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+This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements,
+metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be
+in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES.
+
+Procedures for determining public domain status are described in
+the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org.
+
+No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in
+jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize
+this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright
+status under the laws that apply to them.
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+Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for
+eBook #67962 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/67962)
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-The Project Gutenberg eBook of Graham's Magazine, Vol. XXI, No. 1,
-July 1842, by Various
-
-This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and
-most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions
-whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms
-of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at
-www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you
-will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before
-using this eBook.
-
-Title: Graham's Magazine, Vol. XXI, No. 1, July 1842
-
-Author: Various
-
-Editors: George Rex Graham
- Rufus W. Griswold
-
-Release Date: May 1, 2022 [eBook #67962]
-
-Language: English
-
-Produced by: Mardi Desjardins & the online Distributed Proofreaders
- Canada team at https://www.pgdpcanada.net from page images
- generously made available by the Internet Archive
-
-*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK GRAHAM'S MAGAZINE, VOL. XXI,
-NO. 1, JULY 1842 ***
-
- GRAHAM’S MAGAZINE.
- Vol. XXI. July, 1842 No. 1.
-
-
- Contents
-
- Fiction, Literature and Articles
-
- The Polish Mother
- The Fancy-Fair
- Harry Cavendish
- The Bridal
- The Lightning of the Waters
- The Sisters
- Boston Ramblings
- Autumn
- The Brother and Sister
- Tropical Birds
- The Girdle of Fire
- Review of New Books
-
- Poetry, Music and Fashion
-
- “Thou Hast Loved.”
- Viola
- Morning Prayer
- Le Faineant
- The Dying Minstrel to His Muse
- The Daughter of Herodias
- Callore
- A Dirge
- Sonnet to My Mother
- To An Infant in the Cradle
- Will Nobody Marry Me?
- To ——
- The Stage
- “To Win the Love of Thee.”
- Latest Fashions
-
- Transcriber’s Notes can be found at the end of this eBook.
-
- * * * * *
-
- GRAHAM’S
-
- LADY’S AND GENTLEMAN’S
-
- MAGAZINE,
-
- EMBELLISHED WITH
-
- MEZZOTINT AND STEEL ENGRAVINGS, MUSIC, ETC.
-
- WILLIAM C. BRYANT, J. FENIMORE COOPER, RICHARD H. DANA, HENRY W.
- LONGFELLOW, CHARLES F. HOFFMAN, THEODORE S. FAY, J. H. MANCUR,
-
- MRS. EMMA C. EMBURY, MRS. SEBA SMITH, MRS. “MARY CLAVERS,” MRS. E. F.
- ELLET, MRS. ANN S. STEPHENS, MRS. FRANCES S. OSGOOD, ETC.,
- PRINCIPAL CONTRIBUTORS.
-
- GEORGE R. GRAHAM AND RUFUS W. GRISWOLD, EDITORS.
-
- VOLUME XXI.
-
- PHILADELPHIA:
- GEORGE R. GRAHAM, NO. 98 CHESNUT STREET.
- ...........
- 1842.
-
- * * * * *
-
- INDEX
-
- TO THE
-
- TWENTY-FIRST VOLUME.
-
- FROM JUNE TO DECEMBER, 1842, INCLUSIVE.
-
-An Appeal in behalf of an International Copyright. By 14
- Cornelius Mathews,
-
-Bridal, The. By Robert Morris, 13
-Boston Ramblings. By Miss Leslie, 33
-Brother and Sister, The. By Emma C. Embury, 38
-Bud and Blossom, The. By Mrs. Seba Smith. 61
- (Illustrated.),
-Bryant, Wm. C., his Writings, 102
-Ben Blower’s Story. By Charles Fenno Hoffman, 132
-Bogart, Alexander H., 155
-Bainbridge, Memoir of. By J. Fenimore Cooper, 240
-Barrett, Elizabeth B., 303
-
-Characterless Women. By Mrs. Seba Smith, 199
-Clam Bake, The. By Jeremy Short, 215
-Charles VIII. of France, Segur’s Life of, 286
-
-De Pontis, a Tale of Richelieu. By the Author of “Henri 65, 135, 172,
- Quatre,” 235
-Dawes, Rufus, The Poetry of. By Edgar A. Poe, 205
-Dale, Richard, Memoir of. By J. Fenimore Cooper, 289
-
-Error, A Tale. By Emma C. Embury, 83
-Editor’s Table, 106, 155, 221,
- 286, 343
-
-Fancy Fair, The. By Mrs. A. M. F. Annan, 4
-Fitch, John, Notice of. By Noah Webster, 108
-
-Girdle of Fire, The. By Percie H. Selton, 50
-
-Harry Cavendish. By the “Author of Cruising in the last 9, 69, 117,
- War,” 201, 281, 330
-Hester Ormesby. By Mrs. Emma C. Embury, 269
-Hasty Marriage, The. By Robert Morris, 336
-
-Johnsons, The. By Mrs. Ann S. Stephens, 96
-
-Lightning of the Waters. By Reynell Coates, M. D., 16
-
-Malina Gray. By Mrs. Ann S. Stephens, 210, 273, 304
-Minstrelsy of the Revolution, 221
-
-Niagara Falls, Letter from. By Horace Greeley, 107
-Night at Haddon Hall, A. By the Author of “Letters from 194
- Ancient Castles,”
-
-Polish Mother, The. (Illustrated.), 1
-Persecutor’s Daughter. By C. J. Peterson, 320
-
-Reviews of New Books, 56, 102, 152,
- 218, 286, 339
-Reprimand, The. By Epes Sargent. (Illustrated.), 216
-Race for a Sweetheart, A. By Seba Smith, 326
-
-Sisters, The, A Tale of the Sixteenth Century. By Henry 21, 73, 125
- W. Herbert,
-Shakspeare. By Theodore S. Fay, 142, 192
-Somers, Richard, Memoir of. By J. Fenimore Cooper, 157
-Sketch of a Case, or a Physician Extraordinary. By “Mary 187
- Clavers,”
-Scott’s Critical Writings, 218
-Speculation, or Dyspepsia Cured. By H. T. Tuckerman, 279
-
-Tropical Birds. By Park Benjamin, 44
-Tennyson’s Poems, 152
-Talfourd’s Miscellaneous Writings, 218
-Truth, A Tale. By Mrs. Frances Sargent Osgood, 316
-
-Waste Paper, A Tale. By Mrs. Frances Sargent Osgood, 146
-
-Young Wife, The. By the Author of “A Marriage of 257
- Convenience,”
-
- POETRY.
-
-Autumn. By Albert Pike, 37
-Autumn, Approach of. By Wm. Falconer, 124
-Alice, The Lady. (Illustrated.) By Park Benjamin, 145
-Autumn, A Reverie in. By Wm. Falconer, 209
-Affection, True. (Illustrated.), 319
-
-Callore. By Alexander A. Irvine, 20
-
-Daughter of Herodius, The. By Mrs. Frances Sargent 14
- Osgood,
-Dirge. By James Russell Lowell, 31
-
-Elizabeth. By J. T. S. Sullivan, 68
-
-Faineant, Le. By Charles F. Hoffman, 8
-Farewell, The Exile’s. By W. H. Racey, 68
-Farewell to a Fashionable Acquaintance. By S. G. 95
- Goodrich,
-Fame, The Student’s Dream of. By Robert Morris, 101
-First and Last Parting. By C. F. Hoffman, 191
-Farewell, The, 329
-
-“Hath not thy Rose a Canker?” By Lois B. Adams, 82
-Heart, The Haunted. By Mary L. Lawson, 141
-Hymn for the Funeral of a Child. By James Aldrich, 172
-Holy Nights, The. By Henry Morford, 332
-
-“I Saw Her Once,” A Song. By Richard H. Dana, 256
-
-Life, The Future. By William Cullen Bryant, 104
-“Love’s Time is Now.” By Park Benjamin, 200
-L’Amour Sans Ailes. By C. F. Hoffman, 272
-
-Morning Prayer. (Illustrated.), 3
-Minstrel, The Dying, to his Muse. By Wm. Falconer, 8
-Maiden’s Sorrow, The. By Wm. C. Bryant, 64
-Madoc, The Song of. By G. Forester Barstow, 120
-My Mother. A Dream. By Mrs. Balmanno, 239
-
-Pets, The Playful. (Illustrated.), 204
-Prayer, The Child’s. By Robert Morris, 234
-Pastor’s Visit. (Illustrated.), 336
-
-Return of Youth. By Wm. C. Bryant, 185
-Religion, The Power of. By Miss A. C. Pratt. 198
- (Illustrated.),
-
-Sonnet. To my Mother. By T. H. Chivers, 32
-Stage, The. By William Wallace, 53
-Song. By Charles F. Hoffman, 64
-Sonnet. By W. W. Story, 79
-Song. By Hon. Mrs. Norton, 95
-Student, The Spanish. By Henry W. Longfellow, 109, 196, 229
-Storm, The Sunset. By Rufus W. Griswold, 145
-Sonnet. “Bear On,” 175
-Sonnet. The Smile, 180
-Sonnet. “Rejoice!” 214
-Sonnet. The Unattained. By Mrs. Seba Smith, 256
-Sonnet. The Serenade, 279
-Shepherd, The, and the Brook. By William Falconer, 280
-Sonnet. By Mrs. Seba Smith, 303
-Sonnets, Four. By Elizabeth B. Barrett, 303
-
-“Thou Hast Loved.” By Mrs. Seba Smith, 3
-To an Infant in the Cradle. By George B. Cheever, 44
-To ——. By George Lunt, 53
-To My Sisters. By Anna Cora Mowatt, 72
-To a Swallow. By Wm. Falconer, 82
-To Fanny H. By Mrs. Seba Smith, 131
-To a Lady Singing. By George Hill, 191
-To a Belle who is not a Blue Belle. By Mrs. Ellet, 200
-To Almeida in New England. By James T. Fields, 204
-To the Earth. By James Aldrich, 204
-To the Night Wind in Autumn. By George H. Colton, 336
-
-Uncas, The Last Leap of. By Park Benjamin, 79
-
-Viola. By James Aldrich, 3
-Voyage, The Life. By Mrs. F. S. Osgood, 265
-
-Watchers, The. (Illustrated.), 64
-Walk, The Forest, and Picnic. By Alfred B. Street, 130
-Will Nobody Marry Me? By Geo. P. Morris, 44
-Wintemoyeh: A Legend of Mackinaw. By George H. Colton, 170
-
-“You Call Us Inconstant.” By H. T. Tuckerman, 134
-
- STEEL ENGRAVINGS.
-
- LINE AND MEZZOTINT.
-
-Morning Prayer, engraved by Sadd.
-The Polish Mother, engraved by Dunnell.
-The Bud and Blossom, by Welch & Walter.
-The Watchers, engraved by Sartain.
-The Proposal, engraved by A. Jones.
-The Lady Alice, engraved by Dick.
-The Blessing, engraved by Dunnell.
-The Playful Pets, engraved by Sartain.
-The Pet Rabbit, engraved by Sadd.
-The Reprimand, engraved by Gimbrede.
-True Affection, by Rawdon, Wright & Hatch.
-Awaiting the Husband’s Return, engraved by Sadd.
-The Pastor’s Visit, engraved by Dick.
-
- MUSIC.
-
-“To Win the Love of Thee,” A Ballad, 54
-The Zanoni Gallop, 102
-The September Waltz, 151
-The Summer Night, 217
-“Write to Me, Love,” 285
-
- * * * * *
-
-[Illustration:
-E. T. Parris., E. G. Dunnel.
-_The Polish Mother._
-Engraved expressly for Graham’s Magazine.]
-
-
-
-
- GRAHAM’S MAGAZINE.
-
- Vol. XXI. PHILADELPHIA: JULY, 1842. No. 1.
-
- * * * * *
-
-
-
-
- THE POLISH MOTHER.
-
-
-It was a gorgeous bridal. The old hall of the palace was lit up with a
-thousand lights, and crowded with all the wealth, beauty and rank of
-Poland. The apartment blazed with the jewels of its occupants. Princes
-with their proud dames, high officers of state, nobles whose domains
-vied in extent with kingdoms, and lordly beauties beneath whose gaze all
-bent in adoration, had gathered at that magnificent festival to do honor
-to the bridal of the fair daughter of their host. And loveliest among
-the lovely was the bride. Tall and majestic in every movement, with a
-queenly brow, and a face such as might have been that of the mother of
-the gods, she moved through the splendid apartment the theme of every
-admiring tongue. Nor less remarkable was her husband. Warsaw beheld no
-noble tread her palaces more lordly in his bearing than the Count
-Restchifky. The fire of a hundred warrior ancestors burned in his eye.
-The fame of his high lineage, of his extended possessions, of his feats
-in arms, followed his footsteps wherever he went. In manly beauty the
-court of Poland had no rival to the count, in majestic loveliness the
-realm furnished no equal to his bride. And now, as they stood together
-in that proud old hall, surrounded by all that was noble and beautiful
-in the land, the peerless beauty of the countess and the princely
-bearing of her husband shone pre-eminent.
-
-Never had Warsaw seen such a festival. All that the most boundless
-wealth and all that a taste the most fastidious could do to add to the
-splendor of the occasion had been done, and the guests, one and all,
-bore testimony to the success of the princely entertainer. The air was
-laden with incense, flowers bloomed around, unseen music filled the hall
-with harmony, and statues and carvings of rare device met the eye at
-every turn. If Aladdin had been there he would not have asked that his
-enchanted palace should excel in magnificence the one before him. No
-visionary, in his wildest dream, could imagine aught more beautiful. And
-through this unrivalled ball the count and his bride moved, conscious
-that all this splendor was evoked for their honor, feeling that not a
-heart in all the vast assembly but envied their exalted lot. At every
-step congratulations met them until they turned away sick with
-adulation. What wonder that the rose grew still deeper on the cheek of
-the bride, that her eyes flashed with brighter brilliancy, or that her
-step became more queenly? Could aught mortal wholly resist the
-intoxication of that hour?
-
- . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
-
-Years had elapsed. That fair young bride had become a mother; but time
-had passed over her without destroying one lineament of her majestic
-beauty. But the scene had changed from that through which she moved on
-her bridal night. There were no longer around her wealth and splendor
-and beauty, the flattery of the proud, the envy of the fair. She sat
-alone—alone with her two children, one a lovely girl of sixteen, and
-the other a smiling boy whose birth three years before had thrilled her
-husband’s heart with ecstasy, filled a province with rejoicings. But now
-that husband was away from her side, that province lay smoking around
-her. Her own proud home, where since her marriage she had spent the
-happiest hours of her life, had been sacked and given to the flames, and
-she now sat leaning against a shattered parapet, with her face buried in
-her hands, and the bitter tear of a mother’s anguish rolling down her
-cheeks. At her feet, leaning on her for succor, and clasping her hand,
-sat her daughter; while her boy, too young as yet to be conscious of the
-misery around him, smiled as he played with the jewelled cross depending
-from his mother’s neck. A broken sword, a dismounted cannon, the
-shattered staff of a lance, at the feet of the group, betokened that the
-vassals of the count had not yielded up her house to rapine without a
-deadly struggle; and indeed, of the hundreds of hearts which beat there,
-but the day before, only those of the mother and her two children had
-escaped captivity or death. Part of the palace was yet in flames, while,
-on the plain beyond, a village threw its lurid conflagration across the
-sky. Desolation and despair sat enthroned around. Who that had seen that
-mother on her bridal night, could have foretold that her after life
-would reveal a scene like this?
-
-The Polish war for independence had broken out. Among the foremost of
-the patriotic band which perilled all for their country, was the Count
-Restchifky. His sword had been unsheathed at the outbreak of the
-conflict, his fortune had been poured the first into the coffers of the
-state. From his own estates he had raised and equipped as gallant a band
-as ever followed lord to the tented field. And for a short space the war
-seemed to prosper. But then came the reverse. From every quarter the
-haughty Catharine poured her countless legions, headed by the fierce
-Suwarrow, into Poland, and smoking fields and slaughtered armies soon
-told that the day of hope for that ill-fated land was over. Yet a few
-noble spirits, among whom the count was foremost, still held out for
-their country, fighting every foot of ground, and though retreating
-before the overwhelming forces of the foe, compelling him to purchase
-every rood of land he gained by the lives of hundreds of his venal
-followers. It was at this period, and while the count was far from his
-home, that his palace had been attacked, and given to the flames. Afar
-from succor, unconscious whether or not her husband yet lived, and
-trembling for the lives of her offspring amid the desolation which
-surrounded them, what wonder that even the proud heart of the countess
-gave way, and that she wept in utter agony over her ruined country and
-her dismantled home!
-
-“Oh! mother,” said the daughter, “if we only knew where father was, or
-if he yet lived, we might still be happy. Wealth is nothing to us, for
-will we not still love each other? Dry your tears, dear mother, for
-something tells me that father lives and will yet rejoin us.”
-
-At these words of comfort, more soothing because coming from a quarter
-so unexpected, the mother looked up, and, drawing her daughter to her
-bosom, kissed her, saying,
-
-“You are right, my child. We will hope for the best. And if your father
-has indeed fallen, and we are alone in the world, I will remember that I
-have you to comfort me, and strive—to—be happy,” and, in despite of
-her effort to be calm, the tears gushed into her eyes at the bare
-thought of the possible loss of her husband.
-
-“But see, mother,” suddenly exclaimed the daughter, “see the cloud of
-dust across the plain—can it betoken the return of the foe?” and she
-drew close to her mother’s side.
-
-The mother gazed with eager eyes across the plain, and her cheek paled
-as she thought she distinguished the banner of Russia borne in the
-advance.
-
-“It is, it is as I feared,” said the daughter, “they come to carry us
-into captivity. Oh! let us hide from their sight—there are secret
-recesses in the ruins yet where we might defy scrutiny.”
-
-“No,” said the mother, all the spirit of her race rising in her at this
-crisis, “no, my daughter, it would not become us, like base-born churls,
-thus to fly from a foe. The wife and children of Count Restchifky will
-meet his enemies on his own hearth-stone, all dismantled though it be.”
-
-With these words she clasped her babe closer to her bosom, and sat down
-again behind the parapet to await, as the daughter of a hundred princes
-should await, the approach of her murderers; and although perhaps her
-cheek was a hue paler, the lofty glance of her eye quailed not. Her
-daughter sank to her feet and buried her face in her mother’s robe. But
-after a few minutes she regained courage, and looked timidly out across
-the plain. At the first glance she started and said eagerly,
-
-“But see, mother, can they really be enemies? They wave their banners as
-if to us—they increase their speed—surely, surely that gallant
-horseman in the advance is my own dear father.”
-
-A moment the mother gazed eagerly on the approaching horseman, but a
-moment only. The eye of the wife saw that her husband was indeed there,
-and, with a glad cry, she clasped her children in her arms and burst
-into a flood of joyful tears. She was still weeping when the count,
-dismounting from his charger, rushed forward and clasped her in his
-arms.
-
-“Thank God!” he ejaculated, “you at least are left to me. I had feared
-to find you no more. May the lightning of heaven blast the cravens who
-could thus desolate the home of a woman.”
-
-“My husband, oh! my husband!” was all that the wife could say.
-
-“Father, dear father, you are safe—oh! we shall yet be happy,” said the
-daughter as she clung to her restored parent.
-
-The father kissed and re-kissed them all, and for once his stern nature
-was moved to tears, but they were tears of joy.
-
-His story was soon told. Finding that all hope of saving his country was
-over, and eager to learn the fate of those he had left at home, he had
-cut his way through the enemy with a few gallant followers. As he drew
-near the vicinity of his palace, he had heard strange rumors of the
-sacking of his home, and on every side his own eyes beheld the ravages
-of the foe. Torn with a thousand fears respecting the fate of those he
-loved better than life, he had pressed madly on, and when the blackened
-and smoking walls of his palace had risen before him in the distance he
-had almost given way to despair. But, at length, his eager eye caught
-sight of a group amid the ruins, and his heart told him that those he
-loved remained yet to cheer his ruined fortunes.
-
-No pen can do justice to the feelings of gratitude which throbbed in the
-bosom of that father as he pressed his wife and children successively to
-his heart. His plans were soon laid. He had, by remittances to England
-on the outbreak of the war, provided his family against want, and
-thither they now bent their steps. Over his ruined country he shed many
-a tear, but, at such times, the smiles of his wife and children were
-ever ready to cheer his despondency; and as he gazed on his lovely
-family he felt that there was much yet in this world to bid him be
-happy.
-
- * * * * *
-
-
-
-
- “THOU HAST LOVED.”
-
-
- BY MRS. SEBA SMITH.
-
-
- Dearest, in thine eye’s deep light
- Is a look to tears allied—
- Sorrow struggling with delight,
- Each the other seeks to hide;
- Thou, the freighted ark of life
- Lonely floating on the sea,
- With thy being’s treasure rife—
- Thou hast wearied thus to be.
-
- Thou hast sent thy dove from thee—
- Forth hast launched thy dove of peace,
- And the branch, though green it be,
- Can it bid thy doubtings cease?
- Though it speak of hope the while,
- Verdant spots and sunny bowers,
- Can it bring thee back the smile
- That beguiled thy vacant hours?
-
- Take thy dove and fold its wing—
- Fold its ruffled wing to rest;
- Deluge airs around it ring:
- Let it nestle on thy breast.
- Dearest, all thy care is vain—
- Mark its trembling, weary wings;
- But it comes to thee again,
- And an olive branch it brings.
-
- Take it, bind it unto thee,
- Though the leaves are dim with tears;
- Such thy woman lot must be—
- Love and sorrow, hopes and fears.
- Bind the branch of promise ever
- To thy heart, with fear oppressed,
- Let the leaves of hope, oh! never,
- Withered, leave their place of rest.
-
- * * * * *
-
-
-
-
- VIOLA.
-
-
- BY JAMES ALDRICH.
-
-
- This simple chain of sunny hair,
- Thus braided by thy gentle hand,
- Anear my heart I ever wear,
- Since thou art gone to shadow-land.
-
- Whene’er upon the little gift
- Of thy sweet love my eye is cast,
- Will welcome memory come and lift
- The curtains of the silent Past!
-
- Ah! my fond heart, as well it may,
- Feels then, in all its depth anew,
- That which, when thou wait called away,
- Ennobled and immortal grew!
-
- Lost one! to thee I’ll constant prove,
- Long as I walk this mortal strand,
- So may I claim thy perfect love
- When we shall meet in shadow-land.
-
- * * * * *
-
-[Illustration:
-_PAINTED BY LUCY ADAMS._, _ENGRAVED BY H. S. SADD._
-_Morning Prayer._
-_Engraved Expressly for Graham’s Magazine_]
-
- * * * * *
-
-
-
-
- MORNING PRAYER.
-
-
- ILLUSTRATION OF A PICTURE.
-
-
- He is not here!
- We meet around the altar yet once more,
- Where we our prayers have blent so oft before,
- And drop a tear
- Upon the holy book from which he read
- Who sleeps, at length, in peace, among the silent dead.
-
- Yet from on high
- He looketh on us—widow, daughter, son—
- Pointing the course by which he glory won.
- He still is nigh,
- On angel’s wings, to comfort us and guide,—
- Unseen, but not unfelt, forever by our side.
-
- Father in heaven!
- Who hast called home the leader of our band,
- And the bright glories of the better land
- Unto him given,
- O, be with us, and keep us in the way
- That leads, through this dark night, to an unending day!
-
- Strengthen our hearts
- To bear, with fortitude, the ills of time;
- Preserve them ever from the winter’s rime,
- So let our parts
- Be acted, that again the prayer and song
- We may together blend, and through all time prolong!
-
- * * * * *
-
-
-
-
- THE FANCY-FAIR.
-
-
- BY MRS. A. M. F. ANNAN.
-
-
- “With her personage, her tall personage,
- Her height, forsooth, she hath prevailed with him.”
- Shakspeare.
-
-“Good morning, Saybrooke,” said a gentleman named Creswell, meeting a
-friend; “I have just ascertained to whom Collins is married—a lady of
-your city—Laura Sands.”
-
-“Amazing!” exclaimed Saybrooke, striking down his cane with such energy
-that the other started; “why, she is six feet high!”
-
-“Not quite,” returned Creswell, laughing; “and, though somewhat large,
-she is one of the most queenly looking women—”
-
-“Pshaw! Victoria has put that word out of fashion, or at least changed
-its signification.”
-
-“I beg pardon—I had forgotten your horror of large women, or, rather, I
-did not regard it, supposing it was your affectation—everybody has at
-least one.”
-
-“Affectation! take care, or I’ll raise my stick at you!”
-
-“Well, it is unaccountable that a man of your inches should have such
-notions. Now, for a little fellow, like myself, it would be bad taste to
-be following women who might look as if they could flog him, but with
-your six feet two, and abundant proportions, the case is different. On
-the contrary, I can’t imagine anything more comical than a little wife
-hanging on your arm; she would look like a reticule—not straining a
-pun.”
-
-“In saying I detest large women, I make no committal by preferring very
-small ones; but, seriously, I would no more expect to find a woman’s
-soul in all its sweetness, delicacy and purity hidden in a coarse,
-capacious body, than I could think of loving a woman for the
-recommendation—‘_Sexu fæmina, ingenio vir._’”
-
-“There it is with you men of fortune! You become so finical from having
-all sorts of attractions paraded before you, that you stand still
-waiting for perfection, till at last, in despair, you tie up your eyes,
-and, like a child at blind man’s buff, spring forward and secure the
-first against whom you stumble. Now, we poor, hard-working dogs—but
-I’ll get out of heart if I talk about my own grievances. I have a lady
-selected for you, beautiful, accomplished, with a thousand excellencies,
-and of station in society and all that, just to suit, but this last
-freak has chilled my good intentions. So good bye, till I get into a
-better humor!”
-
-In the evening the two gentlemen met again, as Saybrooke was coming out
-of an exchange office, in the act of securing his pocket book.
-
-“Have you been filling or emptying that article, which?” asked Creswell.
-
-“The more agreeable alternative,” replied his friend.
-
-“Then you are the very fellow I wished to see. I have an appointment for
-you to-night—to take you to a ladies’ fair.”
-
-“The mischief! when you know that fancy-fairs are my aversion, and not
-from caprice but from real principle. I don’t know anything more
-disgusting than to see a room full of Misses, taking advantage of some
-either really or nominally worthy purpose, to exhibit themselves to the
-public, and to gratify a petty and an indelicate vanity, by flirting
-over their pincushions and doll-babies with any fellow who can afford an
-admittance shilling for the honor.”
-
-“Come, come, that’s really too severe, but just now I have not time to
-take the other side of the question. This, however, is no ordinary
-occasion. It is an impromptu affair, undertaken by a number of charming,
-whole-hearted girls, to raise a fund in aid of the sufferers by a recent
-public disaster, and more taste, enthusiasm, and liberality, I have
-never seen exhibited. If you wish to see the _élite_ of our beauty and
-fashion, under the most favorable circumstances, you had better avail
-yourself of my invitation.”
-
-“If that is the case, I have no scruples. I intended to appropriate a
-part of this very supply to a charity so unquestionable, and it may as
-well pass through the medium you have selected as any other. So I’m at
-your service.”
-
-At the appointed time they reached the —— Saloon, in which the fair
-was held, and Creswell, who from previous visits was posted as to all
-concerning it, led his friend, for a cursory inspection, around the
-room. Its arrangements were novel and tasteful, its decorations of the
-most rich and appropriate character, and the fair projectors were
-fulfilling their duties with a dignity, grace, and decorum that
-surprised as well as gratified the fastidious stranger.
-
-“Now, if you are satisfied,” said Creswell, “I’ll give myself the
-trouble to advise you in the disposal of that spare cash of yours—come
-to this table,” and bowing to its fair attendant, he took up a large and
-magnificently bound quarto volume, and turned over its pages; “I have
-heard you express a fondness, Saybrooke,” he continued, “for what you
-call the only ladies’ science—Botany; did you ever see any thing to
-equal this?” It was a collection of dried flowers, of such as best
-preserve their color, pressed with great niceness and skill, and pasted
-on the smooth, white pages so carefully, some singly and some in groups,
-that it required close examination to distinguish them from delicate
-water-color drawings. Beneath them were written, in an exquisite hand,
-clear, full, and accurate technical descriptions, and on intermediate
-pages quotations appropriate to their symbolical characters, or fanciful
-and elegant passages, evidently original.
-
-“This must have been the work of a lady, judging from its ingenuity and
-beauty,” said Saybrooke.
-
-“It was done by Miss Martha Grainger, was it not?” asked Creswell,
-turning to the title page, which was a graceful vignette, executed, even
-to the lettering, in leaves and flowers, but it contained no name.
-
-“Of course,” returned the pretty vender; “no other of us could have had
-the taste, patience, and knowledge for such a work, to say nothing of
-the talent the literary illustrations display. I really think it was a
-piece of heroism in her to give up a possession so beautiful, and one
-that must have cost her a world of labor and care.”
-
-“If it is not already sold, I shall be happy to become its purchaser,”
-said Saybrooke; and paying for his acquisition with much satisfaction,
-they walked on. The next thing that struck their notice was a large vase
-encrusted with shells, and filled with fragrant and splendid flowers. It
-was white, and transparent as alabaster, and of an antique form, as rare
-as beautiful. Saybrooke examined it carefully. “How superior,” said he,
-“to the unshapely, crockery-looking ware commonly seen as
-shell-work—nothing could be more perfectly elegant and classical than
-it is.”
-
-“Is it of your workmanship, Miss Ellen?” asked Creswell.
-
-“I am sorry to say, very far from it. It is a donation from Martha
-Grainger; she had just finished it for herself, but, with her usual
-generous benevolence, gave it up in hope that it might be turned to the
-benefit of the unfortunate. The flowers, which you seem to admire so
-much, Mr. Creswell, are also of her culture. Her windows, you know, were
-the rivals of the green-houses, but she robbed them all to fill it.
-Suppose you take it for your office? There is no one who will value it
-more.”
-
-“Ah, if I could afford to have all I value! but I would not desecrate
-anything so pure and sweet, by stowing it away among the rough
-book-cases, and dust, and cobwebs of a poor lawyer’s office. Now, my
-friend here could give it a place not unworthy. If it were placed within
-your curtains, Saybrooke, I’d engage that you would have more bright
-eyes peeping through your windows than you ever had before.”
-
-“The temptation is too strong to be resisted,” answered Saybrooke,
-smiling, and he placed his card in a handle of the vase, as its
-purchaser. “I am glad to find that the botanical lady has a real love of
-flowers,” he continued, as he walked away with a China rose, which he
-had selected, in his hand; “it is not always the case; a proficiency in
-the science argues a clear and discriminating mind; the other seems to
-belong to a naturally refined taste.”
-
-“Pray, Mr. Creswell, can’t you find us a purchaser for this?” asked a
-lady, pointing to a glass case, which contained a set of elaborately
-carved ivory chess-men.
-
-“An exquisite set,” said Saybrooke, “they look like fairy work.”
-
-“I think this is not the first time I have seen them, madam; can you
-remind me where they came from?” said Creswell.
-
-“They were added to our stock by Miss Grainger, an effort of self-denial
-that I fear I never could have attained. They were sent to her as a
-present by an uncle in India, but she is so conscientious that she
-offered them for our undertaking, saying that she could not be satisfied
-to keep them for mere amusement, when a set for ten dollars would answer
-as well. Of course we cannot expect to get their real value, as, very
-properly, there are few persons who would offer a couple of hundred
-dollars for a thing of the kind, but we are in hopes that some one
-willing to aid the cause will take them at a price which, at least, will
-not be unworthy of the generosity of the donor.”
-
-“As it is not very likely, from present appearances,” said Saybrooke,
-“that the artists of the Celestial Empire will have the courage and
-leisure to execute toys so singularly elaborate and ingenious for some
-time to come, I may as well avail myself of the opportunity, and take
-possession of these. Will this be sufficient for them, madam?”
-
-“Thank you, sir, for your liberality,—it is more than we expected;”
-said the lady, looking after the stranger with much curiosity.
-
-“That Miss Grainger must be a remarkable person to be possessed of so
-much talent and industry, and so much open-handed generosity. But what
-have you there?” Creswell was looking at a pair of small paintings which
-ornamented one of the stalls, and Saybrooke continued, after joining
-him, “these are really beautiful little things, and from their apparent
-reference to the late calamity, they must have been furnished expressly
-for this occasion. They are evidently by the same hand, yet it must have
-been difficult for one person to do them in so short a time. There is
-much feeling, as well as originality, in the designs, and not less
-spirit than grace in their execution. May I ask, Miss, from whom these
-were obtained?”
-
-“They are from the pencil of a lady, sir,—the all-accomplished Miss
-Grainger.”
-
-“Miss Grainger again!” said Saybrooke smiling; “they are marked for
-sale, I believe?”
-
-“They are, sir, though we would prefer letting them remain here till the
-sale is over.”
-
-“Certainly; but you will let me secure them in time?” and having
-completed the purchase, he followed Creswell; “there now,” said he, “I
-think I have done my part, so I shall tie up my purse-strings; but pray
-who is this Miss Grainger?”
-
-“What do you imagine her to be?”
-
-“An active, bustling, fussy old maid, such a person who is always to be
-found in the like enterprises; but in addition she must have an enlarged
-mind, which, having freed her from the selfishness peculiar to her
-relative position, still furnishes her with resources to devote to
-general benevolence.”
-
-“You never were more mistaken in your life,—but what do you think of
-that oriental _kiosk_ which the ladies have fitted up as the
-post-office?”
-
-“I was just going to remark that it is particularly tasteful and
-beautiful.”
-
-“The plan is another of the labors of Miss Grainger,—but we must ask
-for letters to finish our business.”
-
-“Certainly, but where is your fair _virtuoso_? you must point her out to
-me.”
-
-“Very well, come along, and I’ll introduce you, but of one thing I must
-apprise you beforehand,—with all her admirable qualities she is,
-unfortunately, quite—a large woman—the largest, I should think, in the
-room.”
-
-“That is unfortunate,” said Saybrooke, looking disturbed; “but as I wish
-merely to have my curiosity gratified, and to pay a tribute of respect
-to an intellectual and a useful woman, I shall put up with that.”
-
-Creswell paused to speak with an acquaintance, and Saybrooke walked
-forward. Suddenly a lady swept by, almost jostling him, and of a size
-that over-shadowed all around her. She was beflounced and befurred, had
-a tall feather waving above her hat, a decided shade on her upper lip,
-and a step like a grenadier.
-
-“See here, Creswell, you needn’t mind taking me to see Miss Grainger,—I
-don’t want to be introduced to her,” said Saybrooke.
-
-“You have changed your mind very suddenly,” returned Creswell.
-
-“You told me she was the largest woman in the room, and by accident I
-have just met her. I recognized her, of course, and my curiosity is
-amply gratified.”
-
-Creswell followed his eye, and burst into an irrepressible fit of
-laughter. “Oh, very well,” said he, “if you are satisfied, so am I. But
-here is the post-office. Anything here, ladies, for Stanley Saybrooke,
-Esq.?—just excuse me, while you are waiting for your letter.”
-
-The postmistress was one of the youngest of the association, and whilst
-she was searching, with much archness and significancy, among the
-letters, the eyes of Saybrooke fell upon a lady farther back in the
-alcove, from whom a single look acted like magic on him. The features
-were of a form and symmetry the most faultlessly classical, and were
-radiant with an expression of sweetness and intelligence. Her eyes were
-large and of a soft blue, her complexion was of the purest white and
-red, and her hair, of a rich brown, fell in a single large curl, smooth
-and glossy, down either side of her face. She wore a small black velvet
-bonnet, which contrasted strikingly with the pearliness of her skin, and
-which, excepting in a little bordering of blond around the face, was
-entirely without ornament. Vexatiously, as our hero thought it, there
-was nothing of her figure to be seen; she sat wrapped in a large shawl,
-on an ottoman behind a table, and appeared quite unconscious of
-attracting attention, or, at least, indifferent to it.
-
-“Here is a letter, sir;” said the officious little postmistress, with a
-mischievous smile, but Saybrooke stood unheeding; “there is nothing
-else, sir;” she added, and recollecting himself, he walked reluctantly
-away. The letter was a little poetical bagatelle, to which he paid no
-attention, and reconnoitering the _kiosk_, he placed himself where, by
-keeping among the folds of a curtain, he might retain a view of the face
-which had so much fascinated him. Though, at his distance, he could not
-overhear a word, he watched her quiet, yet neither cold nor languid
-manner, to the many who approached and addressed her. “What a
-lovely—lovely creature she is!” thought he, “if I had not so long
-dropped my school-boy notions of love at first-sight, I really would
-believe myself captivated!—how calm she is!—how unembarrassed and
-dignified, and yet how gracious!”
-
-Creswell returned, but Saybrooke, ashamed to ask a single question lest
-it might betray him, pleaded fatigue, and declined walking farther, and
-his friend, who had been watching him, to his secret amusement, left him
-to the indulgence of his observations.
-
-By this time the story of his liberality, exaggerated, of course, had
-made its way over the room, and many were the efforts of the fair
-promenaders to catch the attention of a stranger so fashionable in
-appearance, so handsome, and reportedly so rich; but if he noticed the
-attractions of any, it was only to remark how inferior they were to
-those he was so intently contemplating. At length, to his extreme
-delight, he observed that she had picked up the rose which he had
-dropped on the table in his first bewilderment. “What a dolt I have
-been,” said he to himself; “after coming here to lay out money in
-charity, to take and retain an equivalent for it!” and to ease his
-conscience, he decided to get rid of the vase. So calling a servant who
-was attending on the tables, he directed him where to find it, and to
-present it to the designated lady in the post-office, with the
-compliments of a gentleman. He watched as the commission was executed.
-There was no flutter in the manner of the fair incognito, no wonder nor
-exultation. She merely asked the man a question or two, and dismissed
-him without a message. Her bearing suited him to a charm. It was that of
-a sultana receiving tribute.
-
-“What a hand—what an incomparable hand!” was his next thought. One of
-his very few coxcomberies was a passion for beautiful hands, and it had
-its full gratification in the one which lay beside his vase, with whose
-whiteness it did not suffer in comparison. It was not small, but was
-exquisitely shaped, full, smooth and tapering, with not an irregular
-protuberance to detract from its graceful outlines. It set his fancy at
-a new picture. He imagined himself at his little mosaic
-chess-table—which was so small that any two at it were in very sociable
-proximity—and that snowy hand at the other side. Then he looked at her
-forehead, which was large and nobly developed—he was something of a
-phrenologist—and he decided that she had a genius for chess,
-consequently, that his recent purchase of chess-men might thus be
-suitably transferred. Accordingly, he hurried off to send it, but after
-he had done so, he found, on returning, his place occupied by a crowd.
-
-The room had filled, and disappointed and abstracted he wandered about
-for an hour before he found an opportunity to speak to Creswell. The
-latter at length approached him, saying,
-
-“I have a message for you from a lady.”
-
-“What lady?” asked Saybrooke, eagerly, hoping it was _the_ lady—the
-only one he cared about at the moment.
-
-“The one to whom you sent your vase and chess-men; she says that if you
-don’t take them back she will offer them for sale anew.”
-
-“I hope she did not think me impertinent in sending them?” said
-Saybrooke, looking alarmed, “how did she discover that it was I?”
-
-“It was easy to ascertain by whom they were purchased, and she judged
-accordingly.”
-
-“Then you know her?”
-
-“Certainly.”
-
-“Pray introduce me, won’t you?—immediately, if you please, my dear
-Creswell.”
-
-“I would rather not. You won’t like her—for a very _material_ reason.”
-
-“I will—positively—I do like her—I’m half in love already.”
-
-“With her face, you mean—that’s a pretty scrape for a man of twenty-six
-to get into! however, I may have an opportunity after a while, so be
-patient. There’s a fine figure,” he continued, looking through a glass
-he had picked up from a table, and then handing it to Saybrooke—“there
-in that recess—the lady with her back towards us.”
-
-“Very fine, but the glass contracts too much; at full size I dare say
-the proportions would scarcely appear so perfect. Who is she?”
-
-“A particular favorite of mine, the owner of this shawl, which I am
-carrying to her. Come along, and you shall have a nearer view.”
-
-The lady was at the farther end of the saloon, and with some difficulty
-they threaded their way towards her. She was talking, and still had her
-back towards them. “A fine figure, indeed,” said Saybrooke, as they
-advanced, “but, she seems—isn’t she rather large?—why, upon my
-word—Creswell—she must be full five feet nine, if not ten!” and,
-putting his arm through his friend’s, he was drawing him in another
-direction.
-
-“Stop! don’t jerk me off my feet, my dear fellow!” said Creswell; “I
-must go on to deliver the shawl; allow me, Miss Grainger,” he continued,
-“to present my friend, Mr. Saybrooke—” and as the lady turned round to
-curtsey, Saybrooke recognized the brilliant face of the post-office.
-
-Never was there a more instantaneous revolution. “I’ll call you out for
-this night’s work!” whispered Saybrooke, while the lady was replying to
-the parting compliments of her former companions. Creswell pretended to
-look very much surprised, and after a little while, when he made a move
-to proceed, Saybrooke gave him a deprecatory shake of the head, at which
-they parted for the night.
-
-The next morning Creswell called at the lodgings of his friend. “I am
-glad,” said he, “that you were not disappointed in Miss Grainger.”
-
-“Disappointed!—she is the most fascinating woman I ever met with—full
-of sweetness, feeling, and intellect! I do not remember to have enjoyed
-a conversation more in my life than the one we had as I escorted her
-home last night”
-
-“Why, Saybrooke! you certainly did not do that? she is unquestionably
-large enough to take care of herself!”
-
-“You are an impudent dog, Creswell,” returned Saybrooke, laughing.
-
-“But, seriously, Saybrooke, it is a great pity that Miss Grainger is so
-large; to a man of your sentiments, who never could see a woman over the
-medium height without thinking of an ogress, it must very much
-neutralize the effect of her unrivalled face, her winning manners, and
-her delightfully _spirituelle_ conversation.”
-
-“If you’ll oblige me by remaining civilly quiet, for a few minutes, I’ll
-tell you how I argued that point. I stated to myself that the larger
-women I had seen were as small ones examined through a magnifying glass,
-every defect being thus rendered more apparent. Now, I continued, here
-is a woman of the magnified size, without a single defect, and she is of
-course entitled to a magnified portion of admiration.”
-
-“Very good.”
-
-“And then I recollected that I was not the first who had come to such a
-conclusion. That Juno would not have looked the queen of Olympus had she
-been other than a large woman—that had the rib of Menelaus been but a
-small bone of contention, Troy might have been standing to this day.”
-
-“Pshaw!” said Creswell.
-
-“And that a man must have a very contracted imagination to fancy a
-little Venus De Medicis, a little Cleopatra or a little Mary Stuart.”
-
-About six months after this, a gentleman and lady passing, bowed to
-Creswell through his office window while an acquaintance was sitting
-with him.
-
-“A magnificent looking couple—who are they?” said the latter.
-
-“The new bride and groom, Stanley Saybrooke, and Martha Grainger, that
-was. By the by, I made that match.”
-
-“Indeed! how did you accomplish it?”
-
-“Just by persuading the lady to sit still for a few hours. He had a most
-absurd aversion to large women, and as I knew that Martha, who, in fact,
-is a sort of cousin of mine, would suit him exactly in other respects, I
-laid a plan to get him in love with her before he found out her size, so
-I took him to a fancy-fair, where he saw a great number of her
-productions, and heard a great deal of her character, and then I
-contrived to give him a sight of her beautiful face, having, as I said,
-apprised her that she would oblige me very much by keeping her seat
-until I gave her notice. That finished the business. He stared till he
-was conquered, and then the three or four extra inches became very small
-matters indeed.”
-
-“But now, since they are married, won’t the defects shoot up again?”
-
-“Not at all. I never saw a fellow so proud of a wife. He says that a
-small casket could not contain so lofty an intellect and so noble a
-heart!”
-
- * * * * *
-
-
-
-
- LE FAINEANT.
-
-
- BY C. V. HOFFMAN, AUTHOR OF “GREYSLAER,” “THE VIGIL OF FAITH,” ETC.
-
-
- “Now arouse thee, Sir Knight, from thine indolent ease,
- Fling boldly thy banner abroad in the breeze,
- Strike home for thy lady—strive hard for the prize,
- And thy guerdon shall beam from her love-lighted eyes!”
-
- “I shrink not the trial,” that bluff knight replied—
- “But I battle—not _I_—for an unwilling bride;
- Where the boldest may venture to do and to dare,
- My pennon shall flutter—my bugle peal there!
-
- “I quail not at aught in the struggle of life,
- I’m not all unproved even now in the strife,
- But the wreath that I win, all unaided—alone,
- Round a faltering brow it shall never be thrown!”
-
- “Now fie on thy manhood, to deem it a sin
- That she loveth the glory thy falchion might win,
- Let them doubt of thy prowess and fortune no more,
- Up! Sir Knight, for thy lady—and do thy devoir!”
-
- “She hath shrunk from my side, she hath failed in her trust,
- Not relied on my blade, but remembered its rust;
- It shall brighten once more in the field of its fame,
- But it is not for her I would now win a name.”
-
- The knight rode away, and the lady she sigh’d,
- When he featly as ever his steed would bestride,
- While the mould from the banner he shook to the wind
- Seemed to fall on the breast he left aching behind.
-
- But the rust on his glaive and the rust in his heart
- Had corroded too long and too deep to depart,
- And the brand only brightened in honor once more,
- When the heart ceased to beat on the fray-trampled shore.
-
- * * * * *
-
-
-
-
- THE DYING MINSTREL TO HIS MUSE.
-
-
- BY WILLIAM FALCONER.
-
-
- Farewell, gentle Muse! fare thee well, and for ever!
- No more in the greenwood with thee must I stray:
- Thy flowers which I cherished have bloomed but to wither,
- Like youth’s vernal wreath, they all faded away:
- Yet sweet was the morn, timid Muse, when I sought thee,
- In the green ruined tower by the wild Scottish rill;
- A heart framed for joy like the wine-cup I brought thee,
- With Fancy’s rich draught thou the chalice didst fill.
-
- O soft was thy dawning, thou mental Aurora,
- It shed on my morning-dream heaven’s young ray,
- With the seraph-wing’d bird through the cloudlets of glory
- My soul soared exulting through life’s early day;
- Then love’s vernal flush filled my bosom with gladness,
- And she whom I loved shared its passion with thee;
- She left me to pine in the chill shade of sadness,
- Then crossed I in anguish the wide-spreading sea.
-
- But thou wert more faithful, for rocked on the ocean
- ’Twas thou who mad’st lovely the dreams of my rest,
- My spirit went forth on the wings of emotion
- To sport with the bird o’er the blue waters’ breast.
- Now in my pent bosom life’s last pulses tremble
- Like sear fluttering leaves on yon wind-beaten tree,
- With spring-loving birds on its boughs that assemble
- My soul to the Land of the Spirit shall flee.
-
- Then come, O my wild lyre, my sole earthly treasure,
- ’Neath Death’s downy pinions come slumber in peace;
- Leave the world to the rosy-crown’d vot’ries of Pleasure,
- Its garlands must wither—its Bacchanals cease!
- Dear Enchantress, farewell! but that friend of my bosom
- Revisit once more, o’er the waves’ deafening swell,
- Inspire him that one fleeting flowret may blossom
- To the memory of him who hath loved him so well!
- _Paris, France._
-
- * * * * *
-
-
-
-
- HARRY CAVENDISH.
-
-
- BY THE AUTHOR OF “CRUISING IN THE LAST WAR,” THE “REEFER OF ’76,” ETC.
-
-
- THE PRIVATEER.
-
-I remained but a short time in the Arrow after we sailed finally from
-the port of ——; for happening to fall in with and capture a rakish
-little schooner, Captain Smyth resolved to arm and send her forth to
-cruise against the enemy on her own account. A long Tom was accordingly
-mounted on a pivot amidships, a complement of men placed in her, and the
-command given to our second lieutenant, with myself for subordinate.
-Thus equipped, we parted company from our consort, who bore away for the
-north, while we were to cruise in the Windward Passage.
-
-For several days we met with no adventure. The weather was intensely
-sultry. He who has never witnessed a noontide calm on a tropical sea can
-have no idea of the stifling heat of such a situation. The sea is like
-molten brass; no breath of air is stirring; the atmosphere is dry and
-parched in the mouth, and the heavens hang over all their canopy of
-lurid fire, in the very centre of which burns with intense fierceness
-the meridian sun. The decks, the cabin, and the tops are alike stifling.
-The awnings may indeed afford a partial shelter from the vertical rays
-of the sun, but no breeze can be wooed down the eager windsail; while,
-wherever a stray beam steals to the deck through an opening in the
-canvass, the turpentine oozes out and boils in the heat, and the planks
-become as intolerable to the tread as if a furnace was beneath them.
-
-It was on one of the hottest days of the season, and about a fortnight
-after we parted from the Arrow, that we lay thus becalmed. The hour was
-high noon. I stood panting for breath by the weather railing, dressed in
-a thin jacket and without a cravat, feverishly looking out across the
-ocean to discern, if possible, a mist or cloud or other evidence of an
-approaching breeze. My watch was in vain. There was no ripple on the
-deep, but a long monotonous undulation heaved the surface of the water,
-which glittered far and near like a mirror in which the sun is reflected
-vertically, paining and almost blinding the gaze. The schooner lay
-motionless on the ocean, the shadow of her boom shivering in the wave,
-as the swell undulated along. Silence reigned on the decks. To a
-spectator at a distance, who could have beheld our motionless shadow in
-the water, we would have seemed an enchanted ship, hanging midway
-betwixt the sea and sky.
-
-Noon passed, and the afternoon drew heavily along, yet still no breeze
-arose to gladden our listless spirits. Two bells struck and then three,
-but the same monotony continued. Wearied out at length I was about
-turning from the weather quarter to go below, when I fancied I saw a
-sail far down on the horizon. I paused and looked intently in the
-direction where the welcome sight had been visible. For a moment the
-glare of the sun and the water prevented me from distinguishing with any
-accuracy whether what I saw was really a sail or not, but at length my
-doubts were removed by the cry of the look-out on the fore-castle, and
-before half an hour it became evident that the vessel to windward was a
-square-rigged craft, but of what size or character it was impossible to
-determine.
-
-“They must have had a puff of wind up yonder,” remarked the second
-lieutenant to me, “or else they could not have come within sight so
-rapidly.”
-
-“But the breeze has left them ere this,” I said, “for they have not
-moved for the last quarter of an hour.”
-
-“We shall probably know nothing more of them until nightfall, for the
-wind will scarcely make before sunset, even if it does then. He has the
-weather gauge. Until I know something more of him I would rather change
-positions.”
-
-“He is some fat merchantman,” I replied, “we will lighten his plethoric
-pocket before morning.”
-
-During the afternoon the calm continued, our craft and the stray sail
-occupying their relative positions. Meantime, innumerable were the
-conjectures which we hazarded as to the character of our neighbor; and
-again and again were our glasses put in requisition to see if any thing
-could be discovered to decide our conflicting opinions. But the royals
-of a ship, when nothing else of her is visible, give scarcely any clue
-as to her character; and accordingly hour after hour passed away, and we
-were still altogether ignorant respecting the flag and strength of our
-neighbor. Toward sunset, however, signs of a coming breeze began to
-appear on the seaboard, and when the luminary wheeled his disc down the
-western line of the horizon, the sea to windward was perceptibly ruffled
-by the wind.
-
-“Ah! there it comes at last—” said the second lieutenant, “and, by my
-halidome, the stranger is standing for us. Now, if he will only keep in
-his present mind until we can get within range of him, I am no officer
-of the United Colonies if I do not give him some hot work. By St.
-George, the men have had so little to do of late, and they long so
-eagerly to whet their palates, that I would venture to attack almost
-twice our force—eh! Cavendish! You have had such a dare-devil brush
-with the buccaneers lately that I suppose you think no common enemy is
-worth a thought.”
-
-“Not altogether,” said I, “but I think we shall have our wish gratified.
-Yonder chap is certainly twice our size, and he carries his topsails as
-jauntily as a man-of-war.”
-
-“Faith! and you’re right, Harry,” said my old messmate, as he shut the
-glass with a jerk, after having, in consequence of my last remark, taken
-a long look at the strange sail, “that’s no sleepy merchantman to
-windward. But we’ll swagger up to him, nevertheless; one doesn’t like to
-run away from the first ship he meets.”
-
-I could not help smiling when I thought of the excuses with which the
-lieutenant was endeavoring to justify to himself his contemplated attack
-on a craft that was not only more than twice our size, but apparently an
-armed cruizer, for I knew the case would have been the same if this had
-been the hundredth, instead of the first vessel he had met after
-assuming a separate command, as no man in the corvette had been more
-notorious for the recklessness with which he invited danger. Perhaps
-this was the fault of his character. I really believe that he would, if
-dared to it, have run into Portsmouth itself, and fired the British
-fleet at anchor. In our former days, when we had been fellow officers on
-board the Arrow, we had often differed on this trait in his character,
-and perhaps now he felt called on, from a consciousness of my opinion,
-to make some excuse to me for his disregard of prudence in approaching
-the stranger; for, as soon as the breeze had made, he had close-hauled
-the schooner, and, during the conversation I have recorded, we were
-dashing rapidly up towards the approaching ship.
-
-As we drew nearer to the stranger, my worst suspicions became realized.
-Her courses loomed up large and ominous, and directly her hammock
-nettings appeared, and then her ports opened to our view, six on a side;
-while, almost instantaneously with our discovery of her force, a roll of
-bunting shot up to her gaff, and, unrolling, disclosed the cross of St.
-George. There was now no escape. The enemy had the weather gauge, and
-was almost within closing distance. However prudent a more wary approach
-might have been hitherto, there was no longer any reason for the
-exercise of caution. It would be impossible for us now to avoid a
-combat, or get to windward by any manœuvre; and to have attempted to
-escape by going off before the wind would have been madness, since of
-all points of sailing that was the worst for our little craft. Gloomy,
-therefore, as the prospect appeared for us, there was no hesitation, but
-each man, as the drum called us to quarters, hurried to his post with as
-much alacrity as if we were about to engage an inferior force, instead
-of one so overwhelmingly our superior.
-
-The moon had by this time risen and was calmly sailing on, far up in the
-blue ether, silvering the deep with her gentle radiance, and showering a
-flood of sparkles on every billowy crest that rolled up and shivered in
-her light. Everywhere objects were discernible with as much distinctness
-as under the noon-day sun. The breeze sang through our rigging with a
-joyous sound, singularly pleasing after the silence and monotony of the
-day; and the waves that parted beneath our cut-water rolled glittering
-astern along our sides, while ever and anon some billow, larger than its
-fellows, broke over the bow, sending its foam crackling back to the
-foremast. Around the deck our men were gathered, each one beside his
-allotted gun, silently awaiting the moment of attack. The cutlasses had
-been served out; the boarding pikes and muskets were placed convenient
-for use; the balls had already been brought on deck; and we only waited
-for some demonstration on the part of the foe to open our magazine and
-commence the combat in earnest. At length, when we were rapidly closing
-with him, the enemy yawed, and directly a shot whistled high over us.
-
-“Too lofty by far, old jackanapes,” said the captain of our long Tom,
-“we’ll pepper you after a different fashion when it comes to our turn to
-serve out the iron potatoes. Ah! the skipper’s tired of being silent,”
-he continued, as Mr. Vinton ordered the old veteran to discharge his
-favorite piece, “we’ll soon see who can play at chuck-farthing the best,
-my hearty. Bowse away, boys, with that rammer—now we have her in a
-line—a little lower, just a trifle more—that’s it—there she goes;”
-and as he applied the match, the flame streamed from the mouth of the
-gun, a sharp, quick report followed, and the smoke, clinging a moment
-around the piece in a white mass, broke into fragments and eddied away
-to leeward on the gale; while the old veteran, stepping hastily aside,
-placed his hand over his eyes, and gazed after the shot, with an
-expression of intense curiosity stamped on every feature of his face.
-Directly an exulting smile broke over his countenance, as the
-fore-top-sail of the ship fell—the ball having hit the yard.
-
-“By the holy and thrue cross,” said a mercurial Irishman of the old
-veteran’s crew, “but he has it there—hurrah! Give it to him nately
-again—it’s the early thrush that catches the early worm.”
-
-“Home with the ball there, my hearties,” sung out the elated veteran,
-“she is yawing to let drive at us—there it comes. Give her as good as
-she sends.”
-
-The enemy was still, however, at too great a distance to render her fire
-dangerous, and after a third shot had been exchanged betwixt us—for the
-stranger appeared to have, like ourselves, but a single long gun of any
-weight—this distant and uncertain firing ceased, and both craft drew
-steadily towards each other, determined to fight the combat, as a
-gallant combat should be fought, yard arm to yard arm.
-
-The wind had now freshened considerably, and we made our way through the
-water at the rate of six knots an hour. This soon brought us on the bows
-of the foe. Our guns, meanwhile, had been hastily shifted from the
-starboard to the larboard side, so that our whole armament could be
-brought to bear at once on the ship. As we drew up towards the enemy a
-profound silence reigned on our deck—each man, as he stood at his gun,
-watching her with curious interest. We could see that her decks were
-well filled with defenders, and that marksmen had been posted in the
-tops to pick off our crew. But no eye quailed, no nerve flinched, as we
-looked on this formidable array. We felt that there was nothing left for
-us but to fight, since flight was alike dishonorable and impossible.
-
-At length we were within pistol shot of the foe, and drawing close on to
-his bows. The critical moment had come. That indefinable feeling which
-even a brave man will feel when about engaging in a mortal combat, shot
-through our frames as we saw that our bowsprit was overlapping that of
-the enemy, and knew that in another minute some of us would perhaps be
-in another world. But there was little time for such reflections now.
-The two vessels, each going on a different tack, rapidly shot by each
-other, and, in less time than I have taken to describe it, we lay
-broadside to broadside, with our bows on the stern of the foe, and our
-tafferel opposite his foremast. Until now not a word had been spoken on
-board either ship; but the moment the command to fire was passed from
-gun to gun, a sheet of flame instantaneously rolled along our sides,
-making our light craft quiver in every timber. The rending of timbers,
-the crash of spars, and the shrieks of the wounded, heard over even the
-roar of battle, told us that the iron missiles had sped home, bearing
-destruction with them. A momentary pause ensued, as if the crew of the
-enemy had been thrown into a temporary disorder—but the delay was only
-that of a second or two—and then came in return the broadside of the
-foe. But this momentary disorder had injured the aim of the Englishman,
-and most of his balls passed overhead, doing considerable injury however
-to the rigging. Our men had lain flat on the deck after our discharge,
-since our low bulwarks afforded scarcely any protection against the fire
-of the enemy, and when, therefore, his broadside came hurtling upon us,
-the number of our wounded was far less than under other circumstances
-would have been possible.
-
-“Thank God! the first broadside is over,” I involuntarily exclaimed,
-“and we have the best of it.”
-
-“Huzza! we’ll whip him yet, my hearties,” shouted the captain of our
-long Tom; “give it to him with a will now—pepper his supper well for
-him. Old Marblehead, after all, against the world!”
-
-With the word our men sprang up from the decks, and waving their arms on
-high, gave vent to an enthusiastic shout ere they commenced re-loading
-their guns. The enemy replied with a cheer, but it was less hearty than
-that of our own men. Little time, however, was lost on either side in
-these bravados; for all were alike conscious that victory hung, as yet,
-trembling in the scales.
-
-“Out with her—aye! there she has it,” shouted a grim veteran in my
-division, “down with the rascally Britisher.”
-
-“Huzza for St. George,” came hoarsely back in reply, as the roar of the
-gun died on the air, and, at the words, a ball whizzed over my
-shoulders, and striking a poor fellow behind me on the neck, cut the
-head off at the shoulders, and while it bore the skull with it in its
-flight, left the headless trunk spouting its blood, as if from the jet
-of an engine, over the decks. I turned away sickened from the sight. The
-messmates of the murdered man saw the horrid sight, but they said
-nothing, although the terrible energy with which they jerked out the
-gun, told the fierceness of their revengeful feelings. Well did their
-ball do its mission; for as the smoke eddied momentarily away from the
-decks of the enemy, I saw the missile dismount the gun which had fired
-the last deadly shot, scattering the fragments wildly about, while the
-appalling shrieks which followed the accident told that more than one of
-the foe had suffered by that fatal ball.
-
-“We’ve revenged poor Jack, my lads,” said the captain of the gun,—“away
-with her again. A few more such shots and the day’s our own.”
-
-The combat was now at its height. Each man of our crew worked as if
-conscious that victory hung on his own arm, nor did the enemy appear to
-be less determined to win the day. The guns on either side were plied
-with fearful rapidity and precision. Our craft was beginning to be
-dreadfully cut up, we had received a shot in the foremast that
-threatened momentarily to bring it down, and at every discharge of the
-enemy’s guns one or more of our little crew fell wounded at his post.
-But if we suffered so severely it was evident that we had our revenge on
-the foe. Already his mizzen-mast had gone by the board, and two of his
-guns were dismounted. I fancied once or twice that his fire slackened,
-but the dense canopy of smoke that shrouded his decks and hung on the
-face of the water prevented me from observing, with any certainty, the
-full extent of the damage we had done to the enemy.
-
-For some minutes longer the conflict continued with unabated vigor on
-the part of our crew; but at the end of that period, the fire of the
-Englishman sensibly slackened. I could scarcely believe that our success
-had been so decisive, but, in a few minutes longer, the guns of the
-enemy were altogether silenced, and directly afterwards a voice hailed
-from him, saying that he had surrendered. The announcement was met by a
-loud cheer from our brave tars, and, as the two vessels had now fallen a
-considerable distance apart, the second lieutenant determined to send a
-boat on board and take possession. Accordingly, with a crew of about a
-dozen men, I pushed off from the sides of our battered craft.
-
-As we drew out of the smoke of the battle we began to see the real
-extent of the damage we had done. The ship of the enemy lay an almost
-perfect wreck on the water, her foremast and mizzen-mast having both
-fallen over her side; while her hull was pierced in a continuous line,
-just above water mark, with our balls. Here and there her bulwarks had
-been driven in, and her whole appearance betokened the accuracy of our
-aim. I turned to look at the schooner. She was scarcely in a better
-condition, for the foremast had by this time given way, and her whole
-larboard side was riddled with the enemy’s shot. A dark red stream was
-pouring out from her scuppers, just abaft the mainmast. Alas! I well
-knew how terrible had been the slaughter in that particular spot. I
-turned my eyes from the melancholy spectacle, and looked upwards to the
-calm moon sailing in the clear azure sky far overhead. The placid
-countenance of the planet seemed to speak a reproof on the angry
-passions of man. A moment afterward we reached the captured ship.
-
-As I stepped on deck I noticed that not one solitary individual was to
-be seen; but in the shattered gun-carriage, and the dark stains of blood
-on the deck, I beheld the evidences of the late combat. The whole crew
-had apparently retreated below. At this instant, however, a head
-appeared above the hatchway and instantly vanished. I was not long in
-doubt as to the meaning of this strange conduct, for, almost immediately
-a score of armed men rushed up the hatchway, and advancing toward us
-demanded our surrender. I saw at once the dishonorable stratagem. Stung
-to madness by the perfidy of the enemy, I sprang back a few steps to my
-men, and rallying them around me, bid the foe come on. They rushed
-instantly upon us, and in a moment we were engaged in as desperate a
-_mêlée_ as ever I had seen.
-
-“Stand fast, my brave lads,” I cried, “give not an inch to the cowardly
-and perfidious villains.”
-
-“Cut him down, and sweep them from the decks,” cried the leader of the
-men, stung to the quick by the taunt of cowardice. “St. George against
-the rebels.”
-
-A brawny desperado at the words made a blow at me with his cutlass, but
-hastily warding it off I snatched a pistol from my belt, and fired at my
-antagonist, who fell dead to the deck. The next instant the combat
-became general. Man to man, and foot to foot, we fought, desperately
-contesting every inch of deck, each party being conscious that the
-struggle was one of life or death. The clashing of cutlasses, the crack
-of fire-arms, the oaths, the shouts, the bravado, the shrieks of the
-wounded, and the dull heavy fall of the dead on the deck, were the only
-sounds of which we were conscious during that terrible _mêlée_, and
-these came to our ears not in their usual distinctness, but mingled into
-one fearful and indescribable uproar. For myself, I scarcely heard the
-tumult. My whole being was occupied in defending myself against a
-Herculean ruffian who seemed to have singled me out from my crew, and
-whom it required all my skill at my weapon to keep at bay. I saw nothing
-but the ferocious eye of my adversary; I heard only the quick rattle of
-our blades. I have said once before that my proficiency at my weapon had
-passed into a proverb with my messmates, and had I not been such a
-master of my art, I should, on the present occasion, have fallen a
-victim to my antagonist. As it was, I received a sharp wound in the arm,
-and was so hotly pressed by my vigorous foe that I was forced to give
-way. But this temporary triumph proved the destruction of my antagonist.
-Flushed with success, he forgot his wariness, and made a lunge at me
-which left him unprotected. I moved quickly aside, and, seizing my
-advantage, had buried my steel in his heart before his own sword had
-lost the impetus given to it by his arm. As I drew out the reeking
-blade, I became aware, for the first time, of the wild tumult of sounds
-around me. A hasty glance assured me that we barely maintained our
-ground, while several of my brave fellows lay on the deck wounded or
-dying; but before I could see whether the ranks of the foe had been
-equally thinned, and while yet scarcely an instant had passed since the
-fall of my antagonist, a loud, clear huzza, swelling over the din of the
-conflict, rose at my side, and, turning quickly around, I saw to my joy
-that the shout proceeded from a dozen of our tars who had reached us at
-that moment in a boat from the schooner. In an instant they were on
-deck.
-
-“Down with the traitors—no quarter—hew them to the deck,” shouted our
-indignant messmates as they dashed on the assailants. But the enemy did
-not wait to try the issue of the combat. Seized with a sudden panic,
-they fled in all directions, a few jumping overboard, but most of them
-tumbling headlong down the hatchways.
-
-We were now masters of the deck. As I instantly guessed, the report of
-the fire-arms had been heard on board the schooner, when, suspecting
-foul play, a boat had instantly pushed off to our rescue.
-
-“A narrow escape, by Jove!” said my messmate who had come to my aid,
-“these traitorous cowards had well nigh overpowered you, and if they
-could have cut your little party off they would, I suppose, have made
-another attempt on the schooner—God confound the rascals!”
-
-“Your arrival was most opportune,” said I, “a few minutes later and it
-would have been of no avail.” And then, as I ran my eye over our
-comparatively gigantic foe, I could not restrain the remark, “It is a
-wonder to me how we conquered.”
-
-“Faith, and you may well say that,” laughingly rejoined my messmate; “it
-will be something to talk of hereafter. But the schooner hasn’t come
-off,” he added, glancing at our craft, “without the marks of this
-fellow’s teeth. But I had forgot to ask who or what the rascal is.”
-
-The prize proved to be a privateer. She had received so many shot in her
-hull, and was already leaking so fast, that we concluded to remove the
-prisoners and blow her up. Her crew were accordingly ordered one by one
-on deck, handcuffed, and transferred to the schooner. Then I laid a
-train, lighted it and put off from the prize. Before I reached our
-craft—which by this time had been removed to some distance—the ship
-blew up.
-
-We rigged a jury mast, and by its aid reached Charleston, where we
-refitted. Our capture gave us no little reputation, and while we
-remained in port we were lionized to our hearts’ content.
-
-Eager, however, to continue the career so gloriously begun, we staid at
-Charleston no longer than was absolutely necessary to repair our
-damages. In less than a fortnight we left the harbor, and made sail
-again for the south.
-
- * * * * *
-
-
-
-
- THE BRIDAL.
-
-
- A SCENE FROM REAL LIFE.
-
-
- BY ROBERT MORRIS.
-
-
-The scene was one of mirth, and joy, and loveliness, and beauty. Two
-spacious parlors had been thrown open in one of the largest houses in
-Arch street. Lights had glittered in the various chambers since early
-sundown—carriages by dozens had driven up to the door, each freighted
-with friends or relatives, so that the world without found little
-difficulty in arriving at the conclusion that some extraordinary scene
-of festivity was in progress within the walls of that spacious mansion.
-
-It was about nine o’clock when we entered. The two large parlors,
-brilliantly illuminated by gas, and glittering with a rich collection of
-young and beautiful females, each dressed in the most tasteful or
-gorgeous manner, presented a scene truly magnificent. For a moment the
-eye seemed to quail before the general flash, while the mind also grew
-dizzy; but these feelings lasted but for the instant, as friends were to
-be met on all sides, and we soon found ourselves mingling in the giddy
-and trifling conversation that too many of our fair countrywomen seem to
-delight in on such occasions. Still, as the first flash passed by, we
-paused to contemplate the scene in a calmer and more meditative spirit.
-
-The party was a “Bridal” one, and the bride was the daughter of one of
-our most respectable merchants, a worthy, good-hearted man, who had
-devoted himself to his business, and paid no attention whatever to the
-frivolities of fashionable life. The bride seemed _very_ young—not more
-than sixteen or seventeen. She could not be regarded as beautiful in the
-general appreciation of the word, and yet she had one of the sweetest
-faces that we ever saw. She had soft blue eyes, brown hair which fell
-over her shoulders in ringlets, a pretty and expressive mouth, with
-teeth that appeared to us faultless. Her complexion was clear, but her
-face looked rather pale, although at times it became flushed and ruddy
-as the rose. Her dress was of the richest white satin, and the ornaments
-of her hair and neck and wrists consisted almost exclusively of pearls.
-Her frame was slight and full of symmetry, and her voice was remarkable
-for the gentleness and amiability of its tone. We gazed upon her calmly
-for many minutes, and the thought passed through our mind—“So young, so
-fair, so delicate, so happy, and yet so willing to enter upon the severe
-responsibilities of the wife and the mother.” “Who,” we inquired of
-ourselves, “may read that young creature’s destiny? Doubtless she loves
-the object of her choice with a woman’s virgin and devoted
-love—doubtless she believes that the next sixteen years of her life
-will prove radiant with happiness, even more so than the girlish and
-sunny period which has but just gone by—and doubtless the youth who has
-won that gentle heart believes that he possesses the necessary
-requisites of mind and disposition to render her happy. And yet how
-often has the bright cup of joy been dashed from the lips of woman when
-about to quaff it! How often does man prove recreant and false! How
-often is he won from his home and his young wife, whose heart gives way
-slowly, but fatally and steadily, under the influence of such
-indifference and neglect!” But we paused and dismissed these gloomy
-reflections. The nuptial ceremony was pronounced—for a moment all was
-breathless silence—and then the busy hum broke forth as audibly as
-ever. The wedding was a brilliant one in all respects. It was followed
-up by party after party, so that nearly a month rolled away before the
-giddy round was over. The only one who did not appear to mingle fully in
-the general feeling, was the mother of the bride. She loved her daughter
-so tenderly that it seemed impossible for her to consign her to other
-hands. She was one of those women who devote themselves wholly to their
-children, and who have no world without them. On the night of the
-wedding, a tear would occasionally roll down her cheek as she gazed upon
-her chaste child, and as a tide of maternal recollections melted all her
-soul!
-
- * * * * *
-
-The world rolled on. We frequently saw the young bride in the streets,
-and her cousin, who was our immediate neighbor, spoke of her prospects
-as cheering and happy. But one evening, just after sundown, and less
-than a year since we had seen each other at the wedding, he called, and
-with rather a grave aspect invited us to accompany him for a few minutes
-to the house of his aunt—the same house that had glittered with so much
-light, and re-echoed with so much laughter on the night of the Bridal.
-We proceeded along calmly, for although somewhat struck by the sedate
-aspect of our friend, it did not excite much surprise. On arriving at
-the house, the first objects that attracted attention were the closed
-and craped windows, and the awful silence that seemed to “breathe and
-sadden all around.” Our friend still refrained from speaking, but led on
-to the _Chamber of Death_! Our worst apprehensions were realized. The
-fair young creature, who less than a year before had stood before us
-radiant with loveliness and hope, was now still, pale, and cold in the
-icy embrace of death. Her last agonies were dreadful, but the sweet,
-soft smile, that told of a gentle heart, still lingered on her features.
-Her infant survived,—but the sudden decease of that cherished one shed
-a gloom over that home and its happy household, which is not yet totally
-dispelled. The windows of the dwelling are still bowed, and the
-afflicted mother, although a sincere Christian, and anxious to yield in
-a Christian spirit to the decrees of Divine Providence, frequently finds
-herself melting in tears, and her whole soul convulsed with grief at the
-memory of her dear _Clara_.
-
-_And such are human hopes and expectations!_
-
- * * * * *
-
-
-
-
- THE DAUGHTER OF HERODIAS.
-
-
- BY MRS. FRANCES S. OSGOOD.
-
-
- PART I.
-
- Serene in the moonlight the pure flowers lay;
- All was still save the plash of the fountain’s soft play;
- And white as its foam gleamed the walls of the palace;
- But within were hot lips quaffing fire from the chalice;
- For Herod, the Tetrarch, was feasting that night
- The lords of Machærus, and brave was the sight!
- Yet mournful the contrast, without and within,
- _Here_ were purity, peace,—_there_ were riot and sin!
- The vast and magnificent banquetting room
- Was of marble, Egyptian, in form and in gloom;
- And around, wild and dark as a demon’s dread thought,
- Strange shapes, full of terror, yet beauty, were wrought.
- Th’ ineffable sorrow, that dwells in the face
- Of the Sphynx, wore a soft and mysterious grace,
- Dim, even amid the full flood of light poured
- From a thousand high clustering lamps on the board;
- Those lamps,—each a serpent of jewels and gold,—
- That seemed to hiss forth the fierce flame as it rolled.
- Back flashed to that ray the rich vessels that lay
- Profuse on the tables in brilliant array;
- And clear thro’ the crystal the glowing wine gleamed,
- And dazzling the robes of the revellers seemed,
- While Herod, the eagle-eyed, ruled o’er the scene,
- A lion in spirit, a monarch in mien.
-
- The goblet was foaming, the revel rose high.
- There were pride and fierce joy in the haughty king’s eye,
- For his chiefs and his captains bowed low at his word,
- And the feast was right royal that burden’d the board.
-
- Lo! light as a star thro’ a gathered cloud stealing,
- What spirit glanced in ’mid the guard at the door?
- Their stern bands divide, a fair figure revealing;
- She bounds, in her beauty, the dim threshold o’er.
-
- Her dark eyes are lovely with tenderest truth;
- The bloom on her cheek is the blossom of youth;
- And the smile, that steals thro’ it, is rich with the ray
- Of a heart full of love and of innocent play.
-
- Soft fall her fair tresses her light form around;
- Soft fall her fair tresses, nor braided nor bound;
- And her white robe is loose, and her dimpled arms bare;
- For she is but a child, without trouble or care;
-
- Now round the glad vision wild music is heard,—
- Is she gifted with winglets of fairy or bird;
- For, lo! as if borne on the waves of that sound,
- With white arms upwreathing, she floats from the ground.
-
- Still glistens the goblet,—’tis heeded no more!
- And the jest and the song of the banquet are o’er;
- For the revellers, spell-bound by beauty and grace,
- Have forgotten all earth, save that form and that face.
-
- It is done!—for one moment, mute, motionless, fair,
- The phantom of light pauses playfully there;
- The next, blushing richly, once more it takes wing,
- And she kneels at the footstool of Herod the King.
-
- Her young head is drooping, her eyes are bent low,
- Her hands meekly crossed on her bosom of snow,
- And, veiling her figure, her shining hair flows,
- While Herod, flushed high with the revel, arose.
-
- Outspake the rash monarch,—“Now, maiden, impart,
- Ere thou leave us, the loftiest hope of thy heart!
- By the God of my fathers! what e’er it may be,—
- To the half of my kingdom,—’tis granted to thee!”
-
- The girl, half-bewildered, uplifted her eyes,
- Dilated with timid delight and surprise,
- And a swift, glowing smile o’er her happy face stole,
- As if some sunny wish had just woke in her soul.
-
- Will she tell it? Ah, no! She has caught the wild gleam
- Of a soldier’s dark eye, and she starts from her dream;
- Falters forth her sweet gratitude,—veils her fair frame,—
- And glides from the presence, all glowing with shame.
-
-
- PART II.
-
- Of costly cedar, rarely carved, the royal chambers ceiling,
- The columned walls, of marble rich, its brightest hues revealing;
- Around the room a starry smile the lamp of crystal shed,
- But warmest lay its lustre on a noble lady’s head;
- Her dark hair, bound with burning gems, whose fitful lightning glow,
- Is tame beside the wild, black eyes that proudly flash below:
- The Jewish rose and olive blend their beauty in her face;
- She bears her in her high estate with an imperial grace;
- All gorgeous glows with orient gold the broidery of her vest;
- With precious stones its purple fold is clasped upon her breast;
- She gazes from her lattice forth. What sees the lady there?
- A strange, wild beauty crowns the scene,—but she has other care!
- Far off fair Moab’s emerald slopes, and Jordan’s lovely vale;
- And nearer,—heights where fleetest foot of wild gazelle would fail;
- While crowning every verdant ridge, like drifts of moonlit snow,
- Rich palaces and temples rise, around, above, below,
- Gleaming thro’ groves of terebinth, of palm, and sycamore,
- Where the swift torrents dashing free, their mountain music pour;
- And arched o’er all, the Eastern heaven lights up with glory rare
- The landscape’s wild magnificence;—but she has other care!
- Why flings she thus, with gesture fierce, her silent lute aside?
- Some deep emotion chafes her soul with more than wonted pride;
- But, hark! a sound has reached her heart, inaudible elsewhere,
- And hushed, to melting tenderness, the storm of passion there!
- The far-off fall of fairy feet, that fly in eager glee,
- A voice, that warbles wildly sweet, some Jewish melody!
- She comes! her own Salomé comes! her pure and blooming child!
- She comes, and anger yields to love, and sorrow is beguiled:
- Her singing bird! low nestling now upon the parent breast,
- She murmurs of the monarch’s vow with girlish laugh and jest:—
-
- “Now choose me a gift and well!
- There are so many joys I covet!
- Shall I ask for a young gazelle?
- ’Twould be more than the world to me;
- Fleet and wild as the wind,
- Oh! how I would cherish and love it!
- With flowers its neck I’d bind,
- And joy in its graceful glee.
-
- “Shall I ask for a gem of light,
- To braid in my flowing ringlets?
- Like a star thro’ the veil of night,
- Would glisten its glorious hue;
- Or a radiant bird, to close
- Its beautiful, waving winglets
- On my bosom in soft repose,
- And share my love with you!”
-
- She paused,—bewildered, terror-struck; for, in her mother’s soul,
- Roused by the promise of the king, beyond her weak control,
- The exulting tempest of Revenge and Pride raged wild and high,
- And sent its storm-cloud to her brow, its lightning to her eye!
- Her haughty lip was quivering with anger and disdain,
- Her beauteous, jewelled hands were clenched, as if from sudden pain.
-
- “Forgive,” Salomé faltering cried, “Forgive my childish glee!
- ’Twas selfish, vain,—oh! look not thus! but let me ask for _thee_!”
- Then smiled,—it was a deadly smile,—that lady on her child,
- And “Swear thou’ll do my bidding, now!” she cried, in accents wild:
- “Ah! when, from earliest childhood’s hour, did I thine anger dare!
- Yet, since an oath thy wish must seal,—by Judah’s hopes, I swear!”
- Herodias stooped,—one whisper brief!—was it a serpent’s hiss,
- That thus the maiden starts and shrinks beneath the woman’s kiss?
- A moment’s pause of doubt and dread!—then wild the victim knelt,—
- “Take, take _my_ worthless life instead! Oh! if thou e’er hast felt
- A mother’s love,—thou canst not doom—no, no! ’twas but a jest!
- Speak!—speak! and let me fly once more, confiding, to thy breast!”
- A hollow and sepulchral tone was hers who made reply:
- “The oath! the oath!—remember, girl! ’tis registered on high!”
- Salomé rose,—mute, moveless stood as marble, save in breath,
- Half senseless in her cold despair, her young cheek blanched like
- death!
- But an hour since, so joyous, fond, without a grief or care,
- Now struck with wo unspeakable,—how dread a change was there!
- “It shall be done!” was that the voice that rang so gaily sweet,
- When, innocent and blest she came, but now, with flying feet?
- “It shall be done!” she turns to go, but, ere she gains the door,
- One look of wordless, deep reproach she backward casts,—no more!
- But late she sprang the threshold o’er, a light and blooming child,
- Now, reckless, in her grief she goes a woman stern and wild.
-
-
- PART III.
-
- With pallid check, dishevelled hair, and wildly gleaming eyes,
- Once more before the banquetters, a fearful phantom flies!
- Once more at Herod’s feet it falls, and cold with nameless dread
- The wondering monarch bends to hear. A voice, as from the dead,
- From those pale lips, shrieks madly forth,—“Thy promise, king, I
- claim,
- And if the grant be foulest guilt,—not mine,—not mine the blame!
- Quick, quick recall that reckless vow, or strike thy dagger here,
- Ere yet this voice demand a gift that chills my soul with fear!
- Heaven’s curse upon the fatal grace that idly charmed thine eyes!
- Oh! better had I ne’er been born than be the sacrifice!
- The word I speak will blanch thy cheek, if human heart be thine,
- It was a fiend in human form that murmured it to mine.
- To die for _me_! a thoughtless child! for _me_ must blood be shed!
- Bend low,—lest angels hear me ask!—oh! God!—the Baptist’s head!”
-
- * * * * *
-
-
-
-
- THE LIGHTNING OF THE WATERS.
-
-
- BY DR. REYNELL COATES.
