of February-THOMAS MOORE, the sweetest and best of her poets, and Archbishop MURRAY, the mildest and best of the prelates of the Roman Catholic Church in that country. Moore was in his 72d year, the Archbishop in his 83d year. Moore died at his cottage at Sloperton, near Devizes. For several years he had been alive only in the body. Like Sir Walter Scott and Southey, the tenacity of phys

was buried, according to his long-ago expressed wish, in the quiet church-yard of the village where he died. Sir HERBERT Jenner Fust, Dean of Arches, and long connected with law proceedings and law literature, died on the 20th February, in the 76th year of his age.

FRANCE AND CENTRAL EUROPE.

nothing. He did not contend that the system estab- The Earl of Derby, on taking office, tendered to Mr. lished in 1831 was perfect, or did not require amend-Layard a continuance in office as Under Secretary ment, but he wished to be sure that a proposed remedy of State. The offer, however, was declined.—Irewould not aggravate the evils complained of. As re-land lost two of its most celebrated men on the 26th garded education, the feelings of all classes had united in the conviction that the more you educated the safer was the country; but he was opposed to the mere acquisition of secular knowledge, dissociated from the culture of the soul. And although he looked on all engaged in education as his fellow-laborers, his chief reliance would be on the parochial clergy. This explanation on the part of the new ministry has not been received as sufficiently explicit to be satis-ical existence outlived the term of the mind. He factory, and it meets, therefore, with very warm hostility. Lord John Russell, in announcing his own retirement, took occasion to say that, for the future, he should think it his duty to oppose, out of office, as he had opposed in office, any restoration of the duty on corn, whether under the name of protection or of revenue;-that he should support an extension of the suffrage to those who are fit to exercise the franchise for the welfare of the country; and that he should use the little influence he might possess for the maintenance of the blessings of peace.-Parliament, after these explanations, adjourned until the 12th of March. ---Mr. Disraeli, the new Chancellor of the Exchequer, has issued a brief address to his constituents, stating that on the 12th of March he should ask for a re-election. The first duty of the new administration, he said, would be to provide for the ordinary exigencies of the government; but at no distant period they The President continues the issue of decrees for hoped to establish a policy in conformity with the the government of France. They embrace, of course, principles which in opposition they had felt it their the entire scope of legislation, as the country for the duty to maintain. "We shall endeavor," he adds, present has no other source of law. One of the most "to terminate that strife of classes which of late important of these decrees is that authorizing the years has exercised so pernicious an influence over establishment of Mortgage Banks, the object of which the welfare of this kingdom; to accomplish those is to enable owners of real estate to borrow on mortremedial measures which great productive interests, gage, and repay the loans by means of long annuities; suffering from unequal taxation, have a right to de- that is, in addition to the interest the borrower is mand from a just government; to cultivate friendly obliged to pay annually say one per cent. as a sinkrelations with all foreign powers, and secure honoring fund, which will extinguish the debt in forty able peace; to uphold in their spirit, as well as in their form, our political institutions; and to increase the efficiency, as well as maintain the rights, of our national and Protestant church." Other members of the government had issued similar addresses to their respective constituencies, and several of them had already been re-elected.—At a subsequent session, the ministry intimated that they would no longer resist the demand of the country for a dissolution.

The advent of the Protective Ministry has called into new life the Anti-Corn Law League at Manchester. A meeting of the League was held on the 2d of March, at which resolutions were adopted reorganizing the association, and taking measures to urge upon their friends throughout the kingdom, not to return members in favor of restoring the duties on corn; it was also resolved to petition the Queen for an immediate dissolution of Parliament in order that the question of Free Trade might be decided by a prompt appeal to the people. Mr. Cobden was present, and made a long speech vindicating the operation of the existing system, and resisting the policy of allowing the Ministry to strengthen themselves for the restoration of the protective system. He wished the friends of cheap bread to unite in order to drive the government into one of three courses--either to recant forever the principle of protection, resign their seats, or dissolve Parliament. It was within their power to compel one or the other of these steps to be taken. A very large subscription was immediately raised to defray the expenses of the projected agitation.

