The Library of American Biography, conducted by Jared Sparks; Vol. IX. Boston: Little and Brown. 12mo.

The biographical series which Mr. Sparks is engaged in, has already concentrated a vast amount of information, which will be referred to with profit by the reader of history. The volume before us contains the life of Leonard Calvert, the first governor of Maryland, with those of Samuel Ward and Thomas Posey. The first of these biographies was written by the Rev. Geo. W. Burnap, of Baltimore, and we take pleasure in stating, after having glanced through the narrative, that it is characterized by a general accuracy and a spirit of impartiality which reflect the highest credit upon the author. He has not aimed at the inglorious distinction, so ardently sought after by certain philosophers of history, of remodelling and reforming facts to suit special purposes; he has been satisfied with drawing his information from sources which have always been considered pure and genuine, and which have never fallen under the suspicion of error. Hence the life and character of Leonard Calvert, the first governor of Maryland, stand forth in Mr. Burnap's history in all the cloudless glory which universal opinion had before conceded to him. The author has ably vindicated the fame of Calvert as the founder of religious freedom on these shores, and his remarks deserve to be quoted. After citing that passage of the Maryland charter which alludes to religious matters, he continues :

"As this is the only article concerning religion in the charter, it is important to ascerfain what were its meaning and intent, and how far it secures religious liberty, as it is now understood. The candid inquirer, it is believed, must admit that there is in the charter no advance upon the ideas which then prevailed in England upon this subject. The same connection between church and state is contemplated, which then existed in the mother country, just the same degree of religious freedom which was then enjoyed in the bishopric of Durham. The "license and faculty of erecting and founding churches, chapels, and places of worship," and dedicating them, was vested in the proprietary. Having the original right of soil, the proprietary might have prevented the erection of any church or chapel for the propagation of a faith which he should suppress. Moreover, he had vested in him the patronage and advowsons of all churches which shall happen to be built.'

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By the provisions above recited, it appears that the whole control of ecclesiastical affairs is granted to the proprietary. The power over all church matters was vested in him, and was to emanate from him, and not from the people, as it does when religion is left free.

The pastors were to be chosen, not by popular election, nor were the hearers to have any voice in their election, but by the appointment of the owner of the soil. The proprietary might prevent the erection of any church which he chose to forbid, and, by the exclusive power of appointment, dictate the faith of the province. The proprietary might renounce all these rights if he chose, and proclaim entire religious freedom; but there is no provision made for the exercise of that freedom in the charter. That instrument makes provision for the support of the clergy, not by the people, but by the rent of lands, or other property, bestowed upon each individual church by the proprietary, or those to whom he might convey landed estates.

"No other condition of things seems to be contemplated in the charter, than then existed in England, and there, at that time, neither religious toleration nor liberty was known. The Catholics were, at that moment, disfranchised of their religious rights, and severe laws were in force against them; and no little ingenuity is required to explain the fact that such extensive ecclesiastical powers should have been conferred by Charles, himself a Protestant, on Lord Baltimore, an avowed Catholic. It is, perhaps, still more mysterious how a Catholic could consecrate churches according to the ecclesiastical laws of the kingdom of England, when the exercise of that religion was there forbidden under severe penalties, by act of parliament. But these inquiries, though curious, are aside from our present purpose. Suffice it to have shown that, whatever liberality was afterwards manifested by Lord Baltimore, by his brother Leonard Calvert, and the colonists, no provision is made for it in the charter.

"There is, it is true, in the twenty-second section, a proviso to this effect, that if, in the interpretation of it, any doubt shall arise as to its true construction, that meaning shall be given to it which is most beneficial, profitable, and favorable to Lord Baltimore; provided always that no interpretation thereof be made, whereby God's holy and true Christian religion, or the allegiance due to us, our heirs and successors, may in any wise suffer by change, prejudice, or diminution' It has been said that this proviso covers the whole ground of religious liberty, so as to tie up the hands of Lord Baltimore and his subordinates from showing any preference of one form of the Christian religion over another, and thus takes from him the credit of voluntarily establishing religious liberty in his province.

