The Cardigan Observer and General Advertiser for the Counties of Cardigan Carmarthen and Pembroke

TO MOTHERS. Mother! watch the little feet Climbing o'er the garden wall, Bounding through the buay street, Banging cellar, shed, and hall. ^ever count the moments lost, Never mind the time it cost, Little feet will go astray, Gruide them, mother, while you may. Mother! watch the little hand picking berries by the way, Making houses in the sand, Tossing up the fragrant hay; iVevpr v. are the question ask, m to me this heavy task ?" These same little hands may prove Messengers of light and lave. Mother! watch the little tongue, Prattling, eloquent, and wild, "hat is said and what is sung, By the happy, joyous child -tell the word while yet unspoken Stop the vow while yet unbroken A his same tongue may yet proclaim ■^essings in the Saviour's name. Mother watch the little heart, Beating soft tnd warm for you, "bolesome lessons now impart j Keep, oh, keep that young heart true. Bradicaring every weed, Sowing good and precious seed, Harvest rich you then may see, Ripening for Eternity.

THB sTHANGE CLAIMANT; OR, TWICE WED. CHAPTER X. t WOOED AND WON. Xs^? is a wonderful transformer—mighty in power. tiujjj1" lta influence the proud man ia humble, the becomes strong he who falters habitually in grows eloquent, and the one who has prided maybe, on his acquirements, becomes sud- ^J nuite. Even the fiercest natureo can be at times f0t • to singular gentleness, which is otherwise most to their tempers. Car unscruplous wrecker—the man who, in a long lawleg8 crime, had become familiar with pi variety of hardship, cruelty, and danger— y0n his cause with all the warmth and energy of a cio an^ true-hearted lover, approaching the pre- iL8 object of his first pure attachment. tVi Wa3 no hyProcite *n this. Men are not wholly scarcely the very worst are without some atom goOd in their nature, and it ia a blessed consolation „ Reflect how hard it seems to drive entirely from re human heart the love of divine Nature and her teøh, pure truths. Saul Meghorn felt all he uttered in that impas- » •led stream of fervid eloquence he poured forth, by the side of the miserable widow, who, her u 1 d quietly put to rest, had bound up the wounded *ef ,^er preserver; her kind nature could not Wif0 muc^ 8UCb a moment. Alas she saw, Pain not to be told, that her outburst of grati- « Qe» her tearful exclamation, had finally unlocked emotions of the man, and doomed her to r what she had with dread so long avoided. And hear me, Nelly," he went on, as she, with srted face and streaming eyes, in vain tried to draw jj, ay the hand he held. Though I love you as my felt* ^ough, from the moment I first beheld you, I that you had the power to make me a better man, turn me from the careless life I have hitherto led >o though I would hazard life and soul to do 11 service—believe me, it is not all selfishness—not v for my own happiness, I speak. Dear girl, heve me, your happiness and comfort shall be my thought; your life shall be one scene of child shall be dear to me as yourself siaothing that money can purchase or love procure tin wanting. Ah dear Nelly, do but hear me not hate me for loving you." te She turned her head slowly, and in a broken voice Phed- Bate you I hate no one. God knows I am but Poor broken, sinful woman. Oh Saul Meghorn! o not talk so. You have been a friend you have f?*Ved U9 as none of the rest couid, though they had e will good to do it. You have just saved my ^arling child's life for the love of God, don't talk of bating; but—but .She trembled, broke down in her speech, and sank uack upon the settle behind her. He rose slowly, still holding her hand, and drew Closer to her side. "Nelly, you are alone you lAad a life of hardship Dd grief it cannot last, dear—the end will be your Iness, and perhaps worse. Think of her—what will become of her ? He pointed in the direction of the bed, where the Boft breathing of the little sleeper made itself heard. "For her sake, dearest girl—for her sake, let me 6 all tayou both. Nelly, as I said, forget the old titnes, if you dislike to think of them; let me be only t Wend you know, since you are alone in the world; 'Grget How can I ever forget ? Oh! Meghorn!" she in- tetru.pted; how can I forget what drove him from Ar'n't the words fixed in my brain ?—cut on l:t1y heart they might be. Night and day, night and j*y« I say them to myself, over and over again. ^Ven't I laid awake, through such weary haurs, "nd thought, and thought, until they have risen like of the o'ark before me—'Nelly, I know your Wickedness and deceit'; and my head has burnt and l:t1y lips have dried up, and I've risen and paced to and fro, te and fro, and cried, 'Oh, if I had not! oh, 1f I had net My God, forget, forget! The smuggler's dark visage paled as in a frenzied *°ice she poured forth her agony, and her tear- 8*ollen eyes flashed with the fire of delirium; but he jjever let go the hand she would have wrenched from ^DI, till, exhausted, she dropped her head, and again *1rned away. He paused awhile, then went on in a low but determined tone— Nelly, I have not always been as I am. Time "8.8 when I could have chosen from beautiful and Wealthy women a bride, who would have thought herself honoured, too, by my choice. But of them 1 never felt as of you, that there was a power to Bave me from evil. By the most lovely and most "ought I have again and again seen men tempted to their own ruin, or led into follies that lowered them beneath the contempt of their fellows. I had learned, I thought, experience, and yet I fell into e snare. "By a woman I was betrayed into folly, wrong. "Ud wretchedness, then worse, until there was no faith bar hope—nothing hut despair, and defiance, and ^recklessness. Oh, Nelly! if you knew, if you could Jj^t see what a sudden light was shown me when I first met you! I felt then there was a chance, there "as some hope. I felt born again to belief and happi- ness. I was seized with a loathing for the life I led "nd for your sake, for you, dear, beautiful, good Woman, Iucrificed more than I tell you. I laved Jpu; I believed you loved me. Surely I was not to blame ? tt I don't blame, I don't blame," she said, hastily. X curse my own wicked and vain folly and deceit." T "J0*" one' awee' Nelly, if you knew the misery ■t have suffered, the horrible disappointment and despair that came over all my hopes when you told :tUa-" Hastily she motioned for him to stay the terrible Reminder. She had ceased to strive now; her hand tested passively in his, her tears were flowing quietly 1rith pity. He, of stronger purpose, knew and pur- sued his advantage— I have haunted the place that held you. I have loaded tor this moment; yet I have feared your and respected your grief. Oh! Nelly, hear 11101 la ok on me! Pity a man that you now could Sa.ve, or send him out upon a world where there is Neither hope, nor comfort, nor life without you." And, aga in kneeling at her feet, he ceased, and let Ro, for the first time, the hand of the widow. There was silence for Bome minutes her tears were r'ied, and the old, steadfast look had come npon her *ace again, wbtNn she spoke— Saul Meghorn, 1" tell you my heart