The Slave-Trade and its Remedy. By Thomas Fowell Buxton, Esq. Narrative of a Voyage to Madeira, Teneriffe, and along the Shores of the Mediterranean, including a Visit to Algiers, Egypt, Palestine, Tyre, &c. With Observations on the Present State and Prospects of Egypt and Palestine. By W. R. Wilde, M.R.I.A. 2 vols. Manners and Customs of the New Zealanders; with Notes corroborative of their Habits, Usages, &c. Remarks to intending Emigrants, with Numerous Cuts drawn on Wood. By J. S. Polack, Esq. 2 vols. What Cheer? or, Roger Williams in Banishment. A Poem by Job Durfee, Esq.; with a Recommendatory Preface by the Rev. J. Eustace Giles, Leeds. Sermons Preached in St. Paul's Episcopal Chapel, Walsall. By C. F. Childe, M.A. A History of British Birds. By W. Yarrell, F.L.S. Part 17. A History of Prices, and of the State of the Circulation in 1838 and 1839, with Remarks on the Corn Laws, and on some Alterations proposed in our Banking System. By Thomas Tooke, Esq., F.R.S. Episcopacy, Ordination, Lay-Eldership, and Liturgies: considered in five Letters. By the Rev. A. Boyd, A.M. The Canadian Naturalist. A Series of Conversations on the Natural History of Lower Canada. By P. H. Gosse. Parochial Lectures on the Book of Jonah, delivered in the Parish Church of Cheshunt in a Course of Lent Lectures. By Matthew M. Preston, M.A. Gatherings; a Collection of Short Pieces, written at Various Periods. By the Author of The Listener.' Christian Reasons of a Member of the Church of England for being a Reformer. By Ross D. Mangles, Esq. Family Worship. A Series of Prayers, with Doctrinal and Practical Remarks on Passages of Sacred Scripture, for every Morning and Evening throughout the Year; adapted to the Services of Domestic Worship. By upwards of 150 Clergyman of the Church of Scotland. The Protestant's Armoury; being a Collection of Extracts from Various Writers on the Church of Rome, chiefly designed to show its Apostate, Idolatrous, and Anti-Christian Character. Compiled by a Lay Member of the Church of England. Memoirs of James and George Macdonald of Port Glasgow. By Robert Norton, M.D. The Whole Sermons of Jeremy Taylor and the Rules and Exercises of Holy Living and Holy Dying: with a Biographical Memoir. Christian Liberty as Opposed to its Restrictions by the Veto Act, Patronage, and the Dependence of the Church on State Support. A Sermon. By H. Heugh, D.D. The Naturalist's Library. Conducted by Sir W. Jardine, Bart. Entomology, Vol. 6. Bees. Lives of the Queens of England, from the Norman Conquest; with Anecdotes of their Courts, now first published from Official Records and other Authentic Documents, Private as well as Public. By Agnes Strickland. Vols. I. and II. Man Responsible, for his Disposition, Opinions, and Conduct. A Lecture. By Isaac Taylor, Esq. Anti-Bacchus; an Essay on the Crimes, Diseases, and other Evils Connected with the Use of Intoxicating Drinks. By the Rev. B. Parsons. THE ECLECTIC REVIEW FOR MAY, 1840. Art. I. Discourses on Special Occasions, by the late Rev. Robert S. M'All, LL.D., with a Sketch of his Life and Character. By the Rev. RALPH WARDLAW, D.D. Two vols. 8vo. London: Jackson and Walford. THE HE reviewer of a posthumous work has duties to discharge differing materially from those which belong to ordinary criticism. When a living writer ventures on the attempt to instruct or please the public, he is in the fullest sense responsible for the productions of his pen. Soliciting the attention of others to his performance, he cannot complain if they reply by judging of its merits, and deciding, so far as the weight of their opinion goes, his literary fate. But when written compositions are given to the world by other hands than those which held the pen, appearing on the responsibility of survivors, who may feel as strongly the wish to erect a memorial to departed worth or talent as to benefit society, more especially when the writer has shrunk from this species of notoriety during his life, and has all but forbidden. it to his works after his decease,*-correct feeling, or rather jus This, we believe, was the fact in the case of Dr. M'All, who, while he gave that consent to the publication of his MSS. mentioned in the 'Prefatory Notices,' connected it with the condition of its being due to the tenderest claims of surviving relatives. The condition being realized, there was no longer the possibility of hesitancy as to the propriety of publication. It is true that some of the sermons in these volumes were finished by him with considerable care; but this was probably rather in uncertain anticipation of the use which might be made of them by others, than with any ultimate intention of publishing them himself. VOL. VII. 2 M The Slave-Trade and its Remedy. By Thomas Fowell Buxton, Esq. Narrative of a Voyage to Madeira, Teneriffe, and along the Shores of the Mediterranean, including a Visit to Algiers, Egypt, Palestine, Tyre, &c. With Observations on the Present State and Prospects of Egypt and Palestine. By W. R. Wilde, M.R.I.A. 2 vols. Manners and Customs of the New Zealanders; with Notes corroborative of their Habits, Usages, &c. Remarks to intending Emigrants, with Numerous Cuts drawn on Wood. By J. S. Polack, Esq. 2 vols. What Cheer? or, Roger Williams in Banishment. A Poem by Job Durfee, Esq.; with a Recommendatory Preface by the Rev. J. Eustace Giles, Leeds. Sermons Preached in St. Paul's Episcopal Chapel, Walsall. By C. F. Childe, M.A. A History of British Birds. By W. Yarrell, F.L.S. Part 17. A History of Prices, and of the State of the Circulation in 1838 and 1839, with Remarks on the Corn Laws, and on some Alterations proposed in our Banking System. By Thomas Tooke, Esq., F.R.S. Episcopacy, Ordination, Lay-Eldership, and Liturgies: considered in five Letters. By the Rev. A. Boyd, A.M. The Canadian Naturalist. A Series of Conversations on the Natural History of Lower Canada. By P. H. Gosse. Parochial Lectures on the Book of Jonah, delivered in the Parish Church of Cheshunt in a Course of Lent Lectures. By Matthew M. Preston, M.A. Gatherings; a Collection of Short Pieces, written at Various Periods. By the Author of The Listener.' Christian Reasons of a