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THE LIFE AND JOURNALS OF THE REV. DANIEL WEST, Wesleyan Minister, and Deputation to the Wesleyan Stations on the Gold Coast, Western Africa. By the Rev. T. West. London: Hamilton, Adams, & Co. 1857. THE FOUNTAIN SEALED. A Memoir of Mary M. C. Methuen, Author of the "Morning of Life." By her Mother. Bath: Binns & Goodwin. 1857. WE have classed these two books together, because they represent two very different kinds of biographies. The one is a record of

actions but actions of the most commonplace sort; the other a record of heart-struggles. The one-we know not how to distinguish them better-is an objective, the other a subjective biography. The first contains the life of the Rev. D. West, who, undoubtedly, was a pious, devoted man. He was born in 1815; entered the ministry in 1835; sailed for Africa in 1856; left Africa for England, but died 800n after he embarked, in 1857. Now the reader knows about as much as he would if he had read the book, for his imagination can supply the usual incidents of a Wesleyan minister's life-his moving to different stations, &c., &c., and the sea voyage to Africa, and even Mr. West's visits to the missionary stations, for he seems to have been but a poor observer either of manners or men. One thing, however, we must not forget to say, and that is, that Mr. West was very successful in taking photographic likenesses of the natives, at which feat the natives were no less pleased than astonished. As a good man he will live in the memory of his immediate acquaintances

BRIEF NOTICES.

and friends; but this book will do nothing to perpetuate it. And. moreover, the author has had the bad taste to rake up the remembrance of past, and we had hoped forgotten, strife, which surely will not further what must be the desire of his heart for his late brotherRequiescat in pace. He has dignified the volume, too, by the tit of West Africa, which conveys a false impression, as by a reference to our dates it will be seen that Mr. West's visit to Africa was a mere flying one; indeed, his actual time in the country was little more than two months. The book, therefore, is chiefly occupied with the life of Mr. West in England. We fear that the book will be acceptable to few but members of the Wesleyan body. To members out of that body many parts of it would be unintelligible. On the other hand, we turn to the memoirs of Miss Methuen, grateful for the record of such a life; for it relates the struggles of a soul out of darkness into light. We fully coincide with the following remark made by Dr. Jas. Hamilton in a letter to the author of the volume: "The character which it (the memoir) delineates is a very uncommon one, and biographically it possesses a peculiar charm from its having been so much a spring shut up, a fountain sealed." It would be impossible to express the character of Miss Methuen's life more hap pily than has been done by Dr. Hamilton in the metaphor of a fountain sealed. And this seems to have been felt too by the author, as she has selected it as the title of the volume. Throughout the whole of her life-which was not a long one, however, for she died at the early age of twenty-nine-her spirit was struggling to overleap the walls of its prison-house, in order to find scope for the exercise, and opportunity for the development, of powers of no ordinary kind. But she was limited and circumscribed on every hand. Her health was extremely delicate, and no sooner did she throw herself heart and soul into works of benevolence and love, than nature bade her cease. And hence, conscious of ability, and endowed with a mind of keenest susceptibility, when thus her powers were confined, she fretted and murmured. And then commenced the conflicts of her soul. Doubts assailed her in her inactivity, but she struggled on, and though the doubts were scattered, her path was beset with difficulties to the very end of her life, when she died in the full assurance of a Saviour's love. There are few lives we have read with more touching interest. We would earnestly commend the book to our lady-readers-and would that we had many of a kindred spirit to Miss Methuen! There is much in her life worthy of imitation. She delighted to visit the sick, and to teach the ignorant. Staying at Clevedon, she assembled the poor donkey-boys in her study, and taught them as long as her strength would admit. It would indeed be no rare figure of speech to call women angels, were they all like Miss Methuen! But we do not mean to say that she was perfect. Her own diary will confess her shortcomings and sins, and we hope that our readers will obtain the book and judge for themselves. Methuen for the publication of this memoir. It is essentially a We thank the mother of Miss book of the heart; and the record of the alternation of light and darkness of her daughter's path, and finally, of the bursting forth of

unclouded day upon her soul, as it winged its flight to the presence of her Saviour, will be read with thankfulness by many who are similarly tried.

A MEMOIR OF JOHN ARMSTRONG, D.D., late Lord Bishop of Grahamstown. By the Rev. T. T. Carter, M.A., Rector of Clewer. With an Introduction, by Samuel Lord Bishop of Oxford. Oxford: John Henry & James Parker. 1857.

BISHOP ARMSTRONG was a churchman of the high school-most significantly denominated as a Tractarian. With his peculiar views, therefore, we cannot be expected to sympathize; on the other hand, we can but deeply regret that a man of such earnest piety and deep devotedness to his work, should have been so confined by the narrow channel in which his life was constrained to flow. And yet it is deeply interesting to notice how much better he was than his creed. He says, in one place, "How the blessed sacrament of baptism makes us like our Lord. . . . The inner man has the lights of the other world and the life, and baptism has secretly put this life into us." - P. 51. But was not his whole life as a parish priest, in his earnest efforts to establish female penitentiaries, and later, as the self-denying Bishop of Grahamstown, a practical refutation of such a doctrine? The Lord Bishop commenced his ministerial career as curate of Alford, in Somersetshire, afterwards removed to Clifton, then to Exeter, and then to Tidenham in Gloucestershire, and, finally, to South Africa, as Bishop of Grahamstown; but leaving England in delicate health, in less than two years he departed this world; and no one, whatever may be his church views, can fail to give his tribute of admiration to such a man, whose whole life was spent in the earnest endeavour to win souls to Christ. The introduction of the Bishop of Oxford is simple, earnest, and commendatory. The author has executed his task in a creditable manner; and sympathizing with the views of the subject of the memoir, it has been to him evidently a "labour of love." The memoir is diversified with rather long extracts from the sermons and reviews of the late Bishop; but this is very pardonable, considering the few materials that were left behind for the execution of the work.

