people were narrow-souled people; and Pope had truly said that " narrowsouled people were like narrow-necked bottles, the less they had in them, the more noise they make in turning it out." It must be admitted that, on this head, members of such societies had a temptation to guard against. He could suggest no better test of cleverness for those who, elated by small successes at their debating club, were led to think "more highly of themselves than they ought," than that of turning themselves out to "graze" for awhile in the stubbly fields of algebra, Euclid's "Elements," or any other branch of mathematics; or of setting themselves to master a language; or, if they fancy that they excel in authorship, let them address a few of their best specimens to one or other of the leading magazines (asking what they deem a fair price for them); and if an unusual measure of success should crown these efforts, it will then be entirely fair to assume an unusual degree of merit. He must admit, also, that there was a temptation to display in debate mere smatterings of knowledge, and this tendency should be jealously guarded against. Do not be afraid of saying that you do not know a thing either; for is it not true that it takes a wise man to know the full extent of his own ignorance? One final caution,-Let health be the measure of literary effort. It was a saddening thing to see the young and earnest student steadily and persistently undermining a perhaps not over-strong constitution by excessive application, or by an extent of it which, though not excessive in the abstract, was proving itself to be so in his case. Professional men in these days of hard study should, to begin with, have good, healthy constitutions, or their lamps of life, in many sad cases, when hopes were highest, would flicker to extinction.

He felt it his duty, before concluding, to take exception to the distinctive word in the title of the society, viz., Excelsior," and to the kind of aspiration it was generally supposed to repre

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sent. It was, in the first place, no recognized word in any language, hav ing, he believed, been invented by Mr. Longfellow, for especial use in the most extraordinary poem bearing that name.* He would be the last to deny to that well-known poem the merit of exquisite rhythm, which it without doubt possessed, but taking the proceedings of that

"Youth who bore, 'mid snow and ice, The banner with that strange device," from the very fitting time when, as— "The shades of night were falling fast," he began to ascend the mountain, rejecting all advice from those older and more experienced than himself, setting at naught the comforts of home and the loving invitation of the kindly "maiden," until he was found frozen to death at the top of it, when morning dawned; it seemed impossible for a sensible man to resist the conclusion, that the poet's hero must have been more than slightly deranged. The sort of aspirations usually associated by young men with this "unknown" word would in most cases, upon close examination, be found to be an aimless, dreamy, hopeless, impossible sort of aspiration, based very frequently upon restlessness and discontent. Now, this spirit should be far from characteristic of the members of such a society as theirs, and upon the plan of calling things by their right name, he would suggest that the word in question be struck out, and that the title should in future read, the "Huddersfield Essay and Discussion Society."

But just as surely as there was a false aspiration, so surely was there a true and ennobling one, and he would

* We remember meeting this word in Cicero's "Orator ad M. Brutum," e.g., "Orator grandior et quodammodo excelsior;" also in his "Epistolæ ad Atticum." Longfellow is professor of Latin, and doubtlessly adopted it from the Roman rhetorician.-ED. British Controversialist.

be the last man present to say a word other than encouraging of this. True, genuine aspiration was, however, distinguished from the other in various ways. It was not in any sense an impossible aspiration. On the contrary, it began at home, by doing first "the duty lying nearest us," and delighted to progress in the estimation and affections of those around us. While carefully exercising and preparing its owner for filling a more elevated sphere of life should he be called thereto, it by no means viewed legitimate earthly joys as being incompatible with itself; and, above all,

whether labouring for private or public welfare, forgot not to ask God's blessing upon its efforts. This was the sort of aspiration he wished to practise and to commend.

Addresses were afterwards delivered by Messrs. Hartley, Booth, McEwen, and Hawkins. Recitations were given by Messrs. McEwen and Kirk; and the intervals were occupied with songs, duetts, glees, &c., in which Misses Broadbent and North took a prominent part. The programme was tastefully diversified, and a pleasant evening was spent.

I. Figurate.-1. If 40,000,000 penny pieces, weighing each 12 drams, were coined out of copper which cost ls. 3d. per pound, and the expense of coining was d. per pound, how much copper would be used, what would it cost, and how much would the coin value of the money exceed the original worth, including the expense of coining? 2. The National Debt, in 1859, was £805,078,554,-how much would it weigh in penny pieces of 12 drams each? 3. If each penny piece was 1 inches in diameter,-how far would the whole national debt extend, if laid in a continuous straight line?

Commercial.-1. If 25 pieces of cloth, containing 953 yards, are valued at £154 17s. 9 d., how much ought three pieces, containing 108 yards, to cost at the same rate? If 5 hhds. of sugar, each weighing on an average 12 cwt. 15lbs.nett, are bought for £125 17s. 6d., how much should be paid for 30 cwt.