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But this seems to be giving to very vague language a meaning altogether too particular. Had the language run in this way, provided that no interpretation be given to this charter,

whereby God's true and holy Christian religion, or the free exercise thereof, shall suffer any change, prejudice, or diminution, then the proprietary would have been forbidden to make any law by which any preference should be given to one sect over another. As it stands, it merely provides that the Christian religion shall be the only recognised religion in the province; that nothing shall be done, and no law enacted, by which its interests shall be impaired. The religion of the country shall be Christian, and not pagan, Jewish or Mahometan.

"This interpretation is confirmed not only by the general expression, Christian religion,' but by the terms of prohibition, by change, prejudice, or diminution.' If we consider the Christian religion to mean the Christian religion as it was then administered in England, and the change, prejudice, or diminution, to mean any change in respect to religious freedom, so as to be less free in the colony than it was in the mother country, we then ask, what was the religious freedom enjoyed in the mother country? And the true answer is, that it was unknown. It was not practised by Charles himself and his government. It was not practised by any sect which had the control of religious affairs, under any circum. stances. The Catholics were at that moment proscribed, and special license was necessary to enable the queen to enjoy the administration of its peculiar forms. The Puritans were persecuted nearly as much as the Catholics, and Charles was willing, by fire and sword, to force the forms of Episcopacy upon the church of Scotland.

"To have established the Christian religion in Maryland, on the basis of the freedom and equality of all sects, would not have been a continuation of the church or Christianity as it was, but would itself have been a change.

"Besides, without any further specification, the meaning of "God's holy and true Christian religion" might have been interpreted by any sect to suit its own purposes. Each sect then claimed, as it does now, to be the only true church, and, of course, to have the only true Christian religion. The Catholic especially, is bound, by the principles of his own religion, to consider his own church the only true one, and to reject the claims of any other to possess the true Christian religion. Had the Catholic church in England obtained the ascendancy, then the judges, before whom any violation of the charter should have been brought, if they were true to their religious principles, must have decided that the true Christian religion was the Catholic religion."

As Mr. Burnap attaches due importance to the fact, that the correspondence of the early missionaries in Maryland had heen gathered from the archives in Rome, and is now possessed by the Maryland Historical Society, it would have been but just to state that this information was originally brought to this country by the Very Rev. William McSherry, S. J., and that a copy of the documents procured by him was very kindly presented to the Maryland Historical Society by Georgetown college.

The Holy Bible. Translated from the Latin Vulgate, &c. N. York: E. Dunigan. 8vo. Between this edition of the Bible and that published by Mr. Dunigan some time since there is a vast difference in point of appearance, although the volume before us is printed neatly and in large clear type, and embellished with several engravings. It is said to be as cheap as any edition yet issued by the American Bible society. We have no doubt that, together with all other editions of the Catholic Scriptures, it will meet with a ready circulation.

Outlines of Roman History, from the foundation of the city to the full of the Eastern empire, for families and schools: with numerous engravings. Philadelphia: Thomas, Cow. perthwait & Co., and Carey & Hart. 18mo. Outlines of Grecian History, for families and schools, &c. Philadelphia: Thomas, Cowperthwait & Co. 18mo.

Outlines of American History, for families and schools, &c. Philadelphia: Thomas, Cowperthwait & Co. 18mo.

Outlines of the History of England, &c. Philadel

phia: Thomas, Cowperthwait & Co. 18mo. The above mentioned books are excellent compendiums of the subjects which they profess to treat of, with the exception of some few objectionable passages in the histories of England and America, which are not sufficiently free from sectarian bias. Katholische Kirchenzeitung. Baltimore: M. Ertel, publisher and editor.

This weekly paper has just been started in Baltimore, for the benefit of the German Catholic population, and, if we may be allowed to judge of its future career from the abilities of the editor, and the eminent success which has crowned his efforts elsewhere in similar undertaking, we have no hesitation in saying that it will prove a valuable auxiliary in the defence of religious truth, and an interesting channel of intelligence for the German Catho lics of the eastern states. Such a periodical has long been a desideratum amongst us, and we trust that it will be liberally sustained. Spiritual Maxims of St. Vincent de Paul, arranged for every day in the year. Baltimore: Printed and Published by John Murphy. This interesting little work has been received with such great favor by the Catholics of this country, that it has already, in the course of little more than a year, gone through two editions. The name of St. Vincent de Paul is associated with so many brilliant charities; the results of his philanthropy so wide spread, and so sensibly felt, that it would be strange did we not experience an earnest desire to read whatever may have been be queathed us by so pure a mind. This little book of maxims abounds in evidences of the author's goodness and wisdom. We wish every man would study it, and govern himself by its lessons. Mr. Murphy's edition is at a price which places it in the reach of the poor. est man; the type is distinct and full, and, for a work of such trifling cost, shows much care and neatness in its execution.