and love are In his grave. I shaH <aever, never crre for living *an again. It's the truth—how can I be what you ^tof me?" Nolly, I said it was not for self; let me be your Protector, and friend, and all. I have sufficient to well and ploasantlv on. If' shall tje as you will, or elsewhere. You pitied me just now you y^^nd up the cut and bleeding hands—so you can my heart, that has been aching and wounded ^s many a day. I will never, be sure, ask more than can bestow; nor ask you to forget the past—ex- PJ-1 cian make you happier than it j °he shook her head slowly, still her face turned r°tu him but, ere a minute had passed, she fixed her eyes on his— Saul Meghorn, I am but a sinful and unhappy I tell you truth, I shall never leave off keying and sorrowing for my own dreadful error, an*] ^°r that's gone. But I wronged you, too, Pained yon. you say. God knows, I'd do much taped^k0 am and my child-" her voice fal- "II ,t so deal with me as I with her and you," S Sau 1, in deep and earnest tones. W h PI, It her cold hand voluntarily into his. But 6a^' was again averted—she shuddered, as he caught her to his^breast; and the cheek that met his burning lips touched them like ice. In a toneless whisper, she bade him go now, and promised to see him on the morrow. Exulting, the smuggler strode down the path to Deepgang. He had gained the one desire on which the whole force of his unyielding will had long been bent. Alone, she knelt at the bedside of her sleeping child. It was not to petition for strength, neither was it in prayer, she strove till dawn, but a vague feeling lay heavy at her soul, that, in some sort, she needed forgiveness for the compact she had entered into; that of him whom she had lost she would fain crave pardon —though for what, she could not have said. Heavier her burden-could not be, she had thought twenty-four hours ago. She bad learnt, now, how much weightier it could be made; and death, she felt, could alone release her now. Yet, for pity's sake, and for hers," she repeated to herself, again and again, as she wept over her little Ida, and tried to think only that he had saved her life. So she listened, as the innocent prattled of her ad- venture, and extolled, in childish gratitude, her pre- server, Hund, and his master, an old acquaintance of little Ida, who had many experiences of childish treasures and dainties conveyed in surreptitious mementoes before the cottage door, and which poor Nelly had endeavoured, but in vain, to guard against, instinctively dreading that which had at length come to pass. Both Hund and his master were, however, free of the quiet little home now, and availed themselves of the privilege to the full. The neighbours—nay, the wbole village—wondered and talked some were scandalised, some approved. But it was all one to the widow. She had passed her word, moved by emotions which even she herself would have found a difficulty in explaining, and she would keep it. The times of coquetry and pretty tribulation were past now. Her heart might bleed, but it was uncom- plainingly. The sacrifice would be made without a sigh. She went about the old duties in the old way, only when, at evening, little Ida made the usual re- quest of— Sin', mover, pease—a ittle sonn' Mother can't sing, dear pet; Ida must sing to herself now mother will never sing any more." Even the Boothing hymn of prayerful hope was hushed henceforth, and her sweet voice woke the echoes by its pleasant strains no more. On a dull, autumn day the young wid«w Franklen became S vul Meghorn's wife. A dreary contrast to the first wedding! The wind howled dismally along the shore; the waves came in with a pitiful sobbing not in boisterous shock, nor playful leaping over obstacles, and scattering of diamond spray: grey clouds hung low upon the horizon; and the regular, sharp blows of the workmen employed at the lighthouse on the Point sounded like the nailing down of some coffined giant, for whose obsequies all Nature put on mourning. Oalm, white, passive, the wretched woman passed to the church—not the old, ivy-covered edifice at Bontryst; a newer and more accessible sanctuary had arisen in the land close to Sandcombe and thither, hand in hand with her little girl, Saul led his strangely-won bride. The persistence of passion and tyranny of will which could seek as a wife one who had laid her heart so bare before him, is far from being an isolated case in the history of man. Nothing se blind, nothing so self-sufficient as love. Once the object won—once sole possessor of the being it craves, the rest must follow. So the passion wills it, and incongruity, aversion, or disinclination be overcome. In his innermost heart, we must give Saul credit for believing much of that he said. He had set up the girl as his idol, had woven in with her idea those longings for reform and better life, which still haunted him at times. Besides that, his baulked will and fiery passions craved their recompense. Hence his deter- mined pursuit; hence his triumph, and hence his settled conviction that, once his wife, Nelly would be all he intended, and appreciate the life he designed she should lead. Poor elements out of which to raise the edifice of conjugal bliss! I don't know but the share she brought to the common stock was more valuable. Unquestioning obedience, passive kindness, docility, patience- But, no! these even are net more promising. Pure cold water, it's true, is a necessary and heath- ful ele.nent, but even that works direful mischief mis- applied. The heated cauldron is harmless as it stands, but pour in the same pure, cold element, and the contact —eh! here is an explosion!—shocks and wounds, and sudden death. Full of fierce joy, and ardent love, and proud triumph, Meghorn led home his pale bride to Deep- gang. The house had been put in trim array within, a considerable quantity of new furniture added, and a younger maid hired in place of old Dorcas, who was pensioned off, wisely. Bachelors' housekeepers are scarcely advisable retainers in a married establish- ment. May I sin', mover ? was the request of the child, full of joy at the novelties around her. Not now, dear pet, not now," said the mother, as they crossed hand in hand the threshold of Saul Meg- horn's dwelling. CHAPTER XI. THE CARDS DEALT. I WISH I could assert with truth that no envy mingled with the very decided manifestations of opinion rela- tive to the widow's marriage among her rustic neigh- bours. Good Dame Bullocks certainly formed an excep- tion, as did kind-hearted Meg, her daughter-in-law; though naturally they felt the implied slight to their own relative, As for the dame's daughter Patty, she made no secret of her sentiments; but, with uplifted hands and eyes, wondered what on earth Mrs. Franklen could have seen in that black-browed man, to set him above our Dan; who, if he was short and fair, was as good-hearted a lad as ever stepped in shoe leather. But there it was the money, of course; and perhaps she'd make a better wife this time." Once more the good dame checked her impetuous child "Stay thy tongue, Patty dear, or the'll just be vexed in a bit, I know," said the kind old woman. "None of us sees what's in the heart of his