"Then would he shrink convuls'd, and haply weep notion of it, without mangling the effect of the whole on those who may hereafter read the poem itself. Tears such as Valour's rugged cheeks may steep: "Loud swells to heaven the exulting The few big drops which only fall from When Jephthah rein'd his steed before Manasseh's elders at his footstool bow; Hail him their judge, their captain, and their lord, the pageant's close. "Not long the stranger's shrinking gaze could brook The mingled pride and fierceness of his look; His fiery eye, whose restless beams betray The power, but not the majesty, of sway; His lip, which ever smil'd in bitter mirth At lineage high, and ancestry, and birth. He, self-exalted, isolate, alone, And lord of glories which were all his own, His will his charter, his right hand the claim Which gave him station, honour, place, and fame, The blazon'd roll of vaunted sires despis d, And laugh d, aud pointed to the sword he priz'd. "Yet the dim trace of sadness stamp'd his brow, And shadow'd sorrows scarce remembered now: Somewhat of shame it told, but more of wrong Felt to the inmost core, and suffer'd long; Of foild ambition, and of baffled pride Which champ'd the foaming bit it fain would hide. A breast which injury had mail'd in steel, A heart so deeply wrung it dar'd not feel." pp. 11, 12. The author proceeds to describe his hero ruling a band of outlaws on the borders of Arabia; and then paints the effect produced on his rugged mind, by one solitary sentiment of tenderness and fond inquietude, parental attachment to an only and an interesting daughter. This single feeling softened his stern nature, gave an interest to his apparently dark destinies, and whispered, that there was something for which he yet might live, And sue his aid, and barter for his sword. There too with suppliant knee his brothers throng'd, And crouch'd before him, as they once had wrong'd: Proffer'd his goodly heritage, and gave Such low obeisance as befits a slave. High beat his bosom then-the bitter smile Which rose to spurn their flattery, and revile; The glance of scorn his eye already flung, The taunt which almost quiver'd on his tongue Where are they now?--Revenge is lost in shade; Ambition's mighty debt is more than paid. On his curl'd lip the unfinished mockery died, And struggling Nature sank subdued by Pride. He wish'd not that their searching eye should know How deadly once his heart had felt their blow: He scorn'd that they, whom danger forc'd to bring Balm to his wounds, should boast they gave the sting." pp. 13, 14, Perhaps this spirited passage may be thought to exhibit one slight exception to the general concurrence of Mr. Smedley's nar ration with the scriptural account. In the original, "Jephthah said unto the children of Gilead, Did not ye hate me and expel me out of my father's house? and why are ye come unto me now when ye are in distress?" These words, however, do not necessarily imply the taunt and the mockery which Mr. Smedley tells us the illustrious exile suppressed. The meeting of Jepthah with his daughter, the poet has well described; and the confusion and despair of the chief, when, with thoughts full of the dignity to which he was about to raise the object of all his affections, he suddenly encounters her, and his vow at the same moment flashes on his mind. After this, a difficult task remained the description of the fatal sacrifice. Mr. Smedley conceived it to be clear, that, "for all poetical purposes, it was far more sublime to consider, that Jephthah offered his daughter as a living victim on the altar, than that he devoted her to perpetual virginity." The scriptural account being doubt ful, it was perhaps very competent to the poet to adopt the supposition he preferred; but we are not sure, that the grounds of our author's preference are as indisputable as he seems to imagine. Waving, how ever, all discussion on this point, it seems surprising that he should not have acted a little more effectually on his own idea. After dwelling on the horror of Jephthah at the sight of his daughter, he pauses abruptly, overleaps all the rest of her history, and makes a sudden descent of about three thousand years. A modern pilgrim is introduced, travelling through the Holy Land, under the conduct of a "turban'd guide," who shews the Christian the tomb of Jephthah, shortly alludes to the tragical story connected with that name, hints at the ghosts that are in the habit of haunting the spot, and utters a Mohammedan prayer for the safety of himself and his charge. The general idea given of the sepulchral scenery that surrounds the