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IS or docs Mr . Ferrier hesitate distinctly to intimate that , in his opinion , 1 Into , Kant , Schclling , Hegel , lleid , Locke , Leibnitz , and all other philosphcrs , have m ade but confused work of it ; and that the new Institutes of Mc / ap / iysic ought to cleanse the Augean stable of their errors and inconsistencies . W hat , then , is the srrand initial axiom from which Mr . 1 erner starts in this -work , and if you grant him which , all his other propositions , he thinks , hold together like a chain of iron links ? It is this—that it is the " primary law or condition of all knowledge" that : — Along- with whatever any intelligence knows , it must , as the ground or condition of its knowledge , have some cognisance of itself .
This proposition stands as Proposition I . of the first book of the " Institutes , "—that book constituting what Mr . Ferrier calls the Epistemology , or Theory of Knowing . " Twenty-two distinct Propositions , all reasoned out from the first , compose this book of Epistemology , in -which are laid down the necessary limits and grounds of all knowledge . To the Epistemolooy succeeds what the author calls the " Agnoiology , or Theory of Ignorance ^ in which , in eight Propositions , the necessary limits of human ignorance are marked out . Then , in the third book , consisting of eleven Propositions , is given the " Ontology , or Theory of Being . " The last Proposition in this book we shall quote by way of sample , and as showing whither Mr . Ferrier ' s theology tends : —¦ All absolute existences are contingent except one ; in other words , there is One , but only one , Absolute Existence which is strictly necessary ; and that existence is a supreme , and infinite , and everlasting Mind in synthesis with all things .
The forty-one Propositions of the entire work , with the attached demonstrations , form the " Institutes ; " but to each proposition there is attached a series of " Notes and . Explanations" intended to exhibit the popular and psychological errors which the Proposition chases away , and so to work the Proposition more thoroughly into the reader ' s mind . In these " Notes and Explanations" there are casual reviews of all the great philosophical controversies of the past—the Nominalist and Realist controversy , the controversy as to the origin of knowledge and the like—and criticisms , some of them severe enough , on past philosophers . Altogether , Mr . Ferxier ' s is a bold and ingenious work , which may be recommended to those who want an intellectual
gymnastic , or who want to know what " Metaphysic" is now understood to be . There are ^ powerful and even , eloquent passages in it , and the style is as lucid as the subject admits of ; but we question very much whether Mr . Ferrier ' s brother metaphysicians , if he is left to their tender mercies , will not tear some parts of his work to pieces . Nor can we possibly bring ourselves to think that Mr . Ferrier ' s own Taluation of the book will be generally accepted in metaphysical circles . He comes forward , it will be observed , as a species of Idealist—his main principle being , that the subject cannot know the object -without knowing itself along with the object ; and his whole work consisting of a development of this principle .
"I do not trouble myself with thinking about thinking , " was Goethe ' s saying , and it expresses the general feeling about metaphysics . After alL , however , people must now and then , in their thoughts about things , come to that point where the relation of thought to things ^ becomes itself a , matter of thought . Genius itself is , after a sort , a susceptibility to the metaphysical ; and everybody , without knowing it , has a crude metaphysic of his own ; so that if a poor fellow ean make this metaphysic a little more clear and articulate , no harm is done . Comte ' s doctrine of Positivism is that people ought to go on acquiring a knowledge of the things in the ship , without ever minding the ship ' s relations to the sea . But it can ' t be done ! And though the stars may be seen by looking tip a chimney ( which is the way most people see the stars , each person thinking his own particular chimney tlie finest tube in the world through which to view the luminaries ) , commend us to the man who now and then takes a wide walk at night round the walls which separate the little city of life from the dark and tindefined country beyond , bringing back with him the awing sensation of the outer immensity into the homely : md narrow streets .
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BOOKS OP TRAVEL . Travels of an Arab Rferchant in Soudan . ( The Black Kingdoms of Centred Africa ?) Abridged from the French . Hy liayle St . John . Chapman and Hall . The , Bungalow and the Tent ; or , a Visit to Cet / lun . liy Edward Sullivan . 13 entloy . The narrative , written in Arabic by the Sheikh Mohammed of Tunis , of his travels and experiences in Central Africa , was translated into French by the learned Dr . Perron , and edited by M . Jomard , of the Institute . The present work is nn nble abridgment of Dr . Perron ' s translation , which , too voluminous for popular reading , was , nevertheless , a version rather thnn a reproduction of the original Arabic . We concur in Mr . Bayle St . John ' s appreciation of the work he has thought it wortli while to reduce to a popular form . The Sheikh deserved translation , and what is even a nobler metempsychosis than a savant can confer , lie deserved to reappear in readable and familiar . shape .