3 qrs. 25 lbs.? On a cargo from London to Riga, A insures £2,700, B £2,500, and C £1,500. During the voyage, damage was done to the extent of £2,401 5s. 11d.,-how much of this loss ought each insurer to sustain?

II. In twenty day-book transactions (constructed or quoted) show by figures placed over the several parts of the transactions (in coloured ink), that the

following, or any given number of the essentials of day-book entries are attended to in them, viz., 1st, date of the transaction; 2nd, its nature; 3rd, the parties concerned in it; 4th, its conditions; 5th, the time of fulfilling these; 6th, the manner; 7th, the amount involved; 8th, any consideration likely to alter either, any, or all of these items. Give examples of the use of an invoicebook (in doing which, write out one invoice, fold and docquet it correctly), parcel-book, account sales book, and bill-book. Write out a receipt in proper form.

III. Intellectual. Name, describe (if possible), and tell the latitude and longitude of the chief towns in Europe on the shores of the Mediterranean, the Atlantic, or the Baltic. Arrange in order, from N.E. to N.W., the towns lying along the whole sea-coast of England, Scotland, or Ireland; of the Scandinavian peninsula; or of the Spanish peninsula. Name in order the chief border-towns of Germany, including Austria and Prussia, beginning with Aix-la-Chapelle, and ending with Memel. Arrange, in alphabetical order, the colonies of Britain.

Draught.-Draw an outline map county borders included) of England, Scotland, or Ireland. Or draw three proportional outline (county less) maps,

on separate sheets of the same sized paper, of these three. Draw an outline of Russia, European and Asiatic, or of Turkey in Europe and Asia. Construct angles or parallelograms porportional to the areas of the states of Germany; of the departments of France; or of the counties of England and Scotland.

IV. State the particulars of the parentage, birth, marriage, children, chief political events during the reign, and the place, time, and manner of the death of Henry I. Describe and criticize the conduct of Henry I. to his brother Robert. What part did England take in the earlier crusades? What were the relations between Henry I. and the Church? State any (known) particulars of the life of Anselm.

V. Senior. Catiline and Virgil as before, only that now it is to be written in an interlined translation, thus:

Platonem non accepit nobilem philosophia sed fecit."

"Victus cultusque corporis ad valetudinem referantur et ad vires non ad voluptatem."

State the construction of the words in italics.

VI. What are the chief differences, grammatical and lexicographic, between the language in use in Chaucer's and in Shakspere's time? Mention any grammatical peculiarities of the grammar of Shakspere's age, now obsolete. What writers lived partly in the reign of James I. and that of Charles I.? What were their chief works, when were they born, and when did they die?

Name. Chief Works. Birth. Death.

State what events in literature happened between the birth of Milton and the death of Shakspere. What authors were born between the death of Shakspere and that of Ben Jonson?

VII. How do sensation, perception, and naming, aid the judgment? What is a logical judgment? Is judgment invariably trustworthy? Is error possible in sensation? What is the difference between the ordinary and the logical use of the word "judgment"? What is affirmation? negation? What are the subdivisions of judgment? Define each of them. What is definition? On what does it depend? How many relations do words bear? How may the importance of definition be made manifest? ["Art of Reasoning," chap. iv.]

VIII. What relations exist between thought and speech? Illustrate the difference between the logical and the rhetorical use of language? What causes affect the perceptivity? the societarian instincts? the analogical faculties? the colligatory faculties? What are the several classes into which words may be divided? How do the aforementioned causes influence the classification of words? Give twenty instances of words arising from the exertion of the perceptive powers.

THE Right Hon. Sir Thomas Wyse, author of "Walks in Rome," "Oriental Sketches," &c., died 15th April, at Athens, where he was the Britannic Plenipotentiary.

Kingsley's Lectures-to be begun in the Michaelmas Term, at Cambridgeare to be on "The History of North America."

"The Life of St. Francis Xavier," by the Rev. H. Venn, Prebendary of St. Paul's, will review "Roman Catholic Missions to the Heathen."

L'Indépendance Parisienne is the title of a new literary review, to be issued in France.

Shilling libraries abound. Smith, Elder, and Co., issue an excellent series of novels at that price; so do Messrs. Ward and Lock; and Scott's novels are now attainable in a uniform series at a less price than Waverley itself once cost. Can no publisher emulate the Weekly Shilling Volume of Charles Knight, and give to working men good, cheap, instructive, interesting fireside libraries ?

Exhibition literature is, of course, all the vogue just now, and many interesting works have resulted from the pressure of this great event.

An anonymous epic poem, "The Last Judgment," is in the press, in three editions.

A memoir and correspondence of Theodore Parker is in preparation.

Mrs. Prescott (widow of the American historian?) is to favour the public with "Amber Gods," &c.

