6. Countless attempts have been made by writers of all classes to convey to the non-academic public some notion of the life so dear in the memories of those who have enjoyed it. The three bulky volumes of the German professor which were given to the world with grotesque illustrations, under the authority of Mr. James Heywood, were not likely to gain much popularity. More life-like sketches will be found in certain works of fiction, though we trust that our readers will not regard The Adventures of Mr. Verdant Green as more than a caricature of what they profess to represent. Particular scenes in Loss and Gain are inimitable in their truthfulness; but they embrace but a few phases of university life, and are wholly subservient to the main object of the book. Whoever wishes to gain some insight into English college life must have recourse to authors born beyond the Atlantic,-to Mr. Bristed's Five Years at an English University, so highly praised by Dr. Newman, or to the work now before us, bearing the title On the Cam.*

The author, Mr. Everett, son of a gentleman who some years ago filled the office of American minister at the Court of Queen Victoria, was a foundation scholar of Trinity College, Cambridge, and graduated in 1863. In the following year he delivered at Boston a series of lectures, detailing the impressions he had received during his residence on the banks of the Cam. These lectures, published first in America and then in England, form the volume before us.

Mr. Everett, who had graduated at Harvard College in the Cambridge of the New World, found little to blame and much to praise in the circumstances of his second university career; so much indeed, that from time to time he feels obliged now to excuse, and now to justify, to his countrymen his admiration of a thoroughly English institution. He seems to have been singularly fortunate in the set of men among whom he was thrown; at least we fear that the experience of many Cambridge men would hardly confirm the truth of what he tells us (p. 91): "The oarsman is not the scholar, the man of pleasure is not the mathematician, but each of the four and a hundred other trades honours the others as fellow-men, as fellow-students, as fellow-Christians. From the highest to the lowest there is a hearty recognition of the sacred truth, that we are many members in one body.'" Nor had we supposed that the reading of the chapters from Scripture in the chapel was "a very pleasing part of the service, and greatly interests the young men themselves in it." In common with the editor of the English reprint (p. 111), we are truly glad to hear this. We have heard of games at whist carried on during the reading of these same lessons, in a corner of Trinity Chapel, safely shielded from the glance of the Dean. But such things seem to have been unknown in Mr. Everett's time.

Mr. Everett has some fault to find with the tendency of the Cambridge system of examinations to reward high excellence in

*On the Cam. Lectures on the University of Cambridge in England. By William Everett, M.A., Trinity College, Cambridge. London, 1866.

each particular branch of study, rather than to encourage extensive mediocrity. In this we do not agree with him. But we cannot now enter on the question raised, which, however, deserves the fullest consideration of all who take interest in the education of themselves or of others. There are a few other points on which our author is not quite satisfied; but the one great grievance, to which he recurs again and again, is the plan of paying the college servants, in part at least, by gratuities. Probably some difference of national character and habits causes an American to feel indignant about this matter to a degree which in an Englishman's eyes is simply amusing. No doubt in a perfect state of society gratuities could be dispensed with, and there would be no difference in the attention shown by feed and unfeéd railway porters. But the time of which Socialist lecturers talk has not yet come; servants are confessedly imperfect mortals, and we think the prospect of occasional presents a salutary help to them in the performance of their duties. It is quite possible that the foreign gentleman who had no wish to be thought shabby, was made to pay sometimes a little above the recognised tariff.

7. We understand that an unusual sensation has just been created in France by a Pastoral Letter addressed by Monseigneur Dupanloup, Bishop of Orleans, to his clergy and their flocks. Documents of this kind, even when most remarkable, do not usually penetrate far beyond the diocese, or, at least, the country, in which they are put forth; and we can perhaps hardly expect that the present letter of Mgr. Dupanloup will meet with a translator. It deserves attention, however, from others besides those to whom it is immediately addressed. As far as we are aware, the French Episcopate has hitherto been reserved as to the public expression of its thoughts or feelings on the approaching crisis at Rome: and this reserve probably signifies that there is a large class in France who do not believe that the crisis will be permitted. The present circular of Monseigneur Dupanloup does not deal directly with the Roman question: but it is an eloquent and most earnest cry of alarm against the evil tendencies of the times, and against the pernicious principles which lie at the bottom of all the attempts of the revolutionary party against religion, morality, and society itself. It seems to come with all the greater weight from a prelate like the Bishop of Orleans, who has shown so often that he has no antipathy to liberty or to progress, and who has been foremost among those who have attempted to bring the professed advocates of both into alliance with the Church and with religion. Now he writes like one appalled at the activity and malignity of the enemies of humanity.

The letter is occasioned by the great sufferings in France which have resulted from the late extensive inundations. After stating what measures of relief have been taken, the Bishop dwells upon the many signs of the anger of heaven which now abound, the wars and rumours of war which have lately been rife, the earthquakes, pestilences, and inundations of which all have heard. Then he asks

whether the very soil, as it were, on which society rests, is not giving way, and whether there is not a worse inundation threatening us, from the rising flood of evil principles, which are increasing on every side? He points particularly to four late manifestations of the growing audacity and confidence of the conspirators against society. The first took place in Belgium last year. At a congress of "students" held at Liege, presided over by the chief magistrate of the town, formerly a Minister, who declared that the assembly consisted of "the flower of the young students, the apostles of liberty and progress, the soldiers of civilisation, the most highly-authorised and worthy representatives of the principles by which society is to be preserved," the most rampant atheism and materialism were avowed, war was declared against the idea of God, by speakers who said they were prepared to propagate their doctrines by force, and exterminate all opposition by the guillotine. The second demonstration pointed to by Mgr. Dupanloup took place at Geneva, at the late "international congress" of working men. In this much the same principles were avowed, religion was denied, and the intention of overturning all authority, human or divine, was proclaimed. The third was in Paris, not many weeks ago, when a masonic lodge of the "Grand Orient" of France exacted an engagement from its members, not only to die themselves without the aid of religions, but to propagate this principle in every way in their power. This lodge avowed that "les religious révélées sont la négation de la conscience." It is fair to say that it has been suppressed by the Grand Master. The fourth explosion of this hatred to all religion is on the part of the Italian revolutionary party, already looking forward to its triumph at Rome. The Bishop quotes some of those outspoken sentences of Garibaldi in his late address to his volunteers, which his admirers in the English press have been discreet enough not to publish in this country. Yet it appears that Baron Ricasoli was present when they were uttered, and applauded them.