The elections for members of the Legislative corps were held throughout France on the 29th of February, and resulted in the success of the Government candidate in nearly every instance. Gen. Cavaignac and Carnot are the only Opposition candidates of any prominence who have been elected. What course they will pursue is still a matter of conjecture. It is clear, however, that such a thing as an opposition party in the Legislature will scarcely exist.

years. The banks are to loan on double real estate security. They are allowed to issue notes or bonds. They are not to require more than five per cent. in terest, nor more than two nor less than one per cent. as a sinking fund. An article in the Moniteur followed the publication of this decree for the purpose of explaining its provisions, from which it appears that there are $160,000,000 of mortgaged debts in France, paying, inclusive of various expenses, an average interest of eight per cent., and that these debts are increasing at the rate of $12,000,000 yearly. It is claimed that the new law will remedy this state of things, and Germany is pointed to in proof of the beneficial effects of mortgage societies. Another financial decree directs that the holders of five per cent. government funds will receive hereafter only four and a half per cent. or the principal at par value, at their option. The effect of this change will be to reduce the annual interest on the national debt by about three and a half millions of dollars. The holders of these securities of course complain of it as an unjust reduction of their incomes.Another decree directs the entire organization of the College of France to be put under the immediate control of the President, until the law for its permanent establishment shall have been prepared. New officers have been appointed throughout-a number of the most distinguished scholars of France being superseded.It has also been decreed that judicial of ficers shall be disqualified at seventy years of age. By this means the President secures the displacement of a large number of judges, whose seats he

will fill with persons more acceptable to himself. | tional government on the continent of Europe; and -It is decided that M. Billault is to be President that for this purpose they ought to insist on the repof the Legislative corps.-Several distinguished resentative form of government being abolished in Frenchmen have died during the month. Marshal all the States where it was still tolerated, and more MARMONT, Duke of Ragusa, the last of the Marshals especially in Piedmont and in Greece. He further of Napoleon, died at Venice on the 2d of March. He declared that Louis Napoleon, by his coup d'état of received his highest military title on the battle field the 2d of December, which, while it put an end to of Wagram. He forsook Napoleon's cause when constitutional government, restored military governNapoleon was falling, held high offices under the ment in France, had merited the applause of all the restoration, and has lived in exile since 1830. Hav- Northern Powers, and he suggested that they ought ing forsaken Napoleon in 1814, and opposed the rev- to concur in giving him their united and cordial sup olution of July, his name was erased from the list of port, even to the exclusion of both branches of the Marshals by Louis Philippe's Government, and a House of Bourbon, because none of the members black vail drawn over his portrait in the Hall of the of that illustrious House could reascend the throne Marshals at the Tuileries.-ARMAND MARRAST, without according representative government in some who acquired distinction as editor of the National and shape. The representatives of Austria at Berlin and by his close connection with the provisional govern- St. Petersburg having been directed to communicate ment of 1848, died March 10.-The President has this dispatch to the governments to which they were offered a prize of fifty thousand francs in favor of the accredited, did so, but the manner in which the comauthor of the discovery which shall render the pile of munication was received by the two Powers was Volta applicable with economy, whether to industrial very different. The Prussian government at once operations, as a source of heat, or to illumination, or declared that it strongly disapproved of the suggestion to chemistry, or to mechanics, or to practical medi- of the Austrian government, and that, as it looked cine. Scientific men of all nations are admitted to upon a certain degree of constitutional freedom as compete for the prize. The competition shall remain necessary in the present state of Europe, it highly open for the space of five years. He has also pre-disapproved of the attempt of Louis Napoleon to sented to M. Leon Foucault, the young savant of establish a military despotism. The Russian Czar, Paris, distinguished for his works on electricity and who sets up as the arbiter of all that is done to Gerlight, and especially for the experiment with the pen-many, gave a very characteristic answer to both dulum illustrative of the earth's rotary motion, the sum of ten thousand francs.

On the 21st of March, the President reviewed the troops, and bestowed upon them the medal, instituted by the confiscation of the Orleans estates. In the speech which he made to them upon the occasion, he said, his object in instituting this medal was to make some more adequate compensation for the services of the army, than they usually received. It secures to each soldier, who shall have it, an annuity of 100 francs for life; the sum is small, but the evidence of merit, which the medal carries with it, adds to its value. He urges them to receive it as an encouragement to maintain intact their military spirit. "Wear it," he says, "as a proof of my solicitude for your interest, and my affection for that great military family of which I am proud to be the head, because you are its glorious children."

The demands of France upon BELGIUM were mentioned in our last Record. It is stated that they have been boldly met and repelled. The King of Belgium at once made an appeal to England and the Continental courts, and he has received from all the European Powers the most positive assurance that they will not suffer any aggressive step whatever of Louis Napoleon against Belgium. The French Cabinet had required the Belgian Government to remove the Lion which had been placed on the field of Waterloo; but that demand was refused. It is said, upon reliable authority, that the "decree" for annexing Belgium to France had been prepared and even sent to the Moniteur for publication; and was only withdrawn in consequence of the strenuous opposition of those who have more prudence than the President, and who fortunately possess some influence over him.

