flows into it at the north. At the south-west is another river, which Stanley thinks at times flows out of it, and may connect it with Lake Mweru on its west, and thus with the Congo. He thinks there is no connection between Tanganika and the Nile basin further north. This point, however, needs more careful examination before we can be certain about it. Returning to Lake Mweru, we find that the Lualaba, now known to be the Congo, or as it ought henceforth to be called the Livingstone, flows north-west to nearly 2° N. Lat., in Long. 21° 30′ E. It is supposed to be navigable for small vessels nearly all this way, with the exception of the "Stanley Falls" for about sixty miles just under the equator. Below this it is again navigable to the great Livingstone Falls, which are one hundred and fifty miles above Boma, near the mouth, and with the intervening rapids effectually preclude navigation for that distance, the river falling in this space, one thousand one hundred feet. From Nyangwé, where Stanley first met the river, to Boma, the distance is about one thousand five hundred miles; the total length of this river cannot be much short of two thousand five hundred miles. Various large streams empty into it from the south-west and northOne especially of great size comes in at about 1° north of the equator, in Long. 23°, 30' east, which Stanley conjectures must be the Welle of Schweinfurth.

east.

The banks of the Livingstone after it emerges from the lake region are fertile and very thickly settled. Stanley found the inhabitants ignorant of the whites, very savage, and cannibals, consequently he was unable to hold intercourse with them or obtain much information. Physically they seem to be superior to the tribes near the ocean.

It will be seen then that the head waters of these two great rivers of equatorial Africa, like those of our own land, the St. Lawrence and the Mississippi, almost intermingle in their sources; but that, in this differing from our own, the great altitude at which they arise, above the ocean, causes serious interruptions to their navigation, by reason

of the cataracts and rapids which in so many places impede their course. Still these might by modern science be overcome. Canals or railways might be built around them. The principal obstacles to commerce are the character of the natives and the unhealthiness of the climate. These are harder to overcome. Still they are not insurmountable. Stations on the high table lands around the great lakes might prove, with proper precautions, to be healthy; and as regards the natives, civilization and Christianity, must eventually modify their natures. This brings us to the last division of our subject; Missions in Africa. But we have not space here to give this important topic the consideration it deserves: and must close, for the present, with this suggestive quotation from Mr. Stanley:

If the Missionary can show the poor materialist (the native) that religion is allied with substantial benefits and improvement of his degraded condition, the task to which he is about to devote himself will be rendered comparatively easy.

E. B. B.

E

Editorial Department.

We think it will be pleasant from time to time to have a few words with our friends. There are many things we have in our minds to say which we do not desire to lengthen into regular review articles. Also following, as we do, the plan of admitting papers on different sides of questions of the day, we have felt the need of some way in which we might make known our own opinions, so that the position of the CHURCH REVIEW might not be misunderstood, as we know has sometimes been the case. In the EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT we propose to do this; to give shorter Book Notices; and to mention facts of Home and Foreign Church Intelligence.

With this January number, the CHURCH REVIEW begins its thirty-first year. We make certain changes which it is hoped may add to its usefulness and popularity. In future, we shall publish every two months instead of quarterly, thus having more frequent

opportunities of meeting our readers; and we reduce the price from three dollars to two dollars for all subscribers; single numbers will be sold for forty cents. As this will be a risk for us and altogether in favor of our subscribers, we ask them, in return, to pay in advance-if they wish a receipt to enclose a postal stamp ; also to endeavor to promote the circulation of the REVIEW among their friends. This is the only Church periodical in which all sides are admitted to speak for themselves. We propose to make this feature even more prominent than heretofore; and hope in our next number to invite our readers to a conference about one of the most important practical questions the Church has to meet.

We call attention to the article on "The Custody of Church Property." The subject is one of great importance; and the longer the evil complained of is suffered to remain, the more difficult it will be to find a remedy. We should like to have the views of some laymen on this matter.

AMONG THE BOOKS.

We

"What shall our children read?" This question, placed by MESSRS. POTT, YOUNG & Co. at the head of their circular, is one that deserves the attention of parents, uncles and aunts, pastors and of all who select books for the young, whether for gifts or for Sunday School Libraries. The difficulty of choosing safe yet interesting reading for children is no slight one. A great many books for the young are constantly issuing from the press. Too many of them are such as careful parents would not desire to place in the hands of their children. Some are so sensational that they are dangerous, or they are untrue and give false impressions of history and life. hear constantly of the evil resulting from the trashy literature so widely diffused among the young. Other writers for children have been so anxious to make their books useful, that they have failed in making them sufficiently lively to please those for whom they are intended. We, several years ago, purchased some such volumes for a Sunday School Library, and they remained the best preserved books in the whole collection, yet they were very excellent, instructive works; only they were, we found them so ourselves, hard to read. Then again, of books intended to inculcate good morals and religion; too many are sentimental and nambypamby in style, or set up young people as teachers and examples for their parents, or as impossibly good, or they make goodness so very stupid as to disgust children with it. We candidly confess

that we much prefer giving to our children standard novels of Scott, or Dickens, or the later works of Bulwer, rather than many of those written expressly for Sunday Schools. It is a comfort and aid to persons selecting books, and not having time to read them first, to know that they may depend upon those issued by certain publishers, as not only harmless, but instructive and interesting to children. We especially call attention to the attractive lists offered by the three great Church-publishers of New York. No doubt there are others besides those we mention, but not having examined their books, we cannot speak of them so positively.

