The Express.
London, England, 1857-04-06 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

The Rte, Axe, and Saddle-bags : and other Lec-
tures. By WILLIAM H. Mantrxrt. With a
Preface, including a Lifo of the Author, by the
Rem T. BINNZT. Sampson Low and Co.
Mr. Binney has introduced several works of AlDO-
limn authors to the notice of the English public.
They have generally been the productions of pnAby-
Wien or congregational ministers. The present
'mays are by a methodist preacher, and contain evi-
dences of considerable power. We notice them par-
ticularly. because, in the lectures entitled "The Rifle,
Axe, and Saddle-bags," we have an account of a clam
of men of whom very little is known in England,
bat whose labours were alluded to in a letter from
the United States published in the Express a few '
meek' since. We speak of the itinerant methodist
preachers, who have been the cause of 'pre=
education and enlightenment through the
lees regions of the Far West to an extent
which could scarcely be credited when we °m-
older the paucity of their means, the dangers of
their undertaking, and the smallness of their recom-
pense, whether in fame or in anymore tangible pay-
ment. Mr. Milburn is one of thee preachers hm-
self, and is well calculated to discourse of the nature
of the life led by himself and his brethren. A tow
words of his own, addressed to the guests at the
Publieheme Festival held at the Crystal Palace,
York. in VMS, describe the peculiar emapedess of
the ideneent preachers :
Weiser Char& omaysral to as smigt I diadem Ist '
ths Misr elergymes peasst idesesul se Ike so=infog
geed sinks Ns Illrg Is ear et
Ushilisile and la hamers. sFiilissummia_lhom
mud els. henposd le empahlre laths WI
rgaillinvltose aerobe dimes Ns essmsle et the cash
In a sisktsy, the MAU pis et midi elle itself yew
terder. Iles fiats le it le Semi over WOO mess la
the pesilommes effasima &tile. Our Mali& as aiming
eamiessimiralle milk and, in lien at belmese, we
medal amsmil with book. for sod, ad Sir
ado; hear samisty held it a dam, of the Widest
le doodle psi beim, as will as to preach the W.
Les uggiggigvalm.e. Although we were essilmilse
et Dad Odds do Swamp University, we wessalimg•
ths Moe del iitersture. fides*, Oft 0 meg
=aBdrgehea .1' coppers. boom.. i kgsserlesy
with know ; his hied eassamid
midi a dew moms a Me mirk whiter ;
les hem Ile bow Is derlhelost, at thserit
&•116: 1111 arSibladraisiallrhoute of'e well-wars
misiligirlime
oat
Is lie Ilitio at hoott:Prdozeit'' ee •
irlsedeso,
and
seleme Ye ghee ems heeds and rani
ghee
sod* le pee Is s 1
At Ms 3411111111 alai le 0I i• 1
of hisanAiralleagalsg en Ile ighl•
boottom chair whisk km jiM se itilk kis leb
sock of books, to the eally OM Nam
Thus, day afteraisesa the elesell yam hi
as r
double dune.. ed MA= Mat samosa d
my aluminise,* Is
thereby rueuy en howsg....Vvra
sea two-edged MilsiotaMilig bell voile—hanVPeesl
religious literature, Mt Limals lo lksps=ssi he se
bought at a diatom& le /renal)
=larks wee • Si• • pins mot sic greatly it
they received MI sesenn MME me with
Movie.. Itst met amp mho tad come of
the account' are eile, Our 11 . I, Mor-
row, quitted the at the
In the three lectures, • Then, Axe,
and Saddle-bags," the author diameses on the three
memo which have met the valley of the
Mississippi from being the not of savage beasts,
and men scarcely lees savage, to an abode of civilisa-
tion, to the future seat of one of the greatest em-
pires in the world. The first pioneers went forward
like old Daniel Boone, the prairie hunter, with their
rifles. They cleared the land of large quantities of
game and savages. The next wave of civilisa-
tion flooded the great valley. with the heroes
of the axe. They were mighty hunters, it
is true, but they were still more mighty
levellers. Down went the giants of the forest before
the blows of their axes, and the savage and the
beast departed, for there was no cover in a "clear-
ing." Next_eame the man with the "saddle-bags,"
of - ...

