t.

The Third and last Volume of HUMBOLDT'S _Cosmos_, in Otte's translation,
is issued by Harper and Brothers, embracing a general view of the
discoveries of astronomical science, considered in two divisions,
namely, the region of the fixed stars, and our solar and planetary
system. This portion of Humboldt's great work is characterized by the
sublime brevity, the profound comprehensiveness, the affluence of
physical facts, and the reverent modesty of speculation which
distinguish the philosophical writings of the author, and which are in
such admirable harmony with the impressive dignity of the theme. In the
Introduction to the present volume, Humboldt gives an historical review
of the attempts to reduce the phenomena of the universe to a grand
central unity, including the labors of Anaxagoras, Aristotle, Giordano
Bruno, Descartes, and Sir Isaac Newton. The problem, as he conclusively
shows, still remains to be solved. The present imperfect state of
physical science offers insuperable obstacles to a speedy solution. New
substances and new forces are constantly brought to light, nor can we
escape from the conviction that no observation or analysis has yet
exhausted the number of impelling, producing, and formative agencies.
"The great and solemn spirit," Humboldt remarks, "which pervades the
intellectual labor in question arises from the sublime consciousness of
striving toward the infinite, and of grasping all that is revealed to us
amid the boundless and inexhaustible fullness of creation, development,
and being." The fidelity to this sentiment which is every where apparent
in "Cosmos," is no less remarkable than the compactness of its reasoning
and the wealth of its details, and to the mind imbued with the genuine
spirit of science, invests this extraordinary work with a perpetual
charm.

A useful educational work has just been issued by A.S. Barnes and Co.,
entitled _The Orthoepist_, by JAMES H. MARTIN, comprising a selection of
nearly two thousand English words, which are supposed to be especially
liable to an incorrect pronunciation. The tables of words are
illustrated by exercises in reading, which exhibit both the diligence
and the ingenuity of the author in a favorable light. We have no doubt
that this little work might be used to great advantage by a skillful
instructor, besides forming a convenient manual for private
consultation.

_The Heir of Wast-Wayland_, by MARY HOWITT (published by Harper and
Brothe