great-plainly the East India Company,—‘is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, the hold of every foul spirit, and the cage of every unclean and hateful bird.'"-Vol. i. p. 154.

This unfortunate exhibition, which threatened to extinguish the new senatorial light almost as soon as it had begun to shine, drew on its author the severe ridicule of Sheridan and Fox, and would have terminated for ever the political life of a man of inferior powers; but Mr. Scott soon recovered himself, and became in his future course as remarkable for the severe plainness of his style, as he was at first for his unsuccessful attempts at oratorical embellishments.

The parliamentary life of Lord Eldon, protracted as it was, was consistent throughout. He was always the advocate of those measures which tended to abridge the liberty of the subject, and exalt the prerogative of the king, his master. He was always ready to fight for "the church," and to oppose the claims of those who were oppressed by its intolerance. His name is never wanting in the lists, when the spirit of feudal domination is warring against the popular demand for liberty and justice. From the first sorry display, to which we have already referred, onward till that day (Sept. 16, 1837) when he paid his last visit to the House of Lords, when he was supported into the house by Mr. Farrar," his visits to parliament always went to aid and prop up the declining cause of toryism. The Catholic claims-the disfranchisement of rotten boroughs-the work of corporation reform -the mitigation of the criminal code--the reform bill-the repeal of the test and corporation acts-and the abolition of colonial slavery, were among the measures to which he gave the most determined and dogged opposition, and the progress and triumph of which he records in his numerous letters with the most heartfelt sorrow: indeed, the spirit of our legislation during the latter years of his life was to him a source of the utmost distress, and appears to have co-operated powerfully with natural causes in rendering his old age fretful and disturbed, if it did not somewhat abridge the term of his long life.

Mr. Horace Twiss refers to the tenacity with which Lord Eldon maintained "the ancient maxim, that Christianity is part of the law of England;" and we must confess, that a careful review of the record before us has sometimes tempted us to fear, that this was the extent of Lord Eldon's estimate of Christianity. Very happy should we be to lose the impression we have received; but we are unconscious of any desire to deal unjustly with the memory of the departed earl when we repeat our conviction, that his veneration for Christianity appears to have been owing to the accident, that it was a part of the law of the land. Indeed, this view of the authority of the Christian religion is, unhappily, one which Lord Eldon shared in common with many of his countrymen, from the servile company who frequent the village church as good and loyal subjects of the parson, up to some of the stoutest

champions of Protestantism, who fight for the throne and altar. Were not" Christianity a part of the law of England," there is little risk in asserting, its professors would soon experience a rapid diminution in this country. If those who are "afraid of the king's commandment" could forsake the parishchurch, without bringing their loyalty under suspicion, and speak as freely as they think respecting the Bible, without impugning the constitution, and cease to reverence the rector and be "buxom to the archbishop," without any danger of being charged with "sedition, privy conspiracy, and rebellion," we say, without hesitation, that multitudes among us, who appear anxious to "uphold the religion of the state," would treat Christianity with no more respect, than the servile dependents of some arbitrary lord show to the cast-off favourite of their capricious master.

The ancient maxim to which we refer is of the most deceptive character, and its application has been productive of an awful amount of suffering for conscience' sake. We should greatly rejoice to see the claims of Christianity recognised by the various officers of the state in their own persons, and supported at their own proper cost and charges -to see its spirit pervade the whole body of our laws and regulate their administration-the law of England doing homage to the law of Christ; but this is a consummation which, however "devoutly to be wished," will be desired in vain, until the erroneous and unjust maxim, that Christianity is a part of the law," has been completely abandoned. Mr. Twiss gives an instance of the application of this maxim by Lord Eldon, which is intended as complimentary to the orthodoxy and the legal science of the learned lord, but which, in our judgment, is a sad proof of his unacquaintance with the spirit of real Christianity. Our readers will not peruse the following case without a smile of pity:—

"On the petition of certain elders of Jewish congregations, praying a declaration of the admissibility of Jews, in common with Christians, to the benefit of the Bedford Charity

:

“Lord Eldon, in giving judgment against the petitioners upon the construction of the charter, and of the acts of parliament bearing upon it, which construction, he said, formed the simple question for his determination, observed that many arguments had been addressed to him from the bar, on the practice and principle of toleration; but, added he, 'I apprehend that it is the duty of every judge, presiding in an English court of justice, when he is told that there is no difference between worshipping the Supreme Being in chapel, church, or synagogue, to recollect that Christianity is part of the law of England,-that in giving construction to the charter and the acts of parliament, he is not to proceed on that principle further than just construction requires; but, to the extent of just construction of that charter and those acts, he is not at liberty to forget that Christianity is the law of the land.'"-Vol. iii. p. 449.

