only constant recurrence would allow us to accept as the fact, that many of the meteors seemed to diverge laterally instead of pursuing their usual course. Thus we counted several which started slightly to the northeast of in the foot of Perseus, reached Aldebaran, and then diverged to the south-west, nearly reaching win Taurus. At 9 h. 20 m. a group of twelve emerged together a few degrees north of the Pleiades, and fell parallel to each other, but at varying lengths of passage. Their path was from slightly north of the Pleiades down by the north-east of Aldebaran, where five became extinguished; the remainder pursuing their path until they nearly reached y in Orion—in the neighbourhood of which all but one ceased to be luminous. This one had been of intense brilliance from the first, and left a superb train of light in its path. It disintegrated about five degrees below in the belt of Orion, and the fiery powder seemed to fall almost to the horizon. The number of meteors that were visible in all parts of the heavens must have been enormous; and the stream is one of great interest at this time.

There has always been a want of certainty as to whether Mercury is the innermost planet of the solar system. A planet still nearer the sun has been suspected by many, and observations strongly in favour of its existence have been made by most competent observers. Mr. Hind has reduced and computed the well-defined observations of the past, and concludes that there is a high probability that such a planet exists; having a period of revolution of about nineteen days. Mr. Hind suggests that a careful scrutiny of the sun's disc be made on the 24th of March next, since he infers conjunction of this hypothetical planet

about 10 a.m. of that day. It will be more than remarkable if the innermost, like the outermost planet of our system should be detected by the subtile use of mathematics, before it could be revealed by our highest optical art.

On the 5th and 6th of November, two new minor planets were discovered at the Paris Observatory. This brings the number of asteroids up to one hundred and twenty-seven.

The American Journal of Science informs us that Professor Agassiz has discovered, about forty leagues to the east of Cape Frio, whilst dredging at a great depth, a crustacean with a great number of rings, and three-lobed; which is, therefore, possessed of the most marked features of the ancient Trilobite-the inhabitants of the earliest geological formation in which living forms can be defined.

A remarkable little pamphlet, which will claim the attention of philosophical zoologists, has just appeared. Its author is anonymous, and the book is German. He allows the doctrine of evolution-probably to give leverage for his argument— but contends that "natural selection" is incapable of doing its professed work, because, instead of leading, as is generally supposed, to an increase in the number of species and to a gradual rise in the perfection of organic forms, it must really result in the decrease in the number of specific forms, by the fusing of form after form together; and a degradation to more lowly, instead of an elevation to more highly organized structures. In this sense natural selection could not become a tree, ever increasing in branches, but a river, ever absorbing its tributaries until it is reduced to one vast stream. This is a phase of the hypo

or

thesis which has not before been considered; and evidently will have to be. A curious instance has just been given us by Mr. Worthington Smith of the inapplicability of the doctrine of "mimicry," as expounded by Darwin, Wallace, Bates and others. It supposes that species which, although wholly differing from each other in character yet have a striking resemblance of form colour, have obtained that resemblance by a long series of infinitessimal changes, which have been preserved by natural selection for the protection of the "mimicking" species. That is, that some immunity results from appearing like another species. Mr. Smith points out several very remarkable cases of "mimicry" in fungi. There are many instances in which a rare fungus so closely imitates another which is extremely common, belonging to a different genus, in all superficial characters, as to be with difficulty distinguished from it; and is always found in com

pany with it. There is not the slightest evidence of advantage arising from this, except the "protection " which the author of the paper humourously suggests-viz., that it has hitherto prevented the detection and consequent destruction of rare fungi by collectors!

At a meeting of the Royal Geographical Society, held on November 25th, the president stated that Mr. Young, Dr. Livingstone's firm friend, had sent him a cheque for £2,000 to help to defray the expenses of the Livingstone Congo Expedition, which has since started, under the command of Lieut. Grundy, for the West Coast of Africa, intending to meet Livingstone as he moves westward; while a second party, under the leadership of Lieut. Cameron, will leave immediately, intending to go inland from Zanzibar. It is almost impossible that Livingstone can elude this double search; and we may now look forward with confidence for definite information.

The Practical Philosopher: a Daily Monitor for the Business Men of England, consisting of brief and suggestive Moral Readings on the "Book of Proverbs' for every day in the year. By DAVID THOMAS, D.D. London: The Book Society; Hamilton, Adams & Co. 1872. The title of this volume fairly indicates its contents. It is a homiletical commentary upon the whole Book of Proverbs, distributed into as many articles as there are days in the year. The "Readings" are not dissimilar to the outlines of sermons by the same author in his "Homilist." His aim is not so much to enter into the niceties of hermeneutics as to seize the great moral principles underlying his texts; a treatment well suited to the "business men of England," for the bulk of whom, philological discussions will have little fascination. The notes are brief and sententious telegrams, suited not only to an age of rapid action, but likewise to the nature of the section of the sacred volume which furnishes their texts. The author

has well said, "The most ancient nations have their aphorisms, and not a few of them sparkle with a 'beam divine.' We have become so wordy, our books so numerous, and our intellects so speculative, that we have ceased to make proverbs. What should be wrapped in one round sentence we spread out into volumes in these days. Instead of 'apples of gold in pictures of silver' we have grains of gold in heavy waggons, and these often painted in gaudy hues." This impeachment certainly does not lie against the volume before us. There is an uncommon amount of vigour in many of its passages; it is rich in good thoughts, many of them new, all of them, from the manner in which they are presented, fresh.

