The New York Herald Newspaper, January 25, 1875, Page 3

a rs rl THE BOOK WORLD. What the American and English Presses Are Bringing Forth. | ANCIENT HISTORY AND MYTHOLOGY The Devils of Luther, Milton and Goethe. ENGLISH PUBLICATIONS. Exploration and Travel---Biography, Poetry and Fiction. SOctaL Lire IN GREECE FROM HOMER TO MENAN- par. By Rev, T. P. Mahafly, 4. M. London: Macmiliun & Co, This 1s one of the pleasantest and most sugges- tive books we have read in along while. The Manutacture of the volume {8 unexceptionable, Sud one’s wsthetic taste is gratified as he settles down in bis easy chair for a winter evening’s en- Joyment. ‘The style of the writer is perspicuous and suMciently conversational to prevent that traditional soporific effect which a dulier, if not a profounder, treatise produces. He speaks to the general public rather than to asmali coterie of Savans, and manages to describe the business, tie relbgious and the social life of the Greeks in such a way that the ordinary student, the mechanic or clerk who has bookish tastes, gets a clear idea of | the general status of this remarkable nation, He | is just a bit pugnacious in inteilect, and cannot bear to iet an opportunity pass to have a brush with former writers on the same subject. Though by nO means equal in stature to Mr. Grote, be nevertheless as no hesitation in buckling | on the armor aud engaging in a regular lt, One has great satisfaction in witnessing such } contest, since nothing can be more evident than that Mr. Mahafy ts perfectly conversant with his subject, not only in its general outlines, but in all its minor details, in these days o! superficial BehOlursliip 1t is an unspeakabié reireshment to lusten to the authoritative speech, and to ve led through the long corridors of Athens, by a man who lias been cigging at Greek roots und conju- gating Greek verbs, until, as De Quincey boasted, he coud think iu thé motner tubgue ol classic taougnt. Mr. Mahaffy’s estimate of the Greek character is | @ litte pecuilar. He steadiastly refases to accord toit that stern couraze which we have always | believed to be one of its chie! eiements. He 1s | willing to allow the Greeks undisputed posses- Sion Of a certain gloriously impulsive dush or élan Which at times accomplished wonders, but utterly reluses to credit theta with that stern grip of will which stands and dies, and which is the miracle of the more northern temperaments, The Greek soldier would stand fire, so 10 speak, as long as there was any chance of victory, but when that Was poue lie Lecame panic-strivken, and fed the fleia as last as his coward legs could carry him. Tne courage even of the Homeric chiels was, be asserts, ‘o: a second rate oruer."? No doubt the Greeks were a warlike nation tike the French, fond of giory, and revelliug in excitement; but they did not possess that stubborn valor which Was the cuty of che meuieva koignt, and wuich is the physical characteristic of the English and German soldier. Witn the exception of Achilles ud of Diomede ail the chiets in the ‘Lind are subject to panics ana fly before tue’enemy.” ‘the jury system vf Greece was also very defec- tive, and gave rise to great evils. she laws ol the Btate were ireqnently overridden by the passion- ate plea of the eloquent prosecution, and were | generally in such a coplused state that they are wholly worthless to the modern student o: law, | While thore of Rowe, on the other hand, are of Immense value. Even Demosthenes was not un- touched by a large tee, and could be retained in a bad cause by the magical jing:e of sp2cie pay- | Ment. Altogether the buvk is invaluable to one | who has not the time to piod throuch the weary | folios 01 otier writers, and will find a warm wel- Come by many a tuougntiul dreside. Bgmaixs or Lost Empires. By P. V. N. New York: Harper & Brothers, This volume 18 @ valuable contribution to that | depurtment of literature which contains the rec, ord of excavations. The curiosity of man is itself & curios.ty. Not content with the present age, and not by any means wholly absorbed in the | architecture, mechantcs and art of our own time, he turns bis face toward vie Hast and calculsics the sites of the yreut cities that bave long since | crumbled, Ie is particutarly attracted by the im- | Mense saud hills which cover the huts and palaces Of ancient Babylon, and with pick and shovel | penetrates, like a Paul Pry, into the domesticar- rangements of Nebuchadnezzar, Alter recovering @ few Kitchen utensils, a chair or two, a bit of broken porcelain, with a rade picture painted on it, he generalizes concerning the social life or our | ancestors, and either glories in the prools of ad- | vancement and progress or sighs over some lost art. Mr. Myers’ trip must have been full of noveliy and jasc:nation, He sojourns tor a while in Bag- dad, takirg note of the traditions with waich the very air is filed, In its prime glory the city would compare favorably, in many respects, with the largest centres of modern civilization. 1b con- tained ac one time more than 2,000,000 inbabi- tants, very, b jy double the number living in New York. Its court officers enjoyed large sala- fies and lived io ine wildest exiravagance. Some Of the pubiic pageants were costly and imposiug | aS Lo suggest the posstouey or ve days Is mystically calle It jd that ‘The gorgeous East, with richest hand, showe:s on her kings baroaric pearis and gold, for, 1f we may crecit Abulieda, on a certain royal nuptial occasion, ‘a tavusand pearis of the largest size were siowered on the head of the driae.’’ Myers, @ Ring. This reads not unitke a newspaper description of the marriage teust of ove of out city oftcials, Think of the Gispiay of wealth indicated by the following paragraph, which must have been written by one o! His Majesty's “own co:respond- bnis’ to the leading organ of the time or was the palace less splendid, in which were hung up 38,000 (We Jeel inclined to make a deduction o1 pone cipher, but piust needs be truthful) pieces of tapestry, 12,590 uf which were silk, | einbrvicered with gold. Among the other articles | of rare and stupendous luxury Was a tree of gold and Sliver spreading ito eigiteen large branches, ba which, and on the lesser boughs, sat a variety of birds made Of the same precious metais, as weil Bs the leaves of the trees, While the machinery effected spoutancous motions the severai birds warbled their naturat harmony.” Truly the an- clenis Were Dot wanting in extravagant ideas of | y, Anu knew how to enjvy lie on @ large in- The ruins of Bavylon have veen a sort of brick ard jor the natives for generations. They have jouad under tne sand sufficient material for their homely structures. Seieucus Nicatur is said to have puilt a whole city trom the dépris of Baby- lon, and every ove Who has since wanted to bud Bcaravansary has lod these ruins under contri bution, So ine new life was the old. Mr. Myers Rives an exceedingly interesting account of nis traveis through basiern and Western Asia, North- ern Syria and Mesopotamia, and has produced @ volume of 500 pages, not only readable, but tull of valuable information We ought not to tat to say