We have read the sermons, sketches of sermons, and letters in this volume with considerable attention, and regret finding in them so little to praise. Mr. Downing died when but twenty-six years old, in Boston. He was a pious, earnest and efficient minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and, had he lived to a mature age, we doubt not, would have been one of the most useful clergymen of his denomination. But, however excellent his qualities as a man or as a preacher, his printed discourses bear too few of the marks of genius or learning to secure for him a high reputation as a writer. They are not distinguished for graceful expression, vigor, or originality. The fraternal partiality of the editor deserves not to be censured, but the common practice of printing sermons, “called so,” as Bishop Andrews well remarks, “by a _charitable construction_,” and other “remains,” not originally designed for the press and unworthy of publication, is an evil which can be remedied only by honest critical judgments. * * * * * _Elements of Chemistry, Including the most recent Discoveries and Applications of the Science to Medicine and Pharmacy, and to the Arts. By Robert Kane, M. D., M. R. T. A., &c. An American Edition, with Additions and Corrections, and arranged for the use of the Universities, Colleges, Academies and Medical Schools of the United States. By John William Draper, M. D. New York, Harper & Brothers._ Chemistry, more than any other science, is progressive. In the work before us Mr. Kane has exhibited with great ability its advancement, general extent, and present condition. There is no lack of elementary works on the subject, but we know of none which enter into it so fully or are so clear and comprehensive as this. Dr. Kane ranks among the first philosophical inquirers of the day, and is probably unequaled as a chemist. The American editor is likewise well known for his profound knowledge of this science. In looking through the work we have been particularly pleased with its practical character—the explanations it contains of the various processes by which chemistry has been made to contribute to the progress of the arts, which enhance its value to the medical practitioner and the manufacturer. * * * * * _Lives of the Queens of England, from the Norman Conquest: With Anecdotes of their Courts. Now first published from Official Records and other Authentic Documents, Private as well as Public. By Agnes Strickland. Second Series. Three volumes, duodecimo. Philadelphia, Lea & Blanchard._