Chicago Daily Tribune Newspaper, September 20, 1874, Page 11

* gken. Thelatter iady was tho danghter of Dr. John Aukien, 2 manof refined tastes aud consid - THE CHICAGO DAILY TRIBUNE: 'SUI AY, SEPTEMBER 20, 1874, i1 LITERATURE. channing and Lucy Aiken. DENCE OF WILLIAM ELLERY CHAN- S LUCY AIE: OM 1226 'to Axxa Lerrria L DustoN, Lo, L Bs & <22, Dr. Chauning made a visit to Europe, sjioro ho was cordially welcomed and bosgitably ned 1y many of tho most distinguished pecple iz tue woild of letters. At the Louso of Tl Dartaald (st Stoto Newinglon), who was oo of the lierary celebrities of the day, ho sde the seqnaintance of her picco, Miss Lucy msblo cuiture. aud g industrions and useful wri- v, e aided bis sister, Mrs. Barbeuld, in the tion of a hzlf-dozen popular volumes of ed ** Even- u Towe s produced, with the essistance uthey aod ofbers, a work en General family, 82d, by ber Memoira of tho Conrt of James L. of Queen Elizabeth, of Charles L, 1o of Addison, made 8 preiseworthy contribu- s t0 the library of blography. Eoth ehe and ter fz:hier ranlk, however, among the minor En- Sish writens, in g pretty full catalogne ¥ ko nethors of Englaud will their names find se Aiken vith Dr. aizsg | . by hier acknowledg- g{:;: ‘of the receips of his work on diton, aud nted untd Lis deth in tho year 1842, bentho first letter passed batween the two, bad attained to years of maturity, Dr. Blinning beivg aged 42 and Lis correspoudent £, 205 Adken reached tne ripe ageof 84, her 3eesse occurting Jan. 20, 1864, The correspond- tnco winch 18 Lere given to the public does Jonor to the Licad aud the hieart of both writers, It is charsetenized by the freedom aud the frak- of 8 bigh-toned friendsinp ; und all enbjcets ted to interest active and thoughtful minds fredisoussed,one after another, as they happen td zrise, with the intelligenco rud the gravi wich their importance demands. ch writer £avo to the otuer tho Lenefiv of Lis or her bent Fnzhis snd soundest opiniona ; aud, a3 & cou- goquence, the letzers, waich were & mutual ad- to themselves, are istractive fo tho Fecr Wlile thiey aro not _marked on Fier side by any extraordivary charms and Frages of the epistolary etyle, they aro replete N eutertainung and suggestive . passages Whiiah fnfortn tpon topics of both temporary and Permengat interest, and_afford a pleasing in- 1t into two camnes: and elevated chazacters. {¥o wake ruom fur & few cxtracts from tho comcepundence, which, in tho reading, wero Doted 48 pariialarly etriking in_tacuseive 25 convoring the cloarest exyressions of #omd idigernciany of the writer, In treeting of re i Cubjeet near to (b hiearts of both,— 1 writes to Dr. Channing : With fanatics, religivn is rather a substitute for mo- ¢ tivon & suppett o it ; zad I have seldom stidied ced enthusiast without ehed up votuiied of traditionary Jore concern Zug the old Dissenters of Bedford, who buiit m inp-hionee for dobn Luuysu, and their Lrethren of JNorthumyon 21 till sizonzhulds of Cal- v " From the witde, I couclude thut they wera busbande, neighbors, & E s of liie, but not of meney, or in 'themune of nequirivg it, than .ngs whom they Toprobated, In that gentle and charitable spiri¢ that made Dr. Clanmine emwent smong wen and clergy- Aiken: of the Turitans, Iaccerl ¥ ade allowsnce epough fur of seif<devepton? 