oil, plead the cause of American civilization, and tend to
assure those who look with dismay at the tumultuous upheavings of
freedom's home, that imperishable Art still maintains her placid sway in
this distracted land, and that her votaries falter not in their
allegiance.

Volcanoes pour out fiery lava under the red glare of the setting sun,
obedient to Church's magic touch--delicate fancies are weaved into
poetic life by the fingers of Gottschalk--but the voice of Poe, alas! is
mute forever. The 'Lost Lenore,' found too late, may have inspired a
song far beyond the dull range of human comprehension, but poor mortals
left below, can only echo, with the grim and ghastly raven: _Nevermore!
Nevermore!_

LITERARY NOTICES

THE SLAVE POWER; ITS CHARACTER, CAREER, AND PROBABLE DESIGNS: BEING
AN ATTEMPT TO EXPLAIN THE REAL ISSUES INVOLVED IN THE AMERICAN
CONTEST. By J. E. CAIRNES, M.A., Professor of Jurisprudence and
Political Economy in Queen's College, Galway, and late Whately
Professor in the University of Dublin. Second edition. New York:
Carleton, 413 Broadway. London: Parker and Son & Co.

It is to be sincerely hoped that the American public, in its detestation
of the ungenerous, narrow-minded, and inconsistent conduct of the
majority of Englishmen toward the Federal Union since the present war
began, will not lose sight of the fact that, here and there in Great
Britain, men of superior intelligence and information have labored
strenuously to make the truth known, and to vindicate our cause. Amid a
mob of ignorant and furious foes of freedom, France has seen a Gasparin
rise calm and great in superior knowledge, declaring incontrovertible
truths; and in like manner, the English press has given the views of
Stewart Mill and Professor Cairnes to their public, at a time when it
seemed as if falsehood had completely triumphed. In 'The Slave Power,'
the latest work by this last-named writer, we have indeed such a
searching analysis of the present American crisis, and find the history
of the entire difficulty set forth so fully, yet with such remarkable
conciseness, that we cannot suppress a feeling of astonishment that a
country which has slandered us so cruelly should, at the same time, have
given to the world by far the best vindication of our cause which has as
yet appeared. For it is no undue praise to say, that in this book we
have the completest defence of the Federal cause and t