-
-
-There are few phenomena observable on the ocean, more striking than the
-phosphorescence of the water, when seen in high perfection. It has
-forcibly attracted the attention of poets and philosophers in all ages,
-and many and curious have been the speculations of those who have
-endeavored to explain the brilliant apparition. In later times, however,
-the progress of natural science has dissipated the mystery to a
-considerable extent, destroying a portion of its romantic interest,
-without, thereby, diminishing its exquisite beauty.
-
-We are well informed, at present, that all the brilliant pyrotechny of
-Neptune is the effect of animal secretion, not differing essentially in
-cause from that which ornaments our groves and meadows, when the
-glow-worms of Europe, the fire-flies of North America, or the fulgoure
-of the Indies are lighting their fairy love-lanterns beneath the cool,
-green leaves, or filling the air with their mimic meteors.
-
-To those who are not familiar with microscopic researches, it may seem
-almost impossible that animal life can be multiplied to such excess in
-the transparent waters, where not a mote is visible by daylight, as to
-give rise to the broad and bright illumination of the sea, so frequently
-observed within the lower latitudes; and many, for this reason, have
-attributed these night-fires of the deep to the impurity and occasional
-fermentation of the ocean,—a cause which they esteem more nearly
-commensurate with the magnificence of the result. Such theorists regard
-this phosphorescence as similar to that so constantly produced by
-putrifying fish and decaying wood.
-
-These ideas, as I have stated, are no longer tenable, and the real
-origin of the phenomenon is better understood. But even now, the few who
-have witnessed it in full extent, variety, and grandeur—a privilege
-rarely enjoyed, except by those who have made long voyages, and have
-become familiar with many seas—are lost in wonder; and, unless
-professionally devoted to the study of natural history, they find it
-difficult to credit the assertion, that all these vast displays are mere
-results of living action.
-
-It may prove interesting, then, to those who are fond of such
-investigations, to offer some remarks on the multitudinous character of
-those tribes of simple and transparent beings, which swarm about the
-surface of the ocean, and may be found continually changing in race and
-habits, with almost every degree of latitude we traverse.
-
-If you will take the trouble, on some suitable occasion during the month
-of November or December, to descend into a _fashionable oyster cellar_,
-and ask admission to the pile of freshly opened shells stowed in the
-usual receptacle, which is in some dark vault or closet about the
-premises, you may chance to witness, on a diminutive scale, the
-far-famed phosphorescence of the sea, without enduring the heavy
-_immigration tax_ levied, with unrelenting severity, by the old
-trident-bearer upon all novices, except, perhaps, a few fortunate
-favorites.
-
-Take up the shovel that leans against the wall, order the light removed
-and the door closed, and then proceed to disturb the shells. If they
-have been taken from the water, where it is purely salt,—and still more
-certainly if gathered from the beds of blue marine mud that are the
-favorite resort of the finest oysters—the moment you throw a shovelful
-upon the top of the pile, the whole mass, jarred by the blow, will
-become spangled with hundreds of brilliant stars—not in this case pale
-and silvery, but of the richest golden-green or blue. None of these
-stars may equal in size the head of the finest pin; but so intense is
-the light emitted by them, that a single, and scarcely visible point
-will sometimes illuminate an inch of the surrounding surface, even
-casting shadows from the little spears of sea-grass growing in its
-neighborhood.
-
-Choose one of the most conspicuous of these diminutive tapers, and,
-without removing it from the shell, carry it towards the gas-lamp. As
-you approach, the brilliancy of the star declines; and when the full
-flood of light is thrown upon the shell, it nearly, or entirely
-disappears. If you press your finger rudely upon the spot, you will
-again perceive the luminous matter diffused, like a fluid, over the
-surrounding surface, and shining, for an instant, more brightly than
-ever, even under the immediate glare of the gas. Then all is over. You
-have crushed one of the glow-worms of the deep—an animal, once probably
-as vain of his golden flame as you of any of your brilliant
-endowments—perhaps some sentinel there stationed to alarm his sleeping
-brethren of the approach of danger—perhaps an animalcular Hero trimming
-her solitary lamp to guide her chosen one, through more than Leander’s
-dangers, along the briny path to her rocky bower, beset by all the
-microscopic monsters of the corallines! At all events, despise it as you
-may, this little being was possessed of life, susceptible of happiness,
-and endowed with power to outshine, with inborn lustre, the richest gem
-in Europe’s proudest diadem!
-
-The sea is filled in many regions, and at various seasons, with
-incalculable multitudes of living creatures, in structure much
-resembling this little parasite, but often vastly more imposing in
-dimensions. The smallest tribes that are able to call attention to their
-individual existence generally wander, like erratic stars, beneath the
-waves. They may be seen by thousands shooting past the vessel, on
-evenings when the moon is absent or obscured, suddenly lighting their
-torches when the motion of the bow produces a few curling swells and
-breakers on either hand, and whirling from eddy to eddy, as they sweep
-along the side and are lost in the wake. From time to time the vessel,
-in her progress, disturbs some large being of similar powers, who
-instantly ejects a trail of luminous fluid which, twining, and waving
-about among contending currents, assumes the semblance of a silver
-snake. But the most surprising of all proofs of the infinity of life is
-furnished by those inconceivably numerous bands of shining animalcules,
-too small for human vision, which in their aggregate effect perform,
-perhaps, the grandest part in beautifying the night scene on the ocean.
-
-The crest of every wave emits a pale and milky light and every ripple
-that, urged onward too rapidly before the breeze, expires in spreading
-its little patch of foam upon the water, increases the mysterious
-brightness. On a starless evening the novice may find it very difficult
-to account for the distinctness with which even the distant billows may
-be traced by their whitened summits, while every other object is thrown
-into the deepest shade. The gentle radiation from within the foam
-deceives the eye:—it seems a mere reflection from the surface; and he
-turns again and again towards the heavens, with the constantly renewed
-impression, that the moon has found some transient opening in the cloudy
-canopy through which descends a thin pencil of rays to be glinted back
-from the edges of the waves.
-
-Though certain portions of the ocean, generally, present but slender
-proofs of phosphorescence,—such being peculiarly the case within the
-gloomy limits of the Gulf Stream, for reasons not to be appropriately
-mentioned here—yet no observing person can have passed a week upon the
-ocean, or rowed his skiff by night on any of our principal harbors,
-without becoming familiar with most of the appearances to which allusion
-has been made. A mere voyage to Europe frequently presents much grander
-examples; but he who would enjoy the view of the phenomenon in its
-fullest glory, must “cross earth’s central line” “and brave the stormy
-spirit of the Cape.”
-
-Let me transport you for a few moments into the midst of the Indian
-Ocean! The sultry sun of February has been basking all day upon the
-heated waters from a brassy sky without a cloud—the vapors of the upper
-regions resembling a thin veil of dust, fiery and glowing, as if
-recently ejected from the mouth of some vast furnace! But the tyrant has
-gone to his repose, and we enjoy some respite from his scorching
-influence. It is not cool, but the temperature is tolerable, _and this
-is much_! Leave the observation of the barometer to the captain! You
-cannot prevent a hurricane, should it be impending. Then trust such
-cares to those in whom is vested the responsibility, and come on deck
-with me.
-
-There is no moon—but the “sentinel stars” are all at their post.
-Observe those broad flashes reflected upward from beneath the bows, and
-playing brightly upon the jib! At every plunge of the vessel, as she
-sinks into the trough of the sea, you might read a volume fluently by
-that mild radiance; and beautiful indeed is the view from the fore
-stay-sail nettings, looking down upon the curling wreaths on either side
-of the cut-water, and the long lines of foam thrown off by the swell as
-the vessel gracefully breasts the coming wave, all glowing like molten
-silver intermingled with a thousand diamonds!
-
-But I will not lead you thitherward—a noble sight awaits us in our
-wake. Step to the stern and lean with me over the taffrail. What a
-glorious vision! For miles abaft, our course presents one long and wide
-canal of living light—the clear, blue ocean, transparent as air,
-filling it to repletion; while the darker waters around appear like some
-dense medium through which superior spirits have constructed this magic
-path-way for us and us alone, so nicely are its breadth and depth
-adjusted to the form of our gallant bark. Has not the galaxy been torn
-from heaven, and whelmed beneath the waves to form that burning road?
-No! no! Though thousands of bright orbs are set in that nether firmament
-to strengthen the delusion, yet it cannot be. Night’s stormy cincture
-never gleamed like this, nor bore such dazzling gems. There it still
-glimmers with its myriad sparks, athwart the dark blue vault, paled by
-the radiance of its sea-born rival, while huge globes of fire roll from
-beneath the keel, and blaze along the silvery track like showers of
-wandering meteors, but all too gentle in their aspect to be deemed of
-evil-augury.
-
-Those stars are literally _living stars_,—that ocean galaxy is formed
-of living beings only,—and even those meteors, invisible by day, except
-when they approach unusually near to the surface, are active in pursuit
-of prey. Observe one closely, and you perceive its motions. Formed like
-a great umbrella of transparent jelly, with fibres, yards in length,
-trailing from its margin, and the handle carved into a beautiful group
-of leaves, it flaps its way regularly through the water with a stately
-march, and wo to the unfortunate creature that becomes involved in the
-meshes of its stinging tendrils.
-
-This is no exaggerated picture, for such are the beautiful phenomena
-occasionally witnessed in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. The animals
-upon whose agency they are dependent, generally become invisible by
-daylight in consequence of their transparency; but there are certain
-tribes among them whose peculiar structure renders them conspicuous: and
-of these one of the most remarkable is known to naturalists by the title
-of Salpa.
-
-There are many species of the salpæ, but they bear a closer likeness to
-each other than do most of these simple tribes of being. In form they
-all resemble diminutive purses, composed of highly transparent jelly,
-with wide mouths like the ordinary clasp—and strengthened by a net-work
-of ribbons interwoven with the general texture of the purse. These are
-designed to supply the place of muscles. The salpæ move through the
-water by contracting the net-work, so as to render the cavity smaller
-and expel the water from it with some force; then, relaxing the fibres,
-they allow their natural elasticity to expand them to their original
-form; thus drawing in a fresh supply of fluid with which to renew the
-effort. In this manner they are driven onward, always retreating from
-the principal orifice of the sac. But I will not detain you with a
-detailed description of their singular organization. It is enough for
-our present purpose to state that near the bottom of the purse, within
-the thickness of its walls, there is a golden spot, as if a solitary
-coin was there deposited. This spot alone enables us to see the animal
-distinctly when floating in the water.
-
-When young, these little creatures adhere together in strings or cords
-arranged like the leaflets of a pinnated leaf, in consecutive pairs, to
-the number of twenty or more. At that period, the most common species in
-the South Atlantic rarely exceed one half an inch in length, and the
-yellow spot hardly equals in size an ordinary grain of sand; yet, in
-certain regions of the ocean these salpæ swarm in such inconceivable
-multitudes that the sea assumes the appearance of a sandy shoal for
-miles in length and breadth. To the depth of many fathoms their delicate
-bodies are closely huddled together, until the constant repetition of
-the diminutive colored spots renders the water perfectly opaque, and so
-increases its consistence that the lighter ripple of the surface breaks
-upon the edge of the animated bank, while the heavier billows roll on
-smoothly, with the regular and more majestic motion of the ground swell.
-In passing through such tracts the speed of the vessel is sometimes
-sensibly checked by the increased resistance of the medium in which she
-moves; and when a bucket full of brine is lifted from the sea, it may
-contain a larger portion of living matter than of the fluid in which it
-floats.
-
-There can be no reasonable doubt that most of those false shoals which
-disfigure the older charts—their existence proved upon authorities of
-known veracity and denied by others no less credible—have really been
-laid down by navigators who have met with beds of salpæ, and were
-ignorant of their true nature.
-
-I have never seen these animals emitting light, but it is well known
-that many phosphorescent animalcules shine only in certain stages of the
-weather or at certain seasons of the year: and as several distinguished
-travellers have spoken of their luminous properties, it is at least
-probable that they or their congeners act an important part in dramas
-similar to that which has been just described. At all events, their
-history clearly shows the vastness of the scale of animal existence in
-the superficial waters of the ocean. But for the little yellow spot
-within their bodies, they would be totally invisible at the distance of
-a few feet in their native fluid, and could not interfere appreciably
-with the progress of the rays of light.
-
-If further proof were necessary to show the incalculable increase of
-many oceanic tribes, it might be found in the history of living beings
-much more familiar to the mariner. Most persons have met with notices of
-the Portuguese man-of-war, called, by naturalists _physalia_, a living
-air sac of jelly provided with a sail, armed with a multitude of
-dependant bottle shaped stomachs, all capable of seizing prey, and
-colored more beautifully than the rainbow. This splendid creature
-pursues its way over the waves with all the skill of an accomplished
-pilot, and furnishes, when caught, one of the most astonishing examples
-of the adaptation of animal structure to the peculiar wants, and theatre
-of action of living beings, one of the most striking evidences of
-Omniscient Wisdom which nature offers to the moralist. The physalia
-rarely sails in squadrons, but wanders solitary and self-dependent over
-the tropical seas, a terror even to man, by the power which it possesses
-of stinging and inflicting pain upon whatever comes in contact with its
-long, trailing cables.
-
-But there is another little sailor called the _velella_; unprovided with
-offensive weapons, though formed in most respects upon a model somewhat
-similar to that of the physalia, unguarded as the peaceful trader
-against the piratical attacks of a thousand enemies, its very race would
-soon become extinct, were it not for its unlimited increase.
-
-Provided with a flat, transparent, oval scale of cartilage, for the
-support of a gelatinous body, it floats by specific levity, alone, for
-it has no air vessel—and employs its hundreds of stomachs for ballast.
-Another scale arising at right angles with the first and covered with
-thin membrane, supplies it with a sail. This unprotected creature serves
-as food for many predatory tribes, and of these, the most voracious is
-the barnacle. The flesh devoured, the scales still float for many days,
-mere wrecks of these gay vessels.
-
-The velellæ are usually found in fleets, and to convey some idea of
-their numbers, I may state that on one occasion, when sailing before the
-western winds, beyond the southern latitude of the Cape of Good Hope,
-our ship encountered a group of globular masses of a pale yellow color
-swimming upon the surface and surrounded by fringes of an unknown
-substance. Each mass resembled the eggs of some great sea-bird, reposing
-on a nest of buoyant feathers. Taking them with a dip net, from the
-chains, we found the yellow masses to be globular cryptogamous plants,
-to every one of which adhered a group of barnacles, far larger than the
-largest I had ever seen before.[1] Many of these last were so intent
-upon demolishing their prey, that, even in leaving their native element,
-to fall into the hands of tyrants more dangerous than themselves, it was
-not always relinquished. Grasping in their horny arms the unfortunate
-velellæ, they continued grinding the soft jelly from the tougher
-cartilage, with an avidity and determination that reminded me strongly
-of the scene in Byron’s Siege of Corinth, where Alp, the renegade,
-
- “Saw the lean dogs beneath the wall
- Hold, o’er the dead, their carnival,
- Gorging and growling o’er carcass and limb;
- They were too busy to bark at him!”
-
-This drew our attention to the source from which such plentiful supplies
-of food were obtained, and on examination, the ocean was found literally
-covered with the scales of the murdered velellæ, faintly distinguishable
-by their glistening in the sunshine, and interspersed with a few living
-specimens waiting their turn in the general massacre. We scooped them up
-by thousands; and for three long days the ship swept onward “dead before
-the wind” with the steady and scarcely paralleled speed of more than ten
-knots an hour, thus accomplishing a change of more than seven hundred
-miles in longitude, before the last remnant of this unhappy fleet was
-passed.
-
-Though it is not pretended that these little sea-boats possess the
-phosphorescent quality, their numbers and the wide extent of their
-flotilla will suffice to render far less wonderful the vastness of those
-beautiful results of animal secretion which have furnished the subject
-of this sketch.
-
-But there are other similar and more remarkable phenomena attendant on
-these brilliant night scenes, that can only be explained, either by
-supposing that myriads of these aquatic beings are endowed with a
-community of instinct, or, that the changes of the weather influenced
-them in such a way as to awaken all their luminous powers upon the
-instant, without the intervention of any mechanical disturbing cause, in
-the mere frolic mood of nature.
-
-Those who have visited the Chinese islands, or either of several other
-well known regions in the Pacific, have been occasionally surprised, on
-a calm moon-light night, when scarce a swell, and not a ripple is
-perceptible, to see the ocean suddenly converted into one wide pool of
-milk! As described by a few observers who have been so fortunate as to
-witness this rare and strange appearance, the color is so equally
-diffused over the whole field of view, that all resemblance to the
-ordinary hue is lost, and yet no wandering stars,—no scattered torches
-can be seen—not even beneath the bows—so feeble is the intensity of
-the light emitted, that several have denied the agency of
-phosphorescence in producing this remarkable effect, and were convinced
-there was a real change in the nature of the fluid; but others, less
-enamored of the supernatural, have clearly proved that even this
-phenomenon is due to the activity of an infinity of animalcules.
-
-The very rarity of such occurrences distinctly shows that the
-microscopic beings which produce it do not emit their light at all
-times, and there must exist some cause for this wide-spread and
-consentaneous action. To community of instinct it can hardly be
-attributed.
-
-We may understand the fact, wonderful as it may be, that an army of
-emmets should cross a public road or open space, from field to field, or
-from forest to forest, fashioning themselves, as they are sometimes
-known to do, into the form of a snake, by crawling over each other’s
-backs, by dozens, from the tail to the head of the figure; thus
-shortening it at one extremity, while they lengthen it at the other, and
-cause it to advance slowly towards their desired retreat! We may
-understand this evidence of untaught wisdom, for we see its purpose and
-its usefulness. Such means enable these defenceless beings to elude the
-vigilance of their feathery enemies, whose beaks, but for the terror of
-the mimic reptile, would soon annihilate the weak community.
-
-We may even comprehend that more magnificent display of providential
-guidance witnessed in the habits of the coral animals, where nations of
-separate beings, outnumbering a thousand times the living population of
-the earth and air, enjoy one common life, and build up islands, for the
-use of man, on models definitely fixed. For here, also, there is
-_purpose_, and were it not that every individual of the host performs
-his proper duty—constructing, _here_ a buttress, _there_ an
-alcove,—the dash of the billows and the fury of the storm would soon
-disintegrate the growing structure. The reef that lies athwart the
-mariner’s path, and strews itself with wrecks, would never rise above
-the surface, to gather the seeds of vegetation, attract the cool, fresh
-moisture from the air, and lay foundations for the future happiness and
-wealth of man.
-
-But how shall we explain an instinct by which myriads of creatures,
-totally distinct and unconnected, are induced, without apparent end or
-object, to act in concert over leagues of sea, as it would seem merely
-to fright the passing voyager! It may be that the action of these
-animalcules, by which the milky glimmering is occasioned, is
-involuntary. It may be the result of atmospheric or electric influence
-upon the living frame, to serve some hidden purpose in their unknown
-economy; for many things, even in our own organic history, surpass our
-powers of comprehension; we know neither their nature nor their use. But
-analogy would lead us to infer the exercise of _will_ in all the various
-phenomena of phosphorescence, however impenetrable the purpose of its
-exercise may be. Like the insect songs of a summer night, or the
-love-light of the glow-worm and the fire-fly, they probably control or
-guide the motions of the individual or of whole communities.
-
-This idea receives some countenance from the history of a more
-remarkable example of this sub-marine meteor, witnessed in the southern
-summer of 1823-4, near the island of Tristan d’Acunha, under
-circumstances never to be forgotten—and with one short notice of its
-character I will leave the reader to his reflections upon these wonders
-of the deep.
-
-The night was dark and damp—the western breeze too light to steady the
-vessel, and she rolled heavily over the wide swell of the South
-Atlantic, making it difficult for a landsman to maintain his footing on
-the deck. A fog-bank, which hung around the northern horizon at sunset,
-now came sweeping slowly down upon us in the twilight. The captain
-ordered the light sails furled in expectation of a squall, and we stood
-leaning together over the bulwarks, watching the mist, which approached
-more and more rapidly, till it resembled, in the increasing darkness, an
-immense and toppling wall extending from the water to the clouds, and
-seemed threatening to crush us beneath it. There was something
-peculiarly awful in its impenetrable obscurity; and even the crew
-relinquished their several occupations to gaze on the unusual aspect of
-the fog. It reached us;—but just at this moment, a flash, like a broad
-sheet of summer lightning, spread itself over the ocean as far as the
-eye could reach, but deep below the waves. Five or six times, at
-intervals, of a few seconds, the flash was repeated, and then the vessel
-was enveloped in the mist. The breeze immediately quickened; the sailors
-sprang to their stations, and, for a few minutes, the bustle of
-preparation for a change of wind attracted the exclusive attention of
-every one. In this short interval, the narrow belt of vapor had passed
-off to leeward, and left us bounding merrily along at the rate of ten
-knots an hour, with a spanking norther full upon our beam, over waves
-sparkling and dancing in the clear, bright moon-light. But, _the
-lightning of the waters was gone_!
-
------
-
-[1] The Anatifa Vitrea.
-
- * * * * *
-
-
-
-
- CALLORE.
-
-
- BY ALEXANDER A. IRVINE.
-
-
- Thou art ever fair to me—
- Fairer than the Autumn moon,
- Or a fountain, in its glee,
- Singing through the woods of June—
- Fairer than a streamlet bright
- Flowing on in shimmered light,
- Darkling under grassy sedge
- Fringing all the river’s edge,
- Rippling by the breezes fann’d,
- Sliding over silver sand,
- Through the meadow gayly ranging
- With an aspect ever changing,
- Yet with quiet depths below,
- And an even, constant flow,
- Pensive, musical and slow—
- Ever such thou art to me,
- Laughing, blue-eyed Callore!
-
- Oh! the stars have sybil tones!
- Singing by their golden thrones,
- Singing as they watching stand
- In their weird and silent land!
- But thy voice is sweeter far
- Than the music of the star!
- Melting on the air at even,
- With a mystic sound
- Flowing, flowing all around,
- ’Till the soul is raised to heaven
- Oh! at moments such as these
- I could kneel on bended knees,
- Ever kneel and hear thee sing,
- Silent, rapt and worshipping.
-
- As a bark upon the tide
- Moving on to symphony,
- With its dipping oars beside
- Keeping time melodiously,
- So thou movest on thy way,
- Ever graceful, ever gay.
- Or, perchance, in sportive band,
- With thy sisters hand in hand,
- Swinging all in mystic round—
- Thou wilt dance with gentle sound,
- A sound as that of fairy feet,
- Soft, harmonious and sweet,
- As woodland waterfalls at night
- Tinkling in the still starlight.
-
- How thine eyes with tears o’erflow
- At the troubled tale of wo—
- In those eyes I love to look,
- They to me are as a book.
- There I read without disguise,
- And a joy beyond control,
- All that in thine inner soul
- As upon an altar lies—
- Gazing thus, I feel as when
- Buried from the haunts of men,
- In some quiet shady nook,
- Looking downwards in the brook—
- I have heard the forest breeze
- Wake mysterious melodies,
- Bringing sounds of childish play
- From the solitudes away,
- Singing as a gleesome boy,
- Ravishing the soul with joy,
- Lifting it on pinions free—
- Silver-tonguéd Callore!
-
- Ever, ever thou art meek,
- With a mirthful soberness;
- None have ever heard thee speak
- Of thy passing loveliness—
- Thou dost joy to be away
- From the garish light of day;
- Brooding o’er each holy feeling
- Soft across thy bosom stealing;
- With thine eyelids downward bent,
- Musing in a meek content,
- Like a saint upon a shrine
- Wrapt in dreams of bliss divine!
- Surely, thou art not of earth—
- With the angels is thy birth—
- Thou hast come awhile, to be
- My guide to heaven, Callore!
-
- * * * * *
-
-
-
-
- THE SISTERS.
-
-
- A TALE OF THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY.
-
-
- BY H. W. HERBERT, AUTHOR OF “RINGWOOD THE ROVER,” “THE BROTHERS,”
- “CROMWELL,” ETC. ETC.
-
-
- PART I.
-
-In one of those sweet glens, half pastoral half sylvan, which may be
-found in hundreds channelling the steep sides of the moorland hills, and
-sending down the tribute of their pure limestone springs to the broad
-rapid rivers which fertilize no less than they adorn the lovely vales of
-Western Yorkshire, there may be seen to this day the ruins of an old
-dwelling-house, situate on a spot so picturesque, so wild, and yet so
-soft in its romantic features, that they would well repay the traveller
-for a brief halt, who, but too often, hurries onward in search of more
-remote yet certainly not greater beauties. The gorge, within the mouth
-of which the venerable pile is seated, opens into the broader valley
-from the north-eastern side, enjoying the full light and warmth of the
-southern sunshine; and, although very narrow at its origin, where its
-small crystal rivulet springs up from the lonely well-head, fringed by a
-few low shrubs of birch and alder, expands here, at its mouth, into a
-pretty amphitheatre or basin of a few acres circuit. A wild and feathery
-coppice of oak, and birch, and hazel, with here and there a mountain
-ash, showing its bright red berries through the rich foliage, clothes
-all the lower part of the surrounding slopes; while, far above, the
-seamed and shattered faces of the gray, slaty limestone rise up like
-artificial walls, their summits crowned with the fair purple heather,
-and every nook and cranny in their sides crowded with odorous wild
-flowers. Within the circuit of these natural limits, sheltering it from
-every wind of heaven, except the gentle south, the turf lies smooth and
-even as if it were a cultured lawn; while a few rare exotic shrubs, now
-all run out of shape, and bare, and straggling, indicate even yet the
-time when it was a fair shrubbery, tended by gentle hands, and visited
-by young and lovely beings, now cold in their untimely sepulchres. The
-streamlet, which comes gushing down the glen with its clear, copious
-flow, boiling and murmuring about the large gray boulders which
-everywhere obstruct its channels, making a thousand mimic cataracts, and
-wakening ever a wild, mirthful music, sweeps here quite close to the
-foot of the eastern cliff, the feathery branches of the oakwood dipping
-their foliage in its eddies, and then, just as it issues forth into the
-open champaine, wheels round in a half circle, completely fanning the
-little amphitheatre above, except at one point hard beneath the opposite
-hill face, where a small winding horse track, engrossing the whole space
-between the streamlet and the limestone rock, gives access to the lone
-demesne. A small green hillock, sloping down gently to the southward,
-fills the embracing arms of the bright brook, around the northern base
-of which is scattered a little grove of the most magnificent and noblest
-sycamores that I have ever seen; but on the other side, which yet
-retains its pristine character of a smooth open lawn, there are no
-obstacles to the view over the wide valley, except three old gnarled
-thorn bushes, uncommon from their size and the dense luxuriance of their
-matted greenery. It was upon the summit of this little knoll that the
-old homestead stood, whose massive ruins of red freestone, all overgrown
-with briers, and tall rank grass and dock leaves, deface the spot which
-they adorned of old; and, when it was erect in all its fair proportions,
-the scene which it overlooked, and its own natural attractions, rendered
-it one of the loveliest residences in all the north of England—the
-wide, rich, gentle valley, all meadow land or pasture, without one brown
-ploughed field to mar its velvet green; the tall, thick hawthorn hedges,
-with their long lines of hedgerow timber, oak, ash and elm, waving above
-the smooth enclosures; the broad, clear, tranquil river flashing out
-like a silver mirror through the green foliage; the scattered
-farm-houses, each nestled as it were among its sheltering orchards; the
-village spire shooting up from the clump of giant elms which over-shadow
-the old grave-yard; the steep, long slope on the other side of the vale,
-or strath, as it would be called in Scotland, all mapped out to the eye,
-with its green fences and wide hanging woods; and, far beyond, the
-rounded summits of the huge moorland hills, ridge above ridge, purple,
-and grand, and massive, but less and less distinct as they recede from
-the eye, and melt away at last into the far blue distance—such was the
-picture which its windows overlooked of old, and which still laughs as
-gaily in the sunshine around its mouldering walls and lonely
-hearth-stone.
-
-But if it is fair now, and lovely, what was it as it showed in the good
-old days of King Charles, before the iron hand of civil war had pressed
-so heavily on England? The grove of sycamores stood there, as they stand
-now, in the prime and luxuriance of their sylvan manhood; for they are
-waxing now aged and somewhat gray and stag-horned; and the thorn bushes
-sheltered, as they do now, whole choirs of thrushes and blackbirds, but
-all the turf beneath the scattered trees and on the sunny slope was
-shorn, and rolled, and watered, that it was smooth and even, and far
-softer than the most costly carpet that ever wooed the step of Persian
-beauty. The Hall was a square building, not very large, of the old
-Elizabethan style, with two irregular additions, wings, as they might be
-called, of the same architecture, though of a later period, and its
-deep-embayed oriel windows, with their fantastic mullions of carved
-freestone, its tall quaint chimneys, and its low porch, with overhanging
-canopy and clustered columns, rendered it an object singularly
-picturesque and striking. The little green within the gorge of the upper
-glen, which is so wildly beautiful in its present situation, left as it
-is to the unaided hand of nature, was then a perfect paradise; for an
-exquisite taste had superintended its conversion into a sort of
-untrained garden; an eye well used to note effects had marked its
-natural capabilities, and, adding artificial beauties, had never
-trenched upon the character of the spot by anything incongruous or
-startling. Rare plants, rich-flowering shrubs, and scented herbs were
-indeed scattered with a lavish hand about its precincts, but were so
-scattered that they seemed the genuine productions of the soil; the
-Spanish cistus had been taught to carpet the wild crags in conjunction
-with the native thyme and heather; the arbutus and laurestinus had been
-brought from afar to vie with the mountain ash and holly; the clematis
-and the sweet scented vine blended their tendrils with the rich English
-honeysuckle and the luxuriant ivy; rare lotuses might be seen floating
-with their azure colored cups and broad green leaves upon the glassy
-basins, into which the mountain streamlet had been taught to expand,
-among the white wild water lilies and the bright yellow clusters of the
-marsh marigold; roses of every hue and scent, from the dark crimson of
-Damascus to the pale blush of soft Provence, grew side by side with the
-wild wood-brier and the eglantine, and many a rustic seat, of mossy
-stone or roots and unbarked branches, invited the loitering visiter in
-every shadowy angle.
-
-There was no spot in all the north of England whereon the winter frowned
-so lightly as on those sheltered precincts—there was no spot whereon
-spring smiled so early, and with so bright an aspect—wherein the summer
-so long lingered, pouring her gorgeous flowers, rich with her spicy
-breath, into the very lap of autumn. It was, indeed, a sweet spot, and
-as happy as it was sweet and beautiful, before the curse of civil war
-was poured upon the groaning land, with its dread train of foul and
-fiendish ministers; and yet it was not war, nor any of its direct
-consequences, that turned that happy home into a ruin and a desolation.
-It was not war—except the struggles of the human heart—the conflict of
-the fierce and turbulent passions—the strife of principles, of motives,
-of desires, within the secret soul, maybe called war, as, indeed, they
-might, and that with no figurative tongue, for they are surely the
-hottest, the most devastating, the most fatal of all that bear that
-ominous and cruel appellation.
-
-Such was the aspect then of Ingleborough Hall, at the period when it was
-perhaps the most beautiful; and when, as is but too often the case, its
-beauties were on the very point of being brought to a close forever. The
-family which owned the manor, for the possessions attached to the old
-homestead were large, and the authority attached to them extended over a
-large part of Upper Wharfdale, was one of those old English races which,
-though not noble in the literal sense of the word, are yet so ancient,
-and so indissolubly connected with the soil, that they may justly be
-comprised among the aristocracy of the land. The name was Saxon, and it
-was generally believed—and probably with truth—that the date of the
-name, and of its connection with that estate, was at the least coeval
-with the conquest. To what circumstances it was owing that the
-Hawkwoods, for such was the time-honored appellation of the race, had
-retained possession of their fair demesne when all the land was allotted
-out to feudal barons and fat priests, can never now be ascertained; nor
-does it indeed signify; yet that it was to some honorable cause, some
-service rendered, or some high exploit, may be fairly presumed from the
-fact that the mitred potentate of Bolton Abbey, who levied his tythes
-far and near throughout those fertile valleys, had no claims on the
-fruits of Ingleborough. During the ages that had passed since the advent
-of the Norman William, the Hawkwoods had never lacked male
-representatives to sustain the dignity of their race; and gallantly had
-they sustained it; for in full many a lay and legend, aye! and in grave,
-cold history itself, the name of Hawkwood might be found side by side
-with the more sonorous appellations of the Norman feudatories, the
-Ardens, and Maulevers, and Vavasours, which fill the chronicles of
-border warfare. At the period of which we write, however, the family had
-no male scion—the last male heir, Ralph Hawkwood, had died some years
-before, full of years and of domestic honors—a zealous sportsman, a
-loyal subject, a kind landlord, a good friend—his lot had fallen in
-quiet times and pleasant places, and he lived happily, and died in the
-arms of his family, at peace with all men. His wife, a calm and placid
-dame, who had, in her young days, been the beauty of the shire, survived
-him, and spent her whole time, as she devoted her whole mind and spirit,
-in educating the two daughters, joint heiresses of the old manor-houses,
-who were left by their father’s death, two bright-eyed fair-haired
-prattlers, dependent for protection on the strong love but frail support
-of their widowed mother.
-
-Years passed away, and with their flight the two fair children were
-matured into two sweet and lovely women; yet the same fleeting suns
-which brought to them complete and perfect youth were fraught to others
-with decay, and all the carking cares, and querulous ailments of old
-age. The mother, who had watched with keen solicitude over their budding
-infancy, over the promise of their lovely childhood, lived indeed, but
-lived not to see or understand the full accomplishment of that bright
-promise. Even before the elder girl had reached the dawn of womanhood,
-palsy had shaken the enfeebled limbs, and its accustomed
-follower—mental debility—had, in no small degree, impaired the
-intellect of her surviving parent; but long before her sister had
-reached her own maturity, the limbs were helplessly immovable, the mind
-was wholly clouded and estranged. It was not now the wandering and
-uncertain darkness that flits across the veiled horizon of the mind
-alternately with vivid gleams, flashes of memory and intellect, brighter
-perhaps than ever visited the spirit until its partial aberrations had
-jarred its vital principle—it was that deep and utter torpor, blanker
-than sleep and duller, for no dreams seem to mingle with its day-long
-lethargy—that absolute paralysis of all the faculties of soul and body,
-which is so beautifully painted by the great Roman satirist, as the
-
- “omnii
- Membrorum damno major dementia, quæ nec
- Homina servorum, nec vultum agnoscit amici
- Cum quo præterita cænavit nocti, nec illos
- Quos genuit, quos eduxit”—
-
-that still, sad, patient, silent suffering, which sits from day to day
-in the one usual chair, unconscious of itself and almost so of all
-around it; easily pleased by trifles, which it forgets as soon, deriving
-its sole real and tangible enjoyment from the doze in the summer
-sunshine, or by the sparkling hearth of winter. Such was the mother now;
-so utterly, so hopelessly dependent on the cares and gratitude of those
-bright beings whose infancy she had nursed so devotedly—and well was
-that devotedness now compensated; for day and night, winter and summer,
-did those sweet girls by turn watch over the frail, querulous
-sexagenarian—never both leaving her at once, one sleeping while the
-other watched, attentive ever to her importunate and ceaseless cravings,
-patient and mild to meet her angry and uncalled for lamentations.
-
-You would have thought that a seclusion so entire, from all society of
-their equals, must have prevented their acquiring those usual
-accomplishments, those necessary arts, which every English gentlewoman
-is presumed to possess as things of course—that they must have grown up
-mere ignorant, unpolished country lasses, without a taste or aspiration
-beyond the small routine of their dull daily duties—that long
-confinement must have broken the higher and more spiritual parts of
-their fine natural minds—that they must have become mere moping
-household drudges—and so to think would be so very natural, that it is
-by no means easy to conceive how it was brought to pass, that the very
-opposite of this should have been the result. The very opposite it was,
-however—for as there were not in the whole West Riding two girls more
-beautiful than Annabel and Marian Hawkwood, so were there surely none so
-highly educated, so happy in themselves, so eminently calculated to
-render others happy. Accomplished as musicians both, though Annabel
-especially excelled in instrumental music, while her young sister was
-unrivalled in voice and execution as a songstress; both skilled in
-painting; and if not poetesses in so much as to be stringers of words
-and rhymes, certainly such, and that too of no mean order, in the wider
-and far higher acceptation of the word; for their whole souls were
-attuned to the very highest key of spiritual sensibility—romantic, not
-in the weak and ordinary meaning of the term, but as admirers of all
-things high, and pure, and noble—worshippers of the beautiful, whether
-it were embodied in the wild scenery of their native glens, in the rock,
-the stream, the forest, the sunshine that clothed all of them in a rich
-garb of glory, or the dread storm that veiled them all in gloom and
-terror—or in the master-pieces of the schools of painting and of
-sculpture—or in the pages of the great, the glorious of all ages—or in
-the deeds of men, perils encountered hardily, sufferings constantly
-endured, sorrows assuaged by charitable generosity. Such were they in
-the strain and tenor of their minds; gentle, moreover, as the gentlest
-of created things; humble to their inferiors, but with a proud, and
-self-respecting, and considerate humility; open, and free, and frank
-toward their equals; but proud, although not wanting in loyalty and
-proper reverence for the great, and almost haughty of demeanor to their
-superiors, when they encountered any such, which was, indeed, of rare
-and singular occurrence. It was a strange thing, indeed, that these lone
-girls should have possessed such characters, so strongly marked, so
-powerful and striking; should have acquired accomplishments, so many and
-so various in their nature. It will appear, perhaps, even stranger to
-merely superficial thinkers, that the formation of those powerful
-characters had been, for the most part, brought about by the very
-circumstances which would at first have appeared most
-unpropitious—their solitary habits namely, and their seclusion, almost
-absolute seclusion, from the gay world of fashion and of folly. The
-large and opulent county, in which their patrimony lay, was indeed then,
-as now, studded with the estates, the manors, and the parks of the
-richest and the noblest of England’s aristocracy, yet the deep glens and
-lofty moorlands among which Ingleborough Hall was situate, are even to
-this day a lonely and sequestered region; no great post-road winds
-through their devious passes; and, although in the close vicinity of
-large and populous towns, they are, even in the nineteenth century, but
-little visited, and are occupied by a population singularly primitive
-and pastoral in all its thoughts and feelings. Much more then in those
-days, when carriages were seen but rarely beyond the streets of the
-metropolis, when roads were wild and rugged, and intercourse between the
-nearest places, unless of more than ordinary magnitude, difficult and
-uncertain, was that wild district to be deemed secluded. So much so,
-indeed, was this the case, at the time of which I write, that there were
-not within a circle of some twenty miles two families of equal rank, or
-filling the same station in society, with the Hawkwoods. This, had the
-family been in such circumstances of domestic health and happiness as
-would have permitted the girls to mingle in the gaieties of the
-neighborhood, would have been a serious and severe misfortune; as they
-must, from continual intercourse with their inferiors, have contracted,
-in a greater or less degree, a grossness both of mind and manners; and
-would, most probably, have fallen into that most destructive
-habit—destructive to the mind, I mean, and to all chance of progress or
-advancement—the love of queening it in low society. It was, therefore,
-under their circumstances, including the loss of one parent and the
-entire bereavement of the other, fortunate in no small degree that they
-were compelled to seek their pleasures and their occupations, no less
-than their duties, within the sphere of the domestic circle.
-
-The mother, who was now so feeble and so helpless, though never a person
-of much intellectual energy, or indeed of much force of any kind, was
-yet in the highest sense of the word a lady; she had seen in her youth
-something of the great world, apart from the rural glens which witnessed
-her decline; had mingled with the gay and noble even at the court of
-England, and, being possessed of more than ordinary beauty, had been a
-favorite and in some degree a belle. From her, then, had her daughters
-naturally and unconsciously imbibed that easy, graceful finish which,
-more than all beside, is the true stamp of gentle birth and bearing.
-Long before children can be brought to comprehend general principles or
-rules of convention, they can and do acquire habits, by that strange
-tact of imitation and observance which certainly commences at a stage so
-early of their young, frail existences, that we cannot, by any effort,
-mark its first dawning—habits which, thus acquired, can hardly be
-effaced at all—which will endure unaltered and invariable when tastes,
-and practices, and modes of thought and action, contracted long, long
-afterward, have faded quite away and been forgotten. Thus was it, then,
-with these young creatures; while they were yet mere girls, with all the
-pure, right impulses of childhood bursting out fresh and fair, they had
-been trained up in the midst of high, and honorable, and correct
-associations—naught low, or mean, or little; naught selfish, or
-dishonest, or corrupt had ever come near to them—in the sight of virtue
-and in the practice of politeness they had shot up into maturity; and
-their maturity, of consequence, was virtuous and polished. In after
-years, devoted as they were to that sick mother, they had no chance of
-unlearning anything; and thus, from day to day, they went on gaining
-fresh graces, as it were, by deduction from their foregone teachings,
-and from the purity of their young natures—for purity and nature, when
-united, must of necessity be graceful—until the proudest courts of
-Europe could have shown nothing, even in their most difficult circles,
-that could surpass, even it could vie with, the easy, artless frankness,
-the soft and finished courtesy, the unabashed yet modest grace of those
-two mountain maidens.
-
-At the period when my sad tale commences—for it is no less sad than
-true—the sisters had just reached the young yet perfect bloom of mature
-womanhood, the elder, Annabel, having attained her twentieth summer, her
-sister Marian being exactly one year younger; and certainly two sweeter
-or more lovely girls could not be pictured or imagined—not in the
-brightest moments of the painter’s or the poet’s inspiration. They were
-both tall and beautifully formed—both had sweet low-toned voices—that
-excellent thing in woman!—but here all personal resemblance ended; for
-Annabel, the elder, had a complexion pure and transparent as the snow of
-the untrodden glacier before the sun has kissed it into roseate blushes,
-and quite as colorless; her features were of the finest classic outline;
-the smooth, fair brow, the perfect Grecian nose, the short curve of the
-upper lip, the exquisite arch of the small mouth, the chiselled lines of
-the soft rounded chin, might have served for a model to a sculptor,
-whereby to mould a mountain nymph or Naiad; her rich luxuriant hair was
-of a light and sunny brown, her eyes of a clear, lustrous blue, with a
-soft, languid, and half melancholy tenderness for their more usual
-expression, which united well with the calm, placid air which was almost
-habitual to her beautiful features. To this no contrast more complete
-could have been offered than by the widely different style of Marian’s
-loveliness. Though younger than her sister, her figure was more full and
-rounded—so much so, that it reached the very point where symmetry is
-combined with voluptuousness—yet was there nothing in the least degree
-voluptuous in the expression of her bright artless face. Her forehead,
-higher than Annabel’s, and broader, was as smooth and as white as
-polished marble; her brows were well-defined and black as ebony, as were
-the long, long lashes that fringed her laughing eyes—eyes of the
-brightest, lightest azure that ever glanced with merriment, or melted
-into love—her nose was small and delicate, but turned a little upwards,
-so as to add, however, rather than detract from the _tout ensemble_ of
-her arch, roguish beauty—her mouth was not very small, but exquisitely
-formed, with lips redder than anything in nature, to which lips can be
-well compared, and filled with teeth, regular, white and beautifully
-even—fair as her sister’s, and, like hers, showing every where the tiny
-veins of azure meandering below the milky skin, Marian’s complexion was
-yet as bright as morning—faint rosy tints and red, warm blushes
-succeeding one another, or vanishing away and leaving the cheek pearly
-white, as one emotion followed and effaced another in her pure, innocent
-mind. Her hair, profuse in its luxuriant flow, was of a deep dark brown,
-that might have been almost called black, but for a thousand glancing
-golden lights and warm rich shadows that varied its smooth surface with
-the varying sunshine, and was worn in a thick, massive plait low down in
-the neck behind, while on either side the brow it was trained off and
-taught to cluster in front of either tiny ear in an abundant maze of
-interwoven curls, close and mysteriously enlaced as are the tendrils of
-the wild vine, which, fluttering on each warm and blushing cheek, fell
-down the swan-like neck in heavy natural ringlets. But to describe her
-features is to give no idea, in the least, of Marian’s real
-beauty—there was a radiant, dazzling lustre that leaped out of her
-every feature, lightning from her quick, speaking eyes, and playing in
-the dimples of her bewitching smile, that so intoxicated the beholder
-that he would dwell upon her face entranced, and know that it was
-lovely, and feel that it was far more lovely, far more enthralling than
-any he had ever looked upon before; yet, when without the sphere of that
-enchantment, he should be all unable to say wherein consisted its
-unmatched attraction.
-
-Between the natural disposition and temperaments of the two sisters
-there was perhaps even a wider difference than between the
-characteristics of their personal beauty; for Annabel was calm, and
-mild, and singularly placid, not in her manners only, but in the whole
-tenor of her thoughts, and words, and actions; there was a sort of
-gentle melancholy, that was not altogether melancholy either, pervading
-her every tone of voice, her every change of feature. She was not
-exactly grave, nor pensive, nor subdued, for she could smile very
-joyously at times, could act upon emergencies with readiness, and
-quickness, and decision, and was at all times prompt in the expression
-of her confirmed sentiments; but there was a very remarkable
-tranquillity in her mode of doing every thing she did, betokening fully
-the presence of a decided principle directing her at every step, so that
-she was but rarely agitated, even by accidents of the most sudden and
-alarming character, and never actuated by any rapid impulse. The very
-opposite of this was Marian Hawkwood; for, although quite as upright and
-pure minded as her sister, and, what is more, of a temper quite as
-amiable and sweet, yet was her mood as changeful as an April day;
-although it was more used to mirth and joyous laughter than to frowns or
-tears either, yet had she tears as ready at any tale of sorrow as are
-the fountains of the spring shower in the cloud, and eloquent frowns and
-eyes that lightened their quick indignation at any outrage, or
-oppression, or high-handed violence; her cheek would crimson with the
-tell-tale blood, her flesh would seem to thrill upon her bones, her
-voice would choke, and her eyes swim with sympathetic drops whenever she
-read, or spoke, or heard of any noble deed, whether of gallant daring,
-or of heroic self-denial. Her tongue was prompt always, as the sword of
-the knight errant, to shelter the defenceless, to shield the innocent,
-to right the wronged, and sometimes to avenge the absent. Artless
-herself, and innocent in every thought and feeling, she set no guard on
-either; but as she felt and thought so she spoke out and acted, fearless
-even as she was unconscious of any wrong, defying misconstruction, and
-half inclined to doubt the possibility of evil in the minds of others,
-so foreign did it seem, and so impossible to her own natural and, as it
-were, instinctive sense of right.
-
-Yet although such in all respects as I have striven to depict them, the
-one all quick and flashing impulse, the other all reflective and
-considerate principle, it was most wonderful how seldom there was any
-clashing of opinion and diversity of judgment as to what was to be done,
-what left undone, between the lovely sisters. Marian would, it is true,
-often jump at once to conclusions, and act as rapidly upon them, at
-which the more reflective Annabel would arrive only after some
-consideration—but it did not occur more often that the one had reason
-to repent of her precipitation than the other of her over
-caution—neither, indeed, had much cause for remorse of this kind at
-all, for all the impulses of the one, all the thoughts and principles of
-the other, were alike pure and kindly. With words, however, it was not
-quite so; for it must be admitted that Marian oftentimes said things,
-how unfrequently soever she did aught, which she would willingly have
-recalled afterwards; not, indeed, that she ever said anything unkind or
-wrong in itself, and rarely anything that could give pain to another,
-unless that pain were richly merited indeed—but that she gradually came
-to learn, long before she learned to restrain her impulses, that it may
-be very often unwise to speak what in itself is wise—and very often, if
-not wrong, yet certainly imprudent and of evil consequences to give loud
-utterance even to right opinions.
-
-Such were the persons, such the dispositions of the fair heiresses of
-Ingleborough, at the time when they had attained the ages I have
-specified, and certainly, although their sphere of usefulness would have
-appeared at first sight circumscribed, and the range of their enjoyments
-very narrow, there rarely have been seen two happier or more useful
-beings than Annabel and Marian Hawkwood, in this wide world of sin and
-sorrow.
-
-The care of their bereaved and hapless parent occupied, it is true, the
-greater portion of their time, yet they found many leisure hours to
-devote to visiting the poor, aiding the wants of the needy, consoling
-the sorrows of those who mourned, and sympathizing with the pleasures of
-the happy among their humble neighbors. To them this might be truly
-termed a work of love and pleasure, for it is questionable whether from
-any other source the lovely girls derived a higher or more satisfactory
-enjoyment, than from their tours of charity among their village
-pensioners. Next in the scale of happiness stood, doubtless, the society
-of the old vicar of that pastoral parish, a man who had been their
-father’s friend and counsellor in those young days of college
-friendship, when the fresh heart is uppermost in all, and selfishness a
-dormant passion; a man old enough almost to have been their grandsire,
-but with a heart as young and cheery as a boy’s—an intellect
-accomplished in the deepest lore of the schools, both classical and
-scientific, and skilled thoroughly in all the niceties and graces of
-French, and Spanish, and Italian literature. A man who had known courts,
-and camps too, for a short space in his youth; who had seen much, and
-suffered much, and yet enjoyed not a little, in his acquaintance with
-the world; and who, from sights, and sufferings, and enjoyments, had
-learned that if there is much evil, there is yet more of good even in
-_this_ world—had learned, while rigid to his own, to be most lenient to
-his neighbor’s failings—had learned that charity should be the fruit of
-wisdom!—and had learned all this only to practise it in all his daily
-walks, to inculcate it in all his weekly lessons. This aged man, and his
-scarce less aged wife, living scarcely a stone’s throw from the Hall,
-had grown almost to think themselves a portion of the family; and surely
-no blood kindred could have created stronger ties of kindness than had
-the familiarity of long acquaintance, the confidence of old hereditary
-love. Lower yet in the round of their enjoyments, but still a constant
-source of blameless satisfaction, were their books, their music, their
-drawings, the management of their household, the cultivation of their
-lovely garden, the ministering to the wants of their loved birds and
-flowers. Thus, all sequestered and secluded from the world, placed in
-the midst of onerous duties and solicitudes almost innumerable, though
-they had never danced at a ball, nor blushed at the praises of their own
-beauty flowing from eloquent lips, nor listened to a lover’s suit,
-queens might have envied the felicity, the calm, pure, peaceful
-happiness of Annabel and Marian.
-
-They were, indeed, _too_ happy! I do not mean too happy to be virtuous,
-too happy to be mindful of, and grateful to, the Giver of all joy—but,
-as the common phrase runs, too happy for their happiness to be enduring.
-That is a strange belief—a wondrous superstition!—and yet it has been
-common to all ages. The Greeks, those wild poetic dreamers, imagined
-that their vain gods, made up of mortal attributes, _envied_ the bliss
-of men, fearing that wretched earthlings should vie in happiness with
-the possessors of Olympus. They sang in their dark mystic choruses,
-
- “That perfect bliss of men not childless dies,
- But, ended, leaves a progeny behind
- Of woes, that spring from fairest fortune blind—”
-
-and, though their other doctrines of that insuperable destiny, that
-absolute necessity, to resist which is needless labor; and of ancestral
-guilt, still reproducing guilt through countless generations, would seem
-to militate against it, there was no more established faith, and no more
-prevalent opinion, than that unwonted fortunes were necessarily followed
-by most unusual wo—hence, perhaps, the stern self-mortification of the
-middle ages—hence, certainly, the vulgar terror, prevalent more or less
-among all classes, and in every time and country, that children are too
-beautiful, too prematurely wise, too good, to be long-lived—that
-happiness is too great to be lasting—that mornings are too fine to
-augur stormless days! And we—aye! we ourselves—we of a better and
-purer dispensation—we half believe all this, and more than half tremble
-at it, although in truth there is no cause for fear in the
-belief—since, if there be aught of truth in the mysterious creed, which
-facts do in a certain sense seem to bear out, we can but think, we
-cannot but perceive, that this is but a varied form of care and mercy
-vouchsafed by the Great All-perfect, towards his frail creatures—that
-this is but a merciful provision to hinder us from laying up for
-ourselves “treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and
-where thieves break through and steal”—a provision to restrain us from
-forgetting, in the small temporary bliss of the present, the boundless
-and incomparable beatitude of the future—to warn us against bartering,
-like Esau, our birthright for a mess of pottage.
-
-But I am not now called to follow out this train of thought, suggested
-by the change in the fortunes of those to whom I am performing the part
-of historian—by the change I say in their fortunes—a change arising,
-too, from the very circumstances, as is so frequently the case, which
-seemed to promise the most fairly for their improvement and their
-permanence—oh, how blind guides are we—even the most far-sighted of us
-all—how weak and senseless judges, even the most sagacious—how false
-and erring prophets, even the wisest and the best!—
-
-But I must not anticipate, nor overrun my scent, meriting, like a
-babbling hound, the harsh thong of the huntsman critic. It was, as I
-have said already, somewhere in the summer wherefrom Annabel reckoned
-her twentieth, and Marian her nineteenth year—very late in the last
-month of summer, an hour or two before the sunset of as beautiful an
-evening as ever smiled upon the face of the green earth; the sky was
-nearly cloudless, though a thin gauze-like haze had floated up from the
-horizon, and so far veiled the orb of the great sun, that the eye could
-gaze undazzled on his glories; and the whole air was full of a rich
-golden light which flooded all the level meadows with its
-lustre,—except where they were checkered by the long cool blue shadows,
-projected from the massive clumps of noble forest trees, which singly or
-in groups diversified the lovely vale—and gilded the tall slender
-steeple of the old village church, and glanced in living fire from the
-broad oriel windows of the Hall. Such was the evening, and so beautiful
-the prospect, with every sound and sight in perfect harmony—the sharp
-squeak of the rapid swifts wheeling their airy circles around the
-distant spire, the full and liquid melodies of thrush and blackbird from
-out the thorn bushes upon the lawn, the lowing of the cows returning
-from their pasture to pay the evening tribute, the very cawing of the
-homeward rooks blended by distance into a continuous and soothing
-murmur, the rippling music of the stream, the low sigh of the west wind
-in the foliage of the sycamores, the far shout of the children happy at
-their release from school, the carol of a solitary milkmaid, combining
-to make up music as sweet as can be heard or dreamed of. That lovely
-picture was surveyed, and that delicious melody was listened to by eyes
-and ears well fitted to appreciate their loveliness—for at an open
-casement of a neat parlor in the Hall, with furniture all covered with
-those elegant appliances of female industry—well-filled drawings, and
-books, and instruments of music, and work baskets, and frames for
-embroidery—which show so pleasantly that the apartment is one, not of
-show, but of calm home enjoyment, sat Annabel, alone—for the presence
-of the frail paralytic being, who dozed in her arm-chair at the farther
-end of the room, cannot be held to constitute society. Marian, for the
-first time in her life, was absent from her home on a visit, which had
-already endured nearly six weeks, to the only near relative of the
-family who was yet living—a younger sister of her mother—who had
-married many years ago a clergyman, whose piety and talents had raised
-him to a stall in the cathedral church of York, where he resided with
-his wife—a childless couple. This worthy pair had passed a portion of
-the summer at the Hall, and, when returning to the metropolis of the
-county, had prevailed on their younger niece, not altogether without
-difficulty, to go with them for a few weeks, and see a little of society
-on a scale something more extended than that which her native vales
-could offer. It was the first time in their lives that the sisters ever
-had been parted for more than a few days, and now the hours were
-beginning to appear very long to Annabel, as weeks were running into
-months, and the gorgeous suns of summer were fast preparing to give
-place to the cold dews and frosty winds of autumn. The evening meal was
-over, and a solitary thing was that meal now, which used to be the most
-delightful of the day, and hastily did the lonely sister hurry it over,
-thinking all the while what might be Marian’s occupation at the moment,
-and whether she too was engaged in thoughts concerning her far friends
-and the fair home of her childhood. It was then in a mood half
-melancholy, and half listless, that Annabel was gazing from her window
-down the broad valley to the eastward, marvelling at the beauty of the
-scenery, though she had noted every changing hue that flitted over the
-far purple hills a thousand times before; and listening to every sweet
-familiar sound, and yet at the same time pondering, as if she were quite
-unconscious of all that met her senses, about things which, she fancied,
-might be happening at York, when on a sudden her attention was aroused
-by a dense cloud of dust rising beyond the river, upon the line of the
-highroad, and sweeping up the valley with a progress so unusually rapid
-as indicated that the objects, which it veiled from view, must be in
-more than commonly quick motion. For a few moments she watched this
-little marvel narrowly, but without any apprehension or even any
-solicitude, until, as it drew nearer, she could perceive at times bright
-flashes as if of polished metal gleaming out through the murky wreaths,
-and feathers waving in the air. The year was that in which the hapless
-Charles, all hopes of reconciliation with the parliament being decidedly
-frustrated, displayed the banner of civil war, and drew the sword
-against his subjects. The rumors of the coming strife had circulated,
-like the dread sub-terraneous rumblings which harbinger the earth-quake,
-through all the country far and near, sad omens of approaching evil; and
-more distinctly were they bruited throughout Yorkshire, in consequence
-of the attempt which had been made by the royal party to secure Hull
-with all its magazines and shipping—frustrated by the energy and spirit
-of the Hothams—so that, as soon as she perceived that the dust was,
-beyond all doubt, stirred up by a small party of well appointed horse,
-Annabel entertained no doubts as to the meaning, but many serious
-apprehensions as to the cause, of the present visitation. The road by
-which the cavaliers were proceeding, though well made and passable at
-all times, was no considerable thoroughfare; no large or important towns
-lay on its route, nay, no large villages were situated on its margins;
-it was a devious, winding way, leading to many a homely farm-house, many
-a small sequestered hamlet, and affording to the good rustics a means of
-carrying their wheat, and eggs, and butter, or driving their fat cattle
-and black-faced moorland sheep to market, but it was not the direct line
-between any two points or places worthy of even a passing notice. It is
-true, that some twelve or fifteen miles down the valley, there was a
-house or two tenanted by gentry—one that might, by a liberal courtesy,
-have been designated as a castle—but above Ingleborough Hall, to the
-northwestward, there was no manor-house or dwelling of the aristocracy
-at all, until the road left the _ghylls_, as those wild glens are
-designated, and joined the line of the great northern turnpike. It was
-extremely singular then, to say the least, that a gay troop of riders
-should appear suddenly in that wild spot, so far from anything that
-would be likely to attract them; and Annabel sat some time longer by the
-window, wondering, and at the same time fearing, although, in truth, she
-scarce knew what, until, at about a mile’s distance, she saw them halt,
-and, after a few moments’ conversation with a farming man on the
-wayside, as if to inquire their route, turn suddenly down a narrow
-by-road leading to the high narrow bridge of many arches which crossed
-the noble river, and gave the only access to the secluded site of
-Ingleborough. When she saw this, however, her perturbation became very
-great; for she well knew that there lay nothing in that direction,
-except one little market-town, far distant, and a few scattered
-farm-houses on the verge of the moors, so that there could be little
-doubt that Ingleborough was indeed their destination. The very moment
-that she arrived at this conclusion, Annabel called a serving-man and
-bade him run quick to the vicarage, and pray good Doctor Summers to come
-up to her instantly, as she was in great strait, and fain would speak
-with him; and, at the same time, with an energy of character that hardly
-could have been expected from one so young and delicate, ordered the men
-of the household, including in those days the fowler and the falconer,
-and half a dozen sturdy grooms, and many a supernumerary more, whom we
-in these degenerate times have long discarded as incumbrances, to have
-their arms in readiness—for every manor-house then had its regular
-armory—and to prepare the great bell of the Hall to summon all the
-tenants, on the instant such proceeding might be needful.
-
-In a few moments the good gray-haired vicar came, almost breathless from
-the haste with which he had crossed the little space between the
-vicarage and the manor; and a little while after his wife followed him,
-anxious to learn, as soon as possible, what could have so disturbed the
-quiet tenor of a mind so regulated by high principles, and garrisoned by
-holy thoughts, as Annabel’s. Their humble dwelling, though scarce a
-stone’s throw from the Hall, was screened by a projecting knoll,
-feathered with dense and shadowy coppice, which hid from it entirely the
-road by which the horsemen were advancing; so that the worthy couple had
-not perceived or suspected anything to justify the fears of Annabel,
-until they were both standing in her presence—then, while the worthy
-doctor was proffering his poor assistance, and his good wife inquiring
-eagerly what was amiss, the sight of that gay company of cavaliers, with
-feathers waving and scarfs fluttering in the wind, and gold embroideries
-glancing to the sun, as, having left the dusty road, they wheeled
-through the green meadows, flashed suddenly upon them.
-
-“Who can they be? What possibly can bring them hither?” exclaimed
-Annabel, pointing with evident trepidation towards the rapidly
-approaching horsemen; “I fear, oh, I greatly fear some heavy ill is
-coming—but I have ordered all the men to take their arms, and the great
-bell will bring us twenty of the tenants in half as many minutes. What
-can it be, good doctor?”
-
-“In truth I know not, Annabel,” replied the good man, smiling cheerfully
-as he spoke; “in truth I know not, nor can at all conjecture; but be
-quite sure of this, dear girl, that they will do, to us at least, no
-evil—they are King Charles’ men beyond doubt, churchmen and cavaliers,
-all of them—any one can see that; and though I know not that we have
-much to fear from either party, from them at least we have no earthly
-cause for apprehension. I will go forth, however, to meet them, and to
-learn their errand—meantime, fear nothing.”
-
-“Oh! you mistake me,” she answered at once; “oh! you mistake me very
-much, for I did not, even for a moment, fear personally anything; it was
-for my poor mother I was first alarmed, and all our good, kind
-neighbors, and, indeed, all the country around, that shows so beautiful
-and happy this fair evening—oh! but this civil war is a dread thing,
-and dread, I fear, will be the reckoning of those who wake it—”
-
-“Who wake it _without cause_, my daughter! A dreadful thing it is at all
-times, but it may be a necessary, aye! and a holy thing—when freedom or
-religion are at stake—but we will speak of this again; for see, they
-have already reached the farther gate, and I must speak with them before
-they enter here, let them be who they may;” and with the words, pressing
-her hand with fatherly affection, “Farewell,” he said, “be of good
-cheer, I purpose to return forthwith,” then left the room, and hurrying
-down the steps of the porch, walked far more rapidly than seemed to suit
-his advanced years and sedentary habits across the park to meet the
-gallant company.
-
-A gallant company, indeed, it was, and such as was but rarely seen in
-that wild region, being the train of a young gentleman of some eight or
-nine and twenty years, splendidly mounted, and dressed in the
-magnificent fashion of those days, in a half military costume, for his
-buff coat was lined throughout with rich white satin, and fringed and
-looped with silver, a falling collar of rich Flanders lace flowing down
-over his steel gorget, and a broad scarf of blue silk supporting his
-long silver-hilted rapier—by his side rode another person, not
-certainly a menial servant, and yet clearly not a gentleman of birth and
-lineage; and after these a dozen or more of armed attendants, all
-wearing the blue scarf and black feathers of the royalists, all nobly
-mounted and accoutred, like regular troopers, with sword and dagger,
-pistols and musquetoons, although they wore no breastplates, nor any
-sort of defensive armor. A brace of jet-black greyhounds, without a
-speck of white upon their sleek and glistening hides, ran bounding
-merrily beside their master’s stirrup, and a magnificent gosshawk sat
-hooded on his wrist, with silver bells and richly decorated jesses. So
-much had the ladies observed, even before the old man reached the party;
-but when he did so, pausing for a moment to address the leader, that
-gentleman at once leaped down from his horse, giving the rein to a
-servant, and accompanied him, engaged apparently in eager conversation,
-toward the entrance of the Hall. This went far on the instant to restore
-confidence to Annabel; but when they came so near that their faces could
-be seen distinctly from the windows, and she could mark a well-pleased
-smile upon the venerable features of her friend, she was completely
-reassured. A single glance, moreover, at the face of the stranger showed
-her that the most timid maiden need hardly feel a moment’s apprehension,
-even if he were her country’s or her faction’s foe; for it was not
-merely handsome, striking, and distinguished, but such as indicates, or
-is supposed to indicate, the presence of a kindly disposition and good
-heart. Annabel had not much time, indeed, for making observations at
-that moment, for it was scarce a minute before they had ascended the
-short flight of steps, which led to the stone porch, and entered the
-door of the vestibule—a moment longer, and they came into the parlor,
-the worthy vicar leading the young man by the hand, as if he were a
-friend of ten years’ standing.
-
-“Annabel,” he exclaimed, in a joyous voice, as he crossed the threshold
-of the room, “this is the young Lord Vaux, son of your honored father’s
-warmest and oldest friend; and in years long gone by, but unforgotten,
-my kindest patron. He has come hither, bearing letters from _his_
-father—knowing not until now that you, my child, were so long since
-bereaved—letters of commendation, praying the hospitality of
-Ingleborough, and the best influence of the name of Hawkwood, to levy
-men to serve King Charles in the approaching war. I have already told
-him—”
-
-“How glad, how welcome, doubtless, would have been his coming,” answered
-Annabel, advancing easily to meet the youthful nobleman, although a deep
-blush covered all her pale features as she performed her unaccustomed
-duty, “had my dear father been alive, or my poor mother”—casting a
-rapid glance towards the invalid—“been in health to greet him. As it
-is,” she continued, “the Lord Vaux, I doubt not, in the least, will
-pardon any imperfections in our hospitality, believing that if in aught
-we err, it will be error, not of friendliness or of feeling, but of
-experience only, seeing I am but a young mistress of a household. You,
-my kind friend, and Mistress Summers, will doubtless tarry with us while
-my Lord Vaux gives us the favor of his presence.”
-
-“Loath should I be, indeed, dear lady, thus to intrude upon your
-sorrows, could I at all avoid it,” replied the cavalier; “and charming
-as it must needs be to enjoy the hospitalities tendered by such an one
-as you, I do assure you, were I myself concerned alone, I would remount
-my horse at once, and ride away, rather than force myself upon your
-courtesy. But, when I tell you that my father’s strong opinion holds it
-a matter of importance—importance almost vital to the king, and to the
-cause of Church and State in England—that I should levy some force here
-of cavaliers, where there be so few heads of noble houses living, to act
-in union with Sir Philip Musgrave, in the north, and with Sir Marmaduke
-Langdale, I both trust and believe that you will overlook the trouble
-and intrusion, in fair consideration of the motives which impel me.”
-
-“Pray—” said she, smiling gaily—“pray, my Lord Vaux, let us leave,
-now, apology and compliment—most unaffectedly and truly I am glad to
-receive you, both as the son of my father’s valued friend, and as a
-faithful servant of our most gracious king—we will do our best, too, to
-entertain you; and Doctor Summers will aid you with his counsel and
-experience in furthering your military levies. How left you the good
-earl, your father? I have heard mine speak of him many times, and ever
-in the highest terms of praise, when I was but a little girl—and my
-poor mother much more recently, before this sad calamity affected her so
-fearfully.”
-
-Her answer, as it was intended, had the effect at once of putting an end
-to all formality, and setting the young nobleman completely at his ease;
-the conversation took a general tone, and was maintained on all sides
-with sufficient spirit, until, when Annabel retired for a little space
-to conduct her mother to her chamber, De Vaux found himself wondering
-how a mere country girl, who had lived a life so secluded and domestic,
-should have acquired graces both of mind and manner, such as he never
-had discovered in court ladies; while she was struck even in a greater
-degree by the frank, unaffected bearing, the gay wit, and sparkling
-anecdote, blended with many a touch of deeper feeling, which
-characterized the youthful nobleman. After a little while she
-reappeared, and with her was announced the evening meal, the pleasant
-sociable old-fashioned supper, and as he sat beside her, while she
-presided, full of calm modest self-possession, at the head of her
-hospitable board, with no one to encourage her, or lend her countenance,
-except the good old vicar and his homely helpmate, he could not but draw
-fresh comparisons, all in her favor too, betwixt the quiet graceful
-confidence of the ingenuous girl before him, and the _minauderies_ and
-meretricious airs of the court dames, who had been hitherto the objects
-of his passing admiration. Cheerfully, then, and pleasantly the evening
-passed away; and when upon her little couch, hard by the invalid’s sick
-bed, Annabel thought over the events of the past day, she felt
-concerning young De Vaux, rather as if he had been an old familiar
-friend, with whom she had renewed an intercourse long interrupted, than
-as of a mere acquaintance whom that day first had introduced, and whom
-the next might possibly remove forever. Something there was, when they
-met next, at breakfast on the following morning, of blushing bashfulness
-in Annabel which he had not observed, nor she before experienced; but it
-passed rapidly away, and left her self-possessed and tranquil—while
-surely in the sparkling eye, the eager haste with which he broke away
-from his conversation with Dr. Summers, as she entered, in his hand half
-extended, and then half awkwardly, half timidly, withdrawn, there was
-much indication of excited feeling, widely at variance with the stiff
-and even formal mannerism inculcated and practised in the court of the
-unhappy Charles. It needs not now, however, to dwell on passing
-conversations, to narrate every trifling incident—the morning meal once
-finished, De Vaux mounted his horse, and rode forth in accordance with
-the directions of the loyal clergyman, to visit such among the
-neighboring farmers as were most likely to be able to assist him in the
-levying a horse regiment. A few hours passed, and he returned full of
-high spirits and hot confidence—he had met everywhere assurances of
-good will to the royal cause, had succeeded in enlisting some ten or
-more of stout and hardy youths, and had no doubt of finally
-accomplishing the object, which he had in view, to the full height of
-his aspirations. After dinner, which in those primitive days was served
-at noon, he was engaged for a time in making up despatches for his
-father, which having been sent off by a messenger of his own trusty
-servants to the castle in Northumberland, he went out and joined his
-lovely hostess in the sheltered garden, which I have described above;
-and there they lingered until the sun was sinking in the west behind the
-huge and purple headed hills, which covered the horizon in that
-direction—the evening circle and the social meal succeeded, and when
-they parted for the night, if Annabel and young De Vaux could not be
-said to be enamored, as indeed they could not yet, they had at least
-made so much progress to that end, that each esteemed the other the most
-agreeable and charming person it had been hitherto their fortune to
-encounter; and, although this was decidedly the farthest point to which
-the thoughts of Annabel extended, when he had laid down on his bed, with
-the sweet rays of the harvest moon flooding his room with quiet lustre,
-and the voice of the murmuring rivulet and the low flutter of the west
-wind in the giant sycamores blending themselves into a soft and soothing
-melody, the young lord found himself considering how gracefully that
-fair pale girl would fill the place, which had been long left vacant by
-his mother, in the grand Hall of Gilsland Castle. Another, and another
-day succeeded—a week slipped away—a second and third followed it, and
-still the ranks of the royal regiment, though they were filling rapidly,
-had many vacancies, and arms had yet to be provided, and standards, and
-musicians—passengers went and came continually between the castle and
-the manor; and all was bustle and confusion in the lone glens of
-Wharfdale. Meantime a change was wrought in Annabel’s demeanor, that all
-who saw remarked—there was a brighter glow than ever had been seen
-before in her transparent cheeks; her eyes sparkled almost as
-brilliantly as Marian’s; her lips were frequently arrayed in bright and
-beaming smiles; her step was light and springy as a young fawn’s upon
-the mountain—Annabel was in love, and had discovered that it was
-so—Annabel was beloved, and knew it—the young lord’s declaration and
-the old earl’s consent had come together, and the sweet maiden’s heart
-was given, and her hand promised, almost before the asking. Joy! joy!
-was there not joy in Ingleborough? The good old vicar’s tranquil air of
-satisfaction, the loud and eloquent mirth of his kind-hearted
-housewife—the merry gay congratulations of wild Marian, who wrote from
-York, half crazy with excitement and delight—the evident and lovely
-happiness of the young promised bride—what pen of man may even aspire
-to describe them. All was decided—all arranged—the marriage was, so
-far at least, to be held private, that no festivities nor public
-merriment should bruit it to the world, until the civil strife should be
-decided, and the king’s power established; which all men fancied at that
-day it would by a single battle—and which, had Rupert wheeled upon the
-flank of Essex at Edge-Hill, instead of chasing the discomfited and
-flying horse of the Roundheads miles from the field of battle, would
-probably have been the case. The old earl had sent the wedding gifts to
-his son’s chosen bride, had promised to be present at the nuptials, the
-day of which was fixed already; but it had been decided, that when De
-Vaux should be forced to join the royal armies, his young wife should
-continue to reside at Ingleborough, with her bereaved mother and fond
-sister, until the wished-for peace should unite England once again in
-bonds of general amity, and the bridegroom find honorable leisure to
-lead his wife in state to his paternal mansions. Days sped away! how
-fast they seemed to fly to those young happy lovers! How was the very
-hour of their first interview noted, and marked with the white in the
-deep tablets of their minds—how did they, shyly half, half fondly,
-recount each to the other the first impressions of their growing
-fondness—how did they bless the cause that brought them thus
-together—_Proh! cæca mens mortalium!_—oh! the short-sighted scope of
-mortal vision!—alas! for one—for both!—
-
-The wedding day was fixed, and now was fast approaching; and hourly was
-Marian with the good uncle and his dame expected at the Hall, and wished
-for, and discoursed of by the lovers—“and oh!—” would Annabel say,
-half sportively and half in earnest—“well was it for my happiness, De
-Vaux, that _she_ was absent when you first came hither, for had you seen
-her first, her far superior beauty, her bright wild radiant face, her
-rare arch _naïveté_, her flashing wit, and beautiful enthusiasm,
-would—_must_ have captivated you all at once—and what had then become
-of your poor Annabel?”
-
-And then would the young lord vow—and vow in all sincerity and truth as
-he believed, that had he met her first in the most glorious courts of
-Europe, with all the gorgeous beauties of the world to rival her, she
-would alone have been the choice of his soul—his soul first touched by
-her of women!—And then he would ask in lowered tones, and with a sly
-simplicity of manner, whether if _he_ had loved another, she could have
-still loved him; to which with all the frank and fearless purity, which
-was so beautiful a trait in Annabel—“Oh! yes—” she would reply, and
-gaze with calm reliance, as she did so, into her lover’s eyes—“oh yes,
-dear Ernest—and then how miserably wretched must I have been, through
-my whole life thereafter. Oh! yes, I loved you—though then I knew it
-not, nor indeed thought at all about it until you spoke to me—I loved
-you dearly—tenderly!—and I believe it would have almost killed me, to
-look upon you afterward as the wife of another.”
-
-The wedding day was but a fortnight distant, and strange to say, it was
-the very day two months gone, which had seen their meeting. Wains had
-arrived from Gilsland, loaded with arms and uniforms, standards and
-ammunition—two of the brothers of De Vaux, young gallant cavaliers, had
-come partly to officer the men, partly to do fit honor to their
-brother’s nuptials. The day, although the season had now advanced far
-into brown October, was sunny, mild and beautiful; the regiment had that
-day, for the first time, mustered in arms in Ingleborough park, and a
-gay show they made with glittering casques and corslets, fresh from the
-armorer’s anvil, and fluttering scarfs and dancing plumes, and bright
-emblazoned banners.
-
-The sun was in the act of setting—De Vaux and Annabel were watching his
-decline from the same window in the Hall, whence she had first
-discovered his unexpected coming; when, as on that all eventful evening,
-a little dust was seen arising on the high road beyond the river, and in
-a moment a small mounted party, among which might be readily descried
-the fluttering of female garments!
-
-“It is my sister—” exclaimed Annabel, jumping up on the instant, and
-clasping her hands eagerly—“it is my dear, dear sister—come, Ernest,
-come; let us go meet dear Marian.” No time was lost; but arm in arm they
-sallied forth, the lovers; and met the little train just this side the
-park gates.
-
-Marian sprang from her horse, light as a spirit of the air, and rushed
-into her sister’s arms and clung there with a long and lingering
-embrace, and as she raised her head a bright tear glittered on either
-silky eyelash. De Vaux advanced to greet her, but as he did so,
-earnestly perusing the lineaments of his fair sister, he was most
-obviously embarrassed, his manner was confused and even agitated, his
-words faltered—and _she_ whose face had been, a second before, beaming
-with the bright crimson of excitement, whose eye had looked round
-eagerly and gladly to mark the chosen of her sister—_she_ turned as
-pale as ashes—brow, cheeks, and lips—pale, almost livid!—and her eye
-fell abashed, and did not rise again till he had finished speaking. None
-noticed it, but Annabel; for all the party were engaged in gay
-congratulations, and, they recovering themselves immediately, nothing
-more passed that could create surmise—but she did _note_ it, and her
-heart sank for a moment; and all that evening she was unusually grave
-and silent; and had not her usual demeanor been so exceedingly calm and
-subdued, her strange dejection must have been seen and wondered at by
-her assembled kinsfolk.
-
- * * * * *
-
-
-
-
- A DIRGE.
-
-
- BY JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL.
-
-
- Poet! lonely is thy bed,
- And the turf is overhead—
- Cold earth is thy cover;
- But thy heart hath found release,
- And it slumbers full of peace
- ’Neath the rustle of green trees
- And the warm hum of the bees,
- ’Mid the drowsy clover;
- Through thy chamber, still as death,
- A smooth gurgle wandereth,
- As the blue stream murmureth
- To the blue sky over.
-
- Three paces from the silver strand,
- Gently in the fine, white sand,
- With a lily in thy hand,
- Pale as snow, they laid thee;
- In no coarse earth wast thou hid,
- And no gloomy coffin-lid
- Darkly overweighed thee.
- Silently as snow-flakes drift,
- The smooth sand did sift and sift
- O’er the bed they made thee;
- All sweet birds did come and sing
- At thy sunny burying—
- Choristers unbidden,
- And, beloved of sun and dew.
- Meek forget-me-nots upgrew
- Where thine eyes so large and blue
- ’Neath the turf were hidden.
-
- Where thy stainless clay doth lie,
- Blue and open is the sky,
- And the white clouds wander by,
- Dreams of summer silently
- Darkening the river;
- Thou hearest the clear water run,
- And the ripples every one,
- Scattering the golden sun,
- Through thy silence quiver;
- Vines trail down upon the stream,
- Into its smooth and glassy dream
- A green stillness spreading,
- And the shiner, perch and bream
- Through the shadowed waters gleam
- ’Gainst the current heading.
-
- White as snow, thy winding sheet
- Shelters thee from head to feet,
- Save thy pale face only;
- Thy face is turned toward the skies,
- The lids lie meekly o’er thine eyes,
- And the low-voiced pine-tree sighs
- O’er thy bed so lonely.
- All thy life thou lov’dst its shade:
- Underneath it thou art laid,
- In an endless shelter;
- Thou hearest it forever sigh
- As the wind’s vague longings die
- In its branches dim and high—
- Thou hear’st the waters gliding by
- Slumberously welter.
-
- Thou wast full of love and truth,
- Of forgivingness and ruth—
- Thy great heart with hope and youth
- Tided to o’erflowing.
- Thou didst dwell in mysteries,
- And there lingered on thine eyes
- Shadows of serener skies,
- Awfully wild memories,
- That were like foreknowing;
- Through the earth thou would’st have gone,
- Lighted from within alone,
- Seeds from flowers in Heaven grown
- With a free hand sowing.
-
- Thou didst remember well and long
- Some fragments of thine angel-song,
- And strive, through want and wo and wrong
- To win the world unto it;
- Thy sin it was to see and hear
- Beyond To-day’s dim hemisphere—
- Beyond all mists of hope and fear,
- Into a life more true and clear,
- And dearly thou didst rue it;
- Light of the new world thou hadst won,
- O’er flooded by a purer sun—
- Slowly Fate’s ship came drifting on,
- And through the dark, save thou, not one
- Caught of the land a token.
- Thou stood’st upon the farthest prow,
- Something within thy soul said “Now!”
- And leaping forth with eager brow,
- Thou fell’st on shore heart-broken.
-
- Long time thy brethren stood in fear;
- Only the breakers far and near,
- White with their anger, they could hear;
- The sounds of land, which thy quick ear
- Caught long ago, they heard not.
- And, when at last they reached the strand,
- They found thee lying on the sand
- With some wild flowers in thy hand,
- But thy cold bosom stirred not;
- They listened, but they heard no sound
- Save from the glad life all around
- A low, contented murmur.
- The long grass flowed adown the hill,
- A hum rose from a hidden rill,
- But thy glad heart, that knew no ill
- But too much love, lay dead and still—
- The only thing that sent a chill
- Into the heart of summer.
-
- Thou didst not seek the poet’s wreath
- But too soon didst win it;
- Without ’twas green, but underneath
- Were scorn and loneliness and death,
- Gnawing the brain with burning teeth,
- And making mock within it.
- Thou, who wast full of nobleness,
- Whose very life-blood ’twas to bless,
- Whose soul’s one law was giving,
- Must bandy words with wickedness,
- Haggle with hunger and distress,
- To win that death which worldliness
- Calls bitterly a living.
-
- “Thou sow’st no gold, and shall not reap!”
- Muttered earth, turning in her sleep;
- “Come home to the Eternal Deep!”
- Murmured a voice, and a wide sweep
- Of wings through thy soul’s hush did creep,
- As of thy doom o’erflying;
- It seem’d that thy strong heart would leap
- Out of thy breast, and thou didst weep,
- But not with fear of dying;
- Men could not fathom thy deep fears,
- They could not understand thy tears,
- The hoarded agony of years
- Of bitter self-denying.
- So once, when high above the spheres
- Thy spirit sought its starry peers,
- It came not back to face the jeers
- Of brothers who denied it;
- Star-crowned, thou dost possess the deeps
- Of God, and thy white body sleeps
- Where the lone pine forever keeps
- Patient watch beside it.
-
- Poet! underneath the turf,
- Soft thou sleepest, free from morrow,
- Thou hast struggled through the surf
- Of wild thoughts and want and sorrow.
