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SELECT SPECIMENS OF ENGLISH PROSE.

27

"Mr. Hughes has exercised a just discrimination in the selection, considering not only literary merit, but soundness of information and elevation of sentiment. He has endeavoured successfully, we believe, to link together entertainment and instruction, and the book is superior of its kind to anything that has hitherto come under our observation. The questions and explanatory notes are concise and to the point."-Worcestershire Chronicle.

"These selections are in a great measure from modern writers, and have been adopted with a view of giving variety to the readings. The selections are made from the works of first-rate men, such as Stewart, Scott, Everett, Coleridge, Porter, Moseley, Giffard, Horne, Chalmers, &c. The essays are beautiful specimens of English composition, and form a fund of instruction and amusement."-Reading Mercury and Oxford Gazette.

"The object of the talented author of this work is to render it useful for schools and private reading, and a fit companion volume to his Select Specimens of English Poetry.' The bulk of the volume is prose, but it is, at the same time, interspersed with a pleasing variety of poetical pieces of the first order. In the moral section of it, the author has drawn largely from our older and standard divines, being of opinion that any youth, who is made thoroughly to comprehend and appreciate extracts from Hooker, Barrow, Taylor, and such class of thinkers, will not readily yield his judgment to declamatory writers of the present day.' In this respect the author has exercised a judicious judgment; and we hope his object will be attained, for, as he truly observes, the false and superficial knowledge 'that leads to bewilder and dazzles to blind,' will be best corrected, not by keeping men in total ignorance-for that, happily, is no longer possiblebut by imparting the fullest information on every subject on which they are inclined to think. On the whole, we regard this book not only eminently useful to schools, but containing, as it does, a fund of the most varied information, highly valuable to the general reader, and in every way calculated to add to the already well-earned reputation of the author."

-Cambrian.

"We have often had occasion to notice the educational works of Mr. Hughes, as being of a high and eminently useful character. Here is another of them a whole course of literature comprised in one compact little volume, and the matter so arranged under heads that the reader may in a moment gratify the bent of his mind. Under general heads, an immense number of the best passages in our best authors are collated, and whoever takes up this book will find it difficult to put it down again. Whether for reading in a social circle or in a school, it is equally admirable."-Brighton Herald.

"This is a work intended for the use of schools and private reading. Its arrangement and plan are excellent; the selections good; and the etymological appendix which is added will be very useful, and doubly acceptable to the private student. This work will add to the already fair fame of the author as an educational writer. We trust its success will be such as its merit deserves."-Wakefield Journal.

"Mr. Hughes, whose 'Select Specimens of English Poetry' formed so valuable a contribution to school literature, has here presented us with a companion work, and that in the most accurate sense of the word. He has exhibited in this compilation the same elegant discrimination which characterises the first-mentioned book, and he has taken a range in the selection of his materials, which, as it indicates a most extensive acquaintance with the best English writers on his own part, cannot fail to help the teacher in that which ought to be one of his chief studies, the development and direction in his pupils of the principles of taste. This little volume is

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SELECT SPECIMENS OF ENGLISH PROSE.

divided into seven sections, each being made up from a different class of subject matter, giving it a method not always found in compilation of so miscellaneous a character, and the variety of pieces under each head, in some fashion, serves the purpose of a regular treatise. Though professedly for schools, children of a larger growth may turn over its pages with pleasure and profit, and, upon the whole, it must be pronounced one of the best books of the kind yet published."-Kendal Mercury.

"Mr. Hughes, by his numerous and excellent school books, has already laid those who are engaged in the work of instruction, under deep obligation to him, and this Selection of English Prose,' will add to that obligation. Persons unacquainted with the work of instruction, know little of the difficulty of bringing the minds of the young to feel interested in what they read, or to know more than very vaguely and superficially hundreds of the words which they have in their lessons. Mr. Hughes is acquainted with the difficulty, and has adopted the plan of selecting from the lesson about to be read, the words which may be best analysed; after this has been done, the lesson is gone through, and these words as they occur in tne text, now fully understood, are felt in their full force and easily remembered. An etymological appendix is furnished for use in analysis. At the foot of each lesson, descriptions and explanations are given of men and things spoken of in the text, where a grammatical analyzation of the term used, would not be sufficient to explain it. The selections are well made, and are taken from a wide range of writers. We cordially recommend the book as a help to the schoolmaster because an attraction to the scholar."Poole Herald.

"The essays are beautiful specimens of English composition and form a fund of instruction and amusement."-Reading Mercury.

