Church of Antioch at this period, the following passages afford a melancholy specimen. On approaching Moudaneea, a stage from Broussa, in Natolia, the whole population issued forth to meet the Patriarch.

They took us directly to their High Church, called after the Assumption of Our Lady: and the Deacon mentioned first the name of the Patriarch of Constantinople; secondly, that of the Patriarch of Antioch but they omitted any mention of their metropolitan, Clementus, (God erase his name from the Book of Life!) for his haughtiness of mind, being hated by all the people; particularly at the present time, when he declined coming out to meet the Patriarch, and welcome his arrival. For this reason, we staid a very short time here, and performed no mass. But the people honoured us much; for they are exceedingly good Christians, and very religious.'

In crossing the Sea of Marmora, they were overtaken by a storm, which had nearly put a termination to the Patriarch's travels.

Our sense fled from us, so that we cried and sobbed like children. Giving ourselves up for lost, we bade adieu to each other, and openly confessed our sins; and our lord the Patriarch read over us the prayer of forgiveness, absolution, and remission, while we were in momentary expectation of approaching death. But the Creator, exalted be his name! who neglecteth not his servants, did not abandon us; and by the intercession for us of the Virgin his Mother, the preserver and refuge of all who are in distress-of St. Nicholas-of St. Simeon the wonder-worker, the seaman, the Aleppian-of St. George, the rider upon sea and land-and of St. Demetrius, whose festival was approaching (for both before and after it this storm is dreaded by navigators)-the waves subsided; and after immense fatigue and mighty fear, our sailors succeeded in rowing us to land. At first, we could not believe that we were safe.'

The following passage fixes the date of this curious performance, (the middle of the seventeenth century,) and shews that image-worship was then practised in the Greek church.

'On Thursday morning, the Patriarch of Constantinople sent to him, at the moment of his intended coming, the aforesaid Metropolitans, who repaired to his presence, and conducted him to the Patriarch's palace. As soon as he entered the gate two priests met him ; the one carrying the Gospel, the other an image; and also the Deacons, with the thurible, dressed in their copes: and he kissed the Gospel and the image, according to custom; and the Deacons incensed him. Then one of the Metropolitans put into his hand a silver crosier; and the singing chaplains began to chaunt "A Ti, till they entered with him into the Patriarchal church, which is dedicated in the name of St. George. Whilst he was performing his devotions to the images which are upon the door of the tabernacle, behold the Patriarch VOL. II.-N.S.

X X

of Constantinople came down, and entering the church in his pall (uardia), stood before his throne. They placed our lord the Patriarch at a throne opposite to him. And the Deacon said: "Have mercy on us, O God, according to thy great mercy." And he made mention of Alexis, Emperor of Moscow and of the Empress Maria; of Vasili Beg, of Moldavia, and his consort Katherina; of Matthew Beg, of Wallachia, and his wife Helena; then of Kyr Paisius, the Patriarch of Constantinople, and Kyr Macarius, Patriarch of Antioch; and the chaplains chaunted at each name Kyrie Eleëson three times. Upon the conclusion of the service by the officiating priest, the two Patriarchs came down from their thrones; and having granted pardon to each other for their faults, they walked together, two persons preceding them with large silver candlesticks holding a camphor taper; and the Metropolitans following behind, till they mounted up to the Patriarch's divan. Here they sat down to table, while the chaplains continued to sing.'

The ceremony of proclaiming the style and title of these brother Apostles, is quite in character with the rest.

At the end of the prayer, after they had taken their blessing together, (exchanged benedictions?) the two patriarchs went outside the church, with two torch-bearers before them, and the whole congregation standing in rows. Then one of the torch-bearers shouted with a loud voice: "Paisius, of all holiness, Archbishop of the City of Constantinople, the New Rome, and Patriarch of the Inhabited World, May your years be many "-three times: whilst the patriarch, raising his right hand, was blessing the people. In like manner, the bearer of the other torches cried out: " Macarius, of all goodness, Patriarch of the City of God, Antioch the Great, and of all the East;" and he said, "May your years be many" three times; whilst the Antiochian also raised his right hand, and blessed the people. Then they put off their palls, and the Constantinopolitan took the other up with him to his palace, where they dined together.'