1 supposo tlio beet Auct came to_ this couns zrd they un- -ed much stern devation to what 1key liey had_ tlo stronger virtues in no tee tud nazrow thevlogs, and eir nge, turned thelr very intolerauce, an. You suprany, Their fy Genint 0t zud by politic Hallam, the bistorian, was a personal friend cn, zud among other iiustrious worlhues, £ho frequently alludes to bim. For example: ienltics to the 1nine a fow mouths ro_glad to discuss instezd ledge e poured other mortul who th, and Lard task a Gizing. upon e | ik wiscly utd who s loot Lifs & f1s to follow him. Of another great perscnage Ietter dated 1550: Erogham is otr new Lord-Chancellor,—the Edin- e cwer,—the adical Whig,—the’ apestly of wiiversal edueation zud popular literature,—whom wo are sstonisied and delighted to ichold in that Bixhest diguity of a gubject! This is the man, the oniy man, whose powers I ccntemyplate with wonder. In eociety he bas the artless guyety of 3 goode humored - child, Never leading ke conversa- Hon, never canyassing for audiemce truih, be has mo meed), he catches i a5 3t fhies, with o carcloss nd unrisaled ekill. His Ette parratives are fnimftable; the touch-and-go lug rcmarks Jeaves s trail of light belind it On the tritest subjects he v mew without Jarcdox 2nd without effort, eimly, as it eccms, be- cause Nature has interdicled him from common- place, “With that tremendous powr of garcasia which e has 50 often put forth in public, he is the sweefcst teznpered man lu privite 5 t in its rela. 4ions, the most atiract u ehort, o8 s e {s gre: L in'the Huuseof Poers, on Lis plan for distzibuling cheap Justice to the people, avorded a curious _exkitntion of the wunners of the flouse. I have the ecconnt from Alr. Whishaw, who accompzpied the Chancellor: #Nenc of _the cheers, noce of the applauce, of the House of Commons,—no {nterest in €0 great and nse- fals eubject. On tho impossive ice the lightnings payed.” Aud, when he had concluded, no ore rising, oone thanking him, * They sat in their curuls Chaire, mute afd mosiunless (however wido of thewi i othier respoet:) 36 tho Roman Senate in the presence of Brcanus,” No matter, Englaud bears lioy. 1n a description of Archbishop Whately. best known in America by bis ablo work on rhetoric, Mies Alken relates the following anecdotes: One day, ot a great set dffmer at the Lox 228’ (Dulin], 8 question arose, how long a 1 live witly biw head under water. The Archbishop quitied the room and presently rturued with a great bein foll of water, which be saton the table and plinged his head in before the whole compauy. Have ing Leld it there =n enormous leugth of time, he drew it uat, crying, ** Tacro! none of you could Lave kept your Beads i g0 Jung, but 1 kuow tie method of 1t i formal party at the Castle, hio <t 3 man could suppoct on tue Glf of Lin log, keading it outwarde, *I your Grace of Caskiel,” s34d be, “ will stznd upon mine, 251 stretch £iont, I cin bear your weizht without Ulie elightest difictlty.” Lout Lis Grace of Cashel would not have drms o 04d & tolng in that company for wmillions, T 2ake a fzpey to a Metropolitan who dares 10 be 0dd, ta eoacilizte the Irish Cathoies, 2ad to provoke tho £xduts, aliae Ligod Bat tho spiciest paragraphs in the whole corze- spondencoe oceur in the very Jast letters exchang: ed Letween the partios. s Aiken, Like ier auzt, 3rs. Barbauld, vas 3 stanch conservative on tlie woman-question. Tho elder lady was stronzly opposed to tha higher education of women, believieg it uot becoming that they Htady the severer branehies of learniug, although ebe herself had been as thoroughly instructed in the classics a8 were the young men of ber time. Mies Aiken declatcs her owa position in the re- mark, - As to the kcheme of opening to womeu Irofessions aud trades now excraiwed only by Wen, Iam totally sgaiost it for more reasous iban T have titaa to guve.”” Dat Miss Aiken was 1 Aristocrat, with the strong projudices and smservatizm of her class, aud many are tho amiable yot epir.ted controvergies on the subject hich she gustained with Dr. Chaoping,who was tazbsolate Republican. The piquaut paseages with which we closo oar notica need no farther *e1planation. ebe wri thic grost w audecionsly throws down tho Tou know, 1 supnose, Besuty fn our couniry than there is in yous, One of ty Ciffers in_cliaracter. on sxid 10 me rece Azuricay women i more ryip thst of Englith Fomen, trunger, more mmarcuime.” And so it is Hedir'anything can cxoced the