Saviour were still in this world, and that they continued to appoint twelve Apostles for the propagation of Christianity. Though he did not himself claim to be considered as Messiah, he yet never objected to being called so by others. It is also asserted that he believed that he had received a commission to unite all religious persuasions. Until more satisfactory proofs be adduced to the contrary, we may however call the Frankists Judeo-Christians. They have incurred much obloquy for the exclusive spirit that prevails amongst them; which, politically speaking, is l'esprit du corps, but which cannot certainly be allowed to be very Christian. Should this reproach be made against them by a Pole, it might be accounted for on the ground that they were only half Poles, though not half Christians; many of them, however, warmly espoused the cause of Poland's independence on the late occasion.

A most valuable addition to our information respecting the Jews under the Russian dominion at the present day has been lately furnished by the Rev. J. Samuel. His work, to which we have already alluded, is a well written volume on a very interesting question, which, though it has been often asked, has not yet been answered, namely, what has become of the Ten Tribes of Israel? Our author flatters himself that he has discovered the remnant of them all that we are led by prophecy to expect-in Daghistan, a wild, mountainous country, situated to the south-west of the Caspian, bordering on ancient Media, and now nominally subject to Russia. Mr. Samuel is not a mere theory-monger, but is fully qualified to investigate his subject, being himself a converted Hebrew of the tribe of Aaron, and well acquainted with the rites and customs of his nation. To these advantages he adds a knowledge of the New Testament, and a deep religious sentiment and zeal, which supported him throughout his laborious journey. Having been sent as missionary to the Asiatic Jews, he visited India, Persia and other adjacent countries, and whilst exerting himself to bring them over to Christianity, he had ample opportunities of observing them as an antiquarian and a Jew. We will sum up his arguments in favour of his opinion, as far as our limits will allow. The Jewish power began to decline upon the death of Solomon, when the Ten Tribes revolted from his son Rehoboam and formed a separate kingdom. After a protracted period of civil and foreign wars, this kingdom was destroyed, and the people were carried into captivity by three several deporta

tions.

"First, Of the two and a half tribes on the other side of the Jordan, by Pul and Tilgath-pilneser.

"Second, Of the bulk of the seven and a half tribes, by Shalmaneser. Third, Of the remains of the latter by Esarhaddon, who swept the

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land of even the poor lingerers on the mountains of Israel; so that Israel could not by any means become a people, but remained broken as a nation and broken as a people too."

A similar fate some generations afterwards befel the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin, but they were permitted by Cyrus to go back to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple; whilst the ten tribes never returned. What then became of them? Mr. Samuel thinks he has discovered their descendants in Daghistan, and all the facts and reasons adduced by him seem to establish this point. On the shores of the Caspian a number of Jews are found; some in a state of slavery and ignorance; others free, but hardly more civilized; whilst those dwelling in Daghistan appear to be genuine Jews, ruling themselves according to the pure Mosaic law, unpolluted by Talmudic traditions, and to certain patriarchal customs. His inference that the latter are a part of those Israelites who were led captive into Media seems a very probable one. In the remote fastnesses of the Caucasian range they might easily have preserved their nationality, clinging to it with a tenacity peculiar to this stubborn people and to mountaineers in general. Our author thinks that their identity as primitive Jews might have been better established than it now is, had Daghistan been visited before it was invaded by Nadir Shah in the last century, when many of them were compelled to embrace Mohammedanism.

The proofs which he has collected are numerous and minute, touching upon slight differences in the rites and practices of the Hebrews, and consequently less manifest to a Christian than to a Jew. Three main points however may be noticed as deserving of particular attention. These Jews alone sacrifice the paschal lamb, the others substituting for it other meat roasted in a peculiar manner; they practise the ancient mode of circumcision, whilst others resort to that which was introduced after the time of the Maccabees and finally, they observe the letter of the law concerning the Sabbath day, not even kindling fire nor a light.

