difficult. The chapter on parts of speech is one in which easy rules for using and regarding them logically might easily have been given. Essentially they are there; nor do we quarrel with the philosophy of the learned author: but in the first place he amplifies to an extent which often confuses what is simple: as for example-his explanation of substance and attribute exemplified by an orange. We also object to his terminology which is often far fetched and vague, expressing no very distinct idea to the scholar, and unintelligible to the child. Thus the terse canons which might be landmarks of language become pitfalls and puzzles. Here are examples"A word which can by itself form a tense is called categorematic." Just before we have been told, that category and its compounds are themselves terms, we are not therefore much the wiser by being informed that a word itself forming a term, is categorematic. "Hyper-categorematic words are verbs." The explanation is, that "they can form by themselves predicates and copulas at once!" Rather a complex mode of describing the little word "thinks" in the sentence "the woman thinks."

Altogether, the distinctions and refinements are carried to a pitch which spoils its usefulness, and the writer in some cases evinces a singular misconception of the established usages of language. Imagine his deliberately printing that "few will call hope, patience, health, &c., things." We undertake to say, that not a single writer but himself, would hesitate to do 80: Nothing more valuable than health, is a correct sentence, nor is it less so to say, that health is a valuable thing.

This book broaches a useful subject, but is spoiled by too much subtle learning, and is not practical and will scarcely be popular.

LITTLE BOOKS.

Bible Emblems, by David Stow. This, like all Mr. Stow's books, is both useful and instructive, and calculated to lead children to reflect on what they read and learn, and not simply to go on in the old track of learning without thinking. We quite agree with Mr. Stowe that "the time spent by many Sabbath School teachers in delivering addresses would be more profitably spent in questioning, or otherwise teaching and training the children." Mr. Stowe first gives a text, then the natural picture derived from part of the text, which is followed by the lesson deduced from both text and natural picture. The book concludes with notes on practical examples of bible training. It will be a valuable addition to the library of all school teachers. Reading without Tears. This is not quite so easily effected as the title would lead one to suppose: e. g. in the illustrated alphabet at the beginning we read "A has an acorn,' "B has a butterfly," "C has a cow," "E has a dog," &c. &c. Thus, young beginners will naturally think whenever they see A, that the word that follows it must necessarily be acorn, В a butterfly, and so on. The type and execution are good. We quite agree with many of the ideas expressed in the preface, especially in not beginning to teach children to read and study too early in life. How frequently the health, happiness, and future prospects of children have been blighted by the selfish ambition of weak-minded parents, who, regardless of their children's health, have begun the drudgery of school life at four years of age, and thus overtaxed the brain and disgusted the child. Moral training can not be begun too early, but reading, writing, and arithmetic had better be delayed till the child feels a desire to learn, and some shame at ignorance. The tales are true, and prettily told.Try: a book for boys, by "Old Jonathan." Who "Old Jonathan" is we do not know, but we do know that his motto is a very good one and his tales very well told and his advice sound. We would recommend it to all young boys. Mr. Gompertz contributes the second and improved edition of his thoroughly practical and ingenious little book on Mechanical Inventions. It is a useful manual of valuable machines, of various kinds. The phraseology of the book is, however, defective, and many of the descriptions require to be more plainly stated.- Mr. Wad

dingham presents us with a Geometrical Treatise on Conic Sections. It is an attempt to apply Algebraic symbols with Geometrical definitions to this subject in a manner which, we think, perplexes rather than elucidates it. The work is too terse to be useful: and the difficulties of dealing with the ultimate equalties of vanishing quantities are nowise abated.

