which seeks to establish a religion of Humanitarianism. His main positions are these, that there are certain qualities of human nature, as love, will, and understanding, which possess the individual, rather than that he possesses them; that these qualities, being projected out of the individual, constitute a being which he considers a deity; and that, consequently, the essential characteristic of deity is that of an idealized humanity, and not that of a self-subsistent independent personal Religion; therefore, is the relation of man to himself, and his highest duty, the love of his race. Whoever succeeds in manifesting this love in a supreme degree, is a Christ, because the consciousness of the race then supplants the individual consciousness. All speculation that attempts to transcend nature and humanity is vain and fruitless. Miss Evans has made an excellent version of the work for those who care to perplex themselves in the strange theology of the author.

-Few natural philosophers have won a more eminent name than Johr. Dalton, the originator of the atomic theory of chemistry, now almost universally received by the adepts in that science. A Memoir of his Life and Scientific Researches, written by his friend Dr. W. C. HENRY, and printed by the Cavendish Society, gives interesting details of his personal character and his discoveries. He was a self-taught man, but, by diligence and self-reliance, combined with original genius, he rose to the highest rank in the walks of science. His intimate acquaintance with Davy, La Place, Berthollet, Arago, Biot, and other distinguished savans, has enabled his biographer to impart an unusual interest to his memoirs.

“Irvingism and Mormonism, tested by Scripture," is the title of a small volume recently published in London, by the Rev. EMILIUS GUERS, with prefatory notes by JAMES BRIDGES Esq. The author gives a brief history of Irvingism and Mormonism, but Mr. Bridges in his prefatory notes, which are refreshing for their sturdy orthodoxy, classes together a good many other isms, whose holders will be shocked to find them ranked with such outre company. Mr. Bridges thinks that the Devil is more dangerous when he decks himself out as an angel of light, than when he makes open show of his hoof and scorpion tongue." And therefore he ranks together Socinianism, Puseyism, Papacy, Irvingism and Mormon

ism; a feeling which will be shared by a good many honest orthodox presbyterians, of which faith we imagine Mr. Bridges to be a member; but which each of the sects involved will rebel against, as not being so amiable or just as it might be.

-The Athenæum gives a notice of a new work, recently published by Professor Ansted, the geologist, whose visit to the United States will be remembered by many of our scientific men. The work is called, Scenery, Science, and Art; or, Extracts from the NoteBook of a Geological and Mining Engineer." The Athenæum says:

"That the volume is one of varieties may be inferred from a transition to the great Hotel Question,' illustrated by the practice of New York. Professor Ansted arrived on New Year's day :

"I found an excellent dinner at the hotel (Astor House) at which I put up, and learned that the proprietors took this opportunity of paying a compliment to their friends by giving a better meal than usual, and providing excellent champagne ad libitum without extra charge. As it is the practice in the States generally for each person to pay a fixed and uniform rate per day for board and lodging together, at all houses of public entertainment, which in fact rather resemble boarding-houses than our hotels or inns, this arrangement is not so extraordinary as it would otherwise appear. It was certainly very agreeable; as, owing to our long voyage, and the difficulty of preserving the flavor of meats in an ice-house, our appetites were such as to enable us to do full justice to the excellent venison and other delicacies served up. The price charged at the first hotels for board and lodging, (except wines and liquors) is not more than 10s. 6d. per day; and for this one may have breakfast at any hour, dinner, tea, and supper; and I must say that, here, at least, no one need complain of the hurry of the dinner, or the difficulty of obtaining anything wanted. All that is needed is to speak to the waiter, and give him to understand that some prospective good in the way of a half dollar awaits him if he looks after your interests, and he will then take care that you shall want for nothing.'

"He admits that the Americans are fond of asking questions; but insists that they answer, with particular cour tesy, inquiries that are made of them in return. A tourist who never puts a query

is not necessarily polite,-he may be morose. The Professor's impressions of American society appear to have been highly pleasurable; but his notes with respect to the States are chiefly of a scientific description. His book, altogether, is agreeable and interesting."

The last novel of Mr. HARRISON AINSWORTH, who appears to be as prolific as the inexhaustible James, is named the Flitch of Bacon; or, the Custom of Dunmow, and is interesting on account of the singular custom which it illustrates. It seems that about the beginning of the thirteenth century, a Sir Waltar Fitzwaltar left a legacy to the Priory of Dunmow, providing that a flitch of bacon should be given to every married couple which could prove that, for one year and a day after marriage, no nuptial transgression had been committed by either, that no "household brawls or strife" had occurred between them, and that neither had uttered the wish to be unmarried again. This legacy was intended evidently as a sly satire upon the marriage relation, but it was taken in good faith by the people, and from time to time various couples came forward to claim the prize. But the intervals appear to have been pretty long ones. The first claim was made in the seventh year of the reign of Edward IV., the second in the reign of Henry VI., and the third in Henry VIII.'s time. The last successful claim on record was proffered in 1751. Mr. Ainsworth has made the singular old custom the groundwork of his novel, which seems to us very amusing, and even instructive, in its portraitures of the men and manners of the times. It is by far the best novel that he has written.

The Hide and Seek of Mr. WILKIE COLLINS, the author of Antonina, is a romance of the present day, of rare artistic merits, and evincing uncommon powers of narrative and portrait-painting. There is not much originality in the plot, but the characters are vividly presented, and worked up with great effect. One of the personages, a Mr. Blythe, an eccentric, kind-hearted, simple-minded old artist, who devotes himself to his art in the pure love of it, without power to achieve greatness in it, is admirably "drawn, and the work deserves to be read, if only to make his acquaintance. It is one of those touches of nature which only genius can give. His daughter, too, the deaf and dumb girl, the Madonna of his enthusiasm, is an exquisite sketch, but is not so original a creation. The other

characters are not so well sustained; indeed, some of them are strikingly defective; but the work deserves to be republished in this country, if it is not already by the time this notice reaches our readers.