We have been anted with the Asian mystery by countless " doors" of the East , more or less flippant or profound ; but of the African mystery who will sound the depths ? Wo know the con . it of Africa , it is true , to our coa t ; hut of the torrid Negro kingdoms , stretching from the centre to tho east and to tho south of that vast expanse , we are only beginning to recognise tho existence . Of the two countries visited by tho ( Sheikh , Dnrfur and V / adni , only tho former has been once visited by u European , in 1 79 ;) ; " and it is extremely probable , " writes Mr . St . John , "Ihat for many years to como the information contained in the present volume will not bo superseded . " Tho countries described ( wo quote from the preface )—
-Though iriolfiLctl bolli by position iiikI policy , « ro mifTk'ieiilly romnrknblc not to tie-Horvo ut . tui' lu'u'lwt . Tlinv form pavt ( if thu grout Hy * tt ! ii » of link's— bluok in popululriliuu , hut M ' liliomcilnii in religion — which Ht I'dchcn li'to « holt ihtosh ( . 'ontnil . Africa , with uncixplorod oxpuunon of l ' uganirtin to tho Mouth , and to tli « nort . li a duHorl , dotted vlt . li oamin , iukI marked with ciimvtin trucks loading to tin ; i \ I < ' arfur . That cuut . ii . mn littlti kingdom ni , opn tho vmy . It . in ho funrful of ugu're ^ ion fi ' oiiv Kgypt —not entirely without caimu —that it will not allow thti ouhIcmI . roiiti-H to bo iuu « l , and conipclrt all <; iiriiviuiH to vouch iU froiiLlurn exhausted by u two mouths' miu'oh ucrows tho dortorl from Miout .
The expedition sent by her Majesty ' s government , under the late Mr . Kichardsonwhich already counts two martyrs—will have vastly enlarged our knowledge of the largest , most populous , and most important Central African kingdoms . Drs . Barth and Vogel are still making gallant geographical forays towards the south—creating , as it -were , ground under their feet . It is not probable , however , that the German travellers will be able or willing to penetrate eastward across the kingdoms described in this volume , although Mr . Richardson had contemplated such a josrney , and had communicated , through , government , with the English consul-general in Egypt , that the way might , to a < certain extent , be prepared . I believe it is still the practice , £ f not the rule , in Darfur , to pre-vent all strangers who penetrate into the interior of the kingdom from going away again . However , strong representations from Egypt might have obviated this difficulty . At present -we cannot expect the experiment to T ) e tried , aa Dr . Barth seems to ba directing his attention to a still more difficult expedition .
Mr . St . John attributes the condition of these countries to the practice of slavery which the Sheikh , with perfect naivete , and without attaching any importance to the information , represents as the condition of the more savage populations under their half-civilised Mahomedan masters . The development of commerce appears to be the only practicable solution of this terrible problem ; but commerce must be preceded by discovery , and the success of the heroic pioneers ( amon « whom already may be numbered the names of martyrs ) in these deadly and difficult explorations is inevitably the work of many years to come . Mr . St . John glances at the Nile , as the proper road to these kingdoms of Eastern . Africa : —
If a regular government were established in Egypt , exercising its authority firmly over the southern provinces that now , for all practical purposes , axe but nomiually subject , commerce would soon begin to flow in its natural channel , and merchandise , whicli is now principally brought across the desert , would be directed to the nearest point upon the Nile , which would be soon laden with fleets , of boats dropping down with the current . There are the elements of an empire more important thaa Hindustan between Alexandria and the fourth parallel of north , latitude . We shall now make room for the Sheikh himself whom our readers will find a most agreeable ^ shrewd , and lively acquaintance for a winter ' s evening . His conversation is that of a travelled man of the world , easy , genial , and suggestive . Common sense , bonhomie , a keen sense of enjoyment , a brisk
habit of observation , the deep natural piety of tine Oriental , tempered with a quiet self-possession which has often the air of an indulgent scepticismthese are the characteristics of our pleasant and -worthy Sheikh , who more than once reminds us of the Father of History , by the spontaneous fullness of his stories and tlie sparkling freshness of his comments . Although in the present abridged version the Sheikh comes to us through the filtering process , of a double translation , lie retains nearly all the eharm of his indir viduality . Thanks to the evident sympathy and fidelity with , which Mr . St . John has executed the arduous task of abridging and condensing , without weakening or effacing the original , we can promise the reader of these Travels an agreeable reminiscence of the Arabian Nights . We have said that the Sheikh is a bit of a philosopher . Observe now lie administers a quietus to the