J. Russell Lowell, author of "Biglow Papers," is to give us "Fireside Stories," and a poet's "Journal."

Mrs. S. C. Hall has relinquished the editorial desk of St. James' Magazine. We presume this is in token of her answer to the query, "Can wrong be right?" involved in a recent lawsuit.

The Tenth Thousand of S. Neil's Young Debater" has already been issued, and is now nearly exhausted.

Sir John Kincaid, a peninsular hero, born 1787, author of "Adventures in the Rifle Brigade," "Random Shots from a Rifleman," died April 22nd.

Mr. Richard Perry, A.M., author of the yet-unpublished "Reminiscences of Macaulay," died suddenly 5th May.

The Literary Gazette, at the age of forty-five, has become the Parthenon. Buckle's next volume is to be about "North America."

Mr. Thomas Wright (born 1810) author of eighty vols. on antiquarian subjects, connected with the life, literature, learning, manners, sciences of Ancient Britain, is preparing a book of British song, under the superintendence of the Master of the Rolls.

E. P. Panthier's edition of "The Works of Marco Polo" has been issued by the brothers Didot, of Paris.

Some letters, papers, poems, &e., of Shelley's have been recently discovered, and are preparing for the press of E. Moxon and Co., by Richard Garnet.

"Studies in Animal Life,"-a collection of admirable magazine papers-by G. H. Lewes, are to be published soon by Smith, Elder, and Co.

The "Hints on Drill," addressed to volunteers through the columns of the Scotsman, by Major MacDonald, of the City of Edinburgh Rifles, are to be reprinted.

"Historic Americans," by the late Theodore Parker, is announced by Messrs. Ticknor and Fields.

Leopold Ranke, Professor of History in Berlin, is engaged upon a "History of England."

M. Guizot has in the press a new work, entitled, "An Embassy to the Court of St. James's in 1840," which will include sketches of all the parliamentary notabilities of that day.

A new novel, by the author of "The Silver Cord," Mr. Shirley Brooks (see page 306), is in Bradbury and Evans press.

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Messrs. T. and T. Clark, of Edinburgh, purpose to issue shortly a series of essays on Religious Philosophy,including estimates of Descartes, Malbranche, Spinoza, Newton, Leibnitz, Kant, Hegel, &c.-by M. Emile Saisset, translator of Spinoza, editor of the Dictionary of the Philosophical Sciences," and Professor of Philosophy in the Faculty of Letters in the University of Paris. It will be translated from the third Parisian edition, by the Rev. William Alexander, M.A. of Brasenose College (prize essayist and poet), Oxford.

• "The Reformation under Calvin," is the title of a work composed by Dr. Merle D'Aubigné (born at Geneva, 1794), author of a "History of the Reformation," "Cromwell," &c., which the Messrs. Longmans will publish in September.

Mr. Rawden Brown has been appointed by Sir John Romilly to prepare a calendar of the state papers in the archives of Venice, relating to Britain.

On the first of July, will be published No. 1 of the "Apologist "a new Threepenny Monthly-projected for the defence of Christianity against its various assailants.

Captain Sayers is preparing "A History of Gibraltar."

The Algerine chief, Abd-el-Kader (born 1807), the defender of the Christians at Damascus, 1860. has written a work "On Catholicism."

J. B. Biot (born 1774), the distinguished French savant, has just issued "Studies in Astronomy."

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Essays and Addresses for the Times," by R. W. Emerson, are announced as nearly ready.

G. White Melville has ready for the press a romance of Holyrood Palace, entitled "The Queens Maries."

M. Michel Chevalier, the leading political economist of France, read a report to the Academy of Moral and Political Sciences, of the Imperial Institute of France, on Henry Dunning Macleod's" Elements of Political Economy," and the academy has agreed to have a debate upon the subject.

Stephen C. Foster, a Government clerk in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is the author of the words and music of "Old Dog Tray," "Uncle Ned," " Old Folks at Home," and those other negro melodies of a simple cast, which have such a wide celebrity.

Dr. Joseph Wolff, vicar of Isle Brewers, Somerset, author of "The Mystic Rationalism of Germany," " "A Journey to Bokhara," &c., died 2nd May.

We are glad to be able to inform our readers, many of whom will be interested in the fact, that a selection from the poems and other papers of the late William Threlkeld Edwards, of Pembroke College, Cambridge, a very frequent writer in our columns, under the styles of "Threlkeld " and " W. T. E.," is now in the press, and will, within a few weeks, be published.

"A New Testament for English Readers," by Dean Alford, will be regarded as an acquisition when it ap pears, as is expected, shortly.

A new monument to the Bedford dreamer-John Bunyan-was inaugurated in Bunhill-fields churchyard, on 21st May.