reasoning, acting power of the wearer. For the use of mankind in general, and the clergy in particular. Manufactured by Philo, and warranted to do good service to all who wear it according to directions. New York: Published for the Author, by Carlton & Phillips, 200 Mulberry-street.-Such is the full title of a quaint duodecimo volume of two hundred and thirty-two pages forwarded us a few days since. Part of the volume pretends to be poctical. The ob ject of the volume, as we conceive it, is by an unusual style to excite to deeds of truc Christian duty.

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PERIODICALS AND PAMPHLETS.

THE WESTMINSTER REVIEW, for April, has articles entitled, Memoirs of the Court of Austria; Dryden and his Times; Our Army-its Condition and its Wants; Lord Palmerston as Premier; Victor Hugo and his Writings; Reorganization of the Civil Service; Administrative Example of the United States. The last article is one containing considerable that is complimentary to this country and its government. The review of Cotemporary Literature, in the back part of the number, as usual, has its thrusts at Christianity, and its leanings and advocacy of liberalism and a "new religion." Republished

by L. Scott & Co., 79 Fulton-street, New York. Terms— three dollars a year.

THE TENTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE MISSIONARY SOCIETY OF THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH SOUTH is a thick octavo pamphlet of one hundred and ninety pages, from which we learn that the South, for the year ending May, 1854, contributed for mission purposes, $168,931; that in the domestic and foreign work there are 300 missions, with some 270 missionaries, and that there are near 70,000 Church members in these different missions, and that about 25,000 children are receiving instruction in schools for their benefit within the bounds of these missions.

CHRISTIAN STEWARDSHIP; or, Mammon made Available in Personal Salvation, is the title of a missionary sermon delivered before the East Genesee conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, at Geneva, N. Y., August 21, 1854, by Rev. D. D. Buck. It is an able and seasonable discourse. Published by the Tract Society, 200 Mulberry-street, New York.

CATALOGUE OF DICKINSON COLLEGE, Carlisle, for the Year 1854-5-Rev. C. Collins, D. D., President. Students in College, 178; in preparatory department, 67: total, 245.

ANSWERS.-Mr. Editor,-I observe in your department of "Notes and Queries," of the April number of the Repository, a few "Queries" unanswered. I propose briefly to answer three of them.

First Query."Is the mind conscious of its own exist ence, or only of its own operations?"

Answer. The term consciousness means to know inwardly, and is one source of our primary, rational knowledge. It is the only power by which we have knowledge of whatever is passing in our own mind. We can not strictly be said, therefore, to be conscious of any thing that is past, or future, or that passes in the mind of another, or that pertains to the material world. All subjects of consciousness are, in the first place, actual entities or qualities, and when we become conscious of them, they become subjects of absolute knowledge. As to the essence of mind, or that of which the mind is made, nothing can be known; here philosophy is at a stand. No one can tell what is the essence of matterall we know of it is the knowledge we have of its properties. So it is with mind. Our answer, therefore, is, that the mind is not conscious of its own essence, or "existence," but only of its own personal phenomena, or

TARIFF "Can you, or any of your correspondents, Mr. Editor, give me the etymology of this word so much used in political science and by political newspapers?"

Answer.-An exchange solves the query propounded in this way: "At the southern point of Spain, running out into the Straits of Gibraltar, is a promontory. Here stands a fortress called 'Tarifa.' It was the custom of the Moors to watch from this point all merchant ships going into or coming out of the Mediterranean, and to levy duties according to a fixed scale on all merchandise passing in and out of the Straits, and thus was called, from the place where it was levied, 'Tarifa' or 'Tariff,' and in this way we have acquired the word."

THE WORD THUG.-"I often hear," says a correspondent, "and read of the word Thug, Thugs of India, etc., but am at a loss for its technical meaning. Can you help me out?"

Webster defines the term as referring to a band or association of Asiatic robbers and assassins. Their geo

and precise subjects of consciousness.