Observations in the East; chiefly in Egypt, Palestine, Syria, and Asia Minor. By John P. Durbin, D.D., late president of Dickinson college, author of "Observations in Europe," &c. In two volumes, 12mo. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1845.

HE holy land! The holy land! What Christian heart is there that does not beat quicker and warmer at the very name of the holy land! Who is so cold and indifferent as to be unmoved by the thrilling associations which that name calls up! Who is there that has not more than once fondly wished to visit the places hallowed by the presence and pressed by the footsteps of the great Godman, when he vouchsafed, through unbounded love of our race, to walk among men! Who that loves Christianity and its Author has not, over and over again, traversed in fancy the whole land of VOL. V.-No. 7.

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Palestine, from the Jordan to the sea shore, from Galilee to Jerusalem, pausing, with awful reverence and melting love, at every familiar locality once honored by his presence, and meditating, with a heart glowing with a pious enthusiasm, over all those sacred scenes which tell of his splendid miracles and boundless goodness! There is not a hill, nor a valley, nor a desert, nor a brook, nor a town, nor a hamlet, nor even a stone, in all central and northern Palestine, which does not awaken some cherished reminiscence, and stir up the deepest fountains of Christian feeling they all speak to the Christian heart with an eloquence none the less moving because it is silent and mournful.

Such have ever been the feelings awakened in the Christian bosom by a visit to the holy land, whether in reality or in fancy. During the eighteen centuries. which have elapsed since the establishment of Christianity, hundreds of thousands of pilgrims have bent their steps towards that sacred soil once watered by

the blood of a God, and have fallen down in humble thankfulness and adoration at his tomb. From the most remote quarters of the earth,-from Eastern Asia and Western Europe, from barren Africa and the islands of the sea, from America and the very antipodes, the ever swelling tide of pilgrimage has rolled on, age by age, to the holy sepulchre; nor is there any reason to believe that it will cease to roll on, so long as there will be true Christians in the world, or so long as the world itself shall endure. The prophecy of Isaiah hath been gloriously fulfilled: "In that day the Root of Jesse, who standeth for an ensign of people, him the gentiles shall beseech, and HIS SEPULCHRE SHALL BE GLORIOUS!"* The nations of the earth have erected his sepulchral monument, and have laid in it and around it the tribute of their hearts' purest affection.

The early Christians set the example of this reverence for Jerusalem and the holy places; they erected chapels over the spots where our Saviour was born at Bethlehem, where he lived with his holy mother and St. Joseph at Nazareth, where he died and was buried on Mount Calvary, and where he ascended to heaven from the summit of Mount Olivet. They also carefully marked the various localities at which the principal events of his passion had occurred, and erected thereon fourteen little oratories or stations, called "the stations of the cross." These clearly indicated the various directions in which he walked, or was dragged by his enemies, in the via dolorosa, or sorrowful way, from the garden of Gethsemane and the house of Annas to the summit of Mount Calvary. These localities were too clearly impressed on the minds and hearts of Christians ever to be lost sight of or forgotten. Time and revolution might obliterate the traces of all else; they could not blot out what was so near and dear to the hearts of ransomed millions.

Emulating the zeal, and treading in the footsteps of the earliest disciples of Christ,

*Isaiah xi, 10.

the Christians of Europe, in the eighth and following centuries, were fired with an ardent desire to visit the holy places, and to testify their love for the Saviour whose religion they had but recently embraced, amid the very scenes of his teachings, sufferings, death, resurrection, and glorious ascension. This feeling was as natural as it was generous. Its general prevalence showed how fervent was the faith, and how glowing the enthusiasm of the Northmen when they had once embraced Christianity. They were willing to leave friends and home, to expose themselves to innumerable perils by sea and by land, and, if need was, to shed their blood in order to enjoy the privilege of visiting the holy sepulchre. With St. Thomas, testifying his willingness to go with his divine Master to Jerusalem, they said: "Let us also go that we may die with him." The holy city was then in possession of the Saracens, and the Christian pilgrims were exposed to innumerable dangers on the way, and to insult after they had reached their journey's end. These difficulties greatly increased when Jerusalem fell into the hands of the Turks in the eleventh century. Then it was that the pilgrims were exposed to indignities only surpassed by those which their divine Lord had himself endured for their sake on the same spot. They were robbed, buffeted, beaten, and, in many cases, murdered. Yet they ceased not to pour into Palestine from all parts of Europe.

