for the supremacy of Rome, -alas! the chief of bishops, betrayed by Romans, pursued by Germans and Italians thirsting for his blood, at variance with France, Spain, and England, was dying a forsaken exile. Had Hildebrand's sick heart failed him then, it would not have been strange; but he looked at his crucifix, at the image of his forsaken, dying, and yet victorious Master, and grew strong; for that told him how little the final triumph of a moral truth can be judged of from immediate success or failure. "And I, too,' he murmured to himself, in words which, a few weeks later, were the last his lips, upon "and I, too, have loved justice and hated iniquity, and I die an exile." The future, in which all his great principles triumphed, was hidden to him; but he knew that God ruled, that the great thoughts which by his struggles he had made familiar to men rested not on his strength, but on an eternal basis; and that, though he was passing away, the Omnipotent remained as the world's ruler; he knew that he had sown the seed, and that God would give the harvest.

The mild May weather lent daily new beauty to the outer world, and the languid eyes of the monk of Cluny loved to dwell upon the deepening verdure. Sometimes his soul mingled again with its old ardor in the contests that were raging; he called his attendant bishops to remind them once more never to own any one pope who was not chosen according to the canons. Then his mind went back to the green valleys of the Apennines, to the shepherd's huts and the snow-fed rills of spring-time; and it passed thence to the heaven he was approaching. Again he murmured, "I have loved justice and hated evil, therefore I die in exile." The aged bishop, who had risen from the pleasant window as he heard the voice, bent over him and said: "Not so, Holy Father, you cannot die in exile; for God has given you all nations for a heritage, and the ends of the earth for a dominion." The calm, grave lips moved not in reply; Gregory was not there; the overburdened heart had ceased to beat; the wise, fearless, immovable Hildebrand had gone into the presence of his God. Hildebrand had gone, but his words and struggles, as sown seed, remained; and soon Europe saw his victorious enemy, Henry the Fourth, sink on a doorstep and die of cold and hunger, because Rome had cast him off; she saw a strong-minded Frederick, Emperor of the

West, holding a pope's stirrup-iron; she saw France and England quail beneath papal interdicts; in short, she saw, long after the dust of Hildebrand had mingled with the earth, each one of Hildebrand's ideas made practice; she saw the Church independent, united, free from simony and priestmarriages, and the ruler of rulers. The visions of the Cluny arbours were realized; Europe again was one.

ART. III.Narrative of the United States Exploring Expedition during the Years 1838-1842. By CHARLES WILKES, U. S. N., Commander of the Expedition, &c. In Five Volumes, and an Atlas. Philadelphia: Lea and Blanchard. 1845. 8vo.

THE first feeling excited by the appearance of these volumes is that of national pride, that our country, prosperous in her resources, and liberal and enlightened in the use of them, has made a contribution to general knowledge and the security of navigation worthy of her extended commerce, and her undoubted position among the cultivated nations of the world. In the number of the vessels, the number and character of the scientific corps, and the cost of the outfits, the United States Surveying and Exploring Expedition was quite equal to any similar enterprise either of France, England, or Russia. We say this in no boastful spirit. We fully recognize the imperative obligations of our government to devote a portion of its revenue to increase the safety of the mariner's path on the ocean, and to enrich the stores of learning by discoveries in distant regions. These obligations are by no means fulfilled by the equipment of a single expedition. So far from this, we trust that one of the benefits conferred by the successful cruise of the exploring squadron will be to strengthen our love of that noble renown which nations acquire by serving the cause of science and humanity.

The narrative of this expedition having finally been given to the world, it is a part of our duty to present a sketch of the course it pursued, to be accompanied necessarily by such remarks as will enable the reader to form a just estimate both of the results obtained, and of the manner in which these re

sults have been communicated to the public. The office of the reviewer here is not altogether superfluous. Few persons, probably, will be encouraged to peruse the whole of the "Narrative," where much that is irrelevant is combined with much that is deeply interesting, and where the latter, both in matter and form, exhibits more eagerness for accumulation, than skill in arrangement.

Following the excellent example of Captain Wilkes, we shall make no allusion to the early history of the outfit of the squadron, farther than to say, that the failure of its first organization had exposed the whole affair to ridicule, and had seriously impaired the confidence and ardor of its officers and friends. The energetic zeal of Captain Wilkes overcame every obstacle, and infused a new life into the service. The very short time required by him to equip the squadron for sea, to complete the trial of the instruments, and make preliminary observations, proved that he appreciated the responsibilities of his position, and was prepared to assume them. Justice demands that we should say this much. But in awarding to Captain Wilkes the praise he may fairly claim, we have no intention of expressing an opinion either as to the manner of his appointment, or as to the conduct of other officers temporarily connected with the expedition.