that the book Is Weill printed, on govd paper, and does credit to the house trom which it 1s issued. TaLrs IN Po.iticaL Ecoxomy. By Millicent Gar Macmillan & Co. rett Fawcett, London: ‘This little work, Of about 100 pages, was written for the instruction of beginners in the nobie science of which It treats. Exteriorly itis a very Atiractive voluine, being well printed on thick paper and handsomely bound. Interiorly it 1s something of a curiosity, and runs out of the beaten track of instruction Into grooves or ruts of \tsown, The last generation was fond of dia- logue. The gravest subjects were discussed by swo or three persons, who irom the beginning to the end of the book put startling questions to | tack other, or answered them with a convincing fairness ora cunning subtiety on which the In- teres: of the book depended. Mr. Fawcett has hot exactly reproduced this eccentricity of litera. ture, but hes adapted it to the peculiarities of our owntime, It is somewhat of a novelty, and for that reason, perhaps, will have a charm for mapy readers, The volume 1s not intended lor the use and hus no informanen to offer 10 those Who have devoted any thougit to tle general methods Oo! society in government, out Wili be OF great imporcance to those Who are ust entering Ob (he stvject aud getuing thelr first Hiuppse of the reation between commerce and aatioual prosperity. ‘die writer's siyle is very pledsaut und ooe fiods himsel! reading an articie tirough When be expected simply to glance ab it. | The story of suipWieckeu sailors Who sud: | deniy found Cuemescives ona desolate island with bo resources except thelr own individual abfiity, abd ho miuterials ot tools ur property except what the waves washed ashore, is a gvod illustration of tue Way in Which sovicty 18 formed and 1a which, ; The reader might receive the impression irom | constantly | each other’s noses.” | his mkstand, NEW YORK HERALD, MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 1€75.-WITH SUPPLEMENT. ws kind of social gravitation, each man finds bis | place. The first principle on which the new col- | ony started was “Findings is keepings,” but the fact was soon developed tiat the carpenter owned un, the mason had boards and pianks and the only good hunter oi the party had @ tool ches while the geptieman of the crowd found him. sorry Experience taught them after a while that some interchange of pro, erty Was necessary, and aiter many hard words more blunders than we have space to d scribe, the tool chest tell into the hands of the carpenter, who had evidently the best right to i tne gun went to the Nimrod, who knew its use and delighted im it, walle the blacksmith ex- changed his useless possessions for ali the scrap iron and cupper bolts which Hoated asnore in broken pieces of timber. The pitiable gentleman of the party Was at lenvth convinced of bis use- lessness, and, like @ respectable and senstble man, learned to yather @ value unto himsel! by con- tibutipg to the general weal, und the colony thus Jormed enjoyed! a degree Oi prosperity which was | hardly to be anticipated trom the adverse circum- stances In which they jound themselves. ‘Ine book 13 a curious and rather palatable mixture of | Robinson Crusoe and the vexed proplems of po- } litical economy and social progress, It 1s very suggestive, and will luily repay the tyro in these abstruse sciences. THS THRee Devits, with OTHER Essays. By David Masson, M. A., LL. D. Macmuiilan & Co. We have here another instance of the misrepre- | sentation Of the coptents of a book by its title. | The large cap title leads one to suppose that the bulk of the volume is devoted to the suoject which is given such prominence, but in this case at least the supposition is incorrect. The “Three Devils’? is Only one of the several essays, aud occupies less | than sixty pages in a volume of about 300. How- | ever, the age demands an aftractive and striking | ttle page to insure the attention of the pubitc. | What we have said that the volume is an ad cap- tandum effort, but in unis he would be mistaken. It 18 carelully written by aman who is evidently | studious, critical and thougntful, and who nas won the right to speak and to be neard by @ thorough knowledge of his subjects, The five essays, be- Rides the one which tve have already emphasized, are entitled, “Shakespeare and Goethe,’ ‘Mil, ton’s Youth,” “Dryden and the Literature of the Restoration,” “Dean Swiit,” which on many ac” counts 1g the most attractive, and “How Litera- ture May Jilustrate History.” We have been specially interested, however, in the first essay, which evidences both the general style of the writer, his peculiar invellectual pi and his scholarship. Imdeed, every one is inter- ested im any biography of the devil, from what- ever source it comes. Itis a theme with which we alt have some personal acquaintance, and we take | & morbid pleasure in finding out whether any one else’s Knowledge 18 moce intimate than our own, That such a being exists, either in minia- ture or in colossal butik Do man feels inclined to | deny. He 1s at least # very convepient parsonage | upon whom to throw the blame of the apparent | evils which beget our daily path. | ‘the devil oi Milton is a literary production, In | on an equality | the vegiining the great revel stoo with Kaphael, Gabriel aud Michael, “He nad ac- cusiomed many of the angels to nis mode of think. | ing. One of the ways iu Which he grattied his desire Jor activity had been that of exerting a | moral and iuteliectual infuedce over tne inierfor angels, Lis chi¢i ussociate—aimost his boon ¢om- panioi—had Leen Beeizebub, a princely angel. Molvcn, Belial and Mamunon nad likewise been ad- mitted’ to his confidence. ‘These tive had consti- tuted a sort of cilquy in heaven.” Milton's devil wis a colossus, and withal, though | boundiessly ambitious, a very gentlemanly and courtcuns spirit, On more than one occusion he | exhivits sigus of repentance, which be wrestles witt ana overcomes. When he stands on the Jragrant sou of Eden he for the first time “strikes | out the idea of existing 1o,ever alter as the devil.’ | Wherever he goes, whatever he does, he 18 tol lowed by the regretful remembrance of his tormer glory, and docs not at avy period of bis history Beem 'to be bad all throug. Ghmpses of possibie Tepentunce are seen, and one is led to hope that belore Mtlton leaves him he will lead him back to tue place trom whica he was driven, Goethe's Mepaistopheles is a figure in a drama. He 18 @ sort of supplement to the devil of Milton. When you read ‘Paradise Losi” you feel that Satan Is gruwing worse alli the tiine, that he is quenching the Old longings, suppressing nis sigis Over the past und preparing hunself ior a work of unmitigated evil, Goethe’s Mepnistopneles is Mil- | ton’s devil alter ne bus crushed out is last hope, | und Goethe sitnply continues the biography of | Satan wiicn Milton began but jeft uniluisned. “As if be had been journeying through a wiluer- ness of scorching sand, ull that was leit of tie urcvangel hus long since evaporated. He is now a dry, shfivelled up, scofting spirit He ts | doimg uonecessary miscoief. If he | eoters Auerbach’s wine céliar and introduces him- | self to the four drinking conipanions it 1s to set the poor brutes fighting and muke them cut olf If he spends afew minutes in talk witn Maria 1b 18 to make her foibdie: ‘he silly old In a word, Goethe's mn alter a few thousand years? pri i Luther's devil was not a part of literature, but | @ partotl ie, He believed in oim with all his might | und main, To Luter the devil was no chimera, | no mere orthodoxy; but a stern and terribie tact, at whose head, when he saw it materiahzed on a certain occasion, 1¢ was bis delight to throw | ‘This being was Luther’s personal | en2my, Who could stand any amoant of plain talk, but who aiways leit waed his interlocutor in- dulged in a joke. That, it seems, he could not | bear, and once, while impatiently arguing with bin, Luther suid :—“Devu, if, #8 you say, Christ’s bloow, which was shed ior my sins, be not sufl- cient to msure ny Saivation, can’t you pray tor me yoursell, devil *”’ and at this His Majesty. as though scorning 4 reply, incontinentiy fled. Alto- | gether the volume is interesting, aud will be a | Weicume guest at the fireside of many @ student. | History oF THE Lirepoat, and its work. Richard Lewis. Loodon: Macmillan & Co. Our | leasure in reading this 1ascinating volume | | | | By would have been unalloyed but for one tact, the necessity of constantiy using a dull penknife to | cut the leaves withal, When publishers learn to have self-sacrifice enough toincur a slight extra expense in order to save certain forcible adjec- tives which e? plode on tne lips of the impatient reader when he 1s compeiled to stop and separate the leaves the millennium of bookmaking wiil be | reached. A good history of the liteboat has long been needed, and Macmillan & Co. have done the general public a servive in producing this hand- somely illustrated volume, and Mr. Richard Lewis, of the Inner Temple, has dipped his quill in very | charming ink, and with the inspiration of literary | enthusiasm produced more than 200 pages of in- Jormatiou which reads like a novel. His motto, Peace hath her victories No less renowned than war, is peculiarly appropriate, and brings before us the | starting contrast between those national quar. rels which ultimate in graves and that grateful pMilanthropy which robs the grave of its victims at the very moment when it is prepared to fill them, Previous to 1854 the National Lifeboat Institu- tion unceasingly expressed its conviction of the utter inadequacy of all existing means for aflord- ing succor to the shipwrecked, Since that time, however, the government has offered ample ald to those engaged in this noble enterprise, and has given money and sympathy enough to pat the in- stitution oma sound basis. It is pretty difficult to determine who was the first builder of a hieboat. | Mr. Henry Greathead bas the credit of doing it, but he must at least share the glory ‘with Mr. Lionel Lukin, Who tour years previous—i, @, in 1785—designed and fitted a boatior saving li!e Whicn he called an unimmergibie boat, ‘rhe then Prince of Wales, aiterward George IV., knew Lukin personaily and encouraged tim im his task, offering to pay the whole expense of ments, Stil, #8 late as 1849, there were ouly nineteen liteboats on the coast, and 80 little interesied were the general public | in the enterprise that the gross income of | the mstitution Was only uvont $1,600, In 1856a neW jmpuise was given to it, and the late Captain Hamtitun Fitagerald, Royal Navy, leit it the munl- | ficent legacy of $50,000, in no way restricted in its application, From that time to the present the | institution has commended itself to tne financial sympathy of the people, It has now a figet of nearly 2/0 boats, #2d has been the means of saving UpWards of 22,000 lives trom shipwrecks, This isa, Hoble récord, ad speaks well for the generusity | ot the English nation towards its rough and | Wweatner-Leaten tars. Lt does one good to ivok at | the map of England and see that every dangerous point trom the Selily Islands to the Gooawin Sands on the south 1s docted with the red mark Witch shows that @ Iifeboat ts there, while ail alory the shore, north and south, the same marks give'evidence of the pity of a great people. Bue what language, save tint which deseribes actual events, can give an adequate idea of the priceless valde Of those little crait which swim in any sea anu are the good Samaritans that rescue the hopeless from a watery grave? Let us taxe irom the volume an account of & noble service per- formed by the Cullercoats (Northumberland) Ieboats— “On a New Year's morning, some years since, a severe tempest Was experienced on vur northeast | const, und svon alter daybreak tue coast guara Men on the jookout at tae Spanish vattery, Ty ne- niouth, saw a vessel deeply jaden, with & flag of distress fymg. She Was straggling to get to the no. tiward, but straggung in vain, and rapidly driving in ‘bpon the coast. The coast guard men jollowed her along the shore With the rocket ap- Paratns, aud, ws they Went oa, the people of tue ages burned out 10 Join them; so that ere long h headiand had ts anxious crowd looking, ying, tremoling. It was a very } sught to see, Role oF the Vessel’s sails had been piown away and she giew more and more unmanageaole amid the terrpie seas that broke around and over her. Atlengtn she struck on a fridge of sunken rocks | and Was atl three-quarters o; @ mile irom Anore, Unly one hope remained—the Weboat! As jast as his expert- | | Were seen once, twice, lilied above the wave: | number of ‘ney could run through the snow, driving wind and rain, lifeboat men and Oshermen made of jor Cullercoats for the lifeboat belonging to the Na- tional Liseboat Institation, Six horses were | fastened to her carriage, and down they came | at a gallop to the sands. She was speedily | manned by a gallant crew, who pulled out as for their own lives, and not a mo- ment too soon did they reach the ship, which was now broadside on to the sea, her crew in the rigging, and the waves breaking over her mast high; cleverly and deftly was the lifeboat laid alongsidd, the vessel was grappled, and the boat | heid to ber by a strong rope. utly the crew | made toward their deliverers; but even as they leit the rigging one man was muca cut in the head and jace, the mate had nis shoulder dislocated and three o! them were swept into tne sea, Did any remain on board the ship? Yes, How | overlookea, how so leit to die, we know not; but the iittie cabin boy remained. The voy’s ery for help grow very pitiful, Kor some time ne dared | not venture out of thé weather rigging; at last | he did so, and was seen in the lee shrouds, ‘He had oe Wounded in the nead and was covered with | 1ood.’ One of the liteboat’s crew has since said that every face around him grew white and sick, and tears came irom eyes little used to shed them, | ‘They clinched their teeth, aud, with thetrown | lives in tneir hands,’ dashed in their boat to save bim. The sea beat her back. ain to be swept back onco more. ain they tried, the poor boy meanwi ng terribly in mis despair, He waa eo young aud the | coast so neur. But the vessel begau to part, | und the unstepped masts must fall, and would | ‘ush the Iitebout if she staid one minute longer. Then sacrificing one liie to save many, a brave man gave the order, in a hoarse, broken volee, to | ‘cut the rope.’ The boy fellintothesea, Clinched in agony, Or clasped Ww prayer, his little hands y! ‘The 11ovoat sgain rushed towards him, but the | tempest swept Sway his poor boyisn cry before the | roar and tumult of tae winds. He did’ not rise again,” Such 1s the work the Itfeboats of the coast are | doing every day. They breast the stormy wavi and save thousands o! Ilves which, but for their help, would go out in darkness, The following verses from Wordsworth are » fitting close to such a chapter of sorruw:— Jesn! bless our slender boat, By the torrent swept along; Lotid its threatnings—tet them not Drown the music of SORE Breathed Ihy mercy to {mptore, When these troubled waters roar! Guide our bark among the waves; ‘shrough the stirf our passage smooth’ When, the whiripool trets and raves Let Thy love its anger southe : All our lope ts placed in Thee; Missrere Domine! LITERATURE IN ENGLAND. cd Lonpon, Jan. 6, 1875, The publishers are very active; their lista are very long, but there are not any vooks of very Striking or remarkable interest in the higher orders of literature. We cannot expect to have the season which opened with the “Greville Me- moirs’’ and Lord Dill:ng’s “Palmerston and Peel’ kept up with equal priliiancy and interest, and we must accept quantity rather toan quailty, espe- Cally in the literature, wnether serious or light, especially adapted to the “festive time” which has passed this year under climatic conditions of the most detestable kind. First and foremost we flud the first volume o! Mr. Tneodore Martin's “LIFE OF THE PRINCE CUNSORT but I stall mereiy say that nere the book ts thought worthy of mr, Martin’s weil known schol- arly ability and that 1t has been produced with- out any tendency to sycophancy, which a weaker or less capable man might have displayed. It ts | somewhat strange to find Theodore Martin, the brigbtest and wittiest of the two collavorateurs who gave tothe world the charmingly humorous “Ballads of Don Gautier’? becoming a oourt biographer in his later days; but 1t shows that Mr Martin 1s as versatile as he ts choice, SIR SAMUEL BAKER in “Ismatiia” nas produced the most popular travel book of the dar, though there is, no dount, | @ general feeling of dissatisiaction and disappoint- ment at the comparative failure of the expedition, witch was hailed with so macn enthusiasm when it Was undertaken, The fact remains, nowever, that @ government, under the authority of the Kiiedive, bas been established at Gondokoro, now | called Ismailia, to the temporary expulsion of the routes of A(rican travel, and that the lines nave been laid by SirS, Baker in which “Cniuese Gordon’? must wield o system of honest trade and civiliga- tion, It 13 somewhat disconcerting to find that he is to be assisted in this by one Abdoo Savod, a most pestilent vilia.n, and NOTORIOUS SLAVE NUNTER, who was the deadiy and effectual enemy of the Baker expedition, and whom it is much to be regretted Sir Samuel permitted to live. As Baker’s firman included the power of capital punishment | it is a pity he didn’t exercise it on tnis ruflan. AbooSavod 1s now actually holding an impor- tant position under Gordon, tnough his villany has been exposed to the Knhedive, This mysterious | arrangement may, perhaps, have been made on | the @rength of the proverbial diction, set a thief tocatcn a thief’? On any other supposition it 1s quite inexpiicable. ‘he big book 1s not fll-writ- ten, and some of the illustrations are clever, some of them of most exciting interest, such as some years ago would have been considered appropriate Jor an edition of “Baron Minchauseu,” but which are hardly startling after Anderson, Stanley and Schweinitrt, Among the latest works whion illustrate tay BPOCHS OF HISTORY with the careful !ulness of detail which is character- istic ofour own epoch, are two wien ate likely to be largely used in schvols, and which are well fittea to replace the dry epitomes which have hitherto been considered suMcient. They are Mr. H. Seebastian’s “Eve of the Protestant Revo- Jution,” in which ne contrasts the motives and the action of the Reformation in Germany and tn | England, and Mr. Cox’s “The Crusades.” The tat- ter ts @ charming bOOk, as attractive as 1 1s learned, and much more bright and simple in style than might have been expected from the author of the “Aryan Mythologies.” Of all the countries in the world Portugal is the most difficult to invest with interest, either on ac- count ol its topographical attractions, its actual Position, or its historic associations. If the old | saw which ascribes happiness to a country which has no history be correct Portugal ought to bea felicitous little place, tor It counts for nothing in any overt sense, and its existence ts practically ig- nored. Lady Jackson, who edited the memoirs of her late husband, Sir George Jackson, most ad- mirably, and who is known asa clever writer in several periodicals, has just written an account Of her travels in Portugal, under tue title “FAIR LUSITANIA” which induces her readers to think that the general neglect and want of interest in the country is a mistake; that there is thuch hatural beauty and 4 great wealth of associations there for whoever shail investigate them, The consent of the government to the organiza- tion of an ARCTIC EXPEDITION | has afforded general satisfaction, put the scion- | ufic societies into high spirits and produced a {res contributors to the aiready voluminous literature of the subject. Among the latter is a highly interesting orochure by Dr. Pi termann, the well kiown German géogtapher. It 18 in the form of a letter, written itom Gotha, where Dr. Petermann resides, to the President of the Geographical Society, In this letter most honorable mention is made of Captain Hall and the astounding results obtained by that intrepid investigator, who 1s admitted to have OPENED UP, SIMPLIFIED AND RENDERED PRAC- TICABLB the future solution of the great question on which geographers are intent. Dr. Petermann’s commu- Nication 13 just how very interesting, for he is an authority wnom no chi of an expedition would like to controvert, He withdraws his previous vehement opposition to the Smith’s Sound route, and announces that the greater navigability of | the Arctic seas in ail parts being satisfactorily | proved tu him he now distinctly approves before- | hand of any route or direction that may be decided | on lor @ new expedition by British geographers, We are looking out here ior the translation of Dr. Gerard Rois’ new book, “Dutch Airica,” 1b is to be hoped it will be better translated than his “Morocco.” He has not been adequately sup- ported by tho German government, and has there- fore been unabié to make any collection of speci- meus of natural history or any astronomical ex- periments, He has done many wonderiul things in ube way of exploring, entirely at bis own expense, and he received tn aid of his exploration of