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GREAT BRITAIN.

Two volumes of the correspondence of Henry Martyn, not before published, are in the press in London under the editorial charge of the Rev. S. Wilberforce, a son of William Wilberforce. We have some fears lest this shall prove to be an ill-considered project, not destined to add to the precious memory of Martyn. We hope we may be disappointed.-Professor Whewell has in preparation a History of the Inductive Sciences.-Rev. J. A. James is preparing a work, entitled, the Christian Professor.-Prof. Babbage has a work on Natural Theology in press which he calls the Ninth Bridgewater Treatise. The third volume of Turner's Sacred History of the world is nearly ready.

Great interest is felt in England in the study of the Anglo-Saxon tongue. Thorpe, the learned translator of Rask's Anglo-Saxon grammar, has lately published, or is now preparing, the following works Caedmon, The Analecta, and The Exeter Book. He is preparing the invaluable monuments from Vercelli, Brussels, etc. John M. Kemble Esq. has published two editions, the last an English translation, of the poems of Beowulf, with a copious Glossary, Preface, and philological notes.-Also the interesting poem of Salomon and Saturn with a learned dissertation. The same gentleman has now in press, a Saxon Mythology, and a Saxon Dictionary. The Layamon is nearly ready,-to be edited by Sir F. Madden.

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The following translations from the German are in press in London. "Historical Antiquities of Greece, considered with reference to their political institutions, from the German of W. Wachsmuth, professor of history in the university of Leipsic ;""Dr. Henry Ritter's History of ancient Philosophy;" "K. O. Müller's Manual of the Archaeology of ancient art;" "Matthiae's Manual of the History of Greek and Roman literature," "History of Carthage by Böttiger, with a map ;" "History of Roman Literature by prof. Baehr of Heidelberg." Two editions of Robinson's Greek and English Lexicon are in the press,-one at Edinburgh, superintended by Alexander Negris; the other at London, with a careful revision, occasional additions, and a preface by Dr. Bloomfield. The 11th and 17th volumes of the Biblical Cabinet contain a part of Rosenmüller's Biblical Geography; the 13th and 14th, Steiger on St. Peter; the 15th, Lücke on John; the 16th, Umbreit on Job.

At a late meeting of the London Geological Society, Mr. Roy, who has been employed in extensive surveys in the Lake district of North America, made some interesting statements. On drawing out sections for professional purposes, he found that the country everywhere exhibited successive ridges which encircled the lakes; and upon comparing sections to the north of lake Ontario with others to

the south, that the ridges exactly correspond in elevation. The highest of these ridges is 996 feet above the level of the sea, or 762 above lake Ontario; and connecting this elevation with the physical features of the great valley of the Mississippi and Missouri, Mr. Roy supposes that the whole of the area, bounded on the west by the Rocky Mountains, from the table land of Mexico to the parallel of 47 north lat., on the north by the barriers separating the head waters of the lakes from those of the northern rivers, and extending to Cape Tourmante below Quebec, and on the east by the hills stretching through the United States, to the gulf of Mexico, formed one inland sea of 960,000 square miles.

Mr. Hallam has published the first volume of his Introduction to the Literature of Europe, in the fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth centuries. He commences with an introductory chapter, containing an account of the first dawn of letters in Europe, after the extinction of classical Latinity in Boethius. Mr. H. in this volume, as well as in his previous writings, seems to be willing enough to undervalue the principal reformers. He thus speaks of Luther: "The intemperance of his Latin works, their coarseness, their inelegance, their scurrility, their wild paradoxes, that menace the foundations of religious morality, are not compensated, so far at least as my slight acquaintance with them extends, by much strength or acuteness, and still less by any impressive eloquence." But why pronounce a judgment so severe on the ground of only a slight acquaintance? With our slight acquaintance with those writings, we have found many passages of impressive eloquence. Mr. Hallam passes over without much notice the great literary work of Luther, his transla tion of the Bible, which almost created the German language.