The description of Constantinople itself is very meagre and uninteresting. A succession of 'splendid ceremonies and solemn banquets', left the Patriarch and his attendant Deacon little spare time on their hands. We have, however, a particular account of the Patriarchal Church of St. George, and its rare treasures; among which were, a portrait of that Saint, entirely executed by the hand of Our Lady'; portraits of Abraham and Melchizedec; and another extraordinary picture, representing the Patriarch ' of Alexandria, and the Messiah standing before him in the 'shape of a young man, under a cupola supported by two pillars. His garment is rent; and the Patriarch says to him "Lord, 'who rent thy garment?" The answer issuing from the mouth of Our Lord is: "Indeed Arius, who fell upon me. Is the 'mouth of Hell lower?" (deeper?) Among the bodies of saints, in this church, from which the visiters did not fail to take a blessing' in exchange for a devout osculation, were that of Saint Theophanu the empress, of Saint Ishmonita, mother of

the seven Macabites, and of Saint Euphemia. They shewed also ' one half of the pillar to which they tied our Lord the Messiah when they scourged him.' The whole of the treasure belonging to this church, was in the hands of its vakeels or attorneys, not being entrusted to the Patriarchs.'

"If the salt has lost its savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned!" It is difficult to conceive of a more abject state of the human faculties amid the darkness of utter heathenism, than is exhibited by this view of a corrupt church in the last stage of declension and moral imbecility. Well might Byzantium be styled New Rome, since, in guilt and folly, it has come so little behind its ecclesiastical rival.

Dr. Belfour has executed his task with respectable, if not consummate ability. The concluding paragraphs of his Preface are, however, somewhat too much in the style of Archdeacon Paul, to suit the taste of Western readers.

The History of the Afghans is a more valuable document. Its Author was the contemporary of Ferishta; and the identity of the sources from which they drew their information in compiling their respective works, is evident from the verbal coincidence which may occasionally be detected in the style and thread of the narrative. The present work contains the history of the Afghans from Adam to the sixteenth century. The native traditions trace the national genealogy up to Afghana, the son of Talut (King Saul), and make the nation to have emigrated from Arabia, subsequently to the time of Mohammed. Sir William Jones endeavoured to corroborate this statement, by adducing, among other proofs, the supposed similarity of the Pushtoo or Afghan language to the Chaldaic. This proof, Professor Dorn remarks, is the weakest that could be produced, for the Pushtoo points to quite another origin of this people.' Neither in its grammar nor in its vocabulary, does it present, he says, the slightest affinity to the Hebrew or Chaldee.

The fact, that the Afghans make frequently use of Hebrew names, as Esau, Yacoob, Musa, &c., and that their tribes bear Hebrew names, as Davudzye, &c., is as little proof of their Jewish origin, as the circumstance that their Nobles bear the title Melek; which title, even according to their own assertion, was not introduced before Mohammed's time.'

In the Notes, the Translator has more fully explained his opinions, and discussed the historical and philological questions relating to the Afghans and their language; but, as all these are

Paulos is pronounced Taulos in Ethiopic. Talut, for Tsalus or Saul, is not a greater change, than Tyre for Tsoor.

reserved for the Second Part, which has not yet reached us, we must defer any remarks upon the subject for a future opportunity.

Art. VI.-1. The Journal of a Naturalist. Sm. 8vo. pp. 429. Plates. Price 15s. London. 1829.

2. Salmonia; or, Days of Fly Fishing. In a Series of Conversations. With some Account of the Habits of Fishes belonging to the Genus Salmo. By an Angler. f.cap. 8vo. pp. 350. Price 12s. London. 1829.

3. The Natural History of Selborne. By the late Reverend Gilbert White, A.M. With Additions by Sir William Jardine, Bart. 18mo. pp. 340. Price 3s. 6d. Edinburgh. 1829.