SUPERFICIAL KNOWLEDGE DANGEROUS WHEN MADE THE GROUND OF ACTION. A Smattering of knowledge becomes dangerous only when it is made the ground of action; so long as it remains in the speculative or sublimated condition it is altogether innocuous. There can be no reason whatsoever, for instance, for witholding from the English gentleman who finds that he cannot pass muster in society unless he be supposed to possess a competent knowledge of everything, that modicum of science which he can collect from reviews or lectures and coin into small talk. Still less should we desire to place any obstacle in the way of those, whether they be men of labour, of business, or of leisure, who, in the pursuit of relaxation or amusement, pass an idle hour from time to time in sauntering along the royal road to learning. It is only when smatterers, relying on their own infallibility, or the gullibility of others, proceed to turn their presumed knowledge to account in practice, that it becomes necessary that we should put ourselves on our guard against them. How often, for example, has it happened to myself in my younger days to receive from aged and anxious friends of the gentler sex, affectionate warnings, couched in language such as this "Remember the fate of Mr. A.; a most valuable succession fell to him -a banker's account overflowing—an estate replete with treasure above and below ground. But-infatuated man!-by way of bettering his fortunes, he betook himself to geology-and from that evil hour he has gone on from one folly to another till you behold him what he is—a beggar!"—or "Only think what a millionaire Mr. B. would have been if he had never heard that detestable word mechanics!". -or again, "Observe Mr. C.'s emaciated form -he inherited from his parents, on both sides of the house, an iron frame and a vigorous constitution, and see what physiology has brought him to!" And my kind friends, concluded by saying, "If you have an attachment for science which you cannot restrain, stick to astronomy, for the stars will at any rate take care of themselves, and they will neither hurt you nor allow themselves to be injured by you.' I remember meeting, some years ago, in a life of Watt which I was then reading, with a statement to the effect that, on looking over specifications for patents which had turned out to be failures, entailing on the projectors heartbreaking and ruin, that great man found many which were the embodiment of ideas that had suggested themselves to his own mind, and which, after exposing them to the test of severe examination and analysis to which he subjected the offspring of his brain, he had rejected. Does not this incident illustrate in a very striking manner the respective fate of the profound man and the smatterer when they are brought together to wrestle on the field of action?-Lord Elgin.

ཚགས་

Intelligence.

EDUCATIONAL MUSEUM.-The Committee of Council on Education intend to establish a Museum at South Kensington in which will be placed the objects exhibited at St. Martin's Hall in 1854, and presented to the Society of Arts. It will also embrace all important Books, Diagrams, Plans of School Buildings, and Apparatus, anywise applicable to Education, grouped under eleven heads. The Museum will be open to the public on three days weekly, and on other days to students.

EDUCATION BILL.-Sir John Pakington has had another meeting with the Manchester committee, who have agreed to certain resolutions as the basis of a Bill which they have requested Sir John Pakington and Mr. Cobden (queer alliance) to "bring in." So far from surmounting the religious difficulty,' the committee runs foul of it; and leaves religious instruction in the Scriptures to be given to the whole children, exempting dissentients only from attendance when catechisms or sectarian formularies are taught. Now distinctive doctrinal teaching occurs just as much in Bible lessons as in catechism lessons. This compromise, therefore, will probably satisfy neither party, and offend both. Mr. Milner Gibson, we hear, declines to be a party to it. It is much to be desired that experimental devices for the unnecessary achievement of impossible junctions should be abandoned. Why not let each body educate its own children in its own way?

EASTERN LANGUAGES.-It has come to light that letters and dispatches written in Eastern tongues cannot be read in England, and that we need schools for the purpose, such as there are at St. Petersburg and Paris; and an effort will be made to establish some.

DR. JAHN.-We regret to announce the death of this distinguished German astronomer at Leipsig.

BOSWELL'S LETTERS.-Some sensation has been excited by the discovery some years ago of some old letters, purporting to be James Boswell's, sold as waste paper at the shop of Madame Noel, a grocer and wine merchant, at Boulogne: and the Leader casts doubts on their genuineness: we think with little reason. We perfectly recollect Madame Noel's shop twenty-eight years ago. She had been celebrated in her youth for extreme beauty; and had acted in the processions during the reign of Terror as the impersonation of the "Goddess of Reason." There was some time after Reverend Mr. Temple living at Boulogne, who was, we think, from Devon, and from whom it is not improbable that these letters (originally addressed to a Mr. Temple, of Devon) came. They bear internal evidence of authenticity. They are full of the silly gossiping twaddle that Johnson's toady would be likely to have written. Besides, who would be at the pains of forging imitations of his productions. The same talent for forging might be turned to better account.

Questions and Answers.

EXAMINATION PAPERS.-We very much desire to be able to get regularly a full set of at least all those papers on the chief branches of knowledge. They are now sought for more and more, and we cannot properly instruct our Pupil Teachers or ourselves without them.-T. D. A Country Schoolmaster.

Answer. We have determined to give them ourselves. We had long scrupled to do so for reasons which have been a good deal removed by the improved character of the Papers themselves. We are now satisfied that they will be generally useful to our readers. We shall continue them in our next number and exhaust all those which are the best worth recording, in three successive numbers of the Journal, viz. for March, April, and May.