- Now, beneath the moaning pine,
- Full of rest, thy body lieth,
- While far up in clear sunshine,
- Underneath a sky divine,
- Her loosed wings thy spirit trieth;
- Oft she strove to spread them here,
- But they were too white and clear
- For our dingy atmosphere.
-
- Thy body findeth ample room
- In its still and grassy tomb
- By the silent river;
- But thy spirit found the earth
- Narrow for the mighty birth
- Which it dreamed of ever;
- Thou wast guilty of a rhyme
- Learned in a benigner clime,
- And of that more grievous crime,
- An ideal too sublime
- For the low-hung sky of Time.
-
- The calm spot where thy body lies
- Gladdens thy soul in Paradise,
- It is so still and holy;
- Thy body sleeps serenely there,
- And well for it thy soul may care,
- It was so beautiful and fair,
- Lily white so wholly.
-
- From so pure and sweet a frame
- Thy spirit parted as it came,
- Gentle as a maiden;
- Now it lieth full of rest—
- Sods are lighter on its breast
- Than the great, prophetic guest
- Wherewith it was laden.
-
- * * * * *
-
-
-
-
- SONNET TO MY MOTHER.
-
-
- BY T. HOLLEY CHIVERS, M. D.
-
-
- Before mine eyes had seen the light of day,
- Or that my soul had come from Heaven’s great King—
- A harmless, tiny, helpless little thing—
- You loved me!—While my tender being lay
- In the soft rose-leaves of your heart at rest,
- Like some lone bird within its downy nest,
- Beneath the concave of its mother’s wing,
- Unborn—your soul came in my heart to dwell,
- Like perfume in the flower, each part to bring,
- As warmth unto the young bird in its shell,
- And built me up to what I was to be,
- A semblance of thyself. Thus, being cast
- In thy heart’s mould, I grew up like to thee,
- And lost in thee my first friend with my last!
-
- * * * * *
-
-
-
-
- BOSTON RAMBLINGS.
-
-
- BY MISS LESLIE.
-
-
- PART THE FIRST.
-
-Perhaps there is no place in America where the people continued to cling
-so long, and so fondly, to the relics and traditions of the olden time,
-as in Boston—their first era being that of the early settlers, their
-second that of the revolution. At the commencement of my acquaintance
-with Boston and Bostonians, I was particularly struck with the
-prevalence of this feeling, having found so little of it in my native
-city, Philadelphia. Yet I was sorry to hear from my eastern friends,
-that comparatively it was fast subsiding, and that a fancy for modern
-improvements (blended with the powerful incentive of pecuniary interest)
-was rapidly superseding that veneration so long cherished for the places
-and things connected with the history of their “ancient and honorable
-town,” and the founders of their country’s freedom. On my second visit
-to Boston I missed much that on my first I had found still undesecrated.
-On my third, but few vestiges remained of the poetry, the romance, and
-the quaintness that, with regard to external objects, had so interested
-and amused me in the year 1832. I looked in vain for the “old familiar
-faces” of certain antiquated and, perhaps, unsightly structures that I
-had delighted to contemplate as the time-honored habitations of men with
-undying names. They were gone, and new and more profitable buildings
-erected on their site. In many of these instances “I could have better
-spared a better house.”
-
-Fortunately the charter of the city specifies that Faneuil Hall is never
-to be sold, nor can the ground on which it stands be appropriated to any
-other purpose. Except that the market-place in the lower story is now
-occupied by shops, the whole edifice still remains nearly as it was when
-the walls of its chief apartment resounded with the acclamations of the
-people who discussed, at their town meetings, those principles that led
-to their self-emancipation from the sway of Britain. Acclamations
-elicited by the bold and overpowering eloquence of James Otis, the
-enthusiastic outbreakings of the impetuous spirit of Warren, the pure
-and self-sacrificing patriotism of Quincy, and the calm but energetic
-plain sense of Samuel Adams, backed by the generous liberality of that
-wealthy and noble-minded merchant whose name, as president of the first
-Congress, leads on the glorious array of signatures appended to the
-Declaration of Independence. Did no one think of preserving the pen with
-which those names were written?—the sacred quill
-
- “That wing’d the arrow, sure as fate,
- Which ascertain’d the rights of man.”
-
-The full-length portrait of Peter Faneuil stands at the upper end of the
-hall, looking like its guardian spirit. It is a fine copy of a small
-original that was painted in his lifetime. In regarding the likeness of
-a person of note (provided always that the painter is a good artist) you
-can generally judge of its verisimilitude, by its representing the
-features of the mind in conjunction with those of the face. If a well
-painted portrait has no particular expression, you may safely conclude
-that the sitter had no particular character. When, at the first glance
-of a picture, you are struck with the conviction that the original
-_must_ have looked exactly so, it is because you at once perceive his
-mind in his face. Who that has ever seen it, while it hung so long in
-the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, does not recollect Berthon’s
-admirable and life-like portrait of Buonaparte in the first year of that
-consulate. Every beholder was struck with an irresistible conviction of
-its perfect and unimpeachable fidelity of character. There, in his gold
-embroidered blue coat, his tri-colored sash, and his buff-leather
-gauntlets, was the pale, thin, almost cadaverous young soldier, just
-returned from the unwholesome regions of the Nile; with his dark,
-uncared-for hair shading his thoughtful brow, and his deep-set, intense
-eyes, that looked as if they could search into the soul of every man
-they saw. So self-evident was the truth of this picture, that it was
-unnecessary to be aware of its exact accordance with all the
-descriptions given at that time of the republican general, who had just
-made himself the chief magistrate of the French people, and was called
-only Buonaparte. A few years afterward, when “the hero had sunk into the
-king,” and was termed Napoleon, and when, in becoming more handsome, his
-face lost much of its original expression, this picture was equally
-valuable, as showing how he had looked in the early part of his wondrous
-career.
-
-Another picture which we feel at once to be a most faithful
-representation, is Greuze’s portrait of Franklin. It was painted by that
-excellent artist when the venerable printer, philosopher, author,
-statesman (what shall we call him) was living in Paris. The dress is a
-coat and waistcoat of dark reddish silk, trimmed with brown fur. The
-head is very bald at the top, and he wears his gray locks plain and
-unpowdered. He has that noble expanse of forehead which is almost always
-found in persons of extraordinary intellect. His eye is indicative of
-strong sense and benevolence, enlivened with a keen relish for humor.
-His whole countenance exhibits that union of genius and common sense,
-shrewdness and kindness, which formed his character. My father had once
-in his possession (but lost it by lending) a fine French engraving taken
-from this very portrait, and printed in colors. He had known Dr.
-Franklin intimately, and he considered it the most admirable likeness he
-had ever seen—in fact the very man.
-
-To return to Mr. Faneuil—_his_ portrait also is highly characteristic.
-No one can look at this picture of a tall, dignified gentleman, in a
-suit of crimson velvet and gold, a long lace cravat, and a powdered wig,
-according to the patrician costume of his time, and can view his fine
-open countenance, without believing the whole to be a correct
-portraiture of the opulent and public spirited merchant who, while he
-was yet living, gave its first market-place, with a hall for the
-accommodation of public meetings, to the town that had afforded an
-asylum to his Huguenot ancestor. The remains of Peter Faneuil, who died
-suddenly in 1743, are interred amid the green shades of the Granary
-Burying Ground, so called from the town granary having been in its
-immediate vicinity. This cemetery is close to the Tremont Hotel, and in
-view of another “ancient place of graves,” belonging to the King’s
-Chapel, which was founded in 1688, and, in early times, numbered among
-its congregation the largest portion of the Boston aristocracy; and many
-of their descendants still worship there. It is built of light brown
-stone, and is frequently called the Stone Chapel.
-
-The length, thickness, and luxuriance of the grass, (which appears to
-require perpetual mowing,) and the closeness of the burial mounds, which
-seem almost piled upon each other, make it somewhat difficult to explore
-the monumental memorials of the old Boston families, whose first
-progenitors are slumbering beneath. A large number of these tombs are
-sculptured with armorial bearings, as an evidence that their mouldering
-occupants belonged, in their fatherland, to “gentle blood.” Of the
-tomb-stones dated after the revolution, I saw few that bore any
-indications of “the boast of heraldry, the pomp of power.” The founder
-of Boston, John Winthrop, is interred in the northwest corner of this
-cemetery, with his daughter, Grace Sears, (from whom the present Sears
-family is descended,) and his son, Waitstill Winthrop. The mansion of
-Governor Winthrop was a large two-story frame house, surrounded by a
-garden, and shaded with aboriginal trees that had been left standing for
-the purpose. Its location was near the old South Church, just below
-School street. Its site is now covered with stores; the block of
-buildings being termed South Row. I have seen an old portrait of this
-chief of the Boston colonists. It represents him as a tall, thin,
-dark-complexioned man, with an oval face, regular features, and a very
-serious countenance. He is habited in “a sad colored suit,” with a white
-lawn ruff round his neck, and a black cap on his head. In this burial
-ground Cooper has placed the vault of the Lechmere family, at the
-entrance of which the mother of Job Pray was found dead; and from the
-gallery of the stone chapel the half maniac father of Lionel Lincoln
-interrupted the marriage of his son with Cecil Dynevor, as they stood at
-the altar. Though reason may reject the interesting associations that
-emanate from fiction, feeling and fancy always unconsciously adopt them.
-It is this which conducts so many travellers to the shores of Loch
-Katrine, and sends them in a boat to the island of Ellen Douglas, though
-well aware that the damsel of the lake never in reality existed. I knew
-a gentleman who traversed the wilds of Connaught to visit the sea-beaten
-castle of Inismore, because it had been the fancied abode of Glorvina,
-the Wild Irish Girl, another charming creation of genius. And few will
-wonder at his doing so, who are familiar with the work that caused the
-flood-tide of Miss Owenson’s fortune, and who have, of course, read and
-re-read that beautiful letter in which Horatio describes his first
-acquaintance with the castle and its inmates.
-
-I was yet a stranger in Boston, when a few days after my arrival I
-accompanied a lady and gentleman who were residents in that city, (and
-excellent _ciceroni_) on an exploring walk into what is called the North
-End. This is a very old part of the town, extending northerly from Court
-street to Lynn street, and bounded on its eastern side by the waters of
-the harbor, and on the west by those of the estuary denominated Charles
-River. Its extreme point is immediately opposite to Bunker Hill. As it
-did not modernize as fast as the other sections of Boston, and as its
-old buildings were longer in getting demolished or furbished up, the
-_habitans_ of the North End lay under the imputation of being an old
-fashioned people, sadly deficient in the organ of go-a-headness, and
-pitifully submitting to creep on all fours, while the rest of the
-community were making unto themselves wings. There was even a scandalous
-story circulated of one of their pastors, (a good old gentleman, whose
-nasal elocution had not improved by age,) uttering in his prayer the
-words, “Have mercy upon us miserable offenders,” in a manner that
-sounded very much like, “Have mercy upon us miserable North-enders.”
-
-To give me an idea of the habitations of the early Bostonians, I was
-purposely taken through some of the oldest and crookedest streets;
-several of which had pavements so narrow that we had to break rank and
-to proceed Indian file; for when we attempted to walk abreast and the
-wall was politely ceded to me, the other lady took the curb-stone, and
-the gentleman the gutter. Be it known, however, that a Boston gutter is
-merely a minor ravine, edged with wild flowers; and not a reservoir of
-liquid mud or a conduit for dirty water; all the conduits in that city
-being sub-terraneous, and entirely out of sight.
-
-We saw very old houses, some of time-discolored brick, and some of wood
-in many instances unpainted, and therefore nearly black; in a few, the
-second story projected far over the first. Many of the ancient frame
-habitations were very large, and must have been built by people “that
-were well to do in the world.” In some, the clap-boards were
-ornamentally scolloped; and in many, the window frames instead of being
-inserted in the wall, were put on outside, and looked as if ready to
-burst forth upon us. There were primitive porches with seats in them,
-sheltered by moss-grown pent-houses, some of which would have furnished
-a tolerable crop of that roof-loving plant the house-leek. There were
-wooden balconies, with close heavy balustrades, of the pattern that
-looks like a range of innumerable narrow jugs. In some houses, the
-balconies were gone, but the door-windows belonging to them, were still
-there all the same; and as they now opened upon nothing, they looked
-most dangerous, especially for children or somnambulists to walk out at.
-There were street-doors cut horizontally in half, with steps descending
-inside instead of ascending outside. Many of the houses that stood alone
-had no front entrance, but ingress and egress were obtained through a
-small unpretending door in the side. This seemed to be a good plan, when
-the front was facing the chill blasts of the northeast. It is very
-disagreeable to have your street door blown open by the violence of the
-wind.
-
-In an early stage of “our winding way,” we came to the junction of Union
-and Marshall streets, and there I saw a large square block of dark brown
-stone, on one side of which was painted in white letters the words
-“Boston Stone.” Supposing it to be one of the landmarks of the city, and
-something memorable, I seated myself for a few moments upon it. I was
-told by one of my companions, that this stone had been an object of
-great controversy among certain antiquaries of the city. In newspapers a
-century old there were advertisements of shopkeepers and mechanics, who,
-in giving their locations, made assurance doubly sure, by stating that
-they lived near the Boston Stone. Houses were announced for sale or hire
-in the neighborhood of the Boston Stone. Street-fights and dreadful
-accidents happened not far from the Boston Stone. What then was the
-Boston Stone? How came it there, and for what purpose? There was no
-mention of it in history. Patriotic picturesque people thought it was
-the foundation-stone of a flag staff or a beacon-mast; and it is certain
-that the top or upper surface of the block exhibited a slight circular
-cavity, evidently made on purpose for something: though practical people
-contended that the hollow was not deep enough to hold anything. I
-cherished for two or three months the persuasion that the Boston Stone
-was either a remarkable relic connected with great events, or else that
-it had been placed there when the peninsula was first laid out for a
-town, as a mark to designate where some place left off, and another
-place began; or perhaps to denote the very centre of the settlement. But
-“the shadows, clouds and darkness” that rested upon all my conjectures,
-were very prosaically dispelled just before my departure from Boston, by
-a most unexciting account obtained through the medium of a grandson of
-“the oldest inhabitant” of that neighborhood. The real solution of the
-mystery was so very natural, that none but very commonplace people would
-believe it. It simply implied that a certain apothecary of the olden
-time being in want of a very large mortar, and unable to obtain one
-ready made, procured this block of stone and set his boys to hollowing
-it out for the purpose. They made a beginning, but soon found that the
-stone was too hard and the labor too great; and having taken a spite at
-the obdurate block, they shoved it out of doors and left it on the
-pavement in front of the shop. From hence no one took the trouble to
-remove it, and finding that the neighbors began to date from its
-vicinity, the apothecary’s boys made it more _distingué_ by inscribing
-it with the title of the Boston Stone—How a plain tale will put us
-down.
-
-Shortly after quitting the Boston Stone, we came to a house at the
-corner of Union and Hanover streets, which was shown to me as the one in
-which Dr. Franklin was born. It is of two stories, and built partly of
-brick and partly of wood. The lower part was now occupied by a little
-shop, with a blue bell as a sign. Adjoining it in Hanover street was a
-dark low grocery store into which you descended by a step. It looked
-exactly as if it had been the soap and candle shop of Josiah Franklin.
-It was easy to imagine poor Ben. serving customers behind the old
-counter; cutting candle-wicks into lengths; and snatching, at intervals,
-a few minutes to read a little in hidden books when nobody saw him. An
-aged and excellent woman, who had passed her life in this part of the
-town, told me at a subsequent period, that she well remembered, when a
-little girl, seeing the old corner house (the dwelling part of the
-establishment,) pulled down, and the present one erected in its stead.
-The original corner house had always been regarded as one of the
-habitations of the Franklin family, and the adjoining old one-story shop
-(now the grocery) as theirs. It seems to me highly probable that the
-elder Franklin _did_ live in Milk street (as is generally believed) at
-the time his son Benjamin was born, and that the infant _was_ wrapped in
-a blanket and carried over the way to the old South Church to be
-christened. His baptism is noted in the register of the church, and the
-date is the same as that of his birth. This speedy performance of the
-rite of baptism was in accordance with the custom of the times. The Milk
-street house was a small two-story frame building, and was accidentally
-burnt in 1810. On the spot has since been erected a three-story
-furniture warehouse. It is but a few steps from the corner of Washington
-street, opposite to the Old South. There was an old printing office just
-back of it; and it is said that Josiah Franklin relinquished the Milk
-street house to his son James the printer, and removed with his wife and
-the younger children to Hanover street, and there carried on the soap
-and candle business, in the dark low one-story shop that is still there:
-living in the adjoining house at the corner. That the parents of
-Franklin were residents of the North End at the time of their death
-there can be no doubt, as they were interred in the North Burying Ground
-on Copp’s Hill. Many years ago their remains were exhumed, and
-transferred to the Granary burial place in Tremont street, at the
-expense of several gentlemen of Boston. A neat monument of granite has
-been erected upon the mound that covers their ashes; and in the front of
-the little obelisk is inserted a slab of slate, a part of the original
-grave stone on Copp’s Hill. This humble medallion bears the names of
-Josiah Franklin and Abiah his wife, with the date of their deaths. I
-regarded this monument with much interest, as reflecting back upon his
-lowly but respectable parents a portion of the honor so universally
-accorded to the great man their son.
-
-Having diverged from Hanover street to the North Square, we soon found
-ourselves in front of two very old and remarkable houses; one of which
-had been the residence of Governor Hutchinson, and the other of William
-Clarke, a wealthy merchant of the early part of the last century. Both
-were large old-fashioned buildings, their sides and chimneys overgrown
-with the scarlet-flowering creeper-vine. Above the front-door of the
-Hutchinson House, was the wooden balcony from which “Stingy Tommy,” as
-he was disrespectfully called by the populace, sometimes addressed the
-restive and stiffnecked people whom it was his hard lot to govern; and
-by whom he was so much disliked, that whether he did well or ill they
-were resolved not to be pleased. Perhaps the primary cause of his
-unpopularity may be traced to his parsimonious habits, or at least to
-the stories circulated of them. No man that is noted for a mean and
-avaricious disposition ever was or ever can be liked, either in private
-life or in a public capacity. However he may attempt to disguise it by
-an occasional act of liberality, the sordid spirit that is in him will
-be always creeping out, and exciting disgust and contempt. Yet (as is
-often the case with such persons) Governor Hutchinson spent much upon
-show and finery. At the time his house was sacked by the mob (when he
-narrowly escaped with his life) from this balcony were thrown the
-splendid brocade gowns and petticoats of his wife, with her laced caps,
-and numerous ornamental articles of dress and furniture. A bonfire was
-made of them in the street before the door.
-
-The gentleman who piloted us on this walk through the North End was
-acquainted with the occupants of the Clarke House, (much the most
-curious of the two,) therefore we stopped in, and were courteously shown
-its principal apartments. It was built by Mr. Clarke, in the time of
-Queen Anne, and was after him occupied by Sir Henry Frankland, and
-called, for awhile, the Frankland House. It had a large, wide entrance
-hall, with a parlor on each side. All the ceilings were much too low for
-the taste of the present times; and a low ceiling always causes a room
-to look smaller than it really is. The walls of the left hand parlor had
-been covered with rich tapestry, over which a modern wall-paper was now
-pasted. A small portion of the papering being peeled off, we saw part of
-the tapestry beneath. But the other parlor had been evidently the room
-of state. The floor required no carpet, for it was _parqueté_ all over
-with small square pieces of American wood, comprising, as we were told,
-fifty different sorts or specimens; the light-colored pieces forming the
-ground-work, and the dark ones the figure or pattern. At the first
-glance it resembled an oil-cloth, or rather (to adopt a very homely
-comparison) it was not unlike the block-work bed quilts that our
-grandmothers took such pains in making. On this floor there was a border
-all round: and in the centre the marquetry represented a large swan with
-a crown on its head, and a chain round its breast. This was the
-cognizance of the Clarke family. Those conversant with heraldry know
-that there is always a reason, either historical, traditionary, or
-allegorical, for the introduction of certain strange symbols into a coat
-of arms. We were told that this tesselated floor had cost fifteen
-hundred dollars. The walls of the room were divided into compartments,
-edged with rich gilded mouldings; each containing an oil painting,
-tolerably good, but very vividly colored. The subjects were beyond our
-comprehension. We did not know whether they were what the
-drawing-masters call figure-pieces, or whether they were landscapes with
-figures in them.
-
-In the room over this parlor the chimney-piece was of marble, decorated
-with a rich and admirably executed carving of flowers, fruit, and Indian
-corn, beautifully arranged, and descending down the sides as far as the
-hearth. Above the mantle-piece was a very _mediocre_ picture, in a
-narrow gilt frame, inserted in the wall. This painting represented a boy
-and girl, evidently brother and sister. The boy is presenting something
-that is either a peach or an apple to the girl, who is dressed in a
-ruffled night-gown and sitting on the side of a couch. The young
-gentleman is standing upright, habited in a rich suit of blue and gold,
-ornamented at the wrist with deep cuffs of white lace. On his legs are
-white silk stockings, ascending above his knees, and buskins laced with
-gold cord. Neither of the children are looking towards each other, but
-both are staring out of the picture, and fixing their very large eyes on
-the spectator.
-
-We were told that Cooper had visited this house previous to commencing
-Lionel Lincoln. Changing its location to Tremont street, he has
-described it as the mansion of Mrs. Lechmere.
-
-Few of our American cities have retained their old family domiciles as
-long as the town of Boston, and they attest the opulence of many of its
-early inhabitants. However, they are fast disappearing; the large
-portions of ground that they occupy, surrounded with their gardens and
-lofty trees, having become too valuable to escape being converted to
-more profitable purposes. When I first knew Boston, the spacious domain
-of Gardiner Green extended along Pemberton Hill, far back of Somerset
-street, including garden, shrubbery, and pasture ground, from whence I
-was sometimes disturbed at night by the tinkling of a cow-bell, which
-seemed to me strange in the very heart of a large city. Near it, on
-Tremont street, stood, with its pilasters and tall windows, the mansion
-of Jonathan Philips, looking like the residence of an old English
-nobleman. It had a smooth green lawn in front, and an elevated terrace,
-which was ascended by a lofty flight of stone steps, bordered with vases
-of exotics; and among its fine shade trees was the beautiful mountain
-ash, with its clusters of light scarlet berries. It was built, and
-originally occupied, by Mr. Faneuil, uncle to the gentleman who bestowed
-the town-hall on Boston.
-
-Next to the house of Governor Philips stood the residence of the
-talented and unfortunate Sir Harry Vane, who had come over with the
-early settlers, and afterwards been appointed governor of the province
-of Massachusetts. He returned to England during the protectorate of
-Cromwell; and after the restoration, was committed to the Tower for the
-republican principles he persisted in advocating. Charles the Second had
-him tried on a charge of high treason, and he was beheaded on Tower
-Hill—behaving on the scaffold with the utmost composure and dignity. He
-attempted to address the people, but the drums and trumpets were sounded
-to drown his voice. This house of Sir Harry Vane was near two centuries
-old. It was a large brick building, with a garden at the side. The
-antique back casements still retained the small diamond-shaped panes set
-in lead; but, when I saw the house, its front windows looked as if they
-had been modernized about a century ago.
-
-On my last visit to Boston, about two years since, I found that all the
-above-mentioned old mansions had been demolished, and their places
-filled with rows of modern structures suited to the utilitarian spirit
-of the times. The old Coolidge house, in Bowdoin Square, was still
-standing in 1840. It also is a large brick building, the bricks much
-darkened and discolored with time and damp. The house is almost hidden
-by enormous old trees, which cast their impervious branches so close to
-the windows that I wondered how its inhabitants could possibly see to do
-anything, unless they burned lamps or candles all day long. The dense
-gloominess of shade that environed this mansion, reminded me of the
-commencement of one of Moore’s earliest poems.
-
- “The darkness that hung upon Willemberg’s walls
- Has long been remember’d with grief and dismay,
- For years not a sunbeam had play’d in its halls,
- And it seem’d as shut out from the regions of day.”
-
- * * * * *
-
-
-
-
- AUTUMN.
-
-
- BY ALBERT PIKE.
-
-
- It is the evening of a pleasant day
- In these old woods. The sun profusely flings
- His flood of light through every narrow way
- That winds around the trees. His spirit clings,
- In orange mist, around the snowy wings
- Of many a patient cloud, that now, since noon,
- Over the western mountains idly swings,
- Waiting when night shall come—alas! too soon!
- To veil the timid blushes of the virgin moon.
-
- The trees with crimson robes are garmented:
- Clad with frail brilliants by the Autumn frost,
- For the young leaves, that Spring with beauty fed,
- Their greenness and luxuriance have lost,
- Gaining new beauty at too dear a cost:
- Unnatural beauty, that precedes decay.
- Too soon, upon the harsh winds wildly toss’d,
- Leaving the naked trees ghost-like and gray,
- These leaf-flocks, like vain hopes, will vanish all away.
-
- How does your sad, yet calm and cheerful guise,
- Ye melancholy Autumn solitudes,
- With my own feelings softly harmonize!
- For though I love the hoar and solemn woods,
- In all their manifold and changing moods—
- In gloom and sunshine, storm and quietness,
- By day, or when the dim night on them broods;
- Their lightsome glades, their darker mysteries—
- Yet the sad heart loves a still, calm scene like this.
-
- Soon will the year like this sweet day have fled,
- With swift feet speeding noiselessly and fast,
- As a ghost speeds, to join its kindred dead,
- In the dark realms of that mysterious vast,
- The shadow-peopled and eternal past.
- Life’s current deathward flows—a rapid stream,
- With clouds and shadows often overcast,
- Yet lighted often by a sunny beam
- Of happiness, like sweet thoughts in a gloomy dream.
-
- Like the brown leaves, our lov’d ones drop away,
- One after one, into the dark abyss
- Of Sleep and Death. The frosts of Trouble lay
- Their withering touch upon our happiness,
- Even as the hoar frosts of the Autumn kiss
- The green lip from the unoffending leaves;
- And Love and Hope and Youth’s warm cheerfulness
- Flit from the heart—Age lonely sits and grieves,
- Or sadly smiles, while Youth fondly his day-dream weaves.
-
- Day draweth to its close—night cometh on—
- Death standeth dimly on Life’s western verge,
- Casting his shadow o’er the startled sun—
- A deeper gloom, that seemeth to emerge
- From gloomy night—and bending forth, to urge
- His eyeless steeds, fleet as the tempest’s blast:
- And hear we not eternity’s dim surge
- Thundering anear? At the dread sound aghast,
- Time hurries headlong, pale with frantic terror, past.
-
- * * * * *
-
-
-
-
- THE BROTHER AND SISTER.
-
-
- BY MRS. EMMA C. EMBURY.
-
-
-In the days of my early childhood, the little village of ——, separated
-by green hills and broad fields from the busy city, formed one of the
-pleasantest summer resorts of the wealthy inhabitants of New York. Many
-a stately villa was reared upon the banks of the Hudson, many a neat
-country-house sheltered itself within the winding lanes which traversed
-the village, for its vicinity to the great mart offered irresistible
-temptations to those whose hands were chained to the galley of commerce,
-while their hearts were still wedded to nature. One of the fairest
-pictures in the “chambers of mine imagery” is that of a large
-old-fashioned mansion, seated in the midst of a garden “too trim for
-nature, and too rude for art,” where a long avenue of cherry trees threw
-a pleasant shade across the lawn, while a rude swing, suspended between
-two of these sturdy old denizens of the soil, afforded a cool and
-delightful lounge to the studious and imaginative child. My earliest
-days were passed in that pleasant home, and my earliest lessons of
-wisdom learned in the school of that pretty village; therefore it is
-that my thoughts love to linger around those scenes, and therefore it is
-that I have fancied others might find something of interest in _one_ of
-my reminiscences.
-
-My shortest road to school led through a narrow green lane, rarely
-traversed by the gay vehicles which dashed along the main avenues of the
-village, and I was delighted to find such a quiet and shady path, where
-the turf was always so soft, and the air so fragrant with the breath of
-flowers. But I was soon induced to take a wide circuit rather than pass
-the solitary cottage which stood within that secluded lane. It was a low
-one-story building, with a broad projecting roof, throwing the narrow
-windows far into shade; and, as if to add to its sombre appearance, some
-former occupant had painted the house a dull lead color, which, by the
-frequent washings of the rain, and powderings of wayside dust, had
-assumed the grayish tint that gave to the cottage its distinctive
-appellation. Every village has its haunted house, and an evil name had
-early fallen on the “gray cottage.” Behind it, and so near that three
-paces from the little porch would lead a person to its very brink, was a
-deep and rocky ravine, forming a basin for the waters of a rapid brook,
-which, after flowing in sunshine and music through half the village,
-fell with sullen plash into the gloom of this wild dell. Some dark and
-half forgotten tale of guilt had added the horrors of superstition to
-the natural melancholy of the place, and few of the humbler inhabitants
-of the neighborhood would have been willing to stand after sunset on the
-brink of the Robbers’ Glen. It was said that the house, in former times,
-had been the abode of wicked and desperate men. The earth of the cellar
-beneath it was heaved up with hillocks like graves, and supernatural
-sounds had been heard to issue from these mysterious mounds. For many
-years it had stood untenanted, and the boys of the village often amused
-themselves by pelting it, at a cautious distance, with stones.
-
-But a “haunted house” had great attractions for the mind of one who
-revelled in fancies of the wild and wonderful. I was exceedingly anxious
-to behold the interior of the lonely cottage, which had now become
-invested with so much dignity in my eyes, and finding a few companions
-of like spirit, we determined to visit it. We accordingly fixed upon a
-certain Saturday afternoon, and determined to find some means of ingress
-into the barred and bolted cottage. A gay and light-hearted troop were
-we, as we scrambled over rail fences, gathered our aprons full of wild
-flowers, or chased the bright butterflies which mocked our glad pursuit.
-But as we entered the lane our merry shouts of laughter ceased, each
-looked earnestly in the face of the other, as if, for the first time,
-sensible of the mysterious importance of our undertaking, and, but for
-shame, several would have retraced their steps. I believe not one of us
-was insensible to the gloom which seemed suddenly to fall upon us, and
-as we looked towards the cottage, standing in the deep shadow of a
-spreading elm, while all else within the lane was glistening in the
-slant beams of the declining sun, we almost feared to approach the
-darkened spot. Cautiously advancing, however, and peeping through the
-rusted keyhole, we found our curiosity entirely baffled by the total
-darkness of the interior. It was proposed that we should climb the fence
-and attempt an entrance from the rear of the building, where we should
-be less likely to be interrupted or discovered by wayfarers, and after a
-brief consultation, held in hurried whispers, we resolved upon the
-daring feat. Silently treading the margin of the Robbers’ Glen, we
-reached the back porch of the little cottage, and beheld one of the
-window shutters open. We looked into the apartment but saw nothing save
-the naked walls of the dilapidated room, and as one of our party turned
-the latch of the door, to our great astonishment, it yielded to the
-touch and allowed us free entrance. Half frightened at our own success,
-we stood huddled together in the narrow passage, hesitating to advance,
-when suddenly a tall woman, clad in the deepest black, and displaying a
-countenance as white and (as it seemed to our excited fancies) as
-ghostly and rigid as a sheeted corpse, stood in the midst of us. How we
-ever got out of the house I cannot tell. I remember our desperate speed,
-the wild and headlong haste with which we threw ourselves over the low
-fence, and the total exhaustion we felt when once fairly escaped from
-that frightful place. As we lay on the grass, to rest before returning
-home, each one told her own story of that terrible apparition. None had
-heard a footstep when that fearful woman came among us; none had seen
-her approach, and though the sound of our own buzzing voices, and the
-fixed attention with which we were just then regarding the door of the
-apartment, which we wished yet dreaded to enter, might easily account
-for both these circumstances, yet we all came to the conclusion that we
-had seen a ghost, or, at the least, a witch.
-
-On the following Sunday we were scarcely less alarmed, for, just as the
-services were commencing, the same tall figure, arrayed in deep mourning
-and veiled to her very feet, slowly proceeded up the aisle and took her
-seat on the step of the altar. My blood ran cold as I looked upon her,
-and when I afterwards heard that she had recently become the occupant of
-the gray cottage, my dread of her supernatural powers gave place to a
-belief that she was in some way or other mysteriously connected with the
-guilty deeds of which that cottage had been the scene. I did not trouble
-myself to remember that the events which had flung such horror around
-the Robbers’ Glen must have occurred at least half a century previous,
-and therefore could have little to do with a woman yet in the prime of
-life. The curiosity which her presence excited was not confined to the
-children of the village. Her tall stature, her sombre garb, her veiled
-face, and her singular choice of a place of abode excited the
-conjectures of many an older and wiser head. But whatever interest her
-appearance had awakened, it was not destined to be satisfied. Those who,
-led by curiosity or real kindness, sought to visit her, were repulsed
-from the threshold; no one was allowed to enter her house; all prying
-inquiries were silenced, either by stern reserve or bitter
-vituperations; even the village pastor was refused admittance to her
-solitude; and, after months and even years, as little was known of her
-as on the day she first appeared. She lived entirely alone; once in each
-week she was seen walking towards the city, and on Sunday she was
-regularly to be found at the foot of the pulpit—but beyond this nothing
-was to be discovered. Few, very few, had ever distinctly seen the face
-whose paleness gleamed out from the folds of her thick veil, and, after
-some time, the people found other objects of interest, while the
-children carefully avoided all approach to the haunted cottage, and
-could scarcely repress a shudder of horror as they heard the low rustle
-of her dusky garments on each returning Sunday.
-
-Years passed on; circumstances occurred to remove me from the village,
-and the various changes which the heart experiences between the period
-of joyous childhood and earnest womanhood, had almost effaced from my
-mind all recollection of the “black witch,” when I was unexpectedly and
-rather strangely made acquainted with her true history. It was a tale of
-ordinary trials and sorrows, such as might have befallen many others,
-and yet there are peculiarities in the sufferings of every individual as
-strongly marked as are the traits of character. There was no
-supernatural interest in her story, but it invested her in my mind with
-the dignity of unmerited sorrow, and it enables me to open for your
-perusal, gentle reader, another of the many strange written pages of
-human nature.
-
- * * * * *
-
-For more than twelve years Madeline Graham had been an only child, the
-darling of her invalid mother, and the pride of her doting father, when
-the birth of a brother opened a new channel for the affections of all
-the family. During the earliest period of his infancy the child seemed
-feebly struggling for existence, but he gradually acquired strength to
-resist the frequent attacks of disease, and though he gave no promise of
-robust health, his constitution seemed sufficiently invigorated to
-warrant a hope of prolonged life. The most unwearied exertions, however,
-were necessary, and his guidance over the very threshold of being was a
-task of more difficulty than the lifelong care of a hardy and healthy
-child. Yet the anxiety which his precarious state awakened, and the
-constant attention which he required, seemed to endear him the more
-closely to the little family. He became their idol, the object of their
-incessant solicitude, and comfort, happiness, even life itself was
-sacrificed to his welfare. Ere he had attained his third year, Mrs.
-Graham, who had long been in declining health, sank beneath the fatigue
-and anxiety she had endured, while, with her dying breath, she enjoined
-upon Madeline the most devoted attention to her darling boy. Madeline
-scarcely needed such admonition, for, from his very birth, her brother
-had been the object of her passionate love; but such a charge, given at
-such a solemn moment, sank deep into the heart of the young and
-sensitive girl. Falling on her knees beside her mother, she uttered a
-solemn vow that no earthly affection and no other duty should ever
-induce her to place her brother’s interests secondary to her own. A
-smile of grateful tenderness lit up the face of the dying woman, and her
-last glance thanked Madeline for the self-sacrifice to which she had
-thus unconsciously pledged herself.
-
-From that hour the young Alfred became his sister’s especial charge.
-Young as she was, her father knew that he could trust her latent
-strength of character, and when she took her brother, even as a child,
-to her bosom, he felt assured that his boy would never need a mother’s
-care.
-
-Madeline Graham was no common character. Though she had scarcely counted
-her fifteenth summer, she had grown up tall and stately, with a face
-almost severe in its fixed and classical beauty, while her manners, calm
-almost to coldness, were scarcely such as are usually found connected
-with youthful feeling and girlish simplicity. Educated solely by her
-parents, Madeline had acquired some of the characteristic traits of
-both. To her mother’s morbid sensibility and enthusiasm she united her
-father’s reserve and fixedness of purpose. She possessed strong
-passions, but an innate power of repressing them seemed born with them.
-Her love for truth was unbounded; even the common courtesies of society
-seemed to her but as so many fetters on the limbs of the goddess of her
-idolatry, and, therefore, even in her girlhood, her manners had become
-characterized by a sincerity almost amounting to _brusquerie_. Her
-talents were of the highest order, and her habits of reflection, which
-were singularly developed in one so young, enabled her to reap a rich
-harvest of knowledge from her father’s careful culture. She was one to
-be admired, and praised, and wondered at, but she was scarcely
-calculated to awaken affection. The spontaneous gush of feeling, the
-guileless frankness of a heart that knows no evil and dreads no danger,
-the warm sympathy of a youthful nature, the sweet susceptibility which,
-though dangerous to its possessor, is yet so winning a trait of girlish
-character—all these attributes, which seem to belong to the spring-time
-of life, even as the buds and blossoms are inseparably connected with
-the renewed youth of the visible creation, were wanting to Madeline.
-
-But it was from the religious opinions of her parents that the deepest
-tint of coloring was imparted to the mind of Madeline. Mrs. Graham, a
-lineal descendant of one of the sternest and most intolerant of the
-puritans, had early united herself to one of the strictest of strict
-sects, and had been accustomed to practise a system of self-denial as
-rigid, if not quite as visible, as the penances of cloistered austerity.
-The impulses of innocent gaiety, the promptings of harmless vanity, the
-wanderings of youthful fancy were regarded by her only as evidences of a
-sinful nature, which ought to awaken remorse as keen as that which
-visits the penitent bosom of deep-dyed guilt. In the enthusiasm of her
-early zeal she seemed lifted above the weaknesses of humanity, and even
-the gray-headed members of the Christian community looked upon her as a
-chosen servant of the truth. But her excitement had been too great; the
-hour of reaction came, and it was when lukewarmness and weariness had
-taken full possession of her feelings for a season, that she first met
-with her future husband. Ever in extremes, an earthly passion now
-absorbed the heart which had consumed its energies in zeal without
-knowledge, and she married Mr. Graham without allowing herself to look
-upon the broad line of separation which lay between them. Had she ever
-made religion a question she would have learned the fact; for if good
-taste forbade him to obtrude his opinions upon others, yet love of truth
-prevented him from seeking to conceal them. Mr. Graham was a skeptic.
-The great truths of revealed religion were to him but as fables to amuse
-the multitude; and while in the works of creation he recognised the hand
-of a Deity, he read not in the hearts of men the necessity of a
-Redeemer. Mrs. Graham was horror-stricken when she discovered that her
-husband was not a Christian, and in proportion as the ardor of youthful
-passion faded into the tender light of conjugal affection, the terrible
-abyss which yawned between them became more painfully visible to her
-sight. The attempt to change his opinions again awakened her slumbering
-zeal, and with all the penitence of one who was conscious of having
-fallen from a state of elevated piety, she endeavored to make amends for
-her temporary alienation by renewed devotion. But her system of ascetic
-severity was little calculated to make religion attractive to her
-husband. The “beauty of holiness” was hidden beneath the sackcloth and
-ashes with which her mistaken judgment endued it, and Mr. Graham learned
-to look upon her piety as the _one defect_, rather than the _crowning
-grace_, in his wife’s character. Her sincere affection, and a desire to
-preserve domestic harmony, at length compelled her to give up all
-attempts to change her husband’s opinions, and she was therefore doomed
-to cherish a secret sorrow which wasted her very life away. The ascetic
-devotion which seemed so unlovely to the husband, produced a very
-different effect upon the imagination of Madeline. Accustomed to regard
-her mother as the best of human beings, she early learned to reverence
-and imitate her fervent zeal. Her reserve of character induced her to
-conceal her impressions even from the mother who labored to deepen them,
-and no one suspected the severe self-discipline which, even in
-childhood, she practised in imitation of her parent’s example. Her
-father, who, while despising Christianity, yet paid it the involuntary
-homage of considering it a very proper safeguard for women and children,
-did not attempt to interfere in her religious education. He contented
-himself with cultivating the field of mind, and left her mother to sow
-her moral nature with the tares of prejudice along with the seed of true
-piety.
-
-Madeline had scarcely attained her twentieth year when a sudden and
-violent illness deprived her of her father, and left her the sole
-guardian of her young brother. Upon looking into Mr. Graham’s affairs,
-it was found that his profession had only procured for him a comfortable
-subsistence, and, as his income died with him, the orphans were almost
-penniless. The small house which they had long occupied, together with
-its furniture and a library of some value, were all that remained. To
-convert these into money was Madeline’s first care, and her next step
-was to invest the amount thus obtained in the name of her brother, as a
-fund for his education and future subsistence. For herself she seemed to
-have no anxieties, and with a degree of disinterestedness, as rare as it
-was praiseworthy, she determined to derive her own maintenance from the
-labor of her hands. With characteristic energy she made all her
-arrangements without consulting any one, or asking the advice of her
-father’s best friends. The bold self-reliance which formed her most
-striking and least amiable trait was now fully developed, and she felt
-no need of other aid than that of her own strong mind. She had a deep
-design to work out in future—a darling scheme to mature—a hope, which
-in her stern nature assumed the form of a determination to compass, and
-all sacrifices seemed light which could aid her to a successful issue.
-Need I add, that her brother was the object of all her future
-aspirations.
-
-Alfred Graham had already given evidence of precocious genius which
-seemed fully to justify Madeline’s ambition. Nature in his case had
-displayed her usual compensating kindness, and since she had bestowed on
-him a dwarfed and diminutive form, a delicate and fragile body, made
-amends by giving him a countenance of almost feminine beauty, and a mind
-filled with the most exquisite perceptions. He was born a poet. His
-fervid feelings, his nervous temperament, his delicate sense of beauty
-in the moral and physical world—even the very fragility of constitution
-which shut him out from the rude conflicts of real life, and confined
-him within the limits of the fairyland of reverie—all seemed to point
-out his future vocation. Too young to frame in numbers the fancies of
-his childish hours, he yet breathed into his sister’s ear the eloquent
-words of pure and passionless enthusiasm, and Madeline’s heart thrilled
-with high hopes of his future glory. But she did not suffer nature to
-direct his course. Long ere the child had seriously commenced the work
-of education, she had destined him to become an apostle of Christianity
-to the benighted world of paganism. Imaginative, high minded, stern, and
-self-sacrificing, Madeline was just such a woman as in the olden time
-might have embroidered the cross upon the mantle of her best beloved
-one, and sent him forth to fight the battles of the holy church. But the
-missionary of modern days has a far more difficult and therefore far
-nobler office to perform. Amid belted knights and men-at-arms to do
-battle with myriads of the Paynim foe is a lighter task than that which
-falls upon him, who goes forth alone and single handed to face the more
-insidious foes of ignorance and sin amid the blinded and perverse
-heathen. Yet such was the high and holy duty to which Madeline destined
-her brother, while her own ambition was limited to the hope of being the
-companion of his toils and his labors. She looked forward to the time
-when they should go forth hand in hand into the howling wilderness of
-superstition, with the gospel as a light to their feet and a lamp to
-their path, while they scattered the blessings of truth among the
-benighted idolaters of distant lands.
-
-As Alfred advanced in life he learned the full extent of his sister’s
-sacrifices for his welfare. He saw her relinquishing all the
-intellectual pleasures she had once enjoyed, and devoting herself day
-and night to the humble labors of the needle. He noticed her attention
-to his most trifling wishes, and he did not fail to observe that while
-his dress was of the neatest and finest texture, and his food of the
-delicate kind which best suited the capricious appetite of an invalid,
-Madeline practised the strictest economy in all that affected only her
-own individual comfort. Yet Alfred did not love Madeline with the entire
-affection which could alone repay her devotedness. There was too much
-awe, too much fear blended with his feelings towards her. Her strong
-mind and stern integrity seemed ever ready to rebuke the vacillating
-temper and morbid sensibility of the youth. Superior to temptations
-which had no power over herself, she had little charity for the failings
-of another; and the boyish errors, often but the earliest trial of
-principles which the world will hereafter put to a far more severe
-test—were regarded by her as heavy sins. Educated in the seclusion of
-home, she could not imagine the dangers which beset a boy from his first
-entrance into the miniature world of a large school. Instead of
-rewarding with her approbation the first struggles of principle with
-passion in the youthful heart, she seemed only shocked and mortified
-that any conflict should have been necessary, and was more keenly
-sensible to the weakness which had required defence, than to the
-strength which had offered resistance. Such mistaken views of character
-soon checked the flow of confidence between them. Alfred could not open
-his whole heart to one who was incapable of comprehending all his
-feelings, and though he never needed a mother’s care, he early learned
-the want of a mother’s sympathy.
-
-Madeline had seen sufficient proofs of Alfred’s facile temper and
-instability of purpose to dread his introduction into scenes of greater
-temptation, and, vainly fancying that he would be safer any where than
-in the busy city, she preferred that he should enter a distant college.
-At the age of seventeen he was removed from his sister’s influence to
-enter upon his new course of studies, and although at first truly
-unhappy at this separation from his only relative, it was not long
-before the absence of her keen eye and stern rebuke became a positive
-relief to him. Hitherto his life had passed amid the sombre shades of
-domestic life, and with all Madeline’s noble traits of character, she
-lacked the tact, so truly feminine, which enables a woman to throw
-sunshine around the humblest home. The cheerful song, the pleasant jest,
-the merry voice, the bright smile, the buoyant step—all the lighter
-graces without which a woman’s character, however elevated and noble, is
-but as a Corinthian column without its capital, or as a rose without its
-perfume—were wanting to the unbending nature of Madeline. The world was
-to her a scene of probation and preparation, and to waste a thought upon
-enlivening its grave duties seemed to her as idle as planting flowers
-around a sepulchre. When therefore Alfred found himself amid a throng of
-young men from every part of the country—some ambitious of renown, some
-fond of study for its own sake, some utterly careless of present duties,
-some slothful and indifferent to honor, but all equally alive to
-pleasurable excitement and equally eager in the pursuit of amusement, he
-felt as if he had suddenly been transported to a world of which he had
-never dreamed. His susceptible temper rendered him an easy prey to the
-lures of gay society. Intellectual enjoyments mingled their pure odors
-with the fumes of the wine cup, and the refinements of elegant taste
-served to veil the native deformity of vice, until, long before he had
-learned the danger of his position, he was bound in the strong toils of
-sensual indulgence. Full of intellect, and wonderfully acute in his
-perceptions, he soon became distinguished for his genius, and the heart
-of his sister was often gladdened by tidings of his success. But she
-knew not that he was drinking from more turbid waters than those which
-flow from the fountain of wisdom—she dreamed not that the offering
-which she hoped to bring pure and unpolluted to the altar of Heaven was
-already blemished and unworthy to be presented.
-
-Alfred Graham was not designed by nature to be a votary of evil.
-Temptation had found him weak to resist, but conscience was still true
-to her charge, and the youth was as free from habitual vice as he was
-destitute of unsullied virtue. When the vacations brought him to his
-quiet home, the better feelings of his nature were ever aroused; he
-respected the virtue of his sister’s character, and when surrounded by
-that pure atmosphere which envelopes real goodness, he forgot even to
-harbor a sinful thought. But day by day the profession to which he was
-destined became more repugnant to his feelings, and after deferring as
-long as possible the announcement of his wishes, he at length summoned
-courage to reveal the truth to his sister. The blow fell upon Madeline
-with almost stunning violence. He had just left college crowned with
-honors and flushed with success, and Madeline was exulting in the hope
-of his future usefulness, when he revealed to her his change of purpose.
-The first intimation of his unwillingness to devote himself to the
-church, almost drove her to frenzy. All the violence of her secret
-nature broke forth in the fearful threats of temporal and eternal
-punishment which she predicted for such apostacy, and Alfred’s feeble
-temper was actually crushed beneath the weight of her indignation. He
-trembled at the storm which he had raised, and when, after days of
-entreaty and expostulation, Madeline, the stern, proud Madeline, even
-knelt at his feet, and implored the child of her affections to listen to
-the voice of God, speaking by the lips of her who had ever been as a
-mother to his heart, the weak youth yielded to her prayers and promised
-what he well knew he could not conscientiously perform. His was not the
-free-will offering of talents and time and health and strength in the
-service of the Redeemer. He entered the sanctuary as one driven onward
-by irresistible force, not as one drawn by the cords of love and piety.
-
-Time passed on and taught Alfred a lesson of deep hypocrisy. His timid
-and feeble nature could neither resist the influence of evil nor brave
-its consequences, and therefore it was that the fair face of the youth
-became more and more characterized by sanctity in proportion as his
-heart became less susceptible of its influences. Happy is it for mankind
-that the eye rarely pierces beneath the veil which conceals the hideous
-depravity of the heart. Who but would have shrunk from the delicate
-beauty of Alfred’s gentle countenance—who but would have shuddered at
-the contemplation of those clear blue eyes, that feminine complexion,
-the delicate rose tint of his thin cheek, and the exceeding loveliness
-of his chiselled and flexible lips, if the dark mass of evil thoughts
-which lay beneath that fair seeming, could have been discerned. Yet
-Alfred was far from being happy. Unstable as water, he had no power over
-his own impulses, and remorse preyed upon him, even while he sought to
-drown his senses in indulgence. Conscience was his perpetual tormentor,
-and yet a constant course of sinning and repenting left him neither time
-nor will to struggle effectually with his errors.
-
-But a still darker change came upon his character. His health, which had
-several times required a suspension of his studies, began again to fail,
-a short time before the period fixed upon for his ordination, and he
-eagerly seized the opportunity of deferring the dreaded ordeal. The
-physicians ordered perfect relaxation from all mental labors, and
-unfortunately for his future peace, the listlessness of unwonted
-idleness led him to examine a chest of old papers, the accumulated
-records of many years, where he accidentally met with a catalogue of his
-father’s library. Alfred was so young at the time of his father’s death
-that he retained little recollection of him, and Madeline had carefully
-kept him in ignorance of those skeptical opinions which had so grieved
-both mother and daughter. It was with no little surprise, therefore,
-that Alfred found the names of so great a number of infidel works among
-his father’s books. He pondered long upon the subject, and at length
-conjectured the truth. This excited his interest, and a vague curiosity,
-awakened rather by a belief in his sister’s desire to conceal from him
-his father’s opinions, led him secretly to procure the prohibited
-volumes. Upon the feeble mind of one who was “blown about by every wind
-of doctrine,” and who yearned after worldly pleasures while he shrunk
-with unutterable disgust from religious duties, the subtleties of the
-skeptics had a most fatal effect. He had never been well grounded in the
-faith, and the doubts now suggested to his mind were exactly such things
-as in his present state of feeling he would gladly have adopted as
-truths. These six months of respite from theological studies were spent
-in the careful perusal of all skeptical writings, and when Alfred
-resumed his former pursuits the plague spot of infidelity had already
-given evidence of the fatal disease which was spreading over his moral
-nature.
-
-If my tale were designed only for the eye of the student of human
-nature, I might dwell long upon the strange incongruity of feeling and
-action, the wonderful contrariety between principle and practice, and
-all the complicated workings of a wayward heart, which characterized the
-deceptive course of the young student. With his usual timid hypocrisy he
-concealed every real feeling, every genuine impulse. His conduct was
-apparently irreproachable, his principles seemed unimpeachable, and he
-even schooled himself to come forward and enrol himself beneath the
-banner of the cross, when he was but too conscious that he had already
-trampled the holy emblem beneath his feet. Why did he carry his deceit
-to such an awful extent? Alas! who can tell just where the waves of sin
-may stay their whelming force? He feared the world’s dread laugh at his
-apostacy, he shrunk from the scorn of all good men, and, above all, his
-mind absolutely cowered at the thought of his sister’s bitter wrath. So
-he buried his secret within his own bosom, and trusting to some future
-chance to rescue him from the irksome duties of his profession, prepared
-himself for the ceremony of ordination. But he was not yet sensible of
-the terrible power of Conscience.
-
-The day came, and, as usual, crowds were assembled to witness the
-dedication of the youthful candidates. The two young men—for Alfred had
-a companion, a pious, humble-minded, meek-hearted youth—stood before
-the altar to offer their vows. Madeline, the weeping but happy
-Madeline—who had sacrificed her youth and health and beauty, aye and
-the hopes ever dearest to a woman’s heart, to this one darling hope—was
-there too, and as she looked on her brother bending before the altar,
-while his bright curls just caught one straggling sunbeam which shed a
-glory around his youthful brow, she was heard to murmur “Lo, here am I,
-Lord, and the child which thou hast given me.”
-
-The services commenced—the prayers of the congregation had arisen to
-Heaven, the incense of praise had floated upward on the solemn melody of
-the organ, the exhortation to the candidates had been affectionately
-uttered by an aged pastor, and the moment came when the presentation of
-the two was made to the Bishop by the officiating clergyman. The solemn
-appeal was then uttered—
-
-“_Brethren, if there be any of you who knoweth any impediment or any
-notable crime on either of these persons for the which he ought not to
-be admitted to the holy office, let him come forth in the name of God
-and show what the crime or impediment is._”
-
-At these words a sudden terror seemed to seize upon Alfred Graham. His
-frame shook with suppressed emotion, his countenance became livid, and
-his fine features were strangely contorted as if some sudden pang had
-convulsed him. The next instant he uttered a faint cry and fell
-prostrate to the ground, while his very life-blood was poured at the
-foot of the altar which he had dared to touch with polluted hands.
-
-He was borne to his home in utter insensibility. The sting of conscience
-had finished the work which disease had long since begun, and the
-rupture of a blood-vessel in the lungs had been the consequence of his
-unnatural excitement and self-command. All that medical skill could
-effect was tried, but without success, and ere the lapse of another day
-it was known that Alfred Graham was sinking into the arms of death.
-There was no time for repentance—no time to combat prejudices and
-awaken better impulses. He lay as if in the deep torpor of
-insensibility, until aroused by some cordial administered by his
-physician, when his strength seemed to rally, and raising himself on his
-pillow, he addressed his sister in words which fell like molten lead
-upon her heart. With all the eloquence of passion he poured forth a wild
-confession of his errors and his doubts, and then, in language equally
-fervid but far more bitter, he reproached her—_her_ who had devoted her
-whole life to his welfare—as the cause of all his guilt. He accused her
-of having crushed his timid spirit by sternness and unbending rigor—of
-having taught him hypocrisy by her fierce contempt for his
-weaknesses—of having killed him by forcing him to a profession which he
-hated and contemned.
-
-“I am not mad, Madeline,” he exclaimed, in a hoarse voice, broken by his
-difficult and long-drawn breath, “I am not mad, but so surely as I am
-now stretched upon the bed of death, so surely has your ambition and
-your mistaken zeal laid me here to die. I seek not to excuse myself, and
-may God forgive me my many secret sins; but never, never would my soul
-have been so deeply stained had it not been for your unrelenting
-indignation at my boyish follies, and your determined will in the choice
-of my future destiny. I forgive you, Madeline, but you will not forgive
-yourself.”
-
-The exertion of uttering these terrible words was too great, and ere the
-sounds yet died upon the ear of the horror-stricken sister, the spirit
-of the misguided youth had gone to its dread account.
-
-From that hour Madeline was utterly and entirely changed. Whatever were
-her feelings she shared them with none, but shrunk alike from question
-and sympathy. Those dying reproaches, unjust as she felt them to be,
-were yet engraven in ineffacable characters upon her heart, and with a
-feeling akin to the mistaken austerity which punishes the body for the
-sins of the soul, she resolved to make her future life a penance for her
-involuntary error. Lonely and desolate, she took up her abode in a place
-well suited to her embittered and almost misanthropic feelings. For more
-than ten years the gray cottage was her abode, and the labors of the
-seamstress furnished her scanty subsistence. During all that period not
-a creature was ever admitted beyond the threshold of her door, and all
-curiosity about her had quite subsided long before the termination of
-her lonely career. At length she was missed from her usual lowly seat in
-church. A second Sabbath came, and still the black and veiled form of
-the recluse was not seen. Common humanity demanded some inquiry into her
-fate, and after several vain attempts to procure admission into the
-cottage, the door was forced. Upon a truss of straw, in one corner of
-the desolate chamber, lay the emaciated form of the unfortunate
-Madeline, stiff, and cold, and ghastly, as if days had passed since the
-spirit had escaped from its clay tenement. She died as she had lived,
-lonely, and unknown, for it was not until years had elapsed that I heard
-the story of the brother and the sister from the lips of one who had
-known them in early days; while other incidental circumstances enabled
-me to identify Madeline Graham with the tall “_weird woman_” who had so
-terrified my childish fancy.
-
-The erring brother sleeps beneath the shadow of the sanctuary, in ground
-still consecrated by holy usage, but all trace of the hapless sister has
-vanished from the earth. The village graveyard is now a populous
-highway, bordered by tall houses and traversed by busy feet, while the
-green hillock which once marked the burial place of Madeline Graham has
-long since been crushed beneath the weight of pavements, echoing to the
-noisy tread of many a thoughtless wayfarer.
-
-Alas, for human love! and, alas, for human error! How dreary and
-desolate would seem many a scene of unmerited suffering did we not know
-that there is a brighter world, where all tears shall be wiped from all
-eyes, and where there shall be no sorrow nor sighing through an eternity
-of happiness!
-
- * * * * *
-
-
-
-
- TO AN INFANT IN THE CRADLE.
-
-
- BY REV. GEORGE B. CHEEVER.
-
-
- Thou lovely miniature of Nature’s painting!
- Thy beauty mingles care with my delight.
- These colors are to grow: not like the fainting,
- Soft, dying hues, that mark the eve’s twilight—
- But evermore renewed, as if the dawn,
- With its deep rosy tinge, instead of fading,
- Ran hand in hand with the bright dewy morn,
- The sky by sunlight with all colors shading.
-
- These colors are to grow, from where, an infant,
- Thou sleepest cradled by thy mother’s side,
- On through thy childhood’s beauty, every instant,
- To maiden loveliness—thy mother’s pride.
- And she will guide the pencil, hers the art
- To deepen Nature’s lineaments, or alter:
- To image Heaven or Earth upon the heart—
- What if her love should err, her pencil falter!
-
- O! ’tis a sacred, sweet and fearful duty
- To train these earth-born spirits for the skies!
- To keep this household flower green in its beauty,
- Till it in Paradise transplanted rise.
- May He, who took the nurslings in his arms,
- Keep thee and thine, his richest grace revealing,
- Hid, as his Pilgrims, from the world’s alarms,
- Where quiet brooks in pastures green are stealing!
-
- * * * * *
-
-
-
-
- WILL NOBODY MARRY ME?
-
-
- A COMIC SONG.
-
-
- BY GEORGE P. MORRIS.
-
-
- Heigh-ho! for a husband!—heigh-ho!
- There’s danger in longer delay!—
- Shall I never again have a beau?
- Will nobody marry me, pray?
- I begin to feel strange, I declare!
- With beauty my prospects will fade!—
- I’d give myself up to despair
- If I thought I should die an old maid!
-
- I once cut the beaux in a huff!—
- I thought it a sin and a shame
- That no one had spirit enough
- To ask me to alter my name!
- So I turned up my nose at the short,
- And rolled up my eyes at the tall;
- But then I just did it in sport,
- And now I’ve no lover at all!
-
- These men are the plague of my life!—
- ’Tis hard from so many to choose!—
- Should one of them wish for a wife,
- Could I have the heart to refuse?
- I don’t know—for none have proposed!
- Oh, dear me!—I’m frightened, I vow!
- Good gracious!—whoever supposed
- That I should be single till now?
-
- * * * * *
-
-
-
-
- TROPICAL BIRDS.
-
-
- BY PARK BENJAMIN.
-
-
-Beautiful are the Birds of the Tropics. Bright, clear, sparkling,
-brilliant is their plumage. It is steeped in “all the hues that gild the
-rainbow.” I seek in vain for epithets by which to convey a thought of
-their surpassing beauty. Had I, dear reader, the pencil of Audubon, I
-might show you what they are in repose; but repose does not display
-their loveliness in its perfection. They are most charming to behold
-when in motion—when their many vivid colors contrast with the deep
-green of the forests, in which they live and hold their jocund revels.
-
-Not many years ago, I passed a winter—or, I might better say, the first
-months of the year—in the Northern part of South America, where these
-birds abound. There, was I often delighted by these “exquisite, gay
-creatures of the element.” They seemed to me like so many winged jewels,
-as they glanced about in the rays of a dazzling sun. But let me not
-indulge too much in fanciful allusions, lest I should reluctantly enter
-upon the real purpose I have in view in preparing this article: which is
-to offer some account of Tropical Birds, so that the reader may be
-attracted to the study of their Natural History. It appears to me that
-our American periodicals have too much of the _dulce_ and too little of
-the _utile_. It is well, sometimes, to mingle the useful with the
-agreeable even in works of taste: I may fail in my attempt to do so in
-this place, but I shall at least deserve the credit of having made the
-attempt.
-
-Doubtless many of my readers have in their possession certain glass
-cases in which specimens of birds with variegated plumage, having
-undergone the art of the taxidermist, are arranged on artificial trees
-or bushes as ornaments for the drawing room. There are many persons in
-Guiana, who make it their business to kill and prepare these birds, so
-that they may adorn the halls of Natural History Societies or private
-cabinets. Some birds, which fly about the houses or plantations, are
-easily obtained; but those, upon which most value is set, live in
-distant wilds and woods, and are procured with great difficulty and only
-by individuals long practised in the art. Great caution must be observed
-in approaching, and greater skill in shooting them; for they must be
-slain so skilfully that their feathers shall not be torn nor their color
-spoiled by an effusion of blood from the wound. When one, who is
-unskilful, tears or disfigures his birds, he makes up one specimen out
-of two or more individuals of the same species. Thus, upon a close
-examination, you may often detect the wings of one bird joined to the
-body of another, or, perhaps, an old head upon young shoulders. But the
-worst piece of trickery, and one which renders the specimen wholly
-valueless to an ornithologist, is the altering of the natural color of
-the bird by fire. I have seen many a brilliant specimen exceedingly
-admired, which obtained a false lustre in this manner.
-
-There seems to be no limit to the wonderful varieties of these birds.
-Every day brings to view some new species, which outvies its compeers in
-the grace of its form and the brilliancy of its plumage. The adventurous
-bird-seeker will penetrate deeper and deeper into the solitudes of those
-vast forests, which, in primitive grandeur, lift up their leafy columns
-and form umbrageous temples in the heart of the Southern continent.
-Those lovely and still unexplored domains are the probable haunts of
-thousands and thousands of birds of dazzling beauty. The clear beams of
-the sun, glinting through the leaves of mighty trees, play among colors,
-as various and as shifting as those of gems. No human eye, save that of
-some Indian hunter who may have lost his homeward way, has gazed upon
-these strange, bright creatures; and the most fantastic imagination may
-vainly endeavor to paint those tribes of the air which have lived in
-their safe retreats, undisturbed save by one another and the war of the
-elements, since light first dawned upon creation.
-
-Among the various little birds, black, yellow and red, which may be
-observed in the midst of the sugar canes and in the many trees of
-orange, mango and lemon, there is a tribe, called Tyrants, which is very
-extensive. Great numbers are constantly seen. They are about the size of
-our robin. One species is called “the butcher bird,” and most
-appropriately, since it pounces upon and slaughters its prey with
-tyrannical cruelty. It is said to be of service to the planter in
-destroying grubs and insects, upon which it seizes in the manner of a
-hawk. It first strikes its prey with its _bill_ (like a dun) and then
-grasps it in its claws so instantaneously afterward, that the most acute
-observation alone can enable one to decide on the priority of the
-action. Its bill is of moderate length (unlike a tailor’s) compressed
-and sharp. Its head is black and all its body is white, save the outer
-feathers of the wings and tail, which are black. This family of
-“Tyrants,” of which the butcher bird is an influential member, has very
-extensive connections; but as they are distinguished neither for beauty
-nor behavior (“handsome is that handsome does”) and can be very easily
-“got round,” no great consequence is attached to their possession.
-
-The next most numerous tribe is one whose habits and characteristics are
-widely dissimilar—the Parrots. These exhibit plumage of the most
-diversified hues; but the predominating is bright green. This is often
-set off and contrasted by black, lilac, pink, orange, violet and blue.
-It is impossible to tell how many species have been discovered; for our
-traveller refers the specimen which he has obtained to some former
-description, and then points out the differences. “This,” says one, “is
-the _blue_ parrot; our specimens, however, are bright _lilac_, with
-_red_ spots on the back, between the wings”—a remark which, were it
-made by a native of the Emerald Isle, would be called a bull; but the
-fact, nevertheless, may be as true as the somewhat notorious one that
-“black-berries are red when they are green.”
-
-The parrots are of all sizes from the macaw or ava, down to the smallest
-paroket. The common green parrot, which is known in the United States,
-and taught to speak, is of the medium size. The best and clearest
-whistle is uttered by the homely brown parrot, which is brought from
-Africa. It is likewise the most docile. These birds resemble humanity in
-other respects besides the faculty of speech; some are hopelessly
-stupid, while others take to learning very kindly. Curious stories are
-told of their powers of articulation. The smallest kind, which cannot
-live in our climate, are sometimes very successfully educated. The
-manager of a plantation, which I visited, owned a little parrot, which
-used to reside in a cage at the door of his house. As I rode up, I was
-agreeably astonished by hearing the polite bird very considerately sing
-out, “Boy, take the gentleman’s horse—boy, why the deuse don’t you take
-the horse!”
-
-The largest kind is the macaw. It is a huge, clumsy _thing_, with a head
-out of all proportion to its body, (“great head, little wit;”) its
-plumage is for the most part red, interspersed with green and blue. The
-noise which it makes is most horribly discordant; and its loudest yell
-is very like an Indian war-whoop, (one of Mr. Cooper’s;) yet is this
-monster a great favorite in the West Indies, and, as you pass the
-residences of the inhabitants, you often see three or four of these ugly
-wretches clambering awkwardly up the piazzas, and uttering their hoarse,
-scolding cries, ten times more grating to the ear than the objurgations
-of a Xantippe, heard above the shrieks of her castigated offspring. The
-hardihood of these birds is surprising. There was one of them on board
-of a small vessel, in which it was my ill fortune to voyage from the
-mainland to the island of Barbadoes. Mr. Macaw, like a militia major in
-red and blue uniform, would strut about on the lower rigging, and, as
-soon as he could get near enough to the ear of a sailor, would utter one
-of his shrillest and most appalling yells. Jack Tar, in his summary
-method of dealing vengeance, would fetch him a blow with a handspike,
-that would send him flapping to the quarter-deck; perhaps, with an utter
-disregard of decorum and discipline, into the very face and eyes of the
-surly old captain, who, in his rage, would beat him soundly; yet would
-the valiant and stalwart feathered marine regard those lusty strokes no
-more than would a pet goldfinch the taps of his lady’s fan.
-
-Some species of parrots exist in almost every region; the smallest and
-most beautiful, however, are found only in tropical countries. They are
-seldom seen near thickly populated places, but can be procured with
-facility in the woods adjacent, where they live in tolerable fellowship
-with their mischievous neighbors, the monkeys.
-
-Another numerous tribe of tropical birds is known by the name of
-Chatterers. I do not know what they are called by the ornithologists;
-but thus are they designated by the inhabitants, from the peculiar
-sounds which they utter, (being not unlike those of a congress of
-spinsters, sitting in committee of the whole on some grand question of
-scandal.) They are distinguished by the epithets—red-breasted,
-purple-throated, firebirds, pumpadore, red-headed, gold-headed,
-white-throated, white-capped, purple-shouldered, and Mahometan. The
-first five migrate; the last five stay at home. Of the former, the
-firebird is so named from the fact that, in stuffed specimens, the color
-is sometimes changed by the application of fire. Its natural hue is a
-dark crimson, but it is susceptible of being changed, by the application
-of heat, into a rich vermilion. Of the latter, the purple-shouldered is
-the most rare and the most beautiful. The upper parts of its wings or
-shoulders are the deepest purple; the remainder of the wings is
-interspersed with blue, and they end in black. Its back is blue mingled
-with black; its breast is a delicate blue, and the lower part of its
-neck is a dark crimson. I describe the male bird only; for (unlike
-bipeds _without_ feathers) it monopolises the beauty of the species. The
-female is very plain, though there seems to be a certain winning modesty
-about her, for all her homely looks. The sumptuously attired male,
-(“Solomon, in all his glory, was not arrayed like one of these,”) if his
-choice of a partner were left to himself—which I doubt—must have been
-guided by a taste as unsophisticated as that of the praiseworthy
-Cock-Robin, when he courted Jenny Wren, who
-
- “Always wore her old brown gown,
- And never dressed so fine!”
-
-While on the subject of homeliness, I may as well conclude it by
-alluding to a bird, which, on account of its hideousness, the negroes
-call “Old Witch.” What a very mortifying circumstance it must be to be
-so ugly, when every body else is so bewitchingly fair! Don’t you think
-so, Miss Smith? (I do not mean the Miss Smith, who is reading this
-article, but another.)
-
-Before passing to an account of the third and last family, which I shall
-try to describe—being by far the most numerous, the strangest, and the
-most charming of all the tropical birds—I will detain the reader for a
-moment with an account of two rare species of water birds. They are in
-general so classed, because, like rails, they frequent reedy ponds and
-marshes and the borders of streams. I select these two species, because
-the one is very curious and the other is of a kind with which classical
-associations are connected, and because they admirably serve to show how
-wide and fertile a field of interesting investigation lies before the
-student in this particular realm of Natural History.
-
-The curious species is the Jacana. It is doubtful whether it should be
-classed with land or water birds; it resembles the latter in its nature,
-its habits, the form of its body, the shape of its bill, and the
-diminutiveness of its head; it differs essentially, however, from all
-others of the class, in the curious spurs which protrude from its wings;
-its claws are very long and slender, and its nails very pointed and
-sharp—hence has been derived its name, “The Surgeon.” It is exceedingly
-wild and can be caught only by stratagem. These birds are of various
-colors: some dark, tinged with violet; some green; some black; some
-dusky red. Their flight is very rapid, and their cry sharp and shrill.
-They travel in pairs, frequenting the borders of rivers and deep
-marshes. That which is particularly singular about the Jacana is the
-manner in which it is armed; when it strikes with its wings, it must do
-considerable execution; it does not seem to be happily called the
-Surgeon, for its instruments are rather intended to kill than cure.
-
-The classical species is called by moderns, “the Sultana Hen.” It is the
-smallest of that genus, which was named by the ancients Porphyry—in
-Greek, Πορφυριωι—in Latin, _Porphyrio_. Aristotle describes it as a
-fissiped bird, with long feet, a blue plumage, with a very strongly set,
-purple-colored bill, and of about the size of a domestic cock. Some old
-writers, in describing this bird, have said that one of its feet was
-furnished with membranes, and made to swim like a water-bird’s, and that
-the other was fissiped, so that it might run like a land-bird. This is
-not only untrue, but contrary to nature, and signifies no more than that
-the porphyry or pelican is a bird of the shore, living on the confines
-of land and water. It was easily tamed, and was very pleasing on account
-of its noble carriage, its fine form, its plumage brilliant and rich in
-colors of mingled blue and purple and aquamarine, its docile nature, and
-its happy facility of agreeing with any companions among whom its lot
-might be cast. It was held in the highest esteem by both Greeks and
-Romans; they never suffered it to be eaten; they sent to Lybia for it;
-always treated it with kindness, and placed it in their palaces and
-temples, as worthy to dwell there on account of the nobleness of its
-port, the sweetness of its temper, and the beauty of its plumage. The
-largest of the species, now known as “the sultana hen,” is precisely the
-same as the ancient porphyrio. The smallest is called “the little
-sultana hen.” Her _petite_ majesty is very queenly, but is, no doubt, as
-well satisfied with the modern name by which she is dignified, as she
-would be with that which the Greeks gave to the tall highnesses of her
-very old and royal family. Her robe of state is a brilliant changeable
-blue and green; and it has never gone out of fashion.
-
-Having thus given an unsystemized and rather imperfect account of a few
-species of tropical birds, I pass on to treat of the most marvellous and
-most beautiful tribe of plumed creatures that float in the invisible
-atmosphere. There have been more than a hundred species already
-discovered, and every naturalist, who visits the equatorial regions of
-this Western World, adds a new name to the splendid schedule of
-HUMMING-BIRDS.[2] From their delicate structure, these tiny birds cannot
-endure the rigors of our climate, where there are very few of those
-gorgeous plants, upon which they banquet in tropical latitudes. There,
-when the warm sun calls into life myriads of flowers, vast numbers of
-humming-birds visit the fields and gardens every morning, and mingle
-their golden-green tints in gleaming contrast with the white and
-rose-colored blossoms, that cluster on the vines above the traveller’s
-head, or spring luxuriantly at his feet. They seem, as they dart rapidly
-around, humming their faintly heard tunes, to be the very Pucks and
-Ariels of the light, and each night take up the burden of the fairy
-song, sung at the feast of Titania,
-
- Over hill, over dale,
- Through bush, through brier,
- Over park, over pale,
- Through flood, through fire,
- I do wander every where,
- Swifter than the moon’s sphere.
-
-For, at one moment, you behold “the fine apparition” before the cup of a
-flower, and at the next he is gone
-
- “To drink the air before him and return
- Or ere your pulse twice beat.”
-
-The bright little beings must own the very best secret of the fairies;
-for none, so well as they,
-
- “Know a bank whereon the wild thyme blows,
- Where oxslips and the nodding violet grows,
- Quite over canopied with luscious woodbine,
- With sweet musk-roses and with eglantine.”
-
-But alas! however elfin-like and ethereal their forms appear, they share
-the fate of mortals. They are easily caught by nets thrown over them, or
-killed by very fine shot or sand. I have seen some very splendid
-collections. I remember one, comprising seventy-two species—from the
-king of the humming-birds, as he is called, with his topaz and emerald
-crown, to one so small that, when on the wing, it could scarcely be
-visible. When the glass case, in which they were arranged in too studied
-an order, was held in the sunshine, their myriad colors would gleam and
-flash with a brilliancy as perfect as that of the many gems, after which
-they are prettily named. An enumeration of some of their names will
-convey an idea of their appearance—sapphire-throated, ruby-throated,
-sapphire and emerald, amethystine, topaz-throated; then there are the
-purple, tri-colored, violet-tufted, violet-crowned, blue-fronted, the
-superb, the magnificent, the sabre-winged. And there is one which must
-have been bestowed by some ornithological phrenologist, who had great
-skill in interpreting “the natural language” of birds—the supercilious
-humming-bird. The largest species yet discovered is that which is called
-the gigantic, and the smallest, as I believe, is one that Sir William
-Jardine describes as Gould’s humming-bird.
-
-The gigantic is in remarkable contrast to the rest of his tribe, both in
-size and in the color of his plumage. He is not only the largest but the
-homeliest, while the smallest is the most beautiful. The gigantic (the
-monster!) is nearly eight inches in length; the crown, the back, the
-under and lesser wing-coverts, brownish green, with reflections of green
-tint; the under parts, light reddish mingled with a deeper tint and
-shaded off with green; the feathers are generally darker at the base,
-and the paler tips give a slightly waved appearance to the breast. On
-the throat, the feathers, though without lustre, retain the scaly form
-and texture of the more brilliant species. The wings slightly exceed the
-tail in length, bend up at the tips, and exhibit the form of the most
-correctly framed organ of flight; they are of a uniform brownish violet.
-The tail is composed of ten feathers, of a brownish color, and with
-golden-green reflections; they gradually decrease in length. This is a
-very rare species.
-
-Gould’s is the smallest species and of the most dazzling beauty. It is
-scarcely over two inches in length; its forehead, throat and upper part
-of its breast are of a most brilliant green—the feathers of a scaly
-form. From the crown springs a crest of bright, chestnut feathers, of a
-lengthened form and capable of being raised at pleasure. The back is a
-golden-green, crossed with a whitish band; the wings and tail are
-brownish purple, the latter having the centre feathers tinged with
-green; the lower parts are dark brownish green. The neck tufts are of
-the most splendid kind, and have a chaste but brilliant effect; they are
-composed of narrow feathers of a snowy whiteness—the tips of each
-having a round, serrated spot of bright emerald green, surrounded with a
-dark border; the largest are at the upper part of the tuft, and they
-decrease in length, assuming the shape of a butterfly’s wing; shorter
-feathers again spring from the base, and their green tips are relieved
-on the white of the longer ones behind them.
-
-The most common species, and that which abounds in all parts of the West
-Indies, is the ruby-crested. Though seen every day about the gardens,
-near the honeysuckle and other flowering vines, it presents some of the
-most splendid coloring of the family. (Those which I have mentioned are
-of that sub-genus, which Linnæus calls trochilus.) The upper parts of
-the head and throat are clothed entirely with those scaly formed
-feathers, which always produce the parts producing the changeable hues.
-On the hind head, the feathers are elongated and form a short, rounded
-crest. In one position this part appears of a deep, sombre, reddish
-brown; when viewed transversely it assumes a bright, coppery lustre, and
-when looked upon directly with a side stream of light, it becomes of the
-richest and most brilliant ruby. The scaly part of the throat and breast
-again, when wanting the lustre, is of an equally sombre, greenish brown;
-and, when turned to diverse lights, changes from a clear golden-green to
-the most brilliant topaz. It is impossible to convey by
-words—especially as it is necessary to repeat the same again and
-again—an idea of these tints. The most that can be done is to name
-those substances, which they most nearly resemble, then rely upon the
-imagination of the reader.
-
-The birds, thus attempted to be described, are a few of that
-multitudinous tribe which excites the liveliest wonder, and fills the
-mind with admiration of that creative power, which clothes the eagle
-with strength to resist the fury of the mountain storm, and so fashions
-the delicate plumage of the humming-bird that the softest air from
-heaven seems to visit it too roughly. The vine-clad forests and
-rose-covered gardens of Guiana literally _swarm_ with these fairy-birds.
-The Indian word, by which they are distinguished, signifies _beams_ or
-_locks of the sun_; that such a designation is not less appropriate than
-poetical, may be concluded by all who have seen them darting with the
-rapidity as well as the splendor of light from flower to flower.
-Compared to the humming-bird, the bee is a mere loiterer. He poises
-himself on wing, while he thrusts his long, slender tube into the
-flower-cups in search of food. But he subsists not simply on honey-dew
-and the nectar that dwells in the lips of roses. He may often be
-observed darting at the minute insects that float in the air.
-
-Mr. Audubon thus beautifully describes the humming-bird in quest of
-food: “carefully visiting every opening flower-cup, and, like a curious
-florist, removing from each those injurious insects, that otherwise
-would ere long cause their beauteous petals to droop and decay. Poised
-in the air, it is observed peeping cautiously and with sparkling eye
-into their innermost recesses, whilst the ethereal motions of its
-pinions, so rapid and so light, appear to fan and cool the flower,
-without injuring its fragile texture, and produce a delightful,
-murmuring sound, well adapted for lulling the insects to repose. Then is
-the moment for the humming-bird to secure them. Its long delicate bill
-enters the cup of a flower, and the protruded, double-tubed tongue,
-delicately sensible, and imbued with a glutinous saliva, touches each
-insect in succession, and draws it from its lurking place to be
-instantly swallowed. All this is done in a moment, and the bird, as it
-leaves the flower, sips so small a portion of its liquid honey, that the
-theft, we may suppose, is looked upon with a grateful feeling by the
-flower which is thus kindly relieved from the attacks of her
-destroyers.”
-
-Their favorite places of resort were those woods, in which the superb
-bignonia abounds, and when the huge trees are garlanded with parasites;
-but since the cultivation of the country they frequent gardens and seem
-to delight in society, becoming familiar and destitute of fear, hovering
-over one side of a shrub while the fruit or flower is plucked from that
-opposite. They do not alight on the ground, but easily settle on twigs
-and branches, when they move sidewise in prettily measured steps,
-frequently opening and closing their wings, shaking and arranging the
-whole of their apparel with neatness and activity. They are particularly
-fond of spreading one wing at a time, and passing each of their
-quill-feathers through their bills in its whole length, when, if the sun
-is shining, the wing thus plumed is very transparent and light. The
-humming noise proceeds entirely from the surprising velocity with which
-they perform that motion by which they will keep their bodies in the
-air, apparently motionless, for hours together. When flying to any long
-distance, the manner of their flight is very different from that shown
-in speeding among flowers, for they sweep gracefully through the air in
-long undulations, raise themselves for some distance and then fall in a
-curve.
-
-Strange as it may seem, one of the chief characteristics of this tiny
-creature, is its bravery. It will unhesitatingly attack the
-mocking-bird, or the king-bird, or any other by whom it imagines its
-territories invaded; it directs its sharp, needle-like bill, immediately
-at the eyes of its enemy, and when so employed this must be a truly
-formidable weapon. These birds are also extremely pugnacious among
-themselves—two males seldom meeting, without a battle. The combatants
-ascend in the air, chirping, darting and circling round each other till
-the eye is no longer able to follow them. They are particularly
-susceptible of jealousy, and, under the influence of this failing, they
-run tilts at each other till the less doughty champion falls exhausted
-to the ground.
-
-The nests of these little creatures are very curious; they are built
-with great delicacy, but at the same time with much compactness and
-warmth. Wilson says that the nest of the ruby-throated humming-bird is
-generally fixed on the upper side of a horizontal branch, _not_ among
-the twigs. It is sometimes, however, attached to an old moss-grown
-trunk, and sometimes fastened on a strong stalk or weed in the garden.