OLD MAN OP THE MOUNTAXN . On a certain day of the year the Sheikh , or Old Man of the Mountain , of whom we hare spoken , is visited in crowds by tlie people for consultation . On that Bolemn day , set apart for divination , lie predicts what is to com « to pass during the year , — drought or rain , war or peace , serenity or misfortune , disease or health . His prophecies are profoundly believed ; but the Forians differ in opinion about tlie source and the cause of the po-wer which he possesses of seeing into the future . Some pretend that he works by divine inspiration , and that he who .-wears the dignity of Sheikh of the Mountain , is necessarily , and always , illuminated of God , and a holy personage-This is the explanation of the learned men of Darfur . Others declare that the genii tell him what is to come to pass . For my part , I do not know what value should be assigned to these two opinions ; but this I do know , that many prophecies are attributed to him which have not been fulfilled . Again , with regard to the
GENII GUARDIANS OP CATTXE . The most singular thing I heard related whilst I w-aa in these mountains is this ,, that the genii act as guardians of the cattle . ' It is for this reuson that the herds areleft to wander where they will . Many persons assured me seriously that if any one , passing near a flock and seeing it without a guard , should attempt to steal a sheep or a cow and to kill the beast , his hnnd , still armed "with tho knife , would remain fastened to the throat until tho arrival of tho owner . I have a hundred times heard instances of protection afforded by the genii , hut was at first inclined to reject ther whole as lies and dreams . But this is what happened to myself . Being near the
Murrnh mountains I wont to a person of Numlch , to question him about the genii . On drawing near his Hut I saw nobody , but begun to call him by his name . Then a loud and terrible voice , which made me shiver , shouted " Akibe ! " tliat is to say , " Ilois not hero . " Nevertheless , I was going to advance and pursue my inquiriuH , when an individual , -who wns passing by me , took mo by the urn * mid drew mo away , sayiug , —• " Ho on ?! bo off" ! Ho who speaks to thco is not a human being . " " And what is ho , then ?" " Ho is tho guardian gunlus of tho hut . Noarly evory one of ua is thus protected . Wo call the genii in Foriun , Damzog . " Upon tliis I feared und withdrew .
On returning from tho MJirrnh to tho Fushcr , I wont to visit tho Shoreef Ahmed Bcdaweo , who had brought mo from Cairo to Darfur , and related to him thin adyenture and my terror , " Tha man wu . 3 perfectly right , " said Ahmed , who went on to relate to mo thinga still more wonderful . u At tlio time when X first began to trade , my friond , I often heard that damzogH could bo bought mid Hold , and that to procure one I inuBt apply to tho owner of a dumzog , and diseun . s the price with him . Wuon tho bargain in concluded , it is neconwiry to give a largo gourd of milk to tho seller , who taken it to his house , where arc his damzogn . On entering : ho nuluton them , and goes and hangs up his vase to a hook , saying , — ' Ono of my fricndn--fiuoh a onovi ; ry rich , in in fuar of robboro , and n » hn mo to nupply him with u guardian . Will ono
of you go und livo in his house V Thero in plenty of milk then ; , for it in a hoiiuo of Moaning , « nd tho proof thereof is , ( hut I bring you thin Iwira of milU . ' Tlio dwuzogB at firm refuse to comply with tho invitation . 'No , no , ' say they , ' not ono of u » will ffo . ' Tho master of tho hut conjures thorn to comply ivilh hi » d « it » ir < in , Haying , — - ' -Ob . I let . Iliu on « that iH willing descend into th « 1 mm . ' I In tlion rellm * a littld , and ]> ro-Muutlycmo of Urn dum / . ogrt is hoard to / lop int « «!»<¦ »>•»* . " I "'" Nvlli <; h h « i IiumIviih and fllftpH upon th « v « mo a cover mnd « of dato-lo / ivc * . Thus nt < i | i |>< id up ho unhooka the Kara , and IiuikIh it . over to tho buyer , who Utlum it . nwny mid h / ingH it on tho wall oi lu . s hut , and oonfxUw it to tho cum of a nhva or of u -ivifu , who ovory morning comefi and taluw it , emptying out tho milk , washing It , nud rfpk-iiuihiug H , nnd hanging i 1
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November 11 , 1854 . ] THE LEADER . 1071
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Leader (1850-1860), Nov. 11, 1854, page 1071, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2064/page/15/
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