. wham Mr. Milburn may be considered $ type;
*Arnett men, who, with trust in Ood alone, went
forth unarmed in the midst of a population amongst
which religion, and even civilisation, was fast dying
away. This was a population the vast majority of
which acknowledged scarcely any laws but their pas-
sions, scarcely any administrator of laws except
Judge Lynch, amongst which even the lowest kind
of literature was almost unknown, and from
which worship and reverence had almost departed.
The only weapons which the pioneers pawned, to
enable them to contend with these hordes of lawless
ignorant men, were their healthy conseienee,, their
religions zeal, and the contents of their saddle-bag!.
nese saddle-bags, as we have seen, contained sput-
um of cheap religions literature, which the pions
hawkers disposed of to the customers whom they had
excited by their exhortations. For a detailed
account of the operations of the three classes of
pioneers we mast refer to the hook itself, which to
very Brest merits adds that of brevity.
It ts right to subjoin that the life of the author
prefixed to the essays is full of interest. From the
age of five years he has been nearly blind, from the
effect of an accident. Enough power, however, re-
mained in the eye to enable him to read painfully
and slowly. This power he has exercised to the
utmost, in spite of other difficulties which to many
would have appeared insuperable. In spite of duties
almost menial, which occupied him in youth from
four in the morning to a late period of the day, lie
managed to prepare himself for college. without
assistance, and in his twentieth year gamed the
summit of his ambition, by being admitted as a tra-
velling preacher in the Methodist connexion. He
was two years afterwards—having suffered, as is
recorded, " almost incredible hardships among the
cabins of the West "—ordered by the Conforenoo to
visit the Eastern and Northern States, to collect
funds for various purposes. On his journey he met
with the following adventure, which illustrates
many of his characteristics.
On his jourasy be found himself on board of an Ohio river
ilawswr, is which were 300 passengers. From the number
of days the rs hod been together, Mr. Milburn bad
become wall informed of their character, and ho found most
prosalment among the gentlemen were a number of tomboy
of Omer on their way to Washington. Them gentlemen
bed stlneted his attention on account of their szesplisesbie
habits. On the arrival of Sabbath morning it was meowed
dump* the bast that a minister was is board, and Me. Na-
bors wee blotted ap and Pad opts to " glee a amnion"
Hs peep* cooroted, awl to dr thee awanioted Divine
earv. -Me swabs* at Cairrewite whose we hays abided
were anew the congregation, sod by common roams had
poseesais of the chair mange to the puncher. Mr. Mahon
pee ea address suitable to the mama, full of asperses
and paths*, and was listened to throughout with intenas bats
rem. At the 00110111/iOll 110 stopped short, and turning Ms
ben asw hamar with fetwese sal, towards the bosom.
able goadieses" to old Astor the presegeni is this
*sow an a ambit of maim of Coverer; from their
Piss they sheoht he emeeplos of good morals and chp
ailed mks, hat Ms what I bear of thom they are not so.
The Vales of these seem, dependent on such geardiess,
wield be mesh, sad all the high tiopes I have of as Mute
of my emery would be ailed to the ground. Theser=
ilessa, he flys pest, have ark lades heavy with
wolviesal, have bees eisiret ef the ,lor sod 01I•
bianpermell j MW, 100r00100 011114 white
=lreleveteil to rest, los less esesit es see MY
vine et_sissbaas profenity, sod dmishemem; sad," saw
Vora liklelloitra, with %emboss* toms ohs vibe
as airy friabafires " thwe 1 bet Me arose of embalms /se
these mat demo high jams and NM is to hem* to-
pes! flask los sell ea the Isekem dersivenses, sad
Wins eh* lives"
As adaN ho append, hump is tell ism a delicate

striplied, sews* tessty-two yews of age, hod • *Aiding
ef Foul ; ofoilloop orearmed, sod tbe resew mama to
hie staie-resm, to Oda twee whit ho bed odd. Cendeas;
elter die niselim, thee be ha eenside Wily, heof
mined, at Worm* to sseliesla to psalm% am ibe
evens, of being nisly swellskilast WasbeL WNW dna
• ade& a sup wee havi Ids stsisuresu Wee wralb•
BIM lOWA Mil 'WM Wet ls reme xi& amweli Meet
tbe 011111POIN ; eat dug bad lislowel his re.
wedw, sad la erielbs et Ws biliese depiece,
*willed him le swot a poses sl miry wigs' lbw bed
mile up stases liiimaney sed abellnir whims be his
sat eassies WNW=
cal AMAMI haft& MD Wis
1111110/111166 a Weston
saw whim Ow sad UM Sew& wed media ser-
ried thew .grinsa raise waive eels el Idebsse. Bo-
swift
sired
Mr. Maws, whin they iejsested
ben Wm, sired Ws taw's swiss d wafts id=
be ; • paths WWI Say ate Nib feb•
st Ito lese "wee the. hew prep=
air Wet OVUM, hew disdael fir the " blind
dr warmed mead mend, awl steed ewe reedy to support
bits by word sad deed.
Besides the leatererperticularliertweal to, then
are others of greet enisdissies. T - are all paw
liarly graphic awl =wall= ble only
with ono fault. ett which is fre-
quently observable an the lions of those who
read more than they wet