"They remain," says Mr. Samuel, "in the coldest and darkest weather without these; and have no recourse, as other Jews, to the services of Gentiles to supply them with these, preserving in their own persons the letter, and destroying, through strangers, the spirit of the law. It is remarkable that as they are quite ignorant of the oral law and traditions followed by the Jews elsewhere, and which enumerates thirty-nine different species of occupations from which they consider then selves prohibited, the Jews of Daghistan observe all these prohibitions except the last. This last is called " or 217, which is a reservation of a permission to carry loads from one house to another on the Sabbath day. It is allowed by the following ceremony practised by the Jews being observed. A cake, which is called 17, is consecrated and suspended in the synagogue. A string or rope is extended from

each corner of a street where Jews live; and this is deemed to constitute those embraced within the extremities of the 217, one family; thereby evading the penalty resulting from the probibitory injunction.

"If we refer to the prophet Jeremiah (xvii. 21-27), we find this is in direct opposition to the word of Jehovah :-Thus saith the Lord, Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the Sabbath day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem; neither carry forth a burden out of your houses on the Sabbath day, neither do ye any work, but hallow ye the Sabbath day, as I commanded your fathers.' Thus, in this important respect, the Jews of Daghistan preserve the institution according to its appointment before the prophet in question was commanded to reprove the Jewish people for infringing thus its sanctification, which was after the captivity of the lost tribes.

"They further differ from the Talmudists in the following observances. The Jews throughout the world abstain from those duties which necessity and mercy justify, such as feeding cattle, milking, &c. **!

"The day is to them a day of rest and peace, and cheerfulness; they dance, sing and play on instruments. These are of a religious nature, expressive of religious emotions, but are expressly forbidden by the oral law or Talmud. They spend the forenoon of the Sabbath in the way described in the following Scriptures, which serve to illustrate their religious habits on that day better than any description of mine. See Exodus: also Samuel, vi. 15; Psalm lxviii. 25, 26; cxlix. 3; cl. 4.

"The afternoon is spent in a very profitable way, quite unlike the Jews elsewhere. They resort to the dwellings of their elders and of religious men, who sit in their places of abode to receive the visits of those who come to them, and instruct them in the doctrines of their Scriptures, and make allegories of the law of Moses. This custom of resorting to holy men on the Sabbath day is a very ancient one; as niay be gathered from 2 Kings, iv. 23; practices long before the great captivities. They surround these good men until sunset, who pronounce the Sabbath to be ended; the women kiss the hem of their garments and the men the hands of the elders."...

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Mr. Samuel's account of the Scriptures in the possession of the Jews of Daghistan, will probably be interesting to some at least of our readers:

"They are in possession of a few manuscript copies of the law of Moses, which are divided into five books like ours, which they call the book of the covenant, n' according to Exodus, xxiv. 7. They are written in the original Hebrew character, without any division of chapters, sentences or points; which manuscripts they hold to be very ancient, and would not part with them on any account. No man under thirty years of age is permitted to read them; and I have been told, by the individual whom I sent expressly for the purpose of examining them, that their copies do not differ from the Hebrew copies in our possession, except in two places, namely, in the book of Deuteronomy, ch. xxxiii. where the last blessing of Moses places Judah after Reuben in our copies, and Simeon is omitted altogether, whilst in their copies Simeon

and Levi are placed together, as in the blessing of Jacob in Gen. xlix: second, the last chapter of Deuteronomy is omitted altogether, and the book concludes with the prophetic blessing, Happy art thou, O Israel. who is like unto thee, O people; saved by the Lord, the shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy excellency; and thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee, and thou shalt tread upon their high places.'

"From this it appears that they are in possession of the original text of the book of the law of Moses; for it is certain that the last chapter of Deuteronomy was added after the death of Moses.

"They are not in possession of ' '', the first prophets, which consist of Joshua, Judges, 1 Samuel and 2 Samuel, Kings and 2 Kings, and the last prophets, p' '12), Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the minor prophets.

"They have not b'aina, the Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Ruth, the Song of Solomon, Ecclesiastes, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, and the two books of Chronicles; but are in possession of a part of the book of Esther. They are in entire ignorance, with the rest of their brethren elsewhere, of the existence of the apocryphal books.