delicacy and loveline:s n, The sight of thew is oue of my e25arvs 2 T walk in the stiects. Unhappily, these et fowe frail. Whether frem cinnate, 3t ¥TUng fodes of oF from the buzrden of tod Fldsh uotherhood in ikds country Jays on your ecx, : cn fade at ca early age, “Stll, the st the age whea woman great iniluence on our sowe degree injures it. Our distingniehed Jouter, Kir, Allston, hus sometimes Leen blamed here Or giving 50 much Bmbonpoins o his women, znd for £1Ting them feet and ankles stout enough Lo stand on. thaf the Englsh woman She has more embonpoiat, ‘more _promounced features, gestures, and move- ore elzstic step; she takes strides, by She scems less feminiue, loss resned. sas Cn Eahjecte which would call up the cclor in an o e womea's checks, . . . This constitution h0um Fives us somo sigmal 3dvaniages, on which I = M lika to dwall fn another letier. It promiscs us E well s in per- One of your vers keen-eved ccum- mervelthat the profites of the American hrzaen were of o bijher order than youss, But ¢ & great desl mope to £ay on the polis, and have &iven you now as much as zn English lady can take in atonce. I have shown you my confidence in your paticrce and 1ind feelings. Miss Aiken snatches mp the glove thusdef- antly cast at her feot, 2G harls it back again with more coergy and feeling, probably, than Dr. Channing bad ansicipated. The little * his- tory " she develops in the course of her re- i, is especially worth attention : Asto the very delicate ty [she wriles], our tra many preity ; and evon 3lies Swed wick propounces that ** The Englishwoman {8 magnid- cent from twenty to five-and-furty ! Wo are satisfio, 60 Iet it rest, With Tespect 0 oar step, of itrile, 24 you say, I kave s little history o give vou, Dowa to fiveami-forty or Bty vears ago, our ladies, tight-laced and * propred on French Lieele,” bad a short, mincmg step, pinclied figures, pale foces, weak nerv much affectation, o delicute helplesences, and miscrablo beaith, Physiciins prescribed exercisc, but (o httlo purpoke, ~ Thun caie thut event which 13 the begitning or uad of everyiL —tlie Freach Kevolution. The Parisizn wome amongst uther restraiuts, ealitary or the contr ‘emancipated themeelyes from their stays, and Off thdir reteta tal-ns, We followed the examply, and, Ly way of fmproving upon it, lvarued the march of the diill-sergean:, moanted boo, and bid defiance o dirt and foul weather. Wo bave now weli-deveioped fiz- urea, biooming cheeks, active kabits, firm nerves, nati- ral und casy ui . 3 scorn of uifectalion, and vig- oraus constitut It your fuir daughters would al Tearn o atep ouf. their blwm would b Jess trausient, and fewer would fill untimely graves, I edmit, in- deed, souie unnecessary inelegnico u fho siep of our pedestrinn fair ones; but this does not_exicnd to la- dies of qualit cutiewomea, who take thesir chivZly i ezroiages or ou horsobuck, They waik with the sime quict grace that pervades il their deport- ment, and to which you have scen nothing similar or compurable. . . . n, your chargo of want of delicacy I cannot understand. The wuemen of every Europeéan nation charge us with prudery,. and I really cannot conceive of a human beipg more unaseailabie Dy just repreach on tuis head thun awell-conducted Luglishwoman, We lave, indeed, heard some whin- sical stories of ‘American dameels who would mot for the world speak of the iry even of table, or the ba and I do confess tunt we even of chiir; aro moi delicate’ or indelicate to this point. . . . Do pleased to courider that you ~have ecen iu your country —noue of 5 Lidicr of Ligh rank, sud few of your peo) ing diplomatie characters, have had more thau very trausient glimpses of ther bere; while we bave ad the heads of your sovicty with us. Now, I must franidy tell you, in referenca o your very unexpected claim for your coustrymen of superior retiucment, that, although