thought which is the parent of excellence. To a certain degree, they may be productive of decided and powerful effects; but the uniformity of habit and character, which they are calculated to produce, rather tends to lower man to the level of brutal instinct, than to raise him higher in the scale of the intelligent creation." P. 6.

In affirmatively answering the question, "whether classical literature be a proper object of study for those who are not intended for a learned profession, or for public life?" some observations occur which are worthy of serious attention; but for these we must refer to the work. Relative to the propriety of making classical knowledge a part of female education, we have already expressed our opinion, in the first number of this Review; and though this does not exactly coincide with the ideas of the authors of this Essay, respecting the truth and propriety of the following sentiments we think there cannot be two opinions.

"Accomplishments are doubtless a valuable acquirement, and also an acquirement, within the reach of those who are endowed with natural taste, and who have time to bestow upon them. As to those who are differently circumstanced, in the acquisition of facility, in the works appropriated to their sex, in the study of modern languages, of History, and Geography, in the perusal of our best English authors, and the forination of a correct style of writing, they will find sufficient employment for the years which are allotted to their school education." P. 19.

This Essay concludes with an enumeration of several works, which are well adapted to the use of those who study the Greek and Latin languages. The observations on this part of the subject are of a practical nature, and often very judicious; and appear to be the production of one who has had considerable expe rience in teaching. The Essay is in general well written, and may be read with advantage by those who wish for a succinct view of the subject of which it treats. We were, however, much surprised to meet with the following quaint and vulgar expression: "It is bottomed in an absolute ignorance of facts." P. 12. Nor do we conceive the following sentiment to be correct. "Man, regarded as a moral agent, and an accountable being, is a compound of habits. According as his habits are good or bad, he is to be esteemed or qualified as virtuous or vicious." P. 3. Without at all detracting from the influence of example, is it not more consistent with sound philosophy and religion too, to regard the moral character of man as composed of principles rather than of habits?-The former are causes, the latter only effects; and we do not see how man can be considered as either "virtuous or vicious," according to his habits, in any other sense than as these are of the nature of the principles from which they spring.

The subjects treated of in the first volume are;

"The study of the Belles Lettres, Language, Grammar, Structure of Sentences, Taste, Figurative Language, Prose Composition, Poetry, Elocution, Method of studying the Belles Lettres, History, Ancient and Modern Geography, Ancient Geography, Chronology, The British Constitution, Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Conic Sections, Fluxions, Chances, &c. Navigation, Mensuration, Surveying, and Dialling."

The second volume embraces successively;

"Natural philosophy, including Mechanics, Hydrostatics, Hydraulics, Pneumatics, and Acoustics, Optics, Electricity, Galvanism, and Magne. tism, Astronomy, and Chemistry, Natural History, containing Minera logy, Botany and Zoology. Mental Philosophy, Moral Philosophy, Logic, Political Economy, the Structure and Functions of Man, and terminates with a Letter from a Father to his Son, on the Evidences of the Christian Religion."

Prior to any observations on particular subjects, we conceive it to be most consistent with candor to allow the authors of this work to explain their own object; which we shall do by an extract from the advertisement:

"They have endeavoured to offer such elementary instruction as may afford a good preparative for future reading, and to point out the best sources of farther information on the subjects of which they treat. It has been their aim to compress within a narrow compass, a great fund of important knowledge, which could only be obtained by the perusal of a multitude of volumes; and to supply a work, which, as far as they know, has hitherto been unattempted, that might assist the unskiltul, not only as a guide to what they wished to pursue, but such a one as should afford them a choice of subjects from which they might select such as were adapted to their taste, their acquirements, or their wants; and having made their selection, they will find the introductory principles laid down, explained and excinplified, and a course of study pointed out, with references to such elementary works as may be adapted to their wishes, and to the time they have to devote to literature and science."

It must not be concluded from this that the authors of the present work have either designed or attempted to present a treatise on each of the subjects it contains. Their object was rather to offer a general view of the nature, the rise and progress of each subject in connection with the best method of studying it, and a brief account of those works that could afford the student most assistance in accomplishing the object. Thus chapter XVII. vol. I. On History," treats of the

"Utility, pleasures, and advantages attendant on the Study of History; illustrated by Bishop Burnet-Cicero-Dionysius.-Study of History favorable to freedom-to the attainment of practical experienceto a just dependence on a superintending providence-Sources of History; oral tradition-poetry-public festivals-erection of pillars-monumental inscriptions-existing laws-records of courts of Justicearchives of the state-public treaties-manifestocs-negociations-progress of statistical science-family history."

The following chapter, on Ancient History, is chiefly confined to some reflections on the nature of the first Histories, and the importance of ancient history, with the utility of general histories and compendiums ;-and to a brief account of the works of some of the most noted writers on ancient history. In the course of this chapter, the authors have drawn a very judicious and distinct outline of the character of a good historian; which deserves the attention of those who read, as well as of those who write his ory; as the work can only be duly appreciated by being brought to the test of those rules which either have, or ought to have, guided the hand of the artist in its execution. The subsequent Chapter "On Modern History," which is contained in about 23 pages, is almost wholly occupied in appreciating the merits of several of the principal works on that subject. Many of these observations shew extensive knowledge, and are well calculated to assist the student in his historical researches.