Lake Tsenad only the shavby sum oO! 2,500 tha- lers, This wretched parsimony ts very ill piaced, when tho extraordinary talent of Dr. Rohifs tor | acquiring native langueges is considerod—a talent | which enables him to achieve discoveries beyond the reach of other explorers, however equally gifted in other respects. He speaks the dialects of remote African districts with fluency, and his contributions to the ethnology of the tribes of the interior of Africa are expected to be of great value. BELLES-LETTRES. Mr. William Rossetti’s “Poetica: Works of William Blake,” with a memoir, 1s a capital contribution to belles-lettres. The poems are admirably ar- ranged, and the memoir, while supplementing Mr. Swinburne’s unique essay on Blake’s works, pre- sents much that was already known in @ conve- nient form, and adds a good aeal which was not known at ail, but which possesses the invariabic though late awakened interest attaching to the extraordinary and erratic genius, whose merit 18 still growing in the perception of his country- men. Thts book contains the whoie of Blake's lyrical Works, and two pieces which belong to his jater and, as it has been fairly enough called, “prophetic period,” when the poet had become a | seer, The poems are entitled, respectively, “The | Book of Theil” and “Tirrel,”” and the latter has never before been printed. They are both beautiful and weird, like all the productions of Blake’s pen ‘and pencil at the period of their production. Mr. | Rossetti 1s not quite tree from the besetting sin of every biographer and memoir writer. He cannot frankly admit the defecte and peculiarities of his subject without an effort to explatm them sway, and he exbibits this weakness by imputing the scandalous conduct of Blake in some well known | stances to bis “childisqness.” This ts a conven- fent explanation which would not be admitted for | @ moment in the case of a man who was nota | genius, and which ought, seeing that nodilesse oblige, to be still less admitted in the case ofa man who was. Among the most attractive of the decorative books of the reason is a “Life of Michael Angelo Buonarotti,” By Mr. C. ©. Black. The author dis- claims to have written a biography, he merely calls his work a “story: but it is very full, sym- pathetic and interesting, and much more likely to De read With avidity by the general pablic than the oMecial Iie of the great artist, which 1s to be Published by the Italian government, on the occa- sion Of the quatre-centenary of his death. The book is pleasantly written and free from digres- sion, whils rully supplied with tne side lights from | contemporary history, arts and politics. The iustrations are good, indicative of a great ad- vance in photography as applica to sculpture, BoY’3 BOOKS. | Illustrated editions of pooks of travel abound, but not many are new books. ‘The usual promi. neuce of boys’ books of adventure is, as ,usta’ Pronounced, and Mr. Kingston ts again to the fore with his exhilarating sea stories and land mar- vels, How bis stories wou'd astontah those two historic inquirers into the wonders of nature, Sandford and Merton! In natural history, the in- contributing to our stores of Knowledge, pleas- antly conveyed, Not only has this season brought us, in his “Man and Beast,” two capital volumes of knowledge and observation, but his new book book is twofold; first, to show the important part Played by insects im the economy of the worid | 8nd the extreme value to mankind of those which we are accustomed to call destructives; next, to note the wonderful modifications of structure which enable insects to fulfil their mission, and the surpassing beauiy with which many of them are endowed. This book presents a rare example of conscientiousness in its execution. In order to ineate accuracy 1n rendering the “texture” the engraver has actually inspected the whole of the 1X hundred insects whose portraits are presented before touching the block on which they are drawn. Obildren have lost a great friend and clever purveyor of literature to their taste by the deatn of Mr. Tom Hood. He was very successful in nis books ior children, while his sister, Mra. Broderip, who adoptea that style of composttion fora time, Dut abandoned it after several fallures, had not a touch of the quaintness and sympathy whicn | enabled him to please the little folk. His latest | Story, “From Nowhere to the North Pole,” which | has been publisued since his death, ia perhaps the cleverest of the things of the kind which he bas dove. Mr. KnatcnbullHngessen ts still In the van of the fairy tale writers. His “River Legends,” | with its comically serious illustrations, is a volume of pleasaut extravaganza, Whici has attractions for children of @ larger growth, A large num- ; ber of NOVELS sre making thetr appearance, but they are mostly of a dopressing mediocrity. Mrs. Lynn Linton’s “Patricia Kimball” is perhaps the most talked of at present. It has decided merits, but itis very unequal, and the author is injudicious in forcing those social sopics on which she holds optnions aifering widely trom those of society in general into elaborate prominence. The plot is clever ana original, and some of tne characters are very well drawn. The tone of the novel is, however, un- pleasantly morbid, and the flual triumph over all | that is good by all that is evil in the characters employed leaves an unpleasant effect. The writ- ing is characterized by Mrs. Linton’s customary vigor and clearness. She returns to the vexed question of “servant-gal-ism” im tis fiction, tak- ing the same line as that of her’ much debated | article in the Cornhiil Magazine, ‘On the Side of the Maids.” Mr. Lawrence’s “‘Hagarene” seems to be & failore. None exactly knows the meaning of the title; probably it has some occult reference to the story of the “bondwoman” who was cast out by Abraham, but the meaning is too deeply recondite for our ordinary tmtetligence, numbers that of All the Year Round entitled “The Opal Ring” is the leading favorite. LITERARY CHIT-CHAT. The London Academy speaks very bighly of Mr. Frank R. Stockton’s “What Might Have Been Ex- pected.” The writer thinks that two English onildren Would have tired of their bargain and not have carried it out so successfully as did the little Americans. Mr. George F. Fort, @ distinguished lawyer of Catdén, N. J., bas just completed “The Early His- toty of Antiqaities ot Free Masonry.” The London Athenwum does not think highly of Dr. Draper’s “History of tne Conflict Between Religion and Sctence.”’ It regrets that the author of ao learned and instractive a work as the “In- tellectual Development of Eutope’ snould have done 80 thucti toward spotlitg a good subject in scampering hastily over ground which should be more careiuily trodden, The profusely illustrated ‘Travels in South | America," by Paul Marcoy, lately published, is | Pronounced to bea made-up book, pessessing iit. | tle merit beyona the pictures. The author was a | poor artist picked up by the Count de Castéinan's | expedition across South America in 1846, The | travels are thus nearly,thirty years old; vut, no dates being given in the book, it has passed fora new production, The English butlding societies havé been written up in @ book by Von Plenen, a careful German ob- rver. “Tne Fern Paradise,” by Mr. Francis Heath, ts a description of ferny rambles through the green lanes, woods and dells of Devonshire, ‘The Publishers’ Weekly says, apropos of the Numerous announcements by rival publishers to reprint foreign books, that the “courtesy of the trade” in this matter is very mythical, anda that the majority of reprints depend really upon prior arrangements for advance sheets, by which rival houses are circumvented, | Mr. Astronomer Proctor’s “Transits of Venus’ contains an account of ail the past and coming transits, {rom 1629 to 2112, and has twelve colored | plates, Asif there were not lives enough of the Duke of Wellington already, a new one is in preparation under the personal supervision of the present puke. Arecent number of the London Graphic pub. lished Stedman’s poem, “Country Sleighing,” with two pages of illustrations by W. S. Hennessy, ‘Tols poem first appeared in the Hearth ana Home in the days when Donald @, Mitchell was its editor. defatigabie and inexnaustidle Mr. Wara 1s sttil | on “insects” opens up & wonderlal vista in creation, which {has hitherto been closed | to the general reader. The object of is Among Christmas ; ' The Prince of Wales Pictured Crowned as the | Stccess was Wholly inswtted when, with | snitling, were paid Jor at the rate of two guinet | nouncem: | Satirical comments on politics and | possibte invasion of Canada by the AMeficans is | THE COMING KING. Monareh of Britain, Piquant Spice of the Latest Eng- lish Scandal. POETICAL LAMPOONS. LONDON, Jan. 2, 1675. Among the literature peculiar to this Christmas Season of the year which, though toa certain ex- |- tent twaddling and bearing an affectation of open- hearted liberality aud benevolence, used to pe sound and healthy, there has recently cropped up Qn undergrowth of a somewhat unpleasant char- acter, The first evidence of this was to be found three years ago in @ publication which professed to be called the thirteenth of a series called “Beeton’s Chtistmas Annuals.” Mr. Beeton was one of the lower class of publisters, whe had Principally devoted himself to the issue of works | of useful knowledge, as “Inquire Within,” books of biography and history, treatises on gardening, &c. and his annuals had been in the usual form, | acollection of tales, poetry, 4c. The new spect- | men, however, was ® deviation from the Beeton trai ite very tt! “The Coming K——,"" at once arrested atteation and aroused curiosity, which @ glance at and a parusal of the first page served to stimulate. This first page was partly occupied by an lilustration representing the Prince of Wales crowned and in ro; rol With a overbrimming champagne glass in one hand and sceptre in the other. This centre figure was sui rounded by vignet representing racing, the Park, the imnsio hall and other episodes of fast life. Tne letter press was a parody, of Tennyson's dedication of the “fdyls of the King.” and to rts Was pretty close and vigorous, as the fol- lowing extract will show :— Indeed he seemed to me Spares other than my own id jal Ji id not muchly care to trotible take, But his concern was comiortanie once: Tout tw In saits, sl ‘To sport with Amaryilis ‘to toy with what Nera is And, in a general way, to happy be Af possible, and alway’s debunele. This will give you the keynote to the rest of the Dook. "rhe Prine twas fhroggn Cas okenh of as Guelpho, and the “Enta”’, “Vivien,” “Elaine” of ‘Tennyson were poorly parodied, their characters | and scenes of action being laid in modern times and places, as ao example of which 1 may quote that heraint, a knight of Guelpno’s Court, becomes suspicious of his wile— When a rumor arose about Her Gra: Touching her love for cigarettes and “cubs” Therdoctrines that Miss Woodall had grecial locttines that Miss Woodhull ha im In dim Fisk's ctiy, in debased New York. 7? Now, although the writing was suMctently poor and the whole production in execrabie taste, yet as the book was made the vehicle ior the reprodaction ofall the scandalous stories and cancans which had been running the gauntlet of suciety during the year, 1t had at its outset @ certain success, which | Most un- | lutelligibie weakness, some persons in hih post- thon endeavored to suppress the work by buying up theedition. This not oniy cave an immediate market value to all procurable copies, and It is well Known that some, originally issued at a each, but rendered ta matter of cegtainty that | the attempt would be renewed the next year. | fpnoraingiy. among Mr, Becton’s autumnal an- | nts Was foundone of by the authors of « ‘Was a very long-winded, potutiess and poor pee: uation. ‘The Prince again appeared Na jnelpsos, and the night adventures of two of his com- anions, presented uader the numes of Liobed and ersites, which filled one of the canros, gave the writer an opportunity of describing the Argyle Rooms, the Alvamvra, Kate Hanuiton’s mignt- house, and various other dens of iniquity, in bh own pecdiarly acious style. But the greater portion ol tue book was taken up with would-be | ablic affairs, in which Gladememnon (Gluitztone), Dudizzy (Dis- raeli), Badilloes (Robert Lowe), Stetieldes (Stans- feld), and Phauztor (Forster) played the principal paris. Ip a canto, called “The Trial of the Army,’” Camdux (the Duke of Cambridge) and his equetry Phitajun (tne Hon. James Macdonald) were pre- eminent, In the course of a colloquy, in which a touched upon, the following lines occar:— Toronto city and old Montreal ‘To Yankee arms might undistionored fall; St. Juhu’r and Ottawa might foltow suit, Now Gordon Bonnett would these victories brattt All this is wearisome stuf, and itis probable that tne book would have Julien flat but ior the personality scattered throughoutit, and culminat- ing iu the final pages where Vixtromache apostru- phizes the spirit of Aldor (the Prince Consort) in 4% passage which 1 extract:— Q Albor! see how now they treat thy wife! y Tite, *Pis thus they troubie her iinhapp: I'vo dedicated ali my days to thee; Why ever cin’t Dilsides iet me be ? Surely one star ite banerul beam d) O'er Coburg's root Kensington hade; From different parents, different chmos we ca At cuiferent periods, vet our fate the same; ‘Thou to the Shades irrewocavly cone, Ani L abandon'd, desolate, alone! Thy first born son, once comtorting my pains, No traces of thee, save thy name, retains; He does not foilow thy example good, His teet are often where thine never stood. Not his to foster sciences and arte, He rarely for thy mausoleum starts; Museams ne‘ ith longings Milt his sont, Dve even known him soul whe name of Col Thy saving ways his leisure ne'er employ— Me does not cae tor plys—unhappy Boy And but last Christinas and fack-a-dayt Tsaw him lectured in the * Tier 0 spake the mournful dame; and Albor heard, from his spirit comes tne answering word. "itsays, “thy love 18 dear, thy unfailing tear; thee to know my will ‘tis meet— ‘Shy tune of mourning ts, indeed, complete. Unworthy of more wailing do I feel, ‘Tis time that wounds my loss has made should