sword. The Anglo-American relies upon personal interest to accomplish his ends, and gives free scope to the unguided exertions and common sense of the citizens; the Russian centres all the authority of society in a single arm. The principal instrument of the former is freedom; of the latter, servitude. Their starting point is different, and their courses are not the same; yet each of them seems to be marked out by the will of heaven to sway the destinies of half the globe."

We have already briefly referred to the handsome style in which the publishers present this book to the public; a style, indeed, which distinguishes all the works from their press, and for preserving which, they deserve the thanks of every lover of good types, white paper, and clear printing.

GENERAL HISTORY OF CIVILIZATION IN EUROPE, FROM THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE TO THE FRENCH REVOLUTION. Translated from the French of M. GUIZOT, Minister of Public Instruction, etc. In one volume. pp. 346. First American, from the second London edition. New-York: D. APPLETON AND COMPANY.

A THOROUGH perusal of this excellent work, has convinced us that it is in all respects what is claimed for it by the translator. The object of the author was to give a general view of European civilization, from the fall of the Roman empire, and the invasion of the barbarians, to the present time. The manner in which he has executed this task, is original, grand, and philosophical. He has sought out and placed before his reader the elementary principles of which the present social system of Europe is formed. He has shown how essentially this system differs from all others, ancient or modern; and he accounts for it from the great diversity of materials of which it is composed. He makes to pass in review before us what it derived from the Roman empire, what was brought into it by the barbarians, by the feudal aristocracy, by the Church, by free cities and communities, and by royalty; all these he considers as so many ingredients, by the mixing, pounding, and fusion of which, the present state of society has been produced; a society, on this very account, superior to any which ever existed before, and which is still advancing toward perfection. But M. Guizot's lectures are not confined to a mere nomenclature of these ingredients; he describes the seeds from which these elements of our civilization have sprung, the soil by which they have been nourished, the fruits which they have borne, the parts of them which are good and profitable for civilization, and, therefore, to be prized and preserved; and those which, on the contrary, are noxious or useless, and therefore to be cast away or destroyed. To this he adds the effects produced by the fusion and opposition of these various principles; and, in tracing out these, he gives us concise but brilliant sketches of the several great events which have had a marked influence upon the destinies of Europe, among which stand most conspicuous, the Crusades, the Reformation, the English Revolution, and some others. All these are treated in an original and masterly manner; indeed, the fourteen lectures, in which the history of European civilization is contained, are fourteen great historical pictures; every one portraying some striking and important fact or event, and displaying, not only in the grouping and throwing out of the principal subject, but likewise in the introduction, disposal, and finish of the minuter details, the conception, the skill, and the workmanship of a master. Still the work is strictly a unity. In the fourteen pictures collectively, we have one great and entire subject-the history of civilization in Europe; and that so told as cannot fail to please and instruct the historian, the student, and the philosopher. Both the typographical execution of the volume, and its externals, are in keeping with its internal excellence.

FIRESIDE EDUCATION. BY THE AUTHOR OF PETER Parley's TALES. In one volume. pp. 396. New-York: F. J. HUNTINGTON.

THE importance of public instruction is beginning to be felt with deep solicitude in this country. The necessity of a better system of education than the ingenuity of man has yet discovered, is acknowledged every where. Had there existed a true philosophy of mind, the difficulties which our fathers encountered in devising schemes for mental improvement, would have necessarily been obviated, since the educing of the faculties must have been directed by the same analysis which made them known. Dugald Stewart felt the importance of this truth, but his genius was too circumscribed for its illustration. He had sense enough to appreciate the maxims of Lord Bacon, and he acknowledged the importance of clearing the mind of those antiquated forms of error which obscure the intellectual vision, and cloud it with prejudice; but he wanted that originalness which can perceive the true relations of things, and which is indispensable to the philosophic character. He had not even the sagacity to discover, that, while the Organon of his great master was ever on his lips, he had failed to apply the inductive method in his metaphysics, and was of necessity groping in the dark. How could it be expected that much valuable knowledge were attainable from such unguided speculations, or how could a better system of education be hoped from their conclusions ?

