we know not-Mr Jardine's method of teaching, and a most laudable at tention is paid to the enforcement of self-exertion on the part of the Student. But it cannot, and it ought not to be concealed, that this university is miserably deficient in arrangements for the teaching of Greek and Latin. During one session only is Greek made a regular study, and Latin seems to be still less attended to. This arrangement, whether originating in the constitution, or from the adjustment of the Professors themselves, or from both causes united, is manifestly a bad one. The degree of classical knowledge, with which boys generally come up to our Scottish Universities, is very limited indeed, and such a deficiency in our college system of education serves to convince them, that even this scanty portion is superfluous. We are happy, however, in having it in our power to accompany this censure with a more than compensating measure of praise, in regard to that wholly peculiar, but in our apprehension most judicious arrangement, under which logic does not come as in the other Universities, to be taught immediately after the languages, but gives place for two years to history and natural philosophy. This appears to us to be the course pointed out by nature, who, at a very early period of life, makes natural or experimental philosophers of us all, whilst she reserves the higher speculations about mental powers and moral principles to the more aged and experienced.* The University of Edinburgh is decidedly the best attended of all the four, having matriculated last session upwards of two thousand students. This university enjoys many advantages, arising not only from its more recent, and consequently more liberal foundation, but still more immediately from its seat in the midst of a very general and favourite winter resort, and from the extensiveness of its provisions for conducting the studies of students. As a medical school, it has long stood unrivalled, but we are not aware of any very decided superiori. ty it has obtained in other respects. The truth seems to be, that notwithstanding the eminent names which are to be found amongst the list of Professors, names which attract Students from every country in the civilized world-the system of education here pursued, is almost universally aknowledged to be faulty in the ex treme, and altogether unsuitable to the age, and the acquirements of by far the greater number of students. In the logic, natural, and moral phi losophy classes, in particular, lectures are delivered at the rate of one hour per day, of which no regular account is taken from the student, and which he may, in fact, either attend to or not, as suits his inclination or conve nience. In the language classes, indeed, the students are examined, tasks are assigned, and exercises, ac companied by the excitement of a very few trifling prizes, are prescribed; but from the limited previous proficiency of the students here, as well as in the other Scotch universities, the Professor becomes, in fact, a schoolmaster, under peculiar and very disqualifying circumstances. Thus have we endeavoured to fulfil our original design of laying before our readers, a general view of "the present state of Education in Scotland;" and, in doing this, we have been led to consider many and peculiar advantages of which Scotland is, in this respect, possessed. We have *Vide "A View of the System of Education at present pursued in the Schools and Universities of Scotland, by the Rev. Mr Russell, M. A. Leith.” seen that Education, in some one of its forms, is not only accessible to all, but almost unavoidable by any. That it commences at a very early period, originating not in any direct legislative enactment, or state contrivance, but emanating from a peculiar and felicitous arrangement of society-and that it extends its influence not only to the great and the powerful, but still more effectually and extensively over the middle and lower ordersthat it opens a door of ambition within the view of the most unaspiringand excites to excellence the more spirited and generous. But the facilities which such ar rangements present, have likewise been discovered to be very capable of abuse. Boys, from the easy access which they have to early education, are pushed on at an early period of life into advanced studies-our parish schools are, in many instances, conducted with so little classical spirit, or advantageous arrangement, that many parents are glad to hurry their halfeducated sons up to College, that they may repair, under a Professor, their school deficiencies; and in all cases, the period allotted to school acquirements appears to be too limited, and altogether inadequate to the object proposed. And hence our Universities are crowded with pigmy philosophers, who, although they think themselves much beyond submitting to any more humble species of study, are in truth quite incapable of reaping any solid advantages from the prelections and metaphysical disquisitions of a Professor. The foundation being thus superficially, because hastily and prematurely laid, the superstructure becomes insecure, and betrays more of the frost-work of hasty and ostentatious acquirement, than of the solidity and security, which well arranged and carefully digested knowledge dis covers. When praise has been in our power, we have given it, we admit, with something like a feeling of patriotic pride-but where censure has been necessary, we have endeavoured to bestow it in dispassionateness and charity; and our suggestions of improvements have been made with an unassumed deference to that public opinion, under the enlightened judgment, and to the unbiassed awards of which, we now willingly leave the whole subject. FRENCH BIOGRAPHY. As a great number of persons are mentioned in the narrative of French events for this year, of whose previous lives our English readers can have had no opportunity of gaining any very accurate knowledge-persons, indeed, of whom the greater, or at least a very considerable number, had rarely been mentioned in any histories of our times, till after the restoration of King Louis-we have thought that we might be rendering an agreeable service, by collecting from various French works which have fallen into our hands, the most authentic notices of them. Our obligations have chiefly been to the excellent book lately published, under the name of " Biographie des Hommes Vivants," the writers of which deserve infinite credit for the exertions they have made to collect materials, with regard to the eminent individuals of this and of many other countries, as well as of their own. DUC DE FITZ-JAMES. This nobleman was born in the year 1776. He is descended from the royal house of Stuart, being the great-grandson of the famous Marshal Berwick, grandson of Marshal Fitz-James, and grand-nephew of the Bishop of Soissons. After having received an admirable education, he chose to leave France, where the Revolution had commenced, and retire to Italy. In that classical country he did not