LITERARY AND SCIENTIFIC INTELLIGENCE.

leaves of this plant — and that it seriously concerns the health and comfort of every man to know something of the history and qualities of so essential an ingredient of his daily breakfast

not been undertaken long ago. There have been, it is true, a good many pamphlets and dissertations on the subject published at various times; but none, so far as we know, stamped with any authority. Mr. Ball has strong claims to credit in the matter;- having resided twen

Iron Carriages. The tendency of the last few years to substitute iron for wood has been shown in ships, ploughs, and other machines.it is a matter of surprise that such a work had It has even been attempted in houses; but here, we believe, without that success which is shown in extensive use or practice. A gentleman of the north of Scotland is now experimenting, with good ground of hope, on the introduction of iron carriages. He proposes that the bodies of such vehicles should be formed entirely of anty-six years in China, and been during the whole iron frame, the panels of plates of galvanised iron, and the axles of iron tubes filled with wood; the wheels to have for spokes double rods pyramidally arranged, or on what is called the suspension principle. The advantages proposed are-first, a lightness as about two to three; second, a saving of cost in about the same proportion. Thus, a pony-carriage, which, of the usual materials, would weigh five hundredweight, is only about three when constructed of iron; an omnibus, which, of the ordinary construction, would be twenty to twenty four hundredweight, can be formed of iron at about eleven. The same in respect of external decorations and internal comforts. A carriage of this kind effects an important saving in the motive power. If successful as an invention, it must be of no small importance to humanity, both in sparing the muscles of individual horses, and allowing of a greater share of the fruits of the earth being turned to the use of human beings. For use in tropical countries, there is a further advantage in the non-liability to cracking and shrinking, and the unsuitableness of an iron frame for becoming a nest of noxious insects. Apart from the mere substitution of one material for another, which is the leading feature of the invention, much is claimed for it on the ground of the superior springs employed in these carriages. They are spiral, and vertically arranged, working in a case, with an apparatus which precludes their falling from the perpendicular.

We have seen one of Mr. Aitken's carriages, and taken a drive in another, without being able to detect any point in which they are likely to prove a failure. Their success, however, must be matter for larger experiment, requiring time for a satisfactory issue.

An account of the Cultivation and Manufac ture of Tea in China. By Samuel Ball, Esq., late Inspector of Teas to the East India Company in China. — A complete treatise on the culture and manufacture of tea has long been a desideratum both in science and social economy. Considering that we now consume annually between forty and fifty millions of pounds of the

of that time officially engaged in the selection and examination of teas for the British market. His is the only book in which we have ever met with any thing like a clear and distinct explanation of that curious process by which the leaf of the tea-plant--though perfectly devoid of flavor and smell in its fresh and natural state-is found capable of being converted into one of the most delightful and at the same time most innoxious of our aromatic stimulants. The details are dry, and may be tedious to some persons; but they will be invaluable to those who are now endeavoring to raise and prepare this article in our own colonies. Mr. Ball has clearly shown that in British India-in some parts of which the tea-plant is indigenous-the cheapness of labor compared with its price in China gives us ample power to compete with the Chinese in the production of the commodity, and deprive them of their present absolute monopoly in its supply. There are some curious and interesting notices about tea in this volume which will amuse even the general reader; and it is illustrated by a great number of neat vignettes and a couple of pleasing views of Chinese tea plantations.

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Mark Wilton; or, The Merchant's Clerk. By Charles B. Tayler, M. A. — We are no lovers — as must, by this, time, be pretty well known of what are called "religious novels; " but leaving the doctrines inculcated by Mr. Tayler to stand or fall by their own truth to be confirmed or set aside by such as find duty and pleasure in controversy - we may frankly say that his tales are in many points superior to the larger portion of their family. Not only is the absence of bitterness in them commendable,but they contain quiet, unobtrusive markings of character, and a feeling for manners, humors, scenery, and costume, such as is generally disregarded, from right royal asceticism or vacant incompetence, by the fabricators of similar productions. The argument of Mark Wilton' is simple enough; - the story being devoted to the contrast of "The Industrious and Idle Apprentices" in London mercantile life. The time is the period at which flourished highwaymen of a

