Some of the recent finds in Egypt are among the most important which it has fallen to the lot of excavators there to make. In one day nine texts were dis' covered. Several of these are entirely new, including new odes of Pindar, parts of the lost tragedy of Euripides on Hypsipyle, parts of a new Greek historian, and of a commentary on the second book of Thucydides, the second half of the Symposium, and portions of two manuscripts of the "Phædrus" of Plato, of the "Panegyricus" of Isocrates, and the speech of Demosthenes against Bootus. The Pindar manuscript was of about A.D. 100, and was written on the back of a census, which fortunately assisted in the assembling of detached fragments. The identity of the poet was disclosed by coincidences in other Pindaric fragments.

The London Publishers' Circular publishes as usual an analytical table of the output of books during 1906. The general result is stated as follows:"The total number of new books reported during 1906 is 6,985-only 168 more than in 1905. Theological books, in spite of an increase of fifty in November, show a decrease of eight on the year. Educational works are over a hundred more, as also are political and commercial books and reprinted novels. New novels and juvenile works show an increase of 375. Law books, books on the arts and sciences, and new biographical and historical works, have not been quite so numerous as in 1905. In Belles Lettres our 1905 table showed an increase of more than a hundred; this one shows a decrease of seventy-four. A slight decrease is shown in books on travel and geography, also in poetical and dramatical works."

The fourth instalment-volumes 156 to 205 of "Everyman's Library" will be published by E. P. Dutton & Co.

in a few days. A peculiarly interesting volume is an edition of Lincoln's Speeches, edited by Mr. Bryce. This would have been a happy selection any way, in view of Mr. Bryce's studies of American institutions and acquaintance with American public men; but it is especially so now as Mr. Bryce succeeds Sir Mortimer Durand as England's representative at Washington. In the department of fiction "The Old Curiosity Shop" is added to the Dickens series and "Framley Parsonage follows "Barchester Towers" in the reproduction of Trollope. Among weightier works are Dennis's "Cities and Cemeteries of Etruria," 2 vols.; Finlay's "Greece under the Romans": Grote's "History of Greece," 12 vols.. edited by a Fellow of Balliol: and Thierry's "Norman Conquest," 2 vols.

One of the early books in England this season will be Sir Hubert Jerningham's account of his travels from England to India, and thence to Japan. Manchuria, and Korea, which Mr. Murray is to publish under the title "From East to West: Notes by the Way." The author explains that the special objects of his journey were to study Japan “be fore it is wholly spoiled by success, as it might well be in the next generation," and to visit the scenes of the battles by land and sea in the war with Russia, especially Port Arthur. Sir Hubert Jerningham and his companions, who included Lord Leitrim. were received in most places by Japanese officers in high command, who had taken part in the fighting; and the Japanese Government provided for their transport throughout. The personal diary of a Japanese naval officer. "Before Port Arthur in a Destroyer." which has been translated from the Spanish edition by Captain R. Grant. D.S.O., is expected from Mr. Murray about the same time.

HYMN FOR THE HEALING OF STRIFE.

[Written on the day of the declaration
of Peace after the South African War.]
Heroes of Hampden's race, and ye
The brave of Arteveldé's blood,
Twin nations of the Northern Sea,
Come bind the bonds of brotherhood.

O long we fought the feud of kin:
Shall pride perpetuate the score?
Who first forgive, they only win:

Let fall your arms, and fight no more!

Each would be master, both waxed wroth,

And hot for conquest flung the glove: Let none seek mastery now; but both Make haste to bind the bonds of love!

Many people are apt to identify revolution with the particular form it took in France at the end of the eighteenth century, and look for the execution of a sovereign by an infuriated people, and something more or less equivalent to the storming of the Bastille, as accompaniments, without which, to their mind, the term is hardly applicable. For this reason amongst others they fail to appreciate fully what has taken place in Russia during the last two years; and continue to discuss, from various points of view, the possibility of revolution there when, as a matter of fact, that great event is progressing rapidly, if fitfully, before their eyes to its inevitable completion. For, whatever the outcome of the present crisis, the old régime-absolutism pure and simple-is passing, one might almost say has passed, never to return; and the change from autocracy to representative government, however limited, brought about by manifestations of violence due to the utter breakdown of Tsarism at home and abroad, does in fact connote a revolution, though the Emperor's head be still on his shoulders and the Winter Palace unsacked.

Meantime, on the eve of the election for the second Dooma, the questions put by all foreigners who take an interest in Russian affairs are: What is the actual state of things? What will be the composition and fate of this new representative assembly? And. above all, what of the future? To the first of these questions an answer more or less full and accurate can be returned with no other difficulty than arises from the superabundance of

1 "Russia in Revolution." By G. H. Perris, author of "Leo Tolstoy, the Grand Mujik," &c. London: Chapman & Hall, 1905."