next neighbour. It's the Lord only in His goodness does that. And we ;can't tell, my child, what may have moved in the poor lass to make her take up wi' Saul Meghorn." He wur always for following har at a distance, and eyeing her and the child that I do know," said Meg. Ay,ay, and maybe he d done her a good turn, and the poor thing felt grateful like, and he'll ha' pestered her, maybe." Such a doleful face as she always carried," said Patty, indignantly; though, with the consistency of her sex, Patty had always loudly exclaimed against the tacit rejection of consolation by poor Nelly. II Ay, well! maybe she's done the best for the child that could be," said the dame. God help 'em both! I do hope she'll be happy." She does not look it," said Meg, compassionately; I met her and little Ida down by the Ohine last evening, and I think she looted more worn, and spoke fainter like, than ever." Ay, my lasses, I don't think Nelly married for comfort, poor wench! I mind me too well of that night, and that she's never forgot it I well believe." It's a mighty change for her from that poor place of her's," said Patty; and what a fancy, too, to kefp the cottage shut up down yonder, as you say!" It was what she wished," said Meg; she goes there now and again, when her husband's away, and sits with little Ida at work; and she dusts and cleans it up, all like she used to." It's as if she half believed he wasn't dead," said Patty. "Ay, she can't forget, poor lass; well, well, I wish I could think she wur happy," said Dame Bullocks. There were few joined in the wish, however they may have doubted the fact; for change of fortune too often alienates the symoathy of friends from us; when, Heaven knows, the want for it may be even greatest. The surmise of her kind old acquaintance, one time bridesmaid, was not far from truth. Ere Nelly had been six months married, she had learned that even the bitterness of the sacrifice might be deepened. Lavish in expenditure, warm and eager in his de- monstrations of affection, her impetuous and unprin- cipled lord certainly did his utmost, in his own fashion, to win her to him. He had yielded to her request, that all at the I cottage sbould remain untouched, that she should have the key and use the place occasionally, as we have heard mentioned. During his periodical absences, few and far between, she came hither with her child, and returned, with apparently a mel- ancholy plea&ure, to a few hours' reminiscence of the old time. Here were her bridal bea, her simple clothes, her homely furniture — his gifts, and the chest containing those dreary relics of her ship- wrecked hopes. It was indeed a change, the life she had now en- tered upon. She had few household duties to engage her; the care of little Ida formed her chief employ- ment, with such particular offices as her lord and master (taired at her Wids—pleasant and accept- able, when voluntarily rendered; but, ah me! how hard of performance, -how barren in acceptance, when performed by order. Yet she did her duty truthfully, and to the letter; never gainsayed word or desire of his; never mur- mured at the smallest of his decisions, tyrannical as —even in love—they could be. Little Ida took wonderfully to the huffe man, and would sit on his shoulder, play with his massy beard, or fondle the shaggy head, much as she did with faithful Hund, who was her shadow whenever she strolled out into the Ohine, or down the winding p1\ths of rocky Deepgang. The mother scarcely accepted tbeee demonstrations of the child as might have been expected—letting them do duty, as it were, for her own inveterate indifference—she rather seemed to regard with jealousy the affection of her daughter, though never in any way displayed in pre- ference to herself; and indeed, alas! every day seemed to increase her coldness, her austerity, and the methodical obedience of her avery act, to the will of the man who owned her. Better he could have borne complaint, denial, open rebellion, than this automaton-like resignation presenting so dire a contrast to the girl who had charmed him from himself in earlier times — the Nelly Hartsom ho had wooed, but failed to win. Not slow was he to interpret this perseverance in indifference to aversion. His was not the nature to brook rejection. He could persevere, endure, plan, and await the moment of triumph; but this invete- rate and chilling frost, this fixed immobility, it was not given him to overcome. He lest hope, he gave up endeavour, he slackened in attentions and endearments; but she changed nothing of her sepulchral mood. The man's mighty will was baffled; he was not to be victor even in the victory he had gained. But the birth of a son promised some change in the prospects of the ill-starred couple. Nellie's loving heart yearned to the poor infant, inauspicious as was its existence. She nursed it with all care, and little Ida was in raptures with the strange, new wonder. Saul, if he ever wor- shipped, did so at that tiny shrine. Day and night the huge man looked in upon his offspring—watched it, listened for its voice, found resemblances in its half-formed features to those of the mother; besought her care and attention for it in a manner that must have been touching to any but a heart so prematurely wrung as hers had been. Heaven forgive her, that while even she acted on his request, and answered him meekly, she turned coldly .way, nor by look or word showed sign of that illimitable love which, at such seasons, wells up in the heart of man and woman, to fulfil the highest concep- tion ef earthly bliss. Who knows how hard she found even the mother's duty, or how even its own helpless appeal to her maternal sympathies scarce overcame the terrible, though too natural, results of such a union! For Nature is imperative, though we toe often neglect her signs, or give them other names. If we consulted her requirements more, we should be nearer universal love and peace than we are. But, alas! for all the hopes of the newly-made father. The babe, strong and hearty to all appearance, fell sick suddenly; and, deBpitA all possible care and assistance, died the same day it was but five weeks old. Nelly grieved over the poor little corpse, but she shed no tears. One might have thought the agony of the strong man, so terrible to see, would have moved her; f>ut, no. Little Ida wept more for the pretty, live doll she would insist on singing to, whenever she was per- mitted. As for Saul, his grief was overwhelming, and par- took of the fierce impetuosity of all he did. He refused to credit that the child was dead, and and kept it by him longer than prudence or custom allowed. When it became necessary to part with it, the scene was terrible, and long remembered when subsequent events made recollections of the strange man valuable to the gossips. He absented himself from the house the whole of the day on which the boy's funeral took place, and night was far spent when he returned. His wife was up—she always awaited him. He came in, advanced to the hearth, and sat down facing her, in moody silence, without even removing his hat, or taking the slightest notice of the supper which was spread for him. (7b be continued.)