IT does not often happen to us, to have an opportunity of putting together three volumes of such delightful reading as those which now lie before us. The Natural History of Selborne is too extensively and too favourably known to require any further intimation from us, than that the convenient edition in our hand is a partial reprint-we wish it had included the entire collection

of the Reverend Gilbert White's works, with brief but acceptable notes by an intelligent observer of nature. It forms a section of the series which passes under the name of Constable's Miscellany, and which is, on the whole, distinguished by judicious management.

Salmonia' is recommended to us, not by the subject, but by the name of its author, and by its execution. It was the work of the late Sir Humphrey Davy, as a passe-tems in hours of sickness and debility; and this, although, for ourselves, we should not choose to employ the season of severe and dangerous illness' in writing dialogues on angling, must give a strong interest to the book, independently of whatever it may possess that is intrinsically valuable. There have been moments in our life, when it required some exertion to resist the temptation to take up the angling rod; and nothing but a rooted aversion from the very idea of mingling amusement and the infliction of suffering, could have withheld us from engaging in a pursuit so fascinating in itself, and so delightful in its associations. We have read Isaac Walton with a pleasure hardly abated by the cocl and bland barbarity with which he dwells on the tortures of the hook; and we have been almost tempted, such is the spell of his enthusiasm, and such the charm of his simple but exquisite descriptions of natural objects and circumstances, to throw away our scruples, and participate in the pleasures of an angler's

life. And it must be admitted, that there are many and peculiar gratifications, some of a better and others of a more doubtful kind, to be found in its varieties. Skill, hazard, vicissitude, combine to make it a sort of gamester's pursuit in itself; while the attractions of scenery and the opportunities of philosophic investigation, surround it with higher and more legitimate sources of delight.

It is a pursuit', says our Angler,' of moral discipline, requiring patience, forbearance, and command of temper. As connected with natural science, it may be vaunted as demanding a knowledge of the habits of a considerable tribe of created beings,-fishes and the animals that they prey upon, and an acquaintance with the signs and tokens of the weather and its changes, the nature of waters, and of the atmosphere. As to its poetical relations, it carries us into the most wild and beautiful scenery of nature; amongst the mountain lakes, and the clear and lovely streams that gush from the higher ranges of elevated hills, or that make their way through the cavities of calcareous strata. How delightful is the early spring, after the dull and tedious time of winter, when the frosts disappear, and the sunshine warms the earth and waters; to wander forth by some clear stream, to see the leaf bursting from the purple bud, to scent the odours of the bank perfumed by the violet, and enamelled, as it were, with the primrose and the daisy; to wander upon the fresh turf below the shade of trees, whose bright blossoms are filled with the music of the bee; and on the surface of the waters to view the gaudy flies sparkling like animated gems in the sunbeams, whilst the bright and beautiful trout is watching them from below; to hear the twittering of the water-birds, who, alarmed at your approach, rapidly hide themselves beneath the flowers and leaves of the water-lily; and as the season advances, to find all these objects changed for others of the same kind, but better and brighter, till the swallow and the trout contend, as it were, for the gaudy May-fly, and till, in pursuing your amusement in the calm and balmy evening, you are serenaded by the songs of the cheerful thrush and melodious nightingale, performing the offices of paternal love, in thickets ornamented with the rose and woodbine.'

This passage will satisfy our readers, that there is no deficiency of rich description and attractive composition in Salmonia'; and the character of its distinguished Author will be a sufficient security for a large admixture of scientific illustration. When we have added, that there are ample instructions for flyfishing, with valuable intimations concerning the improvement of angling machinery, we shall have briefly set forth the contents of the volume. Like Walton-the quaint old cruel coxcomb,' as Lord Byron calls him-Sir Humphrey Davy has adopted dialogue as the medium of communication; but his interlocutors, instead of Piscator, Venator, and Viator, are gentlemen of Greek denomination; Halieus, Poietes, Physicus, and Ornithes, men well approved in learning, eloquence, and admirable