"This volume is a very excellent reading book, consisting of upwards of five hundred pages of prose extracts, interspersed with some appropriate poetical pieces, and it may with advantage be placed in the hands of youth. The selections are divided into sections, by which arrangement the attention of the pupil can be the more readily directed to any subject at the discretion of the teacher. Great care has been exercised in selecting the extracts, which include a large number from modern authors that have not yet appeared in the general class of school books. There are also copious selections of a moral and religious tendency from the older and standard divines, which it is hoped will counteract the tendency of the spurious and declamatory writings of the present day. The utility and importance of the work is enhanced by the copious notes, questions, and etymological appendix which are added."-Plymouth and Devonport Weekly Journal. "An excellent book for school reading. The selections are very various, and made with sound judgment, and in the best taste."-Critic.

"This is an excellent school book, and will also be found profitable for private reading. The selections are made with great care and taste. Most of the standard authors of our literature are laid under contribution, and subjects are brought forward about education and social progress, and, at the same time, religious and moral questions have been discussed, that have not received from teachers so much notice as their intrinsic importance requires, and the circumstances of the present age demand."”—Belfast News Letter.

"An excellent work which, as a reading-book, will be very useful to the youthful student, and, we have no doubt, also to many of larger growth. The selections are made with great judgment, and comprise the choicest pieces of the finest authors of classic English literature."-Trewman's Exeter Flying Post.

"Mr. Hughes requires no praise from us, and his name is now too well

A MANUAL OF EXPLANATORY ARITHMETIC.

29

known to require our notice. His series of school books may afford profit and pleasure to older readers than children, for, while his compilations show taste and judgment, his original works contain a vast amount of wellconsidered and well-arranged information. His present book is an excellent selection from our best prose classics."-Royal Cornwall Gazette.

"A very excellent school-book; the selections are made with great care, and the pages contain much valuable information judiciously divided into sections; all of which are admirably illustrated by judicious extracts from the clearest and best writers, and the volume presents a body of sterling literary extracts, which cannot fail of being read with pleasure and of improving the mind. We feel persuaded that the book, only requires to be known to be generally used in schools for class reading. Mr. Hughes, whose successful exertions in the preparation of works of instruction for the young, have been noticed in our columns, has by this production added much to the credit already due to him, and we feel a pleasure in again noticing his patriotic career."-Plymouth Herald.

XII.

m

Part I., price 1s.,

MANUAL of EXPLANATORY ARITHMETIC, Including numerous carefully constructed Examples, for the use of Elementary and other Schools.

"The standard of educational works is now so high, and masterly handbooks have so completely extinguished schoolmasterly ones, that there is usually but one test which is necessary to apply to a book intended for the student deprived of oral teaching. Is it philosophical? Does the book do a teacher's work? Does it require anything of the student but what it has previously prepared him to accomplish? Does it take for granted that he is acquainted with the precise meaning of technicalities, or does it insist on his understanding the exact value of a term which he is to use in a new process? If it be proved that these questions are satisfactorily answered, it is gratifying to us to recommend the book. We have never found them more satisfactorily answered than upon examination of Mr. Hughes's little work."Morning Chronicle.

"A well-planned and digested elementary work on Arithmetic, calculated to convey to youthful minds a proper knowledge of the principles and practice of that science."-Morning Herald.

"Mr. Hughes has written a clever little book with more incentive to thought than most works of the kind, very clear, and in a convenient size. His Exercises' show much judgment."—Atlas.

"The author states, that the plan of the work was 'adopted from a persuasion that arithmetic, when taught by rules, fails to awaken and bring into play the reasoning powers of children.' He starts well with notation, and clears up the mystery of unit and cypher in a manner that will be welcome to children, and refreshing to most teachers. The book proceeds as promisingly as it opens, and conducts the pupil through Proportion. A second part is to follow, which we trust will be as creditable to the zeal and ingenuity of the writer as the part before us."-Educational Times.

This useful and excellent little work supplies the clearest explanation of every step in arithmetic as the learner proceeds, together with well-arranged practical examples, framed upon the usual occurrences of life, of the workings of the general rules."-Morning Post.

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NEW EDUCATIONAL WORKS.

"There is nothing more difficult than to explain arithmetic by words. Even when the rule is learned, and young persons can cipher well, it rarely happens that they know the reasons why the process produces the result. These Mr. Hughes has endeavoured to teach, and more successfully than any former attempt we have ever seen. He further improves upon the old methods of teaching, by giving practical examples, and such as are likely to occur in life, and thus to make the sums interesting in themselves. We have been very much pleased with this new school-book."-Critic. "There are two good features in this little book: the sums set are on questions with which children are familiar, and the principles of the different formulæ are explained in the simplest way, Mr. Hughes professes to discard rules and so he does literally, but the pupil teaches himself the spirit of the rule."-Spectator.