MINIE; THE MISEK'S DAUGHTER. It had been a year of torment to the miser. There had been a commercial crisis, and he had lest money. He determined to repair his losses, even at a risk, and fitted out another vsssel. But grown more timid and suspicious in money matters than ever, he could find no one to whom he was willing to trust the vessel. One day he brought home a huge mastiff, and com- municated his will to his daughter thus: Minie, I'm going to Smyrna, to see if I can't pick up a little, after all these losses, and I leave you in charge here. Below, in the rock cellar, you'll find an old tea-chest. It's nicely hid away, and it is full of money, or I mean there is a little gold in it. I thought it best to have something past all possibility of loss, for a nest egg, you know. Now, I leave you to take care of it, my girl. You can take out of the little leather purse what money you absolutely need mind, now; only what is absolutely necessary to your wants. You are an honest, true girl, I know, and will live just as if your father's eyes were on you. I would trust my daughter through thick and thin. Besides this, there is deposited in the safe at the bank, all my bonds, and stocks, and securities. Those, of course, you will not meddle with. "Now, I shall be gone a long time, and folks may try to persuade you to think I'm dead; those folks who want to get at my money; some greedy fellow, perhaps, who will hope to marry you, so as to share in the old man's gold. But don't believe them. I shall come back before two years are out, or if I don't, just wait. I may turn up again when I am not expected. Bat at the end of five years, when you are twenty-one, if I haven t come, then you may reckon I'm dead, and open my will. You won't mind living alone, I know. You are used to it, and instead of me, in the long winter evenings, you can talk to your dog, Boatswain, here. He is to be your guardian. Don't mind buying him meat. It will cost a great deal, to be sure; but to starve him would be 4 penny wise, pound foolish,' when there is such a treasure in the cellar to be guarded, and yourself, too, daughter. He is a powerful beast; no man could stand against him. He will be a better protector than your poor old father. Now, Minie, keep close. Let no one come to see you. Never betray the money down below. It is all I have sure, you know; all the rest is but paper. Guard it well. Be a faithful watcher for your trust- ing old father. Haven t I been kind to you ? Haven't I loved you better than any one who ever stepped on this earth ? Then be obedient, and I will come bome to bless you. Don t get acquainted with your neigh- bours. Shun everybody. But you may go to Mr. L.'s and read, as usual. They are a good family. I am not much afraid of them; but. leaat said, soonest mended;' so keep your tongue between your teeth even there. As for the rest, they only want a chance to rob you, so avoid them." Minie, or Wilhelmine, remembered her early ex- perience with the museum, and believed her father. She let his commands take the force of holy writ to her lonely, grieved, and fond heart, and after he sailed, submitted to her still more solitary life with zealous patience. No sooner was it known that the old man was gone, than the pitying villagers began to flock down to the cottage to see Minie, and ask her to their houses, or offer to spend part of each day with her. She heard them with confirmation of all her former suspicions, and she refused every advance scornfully. The ntxt day, when a fresh detachment arrived, they found her door locked, and defended, besides, by the dog, while she sat upon an almost inaccessible cliff, and laughed at them, not loud, nor insultingly, yet they could see her satisfaction. It exasperated them, and she began to be hated on her own account, especially as a few weeks proved that she was even more penurious than her father. She often met with abuse when she entered the village, which she was obliged to do every day, in order to reach the pastor's house, where she faithfully pursued her studies. At the end of the year, when she began to expect her father's return, she might be seen every morning and evening upon the cliff, looking out to sea; and every day upon entering Mr. L.'s library, she sought first for the newspaper. She saw news there at last; news that fell upon the aching suspense of her heart, like the sentence upen a criminal's. The Sea Foam, owner Peter 0., cast away on the coast of Oandia, and all on board lost." The good pastor talked to her of consolation and resignation; but he found, to his surprise, that although upon the first shock ef the news she had felt the grief of orphanhood, yet upon thinking of it she was sure her father was alive. She told his last words to Mr. L., and, contrary to his advice, persisted in her determination to live as usual, for at least five years from the time of his departure, expecting his return, and obeying his commands. She therefore went home, and kept faithful watch over the charge left to her. And if she could not sleep at night for thinking over the horrors of her father's possible death, she got up, and sat leaning her head upon "Bosen," and finding consolation in his rough sympathy. Of course her strange conduct was much talked of, and surmises were made as to why her father had so strictly enjoined upo-> her this solitary life in the cottage. It began to be whispered that he had hidden treasure there. This suspicion was confirmed by her caution about the bouse. It was observed that she never took her dog to the village with her, but left him on guard at home. It was a primitive plac^, and such a thing as house-breaking had never been known there, so that few people imagined the lonely girl to be in any danger from robbers. She herself was the only one who thought such a thing probablr. Therefor*, not much caution was used in the village in speaking of old Peter's treasure, and it was ooce fully discussed at the tavern, within hearing of a travelling tinker or pedlar, who, however, drove to distant parts without seeming to entertain any evil designs. But be was thinking the matter over more than an honest man would imagine worth while, and he had promised to return with a new supply of tin utensils at the end of three weeks. Meanwhile there was another arrival in the village. It was the nephew of Mr. L, who had come to study with his uncle before entering college. He was in his twenty-first year, of a noble and thoughtful mind, and a face doing justice to his fine nature. The morning after his arrival, be was reading in the library, when his attention was attracted by a shout- ing in the street, and looking out, he saw a tall, slender girl, very poorly clad, walking in proud quiet- ness, with a crowd of school children behind her, taunting her, and abusing her with every vile word. Her face was pale, and her eyes fixed upon the ground, but her head was not one whit lowered. Frank L. concluded that she was insane, since that affliction is the one most derided by children, and seeing her approach the door, he hastened to open it and give her shelter. After she had entered, he stopped out into the street to threaten the boys with punish- ment, and to shame them into more manly conduct. They dispersed in confusion of face. When he re-entered the library, the strange young girl sat in one corner, a huge volume before her, her elbows on the table, and her bead on her hands but she was not studying. She was trying to restrain her tears, and ignore his presence, with her pale cheek flushed, her eyes wide open, and her lips tight pressed to prevent quivering. Seeing that she wished not to be spoken to, he left the room, but returned imme- diately for his book. He found her with her he^d buried in her arms, sobbing so violently that she did not hear him enter. He sought Mrs. L. to inform her of the strange gueet; and Mrs. L. told him the girl's whole history, awaking for her a deeper interest and admiration than even her proud, wil* beauty had inspired. He longed to be of some service to the forlorn girl, but could only see her safely home, by following at a respectful distance, she having declined his attendance when it was proposed by Mrs. L. Frank never permitted her again, during his stay, to pass unprotected through the town. He watched her coming and her going, and she knew to whom she owed the freedom from annoyance which she now enjoyed, though she never thanked him. But not the less did she feel and acknowledge, in her poor, for- saken heart, a sense of protection and dependence that made life a thousand times sweeter. Civility was so I rare in her experience, that it inspired her with fervent gratitude. About two weeks after his arrival, Frank heard the I neighbours talking of the miser's daughter, on the I village green, and observed that the pedlar, who was listening with furtive eagerness to the gossip which he I carefully provoked, seemed to want to know a great deal about the situation, &c., of the house. His sus- picions were aroused, and he kept his eye on the man. When the pedlar took his departure, Frank went quickly to the neighbourhood of Minie's cottage, and concealed himself among the rocks. It was not long before he heard the tinman's cry, and Minie came out to exchange old tin and rags for new utensils. Bosen followed her. The man insisted upon carrying her purchases into the house, for the purpose of seeing the faateniagf, probably. Having observed narrowly the doors and windows, he drove off. As Minie then began to work in her garden, Frank could not leave his hiding place without attracting her attention, and afraid of being thought imperti- nent, he remained quiet. It was not long before he I heard stealthy footsteps and a panting breath near him. He was well concealed, and the tinman took a place ot espial quite close by. ".Hem," he muttered, I fancied the house leaned against a rock. It's got a stone cellar, now. There's 'I' that confounded dog!" After another survey, he began to descend, and tlune s notice was caught. She looked keenly at the pedlar. Aha," he muttered again. You'd better have been IPSS curious." He swung himself carelessly down, as If he had only climbed the rocks to looi at the sea, and returned to his quarters at the Red Lion. (To be continued.)

