books, each of which shall contain a complete and continuous subject, so that every lesson-book, however elementary, may convey "knowledge to the mind, as well as words to the eye of the learner." He says, moreover, that his experience, as inspector of military schools, has led him to take up this view, it being neither edifying nor pleasant to see grenadiers gathering, from their painful efforts, merely such facts as these: "Tom is a good boy, and spins his top;" "the cat mews;" or the like. In order to avoid using any book that contains such facts as these-the first fifty pages of the history, which carry us up to the reign of Edward III., are written almost entirely in monosyllables; the next fifty in words of not more than two syllables; and so on.

Both Mr. Gleig's observations we consider more plausible than sound. If extracts are so arranged that each reading lesson is complete in itself, it can hardly be said that intelligent children would gain no knowledge from them. History, indeed, geography, and the like, no one would attempt to teach in this way; but what can be better adapted to teach reading, and at the same time to impart pleasure and instruction, than short pieces of biography, incidents of travel, poems, or the like? whereas a history of some 300 or 400 pages will, if used as a book to teach reading, require at least half-a-year to get through, and will practically be as discontinuous as any book of extracts.

As to Mr. Gleig's other point, we can hardly suppose that children unable to master dissyllables could gather knowledge from their own reading, even if the age at which they are commonly taught allowed it at such a period, reading must be mechanical; and it will, we believe, be found always to be the case, that, until the learner, whether babe or grenadier, can read words of two and three syllables with tolerable ease, it makes little or no difference what he reads, so that the words be well chosen, and the ideas simple.

The straits to which Mr. Gleig is driven when he strives to press the facts of history into monosyllabic words are amusing. Occasionally he is led into an incorrect or a technical use of a word, often into a roundabout way of telling a simple fact that would be well told in three or four longer words.

We are inclined to think that Mr. Gleig, in a right-minded zeal for his work, being desirous, as he says, to become godfather (a misuse of the word, by the way,) to a series of school-books, and looking about for some new points to attract attention, has hit upon these, and rests his claim upon them rather than upon the merits of the books. We have but little space to speak of the history itself, but we may just mention that it is somewhat upon the excellent plan of Scott's Tales of a Grandfather, and that it is written in a spirited and pleasant way; and whilst we beg of Mr. Gleig to cancel his preface and get rid of his monosyllabic crotchet, we trust that he will not deprive us of his labours.

AN ESSAY ON PAPAL INFALLIBILITY. BY THE VENERABLE JOHN SINCLAIR, ARCHDEACON OF MIDDLESEX, AND VICAR OF KENSINGTON.

(London: Rivingtons, 1850.)

THIS is a well-timed reprint, with some little alteration, of the matter

forming two chapters of the author's larger work," Dissertations vindicating the Church of England in respect to some essential Points of Polity and Doctrine." The subject is argued with the temperate impartiality, forcible reasoning, and perspicuous elegance, which are wellknown characteristics of the author. We strongly recommend an attentive perusal of this tract by all Churchmen who wish to be "armed against the errors of the time."

EMPERORS OF ROME, FROM AUGUSTUS ΤΟ CONSTANTINE; BEING A CONTINUATION OF THE HISTORY OF ROME. BY MRS. HAMILTON

GRAY. (London: T. Hatchard, 1850.)

THIS is a very skilful attempt to adapt a hard subject to youthful comprehension. Mrs. Gray writes in a perspicuous and animated style, and has admirably succeeded in presenting without desultoriness the salient points of the Roman empire's history. The neat explanatory mode in which the phraseology of Roman antiquities is introduced renders the volume highly interesting and instructive.

ARITHMETIC: RULES AND REASONS. BY J. H. BOARDMAN, M.A., MATHEMATICAL MASTER, FREE GRAMMAR SCHOOL, MANCHESTER. (London: G. Bell, 1850.)

In this treatise the rules are propounded artificially, and the reasons of them subjoined; questions being added for examination on the technical portion of the text. It may form a useful illustrative companion to some other books of arithmetic; but it is too brief to supersede such text-books as those of Thomson, Hunter, and Colenso. The demonstrations are in most instances developed with as much simplicity as seems attainable without algebraic assistance. The rule of alligation is treated in a very satisfactory way, which, however, has not the degree of novelty that the author supposes, as it closely resembles the method presented in Hunter's Text-Book. On the whole, we must say, that Mr. Boardman's Treatise is well worth publication, as regards the assistance it may afford to intellectual instructors.

ANSWERS TO THE MATHEMATICAL QUESTIONS.

QUES. 87.-Proposed by Mr. O'Clazey, Durham.