Dr. M'Caul, of Trinity College, Dublin, has published a valuable translation of Rabbi David Kimchi's Commentary on Zechariah, with notes, and observations relating to the Messiah. Should this specimen of Rabbinic commentary be approved, it will be followed by Sadiah Gaon's Commentary on Daniel.

Those of our readers who have been edified with the Private Thoughts of Thomas Adam, will be glad to learn that his Exposition of the Four Gospels has just been published, with a new and enlarged memoir of the author, by the Rev. A. Westoby.

GERMAN Y.

The fourth volume of Olshausen's Commentary is published.-Dr. Lassen of Bonn thinks that he has completely deciphered the inscriptions in the arrow-headed character, copied by Niebuhr and other travellers from the ruins of Persepolis, and of which he has framed an entire alphabet. The discovery seems to be confirmed both by the similarity of the inscriptions themselves in style and

expression to those still extant of other nations and by their approximation to what we possess of Persian.-F. Wagenfeld announces a translation into Latin of his recently discovered Greek MSS. of Sanchoniatho's Phoenician History. Grotefend has added the sanction of his great name to the genuineness of the production. Notwithstanding, a writer in the last Foreign Quarterly calls it in question.-Tholuck's Credibility of the Gospel History, with critical remarks on Strauss's Life of Christ, has appeared, and is to be translated in England.

AUSTRIA.

The law of 1821 directs that no village in the hereditary dominions shall be without an elementary school; that no male shall enter into the marriage relation who is unable to read, write, and understand casting up accounts: that no master of any trade can, without paying a heavy penalty, employ workmen who are not able to read and write; and that small books of good moral tendency shall be published and distributed at the lowest possible prices. Exclud ing Hungary and Transylvania, the population of Austria is 22,500, 000. There are 25,121 national, elementary schools, divided into first and second classes of primary schools, with 10,280 ecclesiastical and 22,082 lay teachers. In these schools, 2,313,420 children are instructed in reading, writing, and accounts, that is, more than one in ten of the whole population. Exclusive of nine universities (including Pesth), there are 23 Catholic lyceums, 1 Illyrian lyceum, 4 Lutheran lyceums and colleges, 7 Reformed colleges, 1 Unitarian college, 20 Catholic theological colleges, 1 Protestant theological college, 230 preparatory gymnasiums, besides special common schools in the classes of primary, secondary and practical schools. Also burgher schools, the military and forest institutes, veterinary schools, blind, deaf and dumb institutes at Vienna, Prague, Linz, Waitzen, schools of hydrography, trade, polytechnic institutes at Vienna, Prague, etc., an optical museum, 14 normal high schools, 57 special schools for females, a number of scientific institutions at Vienna, Pesth, Prague, Milan, etc. In Lower Austria and LombardoVenetia 1 person in 8 is receiving instruction.

NORTHERN AFRICA AND ARABIA.

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Professor Von Schubert, two physicians and a painter, are travelling in Arabia.-William Schimper, a travelling naturalist, has returned to Caïro with rich botanical and zoological collections. is preparing for a journey into Abyssinia.-The Prussian baron Von Katt has left Mocha for Abyssinia. His intention is to penetrate into VOL. X. No. 27.

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the interior of Africa, and if possible reach the coast of Guinea.— Mr. Wolff is still endeavoring to penetrate into the interior of Africa in order to reach Guinea. If frustrated, he intends to pass along the eastern coast to the Cape of Good Hope.-Lieutenant Wellsted has lately made an accurate survey of the Arabian district of Omaun lying on the Persian Gulf and the Indian ocean. It has been hitherto but little known.

CENTRAL ASIA.

