Religions, and the Language and the earth." A home reviewer speaks Literature will be of special value of the author as “too much resto the general home reader. This tricted to the limitations of a popuvolume taken with Prof. Douglass'lar style” and as “ restricted to the “Confucianism and Touism,” pub- barest details ;" but this is in other lished last year by the same Society, words only expressing the wish must assist materially in giving that the work were something else English readers a well-rounded tho' than it was intended to be. not extensive view of these "ends of L. H. G. а are Corea, The Hermit Nation. . By W. E. Griffis, author of “The Mikado's Empire.” New York. Chas. Scribner's Sons, 1882. 8vo., pp. xxiii. 462. This work has not yet been re- as our acquaintance with the coun. ceived in China, though announced, try increases, to learn whether these and reviewed, by periodicals in New higher figures are confirmed. The York. We venture to mention it New York Independent wittily rein our present number, as it will so marks :-" Thus far, our transacsoon be accessible. The author was tions with this people have stood never in L'orea, but his acquaintance on the somewhat obscure basis of with Japan must have assisted him genseng. The admirers of Premuch in apprehending some of the sident Edwards will recall the dispeculiar phases of Corean life and tress of that good man when his history; and he has availed himself Stockbride Indians [in the early of all sources of information, pre- part of last century] took to the eminent among which the woods, in a sudden frenzy, to get Jesuits' publication within the last rich by digging this spicy root few years. He is quoted by one from the ground. Around“ Domiof his reviewers as saying “ Corea nie Kirkland's” mission to the and Japanese life, customs, belief, Oneidas it was genseng which enand history are often reflections abled the colonists in the stress of one of the other. Much of what is reported from Corea, which the eye their first years to buy bread. Their witnesses themselves do not appear hot search has now exterminated to understand, is perfectly clear the plant. For these many years to one familiar with Japanese life not a root has been found in all and history. China, Corea, and these valleys, but the trade goes on. Japan, are as links in the same The Corean demand [and Chinese chain of civilization." Mr. Griffis also] continues, and draws its supestimates the population of the plies from ground that lies still Corean peninsular at 12,000,000 further west." It will be interesting, in due time, L. H. G. Le Mahométisme en Chine, et dans le Turkestan Oriental. Par P. Dabby de Thiersant: 2 Vols., Paris. Ernest Leroux. 1878. The Future of Islam. By Wilfred Scawen Blunt. London: Kagan Paul, 1882. French & Co., Paternoster Row. Islam and Its Founders. By J. W. H. Stobart, B.A., Principal Le Martmere College, Lucknow. Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge. Lon don. 1878. 66 The Coran-Its composition and teaching, and the testimony it bears to the Holy Scriptures. By Sir Wm. Muir, M.A., D.C.L., Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge. SEVERAL other recent works might be noted on the increasingly interesting subject of Mahomedanism, which has of late attracted so much attention, but the above will suffice for our present purpose. Mr. Bosworth's Lectures in 1874 on Mohammed, and Mohammedanism," gave in England great impulse to this subject, and they have had a large following in their very favorable estimate of the religion of The False Prophet. The increasing feebleness of the Sick Man of Eastern Politics, and the recent outbreaks in Egypt and Soudan, with the possibility of yet further complications in the near future, render the whole subject of Mohamedanism especially interesting; and we of China do well to turn our frequent attention toward it as a force which has not exhausted all its possibilities in the Flowery Kingdom itself. undisguised religious position as a It : The work, whose title we have first given above, deserves especial attention from missionaries in this land, as the first extended study of Mohamedanism in China. Mr. Thiersant is a somewhat voluminous author on various military, scientific, and religious subjects relating to China. His position of late years as Consul-General and Chargé d'Affaires de France, has given him some special facilities for gaining out-of-the-way information, and his Kansu 8,350,000 Shensi Shansi & S. Mongolia 50,000 250,000 3,500,000 to 4,000,000 The Liau Tung. 21,000 40,000 40,000 Szechuen... 200,000 Chekiang, Fukien... 30,000 This gives a total of between twenty and twenty one millions for the whole Empire; and our author remarks that the figures have been arrived at from facts given by mandarins, Romish priests, and other prominent individuals. Mr. Blunt, in the second of the books mentioned above, estimates the total of Mahomedans in Asia and Africa at 175,000,000; of which he allots 15,000,000 to China. It is evident, that, notwithstanding the great desolations this religion has of late years experienced here, its numbers are by no means despicable, and missionaries in China find themselves profitably involved in the study of the general subject of Mahomedanism. Kuenen, in his "Rational Religions, and Universal Religions," the Hibbert Lectures of April and May of this year, affirms that "Islam is advancing, and spreads more rapidly than either Buddhism or Christianity." Even if this be so elsewhere, it is by no means true in China; and it certainly has very large advances yet to make before it can approximate Christianity with its 400,000,000, and Buddhism with its 450,000,000, which are the estimates given by Kuenen. The general question of the future of Islam, receives very various answers from our different authors. Mr. Blunt, the grand-son-in-law of Lord Byron, and who has of late received the maledictions of many English for the moral "aid and comfort" he rendered to Arabi Pasha during the last year, finds it difficult to fully and sufficiently express his "supreme confidence in Islam, not only as a spiritual, but as a temporal, system, the heritage and gift of the Arabian race, and capable of satisfying their highest aspiration." Again he says "Islam has so much to offer to the children of Ham that it can not fail to win them-so much more than any form of Christianity or European progress can give. Central Africa then may be counted as the inheritance of Islam at no very distant day." And again "Its moral advance within recent times in the Malay Archipelago, in China, in Turkestan, and in India, encourages the supposition that under alien rule, Mahomedanism will be able to hold its own, against all rivals, and that in the decay of