filles, et de ce fils dont la mort à la guerre fit mourir sa mère de douleur. 'Je n'ai plus de fils, donc je n'ai plus de femme;' avait dit M. du Plessis en apprenant son malheur. Les lettres du jeune homme qu'on ne connaissait que par les larmes de ses parents prouvent toute la légitimité de leurs regrets.

Les Epopées Francaises; étude sur les origines et l'histoire de la littérature nationale, par M. Léon Gautier. Chez Victor Paluré, 25, Rue de Grenelle, St. Germain, Paris.On a beaucoup dit que la France n'avait point de poëmes épiques; on ne le dira plus après avoir lu le livre de M. Gautier; les grands chants du moyen age, comme la Chanson de Roland, et les romans héroïques du règne de Charlemagne, méritent, à bon droit, le nom d'Epopées, et l'académie des Inscriptions et belles lettres a récompensé le travail consciencieux et intelligent qui les a mis à la portée de tous les lecteurs, faisant ainsi entrer dans le domaine public des trésors réservés jusqu'ici aux savants. Le livre de M. Léon Gautier a été couronné deux fois par l'Institut.

Correspondance de Madame Elisabeth de France, sœur de Louis XVI., publiée par M. Feuillet de Conches, chez Plon, 10, Rue Garancière, Paris.-Les lettres de la reine Marie Antoinette out été discutées; l'authenticité de quelques unes a été mise en doute; personne n'a songé nier l'exactitude de celles de Madame Elisabeth de France. Elles portent partout le cachet de cette vertueuse et charmante Princesse, gaie, franche, affectueuse, simple dans sa piété comme dans ses amitiés; spirituelle et fine souvent dans ses jugements sur les personnes, même quand il lui arrivait de se tromper sur le situation et les possibilités de la politique, jusqu'au Martyre non seulement de l'échafaud, mais de la prison du Temple. Les lettres, adressées presque toutes à ses amies, Mad. de Raigecourt, à sa sœur, Mad. Marie de Causans, et à Mad. de Bombelles commencent au mois de Mai, 1788, et se terminent par quelques billets écrits du Temple à M. Turgy qui lui servait d'intermédiaire avec ses amis. Le dernier est du 12 Octobre, 1793; le 10 Mai, 1794, Elisabeth de France monta sur l'échafaud. 'Pensez à Dieu, mon enfant,' avait elle dit à sa nièce, Madame Royale, depuis Duchesse d'Angoulême, lorsqu'elle l'avait quittée pour mourir; elle rendit son âme à Dieu par le dernier supplice avec cette pensée d'une de ses lettres qui avait dirigé toute son existence: 'Que l'idée de l'éternité devient douce lorsqu'on peut se dire: J'ai vécu toute ma vie pour Dieu!'

L'Evangile de S. Jean. Quatre conférences, par J. J. Van Osterzee, Professeur de Théologie à Utrecht. Publiées par la Societé des Livres Religieux de Toulouse, Grassart, 4, Rue de la Paix, Paris.-Le Hollandais est une langue peu commue en dehors de son étroit domaine, et M. Van Osterzee a bien fait de faire traduire ses conférences. La réputation du docte Prédicateur est grande dans son pays, et il a rendu à l'Eglise Chrétienne le service de mettre pour la première fois à la portée de tous, les raisons morales comme les faits matériels qui prouvent d'une manière irrécusable l'authenticité de cet Evangile de Saint Jean si souvent attaqué par les incrédules, parce qu'il contient le trésor de notre foi. Les conférences de M. Van Osterzee sont un ouvrage de piété en même temps qu'un livre d'instruction; en dépit d'un peu de raideur théologique et Hollandaise, elles respirent un amour profond pour le Maître qui aimait Jean et que le vieil Apôtre a fait connaître au Monde comme le Fils de Dieu, le Verbe faite Chair, l'Agneau de Dieu qui ôte le péché du monde.

La traduction des Conférences est de M. le Pasteur Sardinoux, Savant Professeur à la Faculté Protestante de Montauban.

HINTS ON READING.

THOSE who are conversant with sick-oms will heartily thank the lady who has translated and adapted that beautiful book, the Abbé Henri Perreyve's Journée du Malade, under the title of From Morning till Evening. (Rivingtons.) It is in truth a suggestive and helpful series of meditations, counsels, and devotions, for the invalid; written from the personal experience of an admirable and saintly young

French priest, whose long decline has assuredly turned to the profit of many whom his living voice had never reached. The original book was adapted, of course, to those of his own communion; and the translator has carefully and reverently treated it, so as to render it capable of being freely used by and for members of our own Church.

The Rev. J. H. Blunt's 'Key to the Prayer Book' has been followed by the like Key to the Bible, (Rivingtons,) being, in fact, a brief account of the date and history of each sacred book, and a clear and sensible review of the internal and external tokens of the Unity of design, and over-ruling Inspiration of the whole. It is a compendium of information, very useful as furnishing a defence against shallow sceptical argument.