-It seldom builds more than ten feet from the ground. The nest is about
-an inch in diameter and as much in depth. The outward coat is formed of
-small pieces of a species of bluish-gray lichen, that vegetates on old
-trees and fences, thickly glued with the saliva of the bird, giving
-firmness and consistency to the whole as well as keeping out moisture.
-Within this are thick, matted layers of the fine wings of certain flying
-seeds, closely laid together; and, lastly, the downy substance from the
-great mullein, and from the stalks of the common fern, lines the whole.
-The base of the nest is continued round the stem of the branch to which
-it closely adheres, and, when viewed from below, appears a mere mossy
-knot or accidental protuberance. The nest of one species in Guiana is
-principally composed of a spongy cellular substance, apparently similar
-to that of a fungus, of which some kinds of wasps build large
-habitations, suspended from the branches of trees, and an account is
-given of a nest of another species composed entirely of the down of some
-thistle; the seed is attached and is placed outwards, giving a jagged
-and prickly appearance to the outside. Latham describes the nest of the
-black humming-bird as made of cotton, entwined around the thorns and
-twigs of the citron-tree, and of so firm a texture as not to be easily
-broken by winds. The nest of the topaz-crested is about seven eighths of
-an inch in diameter, also made of cotton, stuck over with lichens on the
-outside and firmly fixed in the hanging cleft of some strong creeper by
-threads of a cottony substance, and very slender roots or tendrils, the
-whole lower part as if cemented by a thin coat of glue. It is probable
-that the greater number build their nests nearly in the same manner.
-Descriptions, however, are given of those built in different forms—one
-is suspended with the entrance downwards; another is of a lengthened
-form, composed of dry grass and slender roots and moss, and is not made
-so compactly. A person, who saw a bird building her nest, describes her
-manner of construction as very ingenious. “Bringing a pile of small
-grass, she commenced upon a little twig about a quarter of an inch in
-diameter, immediately below a large leaf, which entirely covered and
-concealed the nest from above, the height from the ground being about
-three feet. After the nest had received two or three of these grasses,
-she set herself in the centre, and putting her long slender beak over
-the outer edge, seemed to use it and her throat much in the same way as
-a mason does his trowel, for the purpose of smoothing, rubbing it to and
-fro and sweeping quite around. Each visit to the nest seemed to occupy
-only a couple of seconds, and her absence from it not more than as many
-minutes.”
-
-The extraordinary beauty of these strange beings has induced many
-attempts to tame and keep them in cages, but they have not been
-successful. When placed in cages and fed daintily on honey and water,
-and supplied every morning with fresh cups of flowers, they have been
-known to live for a long time in their native country, and in warm
-weather; but no artificial warmth has as yet kept them alive for many
-weeks, when transported to a less genial climate. It is conjectured,
-however, that with very great care and a strict regard to diet, as the
-doctors say, they will, by and by, be kept alive and happy in our
-conservatories. There was once a nest of them successfully carried to
-England from Jamaica. It was presented to a lady, from whose lips the
-little loves would deign to accept honey. One died, probably from excess
-of happiness; but the other, being more hardy, survived for two months.
-Could a lady succeed in so taming one of these winged jewels so
-perfectly that it would accompany her to a ball, curiously perched upon
-her bouquet, or hovering around the flowers which composed it, at her
-gentle bidding, so original an ornament would doubtless be more highly
-prized than
-
- “Whole necklaces and stomachers of gems.”
-
-The ancient Mexicans are said to have woven their plumage into gorgeous
-robes.
-
-If the extraordinary beauty of these birds, their mode of existence,
-their nature, then habits, excite our admiration, how must we also
-wonder at their structure!—the perfect adaptation of their forms to
-that life which it is theirs to enjoy, and to the variations of that
-glowing climate where they abound. “On presenting a humming-bird to a
-common observer,” says an eminent naturalist, “the first exclamation
-generally is, ‘what a beautiful little creature!’—the second, ‘but what
-large wings he has!’ Such, indeed, is the case, and, in most instances,
-the size of the wings and strength of the quills are entirely out of
-proportion to our ideas of symmetry in a creature clothed with feathers;
-but, upon comparing them with its necessities and the other parts of its
-frame, their utility and design become obvious.” The principal reason
-for their possessing organs of such power is, doubtless, to enable them
-to pass in safety through the migrations and the long flights which are
-necessary for their preservation, and, during which, they have to
-withstand passing gales and showers. The delicious climes which they
-inhabit are at seasons subject to tremendous rains, which drench and
-almost inundate their abodes, or to hurricanes that, in a few minutes,
-leave but a wreck of all that was before so splendid and luxuriant. By
-means of these organs, before the dangerous season comes, which the
-unerring instinct of nature warns them to avoid, they fly to districts
-of country where the reparation of some previous wreck is proceeding
-with all the rapidity of tropical vegetation.
-
-I cannot more pleasingly conclude these notices of the most wonderful
-tribe of birds, than by quoting the melodious verses of a poet, who is a
-native of that glowing clime which they so exquisitely adorn.
-
- “Still sparkles here the glory of the West,
- Shows his crowned head and bares his jewell’d breast,
- In whose bright plumes the richest colors live,
- whose dazzling lines no mimic art can give.
- The purple amethyst, the emerald’s green
- Contrasted, mingle with the ruby’s sheen,
- While over all a tissue is put on,
- Of golden gauze by fairy fingers spun.
- Small as a beetle, as an eagle brave,
- In purest ether he delights to lave;
- The sweetest flowers alone descends to woo,
- Rifles their sweets and lives on honey-dew,
- So light his kisses not a leaf is stirred
- By the bold, happy, amorous humming-bird.
- No disarray, no petal rudely moved,
- Betrays the flower the callibree has loved.”[3]
-
-I have thus given partial descriptions of four of the principal tribes
-of Tropical Birds. I hope the reader has not been so wearied that he
-will not kindly suffer me to draw this article to a close by a brief
-notice of those two birds most remarkable for their peculiar notes. The
-one pours forth a stream of rich melody, which surpasses the far-famed
-song of the nightingale, and is, likewise, celebrated for its peculiar
-power of imitating the tones of almost every fellow-songster. The other
-utters only one sound, but so strange and solemn as to inspire the mind
-of the hearer with a religious awe. The natural music of the one is as
-gay, cheerful and enlivening as that of the other is mournful and
-soul-subduing.
-
-The first to which I allude is the Matthews of the woods, THE
-MOCKING-BIRD. This species abound in all parts of the Western Indies;
-they are found in great numbers near the sea-shore. From the trees which
-grow on the beaches float their rich songs, more melodious than strains
-of flute, or bugle, or any “cunningly devised instrument;” and, in
-mellowness, in modulation and gradation, in extent of compass and
-rapidity and brilliancy of execution, outrivalling the most magnificent
-bravuras of a Sontag or a Malibran. When confined in cages and brought
-to our cold climate, for the amusement of man, the bird loses, in the
-loneliness of its captivity, half the richness of its voice. Though it
-delights to mimic other plumed minstrels, this astonishing faculty is
-feeble, in its most miraculous exhibition, when compared with its own
-delicious song; but he who would listen to it in its perfection, must go
-to those regions where the great magnolia shoots up its majestic trunk,
-covered with evergreen leaves, and decorated with a thousand flowers,
-where the forests and fields are buried in blossoms of every hue, and
-where the golden orange decorates the gardens and the groves.
-
-The bird whose note is so melancholy is called by the Indians campanero;
-by the Spaniards arapongo or guirapongo, and by the English the
-bell-bird. It is extremely rare. I was so fortunate as to see a single
-specimen. It is of about the size of a Barbary dove, but more gracefully
-shaped, with a larger head. It is of a snowy whiteness. From the
-forehead there rises a spiral tube of about a bodkin’s length. This
-tube, it is said, is raised and depressed at pleasure; it is black,
-dotted with white feathers, and, as it is hollow, and communicates with
-the palate, it is probably elevated when filled with air, and becomes
-pendulous when empty. That strange sound, for which it is remarkable, is
-probably produced by the raising and depressing of this tube. It
-resembles the tolling of a bell, and is very loud and distinct. It is
-heard morning and evening in the woods, and one might fancy its toll to
-proceed from some hidden convent, calling to matins and vespers.
-
-The bell-bird is seldom found in forests inhabited by other birds; it
-selects lonely and desolate haunts. A recent traveller, in describing
-his journey through a South American forest, writes—“Nothing can be
-more still and solitary than everything around; the silence is appalling
-and the desolation is awful; neither are disturbed by the sight or voice
-of living thing, save one—which only adds to the impression. It is like
-the clinking of metals, as if two lumps of brass were struck together;
-and it sometimes resembles the distant and solemn tolling of a
-church-bell, struck at long intervals. This extraordinary sound proceeds
-from a bird called arapongo or guirapongo. It is about the size of a
-small pigeon, white, with a circle of red round the eyes. It sits on the
-tops of the highest trees, and in the deepest forests, and, though
-constantly heard in the most desert places, is very rarely seen. It is
-impossible to conceive any thing of a more solitary character than the
-profound silence of the woods, broken only by the metallic and almost
-preternatural sounds of this invisible bird, coming from the air, and
-seeming to follow you wherever you go. I have watched with greet
-perseverance, when the sound seemed quite close to me, and never but
-once caught a glance of the cause. It passed suddenly over the top of a
-very high tree, like a large flake of snow, and immediately
-disappeared.”
-
------
-
-[2] In the United States two species only have been made known, the
-Ruby-throated, charmingly described both by Wilson and Audubon, and the
-Northern. I am told, however, that Audubon has recently discovered still
-another.
-
-[3] From a poem entitled “Barbadoes,” by Dr. Chapman, a man of a fine
-genius, who may be known to my readers as the author of some very fine
-translations of the Greek Anthology, which have appeared in Blackwood’s
-Magazine. _Callibree_ is the Indian name of the bird.
-
- * * * * *
-
-
-
-
- THE GIRDLE OF FIRE.
-
-
- BY PERCIE H. SELTON.
-
-
-The lower counties of New Jersey are proverbially barren, being covered
-with immense forests of pine, interspersed with cedar swamps. During the
-dry summer months these latter become parched to an extent that is
-incredible, and the accidental contagion of a fire-brand often wraps
-immense tracts of country in flames. The rapidity with which the
-conflagration, when once kindled, spreads through these swamps can
-scarcely be credited except by those who know how thoroughly the moss
-and twigs are dried up by the heat of an August sun. Indeed scarcely a
-spot can be pointed out in West Jersey, which has not, at one time or
-another, been ravaged by conflagration. It was but a few years since
-that an immense tract of these pine barrens was on fire, and the
-citizens of Philadelphia can recollect the lurid appearance of the sky
-at night, seen at the distance of thirty or even forty miles from the
-scene of the conflagration. The legendary history of these wild counties
-is full of daring deeds and hair-breadth escapes which have been
-witnessed during such times of peril. One of these traditionary stories
-it is our purpose to relate. The period of our tale dates far back into
-the early history of the sister state, when the country was even more
-thinly settled than at present.
-
- . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
-
-It was a sunny morning in midsummer, when a gay party was assembled at
-the door of a neat house in one of the lower counties of New Jersey.
-Foremost in the group stood a tall manly youth, whose frank countenance
-at once attracted the eye. By his side was a bright young creature,
-apparently about eighteen years of age, whose golden tresses were a fit
-type of the sunny beauty of her countenance. But now her soft blue eyes
-were dim with tears, and she leaned on the shoulder of her mother, who
-was apparently equally affected. The dress of the daughter, and her
-attitude of leave-taking, told that she was a bride, going forth from
-the home of her childhood, to enter on a new and untried sphere of life.
-The other members of the group were composed of her father, her brothers
-and sisters, and the bridemen and bridemaids.
-
-“God bless you, my daughter, and have you in his holy keeping,” said the
-father as he gave her his last embrace, “and now farewell!”
-
-The last kiss was given, the last parting word was said, the last long
-look had been taken, and now the bridal party was being whirled through
-the forest on one of the sweetest mornings of the sweet month of July.
-
-It was indeed a lovely day. Their way lay through an old road which was
-so rarely travelled that it had became overgrown with grass, among which
-the thick dew-drops, glittering in the morning sun, were scattered like
-jewels on a monarch’s mantle. The birds sang merrily in the trees, or
-skipped gaily from branch to branch, while the gentle sighing of the
-wind, and the occasional murmur of a brook crossing the road, added to
-the exhilirating influences of the hour. The travellers were all young
-and happy, and so they gradually forgot the sadness of the parting hour,
-and ere they had traversed many miles the green arcades of that lovely
-old forest were ringing with merry laughter. Suddenly, however, the
-bride paused in her innocent mirth, and while a shade of paleness
-overspread her cheek, called the attention of her husband to a dark
-black cloud, far off on the horizon, and yet gloomier and denser than
-the darkest thunder cloud.
-
-“The forest is on fire!” was his instant ejaculation, “think you not so,
-Charnley?” and he turned to his groomsman.
-
-“Yes! but the wind is not towards us, and the fire must be miles from
-our course. There is no need for alarm, Ellen,” said he, turning to the
-bride, his sister.
-
-“But our road lies altogether through the forest,” she timidly rejoined,
-“and you know there isn’t a house or cleared space for miles.”
-
-“Yes! but my dear sis, so long as the fire keeps its distance, it
-matters not whether our road is through the forest or the fields. We
-will drive on briskly and before noon you will laugh at your fears. Your
-parting from home has weakened your nerves.”
-
-No more was said, and for some time the carriage proceeded in silence.
-Meantime the conflagration was evidently spreading with great rapidity.
-The dark, dense clouds of smoke, which had at first been seen hanging
-only in one spot, had now extended in a line along the horizon,
-gradually edging around so as to head off the travellers. But this was
-done so imperceptibly that, for a long time, the travellers were not
-aware of it, and they had journeyed at least half an hour before they
-saw their danger. At length the bride spoke again.
-
-“Surely, dear Edward,” she said, addressing her husband, “the fire is
-sweeping around ahead of us: I have been watching it by yonder blasted
-pine, and can see it slowly creeping across the trunk.”
-
-Every eye was instantly turned in the direction in which she pointed,
-and her brother, who was driving, involuntarily checked the horses. A
-look of dismay was on each countenance as they saw the words of the
-bride verified. There could be no doubt that the fire had materially
-changed its bearing since they last spoke, and now threatened to cut off
-their escape altogether.
-
-“I wish, Ellen, we had listened to your fears and turned back half an
-hour ago:” said the brother, “we had better do it at once.”
-
-“God help us—that is impossible,” said the husband, looking backwards,
-“the fire has cut off our retreat.”
-
-It was as he said. The flames, which at first had started at a point
-several miles distant and at right angles to the road the party was
-travelling, had spread out in every direction, and finding the swamp in
-the rear of the travellers parched almost to tinder by the draught, had
-extended with inconceivable velocity in that quarter, so that a dense
-cloud of smoke, beneath which a dark lurid veil of fire surged and
-rolled, completely cut off any retrograde movement on the part of the
-travellers. This volume of flame, moreover, was evidently moving rapidly
-in pursuit. The cheeks, even of the male members of the bridal party,
-turned ashy pale at the sight.
-
-“There is nothing to do but to push on,” said the brother, “we will yet
-clear the road before the fire reaches it.”
-
-“And if I remember,” said the husband, “there is a road branching off to
-the right, scarce half a mile ahead: we can gain that easily, when we
-shall be safe. Cheer up, Ellen, there is no danger. This is our wedding
-morn, let me not see you sad.”
-
-The horses were now urged forward at a brisk pace, and in a few minutes
-the bridal party reached the cross road. Their progress was now directly
-from the fire; all peril seemed at an end; and the spirits of the group
-rose in proportion to their late depression. Once more the merry laugh
-was heard, and the song rose up gaily on the morning air. The
-conflagration still raged behind, but at a distance that placed all fear
-at defiance, while in front the fire, although edging down towards them,
-approached at a pace so slow that they knew it would not reach the road
-until perhaps hours after they had attained their journey’s end. At
-length the party subsided again into silence, occupying themselves in
-gazing on the magnificent spectacle presented by the lurid flames, as,
-rolling their huge volumes of smoke above them, they roared down towards
-the travellers.
-
-“The forest is as dry as powder,” said the husband, “I never saw a
-conflagration travel so rapidly. The fire cannot have been kindled many
-hours, and it has already spread for miles. Little did you think,
-Ellen,” he said, turning fondly to his bride, “when we started this
-morning, that you should so narrowly escape such a peril.”
-
-“And, as I live, the peril is not yet over,” suddenly exclaimed the
-brother, “see—see—a fire has broke out on our right, and is coming
-down on to us like a whirlwind. God have mercy on us!”
-
-He spoke with an energy that would have startled his hearers without the
-fearful words he uttered. But when they followed the direction of his
-quivering finger, a shriek burst from the two females, while the usually
-collected husband turned ashy pale, not for himself, but for her who was
-dearer to him than his own life. A fire, during the last few minutes,
-had started to life in the forest to their right, and, as the wind was
-from that quarter, the flames were seen ahead shooting down towards the
-road which the bridal party was traversing, roaring, hissing, and
-thundering as they drew near.
-
-“Drive faster—for heaven’s sake—on the gallop!” exclaimed the husband,
-as he comprehended the imminency of their danger.
-
-The brother made no answer, for he well knew their fearful situation,
-but whipped the horses into a run. The chaise flew along the narrow
-forest road with a rapidity that neither of the party had ever before
-witnessed; for even the animals themselves seemed aware of their peril,
-and strained every sinew to escape from the fiery death which threatened
-them.
-
-Their situation was indeed terrible, and momentarily becoming more
-precarious. The fire, when first seen, was, at least, a mile off, but
-nearly equidistant from a point in the road the bridal party was
-traversing; and, as the conflagration swept down towards the road with a
-velocity equal to that of the travellers, it soon became evident that
-they would have barely time to pass the fire ere it swept across the
-road, thus cutting off all escape. Each saw this; but the females were
-now paralized with fear. Only the husband spoke.
-
-“Faster, for God’s sake, faster,” he hoarsely cried, “see you not that
-the fire is making for yonder tall pine—we shall not be able to reach
-the tree first unless we go faster.”
-
-“I will do my best,” said the brother, lashing still more furiously the
-foaming horses. “Oh! God, that I had turned back when Ellen wished me.”
-
-On came the roaring fire—on in one mass of flame—on with a velocity
-that seemed only equalled by that of the flying hurricane. Now the
-flames caught the lower limbs of a tall tree and in an instant had
-hissed to its top—now they shot out their forky tongues from one huge
-pine to another far across the intermediate space—and now the whirling
-fire, whistled along the dry grass and moss of the swamp with a rapidity
-which the eye could scarcely follow. Already the fierce heat of the
-conflagration began to be felt by the travellers, while the horses,
-feeling the increase of warmth, grew restive and terrified. The peril
-momentarily increased. Hope grew fainter. Behind and on either side the
-conflagration roared in pursuit, while the advancing flame in front was
-cutting off their only avenue of escape. _They were girdled by fire._
-Faster and quicker roared the flames towards the devoted party, until at
-length despair seized on the hearts of the travellers. Pale, paralized,
-silent, inanimate as statues, sat the females; while the husband and
-brother, leaning forward in the carriage and urging the horses to their
-utmost speed, gazed speechlessly on the approaching flames. Already the
-fire was within a hundred yards of the road ahead, and it seemed beyond
-human probability that the travellers could pass it in time. The husband
-gave one last agonizing glance at his inanimate wife. When again he
-looked at the approaching flames, he saw that during that momentary
-glimpse they had lessened their distance one half. He could already feel
-the hot breath of the fire on his cheek. The wind, too, suddenly whirled
-down with fiercer fury, and in an instant the forky tongues of the
-advancing conflagration had shot across the road, and entwined
-themselves around the tall pine which had been the goal of the
-travellers’ hopes. He sank back with a groan. But the brother’s eye
-gleamed wildly at the sight, and gathering the reins tighter around his
-hand, he made one last desperate effort to force the horses onward; and
-with one mad leap, they lifted the carriage from the ground as if it had
-been a plaything, plunged into the fiery furnace, and the next instant
-had shot through the pass.
-
-Charnley gave one look backwards, as if to assure himself that they had
-indeed escaped—he saw the lurid mass of fire roaring and whirling
-across the spot through which they had darted but a moment before; and
-overcome with mingled gratitude and awe, he lowered his head on his
-breast and poured out an overflowing soul in thanksgivings to the Power
-which had saved them from the most dreadful of deaths. And long
-afterwards, men, who travelled through that charred and blackened
-forest, pointed to the memorable scene where these events occurred, and
-rehearsed the thrilling feelings of those who had been encompassed by
-the Girdle of Fire.
-
- * * * * *
-
-
-
-
- TO ——.
-
-
- BY GEORGE LUNT.
-
-
- I call upon the waves and they reply,
- But not the voice I fain would hear replied,
- Vainly I seek it in the wind’s deep sigh,
- Earth, air, the sky’s blue depths and ocean’s tide.
-
- These have their various voices, soft or stern,
- Moulding our feelings to the varied hour,
- And the wrung heart will hear them and return
- To claim on Nature’s breast a mother’s power.
-
- The dewy freshness of earth’s vernal prime,
- Her budding promise lapp’d in fragrant showers,
- The sacred sweetness of her summer time,
- And her bright bosom cover’d o’er with flowers;
-
- The viewless music of the breathing air,
- The rushing wind that sweeps across the plain,
- The breeze that dallies with the brow of care
- And stirs the languid pulse to life again;
-
- Heaven’s glorious arch, when morning through the skies
- Skirts all its blue with gold, or sweeter far
- At the dim twilight, or when softly rise
- The new-born moon and glittering star on star;
-
- And the dark-rolling voiceful sea, whose moan,
- On the wide waste or by the storm-beat shore,
- Asks the soul’s answer like a spirit tone,
- And the deep soul speaks inly to its roar;
-
- These have their language, mirthful, sad, or wild,
- Like changing passion in the human breast;
- We call them to us, as a wilder’d child
- His home’s companions, and they give us rest;
-
- Yet though they speak, I cannot hear—no more
- Comes the sweet music of the one loved tone,
- And standing lonely by the lone sea-shore
- Sad as my heart falls its perpetual moan.
-
- * * * * *
-
-
-
-
- THE STAGE.
-
-
- BY WILLIAM WALLACE.
-
-
- Oh! I could weep when I perceive the cloud
- Of dark impurities around our Stage,
- Where those creations, gay, or sad, or proud—
- Hamlet’s strange wo, or wronged Othello’s rage
- Hallowed fair Albion’s selectest age:
- Yet would I not, like certain ones, behold
- Theatric pomp proscribed in liberal land,
- While pale Contempt (as once in ages old)
- Kills with a single look the buskin band.
- A beauty sparkles yet around the Place—
- A mystic charm—a fairy-beaming grace—
- Appealing loudly to the coldest heart:
- These boards once held the glory of our race,
- And still they reverence a Shakspeare’s Art.
-
- * * * * *
-
-
-
-
- “TO WIN THE LOVE OF THEE.”
-
-
- BALLAD.
-
-
- DEDICATED TO MISS LEO M. CASSIN, OF GEORGETOWN, D. C.
-
-
- BY J. G. E.
-
-
- John F. Nunns, _184 Chesnut Street: Philadelphia_.
-
-
-[Illustration: musical score]
-
-[Illustration: musical score]
-
- To win the love of thee,
- I would the wealth of worlds resign,
- For life has nought for me,
- But one sole wish to call thee mine.
- All other joys of life no more,
- For me a thought shall claim,
- Thou art the Idol I adore,
- My happiness and fame.
- To win the love of thee,
- I would the wealth of worlds resign,
- For life has nought for me,
- But one sole wish to call thee mine.
-
- Strive not with ornament to hide
- Thy beauty’s op’ning flower;
- Simplicity should be thy bride.
- For therein lies thy power.
- Of Constancy the model I
- To wand’ring eyes should prove,
- For I should only wish to die
- If e’er I lose thy love.
- To win the love of thee, &c.
-
- * * * * *
-
-
-
-
- REVIEW OF NEW BOOKS.
-
-
- _Notes of a Tour through Turkey, Greece, Egypt, Arabia Petræa,
- to the Holy Land; including a Visit to Athens, Sparta, Delhi,
- Cairo, Thebes, Mount Sinai, Petræa, &c. By E. Joy Morris. Two
- vols. 12 mo. pp. 550. Philadelphia, Carey & Hart: 1842._
-
-Were we disposed to be hypercritical, we should begin by finding some
-fault with the title of these volumes. It is quite too long, besides
-being tautological. Why speak of a tour through Egypt, and a visit to
-Thebes! Or of a tour through Greece and a visit to Athens? It would be
-as proper to announce a journey through England, including a visit to
-London. He who travels over a country of course visits its capital. If
-he supposes the readers of his journal do not know what city enjoys that
-distinction, it is even then better to let them acquire this
-geographical information by degrees. Too great and sudden developments
-may defeat his object; a man’s vision is sometimes obscured by excess of
-light.
-
-Of the improbabilities which are scattered throughout the work we have
-space only to notice one or two. Mr. Morris informs us that the _harem_
-of the Governor of Smyrna, which he encountered on board a steamer,
-“consisted of some half-dozen ladies, (wives,) and, with attendants,
-amounted to near thirty persons.” Rather too many wives for the simple
-Aga of Smyrna, and more than the Koran allows. The holy book of the
-Mahommedan permits no one, save the Grand Sultan—the representative of
-the prophet—to have more than two; and that highest of dignitaries, and
-hereditary favorite of the immortals, has but four. The Governor of
-Smyrna, we are assured by a competent authority, has but _one_ wife, and
-she is of Turkish descent, and not, as our author avers, a Circassian.
-Had she been of Circassia she would have been a concubine, not a wife,
-or, as the author blunderingly calls her, a _Sultana_. That title
-belongs only to the favorite wife of the _Sultan_. Our traveller tells
-us that he offered to this lady some sweet-meats, although her husband
-and the keeper of his harem were both present! An averment which we
-would be as chary of believing as if it were that the “light” of the
-Grand Seigneur’s palace had accepted an invitation to swim with him in
-the Bosphorus!
-
-Mr. Morris tells us that he found in the slave market of Constantinople
-two beautiful Georgian girls, “destined for the harems of the rich,” in
-_cages_, but that he was “only indulged with a glance at them through
-the _bars_!” Now a cage, or such a place as he intended to describe by
-that word, even for the ugliest Numidian, would not be tolerated in
-Constantinople for an hour; nor has there been for many years a Georgian
-girl publicly exhibited in the markets of that city. When a writer,
-sensible of the dulness of his performance, seeks to impart to it some
-interest by weaving into its chapters romantic fictions, he should be
-careful to give them an air of probability. We have not time nor
-inclination to point out other “attractions” in these volumes of a
-similar description.
-
-While writing of Athens and Constantinople, Mr. Morris doubtless had by
-his side Mr. Colton’s “Visit” to those places; and in his notices of
-Arabia Petræa and Egypt he has availed himself of the information
-acquired by Mr. Stevens and Professor Robinson. He has made what, in the
-language of the _trade_, is called a readable book; but it possesses
-neither originality, vigor, nor freshness; and his delineations, besides
-lacking these qualities, are often tediously long and needlessly
-particular. He does not pretend to give any new topographical
-information, and his work contains none. It was probably written out
-from slight notes taken during his tour, and the more elaborate
-descriptions of other travellers. It evinces some taste and judgment in
-the selection of themes, and is now and then graced by a classical
-allusion or quotation, gleaned, perhaps, from the guide-books, which
-make authorship so easy to the tourist.
-
- * * * * *
-
- _Punishment by Death: Its Authority and Expediency. By Rev.
- George B. Chester. One vol. 12mo. pp. 156. New York: M. W.
- Dodd._
-
-Several able sermons on this important subject have issued from the
-press. This is a more extended and elaborate effort. It displays
-learning, research, and philosophical acumen, and is worthy of general
-and serious attention. We know of no treatise in our language, on this
-subject, so well calculated for circulation among the people at large.
-It is brief, clear, comprehensive, written in an interesting style, and
-often rising to a strain of vivid and stirring eloquence.
-
-About half the volume is devoted to the argument from Scripture; in
-which the original Noahic ordinance is taken as the ground-work,
-commented upon in the Mosaic statutes, and confirmed in the New
-Testament. The writings and experience of Paul are examined, and the
-course of the Divine Providence is shown to be consentaneous with this
-argument. The state of legislation and society in the antediluvian
-world, as well as afterwards, are investigated, with the origin of
-government, and the nature of its sanction in the Scriptures.
-
-The remainder of the book is taken up with the argument from Expediency.
-The question is examined, What constitutes the perfection of criminal
-jurisprudence! The efficacy of punishment by death in restraining crime
-is argued, and also that the abrogation of this punishment would prove a
-premium on the crime of murder, through the desire of concealing other
-crimes. The law of nature is examined, with the powerful convictions of
-conscience on this subject, as sustaining the Divine legislation, and
-demanding support also in human law. Various objections are considered
-and answered, with the occasion of the prejudice against Capital
-Punishment. The book concludes with a chapter on the power and solemnity
-of the argument from analogy, in reference to the sanctions of the
-Divine Government.
-
- * * * * *
-
- _A Popular Treatise on Agricultural Chemistry: intended for the
- use of the Practical Farmer. By Chas. Squarey, Chemist. One vol.
- Lea & Blanchard: Philadelphia._
-
-An excellent work, in which most of what is really valuable in the
-treatises of Liebig, Davy, Johnson and Daubeny, has been condensed for
-the practical reader.
-
- * * * * *
-
- _Tecumseh, or the West Thirty Years Since: A Poem: By George H.
- Colton. 12mo. pp. 412. New York: Wiley & Putnam, 1842._
-
-We alluded to this work very briefly in a former number, and now recur
-to it mainly for the purpose of presenting some specimens of the
-author’s versification, by which the reader may be enabled to judge of
-its general execution. “Tecumseh” is a narrative, founded on the history
-of that great chief whose name is chosen for its title, and whose
-efforts to unite the various divisions of the red race into one grand
-confederacy, to regain their lost inheritance, though unsuccessful,
-should secure to him a fame as lasting as is awarded to the most
-celebrated heroes and patriots of the world.
-
-The measure of the main part of the poem—extending to nine long
-cantos—is octo-syllabic. It is free, and generally correct, though in
-some cases marred by inexcusable carelessness, and phraseology more tame
-and meaningless than, had he kept his manuscript for a few years, the
-author would have permitted to go before the critics. The hero, with the
-wily prophet, Els-kwa-ta-wa, who was his evil genius through life, is
-introduced in the second canto. Distinguished
-
- “By his broad brow of care and thought,
- By his most regal mien and tread,
- By robes with richest wampum wrought,
- And eagle’s plume upon his head,”
-
-he emerges with his companion from a forest;
-
- “Nor e’er did eye a form behold
- At once more finished, firm and bold.
- Of larger mould and loftier mien
- Than oft in hall or bower is seen,
- And with a browner hue than seems
- To pale maid fair, or lights her dreams,
- He yet revealed a symmetry
- Had charmed the Grecian sculptor’s eye,
- A massive brow, a kindled face,
- Limbs chiselled to a faultless grace,
- Beauty and strength in every feature,
- While in his eyes there lived the light
- Of a great soul’s transcendant might—
- Hereditary lord by nature!
- As stood he there, the stern, unmoved,
- Except his eagle glance that roved,
- And darkly limned against the sky
- Upon that mound so lone and high,
- He looked the sculptured God of Wars,
- Great Odin, or Egyptian Mars,
- By crafty hand, from dusky stone,
- Immortal wrought in ages gone,
- And on some silent desert cast,
- Memorial of the mighty Past!
- And yet, though firm, though proud his glance,
- There was upon his countenance
- That settled shade, which oft in life
- Mounts upward from the spirit’s strife
- As if upon his soul there lay
- Some grief which would not pass away.
-
- “The other’s lineaments and air
- Revealed him plainly brother born
- Of him, who on that summit bare
- So sad, yet proudly met the morn:
- But, lighter built, his slender frame
- Far less of grace, as strength, could claim;
- And, with an eye that, sharp and fierce,
- Would seem the gazer’s breast to pierce,
- And low’ring visage, aye the while
- Inwrought of subtlety and guile,
- Whose every glance, that darkly stole,
- Bespoke the crafty, cruel soul.
- There was from all his presence shed
- A power, a chill mysterious dread,
- Which made him of those beings seem,
- That shake us in the midnight dream.
- Yet were his features, too, o’ercast
- With mournfulness, as if the past
- Had been one vigil, painful, deep and long
- Of hushed Revenge still brooding over wrong.
- No word was said: but long they stood,
- And side by side, in thoughtful mood,
- Watched the great curtains of the mist
- Up from the mighty landscape move;
- ’Twas surely spirit-hands, they wist,
- Did lift them from above.
- And when, unveiled, to them alone
- The solitary world was shown,
- And dew from all the mound’s green sod
- Rose, like an incense, up to God,
- Reclined, yet silent still, they bent
- Their eyes on Heaven’s deep firmament—
- As if were open to their view
- The stars’ sun-flooded homes of blue—
- Or gazed, with mournful sternness, o’er
- The rolling prairie stretched before;
- While round them, fluttering on the breeze,
- The sere leaves fell from faded trees.”
-
-At the close of a conference which ensues, Tecumseh expresses his
-determination to
-
- “go forth
- Through the great waters of the North,
- Round the far South, and o’er the West
- By the lone streams, nor ever rest,
- Till all the tribes united stand
- In battle for their native land.”
-
-There are scattered through the poem many passages of minute and skilful
-description of external nature, and interwoven with the main history is
-a story of love, resulting, in the end, like most tales of the kind, in
-the perfect felicity of the parties. Some episodes, by which the
-narrative is broken, are well-wrought, and the entire poem possesses a
-deep and sustained interest. The rapid action of the narrative is
-illustrated by the following passive, descriptive of the last conflict,
-in which Tecumseh fell:
-
- “Forth at the peal each charger sped,
- The hard earth shook beneath their tread,
- The dim woods, all around them spread,
- Shone with their armor’s light:
- Yet in those stern, still lines assailed
- No eye-ball shrunk, no bosom quailed,
- No foot was turned for flight;
- But, thundering as their foemen came,
- Each rifle flashed its deadly flame.
- A moment, then recoil and rout,
- With reeling horse and struggling shout,
- Confused that onset fair;
- But, rallying each dark steed once more,
- Like billows borne the low reefs o’er
- With foamy crest in air,
- Right on and over them they bore,
- With gun and bayonet thrust before,
- And swift swords brandish’d bare.
- Then madly was the conflict waged,
- Then terribly red Slaughter raged!
-
- “How still is yet yon dense morass
- The bloody sun below!
- Where’er yon chosen horsemen pass,
- There stirs no bough nor blade of grass,
- There moves no secret foe!
- Yet on, quick eye and cautious tread,
- His bold ranks Johnson darkling led.
- Sudden from tree and thicket green,
- From trunk, and mound, and bushy screen,
- Sharp lightning flashed with instant sheen,
- A thousand death-bolts sung!
- Like ripened fruit before the blast,
- Rider and horse to earth were cast,
- Its miry roots among;
- Then wild, as if that earth were riven,
- And, pour’d beneath the cope of heaven,
- All hell to upper air were given,
- One fearful whoop was rung,
- And, bounding each from covert forth,
- Burst on their front the demon birth.
- ‘Off! off! each horseman to the ground!
- On foot we’ll quell the foe!’
- And instant, with impetuous bound,
- They hurl’d them down below.
-
- “Then loud the crash of arms arose,
- As when two forest whirlwinds close;
- Then filled all heaven their shout and yell,
- As if the forests on them fell!
- I see, where swells the thickest fight,
- With sword and hatchet brandish’d bright
- And rifles flashing sulphurous light
- Through green leaves gleaming red—
- I see a plume, now near, now far,
- Now high, now low, like falling star,
- Wide waving o’er the tide of war,
- Where’er the onslaught’s led;
- I see, beneath, a bare arm swing,
- As tempest whirls the oak,
- Bosom and high crest shivering
- The war-club’s deadly stroke;
- The eager infantry rush in,
- Before their ranks, with wilder din,
- The wav’ring strife is driven—
- Above the struggling storm I hear
- A lofty voice the war bands cheer,
- Still, as they quail with doubt or fear,
- Yet loud and louder given;
- And, rallying to the clarion cry,
- With club and red axe raging high,
- And sharp knives sheathing low,
- Fast back again confusedly
- They drive the staggering foe.”
-
-We conclude our extracts with a graphic description of a forest scene,
-from the last canto.
-
- “Within a wood extending wide
- By Thames’s steeply winding side,
- There sat upon a fallen tree,
- Grown green through ages silently,
- An Indian girl. The gradual change
- Making all things most sweetly strange,
- Had come again. The autumn sun,
- Half up his morning journey, shone
- With conscious lustre, calm and still;
- By dell, and plain, and sloping hill
- Stood mute the faded trees, in grief,
- As various as their clouded leaf.
- With all the hues of sunset skies
- Were stamp’d the maple’s mourning dies;
- In meeker sorrow in the vale
- The gentle ash was drooping pale;
- Brown-seared the walnut raised its head,
- The oak displayed a lifeless red;
- And grouping bass and white-wood hoar
- Sadly their yellow honors bore;
- And silvered birch and poplar rose
- With foliage gray and weeping boughs;
- But elm and stubborn beech retained
- Some verdant lines, though crossed and stained,
- And by the river’s side were seen
- Hazel and willow palely green,
- While in the woods, by bank and stream
- And hollows shut from daylight gleam,
- Where tall trees wept their freshening dews,
- Each shrub preserved its summer hues.
- Nor this alone. From branch and trunk
- The withered wild-vines coldly shrunk,
- The woodland fruits hung ripe or dry,
- The leaf-strown brook flowed voiceless by;
- And all throughout, nor dim nor bright.
- There lived a rare and wondrous light
- Wherein the colored leaves around
- Fell noiselessly; nor any sound,
- Save chattering squirrels on the trees,
- Or dropping nuts, when stirred the breeze,
- Might there be heard; and, floating high,
- Were light clouds borne along the sky.
- And, scarcely seen, in heaven’s deep blue
- One solitary eagle flew.”
-
-From these passages the general character of the work may be inferred.
-It is too long: it would be unwise to extend a poem on any theme to nine
-cantos, of near fourteen thousand lines; and besides its diffuseness, in
-parts, it has other faults, to which we have already alluded. It is the
-first production, however, of an author just freed from the University;
-not yet, apparently, twenty-two years old; and, so regarded, the
-severest critic must deem it remarkably free from errors in design and
-execution.
-
-Some half dozen elaborate metrical tales, founded on Indian histories or
-traditions, have before appeared in this country, of which but one—the
-“Yamoyden” of Sands and Eastburn—is comparable to this; and that is
-inferior to it in unity, and, indeed, in almost all its essential
-features. The admirable proem to “Yamoyden,” in which Sands laments in
-such touching strains the early death of his associate and friend, is
-not rightly considered a part of the poem to which it is prefixed. To
-this Mr. Colton has produced nothing equal; nor is he worthy _yet_ to be
-ranked with Sands as a poet. But “Tecumseh,” until some nobler work is
-written, must be considered the best poem of its class written by an
-American.
-
- * * * * *
-
- _Memoir of India and Avghanistoun, with Observations on The
- Present State and Future Prospects of those Countries. By J.
- Harlan, late Counsellor of State, Aid-de-Camp, and General of
- the Staff, to Dost Mahomed, Ameer of Cabul. One vol. 12mo.
- Philadelphia: J. Dobson, 1842._
-
-General Harlan resided in India and Avghanistoun eighteen years, and his
-official stations during that period were such as he would have chosen
-had his principal object been to form a correct judgment in regard to
-the social and political conditions of those countries. The facts and
-opinions contained in this work must therefore command regard,
-especially since the recent military operations in that quarter have
-drawn so much attention to the British East Indian Empire. The volume
-comprises remarks on the late massacre of the British Army in Cabul, and
-the British policy in India; a reply to the Count Björstjerna’s work on
-that country; the Russian influence in central Asia; the foreign
-relations of the Indo-British government; the moral, religious and
-political character and condition of the Indians and Avghans; and the
-results of missionary exertions and prospects of Christianity among
-them; together with an interesting sketch of the history and personal
-character of Dost Mahomed, one of the most remarkable individuals that
-have appeared in the oriental nations during this century. In an
-appendix, the author indulges in some speculations on a passage in the
-Book of Daniel, which he supposes has reference to the present condition
-of the Mahommedan countries, and indicates the speedy extinction of the
-Ottoman empire. The book is illustrated with maps and a portrait of the
-Ex-Ameer of Cabul.
-
-We shall look with some anxiety for General Harlan’s “Personal Narrative
-of Eighteen Years’ Residence in Asia,” which we believe is now in press.
-
- * * * * *
-
- _History of the Expedition under the command of Captains Lewis
- and Clarke, to the sources of the Missouri, thence across the
- Rocky Mountains, and down the river Columbia to the Pacific
- Ocean: Performed during the years 1804, 1805, 1806, by order of
- the Government of the United States. Two vols. Harper &
- Brothers: New York._
-
-The expedition of Lewis and Clarke was the first ever made through the
-Oregon Territory to the Columbia River. An account of their tour was
-published soon after their return; but as that work has since gone out
-of print, and as the Oregon Territory is now a subject of much interest,
-the Messrs. Harpers have issued the present volumes, in which
-unimportant details in the former edition have been omitted, and
-explanatory notes have been added, by Archibald M’Vickar, Esq. The
-volumes form Nos. 154 and 155 of the Family Library. _Perkins & Purvis:
-Philadelphia._
-
- * * * * *
-
- _The Life of Wilbur Fisk, S. T. D. first President of the
- Wesleyan University. By Joseph Holdich. One vol. 8vo. Pp. 455.
- New York: Harper & Brothers._
-
-Wilbur Fisk was one of the purest and most useful men of our time. With
-a temperament remarkably sanguine and ardent, all his qualities were so
-subdued and harmonized by religion, as to form one of the finest models
-of elevated Christian character that has been presented to the world. He
-was a native of Brattleborough, Vermont, where he was born in 1792. In
-his early years he enjoyed no advantages that are not within the reach
-of almost every young man of New England. When about twenty-two years of
-age he began to study the law, but soon after turned his attention to
-the ministry, and in the spring of 1818 was licensed to preach by a
-Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1823 he was made a
-ruling elder, and in 1825, principal of the Methodist Seminary of
-Wilbraham. In 1829, he received the degree of Doctor in Divinity, from
-Augusta College, and from Brown University, and the following year was
-elected to the presidency of the Wesleyan University at Middletown. In
-the autumn of 1835, he visited Europe, and passed about a year on the
-continent and in Great Britain. The record of his travels, published
-soon after his return, has been one of the most popular works of its
-kind written by an American. He died at Middletown, after a long and
-painful illness, borne with singular fortitude and resignation, on the
-twenty-second of February, 1840. The Memoirs before us, by his friend
-Professor Holdich, are written with ability and candor; but the most
-interesting portions of the work are Dr. Fisk’s admirable private
-letters, distinguished alike for a beauty of style, simplicity,
-earnestness, and affection, that indicates, better than any labored
-delineation by another hand, his high character and endowments.
-_Philadelphia: H. Perkins._
-
- * * * * *
-
- _A Narrative of Voyages and Commercial Enterprises. By Richard
- J. Cleveland. Two vols. 12mo. Cambridge: John Owen, 1842._
-
-This is one of the many narratives of adventures at sea given to the
-public in consequence of the success of Mr. Dana’s “Two Years before the
-Mast.” The author, who retired from the merchant service more than
-twenty years ago, presents some interesting reminiscences of voyages to
-India, South America, and other parts of the world, written in a style
-of simple elegance rather unusual for a veteran sailor. The industry and
-enterprise of the New Englanders is in nothing more conspicuous than in
-their mercantile marine, and we infer from his pleasant work, that Mr.
-Cleveland has done his part to gain for them their enviable reputation.
-
- * * * * *
-
- _Athanasion, and other Poems. By the Author of “Christian
- Ballads.” New York: Wiley & Putnam._
-
-The author of “Christian Ballads” is the Rev. Arthur Cleveland Coxe,
-Rector of St. Anna’s Chapel, Morrisania, near New York: a young poet who
-has won an enviable reputation by numerous contributions to the
-periodical literature of the day, and by some more elaborate writings.
-“Athanasion” is, perhaps, his best metrical composition. It has, with
-many excellencies, some defects, which we lack space and inclination to
-point out in this number of our Magazine. The volume before us is
-printed in a style equal to that of the best English impressions.
-
- * * * * *
-
- _Fathers and Sons: a Novel. By Theodore E. Hook, Esq. Two vols.
- 12mo. Philadelphia: Lea & Blanchard, 1842._
-
-Theodore Edward Hook was one of the most popular of the authors who died
-in the last year. His table wit, it is said, in freshness and
-exuberance, was never equalled in England; and the humor that pervades
-his writings will keep them in favor probably for centuries. The novel
-before us was his last. It appeared originally by separate chapters in
-the New Monthly Magazine, of which he was editor; and he was engaged in
-its revision when seized by the disease which terminated his career. His
-first work—excepting some plays written in his boyhood—was “Sayings
-and Doings,” published in 1824. It was followed by a second and third
-series of the same work; by “Maxwell,” “The Parson’s Daughter,” “Jack
-Brag,” “Births, Deaths, and Marriages,” “Gilbert Gurney,” “Gurney
-Married,” “Precepts and Practice,” several volumes of biography, and
-“Fathers and Sons.” He died on the twenty-second day of September, 1841,
-in the fifty-third year of his age.
-
-His last work has all his peculiarities; the most felicitous humor;
-graphic delineations of character; and incidents interesting and
-ingeniously diversified. We have not space for an analysis of its plot;
-and one is the less necessary, as, notwithstanding the “hardness of the
-times,” very few will permit the last legacy of Theodore Hook to go
-unread.
-
- * * * * *
-
- _Sermons and Sketches of Sermons, by the Rev John Summerfield,
- M. A. With an Introduction, by the Rev. Thomas E. Bond, M. D.
- One vol. 8vo. Pp. 437. Harper & Brothers: New York._
-
-John Summerfield was one of those remarkable men who have appeared from
-time to time to electrify the religious world, by eloquence the most
-persuasive, and lives which served as samples by which those who would
-might guide their course to heaven. He began to preach in Ireland, when
-but twenty years of age, and soon after came to the United States, where
-he continued to labor as an evangelist until his death, which occurred
-sixteen years ago. Most of the sermons and sketches of sermons included
-in the volume before us were written down after their public delivery.
-They possess a deep interest, especially to those who remember the
-sainted author, more worthy of canonization than were ninety-nine
-hundredths of those whose names are included in the calendar. _Henry
-Perkins: Philadelphia._
-
- * * * * *
-
- _Practical Geology and Mineralogy; with Instructions for the
- qualitative analysis of Minerals. By Joshua Trimmer, F. G.
- S.—Itum est in viscera terræ. One vol. Lea & Blanchard:
- Philadelphia._
-
-A valuable elementary treatise on Geology. For the convenience of those
-who have not access to cabinets of minerals, the author has collected
-various chemical and mineralogical details, to enable any person easily
-to recognise the different minerals when discovered in the fields. In
-the purely geological part of the work, Mr. Trimmer has confined himself
-to facts and classifications and a few universally admitted inferences,
-avoiding all questions affecting the higher generalizations, since they
-are still and must long continue to be matters of controversy. The work
-is illustrated with wood-cuts. We commend it to students in geology.
-
- * * * * *
-
- _Italy and the Italian Islands, from the earliest ages to the
- present time. By William Spalding, Esq. With engravings and
- illustrative maps and plans. Three vols. Harper & Brothers: New
- York._
-
-This is an able and comprehensive work, and may be consulted with
-confidence by persons who wish to inquire concerning the history,
-scenery, antiquities, topography, and present condition of Italy. The
-author is, perhaps, less profound than he would have been if he had
-contemplated a more voluminous treatise. For all purposes, however, of
-general reference, or as a guide to more detailed inquiries, his volumes
-may be consulted with advantage. The account of the social, religious
-and political revolutions of the ancient and modern Italians, and the
-history of the rise and progress of the arts and literature in Italy,
-constitute two of its most valuable divisions.
-
-These volumes form Nos. 151, 152 and 153 of the Family Library, and are
-published in the usual style of that excellent series. _Carey & Hart:
-Philadelphia._
-
- * * * * *
-
- _A Discourse on Matters pertaining to Religion; by Theodore
- Parker, Minister of the Second Church in Roxburgh,
- Massachusetts. Pp. 505, 8vo. Boston: Charles C. Little and James
- Brown. 1842._
-
-This is a bold and eloquent attack on the doctrines of the Bible, by one
-who avows himself to be a Christian minister, and is ordained and
-settled over a religious congregation. Some of the readers of Mr.
-Parker’s “Discourse” who are unacquainted with the writings of the
-German rationalists, may fancy that he is a man of deep research and
-profound scholarship; but there is little danger that an intelligent
-student in theology will be so deceived. The work embraces the substance
-of five lectures, delivered in Boston during the last autumn. The author
-denies the inspiration of the Holy Scriptures, the divinity of Jesus
-Christ, and most of the other ideas of what he terms the “popular
-theology.” We leave him and his labors to the critics of the Christian
-churches.
-
- * * * * *
-
- _Masterman Ready, or, the Wreck of the Pacific. Written for
- Young People. By Captain Marryat, R. N. Second Series. One vol.,
- 18mo. New York: D. Appleton & Co._
-
-This is a sequel to the entertaining volume published under the same
-title last year. Though “Masterman Ready” is an entertaining story, it
-is far from being equal in any respect, save its freedom from the
-coarser kind of jests, to “Peter Simple,” “Jacob Faithful,” or the other
-early works of the author.
-
- * * * * *
-
- _Means and Ends, or Self-training. By the author of Redwood,
- Hope Leslie, Home, Poor Rich Man, &c., &c. Second edition. One
- vol. Harper & Brothers: New York._
-
-One of the best of Miss Sedgwick’s smaller works. It is written in a
-light, rambling style, enforcing truths by anecdotes or short stories.
-It has been deservedly popular, and we predict that it will pass to a
-third and even fourth and fifth edition.
-
- * * * * *
-
- _What’s to be Done? or, the Will and the Way. By the author of
- “Wealth and Worth,” &c. One vol. 12mo. Pp. 232. New York: Harper
- & Brothers._
-
-The pleasant little volume entitled “Wealth and Worth,” which we
-commended to our readers a month or two since, has been succeeded by
-another work from the same pen, which we think even superior to its
-predecessor. It is a story of American life, conveying, as its piquant
-title indicates, a useful and impressive moral. The style is animated
-and pure, and the sketches of character are graphic, forcible, and
-various; while the plot preserves a deep and natural interest. “Wealth
-and Worth” has gone through five large editions in the course of as many
-months—a remarkable instance of rapidly attained popularity. A success
-equally decided must attend the spirited little tale of “What’s to be
-Done?”
-
- * * * * *
-
- _The Divine Rule of Faith and Practice, or a Defence of the
- Catholic Doctrine, that Holy Scripture has been since the Times
- of the Apostles the Sole Divine Rule of Faith and Practice to
- the Church, against the dangerous Errors of the Authors of the
- Tracts for the Times and the Romanists, as, particularly, that
- the Rule of Faith is “made up of Scripture and Tradition
- together,” &c: In which also the Doctrines of the Apostolical
- Succession, the Eucharistic Sacrifice, &c., are fully discussed.
- By William Goode, M. A., of Trinity College, Cambridge. Two
- vols. 8vo. Philadelphia: Herman Hooker._
-
-This is probably the most learned and able theological work that has
-been published in England or America during the year. Those who have
-read the “Tracts for the Times,” and all who feel any interest in the
-religious controversies of the age, will thank us for directing to it
-their attention.
-
- * * * * *
-
- _Diary and Letters of Madame D’Arblay: Edited by her Niece.
- Parts I. and II. Philadelphia, Carey & Hart._
-
-Miss Burney, afterward Madame D’Arblay, is best known to the literary
-world as the authoress of “Evelina,” one of the most admirable and
-popular novels in the English language. She died early in the year 1841,
-at the advanced age of ninety, and two volumes of her autobiographical
-remains have since been published in London, both of which are included
-in these “parts” of the American edition. She was intimately acquainted
-with Johnson, Sheridan, Burke, Boswell, and other eminent persons of
-their time; and her diary, including a great number of interesting
-anecdotes and reminiscences of her early career, is one of the most
-entertaining works of the day.
-
- * * * * *
-
-Rufus Winter Griswold, a gentleman of fine taste and well known literary
-abilities, has become associated with us as one of the editors of this
-Magazine. The extensive literary knowledge of Mr. G. renders him a most
-valuable coadjutor.
-
- * * * * *
-
-The connection of E. A. Poe, Esq., with this work ceased with the _May
-Number_. Mr. P. bears with him our warmest wishes for success in
-whatever he may undertake.
-
- * * * * *
-
-[Illustration: _Fashion’s Latest Style for Graham’s Magazine_]
-
- * * * * *
-
-Transcriber’s Notes:
-
-Table of Contents has been added for reader convenience. Archaic
-spellings and hyphenation have been retained. Obvious punctuation and
-typesetting errors have been corrected without note.
-
-[End of _Graham’s Magazine, Vol. XXI, No. 1, July 1842_, George R.
-Graham, Editor]
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-<p style='text-align:center; font-size:1.2em; font-weight:bold'>The Project Gutenberg eBook of Graham&#039;s Magazine, Vol. XXI, No. 1, July 1842, by Various</p>
-<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
-This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and
-most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions
-whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms
-of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online
-at <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you
-are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the
-country where you are located before using this eBook.
-</div>
-
-<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: Graham&#039;s Magazine, Vol. XXI, No. 1, July 1842</p>
-<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: Various</p>
-<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Editors: George Rex Graham</p>
-<p style='display:block; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em;'>Rufus W. Griswold</p>
-<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: May 1, 2022 [eBook #67962]</p>
-<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</p>
- <p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em; text-align:left'>Produced by: Mardi Desjardins &amp; the online Distributed Proofreaders Canada team at https://www.pgdpcanada.net from page images generously made available by the Internet Archive</p>
-<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK GRAHAM&#039;S MAGAZINE, VOL. XXI, NO. 1, JULY 1842 ***</div>
-<div class='figcenter'>
-<img src='images/cover.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0000' style='width:50%;height:auto;'/>
-</div>
-
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;margin-top:1.5em;font-size:1.9em;font-weight:bold;'>GRAHAM’S MAGAZINE.</p>
-
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;margin-top:1.5em;font-size:1.2em;font-weight:bold;'><span class='sc'>Vol. XXI.</span> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;July, 1842 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;No. 1.</p>
-
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;margin-top:1.5em;margin-bottom:1em;font-size:1.2em;font-weight:bold;'>Contents</p>
-
-<table id='tab1' summary='' class='center'>
-<colgroup>
-<col span='1' style='width: 25em;'/>
-<col span='1' style='width: 1em;'/>
-</colgroup>
-<tr><td class='tab1c1 tab1c1-col2 tdStyle0' colspan='2'><span class='bold'><span style='font-size:larger'>Fiction, Literature and Articles</span></span></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'></td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle2'>&nbsp;</td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'><a href='#pol'>The Polish Mother</a></td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle2'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'><a href='#fan'>The Fancy-Fair</a></td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle2'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'><a href='#har'>Harry Cavendish</a></td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle2'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'><a href='#bri'>The Bridal</a></td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle2'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'><a href='#lig'>The Lightning of the Waters</a></td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle2'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'><a href='#sis'>The Sisters</a></td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle2'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'><a href='#bos'>Boston Ramblings</a></td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle2'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'><a href='#aut'>Autumn</a></td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle2'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'><a href='#bro'>The Brother and Sister</a></td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle2'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'><a href='#tro'>Tropical Birds</a></td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle2'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'><a href='#gird'>The Girdle of Fire</a></td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle2'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'><a href='#rev'>Review of New Books</a></td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle2'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'></td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle2'>&nbsp;</td></tr>
-</table>
-
-<table id='tab2' summary='' class='center'>
-<colgroup>
-<col span='1' style='width: 25em;'/>
-<col span='1' style='width: 1em;'/>
-</colgroup>
-<tr><td class='tab2c1 tab2c1-col2 tdStyle0' colspan='2'><span class='bold'><span style='font-size:larger'>Poetry, Music and Fashion</span></span></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle1'></td><td class='tab2c2 tdStyle2'>&nbsp;</td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle1'><a href='#thou'>“Thou Hast Loved.”</a></td><td class='tab2c2 tdStyle2'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle1'><a href='#viol'>Viola</a></td><td class='tab2c2 tdStyle2'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle1'><a href='#morn'>Morning Prayer</a></td><td class='tab2c2 tdStyle2'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle1'><a href='#fai'>Le Faineant</a></td><td class='tab2c2 tdStyle2'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle1'><a href='#dyi'>The Dying Minstrel to His Muse</a></td><td class='tab2c2 tdStyle2'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle1'><a href='#dau'>The Daughter of Herodias</a></td><td class='tab2c2 tdStyle2'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle1'><a href='#call'>Callore</a></td><td class='tab2c2 tdStyle2'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle1'><a href='#dir'>A Dirge</a></td><td class='tab2c2 tdStyle2'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle1'><a href='#sonn'>Sonnet to My Mother</a></td><td class='tab2c2 tdStyle2'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle1'><a href='#toan'>To An Infant in the Cradle</a></td><td class='tab2c2 tdStyle2'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle1'><a href='#wil'>Will Nobody Marry Me?</a></td><td class='tab2c2 tdStyle2'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle1'><a href='#towho'>To ——</a></td><td class='tab2c2 tdStyle2'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle1'><a href='#sta'>The Stage</a></td><td class='tab2c2 tdStyle2'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle1'><a href='#win'>“To Win the Love of Thee.”</a></td><td class='tab2c2 tdStyle2'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle1'><a href='#fash'>Latest Fashions</a></td><td class='tab2c2 tdStyle2'></td></tr>
-</table>
-
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;'><a href='#notes'>Transcriber’s Notes</a> can be found at the end of this eBook.</p>
-
-<hr class='tbk100'/>
-
-<div class='lgc' style=''> <!-- rend=';' -->
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-<p class='line' style='margin-top:0.7em;font-size:1.5em;font-weight:bold;'>GRAHAM’S</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-<p class='line' style='margin-top:0.5em;font-size:1.3em;font-weight:bold;'>LADY’S AND GENTLEMAN’S</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-<p class='line' style='margin-top:0.5em;font-size:2em;font-weight:bold;'>MAGAZINE,</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-<p class='line' style='font-size:0.9em;'>EMBELLISHED WITH</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-<p class='line'>MEZZOTINT AND STEEL ENGRAVINGS, MUSIC, ETC.</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-<p class='line'>WILLIAM C. BRYANT, J. FENIMORE COOPER, RICHARD H. DANA, HENRY W. LONGFELLOW, CHARLES F. HOFFMAN, THEODORE S. FAY, J. H. MANCUR,</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-<p class='line'>MRS. EMMA C. EMBURY, MRS. SEBA SMITH, MRS. “MARY CLAVERS,” MRS. E. F. ELLET, MRS. ANN S. STEPHENS, MRS. FRANCES S. OSGOOD, ETC.,</p>
-<p class='line'>PRINCIPAL CONTRIBUTORS.</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-<p class='line' style='margin-top:0.75em;font-size:1.2em;'>GEORGE R. GRAHAM AND RUFUS W. GRISWOLD, EDITORS.</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-<hr class='tbk101'/>
-<p class='line' style='font-size:1.3em;'>VOLUME XXI.</p>
-<hr class='tbk102'/>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-<p class='line' style='margin-top:1em;'>PHILADELPHIA:</p>
-<p class='line' style='font-size:1.2em;'>GEORGE R. GRAHAM, NO. 98 CHESNUT STREET.</p>
-<p class='line'>...........</p>
-<p class='line'>1842.</p>
-</div> <!-- end rend -->
-
-<hr class='pbk'/>
-
-<div class='lgc' style=''> <!-- rend=';' -->
-<p class='line' style='margin-top:2em;font-size:1.5em;font-weight:bold;'>INDEX</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-<p class='line' style='font-size:0.9em;font-weight:bold;'>TO THE</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-<p class='line' style='font-size:1.2em;font-weight:bold;'>TWENTY-FIRST VOLUME.</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-<p class='line' style='margin-bottom:1em;font-size:1.2em;font-weight:bold;'>FROM JUNE TO DECEMBER, 1842, INCLUSIVE.</p>
-</div> <!-- end rend -->
-
-<table id='tab3' summary='' class='center'>
-<colgroup>
-<col span='1' style='width: 28em;'/>
-<col span='1' style='width: 7.5em;'/>
-<col span='1' style='width: 0.5em;'/>
-</colgroup>
-<tr><td class='tab3c1 tdStyle3'>An Appeal in behalf of an International Copyright. By <span class='sc'>Cornelius Mathews</span>,</td><td class='tab3c2 tdStyle4'>14</td><td class='tab3c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab3c1 tdStyle3'></td><td class='tab3c2 tdStyle4'>&nbsp;</td><td class='tab3c3 tdStyle5'>&nbsp;</td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab3c1 tdStyle3'>Bridal, The. By <span class='sc'>Robert Morris</span>,</td><td class='tab3c2 tdStyle4'>13</td><td class='tab3c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab3c1 tdStyle3'>Boston Ramblings. By <span class='sc'>Miss Leslie</span>,</td><td class='tab3c2 tdStyle4'>33</td><td class='tab3c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab3c1 tdStyle3'>Brother and Sister, The. By <span class='sc'>Emma C. Embury</span>,</td><td class='tab3c2 tdStyle4'>38</td><td class='tab3c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab3c1 tdStyle3'>Bud and Blossom, The. By <span class='sc'>Mrs. Seba Smith</span>. (Illustrated.),</td><td class='tab3c2 tdStyle4'>61</td><td class='tab3c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab3c1 tdStyle3'>Bryant, Wm. C., his Writings,</td><td class='tab3c2 tdStyle4'>102</td><td class='tab3c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab3c1 tdStyle3'>Ben Blower’s Story. By <span class='sc'>Charles Fenno Hoffman</span>,</td><td class='tab3c2 tdStyle4'>132</td><td class='tab3c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab3c1 tdStyle3'>Bogart, Alexander H.,</td><td class='tab3c2 tdStyle4'>155</td><td class='tab3c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab3c1 tdStyle3'>Bainbridge, Memoir of. By <span class='sc'>J. Fenimore Cooper</span>,</td><td class='tab3c2 tdStyle4'>240</td><td class='tab3c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab3c1 tdStyle3'>Barrett, Elizabeth B.,</td><td class='tab3c2 tdStyle4'>303</td><td class='tab3c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab3c1 tdStyle3'></td><td class='tab3c2 tdStyle4'>&nbsp;</td><td class='tab3c3 tdStyle5'>&nbsp;</td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab3c1 tdStyle3'>Characterless Women. By <span class='sc'>Mrs. Seba Smith</span>,</td><td class='tab3c2 tdStyle4'>199</td><td class='tab3c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab3c1 tdStyle3'>Clam Bake, The. By <span class='sc'>Jeremy Short</span>,</td><td class='tab3c2 tdStyle4'>215</td><td class='tab3c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab3c1 tdStyle3'>Charles VIII. of France, Segur’s Life of,</td><td class='tab3c2 tdStyle4'>286</td><td class='tab3c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab3c1 tdStyle3'></td><td class='tab3c2 tdStyle4'>&nbsp;</td><td class='tab3c3 tdStyle5'>&nbsp;</td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab3c1 tdStyle3'>De Pontis, a Tale of Richelieu. By the Author of “Henri Quatre,”</td><td class='tab3c2 tdStyle4'>65, 135, 172, 235</td><td class='tab3c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab3c1 tdStyle3'>Dawes, Rufus, The Poetry of. By <span class='sc'>Edgar A. Poe</span>,</td><td class='tab3c2 tdStyle4'>205</td><td class='tab3c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab3c1 tdStyle3'>Dale, Richard, Memoir of. By <span class='sc'>J. Fenimore Cooper</span>,</td><td class='tab3c2 tdStyle4'>289</td><td class='tab3c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab3c1 tdStyle3'></td><td class='tab3c2 tdStyle4'>&nbsp;</td><td class='tab3c3 tdStyle5'>&nbsp;</td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab3c1 tdStyle3'>Error, A Tale. By <span class='sc'>Emma C. Embury</span>,</td><td class='tab3c2 tdStyle4'>83</td><td class='tab3c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab3c1 tdStyle3'>Editor’s Table,</td><td class='tab3c2 tdStyle4'>106, 155, 221, 286, 343</td><td class='tab3c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab3c1 tdStyle3'></td><td class='tab3c2 tdStyle4'>&nbsp;</td><td class='tab3c3 tdStyle5'>&nbsp;</td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab3c1 tdStyle3'>Fancy Fair, The. By <span class='sc'>Mrs. A. M. F. Annan</span>,</td><td class='tab3c2 tdStyle4'>4</td><td class='tab3c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab3c1 tdStyle3'>Fitch, John, Notice of. By <span class='sc'>Noah Webster</span>,</td><td class='tab3c2 tdStyle4'>108</td><td class='tab3c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab3c1 tdStyle3'></td><td class='tab3c2 tdStyle4'>&nbsp;</td><td class='tab3c3 tdStyle5'>&nbsp;</td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab3c1 tdStyle3'>Girdle of Fire, The. By <span class='sc'>Percie H. Selton</span>,</td><td class='tab3c2 tdStyle4'>50</td><td class='tab3c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab3c1 tdStyle3'></td><td class='tab3c2 tdStyle4'>&nbsp;</td><td class='tab3c3 tdStyle5'>&nbsp;</td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab3c1 tdStyle3'>Harry Cavendish. By the “Author of Cruising in the last War,”</td><td class='tab3c2 tdStyle4'>9, 69, 117, 201, 281, 330</td><td class='tab3c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab3c1 tdStyle3'>Hester Ormesby. By <span class='sc'>Mrs. Emma C. Embury</span>,</td><td class='tab3c2 tdStyle4'>269</td><td class='tab3c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab3c1 tdStyle3'>Hasty Marriage, The. By <span class='sc'>Robert Morris</span>,</td><td class='tab3c2 tdStyle4'>336</td><td class='tab3c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab3c1 tdStyle3'></td><td class='tab3c2 tdStyle4'>&nbsp;</td><td class='tab3c3 tdStyle5'>&nbsp;</td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab3c1 tdStyle3'>Johnsons, The. By <span class='sc'>Mrs. Ann S. Stephens</span>,</td><td class='tab3c2 tdStyle4'>96</td><td class='tab3c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab3c1 tdStyle3'></td><td class='tab3c2 tdStyle4'>&nbsp;</td><td class='tab3c3 tdStyle5'>&nbsp;</td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab3c1 tdStyle3'>Lightning of the Waters. By <span class='sc'>Reynell Coates</span>, M. D.,</td><td class='tab3c2 tdStyle4'>16</td><td class='tab3c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab3c1 tdStyle3'></td><td class='tab3c2 tdStyle4'>&nbsp;</td><td class='tab3c3 tdStyle5'>&nbsp;</td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab3c1 tdStyle3'>Malina Gray. By <span class='sc'>Mrs. Ann S. Stephens</span>,</td><td class='tab3c2 tdStyle4'>210, 273, 304</td><td class='tab3c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab3c1 tdStyle3'>Minstrelsy of the Revolution,</td><td class='tab3c2 tdStyle4'>221</td><td class='tab3c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab3c1 tdStyle3'></td><td class='tab3c2 tdStyle4'>&nbsp;</td><td class='tab3c3 tdStyle5'>&nbsp;</td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab3c1 tdStyle3'>Niagara Falls, Letter from. By <span class='sc'>Horace Greeley</span>,</td><td class='tab3c2 tdStyle4'>107</td><td class='tab3c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab3c1 tdStyle3'>Night at Haddon Hall, A. By the Author of “Letters from Ancient Castles,”</td><td class='tab3c2 tdStyle4'>194</td><td class='tab3c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab3c1 tdStyle3'></td><td class='tab3c2 tdStyle4'>&nbsp;</td><td class='tab3c3 tdStyle5'>&nbsp;</td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab3c1 tdStyle3'>Polish Mother, The. (Illustrated.),</td><td class='tab3c2 tdStyle4'>1</td><td class='tab3c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab3c1 tdStyle3'>Persecutor’s Daughter. By <span class='sc'>C. J. Peterson</span>,</td><td class='tab3c2 tdStyle4'>320</td><td class='tab3c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab3c1 tdStyle3'></td><td class='tab3c2 tdStyle4'>&nbsp;</td><td class='tab3c3 tdStyle5'>&nbsp;</td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab3c1 tdStyle3'>Reviews of New Books,</td><td class='tab3c2 tdStyle4'>56, 102, 152, 218, 286, 339</td><td class='tab3c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab3c1 tdStyle3'>Reprimand, The. By <span class='sc'>Epes Sargent</span>. (Illustrated.),</td><td class='tab3c2 tdStyle4'>216</td><td class='tab3c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab3c1 tdStyle3'>Race for a Sweetheart, A. By <span class='sc'>Seba Smith</span>,</td><td class='tab3c2 tdStyle4'>326</td><td class='tab3c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab3c1 tdStyle3'></td><td class='tab3c2 tdStyle4'>&nbsp;</td><td class='tab3c3 tdStyle5'>&nbsp;</td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab3c1 tdStyle3'>Sisters, The, A Tale of the Sixteenth Century. By <span class='sc'>Henry W. Herbert</span>,</td><td class='tab3c2 tdStyle4'>21, 73, 125</td><td class='tab3c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab3c1 tdStyle3'>Shakspeare. By <span class='sc'>Theodore S. Fay</span>,</td><td class='tab3c2 tdStyle4'>142, 192</td><td class='tab3c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab3c1 tdStyle3'>Somers, Richard, Memoir of. By <span class='sc'>J. Fenimore Cooper</span>,</td><td class='tab3c2 tdStyle4'>157</td><td class='tab3c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab3c1 tdStyle3'>Sketch of a Case, or a Physician Extraordinary. By “<span class='sc'>Mary Clavers</span>,”</td><td class='tab3c2 tdStyle4'>187</td><td class='tab3c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab3c1 tdStyle3'>Scott’s Critical Writings,</td><td class='tab3c2 tdStyle4'>218</td><td class='tab3c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab3c1 tdStyle3'>Speculation, or Dyspepsia Cured. By <span class='sc'>H. T. Tuckerman</span>,</td><td class='tab3c2 tdStyle4'>279</td><td class='tab3c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab3c1 tdStyle3'></td><td class='tab3c2 tdStyle4'>&nbsp;</td><td class='tab3c3 tdStyle5'>&nbsp;</td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab3c1 tdStyle3'>Tropical Birds. By <span class='sc'>Park Benjamin</span>,</td><td class='tab3c2 tdStyle4'>44</td><td class='tab3c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab3c1 tdStyle3'>Tennyson’s Poems,</td><td class='tab3c2 tdStyle4'>152</td><td class='tab3c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab3c1 tdStyle3'>Talfourd’s Miscellaneous Writings,</td><td class='tab3c2 tdStyle4'>218</td><td class='tab3c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab3c1 tdStyle3'>Truth, A Tale. By <span class='sc'>Mrs. Frances Sargent Osgood</span>,</td><td class='tab3c2 tdStyle4'>316</td><td class='tab3c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab3c1 tdStyle3'></td><td class='tab3c2 tdStyle4'>&nbsp;</td><td class='tab3c3 tdStyle5'>&nbsp;</td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab3c1 tdStyle3'>Waste Paper, A Tale. By <span class='sc'>Mrs. Frances Sargent Osgood</span>,</td><td class='tab3c2 tdStyle4'>146</td><td class='tab3c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab3c1 tdStyle3'></td><td class='tab3c2 tdStyle4'>&nbsp;</td><td class='tab3c3 tdStyle5'>&nbsp;</td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab3c1 tdStyle3'>Young Wife, The. By the Author of “A Marriage of Convenience,”</td><td class='tab3c2 tdStyle4'>257</td><td class='tab3c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab3c1 tdStyle3'></td><td class='tab3c2 tdStyle4'>&nbsp;</td><td class='tab3c3 tdStyle5'>&nbsp;</td></tr>
-</table>
-
-<table id='tab4' summary='' class='center'>
-<colgroup>
-<col span='1' style='width: 28em;'/>
-<col span='1' style='width: 7.5em;'/>
-<col span='1' style='width: 0.5em;'/>
-</colgroup>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tab4c1-col3 tdStyle6' colspan='3'><span class='bold'><span style='font-size:larger'>POETRY.</span></span></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'></td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>&nbsp;</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'>&nbsp;</td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'>Autumn. By <span class='sc'>Albert Pike</span>,</td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>37</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'>Autumn, Approach of. By <span class='sc'>Wm. Falconer</span>,</td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>124</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'>Alice, The Lady. (Illustrated.) By <span class='sc'>Park Benjamin</span>,</td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>145</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'>Autumn, A Reverie in. By <span class='sc'>Wm. Falconer</span>,</td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>209</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'>Affection, True. (Illustrated.),</td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>319</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'></td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>&nbsp;</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'>&nbsp;</td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'>Callore. By <span class='sc'>Alexander A. Irvine</span>,</td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>20</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'></td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>&nbsp;</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'>&nbsp;</td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'>Daughter of Herodius, The. By <span class='sc'>Mrs. Frances Sargent Osgood</span>,</td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>14</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'>Dirge. By <span class='sc'>James Russell Lowell</span>,</td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>31</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'></td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>&nbsp;</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'>&nbsp;</td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'>Elizabeth. By <span class='sc'>J. T. S. Sullivan</span>,</td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>68</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'></td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>&nbsp;</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'>&nbsp;</td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'>Faineant, Le. By <span class='sc'>Charles F. Hoffman</span>,</td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>8</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'>Farewell, The Exile’s. By <span class='sc'>W. H. Racey</span>,</td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>68</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'>Farewell to a Fashionable Acquaintance. By <span class='sc'>S. G. Goodrich</span>,</td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>95</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'>Fame, The Student’s Dream of. By <span class='sc'>Robert Morris</span>,</td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>101</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'>First and Last Parting. By <span class='sc'>C. F. Hoffman</span>,</td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>191</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'>Farewell, The,</td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>329</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'></td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>&nbsp;</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'>&nbsp;</td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'>“Hath not thy Rose a Canker?” By <span class='sc'>Lois B. Adams</span>,</td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>82</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'>Heart, The Haunted. By <span class='sc'>Mary L. Lawson</span>,</td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>141</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'>Hymn for the Funeral of a Child. By <span class='sc'>James Aldrich</span>,</td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>172</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'>Holy Nights, The. By <span class='sc'>Henry Morford</span>,</td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>332</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'></td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>&nbsp;</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'>&nbsp;</td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'>“I Saw Her Once,” A Song. By <span class='sc'>Richard H. Dana</span>,</td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>256</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'></td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>&nbsp;</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'>&nbsp;</td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'>Life, The Future. By <span class='sc'>William Cullen Bryant</span>,</td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>104</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'>“Love’s Time is Now.” By <span class='sc'>Park Benjamin</span>,</td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>200</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'>L’Amour Sans Ailes. By <span class='sc'>C. F. Hoffman</span>,</td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>272</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'></td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>&nbsp;</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'>&nbsp;</td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'>Morning Prayer. (Illustrated.),</td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>3</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'>Minstrel, The Dying, to his Muse. By <span class='sc'>Wm. Falconer</span>,</td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>8</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'>Maiden’s Sorrow, The. By <span class='sc'>Wm. C. Bryant</span>,</td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>64</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'>Madoc, The Song of. By <span class='sc'>G. Forester Barstow</span>,</td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>120</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'>My Mother. A Dream. By <span class='sc'>Mrs. Balmanno</span>,</td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>239</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'></td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>&nbsp;</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'>&nbsp;</td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'>Pets, The Playful. (Illustrated.),</td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>204</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'>Prayer, The Child’s. By <span class='sc'>Robert Morris</span>,</td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>234</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'>Pastor’s Visit. (Illustrated.),</td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>336</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'></td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>&nbsp;</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'>&nbsp;</td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'>Return of Youth. By <span class='sc'>Wm. C. Bryant</span>,</td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>185</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'>Religion, The Power of. By <span class='sc'>Miss A. C. Pratt</span>. (Illustrated.),</td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>198</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'></td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>&nbsp;</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'>&nbsp;</td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'>Sonnet. To my Mother. By <span class='sc'>T. H. Chivers</span>,</td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>32</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'>Stage, The. By <span class='sc'>William Wallace</span>,</td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>53</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'>Song. By <span class='sc'>Charles F. Hoffman</span>,</td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>64</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'>Sonnet. By <span class='sc'>W. W. Story</span>,</td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>79</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'>Song. By Hon. <span class='sc'>Mrs. Norton</span>,</td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>95</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'>Student, The Spanish. By <span class='sc'>Henry W. Longfellow</span>,</td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>109, 196, 229</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'>Storm, The Sunset. By <span class='sc'>Rufus W. Griswold</span>,</td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>145</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'>Sonnet. “Bear On,”</td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>175</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'>Sonnet. The Smile,</td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>180</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'>Sonnet. “Rejoice!”</td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>214</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'>Sonnet. The Unattained. By <span class='sc'>Mrs. Seba Smith</span>,</td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>256</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'>Sonnet. The Serenade,</td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>279</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'>Shepherd, The, and the Brook. By <span class='sc'>William Falconer</span>,</td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>280</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'>Sonnet. By <span class='sc'>Mrs. Seba Smith</span>,</td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>303</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'>Sonnets, Four. By <span class='sc'>Elizabeth B. Barrett</span>,</td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>303</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'></td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>&nbsp;</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'>&nbsp;</td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'>“Thou Hast Loved.” By <span class='sc'>Mrs. Seba Smith</span>,</td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>3</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'>To an Infant in the Cradle. By <span class='sc'>George B. Cheever</span>,</td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>44</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'>To ——. By <span class='sc'>George Lunt</span>,</td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>53</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'>To My Sisters. By <span class='sc'>Anna Cora Mowatt</span>,</td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>72</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'>To a Swallow. By <span class='sc'>Wm. Falconer</span>,</td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>82</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'>To Fanny H. By <span class='sc'>Mrs. Seba Smith</span>,</td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>131</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'>To a Lady Singing. By <span class='sc'>George Hill</span>,</td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>191</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'>To a Belle who is not a Blue Belle. By <span class='sc'>Mrs. Ellet</span>,</td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>200</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'>To Almeida in New England. By <span class='sc'>James T. Fields</span>,</td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>204</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'>To the Earth. By <span class='sc'>James Aldrich</span>,</td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>204</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'>To the Night Wind in Autumn. By <span class='sc'>George H. Colton</span>,</td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>336</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'></td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>&nbsp;</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'>&nbsp;</td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'>Uncas, The Last Leap of. By <span class='sc'>Park Benjamin</span>,</td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>79</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'></td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>&nbsp;</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'>&nbsp;</td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'>Viola. By <span class='sc'>James Aldrich</span>,</td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>3</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'>Voyage, The Life. By <span class='sc'>Mrs. F. S. Osgood</span>,</td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>265</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'></td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>&nbsp;</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'>&nbsp;</td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'>Watchers, The. (Illustrated.),</td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>64</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'>Walk, The Forest, and Picnic. By <span class='sc'>Alfred B. Street</span>,</td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>130</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'>Will Nobody Marry Me? By <span class='sc'>Geo. P. Morris</span>,</td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>44</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'>Wintemoyeh: A Legend of Mackinaw. By <span class='sc'>George H. Colton</span>,</td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>170</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'></td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>&nbsp;</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'>&nbsp;</td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'>“You Call Us Inconstant.” By <span class='sc'>H. T. Tuckerman</span>,</td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>134</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab4c1 tdStyle3'></td><td class='tab4c2 tdStyle4'>&nbsp;</td><td class='tab4c3 tdStyle5'>&nbsp;</td></tr>
-</table>
-
-<table id='tab5' summary='' class='center'>
-<colgroup>
-<col span='1' style='width: 28em;'/>
-<col span='1' style='width: 7.5em;'/>
-<col span='1' style='width: 0.5em;'/>
-</colgroup>
-<tr><td class='tab5c1 tab5c1-col3 tdStyle6' colspan='3'><span class='bold'><span style='font-size:larger'>STEEL ENGRAVINGS.</span></span></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab5c1 tdStyle3'></td><td class='tab5c2 tdStyle4'>&nbsp;</td><td class='tab5c3 tdStyle5'>&nbsp;</td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab5c1 tab5c1-col3 tdStyle6' colspan='3'><span style='font-size:smaller'>LINE AND MEZZOTINT.</span></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab5c1 tdStyle3'></td><td class='tab5c2 tdStyle4'>&nbsp;</td><td class='tab5c3 tdStyle5'>&nbsp;</td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab5c1 tdStyle3'>Morning Prayer, engraved by <span class='sc'>Sadd</span>.</td><td class='tab5c2 tdStyle4'></td><td class='tab5c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab5c1 tdStyle3'>The Polish Mother, engraved by <span class='sc'>Dunnell</span>.</td><td class='tab5c2 tdStyle4'></td><td class='tab5c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab5c1 tdStyle3'>The Bud and Blossom, by <span class='sc'>Welch &amp; Walter</span>.</td><td class='tab5c2 tdStyle4'></td><td class='tab5c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab5c1 tdStyle3'>The Watchers, engraved by <span class='sc'>Sartain</span>.</td><td class='tab5c2 tdStyle4'></td><td class='tab5c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab5c1 tdStyle3'>The Proposal, engraved by <span class='sc'>A. Jones</span>.</td><td class='tab5c2 tdStyle4'></td><td class='tab5c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab5c1 tdStyle3'>The Lady Alice, engraved by <span class='sc'>Dick</span>.</td><td class='tab5c2 tdStyle4'></td><td class='tab5c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab5c1 tdStyle3'>The Blessing, engraved by <span class='sc'>Dunnell</span>.</td><td class='tab5c2 tdStyle4'></td><td class='tab5c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab5c1 tdStyle3'>The Playful Pets, engraved by <span class='sc'>Sartain</span>.</td><td class='tab5c2 tdStyle4'></td><td class='tab5c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab5c1 tdStyle3'>The Pet Rabbit, engraved by <span class='sc'>Sadd</span>.</td><td class='tab5c2 tdStyle4'></td><td class='tab5c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab5c1 tdStyle3'>The Reprimand, engraved by <span class='sc'>Gimbrede</span>.</td><td class='tab5c2 tdStyle4'></td><td class='tab5c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab5c1 tdStyle3'>True Affection, by <span class='sc'>Rawdon, Wright &amp; Hatch</span>.</td><td class='tab5c2 tdStyle4'></td><td class='tab5c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab5c1 tdStyle3'>Awaiting the Husband’s Return, engraved by <span class='sc'>Sadd</span>.</td><td class='tab5c2 tdStyle4'></td><td class='tab5c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab5c1 tdStyle3'>The Pastor’s Visit, engraved by <span class='sc'>Dick</span>.</td><td class='tab5c2 tdStyle4'></td><td class='tab5c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab5c1 tdStyle3'></td><td class='tab5c2 tdStyle4'>&nbsp;</td><td class='tab5c3 tdStyle5'>&nbsp;</td></tr>
-</table>
-
-<table id='tab6' summary='' class='center'>
-<colgroup>
-<col span='1' style='width: 28em;'/>
-<col span='1' style='width: 7.5em;'/>
-<col span='1' style='width: 0.5em;'/>
-</colgroup>
-<tr><td class='tab6c1 tab6c1-col3 tdStyle6' colspan='3'><span class='bold'><span style='font-size:larger'>MUSIC.</span></span></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab6c1 tdStyle3'></td><td class='tab6c2 tdStyle4'>&nbsp;</td><td class='tab6c3 tdStyle5'>&nbsp;</td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab6c1 tdStyle3'>“To Win the Love of Thee,” A Ballad,</td><td class='tab6c2 tdStyle4'>54</td><td class='tab6c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab6c1 tdStyle3'>The Zanoni Gallop,</td><td class='tab6c2 tdStyle4'>102</td><td class='tab6c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab6c1 tdStyle3'>The September Waltz,</td><td class='tab6c2 tdStyle4'>151</td><td class='tab6c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab6c1 tdStyle3'>The Summer Night,</td><td class='tab6c2 tdStyle4'>217</td><td class='tab6c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab6c1 tdStyle3'>“Write to Me, Love,”</td><td class='tab6c2 tdStyle4'>285</td><td class='tab6c3 tdStyle5'></td></tr>
-<tr><td class='tab6c1 tdStyle3'></td><td class='tab6c2 tdStyle4'>&nbsp;</td><td class='tab6c3 tdStyle5'>&nbsp;</td></tr>
-</table>
-
-<hr class='tbk103'/>
-
-<div class='figcenter'>
-<img src='images/i006.jpg' alt='image of two people with an infant' id='iid-0001' style='width:80%;height:auto;'/>
-<p class='caption'><span style='font-size:smaller'>E. T. Parris. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;E. G. Dunnel.</span><br/></p> <br/><span class='it'>The Polish Mother.</span><br/> <br/>Engraved expressly for Graham’s Magazine.
