to find all the resources in his own mind and in his Bible, which Dwight found in the whole circle of society, and a universal library. We have not forgotten in the enumeration President Livingston, of Queen's College, in New-Jersey. Take him for all in all, we think he is one of the most dignified, graceful, energetic, powerful, and persuasive speakers we ever beheld in a pulpit. Mr. Kollock's sermons we have not had an opportunity of reading; neither have we heard him preach since he was Professor of Divinity at Princeton College. Then, in spite of his monotony, he could arrest, and move, and melt an audience. We are not ignorant that Bishop Hobart of New-York, Bishop Moore, and the Rev. John H. Rice of Virginia, the Rev. Dr. Flin, of Charleston, South-Carolina, and the Rev. Dr. Inglis, with Mr. Glendy, and Mr. Duncan of Baltimore, are among the most celebrated pulpit orators of the United States; but we have not enough of their sermons in our possession, to form a comparative estimate of their respective merits.

Of the sermons, that have been the immediate occasion of this article, we shall treat but briefly. We will not say that Mr. Buckminster's are the best sermons of American manufacture; but they are certainly some of the best specimens of fine writing, which we have found among all the divines of our day. In general, he uses texts merely as mottos; a practice which we believe to be a violation of one of the first laws of scriptural sermonizing. With his system of doctrine, we shall not attempt to interfere. Suffice it to say, he is consistent with himself. He aims, principally, at convincing those who may doubt of the truth of the historical facts contained in the New-Testament; and at making accurate discriminations, between the christian virtues, and those vices which attempt to counterfeit them. He accomplishes too his aim. His sermon, entitled The Influence of the Gospel on the Character and Condition of the Female Sex, is, we think, as fine a history of woman, and, at the same time, as elegant an encomium on her, as any man of taste and feeling might ever wish to peruse. The Memoir of the life and character of this accomplished youth, is interesting;-no part of it more so than the letter from Buckminster's sister, in which she describes his conduct in the state of childhood.

We have found only two or three verbal inaccuracies in his volume (in the words betray, which should be betrays, p. 335, and imperfect, which should be perfect, p. 356); and it would excuse at least fifty, that the publication is posthumous. In accuracy and elegance of diction, we wish all our

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preachers would imitate Mr. Buckminster. One example of his beautiful style, and taste in selection of figures must be given; even though we had purposed to give no extracts in this article. In speaking of the Supreme object of regard, he says,

It is objected, then, that a Being so far removed beyond the limits of human conception, can hardly be the object of confidence and love. We can fear infinite power, we can be astonished at unsearchable wisdom, we can be awed by inapproachable purity, joined by inconceivable grandeur; but to love a Being, who has nothing in common with mortality, nothing visible, tangible, or audible about him, is not within the ordinary exercise of man's affections. Yet it appears to me, that this single circumstance, that God is not the object of any one of our senses, is abundantly compensated by the consideration, that he is never absent from us; that he compasseth continually our path and our lying down, and that we cannot remove a step from the sphere of his presence; that every sigh, which escapes us, reaches his ear, and not an affectionate movement springs up in our hearts, to which he is not intuitively attentive. The faintest glow of grati- tude, which lights up the countenance, shines before his eyes; and the least cloud of godly sorrow, which passes over the brow, sends its shade to the throne of God, encompassed as it is with "undiminished brightness." p. 247.

The sermons of Dr. Romeyn and Mr. M'Leod are not so accurate and elegant as those of Mr. Buckminster; but they are more argumentative and elaborate. We might say, an

tithetically, that his structures are of modern architecture;-theirs resemble the ancient castles of private gentlemen, which were armed at all points. He has more beauty in his works; they, more strength. Dr. Romeyn's discourses are more easy and descriptive than those of Mr. M'Leod: but, in precision, argument, and energy, the latter bears away the palm from both of the former divines. Dr. Romeyn is bold and pungent; or, to borrow an expression from one of his most respectable hearers, he is such a little archer as gives a sinner no chance to dodge.' Now and then these NewYork gentlemen misplace shall and will, or give us a Dutch or Scotch peculiarity; little faults with which Messrs. Buckminster, Ely, and those who have never heard any brogue in their childhood, are not chargeable. A few of Dr. Romeyn's sentences would justify severe animadversions, had we time and space for them; and it would be no difficult matter to show, that, excellent as Mr. M'Leod is in metaphysics, he does not always maintain that precision of language, which is desirable, and which alone can prevent the slang of shal

low declaimers, who think it a refutation of every course of ratiocination to call it 'metaphysical jargon.' Dr. Romeyn endeavours to convince and persuade his readers, by appealing to the inspired oracles, to history, and to common observation of matters of fact: while Mr. M'Leod, in addition to these resources, teaches his readers to think for themselves, and philosophically account for their opinions. Romeyn makes long quotations, M'Leod short ones, and Buckminster none at all-except from Dr. Paley. He introduces much scriptural language by way of accommodation, and frequently in the language of some modern translations; but the other writers adhere to the old fashion of giving you the chapters, verses, and words.

