Tue Times devotes several columns to the report of a most interesting Hibbert Lecture delivered by Professor Kuenen, of Leyden, upon "The Popular Religion of Inracl: Priests and Prophets of Yahweh'—that being the modern scholastic spelling ofthe word Jehovah. According to Dr. Kuonon's belief, i take to regard the local worship, as idolatrous, as having the original or Mosaic revel for puta it, Dr. Kuonen deni later historians reproduced the earlier religion of the Ton Tribes fairly, when they branded it all as idolatry. Originall it had boon an impure, but s reed, form of Jehovah-worship phets, he declared, while insisting on righteousness of Jehovah, had by no Pamsod the sweeping condemnation upon all the local forms of the Jehovah-worship which the later historians embodied in their account of the kingdom of Israel so that "the idea of the central Temple at Jerusa-Join as the only legitimate temple, was a late one, imported ex post facto into the early The lecture is a very valuable contribution to modern criticism, and seems to have attracted a good deal of atten Some very interesting archmological di coveries have been made recently. The Buddhist remains recently unearthed at Sopara are spoken about a good deal in the Tndisn papers, and strong objections are being made to their proposed. transportation to England. The Standard announces the discovery by a French explorer, in the ts of Guatemala, of city still occupied eat structures now lying in ruins over many of the wide regions of Central America, It appears that there has long been the legend of the existence of such a city; and if the nows be true, the find will no doubt prove of the highest interest and possibly also of much historical value. Of course the papers are full of the Duke of Albany's wodding; and articles on such subjects are always of the most ont-and-dried conventional type, The Spect"tor la the only paper that manages to say anything original about the affair. It philoso-in rather a prolix manner about the bbishness of ti public interest in such events; and suz-geste that the Duchess of Albany has now a.good opportunity of striking out a new line for herself, We have had plenty of princesses of undoubted worth and amiabibut the Duchess, having married the most studiousand intellectualmemberof the Royal family, may, if she pleases, and able for the post, take separate and hitherto unfilled place in English society, as the leader of the women who recognise other interests in life than either frivolity or benevolence. A great lady who can think, and understand thought, would be an quisition." There is a vigorous article in the Spectator on 'Slavery in Hongkong.' The difficulties of the question are summed. up as follows 'Ther gelavery. Not cognizance of it, but determined and' even hands that they fare of their own legal freedom. The: in bondage not to law, but to Chinese opinion, which holds, first, that the patria potestas is divine and absolute, and transferable for that a red ly existing in the Southera States—can doubt that these are fixed principles; and as the Chinese of Hongkong take all their ideas from the Chinese within the Empire, the whol ight of opinion, an opinion which i effective with. in their own minds also, operates to crush 10,000 slaves of Hongkong. It is the purchasers that 1g, an immemorial possible to convince the bought that they are right in declaring themaclves free, an action, moreover, which would bring on them the terrorism by which the Chinese overywhere support their domestic system.
The funeral of Mr, Darwin is also adverted to. The burial in Westminater Abbey," says the same paper we quote above, "of tone who has caused so great a change i European opinion in the direction opposed to that of orthodox Christian theology, is an event which could hardly have taken place ten years ago, certainly not amid demonstrations of such universal respect. Does it mean that the general belief in Christianity has greatly dwindled during the last decade? Wo should say not But it does mean undoubtedly that men azo estimated infinitely. more, by their characters and lives, and infinitely less by their mere religious opinions than they were then." 'Ouida' is getting up in the world. The Spectator reviews her last book, 'In Maremma,' enthusiastically, and speaks warmly of the genius' of the author. Perhaps her career will prove ous to Swinburne's, who first figured simply as a young man writing obscenity and-is now recognised as one of the greatest of English poets and reviewers. 'The Revolt of Man' Appears to be a great success. This is all the more curious, as the motif of the skit has been surely thrashed threadbare long ago. -Gulliver's Travels, Th- Cuming Race, Heliondé, The Twentieth Century, Across the Zodine, Erowhon, and many others whose names have escaped us, would, fight think, have tired thre public of th form of fiction, fascinating and full of scope for satire as it is. But this last book is loudly praised. The Saturday has a review of it which gives a good ides of the plot! The Athenoeum prints two letters from Mr. Disraeli written in 1830 and 1882 respect ively; one when in great pecuniary straits; having been let in for a bad speculation by a stock-broker, and the other during the progress of a doubtful election, The Latter concludes with the following words} italicised:—"If I gain my election; think I have doubled the Cape of my destiny." The septuagenarian poet Mr. William Bell Scott' has just published volume called 'The Poet's Harvest Home': being One Hundred Short Poems.' Here is one of them, headed ' Age':' yee "Stepping westward," did she say, sunset on that long Scotch day "Stepping westward," yes, always, With stadt and scrip, Wayfaring songo upon my lip, Stepping, stepping, to the end.
As dowie the slanting path I wend, Bebold, a breadth Between the hills on either hand, Ships bearing from some unknown laud To other laud uakuown to me, "Stepping westward," all that be, Body and soul, by land or sea, Follow still the westering oan That must end which has begun, The biography of James Mill is being talked about and reviewed, It is matter of deep thankfulness that all the groat thinkers of the world are not the di agreeable boors that Mill and Carlyle seem to have been. The somewhat brutal candour of the following paragraph from Vanity Fair is refreshing indeed after but politer conventionalities Way'to mal stupid world. "He urage the nobler aspirations of that noble on him, and he goes throu antly. Now, we have lately had two raphias of great men thrown at our heads, ani contemned both these grent men are ead to have James Mill very heartily. Mr, the firat of these great persons, He me to have beea a loveless, Leartleay, bral dog, and and he wrote sift second of the great persons is Mr. Carlyle, rear work ov the analysis of the human mind, Carlyle killed his wife, and made himself disagreeable to everyone in the world who did not happen to be fervently anxious to lick his boots. Now carte had perhaps more brain-power than any Englishman yot born, and his books are very remarkable literature indeed. But would it not have been better had he eaten his dinner like a" Philistine and cultivated certain agreeable qualities Would it not have been bet too, had the great James Mill been something other than callous family bully? On the whole, it rauld appear that people who are not great are lucky, Certainly their relations are very Tnoky int But there is one work of James Mill's that like to see in print. It is and, we believe, actually ts of sermons, written and delivered during the early years of his life, when he was a minister. What a find for an enterprising publisher!" exclaims the Times. 'A Call to the Unconverted by the author of the Analysis of the Human Mind!" We conclude our jottings with the following items from the Athenewm.—Mr. Darwin has, it seems, left an autobiography behind him, There has also been found among his papers a sketch of his father about equal in length to that of his grandfather which was published some time ago. The Earl of Lytton is engaged in preparing for publication during the ensuing autumn the earlier volumes of his father's life, Any one who may: be"
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.