NOTICES OF NEW BOOKS.

The Capital of the Tycoon. By Rutherford Alcock, K.C.B., H.M., Minister Plenipotentiary in Japan. Two Vols. London. Longman, Green, & Co.-Japan has been hitherto a land almost unknown to Europeans; for the future it is likely to become the centre of a great commerce, and our relations with it can scarcely fail to be important. It will present a field of deep interest to philanthropists and politicians, as well as to our merchants and manufacturers. Sir R. Alcock's work is therefore an important contribution to our current literature. It is nearly twenty years since he became acquainted with China; and after long experience acquired in the Celestial Empire, he resided three years at the Court of the Tycoon: the result of his observation is contained in these volumes. Few travels in these days contain so much new and interesting matter. It is strange to read of a whole nation of civilized barbarians, refined in some respects, degraded as the beasts of the field in others. Sir R. Alcock's volumes present us with a mass of information nowhere else to be found.

The Gospel in Madagascar, published by Seeley & Co., Fleet Street, contains the substance of four papers which appeared in our Magazine in the autumn of last year, and excited, we believe, a very considerable degree of attention. The story is enlarged, and its wonderful details, how the Gospel triumphed, as in the early days of the Church, amidst a great fight of afflictions, without an ordained ministry, and in the face of persecutions, death, and martyrdoms such as have seldom had their parallel, are here related. The work was begun by The London Missionary Society, and, much as we prefer episcopacy to the independent form of Church government, we take no interest whatever in the plan now on foot, to invade Madagascar with a bishop, and his retinue of high-church principles. It is said that Bishop Ryan, of the Mauritius, laid the train for this by the visit he paid to the young king at his coronation. We believe that Bishop Ryan is too honest and too good a man to have made himself a party to any such intrigue. If the time should come when King Radama, following the example of the sovereign of Tahiti, shall express his preference for episcopacy, we shall be glad to send him over such an one as the Bishop of Mauritius. We dare not hinder a work which God has so eminently blessed, and we forbode no good of the scheme. The Church Missionary Society is sending out two missionaries, but not as rivals, much less as hinderers, of their brethren of other Churches. A word on this notable project of evangelizing nations by sending out a bishop first, accompanied by his troop of missionaries, priests, deacons, and catechists. It is not the New Testament method, but directly the reverse. The infant Churches, in apostolic times, were founded by presbyters, or deacons, or even pious lay-men; bishops came afterwards, to set in order the

things that were wanting. And so it has been in our own times, in the most successful of our missions; and this we believe is the right way of proceeding. We may seem to some to maintain very Lowchurch views; but high or low, we are not ashamed of them; they were expounded with no little force of argument and simple eloquence by the late Archbishop of Canterbury, in one of the last speeches which he made, while Bishop of Chester, at the annual meeting of the Church Missionary Society. Since those days, a party has appeared within our Church, who make such demands for the absolute and exclusive rights of episcopacy as had not been heard of previously since the Reformation.

We are not quite of the number of those who think it a serious matter of complaint that in every diocese, almost in every parish, there should be a different hymn-book; and of course it follows that we are not anxious for a Book of Psalms and Hymns set forth by authority. If it be true that almost every clergyman publishes his own hymn-book, it is no less true that each of these books has a special interest for his own congregation; and that tens of thousands of good hymns and psalms are bought and read, where otherwise an infinitely smaller circulation would have been made to suffice. But a stronger argument with us is the comparative poverty even of the best of our selections. Of our old stock-hymns, how few are really sung! Have we more than twenty or thirty good ones really worthy to be used in the great congregation? In truth, we are at present only in our infancy as hymn writers, and from time to time our best selections need to be revised; indifferent hymns or psalms weeded out, and others of a better quality, both as regards sound doctrine, piety, and poetry, substituted in their place. We have before us

1. The Church of England Hymn-Book. Compiled by a Committee of Clergymen. Birmingham: Hugh Barclay, 26, Temple Street. London: Hatchard & Co.-This is dedicated to the Bishop of Winchester, contains 258 hymns, and is sold for a shilling. We are informed that it has found its way into general use in some parts of the diocese of Winchester. It is so cheap that it is likely to come into general use; and so carefully selected, that there are but few expressions in it which ought to offend even the fastidious. We would rather not have 66 seen Object of my first desire," as addressed to the Saviour Crucified. It seems to us that there is a want of reverence in speaking thus to the Son of God. But this is one blemish (found in most hymn-books) amongst many excellencies. On the whole, it is a good selection, and very suitable for country parishes.