far more "tiffany " quality than the hungry bru- | know to have their warrant in the real annals of talized "navvies" who are this winter playing crime and suffering. — but the contemplation of pranks, near certain of our provincial towns, which true taste rejects. The brutal master of after the fashion of Duval and Sheppard. Mark the lonely house on "Wuthering Heights" — a Wilton is tempted with desperate perils; prin- prison which might be pictured from life—has cipally by one Desmond Smith, whose gen- doubtless had his prototype in those ungenial tlemanly rakery is neatly contrasted with the and remote districts where human beings, like coarse ruffianism of others who inveigle "the the trees, grow gnarled and dwarfed and distortMerchant's Clerk" to his ruin. How he is ed by the inclement climate; but he might have throughout admonished, and finally extricated, been indicated with far fewer touches, in place by an angelic friend of his, Angus Stanley - of so entirely filling the canvas that there is and what happens consequent to his extrication hardly a scene untainted by his presence. It the reader will do best to learn from the book was a like dreariness—a like unfortunate selecitself. tion of objects which cut short the popularity of Charlotte Smith's novels, rich though they be in true pathos and faithful descriptions of Nature. Enough of what is mean and bitterly painful and degrading gathers round every one of us during the course of his pilgrimage through this vale of tears to absolve the Artist from choosing his incidents and characters out of such a dismal catalogue; and if the Bells, singly or collectively, are contemplating future or frequent utterances in Fiction, let us hope that they will spare us further interiors so gloomy as the one here elaborated with such dismal minuteness. In this respect 'Agnes Grey' is more acceptable to us, though less powerful. It is the tale of a governess who undergoes much that is in the real bond of a governess's endurance: - but the new victim's trials are of a more ignoble quality than those which awaited 'Jane Eyre. In the household of the Bloomfields the governess is subjected to torment by Terrible Children (as the French have it); in that of the Murrays she has to witness the ruin wrought by false indulgence on two coquettish girls, whose coquetries jeopardize her own heart's secret. In both these tales there is so much feeling for character, and nice marking of scenery, that we cannot leave them without once again warning their authors against what is eccentric and unpleasant. Never was there a period in our history of Society when we English could so ill afford to dispense with sunshine.

Essay on the Constitution of Society as designed by God. By Dr. Bishop. The attempt made in this brochure is not new. Theorists have from time to time sought to construct a system of society in accordance with the ancient Scriptures; but they have been always baffled by the complications of modern interests. A return to the simplicity of first arrangements is impossible. It may, at the same time, be beneficial to have attention occasionally directed to these—as perhaps first principles are best studied in connexion with them. There are accordingly some excellent suggestions in this little work which is clearly and intelligibly written. The reign of Love, here advocated—and which the speculative reasoner, as well as the poet, anticipates,

is not, however, a state producible by legislation, but one that must come (if at all) by development. It is a dream of the enthusiast and the philosopher—which may be realized, but not by external pressure. It must proceed from such evolution of man's higher capacity as can only be promoted by the universal extension of the best education both public and private.

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SHORT REVIEWS AND NOTICES.

WUTHERING HEIGHTS. BY ELLIS BELL. -AGNES GREY. BY ACTON BELL. 3 vols. 'Jane Eyre,' it will be recollected, was edited by Mr. Currer Bell. Here are two tales so nearly related to ‘Jane Eyre' in cast of thought, incident, and language as to excite some curiosity. All three might be the work of one hand, — but the first issued remains the best. In spite of much power and cleverness; in spite of its truth to life in the remote nooks and corners of England, Wuthering Heights' is a disagreeable story. The Bells seem to affect painful and exceptional subjects: the misdeeds and oppressions of tyranny-the eccentricities of" woman's fantasy." They do not turn away from dwelling upon those physical acts of cruelty which we

CHILD.

The ever renewed hope of the world.
A conscript for the wars.
The future in the present.

made its appearance. It contains exactly a hun- | the daughter of Lord Eustace, whom he had dred subjects-as Language, Mirror, Death, known a little girl before the field of Worcester, Paper, Luxury, Politics, &c. There is an inter- and subsequently woos when she is disguised as est in seeing how four clever men are to make a peasant to save her father and serve the King. out something pointed on each of these themes Except that the writing is too predominantin a single sentence, and often the definition small book does not bear so much composition as given is one of no inconsiderable force. As an three volumes-the story is interesting. The example of one subjectsubstance, however, is not that of the tale or sketch, but of the circulating library romance. This is especially the case with the supernatural parts. The fairy is as large as life; and she carries the hero into churches, and vaults with ghostly lights, and toads, and bats, and owls, while a death-cold hand leads him along dark and dismal passages, fearful to think about, albeit smacking of the playhouse. THE Last of the FAIRIES is the section of an historical romance, condensed into a small volume, and garnished with some supernatural touches from the Radcliffe school; except that they are not explained" properly. Mr. James breaks off abruptly, implying that the heroine was the fairy; but there are some things that are only resolvable on ghostly supposition.

God's problem waiting man's solution.

Of single definitions, some have a pungency which throws the rest of their several groups much into shade, as

IGNORANCE-A dark place, where poor people are allowed to grope about till they hurt themselves or somebody else.

FAMILY-An item in a poor nation's wealth and a rich nation's poverty.

IRON-The bones of the giant Civilization.
EXPERIENCE The scars of our wounds.
DEBT-A slice out of another man's loaf.

Others are too much of the character of conceits or rebuses, though these are fewer in proportion than might be expected from the present strain of light literature in the metropolis. Our object, however, is less to criticize this clever little work than to introduce it as a vade-mecum for a very rational, and, as far as we know, novel plan of fireside amusement, which may be followed with pleasure and advantage by our readers, especially those of tender age. The definition assignable to Wallbridge's Game at Definitions' is

The Hoyle of its subject.