travellers is happy, and the delineation is forcible and picturesque; but it will not supply what is wanting. We remember no other instance in which a poem, not deliberately professing itself a fragment, ventured on leaving so much to the imagination. Perhaps our author could not satisfy himself in his attempts to describe the subject, and, after what he conceived to be repeated failures, at last fairly resolved on evading a difficulty which he could not surmount. But, if the omission was deliberate, he surely must have forgotten that the imagination of a reader is stimulated, not by absolute concealment, but by half-disclosures; by partial discoveries, and mysterious intimations. On any other principle, all descriptive poetry would soon be reduced to a blank. In one of his notes, Mr. Smedley alludes to the celebrated painting of the Sacrifice of Iphigenia. That memorable instance of skilful concealment might have afforded an useful lesson. The painter, Timanthes, gave an air of grief to all the countenances in his piece, but in different degrees, according to the respective intimacy of the characters with the family of Agamemnon. At length, he came to Menelaus, the uncle of the unhappy victim, and exhausted on him all his utmost power of graphic expression. The art could do no more; he threw a veil over the face of the agonized father. The experiment was hazardous, but, by the concurring testimony of all antiquity, succeeded completely. Its success, however, evidently proceeded as much from what the artist disclosed as from what he concealed. Leading the imagination, stage by stage, from one degree of mournful expression to another, he at last left it but one step to make for itself. He prompted it, therefore (if we may so speak), though he would not and could not tell it all. If Timanthes had covered all his faces, or if he had introduced but one figure-that of the afflicted Agamemnon-and, in despair of adequately representing the sorrows of a father who had been compelled to be the executioner of his child, had enveloped the hero's countenance with a deep veil-can any thing be conceived more ludicrous? Nothing, surely, but the practical wit of Hogarth, who exhibited a piece of canvas daubed with red paint as a historical picture of Pharaoh and his army, drowned in the Red Sea. "That never will in other climate respect, sufficiently availed himself of the capabilities of his subject. There was room for a grave pass ing observation or two, to say the least, on the remarkable history It is permitted to the lightest which he was versifying: and someactor to make his exit at the last thing might have here and there act gravely; and, perhaps, iu tak- appeared, that shewed him to be ing our leave of this subject, we on sacred ground; some decided may be allowed to speak a little tokens might have been borne more than we have yet done in the away of the favoured soil in which character of the Christian Obser- he was treading; some memorial ver. We do not ask, what is the of those "happy walks and shades, moral of this poem? A poem need fit haunt of gods;" some blossoms not have any single moral. A culled from among those flowers, sacred poem, however, should at least have a general and decided moral effect: it should be redolent of great truths, either insinuated or expressed. The Seatonian prize was, indeed, evidently instituted as an incentive to the production of religious poetry. The restriction must, of course, not be construed with an exclusive rigidness. We do not expect a Seatonian poem to be a sermon, though it certainly might be a much worse thing. But we may fairly expect that it shall generally tend to excite moral reflection, and religious feeling; and we cannot be of opinion, that the author before us has, in this grow." The delightful composition of Mr. Heber on Palestine is a model in this point; and, should Mr. Smedley (as we hope) again enter the lists of Seatonian warfare, he will, we trust, lend himself a little more to the example of that truly sacred poem. Should these remarks chance to meet his eye, he will not, we are persuaded, understand them in an unfriendly sense. It is the real merit of his publication, which has induced us to bestow on it not only praise but blame. We find it so good, that we wish it perfect.. LITERARY AND PHILOSOPHICAL INTELLIGENCE, &c. &c. GREAT BRITAIN. PREPARING for Publication: Robinson's Theological, Biblical, and Ecclesiastical Dictionary, on the Plan of Calmet's, but derived chiefly from Protestant Divines ;—Annals of the Reign of George III. by Dr. Aiken;-A History of England (which is