Second. "Whence originated surnames?" Answer. It is supposed, by some eminent writers, that "surnames "9 originated from the various professions, trades, and employments of men. Thus from clerk, we have the surname Clark. Thus we have Lawhead, Lawyer, Merchant, Taylor-German, Schneider-Farmer, Gardener, Shoemaker, Smith, etc. I suppose as Adam was the first horticulturist, his name, in full, was Adam Gardener; and as Cain was a "tiller of the ground," his name was Cain Farmer; and as Abel was a "keeper of sheep," his name was Abel Shepherd.

tion apparently the most amiable and friendly. They never or rarely attack travelers as regular assassins do; but get into pleasant conversation with them, invite them to sit down and take a meal with them; and when

they have been so far successful, they most dexterously slip poison into the rice eaten by their guests, and thus murder them; then bury them underground, and make off with their effects or property.

A SINGULAR SEA CUCUMBER.-In an article in the North British Review, on the "Wonders of the Shore," we find the following paragraph respecting certain milk-white

slugs which are found cuddled on the under side of seamerged rocks: "You try to pull them off, and find that they give you some trouble, such a firm hold have the delicate white sucking arms, which fringe each of their fine edges. You see at the head nothing but a yellow dimple; for eating and breathing are suspended till the return of tide; but once settled in a jar of salt-water, each will protrude a large primrose-colored head, tipped with a ring of ten feathery gills, looking very much like a head of 'curled kale,' but of the loveliest white and dark chocolate; in the center whereof lies perdu a mouth with sturdy teeth-if, indeed, they, as well as the whole inside of the worthy fellow, have not been lately got rid of, and what you see be not a mere bag, without intestine or other organ-but only for the time being. For hear it, worn-out epicures, who bemoan your livers, this little Holothuria knows a secret which, if he could tell it, you would be glad to buy of him for thousands sterling. For to him blue-pill and muriatic acid are superfluous. Happy Holothuria! who possesses really that secret of everlasting youth, which ancient fable bestowed on the serpent and the eagle. For when his teeth ache, or his digestive organs trouble him, all he has to do is just to cast up forthwith his entire inside, and for a month or so, grow a fresh set, and eat away as merrily as ever. His name, if you wish to consult so triumphant a hygieist, is Cucumaria Hyndmanni, the sea cucumber of Hyndman, named after Mr. Hyndman, of Belfast, his first discoverer."

THE GREAT HEREAFTER.-"As you deal in 'Notes' as well as 'Queries,' permit me to call your attention to the following lines, which, in my fugitive reading the other day, I crossed with my pencil:

'Above the gloomy grave our hope ascends,
Een as the moon above the silent mountains.
These partings are reunions in the skies;

To that great company of holy ones

We go;

In shadowy void, betwixt two worlds, we stand;
The distant All-Light opes its wicker-gate,
The future beams auroral, flesh expires,
The soul begins its perfect day.'

To my view there is something touchingly beautiful-lingering resonance of heaven, if you will allow me the phrase in these lines. You have seen the leaden sky of November at times, no doubt, when the sun, struggling in his course, has broken the clouds away. A bland light diffused itself over the rigor of the season, and there seemed something of bloom or warmth of coloring in the blue track of the skies. And thus, is it not, dear Editor, in man's dark days the sun of hope breaks the clouds of sorrow, and shines down beams of golden bliss and glory on his pathway?"

THE CLIMATE OF BRITAIN.-"It is generally conceded, I believe, that the climate of England is far milder than that of the United States, taking the same degree of latitude in comparison. Is this opinion correct or incorrect? QUERIST."