We did think of offering some remarks on what has been termed the religion of Lord Eldon, but as our object has been to review the book, and not to judge its subject, we have resolved to leave the

topic untouched, for it is unhappily one the discussion of which would have been painful to our minds, and perhaps not profitable to our readers. We cannot however refrain from stating, that Lord Eldon was anxious not to be regarded as a saint," and that for this anxiety there appears to have been but very little occasion.

There are numerous other features of this book which, if our space admitted, we should be glad to notice; indeed, we are conscious that we have not done full justice to Lord Eldon, or to ourselves, and that we could easily have afforded additional pleasure and information to our readers. It is really an oppressive task to deal with three such volumes as those before us-there are so many topics that court discussion, so many facts that ask for recital, and so many errors in politics and religion that call for animadversion, that it must suffice us to have made the best selection we could, and to recommend our friends to read, and think, and judge for themselves. And this recommendation we can give with great cordiality, for a much more interesting biography we have seldom met. It is written in a plain yet masterly style; it lays open to our view the public and the hidden life of a most remarkable man; it groups around him his numerous companions; and, like Hawkins' Life of Johnson, its notice of contemporary character converts the biography into a sort of history. It also gives a good idea of the ropes and pulleys by which the machinery of state affairs is moved, and it furnishes ample materials for thought to any mind that is disposed to moralise on "the vanity of man as mortal."

The range of this 'Life' is remarkable for its extent and completeness; it carries the reader through all the stages of human existencechildhood, youth, manhood, and decay; it presents the early struggles of the diligent student, the progress of the pains-taking and industrious lawyer, the rich rewards and high distinctions of the man who had reached the proudest eminence his profession affords, and then the quiet pathway to the grave which the old man "treads alone" when he has passed from the cares, the responsibilities, and the honours of his public course.

We pity the man who can travel through these volumes and say all is barren; no thoughtful person, indeed, can peruse them without obtaining much instruction and improvement.

THE EDITOR'S TABLE.

THE Complete Works of the Rev. Andrew Fuller. With a Memoir of his Life. By Andrew Gunter Fuller. Parts I.-III. London: G. and J. Dyer.

Bible Illustrations; A description of Manners and Customs peculiar to the East, especially explanatory of the Holy Scriptures. By the Rev. Bonne Hall Draper. Fourth Edition. Revised by John Ketto. London: Grant and Griffith.

Studies in English Poetry: with Short Biographic Sketches, and Notes, Explanatory and Critical. By Joseph Payne. London: Relfe and Fletcher.

The Young Ladies' Reader; or, Extracts from Modern Authors, adapted for Educational or Family Use, with Observations on Reading aloud, as connected with Social Improvement. By Mrs. Ellis. London: Grant and Griffith.

Self Inspection. By the the Rev. Denis Kelly, M.A., Minister of Trinity Church, St. Bride's, London. London: Edwards and Hughes.

The Heroine of a Week: Conversations for the Teacher and the Taught. London: Seeley.

Michael Cassiday; or, The Cottage Gardener; a Tale for Small Beginners. London: Seeley.

Self Culture. By William Channing. London: Aylott and Jones.

Four Lectures, on the Errors of the Church of Rome, delivered at St. Thomas's Church, Dublin; with a Dedicatory Letter to the Roman Catholic Laity of Dublin. By the Rev. Robt. J. M'Ghee, M.A. Seeley.

The Kingdom of Christ not of this World. An Introductory Discourse at the Ordination of the Rev. J. Davies, Maidenhead. By John H. Godwin. London: J. Snow.

The Domestic Bible. By the Rev. Ingram Cobbin, A.M. Parts I.-V. London: Arnold and Co.

The Continental Echo, and Protestant Witness. March, 1845. London: J. Snow. The Political Duty of Christians. By the Rev. H. H. Dobney. London: Jackson and Walford.

