position to improvement proceeds from this principle. Crabbe might make a good picture of an unbenevolent old man, slowly retiring from this sublunary scene, and lamenting that the coming race of men would be less bumped on the roads, better lighted in the streets, and less tormented with grammars and lexicons, than in the preceding age. A great deal of compliment to the wisdom of ancestors, and a great degree of alarm at the dreadful spirit of innovation, are soluble into mere jealousy and envy.

But what is to become of a boy who has no difficulties to grapple with? How enervated that understanding will be to which every thing is made so clear, plain, and easy?—no hills to walk up, no chasms to step over; every thing graduated, soft, and smooth. All this, however, is an objection to the multiplication table, to Napier's bones, and to every invention for the abridgment of human labor. There is no dread of any lack of difficulties. Abridge intellectual labor by any process you please-multiply mechanical powers to any extent-there will be sufficient, and infinitely more than sufficient, of laborious occupation for the mind and body of man. Why is the boy to be idle?-By and by comes the book without a key; by and by comes a lexicon. They do come at last-though at a better period. But if they did not come,-if they were useless, if language could be attained without them, would any human being wish to retain difficulties for their own sake, which led to nothing useful, and by the annihilation of which our faculties were left to be exercised, by difficulties which do lead to something useful,-by mathematics, natural philosophy, and every branch of useful knowledge? Can any one be so anserous as to suppose, that the faculties of young men cannot be exercised, and their industry and activity called into proper action, because Mr. Hamilton teaches, in three or four years, what has (in a more vicious system) demanded seven or eight? Besides, even in the Hamiltonian method it is very easy for one boy to outstrip another. Why may not a clever and ambitious boy employ three hours upon his key by himself, while another has only employed one! There is plenty of corn to thrash, and of chaff to be winnowed away, in Mr. Hamilton's system; the difference is, that every blow tells, because it is properly directed. In the old way, half their force is lost in air. There is a mighty foolish apothegm of Dr. Bell's, that it is not what is done for a boy that is of importance, but what a boy does for himself. This is just as wise as to say, that it is not the breeches which are made for a boy that can cover his nakedness, but the breeches he makes for himself. All this entirely depends upon a comparison of the time saved, by shewing a boy how to do a thing, rather than by leaving him to do it for himself. Let the object be, for example, to make a pair of shoes. The boy will effect this object much better if you shew him how to make the shoes, than if you merely give him wax, thread, and leather, and leave him to find out all the ingenious abridgments of labor which have been discovered by experience. The object is to turn Latin into English. The scholar will do it much better and sooner if the word is found for him, than if he finds itmuch better and sooner if you point out the terminations, and the nature of the syntax than if you leave him to detect them for himself. The thing is at last done by the pupil himself—for he reads the language-which was the thing to be done. All the help he has received has only enabled him to make a more economical use of his time, and to gain his end sooner. Never be afraid of wanting

difficulties for your pupil; if means are rendered more easy, more will be ex-. pected. The animal will be compelled or induced to do all that he can do. M'Adam has made the roads better. Dr. Bell would have predicted, that the horses would get too fat; but the actual result is, that they are compelled to go ten miles an hour instead of eight.

"For teaching children, this too I think is to be observed, that, in most cases, where they stick, they are not to be farther puzzled, by putting them upon finding it out themselves; as by asking such questions as these, viz.-which is the nominative case in the sentence they are to construe? or demanding what "aufero" signifies, &c. when they cannot readily tell. This wastes time only, in disturbing them; for whilst they are learning, and apply themselves with attention, they are to be kept in good humor, and every thing made easy to them, and as pleasant as possible. Therefore, wherever they are at a stand, and are willing to go forwards, help them presently over the difficulty, without any rebuke or chi ding; remembering that, where harsher ways are taken, they are the effect of pride and peevishness in the teacher, who expects children should instantly be masters of as much as he knows; whereas he should rather consider, that his business is to settle in them habits, not angrily to inculcate rules.'-Locke on Education, p. 74.

[TO BE CONTINUED.]

LAST NUMBER OF THE EDINBURGH REVIEW.