The opinion is correct; and in explanation of it the Scientific American suggests the following, which we do not, however, altogether indorse: "The waters of the Gulf Stream are very warm, and by their influence the climate of Great Britain is rendered extremely genial, even as far north as fifty and fifty-four degrees of latitude. Were the Gulf Stream diverted from its course so as to break upon the coasts of Spain only, natural

philosophers inform us, the island of Great Britain would soon become a bleak, cold, and inhospitable region, with a climate as cold and a winter as long as that of Labrador, and Ireland would cease to be called the Emerald or Green Isle of the Sea; for her fields would be covered with snow during eight months in the year instead of luxuriant herbage. Geology tells us that at an early period of the world's history the Gulf Stream did not break upon the shores of Britain, and that at that time it was as cold as Iceland. By very many modern scientific men the Gulf Stream and the river Amazon are considered identical."

QUERY.-"Who is the author of the following lines on the Bible? Dr. Dick ascribes them to Lord Byron; but I have seen them otherwise credited. CORA.

"Within this awful volume lies
The mystery of mysteries.
O, happiest they of human race,
To whom our God has given grace,
To hear, to read, to fear, to pray,
To lift the latch, and force the way;
But better had they ne'er been born,
Who read to doubt, or read to scorn.'"

Though originally written in pencil marks in a flyleaf of a copy of a Bible owned by Lord Byron, and in consequence credited to him, it has been shown that they were written there by his friend and cotemporary, Sir Walter Scott.

CATSUP, CATCHUP, OR KETCHUP.-Not one of these words appears in Johnson's Dictionary; but in Mr. Todd's edition of Johnson the word catsup is written, and right after it "See catchup." Under this latter word he says, "Sometimes improperly written ketchup a poignant liquor made from boiled mushrooms, mixed with salt, used in cooking to add a pleasant flavor to sauces." Mr. Todd gives no derivation of the word itself, and yet pronounces the very way of spelling it improper.

QUERIES. We furnish below a number of queries sent us for solution; some of which we might answer ourselves, but we would prefer to see our correspondents exercise themselves in the work:

1. Who is the author of the one-versed prayer of childhood, embraced in the following:

"Now I lay me down to sleep,

I pray the Lord my soul to keep;

And if I die before I wake,

I pray the Lord my soul to take?"

It has been attributed to Watts time and again, but I am at a loss to find it in his collected writings.

2. Do the iron tracks of railroads, interlacing various parts of a country, have a tendency to prevent the accumulation of electricity in certain localities, and thus cause drouth and a lack of thunder-showers?

3. I often hear the petition in prayer put up, "Make us fit meat for the Master's use and the Master's table." Is there any such expression in the Bible, or any thing approaching to it, or is the thing itself not absurd?

4. Will you please to give the origin and application of the word Commencement as applied to the closing exercises of the college year?

5. Who is the author of the following beautiful stanza?

"That very law which molds a tear
And bids it trickle from its source-
That law preserves the earth a sphere,
And guides the planets in their course."

—, and

REPROOF SHORTENED.-Jarvis, a painter, was one day employed in painting the portrait of Bishop during the progress of the sitting the venerable prelate began to remonstrate with him at the dissipated course of life into which he had fallen. Jarvis made no reply; but dropping his pencil suddenly from the forehead of the portrait to the lower part of the face, he said, with a slight motion to the reverend sitter, "Just shut your mouth, my lord." By painting upon that feature, he "changed the subject" in two senses.

BISHOP CHASE ON PROPER NAMES.-The late Bishop Chase, of Illinois, had a dislike to having Greek and Roman names imposed upon children, which he displayed very pointedly on one occasion when a child was brought to him to be baptized.

"Name this child," said the Bishop.

"Marcus Tullius Cicero," answered the father. "What?"

"Marcus Tullius Cicero."

"Tut! tut! with your heathen nonsense! Peter, I baptize thee," and the child was Peter thenceforth and forever.

A PULPIT APOLOGY.-An Irish preacher once broke off the thread of his discourse, and said to his hearers, "My dear friends, let me tell you that I am half through my sermon; but, seeing your impatience, I will say that the remaining half is not more than a quarter as long as that you have heard."

