editor's table. 
325 
®Mtot*’0 Sable. 
Cultivation of Flax; the Fattening of Cattle' 
with Native Froduce; Box-feeding; and Summer-j 
grazing. By John Warnes, Esq. London: Clowes 
& Sons, Stamford Street. Pp. 321, 8vo. Through j 
the politeness of Mr. Henry Coleman, we have re- j 
reived a copy of this able and well-written work, j 
which, it is to be regretted, cannot be republished in 
this country entire. For the benefit of our readers, 
however, who are interested in the flax cause, we pro¬ 
pose, hereafter, to publish in our columns, in a con¬ 
densed form, a series of articles from this treatise, 
wnich we hope will receive an attentive perusal. 
Vestiges of the Natural History of Crea¬ 
tion ; with a Sequel by the same Author, and an 
Appendix containing an Article from the North Bri¬ 
tish Review. New York: Wiley & Putnam, 161 
Broadway. Pp. 498, 12mo. Price 75 cents. A gene 
ral notice of this work having been given at page 70, 
vol. 4, of the Agriculturist, we are now only called 
upon to notice the fourth edition, greatly amended by 
the author, and the “ Explanations.” That a work, 
like the present, should have raised a vast number of 
admirers on one hand, and a host of antagonists on 
the other, is no more than could be expected. Indeed, 
that the author is open on all sides to criticism, is 
abundantly apparent to any one who will examine 
the work with reference to such points of detail as 
may be most familiar to himself. It is therefore sur 
prising that the opponents of the peculiar opinions set 
.forth in this remarkable volume, if they are not true, 
should not have been able to adduce a more powerful 
array of arguments, founded on facts, against this 
nameless author.” He contends that no specific 
cieation has ever taken place; but that the Almighty 
has commanded matter to obey certain laws, which 
have been in operation from the beginning; that the 
effect of these self-acting laws has been the produc¬ 
tion by successive degrees of completeness of our 
globe and all that it contains ; that they are still in 
operation as they always have been, and that they 
will continue to act to the end of time. 
Admitting this theory to be correct, it would follow 
that new and more perfect species of plants and ani- 1 
mals must have been successively appearing since ( 
life was first infused into matter by the will of the ! 
Creator ; that races in like manner have disappeared, j 
and have been succeeded by others (as geological evi- ' 
dence conclusively proves); that new species are still 1 
appearing on the face of the globe ; and that, finally, j 
man himself will disappear, to be succeeded by beings 1 
more perfect in their nature, and more nearly allied to | 
angels. This, in the opinion of the author of the I 
“ Vestiges;” is a more philosophical way of account- j 
ing for the appearance-of new races of living things ! 
than to assume that every new form of plants and ani- j 
mals is produced by the special and direct iiiterven- 1 
lion of the Almighty ; and, he adds, $1 in a more rever¬ 
ential way.” The weakest point, however, in this j 
theory unfortunately consists in the absence of proof! 
that new species are still appearing on the earth. The j 
author ought to produce evidence of it, if the views he j 
entertains are just, or his theory falls ; for, the law of j 
creation v hich he assumes to rule the universe; must | 
be, and has been, ceaselessly in action from the beginning of 
time, and can know no pause! 
Lectures to Young Men, on Various Important 
Subjects. By Henry Ward Beecher, Indianapolis, la. 
Tenth Thousand, Salem, Ms. John P. Jewett & Co., 
and Saxton & Miles, 205 Broadway, New York. Pp. 
251, 12mo Price 62fc cts. This excellent little work 
is so widely circulated and generally known, that any 
further encomium of ours would seem useless. All 
we can say, is, if there are any young men in our 
highly-favored country who have not read it, let not 
another week pass over their heads without being fully 
acquainted with its contents. 
A Catalogue of Valuable Standard Works, 
in the Several Departments of General Literature. 
New York. Harper and Brothers, 82 Cliff st. pp. 98, 
12mo. This new Catalogue, having been constructed 
with a view to the especial use of persons desirous of 
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well as principals of District Schools and Seminaries 
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economy in price and neatness, often great elegance of 
typographical execution, in many instances the rates 
of publication being scarcely one-sixth of those of simi¬ 
lar issues in Europe. Copies of this Catalogue may 
be obtained, free of expense, by application to the 
Publishers personally, or by letter, post-paid. 
A new Universal and Critical Dictionary, 
of the English Language, by Joseph E. Worcester. 
The Dictionary of Johnson as corrected and enlarged 
by Todd, and Walker’s Critical Pronouncing Diction¬ 
ary, have been made, in some degree, the basis of this 
work; but the words found in those dictionaries have 
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Great attention has been bestowed on pronuncia¬ 
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