block-printing "possesses all the advantages of European stereotype, except two-durability of the block, and the combining of several pages in a large form for printing." Now the first of these exceptions is the very point which constitutes the chief utility of stereotype-printing, and to be deficient in this, is at once to concede the superiority. We of course concur with Mr. Milne, in admitting the difficulty of applying the European method of printing by moveable types to a language of hiero-, . glyphics, in which there is no regular alphabet, and where, perhaps, forty thousand characters would be necessary. But we are by no means convinced that the obstacle is insuperable. It is true, indeed, that no missionary society, or individual typefounder, could undertake, the expense and risk of preparing forty thousand matrices, from which not a single fount of types might ever be disposed of. But if by the public spirit of the government, or of some opulent body of individuals, such a set of matrices were once prepared, from which founts might be cast at a very moderate expense for every part of the empire, and every place where Chinese is written or spoken; we are inclined to think that the uniformity, correctness, and superior beauty of workmanship of such characters above those of wooden blocks, would in time bring them into use. There would indeed be many difficulties in composing from such a multitude of characters, which it is not necessary to detail; but a few years' ex- ; perience and practice would doubtless enable a compositor so far at least to overcome them as to set up his types with incredibly greater rapidity than a wood-cutter engraver could form his blocks, the best workman being able to cut only about 150 letters in a day. The types when done with could be distributed, and would be ready for any other work; the press might also be easily corrected, which at present can only be done by a laborious process, the workman cutting out the wrong character from his block, fitting in a slip of wood in its place, and cutting the right character upon it. If there be a letter to be expunged, he cuts out not only the delinquent, but its two neighbours on both sides, inserts a new slip of wood, and engraves four characters in the place of the five. If several words, or a line, or more, are omitted, the same process is adopted, and the corrected text inserted in a smaller type, so as to crowd the whole into the necessary space. Mr. Milne thinks that though. the appearance of the page is "a little injured thereby," it is of no consequence, so long as the legibility and usefulness of the book are preserved; but we make no doubt, that if cast types were once generally adopted, the eye of the Chinese would become as fastidious as that of Europeans, in its demand for uniformity; and that the art would be greatly improved. Perhaps, however

in the present state of the Chinese language, the greatest immediate improvement in printing would be, by means of the lithographic press; an invention which, as far as we know, has not yet been introduced into that country. We strongly recommend Mr. Milne, and other gentlemen connected with Chinese printing, to make a trial of its powers, which we think would be far more advantageously applicable to Chinese printing than to any other branch of art to which they have been hitherto applied.

But, after every improvement in printing, the present mode of conveying language by short hand pictures instead of alphabetical letters, will always present an obstacle of formidable magnitude to the wide and rapid diffusion of knowledge in the Chinese tongue. It would probably be an achievement quite impracticable, to publish, for example, one of our daily London newspapers in China. But one finisher we presume could work at one block, and supposing there were several engravers assisting him, each with his one hundred and fifty characters per day, they must be several days in giving to the public a single debate in parliament; which, in London, is on our breakfast tables sometimes before the debaters can have well retired to rest after their labours. If China is ever to vie with Europe, in the wide and rapid diffusion of literature, it must be by the adoption of an alphabetical method of writing, instead of her present cumbersome system. The whole civilized world may, perhaps, in the course of a few centuries, realize the dream of an universal character, if not an universal language. The Roman alphabet, so long the standard of the greater part of Europe, has already, by means of colonization and commerce, become familiar throughout the world. England, in particular, has not only conveyed it westward, together with her language, into the vast regions of North America, and given it also to many savage nations where no written sign had before existed, but is extending its conquests in every part of the East; and, if Dr. Gilchrist's system continue to advance with its present progress, we may expect that, in time, not only will Europeans write the oriental languages in the Roman character, but that the natives themselves will imitate the practice of their conquerors. Possibly even of China itself, hostile as that country is to innovation, may gradually adopt this widely diffused character, though not probably till long after its old hieroglyphics shall have ceased to be used any where but within the precincts of the celestial empire. We certainly retain some classical feelings which forbid our viewing with unmingled satisfaction the innovation which commercial habits, and modern contrivances for shortening labour, are working on the oriental alphabets, which we have

been so long accustomed to identify with the languages whose sounds they represent. We never take up, for example, any of the modern race of oriental books now so frequently published in the Roman character, without feeling somewhat outraged at the innovation, and recoiling as from the Greek quotations in some of the editions of Matthew Henry's Bible and other works, in which a similar practice is adopted, to the great annoyance of the scholar, and with no conceivable benefit to the English_reader. We are willing, however, to confess what by the way might have settled some warm recent disputes on the very subject we have just alluded to to that the requirements of commerce, and the elegances of literature, are of a very different character. We believe that Dr. Gilchrist, for example, may be quite right in opening his' easy way to the oriental languages, to young men who have no opportunity or desire to attain more than a competent colloquial or business-like acquaintance with them; while we think the East India Company's colleges are equally right in viewing the question in a more classical and scholastic manner, and studying not so much how a youth can obtain the quickest "knack" of speaking and reading an oriental tongue, as how he may be most deeply and maturely grounded in all its native peculiarities.