We have seen a letter from an English gentleman at Bagdad, dated in the latter part of January, 1837. From it we learn that Col. Chesney had proceeded to Bombay to induce the friends of the Euphrates steam navigation to construct several boats of different sizes, adapted to the depth of water in different parts of the river. Col. C. is yet sanguine in respect to the final success of the enter prise. The English gentlemen are prosecuting their researches in that interesting country in all directions. An exceedingly minute and accurate survey of the ruins of Babylon has just been made. One party had surveyed the Tigris and the rivers which fall into it between Bagdad and Mosul; another were proceeding across the Syrian desert to Aleppo; while a third were preparing for a tour to Kurdistan, to the Chaldean churches, and to the sources of the Euphrates and Tigris. Col. Taylor, the British resident, is a gentleman every way qualified to do honor to science and to the English name. It is apprehended that the British influence is on the wane in Persia, while that of the Russians is augmenting. The expedition of the Persian king against the rebellious province of Herat is likely to fail in consequence of the immense number of soldiers collected, no provision having been made for their subsistence.

JAPAN.

We have translated the following from a volume of the Supplement to the German Conversations Lexicon.

Philip Francis von Siebold, directing health-officer in the Dutch East India Possessions, and at present on an indefinite furlough in Holland, the son of professor John George Christopher von Siebold, was born on the 17th of Feb., 1796, at Würtsburg. After the death of his father, he came to the house of his uncle, by whom he was carefully educated, till 1809, when he entered the gymnasium at Würtsburg. In 1815, he joined the university in that place, where he occupied himself with the study of medicine, natural history, geography, etc.-his favorite pursuits. Döllinger, the friend of his father, received him to his house, in 1817. Siebold now employed

himself with comparative anatomy and botany, and in arranging Döllinger's zoötomical collection. By means of intercourse with C. G. N. van Esenbeck, d'Alton, Pander, Cretschmar, Gärtner, Meyer, Sömmering and other well-known naturalists, with whom he became acquainted at Döllinger's house, and after his abode there, his predilection for natural history was cherished, and a desire awakened to investigate countries out of Europe. He had, in 1830, obtained the degree of doctor of medicine; and had even entered into a design with professor Cretschmar, of visiting Brazil at the expense of the Senkenberg society, when another enterprise opened before him. Haarbauer, at that time inspector-general of the health-system in the Netherlands, a scholar and intimate friend of Siebold's father, found a fine opportunity of proving his early friendship. Through his means, Siebold was named a health-officer of the first class.

In July, 1822, he visited the Netherlands. With Haarbauer, with the colonial minister, and with other influential persons, Siebold found a very favorable reception. They used their exertions with the Indian government in forwarding his wishes in regard to his investigation in natural history in the colonies. In Sept. 1822, he sailed for Batavia, where he arrived in Feb. 1823. He was then appointed chief surgeon in the fifth regiment of artillery at the head-quarters. Very soon after his arrival, Siebold was taken dangerously sick. After his recovery, he obtained permission from the governor-general, baron van der Capellen, to avail himself of his country seat at Buitenzorg, in a healthful climate on the high lands of Java. Here Siebold engaged actively in his plans for extended investigation, when a situation presented itself by an order of the new directors of the Dutch commerce to Japan. For this post, as ambassador to the royal court, colonel de Stürler, an accomplished statesman, was named. By sending him, the Dutch Indian government sought for an extension of commerce, as well as for an increase of knowledge of Japan. Siebold was attached to the new embassy as physician and naturalist. On the 28th of June, 1823, the company got under sail, and on the 12th of August reached the roads of Nagasaki. In the limited range in which the Dutch found themselves, in their factory at Dezima, Siebold began his investigations in the field of natural history. His office as physician and naturalist procured him much more freedom, and surrounded by learned Japanese, even by some of the emperor's own physicians, he frequently visited the city Nagasaki, and its environs, while he fitted out his Japanese scholars to make collections of objects in natural history, in the interior of Japan. In 1826, the embassy undertook a journey to the royal court at Jeddo, and Siebold sought to make himself more fully acquainted with the natural productions, language, customs and usages. He also had the design of obtaining permission to remain some years at

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