I bave seen several of them whose man- e too quiet and ret g to give the least of- fense, 1 have neither soen nor heand of any who, even ety of our middle clusres, were thought en- rore thau this negative_commendstion,—any wiio Bave bucome prowmincnt without bhetraying gross iguorance of more than_conventional good-breedin “Cie very tore of voice, tho accent, and the choice phrase, fave us the impression of extremo fuelegance, Tatriot and staunch Lepublican as you are, I think yon muet ndmire the a-priori probability that the Metropolis of tho Bratich Enpire—tho first city in the World for size, for opulence, for diffusion of the com- ons, aud luzurics of life, as well o titted to {lo applinces of science, hterature, aud taste,—the seat Court unexcelied in_epiendor, £nd of an eristocracy abeolutely unrivaled in wealth, in substsntial power snd dignity, and er- Jesially in mental cultivauion of the most’rolid an d st elegant kind.—would atiord_such a standard of graceful and fnished manuers s your Stato Capitals €an Lave no chance of coming up to. Further : it s been wmost truly observed that, in every country, it i3 the mothers wiio give the tone both to morula and maners ; but with you the mothers are, by your own account, e lnlers, Oppressed with the’ cares of honse and cuiidren, {hoy vither retire from society into the bosom of tLeiwr famity, or le st least the active and promis parts in 1t L2 mere girls ; and cun you Suppiove that tle arf and scrence of good-breeding—for such it is—will bo likely to advauce toward perfection hen all who bave attalnod such proficiency us experi- ence can give rosign the sway to giddy novices 7 With us it is different, Young ladies do uot cone out tall 18, sud then their part i a very subordinate one, It i the mother who does the hubors of Ler house und sup- yorta conversation ; and her daughters pay their vi Denath her wing. = Uuder wholesom reetraint like thiz, the young best learu self-government. . . . O%e of your vouug women showed ber taste and Drecding by seking an English lady if ehe Liod seen “Yictoria 3 aud I must mention_ that Miss Sedgwick Lias tlowsbt proper to describe tbo fir-d and greatest the weorld a8 ©a plain little body,"—adding, s for ber.” It was no womau, Tuekily, but your Mr, D., who had the superlative con- ceit znd impertinence to express his srprive to a {friend of mine Ginding €0 pitich good rociuty 1) 1 huve given you cnough for one Camnada in the Olden Time. TIHE OLD REGINE IN CA: ¢ raxcrs PARR- iy, Author of “Iranc w World,” cie, cie.” Bvo., pp. 445, Bel Lattle, Brown & Co. "I'his fourth volume of Mr. Parkman's valuablo gerics of bistorical narratives of the early settle- sent of North America by the Jesrits, and tho pivneers of France end of Englund, covems a period of over a hundred years, extending from 1633 to 1763. At the commencement of this opoch, the entiro French population of Canada was less than 3,000 ; ard, at the close, it bad in- creased to but little beyond 20,600. The whole space of theso droary Yyemrs was occupied with ihe pawful end con- tinual struggle of tke colonists for a bare existence, with aa incessant 2nd doubtful warfare with the eavage and trescherous Indiars of the foreet, and the not less savage, and often a8 treacherous, forces of a wild and unsubdued XNature. The first portion of the volume, nnder the title of *The Pericd of Transition,” relates the gtory of the immense uud amazing toils, and privations, and sacrifices of the Jesuits in their brave but blind efforts to catablish the suprem- acy of thePapal autnority over the Province of Cinada. Their heroic aud quenchless zeal in what they deemed the loliest of causes oxtorts our admiration, though it may not stir our sympathy. They voluntarily resigned whatcyer comforts and allarc- meuts, bome and friends, rank and fortasie, might hold one to them, and. in 2 rigor- ous