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is nevertheless full of feeling, and appeals to the sympathies rather than to the eye. In the ancient tombs at Westminster, as elsewhere, the sculpture is seen to be a portion of the building, conceived in the same spirit, and displaying the same feeling of reverence. All the figures are in repose, all are devotional-there is no flutter, no action even, certainly no worldly action; they do not seek to record, in vain self-glory, any moment of the past, but carry us forward to the great hearafter, and inculculate humility. Alas! how sadly

this contrasts with those of more recent date, where every man "for his own hand," has worked in his own way, careless of the general effect, and has not worked well. Mountains of most material clouds, urns, flames, figures in ill-conceived and violent momentary action, accurate models of periwigs and whiskers, the evanescent fashions of a period of universal bad taste, form the staple-but why endeavour to prove what nearly all seem to acknowledge?

As the writer has elsewhere remarked, in reference to the tasteless tombs

and monuments with which all our cathedrals and churches have been

gradually encumbered and overladen: "Like some frightful fungus, they have spread insidiously over all parts these structures, destroying alike their propriety, beauty, and stability." No more lamentable example of this evil is to be found than in Westminster Abbey; and it is to be hoped that efforts will be made, not simply to prevent the increase of this abomination, but, as opportunities occur from time to time, to remove the excrescences now deforming this fine pile, and so restore its harmonious proportions and original integrity. The triforium might be made to contain many of the monuments, as has been done at the Temple Church. Perhaps, too, the Chapter House, which is about to be cleared of its present contents (dirty shelves and presses), could receive some without injury to itself, so as gradually to restore to our venerable Abbey its former appearance.

In spite, however, of the contemptible character of the records, who can look around the south transept-the poet's

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Letters from Constantinople announce that M. Botta has nearly completed his discoveries in the subterranean palace of the ancient Nineveh. He was then on the point of clearing the grand southern façade. The vast entrance of this front is entirely cleared: six colossal bulls, with the heads of men, and two human statues, also colossal, strangling lions in their arms, form its principal ornaments. These sculptures are said to be of great beauty, and as fresh as if executed yesterday. The two bulls in the centre, as seen from the front, form the entrance pillars. The animals have inscriptions between their feet, some of which have, however, been cut away by the chisel, so as to leave only their traces, a circumstance which would seem to indicate that a new dynasty, or a new monarch, taking possession of the palace, had removed the inscriptions of his predecessors. M. Botta is anxious the physical difficulties are very great. to tranport these figures to Paris; but Still, he hopes to remove them, on wooden rollers, to the Tigris, which is five leagues from Khorsabad,—whence they might go, by the first flood, to Bassora, and there be received on board a ship of war for France. This discovery of M. Botta's is one of the most valuable which has been made for many years in the field of archæology, supplying an important link, hitherto wanting, and believed to be irrecoverable, in the history of the arts amongst the earliest civilization of the world. It deserves, therefore, some words of further notice, which we collect from the French papers in general, and the Revue de Paris in particular. The Greek historians and the books of the Old Testament, furnish the very vaguest hints as to the condition of art amongst the Medes, Assy

rians, and Babylonians; and hitherto no monuments were known to exist by which they were more fully represented. Unlike the cities of ancient Egypt, which have transmitted to our times, almost in their integrity, the arts of their builders, the great cities of Central Asia-Susa, Ecbatana, Babylon, Nineveh have perished from the face of the earth, leaving, in the language of ancient prophecy, scarcely one stone upon another. Dreary mounds of rubbish, traversed by deep and narrow ravines that indicate the lines of the streets, alone mark the sites of these mighty cities. Nineveh, the city of fifteen hundred towers, whose walls were a hundred feet in height, and had space on their summit for three chariots abreast, seemed more utterly ruined than even Babylon; yet from beneath its dust has the long-buried art of the Assyrians been recovered, and an impulse been communicated which may end in bringing, through future excavations, our knowledge of the former to something of a level with our understanding of Egyptian art. M. Botta, as our readers know, is a distinguished archæologist, who was consul for the French at Mosul; and there, his neighbourhood to the ancient Nineveh inspired him with an earnest desire to try some excavations in the soil of the lost city. His first attempt was on the most conspicuous mass (for the ruins of the various gigantic edifices of old present now the appearance of separate barren hills), near the village of Nininoah, supposed by travellers to be the tomb of