PHILOSOPHICAL.-Southey says, in one of his letters, "I have told you of the Spaniard who always put on spectacles when he was about to eat cherries, that they might look bigger and more tempting. In like manner I love to make the most of my enjoyment; and though I do not cast my cares away, I pack them in as little compass as possible, and carry them as conveniently as I can for myself, and never let them annoy others."

AN UNWELCOME REVELATION.-A lady resident in Lancashire, who had a select party the other day, proposed after dinner to have a little spirit-rapping. She accordingly retired with her friends to the drawing-room, and commenced operations on an elegant new table, which she had just received from a first-rate cabinet-maker. "Now, good Mr. Table," she said, "I beg you will answer any questions that may be put to you by myself or this scientific company." The table instantly replied, "I winna say nowt till oize paid for." This was a complete settler.

WHAT'S IN A NAME.-What strange coincidences in names are constantly occurring! Thus, for instance, we observed the other day, that Mr. Cross was appointed to the Spiteful, and Mr. Boxer to the Gladiator. Admiral Boxer has gone to the Black Sea to box the compass, and box the Russiaus, too, if he has a chance. General Blazer,

the Spanish War Minister, has been extinguished by the flame of revolution. The rearguard of the Russians in Wallachia is commanded by General Pop-off, and the vanguard of the Turks by General Cannon, and we have seen that Cannon has made Pop-off hop off several times in very good style. The Turks, we opine, must be delighted to have such a Cannon-aid on their side; and, verily, a braver Briton does not stand on the face of the earth than this said Cannon. Differing from other Cannons, he never goes off, but always goes on, in front of an enemy, never hangs fire, never recoils, although, doubtless, he kicks terribly. In short, this Cannon is truly a great gun, with no blank firing about it.—English Paper.

AN OLD WOMAN'S PATRIOTISM.-At a recent meeting of the London Missionary Society, the Rev. Mr. Rice, missionary from India, stated that he was lately in the same train with the Fusilier Guards on their way for the east. At the station an old woman, evidently in an agony of grief, came up to him, and said, "O, sir, I've

got six sons going to the Russians! but, hard as it is to

part with them, I don't care, if they do but beat the Russians. I can give them all up!" The reverend gentleman proceeded to contrast this with the unwillingness of most parents to give up their sons for missionary work.

AN EARLY HEARER OF DR. CHALMERS." Well," said one of the merchant friends of Mr. James Chalmers to him one day, wholly ignorant of his relationship to the Doctor-whom he had never gone to hear-"have you heard this wonderful countryman and namesake of yours?" "Yes," said James, somewhat drily. "And what do you think of him?" "Very little, indeed," was the reply. "Dear me!" said the astonished inquirer, "when did you hear him?" "About half an hour after he was born."

A SMART REBUKE.-A minister of the Kirk, in good old Scotland, once discovered his wife fallen asleep in the midst of his homily on the Sabbath. So, pausing in the steady, and possibly somewhat monotonous flow of his oratory, he broke forth with this personal address, sharp and clear, but very deliberate "Susan!" Susan opened her eyes and ears in a twinkling, as did all other dreamers in the house, whether asleep or awake. "Susan, I didna marry ye for your wealth, sin' ye hae'd none. And I didna marry ye for your beauty-that the hail congregation can see. And if ye hae no grace, I have made but a sair bargain!" Susan's slumbers were effectually broken up for that day.

NEW POET.-A correspondent sends us a small poem, which he says "he compozzed awl himself." One verse will do for a specimen:

"A squirrel is a prete burd,
Its got a quirlie tale;
He stol awl mi daddiz korn,
And et it on a rael."

A HARD HIT.-A gentleman of a miserly disposition, somewhat wounded at a sarcasm played upon him by an acquaintance, said he wished he was in Parliament, if it were only to propose a heavy poll-tax on wits. "Ay," said the satirist, “I do not wonder at that, because you know it would not affect yourself."