Every one knows the origin of the crusades. The voice of Peter the hermit, graphically portraying the sufferings inflicted on his brother pilgrims in the holy land, rang throughout Europe, and met with a response in the bosoms of pontiffs, and bishops, and emperors, kings, and barons, of the entire mass of the population. The whole west was in a flame. The cry went forth: "The holy city must be rescued from the hands of infidels; our brethren must be protected; pilgrimages to the holy sepulchre must be free; GoD *St. John xi, 16.

WILLS IT! GOD WILLS IT!" The choicest spirits of Europe took the cross, and buckled on their good armor; six hundred thousand of the bravest knights that ever unsheathed a sword entered at once on the campaign; and, after prodigies of suffering and valor, Godfrey de Bouillon and his brave comrades planted the banner of the cross on the battlements of Jerusalem in 1099. The holy city was rescued, and every Christian was again free to worship at the tomb of the Saviour. To secure this inestimable advantage, thousands had willingly shed their blood; and now that it was secured, the tide of pilgrimage knew scarcely any bounds. It would seem as if the enthusiastic devotion of western Christendom could be gratified by nothing short of an actual sight of the places where the Saviour had lived and died; and that all Christians were preparing to meet, and to weep together, around the holy sepulchre.

That there was some exaggeration in the length to which this feeling was often carried, can not be denied; that it sprang from a deep and ardent, and generous and unconquerable faith, is equally unquestionable. Had not those ages been conspicuous for a faith marked by all these qualities, the crusades had been utterly impossible. In this cold and calculating age men are in the habit of sneering at those expeditions only, or at least chiefly, because they have not one particle of the faith, nor one spark of the noble enthusiasm in which they originated. Men of this "enlightened" day can not understand how it is that Christians can be so foolish as to waste time, and spend money, and neglect their business for the trifling gratification of visiting the holy land. With the traitorous apostle of old, they are almost prepared to ask: "Why this waste?"

Whence this comparative coldness in regard to the holy land? Whence the general want of those feelings of reverence for the holy place, for which our pious forefathers were so much distin

guished? Has the world really become more enlightened; or has it only become more selfish? Is it owing to the fact that, for three centuries, the "pure light" of the reformation has been beaming upon the world? or is it ascribable to the greater prevalence of mammonism? We fear it is owing to both these causes combined; or rather to the former superinducing the latter. The tendency of the reformation, as clearly and unequivocally developed in the spirit of the present age, has been to shed additional light upon mere human interests, and to shroud in greater darkness those of the spiritual order; to promote man's happiness in time at the expense of his happiness in eternity; to array matter against spirit, and to give the preference to the former. In the whole history of the past, there never was a period of which we can say with more truth, "charity hath grown cold," according to the Saviour's prediction.

Most men have too much important business to attend to now-a-days, to think of visiting the holy sepulchre; and, what is worse, many of those who do go thither, go rather with a view to gratify idle curiosity, to doubt, and to sneer, than to meditate, to pray, to adore, and to weep with Magdalen at the tomb of Christ. The sight of the holy places awakens in the bosoms of these men no feelings of devotion; if they have any sentiments of piety, or even any hearts, they appear to have left them at home, lest they should be lost en route; and they furnish another strong evidence confirmatory of the old adage: "those who travel much rarely become pious."

This is particularly true of all the Protestant travellers in Palestine with whose works we are acquainted. The case is, however, we are happy to say, very different with Catholic pilgrims in the same country. What a contrast, for instance, between the glowing Catholic feeling of a Chateaubriand, a Lamartine, and a Geramb, and the cold Protestant spirit of a Dr. Robinson, a Dr. Olin, and a Dr. Dur