Buddhism, it, not Christianity, will be the form under which God will be eventually worshipped in the Tropics." Very divergent from this is Mr. Thiersant's expectation that Mahomedanism in China will ultimately be merged into the Roman Catholic form of Christianity. And even Dr. A. Kuen, quoted above, with all his "liberalism" says, Mahomedanism "misses the power so to transform itself as to meet the requirements of a higher type of life which in its present form it cannot satisfy." Islam and Buddhism alike fail to acquit themselves of their task beyond a certain point. There they find a line drawn which they cannot pass, because their origin forbids it." Mr. Stobart's unpretentious little volume written in the midst of Indian Mahomedanism, to our mind presents the whole subject in a very fair and judicious manner, and arrives at very opposite conclusions from such writers. as Messrs. Bosworth Smith, and Blunt. The concluding words of his book are, "Light and darkness, are not more opposed than the loving dictates of the Gospel, and the revnegeful spirit of the Coran, in ever advance except by removing which hatred and oppression take their religion.” We would draw the the place of love and forgiveness of the attention of missionaries to Sir injuries; and the denunciations of Wm. Muir's valuable little book. the prophet contrast with the voice From the Coran itself arguments of the Good Shepherd, which speaks are drawn for the Holy Scriptures, of peace and good will to mankind.'' the various passages being quoted And the conclusion reached by the one by one from the Coran in the Rev. C. Leeds, D.D. in his lecture original Arabic with translations. in “The Faiths of the World,” is This work is proving very useful in doubtless well sustained, that no India. race swayed by Mahomedanism can L. H. GULICK. 66 Journal of the North-China Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, 1882. New Series, Vol. XVII., Part I. This is an unnsually interesting num- their minds the mode in which the ber of this Society's Journal. It Customs were managed at Canton contains five articles. Art. I. Notes 130 years ago. It will be evident to on Chinese Composition, by Herbert all residents now in China how very A. Giles. Art. II. On the Geology different and how much more satisof the Neighborhood of Nagasaki, factory the Customs regulations now by H. B. Guppy, M.B. Art. III. are as compared with former days. Notes on the South Coast of Sagha- The Bibliography is a notice of an lien, by G. C. Anderson. Art. IV. erudite Chinese Grammar by the Annam and its Minor Currency, by able sinologist Von der Gabelentz Ed. Toda. Art. V. The Hoppo- who is the Professor of Chinese in Book of 1753, by F. Herth. Biblio- the University of Leipsic. Every graphy. Mr. Giles, after giving a list reader will regret that Dr. Herth, of the Figures of Rhetoric as pre- who we suppose is the writer of the sented in works of Rhetoric presents notice, bas made it so short. And a pertinent example illustrative of all students of Chinese, except Gereach kind from Chinese literature mans, on reading how exhaustive with some explanatory remarks. The this work is of Chinese Grammar article on Annam will command the will regret that it is published in most general interest as it is a very German. It is of course most na- : well prepared and exhaustive paper tural that an author should write on the subject which it treats. It in his own language but it is also is illustrated by the representation to be supposed that an author writes of some 290 coins. We commend to benefit his fellow men. While this paper to all who are interested the number of Germans who are in collecting coins. studying Chinese is rapidly increasThe Hoppo-Book of 1753 will be ing, yet it is comparatively very of especial interest to all former limited as compared with those of residents in China as bringing to all nationalities. If the author had prepared this Grammar in Latin or, which Mr. Giles translates "the old gentleman of the sky," putting the first noun in the genetive; and might be according to that rendered literally "old Heaven's gentleman." But, with all deference to Mr. Giles, we would render these words "Old Heaven, the gentleman," making these two nouns in apposition. According to the rules above referred to the words English it would have assisted, on a moderate estimate, ten times as many as it will in German. We would suggest that some competent German scholar, with the concurrence and cooperation of the learned author, should at once bring it out in English, for the benefit of the many who would be able to use it in that language. We have no access to the German, but we would call attention to a point which is presented in the synopsis presented in this notice. At page 240 the writer presents Prof. Von der Gabeltz's rule for the collocation of nouns when two occur together and one is in the genetive case. On the next page is presented the rule for the collocation of nouns which are in apposition. The rules are correct and they are correctly stated. The point we would suggest for the consideration of those who write on Chinese grammar is this: According to the rules given, when two nouns are placed together they may either be in regimen, with the other as the genetive, or they may be in apposition; how shall we determine in disputed or doubtful cases what is the grammatical relation which the one noun sustains to the other? An example in point occurs at page 5 of this number of the journal: may be construed both ways. How shall we decide which is correct. Of course there is the appeal to the sense and the propriety of the thing. The adjective "old" does not belong to the second noun but to the first noun "heaven" and is a title of respect. The words would read strangely if read applying the adjective to where it belongs "Old Heaven's gentleman," but the other rendering is perfectly congruous to the Chinese ideas. But beside this we have a similar expression A, which rendered making the first noun in the genetive would read "Heaven's grandfather." But construing the two nouns thus occurring in apposition they would read "Heaven grandfather," heaven being personified and thus addressed. as grandfather. Chinese Grammar gives us some rule of grammar by which we can be guided in such sentences. A Manual of Historical Literature; comprising a brief description of the most important histories in English, French and German. By Charles Rendall Adams, LL.D., Professor of History in the University of Michigan. New York: Harper and Brothers. 1882. WE give the title of this book in full because it states clearly the purpose of the author in its preparaWe bring it to the notice of our readers because it supplies a In tion. want which so many have felt. |