abdicate those functions in the altered circumstances of the 'modern world.'

We are glad to see that Canon Wordsworth's admirable' Bicentenary Sermon on the Book of Common Prayer' (Rivingtons) has already reached a fifth edition. We hope it will be still more widely circulated. The price -only a penny-puts it within the reach of all.

Equally valuable is the Bishop of S. Andrews' Bicentenary Address, delivered at Kidderminster, and entitled, 'Reunion of the Church in Great Britain' (Rivingtons). It contains a good ad populum vindication of the position of the Church of England, and an exposure of the evils of schism.

'The Charities of London,' by Mr. Sampson Low, Junr., seems a complete and useful book. It comprises an account of the resources, operations, and general condition of the various eleemosynary, educational, and religious institutions of the Metropolis.

Under the title of 'Scripture Authority for Choral Worship' (Masters), Mr. Morden Bennett has published an excellent Sermon, preached at S. Peter's, Bournemouth, on the occasion of the first Meeting of the Vale of Avon Church Choral Society.

A certain M. Robert Luzarche (whether this is a pseudonym, or a real name, we know not) has published a series of remarkable extracts from the recent charges of French Bishops. The Prélats et Mandements' (Paris: Chaumerot) certainly contain choice passages-some highly inflammatory, as is the case with one from the Bishop of Nismes, in reference to the Italian question, and some simply curious, as is the case with another from the Bishop of Tarbes, on the appearance of the Blessed Virgin at Lourdes, which was once on the point of rivalling La Salette. On reading the extracts before us, we have wondered what English Churchmen would say if they saw such things in English Episcopal Charges and Pastoral Letters.

The publications of the Anglo-Continental Society, during the past year, have been confined to one German and two Italian pamphlets. The Confirmation and Ordination Services have been reprinted in Italy, from the Prayer-book, as a separate tract, in pursuance of a plan commenced last year, by the publication of the Baptism and Holy Communion Services. The other Italian publication is Dean Hirscher's review of The present State of the Churches, published originally in Germany, in 1849, and translated into English by Dr. Cleveland Coxe, under the name of 'Sympathies of the Continent, or Proposals for a New Reformation.' The German tract is Bingham's Address to the German Lutherans and Reformers-A Friendly Word to the Protestant Churches of Germany, urging the adoption of Episcopacy, after the model of the Primitive Churches. We notice that the

publications of the Society have been transferred from Messrs. Parker to Messrs. Rivington.

We have received from Paris the Discours d'Ouverture, for 1862, of M. Garcin de Tassy, the eminent Professor of Hindostanee at the Institute, and one of the first Oriental scholars of the day. In this inaugural Lecture, the Professor passes in review the chief publications, native and English, that have appeared in India during the past year, and offers many interesting remarks on various subjects connected with Oriental literature, religion, and customs. At p. 13, occur the following observations on the study of the Coran, with a reference to Mr. Rodwell's recently published translation :'L'étude du livre sacré des Musulmans et de ses commentateurs n'est pas sans utilité pour la théologie chrétienne, parce que les développements qui y sont donnés aux récits bibliques reposant sur des traditions juives et 'chrétiennes ne doivent pas être tous rejetés avec mépris ; et je partage l'avis du nouveau traducteur du Coran, le Rév. Mr. Rodwell, sur l'im'portance réelle de ce livre et sur le rôle mystérieux de Mahomet. On ne sait pas assez que ce qui forme une bonne partie des matériaux du Coran, ce sont les légendes qui avaient cours dans le temps et dans le pays 'de Mahomet, les broderies talmudiques et rabbiniques de l'Ancien Testa'ment, les légendes populaires des Juifs et des Chrétiens d'Arabie et de 'Syrie, les récits des Evangiles apocryphes, car il paraît que Mahomet 'connut ces livres, qui sont comme la mythologie de la religion chrétienne ' et qui ainsi par leur merveilleux exagéré devaient plaire à sa vive imagi'nation. Tout cependant, ainsi que je l'ai déjà dit, n'est pas à mépriser 'dans le Coran. La lumière peut luire dans les ténèbres, et je répéterai à ce sujet, avec Sale et Rodwell, ces paroles de saint Augustin: Nulla falsa 'doctrina quæ non aliquid veri permisceat.'

'Sulla Guerra della Corte di Roma contro il Regno d'Italia' (Torino, Tipografia Baglione), is the title of three Letters addressed by an eminent Church dignitary to a well-known diplomatist in Italy. As that title indicates, they bear upon the present conflict between the Court of Rome and the kingdom of Italy, treat of the usurpations of the Papacy, and urge, with great force and learning, a return to the ancient principles of Church polity, especially as regards the election and confirmation of Bishops, without the intervention of the Court and See of Rome, thus paving the way for the restoration of true Catholic unity. These Letters have attracted great attention in Italy, and have been reproduced in several Italian journals at Turin and Naples. The first has been reprinted both in Latin and Italian, with an introduction and a commentary, in the Mediatore of Turin, edited by Passaglia. They have also appeared in English in the Colonial Church Chronicle.

M. Guizot has collected into one volume his different Discours at the French Academy, and published them under the title of Discours Académiques' (Paris: Didier). To these he has added his speeches at the meetings of various religious and educational institutions, as well as some philosophical and literary essays. We cannot give them higher praise than by saying they are worthy the great writer, orator, and statesman.