neal; For—pardon, it a tender syot I touch— Worry I'mgrown of being mourne! so mach; And, if you do not wish to give me pain, visic (his sarcophagus again. Thou'st acted nobly, and the country too, You both have doné more than was call to do: In dead, but Albors, bronze and stone, in scores Have riscn everywhere about the shores; And with n sense of chastenad pride L mark nd memorial in the Western Park; stened pride L say, fr oft I think te sum that gufreous pile must sink; An what the interest on that sum would be 1 thow'ast Invest if, Viktromache ; Or had some score Of stucco mausions bullt, Nor spend ttaltin sentptures and in gilt. However, ‘tis too inte 10 that amend, Tofily say this sort of thing should end. ‘dis ime my spirit rested ‘mongast the shades? Safe from thy constant melancholy rails, The more couvivial ghosts have peticed It 1 a to be wit. ¥’ counsel take, ‘al peupie’s sak Te So, matame mine, For mine, if not thy lo Forget me, eave me. alt thy care is vain, Anil t your country be a Queen again” This expression of sentiment being to a 1: extent an echo oF public opinion, Obtained for + in Stiad” a wide popularity and made it cortain that the annual would appear again in 1874, TWO BOOKS IN THE MARKET, During tne twelvemonth, however, quarrels seem to have arisen between the authors and the publishers of these deligniiul Works, aod the conse- uence is that this Christmas we have two annuals, the one, “Jon Duan,” claiming to be “by the an- thors of the Coming K—— and the Silied;’ the otber “The Fijiad,” purporting to be written “by the author of the Siltad and others.” A compari- son vi thea: shows that the first ts scirrilous, but not stupid, aud the second stupid, but not scur- niots, “THE FIUTADY 18, {fideed, so very stupid that only a brief refer- ence to it is necessary, it 1s t 0 be the adventures in England of one @Ptinee of Fiji, bas the usual references to Giadisuse and Bendizzy, out is discreetly silent about Court and private scandal, “JON DUAN,” on thé contrary, has all the recklessness that marked The Coming K——~. In metfe and in con- struction it is an imitation of Byron's groat original; but tne adventures gone through by the hero are, of course, those of modern days. The writer seems to ha tne new newspaper, the World, on tne brain, ‘The atticie “For God and the Queen,” descriptive of Her Majesty's life at Bal- moral and the scenes in Crathie churen, which e bodily re- produced ta vers rince of Wales and his companions at thé Marlborough Cinb speak o1 the World, and “Little Laoby” (ar, Labouc.ere) sings to them some verses which he had just | Tread in the sanctam of the editor, ‘Fred Bates,” | (Mr, Eamund Yates.) All the old scandals are trotted vuc and some new ones added, and the tone Is entirely that of The youn K—, a the new dnntal lacks the brisk freshness of the first one. Itis curious to notice (nat where tt has ® purpose that purpose would seem to be a desire to push of the abdication of the Queen; and this 18 set lorto in a ballad supposed to be sung at the Marlborough Club by Lord Coachington (Lord Car- rington), Which I now quote :— THE COSTER'S CAROL. T may be rouen an’ like o' that, But 1 ain't no boomin’ tool, An’ in rather up to what is what, though | newer goed to xchool, Tkvow m bit, Aun’ this is what! say 7 That it’s those that does the business As ought to act the pay. T ain't no wrudge agen the Leastways, (hat is, no spi But | helps to ke 10 ax for wha An’ as she won ‘That if sne dou’t do the business, Why, she shouldn't get t She's livin’ on the cheap, I'm told, some gets tike th arwiten tne isola But what I wi Tair Diary | judtlewm, whence our Jutiec. ; tothe members of monastic orde | Boniface was | accrued to tne Churcn trom the tir, —_— Let Wio! yt pension, ‘An up tn teniiand stay! Bat let them tan Be the ones to get most pay. ‘ow her eldest son 'A® got a hopen ‘art; Tiike‘his looks myseli, for one, An’ Lailus takes is part And then there's Alexandrar, he's a Droper sort, 1 say; Them’s the two as do the business, ‘An’ (hey ought to yet the pay. There ain't to me the slightest doubt (Am no hoffence | means), ‘Tis the moke as draws ihe track about As ought to get inost greens. We co sloestarve the old ‘un But we give much less to they= °Tis the ones as do the business ‘As ought to have the pay. T pay my whack for queen or king, Tike'them o° "usher birth, An’ ‘taint a werry wicked thing To want My money's wortn. An’ if I'm discontented "Ns only ‘cause I say— That the coves as does the business Ought 10 get the bloomin’ pay. So let the Queen her wavs pursog ‘an’ I for one won't Weep; An’ ail the idle Jarmints, too, sL helps for to That the Prince s Ought to get Owing to the expression of this spirit ana to ite outspoken scandals Jon Duan has been a great pecuniary success. The frst edition is complstel exhanstéd, and many hundreds o! copies hav been sold at douvie the original price. A new edition 1g announced for the beginning of the month. The authorship is, of course, anonymons, out so far as Jon Duan 1s concerned it is believed io be written by a Mr. A. W. Dowty, a clerk in the Paymaster Gener: office. THE JUBILEE. FOBMER CEREMONIAL ADOPTED IN PROCLAIMING JUBILEES. The manner in which His Holiness Pope Pius IX, was constrained by political circumstances ta prociaim the year of Jubilee 1875 will probably come nearer home in its pathetic simpilety to the hearts of the faithful subjects of that much tried Pontiff than the gorgeous processions and cere monies amid which his predeeessors were accua- tomed to break down the Porta Santa, and aamit the countless nosts of pilgrims to a view of the pious treasures tt concealed. The Junilee or Anno Santo takes ite date among the Ieasts of the Catho- he Church, irom the year. 1300, when Pope Bont- Jace ViIL deciared nis intention of maugurating the héw centiry by a religious Celebration, wuion should partake of the cuaracter o1 those lestivais which, by a divine ordination, Une Mosaic law had prescribed to be eld by the ancieat Jews on every jorty-ninthyear. [t derived its name oj Ju. bilee irom the Hebrew word “Yoval,” meaning joyful shout’ or ‘a clangor of trumpets,” @ Sense we find still preserved m the German word ubet.” From the Hebrew root comes the Latin Bonuace ordained that all who made the pilgrimage to Rome during this least should receive plenary absolution tor their sins 11 they repented o! them fully and sine cerely—a privilege waich extended to those whe leit home for the parpose o1 attending, but might chance to die Upen tHe road, ‘to suca as were, from unavoidable circumstances, unable to al tend—stch a8 prisoners, persons in official sik uations, children under age and others, as well as Ae granted ihe privilege of selecuing among tie cieruy resi- © of abode a coniessor, to be ap. proved by the bighess ecclesiastical dignitary of the respective district, woo uid have the power O. granting them plepary absolution; and jurther, mm the words of the Pope's eucyclical iet- ter, “equally may the same coniessors absolve the above numed penitents trom ull the sing and ex however serious and enormous they may as been said, reserved tv the said ordioa- Ties and to us, orto the Apostolic See enjutaed to them as a salutary pefance, aud other tuings to be enjoined vy right, ay uiso they shall be able to commttge into ofher plous and saiutary works whatsoever vow even sworn aud reserved to the Apostolic See, excepting, however, vows of chas tity, Ol reiigion and of obligation which may nave been accepted by a third person, or which may be to the prejudice of a third persoa.”’ Persons in tue city ol Rome at the time of the Jubilee w further required, if iuuabitauts of the city, to periurm their devotions at the Church of Sts. Peter and Paul thirty times wuile it lasted, while for a stranger fiiveen visitswould sufice. The Chureh of Rone has Never iutled to press upon its 1ollowers the iraportance uf these periodical tex tivals, and many bulls and encyclical letters have been published to eniorce their proper celebration, ‘The geeat Pope Clement Ganganelll, in nis ball De Indulgentia, hus appeals to bis fock:—“WE offer you a share Of aii the riches of divine mercy Which Have been intrusted to ux, and cotetly those which have tueir origin in tne biood.of Christ. We wiil then open to you ali tue gates of the rich Teservoir of atonement, derived iYoa the merits Of the Motuer of God, the holy »pusties, tae blood ol the martyrs and’ the govd works of all the saints, We invite you then to drink of this overe flowing stream oO) Indulgence, to enrich your seiv 1M the Mextiaustivle treasure of the Church ace coraing to the custom of your ancestors. Do not then let slip the present Occasion thus to appease the justice of Gou and obtain your parden.” And in the bull of indication issued by Po»e Leo XU. in 1824 for the Lent Jabilee heid at Rome in 1825, he says :—‘We have resulved, 11 virtue of the author. ity given us by Heaven, fuly to uniock that sacred treasure Compose: of the merits, soferings and virtues of Christ our Lord and of His virgin | mother and of all tne saints wiom the Author of humaa salvation has intrusted (0 our dispensa- tion, Daring tms year of Juvilee we mercuuily give and grant in the Lord a pienary indulgence, remission and pardon of ali their sins to all the faithiul uf Cntist truly penitent, coniessing their ins and receiving the holy communion, wio shail visit the Churca of Blessed Peter and Paul.” Persons under sentence of eXcominunication by the Pope or other dignitaries of the Uiurn are, however, debarred Irout the benefits of the Jubilee unt such ume as they have made Papper. and ace ceptable submission. The Jubitee of Bonifice was @ very great success, Lye wine descrive the Hocks ot pilgrims Who covered tue roads teading to and Irom the Holy City us defying ail attempts to calculate tueir Lumbers, and it is computed thatat uo time during the year were there less than two Hundred thousand strangers actually within the waius of Rome, exciusive of those wh¢ were coming and ving, It 18 said that among the pious muitituge who thronged une churches of the metropolis of the Curistian world Was a venerable amchortie, Who lor many years had led a peaceful and viameless Lie 0: devotion and prayer among ine rugged recesses Of Une Ap- penines, but who upon hearing the glaa tidings of the great Congregation waicn had assemoled t¢ maranip ii unison at the fountain head ol their behef, quitted bis hermitage and revisited tor tne last ume the busy haunts of men. His majestic mien and great age attracted the notice of tie Pope, who had him brougne before him and ques- tloned him whether he had ever belure vcneld sucha sight. The hermit replied that re bad now lived 107 years, always having the (ear of God be. tore his eyes aud that ke could perfectly recollect that just 100 years ago the then reizaing Ponti had caused a similur festival to be celebrated impressed with this state ment, and deoreed that hereaiter a Jw psa should be held every hundredth year, Pope Cleiient VI., seeing the great yam which bad t.Jublee, and desirous perhaps of witnes-ing in person so grand @ Sight, reduced the interval between these loasta to fifty years, and held one in 1350 which not only equailed but almost eclipsed tne splendor ot its predecessor, According to Matibew Villian, a writer deserving of credit, it was attended by over 1,000,000 pilgrims, aud twis before the summer heats had commenced. Several of t succeeding popes aitered the dates upon whi the jubilees were to ve held, and it was not till the year 1470 tnat Paul II. definitively fixed their Yectirrence at every twenty-fitth year, 8o thatevery Mat Of average lengtn of iife might have an op. portunity of being present at the celebration of At least one o1 them, and this term has been main. tained up to the present day, and only two Omissions fave taken piace, both in the present century—namely, 1u the year 1800, when Roine wag Occupied by the troops of the French Republic and the Popa an exile in France; and again, in 1850, When the prevent incumbent oi the Pontificate, Pope Pits IX., did nut deem tt expedient, in view of the disturved state o! italy, just emerging trom Lhe throes of the revolution of 1848, to attract a large concourse of straugers to bis capital Ex- traordinary jubiiees have sometimes been heid When any particular calamity has appeared reaay to metiace the Church. Special prayers referring to the occasion are then enjoimed to be used by the parties seeking tor the Deneflts accruing Irom thetr observance. Formerly, while the Popes were stillin full pos Session of the inheritance o1 St. Peter, the cere monial Observed in opening the year of Jubilee Was impressive in the extreme. Ou Christmas Eve the Pontiff or nis tegate proceeded tn fal sacerdotal roves, and, attended by all nis clerg: in solemn procession to the Porte Sancta or the woiwen gate of St. Peter in the Basilica of the Vv kept walled up. ceded a throne prepared jor the purpo: 4 Nigh mass Was said, at the conclusion o! Which ne uroge, and, taking a golaen hammer ig his hand, struck three biows Upon the masonry, at the same time reciting the 11sth Paalm— Open to me the gates of righteousn I Will go into them and I will praise tne Lord, ‘This gate of the Lord, Into Which tue righteous shall ente: Twill p thee, tor thou hast heard me And art become my salvation. é ‘The wail was then torn down, and penitential Monks washed the threshold witn holy water, whereupon His Holiness entered, pe A 4 bis suite, and with is own hands opened the shrines contaiming.tie reitcs of the saints and exposed their sacred contents to the eager gaze of the reverential crowd, simuitaueously with this ceremony t doors of the churches of St. Join Laterao, San Maria Maggiore and St. Paul, which were de clured by Pope Boniface 1X. to be Jubilee churches, were opened by three Cardinals deputed by the Pope ior tuat purpose. and the festival 1 begun. At tts conclusion, on the 24th Oo: December toulown the Pope proceeded ageio iu eta the Porte Sanota., He biessed the stones and lime which were there® provided, and sprinkled taem with holy water; then, taking up @ gilded trowel, be spread the first layer of mortar and cast im some coins, alter Whicn the work Was tinished By masons in attendance lor toat purpose.