and grasped with a resolute hand. You are carried | along by the force of the author's strength and enthusiasm, and the scenes he depicts seem to rise into movement in his pages. The descriptions are every where lively and animated.

The Lexington Papers are a valuable contribution to the published history of the Seventeenth Century, The Athenarum describes it as consisting of the official and private correspondence of Lord Lexington, during the mission to the Imperial Court in the years 1694-5-6 and 7. This correspondence was lately discovered in the library at Kelham, formerly the residence of Lord Lexington, and is now edited by his descendant, Mr. Manners Sutton, in a manner which deserves our warmest commendation.

DUTCH LITERATURE.-The number of literary reviews published in Holland is very great: there are 125 monthly and 14 weekly. Of these, 32 are devoted to Protestant theology, 6 to Catholic theology, 5 to theology generally, 1 to the Israelites, 6 to law, 4 to manufactures and commerce, 3 to military matters, to architecture, 3 to navy, 2 to natural history, 4 to botany and agriculture, 8 to medicine and surgery, 1 to veterinary art, 24 to languages, 8 to instruction, 3 to history, 3 to geography and voyages, 18 to literary criticism, 2 to fine arts, 2 to music, 1 to political economy, 1 to science, 3 to bibliography, 5 encyclopædia; and the rest are specially for ladies' needlework, household matters, &c. Many of these publications have existed for between twenty and thirty years. Perhaps no other country in Europe can show such a goodly collection of important periodicals in proportion to its population: and assuredly no European people take such pleasure as the Dutch in serious literature.

Death of Distinguished Men.-It is but a short time since the papers announced the retirement of the Danish philosopher Oersted into the pleasant retreat which, after fifty years' labor in the University, the King of Denmark had provided, within the royal domain of Fredericksburg, for his old age. He has now died, at the age of seventy-four. Only a fortnight prior to his death he gave his last lecture as professor of the natural sciences at the University. His funeral was an imposing testimonial to the es teem in which he was held. At Berlin the same day witnessed the death of two of the oldest and best esteemed professors in the faculty of philosophy in the University of that capital; the professorships of both, by another coincidence, dating from the same year, as far back as 1825. M. Lachmann, professor of Greek philology, was a native of Brunswick, and in his fifty-eighth year. His name survives by means of a great variety of works, philological and critical. M. P. F. Stuhr professor of mythology and of the philosophy of history, is known by a number of historical works.-Dr. Czermak, the celebrated professor of anatomy and pathology at the University of Vienna, died a few days ago: and the father of the artists of Belgium, M. François, has just died, in Brussels, in his ninety-fourth year. The daily papers at home report the death, in Jamaica, in February last, of Dr. Edward Binns, author of "The Anatomy of Sleep." On the 19th February last, at Berlin, died M. Jacobi. This Russian philosopher is well known to the scientific world by his electro-chemical researches, and parti

cularly by his attempts to apply electricity as a motive power. On this subject the Emperor of Russia allowed him to spend upwards of £20,000.

Mr. Lea, of Philadelphia.-The Literary Gazette notices, with complimentary remarks justly due, the retirement from business of the head of the eminent publishing firm, Lea and Blanchard, of Philadelphia. It says, "Mr. Lea is well known to European naturalists as a pains-taking conchologist. His Observations on the genus Unio,' and other memoirs, published with colored figures, in the 'Transactions of the American Philosophical Society,' furnished the best account we have of the shells of the great rivers of North America, and we trust Mr. Lea will avail himself of his private leisure to work out the comparatively neglected fluviatile conchology of the eastern world. We know that he has been already furnished with much of the necessary material, and that our collectors are ready at any moment to respond freely to his request for the loan of specimens."

A Discovered Work of Origen's.-An important work of Origen's, hitherto believed to be lost, has been discovered in Paris by M. Miller, librarian to the National Assembly, among the Greek manuscripts brought to that capital by M. Mynas about ten years ago. The Journal des Débats describes the original work as being in ten books:-the first of which is already known to the world under the title of "Philosophumena." The last seven books are now, it is said, recovered, and about to be published. The French journals describes the work as "a refutation of heresies, in which the author endeav ors to prove that the heresiarchs have all taken their doctrines from the ancient philosophers;"-a very curious task for Origen to perform, since he was himself chiefly remarkable for the mixture of Zeno, Plate, and Aristotle which he compounded with his Christianity. But apart from its controversial interest, the recovered manuscripts will throw new light on the opinions and practices of the Neo-Platonists, and on the manners and customs of ancient times.

A Commentary on the Ecclesiastes, from the pen of the veteran philologist, Prof. Stuart, has been issued in a neat 12mo by Mr PUTNAM. Prof. S., in a long and learned argument, concludes that Solomon was not the author of the poem. The Commentary has the same thorough and erudite character which distinguish the other hermeneutical works of the learned author, and reflect, in a style that no other exegite in this country equals, the massive erudition and conscientious fidelity of the German scholars. The literature of the Book of Eclesiastes has been so much enriched by the research of biblical scholars that the reader of the English version is hardly aware of the light that a good commentary now throws upon it. All this learning Prof. Stuart has thoroughly mastered and here condensed; and though, from the structure of his mind, and some peculiarities of his theories, we should not suppose that the exposition of poetic writings was his forte, the scholar will find this an invaluable and comprehensive work, distinguished by candor and good judgment, not less than by great research and learning.