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_The Comparative Geography of Palestine, and the Sinaitic Peninsula._ By
CARL RITTER. Translated and adapted to the use of Biblical Students by
WILLIAM L. GAGE. New York: D. Appleton & Co., 1866. 4 vols.

American critics have found fault with Mr. Gage, as it seems to us
somewhat too strongly, for certain features of this work. He has been
blamed for adapting it "to the use of Biblical students," as though
thereby he must necessarily tamper with scientific accuracy of
statement,--for too much condensation, and for too little,--for omitting
Ritter's maps,--and for certain incongruities of figures and
measurement. It has also been said, that the book itself, being fifteen
years old, is already antiquated, and that many recent works, not
mentioned by Ritter, or at least not adequately used, have modified our
knowledge of Palestine since his day. But, after all, these critics have
ended by saying that the work is a good and useful one, and by awarding
credit to Mr. Gage for his fidelity, industry, and accuracy in his part
of the work. So that, perhaps, the fault-finding was thrown in only as a
necessary part of the duty of the reviewer; for fault-finding is, _ex
officio_, his expected function. A judge ought always to be seated above
the criminal, and every author before his reviewer is only a culprit.
The author may have given years to the study of the subject to which his
reviewer has only given hours. But what of that? The position of the
reviewer is to look down, and his tone must always be _de haut en bas_.

We do not, ourselves, profess to know as much of the geography of
Palestine as Professor Ritter, probably not as much as Mr. Gage. Were it
not for the sharp-eyed critics, we should have wholly missed the
important verification of the surface-level of Lake Huleh. We have in
past years studied our "Palaestina," by Von Raumer, and followed the
careful Dr. Robinson with gratitude through his laborious researches.
But we must confess that we are grateful for these volumes, even though
they have no maps, and cannot but think it honorable in Mr. Gage to
prefer to publish the book with none, rather than with poor ones. We see
no harm in adapting the work to the use of Biblical students, by
abridging of omitting the topics which have no bearing on the Bible
history. No one else is obliged to purchase it, and the warning is given
beforehand.

These four volumes contain a vast amount of interesting and important
mat