ticular, the distribution of the fund raised for schoolmasters,―without enter ing into detail, it may be suggested as a fundamental principle, that this fund shall be divided, within each year, among all the parties having claims upon it, in certain fixed shares or proportions, such as the following:: 1. That the salaries of the teachers of normal, grammar, and model schools, and such others as receive stated allowances or temporary donations, together with the expenses of management, shall form a primary burden upon the fund. 2. That three rates of salary shall be fixed for the teachers of congregational and missionary schools, according to the three classes of certificates which they may severally hold; these rates, for the present, to be L.20, L.30, and L.45 per annum. 3. That the whole available fund shall be annually distributed among the teachers on the Scheme, according to these proportional rates, less or more; it being understood that while these sums cannot be guaranteed as the minimum salaries on the one hand, so neither are they to be regarded as the maximum salaries on the other; since it is hoped that the liberality of the Christian people will be such as to admit of a considerable increase of these rates; especially after the first pressure is over, and when the Church is able to bring forward that higher class of instructors that it is her aim to provide for all the youth that may come under her care. Besides what may thus be recognised as her own establishment of schools, congregational and missionary, model, grammar, and normal, conformed in all respects to her own model and her own regulations, it may be desirable that the Church should exercise a certain discretion in countenancing, supporting, or aiding other educational institutions that may not be altogether framed or conducted in terms of the constitution, but may yet be doing in certain districts substantially the work which the Church wants, and may be conducted on principles of which generally the Church can approve. There may be cases, for instance, in which the investment of the school property, the mode of election, the system of management, or other circumstances, may prevent teachers, otherwise valuable and trustworthy, from being formally and permanently embraced in the Scheme. To meet such cases, there may be a sort of outfield, or appendix to the Scheme, in the form of donations, granted at pleasure, from year to year, and to such limited extent as the Assembly may sanction. It must, of course, be understood and provided that every such grant shall be made by the Committee, with the full concurrence of the Presbytery of the bounds, with due respect to the religious principles of the Church, and under reservation both of the Presbytery and of the Committee's right of inspection; and the whole account of these extra donations must be submitted annually to the Assembly. It must be held also to be the rule of the Church that on all occasions schools properly upon the Scheme shall have the preference, It will be observed that this report does not supply any details of the progress actually made in carrying the financial portion of the plan into practical operation throughout the congregations of the Church. Upon this subject we shall have some important information to furnish by and bye, but in the meantime we may note that the present aspect of affairs is one full of promise and encouragement. It was to be anticipated that preliminary delays and difficulties would have to be encountered and surmounted before the machinery essential for working a scheme of such magnitude could be brought into full and efficient play. For several months after the authorization of the scheme by the Assembly, but little practical result followed. Time was required by congregations for the month ending, 10th Septemfor making their arrangements, but ber last, such progress had made in these, that 170 congregations were enabled to report their monthly contributious, and within two months more, that number had been augmented by another 100- and it is to be expected that, now that ample time has been allowed to all, the rate of increase from month to month will be much more rapid, and that before another Assembly there will be few congregations-with the exception of those in very special circumstances, been occupying the unenviable position of evincing indifference or remissness in a cause so intimately interwoven with the efficiency, nay, the very existence of the Church, and the highest interests of the country. With respect, again, to the rate of contributions, it without exception considerably under may be remarked that, while they are the amount which might have been reasonably expected from the several con gregations making them, and which they are certain ere long to attain-yet it is, upon the whole, satisfactory. The average for the three months ending 14th November last, is