shewing "The manner of forming the Hebrew letters in writing;" but they may not be equally acquainted with the design of that engraving, or the ingenious use to which it is applied by Mr. Hewlett. This worthy gentleman, treating of the "Hebrew Numerals, and different Modes of Notation," (in Num. i. 46), and shewing the importance of the particle 1, wav,' and,' which in all languages means addition, and the liability of mistaking, omitting, or adding it, says :"Unfortunately, the 'vau' was anciently a very small character, not unlike some forms of the MS. 'gimel,'' zain,'' yod,' and 'nun,' (see the plate prefixed to Parkhurst's Grammar), and in copying a manuscript, it might have been easily dropt, or supplied, by mistake, without the least intention to alter, or deprave the text."- Now, the plate prefixed to Parkhurst's Grammar, to which he refers, is not given as a fac simile of the letters employed in Hebrew MSS. nor could the learned author ever have anticipated that it would have been viewed in this light; but it is designed to teach the formation, successively, of each letter, by exhibiting its component parts. This will appear perfectly clear by adducing the following examples of the letters to which he refers :

Here, these various forms are not varieties of Gimel, Vau, Zain, Yod, and Nun; but simply shew the successive formation of each, from the first principle to the complete letter.

[To be continued.]

Poetry.

LAMENT OF THE MOTHER OF SISERA.

"The mother of Sisera looked out at a window, and cried through the lattice, Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why tarry the wheels of his chariots? Have they not sped? have they not divided the prey; to every man a damsel or two?-to Sisera a prey of divers colours, a prey of divers colours of needlework, of divers colours of needlework on both sides, meet for the necks of them that take the spoil?"

JUDGES, chap. v. 28 and 30.

WITH gold and vermillion,-oh rapturous sight!
The western horizon shone flushing and bright,
And cloud after cloud o'er the skies of clear blue
Spread wild and romantic in figure and hue,
As the orb whose fair rays doth creation illume
Slow yielded its empire to twilight and gloom.

The day was concluded, serenely and bland
The soft tints of even stole over the land;
So lovely the face of creation shone forth,
It seemed as if Peace was sole monarch of earth;
But 'twas only in seeming, for war, with his train
Of rapine and carnage, career'd o'er the plain;
And the conquest-crowned banner of Jabin was borne
To the dust with dishonour, and trampled and torn ;
And Hazor was whelmed in affliction and grief—
And Harosheth wept for her champion and chief.

From her lattice, the mother of Sisera cried,
While she watched for her son with a feeling of pride;
Tho' a fearful foreboding she could not control,
Cast a gloom o'er those feelings and troubled her soul :-
"Why comes not the prince of the valiant and strong?
"Why tarry the wheels of his chariots so long?

"Oh, have they not sped in the battle array ?
"Not captured the spoil ?—Not divided the prey?
"Not shared the fair captives, the brides of the slain,
"To each gallant warrior a damsel or twain?
"And to Sisera, have they not portioned a part
"Of the richest and rarest in nature and art;

"A prey of fine colours, and jewels, and gold,
"Of colours of needlework fair to behold;
"Of divers fine colours of needlework, wrought
"On both sides alike, with the pictures of thought;
"Rich ornaments, meet for the necks of the brave,
"Who have captured the spoil, and made Israel a slave.” ́