THE LAST OF THE FAIRIES. By G. P. R. JAMES, ESQ., Author of 'Margaret Graham,' &c. With Illustrations from Designs by JOHN GILBERT; engraved by HENRY VIZETELLY.

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In the crimson and gold of its cover, its pretty landscape wood-cuts, its striking heads and figures, the ornamented framework of varied design and colors to each page, as well as in the subject of the tale, this publication is fitted for a New Year's gift-book. The treatment is not so well adapted for Christmas literature. Mr. James is rather too solid both in subject and in style to deal with fairies; and his literature has too much of composition about it for juvenile minds, which like to go direct to their subject, and not to linger over details. The tale is a story of the Commonwealth, beginning with the battle of Worcester and ending with the Restoration. The subject is the adventures of Denzil Norman, Lord Blount, in his attempts to restore Charles the Second, and his final marriage with | cédure civile, par Ed. Bonnier. Paris. $1.60.

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Translated for the Daguerreotype.

AN EDUCATIONAL PROBLEM OF THE PRESENT AGE.

FROM A LECTURE BY PROFESSOR STOY.

endless catalogue of inventions, for each of which the martyr's stake would have been the reward of our ancestors. And the generation which is grown up proceeds on its way,- - not unmoved, for it is impossible to seclude one'sself: with the rapidity of the electric telegraph every new invention flies through the world, and finds in every country a thousand organs to proclaim it: but an uneasy feeling takes possession of us; our spiritual eyes were not trained in our childhood, and they cannot follow the astronomer in his researches among the stars of far distant systems, or with the physiologist trace the workings of the subtle gases upon the organic structure of the world. We cannot, but our first and most natural thought is, "Our children shall and will be able to do this."

I will lead you at once into the midst of the subject of Education, that is to say, into the questions agitated on this field; for on all sides there is agitation and commotion. Are we surprised at this? No; it is a necessary condition; it has been so from the remotest times. The ideal of every age is the ideal of its youthful education, and hope sees in youth the promise of her fulfilment. The giant-forms which accomplish the restoration of the arts and sciences, the reformation, the revolution,- they entered upon their career within the narrow limits of the school-room, there learned to destroy walls or to build them up, to throw down pillars of support or to erect them. And in our own time, in which an agitated ocean is dashing against rugged cliffs, can the educator carelessly float upon a smooth unrippled tide? From the busy hum of commerce, from the halls of statesmen and from the pulpits of theologians, so many questions are constantly going forth, addressed to the educator, all demanding replies, that I perform but a small portion of the task if I apply myself to the consideration of a single one of the problems proposed. The SCHOOL has always had, shall we call it the good or the bad luck, to be subjected most easily and most quickly to the influences of the age; more so than a family, more so than the life of grown up persons. It has the difficult task of maintaining the independence of its edu-"Receipt for an education." cational principles. Rationalists and orthodox, reformers and reactionists, republicans and despotists, in short, parties of all kind turn in the first place to the school and demand that their spirit and no other, shall be disseminated. The case is the same in a more general point of view. Consider the present state of civilization, the enormous activity in every branch of human industry, in science and art, in trade and manufactures. New worlds are laid open to the spiritual as to the physical eye; man begins to find himself at home in the most distant spaces of the heavenly vault as well as at the sources of the Amazon. From the North pole and from the South, reports come crowding upon us; the riches of creation are spread out before our wondering eyes, and the microscope lays bare the most hidden mysteries of nature. From the daguerreotype and chemical matches up to the steam powerpress and the atmospheric railroad, what an

What is the consequence? we turn round to the school and impose upon it the enormous task. And the school has assented! During every hour in which the glad light of the sun beams down upon earth, it calls together the little ones into its narrow limits, and for the dark evening, yes, even for the night, for the hours of rest, it condemns them to the solitary desk. I am not exaggerating: I have before me the latest reports of the studies pursued in many schools, and I feel myself unwillingly compelled to reproduce them in the form of the following

"Take 2 or 3 drachms of religious instruction, 2 drachms of reading, 1 drachm of writing, spelling, composition, and grammar; the same of mythology, anthropology, geography, astronomy, geometry, logic, mathematics, psychology, natural philosophy, universal, ecclesiastical, and natural history, a double dose of arithmetic, and a little drawing, singing and declamation; add quantum suff: of Latin, Greek, French, English, Spanish, and Italian; mix it all well together, shake it several times a day, and give the child a teaspoonful of it every half-hour from seven o'clock till twelve, and from two to four. During the remaining hours administer a few pounds of lessons to prepare, some music, and if a female, add knitting, sowing, embroidery, and crotchet work."

Thus imperative is the spirit of the age, but there are two opponents who rebel against his authority, the spirits of medical and of psycholog