Monthly Review of Public Events.

Ir is a grand thing to live in times like these. The most sluggish must be lashed into excitement, and the most selfish and careless fired with public spirit by the stirring events which are continually crowding upon us. In this "Monthly Review" we shall not have much space to discuss the causes or predict the results of great transactions; we must be content to chronicle them. But what we say shall be said without fear. We shall neither court the favour nor shun the wrath of our readers; we profess no loyalty to any party in the state; we owe no homage to any political chief; we

N.S.-VOL. III.

H

MONTHLY REVIEW OF PUBLIC EVENTS.

intend to speak the truth with all frankness and honesty, remembering that we are Englishmen, Nonconformists, and Christians.

During the past month noble peers and honourable members have been hurried from their country seats, their hounds and horses, their avenues of elms and quiet libraries, to the unwelcome and unseasonable duties of legislation. Her Majesty's ministers had been compelled to advise the Directors of the Bank of England to infringe the provisions of their charter, and were in great haste to secure an indemnity. Perhaps, too, it was thought that two or three nights' discussion on Indian affairs, before Christmas, would make the work of next session a little easier; some prevailing misconceptions might be removed; Lord Derby and Mr. Disraeli would exhaust their brilliant but worthless animadversions on the conduct of the Calcutta government and the Board of Control, and have fewer weapons to fight with when the real battle came on in February. The veteran tactician is wise in his generation. Of course, the Bank Indemnity Bill was passed, and the gravity of the commercial disasters, which had demanded the suspension of the Charter, gave unusual seriousness to all the debates on the principles by which our currency is regulated. The select Bank Committee was re-appointed. Mr. Disraeli thought that further inquiry was useless, and that the time had come for repealing the act of '44; Mr. Gladstone, too, believed that the question was ripe for legislation, but was anxious to increase rather than diminish the stringency of the present system.

In the debate on the Address, Lord Derby greatly distinguished himself. His lordship is without a rival in the art of giving point to just complaint, and discovering reasons for grumbling where there were none; but the Government have decidedly gained by the discussions on their Indian administration. The flagrant ignorance and incapacity of Mr. Vernon Smith are not quite so clear now as they were three weeks ago; and the public will begin to believe that, when such a clever and ingenious foe as my Lord Derby is obliged to resort to misrepresentation and groundless charges to make out a case against him, just cause of censure must be wanting. The rumours of disagreement between Lord Canning and Sir Colin Campbell have been annihilated. The gravest of the complaints against the Calcutta government, on the score of dilatoriness, have been effectually disproved. Next session, however, is to witness important changes in the government of our Eastern empire. The Chairman of the East Indian Company has received notice that the Government intend to introduce a bill for bringing the vast dominions of the Company under the immediate control of the Crown. We shall watch with anxious interest the development of

Lord Palmerston's scheme.

A Reform Bill, too, is promised; but the merry Premier was unwilling to spoil Mr. Disraeli's Christmas holidays by occupying them with troublesome reflections on the details of the Government plan. We have seen a memorial on behalf of an Educational Franchise, signed by dignitaries of the Church and dignitaries of

the law, by archbishops, bishops, and deans,-by the Lord Chief Justice and many illustrious peers,-by Oxford and Cambridge dons, and by well-known dissenting ministers. The proposal is to give to the graduates, clergy, lawyers, doctors, &c., in a district a separate member, or in very large districts separate members.

Lord Shaftesbury brought forward a bill to relax the severity of the parochial system. He proposed, that in parishes numbering more than two thousand inhabitants, the incumbent should not have the power, unless sustained by the bishop, of prohibiting the holding of Church of England services. His lordship was obliged, however, to postpone his bill. Beresford Hope would remedy the acknowledged deficiencies of the present system, by multiplying bishoprics, instead of instituting an order of "vagrant gospellers," or "preaching friars," which, as the Press predicts, would accrue if Lord Shaftesbury's bill were carried.

: An important decision has been pronounced in reference to the legality of certain Continental marriages. It is well known that, during the last twenty years, it has been a frequent practice for persons wishing to marry a deceased wife's sister, to resort to certain Continental states where this was not illegal, under the idea that marriage there formed would be legal in England. This very unsatisfactory and objectionable mode of evading a bad law is declared to be nugatory.

Lord John Russell has, of course, re-appeared as champion of the Jews; but we have little hope that he will find the Lords at all more compliant this session than they were last.

The friends of missions will be gratified with the proposal of the Chancellor of the Exchequer to grant £5,000 to Dr. Livingstone to prosecute his African researches. The missionary enterprise has received wonderful help of late, partly from the admiration excited by the enterprising African traveller, and partly from the discovery that the missionaries have been the wisest and most honest men in India.

Thank God! Lucknow is saved. After six days of "severe and bloody struggles," the beleaguered garrison has been relieved; the sick and wounded, ladies and children, have been carried to Cawnpore. Sir Colin Campbell has an army around him strong enough to reduce Oude to entire subjection.

Of foreign news of interest there is no lack. Liberal principles have won an important triumph in Belgium. Serfdom in Russia has received its death-blow. The Message of the President of the United States must have been read in England with unusual interest; to us, the most significant part of it is that which recommends the setting aside of the Clayton-Bulwer Treaty, and the reconsideration of the entire question of Central American politics. We earnestly trust that there is no danger of serious disagreement.

On the whole, we believe that the clouds which have hung so gloomily over our heads during the last six or eight months are beginning to scatter, and with some hopefulness and courage we can wish our readers from our very hearts A HAPPY NEW YEAR.