FOR many years we have been accustomed to look to Edinburgh, as the great intellectual capital and metropolis of English literature. Robertson, Blair, Beatie, Hume, Stewart, Burns, Brown, Chalmers, Scott, Jeffries, and other names of the same class, form a constellation in the galaxy of genius, talent and science, that have so culminated, one after the other, that when one has set, no night followed, but another rose with increasing brilliance. This may be considered an obvious cause, why the English world at length looks to that city for the first responses of the Delphic oracle, for the most authoritative dicta, touching the news in the Intellectual empire, as well as for works of the highest worth and talent. But there must be concurring and unexplained causes, why Scotch works are now on prima facie view, estimated more talented and racy and interesting, than any other. The number of great writers, who have risen within the last century in Scotland in succession, will not alone account for the fact, or what is so reported to us, that Edinburgh is the publishing city of the British empire-that whole compact streets are appropriated to that employment-and that a work, on its first appearance, has the advantages of a better birth and parentage, to have been born in Edinburgh, than in London. It cannot be, at least we do not deem that men are born with higher intellectual endowments in Edinburgh, than in any other place. The cause of the supposed superiority of Scotch writers must be sought for in their nationality, the manner, in which they learn English as a foreign language, with the addition of their own quaint Doric, as supple

mental to English modes of expression, in something peculiar to their relation to history, to the English people and to the world. National character, probably, has much to do in solving the problem. Whatever the cause be, it is worth earnest investigation, where it lies; for the same causes operate the same effects every where. If the causes were well explained, if the traces, where we ought to dig for the golden mineral, were pointed out, it would give confidence and certainty to our own efforts and explorations for the same rich treasure. One thing is certain, and that is, that in the times of Thompson, it was thought a poet had no chance for coming out, and gaining patronage in Edinburgh. Dr. Johnson held Scotchmen and Scotch books, in contempt. It was the fashion, as any one ever so little conversant in literary history must know, to speak contemptuously of Scotchmen, Scotch books and things, the Scotch region, and every thing pertaining to Scotland. John Bull of London, tossed his curly front with as much contempt at the idea of talent or genius, or literary supremacy in Edinburgh, as many an Atlantic dolt does now at the supposition, that a man can think straight, read a book to profit, or express himself strongly and racily in the back woods west of the Alleghany mountains.

But all that error has not only passed away in reference to Scotland, but the mind has vibrated too far the other way, and many a lazy mind, and prone to that particular species of slavery, addictus jurare in verba ullius magistri, deems, that every thing, that is contained within the covers of the Edinburgh Review is not only true, but useful and sensible and worthy of imitation and in the highest taste. In looking it over, we see as in American reviews, lazy, careless, inconsequent, and sometimes exceedingly dull writing; writing, that one is astonished to find in a review with such a name; as prosing and leaden as we see in the most stupid of the efforts of our prosers. Indeed we have come to think, that with all their profound caculation, they have thought it one of policy and expediency to let their readers feel the full force of contrast, and to give alternately a very ponderous, and then a brilliant number, that the weight of the one may be felt, and the brightness of the other seen, with all the impression of opposition.

The one before us is marked with a white stone, and is the fortunate one. It fully sustains the high estimation of this journal. The profound articles are so without being heavy, and there is grace and interest even in the discussion of the expediency of importing foreign wool.

The second article is on India, as regards its freedom, trade and settlements, an article chiefly based on the journal and letters of the late bishop Heber. Men of all denominations, parties and opinions in the British empire seem to be agreed in their view and estimate of this evidently admirable man. The English episcopal clergy exultingly claim him, as a fair sample of what their church is calculated to produce; and the fiercest Scotch presbyterians allow, that this was a genuine specimen of what a dignified and opulent Christian minister ought to be. Here is a man at the very apex and pinnacle of society, who shows the unsophisticated heart, the genuine simplicity and the unadulterated taste of one uncorrupted by riches, and not intoxicated by honors. You hear him in his charming letters to his wife lamenting, that their lot was not cast in the

more rustic, rural and simple regions of the interior, that they might lead a more simple and natural and useful life, than in the haut ton, the luxury, dissipation and pride and unnatural state of Calcutta. He is a man conspicuously kind, humble, tolerant and laborious in the same proportion, as he is opulent, learned and polished. You see him, viewing his honors and standing only as more efficient means of doing good; indulgent to all errors and infirmities but his own; anxious for the temporal happiness and moral improvement of his fellow creatures of every faith, tongue and compexion; liberal in the high and proper sense of the word, diffident of his own excellent judgment, regarding all men as the children of one God, and all Christians as the redeemed of one Saviour, and all Christian teachers as fellow-laborers bound to love, pray for, and help one another. Such was the admirable man, whom the episcopal church of England sent to heal the divisions, and to enlighten the darkness of the innumerable millions of British pagan and Christian subjects in India.