A man and a boy are engaged to dig a trench. The man could finish it in 12 days, and the boy in 20; supposing them to begin at the same time, one at each end of the trench, when should they exchange places so as to meet exactly in the middle?

boy in 1 day 20,

man and boy in 1 day =,

No. of days to finish the whole1÷=73 days.

Now the time, after the commencement, when they must exchange places, must be equal to the half of the whole time, that is 34 days.

QUES. 88.-Proposed by Mr. Dyer, Wanstead.

A cylindrical glass, six inches long, is forced into a tub of water until the top of the glass is on a level with the water in the tub. How high will the water ascend in the glass?

Answered by Mr. Salter, Durham; and similarly by Mr. W. Righton, and Mr. Young, Elsdon.

Suppose the pressure of the atmosphere to support a column of water equal to 34 feet, or 408 inches, and let x = the height of the water in the glass, then height of the air in the glass-6-x; hence we have, by Mariotti's law (see Tate's Exercises on Mechanics, p. 49),

Pressure of the air in the glass expressed in a column of water.

How many cubic feet of water must descend a river every minute to drive a water-wheel of P effective horse-powers, by means of a fall of h feet, the wheel yielding the nth part of the work of the fall?

Answered by Mr. Herbert, Woolton; and similarly by Mr. Brown and Mr. Preston.

Now, by Tate's Exercises on Mechanics, p. 34, we have,

Work of the wheel per min. =33000 P.

Now as many times as this work of one cubic foot of water can be taken out the work of the wheel per minute, so many cubic feet of water must descend the strea in the same time,

Nero, Berwick, ans. 87, 89; W. Righton, ans. 87, 88, 89; J. Salter, Durham, ans. 87, 88, 89; G. Barnacle, Empingham, ans. 87; A. M., Gillingham, ans. 87, 89; J. Herbert, Woolton, ans. 87, 89; W. Spark, Durham, ans. 87; H. Ford, Norham, ans. 87, 89; J. O'Clazey, Durham, ans. 87, 89; S. Dyer, Wanstead, ans. 87, 89; C. Lucette, Elson, ans. 87, 89; G. Morris, Gosport, ans. 87, 89; F. R. Crumpton, ans. 87, 89; T. Brown, ans. 87, 89; T. Young, Elsdon, Northumberland, ans. 87, 88, 89; T, Preston, Bagshott, Berks, ans. 87, 88, 89; W. Davison, Sunderland, ans. 87; G. Selden, Hurst, ans. 87,

89; T. B. Hall, Newcastle, ans. 89; W. M. Strickland, Newcastle, ans. 87; E. Rutter, Sunderland, ans. 87, 89; J. Royds, Belfield, ans. 87, 89; T. Sothern, Burtonwood, ans. 87, 88, 89.

NEW QUESTIONS,

TO BE ANSWERED IN OUR NUMBER FOR MARCH, 1851.

QUES. 90.-Proposed by Mr. T. Brown.

A solid lost 1 oz. when weighed in water, and 14 oz. when weighed in spirits; required the specific gravity of the spirits.

QUES. 91.-Proposed by Tom Tomkins.

Required the same as in question 88 of the last Number of the Magazine, when the fluid is mercury in the place of water.

QUES. 92.-Proposed by the same.

A right cone is cut out of an upright cylinder; it is required to find the work requisite to overturn the remaining portion of the solid on the edge of its base.

Entelligence.

The following paper has been addressed by the Rev. W. Sewell, to the Vice-Chancellor :

I

"Exeter College, Nov. 26, 1850. "Dear Mr. Vice-Chancellor, have just acknowledged the receipt of a Paper of Questions which has been transmitted to me, as to other Senior Tutors in the University, by her Majesty's Commissioners.

"I have abstained from offering any information to the Commission; not from any sullen or disrespectful spirit of opposition, however I may lament and deprecate its tendency and effects, or may feel personally convinced of its illegal and unconstitutional character, but because I have felt it impossible to take part in an inquiry which appears to me to compromise rights which I am bound to maintain.

"But the Questions have brought again before me considerations on most important subjects connected

with the extension of the University; subjects on which I am convinced there is among us one common feeling of interest, and of desire to do right. And just at this time the following paper has been placed in my hands. I trust that, without committing myself to every suggestion contained in it, I cannot be wrong in laying it before yourself and the university; not indeed as if it embodied a full-formed plan, but as a germ and outline of a scheme which, by God's blessing, if originated by ourselves, may answer some of the good ends put forward as the objects of the commission, without endangering those vital interests which we are so solemnly bound to maintain.

I know that at least you will give to the subject that impartial and judicious consideration which you bestow on every matter connected with the duties of your high office, and with your constant kindness will forgive