climate and a fecbie scitlement on the out- siirts of a barburoas wilderness, eudured with- out flinching, while lifo lasied, the goawing mnis- ery of cold, and Lunger, and kickncss, and over-present peril of death at the slow, tortur- ing hand of the bivodthirsty Indian. No appre- hension, o certainty, of the extremest sullering daunted them. A _relivious enthusiasm of tho wost fervent sad engrossirg nature enabled hem to sustain with serenity and cheerfulaees, if not with cxultation, the deprivetion of every pleasure and prospect that ielps to rouder life on earth easy aud tolerable. : During the twenty-seven years included in this period, tho Jesmis made a bold bat fraitless at- tempt to organize . mission zmong the Onon- dagas, on the shores of the Jake that Lears their uvame, and in the neighborhood of tho eait- eprings thal bhave since created au opulent jn- dustry for the Cily of Syracuse. During those ars there were Gerce und desperale combats th the wily 2nd malignant savages, whos hordes could not be gubdued into a peaceful dis: position by the handful of white men that had recklessly penetrated into the iuterior of tha Jawless Kingdom; thero wero as fierce, thoogh Jess fatal, utrugples for the balance of power, between the Jesuits and the Sulpitiang, in whici tio former finally won tho victory; there was a prolonged coutest over the Bisucpric, sading in the triumph of Laval; and there waslaid, in 1663, {l:e foundstion of & seminary for training youns men for the priesthood, and a lesser eominary for the education of boys in the hope that they wouid onc day take orders. These two echools still sarvive, and form onc of the most impor- tast Roman-Catholic institutions on our Conti- nent. The sccond portion of tho book, entitled *Tiro Colouy and the King,” gives a history of ike Royal intervestion by which the Marquis of Traey, with 3 retiuuo of young obles and a crowd of emigrants, codveyed succor, and streagth, and new courage, to the bearts of tho few “and faint, yet iaithful, colorists iu Canada. DBy tho prompt action of ‘Traey and his fresh goldiers, the Indians werc at_last redsced to tomething like decent bekavior toward the white ettlers, and & more hopeful condition of orcer oud prosperity was iutroduced among themselves. The concludinz eight or ten chapters, which vividly depict the sitantion of tho colunists, the extent of thei trade and ndustry, the nature of their Govern- ment, tlio characters of their ralers nd priests, aud the Labits sud manners of the feople, are tho most interesting in the volume. In them we got many & new and clear glimpso of “the Grand Monarch,” Louis XIV.,—of his capacity, his prinaples, and policy, and mcde of poveraments. Wo sco him airanging tho defails of stato with Lis™ Minister Colber:, gitiicg in the bed<chamber of Madame do 1Maintenon,—the one in o large casy chaif ; the otlier on o stcol opposite, with & Lugo bag of state papers on another stool ; and the eilent but atteutive Madam a_littlo one eide, passing Ler needle back and furth, and back end forta, through her embroidery, but loring never a word of the conference between Minister and King, and ever and anon, with & quick glance of the sve, werning the Tormer how his decision is totoru. We see how the King strove to infase life, and energy, and_faculty for self-support, into his young dominicn in_America, by provid ing for its needs, acd answering every demand for men, and wives, and prieste, aad” soldicrs, 2nd material aid of every 50 And yet_all his plans sud hopes were dosmed to fail. The settiers, drawn from the ranks of the gentilshommes, the military, and the peas- antry of France, lacked babits of industry end thrift, and the capacity for self-rule. Those national traits that prove fatal to the prosperity ot o Depublic proved fatal to the existence of tho colony : amd it was only when it fell pros- at