grees of kindred, and of the most ordinary natural objects, in the Celtic dialects, and in the class of languages with which he compares them. The coincidences between the two classes are too numerous and striking to be the effect of accident. In the course of his argument, Dr. Prichard has made out a very strong affinity between the German and Slavonic tongues.

The society of Antiquaries has established a Saxon Committee, who will soon publish the Exeter Book, (under the editorship of Mr. Thorpe, the translator of Rask's Anglo-Saxon Grammar), and the first volume of the Layamon. It is possible that the works of Alfred and of Piers Plowman, may come out under the same auspices.

FRANCE.

It is stated in the "Ami de la Religion," that a new mission has been appointed to go to the South Seas, under the bishop of Ariopolis; and directed by missionaries from the diocese of Lyons. One of them has received special powers from the Propaganda. M. Pompalier has been created bishop in partibus of Maronea, and apostolic vicar for Polynesia and the western ocean. This prelate, who is only thirty-five years old, has just arrived at Lyons from Rome, and will be accompanied by four or five other missionaries.

The Society of History has published under the care of M. Champollion-Figeac, a beautiful volume, containing curious chronicles relating to the establishment of the Normans in Italy and Sicily. It has in preparation an edition of the works of Gregory of Tours.

In M. Guizot's Commission Historique, a separate committee was named in January, 1835, to superintend publications on the subjects of literature, philosophy, and the arts. The members are MM. Cousin, Vitet, Auguste Le Prévost, Pierre Mérimée, Victor Hugo, Ch. Lenormant, Albert Lenoir, and Didron. Cousin is about publishing a volume of the inedited works of Abelard; and is preparing some important inedited works of Roger Bacon. Champollion-Figeac is making a selection from the whole of the State documents contained in the Bibliothèque Royale. M. A. Thierry will edit a collection of the charters of towns and corporations from the 11th to the 15th centuries. The publications of the commission, relate to distant points of a wide extent of time, and to a great variety of subjects. The French government devote an annual grant of 120,000 francs to the purposes of the commission.

In the royal printing office at Paris, there are types of fifty-six oriental dialects, including modern and ancient characters, and sixteen of European nations, which do not make use of Roman letters. The whole of the presses of this establishment are capable of working 278,000 sheets in a day, or 9266 volumes of thirty sheets each.

A work has been commenced with the title of "Musée des Anti

quités Egyptiennes, on Recueil des Monumens Egyptiens, Architecture, Statuaire, Glyptique, et Peinture," with explanatory text by Lenormant, assistant keeper of the royal academy of medals. It will be completed in ten livraisons.

M. Brochant has recently presented to the academy of sciences a general geological map of France, with an explanatory memoir.

HOLLAND.

In the Dutch Reformed, or established church, the decisions of the synod of Dort, remain unrepealed, and in connection with the Hiedelberg catechism, constitute the acknowledged system of belief. The Presbyterian system of government, by representation, through the medium of church sessions, class directions, and the general synod, remains in full force. There is a paucity of lay-elders in this church. The Walloon, or French Reformed church differs principally, if not entirely, from the established church, by using the French language instead of the Dutch, and the Geneva catechism instead of the Hiedelberg. In 1688, they had sixty-two congregations; they have now about twenty. The evangelical Lutherans are under a Presbyterian representative government, according to a new constitution, sanctioned by the king in 1818. They have fifty-seven congregations, fifty-seven ministers, and 47,000 members. The principal congregation is at Amsterdam. It numbers 25,000 souls, under the charge of five ministers. A considerable portion has separated on account of the prevailing neological notions. The congregations at the Hague, and at Rotterdam, have about 3000 members each. The Mennonites, Baptists, or Anabaptists, as they are called, have, in general, no peculiar distinctive creed, but what refers to the subjects of baptism and to oaths. The Jansenist communion, or the church of Utrecht, refuse to subscribe to the condemnation of Jansenius by pope Alexander VII. They also refuse to acknowledge the bull unigenitus, because it condemns Catholic verities founded on the Bible. Another point of difference relates to the rites of the "church of Utrecht." In 1831, they had twenty-seven congregations, and 5000 souls, under the care of one archbishop, and two suffragans.

GERMAN Y.

Among the principal works lately published in Germany are Rückert on the epistles to the Corinthians; Tiedemann on human physiology; Grimm's edition of the Germania of Tacitus; Maurer's commentary on the Old Testament; Schultz on the life of the poet Sophocles; Salvador's history of the Mosaic institutions, and of the Jewish people, etc.

