dykes of Holland; and by recollecting that the draining of the Pontine marshes has baffled the attempts of the Roman engineers, from the time of the emperors to the present day.

From the buildings still in existence, their number and magnificence, from the temples, palaces, tombs, obelisks, and pyramids, and the extent of territory in which their inscriptions are found, together with the particulars of these inscriptions, the power and wealth of the individual kings of Egypt may be estimated. These hieroglyphical writings give the names of the sovereigns by whose enterprise and taste the stupendous works in question were raised, and in many cases add their parentage, their queens, and their predecessors. But we must extract some account of hieroglyphical writing, and the manner in which it came to be understood.

"The most valuable record of this kind is a tablet discovered at Abydus, by Mr. W. J. Bankes, which is a list of the kings of the Thebaid, arranged in the order of their succession. It is broken in part, but seems to have contained, when perfect, seventy-eight ovals or names. It may be remarked, that the name of a king, when written at length, consists of three parts; first, a square name, which seems to have been the least essential of the three, and the most often omitted: secondly, an oval containing a name, which to us is only symbolic, or a picture, whatever it may have been to the Egyptians themselves; and this name is the one most often used in the historical inscriptions: and, thirdly, the phonetic name or oval, containing a number of letters which may be spelt and pronounced; and this is the only one which we can compare with the names handed down to us by the ancient authors, for, whenever the symbolic oval occurs alone, we can only so use it when we have already learnt the phonetic name belonging to it, by finding the two ovals together in some other inscription. The square name is usually preceded by an eagle and ball, the symbolic name by a twig and insect, and the phonetic name by a goose and ball. These three groups of characters must each be interpreted king, for want of knowing the distinction between them. Now it is to the learned industry of Mr. Wilkinson, who has collected the complete names of the kings, from the various monuments, that we are indebted for being able to determine the phonetic name belonging to each symbolic

name.

"The knowledge of hieroglyphics which we at present possess owes its origin to the Rosetta Stone in the British Museum, which contains a decree in honour of King Ptolemy Epiphanes, in three characters. One of these is Greek, which, though defaced in parts, and in some places obscure, has been pretty well explained by the sagacity of several critics; and in this portion it is stated that the decree was ordered to be written in Sacred, in Enchorial, and in Greek writing.

"Dr. Young, by a careful comparison of the Greek with the hieroglyphics, counting the recurrence of the more marked characters with a degree of acuteness which those accustomed to decyphering will duly appreciate, determined first the name Ptolemy, and then allotted to each portion of hieroglyphical writing its portion of meaning, and, by a comparison of the recurrence of the same character in those different portions

with the recurrence of the same Greek word, he was then able satisfactorily to allot to several other hieroglyphical characters their respective meanings. In many cases the meaning could only be affixed to larger groups of characters, and it is only by the discovery of the same characters occurring in other inscriptions, differently grouped with known characters, that the meaning has been affixt to individual characters. And in the same way, the meaning has been affixt to numerous other characters by a judicious selection of hieroglyphical sentences, in which a new cha. racter occurs in such connection with known characters, that only one meaning can be attributed to the new one,

"

This study has been pursued with considerable success by M. Champollion, Mr. Wilkinson, and others, but there remains a large number of characters not yet understood, which is very little to be wondered at, when we consider that our knowledge of the language is derived from the translation of the decree upon the Rosetta Stone, which was written in Lower Egypt, B. c. 195, and that the other hieroglyphical inscriptions which we wish to read were written at various times during the preceding twelve centuries, and chiefly in Upper Egypt."-pp. 54, 55, 141, 142.

Mr. Sharpe presents us with some interesting suggestions regarding the form of government, as it prevailed in Lower Egypt-for it generally formed a separate kingdom from Upper Egypt-a circumstance which is of great importance, when collating particulars from different historians or sources, concerning the general name. It is remarked, for example, that women were allowed to succeed to the throne at a very early period-a circumstance that proves a quiet possession and polished manners in the people. The government was monarchical, but could not be despotic in the bad sense of the word, since, as the author continues to state, the king was surrounded by an hereditary order of soldiers, and an hereditary order of priests, who possessed civil power. It is also ascertained, that the sovereign could do no wrong, and that his advisers had to bear the blame. He was sometimes of the sacerdotal order himself. The privileged order, it would appear, took care of their own interests, as in other countries and at later times, for they held their estates free of rent and taxes, while the people paid a fifth of the produce to the crown. Each city had a tutelary divinity, and probably in all cases, the chief-priest was the chief magistrate.