It is remarkable, that while the other sciences have advanced under the Baconian guidance, the first of all, because the medium of all, should have actually gone backward. In proof of this, the most popular philosophy of the day is verging toward Platonism, while the sensual system, though it still maintains its ground in certain time-worn seminaries of bad metaphysics, is abandoned by every man who is not behind the age in psychology. This, we must confess, is a good sign. It shows that the sensual scheme of intellectuals was found wanting; that it was not adapted to the condition and wants of men; that it failed to make men wiser and happier, but led them into all imaginable error, and flattered them with conclusions equally false and ruinous. The subtle logic of Hume, in carrying out the principles of sensualism with such unanswerable power, convinced the world, long ago, that their foundation was on the sand. The difficulty, however, lay principally in the want of an instrument by which to upheave the monstrous fabric. Such an instrument has never been found to this day, and we fearlessly attribute the want of it to the insufficiency of our logical attainments. We are apt to attribute to Aristotle all that we possess in dialectics, and it is barely possible that he did in reality accomplish that which is passed to his credit. For ourselves, we never believed that the Stagyrite originated the great work which bears his name. It transcends human belief, if we reflect on it a moment. All knowledge has been gradually progressive, and no man has ever been heard of, who, unaided, accomplished every thing that had been done in a science. Beside, if Aristotle had possessed the stupendous mind necessary for the accomplishment of what is charged to him in this one walk of knowledge, he could not have failed to perceive that its architectural projection was incomplete; that there was something wanting in the proportions of the building, which his genius had not supplied. This deficiency is the very instrument to which we have alluded; a method by which the fallacy of many maxims, received as incontrovertible, may be exposed, and by which the sensual philosophy and its atheistical consequences may be demonstrated to be false.

To show that such an instrument is wanting, we would ask some one to point out a rule in Aristotle, or in any of his followers, by which the fallacy may be detected and exposed in such propositions as these: 'Nothing can be made out of nothing;'

'God cannot annihilate space,' etc. These propositions cannot, in the present state of dialectics, be answered argumentatively; and it is because a more perfect analysis of the mental faculties, and a more satisfactory explanation of their modes of affection, have not been developed. Such a development, in our judgment, is nevertheless perfectly practicable, and when effected, will not leave Atheism an inch of ground to stand on. It will enable us to demonstrate that Natural Theology could not have possibly been discovered by unaided human intelligence; that it was, indisputably, subsequent to revelation; that regarded as an effect ofà priori reasoning, it has been the vantage ground of infidelity, inasmuch as the inconclusiveness of its arguments have been shown, and even where not shown, felt, with overwhelming power.

Had the inductive method of investigating mental phenomena been applied by the successors of Lord Verulam, the fundamental principle of knowledge that teaches us to compare the unknown with the known, ought to have suggested the necessity of simply observing the manner in which the mind acts; for as the mind now acts, so it always must have acted, since nature is ever consistent with herself. The very fact of there being a grammar of reasoning denominated logic, ought to have informed us that the mode of mental action is already known, which involves the fundamental principle of knowledge above mentioned. Instead then of speculating about perception, or any other faculty of mind, we had nothing to do but apply the principles of logic, or in other words, the laws of argumentation, to the matter in hand, which would have led us to these conclusions, viz: that as all knowledge of truth comes from comparison, the first possible idea must have been, as it were, a logical inference; that there must have been two affections of sense, before there could have been one sensible cognition. For instance, an infant, while en ventre sa mère, is subjected to the affection of warmth, but it is impossible for it to be knowing of this, because it has never been subjected to an opposite affection. When it becomes exposed to our atmosphere, it has had, for the first time, two affections of sense, from which the first sensation arises, and this sensation or thought is necessarily the result of conception and perception. Though the infant does not remember the mental process, it must have been such, because it is the invariable one through life in acquiring knowledge; and if it had not been so, it would have precluded all systematized methods of reasoning, and made the science and the art of logic impossible.