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means of continuing his researches, and sent out M. Flandin to make drawings of whatever could not be removed. tolerable judgment may now, from what is laid open, be formed of the extent and importance of these ancient constructions. Fifteen halls of this vast palace, with their corresponding esplanades, have been cleared. The rest of the monument, it is made quite certain, has been destroyed, intentionally, however, the stones having been carried off to serve for other buildings. A fortunate accident-that would seem an evil one at the time-has preserved for us what remains. This portion of the palace has been ravaged by fire, which has entirely destroyed only the timbers of the roofs:-but as the other calcined materials were rendered useless for new constructions, they have been left where they were: and thus, one-third of the edifice remains, to testify of the rest. We have, from time to time, described the sculptures and inscriptions found within its walls; and we announced to our readers the work, which embodying M. Flandin's drawings, will furnish the details of this curious discovery. We may add that the fragments thought worthy of being collected and transmitted to France, are numerous and important enough to load a ship.—Athenæum.

CORRESPONDENCE.

Ninus. Here, however, finding only BAPTISM AND ITS DUE SOLEMNITY.

--

broken bricks and insignificant fragments, he opened his trenches in the sides of another hillock, on whose summit is built the village of Khorsabad, where bricks had been frequently found covered with inscriptions in the cuneiform or arrow-headed letter. It was principally the hope of finding other inscriptions, which might help, by comparison, to decipher the cuneiform writings, hitherto unreadable, that had tempted M. Botta to these explorations. Something of the success our readers know. An Assyrian edifice has been recovered in a state of unlooked-for preservation. On this discovery the French Government supplied M. Botta with the

HUMAN OPINIONS AND TRADITION.

Sir,-At p. 57 of your February No. is "J. F. M.'s" conclusion to our discus sion; and in this I beg distinctly to say that I do not intend to renew it, but only to express my entire agreement with the conclusion of his letter, adopting the words of a writer in the British Magazine, No. 126, for May, 1844, (p. 533-535) who seems to take my own view of the meaning of regeneration: "That baptism of infants as well as of adults (for our Church, in her wisely and spiritually comprehensive forms, admits both) has all the solemnity of a sacrament, being the institution of

Christ himself; that it has been much disparaged by irreverent neglect and careless ministrations, notwithstanding its privileges and grace; that we ought more frequently to insist upon this sacrament in our public functions; and should administer it with more publicity, strictness, and solemnity, and above all, with more prayer and faith; that God frequently, in the exercise of his sovereign gifts, communicates at baptism his regenerating spirit: All this, and more, I freely and fully admit; but the inseparability of baptism and regeneration, neither Scripture, nor our Church, nor fact, in any way warrant ME to maintain." (p. 535.) [The letter which I here quote is on the subject of the various changes made (as a matter of fact) at sundry times in the publications of the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, on the subject of regeneration.] Though Tractarians endeavour to lay the blame of this neglect of baptism on the shoulders of the evangelical clergy (see Prescott's Collection of Papers, c. xi. p. 100,) yet Rev. T.W. Carr, in the Preface to his sermon, "Another Gospel," remarks as one of the results of evangelical preaching, as respects the Church," that "Baptism" was brought back from the unseemly time and manner in which it had been administered. to its proper place and dignity in the full congregation." Doubtless, "J. F. M." agrees with me in attributing its disparagement to the cold "orthodox"(!) clergy of the last century, and I gladly join with him in wishing it to be more appreciated, and publicly administered.

He is not singular in his distinction between regeneration and new birth, or the being born of God; but the only works which I have met with in which

"From the testimony of Christian friends, it would seem, that scarcely was he (Rev. J. G. Breay) born ere he was 'born again.' His aspirations after holiness grew with his growth, and strengthened with his strength; yet he was the last to recognise in himself the influences of the Spirit of God!" (Memoir, p. 20.) This reminds us of Jer. i. 5, Luke i. 15; for compare p. 1 and 2 of the Memoir, which afford encouragement to pious parents.-C. H. D.