"Mr. Hughes tells us, that his intention in composing this treatise, is to furnish children with elements of arithmetic; the questions being framed upon the ordinary wants and requirements of daily life,' as better calculated to exercise the ingenuity and intelligence of children, than calculations based solely upon mercantile transactions.' The idea is a good one. Clearness and simplicity in exemplification are of signal importance where very young people are in question; and the examples here given are as simple as could be wished. Mr. Hughes also intermingles examples deduced from dealings that may take place in the general course of trade. There is a juste milieu in this matter of adapting books of instruction for the young, and we are glad that Mr. Hughes does not lose sight of it."—Weekly Chronicle.

"The book on Arithmetic is constructed on a simple method, suited for beginners, and is manifestly the production of one who appreciates the difficulties which the youthful mind experiences at the outset of the study, and is anxious as far as possible to diminish them. His plan is to teach by examples, without, in the first instance, laying down abstract rules. The rationale of each process is explained in a simple manner, and the examples are not only well contrived for illustration, but for awakening and interesting the mind. They relate to familiar subjects, many of them are ingenious and striking. We have not often met with such a sensible school-book."The Scottish Guardian.

"The Explanatory Arithmetic,' besides exhibiting the methods employed in conveying to young persons a knowledge of the first principles of arithmetic, contains numerous carefully constructed examples for the use of elementary and other schools."-Bristol Mirror.

"Mr. Hughes, the able teacher of Greenwich Hospital, gives us a Manual of Explanatory Arithmetic, which is as simple and clear as elementary instruction could desire."-Literary Gazette.

"An elaborate help for elementary instruction in arithmetic."-John Bull. "This is indeed Arithmetic made easy.' The explanations are clear and simple; the examples copious, well arranged, and framed upon objects and occurrences in which children are likely to feel an interest."-Eastern Counties Herald.

XIII.
Price 1s. 6d.

ARITHMETICAL EXERCISES,
with Answers;

Being a Companion to the "Explanatory Arithmetic."-Designed for the Use of Teachers, Small Octavo.

GEOGRAPHY OF THE BRITISH ISLANDS, ETC.

31

XIV.

In the Press,

PHYSICAL, POLITICAL, INDUSTRIAL, AND COMMERCIAL GEOGRAPHY of the BRITISH ISLANDS,

AND

COLONIAL EMPIRE of GREAT BRITAIN. Designed for the use of Schools.

Mr. EDWARD HUGHES begs to direct the attention of teachers to this work, on the preparation of which he has been some years engaged. In addition to a full development of the different departments of Geography above mentioned the work will contain an historical outline of the British constitution, and the social progress of the people.

The following illustrative Maps (which are being engraved) have been constructed by Augustus Petermann, F.R.G.S., late of Baron Humboldt's establishment at Potsdam :

I. PHYSICAL MAP of the BRITISH ISLANDS, exhibiting the natural features of the land with the River systems. Engraved on steel, and printed in colours by HANHART.

N.B.-This Map is reduced from a large "Physical and Political Map of the British Islands," constructed by EDWARD HUGHES, and to which 106 square feet of space were allotted in the Great Exhibition of 1851.

II. POPULATION MAP, upon which the density and relative amount of population are indicated."

III. INDUSTRIAL or OCCUPATION MAP, exhibiting the Pastoral, Agricultural, Manufacturing and Mining Districts, the Fisheries, &c.

IV. GEOLOGICAL MAP, showing the geological formations of Great Britain and Ireland, with the various depths of the British seas.

V. RAIN MAP, showing the annual amount of rain in different localities.

VI. MAP of the WINDS, upon which their direction and duration are indicated.

VII. TEMPERATURE MAP, showing the mean monthly and annual temperature in certain localities.

VIII. POLITICAL and COMMERCIAL MAP of ENGLAND and WALES.

IX. POLITICAL and COMMERCIAL MAP of SCOTLAND.

X. POLITICAL and COMMERCIAL MAP of IRELAND.

XI. PHYSICAL and POLITICAL MAP of CANADA, the HUDSON BAY TERRITORIES, THE WEST INDIA ISLANDS, with the BRITISH POSSESSIONS in CENTRAL and SOUTH AMERICA.

XII. PHYSICAL and POLITICAL MAP of BRITISH INDIA, and the minor British Possessions in the East.

XIII. PHYSICAL and POLITICAL MAP of AUSTRALIA, VAN DIEMEN'S LAND, and NEW ZEALAND.

XIV. HISTÓRICAL MAP, illustrating the Roman and Saxon periods. The work will appear as soon as possible after the Population Tables from the census of 1851 have been published, and at a moderate price, so as to make it available to all classes of teachers.

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