Some notices concerning the physical character of the ancient Egyptians must conclude our extracts; for, as in the cases of their architecture, and the methods in which they recorded their history, it appears that they studied to contrive means by which they could render everything imperishable.

"That neither the Egyptians nor their Ethiopian neighbours were Negroes has been so often and so satisfactorily proved that it seems hardly necessary to allude to the opinion by the paintings in the tombs at Thebes we learn that they were well acquainted with the Negro race, and while these are painted black they are themselves painted of a red colour. There is a considerable difference between the statues which

we possess of the kings of Upper Egypt and the mummies, which are all probably far more modern; and neither of these agree with the present race of Egyptians. The portraits of the kings, although sufficiently removed from the Negro, have rather prominent jaws, thick lips, and a broad flattened nose; they have also prominent eyes, a considerable beard, and long hair of this form of countenance we have numerous specimens in the British Museum. In some of the mummies, the difference from the above-described character is very great; the nose is long and slender and finely arched, the lips thin, and of this the engraving in Mr. Pettigrew's History of Mummies is a good example. Blumenbach, as quoted in Lawrence's Lectures on Physiology, divides the Egyptian mummies into three classes; the first he calls the Ethiopian variety, carefully remarking that by that name he does not mean Negro, but those having a physiognomy similar to that of the Egyptian statues; secondly, the Hindoo or Eastern variety, which agrees closely in physiognomy and bodily structure with the inhabitants of Hindostan ; and thirdly, the Berber variety, having loose cheeks, large projecting eyes, and a swollen habit of body. These three subdivisions are all included by Blumenthe group bach and Cuvier, in the Caucasian variety of the human race, which includes all those nations that have made the great advances in civilization."-pp. 121, 122.

of

From the familiarity which the author displays over his subject; from the clearness, brevity, and talent, with which he has placed before the reader all of importance that has yet been discovered of person ancient Egypt, or at least all that is necessary to enable a ordinary understanding and acquirements to arrange and make use of the more voluminous works of others in the same field, we have no hesitation in saying, that the present work deserves universal favour. By his easy, plain, yet elegant style, and his rejection of a parade of learning-while his learning is apparent as well as his good taste-he has rendered a subject, that is usually put into a forbidding form, perspicuous and engaging. His chart, map, and tables, increase very much the value of the work. For young, as well as advanced scholars, we feel confident that "The Early History of Egypt" will become a standard book, both as one for referring occasionally to, for the better understanding of other publications, and as a historical work for thorough and continuous perusal.

ART. IV. The Reports of the Common Law Commissioners on the Inns of Court. London.

Or the learned professions in the united empire, under the British Crown, none of them can boast of a greater number of distinguished men than that of the law. This opinion may with perfect confidence be expressed, in regard not only to the present time, but to the two or three last centuries. Indeed, we may speak in the superlative degree, and aver, that whether talent, learning, independ

ence of character, honourable conduct, or superior accomplishments, be considered, the higher orders of lawyers in Great Britain and Ireland are, and have been, the most eminent of any class of men whatever, that have flourished in these countries. By the common consent of the people this is an established truth. There is no class in ordinary or business life that is treated with equal respect; nay, no other order have so generally, and with so much satisfaction to the community, been raised to the highest honours and places in the state. But, confining ourselves to the legal profession, as it exists in England, and to some of the principal points in the present report, regarding barristers, advocates, and judges, we will find sufficient to show why such a superiority arises, as we have now asserted.

There are three causes, it appears to us, which may be assigned for that superiority which we assert that the higher branches of lawyers maintain over the other learned professions. The first is, the character and manner of their education; secondly, the class of persons who betake themselves to the profession; and, thirdly, the manner in which the legal business of England is conducted.