Messrs. POTT, YOUNG & Co., COOPER UNION, N. Y., have a full assortment of the publications of the London Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge. The greatest care is taken by this Society in selecting books for the young, and entire confidence may be placed in them. There is sufficient variety to suit all tastes. For those who love adventures, there are travels and tales by Kingston, Ballantyne and others, such as NED GARTH, or Made Prisoner in Africa; DRIFTED AWAY; HEROES OF THE ARCTIC; THE SETTLERS, a Tale of Virginia, etc. For younger children, KITTY BLIGH'S BIRTHDAY; HISTORY OF JACK-A-NORY; LITTLE HELPERS, etc.; and for all, THE SNOWBALL SOCIETY; THE ROYAL BANNER, etc. This last is a beautiful story, of some fisherboys in the north of England, Church teaching, strong but not extreme, is naturally woven into the narrative, and a very striking application to the Church is made of the close of Longfellow's well known poem, "The Building of the ship." Older people may read it with profit.

MESSRS. POTT, YOUNG & Co. have also on hand the historical publications, of the same Society, for older persons. We have received in four small volumes with maps, the history of "The Conversion of the West," one on "The Continental Teutons," by Charles Merivale, Dean of Ely; tho others on The Celts. North men and English, by the Rev. Dr. Maclear, of Kings College, London. We have here only space to call attention to them, intending in our next number to give the more extended notice they deserve. The same firm have issued a new edition of THE CATACOMBS OF ROME. It is unnecessary to say anything in praise of this well-known work by Bishop Kip. It contains information of great interest to Churchmen, not otherwise easily to be obtained.

MR. T. WHITTAKER, BIBLE HOUSE, N. Y., has also a choice selection to please the young. Among these we mention a few. A SATURDAY'S BAIRN, a touching story; TEN OF THEM, good for little ones; "A FLOAT AND ASHORE WITH SIR WALTER RALEIGH;" "HEROES OF ANCIENT GREECE; and THE HOME OF

FIESOLE," for older children. These are but a few among many, all we doubt not equally good, for these have been taken at random, as specimens, and having, ourselves, read them all, we can honestly speak well of all, and have no hesitation in recommending his whole list. It is too long for us to introduce here, but catalogues will be sent on application, or Mr. Whittaker may be trusted to select, as he knows what children need and like. We may mention here, that the same publisher has also issued a new edition of Dr. Washburn's, SERMONS ON THE TEN COMMANDMENTS; a work so well-known to the religious public, that it is only necessary to mention the fact. It is a good sign, when there

is a call for a third edition of such a book.

We call attention to the Illustrated Catalogue of E. P. DUTTON & Co., 713 BROADWAY, N. Y. Persons can scarcely go amiss in choosing from this. We recommend all the books of Mrs. D. P. Sanford; the excellent series, SUNDAY ECHOES IN WEEKDAY HOURS, by Mrs. Carey Brock; CARL'S FIRST DAYS; EASY READING FOR THE LITTLE ONES; and especially PRAIRIE DAYS, a charming, natural story of Western life, truthful and with plenty of fun, yet with sufficient, unforced religious teaching. And then, if Church story books are wanted, there is the excellent series they publish for the Church Book Society. We wish every Parish had such a set of boys as those described in THE YOUNG LAYMEN. They do nothing but what boys might easily do, they are no better than boys ought to be. We hope some boys, and girls too, on reading this book, may be induced to think what good thing they can undertake in their own Parish, and will then set to work, with God's help, to do it. We have read nearly all the above named books, and taking them as we did, just as they came to hand, we have a right to consider them fair specimens of the rest. So that we feel warranted in saying that those selecting from any of the above-named Catalogues may be sure of giving their children instructive, healthy and interesting books.

THE HOLY BIBLE. With an Explanatory and Critical Commentary. New Testament. Vol. I., St. Matthew, St. Mark, St. Luke. NEW YORK: CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS. 1878. This is a continuation of what is known as the "Speaker's Commentary," so called because the idea of it was first suggested by the then "Speaker" of the House of Commons, the Rt. Hon. J. Evelyn Denison. The idea was to furnish, for the laity more especially, a commentary on the Bible "in which the latest information might be made accessible to men of ordinary culture." The Old Testament has been completed in six volumes, and here we have the first volume of the New, on the first three Gospels. A very valuable "General Introduction," with a "Table of the Harmony," is written by the Archbishop of York. The Commentary on St. Matthew is by the late Dean Mansel, except the last two chapters,