2 "The kussian Empire and Czarism." By Victor Berard. Translated by G. Fox-Davies

materials. The second and third tempt to predictions for which no available knowledge offers any certain base, and in regard to which even the best informed observers, if they are wise, will speak with a caution little likely to satisfy the demands of inquirers eager to know at once what time alone can show. But while abstaining from any positive statements in the dangerous region of prophecy, data may be furnished and certain opinions offered with a view to helping readers at a distance to form their own conclusions, or, at least, to follow events as they occur in Russia with intelligent appreciation.

Let us see, to begin with, what the Revolutionists are doing; what form their activity is taking; and, on the other hand, by what measures the Government is endeavoring to check their progress, re-establish order, and assure its own supremacy. That the state of the country now, compared with that obtaining at any previous period since January 1904, is quieter, more peaceful, is beyond dispute. For some time there have been no pogroms nor any open attempt at rebellion, no mass meetings, no strikes on a large scale. In short, social, commercial, and industrial life, taken as a whole, has to a great extent resumed its natural course. We know that the recruiting for the year has passed with little disorder, and with fewer abstentions and evasions than usual. We hear that the revenue returns far exceed the most sanguine expectations and are estimated to leave but a small deficit, if any, on the ordinary Budget; and, in and G. O. Pope, with Introduction by Frederick Greenwood. London: D. Nutt, 1905.

3 "Russia." By Sir Donald Mackenzie Wallace K. C. I. E. 2 vols. (New and enlarged edition.) London: Cassells, 1905.

But

certain branches, business has never been more active and prosperous. how far and how deep does the improvement go? To what extent is it due to the merely repressive power of the State? To what extent to reaction? And for answers to these questions let us turn first of all to the Press, which, though treated once more with considerable severity, is still allowed to publish much, both in the way of news and of opinions, that in days not long past would have involved immediate suppression of the offending organ, and brought condign punishment on editor and writer.

Moscow; on General Rennenkampf at Irkutsk-both on October 30 (0.8.); the assassination of General Polkovnikoff. commanding the garrison at Poltava on November 4; the attempt on General Goloshtchapoff, ex-Governor-General of Elizavetpol, at Tiflis, on November 8: the murder of Preestaff Sheremetieff in St. Petersburg, November 22; of Count Ignatieff at Tver on December 23; and, as stated, numberless other murders, attempted murders, robberies, &c.; while, owing to the establishment of field courts-martial, the list of exe cutions has been exceptionally heavy. For since the Government, finding that it could still rely on the army and the police, recovered its courage, stern repression has been the order of the day. and people are shot or hanged right and left, not only for any act that can possibly be construed as overt rebellion, but for mere attempts at armed robbery, even unattended by bloodshed. If we turn to other statistics we find it stated, and this time officially, that during the twelve months ending November 1, 1906, over 30,000 persons were dealt with administratively-that is, fined, imprisoned, or exiled without any semblance of a trial, without any real opportunity of proving their innocence. It may well be asked, How can all this be, when the Emperor's manifesto of October 17 (30), 1905, proclaimed thenceforth a reign of law and liberty-liberty of the Press and of cou science, inviolability of the person, the right of public meeting and of associa tion? The answer is that all this is done under cover of various "exceptional states"-the state of war, the state of siege, the state of extraordinary protection, and the state of increased protection, which together embrace a large part of the empire and are still being extended. Thus, Cronstadt, early in November, was declared

If we take up almost any one of the daily papers, whatever its political convictions may be, we find in large type such headings as "The Revolutionary Party," "Arrests," "Murders," "Robberies under Arms," "Executions," and rarely a day passes that there are not under each of them several items of news. From October 17, 1905, the date of the Emperor's historical manifesto, to October 17, 1906, it has been computed--we cannot guarantee the figures-that 17,000 people were killed or wounded in connection with the revolutionary movement; of these about 4,000 were Government representatives, officials, soldiers, policemen, &c.; the rest Revolutionists or chance victims; 215 people, it is said, were hanged, 314 judicially shot, 741 killed in punitive expeditions. Soldiers, including Cossacks, number 750; policemen, 452; police officers, 226; Civil servants, 123; officers, 109; gendarmes, 96; Governor-Generals, 8; Governors, 33; and police inspectors, 60. The number of bombs thrown was 244; there were more than 2,000 cases of robbery under arms and 1,500 of agrarian disorders; 23,000 people were arrested, and 118 depots of arms and 183 secret printing presses seized.

Since then we have had the attempt on General Reinbot, Chief of Police, at

' During August, September, October, 46% men were shot or hanged.