ing, pronounced generally on Shem, was enjoyed particularly and remarkably in one line only-then why not the curse which applied generally to Ham and his posterity, fall particularly and eminently on Canaan only? The writer proceeds to say, "There is no conceivable reason why the other sons of Ham should share in the prediction. If the thing predicted be a punishment on the sin just committed, what share had those younger sous in the sin? Wherefore should they share in the curse?" Here I observe, that if the thing predicted be a punishment on the sin just committed by Ham, there is no conceivable reason why Canaan should share in the prediction, excepting the reason elsewhere given by God himself, that he visits the sins of the fathers on the children; but this cannot be urged as accounting for its exclusive application to Canaan. The curse must, in that case, fall equally on all; or at least all must share it. Until it can be proved, therefore, that Canaan was a sharer in Ham's transgression, while his other sons were innocent of the crime, there is no conceivable reason why Canaan alone should be punished. But if, as the writer elsewhere asserts, the wretched slavery of the Canaanites was not inflicted in consequence of their father's crime—if, indeed, they would have been in the same situation, whatever had been the character of Ham—then the thing predicted was not a punishment on the sia committed; and the questions, "What share had those younger sons in the sin? Why should they also share in the punishment?"— might have been spared. By the way, Who are the younger sons alluded to? Are they Mizraim, and Cush, and Phut? Surely, Canaan was younger than these.

With regard to the writer's third observation, it is allowed, "that Shem, and Japheth, and Canaan, are noticed in the scheme of prophecy, only because of their connection with the history of Israel, and of the world's redemption. "What connection, then,” he asks, "has the degradation of the other sons of Ham with that history and that redemption?" The reply is, just as much as whole nations which have descended from Shem and Japheth. What interest have the Chinese in that history or that redemption?— "the most of them (poor men) are in no wise connected, hitherto, with the salvation of mankind." Yet, are they not included in the blessing? If they are, any apparent want of connection in Ham's descendants, cannot be brought as a reason why they should not be included in the curse.— But were they not connected with the Israelites? Had the Egyptians, for instance, nothing to do with "the history of Israel and the world's redemption?" Yet they were not the posterity of Canaan, but of Mizraim.

The fourth observation combats the argument, usually drawn from the actual state of Ham's descendants:-"As to the slavery of the negroes," says the writer," their slavery proves nothing at all—so long as they have no share in the prediction, their state, whatever it may be, has no concern whatever in fulfilling it." This might in

fairness be granted, did we not remember, that the writer had but a little before drawn an argument from the actual state of Shem's posterity, for limiting the blessing to the line of Arphaxad. Why not, then, an argument be deduced from the actual state of Ham's posterity, for extending the curse to all his children?

I come now to the fifth, and last observation, which is somewhat remarkable." If it can be shewn that, although many sons of Ham are slaves, many more never were so, it will at once prove, either that the prediction never could include the whole posterity of Ham, or that it has never yet received its accomplishment. I will not now enter on this proof, though I think it might very plausibly be supported." The advocates for the extension of the curse to Ham's whole posterity, then, need not be much alarmed at the aspect of this paragraph: the writer does not "enter on the proof" of what he only "thinks" very" plausible," and which, when he has proved it, will only shew that the prophecy has "not yet received its accomplishment." In the mean time, suppose an emendation of this paragraph were attempted, it would read perhaps as well thus:"If it can be proved that, although many sons of Canaan were. slaves, many more never were so it will at once prove, either that the prediction never could include the whole posterity of Canaan, or that it has never yet received its accomplishment?"

With regard to the conduct of the African slave traders, who plead this prophecy as their excuse, it will only prove that they are knaves or fools: for, if they be serious, they have not common sense; and if they be joking on so serious a subject, they have not common honesty. The bondage of the Jews in Egypt was foretold to Abraham: was the tyrant of Egypt therefore innocent? But I need not pursue the argument. What signifies it to a West India slave-holder, whether the Bible prohibits the slavery of Africans, or sanctions it— his motives of action spring from another source.

I cannot but apologize for having occupied this whole paper in expressing my doubts as to the correctness of the writer's first assertion, conceiving, as I do, that the second is of the most importance; and for the discussion of which, I shall probably trespass upon your patience at a future time. After all, they are but doubts; the language of the curse itself, seems to limit it to Canaan: but all the circumstances connected with it, are in favour of its extension to Ham's whole posterity; and I am at present of opinion, that those who argue for such extension, have the advantage over their opponents. W. B.