L.2, 8s 4d-a rate which, if carried over the whole Church (and allowing for the annual collection) is equivalent to a revenue of L.27,000 per annum. This will do as a commencement, and, if so much is accomplished at the very first blush of the undertaking, while it is yet so imperfectly understood and appreciated, what may not be anticipated when its importance and advantages are no longer matters of promise or of theory, but of ample and blissful, and universal experience? We feel as confident in the complete success of the scheme, as we do in the mighty and far-reaching influence for good which it is calculated to put forth upon the destinies of our church and country. NEW PUBLICATIONS OF THE MONTH. Gesenius's Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon of the Old Testament Scriptures. London, 1846. 4to, pp. 928. This new and complete edition of Gesenius's great work bears to be translated, with additions and corrections, from the author's Thesaurus, and other works, by Samuel Prideaux Tregelles, who dates from Rome. The editor states that the translation was conducted upon the following plan :--" Each root was taken as it stands in the 'Thesaurus,' and the 'Lexicon Manuale' (of the same author) was compared with it, such additions or corrections being made as seemed needful. The root and derivatives were at once translated, every scripture reference being verified, and, when needful, corrected." Every word has further been compared with the Hebrew Lexicon of Professor Lee of Cambridge, while Freylag's Lexicon has been used for the verification of Arabic roots. This plan has secured for the present translation various important advantages over all previous editions and translations of Gesenius, Dr Robinson's not excepted; but it has still one farther peculiarity to distinguish it from and above them all, and which, we trust, biblical students will know how to estimate. The translator has made it a special object to "note the interpretations of Gesenius, which manifested Neologian tendencies, in order that, by a remark, or by querying a statement, the reader may be put upon his guard." When we mention that Messrs Bagster and Son are the publishers, it will be at once understood that the work has every advantage which can be secured for it by beauty and accuracy of typography. Gesenius's Hebrew Grammar. London. 1846. 4to, pp. 260.-This translation is by Benjamin Davies of Stepney L College, London, and is from the fourteenth German edition, enlarged and improved by Professor Rödiger of Halle, the pupil of Gesenius, and his equal, if not his superior, in reputation. The translator has compiled and added to the Grammar, a "Hebrew Reading Book," designed as an introduction to the translation of Hebrew. The work will recommend itself to the attention of all desirous of obtaining a profound and philosophical acquaintance with the Hebrew tongue. Nautical Dictionary. Dundee. 1846. Post 8vo. pp. 408.—This work comprises an explanation of the technical terms and phrases used in the building and outfit of sailing vessels and steamships; in seamanship, navigation, nautical astronomy, and naval gunnery; besides a description of the Marine Steam Engine, and the Screw Propeller; short practical treatises on the various branches of Marine Insurances and Average, and a large body of general information on Maritime affairs. The authors are Mr Arthur Young, Adjuster of Averages, Dundee, and Mr James Brisbane, Superintendent of the Graving-dock and Patent-slip, &c., at that port. It is illustrated by plates, and has evidently been compiled with great care. A compendium of this sort for the use of seamen, and other parties interested in shipping, has long been a desideratum, and will no doubt be welcomed by them. It will also be found extremely useful to counsel learned in the law, whose practice includes maritime cases. The Wycliffites, or England in the Fifteenth Century. Edinburgh, 1846. Post 8vo, pp. 456. This is a tale by Mrs Colonel Mackay, already favourably known sentimental; but the views of Divine truth which it exhibits are clear and sound, and it is well fitted to counteract many of the prevailing errors of the day, and to recommend the faith as it is in Jesus. The True End of Education, and the Means adapted to it, in a series of Familiar Letters to a Lady entering on the Duties of her Profession as a Private Governess. By Margaret Thornley. Fcp. 8vo, pp. 342. Edinburgh. 1846.