"They are very anxious to get the Psalms of David; and so ignorant are they of the New Testament, that in the year 1837-8, when two of the Jews from Andrewa visited me and saw the volume, they put it three times to their forehead and three times to their mouth, and kissed it. I sold forty-six New Testaments for a high price. They are free from the hatred and superstitions of their brethren towards Christianity."

It is however to be feared, that the conduct of their new masters will soon inspire them with this hatred, since, according to Mr. Samuel, these latter carry their system of inquisition and espionnage to the remotest corners of their empire.

"What a state of things," says he, "is that which owes its support wholly to bristling bayonets, where such a system of ramified espionnage exists, that the very wife is an emissary to report the actions and opinions of her husband to an ever suspicious and jealous government."

In taking leave of Mr. Samuel, he must allow us to admonish him that slovenliness of style ought not to be mistaken for ease, and that however interesting the subject-matter of a work may be, the pleasure of the reader is materially influenced by the manner in which the author communicates his information. In spite of its defects, however, we recommend the work to the perusal of our readers; and will conclude our extracts from it by the following graphic description of the country which this peculiar people inhabit, and the author's allusion to the circumstances which led him to the discovery of his "Remnant."

"Daghistan, on the west coast of the Caspian Sea, lies between the rivers Kaisin and Rubas. It is about 134 miles in length, by between 30 and 40 in breadth. It is almost entirely mountainous, as its name

Daghistan implies; the plain that runs along the shore being a narrow strip. It is usually divided into the following small states; namely, Lesgestan, Schamgal, the khanships of Derbund, and the domain of Tabasseran. Lesgestan is a stupendous range of mountains, running in a south-easterly direction, of great length, but of inconsiderable breadth, and forming the whole north-east frontier of Georgia. The inhabitants are a wild, savage banditti, divided into different tribes, whose habitations are secluded in the depths of the mountains, on the loftiest summits, or over the most frightful precipices. The country is rugged and impracticable; the soil is scanty; and the level ground being insufficient to enable the proprietor to raise the means of subsistence, he increases the surfaces, to the very summits of the heights, by graduated terraces. These rude tribes of the mountains are the terror and scourge of all the neighbouring countries, as they sally down from the mountains, laying waste villages, and carrying off or murdering the inhabitants. The other districts are of the same mountainous character: that of Tabasseran is covered with wood, but the vallies are beautiful and fertile. The greater part of the country is still terra incognita to the traveller, especially the region indicated."

The precarious tenure by which Russia holds the Trans-Caucasian provinces in which Daghistan is situated, is thus forcibly pointed out:

"The Russians, as I remarked before, have contracted the limits of the independent tribes between the Euxine and the Caspian, and according to the working of that colossal and dangerous power, have largely succeeded in doing so. But to reduce them to real subjection is beyond the power even of Russia. Nearly half the country of the Ackhar is marked as subject to Russia in the maps of these provinces; but in fact the garrison of Sookoom-Kirluah live as in a besieged city, and their authority is regarded no further than their guns can reach. Swanati too has the same mark of subjection; though it is well known that the Swani confine themselves to the neighbourhood of the perpetual snows of Elburg, in order not to compromise their liberty. Two passes also through the mountain are marked as Russian soil; but not even the weekly mail is sent through that of Dariel without an escort, amounting sometimes to a hundred soldiers, two field-pieces and several cossacks. If an occasional traveller wishes to try the pass of Derbund, which is in Daghistan, he is not considered safe without a similar guard."

Whilst Mr. Samuel was at Teheran, he called on the Russian ambassador, Graf Simonitch-the same who was subsequently disavowed by his court for his intrigues against England-and obtained from him permission to visit Daghistan, a permission which in all probability the ambassador was not authorized to grant. He thus narrates his visit and the consequences that resulted from it:

In conversation with the ambassador concerning one of the objects of my mission, his excellency informed me, that about five years pre