thie feet of England. and, under her pro- tection, was endowed with religious liberty, secu- lar cducation, and & genuine patciotism, “that it could be nurtured into a State of ronnd vigor | and vitality. In tho closing words of 3lr. Pari- mau, “A happier culamily never befell a peoplo than the conquest of Cauada by tho Lritish arm: The istory of the strifo by which France was made to code her Czuadian Provinces to En- gland is not narrated. The fact of the peace of 1763 is simpiy indicated, and the benoficent re- sulis to Canads summed up in the final para- grapha. Tave porraits of camacter, and graphic sietclies of sccues and cvents, sbound iu these, 23 i a1l Mr. Parkmau's pages, aod temph tho re- viewer to mako frequcot estracts; but the in- ducement, owing to lack of space, has been re- i thig reader is senr, instead, to the which shonld Lave'a placo in every Americau library of respectable preteasions. Scottish Chap-Books. 1LOTS CHAP-BOOES OF SCOTLAND. maspr. Pari IL 0., pp. 293, Ne 2 s Hintun. For a period of ebout 200 years, beginning in the carly part of the scventeenth ceutury, the only popular literature of Scotland was printed inthe form of tracts called chap-bocks. Tho term chap is a perversion of the word cheap, and was given to these tracts on account of their low price. They were priuted on the coarsest paper that would tale the impression of typo, and, in the beginning, in black letter, but, at o later day, in the typo now in use The chezpest wero sold at a penny each, and generally consisted of » single sheot duodecimo, or 24 pages, and flaunted on tho titlo-page, by way of decoration, a coarse wood- cat. Tho conteats of the trects are miscellane- ous,—embracing suggestions ou theology ; Lives of hieroes and marlyrs ; stories of giants, ghosts, and witehes ; histories in v and gongs nud balinds. Thep were sold about the country by peddlers, or chap-men (cheap-men), who carried them, along with other emali warcy, in tho pack sumpped at their back. Up 1o tho closo of tho last century, the high- of Scotland were in a most wroiched con- dition. Couveyances, even of the rudest sort, were rare. Of railroads and tele- graphs thera woro uone, end the cheap ost was nob vet in exist~ cnce. Tue chap-man. thercfore, who trudged on foo: from bamlet to hamlet and house to louse, was evorywhere au important and wel- come visitors, bringing tho latest news and gos- +ip, together with Bis bundle of chnp-tooks and Jight mercbandise for tho nccommodation sad entertainment of tho isolated nnd ignorant peas- autry. Aho difusion of a higher order of liter- ature has, within tho past forty years, driven the chap-booke ont of the promiucut markets; still, in some parts of Scotland and tha north of England, they aro et sold lurgely at the cheap and second-band book-stalls. , 1z tho second pare of Lis {ntergeting eseny on the cliap-books of Scotland, Mr. Frascr gives a Liographical sketeh of Dougal Graham,—ona of the last and mowt noted nathors of this sort of literature,—3ad un alalysis of somo of the best koown chap-books. Grabam betonged to tho luabie clsss for which be wroto, aad his books faithfully reflect tho morals and manners of the It is Seottish peasantry of the last century. not xn agreeabio picture which they presen the rudeuess aund vulgarity of low life in Tand, till wichin a very lats day, are reclly past deseription. Itis only from specimens of tue popular literature of » peopla that thcir position in the seale of civilization can be accurately de- termined. Historians may voint out with the utmnost dofiniteness the traits and habits of a nation in o past century, aud etill tho reader of the present decorous and enlightened age will-fail to gaina perfect appelicnsion of their case. But the perusal of a play or two, if the drama was in vogue among them ; of r feuw of their fol songs and favorito pro ks, —roveals tho wholo story of a people’s cluracter aud attain- ments. Eo with thechap-books of Scotlaud. Sir Walter Scott and Mozherwell both wrote in terms of high praiss of tho tracts of Graham. The former once ssid, in a letter to n friend, that they embraced ** unquesiiouably several coarse, but cxeessively-meritotioas, pieces of popular bu- mor. Tho * Turnamspike ' alono was sullicient to entitlo him to immortalits. 