-</div>
-
-<hr class='pbk'/>
-
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;margin-top:1.5em;font-size:1.9em;font-weight:bold;'>GRAHAM’S MAGAZINE.</p>
-
-<hr class='tbk104'/>
-
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;font-size:1.1em;font-weight:bold;'><span class='sc'>Vol. XXI.</span> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;PHILADELPHIA: JULY, 1842. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<span class='sc'>No. 1.</span></p>
-
-<hr class='tbk105'/>
-
-<div><h1 class='nobreak'><a id='pol'></a>THE POLISH MOTHER.</h1></div>
-
-<p class='pindent'>It was a gorgeous bridal. The old hall of the
-palace was lit up with a thousand lights, and crowded
-with all the wealth, beauty and rank of Poland. The
-apartment blazed with the jewels of its occupants.
-Princes with their proud dames, high officers of state,
-nobles whose domains vied in extent with kingdoms,
-and lordly beauties beneath whose gaze all bent in
-adoration, had gathered at that magnificent festival
-to do honor to the bridal of the fair daughter of their
-host. And loveliest among the lovely was the bride.
-Tall and majestic in every movement, with a queenly
-brow, and a face such as might have been that of the
-mother of the gods, she moved through the splendid
-apartment the theme of every admiring tongue. Nor
-less remarkable was her husband. Warsaw beheld
-no noble tread her palaces more lordly in his bearing
-than the Count Restchifky. The fire of a hundred
-warrior ancestors burned in his eye. The fame
-of his high lineage, of his extended possessions, of
-his feats in arms, followed his footsteps wherever he
-went. In manly beauty the court of Poland had no
-rival to the count, in majestic loveliness the realm
-furnished no equal to his bride. And now, as they
-stood together in that proud old hall, surrounded by
-all that was noble and beautiful in the land, the
-peerless beauty of the countess and the princely
-bearing of her husband shone pre-eminent.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>Never had Warsaw seen such a festival. All that
-the most boundless wealth and all that a taste the
-most fastidious could do to add to the splendor of
-the occasion had been done, and the guests, one and
-all, bore testimony to the success of the princely
-entertainer. The air was laden with incense, flowers
-bloomed around, unseen music filled the hall with
-harmony, and statues and carvings of rare device
-met the eye at every turn. If Aladdin had been there
-he would not have asked that his enchanted palace
-should excel in magnificence the one before him.
-No visionary, in his wildest dream, could imagine
-aught more beautiful. And through this unrivalled
-ball the count and his bride moved, conscious that all
-this splendor was evoked for their honor, feeling that
-not a heart in all the vast assembly but envied their
-exalted lot. At every step congratulations met them
-until they turned away sick with adulation. What
-wonder that the rose grew still deeper on the cheek
-of the bride, that her eyes flashed with brighter brilliancy,
-or that her step became more queenly? Could
-aught mortal wholly resist the intoxication of that
-hour?</p>
-
-<div class='lgc' style=''> <!-- rend=';' -->
-<p class='line'>&ensp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.</p>
-</div> <!-- end rend -->
-
-<p class='pindent'>Years had elapsed. That fair young bride had become
-a mother; but time had passed over her without
-destroying one lineament of her majestic beauty. But
-the scene had changed from that through which she
-moved on her bridal night. There were no longer
-around her wealth and splendor and beauty, the
-flattery of the proud, the envy of the fair. She sat
-alone—alone with her two children, one a lovely
-girl of sixteen, and the other a smiling boy whose
-birth three years before had thrilled her husband’s
-heart with ecstasy, filled a province with rejoicings.
-But now that husband was away from her side, that
-province lay smoking around her. Her own proud
-home, where since her marriage she had spent the
-happiest hours of her life, had been sacked and
-given to the flames, and she now sat leaning against
-a shattered parapet, with her face buried in her
-hands, and the bitter tear of a mother’s anguish rolling
-down her cheeks. At her feet, leaning on her
-for succor, and clasping her hand, sat her daughter;
-while her boy, too young as yet to be conscious of the
-misery around him, smiled as he played with the
-jewelled cross depending from his mother’s neck.
-A broken sword, a dismounted cannon, the shattered
-staff of a lance, at the feet of the group, betokened
-that the vassals of the count had not yielded up her
-house to rapine without a deadly struggle; and indeed,
-of the hundreds of hearts which beat there, but the day
-before, only those of the mother and her two children
-had escaped captivity or death. Part of the palace
-was yet in flames, while, on the plain beyond, a village
-threw its lurid conflagration across the sky.
-Desolation and despair sat enthroned around. Who
-that had seen that mother on her bridal night, could
-have foretold that her after life would reveal a scene
-like this?</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>The Polish war for independence had broken out.
-Among the foremost of the patriotic band which perilled
-all for their country, was the Count Restchifky.
-His sword had been unsheathed at the outbreak of the
-conflict, his fortune had been poured the first into the
-coffers of the state. From his own estates he had
-raised and equipped as gallant a band as ever followed
-lord to the tented field. And for a short space
-the war seemed to prosper. But then came the
-reverse. From every quarter the haughty Catharine
-poured her countless legions, headed by the fierce
-Suwarrow, into Poland, and smoking fields and
-slaughtered armies soon told that the day of hope for
-that ill-fated land was over. Yet a few noble spirits,
-among whom the count was foremost, still held out
-for their country, fighting every foot of ground, and
-though retreating before the overwhelming forces of
-the foe, compelling him to purchase every rood of
-land he gained by the lives of hundreds of his venal
-followers. It was at this period, and while the count
-was far from his home, that his palace had been
-attacked, and given to the flames. Afar from succor,
-unconscious whether or not her husband yet lived,
-and trembling for the lives of her offspring amid the
-desolation which surrounded them, what wonder that
-even the proud heart of the countess gave way, and
-that she wept in utter agony over her ruined country
-and her dismantled home!</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“Oh! mother,” said the daughter, “if we only
-knew where father was, or if he yet lived, we might
-still be happy. Wealth is nothing to us, for will we
-not still love each other? Dry your tears, dear mother,
-for something tells me that father lives and will
-yet rejoin us.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>At these words of comfort, more soothing because
-coming from a quarter so unexpected, the mother
-looked up, and, drawing her daughter to her bosom,
-kissed her, saying,</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“You are right, my child. We will hope for the
-best. And if your father has indeed fallen, and we
-are alone in the world, I will remember that I have
-you to comfort me, and strive—to—be happy,” and,
-in despite of her effort to be calm, the tears gushed
-into her eyes at the bare thought of the possible loss
-of her husband.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“But see, mother,” suddenly exclaimed the daughter,
-“see the cloud of dust across the plain—can it
-betoken the return of the foe?” and she drew close
-to her mother’s side.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>The mother gazed with eager eyes across the plain,
-and her cheek paled as she thought she distinguished
-the banner of Russia borne in the advance.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“It is, it is as I feared,” said the daughter, “they
-come to carry us into captivity. Oh! let us hide
-from their sight—there are secret recesses in the
-ruins yet where we might defy scrutiny.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“No,” said the mother, all the spirit of her race
-rising in her at this crisis, “no, my daughter, it
-would not become us, like base-born churls, thus to
-fly from a foe. The wife and children of Count Restchifky
-will meet his enemies on his own hearth-stone,
-all dismantled though it be.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>With these words she clasped her babe closer to
-her bosom, and sat down again behind the parapet to
-await, as the daughter of a hundred princes should
-await, the approach of her murderers; and although
-perhaps her cheek was a hue paler, the lofty glance
-of her eye quailed not. Her daughter sank to her feet
-and buried her face in her mother’s robe. But after
-a few minutes she regained courage, and looked
-timidly out across the plain. At the first glance she
-started and said eagerly,</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“But see, mother, can they really be enemies?
-They wave their banners as if to us—they increase
-their speed—surely, surely that gallant horseman in
-the advance is my own dear father.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>A moment the mother gazed eagerly on the approaching
-horseman, but a moment only. The eye
-of the wife saw that her husband was indeed there,
-and, with a glad cry, she clasped her children in her
-arms and burst into a flood of joyful tears. She was
-still weeping when the count, dismounting from his
-charger, rushed forward and clasped her in his arms.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“Thank God!” he ejaculated, “you at least are
-left to me. I had feared to find you no more. May
-the lightning of heaven blast the cravens who could
-thus desolate the home of a woman.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“My husband, oh! my husband!” was all that the
-wife could say.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“Father, dear father, you are safe—oh! we shall
-yet be happy,” said the daughter as she clung to her
-restored parent.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>The father kissed and re-kissed them all, and for
-once his stern nature was moved to tears, but they
-were tears of joy.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>His story was soon told. Finding that all hope of
-saving his country was over, and eager to learn the
-fate of those he had left at home, he had cut his way
-through the enemy with a few gallant followers. As
-he drew near the vicinity of his palace, he had heard
-strange rumors of the sacking of his home, and on
-every side his own eyes beheld the ravages of the
-foe. Torn with a thousand fears respecting the fate
-of those he loved better than life, he had pressed
-madly on, and when the blackened and smoking
-walls of his palace had risen before him in the distance
-he had almost given way to despair. But, at
-length, his eager eye caught sight of a group amid
-the ruins, and his heart told him that those he loved
-remained yet to cheer his ruined fortunes.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>No pen can do justice to the feelings of gratitude
-which throbbed in the bosom of that father as he
-pressed his wife and children successively to his
-heart. His plans were soon laid. He had, by remittances
-to England on the outbreak of the war,
-provided his family against want, and thither they
-now bent their steps. Over his ruined country he
-shed many a tear, but, at such times, the smiles of
-his wife and children were ever ready to cheer his
-despondency; and as he gazed on his lovely family
-he felt that there was much yet in this world to bid
-him be happy.</p>
-
-<hr class='tbk106'/>
-
-<div><h1><a id='thou'></a>“THOU HAST LOVED.”</h1></div>
-
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;'>———</p>
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;font-size:0.8em;font-weight:bold;'>BY MRS. SEBA SMITH.</p>
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;margin-bottom:1.5em;'>———</p>
-
-
- <div class='poetry-container' style=''>
- <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' -->
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>Dearest, in thine eye’s deep light</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Is a look to tears allied⁠—</p>
-<p class='line0'>Sorrow struggling with delight,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Each the other seeks to hide;</p>
-<p class='line0'>Thou, the freighted ark of life</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Lonely floating on the sea,</p>
-<p class='line0'>With thy being’s treasure rife⁠—</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Thou hast wearied thus to be.</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>Thou hast sent thy dove from thee⁠—</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Forth hast launched thy dove of peace,</p>
-<p class='line0'>And the branch, though green it be,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Can it bid thy doubtings cease?</p>
-<p class='line0'>Though it speak of hope the while,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Verdant spots and sunny bowers,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Can it bring thee back the smile</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;That beguiled thy vacant hours?</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>Take thy dove and fold its wing⁠—</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Fold its ruffled wing to rest;</p>
-<p class='line0'>Deluge airs around it ring:</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Let it nestle on thy breast.</p>
-<p class='line0'>Dearest, all thy care is vain⁠—</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Mark its trembling, weary wings;</p>
-<p class='line0'>But it comes to thee again,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;And an olive branch it brings.</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>Take it, bind it unto thee,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Though the leaves are dim with tears;</p>
-<p class='line0'>Such thy woman lot must be⁠—</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Love and sorrow, hopes and fears.</p>
-<p class='line0'>Bind the branch of promise ever</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;To thy heart, with fear oppressed,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Let the leaves of hope, oh! never,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Withered, leave their place of rest.</p>
-</div>
-</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend -->
-
-<hr class='tbk107'/>
-
-<div><h1><a id='viol'></a>VIOLA.</h1></div>
-
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;'>———</p>
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;font-size:0.8em;font-weight:bold;'>BY JAMES ALDRICH.</p>
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;margin-bottom:1.5em;'>———</p>
-
-
- <div class='poetry-container' style=''>
- <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' -->
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>This simple chain of sunny hair,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Thus braided by thy gentle hand,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Anear my heart I ever wear,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Since thou art gone to shadow-land.</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>Whene’er upon the little gift</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Of thy sweet love my eye is cast,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Will welcome memory come and lift</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;The curtains of the silent Past!</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>Ah! my fond heart, as well it may,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Feels then, in all its depth anew,</p>
-<p class='line0'>That which, when thou wait called away,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Ennobled and immortal grew!</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>Lost one! to thee I’ll constant prove,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Long as I walk this mortal strand,</p>
-<p class='line0'>So may I claim thy perfect love</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;When we shall meet in shadow-land.</p>
-</div>
-</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend -->
-
-<hr class='tbk108'/>
-
-<div class='figcenter'>
-<img src='images/i014.jpg' alt='two ladies and a man kneeling around a small table' id='iid-0002' style='width:80%;height:auto;'/>
-<p class='caption'><span style='font-size:smaller'><span class='it'>PAINTED BY LUCY ADAMS.</span> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<span class='it'>ENGRAVED BY H. S. SADD.</span></span><br/></p> <br/><span class='it'>Morning Prayer.</span><br/> <br/><span class='it'>Engraved Expressly for Graham’s Magazine.</span>
-</div>
-
-<hr class='tbk109'/>
-
-<div><h1><a id='morn'></a>MORNING PRAYER.</h1></div>
-
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;margin-bottom:1.6em;font-weight:bold;'>ILLUSTRATION OF A PICTURE.</p>
-
-
- <div class='poetry-container' style=''>
- <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' -->
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;He is not here!</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;We meet around the altar yet once more,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Where we our prayers have blent so oft before,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;And drop a tear</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Upon the holy book from which he read</p>
-<p class='line0'>Who sleeps, at length, in peace, among the silent dead.</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;Yet from on high</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;He looketh on us—widow, daughter, son⁠—</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Pointing the course by which he glory won.</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;He still is nigh,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;On angel’s wings, to comfort us and guide,⁠—</p>
-<p class='line0'>Unseen, but not unfelt, forever by our side.</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;Father in heaven!</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Who hast called home the leader of our band,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;And the bright glories of the better land</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;Unto him given,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;O, be with us, and keep us in the way</p>
-<p class='line0'>That leads, through this dark night, to an unending day!</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;Strengthen our hearts</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;To bear, with fortitude, the ills of time;</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Preserve them ever from the winter’s rime,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;So let our parts</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Be acted, that again the prayer and song</p>
-<p class='line0'>We may together blend, and through all time prolong!</p>
-</div>
-</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend -->
-
-<hr class='tbk110'/>
-
-<div><h1><a id='fan'></a>THE FANCY-FAIR.</h1></div>
-
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;'>———</p>
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;font-size:0.8em;font-weight:bold;'>BY MRS. A. M. F. ANNAN.</p>
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;margin-bottom:1.5em;'>———</p>
-
-<div class='literal-container' style=''><div class='literal'> <!-- rend=';fs:0.9em;' -->
-<p class='line' style='font-size:0.9em;'>“With her personage, her tall personage,</p>
-<p class='line' style='font-size:0.9em;'>Her height, forsooth, she hath prevailed with him.”</p>
-<p class='line' style='text-align:right;margin-right:0em;margin-bottom:1em;font-size:0.9em;'><span class='sc'>Shakspeare.</span></p>
-</div></div> <!-- end rend -->
-
-<p class='pindent'>“Good morning, Saybrooke,” said a gentleman
-named Creswell, meeting a friend; “I have just ascertained
-to whom Collins is married—a lady of your
-city—Laura Sands.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“Amazing!” exclaimed Saybrooke, striking down
-his cane with such energy that the other started;
-“why, she is six feet high!”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“Not quite,” returned Creswell, laughing; “and,
-though somewhat large, she is one of the most
-queenly looking women—”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“Pshaw! Victoria has put that word out of fashion,
-or at least changed its signification.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“I beg pardon—I had forgotten your horror of
-large women, or, rather, I did not regard it, supposing
-it was your affectation—everybody has at least
-one.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“Affectation! take care, or I’ll raise my stick at
-you!”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“Well, it is unaccountable that a man of your
-inches should have such notions. Now, for a little
-fellow, like myself, it would be bad taste to be following
-women who might look as if they could flog
-him, but with your six feet two, and abundant proportions,
-the case is different. On the contrary, I
-can’t imagine anything more comical than a little
-wife hanging on your arm; she would look like a
-reticule—not straining a pun.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“In saying I detest large women, I make no committal
-by preferring very small ones; but, seriously,
-I would no more expect to find a woman’s soul in all
-its sweetness, delicacy and purity hidden in a coarse,
-capacious body, than I could think of loving a woman
-for the recommendation—‘<span class='it'>Sexu fæmina, ingenio
-vir.</span>’ ”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“There it is with you men of fortune! You become
-so finical from having all sorts of attractions
-paraded before you, that you stand still waiting for
-perfection, till at last, in despair, you tie up your
-eyes, and, like a child at blind man’s buff, spring forward
-and secure the first against whom you stumble.
-Now, we poor, hard-working dogs—but I’ll get out
-of heart if I talk about my own grievances. I have
-a lady selected for you, beautiful, accomplished,
-with a thousand excellencies, and of station in society
-and all that, just to suit, but this last freak has
-chilled my good intentions. So good bye, till I get
-into a better humor!”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>In the evening the two gentlemen met again, as
-Saybrooke was coming out of an exchange office, in
-the act of securing his pocket book.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“Have you been filling or emptying that article,
-which?” asked Creswell.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“The more agreeable alternative,” replied his
-friend.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“Then you are the very fellow I wished to see.
-I have an appointment for you to-night—to take you
-to a ladies’ fair.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“The mischief! when you know that fancy-fairs
-are my aversion, and not from caprice but from real
-principle. I don’t know anything more disgusting
-than to see a room full of Misses, taking advantage
-of some either really or nominally worthy purpose,
-to exhibit themselves to the public, and to gratify a
-petty and an indelicate vanity, by flirting over their
-pincushions and doll-babies with any fellow who can
-afford an admittance shilling for the honor.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“Come, come, that’s really too severe, but just
-now I have not time to take the other side of the
-question. This, however, is no ordinary occasion.
-It is an impromptu affair, undertaken by a number of
-charming, whole-hearted girls, to raise a fund in aid
-of the sufferers by a recent public disaster, and more
-taste, enthusiasm, and liberality, I have never seen
-exhibited. If you wish to see the <span class='it'>élite</span> of our beauty
-and fashion, under the most favorable circumstances,
-you had better avail yourself of my invitation.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“If that is the case, I have no scruples. I intended
-to appropriate a part of this very supply to a charity
-so unquestionable, and it may as well pass through
-the medium you have selected as any other. So I’m
-at your service.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>At the appointed time they reached the —— Saloon,
-in which the fair was held, and Creswell, who
-from previous visits was posted as to all concerning
-it, led his friend, for a cursory inspection, around the
-room. Its arrangements were novel and tasteful, its
-decorations of the most rich and appropriate character,
-and the fair projectors were fulfilling their duties
-with a dignity, grace, and decorum that surprised as
-well as gratified the fastidious stranger.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“Now, if you are satisfied,” said Creswell, “I’ll
-give myself the trouble to advise you in the disposal
-of that spare cash of yours—come to this table,” and
-bowing to its fair attendant, he took up a large and
-magnificently bound quarto volume, and turned over
-its pages; “I have heard you express a fondness,
-Saybrooke,” he continued, “for what you call the
-only ladies’ science—Botany; did you ever see any
-thing to equal this?” It was a collection of dried
-flowers, of such as best preserve their color, pressed
-with great niceness and skill, and pasted on the
-smooth, white pages so carefully, some singly and
-some in groups, that it required close examination to
-distinguish them from delicate water-color drawings.
-Beneath them were written, in an exquisite hand,
-clear, full, and accurate technical descriptions, and
-on intermediate pages quotations appropriate to their
-symbolical characters, or fanciful and elegant passages,
-evidently original.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“This must have been the work of a lady, judging
-from its ingenuity and beauty,” said Saybrooke.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“It was done by Miss Martha Grainger, was it
-not?” asked Creswell, turning to the title page,
-which was a graceful vignette, executed, even to the
-lettering, in leaves and flowers, but it contained no
-name.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“Of course,” returned the pretty vender; “no
-other of us could have had the taste, patience, and
-knowledge for such a work, to say nothing of the
-talent the literary illustrations display. I really think
-it was a piece of heroism in her to give up a possession
-so beautiful, and one that must have cost her a
-world of labor and care.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“If it is not already sold, I shall be happy to become
-its purchaser,” said Saybrooke; and paying for
-his acquisition with much satisfaction, they walked
-on. The next thing that struck their notice was a
-large vase encrusted with shells, and filled with fragrant
-and splendid flowers. It was white, and transparent
-as alabaster, and of an antique form, as rare
-as beautiful. Saybrooke examined it carefully.
-“How superior,” said he, “to the unshapely,
-crockery-looking ware commonly seen as shell-work—nothing
-could be more perfectly elegant and
-classical than it is.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“Is it of your workmanship, Miss Ellen?” asked
-Creswell.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“I am sorry to say, very far from it. It is a donation
-from Martha Grainger; she had just finished it
-for herself, but, with her usual generous benevolence,
-gave it up in hope that it might be turned to the
-benefit of the unfortunate. The flowers, which you
-seem to admire so much, Mr. Creswell, are also of
-her culture. Her windows, you know, were the
-rivals of the green-houses, but she robbed them all to
-fill it. Suppose you take it for your office? There
-is no one who will value it more.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“Ah, if I could afford to have all I value! but I
-would not desecrate anything so pure and sweet, by
-stowing it away among the rough book-cases, and
-dust, and cobwebs of a poor lawyer’s office. Now,
-my friend here could give it a place not unworthy.
-If it were placed within your curtains, Saybrooke,
-I’d engage that you would have more bright eyes
-peeping through your windows than you ever had
-before.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“The temptation is too strong to be resisted,” answered
-Saybrooke, smiling, and he placed his card
-in a handle of the vase, as its purchaser. “I am
-glad to find that the botanical lady has a real love of
-flowers,” he continued, as he walked away with a
-China rose, which he had selected, in his hand; “it
-is not always the case; a proficiency in the science
-argues a clear and discriminating mind; the other
-seems to belong to a naturally refined taste.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“Pray, Mr. Creswell, can’t you find us a purchaser
-for this?” asked a lady, pointing to a glass
-case, which contained a set of elaborately carved
-ivory chess-men.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“An exquisite set,” said Saybrooke, “they look
-like fairy work.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“I think this is not the first time I have seen them,
-madam; can you remind me where they came
-from?” said Creswell.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“They were added to our stock by Miss Grainger,
-an effort of self-denial that I fear I never could have
-attained. They were sent to her as a present by an
-uncle in India, but she is so conscientious that she
-offered them for our undertaking, saying that she
-could not be satisfied to keep them for mere amusement,
-when a set for ten dollars would answer as
-well. Of course we cannot expect to get their real
-value, as, very properly, there are few persons who
-would offer a couple of hundred dollars for a thing of
-the kind, but we are in hopes that some one willing
-to aid the cause will take them at a price which, at
-least, will not be unworthy of the generosity of the
-donor.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“As it is not very likely, from present appearances,”
-said Saybrooke, “that the artists of the
-Celestial Empire will have the courage and leisure
-to execute toys so singularly elaborate and ingenious
-for some time to come, I may as well avail myself of
-the opportunity, and take possession of these. Will
-this be sufficient for them, madam?”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“Thank you, sir, for your liberality,—it is more
-than we expected;” said the lady, looking after the
-stranger with much curiosity.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“That Miss Grainger must be a remarkable person
-to be possessed of so much talent and industry,
-and so much open-handed generosity. But what
-have you there?” Creswell was looking at a pair
-of small paintings which ornamented one of the stalls,
-and Saybrooke continued, after joining him, “these
-are really beautiful little things, and from their apparent
-reference to the late calamity, they must have
-been furnished expressly for this occasion. They
-are evidently by the same hand, yet it must have
-been difficult for one person to do them in so short a
-time. There is much feeling, as well as originality,
-in the designs, and not less spirit than grace in their
-execution. May I ask, Miss, from whom these were
-obtained?”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“They are from the pencil of a lady, sir,—the all-accomplished
-Miss Grainger.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“Miss Grainger again!” said Saybrooke smiling;
-“they are marked for sale, I believe?”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“They are, sir, though we would prefer letting
-them remain here till the sale is over.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“Certainly; but you will let me secure them in
-time?” and having completed the purchase, he followed
-Creswell; “there now,” said he, “I think I
-have done my part, so I shall tie up my purse-strings;
-but pray who is this Miss Grainger?”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“What do you imagine her to be?”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“An active, bustling, fussy old maid, such a person
-who is always to be found in the like enterprises;
-but in addition she must have an enlarged mind,
-which, having freed her from the selfishness peculiar
-to her relative position, still furnishes her with resources
-to devote to general benevolence.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“You never were more mistaken in your life,—but
-what do you think of that oriental <span class='it'>kiosk</span> which
-the ladies have fitted up as the post-office?”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“I was just going to remark that it is particularly
-tasteful and beautiful.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“The plan is another of the labors of Miss Grainger,—but
-we must ask for letters to finish our business.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“Certainly, but where is your fair <span class='it'>virtuoso</span>? you
-must point her out to me.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“Very well, come along, and I’ll introduce you,
-but of one thing I must apprise you beforehand,—with
-all her admirable qualities she is, unfortunately,
-quite—a large woman—the largest, I should think, in
-the room.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“That is unfortunate,” said Saybrooke, looking
-disturbed; “but as I wish merely to have my curiosity
-gratified, and to pay a tribute of respect to an
-intellectual and a useful woman, I shall put up with
-that.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>Creswell paused to speak with an acquaintance,
-and Saybrooke walked forward. Suddenly a lady
-swept by, almost jostling him, and of a size that over-shadowed
-all around her. She was beflounced and
-befurred, had a tall feather waving above her hat, a
-decided shade on her upper lip, and a step like a
-grenadier.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“See here, Creswell, you needn’t mind taking
-me to see Miss Grainger,—I don’t want to be introduced
-to her,” said Saybrooke.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“You have changed your mind very suddenly,”
-returned Creswell.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“You told me she was the largest woman in the
-room, and by accident I have just met her. I recognized
-her, of course, and my curiosity is amply gratified.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>Creswell followed his eye, and burst into an irrepressible
-fit of laughter. “Oh, very well,” said he,
-“if you are satisfied, so am I. But here is the post-office.
-Anything here, ladies, for Stanley Saybrooke,
-Esq.?—just excuse me, while you are waiting for
-your letter.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>The postmistress was one of the youngest of the
-association, and whilst she was searching, with
-much archness and significancy, among the letters,
-the eyes of Saybrooke fell upon a lady farther back
-in the alcove, from whom a single look acted like magic
-on him. The features were of a form and symmetry
-the most faultlessly classical, and were radiant
-with an expression of sweetness and intelligence.
-Her eyes were large and of a soft blue, her complexion
-was of the purest white and red, and her
-hair, of a rich brown, fell in a single large curl,
-smooth and glossy, down either side of her face.
-She wore a small black velvet bonnet, which contrasted
-strikingly with the pearliness of her skin,
-and which, excepting in a little bordering of blond
-around the face, was entirely without ornament.
-Vexatiously, as our hero thought it, there was
-nothing of her figure to be seen; she sat wrapped
-in a large shawl, on an ottoman behind a table, and
-appeared quite unconscious of attracting attention,
-or, at least, indifferent to it.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“Here is a letter, sir;” said the officious little
-postmistress, with a mischievous smile, but Saybrooke
-stood unheeding; “there is nothing else, sir;”
-she added, and recollecting himself, he walked reluctantly
-away. The letter was a little poetical
-bagatelle, to which he paid no attention, and reconnoitering
-the <span class='it'>kiosk</span>, he placed himself where, by
-keeping among the folds of a curtain, he might retain
-a view of the face which had so much fascinated
-him. Though, at his distance, he could not overhear
-a word, he watched her quiet, yet neither cold
-nor languid manner, to the many who approached
-and addressed her. “What a lovely—lovely creature
-she is!” thought he, “if I had not so long dropped
-my school-boy notions of love at first-sight, I really
-would believe myself captivated!—how calm she is!—how
-unembarrassed and dignified, and yet how
-gracious!”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>Creswell returned, but Saybrooke, ashamed to ask
-a single question lest it might betray him, pleaded
-fatigue, and declined walking farther, and his friend,
-who had been watching him, to his secret amusement,
-left him to the indulgence of his observations.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>By this time the story of his liberality, exaggerated,
-of course, had made its way over the room, and
-many were the efforts of the fair promenaders to
-catch the attention of a stranger so fashionable in
-appearance, so handsome, and reportedly so rich;
-but if he noticed the attractions of any, it was only
-to remark how inferior they were to those he was so
-intently contemplating. At length, to his extreme
-delight, he observed that she had picked up the rose
-which he had dropped on the table in his first bewilderment.
-“What a dolt I have been,” said he
-to himself; “after coming here to lay out money in
-charity, to take and retain an equivalent for it!” and
-to ease his conscience, he decided to get rid of the
-vase. So calling a servant who was attending on
-the tables, he directed him where to find it, and to
-present it to the designated lady in the post-office,
-with the compliments of a gentleman. He watched
-as the commission was executed. There was no
-flutter in the manner of the fair incognito, no wonder
-nor exultation. She merely asked the man a question
-or two, and dismissed him without a message. Her
-bearing suited him to a charm. It was that of a sultana
-receiving tribute.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“What a hand—what an incomparable hand!”
-was his next thought. One of his very few coxcomberies
-was a passion for beautiful hands, and it
-had its full gratification in the one which lay beside
-his vase, with whose whiteness it did not suffer in
-comparison. It was not small, but was exquisitely
-shaped, full, smooth and tapering, with not an irregular
-protuberance to detract from its graceful
-outlines. It set his fancy at a new picture. He
-imagined himself at his little mosaic chess-table—which
-was so small that any two at it were in very
-sociable proximity—and that snowy hand at the
-other side. Then he looked at her forehead, which
-was large and nobly developed—he was something
-of a phrenologist—and he decided that she had a
-genius for chess, consequently, that his recent purchase
-of chess-men might thus be suitably transferred.
-Accordingly, he hurried off to send it, but after he had
-done so, he found, on returning, his place occupied
-by a crowd.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>The room had filled, and disappointed and abstracted
-he wandered about for an hour before he
-found an opportunity to speak to Creswell. The
-latter at length approached him, saying,</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“I have a message for you from a lady.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“What lady?” asked Saybrooke, eagerly, hoping
-it was <span class='it'>the</span> lady—the only one he cared about at the
-moment.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“The one to whom you sent your vase and chess-men;
-she says that if you don’t take them back she
-will offer them for sale anew.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“I hope she did not think me impertinent in sending
-them?” said Saybrooke, looking alarmed, “how
-did she discover that it was I?”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“It was easy to ascertain by whom they were
-purchased, and she judged accordingly.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“Then you know her?”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“Certainly.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“Pray introduce me, won’t you?—immediately, if
-you please, my dear Creswell.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“I would rather not. You won’t like her—for a
-very <span class='it'>material</span> reason.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“I will—positively—I do like her—I’m half in
-love already.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“With her face, you mean—that’s a pretty scrape
-for a man of twenty-six to get into! however, I may
-have an opportunity after a while, so be patient.
-There’s a fine figure,” he continued, looking through
-a glass he had picked up from a table, and then handing
-it to Saybrooke—“there in that recess—the lady
-with her back towards us.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“Very fine, but the glass contracts too much; at
-full size I dare say the proportions would scarcely
-appear so perfect. Who is she?”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“A particular favorite of mine, the owner of this
-shawl, which I am carrying to her. Come along,
-and you shall have a nearer view.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>The lady was at the farther end of the saloon,
-and with some difficulty they threaded their way
-towards her. She was talking, and still had her back
-towards them. “A fine figure, indeed,” said Saybrooke,
-as they advanced, “but, she seems—isn’t
-she rather large?—why, upon my word—Creswell—she
-must be full five feet nine, if not ten!” and, putting
-his arm through his friend’s, he was drawing him
-in another direction.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“Stop! don’t jerk me off my feet, my dear fellow!”
-said Creswell; “I must go on to deliver the shawl;
-allow me, Miss Grainger,” he continued, “to present
-my friend, Mr. Saybrooke—” and as the lady turned
-round to curtsey, Saybrooke recognized the brilliant
-face of the post-office.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>Never was there a more instantaneous revolution.
-“I’ll call you out for this night’s work!” whispered
-Saybrooke, while the lady was replying to the parting
-compliments of her former companions. Creswell
-pretended to look very much surprised, and
-after a little while, when he made a move to proceed,
-Saybrooke gave him a deprecatory shake of the head,
-at which they parted for the night.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>The next morning Creswell called at the lodgings
-of his friend. “I am glad,” said he, “that you were
-not disappointed in Miss Grainger.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“Disappointed!—she is the most fascinating
-woman I ever met with—full of sweetness, feeling,
-and intellect! I do not remember to have enjoyed a
-conversation more in my life than the one we had as
-I escorted her home last night”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“Why, Saybrooke! you certainly did not do that?
-she is unquestionably large enough to take care of
-herself!”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“You are an impudent dog, Creswell,” returned
-Saybrooke, laughing.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“But, seriously, Saybrooke, it is a great pity that
-Miss Grainger is so large; to a man of your sentiments,
-who never could see a woman over the medium
-height without thinking of an ogress, it must
-very much neutralize the effect of her unrivalled
-face, her winning manners, and her delightfully
-<span class='it'>spirituelle</span> conversation.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“If you’ll oblige me by remaining civilly quiet,
-for a few minutes, I’ll tell you how I argued that
-point. I stated to myself that the larger women I
-had seen were as small ones examined through a
-magnifying glass, every defect being thus rendered
-more apparent. Now, I continued, here is a woman
-of the magnified size, without a single defect, and
-she is of course entitled to a magnified portion of admiration.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“Very good.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“And then I recollected that I was not the first
-who had come to such a conclusion. That Juno
-would not have looked the queen of Olympus had
-she been other than a large woman—that had the rib
-of Menelaus been but a small bone of contention,
-Troy might have been standing to this day.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“Pshaw!” said Creswell.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“And that a man must have a very contracted
-imagination to fancy a little Venus De Medicis, a
-little Cleopatra or a little Mary Stuart.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>About six months after this, a gentleman and lady
-passing, bowed to Creswell through his office window
-while an acquaintance was sitting with him.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“A magnificent looking couple—who are they?”
-said the latter.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“The new bride and groom, Stanley Saybrooke,
-and Martha Grainger, that was. By the by, I made
-that match.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“Indeed! how did you accomplish it?”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“Just by persuading the lady to sit still for a few
-hours. He had a most absurd aversion to large
-women, and as I knew that Martha, who, in fact,
-is a sort of cousin of mine, would suit him exactly in
-other respects, I laid a plan to get him in love with
-her before he found out her size, so I took him to a
-fancy-fair, where he saw a great number of her productions,
-and heard a great deal of her character,
-and then I contrived to give him a sight of her
-beautiful face, having, as I said, apprised her that
-she would oblige me very much by keeping her seat
-until I gave her notice. That finished the business.
-He stared till he was conquered, and then the three
-or four extra inches became very small matters
-indeed.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“But now, since they are married, won’t the defects
-shoot up again?”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“Not at all. I never saw a fellow so proud of a
-wife. He says that a small casket could not contain
-so lofty an intellect and so noble a heart!”</p>
-
-<hr class='tbk111'/>
-
-<div><h1><a id='fai'></a>LE FAINEANT.</h1></div>
-
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;'>———</p>
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;font-size:0.8em;font-weight:bold;'>BY C. V. HOFFMAN, AUTHOR OF “GREYSLAER,” “THE VIGIL OF FAITH,” ETC.</p>
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;margin-bottom:1.5em;'>———</p>
-
-
- <div class='poetry-container' style=''>
- <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' -->
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>“Now arouse thee, Sir Knight, from thine indolent ease,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Fling boldly thy banner abroad in the breeze,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Strike home for thy lady—strive hard for the prize,</p>
-<p class='line0'>And thy guerdon shall beam from her love-lighted eyes!”</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>“I shrink not the trial,” that bluff knight replied⁠—</p>
-<p class='line0'>“But I battle—not <span class='it'>I</span>—for an unwilling bride;</p>
-<p class='line0'>Where the boldest may venture to do and to dare,</p>
-<p class='line0'>My pennon shall flutter—my bugle peal there!</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>“I quail not at aught in the struggle of life,</p>
-<p class='line0'>I’m not all unproved even now in the strife,</p>
-<p class='line0'>But the wreath that I win, all unaided—alone,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Round a faltering brow it shall never be thrown!”</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>“Now fie on thy manhood, to deem it a sin</p>
-<p class='line0'>That she loveth the glory thy falchion might win,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Let them doubt of thy prowess and fortune no more,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Up! Sir Knight, for thy lady—and do thy devoir!”</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>“She hath shrunk from my side, she hath failed in her trust,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Not relied on my blade, but remembered its rust;</p>
-<p class='line0'>It shall brighten once more in the field of its fame,</p>
-<p class='line0'>But it is not for her I would now win a name.”</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>The knight rode away, and the lady she sigh’d,</p>
-<p class='line0'>When he featly as ever his steed would bestride,</p>
-<p class='line0'>While the mould from the banner he shook to the wind</p>
-<p class='line0'>Seemed to fall on the breast he left aching behind.</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>But the rust on his glaive and the rust in his heart</p>
-<p class='line0'>Had corroded too long and too deep to depart,</p>
-<p class='line0'>And the brand only brightened in honor once more,</p>
-<p class='line0'>When the heart ceased to beat on the fray-trampled shore.</p>
-</div>
-</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend -->
-
-<hr class='tbk112'/>
-
-<div><h1><a id='dyi'></a>THE DYING MINSTREL TO HIS MUSE.</h1></div>
-
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;'>———</p>
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;font-size:0.8em;font-weight:bold;'>BY WILLIAM FALCONER.</p>
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;margin-bottom:1.5em;'>———</p>
-
-
- <div class='poetry-container' style=''>
- <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' -->
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>Farewell, gentle Muse! fare thee well, and for ever!</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;No more in the greenwood with thee must I stray:</p>
-<p class='line0'>Thy flowers which I cherished have bloomed but to wither,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Like youth’s vernal wreath, they all faded away:</p>
-<p class='line0'>Yet sweet was the morn, timid Muse, when I sought thee,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;In the green ruined tower by the wild Scottish rill;</p>
-<p class='line0'>A heart framed for joy like the wine-cup I brought thee,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;With Fancy’s rich draught thou the chalice didst fill.</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>O soft was thy dawning, thou mental Aurora,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;It shed on my morning-dream heaven’s young ray,</p>
-<p class='line0'>With the seraph-wing’d bird through the cloudlets of glory</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;My soul soared exulting through life’s early day;</p>
-<p class='line0'>Then love’s vernal flush filled my bosom with gladness,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;And she whom I loved shared its passion with thee;</p>
-<p class='line0'>She left me to pine in the chill shade of sadness,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Then crossed I in anguish the wide-spreading sea.</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>But thou wert more faithful, for rocked on the ocean</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;’Twas thou who mad’st lovely the dreams of my rest,</p>
-<p class='line0'>My spirit went forth on the wings of emotion</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;To sport with the bird o’er the blue waters’ breast.</p>
-<p class='line0'>Now in my pent bosom life’s last pulses tremble</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Like sear fluttering leaves on yon wind-beaten tree,</p>
-<p class='line0'>With spring-loving birds on its boughs that assemble</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;My soul to the Land of the Spirit shall flee.</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>Then come, O my wild lyre, my sole earthly treasure,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;’Neath Death’s downy pinions come slumber in peace;</p>
-<p class='line0'>Leave the world to the rosy-crown’d vot’ries of Pleasure,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Its garlands must wither—its Bacchanals cease!</p>
-<p class='line0'>Dear Enchantress, farewell! but that friend of my bosom</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Revisit once more, o’er the waves’ deafening swell,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Inspire him that one fleeting flowret may blossom</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;To the memory of him who hath loved him so well!</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;<span style='font-size:smaller'><span class='it'>Paris, France.</span></span></p>
-</div>
-</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend -->
-
-<hr class='tbk113'/>
-
-<div><h1><a id='har'></a>HARRY CAVENDISH.</h1></div>
-
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;'>———</p>
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;font-size:0.8em;font-weight:bold;'>BY THE AUTHOR OF “CRUISING IN THE LAST WAR,” THE “REEFER OF ’76,” ETC.</p>
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;margin-bottom:1.5em;'>———</p>
-
-<h2 class='nobreak'>THE PRIVATEER.</h2>
-
-<p class='pindent'>I remained but a short time in <span class='sc'>the Arrow</span> after
-we sailed finally from the port of ——; for happening
-to fall in with and capture a rakish little schooner,
-Captain Smyth resolved to arm and send her forth to
-cruise against the enemy on her own account. A
-long Tom was accordingly mounted on a pivot amidships,
-a complement of men placed in her, and the
-command given to our second lieutenant, with myself
-for subordinate. Thus equipped, we parted company
-from our consort, who bore away for the north, while
-we were to cruise in the Windward Passage.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>For several days we met with no adventure. The
-weather was intensely sultry. He who has never
-witnessed a noontide calm on a tropical sea can have
-no idea of the stifling heat of such a situation. The
-sea is like molten brass; no breath of air is stirring;
-the atmosphere is dry and parched in the mouth, and
-the heavens hang over all their canopy of lurid fire,
-in the very centre of which burns with intense fierceness
-the meridian sun. The decks, the cabin, and
-the tops are alike stifling. The awnings may indeed
-afford a partial shelter from the vertical rays of the
-sun, but no breeze can be wooed down the eager
-windsail; while, wherever a stray beam steals to the
-deck through an opening in the canvass, the turpentine
-oozes out and boils in the heat, and the planks
-become as intolerable to the tread as if a furnace was
-beneath them.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>It was on one of the hottest days of the season, and
-about a fortnight after we parted from <span class='sc'>the Arrow</span>,
-that we lay thus becalmed. The hour was high
-noon. I stood panting for breath by the weather
-railing, dressed in a thin jacket and without a cravat,
-feverishly looking out across the ocean to discern, if
-possible, a mist or cloud or other evidence of an
-approaching breeze. My watch was in vain. There
-was no ripple on the deep, but a long monotonous
-undulation heaved the surface of the water, which
-glittered far and near like a mirror in which the sun
-is reflected vertically, paining and almost blinding
-the gaze. The schooner lay motionless on the ocean,
-the shadow of her boom shivering in the wave, as the
-swell undulated along. Silence reigned on the decks.
-To a spectator at a distance, who could have beheld
-our motionless shadow in the water, we would have
-seemed an enchanted ship, hanging midway betwixt
-the sea and sky.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>Noon passed, and the afternoon drew heavily along,
-yet still no breeze arose to gladden our listless spirits.
-Two bells struck and then three, but the same monotony
-continued. Wearied out at length I was about
-turning from the weather quarter to go below, when
-I fancied I saw a sail far down on the horizon. I
-paused and looked intently in the direction where the
-welcome sight had been visible. For a moment the
-glare of the sun and the water prevented me from
-distinguishing with any accuracy whether what I
-saw was really a sail or not, but at length my doubts
-were removed by the cry of the look-out on the fore-castle,
-and before half an hour it became evident
-that the vessel to windward was a square-rigged
-craft, but of what size or character it was impossible
-to determine.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“They must have had a puff of wind up yonder,”
-remarked the second lieutenant to me, “or else they
-could not have come within sight so rapidly.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“But the breeze has left them ere this,” I said,
-“for they have not moved for the last quarter of an
-hour.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“We shall probably know nothing more of them
-until nightfall, for the wind will scarcely make before
-sunset, even if it does then. He has the weather
-gauge. Until I know something more of him I
-would rather change positions.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“He is some fat merchantman,” I replied, “we
-will lighten his plethoric pocket before morning.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>During the afternoon the calm continued, our craft
-and the stray sail occupying their relative positions.
-Meantime, innumerable were the conjectures which
-we hazarded as to the character of our neighbor;
-and again and again were our glasses put in requisition
-to see if any thing could be discovered to decide
-our conflicting opinions. But the royals of a ship, when
-nothing else of her is visible, give scarcely any clue
-as to her character; and accordingly hour after hour
-passed away, and we were still altogether ignorant
-respecting the flag and strength of our neighbor.
-Toward sunset, however, signs of a coming breeze
-began to appear on the seaboard, and when the luminary
-wheeled his disc down the western line of the
-horizon, the sea to windward was perceptibly ruffled
-by the wind.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“Ah! there it comes at last—” said the second
-lieutenant, “and, by my halidome, the stranger is
-standing for us. Now, if he will only keep in his
-present mind until we can get within range of him, I
-am no officer of the United Colonies if I do not give
-him some hot work. By St. George, the men
-have had so little to do of late, and they long so
-eagerly to whet their palates, that I would venture to
-attack almost twice our force—eh! Cavendish! You
-have had such a dare-devil brush with the buccaneers
-lately that I suppose you think no common enemy is
-worth a thought.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“Not altogether,” said I, “but I think we shall
-have our wish gratified. Yonder chap is certainly
-twice our size, and he carries his topsails as jauntily
-as a man-of-war.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“Faith! and you’re right, Harry,” said my old
-messmate, as he shut the glass with a jerk, after
-having, in consequence of my last remark, taken a
-long look at the strange sail, “that’s no sleepy merchantman
-to windward. But we’ll swagger up to
-him, nevertheless; one doesn’t like to run away
-from the first ship he meets.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>I could not help smiling when I thought of the
-excuses with which the lieutenant was endeavoring
-to justify to himself his contemplated attack on a
-craft that was not only more than twice our size, but
-apparently an armed cruizer, for I knew the case
-would have been the same if this had been the hundredth,
-instead of the first vessel he had met after
-assuming a separate command, as no man in the
-corvette had been more notorious for the recklessness
-with which he invited danger. Perhaps this
-was the fault of his character. I really believe that
-he would, if dared to it, have run into Portsmouth
-itself, and fired the British fleet at anchor. In our
-former days, when we had been fellow officers on
-board <span class='sc'>the Arrow</span>, we had often differed on this
-trait in his character, and perhaps now he felt called
-on, from a consciousness of my opinion, to make
-some excuse to me for his disregard of prudence in
-approaching the stranger; for, as soon as the breeze
-had made, he had close-hauled the schooner, and,
-during the conversation I have recorded, we were
-dashing rapidly up towards the approaching ship.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>As we drew nearer to the stranger, my worst suspicions
-became realized. Her courses loomed up
-large and ominous, and directly her hammock nettings
-appeared, and then her ports opened to our
-view, six on a side; while, almost instantaneously
-with our discovery of her force, a roll of bunting
-shot up to her gaff, and, unrolling, disclosed the cross
-of St. George. There was now no escape. The
-enemy had the weather gauge, and was almost within
-closing distance. However prudent a more wary
-approach might have been hitherto, there was no
-longer any reason for the exercise of caution. It
-would be impossible for us now to avoid a combat,
-or get to windward by any manœuvre; and to have
-attempted to escape by going off before the wind
-would have been madness, since of all points of sailing
-that was the worst for our little craft. Gloomy,
-therefore, as the prospect appeared for us, there was
-no hesitation, but each man, as the drum called us to
-quarters, hurried to his post with as much alacrity as
-if we were about to engage an inferior force, instead
-of one so overwhelmingly our superior.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>The moon had by this time risen and was calmly
-sailing on, far up in the blue ether, silvering the deep
-with her gentle radiance, and showering a flood of
-sparkles on every billowy crest that rolled up and
-shivered in her light. Everywhere objects were discernible
-with as much distinctness as under the noon-day
-sun. The breeze sang through our rigging with
-a joyous sound, singularly pleasing after the silence
-and monotony of the day; and the waves that parted
-beneath our cut-water rolled glittering astern along
-our sides, while ever and anon some billow, larger
-than its fellows, broke over the bow, sending its foam
-crackling back to the foremast. Around the deck
-our men were gathered, each one beside his allotted
-gun, silently awaiting the moment of attack. The
-cutlasses had been served out; the boarding pikes
-and muskets were placed convenient for use; the
-balls had already been brought on deck; and we only
-waited for some demonstration on the part of the foe
-to open our magazine and commence the combat in
-earnest. At length, when we were rapidly closing
-with him, the enemy yawed, and directly a shot
-whistled high over us.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“Too lofty by far, old jackanapes,” said the captain
-of our long Tom, “we’ll pepper you after a different
-fashion when it comes to our turn to serve out
-the iron potatoes. Ah! the skipper’s tired of being
-silent,” he continued, as Mr. Vinton ordered the old
-veteran to discharge his favorite piece, “we’ll soon
-see who can play at chuck-farthing the best, my
-hearty. Bowse away, boys, with that rammer—now
-we have her in a line—a little lower, just a trifle
-more—that’s it—there she goes;” and as he applied
-the match, the flame streamed from the mouth of the
-gun, a sharp, quick report followed, and the smoke,
-clinging a moment around the piece in a white mass,
-broke into fragments and eddied away to leeward on
-the gale; while the old veteran, stepping hastily
-aside, placed his hand over his eyes, and gazed after
-the shot, with an expression of intense curiosity
-stamped on every feature of his face. Directly an
-exulting smile broke over his countenance, as the
-fore-top-sail of the ship fell—the ball having hit the
-yard.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“By the holy and thrue cross,” said a mercurial
-Irishman of the old veteran’s crew, “but he has it
-there—hurrah! Give it to him nately again—it’s
-the early thrush that catches the early worm.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“Home with the ball there, my hearties,” sung
-out the elated veteran, “she is yawing to let drive at
-us—there it comes. Give her as good as she sends.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>The enemy was still, however, at too great a distance
-to render her fire dangerous, and after a third
-shot had been exchanged betwixt us—for the stranger
-appeared to have, like ourselves, but a single long
-gun of any weight—this distant and uncertain firing
-ceased, and both craft drew steadily towards each
-other, determined to fight the combat, as a gallant
-combat should be fought, yard arm to yard arm.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>The wind had now freshened considerably, and we
-made our way through the water at the rate of six
-knots an hour. This soon brought us on the bows of
-the foe. Our guns, meanwhile, had been hastily
-shifted from the starboard to the larboard side, so
-that our whole armament could be brought to bear at
-once on the ship. As we drew up towards the enemy
-a profound silence reigned on our deck—each man,
-as he stood at his gun, watching her with curious
-interest. We could see that her decks were well
-filled with defenders, and that marksmen had been
-posted in the tops to pick off our crew. But no eye
-quailed, no nerve flinched, as we looked on this formidable
-array. We felt that there was nothing left
-for us but to fight, since flight was alike dishonorable
-and impossible.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>At length we were within pistol shot of the foe,
-and drawing close on to his bows. The critical moment
-had come. That indefinable feeling which even
-a brave man will feel when about engaging in a
-mortal combat, shot through our frames as we saw
-that our bowsprit was overlapping that of the enemy,
-and knew that in another minute some of us would
-perhaps be in another world. But there was little
-time for such reflections now. The two vessels,
-each going on a different tack, rapidly shot by each
-other, and, in less time than I have taken to describe
-it, we lay broadside to broadside, with our bows on
-the stern of the foe, and our tafferel opposite his foremast.
-Until now not a word had been spoken on
-board either ship; but the moment the command
-to fire was passed from gun to gun, a sheet of flame
-instantaneously rolled along our sides, making our
-light craft quiver in every timber. The rending of
-timbers, the crash of spars, and the shrieks of the
-wounded, heard over even the roar of battle, told us
-that the iron missiles had sped home, bearing destruction
-with them. A momentary pause ensued, as if
-the crew of the enemy had been thrown into a temporary
-disorder—but the delay was only that of a
-second or two—and then came in return the broadside
-of the foe. But this momentary disorder had
-injured the aim of the Englishman, and most of his
-balls passed overhead, doing considerable injury
-however to the rigging. Our men had lain flat on
-the deck after our discharge, since our low bulwarks
-afforded scarcely any protection against the fire of
-the enemy, and when, therefore, his broadside came
-hurtling upon us, the number of our wounded was
-far less than under other circumstances would have
-been possible.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“Thank God! the first broadside is over,” I involuntarily
-exclaimed, “and we have the best of it.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“Huzza! we’ll whip him yet, my hearties,” shouted
-the captain of our long Tom; “give it to him with
-a will now—pepper his supper well for him. Old
-Marblehead, after all, against the world!”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>With the word our men sprang up from the decks,
-and waving their arms on high, gave vent to an enthusiastic
-shout ere they commenced re-loading their
-guns. The enemy replied with a cheer, but it was
-less hearty than that of our own men. Little time,
-however, was lost on either side in these bravados;
-for all were alike conscious that victory hung, as yet,
-trembling in the scales.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“Out with her—aye! there she has it,” shouted
-a grim veteran in my division, “down with the rascally
-Britisher.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“Huzza for St. George,” came hoarsely back in
-reply, as the roar of the gun died on the air, and, at
-the words, a ball whizzed over my shoulders, and
-striking a poor fellow behind me on the neck, cut the
-head off at the shoulders, and while it bore the skull
-with it in its flight, left the headless trunk spouting its
-blood, as if from the jet of an engine, over the decks.
-I turned away sickened from the sight. The messmates
-of the murdered man saw the horrid sight, but
-they said nothing, although the terrible energy with
-which they jerked out the gun, told the fierceness of
-their revengeful feelings. Well did their ball do its
-mission; for as the smoke eddied momentarily away
-from the decks of the enemy, I saw the missile dismount
-the gun which had fired the last deadly shot,
-scattering the fragments wildly about, while the
-appalling shrieks which followed the accident told
-that more than one of the foe had suffered by that
-fatal ball.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“We’ve revenged poor Jack, my lads,” said the
-captain of the gun,—“away with her again. A few
-more such shots and the day’s our own.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>The combat was now at its height. Each man of our
-crew worked as if conscious that victory hung on his
-own arm, nor did the enemy appear to be less determined
-to win the day. The guns on either side were
-plied with fearful rapidity and precision. Our craft
-was beginning to be dreadfully cut up, we had received
-a shot in the foremast that threatened momentarily
-to bring it down, and at every discharge of
-the enemy’s guns one or more of our little crew fell
-wounded at his post. But if we suffered so severely
-it was evident that we had our revenge on the foe.
-Already his mizzen-mast had gone by the board, and
-two of his guns were dismounted. I fancied once
-or twice that his fire slackened, but the dense canopy
-of smoke that shrouded his decks and hung on the
-face of the water prevented me from observing, with
-any certainty, the full extent of the damage we had
-done to the enemy.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>For some minutes longer the conflict continued
-with unabated vigor on the part of our crew; but at
-the end of that period, the fire of the Englishman
-sensibly slackened. I could scarcely believe that
-our success had been so decisive, but, in a few minutes
-longer, the guns of the enemy were altogether
-silenced, and directly afterwards a voice hailed from
-him, saying that he had surrendered. The announcement
-was met by a loud cheer from our brave tars,
-and, as the two vessels had now fallen a considerable
-distance apart, the second lieutenant determined to
-send a boat on board and take possession. Accordingly,
-with a crew of about a dozen men, I pushed
-off from the sides of our battered craft.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>As we drew out of the smoke of the battle we
-began to see the real extent of the damage we had
-done. The ship of the enemy lay an almost perfect
-wreck on the water, her foremast and mizzen-mast
-having both fallen over her side; while her hull was
-pierced in a continuous line, just above water mark,
-with our balls. Here and there her bulwarks had
-been driven in, and her whole appearance betokened
-the accuracy of our aim. I turned to look at the
-schooner. She was scarcely in a better condition,
-for the foremast had by this time given way, and her
-whole larboard side was riddled with the enemy’s
-shot. A dark red stream was pouring out from her
-scuppers, just abaft the mainmast. Alas! I well knew
-how terrible had been the slaughter in that particular
-spot. I turned my eyes from the melancholy spectacle,
-and looked upwards to the calm moon sailing
-in the clear azure sky far overhead. The placid
-countenance of the planet seemed to speak a reproof
-on the angry passions of man. A moment afterward
-we reached the captured ship.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>As I stepped on deck I noticed that not one solitary
-individual was to be seen; but in the shattered gun-carriage,
-and the dark stains of blood on the deck, I
-beheld the evidences of the late combat. The whole
-crew had apparently retreated below. At this instant,
-however, a head appeared above the hatchway and
-instantly vanished. I was not long in doubt as to the
-meaning of this strange conduct, for, almost immediately
-a score of armed men rushed up the hatchway,
-and advancing toward us demanded our surrender. I
-saw at once the dishonorable stratagem. Stung to
-madness by the perfidy of the enemy, I sprang back a
-few steps to my men, and rallying them around me,
-bid the foe come on. They rushed instantly upon us,
-and in a moment we were engaged in as desperate a
-<span class='it'>mêlée</span> as ever I had seen.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“Stand fast, my brave lads,” I cried, “give not
-an inch to the cowardly and perfidious villains.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“Cut him down, and sweep them from the decks,”
-cried the leader of the men, stung to the quick by
-the taunt of cowardice. “St. George against the
-rebels.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>A brawny desperado at the words made a blow at
-me with his cutlass, but hastily warding it off I
-snatched a pistol from my belt, and fired at my antagonist,
-who fell dead to the deck. The next instant
-the combat became general. Man to man, and foot
-to foot, we fought, desperately contesting every inch
-of deck, each party being conscious that the struggle
-was one of life or death. The clashing of cutlasses,
-the crack of fire-arms, the oaths, the shouts, the
-bravado, the shrieks of the wounded, and the dull
-heavy fall of the dead on the deck, were the only
-sounds of which we were conscious during that terrible
-<span class='it'>mêlée</span>, and these came to our ears not in
-their usual distinctness, but mingled into one fearful
-and indescribable uproar. For myself, I scarcely
-heard the tumult. My whole being was occupied in
-defending myself against a Herculean ruffian who
-seemed to have singled me out from my crew, and
-whom it required all my skill at my weapon to keep
-at bay. I saw nothing but the ferocious eye of my
-adversary; I heard only the quick rattle of our blades.
-I have said once before that my proficiency at my
-weapon had passed into a proverb with my messmates,
-and had I not been such a master of my art,
-I should, on the present occasion, have fallen a victim
-to my antagonist. As it was, I received a sharp
-wound in the arm, and was so hotly pressed by my
-vigorous foe that I was forced to give way. But this
-temporary triumph proved the destruction of my antagonist.
-Flushed with success, he forgot his wariness,
-and made a lunge at me which left him unprotected.
-I moved quickly aside, and, seizing my advantage,
-had buried my steel in his heart before his
-own sword had lost the impetus given to it by his
-arm. As I drew out the reeking blade, I became
-aware, for the first time, of the wild tumult of sounds
-around me. A hasty glance assured me that we barely
-maintained our ground, while several of my brave
-fellows lay on the deck wounded or dying; but before
-I could see whether the ranks of the foe had been
-equally thinned, and while yet scarcely an instant
-had passed since the fall of my antagonist, a loud,
-clear huzza, swelling over the din of the conflict,
-rose at my side, and, turning quickly around, I saw
-to my joy that the shout proceeded from a dozen of
-our tars who had reached us at that moment in a boat
-from the schooner. In an instant they were on deck.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“Down with the traitors—no quarter—hew them
-to the deck,” shouted our indignant messmates as
-they dashed on the assailants. But the enemy did
-not wait to try the issue of the combat. Seized with
-a sudden panic, they fled in all directions, a few
-jumping overboard, but most of them tumbling headlong
-down the hatchways.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>We were now masters of the deck. As I instantly
-guessed, the report of the fire-arms had been heard
-on board the schooner, when, suspecting foul play, a
-boat had instantly pushed off to our rescue.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“A narrow escape, by Jove!” said my messmate
-who had come to my aid, “these traitorous
-cowards had well nigh overpowered you, and if they
-could have cut your little party off they would, I
-suppose, have made another attempt on the schooner—God
-confound the rascals!”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“Your arrival was most opportune,” said I, “a
-few minutes later and it would have been of no
-avail.” And then, as I ran my eye over our comparatively
-gigantic foe, I could not restrain the remark,
-“It is a wonder to me how we conquered.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“Faith, and you may well say that,” laughingly
-rejoined my messmate; “it will be something to talk
-of hereafter. But the schooner hasn’t come off,”
-he added, glancing at our craft, “without the marks
-of this fellow’s teeth. But I had forgot to ask who
-or what the rascal is.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>The prize proved to be a privateer. She had received
-so many shot in her hull, and was already
-leaking so fast, that we concluded to remove the
-prisoners and blow her up. Her crew were accordingly
-ordered one by one on deck, handcuffed, and
-transferred to the schooner. Then I laid a train,
-lighted it and put off from the prize. Before I
-reached our craft—which by this time had been removed
-to some distance—the ship blew up.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>We rigged a jury mast, and by its aid reached
-Charleston, where we refitted. Our capture gave us
-no little reputation, and while we remained in port
-we were lionized to our hearts’ content.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>Eager, however, to continue the career so gloriously
-begun, we staid at Charleston no longer than
-was absolutely necessary to repair our damages. In
-less than a fortnight we left the harbor, and made
-sail again for the south.</p>
-
-<hr class='tbk114'/>
-
-<div><h1><a id='bri'></a>THE BRIDAL.</h1></div>
-
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;margin-bottom:1em;font-weight:bold;'>A SCENE FROM REAL LIFE.</p>
-
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;'>———</p>
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;font-size:0.8em;font-weight:bold;'>BY ROBERT MORRIS.</p>
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;margin-bottom:1.5em;'>———</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>The scene was one of mirth, and joy, and loveliness,
-and beauty. Two spacious parlors had been
-thrown open in one of the largest houses in Arch
-street. Lights had glittered in the various chambers
-since early sundown—carriages by dozens had driven
-up to the door, each freighted with friends or relatives,
-so that the world without found little difficulty
-in arriving at the conclusion that some extraordinary
-scene of festivity was in progress within the walls
-of that spacious mansion.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>It was about nine o’clock when we entered. The
-two large parlors, brilliantly illuminated by gas,
-and glittering with a rich collection of young and
-beautiful females, each dressed in the most tasteful
-or gorgeous manner, presented a scene truly magnificent.
-For a moment the eye seemed to quail
-before the general flash, while the mind also grew
-dizzy; but these feelings lasted but for the instant,
-as friends were to be met on all sides, and we soon
-found ourselves mingling in the giddy and trifling
-conversation that too many of our fair countrywomen
-seem to delight in on such occasions. Still, as the
-first flash passed by, we paused to contemplate the
-scene in a calmer and more meditative spirit.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>The party was a “Bridal” one, and the bride was
-the daughter of one of our most respectable merchants,
-a worthy, good-hearted man, who had
-devoted himself to his business, and paid no attention
-whatever to the frivolities of fashionable life. The
-bride seemed <span class='it'>very</span> young—not more than sixteen or
-seventeen. She could not be regarded as beautiful
-in the general appreciation of the word, and yet she
-had one of the sweetest faces that we ever saw.
-She had soft blue eyes, brown hair which fell over
-her shoulders in ringlets, a pretty and expressive
-mouth, with teeth that appeared to us faultless. Her
-complexion was clear, but her face looked rather
-pale, although at times it became flushed and ruddy
-as the rose. Her dress was of the richest white
-satin, and the ornaments of her hair and neck and
-wrists consisted almost exclusively of pearls. Her
-frame was slight and full of symmetry, and her voice
-was remarkable for the gentleness and amiability of
-its tone. We gazed upon her calmly for many
-minutes, and the thought passed through our mind—“So
-young, so fair, so delicate, so happy, and yet so
-willing to enter upon the severe responsibilities of
-the wife and the mother.” “Who,” we inquired of
-ourselves, “may read that young creature’s destiny?
-Doubtless she loves the object of her choice with a
-woman’s virgin and devoted love—doubtless she
-believes that the next sixteen years of her life will
-prove radiant with happiness, even more so than the
-girlish and sunny period which has but just gone by—and
-doubtless the youth who has won that gentle heart
-believes that he possesses the necessary requisites
-of mind and disposition to render her happy. And
-yet how often has the bright cup of joy been
-dashed from the lips of woman when about to quaff
-it! How often does man prove recreant and false!
-How often is he won from his home and his young
-wife, whose heart gives way slowly, but fatally and
-steadily, under the influence of such indifference and
-neglect!” But we paused and dismissed these
-gloomy reflections. The nuptial ceremony was pronounced—for
-a moment all was breathless silence—and
-then the busy hum broke forth as audibly as
-ever. The wedding was a brilliant one in all respects.
-It was followed up by party after party, so
-that nearly a month rolled away before the giddy
-round was over. The only one who did not appear
-to mingle fully in the general feeling, was the mother
-of the bride. She loved her daughter so tenderly
-that it seemed impossible for her to consign
-her to other hands. She was one of those women
-who devote themselves wholly to their children, and
-who have no world without them. On the night of
-the wedding, a tear would occasionally roll down
-her cheek as she gazed upon her chaste child, and
-as a tide of maternal recollections melted all her
-soul!</p>
-
-<hr class='tbk115'/>
-
-<p class='pindent'>The world rolled on. We frequently saw the
-young bride in the streets, and her cousin, who was
-our immediate neighbor, spoke of her prospects as
-cheering and happy. But one evening, just after
-sundown, and less than a year since we had seen
-each other at the wedding, he called, and with rather
-a grave aspect invited us to accompany him for a
-few minutes to the house of his aunt—the same
-house that had glittered with so much light, and re-echoed
-with so much laughter on the night of the
-Bridal. We proceeded along calmly, for although
-somewhat struck by the sedate aspect of our friend,
-it did not excite much surprise. On arriving at the
-house, the first objects that attracted attention were
-the closed and craped windows, and the awful
-silence that seemed to “breathe and sadden all
-around.” Our friend still refrained from speaking,
-but led on to the <span class='it'>Chamber of Death</span>! Our worst
-apprehensions were realized. The fair young creature,
-who less than a year before had stood before
-us radiant with loveliness and hope, was now still,
-pale, and cold in the icy embrace of death. Her last
-agonies were dreadful, but the sweet, soft smile,
-that told of a gentle heart, still lingered on her features.
-Her infant survived,—but the sudden decease
-of that cherished one shed a gloom over that home
-and its happy household, which is not yet totally dispelled.
-The windows of the dwelling are still
-bowed, and the afflicted mother, although a sincere
-Christian, and anxious to yield in a Christian spirit
-to the decrees of Divine Providence, frequently finds
-herself melting in tears, and her whole soul convulsed
-with grief at the memory of her dear <span class='it'>Clara</span>.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'><span class='it'>And such are human hopes and expectations!</span></p>
-
-<hr class='tbk116'/>
-
-<div><h1><a id='dau'></a>THE DAUGHTER OF HERODIAS.</h1></div>
-
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;'>———</p>
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;font-size:0.8em;font-weight:bold;'>BY MRS. FRANCES S. OSGOOD.</p>
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;margin-bottom:1.5em;'>———</p>
-
-<h2 class='nobreak'>PART I.</h2>
-
-
- <div class='poetry-container' style=''>
- <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' -->
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>Serene in the moonlight the pure flowers lay;</p>
-<p class='line0'>All was still save the plash of the fountain’s soft play;</p>
-<p class='line0'>And white as its foam gleamed the walls of the palace;</p>
-<p class='line0'>But within were hot lips quaffing fire from the chalice;</p>
-<p class='line0'>For Herod, the Tetrarch, was feasting that night</p>
-<p class='line0'>The lords of Machærus, and brave was the sight!</p>
-<p class='line0'>Yet mournful the contrast, without and within,</p>
-<p class='line0'><span class='it'>Here</span> were purity, peace,—<span class='it'>there</span> were riot and sin!</p>
-</div>
-</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend -->
-
-
- <div class='poetry-container' style=''>
- <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' -->
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>The vast and magnificent banquetting room</p>
-<p class='line0'>Was of marble, Egyptian, in form and in gloom;</p>
-<p class='line0'>And around, wild and dark as a demon’s dread thought,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Strange shapes, full of terror, yet beauty, were wrought.</p>
-<p class='line0'>Th’ ineffable sorrow, that dwells in the face</p>
-<p class='line0'>Of the Sphynx, wore a soft and mysterious grace,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Dim, even amid the full flood of light poured</p>
-<p class='line0'>From a thousand high clustering lamps on the board;</p>
-<p class='line0'>Those lamps,—each a serpent of jewels and gold,⁠—</p>
-<p class='line0'>That seemed to hiss forth the fierce flame as it rolled.</p>
-<p class='line0'>Back flashed to that ray the rich vessels that lay</p>
-<p class='line0'>Profuse on the tables in brilliant array;</p>
-<p class='line0'>And clear thro’ the crystal the glowing wine gleamed,</p>
-<p class='line0'>And dazzling the robes of the revellers seemed,</p>
-<p class='line0'>While Herod, the eagle-eyed, ruled o’er the scene,</p>
-<p class='line0'>A lion in spirit, a monarch in mien.</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend -->
-
-
- <div class='poetry-container' style=''>
- <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' -->
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;The goblet was foaming, the revel rose high.</p>
-<p class='line0'>There were pride and fierce joy in the haughty king’s eye,</p>
-<p class='line0'>For his chiefs and his captains bowed low at his word,</p>
-<p class='line0'>And the feast was right royal that burden’d the board.</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Lo! light as a star thro’ a gathered cloud stealing,</p>
-<p class='line0'>What spirit glanced in ’mid the guard at the door?</p>
-<p class='line0'>Their stern bands divide, a fair figure revealing;</p>
-<p class='line0'>She bounds, in her beauty, the dim threshold o’er.</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>Her dark eyes are lovely with tenderest truth;</p>
-<p class='line0'>The bloom on her cheek is the blossom of youth;</p>
-<p class='line0'>And the smile, that steals thro’ it, is rich with the ray</p>
-<p class='line0'>Of a heart full of love and of innocent play.</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>Soft fall her fair tresses her light form around;</p>
-<p class='line0'>Soft fall her fair tresses, nor braided nor bound;</p>
-<p class='line0'>And her white robe is loose, and her dimpled arms bare;</p>
-<p class='line0'>For she is but a child, without trouble or care;</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>Now round the glad vision wild music is heard,⁠—</p>
-<p class='line0'>Is she gifted with winglets of fairy or bird;</p>
-<p class='line0'>For, lo! as if borne on the waves of that sound,</p>
-<p class='line0'>With white arms upwreathing, she floats from the ground.</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>Still glistens the goblet,—’tis heeded no more!</p>
-<p class='line0'>And the jest and the song of the banquet are o’er;</p>
-<p class='line0'>For the revellers, spell-bound by beauty and grace,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Have forgotten all earth, save that form and that face.</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>It is done!—for one moment, mute, motionless, fair,</p>
-<p class='line0'>The phantom of light pauses playfully there;</p>
-<p class='line0'>The next, blushing richly, once more it takes wing,</p>
-<p class='line0'>And she kneels at the footstool of Herod the King.</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>Her young head is drooping, her eyes are bent low,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Her hands meekly crossed on her bosom of snow,</p>
-<p class='line0'>And, veiling her figure, her shining hair flows,</p>
-<p class='line0'>While Herod, flushed high with the revel, arose.</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>Outspake the rash monarch,—“Now, maiden, impart,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Ere thou leave us, the loftiest hope of thy heart!</p>
-<p class='line0'>By the God of my fathers! what e’er it may be,⁠—</p>
-<p class='line0'>To the half of my kingdom,—’tis granted to thee!”</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>The girl, half-bewildered, uplifted her eyes,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Dilated with timid delight and surprise,</p>
-<p class='line0'>And a swift, glowing smile o’er her happy face stole,</p>
-<p class='line0'>As if some sunny wish had just woke in her soul.</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>Will she tell it? Ah, no! She has caught the wild gleam</p>
-<p class='line0'>Of a soldier’s dark eye, and she starts from her dream;</p>
-<p class='line0'>Falters forth her sweet gratitude,—veils her fair frame,⁠—</p>
-<p class='line0'>And glides from the presence, all glowing with shame.</p>
-</div>
-</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend -->
-
-<h2 class='nobreak'>PART II.</h2>
-
-
- <div class='poetry-container' style=''>
- <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' -->
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>Of costly cedar, rarely carved, the royal chambers ceiling,</p>
-<p class='line0'>The columned walls, of marble rich, its brightest hues revealing;</p>
-<p class='line0'>Around the room a starry smile the lamp of crystal shed,</p>
-<p class='line0'>But warmest lay its lustre on a noble lady’s head;</p>
-<p class='line0'>Her dark hair, bound with burning gems, whose fitful lightning glow,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Is tame beside the wild, black eyes that proudly flash below:</p>
-<p class='line0'>The Jewish rose and olive blend their beauty in her face;</p>
-<p class='line0'>She bears her in her high estate with an imperial grace;</p>
-<p class='line0'>All gorgeous glows with orient gold the broidery of her vest;</p>
-<p class='line0'>With precious stones its purple fold is clasped upon her breast;</p>
-<p class='line0'>She gazes from her lattice forth. What sees the lady there?</p>
-<p class='line0'>A strange, wild beauty crowns the scene,—but she has other care!</p>
-</div>
-</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend -->
-
-
- <div class='poetry-container' style=''>
- <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' -->
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>Far off fair Moab’s emerald slopes, and Jordan’s lovely vale;</p>
-<p class='line0'>And nearer,—heights where fleetest foot of wild gazelle would fail;</p>
-<p class='line0'>While crowning every verdant ridge, like drifts of moonlit snow,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Rich palaces and temples rise, around, above, below,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Gleaming thro’ groves of terebinth, of palm, and sycamore,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Where the swift torrents dashing free, their mountain music pour;</p>
-<p class='line0'>And arched o’er all, the Eastern heaven lights up with glory rare</p>
-<p class='line0'>The landscape’s wild magnificence;—but she has other care!</p>
-<p class='line0'>Why flings she thus, with gesture fierce, her silent lute aside?</p>
-<p class='line0'>Some deep emotion chafes her soul with more than wonted pride;</p>
-<p class='line0'>But, hark! a sound has reached her heart, inaudible elsewhere,</p>
-<p class='line0'>And hushed, to melting tenderness, the storm of passion there!</p>
-<p class='line0'>The far-off fall of fairy feet, that fly in eager glee,</p>
-<p class='line0'>A voice, that warbles wildly sweet, some Jewish melody!</p>
-<p class='line0'>She comes! her own Salomé comes! her pure and blooming child!</p>
-<p class='line0'>She comes, and anger yields to love, and sorrow is beguiled:</p>
-<p class='line0'>Her singing bird! low nestling now upon the parent breast,</p>
-<p class='line0'>She murmurs of the monarch’s vow with girlish laugh and jest:⁠—</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend -->
-
-
- <div class='poetry-container' style=''>
- <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' -->
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;“Now choose me a gift and well!</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;There are so many joys I covet!</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;Shall I ask for a young gazelle?</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;’Twould be more than the world to me;</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;Fleet and wild as the wind,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;Oh! how I would cherish and love it!</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;With flowers its neck I’d bind,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;And joy in its graceful glee.</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;“Shall I ask for a gem of light,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;To braid in my flowing ringlets?</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;Like a star thro’ the veil of night,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;Would glisten its glorious hue;</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;Or a radiant bird, to close</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;Its beautiful, waving winglets</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;On my bosom in soft repose,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;And share my love with you!”</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>She paused,—bewildered, terror-struck; for, in her mother’s soul,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Roused by the promise of the king, beyond her weak control,</p>
-<p class='line0'>The exulting tempest of Revenge and Pride raged wild and high,</p>
-<p class='line0'>And sent its storm-cloud to her brow, its lightning to her eye!</p>
-<p class='line0'>Her haughty lip was quivering with anger and disdain,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Her beauteous, jewelled hands were clenched, as if from sudden pain.</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>“Forgive,” Salomé faltering cried, “Forgive my childish glee!</p>
-<p class='line0'>’Twas selfish, vain,—oh! look not thus! but let me ask for <span class='it'>thee</span>!”</p>
-<p class='line0'>Then smiled,—it was a deadly smile,—that lady on her child,</p>
-<p class='line0'>And “Swear thou’ll do my bidding, now!” she cried, in accents wild:</p>
-<p class='line0'>“Ah! when, from earliest childhood’s hour, did I thine anger dare!</p>
-<p class='line0'>Yet, since an oath thy wish must seal,—by Judah’s hopes, I swear!”</p>
-<p class='line0'>Herodias stooped,—one whisper brief!—was it a serpent’s hiss,</p>
-<p class='line0'>That thus the maiden starts and shrinks beneath the woman’s kiss?</p>
-<p class='line0'>A moment’s pause of doubt and dread!—then wild the victim knelt,⁠—</p>
-<p class='line0'>“Take, take <span class='it'>my</span> worthless life instead! Oh! if thou e’er hast felt</p>
-<p class='line0'>A mother’s love,—thou canst not doom—no, no! ’twas but a jest!</p>
-<p class='line0'>Speak!—speak! and let me fly once more, confiding, to thy breast!”</p>
-<p class='line0'>A hollow and sepulchral tone was hers who made reply:</p>
-<p class='line0'>“The oath! the oath!—remember, girl! ’tis registered on high!”</p>
-<p class='line0'>Salomé rose,—mute, moveless stood as marble, save in breath,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Half senseless in her cold despair, her young cheek blanched like death!</p>
-<p class='line0'>But an hour since, so joyous, fond, without a grief or care,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Now struck with wo unspeakable,—how dread a change was there!</p>
-<p class='line0'>“It shall be done!” was that the voice that rang so gaily sweet,</p>
-<p class='line0'>When, innocent and blest she came, but now, with flying feet?</p>
-<p class='line0'>“It shall be done!” she turns to go, but, ere she gains the door,</p>
-<p class='line0'>One look of wordless, deep reproach she backward casts,—no more!</p>
-<p class='line0'>But late she sprang the threshold o’er, a light and blooming child,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Now, reckless, in her grief she goes a woman stern and wild.</p>
-</div>
-</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend -->
-
-<h2 class='nobreak'>PART III.</h2>
-
-
- <div class='poetry-container' style=''>
- <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' -->
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>With pallid check, dishevelled hair, and wildly gleaming eyes,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Once more before the banquetters, a fearful phantom flies!</p>
-<p class='line0'>Once more at Herod’s feet it falls, and cold with nameless dread</p>
-<p class='line0'>The wondering monarch bends to hear. A voice, as from the dead,</p>
-<p class='line0'>From those pale lips, shrieks madly forth,—“Thy promise, king, I claim,</p>
-<p class='line0'>And if the grant be foulest guilt,—not mine,—not mine the blame!</p>
-<p class='line0'>Quick, quick recall that reckless vow, or strike thy dagger here,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Ere yet this voice demand a gift that chills my soul with fear!</p>
-<p class='line0'>Heaven’s curse upon the fatal grace that idly charmed thine eyes!</p>
-<p class='line0'>Oh! better had I ne’er been born than be the sacrifice!</p>
-<p class='line0'>The word I speak will blanch thy cheek, if human heart be thine,</p>
-<p class='line0'>It was a fiend in human form that murmured it to mine.</p>
-<p class='line0'>To die for <span class='it'>me</span>! a thoughtless child! for <span class='it'>me</span> must blood be shed!</p>
-<p class='line0'>Bend low,—lest angels hear me ask!—oh! God!—the Baptist’s head!”</p>
-</div>
-</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend -->
-
-<hr class='tbk117'/>
-
-<div><h1><a id='lig'></a>THE LIGHTNING OF THE WATERS.</h1></div>
-
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;'>———</p>
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;font-size:0.8em;font-weight:bold;'>BY DR. REYNELL COATES.</p>
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;margin-bottom:1.5em;'>———</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>There are few phenomena observable on the
-ocean, more striking than the phosphorescence of
-the water, when seen in high perfection. It has
-forcibly attracted the attention of poets and philosophers
-in all ages, and many and curious have been
-the speculations of those who have endeavored to
-explain the brilliant apparition. In later times,
-however, the progress of natural science has dissipated
-the mystery to a considerable extent, destroying
-a portion of its romantic interest, without,
-thereby, diminishing its exquisite beauty.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>We are well informed, at present, that all the brilliant
-pyrotechny of Neptune is the effect of animal
-secretion, not differing essentially in cause from
-that which ornaments our groves and meadows,
-when the glow-worms of Europe, the fire-flies of
-North America, or the fulgoure of the Indies are
-lighting their fairy love-lanterns beneath the cool,
-green leaves, or filling the air with their mimic
-meteors.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>To those who are not familiar with microscopic
-researches, it may seem almost impossible that animal
-life can be multiplied to such excess in the
-transparent waters, where not a mote is visible by
-daylight, as to give rise to the broad and bright illumination
-of the sea, so frequently observed within
-the lower latitudes; and many, for this reason, have
-attributed these night-fires of the deep to the impurity
-and occasional fermentation of the ocean,—a
-cause which they esteem more nearly commensurate
-with the magnificence of the result. Such theorists
-regard this phosphorescence as similar to that so
-constantly produced by putrifying fish and decaying
-wood.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>These ideas, as I have stated, are no longer tenable,
-and the real origin of the phenomenon is better
-understood. But even now, the few who have witnessed
-it in full extent, variety, and grandeur—a
-privilege rarely enjoyed, except by those who have
-made long voyages, and have become familiar with
-many seas—are lost in wonder; and, unless professionally
-devoted to the study of natural history, they
-find it difficult to credit the assertion, that all these
-vast displays are mere results of living action.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>It may prove interesting, then, to those who are
-fond of such investigations, to offer some remarks on
-the multitudinous character of those tribes of simple
-and transparent beings, which swarm about the surface
-of the ocean, and may be found continually
-changing in race and habits, with almost every degree
-of latitude we traverse.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>If you will take the trouble, on some suitable occasion
-during the month of November or December,
-to descend into a <span class='it'>fashionable oyster cellar</span>, and ask
-admission to the pile of freshly opened shells stowed
-in the usual receptacle, which is in some dark vault or
-closet about the premises, you may chance to witness,
-on a diminutive scale, the far-famed phosphorescence
-of the sea, without enduring the heavy
-<span class='it'>immigration tax</span> levied, with unrelenting severity,
-by the old trident-bearer upon all novices, except,
-perhaps, a few fortunate favorites.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>Take up the shovel that leans against the wall,
-order the light removed and the door closed, and
-then proceed to disturb the shells. If they have been
-taken from the water, where it is purely salt,—and
-still more certainly if gathered from the beds of blue
-marine mud that are the favorite resort of the finest
-oysters—the moment you throw a shovelful upon
-the top of the pile, the whole mass, jarred by the
-blow, will become spangled with hundreds of brilliant
-stars—not in this case pale and silvery, but
-of the richest golden-green or blue. None of these
-stars may equal in size the head of the finest pin;
-but so intense is the light emitted by them, that a
-single, and scarcely visible point will sometimes
-illuminate an inch of the surrounding surface, even
-casting shadows from the little spears of sea-grass
-growing in its neighborhood.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>Choose one of the most conspicuous of these diminutive
-tapers, and, without removing it from the
-shell, carry it towards the gas-lamp. As you approach,
-the brilliancy of the star declines; and when
-the full flood of light is thrown upon the shell, it
-nearly, or entirely disappears. If you press your
-finger rudely upon the spot, you will again perceive
-the luminous matter diffused, like a fluid, over the
-surrounding surface, and shining, for an instant,
-more brightly than ever, even under the immediate
-glare of the gas. Then all is over. You have crushed
-one of the glow-worms of the deep—an animal, once
-probably as vain of his golden flame as you of any
-of your brilliant endowments—perhaps some sentinel
-there stationed to alarm his sleeping brethren of
-the approach of danger—perhaps an animalcular
-Hero trimming her solitary lamp to guide her chosen
-one, through more than Leander’s dangers, along
-the briny path to her rocky bower, beset by all the
-microscopic monsters of the corallines! At all
-events, despise it as you may, this little being was
-possessed of life, susceptible of happiness, and endowed
-with power to outshine, with inborn lustre,
-the richest gem in Europe’s proudest diadem!</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>The sea is filled in many regions, and at various
-seasons, with incalculable multitudes of living creatures,
-in structure much resembling this little parasite,
-but often vastly more imposing in dimensions.