But we must return to our author, whose plans, and those of his worthy colleagues, for Christianizing the vast tracts eastward of India, we earnestly wish may be crowned with abundant success. Their sphere of action embraces the various nations and islands commencing with Burmah, proceeding westward along the continent to the isles of Japan, including the Malayan Archipelago, and the vast groups of islands lying between Pulo Penang and Corea. These scenes comprise some of the most populous countries in the world, and contain, perhaps, a third of the human race. Many of the tribes in the interior of the islands are in the lowest stages of barbarism; from these the gradation is minutely marked, up to the highest ranks of native oriental culture and civilization. All, however, except a few tracts where Christianity has penetrated, are sunk in Mohammedan or Pagan superstition; and loudly demand the benevolent energies of European Christians to promote their cpolitical, moral, and, above all, their spiritual and eternal welfare.

7

ART. XVIII.-Sermons on the Christian Character, with Occasional Discourses, by the Rev. C. J. Hoare, A. M. Rector of Godstone and late Vicar of Blandford Forum. Hatchard. London, 1821

Ir is not often that sermons come under our critical cognisance. We feel a tenderness in touching them. Orthodox and evange lical discourses, however written, are entitled to their benefit of clergy against any sentence of profane criticism. Never shall their operation be impeded or weakened by one word of disapprobation from us, where, whatever may be their defects of diction or execution, they faithfully promulgate the word of God, and inculcate lessons which, however trite in form and expression, are grounded upon the warrant of scripture and the testimony of the conscience. It is moreover not easy to calculate in any particular case how the heart is to be best approached, or what mode of exhibiting a spiritual truth may happen, from certain associations, to find the readiest way to the conviction of the person appealed to; still less within our knowledge is it to foresee to what efforts, he, "without whom nothing is strong," will vouchsafe his effectual though secret support. These considerations secure from the grasp of our criticism the exertions of mediocrity, in a department wherein to endeavour sincerely is to do well, and wherein that which gains no laurel here, may gain a crown hereafter. The productions of a higher sort in this branch of composition are seldom those which furnish the matter of a critical journal. The great truths and doctrines of religion are not to be approached in a light and careless way; nor do they seem to be in their appropriate place when inserted amidst a medley of secular or profane topics, or made to float down the stream of ephemeral interest with those comparatively idle products of intellect which begin and end with this perishing scene of mortality. We have said thus much partly to excuse the infrequency of articles in our journal on this description of publication, but more particularly to mark the distinction with which we wish to be considered as treating the singularly useful and able discourses which now lie upon our table, and which take us out of our usual course by an imperious attraction.

Of the progress of religion in the soul of its necessary and characteristic operation upon the temper and habits-of its spiritual elevation of the heart towards God-its subduing influences on the "lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life;" of its great and vital peculiarities; the fallen state of man; and his desperate condition without the Saviour; of these instructive views of internal Christianity, the divinity-shelves of our libraries display no want. Neither is there any scarcity of vo

lumes illustrative of the practical morality furnished by the example and precepts of the Divine Founder of our faith; but we seemed to want just such a book as is here presented to us, in which the conduct specifically to be observed by the consistent Christian in the particular situations and relations in which he must exhibit himself to the world, so as to preserve an uniform correspondence with his professions, and, if we may be allowed the allusion, to keep his parallelism with himself in all parts of his orbit, is determinately marked cut and prescribed. Man's whole duty, and the serious call which his Christian profession makes upon him, have been the subjects of many excellent voJames; but the defect we remark in them is this: they bring the Christian scheme at once into conflict and collision with all the gaieties and fascinations of life, and put them at once and altogether under the ban of an austere and inexorable interdict: the heart droops, the resolution falters, a gloom overspreads the spirits; heaven appears to frown upon human happiness, and to delight in the mortification and sorrow of the creature: but if Christ's religion is placed before us as a religion of love, if we are made sensible of the sanctity and serenity which it introduces into our duties and exertions, correcting and purifying all the purposes and propensities of the heart, shaping our delights, so as to point them towards God and eternity, rendering sensuality distasteful, multiplying innocent and holy joys, facilitating self-conquest, attenuating care, disarming disappointment, and taking out the sting from the vexations that hourly torment us; we are then on a principle of calculation convinced how greatly we are gainmg every way by following Christ and forsaking what he forbids; it is then that we understand the saying, that "his yoke is easy and his burthen is light." To take the Christian by the hand, and lead him by the lamp of the gospel through the labyrinths of life and its multiform duties and relations, so often perplexing to the conscience; to shew him the method by which his sacred obligations are to be reconciled with his temporal bu siness and social duties; to teach him how to bring religion home to his business and bosom, and to make it transpire through all his actions, is the most difficult, and, if the word may be applied to such a subject, the most delicate function of the Christian instructor; and this we think Mr. Hoare, the author of the sermons before us, has done.

It is not for us to eulogize a clergyman for having done his duty affectionately, zealously, and faithfully, in his parish. It was the least he could do after taking upon him the high commission; and woe to the spiritual deserter of his colours in the present predicament of the church militant of Christ. But we think it only justice to say that these sermons bear all the marks