Mrs. Clare's Apostles of Jesus (Hatchard) is a careful collection of biographies of the Twelve, simply told, and with a good deal of useful collateral information.

Nor must we longer omit to mention a little volume of most sweet and thoughtful verse, entitled Tonbridge Grammar School Chapel. (Masters.) It is a series of single stanzas of thoughts prompted by the erection of the building, each with its appropriate text, often selected in a striking manner. For instance, musing on the influences of the chapel attendance on scholars gone forth into the world, we have—

'His windows being open towards Jerusalem.'-Dan. vi. 10.

And those whom many a waste of sea and air
And weary lands from haunts of school-tide rends,
One self-same form, one self-same hour of prayer,
Shall bring into the House of God as friends.

'So the sun returned ten degrees.'-Isaiah, xxxviii. 8.

The noisy chimes of earthly good and ill,
Pealing on foreign shores may crowd the air,
But clear amidst them all shall echo still

The lengthened cadence of the school-boy's prayer.

In Mr. Warne's Companion Library-which provides shilling literature for railway travellers-is to be found a book worthy to stand in a higher class than is claimed by its outer garb. Nigel Bartram's Ideal, by Florence Wilford, is an original and thoughtful picture of as sweet and gentle a heroine as we ever met with; weighed down, however, by a secret-and a strange one-namely, the having written a novel, which as her standard heightens she disapproves, and regrets with all her heart. But it is a book to read, not to forestall, and we hope that it will be read and appreciated.

Giftie, a tiny book of Mr. Warne's, is an amusing story of the distresses of a supposed changeling, who has even learnt to doubt her own humanity.

In very different style is Home for Christmas, (Masters,) a rather prettily told Americanized version of Mr. Adams's 'Old Man's Home.'

How little we should once have thought to read a story of orphans in an English Sisterhood; yet here they are in Chronicles of St. Mary's, (Masters,) as natural a picture as if they were the familiar village school children. It is a pretty book, evidently drawn from some knowledge of the subject. The beginning is charming, and there are many beautiful and wise passages in it; but oh! that it had stopped short of Mark's funeral. We feel as if a delicate miniature had suddenly been spoilt by being set into a broad caricature, or almost as Da Vinci's friends must have felt when he injured his great picture by his portrait of the provoking Prior. We are really grieved, for such weapons ought to have been left to the Amalgamated Protestants, and the whole usefulness of the book is marred. We know many quarters where it might have done good, but where now it would excite just

resentment.

NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS.

Violet.-Thanks for the receipt of £1 for St. Stephen's Mission, Clewer Fields,

Windsor.

A. C. recommends to O. the Rev. B. E. Nicholl's Sunday Exercises on the Morning and Evening Services of the Church. (S. P. C. K.)

Margaret has not asked her question in a form in which it can be answered. What does she want to teach her class? what is its age and average instruction? According to her question, they may want to learn anything from thorough-bass to A B C.

A. H. asks in what modern collection she can find Lovelace's poem to Lucasta. It is in Percy's Reliques with his name, and is not Montrose's. A. H. has-like the Editorbeen misled by the resemblance of the last line in sound (though not in meaning) to the burden of Montrose's Address to his Mistress, where he threatens in many recurring stanzas that if she prove unworthy

'I'll never love thee more.'

B. M. asks where to find the line

'To live in hearts we leave behind
Is not to die.'

C. asks the meaning of the letters A. E. F., as used on rings and bronzes.

Declined with thanks.-My Reminiscences.

A. A.—Mr. Allnutt acknowledges, with thanks, 2s. for The Portsea Nursery. Another contribution from A. A. reached him in October, but not in time to be here acknowledged. We cannot promise to notice anything we receive later than the 14th in our immediately ensuing Number.

Mr. Allnutt acknowledges with thanks the following donations towards the funds of The Nursery of the Good Shepherd, Portsea :—T. L. A., 10s.; B. B., 3s. Also a Box of Warm Clothing from Miss Sullivan, and a Hamper of Clothes and Food from the Misses Gilbard, Portsea.

Thanks to Isa for £1 5s. for The Sisterhood of St. Michael's, Shoreditch; also to S. M. M. for a parcel from Chichester.

The acknowledgement of a donation to The Clewer Fields District has been prevented by an omission in the address of a letter to the Editor, which caused it to be mis-sent.

'She smells like Bucklesbury in scented thyme.'

Will the Editor be so good as to tell me from whence comes the above quotation?— ZULEIKA.

A. H.-The Shoreditch Sisterhood receive Fancy-work to sell for their works of charity. And so does The Ladies' Association, to send out to colonies to be sold for the benefit of the Missions.

E. P. wishes to ascertain the address of The Rhenish Mission in China, and of the authorized agent in England, through whom communication can be obtained with that Society. An answer will oblige in the Notices to Correspondents in The Monthly Packet.

John and Charles Mozley, Printers, Derby.