Literature. Reviews.

Commons ; with descriptions of the inner life of tho country never before published , or indeed discovered . Volume six is so far advanced as only to need a little arrangement from Lord Macaulay ' s great friend , Mr . Ellis , who is left his literary executor . Lady Trevelyan is chief executor , almost everything being left to her ; and in her hurry preparing to go out to Sir Charles , at Madias , tho precious MSS . and other valuables are for the present deposited in Drummond ' s bank safe—not to be

kept there long , I hope . " The Camden Society has nearly ready for issue to its members the two following promising works : —1 . " Letters of George Lord Carew , afterwards Earl of Totness , to Sir Thomas Eoe , '" edited by John Maclean , Esq ., F . S . A . 2 . "Narratives of the Days of the Ileformation , and the Contemporary Biographies of Archbishop Cranmer ; selected from the papers of John Foxe the Martyrologist , " edited by John Gough Nichols ,

Esq ., F . S . A . A fund is being raised for the benefit of the family of . the late Mr . Bayle St . John , the biographer of Montaigne , author of the " Subalpine Kingdom , " " Purple Tints of Paris , " and many other lively and striking works . Subscriptions are received by Messrs . Twining , ^ bankers , 245 , Strand , payable to the joint account of Mr . Edward Copping , Mr . John Smith , and Mr . Horace St . John .

Earl Stanhope inaugurated the statue of Lord Olive , at Shrewsbury , on Wednesday week . The statue is by Baron Maroehetti , and is well known to the London public—having , until a few clays ago , stood on a pedestal in front of the Privy Council Office . Samuel Johnson's god-daughter , for whom Messrs . Charles Dickens , John Forster , and Thomas Carlyle , a few years ago succeeded in raising a subscription , has not survived long to enjoy the annuity which was its result . The following announcement of her death was advertised in tbe Times : — " On the 15 th instant , at No . 5 , Minerva-place , Hatcham , S . E ., Ann Elizabeth , eldest daughter of the late Mauritius Lowe , Esq ., of the

Hoyal Academy , Gold Medallist , and god-daughter of the late Samuel Johnson , LL . D ., aged 82 . " Mr . Murray ' s long-announced edition of Pope is being seen through the press by Mr . Elwin , the editor of the Quarterly . At the meeting of the Society of Antiquaries on the 12 th January , J . Bruce , Esq ., a vice president was . in the chair , and Mr . Charles Spencer Percival and the Rev . Robert William Eyton were elected Fellows .

Mr . Godfrey exhibited a tilting helmet . Mr . Godfrey Faussett exhibited a finger ring , set ivith an engraved stone , the work of the fourteenth century . Sir W . C . Trevelyan communicated copies of Soman sepulchral inscription , at Leiria , in Portugal . Mr . B . Williams communicated remarks on the locality eal led " Staue . " in the Saxon Chronicle . A letter was read from M . Troyon , addressed to Mr . Wylie , " On . Recent Diseov . erics of Early Antiquities in the Beds of the Swiss Lakes . " Mr . Hart

read transcripts of "Expenses of the Sheriff of Hampshire on the Trial of Sir Walter Raleigh , Lord Cobham , and the other Conspirators in the Arabella Stuart Plot , 1603 . " On ihe same daj r Sir Ben jainin Brodie presided at the Hoyal Society . Tin . Right Hon . Lord Stanley was admitted into the Society . The following papers were read : ' ' On the Forces that produce the Great Current of the Air and of the Ocean , " by Mr . T . Hopkins . " On the Movements of Liquid Metals and Electrolytes , " by Mr . Gore . " Notes

of Researches on tho Poll-ammonias , " No . 7 , by Dr . Hofmnnn , F . R . S . Astronomers ( says the Saturday Analyst ) have for some time been anxious to discover the planet or planets which were suspected to produce certain abberrations in the movements of Mercury , and the recent observation of one small body by M . Lescarbault , has induced M . le Verrier and others to look for a plurality of revolving bodies instead of a single orb . Concerning the newly recognized member of the solar

system , M . le Vomer says that if . its orbit were circular , half its major axis would be ecpial to 0 . 1427 , taking half the major axis of the earth ' s orbit as unity . He concludes that its period of revolution is nineteen days seven hours . Being only one seventeenth of tho bulk of Mercury , and very near the sun , it has been easy for it to have escaped observation , and it is no small credit to an amateur astronomer , with rude imperfect apparatus , that he should have been the first to detect its existence ,

although scores of practised star gazers were directing the best instruments in the direction where it was supposed to exist . Tn addition to the search for more planets , those learned in celestial ways will shortly be on the look out for another great comet , which is expected to flourish as grand a tail as the memorable one of ' 58 . This comet was looked for on the 2 nd August , 1858 , but as it did not then appear , and there wns an uncertainty of ten years in the astronomical data , it is now expected in the August of the present year . If Pio Mono

