LITERATURE AND LITERARY PROGRESS OF 1861. 



421 





tillery officers ; " The Field Manual of Evolu- 

 tions" of the Line," " A Manual of Military Sur- 

 gery." by S. D. Gross, M. D. ; "A Practical 

 Treatise on Military Surgery," by Frank II. 

 Hamilton, M. D. ; " Naval Ordnance and Gun- 

 nery," by Commander J. II. Ward. &c., &c. 



But though the principal demand of the pub- 

 lic during the year was for literature connected 

 directly or indirectly with the war, there were a 

 few books published on other topics, worthy of 

 note. In the department of theological and re- 

 ligious literature, Muller's " Life of Trust," a 

 compilation and abridgment from the reports 

 and narratives of that remarkable man, pre- 

 pared by Rev. II. L. Wayland, was remarkably 

 popular; "Thoughts on Preaching," by Rev. 

 James W". Alexander, D. D., and " Notes on 

 New Testament Literature and Ecclesiastical 

 History," by his brother, Rev. J. Addison 

 Alexander, D. D., were very favorably received, 

 as were also " Twelve Sermons," by Horace 

 Mann ; " Discourses on Sacramental Occa- 

 sions," by Rev. Ichabod S. Spencer, D. D. ; 

 Sermons by Rev. Cortland Van Rensselaer, 

 D. D. ; " Evenings with the Doctrines," by Rev. 

 Nehemiah Adams, D. D. ; " Morning Hours in 

 Patmos," by Rev. A. C. Thompson, D. D. ; and 

 " Sermons preached at Harvard College,'' by 

 Rev. James Walker, D. D. Among other dis- 

 cussions of theological and religious questions 

 of the year were " Human Destiny," and " Debt 

 and Grace," by Rev. C. F. Hudson ; " Thoughts 

 on the Administration of God's Moral Govern- 

 ment," by a plain man ; " Christ in the Will, 

 the Heart, and the Life," by Rev. A. B. Muz- 

 zey ; " Xew Testament Standard of Piety," by 

 W. Macdonald ; and " Religio-political Physics," 

 by Calvin Blanchard. 



In sociology and political science, a book 

 entitled " Negroes and Negro Slavery -, the 

 first an Inferior Race, the latter its Normal 

 Condition," by J. H. Van Evrie, M. D., excited 

 some attention from its absurdity and gross 

 perversion of all the facts of science, in the at- 

 tempt to demonstrate that the negro belonged 

 to a different and lower species of beings than 

 the white, and was therefore intended for me- 

 nial service ; an elaborate defence of " American 

 Slavery, distinguished from the slavery of Eng- 

 lish theorists, and justified by the Law of Xa- 

 ture," by Rev. Samuel Seabury, D. D.. also at- 

 tracted notice, from the calmness of its tone, 

 and the conspicuous position of the author; 

 " The Doctrine and Policy of Protection," 

 by William Elder, M. D., an attack on the sys- 

 tem of protective tariff's, by a distinguished 

 advocate of free trade ; " Woman's Rights 

 under the Law," by Mrs. Caroline H. Dall, 

 a candid exposition of the legal disabilities 

 and privileges of the female sex, under ancient 

 and modern legislation ; and " The Cotton 

 Kingdom," by Fred. Law Olmsted, an abridg- 

 ment and re-arrangement of the author's pre- 

 vious observations in the slave States, were 

 the only other noticeable books in this de- 

 partment. 



In history and biography, the principal works 

 were the 16th and 16th volumes of Benton's 

 Abridgment of the Debates of Congress, com- 

 pleting the \vork ; vol. III. of Hopkins' " His- 

 tory of the Puritans," completing that work ; 

 u The Destruction of II. M. war sloop Gaspee," 

 from official documents, compiled by John Rus- 

 sell Bartlett ; " Rehoboth in the Past," a his- 

 torical oration by S. C. Newman ; " Contribu- 

 tions to the Ecclesiastical History of Connecti- 

 cut, prepared for the 150th anniversary of the 

 (Congregational) General Association of the 

 State ; " " Life, Times, and Services of Gen. 

 Anthony Wayne," by Orville J. Victor ; " Life 

 and Times of Andr6 ;" " Memoirs of Nathaniel 

 Emmons, with Sketches of his Friends and Pu- 

 pils," by Prof. Edwards A. Park; "Memoir 

 and Writings of Gen. Nathaniel Lyon ; " " Lives 

 of Eminent Physicians of the 19th Century," 

 by S. D. Gross, M. D. ; " Memoirs of Bishop 

 Brute," by Bishop Bayley ; " Life of Bishop 

 Berkeley," by J. N. Norton ; " Autobiography 

 of William Neil, D. D. ; " " Memoirs of Danie'l 

 Safford," and " The Wetmore Family in Amer- 

 ica." 



In the department of travels, usually so pro- 

 lific in American literature, there were very 

 few books published, but one of these produced 

 a decided sensation on both sides of the Atlan- 

 tic ; it was the " Explorations and Adventures 

 in Equatorial Africa," of Mr. Paul B. Du Chail- 

 lu. The .new animals and the hitherto unknown 

 African races described by the traveller, and 

 his details of their strange and extraordinary 

 cannibalism, excited much interest, and pro- 

 duced protracted controversy ; but, in the end, 

 his statements were mostly corroborated by 

 missionaries and others, familiar with some of 

 the countries he had traversed. The only other 

 volumes of travels at all noteworthy, were 

 " Life and Adventures in the Southern Pacific," 

 by a roving printer ; " After Icebergs with a 

 Painter," by Rev. L. L. Noble ; " Pictures of 

 Southern Life," being W. H. Russell's Letters to 

 the London " Times " from the Southern States ; 

 and "European Recollections," by Peter C. 

 Baker. 



In the department of science and art, the con- 

 tributions were considerably numerous. Two 

 volumes of the " New American Cyclopaedia," 

 the 12th and 13th, were published during the 

 year. In mechanical science, Mr. A. L. Holley 

 issued a valuable work on " American and Eu- 

 ropean Railway Practice ; " Commander Walk- 

 er, of the United States Navy, "Notes on 

 Screw Propulsion ; " and the late W. H. King, 

 United States Navy, "Lessons and Practical 

 Notes on Steam, the Steam Engine, Propellers, 

 &c." In numismatics appeared : " Coins, Med- 

 als. Seals. &c.," by William C. Prime ; " A De- 

 scription of the Medals of Washington, of Na- 

 tional and Miscellaneous Medals, illustrated by 

 seventy-nine fac-simile engravings," &c., by 

 James Ross Snowden, Director of U. S. Mint ; 

 and " A Description of Ancient and Modern 

 Coins in the Cabinet Collection at the Mint of 