The ethics of the volume before us are admirable. The writer has not failed to recognize the "axioms that bear down with their divine might against indolence, intemperance, fraud, falsehood, incontinence, extravagance, selfishness, and all the fiends at work in the domestic, social, mercantile,

professional, and political life of men." His standard of commercial, social and spiritual mortality is lofty and pure; but we regret that the one way to attain to it is not prominently set forth. The avowed purpose of Dr. Thomas is to raise the standard of personal and public morals;" but he does not appear to us sufficiently to recognize the vital connection of these with Christ crucified Who is the "power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth." He complains that "Although the Book of Proverbs' is pre-eminently the business book of the Bible, radiating in almost every sentence the ethics of trade and of all secular occupations, Biblical exegets have, for the most part, regarded it rather in its theological and ecclesiastical aspects, than in its broad human relations:-they have treated it as a creed rather than as a code." This may to some extent be true, but our author seems to run into the opposite extreme of divorcing the "creed" from the "code." God has joined these together, and they cannot without impiety and peril be put asunder. A person deeply convinced of the sins here denounced might peruse this volume page after page without finding a clear answer to the question,-to him of the most urgent importance,-“What must I do to be saved?"

It is obviously true that the New Testament, rather than the Proverbs of Solomon, is the place in which we should look for the solution of this great question; yet without any straining of the sense a minister of the Gospel of Christ might find occasions, in expounding the words of Solomon, to make them glow in the saving light of the wisdom of the Greater than Solomon. In describing how spiritual excellence is to be attained, our author says:

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The receptive faculty must be employed. God's truth must be taken into the soul. It is the glory of our nature that we can take into us ideas from the Eternal Intellect, and this we must do if we would reach the grand ideal of our being. His thoughts alone can break the darkness of our spirits and warm them into heavenly life." Here, one would think, was opportunity not to be missed, of setting forth those particular thoughts of the Eternal Intellect revealed in Christ for the express purpose of begetting in us this heavenly life but not a syllable to this purpose. Again, in describing how Wisdom delivers the fallen, Dr. Thomas says: "If thou hast fallen into evil, if thou art within its sphere of magic infatuation, let

Wisdom enter thy heart and thou shalt be delivered. It shall break the spell of the enchanter, it shall unlock the door of thy caged soul, and let thee into the air of sunny truth. Heavenly wisdom in the soul is the only soul-redemptive force." What satisfaction, we ask, could a poor sin-sick soul, seeking salvation, derive from such abstractions as these? Instead of leading him to Christ, the impersonation of Heavenly Wisdom, in whose vicarious sacrifice he should see the wisdom of God for his redemption and salvation, the tendency of this teaching would be to divert him into a labyrinth of confusion. We should be sorry to convey the impression that Dr. Thomas has any sympathy with Socinianism, but for anything we have seen to the contrary in this book, as far as the plan of salvation is concerned, it might have been written by a Socinian.

The proceeds of the sale of the "Practical Philosopher," during the next two years, we are assured, are to be devoted to a fund "for the erection of a thoroughly undenominational Church in the Clapham Road, London." We wonder how Dr. Thomas and the committee with which he is working propose to realize this idea. It is the fashion of these days to denounce denominationalism without mercy as though it were an unmitigated evil. We would be amongst the last to encourage anything like a narrow sectarian spirit, but we have a shrewd suspicion that most of the attempts at raising undenominational Churches are little else than adding to the multitude of sects already in existence the "unsectarian sect!" But we presume this projected undenominational Church, put into plain English, is to be a Congregational Church, such as that at Stockwell, of which Dr. Thomas is the Pastor. good; then we wish the project success in the name of the Lord; for we believe still in the usefulness of denominationalism as opening avenues to Christian activity of every variety of innocent idiosyncrasy. Uniformity, we hold, is in no way essential to the purest and most generous unity. The diversity of form in the branches, nourished by the sap from the same root, does not destroy the unity of the tree. So in the "diversities of gifts" and "differences of administrations" of the various evangelical denominations, we can admire the good providence of the "one and the same "Divine Spirit, and from our inmost heart say with the Apostle of the Gentiles, "Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity."

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