AN invalid Frenohman who hired a horse every morning tarly from a livery-stable, particularly desired the ostler, after having breakfasted himself well, te see that the horse had nothing to eat before going out. Because,he remarked, "monsieur Ie docteur he say I mus' tak' ze gentle exercise en ee empty stomach." TRAINED BEES.—Mr. Cotton, a clergyman, the eon lo! a late Governor of the Bank of England, took bees, in the firsi place, out to Australia, and afterwards to the islands of the South Pacific. His behaviour to his bees was the wonder of all who were in the ships with him. He would call them by certain sounds, and they came te him, covered him as he lay, and he would actually handle and fondle them in such a fashion as would hare been to another very dangerous. Then, when he wished to relieve himself of them, he gathered them together as one would a mass of loose worsted into a ball, took the mass near to the hive and at a given sound or signal, they new apart and retire i to their proper home.—Thoreau: his lAfe au Aim8,! by H. A. Page. STOARES OF PRESIDENT LINCOLN. — Lincoln particularly liked a joke at the expense of the dignity of some high civil or military official. One day, not long before his second inauguration, he asked me if I bad heard about Stanton's meeting a picket on Broad Blver, South Oarolina, and then told this story: ¡' "General Foster, then at Port Royal, escorted the secretary up the river, taking a quartermasters's tug. Reaching the outer lines on the river, a picket roared from the bank,' Who have you got on board that tug ?' The severe and dignified answer was.. The Secretary of War and Major General Foster.' Instantly the picket roared back, We've got major-generals enough up here—why don't you bring us up some hard-tack ?'" The story tickled Lincoln mightily, and he told it until it was replaced by a new one. Anything that savoured of the wit and humour of the soldiers was especially welcome to Lincoln. His fondness for good stories is a well-accepted tradition, .but any incident that showed that "the boys" were' mirthful and joUy in all their privations seemed to commend itself to him. He used to say that the grim grotesqueness and extravagance of American humour were its most striking characteristics. There was a story of a soldier in the army of the Potomac, carried to the rear of battle with both: legs shot off, who, eyeing a pie-woman hovering i about, asked, Say, old lady, are them pice sewed or pegged ?" And there was another one of a soldier at the battle of Ohancellorsville, whose regiment, wait- ing to be called into the fight, was taking coffee. The hero of the story put to his lips a crockery mug which he had carried with infinite care through several; campaigns. A stray bullet, just missing the coffee- drinker's head, dashed the mug into fragments and left only its handle en his nnger. Turning his head in that direction, the soldier angrily: growled, "Johnny, you can't do that again!" Lin- coln, relating these two stories together, said, "It seems as if neither death nor danger could quench the grim humour of the American soldier." Lincoln's shrewdness is well known sometimes it almost seemed like cunning. But with all of this there was a certain element of simplicity in his character which was child* like. Unless very much pre-occupied, he never heard any reference to anything that he did not under- stand without asking for further information. "What do you suppose makes that tree grow that way ?" he would ask, and he was not satisfied until he had found out. Or he would take one of his boys toys to pieces, find out how it was made, and put it together again. "Tad," as his youngest boy was called, on more than one occasion had cause to bewail loudly his father's curiosity. One day we were looking at a photograph of the President, taken in a sitting position, with the legs crossed. Lincoln's attention was attrac- ted to the foot of the leg which was crossed over the other, and he said, If Now, I can understand why that foot should be so enormous. It's a big foot, anyway, and it is near the focus of the instrument. But why is the outline of it so indistinct and blurred ? I am confident I did not move it." I studied it for a moment, and told him that probably the throb- bing of the large arteries inside of the bend of the knee caused an almost imperceptible motion. The President, very much interested in the discovery, as he1 called it, immediately took the position of the figure in the picture, and, narrowly watching his foot, ex- claimed, "That's it! that's it! Now, that's very curious, isn't it." Similarly, when somebody told him of the somewhat fantastic derivation of a word, he said," Now, that is very queer, and I shall never say capricious again without thinking of the skipping of a ,.t.&ribeÿ, Monthly.

USEFUL HINTS. GEORGE ELIOT says that girls are delicate vessels in which is borne onward through the ages the trea- sure df human affection;" and some unhappy Benedict adds that girls are delicate vessels which require a small fortune every season to keep them in sails. To the careful housewife, who is desirous of com- bining durability with elegance and economy in bed furniture, either chintz, or a printed or plain dimity, cannot be too highly recommended. Both these fabrics have undergone wonderful improvements of late years. The patterns in chintzes and cretonnes are of endless variety, suited to every taste, and to a residence 'n town or country. Some with designs in which colours are bright, with flowers beauti- fully painted in elegant groups, and wreaths carelessly (though with much thought) distributed on grounds of many tints and hues. The arabesque figures, sprigs, and stripes, the lutes and ribbon ties of the Louis Quinze period, all vie with each other in delightful confusion, and, last of all, are there not the beautiful neutral tones and mediaeval patterns which, with our advance in art and culture, are now so much in vogue? The linings of these materials should also be selected with due thought and care. Cretonne and sateen are handsome for the purpose, and also durable; but the old-fashioned calendered chintz, with its shining sur- face, is the least likely to soil. LIQUID CEMENT FOR FASTENING INDIA-RUBBER TO WOOD OR METAL.—A cement of this kind is framed I by dissolving one part of powdered shellac in ten times its weight of the strongest solution of ammonia I (iliquid ammonia fortiss). They form when mixed together a mass of a slimy consistence, which after three or four weeks becomes liquid. When applied to india-rubber it softens that substance, and causes it to adhere tightly to metal or wood. After it has been exposed to the air for a time the ammonia volatilises, and the cement becomes hard, and prevents the escape of both air and fluids.—CasselFs Household Guide.