It is edifying and admirable, in these letters to contemplate the intercourse of this great and good man with the simple, and ignorant and oppressed heathens of this immense and populous country. You see nothing of the narrow, ignorant, positive young man, just let out from the stocks of a theological school, more anxious to teach them the five points, than Jesus Christ; but one more solicitous to relieve their wants, and enlighten their errors, than to mourn over them, as the slaves of satan and hell, merely because they believed not that religion, of which they had never heard. How indulgent, how kind, and courteous is he to them, and how admirably must his whole deportment have been calculated to make them think favorably of the new religion, of which he came among them, as one of its high priests!

Another thing, too, shows the difference between this man and the poor bigots, who have generally described these hundred millions either as it was important, that their statements should appear for a particular purpose in some theological magazine, to aid in getting up the funds for their conversion, or as they saw them through their own jaundiced and microscopic vision. He sees these Indians timid, superstitious, enslaved by the fooleries of their caste and their worship. He sees their barbarous and bloody rites of worship, as they are. But at the same time, he finds them, on the whole, amiable, intelligent, and with a great amount of good morals and good feeling among them. No civilized society, such for example, as that of India and China could exist for a day, if the great mass of the people were such, as we hear them every sabbath described in many of our pulpits. But their social system does exist in profound peace, from year to year, and from age to age, except when Christians invade their peaceful tribes to murder, and enslave them. If such men, as bishop Heber were missionaries, pagans would ultimately become Christians, and would see, and feel the infinite superiority, which Christians ought to show over pagans, without feeling it necessary to use the gloss of falsehood to make their previous state appear worse, than it was.

We have not read, take it altogether, a more interesting book, than that of which this article gives an account-a book, probably, more interesting and important, more graphic and faithful, because it gives the real domestic letters of this amiable man, as the sentiments come warm from his

heart, without the care and studied caution, and book-making polish, which they would have had, if they had been intended, and prepared for publication.

Bishop Heber is known in this country, as a poet, too; and with a most favorable estimate of his verses. He has great sweetness, amenity, tenderness, and apostolic unction in his verses. He is the modern Cowper; less gifted, we think, with strength and power, but equally gentle, affectionate and evangelical. There have been various elaborate articles upon bishop Heber's posthumous writings, particularly his journal, and letters in the different reviews; but none, we think, more ample, interesting and laudatory, than this.

The next article is for archeologists. It is on the Papyri, Tachygraphy and Palimpsests of the past ages; particularly those found in Pompeii and Herculaneum. It is a treatise evincing great research and erudition. It is well known, that very little of the valuable lost writings of the ancients has yet been found. The most important of the discoveries have been some fragments of the writings of Cicero, and a treatise on music and some other writings of Philodemus, the Epicurean. But the reviewer thinks the chances greater, of recovering much more from these Palimpsests. Those ancient manuscripts are so called, from a Greek term, which implies twice prepared for writing. Many of the voluminous and useless works of the middle and dark ages, were written on ancient parchments, from which the ancient writing had been rubbed out by pumice stone, and completely erased. It is well known, that the ancients chiefly wrote with ink made from a preparation of charcoal, similar to the present India ink. They wrote, also, with a broad and stiff pen, which made wide and firm marks. Their ink was mixed up with a copious gum, and was rather painted, than written on the paper. But this mere charcoal painting was liable to so much fraud of easy and complete erasure, that they were obliged to use vinegar, and soon afterwards, some preparation of iron, similar to our copperas, to cause the ink to strike firmly into the paper or parchment. Hence most of these Palimpsests, although the ancient writing on them has been rubbed away, have vitriolic traces of the ancient letters remaining, which can be restored again, by rubbing the MS. with an infusion of galls, which blackens the ancient traces, and causes them to be legible to fine eye sight, sometimes assisted by a microscope. The diggings in Pompeii and Herculaneum have long been in a great measure suspended, owing to the revolutions and troubles, which have afflicted those parts of Italy. Herculaneum was covered with a thick and very hard superincumbent mass of lava, and digging into the streets and houses is expensive. Pompeii was buried under an inundation of mud. Digging into it is comparatively easy. The reviewer considers the discovery of decyphering the original writing of the Palimpsests, as a matter of paramount importance to the accessions of our knowledge of ancient literature. He considers it a source without limit to our hopes. He wishes, that all these Palimpsests may be collected, and cheaply printed, with nothing but the text. It is not improbable, that in this way the lost books of Livy, and other precious remains of antiquity may be found on parchment and papyri, in characters, which had been rubbed to give place to the stupid scribblings, and dozing devotions of lazy and ignorant monks.