The instructions of Mr. Paulding, then Secretary of the Navy, marked out the course to be pursued by the explorers, the objects to be obtained, and the probable period each would occupy. They included such directions respecting the intercourse with the natives of the South Sea islands, as humanity and the experience of former navigators inculcate ; and being written with his usual felicity of style, they were suited to inspire a love for honorable and useful enterprise.

In obedience to them, the squadron sailed from Norfolk on the 18th of August, 1838. The following day was Sunday, and divine service was performed on board the Vincennes, the shores of the United States being still in sight. Leaving the store-ship Relief, a very dull sailer, to pursue her path alone, the remainder of the squadron, on the 16th of September, arrived at Madeira, where they stayed one week. This was a week profitable, no doubt, to the naturalists, who crossed the island, and penetrated into the almost inaccessible recesses among its lofty mountains, where are hidden treasures to reward the venturesome traveller for many years

to come. Aided by Mr. Drayton's beautiful views, the "Narrative" does justice to the romantic scenery of the island, though it adds but little to our knowledge of its resources or its inhabitants. Captain Wilkes informs us, that "wine is the staple commodity of Madeira," and that "the language is Portuguese." He might as well have added, that the religion is Catholic, and the climate genial. Madeira is a familiar name, not only to the traveller, but to those also who "through his peering eyes

Discover countries."

After leaving this island, the squadron pursued its course to Rio de Janeiro, stopping one day at Porto Praya. Between the northern tropic and the equator, and the longitudes of 20 and 35 degrees west, several rocks or shoals have disfigured the charts of the Atlantic ever since the earliest days of Spanish and Portuguese navigation, though their existence has long been considered doubtful. Passing through this zone, Captain Wilkes extended his vessels so as to cover the largest possible space without separating, and sailed over many of these reported dangers, keeping the lead constantly in the water. These spots will now be erased from the charts, and the seaman will sleep in security, where hitherto he has watched in dread of merchant-marring rocks. The luminous appearance of the sea in this region, the frequent cause of unnecessary alarms, is noticed in the "Narrative." On one occasion, the brilliancy was so great, that the sea" might truly be said to have the appearance of being on fire."

At Rio, it was found necessary to make some repairs, particularly on Captain Hudson's ship, the Peacock; and whilst these were going on, a series of pendulum, magnetic, and astronomical observations were made, and the scientific gentlemen were busily occupied in adding to their collections and journals. Mr. Hale, the philologist, obtained some curious information concerning the slaves of Brazil, showing the marks by which the African tribes are distinguished. This is accompanied in the "Narrative" by wood-cuts illustrative of the descriptions in the text, and well deserves attention. The value of the slave in the market is, ina measure, determined by these brands; for long familiarity with this accursed traffic has enabled the slave-dealer to ascertain with precision the characteristic traits of each tribe, and accord

ingly to determine the employments for which they are best fitted. Some of the officers accomplished the daring feat of ascending the Sugar-Loaf, a conical rock at the entrance of the port, about 1,300 feet high,— in order to determine its altitude. Captain Beechey excuses the disagreement between his two determinations of the height of this rock, by saying that it is almost impossible to ascend it.

Captain Wilkes has devoted, very unnecessarily, as we conceive, two chapters of his work to a description of Rio de Janeiro, and an account of the political condition of the Brazilians. Seeing that he has made so liberal use of the facts of Mr. Armitage's history, he ought to have borrowed also some of that writer's liberality and candor. He says, the Brazilians are "patient under oppression," "suspicious," "selfish," "cunning," "presumptuous," and timid." The presentation of the "Narrative," by our own government to that of Brazil, as it contains such language as this, has rather the appearance of an insult than a compliment, and its grateful acceptance would certainly be an indication of the "mental degradation" which Captain Wilkes has discovered in the inhabitants. This last seems to be a singular phrase to apply to a people who are in the full enjoyment of liberty of the press, trial by jury, a certain degree of religious toleration, a representative chamber that originates the money bills, and schools for elementary instruction established by public authority. It would have been more politic and amiable, not to say infinitely more just, in a work of this peculiar character, to have avoided language which is certainly very insulting.

At Rio, Captain Wilkes applied to Commodore Nicolson, the commander of the Brazil station, for an addition to his crew. The commodore met the request by calling for volunteers; his own crew having entered for a particular service, he had no power to order them to another squadron. Captain Wilkes was under no obligation to take these men, whom he describes as " a most worthless set, and almost the only persons it was necessary to punish during the cruise." The motive for casting this slur upon his superior officer was a difficulty which he had with the commodore, in which the officers of the Independence, the flag-ship of the Brazil squadron, thought that Captain Wilkes behaved like a man whose judgment and sense of propriety were very much disturbed by his sudden and undue elevation.