FOSSIL SHBLLS.—The shells belong to the class of molluscs that love to dwell in the mud at the mouths 01 large rivers, where the water is brackish. The clay, too, is exactly such as would be formed from the fine sediment brought down by some large river to the sea, and there deposited on the bottom. Hence we infer that this bed of clay is nothing more than the dried and pressed-down mud of some ancient estuary, whose turbid waters Bowed over this spot in bygone ages. Before passing on, however, we must pause a minute to notice a ridge that juts out about the middle of this deposit, and is continued along its entire length. A tap of the hammer soon reveals its nature. Packed as closely as possible, and dove- tailing, so to speak, into each other so as to form a hard band, are countless shells of oysters, often with both valves united just as thty grew on the spot. As they prefer salter water than the ether shells, they point to a slight change in the physical conditions at this stage, whereby the sea was enabled to gain slightly over the river, driving the estuarine shells back, and allowing the oysters to settle here, till a return of the previous conditions re-established the former occupants in their old quarters.—Science for ÂU. HIGHWAYMEN AT BLACKHEATH.—Leaving Charlton House behind us, and pursuing a south- western course, we make our way to the southern side of the Great Dover-road after it crosses Black- heath. Here we pass, at a short distance on our left, the steep ascent of Shooter's Hill, which, as Philipott writes, was so called for the thievery there prac- tised, where travellers in early times were so much infested with depredations and bloody mischief, that order was taken in the sixth year of Richard II. for the enlarging the highway, according to the statute made in the time of King Edward I., so that they venture still to rob here by prescrip- tion." The road continued a steep and narrow thoroughfare, closed in by thick WO.Ois-a con- venient harbour for highwaymen—down till about the year 1733, when, as Hasted informs us, "a road of easier ascent and of great width was laid out at some distance from the old one;" but still the high- waymen lingered about the neighbourhood, and con- sequently the hill maintained its reputation long after the new road was made. Byron has rendered the spot familiar to his readers by his description of the pros- pect from the summit of the hill looking towards London: A mighty mass of brick, and smoke, and shipping, Dirty and dusky, but as wide as eye Could reach, with here and there a sail just skipping, In sight, then lost amidst the forestry Of masts a wilderness of steeples peeping On tiptoe through their sea-coal canopy A huge dim cupola, like a foolscap crown On a fool's head—and there is London town." Here, too, probably, was the scene of Don Juan's musings on the morality, or immorality, of the great city"—Here are pure wives, safe lives;" a reverie which was destined to be broken off rather abruptly— if there be any truth in the*poet's words which follow —by the sudden attack of a highwayman. For the dis- couragement of these knights of the road the usual methods were adopted here; and in former times Shooter's Hill was seldom without the ornament of a gibbet. Pcpys tells us in his Diary," | under date of April 11, 1661, how that of all the journeys he ever made, this [from Dartford to London] was the merriest. Amongst other things," he adds, I got my lady to let her maid, Mrs. Anne, ride all the way on horseback. Mrs. Anne and I rode under the man that hangs upon Shooter's Hill, and a filthy sight it was to see how his flesh is shrunk to his bones." With the improved condition of the times in which we live, however, an end came some years ( ago to the practice of the highwaymen but a some- what ludicrous attempt at its revival was made in the year 1877, and in this very neighbourhood, with some little success; but the young ruffians having been brought to iustice, it is to be hoped that henceforth the midnight wayfarer may proceed on his way over Blackheath or Shooter's Hill in security,—Old and New London.

VARIETIES. Miosfe mm know what they hate, few what they love. There is no more implacable enemy than he who feels he has wronged you, and no more unhappy man than such an enemy. THE SABBATH.—The streams of religion in a country, or in an individual soul, run deeper or shallower as the banks of the Sabbath are kept up or neglected. ENVY.—To be envious is to punish ourselves for being inferior to our neighbours. If, instead of look- ing at what our, superiors possess, we could see what they actually enjoy, there would be much less envy in the world, and more pity. BE JUST AND TRUTHFUL.—Let those be the rrling and predominating principles of your life, and the reward will be certain, either in the happiness they bring to your own bosom, or the success which will attend upon all your business operations in life, or both. CHOSEN COMPANIONS.—Those persons who creep into the hearts of most people—who are chosen as the com- panions of their softer hours, and their reliefs from care and anxiety—are never persons of shining quali- ties v strong virtues. It is rather the soft green of tlu soul on which we rest our eyes, that are fatigaed with beholding more glaring objects. HAYDN'S PICTURES.—When the "Father of Sym- phony" died, among his effects there were found forty-six canons framed and mounted like engravings. They used to adorn the walls of Haydn's bedroom. Most of his friends knew of these, and also how they came to their hangings. "I was not," Haydn used to say, "rich enough to buy good pictures, so I made myself some tapestry such as every one I am sure cannot have."—From "Musical Anecdotes by Frederick Crowest. Recreation does not mean idleness, and it may mean labour. A wise man will so arrange his labours that each succeeding one shall be so totally different from the last that it shall serve as a recreation for it. Phy- sical exertion may follow mental, and then give place to it again. A man equally wise in all other hygienio measures, who could nicely adjust the labours of mind and body in their true proportions, might hope to attain old age with all his mental faculties fresh and vigorous to the last. V lDOCQ. One of the remarkable powers of the great French detective Vidocq was that of altering his height to about an inch and a half less than his ordinary stature. He proved this once to a friend. He threw over his shoulders a cloak, in which ho walked round the room. It did not touch the floor in any part, and was about an inch and a half above it. He altered his height and took the same walk, and the cloak then touched the floor and lay upon some part of it during the whole time. He next stood still and altered his height alternately to about the same extent. ENGAGEMENTS IN RUSSIA.—When a couple are en- gaged in Russia, a betrothal feast is held, and the bride elect has a lock of her hair cut off in the pre- sence of witnesses and given to the bridegroom, who in return presents a silver ring set with a turquoise, an almond cake, and a gift of bread and salt. From this moment the two are plighted; nor can the relatives break the match except with the consent of the parties themselves, which is signified by a return of the ring and lock of hair. So much importance is attached to the ring—at least in the north of Russia—that, among poor people who cannot afford silver and a turquoise, tin and a bit of blue stone are substituted. These betrothal rings are kept as heirlooms, but must not serve twice. WORK. DURING SLEET.—It has frequently happened that studious men have done really hard mental work while asleep. A stanza of excellent verse is in print, which Sir John Herschel is said to have composed while asleep, and to have recollected when he awoke. Goethe often set down on paper during the day thoughts and ideas which had presented themselves to him during sleep on the preceding night. A gentle- man one night dreamed that he was playing an entirely new game of cards with three friends; when he awoke, the structure and rules of the new game, as created in the dream, came one by one into his memory, and he found them so ingenious that he afterwards frequently played the game. A case is cited where a gentleman m hit sleep composed an ode in six stanzas, and set it to music. Tartini, the celebrated Italian violinist, composed the "Devil's Sonata" in a dream. Lord Thurlow, when a youth at college, found himself one! evening unable to finish a piece of Latin composition I which he had undertaken. He went to bed full of the subject, fell asleep, finished his Latin in his sleep, re- membered it next morning, and was complimented on the felicitous form which it presented. MEERSCHAUM MINES IN ASIA MINOR.