1826.] 



Domestic and Forei";n. 



897 



\ 



the 6tli a perfect climax :— the 7th arc 



progressive parallels, and epaiioflistic : — 

 the 8th is a triplet : — the 9th is a climax, 

 having an affinity to the epanodos of the 

 7th verse : — the 10th, 11th, anil 12th verses 

 arc progressive parallels: — the 13th con- 

 stitutes an epanodos to them, and verse 2 : 

 — and verse \^, to 6: — the 15tli and 16th 

 form a quatrain : — the 1 7th forms the climax 

 to this quatrain ; as the Gth \xtsc to the 

 former quatrain ; and has a resj)onsive affi- 

 nity to verse 7 : —the 18th verse is a pro- 

 gressive ; and, as a climax, conveys a deep 

 idea of loneliness a)i(l destitution. 



The learned must he ])leased and in- 

 structed by Mr. Boys' book, and he has 

 doubtless ■ done something in the great 

 work ; but he has ovcr-nited his labour, for 

 which we are really sori-y. He has, we 

 think, erred in taste in two illustrations : 

 we admire familiar illustration, but cannot 

 tolerate that such a subject should be illus- 

 trated by partners, balls, and coiintr;/ dances, 

 and think that his book might be rendered 

 clearer to conmion understanding tlian it is ; 

 and more dignified l)y the omission of re- 

 ward to any student \\\\& succeeds in an in- 

 vestigation of the examples pointed out. 



The Natural History of the Bible, ^-c. &-c., 

 bg Th.^ddeus Mason- Harris, d.i). — The 

 information contained in this volume is 

 most valualile to those viho arc pursuing 

 the highest course of human study— the 

 study of the sacred records. The Phys ica 

 Sacra of Seheuclizer, Bochart, Calmet, 

 Forskal, and others, were the sources to 

 which the inquirer usually applied for in- 

 formation, and often, even from these, 

 eame away dissatisfied. Valmont Bo- 

 maire's Diet. d'Hist. Nat., and the inci- 

 dental notices of animals, insects and vege- 

 tables afforded by travellers, sometimes 

 I'epaid the industrious inquirer for his re- 

 searches. The work before us is diligently 

 compiled from the best sources, and con- 

 tains a com])endium of much that !ias'5&en 

 accumulated since science commenced her 

 march. Tliere appears to be a moderate 

 and manly tone continued throughout the 

 volume, in all the discussions ; and a very 

 impartial statement of the clashing opi- 

 nions of various writers, and these often 

 analyzed with acumen, or summed uj) with 

 care. The article on the fly is admirable ; 

 yet it might have been brought nearer to 

 perfection by a minuter account of the struc- 

 ture of the insect, and the i)h)-siological 

 peculiarities Of the oreb-zeebub, &c. We 

 find in the preface some opinions with 

 ^vhich we by no means accord. It is there 

 stated, that the wlinle was unknown in the 

 East ; and that the unicorn " is known to be 

 a fabulous animal." We will merely remark 

 onthe latter, that it is said not to be very 

 uncommon among the Thibetian moun- 

 tains. On the former we have much to 

 say. The physiological remarks on the 

 whale, under the head of Dragon, are not 

 very scientific ; but. as w« have in • ouf 



Ivr.M. New Series.— Xo:.. I. No. 3. 



portfolio an excellent treatise on the struc- 

 ture of this creature, we shall not enter into 

 this branch of the subject, lest we should 

 trench on the information contained in that 

 ]\IS., which we destine to ornament some 

 pages in the next number. If the whale is 

 not noif hnown in the Mediterranean, it is 

 not a reason upon which any one can justly 

 conclude that it never was known. 



We have seen, not far from the island of 

 Alboran,two yellow grampuses, andut which 

 two shot were fired. Our author, under 

 the he;id of whale, has quoted uU the errors 

 which have emanated from men who were 

 not wise enough to be silent on a subject 

 of which they knew nothing — from the dis- 

 cussion en the incapacity of the whale to 

 swallow Jonah, to the possibility of the 

 shark permitting the prophet to escape the 

 chcvaux-dc'-frize of his teeth, and then 

 having its most powerful digestive func- 

 tions suspended for the required time, 

 while Jonah was kept alive, in an unna- 

 tural state, in the fish's stomach — from 

 these absurdities to the suggestion that 

 ])nor Jonah was scii-sick in the hold of a 

 tight little vessel called the Whale. A tnice 

 to railler)'— Providence never wastes its 

 means : by the haiul of God alone many 

 ends are produced by one means. Of all 

 the high gratifications enjoyed by a sincere 

 inquirer after tnith, not one, in our opi- 

 nion, exceeds that which is derived from 

 finding the sacred text supported by the 

 light of natural science ; it is the noblest 

 triumph of philosoj)hy, and does great 

 tilings towards elevating the mind and 

 im])roving the heart. 



If our author had examined " Memoires 

 des Jesuites, publie par M. I'Abbe Gro- 

 sier," tome 1. art. ix. he would have 

 learnt that Jonah was received, no* into 

 the belly, but into the caiity of the whale. 

 This cavity is situated in the lower part 

 of the throat, and is composed of a long 

 thick intestine, large enough to admit a 

 man into it \nt\\ ease : tlie creature, some- 

 times, receives one or two of its young 

 into this eavit}' in time of danger ! ! This 

 cavity is a great reservoir of air, from which 

 the lungs are inflated, and the air is con- 

 stantly renewed ; for when the creature 

 blows up the sea in breathing, it inspires 

 a fresh supjjly of air. Thus Jonah might 

 have been preserved in safety from the 

 tempestuous waves, and retained during 

 the storm in a place where he was able to 

 breathe the atmospheric air. Tlius knov,-- 

 ledge sweeps before it all the dark exhala- 

 tions of scepticism, and irradiates the means 

 used by an all-wise and all-merciful God, 

 in his method of ruling and instructing his 

 creatures. 



In future editions of this work, ^^hich is 

 a very useful one, and should be in the 

 hands of ever}' young person, and in every 

 ftimily librar}-, we trust that the article on 

 the whnle will be re-written ; and we; 

 assure the writer, that tiie article which w«' 



2 Q 