2. Dr. B. Kennedy, of Shrewsbury, has published a more expensive selection, but at the same time one that we must pronounce amongst the best which have yet appeared. It contains no less than 1500 psalms and hymns. Amongst these we may recognize most, if not all, of those we prize most, and many admirable new ones, chiefly translated from Luther and other German writers, and "about 100

from the Latin originals of the early or mediæval Church." Not all of these are suited for public worship; but from the 1500 an admirable selection may be made which would greatly improve our psalmody. The price (78. 6d.) places the volume out of the reach of congregations in general; but Dr. Kennedy would render a good service to the Church if he would make a careful selection of 200 or 300 of the best psalms and hymns for general use, at a moderate price. The title is Hymnologia Christiana, or Psalms and Hymns selected and arranged in the order of the Christian Seasons. By Benjamin Hall Kennedy, D.D., Head-Master of Shrewsbury School, and Prebendary of Lichfield. Longman & Co. 1863.

3. The Chorale Book for England. a complete Hymn-book for Public and Private Worship, &c., compiled and edited by W. Sterndale Bennett, Professor of Music in the University of Cambridge, and Otto Goldsmidt. Longman & Co. 1863.-Contains the hymns from the Lyra Germanica and other sources, translated by Caroline Winkworth, with which our musical and poetical readers are well acquainted. It is a small quarto; the tunes are from the sacred music of the Lutheran and other churches, for the merits of which the names of the compilers and editors will be a guarantee.

Margaret Warner; or, the Young Wife at the Farm. (pp. 227.) Seeley, Jackson, and Halliday, 1862.-This is a charming little work, written with great elegance and spirit, and recommending the leading principles of Christianity by a beautiful exhibition of them in action. The story is simple and natural, yet skilfully conceived, and exceedingly well worked out, with many exquisite touches of humour and deep pathos. The characters appear to be drawn from life, and the interest in all of them increases to the end. Margaret Warner, the principal figure in the story, is a study for any young wife; nothing can exceed the loveliness of her conduct in each varying phase of joy and sorrow. But the whole book is generally valuable, as every part is suggestive of something calculated to make the reader both wiser and better. It is a volume written with great purity of thought and style, and admirably adapted for a bridal gift to the young wife, whether at the farm or the hall, whether in the country or the town.

The Dark Night ushering in the Dawn of Eternal Day. By the Rev. W. Tilson-Marsh, M.A. Hatchard and Co. 1863.-At the request of his friends, Mr. Tilson-Marsh has republished this summary of Prophetic Interpretation. It is on the Papacy more especially, which Mr. Marsh believes to be "the Antichrist" of the New Testament, and to be approaching its doom; and in this way he accounts for the heresies, infidelities, blasphemies, and superstitions of the age. "I regard them," he says, as Satan's expiring struggles, before he leaves his kingdom, which must be shortly." Mr. Marsh gives no dates. He does not think that we can give dates with certainty to prophecies unfulfilled. It is a clear and forcible summary of the great points of the prophetic question. The reader will not often find so much learning, good sense, and piety combined within so short a

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compass on the deeply momentous subjects on which it treats. The venerable Dr. Marsh, we believe, cordially agrees with his son in his views.

An Aid to Private Prayer. By the Rev. Thos. G. Smith, M.A., formerly Minister of the Penitentiary Chapel in Bath. London : Wertheim & Co.-A small book of fifty pages, "not meant to supersede the voluntary expression of the worshipper's own heart, but to give direction, system, and assistance to it ;" and, therefore, of great worth to the spiritual worshipper.