The style of Mr. Ely's pulpit oratory is different from all the others; and is, we believe, peculiar to himself. It is almost entirely didactic. Even the appeals to the heart are rather doctrinal, than passionate. He attempts and succeeds in great accuracy of language, and niceness of metaphysical distinction. His aim, doubtless a good one, is to reduce the theological vocabulary to something like the precision, which is now the exclusive boast of the mathematical science. Owing to the numerous associations and nice shades of thought, which we have in moral and religious subjects, it is perhaps impossible to give that perfect accuracy to our language, in those departments, which it is so desirable to consummate. Mr. Ely's divisions are numerous, though generally happy; and his mode of exhibiting truth is perspicuous in a high degree. All this is commendable; but the extraordinary accuracy, at which he aims, seems to be inconsistent with great boldness and energy of manner. Though his auditors are not hurried away by a resistless torrent of eloquence, however, nor experience strong excitements of the passions, they have their stock of knowledge increased, and their understandings enlightened;-the most solid and permanent advantages, which can be derived from any species of public speaking. This is the more to be commended, as nearly all our public speakers in America,-lawyers, legislators, and preachers--are too wordy'-too much inclined to pour out a torrent of words without any other effect, and often without any other apparent design, than that of making a speech. Of all these reverend gentlemen we would say, they resemble the British more than the French divines. At the same time that we approve of this, we would like to see a little more of the French vivacity, and fire of imagination, infused into the pulpit exhibitions of our country. While

we would be sorry that Massilon should be taken as a model, we would wish some of his eloquence, and some of Saurin's splendour, along with the solidity of Tillotson. The style and manner of all the gentlemen we have been speaking of, show that, if we are yet behind the European scholars in literature, we are yet following close after them, and give every ground to hope, that we shall ere long overtake them. Indeed we have sermons in some of these collections, equal, in our opinion, to any thing, in their way, ever produced, either in France or in Britain.

ART. IV.-Travels in Brazil. By Henry Koster. With a Map and Plan, and eight coloured Engravings. 4to. pp. 500. Longman & Co. London. 1816.-From the Eclectic Review,

THE

HE attention and interest now attracted, and which will be progressively more attracted, to the southern, and to what was till lately the Spanish part of the northern division of the American Continent, as the scenes of momentous changes in the state of the nations, and of wonderful phenomena in nature, will ensure a favourable reception to every authentic work which brings from those quarters any considerable share of new information. Within the last comparatively few years, a number of travellers have adventured, and have brought us their contributions; farther above all others, Humboldt, who has accomplished more, (aided indeed by a very able associate,) than it would be reasonable to expect from any future individual zealot for novelty and knowledge. When we reflect on the extent of the tracts surveyed by him; on their quality, with respect to the difficulty and toil of traversing them, and the diversity of their appearances, and on the various distinct classes of the traveller's observations and researches, it is truly wonderful to behold such an exemplification of what is practicable to a mind shut up in a frame of heavy matter, slow of movement, soon fatigued, and liable to innumerable maladies and mischiefs.

But inferior explorers may be confident of receiving their share of attention, even though they decline all greatness of enterprise, not venturing toward the central depths of the Continent, nor approaching the summits, nor even bases, of snowy mountains. Brazil, besides, is not as yet within the sweep of that grand political tempest which is at once ravaging, and clearing of foreign tyranny, so wide a portion of that western world. The author of this present volume went

there for the sake of health; and made his excursions, observations, and notes, without any thought of publication.

Some time after my return to England,' he says, I was encouraged to put together the information which I might be able to impart. The reader will be more disposed to excuse what defects he may find, when he is informed that I went out young, that I did not gather any knowledge of the country in a systematic manner with the idea of giving it to the public, and that the idiom of a foreign language is perhaps more familiar to me than that of my own. But among judicious readers the style of works of this description will be regarded as of little importance. I have had the advantage of Mr. Southey's advice and extensive library. I have to thank Dr. Traill for his aid in preparing the Appendix.'

He had a pleasant voyage, of thirty-five days, from Liverpool to Pernambuco, at the latter end of the year 1809; and he has shown good sense and a good example in telling this in a single sentence. He very properly gives a rather minute description of the singularly formed American port, accompanied with a neat plan, furnished, he says, by an English gentleman resident there, who is indefatigable in the search of whatever may contribute to the increase of knowledge.' It seems to be by something very like a caprice, that nature has left there any harbour at all. At Recife, (for that is the name of the town Pernambuco being properly the name of the captaincy,') the stranger instantly found himself in pleasant society, native and imported, and entered with vivacity into their convivialities. He took a cottage at a beautiful place where the better sort of people go to reside during the summer months, at a short distance in the country. The society he acknowledges was very frivolous, and not always very temperate. At many of the houses of the Portuguese, he found the card-tables occupied at nine o'clock in the morning; when one person rose another took his place;' and thus, excepting an interval for dinner, the battle would be gallantly fought the live-long day, against the old invading enemy Time. There were other auxiliary resources, music, dancing, playing at forfeits,' dinner parties, and rides to Recife. The habits, indeed, he remarks, were very much the same, at this place of summer adjournment, as at the English watering places. In the town, however, which consists of three compartments, and contains 25,000 inhabitants, the state of society is more reserved and ceremonious. The native Portuguese merchants, especially, maintain a style of stately retirement, in their mansions; into some of which, nevertheless, our author made his way; but he will not own that he is much the wiser for the privilege.