The Paris correspondence of the London Morning Chronicle, furnishes the details of a diplomatic correspondence between the principal Continental Powers, which has decided interest and importance. It is stated that, on the 7th of February, Prince Schwarzenberg addressed a note to the representatives of Austria at St. Petersburg and Berlin, in which he urged that the object of the Northern Powers ought now to be to put down all that remained of constitu

Powers. He recommended to the Austrian government not to be so enthusiastic in its admiration of Louis Napoleon, and to the Prussian government, not to be so determined in its hostility to that personage; and thus, says the writer, the affair for the present rests.

Concerning the Swiss question, we have more authentic intelligence. The French diplomatic agent at Berne had delivered to the Federal Authorities a note, dated January 25th, containing an explicit demand from Louis Napoleon, "That the formal promise be made to me that all the expulsions of refugees which I may ask be accorded to me, without any examination as to what category the French political refugees affected by this measure belong; and, in addition, that the orders of the central power be executed according to terms prescribed in advance, without being mitigated or wholly disregarded by the cantonal authorities, as I can prove, by examples, has been done in previous instances. The French embassador only is in a condition to know the individuals whose former connections and present relations render impossible the prolongation of their stay in the territory of the Helvetic Confederation; as also those who can be tolerated provisionally, if their future conduct renders them worthy of this tolerance. The first should depart from the moment that I have designated them by name. The others should be told that they can continue to reside in Switzerland only on condition that they give no reason for complaint." It seems scarcely possible that so peremptory and insulting a demand should have been made, even by the French autocrat, upon any independent power; but the text of the letter is given. Austria also made a similar requisition; and the Assemblée Nationale save that the Cabinet of Vienna distinctly announced so the Federal Council its intention to occupy the canton of Ticino with Austrian troops, unless the demands for the expulsion of certain refugees were complied with, and guarantees given for preventing their return, as well as the renewal of conspiracies against the peace of Lombardy. Prince Schwarzenberg sent instructions to M. Hubner, the Austrian embassador at Paris, to propose to the French gov

ernment a simultaneous action in the same views, and to Constantinople six months ago, a pension of three the occupation of Geneva and the canton of Vaud by thousand piastres a month. This clemency to polit. the French troops. The government of Louis Na-ical offenders is said to be common with the Turkish poleon declined to co-operate with Austria in invad-Sovereign. The Turkish Government has recently ing the Swiss territory; and Austria was also per- forbidden the loan of money to farmers at more than suaded to desist from this enterprise. The firm at- eight per cent. interest: it also forbids the payment titude of the cabinets of London and Berlin, backed of all engagements hitherto made at higher rates. perhaps by the counsels of Russia, is supposed to A third bridge has just been finished across the Golden have procured this result. But no sooner was the Horn. A splendid ball was given at the close of the project of the joint violation of the neutral territory Carnival by the British Embassador, at which about baffled, than a new scheme was adopted by the two eight hundred persons were present. conspiring Powers, which threatens to be equally ruinous to Switzerland. The French and Austrian governments have entered into a convention for the commercial blockade of that country. In order to carry this into effect Piedmont must be forced to join the league and stop her frontier against Swiss commerce. In the way of such a result stand the government of Sardinia and British influence at the court of Turin. How much these will avail remains to be seen. Subsequent advices state that Switzerland had acceded to all the President's requisitions-they having been repeated in less offensive terms.

In PERSIA the recently dismissed Grand Vizier, Mirza-Taghi-Khan, has been put to death, by having his veins opened in a bath, and his treasures have been seized by the Shah.

From INDIA we have news of further difficulties between the English and the Burmese. Previous advices stated that Commodore Lambert had complained to the King of Ava of the conduct of the Governor of Rangoon in refusing compliance with certain demands of reparation for injuries sustained by the British. The King professed a ready submission to the Commodore's requisitions, but his sincerity was doubted, and Commodore Lambert consequently resolved to remain with his squadron, for some days longer, in order to test the truth of his suspicions. Scarcely had the new Governor or Viceroy been placed in authority, than he commenced a series of annoyances against all British subjects, which rendered it imperative on the part of Commodore Lambert to seek an interview with him, which was not only refused, but all communication between the shore and fleet strictly prohibited. In this warlike aspect of affairs many of the British took refuge on board the English vessels, while those who re

