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Prophet, being under any pretence permitted to visit
the sacred city in which his remains are deposited.
To enable him to effect the visit he had in view, Lieut.
Burton assumed the character of a Moslem pilgrim,
and. in that disguise traversed a great portion of
Aribia. in doing this, he laid himself open to great
hazard, as detection of the imposture would, in all pro-
bability, have proved fatal to him. To secure the
'requisite familiarity with the minutiae of oriental life
and'imanners, he studied hard and with much success
for upwards of a month at Alexandria, where he passed
himself for a dervish ; from this latter city he started
for ',Cairo, paying still further attention to perfecting
hiMself in oriental manners and accomplishments.
Once rendered cut fait to his disguise, he adopted the
external symbols of pilgrimage, and proceeded on his
journey. At an early period of his wanderings, we
find' him thus describing his

Roman churches. It has four gates : that to the south is- the

Bab el Muwajihah; eastward is the gate of our Lady Fatimah ;
westward the Bab el Tanbah (of repentance), opening into the
Rauzah or garden; and to the north, the Bab el Shami or '
Syrian gate. They are constantly kept closed, except the
fourth, which admits, into the dark passage above alludedlto,,
the officers who have charge of the treasures there deposited,
and the eunuchs who sweep the floor, light the lamps, and
carry away the presents sometimes thrown in here by devotees.
In the southern side of the fence are three windows, holes
about half a foot square, and placed from four to five feet
above the ground; they are said to be between three and four
cubits distant from the prophet's head. The most westerly of
these is supposed to front Mohammed's tomb, wherefore it is
called the Shubak el Nabi, or the Prophet's window. The
next, on the right, as you front it, is Abubekr's, and, the most
easterly of the three is Omar's. Above the Hujrah. is the
Green Dome, surmounted outside by a large gilt crescent
springing from a series of globes. The glowing imaginations
of the Moslems crown this gem of the building with a pillar
of heavenly light, which directs from three days' distance the
pilgrim's steps towards El-Medinah. But alas ! none save
holy men (and perhaps, odylic sensitives), whose material
organs are piercing as their vision is spiritual, are alloUredithe
privilege of beholding this poetic splendour.
- -

Two volumes only of these interesting wanderings
have as yet been published. The third and concluding
one is promised in course of the present autumn ;. it is
to be devoted to a delineation of the wonders. of Meccah.
The narrative of Mr. Burton is lively and light, with-
out being either frivolous or flippant. He proves
himself at once a sharp and shrewed observer,, and a
cunning annotator. His book will be read with interest
and pleasure by all who desire information regarding
the Mahomedan pilgrimage, or who take delight in a
well-written narrative of personal adventure..

Familiar Words as affecting the Character of
Englishmen and the Fate of England. By David
Urquhart. London : Trubner and Co.
The small publication of which the preceding is the
title is an odd, and many people may consider a
fantastical one. Its object seems to be an attempt
to fix the value and nature of thi gs, and to
regulate institutions and control events by a
reference to the etymologies of words ; some
of which etymologies, in Mr. Urquhart's view of
them, are whimsical enough. Most of ordinary
thinkers have been led to believe that the thing
signified was of more consequence than the word
signifying it, and have acted in accordance with that
belief; the views and intentions of Mr. Urquhart take
quite an opposite course. His faith is built on the
signifying word, and displays but small sympathy with
the matter signified. He, with some pains and much
earnestness, informs his wondering countrymen that,
as " relimion " comes from the Latin verb " to bind,
it signifies the binding of man through his faith to
his duties—not in all cases to all duties, but to those
" that in modern English language are political."
Havinc, so far secured his footing through the etymo-
logical quagmire, by resting on this definition, he
places his next step in Athens, when he discovers that
in Greece, whence we derive the word, " politics signi-
fied the knowledge of what was proper and fitting
that the state should be." Having arranged his
definitions, Mr. Urquhart proceeds to draw conclusions
from them, which, without the application of some
such violent process, assuredly would not follow. He
not only defines mystically, but he also abjurgates with
nearly as mysterious a fierceness. He pours out his
condemnation on the division of labour, and is eloquent
in denouncing the distinction of separate interests.
"To subdivide a man," he tells us, "is to execute
him, if he deserves the sentence—to assassinate him
if he does not. The subdivision of labour is the
assassination of a people." To divide a man into the
separate limbs and portions of which his physical form
consists, would, without doubt, end in his physical
destruction ; but few, it is to be hoped, will so far
forget the relation between fact and fiction as to believe
that a community can suffer "execution" or " assassi-
nation " by having each of its members employed in
the discharge of those duties which he or she is best
qualified to perform. With such theorists as Mr.
Urquhart, the first step in the way of realising their
views is to effect a divorce between abstruse definition
and facts as they exist ; having established this, their
course is open and easy, till they are finally landed
inextricably in a quagmire of their own creation.