We have first instanced the nature and manner of the education of those who study for the bar, and from whom all the judges of the superior courts are elected, as a cause for their future supereminence. It may be said that it is only in common with others that they receive a liberal and enlightened education; that those, for example, who are bred for the church, enjoy equal opportunities, and are equally celebrated throughout their academical and university career. True; but education neither ceases on closing a curriculum at college, nor for many years after. We shall confine our

notices under this head to the uses and the regulations of the four Inns of Court, viz. the Inner Temple, the Middle Temple, Lincoln's Inn, and Gray's Inn, in one of which every person who obtains the rank of barrister-at-law must have been enrolled as a student-he being previously possessed of certain qualificationsand where he must remain for a certain number of years, before he can apply for a call to the bar.

These Inns at one time bore a very strong resemblance to universities. They conferred their degrees of apprentice or barrister, and sergeant-at-law, in the same manner that the universities conferred the degrees of bachelor and doctor of law. Lectures were given; prayers were daily read in the chapels; questions were daily mooted; and the students constantly lodged there, dined, and supped in the halls of the Inns, in vacation as well as term time. Each Inn had regulations regarding the conduct of the students, similar to those established at the universities. Lord Coke thus describes the Inns at his time.

"As there be in the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford divers

degrees of general sophisters, bachelors, masters, doctors, of whom be chosen men for eminent and judicial places both in the Church and Ecclesiastical Courts, so in the profession of the law, there are mootmen, which are those that argue readers' cases in the Houses of Chancery, both in terms and grand vacation. Of mootmen, after eight years' study or thereabouts are chosen utterbarristers. Of these are chosen readers in Inns of Chancery. Of utterbarristers, after they have been of that degree twelve years at least, are chosen benchers or ancients; of which one that is of the puisne sort reads yearly in the summer vacation, and is called a single reader, and one of the ancients that had formerly read, reads in Lent vacation, and is called a double reader, and commonly it is between his first and second reading, about nine or ten years. And out of these the king makes choice of his attorney and solicitor-general, his attorney of the court of wards and liveries, and attorney of the duchy, and of these readers are sergeants elected by the king, and are by the king's court called ad statum et gradum servientis ad legem; and out of these the king electeth one two or three as please him, to be his sergeants, which are called king's sergeants. Of sergeants are by the king also constituted the honorable and reverend judges and sages of the law. For the young student, which most commonly cometh from one of the universities for his entrance or beginning, were first instituted and erected eight houses of Chancery to learn there the elements of the law, that is to say Clifford's Inn, Lyon's Inn, Clement's Inn, Barnard's Inn, Staple's Inn, Furnivals's Inn, Thavie's Inn, and New Inn, and each of these houses consist of forty, or thereabouts. For the readers, utterbarristers, mootmen, and inferior students are four famous and renowned colleges, or houses of court, called the Inner Temple, to which the three first houses of chancery appertain, Gray's Inn, to which the next two belong, Lincoln's Inn, which enjoyeth the last two but one, the Middle Temple which hath only the last. Each of the houses of Court consists of readers above twenty, of utterbarristers about thrice So many, of young gentlemen about the number of eight or nine score, who there spend their time in study of law, and in commendable exercises fit for gentlemen. The judges of the law and sergeants being commonly above the number of twenty, are equally distinguished into two higher and more eminent houses called Sergeant's Inn. All these are not far distant from one another, and altogether do make the most famous university for profession of law only that is in the world, and advanceth itself above all others, quantum inter viberna cupressus."

There are many curious details given by the old authors, of the usages observed in these Inns in former times. Every one who has read Sir Walter Scott's Fortunes of Nigel will retain a lively impression of the revels and the pranks of the youths who frequented the cloisters of the Temple. They had their festivals, their masquerades, their pageants, and their pastimes of various picturesque kinds. They had their lords of misrule, their jack-straws, their kings of the cockneys, the description of all which is equal to anything of the romantic kind belonging to former times. The Inns were the residence too of many of the sons of the nobility, and men