-This volume appears to be the fruits of the authoress's own experience and reflections as a teacher of youth. It travels over the whole range of what constitutes a thorough education -for Ladies, we mean. There are in all twenty-six Letters. The first is introductory: the next four relate to Language to the public as the authoress of various works, and more especially by her "Family at Heatherfield.” The time of the story is laid after the death of Wycliffe, and the first hot persecution of his followers, in which the good Lord Cobham and many others yielded up their lives as faithful witnesses and martyrs for the truth. It exhibits the silent germination of the doctrines inculcated by the reformer amidst the difficulties and dangers which surrounded those who ventured to receive them, and the gradual preparation of men's minds for the great Reformation of the following century. The pictures which it presents of the solemn meetings of the despised Lollards by stealth, and under the friendly shelter of night, to listen to the voice of some beloved preacher of the truth, or to engage together in prayer and reading the recovered Bible--embracing Grammar, Reading, Compoof the ties of holy brotherhood which linked them together, and of the faith which cheered and sustained them amid all their trials and perils, are at once graphic and touching. The political events of the tale are the closing struggles betwixt the rival houses of York and Lancaster, and the fatal fight of Tewkesbury, which secured the former upon the throne. The hero and heroine, both Wycliffites, are selected from the higher walks of lifeHoward, Earl de Clifford, and Julia Pierrepoint, who, in the course of the tale, becomes Countess de Clifford. Altogether the volume is worthy of the former reputation of the Authoress, and will be read with pleasure and profit by many. Margaret Waldegrave; or the Power of Truth. Foolscap 8vo, pp. 540. Edinburgh, 1846.-A domestic story for the times, by the talented authoress of "The Curate of Linwood," and possessed of a full measure of the qualities which secured her former work so favourable a reception. The " power of truth" is first and chiefly exhibited in its victory over formalism-a vain and baseless confidence in the Church-her rites and ordinances, as of themselves conferring regeneration and salvation-in the person of Margaret Waldegrave, the heroine,next, over Deism, in the person of Ernest, the young Lord Evelyn ; and, finally, over Popery in the person of Father Anselmo, an Italian Jesuit. The scene of the tale is laid partly in England and partly in Italy. The incidents are simple, and chiefly such as are of frequent or every-day occurrence in domestic life; but many of the passages are full of tenderness and pathos; and, throughout, the narrative is skilfully wrought, and the interest well sustained. It breathes a spirit of deep and fervent piety, with, perhaps, too marked a leaning to what is merely sition, Conversation. To History, considered in itself, and in its relations to Chronology; Method of Research, Mythology, Providence, Politics, Political Economy, Ecclesiastical History, and the History of Missions-nine Letters are devoted. One Letter is given to each of the following topics, viz.: Geography, Arithmetic, Poetry, Fine Arts, Ancient Classics, Continental Languages, Natural Philosophy, Mental Philosophy, and Moral Philosophy. The three remaining Letters are appropriately occupied with Theology, the Religious Aspects of a Teacher's Work, and Education in its adaptation to the end of being. The volume is written in a plain, familiar, and practical style; and throughout there is a commendable desire evinced to render every branch of study instrumental in deepening and strengthening the principles of Divine truth. It will be at once a welcome and a useful helper and companion to governesses, to mothers of families, and all who are charged with the high and responsible work of training the youthful mind. Outlines of Mental and Moral Science. Fcp. 8vo, pp. 136. Dublin 1846.--The object of this little elementary treatise is set forth to be, "To give such a summary of the first principles of the science of Mind and Morals, as every well-educated person should possess; and which, on the one hand, may prevent a youth entering College from being unacquainted with even the phraseology of metaphysical and ethical writers; and, on the other, enable one destined to the pursuits of active life intelligently to enter into the great discussions which, in the present day, occupy the minds of men, as well to derive instruction and enjoyment from the current literature of the age." in furnishing this information to both And classes, the author has made it his aim "to combine the accurate knowledge of a sound philosophy with the reverential regard due to the Word of God." His outline is clear, precise, and comprehensive, and combines with it frequent notices of the opinions of the leading writers in mental and moral science, ancient and modern. There is prefixed to the treatise, "Brief notices of some of the principal writers, and the characteristics of their works; and appended to it a "Technicological Lexicon" or Glossary, of the more difficult and abstruse terms peculiar to mental science. The student will find this little treatise a safe and useful auxiliary. Pentecontaglossal Paternoster, or the Lord's Prayer in Fifty Languages. 