The Penny Portable Commentary of the Holy Bible. Illustrated with Original Maps. By the Rev. Ingram Cobbin, A.M. Parts I. and II. London.

The Constitutional or Apostolical Churches; with Two Addresses suited to the Times. By J. Spencer Pearsall. London: J. Snow.

The Rationale of Religious Enquiry. In Six Lectures. By James Martineau. London: J. Chapman.

The Christianity of the New Testament. A Sermon. By the Rev. Henry Bevis. London: J. Snow.

The Fallacy of the Mythical Theory of Dr. Strauss. Illustrated from the History of Martin Luther. London: Marshall and Co.

Minutes of the Proceedings of a Conference of Delegates from the Committees of various Theological Colleges connected with the Independent Churches of England and Wales. Jackson and Walford.

The Christian Graces; or, The Fruits of the Spirit. A Pastoral Address. By Thomas Lewis. London: J. Snow.

What was the Fall? or, A Brief Statement of the Doctrines of Divines on the First and Second Death. London: Jackson and Walford.

The Popery of Puseyism. Two Sermons. By the Rev. Henry J. Bevis. In Reply to a Letter by an English Priest. 1. Protestantism and the Right of Private Judgment. 2. The Gospel and the Sacraments. London: J. Paul.

The New England. Vol. III. No. 1. January, 1845. Wiley and Putnam.

A Family History of Christ's Universal Church. By the Rev. Henry Stebbing, D.D. Part III. London: G. Virtue.

CHRONICLE OF BRITISH MISSIONS.

HOME MISSIONARY SOCIETY.

PROSPECTS.

THE business year of the Society closes as usual on the 30th of April. Up to that time, therefore, subscriptions and donations will be most gratefully received, and published in this year's report.

It is impossible at this time to say what the income of the Society may be for the year which closes with this month. As much as this, however, may be stated, that had it not been for the liberal donations obtained by the extra effort which was commenced at Exeter-hall in May last, there would have been either an alarming deficiency, or a most distressing relinquishment of stations! From that effort more than £700 has been obtained; viz., forty-three sums of £5 each, and ten of £50 each. There have also been three promises of £10 for five years if thirty such sums could be obtained. The Directors are very grateful to those friends who have come forward so promptly and assisted the Society in its state of emergency. They indeed cherish the hope, if the friends of the Society increase their accustomed liberality during this month, that at the annual meeting in May an encouraging account will be presented of the Society's operations. The Directors would most respectfully urge on their friends in town and country the great importance of sending their contributions, from every source, before the end of this month, in order that they may appear in this year's report.

PAST AND PRESENT OPPOSITION TO MISSIONARY EFFORTS COMPARED.

Twenty-five years ago, the opponents of home missionaries could command, and too readily obtain, the services of a mob in keeping out from the villages the preachers of Christ's Gospel. The hostility was open, avowed, and vulgar. The leaders were men of education, and even the priesthood did not withhold their countenance. The peasantry were blindly led to do what they never would have done of their own free agency. Gladly would these men have continued to exercise this disastrous influence over the farmers and their labourers. But it is too late. Happily for the interests of religion and for the souls of men, many circumstances have combined to emancipate the people from this unhallowed and degrading influence. Enlightened legitimate influence over the masses, can never interfere with the just rights of others; but that moral power was generally unknown. The people were not treated as intellectual and responsible beings. They were allowed to remain in ignorance of letters, of their Bible, and of a preached Gospel. They were treated as serfs rather than as free-born Englishmen. A servile submission to rank and office was fostered, irrespective of moral excellence or of the claims of truth. This kind of training, and its results, suited the idle clergy of that day; while the gentry never sought for one moment the moral improvement of the people. A mighty change has come over the lation. Political, educational, and moral influences have broken the spell, and the people can no longer be kept in vassalage and darkness by a few interested men, proud of rank and office. But the effects of the former fearful neglect are seen every day. The adults are ignorant still. Many hundreds of thousands cannot read. The chillren in many districts are not in any school. There are thousands of parishes still vithout the Gospel; and one-half of England's adult population never attend any pace of religious worship on the Sabbath-day. The higher classes have lost the confidence, or, at least, the affection, of the labouring classes. They do not look up to them as superior beings, as they once did. They have found them to be selfish;