said to be in a considerable state of forwardness), by Sir James Mackintosh;-An enlarged edition of Hutton's Mathematical Dictionary --Hints addressed to the Patrons and Directors of Schools, by Miss Hamilton;-The White Doe of Rylston, a Poem, by Mr. Wordsworth;-The Lives of E. and J. Philipps, Nephews and Pupils of Milton, by Mr. Godwin; The Speeches of the Rt. Hon. C. J. Fox, from 1768 to 1806, with Memoirs &c. in 6 vols. octavo;-Select Beauties of British Poetry, with Lives of the Poets, by T. Campbell, Esq. Author of "The Pleasures of Hope," &c.;-History of the Kingdom of Cabul, by the Hon. Mr. Elphinstone ;-The Travels of Ali Bey, 2 vols. quarto, 100 plates;-An Introduction to Entomology, by Rev. W. Kirby B. A. F. R. S. and W. Spence, Esq. F. L. S.;-An Introduction to the Study of Conchology, by Sam. Brooks, Esq. F. L. S.;-Periodical Work on British Fossils, by Mr. Donovan;Part I. of Flora Londinensis, by George Graves, F. L. S.;-Part, I. Naval Re Last September, the same pond in Luton began to overflow suddenly, which created alarm in the minds of the in habitants, who apprehended that this circumstance was the indication of some earthquake on the Continent. This was afterwards known to have been the case. cords, by Lient. W. J. Pocoke, with engravings from original designs by N. Pocoke, Esq.;-Observations; &c. on Books and Men, by the late Rev. Joseph Spence, with Notes by Malone and Beloe;-Censura Literaria, or Titles, &c. of old scarce Books, by Sir Egerton Brydges, K.I.;-Exercises on Latin Prosody, by Valpy;-A new edition of Kett's Elements of useful Knowledge;-A new edition of Pinkard on the West Indies; Scripture Biography, by Claude Fleury'; -Memoirs of Oliver Cromwell and his Children, supposed to be written by himself;-Some Account of the late Rev. Thomas Robinson, by the Rev. E. T. Vaughan;--Elements of Chemical Science, by J. Murray; - Travels through Russia, Poland, &c. in the Tract of Bonaparte's Campaigns, with colour ed engravings, by M. R. Johnston; Reports on the Pestilential Fever in Spain, in 1810, by Sir J. Fellows;-A translation of Bichart's Anatomy;-Announces the result by the sound of a bell. Answer to the Question "Why are you become a Christian?" by Christopher Leo. The following attempt to account for the formation of bogs, such as those which abound in Ireland, is curious. Professor Davy is of opinion, that in many places where forests had grown undisturbed, the trees on the outside of the woods grew stronger than the rest, from their exposure to the air and sun; and that when mankind attempted to establish themselves near these forests, they cut down the large trees on their borders, which opened the internal part, where the trees were weak and slender, to the influence of the wind, which, as is commonly to be seen in such circumstances, had immediate power to sweep down the whole of the internal part of the forest. The large timber obstructed the passage of vegetable recrement, and of earth falling toward the rivers; the weak timber in the internal part of the forest, after it had fallen, soon decayed, and became the food of future vegetation. The following fact is well worthy the attention of philosophers :-In 1755, a pond in the town of Luton in Bedfordshire, in which there had been but little water for some weeks, suddenly filled, and a copious sediment was thrown up from the bottom at the precise time of the earthquake at Lisbon, the water continuing to overflow for some hours, and then all remaining quiet as usual. CHRIST, OBSERV, No. 161. Mr. Abraham Stern, of Dublin, has presented an arithmetical machine, which has engaged his labours during many years, and on which he performed several experiments in the presence of many spectators. The machine calcu lates, without assistance, whatever is desired in the four rules of arithmetic, în whole numbers and in fractions, in a more rapid manner than they can be done on paper: it requires no further knowledge than merely that of the value of figures. When this machine is prepared for operation, it proceeds as directed without further interference, and an A new translation of the Books of Moses is announced for publication at Freyberg, which appears to intend the combination of particulars dependant on the art of criticism, and requiring much skill in that art,with corresponding information and learning. It is proposed, as, 1. being more exact than any hitherto published; 2. as arranged according tó the primitive order of the books; 3. cleared from apocryphal additions; 4. accompanied by remarks; 5. illustrated by additional matters, from subsequent revelations, &c. The Five Books of Moses divide into two historical books, and three books of laws :— 1. A book containing the history of the times anterior to Moses. 