CHI.

Gratitude

an. Exposition of Psalm
London : Seeley and Co.
The author of the volume before us, the Rev, John

Stevenson, Vicar of.Patrixbourne-witil
bury, is already -favourably known to
we
public for his work. " Christ on the C 1
tion of Psalm xxii,7 which has reaehed
tion, and " The Lord our Shepherd, an
Psalm xxiii.," which has reached a fifth
commentary of Psalm ciii., it may be ti 4
author must necessarily repeat hiraself„?
Psalmist, invoking his soul to praLl.e,fl
known words, `.` Bless the Lord, 0 ra.1:14
the whole psalm to,recountino• the mat%
which he has received. Vie Rev. Jcui f
has, however, after giving an analysis
divided it into tha- several heads, anelll,
the first part to a "call to personal
is given with the-fervour of a Christiall'
u'ence inspired by a familiarity with. the
he proceeds, in the subsequent chaPteirki
upon the many reasons which the PO°
for boundless gratitude. In the -
task, which must; evidently have been a
the author has been eminently sac
enforcing his argument by cogent r
ened by numerous quotations from
in so varying both his theme an& his
to avoid that sameness which might- have
inseparable from the subject. There is,
of the English, language in all the.rl
of poetical beauty than the 1-1011 131 k
its sacred character as a revelation of ti
it immeasurably surpasses all other
felicity of diction, an internal evider'
which might shake the doubts• of seel
Divine origin. The Rev. author• has
this model, and while his teaching is. a
the penitent sinner; the language I.n
veyed is such as to attract even:the
We Can with confidence recommend
rusal. Divided into chapters,. in.
benefits enjoyed by the believer are'
of, it forms a volume of sermons,
priate text, distinct in itselt, and eu-
a call to_gratitude which cannot faiitc'e;f
influence in promoting the extensiel'oo°9:loi
We have no hesitation in saying thakfrag
even a moderate perception of his )1 °`
Christian, can read this eloquent
John Stevenson, Stevenson, even to- clip into its
rid
without being tempted to read en ;..tea 5"
rise from the perusal feeling corefrw
assurances of Divine mercy which are
given from the highest authority as ce
pearls. It is a book that, when °lr
again and again perused, because itS
be sure to secure for it general ap

Blackwood's _Magazine. Edin,
The double duty of providing
lovers of light literature, and use)
those who make their reading pro&
well performed. The magazine 01
written and graphic description of
a locality not only interesting in
more so by the presence of the finest
was ever afloat. There is an inK
the telling of " Zaidee—a Roinanee,
every additional chapter more wel'
tion of " Notes on Canada and the
of America," gives us more of thoi
tions of the wild and wonderful,
which we have already given. Af
is, despite the long delay, the
of interest, the article on " the
Russia," of which the second pal
present number, will be perused sc
larly as it details many curious
rence to our gigantic enemy wt.
known. It is, indeed, a brief tho'
history of the prominent events
told with especial reference to the
peculiar system of policy which
present war. In a review of Ma
stone," the writer pays a deserves ti.,
and valuable labours of the autt°
reference to the importance of pejo
England, that no living man has do
Mr. Samuel Warren towards this,t
we have, however, given a more e 4.00,,.
book in question, we may now pass.lrotov
An article beaded xodent light htc

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