If the foregoing remarks are correct, they naturally suggest the most important consequences. It will be perceived that the only philosophy of mind discoverable by human agency, will be a perfect system of logic, a system which will leave no fallacy unexposed, which can be involved in any proposition; a system which, by prescribing limits to the discursive faculty, will not attempt to draw conclusions from any juxta-position of ideas, divine and human, unless aided by revelation; a system which must prove the truth of revelation, by demonstrating the inadequacy of man's power to reach what it unveils. Any farther philosophy of mind must be revealed to man, for he cannot discover it. While investigating the nature of thought, he forgets that he is thinking, and that the very object of his search is active in its own pursuit.

We have been led to the foregoing remarks, by reflecting on the causes which have been most active in opposing the progress of education. The subject is one of the utmost importance, and demands the attention of every philosophic mind. In our apprehension, no great advancement can be made, till a radical change is effected in mental philosophy, exploding the jargon of metaphysics, and substituting an intelligible and rational view of man. So long as men are exercised among

mere chimeras of imagination, and colleges uphold the most glaring absurdities, under the name of philosophy, education, in its highest degree, must unavoidably be overlooked, and in its lowest, be at least misdirected. We would not, however, be understood as discouraging any effort that can be made to diminish the difficulties which stand in the way of instruction; on the contrary, we would favor every hearty attempt for so laudable an end. Much good has already been done in a prac tical way, and much more may certainly be accomplished. We already find a more humane and judicious spirit than formerly existed, among instructors; better books, and more exalted motives of action introduced, and much that promises auspiciously to the cause of education. The book whose title is at the head of this notice, is decidedly one of the best manuals of practical education we have ever read. Its object is to instruct parents in bringing out the young mind at home, before it goes abroad into the wide world, to be subjected to surrounding influences. The author shows that man was designed by his Creator to be educated, and he then treats of his subject in relation to our physical, intellectual, and moral nature, and illustrates the effect, in after life, of early formation. He clearly enforces the truth, that it is a provision of divine providence that the controlling lessons of life shall be given by parents, whose obligations are considered in relation to their children. Religious and moral instruction are admirably treated; the former without a shade of sectarianism. Indeed, the ethical part of this book strikes us as perfectly unexceptionable. The topics of health, amusements, intellectual culture, etc., are all skilfully managed, and cannot fail to be of assistance to parents.

On the whole, we welcome' Fireside Education' as a valuable auxiliary in the field of public instruction; for though it cannot do much in breaking up false systems of philosophy, which have heretofore presented insurmountable barriers to the progress of rational knowledge, it will have its use as a pioneer in the war against ignorance and immorality.

etc.

THE HOMEWARD BOUND: OR, THE CHASE. By the Author of 'The Pilot,' 'The Spy,' In two volumes, 12mo. pp. 563. Philadelphia: CAREY, LEA AND BLANCHARD. THESE Volumes have already passed to a second edition, and the publishers have found it necessary to stereotype the work, in order to supply the increasing demand. Moreover, many of the most spirited passages, which could be separated from the context, and preserve their interest, have been extensively copied in the journals of the day. For these and other sufficient reasons, it is not our purpose to inflict upon the reader an extended review of Homeward Bound;' nevertheless, we shall endeavor to convey, in connection with a few brief extracts, our own impression of its merits and defects, derived from a careful perusal. And in the first place, we are free to express our regret, that Mr. COOPER has seen fit to make his novel a vehicle for the expression of private opinion, or promulgation of prejudice, against his own country, her institutions, manners, customs, etc. Our author evidently intends to excuse this course, on one page of his work, wherein he makes one of his characters remark, in effect, that abroad, and among foreigners, an American should never deal too freely with his country's faults, but that at home, he should be the boldest in denouncing the weaknesses and follies of his countrymen. Perhaps so; but according to the writer's own showing, the evidence of these same weaknesses and follies is sought for by the English and French people, with the utmost avidity; and where, let us ask — save in an individual point of view, which we admit to be favorable to Mr. COOPER's independence and fearlessness is the difference, in effect, of exposing them, in exaggerated detail, at home, instead of abroad? It may be contended, more