2. A book containing the history of his own time. 4. 5. 3. The code of moral laws. of religious laws. of civil laws. Each of these books will be accom. panied by proper documents. The whole will form nearly 3 vols. 8vo. M.Desgenettes, the celebrated French Physician who accompanied the unfortunate army which penetrated into Russia, thus describes some of the phæ nomena which occurred among the troops, who were exposed to the intense cold, which was fatal to so many thousands, during the retreat from Moscow. The effects alluded to were perfectly new to M. Desgenettes, and will doubtless be equally so to our medical feaders. “I have heard of men,” says this 2 X 338 acute observer, "who were marching with every appearance of muscular energy, and with the most decided and soldier-like pace, suddenly complain that a thick veil was covering their eyes; those organs at first, for an instant, haggard, soon became immoveable: all the muscular apparatus of the neck, and more particularly the sternocloido-mastoidean muscles became rigid, and gradually rivetted the head on the right or left shoulder: this rigidity next extended to the trunk; the lower extremities tottered, and the unhappy victim fell upon the snow, exhibiting, to complete the frightful picture, all the symptoms of catalepsy or epilepsy." In the Wernerian Natural History Society at Edinburgh, has been read, a Lit. and Phil: Intell.-New Publications.-Rel. Intell. [MAY, paper by Mr. Scoresby, containing a plan for visiting the North Pole, by means of trainaux. plant, as a substitute for hemp and flax, The Urtica Whitlowi, a new species of has been lately exhibited to a great number of the Members of the House of by Mr. Whitlow. It promises to be of Commons. It was brought from Canada considerable value. this year, at Cambridge, is "Jonah.” The subject of the Seatonian Poem, Rumford, was read by Cuvier to the A very interesting Memoir of Count which, for the encouragement of those French Institute, Jan. 9, 1815, and in well-doing, we should be glad to see who need stimulating to perseverance widely circulated in this kingdom. LIST OF NEW PUBLICATIONS. THEOLOGY. A Sermon preached before the University of Oxford, by Richard Lawrence, L.L.D. Regius Professor of Hebrew. 2s. Sermons chiefly on Devotional Subjects, by Rev. Archibald Bonar. 8vo. 10s. 6d. Letters to the Right Rev. Bishop of London, by Thomas Belsham. 3s. 6d. The Book of Psalms, translated from the Hebrew, with Notes by Samuel Horsely, L. L. D. late Lord Bishop of St. Asaph. An Account of the Abolition of Female Infanticide, by the Rev. John Cormack, A. M. Minister of Stow. 10s. 6d. A Sermon, being a Sequel to one preached at Oxford, 1790, by the Bishop of St. David's. 1s. Discourses on the Evidences of the Jewish and Christian Revelation, by Sir H. Moncrieff Welwood. 12s. Sermon on the Death of the Rev. Noah Hill, by J. Hooper, A. M. 1s. 6d. A Memorial on behalf of the native Irish, with a View to their Improvement through the Medium of their own Language, by C. Anderson, Edin. 2s. 6d. Sermons on the most important Doctrines of the Gospel, by the Rev. J. Thornton, 1 vol. 8vo. 48. MISCELLANEOUS. Journal of a Mission to the Interior Park, &c.-to which is prefixed a Life of Africa, in the Year 1805, by Mungo of Mr. Park, 4to. 11. 11s. 6d. A Selection of Hebrew Melodies, by Braham-the Poetry, by Lord Byron, No. 1. 21s. A Geological Essay, by J. Kidd, Professor of Chemistry in the University of Oxford, Svo. 9s. 12mo. 5s. 6d. Letters from an Officer in the North referred to in Waverly, 2 vols. 8vo. 15s. of Scotland, to his Friend in England, A Grammar of the English Language, by the Rev. J. Sutcliffe. 12mo. 3s. 6d. Eutropius, with English Notes and Questions for the Use of Schools; and Guide to Parsing: by the Rev. C.Bradley. also a Series of Exercies, designed as a similar to that of D'Anville's. No. 9. 8s. The New General Atlas, on a Scale England at the Beginning of the nineand Duke of France. Vol. I. 12s. teenth Century; by M. de Levis, Peer A practical Guide to the Duties of an Overseer, by William Soone. 8vo. 5s. 6d. A Sketch of the New Anatomy of Gale and Spurzheim, by Thomas Forster, F. L. S. 5s. RELIGIOUS INTELLIGENCE. ANNIVERSARIES OF RELIGIOUS Ir would be very difficult indeed, to degree of religious feeling and bene, volence, which have displayed themselves in the anniversaries of the various celebrated since we last addressed ourreligious societies, which have been |