From GERMANY there is no news of interest. The Emperor of Austria left Vienna, February 25th, for Trieste and Venice, to meet the Grand Prince of Prussia. The Second Chamber of Wurtemberg, in its sitting of the 26th, adopted, by 54 votes to 32, resolutions, declaring that the fundamental rights proclaimed by the National Assembly of Frankfort continue to have legal force in the kingdom, and can only be abolished in the form presented by the Constitution. The Chamber rejected, by 66 votes to 20, a resolution protesting against certain measures of the Germanic Diet; and it rejected, by 48 votes to 38, a motion relative to the dissolution of the Cham-mained behind desirous of securing their property, ber in 1850. M. de Plessen, after these votes, made a declaration, in the name of the Government, that the Chamber would probably be dissolved.

In SPAIN it is said that the Government is about to reinforce the garrisons of Cuba and Porto Rico by an addition of three or four thousand men. General Concha has been recalled from the Governorship of Cuba; his successor, Gen. Caredo, was to sail from Cadiz on the 20th of March. Extensive changes were taking place in all departments of the public service.

were cast into prison. The fleet remained at anchor for twenty-four hours on the opposite side of the river, when intimation was received from the Viceroy that he would fire on the squadron should the Commodore attempt to move down the river. On the 10th of January the Fox was towed down, and anchored within a few hundred yards of the stockade erected by the Viceroy, when the steamer having returned to bring away with her a Burmese man-ofwar, was fired on, which was immediately returned with great vigor. The enemy dispersed after some From TURKEY we learn that Reschid Pasha, three of them were slain. The squadron then prowhose dismissal was noted in our last, has been re-ceeded on its course, and the river ports of Burmah ceived to favor again, and restored to office. The Sultan has lately shown his magnanimity to rebels against his authority, by bestowing upon Aziz Bey and his brother Ahmed Bey, rebel Kurdish chiefs, near Bagdad, conquered by the Sultan, and brought

THE EAST.

were proclaimed to be in a state of blockade. Commodore Lambert then proceeded to Calcutta for further instructions. Another campaign was therefore deemed unavoidable, which, it was supposed, could not be commenced before October.

REDULITY and SKEPTICISM are often, in the pseudo-spiritualism of the day. Men whose

Cfact, but different aspects of one and the same credulity can not digest the supernatural of the Bi

state of mind. No man is more credulous than the infidel in respect to all that would make against the truth of Christianity. Hindoo legends, Chinese chronologies, unmeaning Egyptian hieroglyphics, are suffered at once to outweigh the clearest declarations of that volume which alone sheds light on history, and solves the otherwise inexplicable problem of our humanity.

ble are most remarkably easy of belief in respect to spiritual rappings, and spiritual table-liftings, and spiritual communications in Hebrew translated into ungrammatical and false-spelled English. Prophecy and inspiration are irrational; the belief in a Divine regenerating influence on the human soul is superstitious and fanatical; but clairvoyance and clairvoy ant prevision, and mental alchemy are embraced withNowhere is this remark more strikingly exempli-out difficulty, by the professors of this more tranfied than in the pretensions of what may be called scendent faith. They see and feel nothing of that

high a rank. The position can not be charged with irrationality which assumes that the "mocking fiend" may sometimes be permitted to practice his jugglings on those rash fools, who would venture too near to his domain of falsehood. But in most of the modern cases of this kind, we are beginning to have little doubt that sheer imposture is the predominant if not the only element.

grandeur of conception, that holy seriousness, that impressive truthfulness of style, that superhuman elevation above all that associates itself with the absurd, the grotesque, the low, and the malignant-in a word, those traits which every where characterize the miraculous of the Scriptures, and have ever awed the most thoughtful into a recognition of its reality. And yet some of these lecturers and professors have even the impudence to baptize their On the outward evidence, however, we can not at naturalistic jargon with the name of spiritualism, present dwell, since it is with the reasoning of these and while treating the human soul with less rever-charlatans we design that our brief strictures shall ence than is justly due to the lowest form even of vegetable life, dare to talk of the moral uses of their pretended science, as though it had any more place for the word and the idea than might be found in the jerking automaton of the toy-shop.

be mainly occupied. In this, too, we find the proof of falsehood. For we return again to our text-the marvelous may be believed, the absurd no amount of evidence can prove. And here some thoughts suggest themselves to which we must give expression. What amount of solid thinking, what discrimination of ideas, what right knowledge of words, what degree of logical training, which, although not the discoverer of truth, is the surest guard against error-in a word, what amount of general, solid, mental culture must there be in an age distinguished for the extensive circulation and approbation of such