idle away his time, but ac quired new knowledge and accomplishments. After a stay of two years, however, he joined the army of the princes in Germany, and served with much honour as aide-de-camp to Marshal de Castries. The next country which he visited was England, to which he received permission to retire. During his stay in the British dominions, he devoted himself to study-visited the most remarkable places of the three united kingdoms, and found, from the reception which he received in the Highlands of Scotland, that the name of Stuart is still venerated there. M. de Fitz-James married in England Mademoiselle de la Touche, who has brought him three children. At last, when the revolutionary tempest began to calm, he returned to France; but the property which he had left there was passed into other hands, and he lived in an honourable obscurity. He might, had he chosen, have done otherwise, for he received the highest offers from the Imperial Government, but persisted in refusing them. At the close of the year 1813, he entered as corporal into the first legion of the National Guard of Paris, judging that in that situation occasions might occur in which he could be useful to the royal cause. It happened, that on the 30th of March, 1814, when the battle of Paris took place, he was on service at the barrier of Mousseaux. The intention was, that a desperate attack, commencing with the National Guard, should be made against the allied troops, a scheme which appeared likely to involve the ruin of Paris; and when he saw some of the guard beginning to skirmish with the Cossacks in the plain, his anxiety was extreme. At this junc ture, the commander of the legion appeared with an order, signed Joseph Buonaparte, to move towards the enemy. There was not a mo ment to be lost. The column was in motion to obey, although eight days before the most solemn promise had been given that it should never be required of the National Guard to pass the barriers. Here M. de FitzJames interposed. Leaving the ranks and standing on a small eminence, he harangued the company, and represented in a few words, but with great force, what conduct they ought in their present circumstances to pursue. He told them expressly, "That it was their duty to disobey-that the safety of the inhabitants of Paris would be compromised if they should advance a single step-that nothing could be more extravagant than to expect that a few thousand citizens, ill-equipped, were able to oppose those troops, before which the bravest army in the world had been obliged to retire that if Paris should be entered by force, nothing could save the women and children from the fury of a soldiery irritated by the opposition they had encountered-in short, that the only end which such an order as this was calculated to serve, was to sacrifice the capital, and give a shock to the whole country." The speech of the duke had the desired effect. In vain did some of the officers rush forward, presenting the points of their swords to his breast. Some debating ensued, but the opinion of Fitz-James was generally approved of; for, with the exception of a few of the privates, who were speedy enough in coming back, all the battalion remained within the barrier. Next day, Fitz-James joined the royalists, who shewed to the Emperor Alexander, by their cries of "Vive le Roi!" and their white cockades, that the Bourbons were not forgotten by the French. The lively emotions, however, which he felt on that glorious day, with the agitation which he had suffered before, had nearly cost him his life; for he returned to his house oppressed by a burning fever. The indisposition, however, soon left him, and only deprived him of the happiness of assisting at the entrance of Monsieur into Paris. That prince, who was well informed of the proofs which he had exhibited of his attachment to the royal cause, immediately appoint ed him one of his aides-de-camp. In this capacity, he had the honour of attending the brother of the king in his journey to the south of France; and, on returning to Paris, was named first gentleman of the bed-chamber to Monsieur. On the 4th of June, he was created a peer of France. When Buonaparte landed, he attended Monsieur to Lyons, and returned with his royal highness to Paris. He then went with him to Ghent, and was one of his suite when he again entered France. In the year 1814, he had received the charge of transacting a delicate piece of business with the king for General Bertrand, with whom he was connected by means of his duchess, the half-sister of Madame Bertrand. Towards the end of August, 1815, M. Bertrand de Chateauroux, the general's father, denied the authenticity of a letter, in which his son entrusted the Duc de Fitz James with the business of presenting to his Majesty, Louis XVIII. the assurances of his loyalty and devotion, charged the duke with ingratitude, and, in support of that charge, made many unwarrantable assertions. The follow ing was the answer of the duke. It was dated 7th September, 1815, and appeared in the public journals. "It was impossible for M. Bertrand to make any reply, except by insult or declamation, to that which had been proved before a notary to be true-Declamation is ridiculous-insult will not be able to hurt me. "It had been better for him to have kept silence; for his letter does not disprove the authenticity of that of his son, nor the lies to which I had replied and these were the only points of the least importance. "Being unable to deny what I affirm, he has resorted to falsehood, in order to injure my character; but the time is now passed for calumny to remain unrefuted. I am indebted to General Bertrand neither for my liberty nor for my life, and I am not a little astonished to hear him called my benefactor. If I lost my fortune while performing my duty, I never was in circumstances which rendered it necessary for me to have recourse to the generosity of any man. "The general is my brother-in-law, having married my sister-in-law-not my unfortunate sister. I never asked a favour from him, and I lie under no obligation to him whatever. He made several attempts to bring me over to his master, and from the manner in which he listened to and appreciated my refusals, I was led to think him a man of honour. I was his relation, and frequently met with him, but was never his intimate friend. I esteemed him for the step which he took, on departing for Elba. He professed that he was loyal, and I entertained no doubts of his sincerity. Thinking that he was incapable of breaking his word, I transmitted his letter to the king, and pledged myself for his fidelity. But the month of March proved how much I had been mistaken with regard to him. The man who is guilty of taking false oaths, and who, from the dictates of a criminal ambition, becomes the abetter of odious projects, which end in the misery of his country, must cease to have any share of my regard; and, however intimate I may have been with him, I can no longer consider him among the number of |