—The most! extensive deposits of meerschaum in Asia Minor are about twenty-four miles south-east of the city of Eskischer, formerly Dorylea, the inhabitants of which, numbering about twelve thousand Armenians and Turks, are principally employed in collecting or deal- ing in this mineral. It is obtained down in the earth, j shafts or pits being sunk to a depth of twenty-seven! to thirty-three feet. Forty to fifty miners work in' one mine and form a company, dividing the profits I among themselves. The stones are generally irre- gular in shape, and vary greatly in size, being from the size of a nut to a square foot or more in bigness. I The largest pieces are the most in demand, and the I dearest. The mineral, when freshly dug, is of » yellowish-white colour, and covered about a finger thick with a red, greasy earth, so soft that it can bel cut with a knife. The treatment which the meer-! schaum must be subjected to before it is fit for export is very expensive and tedious. The pieces must first be freed from the adhering earth, and dried for five or j six days in the sun, or for eight or ten days in warm; rooms. The mineral is then cleaned a second time, and polished with wax. After this it is sorted into different grades, of which there are ten, and carefully packed with cotton into boxes for export. The stones lose two-thirds of their weight and volume in the; operation of cleaning and drying. The price depends: upon the demand. The largest quantity is sent to Vienna and Germany. EAST INDIAN THIEVES.—East Indian thieves are the most expert in the world. The quartermaster-sergeant of a regiment at an up-station was a very corpulent and heavy man. One night his house was entered by robbers, who not only cleared it of everything port- able that was lying about, but absolutely stole the very bed-clothes from under the fat sergeant and his sleeping family, without disturbing one of them. When they awoke in the morning, they were lying on the bare mattresses. This is a common trick with, East Indian thieves, and the way they manage it is this. The robber, before he enters a house or tent, first strips and anoints himself with oil, which is done i in order that, in case any person should be awoke and' seize the intruder, he may be enabled to slip like an eel from his grasp. Thus prepared, he creeps into the' dwelling as noiselessly as possible. The nights in! India are generally excessively warm and oppressive, I and the sleep of most people, although heavy, is uneasy and disturbed. Of this the thief takes advan- tage. He quietly crouches down close under the bed, I, and with a feather gently tickles the nose of the sleeper, who, half dozing, rubs it and turns on his couch. While he is doing this the sheet on which he is lying is withdrawn a little from under him by the I thief. When he is fast asleep again, a second appli- cation of the feather causes another turn, and a little more of the sheet is pulled away. The thief then goes! to the other side, and the tickling is continued until the sheet is completely withdrawn from under the; unconscious sleeper. The operation takes some time, but is always so nicely managed that there is no case: on record of the slumberer having been awakened while the robbery was going forward. ARISTOCRATIC GAMBLING.—I should tell you that! I had a good opportunity at Wentworth to observe the way in which the wealthy sons of the aristocracy pass their time. The young Lord Milton had invited some of his friends of about his own age, and keen in their love of horses, to visit him, and have some private races. Milton offered, among various prizes, a gold cup and a dessert set. Among the young men were the future Lord Scarborough and Lord De Mauley. They were all dressed as jockeys, with the cap, the close blue or red or yellow silk jacket, the leather breeches, and the white-top boots. I observed a strong habit with them all—a remark could not be made without an offer to support it by a bet. If they were walking in the garden, one observed on the dis- tance of a certain object, and straightway a bet was offered and taken with regard to it; and on one occa- sion the young De Mauley—who, besides being the heir of a peer and at present a member of the House of Commons, has just married one of the handsomest I women I ever saw in any country-offered to bet that he could run a certain distance within a given time.! The bet was taken, the ground measured; he took off his boots and coat and waistcoat, ran, and gained the bet. At cards, they were always disposed to make tbe sum played for quite high. I have found it universal in England to play for money; sober persons make the sum sixpence on each point—a term which I do not understand, though I have gained several points, as I have been told. I played one evening with Lord Fitzwilliam as my partner; and we won between ua about a pound, which was duly paid and received. Another evening, I played with young Scarborough and De Maulay and a clergyman. I then won, and the clergyman paid me five shillings. Now, I must confess that I have disliked all this very much. I do not fancy cards in their best estate—especially do I not fancy them when so nearly allied to gaming. I however, took my seat at the tables in order to make a set, and fell in silently and without any question with what appeared to be the received usage Indeed so strong is the custom in this regard as to give rise to another, which is quite different, I believe, from that In America. Among us, man and wife never are partners-are they P Here, as I heard Lord Fitz- william observe, they always are partners; because, otherwise, they would gain nothing: it would do a man no good to win from his wife.—f1 Memoirs and Letters of Charles 8*mnert" I Prosperity is a more refined and severer teft di character than adversity, as one hour of Summer sun- shine produces greater corruption than the longest winterday. Learning, like money, may be of so base a coin as to be utterly void of use; or, if sterling, may require good management to make it serve the purposes of sense or happiness. 1! ia .Tain to your finger in the water, and, pulling it out, look for a hole; and equally vain to suppose that, however large a space you occupy, the world will miss you when yon die. Kindness is one of the purest traits that finds a place in the human heart. It is part of our original constitution, implanted within us at the dawn of our existence by our Creator, with the command, Love one another." When a man thinks nobody cares for him, and he is alone in a cold and selfish world, he would do well to ask himself this question:— What have I done to make anybody care for and love me, and to warm the world with faith and generosity P" It is generally the case that those who complain the most have done the least. Too BAD.—When a child is endowed with that most excellent thing—a good memory—common sense should teach his guardians or instructors that he must be restrained from overtaxing it; yet we read that a certain lad, aged twelve years, repeated in Sunday school, without one blunder, five hundred and fifteen verses from the Bible. What makes the accomplish- ment of this feat the more remarkable is the fact that the poor child is usually employed during the day, and memorized these verses by the light of a fire built in his yard at night. It may also be mentioned that he has never attended any other than a Sunday school. Now the question is this: What purpose does such a gigantic strain upon memory serve P The precocious boy probably repeats his lesson as a parrot might, without m the least understanding that which he recites; whereas by thoroughly learning half a dozen verses, he not only understands what he learns, but reserves a useful faculty for profitable uses. MORAL COURAGE.