the distiction is made, are the two mentioned in my first letter, in May, 1844, p. 199. * I see that J. F. M. gives a passage from Augustine, which speaks of Simon Magus as born again! Yet Rev. G. S. Faber, in Book ii. c. vii. of his Primitive Doctrine of Regeneration, quotes passages from Jerome (p. 148—9). Augustine (p. 150-152), and Cyril of Jerusalem (p. 157-159), in which they expressly mention the case of Simon Magnus as a person who did not receive any grace at his baptism. Some in modern times have insisted on his regeneration, as I believe Bishop Mant did, as "Presbyter" in his answer to Rev. C. Molyneux does (p. 103-107), and so even Rev. C. Benson seems inclined to do (Theological Inquiry, Sermon 1, p. 16, 17). From all this may we not learn an important lesson, viz., not to trust in the opinions of men? Rev. D. Bagot observes on Matt. xvi. 14: "Men who are without the teaching of the Spirit of God will be martyrs to their own imaginations and conjectures; and because they vary from the truth, they will also vary from one another, and form themselves into sects and parties." (Commentary on St. Matthew, p. 566.)

On difference of opinion among real Christians are some good remarks by Rev. J. G. Breay, in his Memoir, c. x. pp. 388-9, and 394 of the last edition, (pp. 429 and 437 of the second edition). It is in vain to seek for the truth in the masses of tradition. (See Bishop Mc Ilvaine's Sermon at the Consecration of Bishop Lee, p. 8-10); for, shall we take the opinion of Mr. Isaac Taylor? or of Rev. G. S. Faber? or of Dr. Hook? Rev. W. Palmer, and Rev. W. A. Hammond? or of Messrs. Ward, Oakley, Newman, and Pusey? or apply to Drs. Wiseman, Waterworth, and other Romanists to interpret it to us? The above classes interpret tradition very differently. Why then should we abandon the Scriptures? I remain, Sir,

Your obedient Servant, 13th Feb., 1845. C. H.D. [We believe that the evangelical clergy, although they may have held

* Except, PERHAPS, Rev. C. Benson's "Theological Inquiry," Sermon v. p. 83, 84.

somewhat different opinions on the subject of the spiritual grace of Baptism, have, and had, before Tractarians wrote, taken more pains in explaining baptism in catechizing after it, and introducing its more solemn administration, than most others. We know there were exceptions; but we are sure that the general fact was as we have stated. Among many other facts which we could state in confirmation of this, we would say, that all the Evangelical Parochial Clergy of Cambridge have long solemnized baptism publicly, according to the Rubric, after the Second Lesson.

We wish that Tractarian ignorant abuse, and unauthorized innovation, may not have thrown an impediment in the way of public catechising and baptising, which may render such desirable practices not easy of adoption. We have ourselves found it so.]

Sir,-In my last letter, at p. 84 of your March No., as I see I have made a mistake in some of the dates. I will therefore give a recapitulation of my remarks, viz., that for Sunday, 9th Nov. (being the 25th after Trinity), while the proper 1st lessons are Prov. xv. and xvi., the proper Collect, Epistle, and Gospel seem to be those of the 5th Sunday after Epiphany; for Sunday, 16th Nov. (the 26th after Trinity), while the proper lessons are Prov. xvii. and xix., the Collect, Epistle, and Gospel seem to be those of the 6th Sunday after Epiphany; for Sunday, the 23rd Nov. (being the 27th after Trinity), while the assigned Collect, Epistle, and Gospel are those of the 25th after Trinity ("Stir up we beseech thee," &c.), the proper first lessons seem to be Isaiah lxv. and lxvi.

Can any of your readers inform me when the beautiful "Prayer for Unity" was added to the service for the anniversary of the Sovereign's accession, (now the 20th June)?

In the service as it stood in 1703-4, for the 8th March, (being the day of Queen Anne's accession), it does not occur. (See Keeling's Liturgie Brittannice), but I see that in the form as it stands in a Prayer Book of 1755, it

does occur; the royal order bearing date 1751, and therefore the alteration existed at that time.

In many places, a custom prevails of using after the Sermon on Communion Sundays, either the benediction, or the prayer from 2 Cor. xiii. 14. Is it not better to avoid this sanction of the departure of non-communicants, and merely to use a Collect and nothing more after the Sermon, as is the case in some places ?

On ordinary Sundays, when a Deacon officiates, it is better for him to conclude the Service with the Prayer, "The Lord bless us," &c., in the Commination Service, rather than that from 2 Cor. xiii. 14, or an "unauthorised" prayer altered from the benediction?