Lastly, we notice, The Blessed Dead. By the Rev. E. H. Bickersteth of Hampstead. London: John F. Shaw & Co.-Mr. Bickersteth has ventured to hope that this little essay 66 may prove suggestive, especially to those who mourn, of holy meditation on the communion of saints- -a communion extending to the whole family, in heaven and on earth, which bears the name of the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." Written as it is, like Mr. Smith's "Aids to Prayer," in a spirit which seems to breathe of holiness, we cannot doubt but a blessing will surely rest upon it. Neither prayer nor meditations on the Blessed Dead ought to be reserved till affliction lowers; nor are they, among real Christians, to many of whom, now in full possession of wealth and earthly joys, both of these little books will be acceptable.

PUBLIC AFFAIRS.

THE early part of the month was devoted almost exclusively to preparations for the reception of the Prince of Wales's Bride, and then to rejoicings on the wedding-day. The enthusiasm of the whole nation was something not to be forgotten. London never presented such a spectacle; every provincial town seemed beside itself with joy; and there was scarcely a village which did not show some display of loyalty. Of course there were processions by day, and illuminations by night. Assemblies, too, there were at mid day, for prayer for the Royal Bridegroom and his Bride. Nor were the poor forgotten; thousands of them in various places were feasted at the public expense, and tens of thousands of our Sunday-school and National-school children will long dwell upon it as a day of happy memories. One circumstance alone cast a shadow over the universal joy, the seclusion of our still mourning Queen. The Prince and Princess of Wales have since held a reception at St. James's, and we trust the favourable impression made by their first appearance may be deepened among all classes as years roll on. The usual Order in Council has been

issued, commanding the insertion of the names of the Prince and Princess of Wales in the Prayer-book. We hope the days have gone by for ever when such announcements were regarded as a mere formality. If the example of the Prince of Wales, the heir apparent to the throne, is felt to be a matter of the highest importance; only less so, perhaps not less so, will be that of his royal Bride. Her influence, if less extensive than her husband's, will be deeper and more direct. Before twelve months are over, it will have affected every family in England of the upper and middle classes. Through them it will be reflected on the lower classes; it will shape the dress, the manners, and the studies of half the young ladies in Great Britain. How important, then, that a personage so exalted should be known, in the pride of youth and the bloom of beauty, to have given her heart to God.

Parliamentary business has proceeded quietly. Notice has been given of some Bills which we hope will not be allowed to pass. Amongst these of course we number Sir John Trelawney's, for the abolition of church-rates; Mr. Dilwyn's, for interfering with our ancient religious institutions, whether schools or charities; and a suspicious one endorsed with the names of Sir George Grey and Mr. Bruce, "for the amendment of the law relating to the religious instruction of prisoners in county and borough prisons in England and Scotland." It empowers the justices, or other persons having the appointment of chaplains, to appoint a minister of the church or persuasion of those prisoners who may not belong to the national church to attend them, and to award him a reasonable sum as a recompense for his services. Romish priests are not mentioned, but a moment's reflection will satisfy any reader of the Bill that Romish priests are meant. Dissenters do not throng our English prisons nor those of Scotland, and Ireland is not included in the Bill. Then, by another clause, the keeper of the prison must enter in a book provided for the purpose, not merely the name of every prisoner, but the church or religious persuasion to which he belongs, in order that he may be visited by a minister of his own persuasion; and by the last clause, no prisoner shall be compelled to attend any religious service held or performed by any chaplain, minister, or religious persuasion to which the said prisoner does not belong. Now, of the population which throngs our jails, nine-tenths, excluding Roman Catholics, belong to no church or persuasion whatever. They have lived without religion, and belong to that vast mass which it is the duty of the national church to reclaim. It seems to us preposterous to offer to such men the choice of the minister by whom they will condescend to be instructed; and still more absurd to allow them to attend upon Divine service conducted by the chaplain, or to abstain from it, as their own caprice may lead them. This is a license which in a well-conducted family is never granted to domestic servants, unless their character is well established, and their religious preferences decided. It is not bigotry, but simply a sense of duty, which induces our heads of families to require that their servants shall worship in the same house of prayer with themselves. The concession which this Bill contemplates is so uncalled for, and likely to be productive of such mischievous results,