Sometimes the pretense can be characterized by no milder term than mocking blasphemy. One of these impostors, who has made some noise lately, is said to have accurately foretold the words and ideas of a discourse which was to be delivered by another person on a subsequent day. It was no hypothetical prediction, grounded on a scientific calculation of assumed causes and effects, but, in fact, a clairvoy-works as Davis's Revelations of Nature, and Davis's ant prevision, not from any Divine impression (an Great Harmonia, and Dodd's Psychology, &c., &e.! idea which this blasphemous pretender is known Could it have been so when Butler wrote his immorwholly to deride), but from a transcendent subjective tal Analogy; or, farther back, when Howe preached state of his natural intelligence. And yet some who his Living Temple as evening lectures to a country are known to believe only in an ideal Christ, and an congregation, and Baxter's tracts were found in every ideal resurrection, are not ashamed to signify a half hamlet in England? Could it have been so in our assent to this monstrous assertion of one of the high- own land, when Edwards preached his deep theoloest conceivable attributes of the Almighty. Every gy to plain men in plain New England villages! one who thinks at all must see that here there is no The marvelous, we may well suppose, would have possible middle ground. It is this claim, awfully had no lack of believers in those days. But would profane and daring as it is, or a downright imposture. such absurdities in reasoning have ever gained car. There is nothing derogatory to the human mind in rency in those thinking though little scientific periods? the belief of the marvelous. In fact, such belief is an With all our talk of science, and progress, and unielement of its higher life. The wonder is, that there versities, and common schools, and the schoolmaster is not more of it. But no degree of evidence can being abroad in the land, there must be, somewhere, justify us in giving credence to the absurd. The something wrong in our most modern ideas and modridiculous is ever proof of the presence of falsehood.ern modes of education. Is not the physical element The higher we rise in the scale of truth, the more do too predominant, and is it not to the common smat we find ourselves ascending into a region of serious-terings in this department that such a pretended ness. An impression of a sterner reality, of a deeper interest, of more dread importance, of a more solemn consistency, accompanies every genuine advance. Truth, as it grows purer and clearer, is ever found to be more and more a fearful thing-joyful, indeed, and soul-inspiring, yet finding the very fullness and solidity of its joy in that graver element which gives it its highest and most real interest for the human soul. A faith that has no awe proves itself a delusion. A religion that has no fear, or is not deeply solemn, is a contradiction in terms. For the absurd and the ridiculous even pure falsehood is too stern a thing. They have their existence only in that grotesque mixture of truth and error, in which the distortion of the one concealing the malignity of the other gives birth to all revolting and ludicrous monstrosities.

spiritualism, yet real materialism, is directly to be traced? A superficial sciolism, extensive enough in its facts, but utterly hollow in its philosophy, is the food with which the common mind is every where crammed even to satiety, while there is such a serious lack of the logical, the theological, the Biblical, the classical, the historical-in short, of those elements which must furnish the foundation of all right thinking, and without which other knowledge is more likely to lead to error than to truth.

But we can at present only hint at this. In respect to the reasonings of these scientific discoverers (as they claim to be), we may say that their fallacies get currency from this very cause, namely, the general want of discrimination in respect to the true bounds of fundamental ideas, and that abuse of language which is the necessary result. If the consequences were not so serious, nothing could be more amusing than their pretensions, or their method. They would have us believe that they are the martyrs-Gables

Bacons-Harveys, all of them. Each one is a suffer. ing Servetus, while all the bigotry of the theological world, with all its inquisitorial priests and furious Calvins, is ever ready to crush their new science, and give the crown of martyrdom to its devoted teach ers.

We need no better test. Apply it to the supernatural of the Scriptures, and it furnishes one of the strongest evidences of their truth. So serious a book can not be a lie. Bring to this criterion the modern charlatanry, which so wantonly assumes the name of faith, "obtruding itself with its fleshly mind" into the domain of the true supernatural, and yet denying the supernatural-bring it to this criterion, we say, and it is at once shown to be "earthly, sensual, devilish"-a grotesque reflection of some of the They have, too, the sagacity to perceive that an worst things of this world thrown back in lurid dis-diences, in general, love to be addressed in the tech tortion from the darkness visible of the Satanicnics of a scientific style, whether rightly used on realms. But even this may be assigning to it too not. The vender of quack medicines has discovered