Member of the Church of England for being a Reformer. By Ross D. Mangles, Esq. Family Worship. A Series of Prayers, with Doctrinal and Practical Remarks on Passages of Sacred Scripture, for every Morning and Evening throughout the Year; adapted to the Services of Domestic Worship. By upwards of 150 Clergyman of the Church of Scotland. The Protestant's Armoury; being a Collection of Extracts from Various Writers on the Church of Rome, chiefly designed to show its Apostate, Idolatrous, and Anti-Christian Character. Compiled by a Lay Member of the Church of England. Memoirs of James and George Macdonald of Port Glasgow. By Robert Norton, M.D. The Whole Sermons of Jeremy Taylor and the Rules and Exercises of Holy Living and Holy Dying: with a Biographical Memoir. Christian Liberty as Opposed to its Restrictions by the Veto Act, Patronage, and the Dependence of the Church on State Support. A Sermon. By H. Heugh, D.D. The Naturalist's Library. Conducted by Sir W. Jardine, Bart. Entomology, Vol. 6. Bees. Lives of the Queens of England, from the Norman Conquest; with Anecdotes of their Courts, now first published from Official Records and other Authentic Documents, Private as well as Public. By Agnes Strickland. Vols. I. and II. Man Responsible, for his Disposition, Opinions, and Conduct. A Lecture. By Isaac Taylor, Esq. Anti-Bacchus; an Essay on the Crimes, Diseases, and other Evils Cornected with the Use of Intoxicating Drinks. By the Rev. B. Parsons. THE ECLECTIC REVIEW FOR MAY, 1840. Art. I. Discourses on Special Occasions, by the late Rev. Robert S. M'All, LL.D., with a Sketch of his Life and Character. By the Rev. RALPH WARDLAW, D.D. Two vols. 8vo. and Walford. London: Jackson THE HE reviewer of a posthumous work has duties to discharge differing materially from those which belong to ordinary criticism. When a living writer ventures on the attempt to instruct or please the public, he is in the fullest sense responsible for the productions of his pen. Soliciting the attention of others to his performance, he cannot complain if they reply by judging of its merits, and deciding, so far as the weight of their opinion goes, his literary fate. But when written compositions are given to the world by other hands than those which held the pen, appearing on the responsibility of survivors, who may feel as strongly the wish to erect a memorial to departed worth or talent as to benefit society,-more especially when the writer has shrunk from this species of notoriety during his life, and has all but forbidden it to his works after his decease,*—correct feeling, or rather jus This, we believe, was the fact in the case of Dr. M'All, who, while he gave that consent to the publication of his MSS. mentioned in the 'Prefatory Notices,' connected it with the condition of its being due to the tenderest claims of surviving relatives. The condition being realized, there was no longer the possibility of hesitancy as to the propriety of publication. It is true that some of the sermons in these volumes were finished by him with considerable care; but this was probably rather in uncertain anticipation of the use which might be made of them by others, than with any ultimate intention of publishing them himself. VOL. VII. 2 M tice itself towards the dead, demands that a different rule of estimate should be applied. The performances must be judged of with a reference to the immediate objects of their preparation, and under the recollection that the measure of their fitness even for such objects was perhaps under the unavoidable control of temporary circumstances. And with regard to the author himself it is plain, that while his reputation is implicated in the fate of his surviving writings, these may furnish no adequate representation of what he was, even as to those characteristics of which a man's writings are commonly considered an exhibition. It seems proper, therefore, that while the productions and the author are not disjoined, both should be connected with such other means of information as may exist concerning the character of the departed. An acquaintance with the man is no less indispensable to the critic than the ability to form a correct opinion of what he has written. This must be our apology for the personality, if we may so express it, of the following observations, which will relate as much to the distinguished individual whose remains are before us as to his remains themselves. If ever the above principles were justly applicable, they are so to Dr. M'All, whose living eminence as a minister was great, while his surviving works are scanty. We congratulate the Christian public that remains so precious exist, and have not been withheld from them. But were every thing that has been left behind published, to the last manuscript, it would still be a mere fragment of the splendid and diversified productions of a mind so incessantly active, while it remained allied to the body, that it may be said to have lived ages of intellectual existence in one short life, a life brought, alas, through its own activity, to a too early close. In confessing to opportunities of personal acquaintance with the deceased, we may incur the suspicion of speaking from a biassed judgment. If our readers perceive unequivocal symptoms of this critical delinquency, they will make the necessary deductions from our testimony. The disadvantage is unavoidable, if the qualification we have represented as essential was to be secured. All that we shall say is, that we have done our best to be impartial; and we trust those most competent to judge will be most ready to acknowledge that we have held the balance with a somewhat even hand. Not a few reasons for anxiety respecting Dr. M'All's reputation occurred to his friends and admirers in the prospect of the publication of his manuscripts; and though their fears have probably been dispelled by the appearance of the volumes themselves, it is but justice to the lamented author, that his productions should be read with these reasons distinctly in view. Dr. M'All's celebrity having been chiefly that of a preacher, they could not but think of the great disadvantage under which all |