Literature. Reviews.

keeps an astrologer , ho will watch its advent with alarm , for ou its appearance in 12 ( 5-1 , Pope Urbau VI . fell sick , and died on the night that it passed away from human sight . This comet ivas described by eye witnesses as the most magnificent that had ever been seen , and is supposed to be identical with thnt of 1556 , whose brilliancy ivas less , remarkable . The coming eclipse of July ISth , 1800 , occupies much , attention , but it will uot be visible in this country . A " Revised Path

ofthe Moon ' s Shadow" has been issued from the " Nautical Almanack " office , and Professor Airey has published instructions for observations on Mars . It is expected that photography will render valuable aid in recording some of the phenomena of the eclipse . It will be employed to copy the forms of the coloured flames if they should appear , and to obtain images of the solar ring . Mr . Faye intends to take a photographic apparatus to Spain , which will register the precise time between the

beginning aud the termination of the total obscuration . It will contain a band of sensitive paper , ivhich . will be exposed to the light as concentrated by a lens , and will be wound off at a given rate per second . Talking of the sun we may mention some curious discoveries recently made by M . cle Chacornae and Professor Secchi , the one occupying himself with the light , and the other with the heat , and arriving at analogous results , from which it appears that the light and heat giving

powers of tbe great luminary are unequally distributed over his surface . The central space possesses these powers in the highest degree , and a zone nearer the circumference only emits one half the intensity of the former . Another solar phenomenon of interest was the sudden outburst of a batch of brilliant light on tho 1 st of September , 1859 , which was noticed by Mr . Carrington , and by Mr . Hodgson of Highgate . The former estimated the velocity of its motion at the rate of thirty-five thousand miles during the five minutes it was seen . Also , on the 22 nd October , Mr , Dawes noticed a bright streak , whose edges projected beyond the disk . -.

The Masonic Mirror.

THE MASONIC MIRROR .

MASONIC MEMS . WE understand that a petition has been presented for a charter for a new Lodge in Norwich , to be called the " Cabbell Lodge , " ( after the respected Grand Master ofthe province ) , and to meet at tho Star Inn . A suBSCRir Tio _* has been opened for the purpose of presenting' a testimonial to Bro . Dorling , Prov . Grand Secretary of Suffolk , as a " mark

of personal esteem , ancl of appreciation of the energy and ability with whicli lie lias discharged his Masonic duties for a period of eighteen years . The list of subscriptions is headed by the names of Bro . Roxburgh , 6 . Reg . and acting Prov . G . M . ; and the . Rev . F . W . Freeman , D . Prov . G . M . Bro . Mills , P . Prov . S . G . W ., is tho Treasurer , and Bro . Aldrich the Secretary . A PROVINCIAL GRAND LODGE for Leicestershire will be hold af ; the Freemasons' Hall , Leicester , on Tuesday next ,

ROYAL FREEMASONS' GIRLS SCHOOL . A MEETING of the General Committee was hold at tho offices , on Thursday , Bro . John Udall , V . P ., in the chair . The minutes of the House Committee having been confirmed , mid other formal business gone through , notice of motion was given for the next uarterly court to the effectthat in future any steward whose list

q , of subscriptions at the annual festival should amount to £ 250 , should , on the same being paid , be elected a vice president of the institution . It was resolved that the thanks of the committee be given to Bro . Francis Crew , Secretary , for attending the Prov . Grand Lodge of West Yorkshire , and for his earnest appeal on behalf of the institution , contributing very materially , in their belief , to tho vote ' of . £ 105

subsequently carried in Prov . Grand Lodge . That the thanks of this committee he a / so given to Bro . 73 . H . Patton , P . G . S . B ., for his readiness in accompanying Bro . Crew , and for his constant efforts to promote the interests of this charity .

ROYAL BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION FOR AGED FREEMASONS AND THEIR WIDOWS . THH first anniversary festival of this excellent institution , in succession to the triennial festivals hitherto held , came off iu Freemasons' Hall , on Wednesday last , and was a most complete success . The chair wan occupied by Bro . the Right Hon . Lord Leigh , Prov . G . M . for Warwickshire , who was supported by Bros . Lord de 'Tabley , S . G . W . ; Col . Burlton ,