-The smallest tribes that are able to call attention
-to their individual existence generally wander, like
-erratic stars, beneath the waves. They may be
-seen by thousands shooting past the vessel, on evenings
-when the moon is absent or obscured, suddenly
-lighting their torches when the motion of the bow
-produces a few curling swells and breakers on
-either hand, and whirling from eddy to eddy, as they
-sweep along the side and are lost in the wake. From
-time to time the vessel, in her progress, disturbs
-some large being of similar powers, who instantly
-ejects a trail of luminous fluid which, twining, and
-waving about among contending currents, assumes
-the semblance of a silver snake. But the most surprising
-of all proofs of the infinity of life is furnished
-by those inconceivably numerous bands of shining
-animalcules, too small for human vision, which in
-their aggregate effect perform, perhaps, the grandest
-part in beautifying the night scene on the ocean.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>The crest of every wave emits a pale and milky
-light and every ripple that, urged onward too rapidly
-before the breeze, expires in spreading its little patch
-of foam upon the water, increases the mysterious
-brightness. On a starless evening the novice may
-find it very difficult to account for the distinctness
-with which even the distant billows may be traced
-by their whitened summits, while every other object
-is thrown into the deepest shade. The gentle radiation
-from within the foam deceives the eye:—it
-seems a mere reflection from the surface; and he
-turns again and again towards the heavens, with the
-constantly renewed impression, that the moon
-has found some transient opening in the cloudy
-canopy through which descends a thin pencil of rays
-to be glinted back from the edges of the waves.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>Though certain portions of the ocean, generally,
-present but slender proofs of phosphorescence,—such
-being peculiarly the case within the gloomy
-limits of the Gulf Stream, for reasons not to
-be appropriately mentioned here—yet no observing
-person can have passed a week upon the ocean, or
-rowed his skiff by night on any of our principal harbors,
-without becoming familiar with most of the
-appearances to which allusion has been made. A mere
-voyage to Europe frequently presents much grander
-examples; but he who would enjoy the view of the
-phenomenon in its fullest glory, must “cross earth’s
-central line” “and brave the stormy spirit of the
-Cape.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>Let me transport you for a few moments into the
-midst of the Indian Ocean! The sultry sun of February
-has been basking all day upon the heated
-waters from a brassy sky without a cloud—the vapors
-of the upper regions resembling a thin veil of
-dust, fiery and glowing, as if recently ejected from
-the mouth of some vast furnace! But the tyrant
-has gone to his repose, and we enjoy some respite
-from his scorching influence. It is not cool, but the
-temperature is tolerable, <span class='it'>and this is much</span>! Leave
-the observation of the barometer to the captain!
-You cannot prevent a hurricane, should it be impending.
-Then trust such cares to those in whom is
-vested the responsibility, and come on deck with
-me.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>There is no moon—but the “sentinel stars” are all
-at their post. Observe those broad flashes reflected
-upward from beneath the bows, and playing brightly
-upon the jib! At every plunge of the vessel, as she
-sinks into the trough of the sea, you might read a
-volume fluently by that mild radiance; and beautiful
-indeed is the view from the fore stay-sail nettings,
-looking down upon the curling wreaths on either
-side of the cut-water, and the long lines of foam
-thrown off by the swell as the vessel gracefully
-breasts the coming wave, all glowing like molten
-silver intermingled with a thousand diamonds!</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>But I will not lead you thitherward—a noble sight
-awaits us in our wake. Step to the stern and lean
-with me over the taffrail. What a glorious vision!
-For miles abaft, our course presents one long and
-wide canal of living light—the clear, blue ocean,
-transparent as air, filling it to repletion; while the
-darker waters around appear like some dense medium
-through which superior spirits have constructed
-this magic path-way for us and us alone, so nicely
-are its breadth and depth adjusted to the form of our
-gallant bark. Has not the galaxy been torn from
-heaven, and whelmed beneath the waves to form
-that burning road? No! no! Though thousands of
-bright orbs are set in that nether firmament to
-strengthen the delusion, yet it cannot be. Night’s
-stormy cincture never gleamed like this, nor bore
-such dazzling gems. There it still glimmers with
-its myriad sparks, athwart the dark blue vault, paled
-by the radiance of its sea-born rival, while huge
-globes of fire roll from beneath the keel, and blaze
-along the silvery track like showers of wandering
-meteors, but all too gentle in their aspect to be
-deemed of evil-augury.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>Those stars are literally <span class='it'>living stars</span>,—that ocean
-galaxy is formed of living beings only,—and even
-those meteors, invisible by day, except when they
-approach unusually near to the surface, are active
-in pursuit of prey. Observe one closely, and you
-perceive its motions. Formed like a great umbrella
-of transparent jelly, with fibres, yards in length,
-trailing from its margin, and the handle carved into
-a beautiful group of leaves, it flaps its way regularly
-through the water with a stately march, and wo to
-the unfortunate creature that becomes involved in
-the meshes of its stinging tendrils.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>This is no exaggerated picture, for such are the
-beautiful phenomena occasionally witnessed in the
-Indian and Pacific Oceans. The animals upon whose
-agency they are dependent, generally become invisible
-by daylight in consequence of their transparency;
-but there are certain tribes among them whose peculiar
-structure renders them conspicuous: and of these
-one of the most remarkable is known to naturalists by
-the title of Salpa.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>There are many species of the salpæ, but they
-bear a closer likeness to each other than do most of
-these simple tribes of being. In form they all resemble
-diminutive purses, composed of highly transparent
-jelly, with wide mouths like the ordinary clasp—and
-strengthened by a net-work of ribbons interwoven
-with the general texture of the purse. These are
-designed to supply the place of muscles. The salpæ
-move through the water by contracting the net-work,
-so as to render the cavity smaller and expel the water
-from it with some force; then, relaxing the fibres,
-they allow their natural elasticity to expand them to
-their original form; thus drawing in a fresh supply
-of fluid with which to renew the effort. In this manner
-they are driven onward, always retreating from
-the principal orifice of the sac. But I will not detain
-you with a detailed description of their singular organization.
-It is enough for our present purpose to
-state that near the bottom of the purse, within the
-thickness of its walls, there is a golden spot, as if a
-solitary coin was there deposited. This spot alone
-enables us to see the animal distinctly when floating
-in the water.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>When young, these little creatures adhere together
-in strings or cords arranged like the leaflets of a pinnated
-leaf, in consecutive pairs, to the number of
-twenty or more. At that period, the most common
-species in the South Atlantic rarely exceed one half
-an inch in length, and the yellow spot hardly equals
-in size an ordinary grain of sand; yet, in certain
-regions of the ocean these salpæ swarm in such
-inconceivable multitudes that the sea assumes the
-appearance of a sandy shoal for miles in length and
-breadth. To the depth of many fathoms their delicate
-bodies are closely huddled together, until the
-constant repetition of the diminutive colored spots
-renders the water perfectly opaque, and so increases
-its consistence that the lighter ripple of the surface
-breaks upon the edge of the animated bank, while the
-heavier billows roll on smoothly, with the regular and
-more majestic motion of the ground swell. In passing
-through such tracts the speed of the vessel is sometimes
-sensibly checked by the increased resistance of
-the medium in which she moves; and when a bucket
-full of brine is lifted from the sea, it may contain a
-larger portion of living matter than of the fluid in
-which it floats.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>There can be no reasonable doubt that most of
-those false shoals which disfigure the older charts—their
-existence proved upon authorities of known
-veracity and denied by others no less credible—have
-really been laid down by navigators who have met
-with beds of salpæ, and were ignorant of their true
-nature.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>I have never seen these animals emitting light, but
-it is well known that many phosphorescent animalcules
-shine only in certain stages of the weather or
-at certain seasons of the year: and as several distinguished
-travellers have spoken of their luminous
-properties, it is at least probable that they or their
-congeners act an important part in dramas similar to
-that which has been just described. At all events,
-their history clearly shows the vastness of the scale
-of animal existence in the superficial waters of the
-ocean. But for the little yellow spot within their
-bodies, they would be totally invisible at the distance
-of a few feet in their native fluid, and could not
-interfere appreciably with the progress of the rays
-of light.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>If further proof were necessary to show the incalculable
-increase of many oceanic tribes, it might be
-found in the history of living beings much more familiar
-to the mariner. Most persons have met with
-notices of the Portuguese man-of-war, called, by naturalists
-<span class='it'>physalia</span>, a living air sac of jelly provided
-with a sail, armed with a multitude of dependant bottle
-shaped stomachs, all capable of seizing prey, and
-colored more beautifully than the rainbow. This
-splendid creature pursues its way over the waves with
-all the skill of an accomplished pilot, and furnishes,
-when caught, one of the most astonishing examples of
-the adaptation of animal structure to the peculiar
-wants, and theatre of action of living beings, one of the
-most striking evidences of Omniscient Wisdom which
-nature offers to the moralist. The physalia rarely
-sails in squadrons, but wanders solitary and self-dependent
-over the tropical seas, a terror even to
-man, by the power which it possesses of stinging
-and inflicting pain upon whatever comes in contact
-with its long, trailing cables.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>But there is another little sailor called the <span class='it'>velella</span>;
-unprovided with offensive weapons, though formed
-in most respects upon a model somewhat similar to
-that of the physalia, unguarded as the peaceful trader
-against the piratical attacks of a thousand enemies,
-its very race would soon become extinct, were it
-not for its unlimited increase.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>Provided with a flat, transparent, oval scale of cartilage,
-for the support of a gelatinous body, it floats
-by specific levity, alone, for it has no air vessel—and
-employs its hundreds of stomachs for ballast.
-Another scale arising at right angles with the first
-and covered with thin membrane, supplies it with a
-sail. This unprotected creature serves as food for
-many predatory tribes, and of these, the most voracious
-is the barnacle. The flesh devoured, the scales
-still float for many days, mere wrecks of these gay
-vessels.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>The velellæ are usually found in fleets, and to
-convey some idea of their numbers, I may state that
-on one occasion, when sailing before the western
-winds, beyond the southern latitude of the Cape of
-Good Hope, our ship encountered a group of globular
-masses of a pale yellow color swimming upon
-the surface and surrounded by fringes of an unknown
-substance. Each mass resembled the eggs of some
-great sea-bird, reposing on a nest of buoyant feathers.
-Taking them with a dip net, from the chains, we
-found the yellow masses to be globular cryptogamous
-plants, to every one of which adhered a group
-of barnacles, far larger than the largest I had ever
-seen before.<a id='r1'/><a href='#f1' style='text-decoration:none'><sup><span style='font-size:0.9em'>[1]</span></sup></a> Many of these last were so intent
-upon demolishing their prey, that, even in leaving
-their native element, to fall into the hands of tyrants
-more dangerous than themselves, it was not always
-relinquished. Grasping in their horny arms the unfortunate
-velellæ, they continued grinding the soft
-jelly from the tougher cartilage, with an avidity and
-determination that reminded me strongly of the scene
-in Byron’s Siege of Corinth, where Alp, the renegade,</p>
-
-
- <div class='poetry-container' style=''>
- <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' -->
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-<p class='line0'>“Saw the lean dogs beneath the wall</p>
-<p class='line0'>Hold, o’er the dead, their carnival,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Gorging and growling o’er carcass and limb;</p>
-<p class='line0'>They were too busy to bark at him!”</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend -->
-
-<p class='pindent'>This drew our attention to the source from which
-such plentiful supplies of food were obtained, and on
-examination, the ocean was found literally covered
-with the scales of the murdered velellæ, faintly distinguishable
-by their glistening in the sunshine, and
-interspersed with a few living specimens waiting
-their turn in the general massacre. We scooped
-them up by thousands; and for three long days the
-ship swept onward “dead before the wind” with
-the steady and scarcely paralleled speed of more than
-ten knots an hour, thus accomplishing a change of
-more than seven hundred miles in longitude, before
-the last remnant of this unhappy fleet was passed.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>Though it is not pretended that these little sea-boats
-possess the phosphorescent quality, their numbers
-and the wide extent of their flotilla will suffice
-to render far less wonderful the vastness of those
-beautiful results of animal secretion which have
-furnished the subject of this sketch.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>But there are other similar and more remarkable
-phenomena attendant on these brilliant night scenes,
-that can only be explained, either by supposing that
-myriads of these aquatic beings are endowed with a
-community of instinct, or, that the changes of the
-weather influenced them in such a way as to awaken
-all their luminous powers upon the instant, without
-the intervention of any mechanical disturbing cause,
-in the mere frolic mood of nature.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>Those who have visited the Chinese islands, or
-either of several other well known regions in the
-Pacific, have been occasionally surprised, on a calm
-moon-light night, when scarce a swell, and not a
-ripple is perceptible, to see the ocean suddenly converted
-into one wide pool of milk! As described by
-a few observers who have been so fortunate as
-to witness this rare and strange appearance, the
-color is so equally diffused over the whole field of
-view, that all resemblance to the ordinary hue is
-lost, and yet no wandering stars,—no scattered
-torches can be seen—not even beneath the bows—so
-feeble is the intensity of the light emitted, that
-several have denied the agency of phosphorescence
-in producing this remarkable effect, and were convinced
-there was a real change in the nature of the
-fluid; but others, less enamored of the supernatural,
-have clearly proved that even this phenomenon is
-due to the activity of an infinity of animalcules.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>The very rarity of such occurrences distinctly
-shows that the microscopic beings which produce it
-do not emit their light at all times, and there must
-exist some cause for this wide-spread and consentaneous
-action. To community of instinct it can hardly
-be attributed.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>We may understand the fact, wonderful as it may
-be, that an army of emmets should cross a public
-road or open space, from field to field, or from forest
-to forest, fashioning themselves, as they are sometimes
-known to do, into the form of a snake, by
-crawling over each other’s backs, by dozens, from
-the tail to the head of the figure; thus shortening it
-at one extremity, while they lengthen it at the other,
-and cause it to advance slowly towards their desired
-retreat! We may understand this evidence of untaught
-wisdom, for we see its purpose and its usefulness.
-Such means enable these defenceless beings
-to elude the vigilance of their feathery enemies,
-whose beaks, but for the terror of the mimic reptile,
-would soon annihilate the weak community.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>We may even comprehend that more magnificent
-display of providential guidance witnessed in the
-habits of the coral animals, where nations of separate
-beings, outnumbering a thousand times the
-living population of the earth and air, enjoy one
-common life, and build up islands, for the use of man,
-on models definitely fixed. For here, also, there is
-<span class='it'>purpose</span>, and were it not that every individual of the
-host performs his proper duty—constructing, <span class='it'>here</span> a
-buttress, <span class='it'>there</span> an alcove,—the dash of the billows
-and the fury of the storm would soon disintegrate
-the growing structure. The reef that lies athwart
-the mariner’s path, and strews itself with wrecks,
-would never rise above the surface, to gather the
-seeds of vegetation, attract the cool, fresh moisture
-from the air, and lay foundations for the future happiness
-and wealth of man.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>But how shall we explain an instinct by which
-myriads of creatures, totally distinct and unconnected,
-are induced, without apparent end or object,
-to act in concert over leagues of sea, as it would
-seem merely to fright the passing voyager! It may
-be that the action of these animalcules, by which
-the milky glimmering is occasioned, is involuntary.
-It may be the result of atmospheric or electric influence
-upon the living frame, to serve some hidden
-purpose in their unknown economy; for many things,
-even in our own organic history, surpass our powers
-of comprehension; we know neither their nature nor
-their use. But analogy would lead us to infer the
-exercise of <span class='it'>will</span> in all the various phenomena of
-phosphorescence, however impenetrable the purpose
-of its exercise may be. Like the insect songs of a
-summer night, or the love-light of the glow-worm
-and the fire-fly, they probably control or guide the
-motions of the individual or of whole communities.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>This idea receives some countenance from the history
-of a more remarkable example of this sub-marine
-meteor, witnessed in the southern summer
-of 1823-4, near the island of Tristan d’Acunha,
-under circumstances never to be forgotten—and with
-one short notice of its character I will leave the
-reader to his reflections upon these wonders of the
-deep.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>The night was dark and damp—the western breeze
-too light to steady the vessel, and she rolled heavily
-over the wide swell of the South Atlantic, making it
-difficult for a landsman to maintain his footing on the
-deck. A fog-bank, which hung around the northern
-horizon at sunset, now came sweeping slowly down
-upon us in the twilight. The captain ordered the
-light sails furled in expectation of a squall, and we
-stood leaning together over the bulwarks, watching
-the mist, which approached more and more rapidly,
-till it resembled, in the increasing darkness, an immense
-and toppling wall extending from the water
-to the clouds, and seemed threatening to crush us
-beneath it. There was something peculiarly awful
-in its impenetrable obscurity; and even the crew
-relinquished their several occupations to gaze on the
-unusual aspect of the fog. It reached us;—but just
-at this moment, a flash, like a broad sheet of summer
-lightning, spread itself over the ocean as far as the
-eye could reach, but deep below the waves. Five
-or six times, at intervals, of a few seconds, the flash
-was repeated, and then the vessel was enveloped in
-the mist. The breeze immediately quickened; the
-sailors sprang to their stations, and, for a few minutes,
-the bustle of preparation for a change of wind attracted
-the exclusive attention of every one. In this
-short interval, the narrow belt of vapor had passed
-off to leeward, and left us bounding merrily along at
-the rate of ten knots an hour, with a spanking
-norther full upon our beam, over waves sparkling
-and dancing in the clear, bright moon-light. But, <span class='it'>the
-lightning of the waters was gone</span>!</p>
-
-<hr class='footnotemark'/>
-
-<div class='footnote'>
-<table summary='footnote_1'>
-<colgroup>
-<col span='1' class='footnoteid'/>
-<col span='1'/>
-</colgroup>
-<tr><td style='vertical-align:top;'>
-<div class='footnote-id' id='f1'><a href='#r1'>[1]</a></div>
-</td><td>
-
-<p class='pindent'>The Anatifa Vitrea.</p>
-
-</td></tr>
-</table>
-</div>
-
-<hr class='tbk118'/>
-
-<div><h1><a id='call'></a>CALLORE.</h1></div>
-
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;'>———</p>
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;font-size:0.8em;font-weight:bold;'>BY ALEXANDER A. IRVINE.</p>
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;margin-bottom:1.5em;'>———</p>
-
-
- <div class='poetry-container' style=''>
- <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' -->
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>Thou art ever fair to me⁠—</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Fairer than the Autumn moon,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Or a fountain, in its glee,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Singing through the woods of June⁠—</p>
-<p class='line0'>Fairer than a streamlet bright</p>
-<p class='line0'>Flowing on in shimmered light,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Darkling under grassy sedge</p>
-<p class='line0'>Fringing all the river’s edge,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Rippling by the breezes fann’d,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Sliding over silver sand,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Through the meadow gayly ranging</p>
-<p class='line0'>With an aspect ever changing,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Yet with quiet depths below,</p>
-<p class='line0'>And an even, constant flow,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Pensive, musical and slow⁠—</p>
-<p class='line0'>Ever such thou art to me,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Laughing, blue-eyed <span class='sc'>Callore</span>!</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>Oh! the stars have sybil tones!</p>
-<p class='line0'>Singing by their golden thrones,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Singing as they watching stand</p>
-<p class='line0'>In their weird and silent land!</p>
-<p class='line0'>But thy voice is sweeter far</p>
-<p class='line0'>Than the music of the star!</p>
-<p class='line0'>Melting on the air at even,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;With a mystic sound</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Flowing, flowing all around,</p>
-<p class='line0'>’Till the soul is raised to heaven</p>
-<p class='line0'>Oh! at moments such as these</p>
-<p class='line0'>I could kneel on bended knees,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Ever kneel and hear thee sing,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Silent, rapt and worshipping.</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>As a bark upon the tide</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Moving on to symphony,</p>
-<p class='line0'>With its dipping oars beside</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;Keeping time melodiously,</p>
-<p class='line0'>So thou movest on thy way,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Ever graceful, ever gay.</p>
-<p class='line0'>Or, perchance, in sportive band,</p>
-<p class='line0'>With thy sisters hand in hand,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Swinging all in mystic round⁠—</p>
-<p class='line0'>Thou wilt dance with gentle sound,</p>
-<p class='line0'>A sound as that of fairy feet,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Soft, harmonious and sweet,</p>
-<p class='line0'>As woodland waterfalls at night</p>
-<p class='line0'>Tinkling in the still starlight.</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>How thine eyes with tears o’erflow</p>
-<p class='line0'>At the troubled tale of wo⁠—</p>
-<p class='line0'>In those eyes I love to look,</p>
-<p class='line0'>They to me are as a book.</p>
-<p class='line0'>There I read without disguise,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;And a joy beyond control,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;All that in thine inner soul</p>
-<p class='line0'>As upon an altar lies⁠—</p>
-<p class='line0'>Gazing thus, I feel as when</p>
-<p class='line0'>Buried from the haunts of men,</p>
-<p class='line0'>In some quiet shady nook,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Looking downwards in the brook⁠—</p>
-<p class='line0'>I have heard the forest breeze</p>
-<p class='line0'>Wake mysterious melodies,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Bringing sounds of childish play</p>
-<p class='line0'>From the solitudes away,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Singing as a gleesome boy,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Ravishing the soul with joy,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Lifting it on pinions free⁠—</p>
-<p class='line0'>Silver-tonguéd <span class='sc'>Callore</span>!</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>Ever, ever thou art meek,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;With a mirthful soberness;</p>
-<p class='line0'>None have ever heard thee speak</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Of thy passing loveliness⁠—</p>
-<p class='line0'>Thou dost joy to be away</p>
-<p class='line0'>From the garish light of day;</p>
-<p class='line0'>Brooding o’er each holy feeling</p>
-<p class='line0'>Soft across thy bosom stealing;</p>
-<p class='line0'>With thine eyelids downward bent,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Musing in a meek content,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Like a saint upon a shrine</p>
-<p class='line0'>Wrapt in dreams of bliss divine!</p>
-<p class='line0'>Surely, thou art not of earth⁠—</p>
-<p class='line0'>With the angels is thy birth⁠—</p>
-<p class='line0'>Thou hast come awhile, to be</p>
-<p class='line0'>My guide to heaven, <span class='sc'>Callore</span>!</p>
-</div>
-</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend -->
-
-<hr class='tbk119'/>
-
-<div><h1><a id='sis'></a>THE SISTERS.</h1></div>
-
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;margin-bottom:1em;font-weight:bold;'>A TALE OF THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY.</p>
-
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;'>———</p>
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;font-size:0.8em;font-weight:bold;'>BY H. W. HERBERT, AUTHOR OF “RINGWOOD THE ROVER,” “THE BROTHERS,” “CROMWELL,” ETC. ETC.</p>
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;margin-bottom:1.5em;'>———</p>
-
-<h2 class='nobreak'>PART I.</h2>
-
-<p class='pindent'>In one of those sweet glens, half pastoral half sylvan,
-which may be found in hundreds channelling
-the steep sides of the moorland hills, and sending
-down the tribute of their pure limestone springs to
-the broad rapid rivers which fertilize no less than
-they adorn the lovely vales of Western Yorkshire,
-there may be seen to this day the ruins of an old
-dwelling-house, situate on a spot so picturesque, so
-wild, and yet so soft in its romantic features, that they
-would well repay the traveller for a brief halt, who,
-but too often, hurries onward in search of more remote
-yet certainly not greater beauties. The gorge,
-within the mouth of which the venerable pile is
-seated, opens into the broader valley from the north-eastern
-side, enjoying the full light and warmth of the
-southern sunshine; and, although very narrow at its
-origin, where its small crystal rivulet springs up
-from the lonely well-head, fringed by a few low
-shrubs of birch and alder, expands here, at its mouth,
-into a pretty amphitheatre or basin of a few acres
-circuit. A wild and feathery coppice of oak, and
-birch, and hazel, with here and there a mountain
-ash, showing its bright red berries through the rich
-foliage, clothes all the lower part of the surrounding
-slopes; while, far above, the seamed and shattered
-faces of the gray, slaty limestone rise up like artificial
-walls, their summits crowned with the fair purple
-heather, and every nook and cranny in their sides
-crowded with odorous wild flowers. Within the circuit
-of these natural limits, sheltering it from every
-wind of heaven, except the gentle south, the turf lies
-smooth and even as if it were a cultured lawn; while
-a few rare exotic shrubs, now all run out of shape,
-and bare, and straggling, indicate even yet the time
-when it was a fair shrubbery, tended by gentle hands,
-and visited by young and lovely beings, now cold in
-their untimely sepulchres. The streamlet, which
-comes gushing down the glen with its clear, copious
-flow, boiling and murmuring about the large gray
-boulders which everywhere obstruct its channels,
-making a thousand mimic cataracts, and wakening
-ever a wild, mirthful music, sweeps here quite close
-to the foot of the eastern cliff, the feathery branches
-of the oakwood dipping their foliage in its eddies, and
-then, just as it issues forth into the open champaine,
-wheels round in a half circle, completely fanning
-the little amphitheatre above, except at one point
-hard beneath the opposite hill face, where a small
-winding horse track, engrossing the whole space between
-the streamlet and the limestone rock, gives
-access to the lone demesne. A small green hillock,
-sloping down gently to the southward, fills the embracing
-arms of the bright brook, around the northern
-base of which is scattered a little grove of the most
-magnificent and noblest sycamores that I have ever
-seen; but on the other side, which yet retains its
-pristine character of a smooth open lawn, there are
-no obstacles to the view over the wide valley, except
-three old gnarled thorn bushes, uncommon from their
-size and the dense luxuriance of their matted greenery.
-It was upon the summit of this little knoll that the old
-homestead stood, whose massive ruins of red freestone,
-all overgrown with briers, and tall rank grass
-and dock leaves, deface the spot which they adorned
-of old; and, when it was erect in all its fair proportions,
-the scene which it overlooked, and its own
-natural attractions, rendered it one of the loveliest
-residences in all the north of England—the wide,
-rich, gentle valley, all meadow land or pasture, without
-one brown ploughed field to mar its velvet green;
-the tall, thick hawthorn hedges, with their long lines
-of hedgerow timber, oak, ash and elm, waving above
-the smooth enclosures; the broad, clear, tranquil river
-flashing out like a silver mirror through the green
-foliage; the scattered farm-houses, each nestled as it
-were among its sheltering orchards; the village spire
-shooting up from the clump of giant elms which over-shadow
-the old grave-yard; the steep, long slope on
-the other side of the vale, or strath, as it would be
-called in Scotland, all mapped out to the eye, with
-its green fences and wide hanging woods; and, far
-beyond, the rounded summits of the huge moorland
-hills, ridge above ridge, purple, and grand, and massive,
-but less and less distinct as they recede from the
-eye, and melt away at last into the far blue distance—such
-was the picture which its windows overlooked
-of old, and which still laughs as gaily in the sunshine
-around its mouldering walls and lonely hearth-stone.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>But if it is fair now, and lovely, what was it as it
-showed in the good old days of King Charles, before
-the iron hand of civil war had pressed so heavily on
-England? The grove of sycamores stood there, as
-they stand now, in the prime and luxuriance of their
-sylvan manhood; for they are waxing now aged and
-somewhat gray and stag-horned; and the thorn
-bushes sheltered, as they do now, whole choirs of
-thrushes and blackbirds, but all the turf beneath the
-scattered trees and on the sunny slope was shorn,
-and rolled, and watered, that it was smooth and
-even, and far softer than the most costly carpet that
-ever wooed the step of Persian beauty. The Hall
-was a square building, not very large, of the old
-Elizabethan style, with two irregular additions,
-wings, as they might be called, of the same architecture,
-though of a later period, and its deep-embayed
-oriel windows, with their fantastic mullions of carved
-freestone, its tall quaint chimneys, and its low porch,
-with overhanging canopy and clustered columns,
-rendered it an object singularly picturesque and
-striking. The little green within the gorge of the
-upper glen, which is so wildly beautiful in its present
-situation, left as it is to the unaided hand of nature,
-was then a perfect paradise; for an exquisite taste
-had superintended its conversion into a sort of untrained
-garden; an eye well used to note effects had
-marked its natural capabilities, and, adding artificial
-beauties, had never trenched upon the character of
-the spot by anything incongruous or startling. Rare
-plants, rich-flowering shrubs, and scented herbs were
-indeed scattered with a lavish hand about its precincts,
-but were so scattered that they seemed the
-genuine productions of the soil; the Spanish cistus
-had been taught to carpet the wild crags in conjunction
-with the native thyme and heather; the arbutus
-and laurestinus had been brought from afar to vie
-with the mountain ash and holly; the clematis and
-the sweet scented vine blended their tendrils with the
-rich English honeysuckle and the luxuriant ivy; rare
-lotuses might be seen floating with their azure
-colored cups and broad green leaves upon the glassy
-basins, into which the mountain streamlet had been
-taught to expand, among the white wild water lilies
-and the bright yellow clusters of the marsh marigold;
-roses of every hue and scent, from the dark crimson
-of Damascus to the pale blush of soft Provence, grew
-side by side with the wild wood-brier and the eglantine,
-and many a rustic seat, of mossy stone or roots
-and unbarked branches, invited the loitering visiter
-in every shadowy angle.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>There was no spot in all the north of England
-whereon the winter frowned so lightly as on those
-sheltered precincts—there was no spot whereon
-spring smiled so early, and with so bright an aspect—wherein
-the summer so long lingered, pouring her
-gorgeous flowers, rich with her spicy breath, into the
-very lap of autumn. It was, indeed, a sweet spot,
-and as happy as it was sweet and beautiful, before
-the curse of civil war was poured upon the groaning
-land, with its dread train of foul and fiendish ministers;
-and yet it was not war, nor any of its direct
-consequences, that turned that happy home into a
-ruin and a desolation. It was not war—except the
-struggles of the human heart—the conflict of the
-fierce and turbulent passions—the strife of principles,
-of motives, of desires, within the secret soul, maybe
-called war, as, indeed, they might, and that with no
-figurative tongue, for they are surely the hottest, the
-most devastating, the most fatal of all that bear that
-ominous and cruel appellation.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>Such was the aspect then of Ingleborough Hall, at
-the period when it was perhaps the most beautiful;
-and when, as is but too often the case, its beauties
-were on the very point of being brought to a close
-forever. The family which owned the manor, for the
-possessions attached to the old homestead were large,
-and the authority attached to them extended over a
-large part of Upper Wharfdale, was one of those old
-English races which, though not noble in the literal
-sense of the word, are yet so ancient, and so indissolubly
-connected with the soil, that they may justly
-be comprised among the aristocracy of the land. The
-name was Saxon, and it was generally believed—and
-probably with truth—that the date of the name, and of
-its connection with that estate, was at the least coeval
-with the conquest. To what circumstances it was
-owing that the Hawkwoods, for such was the time-honored
-appellation of the race, had retained possession
-of their fair demesne when all the land was
-allotted out to feudal barons and fat priests, can never
-now be ascertained; nor does it indeed signify; yet
-that it was to some honorable cause, some service
-rendered, or some high exploit, may be fairly presumed
-from the fact that the mitred potentate of
-Bolton Abbey, who levied his tythes far and near
-throughout those fertile valleys, had no claims on the
-fruits of Ingleborough. During the ages that had
-passed since the advent of the Norman William, the
-Hawkwoods had never lacked male representatives
-to sustain the dignity of their race; and gallantly had
-they sustained it; for in full many a lay and legend,
-aye! and in grave, cold history itself, the name of
-Hawkwood might be found side by side with the
-more sonorous appellations of the Norman feudatories,
-the Ardens, and Maulevers, and Vavasours,
-which fill the chronicles of border warfare. At the
-period of which we write, however, the family had
-no male scion—the last male heir, Ralph Hawkwood,
-had died some years before, full of years and of domestic
-honors—a zealous sportsman, a loyal subject,
-a kind landlord, a good friend—his lot had fallen in
-quiet times and pleasant places, and he lived happily,
-and died in the arms of his family, at peace with all
-men. His wife, a calm and placid dame, who had,
-in her young days, been the beauty of the shire, survived
-him, and spent her whole time, as she devoted
-her whole mind and spirit, in educating the two
-daughters, joint heiresses of the old manor-houses,
-who were left by their father’s death, two bright-eyed
-fair-haired prattlers, dependent for protection on the
-strong love but frail support of their widowed mother.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>Years passed away, and with their flight the two
-fair children were matured into two sweet and lovely
-women; yet the same fleeting suns which brought to
-them complete and perfect youth were fraught to
-others with decay, and all the carking cares, and
-querulous ailments of old age. The mother, who had
-watched with keen solicitude over their budding infancy,
-over the promise of their lovely childhood,
-lived indeed, but lived not to see or understand the
-full accomplishment of that bright promise. Even
-before the elder girl had reached the dawn of womanhood,
-palsy had shaken the enfeebled limbs, and its
-accustomed follower—mental debility—had, in no
-small degree, impaired the intellect of her surviving
-parent; but long before her sister had reached her
-own maturity, the limbs were helplessly immovable,
-the mind was wholly clouded and estranged. It was
-not now the wandering and uncertain darkness that
-flits across the veiled horizon of the mind alternately
-with vivid gleams, flashes of memory and intellect,
-brighter perhaps than ever visited the spirit until its
-partial aberrations had jarred its vital principle—it
-was that deep and utter torpor, blanker than sleep
-and duller, for no dreams seem to mingle with its
-day-long lethargy—that absolute paralysis of all the
-faculties of soul and body, which is so beautifully
-painted by the great Roman satirist, as the</p>
-
-<div class='blockquote'>
-
-
- <div class='poetry-container' style=''>
- <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' -->
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;“omnii</p>
-<p class='line0'>Membrorum damno major dementia, quæ nec</p>
-<p class='line0'>Homina servorum, nec vultum agnoscit amici</p>
-<p class='line0'>Cum quo præterita cænavit nocti, nec illos</p>
-<p class='line0'>Quos genuit, quos eduxit”—</p>
-</div>
-</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend -->
-
-</div>
-
-<p class='noindent'>that still, sad, patient, silent suffering, which sits from
-day to day in the one usual chair, unconscious of itself
-and almost so of all around it; easily pleased by trifles,
-which it forgets as soon, deriving its sole real and
-tangible enjoyment from the doze in the summer sunshine,
-or by the sparkling hearth of winter. Such
-was the mother now; so utterly, so hopelessly dependent
-on the cares and gratitude of those bright
-beings whose infancy she had nursed so devotedly—and
-well was that devotedness now compensated;
-for day and night, winter and summer, did those
-sweet girls by turn watch over the frail, querulous
-sexagenarian—never both leaving her at once, one
-sleeping while the other watched, attentive ever to
-her importunate and ceaseless cravings, patient and
-mild to meet her angry and uncalled for lamentations.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>You would have thought that a seclusion so entire,
-from all society of their equals, must have prevented
-their acquiring those usual accomplishments, those
-necessary arts, which every English gentlewoman
-is presumed to possess as things of course—that they
-must have grown up mere ignorant, unpolished
-country lasses, without a taste or aspiration beyond
-the small routine of their dull daily duties—that long
-confinement must have broken the higher and more
-spiritual parts of their fine natural minds—that they
-must have become mere moping household drudges—and
-so to think would be so very natural, that it is
-by no means easy to conceive how it was brought to
-pass, that the very opposite of this should have been
-the result. The very opposite it was, however—for
-as there were not in the whole West Riding two
-girls more beautiful than Annabel and Marian Hawkwood,
-so were there surely none so highly educated,
-so happy in themselves, so eminently calculated to
-render others happy. Accomplished as musicians
-both, though Annabel especially excelled in instrumental
-music, while her young sister was unrivalled
-in voice and execution as a songstress; both skilled
-in painting; and if not poetesses in so much as to be
-stringers of words and rhymes, certainly such, and
-that too of no mean order, in the wider and far higher
-acceptation of the word; for their whole souls were
-attuned to the very highest key of spiritual sensibility—romantic,
-not in the weak and ordinary meaning of
-the term, but as admirers of all things high, and pure,
-and noble—worshippers of the beautiful, whether it
-were embodied in the wild scenery of their native
-glens, in the rock, the stream, the forest, the sunshine
-that clothed all of them in a rich garb of glory,
-or the dread storm that veiled them all in gloom and
-terror—or in the master-pieces of the schools of painting
-and of sculpture—or in the pages of the great,
-the glorious of all ages—or in the deeds of men,
-perils encountered hardily, sufferings constantly endured,
-sorrows assuaged by charitable generosity.
-Such were they in the strain and tenor of their minds;
-gentle, moreover, as the gentlest of created things;
-humble to their inferiors, but with a proud, and self-respecting,
-and considerate humility; open, and free,
-and frank toward their equals; but proud, although
-not wanting in loyalty and proper reverence for the
-great, and almost haughty of demeanor to their superiors,
-when they encountered any such, which was,
-indeed, of rare and singular occurrence. It was a
-strange thing, indeed, that these lone girls should
-have possessed such characters, so strongly marked,
-so powerful and striking; should have acquired accomplishments,
-so many and so various in their nature.
-It will appear, perhaps, even stranger to
-merely superficial thinkers, that the formation of
-those powerful characters had been, for the most part,
-brought about by the very circumstances which would
-at first have appeared most unpropitious—their solitary
-habits namely, and their seclusion, almost absolute
-seclusion, from the gay world of fashion and of
-folly. The large and opulent county, in which their
-patrimony lay, was indeed then, as now, studded
-with the estates, the manors, and the parks of the
-richest and the noblest of England’s aristocracy, yet
-the deep glens and lofty moorlands among which
-Ingleborough Hall was situate, are even to this day a
-lonely and sequestered region; no great post-road
-winds through their devious passes; and, although in
-the close vicinity of large and populous towns, they
-are, even in the nineteenth century, but little visited,
-and are occupied by a population singularly primitive
-and pastoral in all its thoughts and feelings. Much
-more then in those days, when carriages were seen
-but rarely beyond the streets of the metropolis, when
-roads were wild and rugged, and intercourse between
-the nearest places, unless of more than ordinary magnitude,
-difficult and uncertain, was that wild district
-to be deemed secluded. So much so, indeed, was
-this the case, at the time of which I write, that there
-were not within a circle of some twenty miles two
-families of equal rank, or filling the same station in
-society, with the Hawkwoods. This, had the family
-been in such circumstances of domestic health and
-happiness as would have permitted the girls to mingle
-in the gaieties of the neighborhood, would have been
-a serious and severe misfortune; as they must, from
-continual intercourse with their inferiors, have contracted,
-in a greater or less degree, a grossness both
-of mind and manners; and would, most probably,
-have fallen into that most destructive habit—destructive
-to the mind, I mean, and to all chance of progress
-or advancement—the love of queening it in
-low society. It was, therefore, under their circumstances,
-including the loss of one parent and the entire
-bereavement of the other, fortunate in no small
-degree that they were compelled to seek their pleasures
-and their occupations, no less than their duties,
-within the sphere of the domestic circle.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>The mother, who was now so feeble and so helpless,
-though never a person of much intellectual
-energy, or indeed of much force of any kind, was
-yet in the highest sense of the word a lady; she had
-seen in her youth something of the great world, apart
-from the rural glens which witnessed her decline;
-had mingled with the gay and noble even at the court
-of England, and, being possessed of more than ordinary
-beauty, had been a favorite and in some degree
-a belle. From her, then, had her daughters naturally
-and unconsciously imbibed that easy, graceful finish
-which, more than all beside, is the true stamp of
-gentle birth and bearing. Long before children can
-be brought to comprehend general principles or rules
-of convention, they can and do acquire habits, by
-that strange tact of imitation and observance which
-certainly commences at a stage so early of their
-young, frail existences, that we cannot, by any effort,
-mark its first dawning—habits which, thus acquired,
-can hardly be effaced at all—which will endure unaltered
-and invariable when tastes, and practices,
-and modes of thought and action, contracted long,
-long afterward, have faded quite away and been forgotten.
-Thus was it, then, with these young creatures;
-while they were yet mere girls, with all the
-pure, right impulses of childhood bursting out fresh
-and fair, they had been trained up in the midst of
-high, and honorable, and correct associations—naught
-low, or mean, or little; naught selfish, or dishonest,
-or corrupt had ever come near to them—in
-the sight of virtue and in the practice of politeness
-they had shot up into maturity; and their maturity,
-of consequence, was virtuous and polished. In after
-years, devoted as they were to that sick mother, they
-had no chance of unlearning anything; and thus,
-from day to day, they went on gaining fresh graces,
-as it were, by deduction from their foregone teachings,
-and from the purity of their young natures—for
-purity and nature, when united, must of necessity
-be graceful—until the proudest courts of Europe
-could have shown nothing, even in their most difficult
-circles, that could surpass, even it could vie
-with, the easy, artless frankness, the soft and finished
-courtesy, the unabashed yet modest grace of those
-two mountain maidens.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>At the period when my sad tale commences—for it
-is no less sad than true—the sisters had just reached
-the young yet perfect bloom of mature womanhood,
-the elder, Annabel, having attained her twentieth
-summer, her sister Marian being exactly one year
-younger; and certainly two sweeter or more lovely
-girls could not be pictured or imagined—not in the
-brightest moments of the painter’s or the poet’s inspiration.
-They were both tall and beautifully
-formed—both had sweet low-toned voices—that excellent
-thing in woman!—but here all personal resemblance
-ended; for Annabel, the elder, had a complexion
-pure and transparent as the snow of the untrodden
-glacier before the sun has kissed it into
-roseate blushes, and quite as colorless; her features
-were of the finest classic outline; the smooth, fair
-brow, the perfect Grecian nose, the short curve of
-the upper lip, the exquisite arch of the small mouth,
-the chiselled lines of the soft rounded chin, might
-have served for a model to a sculptor, whereby to
-mould a mountain nymph or Naiad; her rich luxuriant
-hair was of a light and sunny brown, her eyes
-of a clear, lustrous blue, with a soft, languid, and
-half melancholy tenderness for their more usual expression,
-which united well with the calm, placid air
-which was almost habitual to her beautiful features.
-To this no contrast more complete could have been
-offered than by the widely different style of Marian’s
-loveliness. Though younger than her sister, her
-figure was more full and rounded—so much so, that
-it reached the very point where symmetry is combined
-with voluptuousness—yet was there nothing in
-the least degree voluptuous in the expression of her
-bright artless face. Her forehead, higher than Annabel’s,
-and broader, was as smooth and as white as
-polished marble; her brows were well-defined and
-black as ebony, as were the long, long lashes that
-fringed her laughing eyes—eyes of the brightest,
-lightest azure that ever glanced with merriment, or
-melted into love—her nose was small and delicate,
-but turned a little upwards, so as to add, however,
-rather than detract from the <span class='it'>tout ensemble</span> of her
-arch, roguish beauty—her mouth was not very
-small, but exquisitely formed, with lips redder than
-anything in nature, to which lips can be well compared,
-and filled with teeth, regular, white and beautifully
-even—fair as her sister’s, and, like hers, showing
-every where the tiny veins of azure meandering
-below the milky skin, Marian’s complexion was yet
-as bright as morning—faint rosy tints and red, warm
-blushes succeeding one another, or vanishing away
-and leaving the cheek pearly white, as one emotion
-followed and effaced another in her pure, innocent
-mind. Her hair, profuse in its luxuriant flow, was of
-a deep dark brown, that might have been almost
-called black, but for a thousand glancing golden
-lights and warm rich shadows that varied its smooth
-surface with the varying sunshine, and was worn in
-a thick, massive plait low down in the neck behind,
-while on either side the brow it was trained off and
-taught to cluster in front of either tiny ear in an
-abundant maze of interwoven curls, close and mysteriously
-enlaced as are the tendrils of the wild vine,
-which, fluttering on each warm and blushing cheek,
-fell down the swan-like neck in heavy natural ringlets.
-But to describe her features is to give no idea,
-in the least, of Marian’s real beauty—there was a
-radiant, dazzling lustre that leaped out of her every
-feature, lightning from her quick, speaking eyes, and
-playing in the dimples of her bewitching smile, that
-so intoxicated the beholder that he would dwell upon
-her face entranced, and know that it was lovely, and
-feel that it was far more lovely, far more enthralling
-than any he had ever looked upon before; yet, when
-without the sphere of that enchantment, he should be
-all unable to say wherein consisted its unmatched
-attraction.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>Between the natural disposition and temperaments
-of the two sisters there was perhaps even a wider
-difference than between the characteristics of their
-personal beauty; for Annabel was calm, and mild,
-and singularly placid, not in her manners only, but in
-the whole tenor of her thoughts, and words, and
-actions; there was a sort of gentle melancholy, that
-was not altogether melancholy either, pervading her
-every tone of voice, her every change of feature.
-She was not exactly grave, nor pensive, nor subdued,
-for she could smile very joyously at times, could act
-upon emergencies with readiness, and quickness,
-and decision, and was at all times prompt in the expression
-of her confirmed sentiments; but there was
-a very remarkable tranquillity in her mode of doing
-every thing she did, betokening fully the presence of
-a decided principle directing her at every step, so
-that she was but rarely agitated, even by accidents
-of the most sudden and alarming character, and never
-actuated by any rapid impulse. The very opposite
-of this was Marian Hawkwood; for, although quite
-as upright and pure minded as her sister, and, what is
-more, of a temper quite as amiable and sweet, yet
-was her mood as changeful as an April day; although
-it was more used to mirth and joyous laughter than
-to frowns or tears either, yet had she tears as ready
-at any tale of sorrow as are the fountains of the
-spring shower in the cloud, and eloquent frowns and
-eyes that lightened their quick indignation at any
-outrage, or oppression, or high-handed violence; her
-cheek would crimson with the tell-tale blood, her
-flesh would seem to thrill upon her bones, her voice
-would choke, and her eyes swim with sympathetic
-drops whenever she read, or spoke, or heard of any
-noble deed, whether of gallant daring, or of heroic
-self-denial. Her tongue was prompt always, as the
-sword of the knight errant, to shelter the defenceless,
-to shield the innocent, to right the wronged, and
-sometimes to avenge the absent. Artless herself,
-and innocent in every thought and feeling, she set no
-guard on either; but as she felt and thought so she
-spoke out and acted, fearless even as she was unconscious
-of any wrong, defying misconstruction, and
-half inclined to doubt the possibility of evil in the
-minds of others, so foreign did it seem, and so impossible
-to her own natural and, as it were, instinctive
-sense of right.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>Yet although such in all respects as I have striven
-to depict them, the one all quick and flashing impulse,
-the other all reflective and considerate principle, it
-was most wonderful how seldom there was any
-clashing of opinion and diversity of judgment as to
-what was to be done, what left undone, between the
-lovely sisters. Marian would, it is true, often jump
-at once to conclusions, and act as rapidly upon them,
-at which the more reflective Annabel would arrive
-only after some consideration—but it did not occur
-more often that the one had reason to repent of her
-precipitation than the other of her over caution—neither,
-indeed, had much cause for remorse of this
-kind at all, for all the impulses of the one, all the
-thoughts and principles of the other, were alike pure
-and kindly. With words, however, it was not quite
-so; for it must be admitted that Marian oftentimes
-said things, how unfrequently soever she did aught,
-which she would willingly have recalled afterwards;
-not, indeed, that she ever said anything unkind or
-wrong in itself, and rarely anything that could give
-pain to another, unless that pain were richly merited
-indeed—but that she gradually came to learn, long
-before she learned to restrain her impulses, that it
-may be very often unwise to speak what in itself is
-wise—and very often, if not wrong, yet certainly
-imprudent and of evil consequences to give loud
-utterance even to right opinions.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>Such were the persons, such the dispositions of the
-fair heiresses of Ingleborough, at the time when
-they had attained the ages I have specified, and certainly,
-although their sphere of usefulness would
-have appeared at first sight circumscribed, and the
-range of their enjoyments very narrow, there rarely
-have been seen two happier or more useful beings
-than Annabel and Marian Hawkwood, in this wide
-world of sin and sorrow.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>The care of their bereaved and hapless parent
-occupied, it is true, the greater portion of their time,
-yet they found many leisure hours to devote to visiting
-the poor, aiding the wants of the needy, consoling
-the sorrows of those who mourned, and sympathizing
-with the pleasures of the happy among their humble
-neighbors. To them this might be truly termed a
-work of love and pleasure, for it is questionable
-whether from any other source the lovely girls derived
-a higher or more satisfactory enjoyment, than
-from their tours of charity among their village pensioners.
-Next in the scale of happiness stood,
-doubtless, the society of the old vicar of that pastoral
-parish, a man who had been their father’s friend and
-counsellor in those young days of college friendship,
-when the fresh heart is uppermost in all, and selfishness
-a dormant passion; a man old enough almost to
-have been their grandsire, but with a heart as young
-and cheery as a boy’s—an intellect accomplished in
-the deepest lore of the schools, both classical and
-scientific, and skilled thoroughly in all the niceties
-and graces of French, and Spanish, and Italian literature.
-A man who had known courts, and camps
-too, for a short space in his youth; who had seen
-much, and suffered much, and yet enjoyed not a little,
-in his acquaintance with the world; and who, from
-sights, and sufferings, and enjoyments, had learned
-that if there is much evil, there is yet more of good
-even in <span class='it'>this</span> world—had learned, while rigid to his
-own, to be most lenient to his neighbor’s failings—had
-learned that charity should be the fruit of wisdom!—and
-had learned all this only to practise it in
-all his daily walks, to inculcate it in all his weekly
-lessons. This aged man, and his scarce less aged
-wife, living scarcely a stone’s throw from the Hall,
-had grown almost to think themselves a portion of
-the family; and surely no blood kindred could have
-created stronger ties of kindness than had the
-familiarity of long acquaintance, the confidence of
-old hereditary love. Lower yet in the round of their
-enjoyments, but still a constant source of blameless
-satisfaction, were their books, their music, their
-drawings, the management of their household, the
-cultivation of their lovely garden, the ministering to
-the wants of their loved birds and flowers. Thus, all
-sequestered and secluded from the world, placed in
-the midst of onerous duties and solicitudes almost innumerable,
-though they had never danced at a ball,
-nor blushed at the praises of their own beauty flowing
-from eloquent lips, nor listened to a lover’s suit,
-queens might have envied the felicity, the calm, pure,
-peaceful happiness of Annabel and Marian.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>They were, indeed, <span class='it'>too</span> happy! I do not mean too
-happy to be virtuous, too happy to be mindful of, and
-grateful to, the Giver of all joy—but, as the common
-phrase runs, too happy for their happiness to be enduring.
-That is a strange belief—a wondrous superstition!—and
-yet it has been common to all ages.
-The Greeks, those wild poetic dreamers, imagined
-that their vain gods, made up of mortal attributes,
-<span class='it'>envied</span> the bliss of men, fearing that wretched earthlings
-should vie in happiness with the possessors of
-Olympus. They sang in their dark mystic choruses,</p>
-
-
- <div class='poetry-container' style=''>
- <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' -->
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-<p class='line0'>“That perfect bliss of men not childless dies,</p>
-<p class='line0'>But, ended, leaves a progeny behind</p>
-<p class='line0'>Of woes, that spring from fairest fortune blind⁠—”</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend -->
-
-<p class='noindent'>and, though their other doctrines of that insuperable
-destiny, that absolute necessity, to resist which is
-needless labor; and of ancestral guilt, still reproducing
-guilt through countless generations, would
-seem to militate against it, there was no more established
-faith, and no more prevalent opinion, than
-that unwonted fortunes were necessarily followed by
-most unusual wo—hence, perhaps, the stern self-mortification
-of the middle ages—hence, certainly,
-the vulgar terror, prevalent more or less among all
-classes, and in every time and country, that children
-are too beautiful, too prematurely wise, too good, to
-be long-lived—that happiness is too great to be lasting—that
-mornings are too fine to augur stormless
-days! And we—aye! we ourselves—we of a better
-and purer dispensation—we half believe all this, and
-more than half tremble at it, although in truth there
-is no cause for fear in the belief—since, if there be
-aught of truth in the mysterious creed, which facts
-do in a certain sense seem to bear out, we can but
-think, we cannot but perceive, that this is but a varied
-form of care and mercy vouchsafed by the Great
-All-perfect, towards his frail creatures—that this is
-but a merciful provision to hinder us from laying up
-for ourselves “treasures upon earth, where moth and
-rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through
-and steal”—a provision to restrain us from forgetting,
-in the small temporary bliss of the present, the boundless
-and incomparable beatitude of the future—to
-warn us against bartering, like Esau, our birthright
-for a mess of pottage.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>But I am not now called to follow out this train of
-thought, suggested by the change in the fortunes of
-those to whom I am performing the part of historian—by
-the change I say in their fortunes—a change
-arising, too, from the very circumstances, as is so
-frequently the case, which seemed to promise the
-most fairly for their improvement and their permanence—oh,
-how blind guides are we—even the most
-far-sighted of us all—how weak and senseless judges,
-even the most sagacious—how false and erring
-prophets, even the wisest and the best!⁠—</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>But I must not anticipate, nor overrun my scent,
-meriting, like a babbling hound, the harsh thong of
-the huntsman critic. It was, as I have said already,
-somewhere in the summer wherefrom Annabel reckoned
-her twentieth, and Marian her nineteenth year—very
-late in the last month of summer, an hour or
-two before the sunset of as beautiful an evening as
-ever smiled upon the face of the green earth; the
-sky was nearly cloudless, though a thin gauze-like
-haze had floated up from the horizon, and so far
-veiled the orb of the great sun, that the eye could
-gaze undazzled on his glories; and the whole air
-was full of a rich golden light which flooded all the
-level meadows with its lustre,—except where they
-were checkered by the long cool blue shadows, projected
-from the massive clumps of noble forest trees,
-which singly or in groups diversified the lovely vale—and
-gilded the tall slender steeple of the old village
-church, and glanced in living fire from the broad oriel
-windows of the Hall. Such was the evening, and so
-beautiful the prospect, with every sound and sight in
-perfect harmony—the sharp squeak of the rapid
-swifts wheeling their airy circles around the distant
-spire, the full and liquid melodies of thrush and
-blackbird from out the thorn bushes upon the lawn,
-the lowing of the cows returning from their pasture
-to pay the evening tribute, the very cawing of the
-homeward rooks blended by distance into a continuous
-and soothing murmur, the rippling music of the
-stream, the low sigh of the west wind in the foliage
-of the sycamores, the far shout of the children happy
-at their release from school, the carol of a solitary
-milkmaid, combining to make up music as sweet as
-can be heard or dreamed of. That lovely picture
-was surveyed, and that delicious melody was listened
-to by eyes and ears well fitted to appreciate their
-loveliness—for at an open casement of a neat parlor in
-the Hall, with furniture all covered with those elegant
-appliances of female industry—well-filled drawings,
-and books, and instruments of music, and work
-baskets, and frames for embroidery—which show so
-pleasantly that the apartment is one, not of show, but
-of calm home enjoyment, sat Annabel, alone—for
-the presence of the frail paralytic being, who dozed
-in her arm-chair at the farther end of the room, cannot
-be held to constitute society. Marian, for the first
-time in her life, was absent from her home on a visit,
-which had already endured nearly six weeks, to the
-only near relative of the family who was yet living—a
-younger sister of her mother—who had married
-many years ago a clergyman, whose piety and talents
-had raised him to a stall in the cathedral church of
-York, where he resided with his wife—a childless
-couple. This worthy pair had passed a portion of
-the summer at the Hall, and, when returning to the
-metropolis of the county, had prevailed on their
-younger niece, not altogether without difficulty, to go
-with them for a few weeks, and see a little of society
-on a scale something more extended than that which
-her native vales could offer. It was the first time in
-their lives that the sisters ever had been parted for
-more than a few days, and now the hours were beginning
-to appear very long to Annabel, as weeks
-were running into months, and the gorgeous suns of
-summer were fast preparing to give place to the cold
-dews and frosty winds of autumn. The evening
-meal was over, and a solitary thing was that meal
-now, which used to be the most delightful of the day,
-and hastily did the lonely sister hurry it over, thinking
-all the while what might be Marian’s occupation
-at the moment, and whether she too was engaged in
-thoughts concerning her far friends and the fair home
-of her childhood. It was then in a mood half melancholy,
-and half listless, that Annabel was gazing
-from her window down the broad valley to the eastward,
-marvelling at the beauty of the scenery, though
-she had noted every changing hue that flitted over
-the far purple hills a thousand times before; and
-listening to every sweet familiar sound, and yet at
-the same time pondering, as if she were quite unconscious
-of all that met her senses, about things which,
-she fancied, might be happening at York, when on a
-sudden her attention was aroused by a dense cloud
-of dust rising beyond the river, upon the line of the
-highroad, and sweeping up the valley with a progress
-so unusually rapid as indicated that the objects,
-which it veiled from view, must be in more than
-commonly quick motion. For a few moments she
-watched this little marvel narrowly, but without any
-apprehension or even any solicitude, until, as it drew
-nearer, she could perceive at times bright flashes as
-if of polished metal gleaming out through the murky
-wreaths, and feathers waving in the air. The year
-was that in which the hapless Charles, all hopes of
-reconciliation with the parliament being decidedly
-frustrated, displayed the banner of civil war, and
-drew the sword against his subjects. The rumors of
-the coming strife had circulated, like the dread sub-terraneous
-rumblings which harbinger the earth-quake,
-through all the country far and near, sad
-omens of approaching evil; and more distinctly were
-they bruited throughout Yorkshire, in consequence of
-the attempt which had been made by the royal party
-to secure Hull with all its magazines and shipping—frustrated
-by the energy and spirit of the Hothams—so
-that, as soon as she perceived that the dust was,
-beyond all doubt, stirred up by a small party of well
-appointed horse, Annabel entertained no doubts as
-to the meaning, but many serious apprehensions as
-to the cause, of the present visitation. The road by
-which the cavaliers were proceeding, though well
-made and passable at all times, was no considerable
-thoroughfare; no large or important towns lay on its
-route, nay, no large villages were situated on its
-margins; it was a devious, winding way, leading to
-many a homely farm-house, many a small sequestered
-hamlet, and affording to the good rustics a
-means of carrying their wheat, and eggs, and butter,
-or driving their fat cattle and black-faced moorland
-sheep to market, but it was not the direct line between
-any two points or places worthy of even a
-passing notice. It is true, that some twelve or fifteen
-miles down the valley, there was a house or two
-tenanted by gentry—one that might, by a liberal
-courtesy, have been designated as a castle—but above
-Ingleborough Hall, to the northwestward, there was
-no manor-house or dwelling of the aristocracy at all,
-until the road left the <span class='it'>ghylls</span>, as those wild glens are
-designated, and joined the line of the great northern
-turnpike. It was extremely singular then, to say the
-least, that a gay troop of riders should appear suddenly
-in that wild spot, so far from anything that
-would be likely to attract them; and Annabel sat
-some time longer by the window, wondering, and at
-the same time fearing, although, in truth, she scarce
-knew what, until, at about a mile’s distance, she saw
-them halt, and, after a few moments’ conversation
-with a farming man on the wayside, as if to inquire
-their route, turn suddenly down a narrow by-road
-leading to the high narrow bridge of many arches
-which crossed the noble river, and gave the only
-access to the secluded site of Ingleborough. When
-she saw this, however, her perturbation became very
-great; for she well knew that there lay nothing in
-that direction, except one little market-town, far distant,
-and a few scattered farm-houses on the verge of
-the moors, so that there could be little doubt that
-Ingleborough was indeed their destination. The very
-moment that she arrived at this conclusion, Annabel
-called a serving-man and bade him run quick to the
-vicarage, and pray good Doctor Summers to come
-up to her instantly, as she was in great strait, and
-fain would speak with him; and, at the same time,
-with an energy of character that hardly could have
-been expected from one so young and delicate, ordered
-the men of the household, including in those
-days the fowler and the falconer, and half a dozen
-sturdy grooms, and many a supernumerary more,
-whom we in these degenerate times have long discarded
-as incumbrances, to have their arms in readiness—for
-every manor-house then had its regular
-armory—and to prepare the great bell of the Hall to
-summon all the tenants, on the instant such proceeding
-might be needful.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>In a few moments the good gray-haired vicar came,
-almost breathless from the haste with which he
-had crossed the little space between the vicarage
-and the manor; and a little while after his wife followed
-him, anxious to learn, as soon as possible,
-what could have so disturbed the quiet tenor of a
-mind so regulated by high principles, and garrisoned
-by holy thoughts, as Annabel’s. Their humble dwelling,
-though scarce a stone’s throw from the Hall, was
-screened by a projecting knoll, feathered with dense
-and shadowy coppice, which hid from it entirely the
-road by which the horsemen were advancing; so
-that the worthy couple had not perceived or suspected
-anything to justify the fears of Annabel, until
-they were both standing in her presence—then, while
-the worthy doctor was proffering his poor assistance,
-and his good wife inquiring eagerly what was amiss,
-the sight of that gay company of cavaliers, with
-feathers waving and scarfs fluttering in the wind,
-and gold embroideries glancing to the sun, as, having
-left the dusty road, they wheeled through the green
-meadows, flashed suddenly upon them.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“Who can they be? What possibly can bring them
-hither?” exclaimed Annabel, pointing with evident
-trepidation towards the rapidly approaching horsemen;
-“I fear, oh, I greatly fear some heavy ill is
-coming—but I have ordered all the men to take their
-arms, and the great bell will bring us twenty of the
-tenants in half as many minutes. What can it be,
-good doctor?”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“In truth I know not, Annabel,” replied the good
-man, smiling cheerfully as he spoke; “in truth I
-know not, nor can at all conjecture; but be quite
-sure of this, dear girl, that they will do, to us at least,
-no evil—they are King Charles’ men beyond doubt,
-churchmen and cavaliers, all of them—any one can
-see that; and though I know not that we have much
-to fear from either party, from them at least we have
-no earthly cause for apprehension. I will go forth,
-however, to meet them, and to learn their errand—meantime,
-fear nothing.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“Oh! you mistake me,” she answered at once;
-“oh! you mistake me very much, for I did not, even
-for a moment, fear personally anything; it was for
-my poor mother I was first alarmed, and all our good,
-kind neighbors, and, indeed, all the country around,
-that shows so beautiful and happy this fair evening—oh!
-but this civil war is a dread thing, and dread, I
-fear, will be the reckoning of those who wake it⁠—”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“Who wake it <span class='it'>without cause</span>, my daughter! A
-dreadful thing it is at all times, but it may be a necessary,
-aye! and a holy thing—when freedom or religion
-are at stake—but we will speak of this again;
-for see, they have already reached the farther gate,
-and I must speak with them before they enter here,
-let them be who they may;” and with the words,
-pressing her hand with fatherly affection, “Farewell,”
-he said, “be of good cheer, I purpose to return
-forthwith,” then left the room, and hurrying
-down the steps of the porch, walked far more rapidly
-than seemed to suit his advanced years and sedentary
-habits across the park to meet the gallant company.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>A gallant company, indeed, it was, and such as
-was but rarely seen in that wild region, being the
-train of a young gentleman of some eight or nine
-and twenty years, splendidly mounted, and dressed
-in the magnificent fashion of those days, in a half
-military costume, for his buff coat was lined throughout
-with rich white satin, and fringed and looped
-with silver, a falling collar of rich Flanders lace
-flowing down over his steel gorget, and a broad scarf
-of blue silk supporting his long silver-hilted rapier—by
-his side rode another person, not certainly a menial
-servant, and yet clearly not a gentleman of birth
-and lineage; and after these a dozen or more of armed
-attendants, all wearing the blue scarf and black
-feathers of the royalists, all nobly mounted and
-accoutred, like regular troopers, with sword and dagger,
-pistols and musquetoons, although they wore no
-breastplates, nor any sort of defensive armor. A
-brace of jet-black greyhounds, without a speck of
-white upon their sleek and glistening hides, ran
-bounding merrily beside their master’s stirrup, and a
-magnificent gosshawk sat hooded on his wrist, with
-silver bells and richly decorated jesses. So much
-had the ladies observed, even before the old man
-reached the party; but when he did so, pausing for a
-moment to address the leader, that gentleman at
-once leaped down from his horse, giving the rein to
-a servant, and accompanied him, engaged apparently
-in eager conversation, toward the entrance of the
-Hall. This went far on the instant to restore confidence
-to Annabel; but when they came so near that
-their faces could be seen distinctly from the windows,
-and she could mark a well-pleased smile upon the
-venerable features of her friend, she was completely
-reassured. A single glance, moreover, at the face of
-the stranger showed her that the most timid maiden
-need hardly feel a moment’s apprehension, even if
-he were her country’s or her faction’s foe; for it was
-not merely handsome, striking, and distinguished,
-but such as indicates, or is supposed to indicate, the
-presence of a kindly disposition and good heart.
-Annabel had not much time, indeed, for making observations
-at that moment, for it was scarce a minute
-before they had ascended the short flight of steps,
-which led to the stone porch, and entered the door of
-the vestibule—a moment longer, and they came into
-the parlor, the worthy vicar leading the young man
-by the hand, as if he were a friend of ten years’
-standing.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“Annabel,” he exclaimed, in a joyous voice, as he
-crossed the threshold of the room, “this is the young
-Lord Vaux, son of your honored father’s warmest
-and oldest friend; and in years long gone by, but unforgotten,
-my kindest patron. He has come hither,
-bearing letters from <span class='it'>his</span> father—knowing not until
-now that you, my child, were so long since bereaved—letters
-of commendation, praying the hospitality of
-Ingleborough, and the best influence of the name of
-Hawkwood, to levy men to serve King Charles in
-the approaching war. I have already told him⁠—”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“How glad, how welcome, doubtless, would have
-been his coming,” answered Annabel, advancing
-easily to meet the youthful nobleman, although a
-deep blush covered all her pale features as she performed
-her unaccustomed duty, “had my dear father
-been alive, or my poor mother”—casting a rapid
-glance towards the invalid—“been in health to greet
-him. As it is,” she continued, “the Lord Vaux, I
-doubt not, in the least, will pardon any imperfections
-in our hospitality, believing that if in aught we err,
-it will be error, not of friendliness or of feeling, but
-of experience only, seeing I am but a young mistress
-of a household. You, my kind friend, and Mistress
-Summers, will doubtless tarry with us while my
-Lord Vaux gives us the favor of his presence.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“Loath should I be, indeed, dear lady, thus to intrude
-upon your sorrows, could I at all avoid it,”
-replied the cavalier; “and charming as it must
-needs be to enjoy the hospitalities tendered by such
-an one as you, I do assure you, were I myself concerned
-alone, I would remount my horse at once,
-and ride away, rather than force myself upon your
-courtesy. But, when I tell you that my father’s
-strong opinion holds it a matter of importance—importance
-almost vital to the king, and to the cause of
-Church and State in England—that I should levy
-some force here of cavaliers, where there be so few
-heads of noble houses living, to act in union with
-Sir Philip Musgrave, in the north, and with Sir Marmaduke
-Langdale, I both trust and believe that you
-will overlook the trouble and intrusion, in fair consideration
-of the motives which impel me.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“Pray—” said she, smiling gaily—“pray, my Lord
-Vaux, let us leave, now, apology and compliment—most
-unaffectedly and truly I am glad to receive you,
-both as the son of my father’s valued friend, and as a
-faithful servant of our most gracious king—we will
-do our best, too, to entertain you; and Doctor Summers
-will aid you with his counsel and experience in
-furthering your military levies. How left you the
-good earl, your father? I have heard mine speak of
-him many times, and ever in the highest terms of
-praise, when I was but a little girl—and my poor
-mother much more recently, before this sad calamity
-affected her so fearfully.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>Her answer, as it was intended, had the effect at
-once of putting an end to all formality, and setting
-the young nobleman completely at his ease; the conversation
-took a general tone, and was maintained
-on all sides with sufficient spirit, until, when Annabel
-retired for a little space to conduct her mother to her
-chamber, De Vaux found himself wondering how a
-mere country girl, who had lived a life so secluded
-and domestic, should have acquired graces both of
-mind and manner, such as he never had discovered
-in court ladies; while she was struck even in a
-greater degree by the frank, unaffected bearing, the
-gay wit, and sparkling anecdote, blended with many
-a touch of deeper feeling, which characterized the
-youthful nobleman. After a little while she reappeared,
-and with her was announced the evening meal,
-the pleasant sociable old-fashioned supper, and as he
-sat beside her, while she presided, full of calm modest
-self-possession, at the head of her hospitable
-board, with no one to encourage her, or lend her
-countenance, except the good old vicar and his
-homely helpmate, he could not but draw fresh comparisons,
-all in her favor too, betwixt the quiet graceful
-confidence of the ingenuous girl before him, and
-the <span class='it'>minauderies</span> and meretricious airs of the court
-dames, who had been hitherto the objects of his passing
-admiration. Cheerfully, then, and pleasantly the
-evening passed away; and when upon her little
-couch, hard by the invalid’s sick bed, Annabel
-thought over the events of the past day, she felt
-concerning young De Vaux, rather as if he had been
-an old familiar friend, with whom she had renewed
-an intercourse long interrupted, than as of a mere
-acquaintance whom that day first had introduced,
-and whom the next might possibly remove forever.
-Something there was, when they met next, at breakfast
-on the following morning, of blushing bashfulness
-in Annabel which he had not observed, nor she before
-experienced; but it passed rapidly away, and left her
-self-possessed and tranquil—while surely in the
-sparkling eye, the eager haste with which he broke
-away from his conversation with Dr. Summers, as
-she entered, in his hand half extended, and then half
-awkwardly, half timidly, withdrawn, there was much
-indication of excited feeling, widely at variance with
-the stiff and even formal mannerism inculcated and
-practised in the court of the unhappy Charles. It
-needs not now, however, to dwell on passing conversations,
-to narrate every trifling incident—the
-morning meal once finished, De Vaux mounted his
-horse, and rode forth in accordance with the directions
-of the loyal clergyman, to visit such among the
-neighboring farmers as were most likely to be able
-to assist him in the levying a horse regiment. A
-few hours passed, and he returned full of high spirits
-and hot confidence—he had met everywhere
-assurances of good will to the royal cause, had succeeded
-in enlisting some ten or more of stout and
-hardy youths, and had no doubt of finally accomplishing
-the object, which he had in view, to the full
-height of his aspirations. After dinner, which in
-those primitive days was served at noon, he was
-engaged for a time in making up despatches for his
-father, which having been sent off by a messenger of
-his own trusty servants to the castle in Northumberland,
-he went out and joined his lovely hostess in the
-sheltered garden, which I have described above; and
-there they lingered until the sun was sinking in the
-west behind the huge and purple headed hills, which
-covered the horizon in that direction—the evening
-circle and the social meal succeeded, and when they
-parted for the night, if Annabel and young De Vaux
-could not be said to be enamored, as indeed they
-could not yet, they had at least made so much progress
-to that end, that each esteemed the other the
-most agreeable and charming person it had been
-hitherto their fortune to encounter; and, although
-this was decidedly the farthest point to which the
-thoughts of Annabel extended, when he had laid
-down on his bed, with the sweet rays of the harvest
-moon flooding his room with quiet lustre, and the
-voice of the murmuring rivulet and the low flutter of
-the west wind in the giant sycamores blending themselves
-into a soft and soothing melody, the young
-lord found himself considering how gracefully that
-fair pale girl would fill the place, which had been
-long left vacant by his mother, in the grand Hall of
-Gilsland Castle. Another, and another day succeeded—a
-week slipped away—a second and third followed
-it, and still the ranks of the royal regiment, though
-they were filling rapidly, had many vacancies, and
-arms had yet to be provided, and standards, and
-musicians—passengers went and came continually
-between the castle and the manor; and all was bustle
-and confusion in the lone glens of Wharfdale.
-Meantime a change was wrought in Annabel’s demeanor,
-that all who saw remarked—there was a
-brighter glow than ever had been seen before in her
-transparent cheeks; her eyes sparkled almost as
-brilliantly as Marian’s; her lips were frequently arrayed
-in bright and beaming smiles; her step was
-light and springy as a young fawn’s upon the
-mountain—Annabel was in love, and had discovered
-that it was so—Annabel was beloved, and knew it—the
-young lord’s declaration and the old earl’s consent
-had come together, and the sweet maiden’s heart was
-given, and her hand promised, almost before the
-asking. Joy! joy! was there not joy in Ingleborough?
-The good old vicar’s tranquil air of
-satisfaction, the loud and eloquent mirth of his kind-hearted
-housewife—the merry gay congratulations of
-wild Marian, who wrote from York, half crazy with
-excitement and delight—the evident and lovely happiness
-of the young promised bride—what pen of
-man may even aspire to describe them. All was
-decided—all arranged—the marriage was, so far at
-least, to be held private, that no festivities nor public
-merriment should bruit it to the world, until the civil
-strife should be decided, and the king’s power established;
-which all men fancied at that day it would
-by a single battle—and which, had Rupert wheeled
-upon the flank of Essex at Edge-Hill, instead of
-chasing the discomfited and flying horse of the
-Roundheads miles from the field of battle, would
-probably have been the case. The old earl had sent
-the wedding gifts to his son’s chosen bride, had
-promised to be present at the nuptials, the day of
-which was fixed already; but it had been decided,
-that when De Vaux should be forced to join the royal
-armies, his young wife should continue to reside at
-Ingleborough, with her bereaved mother and fond
-sister, until the wished-for peace should unite England
-once again in bonds of general amity, and the
-bridegroom find honorable leisure to lead his wife in
-state to his paternal mansions. Days sped away!
-how fast they seemed to fly to those young happy
-lovers! How was the very hour of their first interview
-noted, and marked with the white in the deep
-tablets of their minds—how did they, shyly half,
-half fondly, recount each to the other the first impressions
-of their growing fondness—how did they
-bless the cause that brought them thus together—<span class='it'>Proh!