over, that the hardest things which are said of America, are put into the mouth of a captious, querulous English cynic; yet it cannot be denied, that the other party to the dialogue is furnished with a pseudo defence of the Americans, that makes the existence of these same alleged errors and follies appear undeniable, and their number and grossness as beyond palliation or endurance. The sneers at American lawyers; the long conversations touching American cities, the poverty of American scenery, society, and manners; the depreciation of the calling of our merchants; the alleged want of a general regard for religion, were they even as deserved and authentic as Mr. COOPER seems to consider them, his better judgment should have taught him to exclude them from the pages of a mere romance. The errors and follies of one's own country, are themes upon which it is far better to say nothing that is erroneous, than all that is true, and especially in a novel, where, in either case, elaborately introduced, they must be out of place. Steadfast Dodge, the editor of the 'Active Inquirer,' is intended to stand as a fair sample of the editorial fraternity of the United States; a mean, contemptible, cowardly fellow, a perfect negation of every thing honorable or decent. Now what a sweep is here! There are no reservations, whatever. Mr. Dodge, we are told, represents the class, the corps, of editors in this country. It is not enough that there should be some 'Eatans will Independents,' and 'Little Peddlington Weekly Observers,' among us, (and that there are such, no one will deny,) but the brotherhood of the press must form a class, consisting of editorial 'Potts's, and 'Slurk's,' or to descend immeasurably lower in the scale, Mr. Steadfast Dodge's. Such wholesale caricaturing will work Mr. CoOPER' much annoy,' and his reputation no little harm. But we gladly turn to the better features of the work.

Give our author' the great and wide sea,' and he rides thereon like a literary leviathan. His home is on the mountain wave. Scene and character, on this element, are alike felicitous, in his hands. In the former, the imagination is insensibly engaged and inflamed, and in the latter, no one knows better how to avail himself of his expe rience in observing, and his observation in judging. Captain Truck is a noble specimen of a commander and a genuine tar, although he has demolished our conceptions of the general brevity of sea-faring masters. The escape of the launch, the battlescenes, the funeral at sea, the death of poor Monday, with kindred passages, and all the scenery of the ocean and machinery of the ship, these lose nothing in our author's hands. Eve Effingham, the rival lovers, and indeed the love story portions altogether, are less to our taste. Eve is dignified and proper, but she is stiltish as well, and un-young womanish, if we may coin so long a word, to express our meaning. The tone of passion is low, and the sentimental action,' to our conception, generally strained throughout. But we are fast breaking our promise with the reader, not to indite a review proper, as well as keeping him from the more acceptable extracts which we have pencilled for his gratification. The first describes the dismissal from the Montauk, of a meddling English attorney, who had sought the ship for the purpose of parting a poor fellow from his wife, for some petty legal purpose of private gain, and who has obstinately adhered to the ship, until she is quite out at sea:

"This may turn out a serious matter, Captain Truck, on your return passage! The laws of England are not to be trifled with. Will you oblige me by ordering the steward to hand me a glass of water? Waiting for justice is dry duty, I find.'

"Extremely sorry I cannot comply, gentlemen. Vattel has nothing on the subject of watering belligerents, or neutrals, and the laws of Congress compel me to carry so many gallons to the man. If you will take it in the way of a nightcap, however, and drink success to our run to America, and your own to the shore, it shall be in champagne, you happen to like that agreeable fluid.'

The attorney was about to express his readiness to compromise on these terms, when a glass of the beverage for which he had first asked was put into his hand by the wife of Robert Davis. He took the water, drank it, and turned from the young woman with the obduracy of one who never suffered feeling to divert him from the pursuit of gain. The wine was brought, and the captain filled the glasses with a seaman's heartiness.