Then come three chapters on Geography. The first describes the rise and progress of the science; the second contains a few of the principal definitions, and very brief sketches of the chief divisions of the globe; while the third gives a concise sketch of ancient geography with notices of several works which are essential in a course of geographical study. On this subject, however, the authors have displayed much less knowledge than on that of history. In tracing the rise and progress of geography, they observe that they shall borrow freely from a work by Dr. John Blair, published in 1784;" and they might have added with equal truth, from one published in 1812, by "Thomas Myers, A. M. of the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich," (which we noticed in our first and second Nunibers ;) as nearly the latter half of this history, appears to be little else than a selection of passages from Mr. Myers's work, with the alteration of a few words in some places; and this alteration has not always contributed either to accuracy or precision. These, however, are qualities without which historical composition loses its value. But as we have no disposition to blame either hastily or harshly, we shall extract a few examples. The authors of the work before us observe, "The discovery of the properties of the loadstone, and of its application, in the Mariner's compass, to directing ships across the ocean, gave an astonishing facility, &c." P. 308. Now, though we allow that the properties of the loadstone were the proper subject of a discovery, its application in the Mariner's Compass was not. Mr. Myers expresses the same thing more correctly when he says, "The discovery of the NO. V. Aug. Rev. VOL. I.

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loadstone and the invention of the Mariner's compass, early in the 14th century, gave a wonderful facility, &c." On the same page it is stated that "Cape de Verde and the islands opposite to it were known, and explored in the year 1446, and farther discoveries were likewise made in the Azores about the same time." This, as meant to imply the discovery of the Cape and its opposite islands, is certainly destitute of precision. The expression were known" does not at all fix the time of the discovery. Nor do we think that the word "explored" is used with greater propriety; for though they were discovered in the year 1446, we know of no work that gives any circumstantial evidence of their having been explored at that period; and therefore we conceive the sentence in which Mr. Myers expresses the same fact, and from which this was evidently taken, to be more correct. "Cape de Verde and its opposite islands were disclosed in 1446; and farther discoveries were likewise made in the Azores about the same time." "Opened a commercial intercourse with Russia at Archangel," is changed into "Opened a commercial intercourse with Russia and Archangel;" as though Russia and Archangel were distinct countries, and not the one a port in the other. In, "he attempted to winter at Arzina, in Lapland," the precision is destroyed by writing it," he attempted to winter in Lapland." "The group styled Solomon's islands" is changed into "Solomon's island;" and "the Falkland islands near the Southern extremity of America," are made "the Falkland islands, at the Southern extremity of America," an expression which cannot, under any license, be applied in the present case where the distance between these islands and the nearest point of the American continent is at least 75 leagues, or 225 Geographical miles. These instances all occur on page 314, and are suffi cient to shew that the matter has not gained either in accuracy or precision by the slight alterations it has undergone in the transcription. We shall not search for other instances of this kind, but only observe, that we have heard of a race-horse starting; but we do not recollect ever to have seen that expres sion applied to a ship, except at page 312 of the present work, where it is observed, that the ship in which Magellan sailed from Spain, "returned to Seville, the port from whence it started."

The circumstance of several pages having been transcribed so early verbatim from the work above referred to, without any acknowledgment, is not quite consistent with the following de claration, near the close of the advertisement, and to which in most instances we believe the authors have strictly adhered;

"In every case, it is believed, full and constant references are given, and due acknowledgments are made for the advantages which they have derived, and which they wish their readers to derive from this line of conduct." We do not, however, blame them for availing themselves of this history, because we think they could not have done better, provided they had copied it accurately, and made the proper acknowledgments to its author, Before we quit this part of the Systematic Education, our duty requires us to notice a few essential omissions. Passing those of a more ancient date and inferior consequence, we shall merely specify the improvement resulting to geography from the correction of Ptolemy's latitudes-the discovery of refraction-the induction of the telescope, and observations of Jupiter's satellites the institution of learned Societies-and, what is of still greater importance than any of these, the ancient and modern attempts that have been made, by Mathematicians and Astronomers, to measure the earth. These are wanting to complete the outline of the history of this interesting science.

Another circumstance which should be most scrupulously attended to by all authors of "Elementary Instruction," is the accuracy of their definitions. Here, however, the present authors have not been altogether successful; they have failed in the very first" Geography is a description of the terrestrial globe." Now this includes both geology and mineralogy, which are distinct sciences. The proper definition is a description of the surface of the terrestrial globe. It is also said, page 317, that "Longitude is the distance of any place from a given spot, generally the capital of a country, measured east or west from that capital." This evidently does not evince that precision which is the characteristic of a good definition: the correct one is, Longitude is the distance of any place from some particular meridian, and is measured eastward or westward from that meridian, according to the situation of the place. But the greatest fault in this part of the work is its brevity; and our readers will not be induced to expect much information, when they know that the space allowed to Europe is a little more than one page. It also appears somewhat singular, that the only enumeration of provinces and their population should be that of the American States-as if, forsooth, they were every thing-our own more dignified and more respected country nothing!

One passage more we cannot pass unnoticed. "Below Guinea are the Portuguese settlements of Congo, Loango, and Angola. The southern point of Africa is called the Cape of Good Hope. Here is Caffraria, the country of the Hottentots." p. 324. The three places mentioned in the first sentence of this extract, instead