I

some

I may ask whether a Priest may conclude an afternoon or evening service with the benediction which concludes the confirmation service, instead of the ordinary one, for the sake of variety? I have heard this aone, and also the use of Numbers vi. 24-26, which is used in the office for the Visitation of the Sick. In your No. for Sept. 1843, pp. 412, 413, gave reasons for performing Churching immediately before Divine inform me whether this is done anyService. Can any of your correspondents where? The opinion about so doing it is not a novelty, for Archdeacon T. Sharp, in Charge iv., delivered in 1735) P. 72, note, alludes to the opinion as having been expressed by some at that I remain,

time.

Your obedient servant,
C. H. D.

7th March, 1845.

VERSES ASCRIBED TO KING
CHARLES I.

"Close thine eyes and sleep secure,
Thy soul is safe, thy body sure,
He now guards thee, He thee keeps,
Who never slumbers, never sleeps.
A quiet conscience in a quiet breast
Has only peace, has only rest:
The music and the mirth of kings
Are out of tune unless she sings."

THE PASTOR OF RODORET.*

They are mourning in the valley,
A sad unwonted sound:
There's not a lowly village cot
Where grief may not be found.
A happy people late were they.
Of poor and lowly lot;
Forgotten by the world around,
Its follies they forgot.

To worship God in simple form
Was ever their delight;

They sought how they might pass their
lives

In peacefulness and right.

As weeks passed on, the day of rest
To them was rest indeed;
And ever to their pastor's word
They gave most earnest heed.
They loved to see their temple

Its modest turret raise

Where fathers, wives, and children met
To celebrate God's praise.
But now the scene has sadly changed
From joy to sorrow deep;
The Avalanche has fallen,
And they are left to weep.

* AN AVALANCHE.-A melancholy and fatal event took place in the village of Rodoret, in Piedmont, last month, by which the Rev. Daniel Buffa (the clergyman of that place) and his family lost their lives. During the night an avalanche fell upon his residence. His parishioners, at the heavy noise of the fall, hastened to the relief of their beloved young pastor. Several hundred men were engaged for five hours before a passage could be cleared through the snow, and when they had obtained an entrance into the house, a most distressing scene presented itself: the clergyman (aged 29), his wife (20), and their infant son, were discovered, quite dead; a servant shared the same fate; a favourite dog alone survived. This sad catastrophe has occasioned a mournful sensation throughout the Protestant, vallies. The funeral of the devoted family took place on the 20th ult., and was attended by nearly all the inhabitants and many of the ministers of Piedmont who were deeply affected at the loss of one whose piety and usefulness had endeared him to them; and his ministry, although short, will long be held in affectionate remembrance.-From the Times of Feb. 25, 1845.

Last night their native mountains
Their wonted aspect bore;
Their rugged sides their snowy coats
As heretofore they wore,
This morn the awful chasms rent,
And fearfully the mass
Has bid destruction's wayward work
Its dreadful watchword pass.
The sturdy peasants quickly ply
The pickaxe and the spade:
The muscles of their stalwart arms
For goodly deeds were made.
They stop not now their progress,
For haply they may stay

The arm of death from those they love,
For whom they're bound to pray.
They onward cut their icy road,—
The snowy mass gives way,

And each to each the glance of hope
Is zealous to repay.

They reach the dear devoted home
Where dwelt the man of God,
Upon whose homely threshold
They oftentimes had trod.
They listened for the cry of help,
And quick was every ear,

Lest any sound should 'scape them
That told of hope or fear.
But when the sullen portal
To axe and arm did yield,
The dismal scene before them
A tale of woe revealed:
The babe upon its mother's breast
In death-like silence slept,
No mother's eye upon that babe
Its loving vigils kept,
But both alike in stillness

Their final slumber took,
For deadened was each beating breast,
And deadened was each look.
Resting calmly at their side

The sire and husband lay,
Upon his lips serenely

A smile seemed still to play.
It was indeed a grievous sight

For that poor peasant band,
To see the pastor from his flock

Torn by relentless hand.

How could they look on the mountain

sweep

With calm forgiving eye,

And know that it had been the cause
That bid their guardian die ?
They loved e'en yet each peak on which
Their infant steps had trod,
And saw in this, their gloomy day,
The ruling hand of God!
And when they bore him to his rest,
With many a tear and sigh,
And laid him down in his lowly grave
With those who loved him nigh,—

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