-One of the most pleasing and agreeable of the late English publications is the Satires and Satirists of Mr. JAMES HANNAY-himself a satirist of some little reputation. He treats his subject in the best light, not philosophically, or in the way of definition, but historically and pictorially, giving us sketches of the lives and works of the principal satirists, from Horace to Thackeray and Dickens. Why he leaves out Aristophanes and the Greeks, and why he overlooks the German, Spanish, and Italian satirists, we cannot say; but of those that he does treat, he has furnished most lively and instructive characters. The remarks on Erasmus, Butler, and Swift are especially good; and we are glad to see that in what he says of the latter he is inclined to break a lance with Thackeray, although Mr. Hannay himself does not do complete justice to the masterly old Dean. A fine appreciation and sympathy runs through the entire volume, which we commend to our publishers as a most appropriate one for republication.

FINE ARTS.

Ir must not be inferred that what we call Fine Art "suffers a syncope and awful pause," because there are no popular exhibitions of paintings or statues to attract public attention. The appreciation for art must be very general and sincere, before there can be any imposing collections or galleries. In this case, as in commerce, the demand for art must precede the supply of the article. Men of talent and genius cannot afford to waste their time in producing works which find neither purchasers nor admirers. But, if there is no furore about the fine arts among us, there is a growing fondness for ornamentation in architecture and furniture, which cannot fail to lead to something better, and beget artists, who will minister to higher tastes than those that are gratified by imitations of Louis Quinze sofas and picture-frames. The opening of the new Opera House, in Fourteenth Street -the "New York Academy of Music," as it has been called by Legislative enactment has revealed to our public, possibilities of ornamentation which transcend the wild dreams of Arabian Nights

cend the wild dreams of Arabian Nights readers. It is the greatest glorification of gew-gaw that we have seen in the New World; and the marvel of it is, that it causes no marvel. So accustomed have our people become to gorgeous shows of gilt gingerbread, that this, the greatest of all, is considered no great things; and musical critics, who are not necessarily critics of everything else, pronounce our magnificent new Opera House a mistake. It is not the largest Opera House in the world, but the most expensively ornamented; yet it does not come up to the expectations of Young America, who requires something more elegant and brilliant. Thus we compliment ourselves. And why not? Steamboats that cost half a million of dollars, lie unnoticed at our docks, and why should we permit ourselves to be excited at the opening of a new opera-house, which cost but three hundred and seventy thousand, and which, after all, is but an exaggerated steamboat saloon? But we must allow, however, that the Academy of Music has an imposing exterior, and that inside, its richness of ornament, and vastness, are rather bewildering and astounding until the eye becomes familiarized with its absurd caryatides (which we heard a lady of fashion call cantharides); its needless brackets, which are heavy enough to crush the pillars that they form continuations of; its fluted pilasters, with capitals longer than their shafts; its ponderous pillars, which support nothing; and its dome, which has no supports; its super-gaseous brilliancy in some parts, and its cavernous gloom in others, where light and brilliancy are most needed. There is no color in the body of the house, and the ornaments lose half their value for the want of a proper background to relieve them. Pure white and gold do not form a fine combination. Nature colors all her productions, and she is a very safe guide to follow in attempts to please the eye. In the new Metropolitan Theatre, built on the site of the Lafarge Hotel, which is much superior to the new Opera House in form, and the arrangement of seats, the dominant tint is buff, relieved with gold, the effect of which, by gas-light, is transcendently beautiful and agreeable to the eye.

The name of the New York Academy of Music is not merely a mistake, it is a deception, for it is not in any sense an Academy, unless the public are to be regarded as pupils, who take occasional instructions in operatic singing, at the

rather expensive rate of three dollars a lesson. An academy of music should not expend all its means in external decorations; some provision ought to be made for the education of neophytes in such a costly temple of art; and we cannot but think that if a small portion of the three hundred and seventy thousand dollars, which the building alone is said to have cost, had been appropriated to the development of musical talent among us, the enterprise would have paid better in the end. An opera house should be elegant and beautiful, and the eye should have pleasant objects to engage it in the pauses when the ear is not engaged by the music. But a little less showy ornaments, and now and then an original piece of music from a native composer, would have been likely to attract larger and better pleased audiences. However, we can afford to make a good many more steps in our progress towards perfection, and we will be thankful for every step in the right direction. We have got a cage for singing birds, and that may cause us to be on the alert to catch the songsters to put into it. At present the Opera House is about a mile too far up town, but this is a fault soon remedied by New York progress. It was "inaugurated," as the phrase goes, by Grisi and Mario, in NorIt is to be hoped that judicious management may yet make this costly enterprise as creditable to the taste and good sense, as it is to the liberality of its projectors..

ma.

We have only room to notice the arrival of LEUTZE's great historical picture of Washington at the Battle of Monmouth, which its munificent owner, David Leavitt, Esq., has allowed the public the privilege of seeing. This picture is the largest, we believe, that Mr. Leutze has yet executed; and, judging from the impression of a single examination of it, it is decidedly his best production. It is full of a hearty, vigorous nature, the groupings are exceedingly natural, and all the details are given with a fidelity and naturalness that will satisfy the most exacting admirers of the literal in art. The figure of Washington is extremely natural, but not noble, and his countenance has not the dignity of energy and passion, but of anger. Al-. though it is lacking in the higher qualities of imagination, its merits are so great and so palpable that it cannot fail to be popular with the masses, and to greatly enhance the reputation of the artist.