Mr. Kemble, the editor of the Anglo-Saxon poem of Beowolf, has

printed an interesting tract on the mythic genealogies of the west Saxon kings. A society has been formed in Bonn, under the direction of A. W. Von Schlegel, to erect a monument to the memory of Beethoven — A printer at Blandenberg has produced a Bible printed from iron stereotype plates — A general German biography has been commenced at Jena. It is to consist of twelve volumes.

The London Quarterly Review says of professor Tschirner's Fall of Heathenism, (Der Fall des Heidenthums), that there is no work, in which the genius of the conflicting systems, paganism and Christianity, is portrayed with a happier union of calm philosophy and zeal for the true religion. The first volume, and that apparently not having the last revisal from his hand, is all that has been published. Tschirner was a pupil of Schröck the German ecclesiastical historian, and the continuator of his great work. He has explained with great judgment and comprehensive knowledge of the philosophic writings of the period, the reaction of Christianity upon heathenism itself—in other words, the gradual refinement of paganism from an incoherent and multifarious polytheism, into a kind of theism, with an infinitely numerous, yet subordinate daemonology. M. Beugnot, a French writer, has published a prize essay on the same subject, taking up the history where it was left by Tschirner. Without the depth and comprehensiveness of the German, M. Beugnot has executed his task with very creditable judgment and learning.

ITALY.

Count Luigi Serristori of Florence is now publishing a statistical work on Italy, in numbers. The first and second, comprehend the Sardinian dominions and the island of Corsica, and the third and fourth, embrace the duchies of Parma and Lucca, Monaco, San Marino, and the kingdom of the two Sicilies. The other Italian States will follow.

RUSSIA.

During the last few months, five printing offices, a lithographic printing office, and five booksellers' shops have been established in Moscow.

In 1834, the returns to the synod give the births and deaths of members of the Greek church as follows:

Excess of births, 615,680. The rapid increase of the population must in a few years raise the number of inhabitants to 70,000,000.

There are fourteen military schools in Russia, including 4767 cadets. Three marine schools have 924 cadets. The army is 803,000 strong. The navy embraces fifty-four ships of the line, thirty-five frigates, and 1097 gun-boats, row-boats, etc.

WESTERN AFRICA.

The Wesleyan missionary society are attempting to effect the translation of the Bible, for the benefit of the Foulabs, and the surrounding tribes. In that part of the country watered by the Senegal and Gambia, and called by the French geographers Senegambia, are the Foulahs, Mandingoes, and Jalloofs. It is proposed to translate the Scriptures into the Foulah or Mandingo language, or into both. The Foulahs seem to have a different origin from the other negroes of Western Africa, and their language is, perhaps, radically different from that either of the Mandingo or Jalloof.

Mr. Wilson, American missionary at Cape Palmas, remarks, that the people of that settlement cannot go more than twenty miles in any direction, without meeting a language that they cannot understand. Within thirty-five miles of that place, along the winding beach, are three distinct dialects.

The gospels are printed in the Namaqua language. Luke and various catechisms and hymn-books are printed in Sichuan. Rev. J. Brownlie and the chief Tzatzoe are translating the Scriptures into the Caffre. The whole Bible in this tongue will be soon printed.

AUSTRALASIA.

The missionaries of the church missionary society among the natives in New South Wales are paying constant attention to the collecting of words, and analyzing them, forming a vocabulary, and arranging matter for a grammar. Various portions of the Scriptures are in the process of translation.

The population of the islands included under the name of New Zealand, is about 180,000; of which number nearly 45,000 have more or less of intercourse with the missionaries; 300 have been baptized into the christian faith. There are about 800 adults who have been taught to read. The New Testament has been translated into the New Zealand language directly from the Greek.

THE

AMERICAN

BIBLICAL REPOSITORY.

NO. XXVI.

APRIL, 1837.

ARTICLE I.

THE POWER OF SPIRITUAL JOY.

By the Rev. Thomas H. Skinner, D. D., New York.

EXPOUNDING the rule of duty to those who have violated it, tends in the first instance if they have ingenuous minds, to exercise them with sorrow, but that sorrow ends in joy. The children of the captivity, who by warrant from the king of Persia, returned to the land of their fathers, had for a long time been destitute of spiritual instruction, and almost as a matter of course had fallen into spiritual insensibility and unconcern. But they were somehow led to gather themselves together as one man to hear the word of God;* and Ezra the scribe, with certain Levites, his assistants, read in the book of the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused the people to understand the reading. The effect was—an illustrious instance of the heart-melting power of divine truth - a deep sense of sin in the entire assembly. All the people wept, when they heard the words of the law. An unusual spectacle in this hardhearted world! An immense concourse of men all in tears before God on account of their sins! Well might the ministers of religion hasten to fulfil the commission, Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. It is needful that sinful men should