—Have the courage to face a I difficuty, lest it kick you harder than you bargained for. Difficulties, like thieves, often disappear at a glance. Have the courage to leave a convivial party I' at the proper hour for doing so, however great the sacrifice; and to stay away from one upon the slightest grounds for objection, however great the temptation to go. Have the courage to do without I that which you do not need, however much you may admire it. Have the courage to speak your mind when it necessary that you should do so, and hold your tongue when it is better you should be silent. Have the courage to speak to a poor friend in a seedy coat, even in the street, and when a rich one is nigh. The effort is less than many people take it to be, and the act is worthy of a king. Have the courage to admit that you have been in the wrong, and you will remove the fact in the mind of others, putting a desirable impression in the place of an unfavourable one. Have the courage to adhere to the first resolu- tion when you cannot change it for a better, and to abandon it at the eleventh hour upon conviction. A RIGID DISCIPLINARIAN.—It is related of the late Duke of Wellington that he once unceremoniously visited the house of his friend, Lord Derby, and at the door was arrested by a young man who, not knowing who he was, ordered him to assume slippers—a number of these articles being placed on the door seat-or leave the house. Afterwards it was explained that the youth was a painter, and by the command of his employer was justified in his conduct, as he was engaged in decorating the centre hall. However, when Lord Derby heard of the circumstance, he summoned all the household and men at work into his study, and, seating himself beside the great warrior, demanded who had the impertience to push the duke out of doors. The painter, all of a tremble, came forward and said, It was I, my lord." And pray," rejoined the earl, how canu you to do it". By your orders, my lord." On this his grace turned round to Lord Derby, and, smiling, drew a sovereign out of his purse, and giving it to the astonished culprit, said, significantly, "You are right to obey orders." I HUMOUR AND SARCASM.—It is not everybody who knows where to joke, or when, or how; and whoever j is ignorant of these conditions had better not joke at alL A gentleman never attempts to be humorous at the expense of people with whom he is but slightly acquainted. In fact, it is neither good manners nor wise policy to joke at anybody's expense; that ie to say, to make anybody uncomfortable merely to raise 'I. a laugh. Old iEsop, who was doubtless the subject of many a gibe on account of his humped back, tells the whole story, in his fable of The Boys and the Frogs." What was jolly for the youngsters wu death to the croakers. A jest may cut deeper a curse. Some men are so constituted that they cannot take a friendly joke in good part, and, instead of repaying it in the same light coin, will require it with contumely and insult. Never banter one of this dasa, or he will brood over' your badinage long after you have forgotten it, and it is not prudent to incur any one's enmity for the sake of uttering a tart repartee. Ridicule, at best, is a dangerous weapon. Satire. however, when levelled at social follies and political evils, is not only legitimate, but ooBuamdaW It has shamed down more abuses than were ever abolished by force of logic. THE STRAWBERRY DANCE.—An annuaf Strawberry Dance is celebrated by the Onondaga Indiana. When the strawberries first begin to ripen, according to their pagan idea, a dance must be given to the Great Spirit for the return of fruit. The women go to the neigh- bouring hills, and gather the wild strawberries. The next morning the big succotash kettle is placed over the fire at the west end of the council house, and the strawberries, with some water and some maple {sugar* put into the kettle, and all stirred welL Whiie this is cooking, the time is whiled away by the Indian dances. One of the chiefs takes the turtle she! thia shell is^cured by a process known only to the redskins. The shell is carefully cleaned, and the head and p«ck stretched out for an handle, and some corn and beans put in the shell, so as to make a rattle. The chief shakes the rattle and strikes the bench with it, <4l the time chanting an Indian chant. The dancers, headed by the chief, dance around the musician, and tha dancers now and then give a whoop. Their women, and in many cases their children, take part in the dance. After the strawberries are cooked, and they feel that they have danced enough, they form a circle, and a cup of this strawberry stew is passed to each one. This, with a few Indian speeches, forma the Indian way of returning thanks for the fruits. DRIFT-WOOD IN THE POLAR SEAS.—Dr. Gregor Kraus, professor of botany at the University of WaTto, has sulriected a variety of samples of drift-wood- collected in the Polar Seas, to a minute microscopioal examination. Drift-wood abounds in the Arctic waters, and constitutes the only source of fuel for mariners in high latitudes, where there is no indigenous vege- tation. It has long been an open question where the drift-wood comes from. The belief was current among scientific men that the Gulf Stream, credited with so many almost miraculous powers, carries the produce of tropical soils up into the frigid zone encirdme the North Pole. Dr. Kraus has proved this beliefto be erroneous. He has examined no less than twenty-five samples of wood, collected at random, and all of are proved, by the structure of the cells, the CIOSCBOSI of the rings, and the species of wood, to be the produce of northern forests, probably the Siberian forests bordering upon the Polar Sea. Of the twenty-five Specimens, twenty-two were species of coniferous trees, principally larch; the remaining three were either willow, or poplar, or aspen. Now, these are precisely the varieties of trees composing the vast Siberian forests. Besides, as observed, the closeness of the rings, indicating slowness of growth, still further points to the fact that the wood is the produce of extreme latitudes.—Dr. Kraus'* Lectures. SCOTLAND ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO.—In another letter, the mighty Hunter writes of Mr. Longman, who was temporarily knocked up by Edinburgh life: "These Englishers will never do m our country. They eat a great deal too much and drink too little; the consequence is their stomachs give way, and they are knocked up of course." What used to be done "in our country," is not badly illustrated in the following incidents:—" The story is known to many of the Forfar laird, who, in returning on horseback from a convivial party* heard himself fall into the ford that he was crossing, and called out to his servant, •John, what was that played pùuhf and who on another similar occasion, when his hat and wig had been blown off, indignantly refused the latter when it was restored to him, exclaiming, 'John, this is no this IS a wat wigr until John rejoined, • J erVi, 4.W 0 111 Pitmossie muir!' and induced fcm to resume the dripping covering. It is told of the same worthy that once when so far gone that he could go no further, his hosts, in order to sansiy an uncontrolable homeward instinct, placed mm, whip in hand, upon a stone wall, with the faith- ful John behind him, who, after sufficient time had passed, assisted his master to dismount, and led him off unconscious to sleep away the effects of his carouse in a strange apartment."—Arch Constable'* Correspondents. DEATH.—They who have experienced a very severe and alarming illness, can, in some measure, realise what their feelings will be on the apprach of the king of terrors. They found the things of this world one after another, deserting them j-first, their com- mon amusements, their interest in the bustle of life; then a thousand long-cherished but foolish hopes; and lastly, even then (what to a creature standing on the borders of eternity becomes tasteless, wearisome), then the consolations of friendship. What remained ? A frightful void! or the love of God! and in that, all which cheers an angel's heart! Here is a sublime sight—a creature hovering between earth and heaven, unfit for the one, unacquainted with the other; incapable of holding any intercourse with the inhabitants of either world; hanging on the Supreme Governor of the universe alone for comfort.