8vo, pp. 76. Dundee, 1846. The author of this polyglotal compilation is MrJames B. Lindsay, teacher of Languages, Dundee. It is, he informs us, designed to be introductory to a Dictionary of the same fifty Languages, upon which he has been for many years engaged, and which was undertaken, we believe, to satisfy doubts which had arisen in his mind respecting the Scriptural account of the common origin of man, which induces him to seek to discover, if possible, by the aid of language, the place where, and the time when, man originated. The result of his inquiries, we are glad to find, has been entirely to dissipate the doubts which troubled him. His researches have satisfied him that man had a common origin, and that its locality must have been near Thibet or Armenia; and that as four-fifths of the words of any one language are to be found in others, one tongue must have originally been common to the human race. The time when man originated he admits to be less easily established by the medium of language, but he supplies, in his introduction, a formula by means of which he believes that an approximation to the truth may be arrived at. His compilation is altogether extremely interesting and curious. The plan of it is simply this—To each language there is devoted a single page. On this page there is first -the Paternoster in the particular tongue, then an ordinal and verbal rendering of it into English, and lastly, brief glossorial and historical notes, comprising a great amount of useful and important information regarding the origin, character, and affinities of the different tongues. There is also a lithographed appendix, containing specimens of hieroglyphics, and of twenty-five alphabets. We sincerely trust that Mr Lindsay's present publication will meet with so favourable a reception as to encourage him to proceed with his Dictionary, which he states that another two years' labour would enable him to finish. Curiosities of Modern Travel. A Year Book of Adventure. Fcp. 8vo. pp. 312. London, 1846.-This volume is similar in plan and contents to "The Recreation" noticed in our last. The selections are judiciously made, and the illustrations graphic and spirited. It is altogether an elegant little volume, well fitted to delight the heart and awaken the emulation of generous youth. The White Stone Canoe, or the Better Land. Fcp. 8vo. pp. 160. London, 1846. -One of Percy B. St Johns', pleasant Indian Tales, illustrative of American life. Trial of Skill; or, which is the Best Story. 24mo, pp. 208. Edinburgh, 1846. -An elegant and pleasing little volume for young readers, profusely illustrated with woodcuts. Anti-Tractarian Tracts, by the Rev. John Spurgin, Vicar of Slockham, Norfolk.-Had any considerable number of the ministers of the Church of England displayed a like zeal in opposing Tractarianism with that which animates Mr Spurgin, we should have heard less of its progress. Here we have a whole pile of tracts adapted for popular circulation proceeding from his single pen. We can do nothing more at present than enumerate the titles of some of the larger of the series. Amongst these are, "A Voice of Warning to the Church, or the Integrity of her Articles vindicated," shewing the views of the Church and her early fathers on "Baptismal Regeneration, Apostolical Succession," &c., "The Trial of Archbishop Laud for High Treason," "Tractarianism at variance with the formularies and authorities of the Church of England," with historical notices of similar errors in the time of Charles I. and Queen Anne, "Rome Unchangeable," "Rome Treacherous and Cruel," "Regeneration, its connection with Baptism," "Views of the Church of England on Private Judgment, Justification by Faith, Sin after Baptism, and the Preaching of the Gospel;" also, "On Tradition and the Rule of Faith, the Lord's Supper, and Priestly Absolution," &c., &c., &c. veral of the series have, we observe, reached a second edition, and those who wish to study the controversy will find a vast mass of useful information in the Tracts. Se Arabia, its Inhabitants and Productions, by an Old Sabbath School Teacher: Olá Jessie the Hindoo Mother: Story of William Tyndal: Shesh Achurjya the Young Brahmin who wanted to see God: The Little Black Servant: Time to seek the Lord: Industry, or the Life of President Dwight: The Pearl Fisher of Ceylon Edinburgh. 1816.:-Narrative and Pictorial Tracts suitable for the Young. Worthy the attention of Sabbath School Teachers. The True Secret of Success in Christian Enterprise, 8vo. pp. 24. Glasgow. 1846. This is a sermon preached by the Rev. John Lamb of Errol, at the opening of the Synod of the United Secession Church, in October last. It is a sound practical discourse-exalting Faith as the grand instrument of Christian success, and showing the encouragements to effort held out by the present state of the world. |