-cæca mens mortalium!</span>—oh! the short-sighted
-scope of mortal vision!—alas! for one—for both!⁠—</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>The wedding day was fixed, and now was fast
-approaching; and hourly was Marian with the good
-uncle and his dame expected at the Hall, and wished
-for, and discoursed of by the lovers—“and oh!—”
-would Annabel say, half sportively and half in earnest—“well
-was it for my happiness, De Vaux, that <span class='it'>she</span>
-was absent when you first came hither, for had you
-seen her first, her far superior beauty, her bright wild
-radiant face, her rare arch <span class='it'>naïveté</span>, her flashing wit,
-and beautiful enthusiasm, would—<span class='it'>must</span> have captivated
-you all at once—and what had then become of
-your poor Annabel?”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>And then would the young lord vow—and vow in
-all sincerity and truth as he believed, that had he
-met her first in the most glorious courts of Europe,
-with all the gorgeous beauties of the world to rival
-her, she would alone have been the choice of his
-soul—his soul first touched by her of women!—And
-then he would ask in lowered tones, and with a sly
-simplicity of manner, whether if <span class='it'>he</span> had loved another,
-she could have still loved him; to which with all the
-frank and fearless purity, which was so beautiful a
-trait in Annabel—“Oh! yes—” she would reply, and
-gaze with calm reliance, as she did so, into her lover’s
-eyes—“oh yes, dear Ernest—and then how
-miserably wretched must I have been, through my
-whole life thereafter. Oh! yes, I loved you—though
-then I knew it not, nor indeed thought at all about it
-until you spoke to me—I loved you dearly—tenderly!—and
-I believe it would have almost killed me, to
-look upon you afterward as the wife of another.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>The wedding day was but a fortnight distant, and
-strange to say, it was the very day two months gone,
-which had seen their meeting. Wains had arrived
-from Gilsland, loaded with arms and uniforms,
-standards and ammunition—two of the brothers of De
-Vaux, young gallant cavaliers, had come partly
-to officer the men, partly to do fit honor to their
-brother’s nuptials. The day, although the season
-had now advanced far into brown October, was
-sunny, mild and beautiful; the regiment had that
-day, for the first time, mustered in arms in Ingleborough
-park, and a gay show they made with
-glittering casques and corslets, fresh from the armorer’s
-anvil, and fluttering scarfs and dancing plumes,
-and bright emblazoned banners.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>The sun was in the act of setting—De Vaux and
-Annabel were watching his decline from the same
-window in the Hall, whence she had first discovered
-his unexpected coming; when, as on that all eventful
-evening, a little dust was seen arising on the
-high road beyond the river, and in a moment a small
-mounted party, among which might be readily descried
-the fluttering of female garments!</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“It is my sister—” exclaimed Annabel, jumping
-up on the instant, and clasping her hands eagerly—“it
-is my dear, dear sister—come, Ernest, come; let
-us go meet dear Marian.” No time was lost; but
-arm in arm they sallied forth, the lovers; and met
-the little train just this side the park gates.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>Marian sprang from her horse, light as a spirit of
-the air, and rushed into her sister’s arms and clung
-there with a long and lingering embrace, and as she
-raised her head a bright tear glittered on either silky
-eyelash. De Vaux advanced to greet her, but as he
-did so, earnestly perusing the lineaments of his fair
-sister, he was most obviously embarrassed, his manner
-was confused and even agitated, his words
-faltered—and <span class='it'>she</span> whose face had been, a second
-before, beaming with the bright crimson of excitement,
-whose eye had looked round eagerly and
-gladly to mark the chosen of her sister—<span class='it'>she</span> turned
-as pale as ashes—brow, cheeks, and lips—pale,
-almost livid!—and her eye fell abashed, and did not
-rise again till he had finished speaking. None noticed
-it, but Annabel; for all the party were engaged
-in gay congratulations, and, they recovering themselves
-immediately, nothing more passed that could
-create surmise—but she did <span class='it'>note</span> it, and her heart
-sank for a moment; and all that evening she was
-unusually grave and silent; and had not her usual
-demeanor been so exceedingly calm and subdued,
-her strange dejection must have been seen and
-wondered at by her assembled kinsfolk.</p>
-
-<hr class='tbk120'/>
-
-<div><h1><a id='dir'></a>A DIRGE.</h1></div>
-
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;'>———</p>
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;font-size:0.8em;font-weight:bold;'>BY JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL.</p>
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;margin-bottom:1.5em;'>———</p>
-
-
- <div class='poetry-container' style=''>
- <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' -->
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>Poet! lonely is thy bed,</p>
-<p class='line0'>And the turf is overhead—</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Cold earth is thy cover;</p>
-<p class='line0'>But thy heart hath found release,</p>
-<p class='line0'>And it slumbers full of peace</p>
-<p class='line0'>’Neath the rustle of green trees</p>
-<p class='line0'>And the warm hum of the bees,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;’Mid the drowsy clover;</p>
-<p class='line0'>Through thy chamber, still as death,</p>
-<p class='line0'>A smooth gurgle wandereth,</p>
-<p class='line0'>As the blue stream murmureth</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;To the blue sky over.</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>Three paces from the silver strand,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Gently in the fine, white sand,</p>
-<p class='line0'>With a lily in thy hand,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Pale as snow, they laid thee;</p>
-<p class='line0'>In no coarse earth wast thou hid,</p>
-<p class='line0'>And no gloomy coffin-lid</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Darkly overweighed thee.</p>
-<p class='line0'>Silently as snow-flakes drift,</p>
-<p class='line0'>The smooth sand did sift and sift</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;O’er the bed they made thee;</p>
-<p class='line0'>All sweet birds did come and sing</p>
-<p class='line0'>At thy sunny burying—</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Choristers unbidden,</p>
-<p class='line0'>And, beloved of sun and dew.</p>
-<p class='line0'>Meek forget-me-nots upgrew</p>
-<p class='line0'>Where thine eyes so large and blue</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;’Neath the turf were hidden.</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>Where thy stainless clay doth lie,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Blue and open is the sky,</p>
-<p class='line0'>And the white clouds wander by,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Dreams of summer silently</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Darkening the river;</p>
-<p class='line0'>Thou hearest the clear water run,</p>
-<p class='line0'>And the ripples every one,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Scattering the golden sun,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Through thy silence quiver;</p>
-<p class='line0'>Vines trail down upon the stream,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Into its smooth and glassy dream</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;A green stillness spreading,</p>
-<p class='line0'>And the shiner, perch and bream</p>
-<p class='line0'>Through the shadowed waters gleam</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;’Gainst the current heading.</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>White as snow, thy winding sheet</p>
-<p class='line0'>Shelters thee from head to feet,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Save thy pale face only;</p>
-<p class='line0'>Thy face is turned toward the skies,</p>
-<p class='line0'>The lids lie meekly o’er thine eyes,</p>
-<p class='line0'>And the low-voiced pine-tree sighs</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;O’er thy bed so lonely.</p>
-<p class='line0'>All thy life thou lov’dst its shade:</p>
-<p class='line0'>Underneath it thou art laid,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;In an endless shelter;</p>
-<p class='line0'>Thou hearest it forever sigh</p>
-<p class='line0'>As the wind’s vague longings die</p>
-<p class='line0'>In its branches dim and high—</p>
-<p class='line0'>Thou hear’st the waters gliding by</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Slumberously welter.</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>Thou wast full of love and truth,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Of forgivingness and ruth—</p>
-<p class='line0'>Thy great heart with hope and youth</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Tided to o’erflowing.</p>
-<p class='line0'>Thou didst dwell in mysteries,</p>
-<p class='line0'>And there lingered on thine eyes</p>
-<p class='line0'>Shadows of serener skies,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Awfully wild memories,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;That were like foreknowing;</p>
-<p class='line0'>Through the earth thou would’st have gone,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Lighted from within alone,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Seeds from flowers in Heaven grown</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;With a free hand sowing.</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>Thou didst remember well and long</p>
-<p class='line0'>Some fragments of thine angel-song,</p>
-<p class='line0'>And strive, through want and wo and wrong</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;To win the world unto it;</p>
-<p class='line0'>Thy sin it was to see and hear</p>
-<p class='line0'>Beyond To-day’s dim hemisphere⁠—</p>
-<p class='line0'>Beyond all mists of hope and fear,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Into a life more true and clear,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;And dearly thou didst rue it;</p>
-<p class='line0'>Light of the new world thou hadst won,</p>
-<p class='line0'>O’er flooded by a purer sun—</p>
-<p class='line0'>Slowly Fate’s ship came drifting on,</p>
-<p class='line0'>And through the dark, save thou, not one</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Caught of the land a token.</p>
-<p class='line0'>Thou stood’st upon the farthest prow,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Something within thy soul said “Now!”</p>
-<p class='line0'>And leaping forth with eager brow,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Thou fell’st on shore heart-broken.</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>Long time thy brethren stood in fear;</p>
-<p class='line0'>Only the breakers far and near,</p>
-<p class='line0'>White with their anger, they could hear;</p>
-<p class='line0'>The sounds of land, which thy quick ear</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Caught long ago, they heard not.</p>
-<p class='line0'>And, when at last they reached the strand,</p>
-<p class='line0'>They found thee lying on the sand</p>
-<p class='line0'>With some wild flowers in thy hand,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;But thy cold bosom stirred not;</p>
-<p class='line0'>They listened, but they heard no sound</p>
-<p class='line0'>Save from the glad life all around</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;A low, contented murmur.</p>
-<p class='line0'>The long grass flowed adown the hill,</p>
-<p class='line0'>A hum rose from a hidden rill,</p>
-<p class='line0'>But thy glad heart, that knew no ill</p>
-<p class='line0'>But too much love, lay dead and still⁠—</p>
-<p class='line0'>The only thing that sent a chill</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Into the heart of summer.</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>Thou didst not seek the poet’s wreath</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;But too soon didst win it;</p>
-<p class='line0'>Without ’twas green, but underneath</p>
-<p class='line0'>Were scorn and loneliness and death,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Gnawing the brain with burning teeth,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;And making mock within it.</p>
-<p class='line0'>Thou, who wast full of nobleness,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Whose very life-blood ’twas to bless,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Whose soul’s one law was giving,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Must bandy words with wickedness,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Haggle with hunger and distress,</p>
-<p class='line0'>To win that death which worldliness</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Calls bitterly a living.</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>“Thou sow’st no gold, and shall not reap!”</p>
-<p class='line0'>Muttered earth, turning in her sleep;</p>
-<p class='line0'>“Come home to the Eternal Deep!”</p>
-<p class='line0'>Murmured a voice, and a wide sweep</p>
-<p class='line0'>Of wings through thy soul’s hush did creep,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;As of thy doom o’erflying;</p>
-<p class='line0'>It seem’d that thy strong heart would leap</p>
-<p class='line0'>Out of thy breast, and thou didst weep,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;But not with fear of dying;</p>
-<p class='line0'>Men could not fathom thy deep fears,</p>
-<p class='line0'>They could not understand thy tears,</p>
-<p class='line0'>The hoarded agony of years</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Of bitter self-denying.</p>
-<p class='line0'>So once, when high above the spheres</p>
-<p class='line0'>Thy spirit sought its starry peers,</p>
-<p class='line0'>It came not back to face the jeers</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Of brothers who denied it;</p>
-<p class='line0'>Star-crowned, thou dost possess the deeps</p>
-<p class='line0'>Of God, and thy white body sleeps</p>
-<p class='line0'>Where the lone pine forever keeps</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Patient watch beside it.</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>Poet! underneath the turf,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Soft thou sleepest, free from morrow,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Thou hast struggled through the surf</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Of wild thoughts and want and sorrow.</p>
-<p class='line0'>Now, beneath the moaning pine,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Full of rest, thy body lieth,</p>
-<p class='line0'>While far up in clear sunshine,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Underneath a sky divine,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Her loosed wings thy spirit trieth;</p>
-<p class='line0'>Oft she strove to spread them here,</p>
-<p class='line0'>But they were too white and clear</p>
-<p class='line0'>For our dingy atmosphere.</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>Thy body findeth ample room</p>
-<p class='line0'>In its still and grassy tomb</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;By the silent river;</p>
-<p class='line0'>But thy spirit found the earth</p>
-<p class='line0'>Narrow for the mighty birth</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Which it dreamed of ever;</p>
-<p class='line0'>Thou wast guilty of a rhyme</p>
-<p class='line0'>Learned in a benigner clime,</p>
-<p class='line0'>And of that more grievous crime,</p>
-<p class='line0'>An ideal too sublime</p>
-<p class='line0'>For the low-hung sky of Time.</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>The calm spot where thy body lies</p>
-<p class='line0'>Gladdens thy soul in Paradise,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;It is so still and holy;</p>
-<p class='line0'>Thy body sleeps serenely there,</p>
-<p class='line0'>And well for it thy soul may care,</p>
-<p class='line0'>It was so beautiful and fair,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Lily white so wholly.</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>From so pure and sweet a frame</p>
-<p class='line0'>Thy spirit parted as it came,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Gentle as a maiden;</p>
-<p class='line0'>Now it lieth full of rest—</p>
-<p class='line0'>Sods are lighter on its breast</p>
-<p class='line0'>Than the great, prophetic guest</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Wherewith it was laden.</p>
-</div>
-</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend -->
-
-<hr class='tbk121'/>
-
-<div><h1><a id='sonn'></a>SONNET TO MY MOTHER.</h1></div>
-
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;'>———</p>
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;font-size:0.8em;font-weight:bold;'>BY T. HOLLEY CHIVERS, M. D.</p>
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;margin-bottom:1.5em;'>———</p>
-
-
- <div class='poetry-container' style=''>
- <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' -->
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>Before mine eyes had seen the light of day,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Or that my soul had come from Heaven’s great King⁠—</p>
-<p class='line0'>A harmless, tiny, helpless little thing⁠—</p>
-<p class='line0'>You loved me!—While my tender being lay</p>
-<p class='line0'>In the soft rose-leaves of your heart at rest,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Like some lone bird within its downy nest,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Beneath the concave of its mother’s wing,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Unborn—your soul came in my heart to dwell,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Like perfume in the flower, each part to bring,</p>
-<p class='line0'>As warmth unto the young bird in its shell,</p>
-<p class='line0'>And built me up to what I was to be,</p>
-<p class='line0'>A semblance of thyself. Thus, being cast</p>
-<p class='line0'>In thy heart’s mould, I grew up like to thee,</p>
-<p class='line0'>And lost in thee my first friend with my last!</p>
-</div>
-</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend -->
-
-<hr class='tbk122'/>
-
-<div><h1><a id='bos'></a>BOSTON RAMBLINGS.</h1></div>
-
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;'>———</p>
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;font-size:0.8em;font-weight:bold;'>BY MISS LESLIE.</p>
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;margin-bottom:1.5em;'>———</p>
-
-<h2 class='nobreak'>PART THE FIRST.</h2>
-
-<p class='pindent'>Perhaps there is no place in America where the
-people continued to cling so long, and so fondly, to
-the relics and traditions of the olden time, as in Boston—their
-first era being that of the early settlers,
-their second that of the revolution. At the commencement
-of my acquaintance with Boston and
-Bostonians, I was particularly struck with the prevalence
-of this feeling, having found so little of it in
-my native city, Philadelphia. Yet I was sorry to
-hear from my eastern friends, that comparatively it
-was fast subsiding, and that a fancy for modern improvements
-(blended with the powerful incentive of
-pecuniary interest) was rapidly superseding that
-veneration so long cherished for the places and things
-connected with the history of their “ancient and
-honorable town,” and the founders of their country’s
-freedom. On my second visit to Boston I missed
-much that on my first I had found still undesecrated.
-On my third, but few vestiges remained of the
-poetry, the romance, and the quaintness that, with
-regard to external objects, had so interested and
-amused me in the year 1832. I looked in vain for
-the “old familiar faces” of certain antiquated and,
-perhaps, unsightly structures that I had delighted to
-contemplate as the time-honored habitations of men
-with undying names. They were gone, and new
-and more profitable buildings erected on their site.
-In many of these instances “I could have better
-spared a better house.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>Fortunately the charter of the city specifies that
-Faneuil Hall is never to be sold, nor can the ground
-on which it stands be appropriated to any other purpose.
-Except that the market-place in the lower
-story is now occupied by shops, the whole edifice
-still remains nearly as it was when the walls of its
-chief apartment resounded with the acclamations of
-the people who discussed, at their town meetings,
-those principles that led to their self-emancipation
-from the sway of Britain. Acclamations elicited by
-the bold and overpowering eloquence of James Otis,
-the enthusiastic outbreakings of the impetuous spirit
-of Warren, the pure and self-sacrificing patriotism
-of Quincy, and the calm but energetic plain sense
-of Samuel Adams, backed by the generous liberality
-of that wealthy and noble-minded merchant whose
-name, as president of the first Congress, leads on the
-glorious array of signatures appended to the Declaration
-of Independence. Did no one think of preserving
-the pen with which those names were written?—the
-sacred quill</p>
-
-
- <div class='poetry-container' style=''>
- <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' -->
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-<p class='line0'>“That wing’d the arrow, sure as fate,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Which ascertain’d the rights of man.”</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend -->
-
-<p class='pindent'>The full-length portrait of Peter Faneuil stands at
-the upper end of the hall, looking like its guardian
-spirit. It is a fine copy of a small original that was
-painted in his lifetime. In regarding the likeness of
-a person of note (provided always that the painter is
-a good artist) you can generally judge of its verisimilitude,
-by its representing the features of the mind
-in conjunction with those of the face. If a well
-painted portrait has no particular expression, you
-may safely conclude that the sitter had no particular
-character. When, at the first glance of a picture,
-you are struck with the conviction that the original
-<span class='it'>must</span> have looked exactly so, it is because you at
-once perceive his mind in his face. Who that has
-ever seen it, while it hung so long in the Pennsylvania
-Academy of Fine Arts, does not recollect Berthon’s
-admirable and life-like portrait of Buonaparte
-in the first year of that consulate. Every beholder
-was struck with an irresistible conviction of its perfect
-and unimpeachable fidelity of character. There,
-in his gold embroidered blue coat, his tri-colored
-sash, and his buff-leather gauntlets, was the pale,
-thin, almost cadaverous young soldier, just returned
-from the unwholesome regions of the Nile; with his
-dark, uncared-for hair shading his thoughtful brow,
-and his deep-set, intense eyes, that looked as if they
-could search into the soul of every man they saw.
-So self-evident was the truth of this picture, that it
-was unnecessary to be aware of its exact accordance
-with all the descriptions given at that time of the
-republican general, who had just made himself the
-chief magistrate of the French people, and was called
-only Buonaparte. A few years afterward, when
-“the hero had sunk into the king,” and was termed
-Napoleon, and when, in becoming more handsome,
-his face lost much of its original expression, this picture
-was equally valuable, as showing how he had
-looked in the early part of his wondrous career.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>Another picture which we feel at once to be a
-most faithful representation, is Greuze’s portrait of
-Franklin. It was painted by that excellent artist
-when the venerable printer, philosopher, author,
-statesman (what shall we call him) was living in
-Paris. The dress is a coat and waistcoat of dark reddish
-silk, trimmed with brown fur. The head is very
-bald at the top, and he wears his gray locks plain and
-unpowdered. He has that noble expanse of forehead
-which is almost always found in persons of extraordinary
-intellect. His eye is indicative of strong
-sense and benevolence, enlivened with a keen relish
-for humor. His whole countenance exhibits that
-union of genius and common sense, shrewdness and
-kindness, which formed his character. My father
-had once in his possession (but lost it by lending) a
-fine French engraving taken from this very portrait,
-and printed in colors. He had known Dr. Franklin
-intimately, and he considered it the most admirable
-likeness he had ever seen—in fact the very man.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>To return to Mr. Faneuil—<span class='it'>his</span> portrait also is
-highly characteristic. No one can look at this picture
-of a tall, dignified gentleman, in a suit of crimson
-velvet and gold, a long lace cravat, and a powdered
-wig, according to the patrician costume of his
-time, and can view his fine open countenance, without
-believing the whole to be a correct portraiture of
-the opulent and public spirited merchant who, while
-he was yet living, gave its first market-place, with a
-hall for the accommodation of public meetings, to
-the town that had afforded an asylum to his Huguenot
-ancestor. The remains of Peter Faneuil, who died
-suddenly in 1743, are interred amid the green shades
-of the Granary Burying Ground, so called from the
-town granary having been in its immediate vicinity.
-This cemetery is close to the Tremont Hotel, and in
-view of another “ancient place of graves,” belonging
-to the King’s Chapel, which was founded in 1688,
-and, in early times, numbered among its congregation
-the largest portion of the Boston aristocracy;
-and many of their descendants still worship there.
-It is built of light brown stone, and is frequently
-called the Stone Chapel.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>The length, thickness, and luxuriance of the grass,
-(which appears to require perpetual mowing,) and the
-closeness of the burial mounds, which seem almost
-piled upon each other, make it somewhat difficult to
-explore the monumental memorials of the old Boston
-families, whose first progenitors are slumbering beneath.
-A large number of these tombs are sculptured
-with armorial bearings, as an evidence that
-their mouldering occupants belonged, in their fatherland,
-to “gentle blood.” Of the tomb-stones dated
-after the revolution, I saw few that bore any indications
-of “the boast of heraldry, the pomp of power.”
-The founder of Boston, John Winthrop, is interred
-in the northwest corner of this cemetery, with his
-daughter, Grace Sears, (from whom the present
-Sears family is descended,) and his son, Waitstill
-Winthrop. The mansion of Governor Winthrop
-was a large two-story frame house, surrounded by a
-garden, and shaded with aboriginal trees that had
-been left standing for the purpose. Its location was
-near the old South Church, just below School street.
-Its site is now covered with stores; the block of
-buildings being termed South Row. I have seen an
-old portrait of this chief of the Boston colonists. It
-represents him as a tall, thin, dark-complexioned
-man, with an oval face, regular features, and a very
-serious countenance. He is habited in “a sad colored
-suit,” with a white lawn ruff round his neck,
-and a black cap on his head. In this burial ground
-Cooper has placed the vault of the Lechmere family,
-at the entrance of which the mother of Job Pray was
-found dead; and from the gallery of the stone chapel
-the half maniac father of Lionel Lincoln interrupted
-the marriage of his son with Cecil Dynevor, as they
-stood at the altar. Though reason may reject the
-interesting associations that emanate from fiction,
-feeling and fancy always unconsciously adopt them.
-It is this which conducts so many travellers to the
-shores of Loch Katrine, and sends them in a boat to
-the island of Ellen Douglas, though well aware that
-the damsel of the lake never in reality existed. I
-knew a gentleman who traversed the wilds of Connaught
-to visit the sea-beaten castle of Inismore, because
-it had been the fancied abode of Glorvina, the
-Wild Irish Girl, another charming creation of genius.
-And few will wonder at his doing so, who are
-familiar with the work that caused the flood-tide of
-Miss Owenson’s fortune, and who have, of course,
-read and re-read that beautiful letter in which Horatio
-describes his first acquaintance with the castle and
-its inmates.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>I was yet a stranger in Boston, when a few days
-after my arrival I accompanied a lady and gentleman
-who were residents in that city, (and excellent
-<span class='it'>ciceroni</span>) on an exploring walk into what is called
-the North End. This is a very old part of the town,
-extending northerly from Court street to Lynn street,
-and bounded on its eastern side by the waters of the
-harbor, and on the west by those of the estuary
-denominated Charles River. Its extreme point is
-immediately opposite to Bunker Hill. As it did not
-modernize as fast as the other sections of Boston,
-and as its old buildings were longer in getting demolished
-or furbished up, the <span class='it'>habitans</span> of the North End
-lay under the imputation of being an old fashioned
-people, sadly deficient in the organ of go-a-headness,
-and pitifully submitting to creep on all fours, while the
-rest of the community were making unto themselves
-wings. There was even a scandalous story circulated
-of one of their pastors, (a good old gentleman,
-whose nasal elocution had not improved by age,)
-uttering in his prayer the words, “Have mercy upon
-us miserable offenders,” in a manner that sounded
-very much like, “Have mercy upon us miserable
-North-enders.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>To give me an idea of the habitations of the early
-Bostonians, I was purposely taken through some of
-the oldest and crookedest streets; several of which had
-pavements so narrow that we had to break rank and
-to proceed Indian file; for when we attempted to
-walk abreast and the wall was politely ceded to me,
-the other lady took the curb-stone, and the gentleman
-the gutter. Be it known, however, that a Boston
-gutter is merely a minor ravine, edged with wild
-flowers; and not a reservoir of liquid mud or a conduit
-for dirty water; all the conduits in that city
-being sub-terraneous, and entirely out of sight.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>We saw very old houses, some of time-discolored
-brick, and some of wood in many instances unpainted,
-and therefore nearly black; in a few, the second
-story projected far over the first. Many of the ancient
-frame habitations were very large, and must have
-been built by people “that were well to do in the
-world.” In some, the clap-boards were ornamentally
-scolloped; and in many, the window frames
-instead of being inserted in the wall, were put on
-outside, and looked as if ready to burst forth upon us.
-There were primitive porches with seats in them,
-sheltered by moss-grown pent-houses, some of which
-would have furnished a tolerable crop of that roof-loving
-plant the house-leek. There were wooden
-balconies, with close heavy balustrades, of the pattern
-that looks like a range of innumerable narrow
-jugs. In some houses, the balconies were gone, but
-the door-windows belonging to them, were still there
-all the same; and as they now opened upon nothing,
-they looked most dangerous, especially for children
-or somnambulists to walk out at. There were street-doors
-cut horizontally in half, with steps descending
-inside instead of ascending outside. Many of the
-houses that stood alone had no front entrance, but
-ingress and egress were obtained through a small
-unpretending door in the side. This seemed to be a
-good plan, when the front was facing the chill blasts
-of the northeast. It is very disagreeable to have
-your street door blown open by the violence of the
-wind.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>In an early stage of “our winding way,” we came
-to the junction of Union and Marshall streets, and
-there I saw a large square block of dark brown
-stone, on one side of which was painted in white letters
-the words “Boston Stone.” Supposing it to be
-one of the landmarks of the city, and something memorable,
-I seated myself for a few moments upon
-it. I was told by one of my companions, that this
-stone had been an object of great controversy among
-certain antiquaries of the city. In newspapers a
-century old there were advertisements of shopkeepers
-and mechanics, who, in giving their locations,
-made assurance doubly sure, by stating that they
-lived near the Boston Stone. Houses were announced
-for sale or hire in the neighborhood of the
-Boston Stone. Street-fights and dreadful accidents
-happened not far from the Boston Stone. What
-then was the Boston Stone? How came it there,
-and for what purpose? There was no mention of it
-in history. Patriotic picturesque people thought it
-was the foundation-stone of a flag staff or a beacon-mast;
-and it is certain that the top or upper surface
-of the block exhibited a slight circular cavity, evidently
-made on purpose for something: though practical
-people contended that the hollow was not deep
-enough to hold anything. I cherished for two or
-three months the persuasion that the Boston Stone
-was either a remarkable relic connected with great
-events, or else that it had been placed there when
-the peninsula was first laid out for a town, as a mark
-to designate where some place left off, and another
-place began; or perhaps to denote the very centre
-of the settlement. But “the shadows, clouds and
-darkness” that rested upon all my conjectures, were
-very prosaically dispelled just before my departure
-from Boston, by a most unexciting account obtained
-through the medium of a grandson of “the oldest
-inhabitant” of that neighborhood. The real solution
-of the mystery was so very natural, that none but
-very commonplace people would believe it. It
-simply implied that a certain apothecary of the olden
-time being in want of a very large mortar, and unable
-to obtain one ready made, procured this block
-of stone and set his boys to hollowing it out for the purpose.
-They made a beginning, but soon found that
-the stone was too hard and the labor too great;
-and having taken a spite at the obdurate block, they
-shoved it out of doors and left it on the pavement in
-front of the shop. From hence no one took the
-trouble to remove it, and finding that the neighbors
-began to date from its vicinity, the apothecary’s boys
-made it more <span class='it'>distingué</span> by inscribing it with the title of
-the Boston Stone—How a plain tale will put us down.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>Shortly after quitting the Boston Stone, we came
-to a house at the corner of Union and Hanover
-streets, which was shown to me as the one in which
-Dr. Franklin was born. It is of two stories, and built
-partly of brick and partly of wood. The lower part
-was now occupied by a little shop, with a blue bell
-as a sign. Adjoining it in Hanover street was a dark
-low grocery store into which you descended by a step.
-It looked exactly as if it had been the soap and candle
-shop of Josiah Franklin. It was easy to imagine
-poor Ben. serving customers behind the old counter;
-cutting candle-wicks into lengths; and snatching, at
-intervals, a few minutes to read a little in hidden
-books when nobody saw him. An aged and excellent
-woman, who had passed her life in this part of
-the town, told me at a subsequent period, that she
-well remembered, when a little girl, seeing the
-old corner house (the dwelling part of the establishment,)
-pulled down, and the present one
-erected in its stead. The original corner house had
-always been regarded as one of the habitations of
-the Franklin family, and the adjoining old one-story
-shop (now the grocery) as theirs. It seems to me
-highly probable that the elder Franklin <span class='it'>did</span> live in
-Milk street (as is generally believed) at the time his
-son Benjamin was born, and that the infant <span class='it'>was</span> wrapped
-in a blanket and carried over the way to the old
-South Church to be christened. His baptism is noted
-in the register of the church, and the date is the same
-as that of his birth. This speedy performance of the
-rite of baptism was in accordance with the custom of
-the times. The Milk street house was a small two-story
-frame building, and was accidentally burnt in
-1810. On the spot has since been erected a three-story
-furniture warehouse. It is but a few steps from
-the corner of Washington street, opposite to the Old
-South. There was an old printing office just back of
-it; and it is said that Josiah Franklin relinquished the
-Milk street house to his son James the printer, and
-removed with his wife and the younger children to
-Hanover street, and there carried on the soap and
-candle business, in the dark low one-story shop that is
-still there: living in the adjoining house at the corner.
-That the parents of Franklin were residents of the
-North End at the time of their death there can be no
-doubt, as they were interred in the North Burying
-Ground on Copp’s Hill. Many years ago their remains
-were exhumed, and transferred to the Granary
-burial place in Tremont street, at the expense
-of several gentlemen of Boston. A neat monument
-of granite has been erected upon the mound that
-covers their ashes; and in the front of the little obelisk
-is inserted a slab of slate, a part of the original grave
-stone on Copp’s Hill. This humble medallion bears
-the names of Josiah Franklin and Abiah his wife,
-with the date of their deaths. I regarded this monument
-with much interest, as reflecting back upon his
-lowly but respectable parents a portion of the honor so
-universally accorded to the great man their son.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>Having diverged from Hanover street to the North
-Square, we soon found ourselves in front of two very
-old and remarkable houses; one of which had been the
-residence of Governor Hutchinson, and the other of
-William Clarke, a wealthy merchant of the early part
-of the last century. Both were large old-fashioned
-buildings, their sides and chimneys overgrown with
-the scarlet-flowering creeper-vine. Above the front-door
-of the Hutchinson House, was the wooden balcony
-from which “Stingy Tommy,” as he was
-disrespectfully called by the populace, sometimes
-addressed the restive and stiffnecked people whom it
-was his hard lot to govern; and by whom he was so
-much disliked, that whether he did well or ill they
-were resolved not to be pleased. Perhaps the primary
-cause of his unpopularity may be traced to his
-parsimonious habits, or at least to the stories circulated
-of them. No man that is noted for a mean and
-avaricious disposition ever was or ever can be liked,
-either in private life or in a public capacity. However
-he may attempt to disguise it by an occasional
-act of liberality, the sordid spirit that is in him will
-be always creeping out, and exciting disgust and
-contempt. Yet (as is often the case with such
-persons) Governor Hutchinson spent much upon
-show and finery. At the time his house was sacked
-by the mob (when he narrowly escaped with his life)
-from this balcony were thrown the splendid brocade
-gowns and petticoats of his wife, with her laced
-caps, and numerous ornamental articles of dress and
-furniture. A bonfire was made of them in the street
-before the door.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>The gentleman who piloted us on this walk through
-the North End was acquainted with the occupants
-of the Clarke House, (much the most curious of the
-two,) therefore we stopped in, and were courteously
-shown its principal apartments. It was built by Mr.
-Clarke, in the time of Queen Anne, and was after
-him occupied by Sir Henry Frankland, and called,
-for awhile, the Frankland House. It had a large,
-wide entrance hall, with a parlor on each side. All
-the ceilings were much too low for the taste of the
-present times; and a low ceiling always causes a
-room to look smaller than it really is. The walls of
-the left hand parlor had been covered with rich
-tapestry, over which a modern wall-paper was now
-pasted. A small portion of the papering being peeled
-off, we saw part of the tapestry beneath. But the
-other parlor had been evidently the room of state.
-The floor required no carpet, for it was <span class='it'>parqueté</span> all
-over with small square pieces of American wood,
-comprising, as we were told, fifty different sorts or
-specimens; the light-colored pieces forming the
-ground-work, and the dark ones the figure or pattern.
-At the first glance it resembled an oil-cloth, or rather
-(to adopt a very homely comparison) it was not unlike
-the block-work bed quilts that our grandmothers
-took such pains in making. On this floor there was
-a border all round: and in the centre the marquetry
-represented a large swan with a crown on its head,
-and a chain round its breast. This was the cognizance
-of the Clarke family. Those conversant with
-heraldry know that there is always a reason, either
-historical, traditionary, or allegorical, for the introduction
-of certain strange symbols into a coat of
-arms. We were told that this tesselated floor had
-cost fifteen hundred dollars. The walls of the room
-were divided into compartments, edged with rich
-gilded mouldings; each containing an oil painting,
-tolerably good, but very vividly colored. The subjects
-were beyond our comprehension. We did not
-know whether they were what the drawing-masters
-call figure-pieces, or whether they were landscapes
-with figures in them.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>In the room over this parlor the chimney-piece was
-of marble, decorated with a rich and admirably executed
-carving of flowers, fruit, and Indian corn,
-beautifully arranged, and descending down the sides
-as far as the hearth. Above the mantle-piece was
-a very <span class='it'>mediocre</span> picture, in a narrow gilt frame, inserted
-in the wall. This painting represented a boy
-and girl, evidently brother and sister. The boy is
-presenting something that is either a peach or an
-apple to the girl, who is dressed in a ruffled night-gown
-and sitting on the side of a couch. The young
-gentleman is standing upright, habited in a rich suit
-of blue and gold, ornamented at the wrist with deep
-cuffs of white lace. On his legs are white silk stockings,
-ascending above his knees, and buskins laced
-with gold cord. Neither of the children are looking
-towards each other, but both are staring out of the
-picture, and fixing their very large eyes on the spectator.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>We were told that Cooper had visited this house
-previous to commencing Lionel Lincoln. Changing
-its location to Tremont street, he has described it as
-the mansion of Mrs. Lechmere.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>Few of our American cities have retained their old
-family domiciles as long as the town of Boston, and
-they attest the opulence of many of its early inhabitants.
-However, they are fast disappearing; the
-large portions of ground that they occupy, surrounded
-with their gardens and lofty trees, having become
-too valuable to escape being converted to more profitable
-purposes. When I first knew Boston, the
-spacious domain of Gardiner Green extended along
-Pemberton Hill, far back of Somerset street, including
-garden, shrubbery, and pasture ground, from
-whence I was sometimes disturbed at night by the
-tinkling of a cow-bell, which seemed to me strange
-in the very heart of a large city. Near it, on Tremont
-street, stood, with its pilasters and tall windows,
-the mansion of Jonathan Philips, looking like the
-residence of an old English nobleman. It had a
-smooth green lawn in front, and an elevated terrace,
-which was ascended by a lofty flight of stone steps,
-bordered with vases of exotics; and among its fine
-shade trees was the beautiful mountain ash, with its
-clusters of light scarlet berries. It was built, and
-originally occupied, by Mr. Faneuil, uncle to the
-gentleman who bestowed the town-hall on Boston.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>Next to the house of Governor Philips stood the
-residence of the talented and unfortunate Sir Harry
-Vane, who had come over with the early settlers,
-and afterwards been appointed governor of the province
-of Massachusetts. He returned to England
-during the protectorate of Cromwell; and after the
-restoration, was committed to the Tower for the republican
-principles he persisted in advocating.
-Charles the Second had him tried on a charge of high
-treason, and he was beheaded on Tower Hill—behaving
-on the scaffold with the utmost composure
-and dignity. He attempted to address the people, but
-the drums and trumpets were sounded to drown his
-voice. This house of Sir Harry Vane was near two
-centuries old. It was a large brick building, with a
-garden at the side. The antique back casements still
-retained the small diamond-shaped panes set in lead;
-but, when I saw the house, its front windows looked
-as if they had been modernized about a century ago.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>On my last visit to Boston, about two years since,
-I found that all the above-mentioned old mansions
-had been demolished, and their places filled with
-rows of modern structures suited to the utilitarian
-spirit of the times. The old Coolidge house, in Bowdoin
-Square, was still standing in 1840. It also is
-a large brick building, the bricks much darkened and
-discolored with time and damp. The house is almost
-hidden by enormous old trees, which cast their impervious
-branches so close to the windows that I
-wondered how its inhabitants could possibly see to
-do anything, unless they burned lamps or candles all
-day long. The dense gloominess of shade that environed
-this mansion, reminded me of the commencement
-of one of Moore’s earliest poems.</p>
-
-
- <div class='poetry-container' style=''>
- <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' -->
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-<p class='line0'>“The darkness that hung upon Willemberg’s walls</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Has long been remember’d with grief and dismay,</p>
-<p class='line0'>For years not a sunbeam had play’d in its halls,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;And it seem’d as shut out from the regions of day.”</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend -->
-
-<hr class='tbk123'/>
-
-<div><h1><a id='aut'></a>AUTUMN.</h1></div>
-
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;'>———</p>
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;font-size:0.8em;font-weight:bold;'>BY ALBERT PIKE.</p>
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;margin-bottom:1.5em;'>———</p>
-
-
- <div class='poetry-container' style=''>
- <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' -->
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;It is the evening of a pleasant day</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;In these old woods. The sun profusely flings</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;His flood of light through every narrow way</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;That winds around the trees. His spirit clings,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;In orange mist, around the snowy wings</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Of many a patient cloud, that now, since noon,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;Over the western mountains idly swings,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Waiting when night shall come—alas! too soon!</p>
-<p class='line0'>To veil the timid blushes of the virgin moon.</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;The trees with crimson robes are garmented:</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;Clad with frail brilliants by the Autumn frost,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;For the young leaves, that Spring with beauty fed,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;Their greenness and luxuriance have lost,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;Gaining new beauty at too dear a cost:</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Unnatural beauty, that precedes decay.</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;Too soon, upon the harsh winds wildly toss’d,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Leaving the naked trees ghost-like and gray,</p>
-<p class='line0'>These leaf-flocks, like vain hopes, will vanish all away.</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;How does your sad, yet calm and cheerful guise,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;Ye melancholy Autumn solitudes,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;With my own feelings softly harmonize!</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;For though I love the hoar and solemn woods,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;In all their manifold and changing moods⁠—</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;In gloom and sunshine, storm and quietness,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;By day, or when the dim night on them broods;</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Their lightsome glades, their darker mysteries⁠—</p>
-<p class='line0'>Yet the sad heart loves a still, calm scene like this.</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Soon will the year like this sweet day have fled,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;With swift feet speeding noiselessly and fast,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;As a ghost speeds, to join its kindred dead,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;In the dark realms of that mysterious vast,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;The shadow-peopled and eternal past.</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Life’s current deathward flows—a rapid stream,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;With clouds and shadows often overcast,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Yet lighted often by a sunny beam</p>
-<p class='line0'>Of happiness, like sweet thoughts in a gloomy dream.</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Like the brown leaves, our lov’d ones drop away,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;One after one, into the dark abyss</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Of Sleep and Death. The frosts of Trouble lay</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;Their withering touch upon our happiness,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;Even as the hoar frosts of the Autumn kiss</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;The green lip from the unoffending leaves;</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;And Love and Hope and Youth’s warm cheerfulness</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Flit from the heart—Age lonely sits and grieves,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Or sadly smiles, while Youth fondly his day-dream weaves.</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Day draweth to its close—night cometh on⁠—</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;Death standeth dimly on Life’s western verge,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Casting his shadow o’er the startled sun⁠—</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;A deeper gloom, that seemeth to emerge</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;From gloomy night—and bending forth, to urge</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;His eyeless steeds, fleet as the tempest’s blast:</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;And hear we not eternity’s dim surge</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Thundering anear? At the dread sound aghast,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Time hurries headlong, pale with frantic terror, past.</p>
-</div>
-</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend -->
-
-<hr class='tbk124'/>
-
-<div><h1><a id='bro'></a>THE BROTHER AND SISTER.</h1></div>
-
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;'>———</p>
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;font-size:0.8em;font-weight:bold;'>BY MRS. EMMA C. EMBURY.</p>
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;margin-bottom:1.5em;'>———</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>In the days of my early childhood, the little village
-of ——, separated by green hills and broad fields
-from the busy city, formed one of the pleasantest
-summer resorts of the wealthy inhabitants of New
-York. Many a stately villa was reared upon the
-banks of the Hudson, many a neat country-house
-sheltered itself within the winding lanes which traversed
-the village, for its vicinity to the great mart
-offered irresistible temptations to those whose hands
-were chained to the galley of commerce, while their
-hearts were still wedded to nature. One of the fairest
-pictures in the “chambers of mine imagery” is
-that of a large old-fashioned mansion, seated in the
-midst of a garden “too trim for nature, and too rude
-for art,” where a long avenue of cherry trees threw
-a pleasant shade across the lawn, while a rude swing,
-suspended between two of these sturdy old denizens
-of the soil, afforded a cool and delightful lounge to
-the studious and imaginative child. My earliest days
-were passed in that pleasant home, and my earliest
-lessons of wisdom learned in the school of that
-pretty village; therefore it is that my thoughts love
-to linger around those scenes, and therefore it is that
-I have fancied others might find something of interest
-in <span class='it'>one</span> of my reminiscences.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>My shortest road to school led through a narrow
-green lane, rarely traversed by the gay vehicles
-which dashed along the main avenues of the village,
-and I was delighted to find such a quiet and shady
-path, where the turf was always so soft, and the air
-so fragrant with the breath of flowers. But I was
-soon induced to take a wide circuit rather than pass
-the solitary cottage which stood within that secluded
-lane. It was a low one-story building, with a broad
-projecting roof, throwing the narrow windows far
-into shade; and, as if to add to its sombre appearance,
-some former occupant had painted the house a
-dull lead color, which, by the frequent washings of
-the rain, and powderings of wayside dust, had
-assumed the grayish tint that gave to the cottage its
-distinctive appellation. Every village has its haunted
-house, and an evil name had early fallen on the
-“gray cottage.” Behind it, and so near that three
-paces from the little porch would lead a person to its
-very brink, was a deep and rocky ravine, forming a
-basin for the waters of a rapid brook, which, after
-flowing in sunshine and music through half the village,
-fell with sullen plash into the gloom of this
-wild dell. Some dark and half forgotten tale of
-guilt had added the horrors of superstition to the
-natural melancholy of the place, and few of the
-humbler inhabitants of the neighborhood would have
-been willing to stand after sunset on the brink of the
-Robbers’ Glen. It was said that the house, in former
-times, had been the abode of wicked and desperate
-men. The earth of the cellar beneath it was heaved
-up with hillocks like graves, and supernatural sounds
-had been heard to issue from these mysterious
-mounds. For many years it had stood untenanted,
-and the boys of the village often amused themselves
-by pelting it, at a cautious distance, with stones.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>But a “haunted house” had great attractions for
-the mind of one who revelled in fancies of the wild
-and wonderful. I was exceedingly anxious to behold
-the interior of the lonely cottage, which had now
-become invested with so much dignity in my eyes,
-and finding a few companions of like spirit, we determined
-to visit it. We accordingly fixed upon a
-certain Saturday afternoon, and determined to find
-some means of ingress into the barred and bolted
-cottage. A gay and light-hearted troop were we,
-as we scrambled over rail fences, gathered our
-aprons full of wild flowers, or chased the bright butterflies
-which mocked our glad pursuit. But as we
-entered the lane our merry shouts of laughter ceased,
-each looked earnestly in the face of the other, as if,
-for the first time, sensible of the mysterious importance
-of our undertaking, and, but for shame, several
-would have retraced their steps. I believe not one
-of us was insensible to the gloom which seemed
-suddenly to fall upon us, and as we looked towards
-the cottage, standing in the deep shadow of a spreading
-elm, while all else within the lane was glistening
-in the slant beams of the declining sun, we almost
-feared to approach the darkened spot. Cautiously
-advancing, however, and peeping through the rusted
-keyhole, we found our curiosity entirely baffled by
-the total darkness of the interior. It was proposed
-that we should climb the fence and attempt an entrance
-from the rear of the building, where we
-should be less likely to be interrupted or discovered
-by wayfarers, and after a brief consultation, held in
-hurried whispers, we resolved upon the daring feat.
-Silently treading the margin of the Robbers’ Glen,
-we reached the back porch of the little cottage, and
-beheld one of the window shutters open. We looked
-into the apartment but saw nothing save the naked
-walls of the dilapidated room, and as one of our party
-turned the latch of the door, to our great astonishment,
-it yielded to the touch and allowed us free entrance.
-Half frightened at our own success, we
-stood huddled together in the narrow passage, hesitating
-to advance, when suddenly a tall woman, clad
-in the deepest black, and displaying a countenance
-as white and (as it seemed to our excited fancies) as
-ghostly and rigid as a sheeted corpse, stood in the
-midst of us. How we ever got out of the house I
-cannot tell. I remember our desperate speed, the
-wild and headlong haste with which we threw ourselves
-over the low fence, and the total exhaustion
-we felt when once fairly escaped from that frightful
-place. As we lay on the grass, to rest before returning
-home, each one told her own story of that terrible
-apparition. None had heard a footstep when that
-fearful woman came among us; none had seen her
-approach, and though the sound of our own buzzing
-voices, and the fixed attention with which we were
-just then regarding the door of the apartment, which
-we wished yet dreaded to enter, might easily account
-for both these circumstances, yet we all came to the
-conclusion that we had seen a ghost, or, at the least,
-a witch.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>On the following Sunday we were scarcely less
-alarmed, for, just as the services were commencing,
-the same tall figure, arrayed in deep mourning and
-veiled to her very feet, slowly proceeded up the aisle
-and took her seat on the step of the altar. My blood
-ran cold as I looked upon her, and when I afterwards
-heard that she had recently become the occupant of
-the gray cottage, my dread of her supernatural powers
-gave place to a belief that she was in some way or
-other mysteriously connected with the guilty deeds
-of which that cottage had been the scene. I did not
-trouble myself to remember that the events which
-had flung such horror around the Robbers’ Glen must
-have occurred at least half a century previous, and
-therefore could have little to do with a woman yet in
-the prime of life. The curiosity which her presence
-excited was not confined to the children of the village.
-Her tall stature, her sombre garb, her veiled
-face, and her singular choice of a place of abode
-excited the conjectures of many an older and wiser
-head. But whatever interest her appearance had
-awakened, it was not destined to be satisfied. Those
-who, led by curiosity or real kindness, sought to visit
-her, were repulsed from the threshold; no one was
-allowed to enter her house; all prying inquiries were
-silenced, either by stern reserve or bitter vituperations;
-even the village pastor was refused admittance
-to her solitude; and, after months and even
-years, as little was known of her as on the day she
-first appeared. She lived entirely alone; once in
-each week she was seen walking towards the city,
-and on Sunday she was regularly to be found at the
-foot of the pulpit—but beyond this nothing was to be
-discovered. Few, very few, had ever distinctly seen
-the face whose paleness gleamed out from the folds
-of her thick veil, and, after some time, the people
-found other objects of interest, while the children
-carefully avoided all approach to the haunted cottage,
-and could scarcely repress a shudder of horror as
-they heard the low rustle of her dusky garments on
-each returning Sunday.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>Years passed on; circumstances occurred to remove
-me from the village, and the various changes
-which the heart experiences between the period of
-joyous childhood and earnest womanhood, had
-almost effaced from my mind all recollection of the
-“black witch,” when I was unexpectedly and rather
-strangely made acquainted with her true history. It
-was a tale of ordinary trials and sorrows, such as
-might have befallen many others, and yet there are
-peculiarities in the sufferings of every individual as
-strongly marked as are the traits of character.
-There was no supernatural interest in her story, but
-it invested her in my mind with the dignity of unmerited
-sorrow, and it enables me to open for your
-perusal, gentle reader, another of the many strange
-written pages of human nature.</p>
-
-<hr class='tbk125'/>
-
-<p class='pindent'>For more than twelve years Madeline Graham had
-been an only child, the darling of her invalid mother,
-and the pride of her doting father, when the birth of
-a brother opened a new channel for the affections of
-all the family. During the earliest period of his infancy
-the child seemed feebly struggling for existence,
-but he gradually acquired strength to resist the
-frequent attacks of disease, and though he gave no
-promise of robust health, his constitution seemed
-sufficiently invigorated to warrant a hope of prolonged
-life. The most unwearied exertions, however,
-were necessary, and his guidance over the very
-threshold of being was a task of more difficulty than
-the lifelong care of a hardy and healthy child. Yet
-the anxiety which his precarious state awakened,
-and the constant attention which he required, seemed
-to endear him the more closely to the little family.
-He became their idol, the object of their incessant
-solicitude, and comfort, happiness, even life itself
-was sacrificed to his welfare. Ere he had attained
-his third year, Mrs. Graham, who had long been in
-declining health, sank beneath the fatigue and anxiety
-she had endured, while, with her dying breath, she
-enjoined upon Madeline the most devoted attention
-to her darling boy. Madeline scarcely needed such
-admonition, for, from his very birth, her brother had
-been the object of her passionate love; but such a
-charge, given at such a solemn moment, sank deep
-into the heart of the young and sensitive girl. Falling
-on her knees beside her mother, she uttered a
-solemn vow that no earthly affection and no other
-duty should ever induce her to place her brother’s
-interests secondary to her own. A smile of grateful
-tenderness lit up the face of the dying woman, and
-her last glance thanked Madeline for the self-sacrifice
-to which she had thus unconsciously pledged herself.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>From that hour the young Alfred became his sister’s
-especial charge. Young as she was, her father
-knew that he could trust her latent strength of character,
-and when she took her brother, even as a
-child, to her bosom, he felt assured that his boy
-would never need a mother’s care.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>Madeline Graham was no common character.
-Though she had scarcely counted her fifteenth
-summer, she had grown up tall and stately, with a face
-almost severe in its fixed and classical beauty, while
-her manners, calm almost to coldness, were scarcely
-such as are usually found connected with youthful
-feeling and girlish simplicity. Educated solely by
-her parents, Madeline had acquired some of the
-characteristic traits of both. To her mother’s morbid
-sensibility and enthusiasm she united her father’s
-reserve and fixedness of purpose. She possessed
-strong passions, but an innate power of repressing
-them seemed born with them. Her love for truth
-was unbounded; even the common courtesies of
-society seemed to her but as so many fetters on the
-limbs of the goddess of her idolatry, and, therefore,
-even in her girlhood, her manners had become
-characterized by a sincerity almost amounting to
-<span class='it'>brusquerie</span>. Her talents were of the highest order,
-and her habits of reflection, which were singularly
-developed in one so young, enabled her to reap a
-rich harvest of knowledge from her father’s careful
-culture. She was one to be admired, and praised,
-and wondered at, but she was scarcely calculated to
-awaken affection. The spontaneous gush of feeling,
-the guileless frankness of a heart that knows no evil
-and dreads no danger, the warm sympathy of a
-youthful nature, the sweet susceptibility which,
-though dangerous to its possessor, is yet so winning
-a trait of girlish character—all these attributes,
-which seem to belong to the spring-time of life, even
-as the buds and blossoms are inseparably connected
-with the renewed youth of the visible creation, were
-wanting to Madeline.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>But it was from the religious opinions of her parents
-that the deepest tint of coloring was imparted
-to the mind of Madeline. Mrs. Graham, a lineal
-descendant of one of the sternest and most intolerant
-of the puritans, had early united herself to one of the
-strictest of strict sects, and had been accustomed to
-practise a system of self-denial as rigid, if not quite
-as visible, as the penances of cloistered austerity.
-The impulses of innocent gaiety, the promptings of
-harmless vanity, the wanderings of youthful fancy
-were regarded by her only as evidences of a sinful
-nature, which ought to awaken remorse as keen as
-that which visits the penitent bosom of deep-dyed
-guilt. In the enthusiasm of her early zeal she seemed
-lifted above the weaknesses of humanity, and even
-the gray-headed members of the Christian community
-looked upon her as a chosen servant of the truth.
-But her excitement had been too great; the hour of
-reaction came, and it was when lukewarmness and
-weariness had taken full possession of her feelings
-for a season, that she first met with her future husband.
-Ever in extremes, an earthly passion now
-absorbed the heart which had consumed its energies
-in zeal without knowledge, and she married Mr.
-Graham without allowing herself to look upon the
-broad line of separation which lay between them.
-Had she ever made religion a question she would
-have learned the fact; for if good taste forbade him
-to obtrude his opinions upon others, yet love of truth
-prevented him from seeking to conceal them. Mr.
-Graham was a skeptic. The great truths of revealed
-religion were to him but as fables to amuse the multitude;
-and while in the works of creation he recognised
-the hand of a Deity, he read not in the hearts
-of men the necessity of a Redeemer. Mrs. Graham
-was horror-stricken when she discovered that her
-husband was not a Christian, and in proportion as
-the ardor of youthful passion faded into the tender
-light of conjugal affection, the terrible abyss which
-yawned between them became more painfully visible
-to her sight. The attempt to change his opinions
-again awakened her slumbering zeal, and with all
-the penitence of one who was conscious of having
-fallen from a state of elevated piety, she endeavored to
-make amends for her temporary alienation by renewed
-devotion. But her system of ascetic severity
-was little calculated to make religion attractive to
-her husband. The “beauty of holiness” was hidden
-beneath the sackcloth and ashes with which her mistaken
-judgment endued it, and Mr. Graham learned
-to look upon her piety as the <span class='it'>one defect</span>, rather than
-the <span class='it'>crowning grace</span>, in his wife’s character. Her
-sincere affection, and a desire to preserve domestic
-harmony, at length compelled her to give up all
-attempts to change her husband’s opinions, and she
-was therefore doomed to cherish a secret sorrow
-which wasted her very life away. The ascetic devotion
-which seemed so unlovely to the husband, produced
-a very different effect upon the imagination of
-Madeline. Accustomed to regard her mother as the
-best of human beings, she early learned to reverence
-and imitate her fervent zeal. Her reserve of character
-induced her to conceal her impressions even from
-the mother who labored to deepen them, and no one
-suspected the severe self-discipline which, even in
-childhood, she practised in imitation of her parent’s
-example. Her father, who, while despising Christianity,
-yet paid it the involuntary homage of considering
-it a very proper safeguard for women and
-children, did not attempt to interfere in her religious
-education. He contented himself with cultivating
-the field of mind, and left her mother to sow her
-moral nature with the tares of prejudice along with
-the seed of true piety.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>Madeline had scarcely attained her twentieth year
-when a sudden and violent illness deprived her of
-her father, and left her the sole guardian of her
-young brother. Upon looking into Mr. Graham’s
-affairs, it was found that his profession had only procured
-for him a comfortable subsistence, and, as his
-income died with him, the orphans were almost penniless.
-The small house which they had long occupied,
-together with its furniture and a library of some
-value, were all that remained. To convert these
-into money was Madeline’s first care, and her next
-step was to invest the amount thus obtained in the
-name of her brother, as a fund for his education and
-future subsistence. For herself she seemed to have
-no anxieties, and with a degree of disinterestedness,
-as rare as it was praiseworthy, she determined to derive
-her own maintenance from the labor of her
-hands. With characteristic energy she made all her
-arrangements without consulting any one, or asking
-the advice of her father’s best friends. The bold
-self-reliance which formed her most striking and
-least amiable trait was now fully developed, and she
-felt no need of other aid than that of her own strong
-mind. She had a deep design to work out in future—a
-darling scheme to mature—a hope, which in her
-stern nature assumed the form of a determination to
-compass, and all sacrifices seemed light which could
-aid her to a successful issue. Need I add, that her
-brother was the object of all her future aspirations.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>Alfred Graham had already given evidence of
-precocious genius which seemed fully to justify
-Madeline’s ambition. Nature in his case had displayed
-her usual compensating kindness, and since
-she had bestowed on him a dwarfed and diminutive
-form, a delicate and fragile body, made amends by
-giving him a countenance of almost feminine beauty,
-and a mind filled with the most exquisite perceptions.
-He was born a poet. His fervid feelings, his nervous
-temperament, his delicate sense of beauty in the
-moral and physical world—even the very fragility
-of constitution which shut him out from the rude
-conflicts of real life, and confined him within the
-limits of the fairyland of reverie—all seemed to
-point out his future vocation. Too young to frame
-in numbers the fancies of his childish hours, he yet
-breathed into his sister’s ear the eloquent words of
-pure and passionless enthusiasm, and Madeline’s
-heart thrilled with high hopes of his future glory.
-But she did not suffer nature to direct his course.
-Long ere the child had seriously commenced the
-work of education, she had destined him to become
-an apostle of Christianity to the benighted world of
-paganism. Imaginative, high minded, stern, and
-self-sacrificing, Madeline was just such a woman as
-in the olden time might have embroidered the cross
-upon the mantle of her best beloved one, and sent
-him forth to fight the battles of the holy church.
-But the missionary of modern days has a far more
-difficult and therefore far nobler office to perform.
-Amid belted knights and men-at-arms to do battle
-with myriads of the Paynim foe is a lighter task
-than that which falls upon him, who goes forth alone
-and single handed to face the more insidious foes of
-ignorance and sin amid the blinded and perverse
-heathen. Yet such was the high and holy duty to
-which Madeline destined her brother, while her own
-ambition was limited to the hope of being the companion
-of his toils and his labors. She looked forward
-to the time when they should go forth hand in
-hand into the howling wilderness of superstition,
-with the gospel as a light to their feet and a lamp to
-their path, while they scattered the blessings of truth
-among the benighted idolaters of distant lands.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>As Alfred advanced in life he learned the full
-extent of his sister’s sacrifices for his welfare. He
-saw her relinquishing all the intellectual pleasures
-she had once enjoyed, and devoting herself day and
-night to the humble labors of the needle. He noticed
-her attention to his most trifling wishes, and he did
-not fail to observe that while his dress was of the
-neatest and finest texture, and his food of the delicate
-kind which best suited the capricious appetite of an
-invalid, Madeline practised the strictest economy in
-all that affected only her own individual comfort.
-Yet Alfred did not love Madeline with the entire
-affection which could alone repay her devotedness.
-There was too much awe, too much fear blended
-with his feelings towards her. Her strong mind and
-stern integrity seemed ever ready to rebuke the
-vacillating temper and morbid sensibility of the
-youth. Superior to temptations which had no power
-over herself, she had little charity for the failings of
-another; and the boyish errors, often but the earliest
-trial of principles which the world will hereafter put
-to a far more severe test—were regarded by her as
-heavy sins. Educated in the seclusion of home, she
-could not imagine the dangers which beset a boy
-from his first entrance into the miniature world of a
-large school. Instead of rewarding with her approbation
-the first struggles of principle with passion in
-the youthful heart, she seemed only shocked and
-mortified that any conflict should have been necessary,
-and was more keenly sensible to the weakness
-which had required defence, than to the strength
-which had offered resistance. Such mistaken views
-of character soon checked the flow of confidence
-between them. Alfred could not open his whole
-heart to one who was incapable of comprehending
-all his feelings, and though he never needed a
-mother’s care, he early learned the want of a mother’s
-sympathy.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>Madeline had seen sufficient proofs of Alfred’s
-facile temper and instability of purpose to dread
-his introduction into scenes of greater temptation,
-and, vainly fancying that he would be safer any
-where than in the busy city, she preferred that he
-should enter a distant college. At the age of seventeen
-he was removed from his sister’s influence to
-enter upon his new course of studies, and although
-at first truly unhappy at this separation from his only
-relative, it was not long before the absence of her
-keen eye and stern rebuke became a positive relief
-to him. Hitherto his life had passed amid the sombre
-shades of domestic life, and with all Madeline’s
-noble traits of character, she lacked the tact, so
-truly feminine, which enables a woman to throw
-sunshine around the humblest home. The cheerful
-song, the pleasant jest, the merry voice, the bright
-smile, the buoyant step—all the lighter graces without
-which a woman’s character, however elevated and
-noble, is but as a Corinthian column without its
-capital, or as a rose without its perfume—were
-wanting to the unbending nature of Madeline. The
-world was to her a scene of probation and preparation,
-and to waste a thought upon enlivening its
-grave duties seemed to her as idle as planting flowers
-around a sepulchre. When therefore Alfred
-found himself amid a throng of young men from
-every part of the country—some ambitious of renown,
-some fond of study for its own sake, some
-utterly careless of present duties, some slothful and
-indifferent to honor, but all equally alive to pleasurable
-excitement and equally eager in the pursuit
-of amusement, he felt as if he had suddenly been
-transported to a world of which he had never dreamed.
-His susceptible temper rendered him an easy prey to
-the lures of gay society. Intellectual enjoyments
-mingled their pure odors with the fumes of the wine
-cup, and the refinements of elegant taste served to
-veil the native deformity of vice, until, long before
-he had learned the danger of his position, he was
-bound in the strong toils of sensual indulgence.
-Full of intellect, and wonderfully acute in his perceptions,
-he soon became distinguished for his
-genius, and the heart of his sister was often gladdened
-by tidings of his success. But she knew not
-that he was drinking from more turbid waters than
-those which flow from the fountain of wisdom—she
-dreamed not that the offering which she hoped to
-bring pure and unpolluted to the altar of Heaven was
-already blemished and unworthy to be presented.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>Alfred Graham was not designed by nature to be a
-votary of evil. Temptation had found him weak to
-resist, but conscience was still true to her charge,
-and the youth was as free from habitual vice as he
-was destitute of unsullied virtue. When the vacations
-brought him to his quiet home, the better
-feelings of his nature were ever aroused; he respected
-the virtue of his sister’s character, and
-when surrounded by that pure atmosphere which
-envelopes real goodness, he forgot even to harbor a
-sinful thought. But day by day the profession to
-which he was destined became more repugnant to
-his feelings, and after deferring as long as possible
-the announcement of his wishes, he at length summoned
-courage to reveal the truth to his sister. The
-blow fell upon Madeline with almost stunning violence.
-He had just left college crowned with honors
-and flushed with success, and Madeline was exulting
-in the hope of his future usefulness, when he revealed
-to her his change of purpose. The first intimation
-of his unwillingness to devote himself to the church,
-almost drove her to frenzy. All the violence of her
-secret nature broke forth in the fearful threats of
-temporal and eternal punishment which she predicted
-for such apostacy, and Alfred’s feeble temper
-was actually crushed beneath the weight of her indignation.
-He trembled at the storm which he had
-raised, and when, after days of entreaty and expostulation,
-Madeline, the stern, proud Madeline, even
-knelt at his feet, and implored the child of her affections
-to listen to the voice of God, speaking by the
-lips of her who had ever been as a mother to his
-heart, the weak youth yielded to her prayers and
-promised what he well knew he could not conscientiously
-perform. His was not the free-will offering
-of talents and time and health and strength in the
-service of the Redeemer. He entered the sanctuary
-as one driven onward by irresistible force, not as
-one drawn by the cords of love and piety.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>Time passed on and taught Alfred a lesson of
-deep hypocrisy. His timid and feeble nature could
-neither resist the influence of evil nor brave its consequences,
-and therefore it was that the fair face of
-the youth became more and more characterized by
-sanctity in proportion as his heart became less susceptible
-of its influences. Happy is it for mankind
-that the eye rarely pierces beneath the veil which
-conceals the hideous depravity of the heart. Who
-but would have shrunk from the delicate beauty of
-Alfred’s gentle countenance—who but would have
-shuddered at the contemplation of those clear blue
-eyes, that feminine complexion, the delicate rose
-tint of his thin cheek, and the exceeding loveliness
-of his chiselled and flexible lips, if the dark mass of
-evil thoughts which lay beneath that fair seeming,
-could have been discerned. Yet Alfred was far
-from being happy. Unstable as water, he had no
-power over his own impulses, and remorse preyed
-upon him, even while he sought to drown his
-senses in indulgence. Conscience was his perpetual
-tormentor, and yet a constant course of sinning
-and repenting left him neither time nor will to struggle
-effectually with his errors.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>But a still darker change came upon his character.
-His health, which had several times required a suspension
-of his studies, began again to fail, a short
-time before the period fixed upon for his ordination,
-and he eagerly seized the opportunity of deferring
-the dreaded ordeal. The physicians ordered perfect
-relaxation from all mental labors, and unfortunately
-for his future peace, the listlessness of unwonted
-idleness led him to examine a chest of old papers,
-the accumulated records of many years, where he accidentally
-met with a catalogue of his father’s library.
-Alfred was so young at the time of his father’s death
-that he retained little recollection of him, and Madeline
-had carefully kept him in ignorance of those
-skeptical opinions which had so grieved both mother
-and daughter. It was with no little surprise, therefore,
-that Alfred found the names of so great a number
-of infidel works among his father’s books. He
-pondered long upon the subject, and at length conjectured
-the truth. This excited his interest, and a
-vague curiosity, awakened rather by a belief in
-his sister’s desire to conceal from him his father’s
-opinions, led him secretly to procure the prohibited
-volumes. Upon the feeble mind of one who was
-“blown about by every wind of doctrine,” and who
-yearned after worldly pleasures while he shrunk
-with unutterable disgust from religious duties, the
-subtleties of the skeptics had a most fatal effect.
-He had never been well grounded in the faith, and
-the doubts now suggested to his mind were exactly
-such things as in his present state of feeling he would
-gladly have adopted as truths. These six months of
-respite from theological studies were spent in the
-careful perusal of all skeptical writings, and when
-Alfred resumed his former pursuits the plague spot
-of infidelity had already given evidence of the fatal
-disease which was spreading over his moral nature.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>If my tale were designed only for the eye of the
-student of human nature, I might dwell long upon
-the strange incongruity of feeling and action, the
-wonderful contrariety between principle and practice,
-and all the complicated workings of a wayward
-heart, which characterized the deceptive course of
-the young student. With his usual timid hypocrisy
-he concealed every real feeling, every genuine impulse.
-His conduct was apparently irreproachable,
-his principles seemed unimpeachable, and he even
-schooled himself to come forward and enrol himself
-beneath the banner of the cross, when he was but
-too conscious that he had already trampled the holy
-emblem beneath his feet. Why did he carry his
-deceit to such an awful extent? Alas! who can tell
-just where the waves of sin may stay their whelming
-force? He feared the world’s dread laugh at his
-apostacy, he shrunk from the scorn of all good men,
-and, above all, his mind absolutely cowered at the
-thought of his sister’s bitter wrath. So he buried his
-secret within his own bosom, and trusting to some
-future chance to rescue him from the irksome duties
-of his profession, prepared himself for the ceremony
-of ordination. But he was not yet sensible of the
-terrible power of Conscience.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>The day came, and, as usual, crowds were assembled
-to witness the dedication of the youthful candidates.
-The two young men—for Alfred had a
-companion, a pious, humble-minded, meek-hearted
-youth—stood before the altar to offer their vows.
-Madeline, the weeping but happy Madeline—who
-had sacrificed her youth and health and beauty, aye
-and the hopes ever dearest to a woman’s heart, to
-this one darling hope—was there too, and as she
-looked on her brother bending before the altar, while
-his bright curls just caught one straggling sunbeam
-which shed a glory around his youthful brow, she
-was heard to murmur “Lo, here am I, Lord, and the
-child which thou hast given me.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>The services commenced—the prayers of the congregation
-had arisen to Heaven, the incense of praise
-had floated upward on the solemn melody of the
-organ, the exhortation to the candidates had been
-affectionately uttered by an aged pastor, and the
-moment came when the presentation of the two was
-made to the Bishop by the officiating clergyman.
-The solemn appeal was then uttered⁠—</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“<span class='it'>Brethren, if there be any of you who knoweth
-any impediment or any notable crime on either of
-these persons for the which he ought not to be admitted
-to the holy office, let him come forth in the
-name of God and show what the crime or impediment
-is.</span>”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>At these words a sudden terror seemed to seize
-upon Alfred Graham. His frame shook with suppressed
-emotion, his countenance became livid, and
-his fine features were strangely contorted as if some
-sudden pang had convulsed him. The next instant
-he uttered a faint cry and fell prostrate to the ground,
-while his very life-blood was poured at the foot of
-the altar which he had dared to touch with polluted
-hands.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>He was borne to his home in utter insensibility.
-The sting of conscience had finished the work which
-disease had long since begun, and the rupture of a
-blood-vessel in the lungs had been the consequence
-of his unnatural excitement and self-command. All
-that medical skill could effect was tried, but without
-success, and ere the lapse of another day it was
-known that Alfred Graham was sinking into the arms
-of death. There was no time for repentance—no
-time to combat prejudices and awaken better impulses.
-He lay as if in the deep torpor of insensibility,
-until aroused by some cordial administered by
-his physician, when his strength seemed to rally, and
-raising himself on his pillow, he addressed his sister
-in words which fell like molten lead upon her heart.
-With all the eloquence of passion he poured forth a
-wild confession of his errors and his doubts, and then,
-in language equally fervid but far more bitter, he reproached
-her—<span class='it'>her</span> who had devoted her whole life
-to his welfare—as the cause of all his guilt. He accused
-her of having crushed his timid spirit by sternness
-and unbending rigor—of having taught him
-hypocrisy by her fierce contempt for his weaknesses—of
-having killed him by forcing him to a profession
-which he hated and contemned.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“I am not mad, Madeline,” he exclaimed, in a
-hoarse voice, broken by his difficult and long-drawn
-breath, “I am not mad, but so surely as I am now
-stretched upon the bed of death, so surely has your
-ambition and your mistaken zeal laid me here to die.
-I seek not to excuse myself, and may God forgive me
-my many secret sins; but never, never would my soul
-have been so deeply stained had it not been for your
-unrelenting indignation at my boyish follies, and
-your determined will in the choice of my future destiny.
-I forgive you, Madeline, but you will not forgive
-yourself.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>The exertion of uttering these terrible words was
-too great, and ere the sounds yet died upon the ear
-of the horror-stricken sister, the spirit of the misguided
-youth had gone to its dread account.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>From that hour Madeline was utterly and entirely
-changed. Whatever were her feelings she shared
-them with none, but shrunk alike from question and
-sympathy. Those dying reproaches, unjust as she
-felt them to be, were yet engraven in ineffacable
-characters upon her heart, and with a feeling akin to
-the mistaken austerity which punishes the body for
-the sins of the soul, she resolved to make her future
-life a penance for her involuntary error. Lonely and
-desolate, she took up her abode in a place well
-suited to her embittered and almost misanthropic
-feelings. For more than ten years the gray cottage
-was her abode, and the labors of the seamstress furnished
-her scanty subsistence. During all that period
-not a creature was ever admitted beyond the threshold
-of her door, and all curiosity about her had quite
-subsided long before the termination of her lonely
-career. At length she was missed from her usual
-lowly seat in church. A second Sabbath came, and
-still the black and veiled form of the recluse was not
-seen. Common humanity demanded some inquiry
-into her fate, and after several vain attempts to procure
-admission into the cottage, the door was forced.
-Upon a truss of straw, in one corner of the desolate
-chamber, lay the emaciated form of the unfortunate
-Madeline, stiff, and cold, and ghastly, as if days had
-passed since the spirit had escaped from its clay tenement.
-She died as she had lived, lonely, and unknown,
-for it was not until years had elapsed that I
-heard the story of the brother and the sister from the
-lips of one who had known them in early days;
-while other incidental circumstances enabled me to
-identify Madeline Graham with the tall “<span class='it'>weird
-woman</span>” who had so terrified my childish fancy.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>The erring brother sleeps beneath the shadow of
-the sanctuary, in ground still consecrated by holy
-usage, but all trace of the hapless sister has vanished
-from the earth. The village graveyard is now a
-populous highway, bordered by tall houses and traversed
-by busy feet, while the green hillock which
-once marked the burial place of Madeline Graham
-has long since been crushed beneath the weight of
-pavements, echoing to the noisy tread of many a
-thoughtless wayfarer.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>Alas, for human love! and, alas, for human error!
-How dreary and desolate would seem many a scene
-of unmerited suffering did we not know that there is
-a brighter world, where all tears shall be wiped from
-all eyes, and where there shall be no sorrow nor
-sighing through an eternity of happiness!</p>
-
-<hr class='tbk126'/>
-
-<div><h1><a id='toan'></a>TO AN INFANT IN THE CRADLE.</h1></div>
-
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;'>———</p>
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;font-size:0.8em;font-weight:bold;'>BY REV. GEORGE B. CHEEVER.</p>
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;margin-bottom:1.5em;'>———</p>
-
-
- <div class='poetry-container' style=''>
- <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' -->
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>Thou lovely miniature of Nature’s painting!</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Thy beauty mingles care with my delight.</p>
-<p class='line0'>These colors are to grow: not like the fainting,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Soft, dying hues, that mark the eve’s twilight⁠—</p>
-<p class='line0'>But evermore renewed, as if the dawn,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;With its deep rosy tinge, instead of fading,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Ran hand in hand with the bright dewy morn,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;The sky by sunlight with all colors shading.</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>These colors are to grow, from where, an infant,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Thou sleepest cradled by thy mother’s side,</p>
-<p class='line0'>On through thy childhood’s beauty, every instant,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;To maiden loveliness—thy mother’s pride.</p>
-<p class='line0'>And she will guide the pencil, hers the art</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;To deepen Nature’s lineaments, or alter:</p>
-<p class='line0'>To image Heaven or Earth upon the heart⁠—</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;What if her love should err, her pencil falter!</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>O! ’tis a sacred, sweet and fearful duty</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;To train these earth-born spirits for the skies!</p>
-<p class='line0'>To keep this household flower green in its beauty,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Till it in Paradise transplanted rise.</p>
-<p class='line0'>May He, who took the nurslings in his arms,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Keep thee and thine, his richest grace revealing,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Hid, as his Pilgrims, from the world’s alarms,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Where quiet brooks in pastures green are stealing!</p>
-</div>
-</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend -->
-
-<hr class='tbk127'/>
-
-<div><h1><a id='wil'></a>WILL NOBODY MARRY ME?</h1></div>
-
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;margin-bottom:1em;font-weight:bold;'>A COMIC SONG.</p>
-
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;'>———</p>
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;font-size:0.8em;font-weight:bold;'>BY GEORGE P. MORRIS.</p>
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;margin-bottom:1.5em;'>———</p>
-
-
- <div class='poetry-container' style=''>
- <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' -->
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>Heigh-ho! for a husband!—heigh-ho!</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;There’s danger in longer delay⁠!—</p>
-<p class='line0'>Shall I never again have a beau?</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Will nobody marry me, pray?</p>
-<p class='line0'>I begin to feel strange, I declare!</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;With beauty my prospects will fade!⁠—</p>
-<p class='line0'>I’d give myself up to despair</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;If I thought I should die an old maid!</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>I once cut the beaux in a huff!⁠—</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;I thought it a sin and a shame</p>
-<p class='line0'>That no one had spirit enough</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;To ask me to alter my name!</p>
-<p class='line0'>So I turned up my nose at the short,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;And rolled up my eyes at the tall;</p>
-<p class='line0'>But then I just did it in sport,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;And now I’ve no lover at all!</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>These men are the plague of my life!⁠—</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;’Tis hard from so many to choose!⁠—</p>
-<p class='line0'>Should one of them wish for a wife,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Could I have the heart to refuse?</p>
-<p class='line0'>I don’t know—for none have proposed!</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Oh, dear me!—I’m frightened, I vow!</p>
-<p class='line0'>Good gracious!—whoever supposed</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;That I should be single till now?</p>
-</div>
-</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend -->
-
-<hr class='tbk128'/>
-
-<div><h1><a id='tro'></a>TROPICAL BIRDS.</h1></div>
-
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;'>———</p>
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;font-size:0.8em;font-weight:bold;'>BY PARK BENJAMIN.</p>
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;margin-bottom:1.5em;'>———</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>Beautiful are the Birds of the Tropics. Bright,
-clear, sparkling, brilliant is their plumage. It is
-steeped in “all the hues that gild the rainbow.” I
-seek in vain for epithets by which to convey a
-thought of their surpassing beauty. Had I, dear
-reader, the pencil of Audubon, I might show you
-what they are in repose; but repose does not display
-their loveliness in its perfection. They are
-most charming to behold when in motion—when
-their many vivid colors contrast with the deep green
-of the forests, in which they live and hold their
-jocund revels.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>Not many years ago, I passed a winter—or, I
-might better say, the first months of the year—in the
-Northern part of South America, where these birds
-abound. There, was I often delighted by these
-“exquisite, gay creatures of the element.” They
-seemed to me like so many winged jewels, as they
-glanced about in the rays of a dazzling sun. But let
-me not indulge too much in fanciful allusions, lest
-I should reluctantly enter upon the real purpose I
-have in view in preparing this article: which is to
-offer some account of Tropical Birds, so that the
-reader may be attracted to the study of their Natural
-History. It appears to me that our American
-periodicals have too much of the <span class='it'>dulce</span> and too little
-of the <span class='it'>utile</span>. It is well, sometimes, to mingle the
-useful with the agreeable even in works of taste: I
-may fail in my attempt to do so in this place, but
-I shall at least deserve the credit of having made the
-attempt.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>Doubtless many of my readers have in their possession
-certain glass cases in which specimens of
-birds with variegated plumage, having undergone
-the art of the taxidermist, are arranged on artificial
-trees or bushes as ornaments for the drawing room.
-There are many persons in Guiana, who make it
-their business to kill and prepare these birds, so that
-they may adorn the halls of Natural History Societies
-or private cabinets. Some birds, which fly about
-the houses or plantations, are easily obtained; but
-those, upon which most value is set, live in distant
-wilds and woods, and are procured with great difficulty
-and only by individuals long practised in the
-art. Great caution must be observed in approaching,
-and greater skill in shooting them; for they
-must be slain so skilfully that their feathers shall not
-be torn nor their color spoiled by an effusion of
-blood from the wound. When one, who is unskilful,
-tears or disfigures his birds, he makes up one specimen
-out of two or more individuals of the same
-species. Thus, upon a close examination, you may
-often detect the wings of one bird joined to the body
-of another, or, perhaps, an old head upon young
-shoulders. But the worst piece of trickery, and one
-which renders the specimen wholly valueless to an
-ornithologist, is the altering of the natural color of
-the bird by fire. I have seen many a brilliant specimen
-exceedingly admired, which obtained a false
-lustre in this manner.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>There seems to be no limit to the wonderful varieties
-of these birds. Every day brings to view some
-new species, which outvies its compeers in the
-grace of its form and the brilliancy of its plumage.
-The adventurous bird-seeker will penetrate deeper
-and deeper into the solitudes of those vast forests,
-which, in primitive grandeur, lift up their leafy
-columns and form umbrageous temples in the heart
-of the Southern continent. Those lovely and still
-unexplored domains are the probable haunts of thousands
-and thousands of birds of dazzling beauty.
-The clear beams of the sun, glinting through the
-leaves of mighty trees, play among colors, as various
-and as shifting as those of gems. No human
-eye, save that of some Indian hunter who may
-have lost his homeward way, has gazed upon these
-strange, bright creatures; and the most fantastic
-imagination may vainly endeavor to paint those tribes
-of the air which have lived in their safe retreats, undisturbed
-save by one another and the war of the
-elements, since light first dawned upon creation.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>Among the various little birds, black, yellow and
-red, which may be observed in the midst of the
-sugar canes and in the many trees of orange, mango
-and lemon, there is a tribe, called <span class='sc'>Tyrants</span>, which
-is very extensive. Great numbers are constantly
-seen. They are about the size of our robin. One
-species is called “the butcher bird,” and most
-appropriately, since it pounces upon and slaughters
-its prey with tyrannical cruelty. It is said to be of
-service to the planter in destroying grubs and insects,
-upon which it seizes in the manner of a hawk. It
-first strikes its prey with its <span class='it'>bill</span> (like a dun) and
-then grasps it in its claws so instantaneously afterward,
-that the most acute observation alone can
-enable one to decide on the priority of the action.
-Its bill is of moderate length (unlike a tailor’s) compressed
-and sharp. Its head is black and all its body
-is white, save the outer feathers of the wings and
-tail, which are black. This family of “Tyrants,”
-of which the butcher bird is an influential member,
-has very extensive connections; but as they are distinguished
-neither for beauty nor behavior (“handsome
-is that handsome does”) and can be very easily
-“got round,” no great consequence is attached to
-their possession.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>The next most numerous tribe is one whose
-habits and characteristics are widely dissimilar—the
-<span class='sc'>Parrots</span>. These exhibit plumage of the most diversified
-hues; but the predominating is bright green. This
-is often set off and contrasted by black, lilac, pink,
-orange, violet and blue. It is impossible to tell how
-many species have been discovered; for our traveller
-refers the specimen which he has obtained to some
-former description, and then points out the differences.
-“This,” says one, “is the <span class='it'>blue</span> parrot; our
-specimens, however, are bright <span class='it'>lilac</span>, with <span class='it'>red</span> spots
-on the back, between the wings”—a remark which,
-were it made by a native of the Emerald Isle, would
-be called a bull; but the fact, nevertheless, may be
-as true as the somewhat notorious one that “black-berries
-are red when they are green.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>The parrots are of all sizes from the macaw or
-ava, down to the smallest paroket. The common
-green parrot, which is known in the United States,
-and taught to speak, is of the medium size. The best
-and clearest whistle is uttered by the homely brown
-parrot, which is brought from Africa. It is likewise
-the most docile. These birds resemble humanity in
-other respects besides the faculty of speech; some
-are hopelessly stupid, while others take to learning
-very kindly. Curious stories are told of their powers
-of articulation. The smallest kind, which cannot
-live in our climate, are sometimes very successfully
-educated. The manager of a plantation, which I
-visited, owned a little parrot, which used to reside
-in a cage at the door of his house. As I rode up, I
-was agreeably astonished by hearing the polite bird
-very considerately sing out, “Boy, take the gentleman’s
-horse—boy, why the deuse don’t you take the
-horse!”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>The largest kind is the macaw. It is a huge,
-clumsy <span class='it'>thing</span>, with a head out of all proportion to its
-body, (“great head, little wit;”) its plumage is for
-the most part red, interspersed with green and blue.
-The noise which it makes is most horribly discordant;
-and its loudest yell is very like an Indian war-whoop,
-(one of Mr. Cooper’s;) yet is this monster a great
-favorite in the West Indies, and, as you pass the
-residences of the inhabitants, you often see three or
-four of these ugly wretches clambering awkwardly
-up the piazzas, and uttering their hoarse, scolding
-cries, ten times more grating to the ear than the objurgations
-of a Xantippe, heard above the shrieks of
-her castigated offspring. The hardihood of these
-birds is surprising. There was one of them on board
-of a small vessel, in which it was my ill fortune to
-voyage from the mainland to the island of Barbadoes.