ORRERY.-Where is the Orrery which you noticed to be had? Q. Q. Q. Answer.-At the National Society's Depôt, Sanctuary, Westminster. REFORMATORIES.-I and other gentlemen are desirous of starting a Reformatory in a Northern County, to whom can I apply for aid and information? J. P.

Answer.-Ask for the Minute of June 2nd, 1856, and for any other documents likely to be useful, of the Secretary of the Committee of Council. Put yourself also in communication with Mr. Browne, H. M. Inspector for the Northern District, and also apply to each of the Managers of the Northern Reformatories. VILLAGE SCHOOL BOOK.-Which is the best for Class Lessons, and the cheapest?

Answer.-Mr. Martin Doyle's, price 6d., published by Messrs. Groombridge. HOT AIR AND WATER PIPES.-Are not these less expensive than fires?

Answer. No doubt they are. So it would be to have no roof to the School Room. They harbour dead vermin in summer, and bake and boil them in winter; giving out very deficient heat and abundance of effluvia. They are both cheap and nasty and never yet satisfied any one who has a moderate notion of what comfort means, or how essential comfort is to the welfare of a school.

TO CORRESPONDENTS.

EXIT. We have read your letter twice without discovering on which side you intend to argue. This is really not useful for instruction.

THE MOON QUESTION.-Mr. Steel's letter is unavoidably postponed. We shall not admit more than one writer on each side. We are aware that the question is now seriously engaging the attention of our highest Mathematicians, who are, in a proper spirit, considering how far their technical mode of treating revolving motions answers the legitimate ends of scientific teaching, however convenient to the initiated few as a mode of expression. It is quite admitted that it is unintelligible to common understandings, and has misled multitudes. This being to our own knowledge the present state of the matter, we do not think we could properly exclude a subject so interesting to the higher branches of education from our columns. At the same time it must be compressed within very moderate limits.

Mr. Steel, of Southampton, espouses the rotation theory. We do not yet know who his antagonist will be. Each shall have two papers inserted, and any suggestions or arguments for either may be handed to us for them, if sent before the 10th of each month.

S.G.-On Decimal Coinage next month.

-Some Book Notices are crowded out by Advertisements.

THE DECIMAL COINAGE QUESTION.

instead of reckoning our pence by dozens, which we call shillings, and these again by scores, which we designate pounds, we happened to count up our pence by scores and the scores by dozens, a coin of twenty-pence would be substituted for the shilling in our accounts, and it would simply require the further coinage of the fifth of a penny to furnish us with a perfect decimal system based on a unit of twenty pence in value.

Such is exactly the principle on which our neighbours the French and the Dutch have decimalised their coinage; the former having already possessed a franc of twenty sous, merely introduced the fifth of a sou, and the Dutch having had a florin of twenty stivers in circulation, coined the fifth of a stiver, and thus the coinage of each country became decimalised without the slightest loss or difficulty to the community.

Now we in this country are very slow in apprehending a principle, and in consequence most of our improvements are effected in a clumsy and roundabout manner, and very frequently not until a host of serious blunders have been committed in the way of experiment. Perhaps this may in some measure be accounted for by the fact that suggestions with a view to the public benefit commonly depend for their adoption in high quarters, more on the rank and position of their originators, than on their intrinsic merits. There is no small reason to fear that even the selection of a plan out of the many which have been proposed for decimalising our coinage will not prove an exception to this rule. Some of our leading philosophers and large capitalists having committed themselves to the advocacy of the pound sterling as the foundation of a decimal system, (to which also a parliamentary committee has given its support, after, however, only summoning such witnesses as were favourable to that particular proposal,) affect as much as possible to ignore the existence of other plans, and do all in their power to keep them from public notice.

Nevertheless the truth must not be concealed, that by making the pound the basis, and dividing it into a thousand parts or "mills," the result to the mass of the community would be extremely injurious, as it would abolish the market standard of value, the penny, which then could only be represented in accounts by the interminable decimal .00416.' Some of the mischievous consequences of this were pointed out some time ago, by the writer of this article, in a published letter to Robertson Gladstone, Esq. president of the Liverpool Financial Reform Association. The following is an extract:

Not to dwell at present upon the intolerable inconvenience, at the outset, of abolishing our market standard of value-the penny-and compelling us to purchase our meat, cheese, sugar, and other articles of every-day consumption at the excessively awkward rate of, say, 29 mils or 34 mils a lb., instead of 7d. or Sd., I will proceed to the subject of re-adjustment of prices by retail dealers, being one which has by no means received a tithe of the consideration due to its importance.

VOL. XI. NO. 123, N.s.

M