The letter then proceeds earnestly to warn those who are indifferent to the evil. The danger is as great as in 1848 there are the same principles at work, the same prospects of success and all history shows what it will cost Europe if the enemies of religion triumph, if only for a time. What of those who are the secret accomplices of the conspiracy? "L'histoire n'aura pas assez d'exécration pour ceux qui auront amené et consommé les attentats dont nous sommes temoins. On saura ce qu'il en coute à un siècle pour avoir porté la main sur le Christ du Seigneur, et ce qui tombe autour de cette colonne ébranlée de l'ordre, de la justice, de la société !” The Bishop declares that there must be an united effort made, not only by the Catholics of all countries, but by all Christians, by all men of order and intelligence and heart every where; and his letter concludes by ordering certain special prayers throughout his diocese to avert the anger of heaven, and bring down a blessing in its place.

8. A good deal has lately been written on the place which Latin and Greek versification hold in our classical education. This is one

of those subjects which turn up from time to time, and the discussion of which is encouraged by the newspapers-in the time of the recess. One thing, at least, seems certain, though it is not always remembered by the assailants of the system which we have inherited from past generations-that Latin and even Greek versification— setting aside their own intrinsic value-are just as valuable or as useless as sound, accurate, and refined scholarship. If this is worth gaining, then those who complain of the amount of time bestowed on composition in our Public Schools must not be listened to. As a proof of the charm which the habit of Latin versification possesses for those who have acquired it, we always welcome the volumes which from time to time appear containing translations of English poetry into the classical languages, or of classical masterpieces into English poetry. The latest specimen of the class seems to be the book which now lies before us, under the title Fasciculus.* It is the joint production of three or four well-practised scholars, and, though perhaps not equal to some of the most famous volumes of the kind, it contains a good deal of very happy translation. In the Arundines Cami, the earliest book of this class in our times, a rather dangerous example was set of indulging in endless translations of nursery rhymes, “Hey diddle diddle," and the like. It required no great scholarship to produce absurd Latin versions of these old acquaintances, and the joke, such as it was, palled on repetition. We observe little of this sort of thing in Fasciculus, though there is a mistake of the same character made in the attempt to translate Dickens' " Expiring Frog." Perhaps more judgment might have been exercised in the selection of the English pieces. We have attempts at rendering some of the most beautiful but most untranslateable morceaux of Tennyson and other writers of kindred powers, the exquisite delicacy and tender bloom of which simply fades and evaporates in the process of version into Latin. At all events, the translations here given of Tennyson's Swallow flying south, of his Break, break, break, on thy cold gray stones, O Sea, and Blow, bugles, blow; of Shelley's magnificent Stanzas written in dejection near Naples, and of Keats' Bower of Adonis, are hopelessly poor by the side of the originals. One of the very best pieces in the book, though short, is from a part of the scene in the Merry Wives of Windsor, in which Falstaff has to hide himself from Master Ford. We must also mention a really graceful translation of Poe's Raven, and some good Alcaics from Cowper's Lines to a Friend,—in which, however, the poet's famous "Mary” is rather strangely turned into "formosa Chloe."

*Fasciculus. Ediderunt Ludovicus Gidley et Robinson Thornton. Londini et Oxonii, 1866.

Irish Birds'-Nests.

"WHO reads the Report of an Orphan School?" is the opening sentence of one of a bundle of annual reports of various orphanages, refuges, and missions in Ireland which lately fell in our way. We must take some credit to ourselves for the sturdy perseverance with which we read every word not only of this-which was one of the most nauseous of all—but of the whole score of compilations which we had been invited to peruse. Our readers will compassionate our state of exhaustion after a prolonged study of cases of true conversion, hearty reception of "the Word," "laying hold of Christ," and finding peace, &c.; and of detailed descriptions of Scripturereaders' argumentative triumphs, dear Mr. A.'s faithful expositions, the eagerness of starving children to learn texts, and the wonderful effects produced by their repeating them to their benighted parents, and the edifying pertinacity with which a patient, overdosed with texts and dying of water on the brain, never ceased singing hymns until quite exhausted." But why did we run some risk of a similar fate by continuing to pore over this asphyxiating species of literature? and what has the title of "Birds'-nests" to do with the results of our studies, which do not seem to have lain in the direction of ornithology? Our attention was sustained by the discovery which we soon made, that the system of trading with English money on the destitution of the Irish, for the purpose of training their children in Protestantism, must be very much more extensively and unflinchingly carried on than we had previously supposed.

In England the work of perversion is chiefly performed, as we have taken care not to let our readers forget, in the district schools which they help to support by the poor-rate; and as this is effected on a very large scale and at the public expense, it is not so necessary for the proselytisers to buy Catholic orphans and pervert them in private establishments. Not that this machinery also is not worked even in London. We have met with several instances of offers to pay rent and give other assistance, on condition of the children being handed over to one of the Protestant orphanages which are to be found in the outskirts of the metropolis. And the efforts that had to be made, and with less than complete success, to prevent the "Crimean" and "Patriotic" Funds from being partly applied to a similar purpose will be in the recollection of our readers. But it

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