-Mr. Macaw, like a militia major in red and blue
-uniform, would strut about on the lower rigging, and,
-as soon as he could get near enough to the ear of a
-sailor, would utter one of his shrillest and most appalling
-yells. Jack Tar, in his summary method of
-dealing vengeance, would fetch him a blow with a
-handspike, that would send him flapping to the
-quarter-deck; perhaps, with an utter disregard of
-decorum and discipline, into the very face and eyes
-of the surly old captain, who, in his rage, would beat
-him soundly; yet would the valiant and stalwart
-feathered marine regard those lusty strokes no more
-than would a pet goldfinch the taps of his lady’s fan.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>Some species of parrots exist in almost every region;
-the smallest and most beautiful, however, are
-found only in tropical countries. They are seldom
-seen near thickly populated places, but can be procured
-with facility in the woods adjacent, where
-they live in tolerable fellowship with their mischievous
-neighbors, the monkeys.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>Another numerous tribe of tropical birds is known
-by the name of <span class='sc'>Chatterers</span>. I do not know what
-they are called by the ornithologists; but thus are
-they designated by the inhabitants, from the peculiar
-sounds which they utter, (being not unlike those of a
-congress of spinsters, sitting in committee of the
-whole on some grand question of scandal.) They
-are distinguished by the epithets—red-breasted, purple-throated,
-firebirds, pumpadore, red-headed, gold-headed,
-white-throated, white-capped, purple-shouldered,
-and Mahometan. The first five migrate; the
-last five stay at home. Of the former, the firebird is
-so named from the fact that, in stuffed specimens,
-the color is sometimes changed by the application of
-fire. Its natural hue is a dark crimson, but it is susceptible
-of being changed, by the application of heat,
-into a rich vermilion. Of the latter, the purple-shouldered
-is the most rare and the most beautiful.
-The upper parts of its wings or shoulders are the
-deepest purple; the remainder of the wings is interspersed
-with blue, and they end in black. Its back
-is blue mingled with black; its breast is a delicate
-blue, and the lower part of its neck is a dark crimson.
-I describe the male bird only; for (unlike
-bipeds <span class='it'>without</span> feathers) it monopolises the beauty of
-the species. The female is very plain, though there
-seems to be a certain winning modesty about her,
-for all her homely looks. The sumptuously attired
-male, (“Solomon, in all his glory, was not arrayed
-like one of these,”) if his choice of a partner were
-left to himself—which I doubt—must have been
-guided by a taste as unsophisticated as that of the
-praiseworthy Cock-Robin, when he courted Jenny
-Wren, who</p>
-
-<div class='blockquote'>
-
-
- <div class='poetry-container' style=''>
- <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' -->
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>“Always wore her old brown gown,</p>
-<p class='line0'>And never dressed so fine!”</p>
-</div>
-</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend -->
-
-</div>
-
-<p class='pindent'>While on the subject of homeliness, I may as well
-conclude it by alluding to a bird, which, on account
-of its hideousness, the negroes call “Old Witch.”
-What a very mortifying circumstance it must be to
-be so ugly, when every body else is so bewitchingly
-fair! Don’t you think so, Miss Smith? (I do not
-mean the Miss Smith, who is reading this article,
-but another.)</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>Before passing to an account of the third and last
-family, which I shall try to describe—being by far
-the most numerous, the strangest, and the most
-charming of all the tropical birds—I will detain the
-reader for a moment with an account of two rare
-species of water birds. They are in general so
-classed, because, like rails, they frequent reedy
-ponds and marshes and the borders of streams. I
-select these two species, because the one is very
-curious and the other is of a kind with which classical
-associations are connected, and because they
-admirably serve to show how wide and fertile a field
-of interesting investigation lies before the student in
-this particular realm of Natural History.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>The curious species is the Jacana. It is doubtful
-whether it should be classed with land or water
-birds; it resembles the latter in its nature, its habits,
-the form of its body, the shape of its bill, and the
-diminutiveness of its head; it differs essentially, however,
-from all others of the class, in the curious spurs
-which protrude from its wings; its claws are very
-long and slender, and its nails very pointed and
-sharp—hence has been derived its name, “The Surgeon.”
-It is exceedingly wild and can be caught
-only by stratagem. These birds are of various colors:
-some dark, tinged with violet; some green;
-some black; some dusky red. Their flight is very
-rapid, and their cry sharp and shrill. They travel
-in pairs, frequenting the borders of rivers and
-deep marshes. That which is particularly singular
-about the Jacana is the manner in which it is armed;
-when it strikes with its wings, it must do considerable
-execution; it does not seem to be happily called
-the Surgeon, for its instruments are rather intended
-to kill than cure.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>The classical species is called by moderns, “the
-Sultana Hen.” It is the smallest of that genus, which
-was named by the ancients Porphyry—in Greek,
-Πορφυριωι—in Latin, <span class='it'>Porphyrio</span>. Aristotle describes
-it as a fissiped bird, with long feet, a blue plumage,
-with a very strongly set, purple-colored bill, and of
-about the size of a domestic cock. Some old writers,
-in describing this bird, have said that one of its feet
-was furnished with membranes, and made to swim
-like a water-bird’s, and that the other was fissiped,
-so that it might run like a land-bird. This is not
-only untrue, but contrary to nature, and signifies no
-more than that the porphyry or pelican is a bird of
-the shore, living on the confines of land and water.
-It was easily tamed, and was very pleasing on account
-of its noble carriage, its fine form, its plumage
-brilliant and rich in colors of mingled blue and purple
-and aquamarine, its docile nature, and its happy facility
-of agreeing with any companions among whom
-its lot might be cast. It was held in the highest
-esteem by both Greeks and Romans; they never
-suffered it to be eaten; they sent to Lybia for it;
-always treated it with kindness, and placed it in their
-palaces and temples, as worthy to dwell there on
-account of the nobleness of its port, the sweetness
-of its temper, and the beauty of its plumage. The
-largest of the species, now known as “the sultana
-hen,” is precisely the same as the ancient porphyrio.
-The smallest is called “the little sultana hen.” Her
-<span class='it'>petite</span> majesty is very queenly, but is, no doubt, as
-well satisfied with the modern name by which she is
-dignified, as she would be with that which the Greeks
-gave to the tall highnesses of her very old and royal
-family. Her robe of state is a brilliant changeable
-blue and green; and it has never gone out of fashion.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>Having thus given an unsystemized and rather imperfect
-account of a few species of tropical birds, I
-pass on to treat of the most marvellous and most
-beautiful tribe of plumed creatures that float in the
-invisible atmosphere. There have been more than
-a hundred species already discovered, and every naturalist,
-who visits the equatorial regions of this
-Western World, adds a new name to the splendid
-schedule of <span style='font-size:smaller'>HUMMING-BIRDS</span>.<a id='r2'/><a href='#f2' style='text-decoration:none'><sup><span style='font-size:0.9em'>[2]</span></sup></a> From their delicate
-structure, these tiny birds cannot endure the rigors
-of our climate, where there are very few of those
-gorgeous plants, upon which they banquet in tropical
-latitudes. There, when the warm sun calls into life
-myriads of flowers, vast numbers of humming-birds
-visit the fields and gardens every morning, and mingle
-their golden-green tints in gleaming contrast with
-the white and rose-colored blossoms, that cluster on
-the vines above the traveller’s head, or spring luxuriantly
-at his feet. They seem, as they dart rapidly
-around, humming their faintly heard tunes, to be the
-very Pucks and Ariels of the light, and each night
-take up the burden of the fairy song, sung at the
-feast of Titania,</p>
-
-<div class='blockquote'>
-
-
- <div class='poetry-container' style=''>
- <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' -->
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>Over hill, over dale,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Through bush, through brier,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Over park, over pale,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Through flood, through fire,</p>
-<p class='line0'>I do wander every where,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Swifter than the moon’s sphere.</p>
-</div>
-</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend -->
-
-</div>
-
-<p class='noindent'>For, at one moment, you behold “the fine apparition”
-before the cup of a flower, and at the next he is gone</p>
-
-<div class='blockquote'>
-
-
- <div class='poetry-container' style=''>
- <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' -->
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>“To drink the air before him and return</p>
-<p class='line0'>Or ere your pulse twice beat.”</p>
-</div>
-</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend -->
-
-</div>
-
-<p class='noindent'>The bright little beings must own the very best
-secret of the fairies; for none, so well as they,</p>
-
-<div class='blockquote'>
-
-
- <div class='poetry-container' style=''>
- <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' -->
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>“Know a bank whereon the wild thyme blows,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Where oxslips and the nodding violet grows,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Quite over canopied with luscious woodbine,</p>
-<p class='line0'>With sweet musk-roses and with eglantine.”</p>
-</div>
-</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend -->
-
-</div>
-
-<p class='noindent'>But alas! however elfin-like and ethereal their forms
-appear, they share the fate of mortals. They are
-easily caught by nets thrown over them, or killed by
-very fine shot or sand. I have seen some very
-splendid collections. I remember one, comprising
-seventy-two species—from the king of the humming-birds,
-as he is called, with his topaz and emerald
-crown, to one so small that, when on the wing, it
-could scarcely be visible. When the glass case, in
-which they were arranged in too studied an order,
-was held in the sunshine, their myriad colors would
-gleam and flash with a brilliancy as perfect as that of
-the many gems, after which they are prettily named.
-An enumeration of some of their names will convey
-an idea of their appearance—sapphire-throated,
-ruby-throated, sapphire and emerald, amethystine,
-topaz-throated; then there are the purple, tri-colored,
-violet-tufted, violet-crowned, blue-fronted, the superb,
-the magnificent, the sabre-winged. And there
-is one which must have been bestowed by some
-ornithological phrenologist, who had great skill in
-interpreting “the natural language” of birds—the
-supercilious humming-bird. The largest species yet
-discovered is that which is called the gigantic, and
-the smallest, as I believe, is one that Sir William
-Jardine describes as Gould’s humming-bird.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>The gigantic is in remarkable contrast to the rest
-of his tribe, both in size and in the color of his plumage.
-He is not only the largest but the homeliest,
-while the smallest is the most beautiful. The gigantic
-(the monster!) is nearly eight inches in length;
-the crown, the back, the under and lesser wing-coverts,
-brownish green, with reflections of green
-tint; the under parts, light reddish mingled with a
-deeper tint and shaded off with green; the feathers
-are generally darker at the base, and the paler tips
-give a slightly waved appearance to the breast. On
-the throat, the feathers, though without lustre, retain
-the scaly form and texture of the more brilliant species.
-The wings slightly exceed the tail in length,
-bend up at the tips, and exhibit the form of the most
-correctly framed organ of flight; they are of a uniform
-brownish violet. The tail is composed of ten
-feathers, of a brownish color, and with golden-green
-reflections; they gradually decrease in length. This
-is a very rare species.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>Gould’s is the smallest species and of the most
-dazzling beauty. It is scarcely over two inches in
-length; its forehead, throat and upper part of its
-breast are of a most brilliant green—the feathers of a
-scaly form. From the crown springs a crest of bright,
-chestnut feathers, of a lengthened form and capable
-of being raised at pleasure. The back is a golden-green,
-crossed with a whitish band; the wings and
-tail are brownish purple, the latter having the centre
-feathers tinged with green; the lower parts are dark
-brownish green. The neck tufts are of the most
-splendid kind, and have a chaste but brilliant effect;
-they are composed of narrow feathers of a snowy
-whiteness—the tips of each having a round, serrated
-spot of bright emerald green, surrounded with a dark
-border; the largest are at the upper part of the tuft,
-and they decrease in length, assuming the shape of a
-butterfly’s wing; shorter feathers again spring from
-the base, and their green tips are relieved on the
-white of the longer ones behind them.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>The most common species, and that which abounds
-in all parts of the West Indies, is the ruby-crested.
-Though seen every day about the gardens, near the
-honeysuckle and other flowering vines, it presents
-some of the most splendid coloring of the family.
-(Those which I have mentioned are of that sub-genus,
-which Linnæus calls trochilus.) The upper
-parts of the head and throat are clothed entirely with
-those scaly formed feathers, which always produce
-the parts producing the changeable hues. On the
-hind head, the feathers are elongated and form a
-short, rounded crest. In one position this part appears
-of a deep, sombre, reddish brown; when
-viewed transversely it assumes a bright, coppery
-lustre, and when looked upon directly with a side
-stream of light, it becomes of the richest and most
-brilliant ruby. The scaly part of the throat and
-breast again, when wanting the lustre, is of an
-equally sombre, greenish brown; and, when turned
-to diverse lights, changes from a clear golden-green
-to the most brilliant topaz. It is impossible to convey
-by words—especially as it is necessary to repeat
-the same again and again—an idea of these tints.
-The most that can be done is to name those substances,
-which they most nearly resemble, then
-rely upon the imagination of the reader.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>The birds, thus attempted to be described, are a
-few of that multitudinous tribe which excites the
-liveliest wonder, and fills the mind with admiration
-of that creative power, which clothes the eagle with
-strength to resist the fury of the mountain storm, and
-so fashions the delicate plumage of the humming-bird
-that the softest air from heaven seems to visit it
-too roughly. The vine-clad forests and rose-covered
-gardens of Guiana literally <span class='it'>swarm</span> with these fairy-birds.
-The Indian word, by which they are distinguished,
-signifies <span class='it'>beams</span> or <span class='it'>locks of the sun</span>; that
-such a designation is not less appropriate than poetical,
-may be concluded by all who have seen them
-darting with the rapidity as well as the splendor of
-light from flower to flower. Compared to the humming-bird,
-the bee is a mere loiterer. He poises
-himself on wing, while he thrusts his long, slender
-tube into the flower-cups in search of food. But he
-subsists not simply on honey-dew and the nectar that
-dwells in the lips of roses. He may often be observed
-darting at the minute insects that float in
-the air.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>Mr. Audubon thus beautifully describes the humming-bird
-in quest of food: “carefully visiting every
-opening flower-cup, and, like a curious florist, removing
-from each those injurious insects, that otherwise
-would ere long cause their beauteous petals to
-droop and decay. Poised in the air, it is observed
-peeping cautiously and with sparkling eye into their
-innermost recesses, whilst the ethereal motions of its
-pinions, so rapid and so light, appear to fan and cool
-the flower, without injuring its fragile texture, and
-produce a delightful, murmuring sound, well adapted
-for lulling the insects to repose. Then is the moment
-for the humming-bird to secure them. Its long delicate
-bill enters the cup of a flower, and the protruded,
-double-tubed tongue, delicately sensible, and
-imbued with a glutinous saliva, touches each insect
-in succession, and draws it from its lurking place to
-be instantly swallowed. All this is done in a moment,
-and the bird, as it leaves the flower, sips so
-small a portion of its liquid honey, that the theft, we
-may suppose, is looked upon with a grateful feeling
-by the flower which is thus kindly relieved from the
-attacks of her destroyers.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>Their favorite places of resort were those woods,
-in which the superb bignonia abounds, and when the
-huge trees are garlanded with parasites; but since
-the cultivation of the country they frequent gardens
-and seem to delight in society, becoming familiar
-and destitute of fear, hovering over one side of a
-shrub while the fruit or flower is plucked from that
-opposite. They do not alight on the ground, but
-easily settle on twigs and branches, when they move
-sidewise in prettily measured steps, frequently opening
-and closing their wings, shaking and arranging
-the whole of their apparel with neatness and activity.
-They are particularly fond of spreading one wing
-at a time, and passing each of their quill-feathers
-through their bills in its whole length, when, if the
-sun is shining, the wing thus plumed is very transparent
-and light. The humming noise proceeds
-entirely from the surprising velocity with which
-they perform that motion by which they will keep
-their bodies in the air, apparently motionless, for
-hours together. When flying to any long distance,
-the manner of their flight is very different from that
-shown in speeding among flowers, for they sweep
-gracefully through the air in long undulations, raise
-themselves for some distance and then fall in a curve.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>Strange as it may seem, one of the chief characteristics
-of this tiny creature, is its bravery. It
-will unhesitatingly attack the mocking-bird, or the
-king-bird, or any other by whom it imagines its territories
-invaded; it directs its sharp, needle-like bill,
-immediately at the eyes of its enemy, and when so
-employed this must be a truly formidable weapon.
-These birds are also extremely pugnacious among
-themselves—two males seldom meeting, without a
-battle. The combatants ascend in the air, chirping,
-darting and circling round each other till the eye is
-no longer able to follow them. They are particularly
-susceptible of jealousy, and, under the influence
-of this failing, they run tilts at each other till the less
-doughty champion falls exhausted to the ground.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>The nests of these little creatures are very curious;
-they are built with great delicacy, but at the same time
-with much compactness and warmth. Wilson says
-that the nest of the ruby-throated humming-bird is generally
-fixed on the upper side of a horizontal branch,
-<span class='it'>not</span> among the twigs. It is sometimes, however,
-attached to an old moss-grown trunk, and sometimes
-fastened on a strong stalk or weed in the garden. It
-seldom builds more than ten feet from the ground.
-The nest is about an inch in diameter and as much in
-depth. The outward coat is formed of small pieces
-of a species of bluish-gray lichen, that vegetates on
-old trees and fences, thickly glued with the saliva of
-the bird, giving firmness and consistency to the whole
-as well as keeping out moisture. Within this are
-thick, matted layers of the fine wings of certain flying
-seeds, closely laid together; and, lastly, the downy
-substance from the great mullein, and from the stalks
-of the common fern, lines the whole. The base of
-the nest is continued round the stem of the branch to
-which it closely adheres, and, when viewed from
-below, appears a mere mossy knot or accidental protuberance.
-The nest of one species in Guiana is
-principally composed of a spongy cellular substance,
-apparently similar to that of a fungus, of which some
-kinds of wasps build large habitations, suspended
-from the branches of trees, and an account is given
-of a nest of another species composed entirely of the
-down of some thistle; the seed is attached and is
-placed outwards, giving a jagged and prickly appearance
-to the outside. Latham describes the nest
-of the black humming-bird as made of cotton, entwined
-around the thorns and twigs of the citron-tree,
-and of so firm a texture as not to be easily
-broken by winds. The nest of the topaz-crested
-is about seven eighths of an inch in diameter, also
-made of cotton, stuck over with lichens on the outside
-and firmly fixed in the hanging cleft of some
-strong creeper by threads of a cottony substance,
-and very slender roots or tendrils, the whole lower
-part as if cemented by a thin coat of glue. It is
-probable that the greater number build their nests
-nearly in the same manner. Descriptions, however,
-are given of those built in different forms—one is
-suspended with the entrance downwards; another is
-of a lengthened form, composed of dry grass and
-slender roots and moss, and is not made so compactly.
-A person, who saw a bird building her nest,
-describes her manner of construction as very ingenious.
-“Bringing a pile of small grass, she commenced
-upon a little twig about a quarter of an inch
-in diameter, immediately below a large leaf, which
-entirely covered and concealed the nest from above,
-the height from the ground being about three feet.
-After the nest had received two or three of these
-grasses, she set herself in the centre, and putting her
-long slender beak over the outer edge, seemed to use
-it and her throat much in the same way as a mason
-does his trowel, for the purpose of smoothing, rubbing
-it to and fro and sweeping quite around. Each
-visit to the nest seemed to occupy only a couple of
-seconds, and her absence from it not more than as
-many minutes.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>The extraordinary beauty of these strange beings
-has induced many attempts to tame and keep them
-in cages, but they have not been successful. When
-placed in cages and fed daintily on honey and water,
-and supplied every morning with fresh cups of flowers,
-they have been known to live for a long time in
-their native country, and in warm weather; but no
-artificial warmth has as yet kept them alive for
-many weeks, when transported to a less genial
-climate. It is conjectured, however, that with very
-great care and a strict regard to diet, as the doctors
-say, they will, by and by, be kept alive and happy
-in our conservatories. There was once a nest of
-them successfully carried to England from Jamaica.
-It was presented to a lady, from whose lips the little
-loves would deign to accept honey. One died, probably
-from excess of happiness; but the other, being
-more hardy, survived for two months. Could a lady
-succeed in so taming one of these winged jewels so
-perfectly that it would accompany her to a ball,
-curiously perched upon her bouquet, or hovering
-around the flowers which composed it, at her gentle
-bidding, so original an ornament would doubtless be
-more highly prized than</p>
-
-<div class='blockquote'>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“Whole necklaces and stomachers of gems.”</p>
-
-</div>
-
-<p class='noindent'>The ancient Mexicans are said to have woven their
-plumage into gorgeous robes.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>If the extraordinary beauty of these birds, their
-mode of existence, their nature, then habits, excite
-our admiration, how must we also wonder at their
-structure!—the perfect adaptation of their forms to
-that life which it is theirs to enjoy, and to the variations
-of that glowing climate where they abound.
-“On presenting a humming-bird to a common observer,”
-says an eminent naturalist, “the first exclamation
-generally is, ‘what a beautiful little creature!’—the
-second, ‘but what large wings he has!’
-Such, indeed, is the case, and, in most instances, the
-size of the wings and strength of the quills are entirely
-out of proportion to our ideas of symmetry in
-a creature clothed with feathers; but, upon comparing
-them with its necessities and the other parts
-of its frame, their utility and design become obvious.”
-The principal reason for their possessing organs of
-such power is, doubtless, to enable them to pass in
-safety through the migrations and the long flights
-which are necessary for their preservation, and,
-during which, they have to withstand passing gales
-and showers. The delicious climes which they inhabit
-are at seasons subject to tremendous rains,
-which drench and almost inundate their abodes, or
-to hurricanes that, in a few minutes, leave but a
-wreck of all that was before so splendid and luxuriant.
-By means of these organs, before the dangerous
-season comes, which the unerring instinct of
-nature warns them to avoid, they fly to districts of
-country where the reparation of some previous
-wreck is proceeding with all the rapidity of tropical
-vegetation.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>I cannot more pleasingly conclude these notices of
-the most wonderful tribe of birds, than by quoting
-the melodious verses of a poet, who is a native of
-that glowing clime which they so exquisitely adorn.</p>
-
-<div class='blockquote'>
-
-
- <div class='poetry-container' style=''>
- <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' -->
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>“Still sparkles here the glory of the West,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Shows his crowned head and bares his jewell’d breast,</p>
-<p class='line0'>In whose bright plumes the richest colors live,</p>
-<p class='line0'>whose dazzling lines no mimic art can give.</p>
-<p class='line0'>The purple amethyst, the emerald’s green</p>
-<p class='line0'>Contrasted, mingle with the ruby’s sheen,</p>
-<p class='line0'>While over all a tissue is put on,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Of golden gauze by fairy fingers spun.</p>
-<p class='line0'>Small as a beetle, as an eagle brave,</p>
-<p class='line0'>In purest ether he delights to lave;</p>
-<p class='line0'>The sweetest flowers alone descends to woo,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Rifles their sweets and lives on honey-dew,</p>
-<p class='line0'>So light his kisses not a leaf is stirred</p>
-<p class='line0'>By the bold, happy, amorous humming-bird.</p>
-<p class='line0'>No disarray, no petal rudely moved,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Betrays the flower the callibree has loved.”<a id='r3'/><a href='#f3' style='text-decoration:none'><sup><span style='font-size:0.9em'>[3]</span></sup></a></p>
-</div>
-</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend -->
-
-</div>
-
-<p class='pindent'>I have thus given partial descriptions of four of
-the principal tribes of Tropical Birds. I hope the
-reader has not been so wearied that he will not
-kindly suffer me to draw this article to a close by a
-brief notice of those two birds most remarkable for
-their peculiar notes. The one pours forth a stream
-of rich melody, which surpasses the far-famed song
-of the nightingale, and is, likewise, celebrated for
-its peculiar power of imitating the tones of almost
-every fellow-songster. The other utters only one
-sound, but so strange and solemn as to inspire the
-mind of the hearer with a religious awe. The natural
-music of the one is as gay, cheerful and enlivening
-as that of the other is mournful and soul-subduing.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>The first to which I allude is the Matthews of the
-woods, <span style='font-size:smaller'>THE MOCKING-BIRD</span>. This species abound in
-all parts of the Western Indies; they are found in
-great numbers near the sea-shore. From the trees
-which grow on the beaches float their rich songs,
-more melodious than strains of flute, or bugle, or
-any “cunningly devised instrument;” and, in mellowness,
-in modulation and gradation, in extent of
-compass and rapidity and brilliancy of execution,
-outrivalling the most magnificent bravuras of a Sontag
-or a Malibran. When confined in cages and
-brought to our cold climate, for the amusement of
-man, the bird loses, in the loneliness of its captivity,
-half the richness of its voice. Though it delights to
-mimic other plumed minstrels, this astonishing faculty
-is feeble, in its most miraculous exhibition, when
-compared with its own delicious song; but he who
-would listen to it in its perfection, must go to those
-regions where the great magnolia shoots up its majestic
-trunk, covered with evergreen leaves, and decorated
-with a thousand flowers, where the forests
-and fields are buried in blossoms of every hue, and
-where the golden orange decorates the gardens and
-the groves.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>The bird whose note is so melancholy is called by
-the Indians campanero; by the Spaniards arapongo
-or guirapongo, and by the English the bell-bird. It is
-extremely rare. I was so fortunate as to see a single
-specimen. It is of about the size of a Barbary dove,
-but more gracefully shaped, with a larger head. It
-is of a snowy whiteness. From the forehead there
-rises a spiral tube of about a bodkin’s length. This
-tube, it is said, is raised and depressed at pleasure;
-it is black, dotted with white feathers, and, as it is
-hollow, and communicates with the palate, it is
-probably elevated when filled with air, and becomes
-pendulous when empty. That strange sound, for
-which it is remarkable, is probably produced by the
-raising and depressing of this tube. It resembles
-the tolling of a bell, and is very loud and distinct.
-It is heard morning and evening in the woods, and
-one might fancy its toll to proceed from some hidden
-convent, calling to matins and vespers.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>The bell-bird is seldom found in forests inhabited
-by other birds; it selects lonely and desolate haunts.
-A recent traveller, in describing his journey through
-a South American forest, writes—“Nothing can be
-more still and solitary than everything around; the
-silence is appalling and the desolation is awful;
-neither are disturbed by the sight or voice of living
-thing, save one—which only adds to the impression.
-It is like the clinking of metals, as if two lumps of
-brass were struck together; and it sometimes resembles
-the distant and solemn tolling of a church-bell,
-struck at long intervals. This extraordinary sound
-proceeds from a bird called arapongo or guirapongo.
-It is about the size of a small pigeon, white, with a
-circle of red round the eyes. It sits on the tops of
-the highest trees, and in the deepest forests, and,
-though constantly heard in the most desert places, is
-very rarely seen. It is impossible to conceive any
-thing of a more solitary character than the profound
-silence of the woods, broken only by the metallic
-and almost preternatural sounds of this invisible bird,
-coming from the air, and seeming to follow you
-wherever you go. I have watched with greet perseverance,
-when the sound seemed quite close to me,
-and never but once caught a glance of the cause. It
-passed suddenly over the top of a very high tree, like a
-large flake of snow, and immediately disappeared.”</p>
-
-<hr class='footnotemark'/>
-
-<div class='footnote'>
-<table summary='footnote_2'>
-<colgroup>
-<col span='1' class='footnoteid'/>
-<col span='1'/>
-</colgroup>
-<tr><td style='vertical-align:top;'>
-<div class='footnote-id' id='f2'><a href='#r2'>[2]</a></div>
-</td><td>
-
-<p class='pindent'>In the United States two species only have been made
-known, the Ruby-throated, charmingly described both by
-Wilson and Audubon, and the Northern. I am told, however,
-that Audubon has recently discovered still another.</p>
-
-</td></tr>
-</table>
-</div>
-
-<div class='footnote'>
-<table summary='footnote_3'>
-<colgroup>
-<col span='1' class='footnoteid'/>
-<col span='1'/>
-</colgroup>
-<tr><td style='vertical-align:top;'>
-<div class='footnote-id' id='f3'><a href='#r3'>[3]</a></div>
-</td><td>
-
-<p class='pindent'>From a poem entitled “Barbadoes,” by Dr. Chapman,
-a man of a fine genius, who may be known to my readers
-as the author of some very fine translations of the Greek
-Anthology, which have appeared in Blackwood’s Magazine.
-<span class='it'>Callibree</span> is the Indian name of the bird.</p>
-
-</td></tr>
-</table>
-</div>
-
-<hr class='tbk129'/>
-
-<div><h1><a id='gird'></a>THE GIRDLE OF FIRE.</h1></div>
-
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;'>———</p>
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;font-size:0.8em;font-weight:bold;'>BY PERCIE H. SELTON.</p>
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;margin-bottom:1.5em;'>———</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>The lower counties of New Jersey are proverbially
-barren, being covered with immense forests of
-pine, interspersed with cedar swamps. During the
-dry summer months these latter become parched to
-an extent that is incredible, and the accidental contagion
-of a fire-brand often wraps immense tracts of
-country in flames. The rapidity with which the
-conflagration, when once kindled, spreads through
-these swamps can scarcely be credited except by
-those who know how thoroughly the moss and twigs
-are dried up by the heat of an August sun. Indeed
-scarcely a spot can be pointed out in West Jersey,
-which has not, at one time or another, been ravaged
-by conflagration. It was but a few years since that
-an immense tract of these pine barrens was on fire,
-and the citizens of Philadelphia can recollect the
-lurid appearance of the sky at night, seen at the distance
-of thirty or even forty miles from the scene of
-the conflagration. The legendary history of these
-wild counties is full of daring deeds and hair-breadth
-escapes which have been witnessed during such
-times of peril. One of these traditionary stories it is
-our purpose to relate. The period of our tale dates
-far back into the early history of the sister state,
-when the country was even more thinly settled than
-at present.</p>
-
-<div class='lgc' style=''> <!-- rend=';' -->
-<p class='line'>&ensp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.</p>
-</div> <!-- end rend -->
-
-<p class='pindent'>It was a sunny morning in midsummer, when a
-gay party was assembled at the door of a neat house
-in one of the lower counties of New Jersey. Foremost
-in the group stood a tall manly youth, whose
-frank countenance at once attracted the eye. By his
-side was a bright young creature, apparently about
-eighteen years of age, whose golden tresses were a
-fit type of the sunny beauty of her countenance. But
-now her soft blue eyes were dim with tears, and
-she leaned on the shoulder of her mother, who was
-apparently equally affected. The dress of the daughter,
-and her attitude of leave-taking, told that she was a
-bride, going forth from the home of her childhood,
-to enter on a new and untried sphere of life. The
-other members of the group were composed of her
-father, her brothers and sisters, and the bridemen
-and bridemaids.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“God bless you, my daughter, and have you in his
-holy keeping,” said the father as he gave her his last
-embrace, “and now farewell!”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>The last kiss was given, the last parting word was
-said, the last long look had been taken, and now the
-bridal party was being whirled through the forest
-on one of the sweetest mornings of the sweet month
-of July.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>It was indeed a lovely day. Their way lay through
-an old road which was so rarely travelled that it
-had became overgrown with grass, among which the
-thick dew-drops, glittering in the morning sun, were
-scattered like jewels on a monarch’s mantle. The
-birds sang merrily in the trees, or skipped gaily from
-branch to branch, while the gentle sighing of the
-wind, and the occasional murmur of a brook crossing
-the road, added to the exhilirating influences of
-the hour. The travellers were all young and happy,
-and so they gradually forgot the sadness of the parting
-hour, and ere they had traversed many miles the
-green arcades of that lovely old forest were ringing
-with merry laughter. Suddenly, however, the bride
-paused in her innocent mirth, and while a shade of
-paleness overspread her cheek, called the attention
-of her husband to a dark black cloud, far off on the
-horizon, and yet gloomier and denser than the darkest
-thunder cloud.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“The forest is on fire!” was his instant ejaculation,
-“think you not so, Charnley?” and he turned
-to his groomsman.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“Yes! but the wind is not towards us, and the fire
-must be miles from our course. There is no need
-for alarm, Ellen,” said he, turning to the bride, his
-sister.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“But our road lies altogether through the forest,”
-she timidly rejoined, “and you know there isn’t a
-house or cleared space for miles.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“Yes! but my dear sis, so long as the fire keeps
-its distance, it matters not whether our road is
-through the forest or the fields. We will drive on
-briskly and before noon you will laugh at your fears.
-Your parting from home has weakened your nerves.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>No more was said, and for some time the carriage
-proceeded in silence. Meantime the conflagration
-was evidently spreading with great rapidity. The
-dark, dense clouds of smoke, which had at first been
-seen hanging only in one spot, had now extended in
-a line along the horizon, gradually edging around so
-as to head off the travellers. But this was done so imperceptibly
-that, for a long time, the travellers were not
-aware of it, and they had journeyed at least half
-an hour before they saw their danger. At length the
-bride spoke again.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“Surely, dear Edward,” she said, addressing her
-husband, “the fire is sweeping around ahead of us:
-I have been watching it by yonder blasted pine, and
-can see it slowly creeping across the trunk.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>Every eye was instantly turned in the direction in
-which she pointed, and her brother, who was driving,
-involuntarily checked the horses. A look of dismay
-was on each countenance as they saw the words of
-the bride verified. There could be no doubt that the
-fire had materially changed its bearing since they
-last spoke, and now threatened to cut off their escape
-altogether.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“I wish, Ellen, we had listened to your fears and
-turned back half an hour ago:” said the brother,
-“we had better do it at once.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“God help us—that is impossible,” said the husband,
-looking backwards, “the fire has cut off our
-retreat.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>It was as he said. The flames, which at first had
-started at a point several miles distant and at right
-angles to the road the party was travelling, had
-spread out in every direction, and finding the swamp
-in the rear of the travellers parched almost to tinder
-by the draught, had extended with inconceivable
-velocity in that quarter, so that a dense cloud of
-smoke, beneath which a dark lurid veil of fire
-surged and rolled, completely cut off any retrograde
-movement on the part of the travellers. This volume
-of flame, moreover, was evidently moving
-rapidly in pursuit. The cheeks, even of the male
-members of the bridal party, turned ashy pale at the
-sight.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“There is nothing to do but to push on,” said the
-brother, “we will yet clear the road before the fire
-reaches it.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“And if I remember,” said the husband, “there is
-a road branching off to the right, scarce half a mile
-ahead: we can gain that easily, when we shall be
-safe. Cheer up, Ellen, there is no danger. This is
-our wedding morn, let me not see you sad.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>The horses were now urged forward at a brisk
-pace, and in a few minutes the bridal party reached
-the cross road. Their progress was now directly from
-the fire; all peril seemed at an end; and the spirits
-of the group rose in proportion to their late depression.
-Once more the merry laugh was heard, and
-the song rose up gaily on the morning air. The conflagration
-still raged behind, but at a distance that
-placed all fear at defiance, while in front the fire,
-although edging down towards them, approached at
-a pace so slow that they knew it would not reach the
-road until perhaps hours after they had attained their
-journey’s end. At length the party subsided again
-into silence, occupying themselves in gazing on the
-magnificent spectacle presented by the lurid flames,
-as, rolling their huge volumes of smoke above them,
-they roared down towards the travellers.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“The forest is as dry as powder,” said the husband,
-“I never saw a conflagration travel so rapidly.
-The fire cannot have been kindled many hours, and
-it has already spread for miles. Little did you think,
-Ellen,” he said, turning fondly to his bride, “when
-we started this morning, that you should so narrowly
-escape such a peril.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“And, as I live, the peril is not yet over,” suddenly
-exclaimed the brother, “see—see—a fire has
-broke out on our right, and is coming down on to us
-like a whirlwind. God have mercy on us!”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>He spoke with an energy that would have startled
-his hearers without the fearful words he uttered.
-But when they followed the direction of his quivering
-finger, a shriek burst from the two females,
-while the usually collected husband turned ashy
-pale, not for himself, but for her who was dearer to
-him than his own life. A fire, during the last few
-minutes, had started to life in the forest to their right,
-and, as the wind was from that quarter, the flames
-were seen ahead shooting down towards the road
-which the bridal party was traversing, roaring, hissing,
-and thundering as they drew near.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“Drive faster—for heaven’s sake—on the gallop!”
-exclaimed the husband, as he comprehended the
-imminency of their danger.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>The brother made no answer, for he well knew
-their fearful situation, but whipped the horses into
-a run. The chaise flew along the narrow forest
-road with a rapidity that neither of the party had
-ever before witnessed; for even the animals themselves
-seemed aware of their peril, and strained
-every sinew to escape from the fiery death which
-threatened them.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>Their situation was indeed terrible, and momentarily
-becoming more precarious. The fire, when
-first seen, was, at least, a mile off, but nearly equidistant
-from a point in the road the bridal party was
-traversing; and, as the conflagration swept down
-towards the road with a velocity equal to that of the
-travellers, it soon became evident that they would
-have barely time to pass the fire ere it swept across
-the road, thus cutting off all escape. Each saw
-this; but the females were now paralized with fear.
-Only the husband spoke.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“Faster, for God’s sake, faster,” he hoarsely cried,
-“see you not that the fire is making for yonder tall
-pine—we shall not be able to reach the tree first
-unless we go faster.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>“I will do my best,” said the brother, lashing still
-more furiously the foaming horses. “Oh! God, that I
-had turned back when Ellen wished me.”</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>On came the roaring fire—on in one mass of flame—on
-with a velocity that seemed only equalled by
-that of the flying hurricane. Now the flames caught
-the lower limbs of a tall tree and in an instant had
-hissed to its top—now they shot out their forky
-tongues from one huge pine to another far across
-the intermediate space—and now the whirling fire,
-whistled along the dry grass and moss of the swamp
-with a rapidity which the eye could scarcely follow.
-Already the fierce heat of the conflagration began to
-be felt by the travellers, while the horses, feeling the
-increase of warmth, grew restive and terrified.
-The peril momentarily increased. Hope grew fainter.
-Behind and on either side the conflagration roared in
-pursuit, while the advancing flame in front was cutting
-off their only avenue of escape. <span class='it'>They were
-girdled by fire.</span> Faster and quicker roared the
-flames towards the devoted party, until at length
-despair seized on the hearts of the travellers. Pale,
-paralized, silent, inanimate as statues, sat the females;
-while the husband and brother, leaning
-forward in the carriage and urging the horses to
-their utmost speed, gazed speechlessly on the approaching
-flames. Already the fire was within a
-hundred yards of the road ahead, and it seemed
-beyond human probability that the travellers could
-pass it in time. The husband gave one last agonizing
-glance at his inanimate wife. When again he
-looked at the approaching flames, he saw that during
-that momentary glimpse they had lessened their
-distance one half. He could already feel the hot
-breath of the fire on his cheek. The wind, too, suddenly
-whirled down with fiercer fury, and in an
-instant the forky tongues of the advancing conflagration
-had shot across the road, and entwined themselves
-around the tall pine which had been the goal
-of the travellers’ hopes. He sank back with a groan.
-But the brother’s eye gleamed wildly at the sight,
-and gathering the reins tighter around his hand, he
-made one last desperate effort to force the horses
-onward; and with one mad leap, they lifted the carriage
-from the ground as if it had been a plaything,
-plunged into the fiery furnace, and the next instant
-had shot through the pass.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>Charnley gave one look backwards, as if to assure
-himself that they had indeed escaped—he saw the
-lurid mass of fire roaring and whirling across the
-spot through which they had darted but a moment
-before; and overcome with mingled gratitude and
-awe, he lowered his head on his breast and poured
-out an overflowing soul in thanksgivings to the Power
-which had saved them from the most dreadful of
-deaths. And long afterwards, men, who travelled
-through that charred and blackened forest, pointed to
-the memorable scene where these events occurred,
-and rehearsed the thrilling feelings of those who had
-been encompassed by <span class='sc'>the Girdle of Fire</span>.</p>
-
-<hr class='tbk130'/>
-
-<div><h1><a id='towho'></a>TO ——.</h1></div>
-
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;'>———</p>
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;font-size:0.8em;font-weight:bold;'>BY GEORGE LUNT.</p>
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;margin-bottom:1.5em;'>———</p>
-
-
- <div class='poetry-container' style=''>
- <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' -->
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>I call upon the waves and they reply,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;But not the voice I fain would hear replied,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Vainly I seek it in the wind’s deep sigh,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Earth, air, the sky’s blue depths and ocean’s tide.</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>These have their various voices, soft or stern,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Moulding our feelings to the varied hour,</p>
-<p class='line0'>And the wrung heart will hear them and return</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;To claim on Nature’s breast a mother’s power.</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>The dewy freshness of earth’s vernal prime,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Her budding promise lapp’d in fragrant showers,</p>
-<p class='line0'>The sacred sweetness of her summer time,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;And her bright bosom cover’d o’er with flowers;</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>The viewless music of the breathing air,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;The rushing wind that sweeps across the plain,</p>
-<p class='line0'>The breeze that dallies with the brow of care</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;And stirs the languid pulse to life again;</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>Heaven’s glorious arch, when morning through the skies</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Skirts all its blue with gold, or sweeter far</p>
-<p class='line0'>At the dim twilight, or when softly rise</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;The new-born moon and glittering star on star;</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>And the dark-rolling voiceful sea, whose moan,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;On the wide waste or by the storm-beat shore,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Asks the soul’s answer like a spirit tone,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;And the deep soul speaks inly to its roar;</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>These have their language, mirthful, sad, or wild,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Like changing passion in the human breast;</p>
-<p class='line0'>We call them to us, as a wilder’d child</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;His home’s companions, and they give us rest;</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>Yet though they speak, I cannot hear—no more</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Comes the sweet music of the one loved tone,</p>
-<p class='line0'>And standing lonely by the lone sea-shore</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Sad as my heart falls its perpetual moan.</p>
-</div>
-</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend -->
-
-<hr class='tbk131'/>
-
-<div><h1><a id='sta'></a>THE STAGE.</h1></div>
-
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;'>———</p>
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;font-size:0.8em;font-weight:bold;'>BY WILLIAM WALLACE.</p>
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;margin-bottom:1.5em;'>———</p>
-
-
- <div class='poetry-container' style=''>
- <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' -->
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>Oh! I could weep when I perceive the cloud</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Of dark impurities around our Stage,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Where those creations, gay, or sad, or proud⁠—</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Hamlet’s strange wo, or wronged Othello’s rage</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Hallowed fair Albion’s selectest age:</p>
-<p class='line0'>Yet would I not, like certain ones, behold</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Theatric pomp proscribed in liberal land,</p>
-<p class='line0'>While pale Contempt (as once in ages old)</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;Kills with a single look the buskin band.</p>
-<p class='line0'>A beauty sparkles yet around the Place⁠—</p>
-<p class='line0'>A mystic charm—a fairy-beaming grace⁠—</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Appealing loudly to the coldest heart:</p>
-<p class='line0'>These boards once held the glory of our race,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;And still they reverence a Shakspeare’s Art.</p>
-</div>
-</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend -->
-
-<hr class='tbk132'/>
-
-<div><h1><a id='win'></a>“TO WIN THE LOVE OF THEE.”</h1></div>
-
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;margin-bottom:1em;font-weight:bold;'>BALLAD.</p>
-
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;margin-bottom:1em;font-size:0.9em;'>DEDICATED TO MISS LEO M. CASSIN, OF GEORGETOWN, D. C.</p>
-
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;margin-bottom:1em;'>BY J. G. E.</p>
-
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;'>———</p>
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;font-size:0.8em;'><span class='sc'>John F. Nunns</span>, <span class='it'>184 Chesnut Street: Philadelphia</span>.</p>
-<p class='line' style='text-align:center;margin-bottom:1.5em;'>———</p>
-
-<div class='figcenter'>
-<img src='images/i130.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0003' style='width:75%;height:auto;'/>
-</div>
-
-<div class='figcenter'>
-<img src='images/i131.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0004' style='width:75%;height:auto;'/>
-</div>
-
-
- <div class='poetry-container' style=''>
- <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' -->
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>To win the love of thee,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;I would the wealth of worlds resign,</p>
-<p class='line0'>For life has nought for me,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;But one sole wish to call thee mine.</p>
-<p class='line0'>All other joys of life no more,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;For me a thought shall claim,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Thou art the Idol I adore,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;My happiness and fame.</p>
-<p class='line0'>To win the love of thee,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;I would the wealth of worlds resign,</p>
-<p class='line0'>For life has nought for me,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;But one sole wish to call thee mine.</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>Strive not with ornament to hide</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Thy beauty’s op’ning flower;</p>
-<p class='line0'>Simplicity should be thy bride.</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;For therein lies thy power.</p>
-<p class='line0'>Of Constancy the model I</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;To wand’ring eyes should prove,</p>
-<p class='line0'>For I should only wish to die</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;If e’er I lose thy love.</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;To win the love of thee, &amp;c.</p>
-</div>
-</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend -->
-
-<hr class='tbk133'/>
-
-<div><h1><a id='rev'></a>REVIEW OF NEW BOOKS.</h1></div>
-
-<hr class='tbk134'/>
-
-<div class='blockquote'>
-
-<p class='hang'><span class='it'>Notes of a Tour through Turkey, Greece, Egypt, Arabia
-Petræa, to the Holy Land; including a Visit to Athens,
-Sparta, Delhi, Cairo, Thebes, Mount Sinai, Petræa, &amp;c.
-By E. Joy Morris. Two vols. 12 mo. pp. 550. Philadelphia,
-Carey &amp; Hart: 1842.</span></p>
-
-</div>
-
-<p class='pindent'>Were we disposed to be hypercritical, we should begin
-by finding some fault with the title of these volumes. It is
-quite too long, besides being tautological. Why speak of
-a tour through Egypt, and a visit to Thebes! Or of a tour
-through Greece and a visit to Athens? It would be as
-proper to announce a journey through England, including
-a visit to London. He who travels over a country of
-course visits its capital. If he supposes the readers of his
-journal do not know what city enjoys that distinction, it is
-even then better to let them acquire this geographical information
-by degrees. Too great and sudden developments
-may defeat his object; a man’s vision is sometimes obscured
-by excess of light.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>Of the improbabilities which are scattered throughout the
-work we have space only to notice one or two. Mr. Morris
-informs us that the <span class='it'>harem</span> of the Governor of Smyrna,
-which he encountered on board a steamer, “consisted of
-some half-dozen ladies, (wives,) and, with attendants,
-amounted to near thirty persons.” Rather too many wives
-for the simple Aga of Smyrna, and more than the Koran
-allows. The holy book of the Mahommedan permits no
-one, save the Grand Sultan—the representative of the prophet—to
-have more than two; and that highest of dignitaries,
-and hereditary favorite of the immortals, has but four.
-The Governor of Smyrna, we are assured by a competent
-authority, has but <span class='it'>one</span> wife, and she is of Turkish descent,
-and not, as our author avers, a Circassian. Had she been
-of Circassia she would have been a concubine, not a wife,
-or, as the author blunderingly calls her, a <span class='it'>Sultana</span>. That
-title belongs only to the favorite wife of the <span class='it'>Sultan</span>. Our
-traveller tells us that he offered to this lady some sweet-meats,
-although her husband and the keeper of his harem
-were both present! An averment which we would be as
-chary of believing as if it were that the “light” of the
-Grand Seigneur’s palace had accepted an invitation to
-swim with him in the Bosphorus!</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>Mr. Morris tells us that he found in the slave market of
-Constantinople two beautiful Georgian girls, “destined for
-the harems of the rich,” in <span class='it'>cages</span>, but that he was “only
-indulged with a glance at them through the <span class='it'>bars</span>!” Now
-a cage, or such a place as he intended to describe by that
-word, even for the ugliest Numidian, would not be tolerated
-in Constantinople for an hour; nor has there been
-for many years a Georgian girl publicly exhibited in the
-markets of that city. When a writer, sensible of the dulness
-of his performance, seeks to impart to it some interest
-by weaving into its chapters romantic fictions, he should
-be careful to give them an air of probability. We have
-not time nor inclination to point out other “attractions” in
-these volumes of a similar description.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>While writing of Athens and Constantinople, Mr. Morris
-doubtless had by his side Mr. Colton’s “Visit” to those
-places; and in his notices of Arabia Petræa and Egypt he
-has availed himself of the information acquired by Mr.
-Stevens and Professor Robinson. He has made what, in
-the language of the <span class='it'>trade</span>, is called a readable book;
-but it possesses neither originality, vigor, nor freshness;
-and his delineations, besides lacking these qualities, are
-often tediously long and needlessly particular. He does
-not pretend to give any new topographical information, and
-his work contains none. It was probably written out from
-slight notes taken during his tour, and the more elaborate
-descriptions of other travellers. It evinces some taste and
-judgment in the selection of themes, and is now and then
-graced by a classical allusion or quotation, gleaned, perhaps,
-from the guide-books, which make authorship so
-easy to the tourist.</p>
-
-<hr class='tbk135'/>
-
-<div class='blockquote'>
-
-<p class='hang'><span class='it'>Punishment by Death: Its Authority and Expediency. By
-Rev. George B. Chester. One vol. 12mo. pp. 156. New
-York: M. W. Dodd.</span></p>
-
-</div>
-
-<p class='pindent'>Several able sermons on this important subject have
-issued from the press. This is a more extended and elaborate
-effort. It displays learning, research, and philosophical
-acumen, and is worthy of general and serious attention.
-We know of no treatise in our language, on this subject, so
-well calculated for circulation among the people at large.
-It is brief, clear, comprehensive, written in an interesting
-style, and often rising to a strain of vivid and stirring eloquence.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>About half the volume is devoted to the argument from
-Scripture; in which the original Noahic ordinance is
-taken as the ground-work, commented upon in the Mosaic
-statutes, and confirmed in the New Testament. The writings
-and experience of Paul are examined, and the course
-of the Divine Providence is shown to be consentaneous
-with this argument. The state of legislation and society
-in the antediluvian world, as well as afterwards, are investigated,
-with the origin of government, and the nature
-of its sanction in the Scriptures.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>The remainder of the book is taken up with the argument
-from Expediency. The question is examined, What constitutes
-the perfection of criminal jurisprudence! The
-efficacy of punishment by death in restraining crime is
-argued, and also that the abrogation of this punishment
-would prove a premium on the crime of murder, through
-the desire of concealing other crimes. The law of nature
-is examined, with the powerful convictions of conscience
-on this subject, as sustaining the Divine legislation, and
-demanding support also in human law. Various objections
-are considered and answered, with the occasion of the prejudice
-against Capital Punishment. The book concludes
-with a chapter on the power and solemnity of the argument
-from analogy, in reference to the sanctions of the Divine
-Government.</p>
-
-<hr class='tbk136'/>
-
-<div class='blockquote'>
-
-<p class='hang'><span class='it'>A Popular Treatise on Agricultural Chemistry: intended
-for the use of the Practical Farmer. By Chas. Squarey,
-Chemist. One vol. Lea &amp; Blanchard: Philadelphia.</span></p>
-
-</div>
-
-<p class='pindent'>An excellent work, in which most of what is really
-valuable in the treatises of Liebig, Davy, Johnson and
-Daubeny, has been condensed for the practical reader.</p>
-
-<hr class='tbk137'/>
-
-<div class='blockquote'>
-
-<p class='hang'><span class='it'>Tecumseh, or the West Thirty Years Since: A Poem: By
-George H. Colton. 12mo. pp. 412. New York: Wiley &amp;
-Putnam, 1842.</span></p>
-
-</div>
-
-<p class='pindent'>We alluded to this work very briefly in a former number,
-and now recur to it mainly for the purpose of presenting
-some specimens of the author’s versification, by which the
-reader may be enabled to judge of its general execution.
-“Tecumseh” is a narrative, founded on the history of that
-great chief whose name is chosen for its title, and whose
-efforts to unite the various divisions of the red race into
-one grand confederacy, to regain their lost inheritance,
-though unsuccessful, should secure to him a fame as lasting
-as is awarded to the most celebrated heroes and patriots of
-the world.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>The measure of the main part of the poem—extending to
-nine long cantos—is octo-syllabic. It is free, and generally
-correct, though in some cases marred by inexcusable carelessness,
-and phraseology more tame and meaningless than,
-had he kept his manuscript for a few years, the author
-would have permitted to go before the critics. The hero,
-with the wily prophet, Els-kwa-ta-wa, who was his evil
-genius through life, is introduced in the second canto.
-Distinguished</p>
-
-
- <div class='poetry-container' style=''>
- <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' -->
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-<p class='line0'>“By his broad brow of care and thought,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;By his most regal mien and tread,</p>
-<p class='line0'>By robes with richest wampum wrought,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;And eagle’s plume upon his head,”</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend -->
-
-<p class='noindent'>he emerges with his companion from a forest;</p>
-
-
- <div class='poetry-container' style=''>
- <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' -->
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-<p class='line0'>“Nor e’er did eye a form behold</p>
-<p class='line0'>At once more finished, firm and bold.</p>
-<p class='line0'>Of larger mould and loftier mien</p>
-<p class='line0'>Than oft in hall or bower is seen,</p>
-<p class='line0'>And with a browner hue than seems</p>
-<p class='line0'>To pale maid fair, or lights her dreams,</p>
-<p class='line0'>He yet revealed a symmetry</p>
-<p class='line0'>Had charmed the Grecian sculptor’s eye,</p>
-<p class='line0'>A massive brow, a kindled face,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Limbs chiselled to a faultless grace,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Beauty and strength in every feature,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;While in his eyes there lived the light</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Of a great soul’s transcendant might⁠—</p>
-<p class='line0'>Hereditary lord by nature!</p>
-<p class='line0'>As stood he there, the stern, unmoved,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Except his eagle glance that roved,</p>
-<p class='line0'>And darkly limned against the sky</p>
-<p class='line0'>Upon that mound so lone and high,</p>
-<p class='line0'>He looked the sculptured God of Wars,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Great Odin, or Egyptian Mars,</p>
-<p class='line0'>By crafty hand, from dusky stone,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Immortal wrought in ages gone,</p>
-<p class='line0'>And on some silent desert cast,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Memorial of the mighty Past!</p>
-<p class='line0'>And yet, though firm, though proud his glance,</p>
-<p class='line0'>There was upon his countenance</p>
-<p class='line0'>That settled shade, which oft in life</p>
-<p class='line0'>Mounts upward from the spirit’s strife</p>
-<p class='line0'>As if upon his soul there lay</p>
-<p class='line0'>Some grief which would not pass away.</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>“The other’s lineaments and air</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Revealed him plainly brother born</p>
-<p class='line0'>Of him, who on that summit bare</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;So sad, yet proudly met the morn:</p>
-<p class='line0'>But, lighter built, his slender frame</p>
-<p class='line0'>Far less of grace, as strength, could claim;</p>
-<p class='line0'>And, with an eye that, sharp and fierce,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Would seem the gazer’s breast to pierce,</p>
-<p class='line0'>And low’ring visage, aye the while</p>
-<p class='line0'>Inwrought of subtlety and guile,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Whose every glance, that darkly stole,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Bespoke the crafty, cruel soul.</p>
-<p class='line0'>There was from all his presence shed</p>
-<p class='line0'>A power, a chill mysterious dread,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Which made him of those beings seem,</p>
-<p class='line0'>That shake us in the midnight dream.</p>
-<p class='line0'>Yet were his features, too, o’ercast</p>
-<p class='line0'>With mournfulness, as if the past</p>
-<p class='line0'>Had been one vigil, painful, deep and long</p>
-<p class='line0'>Of hushed Revenge still brooding over wrong.</p>
-<p class='line0'>No word was said: but long they stood,</p>
-<p class='line0'>And side by side, in thoughtful mood,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Watched the great curtains of the mist</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Up from the mighty landscape move;</p>
-<p class='line0'>’Twas surely spirit-hands, they wist,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Did lift them from above.</p>
-<p class='line0'>And when, unveiled, to them alone</p>
-<p class='line0'>The solitary world was shown,</p>
-<p class='line0'>And dew from all the mound’s green sod</p>
-<p class='line0'>Rose, like an incense, up to God,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Reclined, yet silent still, they bent</p>
-<p class='line0'>Their eyes on Heaven’s deep firmament⁠—</p>
-<p class='line0'>As if were open to their view</p>
-<p class='line0'>The stars’ sun-flooded homes of blue⁠—</p>
-<p class='line0'>Or gazed, with mournful sternness, o’er</p>
-<p class='line0'>The rolling prairie stretched before;</p>
-<p class='line0'>While round them, fluttering on the breeze,</p>
-<p class='line0'>The sere leaves fell from faded trees.”</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend -->
-
-<p class='pindent'>At the close of a conference which ensues, Tecumseh
-expresses his determination to</p>
-
-
- <div class='poetry-container' style=''>
- <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' -->
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;&ensp;“go forth</p>
-<p class='line0'>Through the great waters of the North,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Round the far South, and o’er the West</p>
-<p class='line0'>By the lone streams, nor ever rest,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Till all the tribes united stand</p>
-<p class='line0'>In battle for their native land.”</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend -->
-
-<p class='pindent'>There are scattered through the poem many passages of
-minute and skilful description of external nature, and interwoven
-with the main history is a story of love, resulting,
-in the end, like most tales of the kind, in the perfect felicity
-of the parties. Some episodes, by which the narrative is
-broken, are well-wrought, and the entire poem possesses a
-deep and sustained interest. The rapid action of the narrative
-is illustrated by the following passive, descriptive
-of the last conflict, in which Tecumseh fell:</p>
-
-
- <div class='poetry-container' style=''>
- <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' -->
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-<p class='line0'>“Forth at the peal each charger sped,</p>
-<p class='line0'>The hard earth shook beneath their tread,</p>
-<p class='line0'>The dim woods, all around them spread,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Shone with their armor’s light:</p>
-<p class='line0'>Yet in those stern, still lines assailed</p>
-<p class='line0'>No eye-ball shrunk, no bosom quailed,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;No foot was turned for flight;</p>
-<p class='line0'>But, thundering as their foemen came,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Each rifle flashed its deadly flame.</p>
-<p class='line0'>A moment, then recoil and rout,</p>
-<p class='line0'>With reeling horse and struggling shout,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Confused that onset fair;</p>
-<p class='line0'>But, rallying each dark steed once more,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Like billows borne the low reefs o’er</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;With foamy crest in air,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Right on and over them they bore,</p>
-<p class='line0'>With gun and bayonet thrust before,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;And swift swords brandish’d bare.</p>
-<p class='line0'>Then madly was the conflict waged,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Then terribly red Slaughter raged!</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>“How still is yet yon dense morass</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;The bloody sun below!</p>
-<p class='line0'>Where’er yon chosen horsemen pass,</p>
-<p class='line0'>There stirs no bough nor blade of grass,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;There moves no secret foe!</p>
-<p class='line0'>Yet on, quick eye and cautious tread,</p>
-<p class='line0'>His bold ranks Johnson darkling led.</p>
-<p class='line0'>Sudden from tree and thicket green,</p>
-<p class='line0'>From trunk, and mound, and bushy screen,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Sharp lightning flashed with instant sheen,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;A thousand death-bolts sung!</p>
-<p class='line0'>Like ripened fruit before the blast,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Rider and horse to earth were cast,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Its miry roots among;</p>
-<p class='line0'>Then wild, as if that earth were riven,</p>
-<p class='line0'>And, pour’d beneath the cope of heaven,</p>
-<p class='line0'>All hell to upper air were given,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;One fearful whoop was rung,</p>
-<p class='line0'>And, bounding each from covert forth,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Burst on their front the demon birth.</p>
-<p class='line0'>‘Off! off! each horseman to the ground!</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;On foot we’ll quell the foe!’</p>
-<p class='line0'>And instant, with impetuous bound,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;They hurl’d them down below.</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line0'>“Then loud the crash of arms arose,</p>
-<p class='line0'>As when two forest whirlwinds close;</p>
-<p class='line0'>Then filled all heaven their shout and yell,</p>
-<p class='line0'>As if the forests on them fell!</p>
-<p class='line0'>I see, where swells the thickest fight,</p>
-<p class='line0'>With sword and hatchet brandish’d bright</p>
-<p class='line0'>And rifles flashing sulphurous light</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Through green leaves gleaming red⁠—</p>
-<p class='line0'>I see a plume, now near, now far,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Now high, now low, like falling star,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Wide waving o’er the tide of war,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Where’er the onslaught’s led;</p>
-<p class='line0'>I see, beneath, a bare arm swing,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;As tempest whirls the oak,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Bosom and high crest shivering</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;The war-club’s deadly stroke;</p>
-<p class='line0'>The eager infantry rush in,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Before their ranks, with wilder din,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;The wav’ring strife is driven⁠—</p>
-<p class='line0'>Above the struggling storm I hear</p>
-<p class='line0'>A lofty voice the war bands cheer,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Still, as they quail with doubt or fear,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;Yet loud and louder given;</p>
-<p class='line0'>And, rallying to the clarion cry,</p>
-<p class='line0'>With club and red axe raging high,</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;And sharp knives sheathing low,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Fast back again confusedly</p>
-<p class='line0'>&ensp;&ensp;They drive the staggering foe.”</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend -->
-
-<p class='pindent'>We conclude our extracts with a graphic description of
-a forest scene, from the last canto.</p>
-
-
- <div class='poetry-container' style=''>
- <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' -->
-<div class='stanza-outer'>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-<p class='line0'>“Within a wood extending wide</p>
-<p class='line0'>By Thames’s steeply winding side,</p>
-<p class='line0'>There sat upon a fallen tree,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Grown green through ages silently,</p>
-<p class='line0'>An Indian girl. The gradual change</p>
-<p class='line0'>Making all things most sweetly strange,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Had come again. The autumn sun,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Half up his morning journey, shone</p>
-<p class='line0'>With conscious lustre, calm and still;</p>
-<p class='line0'>By dell, and plain, and sloping hill</p>
-<p class='line0'>Stood mute the faded trees, in grief,</p>
-<p class='line0'>As various as their clouded leaf.</p>
-<p class='line0'>With all the hues of sunset skies</p>
-<p class='line0'>Were stamp’d the maple’s mourning dies;</p>
-<p class='line0'>In meeker sorrow in the vale</p>
-<p class='line0'>The gentle ash was drooping pale;</p>
-<p class='line0'>Brown-seared the walnut raised its head,</p>
-<p class='line0'>The oak displayed a lifeless red;</p>
-<p class='line0'>And grouping bass and white-wood hoar</p>
-<p class='line0'>Sadly their yellow honors bore;</p>
-<p class='line0'>And silvered birch and poplar rose</p>
-<p class='line0'>With foliage gray and weeping boughs;</p>
-<p class='line0'>But elm and stubborn beech retained</p>
-<p class='line0'>Some verdant lines, though crossed and stained,</p>
-<p class='line0'>And by the river’s side were seen</p>
-<p class='line0'>Hazel and willow palely green,</p>
-<p class='line0'>While in the woods, by bank and stream</p>
-<p class='line0'>And hollows shut from daylight gleam,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Where tall trees wept their freshening dews,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Each shrub preserved its summer hues.</p>
-<p class='line0'>Nor this alone. From branch and trunk</p>
-<p class='line0'>The withered wild-vines coldly shrunk,</p>
-<p class='line0'>The woodland fruits hung ripe or dry,</p>
-<p class='line0'>The leaf-strown brook flowed voiceless by;</p>
-<p class='line0'>And all throughout, nor dim nor bright.</p>
-<p class='line0'>There lived a rare and wondrous light</p>
-<p class='line0'>Wherein the colored leaves around</p>
-<p class='line0'>Fell noiselessly; nor any sound,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Save chattering squirrels on the trees,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Or dropping nuts, when stirred the breeze,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Might there be heard; and, floating high,</p>
-<p class='line0'>Were light clouds borne along the sky.</p>
-<p class='line0'>And, scarcely seen, in heaven’s deep blue</p>
-<p class='line0'>One solitary eagle flew.”</p>
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-</div>
-</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend -->
-
-<p class='pindent'>From these passages the general character of the work
-may be inferred. It is too long: it would be unwise to
-extend a poem on any theme to nine cantos, of near fourteen
-thousand lines; and besides its diffuseness, in parts,
-it has other faults, to which we have already alluded. It
-is the first production, however, of an author just freed
-from the University; not yet, apparently, twenty-two
-years old; and, so regarded, the severest critic must deem
-it remarkably free from errors in design and execution.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>Some half dozen elaborate metrical tales, founded on
-Indian histories or traditions, have before appeared in this
-country, of which but one—the “Yamoyden” of Sands
-and Eastburn—is comparable to this; and that is inferior
-to it in unity, and, indeed, in almost all its essential features.
-The admirable proem to “Yamoyden,” in which
-Sands laments in such touching strains the early death of
-his associate and friend, is not rightly considered a part of
-the poem to which it is prefixed. To this Mr. Colton has
-produced nothing equal; nor is he worthy <span class='it'>yet</span> to be ranked
-with Sands as a poet. But “Tecumseh,” until some nobler
-work is written, must be considered the best poem of its
-class written by an American.</p>
-
-<hr class='tbk138'/>
-
-<div class='blockquote'>
-
-<p class='hang'><span class='it'>Memoir of India and Avghanistoun, with Observations on
-The Present State and Future Prospects of those Countries.
-By J. Harlan, late Counsellor of State, Aid-de-Camp,
-and General of the Staff, to Dost Mahomed,
-Ameer of Cabul. One vol. 12mo. Philadelphia: J.
-Dobson, 1842.</span></p>
-
-</div>
-
-<p class='pindent'>General Harlan resided in India and Avghanistoun
-eighteen years, and his official stations during that period
-were such as he would have chosen had his principal
-object been to form a correct judgment in regard to the
-social and political conditions of those countries. The facts
-and opinions contained in this work must therefore command
-regard, especially since the recent military operations
-in that quarter have drawn so much attention to the
-British East Indian Empire. The volume comprises remarks
-on the late massacre of the British Army in Cabul, and the
-British policy in India; a reply to the Count Björstjerna’s
-work on that country; the Russian influence in central
-Asia; the foreign relations of the Indo-British government;
-the moral, religious and political character and
-condition of the Indians and Avghans; and the results of
-missionary exertions and prospects of Christianity among
-them; together with an interesting sketch of the history
-and personal character of Dost Mahomed, one of the most
-remarkable individuals that have appeared in the oriental
-nations during this century. In an appendix, the author
-indulges in some speculations on a passage in the Book of
-Daniel, which he supposes has reference to the present
-condition of the Mahommedan countries, and indicates the
-speedy extinction of the Ottoman empire. The book is
-illustrated with maps and a portrait of the Ex-Ameer of
-Cabul.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>We shall look with some anxiety for General Harlan’s
-“Personal Narrative of Eighteen Years’ Residence in
-Asia,” which we believe is now in press.</p>
-
-<hr class='tbk139'/>
-
-<div class='blockquote'>
-
-<p class='hang'><span class='it'>History of the Expedition under the command of Captains
-Lewis and Clarke, to the sources of the Missouri, thence
-across the Rocky Mountains, and down the river Columbia
-to the Pacific Ocean: Performed during the years
-1804, 1805, 1806, by order of the Government of the United
-States. Two vols. Harper &amp; Brothers: New York.</span></p>
-
-</div>
-
-<p class='pindent'>The expedition of Lewis and Clarke was the first ever
-made through the Oregon Territory to the Columbia River.
-An account of their tour was published soon after their return;
-but as that work has since gone out of print, and as
-the Oregon Territory is now a subject of much interest, the
-Messrs. Harpers have issued the present volumes, in which
-unimportant details in the former edition have been omitted,
-and explanatory notes have been added, by Archibald
-M’Vickar, Esq. The volumes form Nos. 154 and 155 of
-the Family Library. <span class='it'>Perkins &amp; Purvis: Philadelphia.</span></p>
-
-<hr class='tbk140'/>
-
-<div class='blockquote'>
-
-<p class='hang'><span class='it'>The Life of Wilbur Fisk, S. T. D. first President of the
-Wesleyan University. By Joseph Holdich. One vol. 8vo.
-Pp. 455. New York: Harper &amp; Brothers.</span></p>
-
-</div>
-
-<p class='pindent'>Wilbur Fisk was one of the purest and most useful men
-of our time. With a temperament remarkably sanguine
-and ardent, all his qualities were so subdued and harmonized
-by religion, as to form one of the finest models of
-elevated Christian character that has been presented to the
-world. He was a native of Brattleborough, Vermont,
-where he was born in 1792. In his early years he enjoyed
-no advantages that are not within the reach of almost
-every young man of New England. When about twenty-two
-years of age he began to study the law, but soon after
-turned his attention to the ministry, and in the spring of
-1818 was licensed to preach by a Conference of the Methodist
-Episcopal Church. In 1823 he was made a ruling
-elder, and in 1825, principal of the Methodist Seminary of
-Wilbraham. In 1829, he received the degree of Doctor in
-Divinity, from Augusta College, and from Brown University,
-and the following year was elected to the presidency
-of the Wesleyan University at Middletown. In the
-autumn of 1835, he visited Europe, and passed about a
-year on the continent and in Great Britain. The record of
-his travels, published soon after his return, has been one of
-the most popular works of its kind written by an American.
-He died at Middletown, after a long and painful illness,
-borne with singular fortitude and resignation, on the
-twenty-second of February, 1840. The Memoirs before
-us, by his friend Professor Holdich, are written with ability
-and candor; but the most interesting portions of the work
-are Dr. Fisk’s admirable private letters, distinguished
-alike for a beauty of style, simplicity, earnestness, and affection,
-that indicates, better than any labored delineation by
-another hand, his high character and endowments. <span class='it'>Philadelphia:
-H. Perkins.</span></p>
-
-<hr class='tbk141'/>
-
-<div class='blockquote'>
-
-<p class='hang'><span class='it'>A Narrative of Voyages and Commercial Enterprises. By
-Richard J. Cleveland. Two vols. 12mo. Cambridge:
-John Owen, 1842.</span></p>
-
-</div>
-
-<p class='pindent'>This is one of the many narratives of adventures at sea
-given to the public in consequence of the success of Mr.
-Dana’s “Two Years before the Mast.” The author, who
-retired from the merchant service more than twenty years
-ago, presents some interesting reminiscences of voyages to
-India, South America, and other parts of the world, written
-in a style of simple elegance rather unusual for a veteran
-sailor. The industry and enterprise of the New Englanders
-is in nothing more conspicuous than in their mercantile
-marine, and we infer from his pleasant work, that Mr.
-Cleveland has done his part to gain for them their enviable
-reputation.</p>
-
-<hr class='tbk142'/>
-
-<div class='blockquote'>
-
-<p class='hang'><span class='it'>Athanasion, and other Poems. By the Author of “Christian
-Ballads.” New York: Wiley &amp; Putnam.</span></p>
-
-</div>
-
-<p class='pindent'>The author of “Christian Ballads” is the Rev. Arthur
-Cleveland Coxe, Rector of St. Anna’s Chapel, Morrisania,
-near New York: a young poet who has won an enviable
-reputation by numerous contributions to the periodical literature
-of the day, and by some more elaborate writings.
-“Athanasion” is, perhaps, his best metrical composition.
-It has, with many excellencies, some defects, which we
-lack space and inclination to point out in this number of
-our Magazine. The volume before us is printed in a style
-equal to that of the best English impressions.</p>
-
-<hr class='tbk143'/>
-
-<div class='blockquote'>
-
-<p class='hang'><span class='it'>Fathers and Sons: a Novel. By Theodore E. Hook, Esq.
-Two vols. 12mo. Philadelphia: Lea &amp; Blanchard, 1842.</span></p>
-
-</div>
-
-<p class='pindent'>Theodore Edward Hook was one of the most popular of
-the authors who died in the last year. His table wit, it is
-said, in freshness and exuberance, was never equalled in
-England; and the humor that pervades his writings will
-keep them in favor probably for centuries. The novel
-before us was his last. It appeared originally by separate
-chapters in the New Monthly Magazine, of which he
-was editor; and he was engaged in its revision when
-seized by the disease which terminated his career. His
-first work—excepting some plays written in his boyhood—was
-“Sayings and Doings,” published in 1824. It was
-followed by a second and third series of the same work;
-by “Maxwell,” “The Parson’s Daughter,” “Jack Brag,”
-“Births, Deaths, and Marriages,” “Gilbert Gurney,”
-“Gurney Married,” “Precepts and Practice,” several
-volumes of biography, and “Fathers and Sons.” He died
-on the twenty-second day of September, 1841, in the fifty-third
-year of his age.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>His last work has all his peculiarities; the most felicitous
-humor; graphic delineations of character; and incidents
-interesting and ingeniously diversified. We have
-not space for an analysis of its plot; and one is the less
-necessary, as, notwithstanding the “hardness of the
-times,” very few will permit the last legacy of Theodore
-Hook to go unread.</p>
-
-<hr class='tbk144'/>
-
-<div class='blockquote'>
-
-<p class='hang'><span class='it'>Sermons and Sketches of Sermons, by the Rev John Summerfield,
-M. A. With an Introduction, by the Rev.
-Thomas E. Bond, M. D. One vol. 8vo. Pp. 437.
-Harper &amp; Brothers: New York.</span></p>
-
-</div>
-
-<p class='pindent'>John Summerfield was one of those remarkable men who
-have appeared from time to time to electrify the religious
-world, by eloquence the most persuasive, and lives which
-served as samples by which those who would might guide
-their course to heaven. He began to preach in Ireland,
-when but twenty years of age, and soon after came to
-the United States, where he continued to labor as an
-evangelist until his death, which occurred sixteen years
-ago. Most of the sermons and sketches of sermons included
-in the volume before us were written down after
-their public delivery. They possess a deep interest, especially
-to those who remember the sainted author, more
-worthy of canonization than were ninety-nine hundredths of
-those whose names are included in the calendar. <span class='it'>Henry
-Perkins: Philadelphia.</span></p>
-
-<hr class='tbk145'/>
-
-<div class='blockquote'>
-
-<p class='hang'><span class='it'>Practical Geology and Mineralogy; with Instructions for
-the qualitative analysis of Minerals. By Joshua Trimmer,
-F. G. S.—Itum est in viscera terræ. One vol. Lea
-&amp; Blanchard: Philadelphia.</span></p>
-
-</div>
-
-<p class='pindent'>A valuable elementary treatise on Geology. For the
-convenience of those who have not access to cabinets of
-minerals, the author has collected various chemical and
-mineralogical details, to enable any person easily to
-recognise the different minerals when discovered in the
-fields. In the purely geological part of the work, Mr.
-Trimmer has confined himself to facts and classifications
-and a few universally admitted inferences, avoiding all
-questions affecting the higher generalizations, since they
-are still and must long continue to be matters of controversy.
-The work is illustrated with wood-cuts. We commend it
-to students in geology.</p>
-
-<hr class='tbk146'/>
-
-<div class='blockquote'>
-
-<p class='hang'><span class='it'>Italy and the Italian Islands, from the earliest ages to the
-present time. By William Spalding, Esq. With engravings
-and illustrative maps and plans. Three vols.
-Harper &amp; Brothers: New York.</span></p>
-
-</div>
-
-<p class='pindent'>This is an able and comprehensive work, and may be
-consulted with confidence by persons who wish to inquire
-concerning the history, scenery, antiquities, topography,
-and present condition of Italy. The author is, perhaps,
-less profound than he would have been if he had
-contemplated a more voluminous treatise. For all purposes,
-however, of general reference, or as a guide to
-more detailed inquiries, his volumes may be consulted with
-advantage. The account of the social, religious and political
-revolutions of the ancient and modern Italians, and the
-history of the rise and progress of the arts and literature in
-Italy, constitute two of its most valuable divisions.</p>
-
-<p class='pindent'>These volumes form Nos. 151, 152 and 153 of the Family
-Library, and are published in the usual style of that
-excellent series. <span class='it'>Carey &amp; Hart: Philadelphia.</span></p>
-
-<hr class='tbk147'/>
-
-<div class='blockquote'>
-
-<p class='hang'><span class='it'>A Discourse on Matters pertaining to Religion; by Theodore
-Parker, Minister of the Second Church in Roxburgh,
-Massachusetts. Pp. 505, 8vo. Boston: Charles C.
-Little and James Brown. 1842.</span></p>
-
-</div>
-
-<p class='pindent'>This is a bold and eloquent attack on the doctrines of the
-Bible, by one who avows himself to be a Christian minister,
-and is ordained and settled over a religious congregation.
-Some of the readers of Mr. Parker’s “Discourse”
-who are unacquainted with the writings of the German
-rationalists, may fancy that he is a man of deep research
-and profound scholarship; but there is little danger that an
-intelligent student in theology will be so deceived. The
-work embraces the substance of five lectures, delivered in
-Boston during the last autumn. The author denies the inspiration
-of the Holy Scriptures, the divinity of Jesus Christ,
-and most of the other ideas of what he terms the “popular
-theology.” We leave him and his labors to the critics of
-the Christian churches.</p>
-
-<hr class='tbk148'/>
-
-<div class='blockquote'>
-
-<p class='hang'><span class='it'>Masterman Ready, or, the Wreck of the Pacific. Written
-for Young People. By Captain Marryat, R. N. Second
-Series. One vol., 18mo. New York: D. Appleton &amp; Co.</span></p>
-
-</div>
-
-<p class='pindent'>This is a sequel to the entertaining volume published
-under the same title last year. Though “Masterman
-Ready” is an entertaining story, it is far from being equal
-in any respect, save its freedom from the coarser kind of
-jests, to “Peter Simple,” “Jacob Faithful,” or the other
-early works of the author.</p>
-
-<hr class='tbk149'/>
-
-<div class='blockquote'>
-
-<p class='hang'><span class='it'>Means and Ends, or Self-training. By the author of
-Redwood, Hope Leslie, Home, Poor Rich Man, &amp;c., &amp;c.
-Second edition. One vol. Harper &amp; Brothers: New
-York.</span></p>
-
-</div>
-
-<p class='pindent'>One of the best of Miss Sedgwick’s smaller works. It
-is written in a light, rambling style, enforcing truths by
-anecdotes or short stories. It has been deservedly popular,
-and we predict that it will pass to a third and even
-fourth and fifth edition.</p>
-
-<hr class='tbk150'/>
-
-<div class='blockquote'>
-
-<p class='hang'><span class='it'>What’s to be Done? or, the Will and the Way. By the
-author of “Wealth and Worth,” &amp;c. One vol. 12mo.
-Pp. 232. New York: Harper &amp; Brothers.</span></p>
-
-</div>
-
-<p class='pindent'>The pleasant little volume entitled “Wealth and Worth,”
-which we commended to our readers a month or two since,
-has been succeeded by another work from the same pen,
-which we think even superior to its predecessor. It is a
-story of American life, conveying, as its piquant title
-indicates, a useful and impressive moral. The style is
-animated and pure, and the sketches of character are
-graphic, forcible, and various; while the plot preserves a
-deep and natural interest. “Wealth and Worth” has
-gone through five large editions in the course of as many
-months—a remarkable instance of rapidly attained popularity.
-A success equally decided must attend the spirited
-little tale of “What’s to be Done?”</p>
-
-<hr class='tbk151'/>
-
-<div class='blockquote'>
-
-<p class='hang'><span class='it'>The Divine Rule of Faith and Practice, or a Defence of the
-Catholic Doctrine, that Holy Scripture has been since the
-Times of the Apostles the Sole Divine Rule of Faith and
-Practice to the Church, against the dangerous Errors of
-the Authors of the Tracts for the Times and the Romanists,
-as, particularly, that the Rule of Faith is “made up
-of Scripture and Tradition together,” &amp;c: In which also
-the Doctrines of the Apostolical Succession, the Eucharistic
-Sacrifice, &amp;c., are fully discussed. By William
-Goode, M. A., of Trinity College, Cambridge. Two vols.
-8vo. Philadelphia: Herman Hooker.</span></p>
-
-</div>
-
-<p class='pindent'>This is probably the most learned and able theological
-work that has been published in England or America during
-the year. Those who have read the “Tracts for the
-Times,” and all who feel any interest in the religious controversies
-of the age, will thank us for directing to it their
-attention.</p>
-
-<hr class='tbk152'/>
-
-<div class='blockquote'>
-
-<p class='hang'><span class='it'>Diary and Letters of Madame D’Arblay: Edited by her
-Niece. Parts I. and II. Philadelphia, Carey &amp; Hart.</span></p>
-
-</div>
-
-<p class='pindent'>Miss Burney, afterward Madame D’Arblay, is best
-known to the literary world as the authoress of “Evelina,”
-one of the most admirable and popular novels in the English
-language. She died early in the year 1841, at the advanced
-age of ninety, and two volumes of her autobiographical
-remains have since been published in London,
-both of which are included in these “parts” of the American
-edition. She was intimately acquainted with Johnson,
-Sheridan, Burke, Boswell, and other eminent persons of
-their time; and her diary, including a great number of
-interesting anecdotes and reminiscences of her early career,
-is one of the most entertaining works of the day.</p>
-
-<hr class='tbk153'/>
-
-<p class='pindent'><span class='sc'>Rufus Winter Griswold</span>, a gentleman of fine
-taste and well known literary abilities, has become associated
-with us as one of the editors of this Magazine. The
-extensive literary knowledge of Mr. G. renders him a most
-valuable coadjutor.</p>
-
-<hr class='tbk154'/>
-
-<p class='pindent'>The connection of <span class='sc'>E. A. Poe</span>, Esq., with this work
-ceased with the <span class='it'>May Number</span>. Mr. P. bears with him our
-warmest wishes for success in whatever he may undertake.</p>
-
-<hr class='tbk155'/>
-
-<p class='pindent'><a id='fash'></a></p>
-
-<div class='figcenter'>
-<img src='images/i142.jpg' alt='three ladies and a gentleman dressed in latest fashion' id='iid-0005' style='width:100%;height:auto;'/>
-<p class='caption'><span class='it'>Fashion’s Latest Style for Graham’s Magazine</span></p>
-</div>
-
-<hr class='tbk156'/>
-
-<p class='line' style='margin-top:2em;font-size:1.1em;font-weight:bold;'><a id='notes'></a>Transcriber’s Notes:</p>
-
-<p class='noindent'>Table of Contents has been added for reader convenience.
-Archaic spellings and hyphenation have been retained. Obvious
-punctuation and typesetting errors have been corrected
-without note.</p>
-
-<p class='line'>&#160;</p>
-
-<p class='noindent'>[End of <span class='it'>Graham’s Magazine, Vol. XXI, No. 1, July 1842</span>, George R. Graham, Editor]</p>
-
-<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK GRAHAM&#039;S MAGAZINE, VOL. XXI, NO. 1, JULY 1842 ***</div>
-<div style='text-align:left'>
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