1 had, in my early Tifo, & great collection of theso cheap-books, and Bad ¢ix volumes of them bouglt beforo I was 10 years old, compreiending most of the most 1aro and curious of our popular tracts.” But the an- tiquarian alope witl now turn over these book: with especial relish, The student of bistory m wade through ore or two for tho sake of tho Iinowlodyce they best convoy, but their extrema crudeness and rank indelieacy will effectually re- pel tho refned taste. Snakspeares HAMLET. From JIeneox's Scmoor- Paper.” 40 cents esch. Boston: heavy to hotd, and will not sutfer common usage. A vorn placeon their gilded cover, a stamn on their ticted page, is their utler rin. Soiled finery can no mora be tolerated in a collection of books thaa in o lady's wardrobe. For every-day wear ard tear, for absolute utility, give us books in plain clottes, that wil endure the accidents of tolerably rongh handling. and not look disgraced and abused, but rather honored, by the evidences of lonu and hard service. This paper cdition of Shakspeare is_jast the one to have lying about, anywhore, under hand, ready to be enatched up in auswer to the passing mood fora few lines {from tho great master, and to bo thrown dowa ngain when the whim is ratisfied, without a thought as to where it will light, or bosw long it may lic in the corner it has dropped into. There is notbing so comforiable as o pair of old shoes, and a book you are not afraid to batter. The text of this cdition has been carefally expurgated, that it wny be fit for introdnction into oar schools, aud for the uwse of tho fastidions reader. Each separata play is pre- faced with an introduction, ana illustrated with copions notes, by the Rev. IL N. Hadeon, of wiiose acknowledged ability as & Shakspearean annotator it is unnecessary to speak at this lato any. As far 08 our observasion extends, this is the cheapest and handiest form in which the plars of tho great dramatist have been present- ed o the public. Cyclopetia ¢f American Liternture, ATUY 1z EARLIEST VLERIOD To THE it A. and Gronsw L, DUYCKINCK, % M. Lamnp SistoNs. 4ta, Phifa- delphi ¢ York, end Londop: T. Elwood Zell. Tho Dugckincks’ * Encyelopedia of Amorican Literaturo " was first published in 1856, and was immediately accepted ns a thorough znd ade- quato exposition of the rise and progress of American letters. 1t was supplemented by 3r. Evert A. Dugckinck in 1866 ; but, to keep pace wich the rapid growth of our literaturo, & new addition 18 again demanded. Alr. Simons bas undertaken to supply tho deficiencies arising in the last eight yeare, and render tho work com- plete up to date. It is to boissued in fifty-two parts, at & cost of 50 conts per part. Tho whole will form two_quarto volumes, of above 1,000 pages each. The work is Lrought ont in elegant strle, each part being embellished with & fine steel portrait and sundry wocd-cats. stminster«llall Memorics. AEMORIES OF WESTMINSTER HALL: A Cor- 110X oF INTCRESTING INCIDENTS, ANTCDOTES, HIFTORICAL SKEICHER, RELATING TO WEST- TR HALL, IT8 FAMOUS TUDGES AND LAWTERS, b I78 GneaT TRiaLs, With an Historical Intro- jon. By EpwAED Foss, F. R, 8., suthor of s of the Judges of Scotiand,” ¢te. Vol 1L Boston : Eates & Lauriat. This second and concluding volume of *em- ories of Vestminster Hall™ contains a concise Distory of the great Tichborne caso, and of the tricls of Edward Duke of Buckingham, of Queen Ann Doleyn, of Jobn Hampden, of Thomas Earl of Stratford, of Algernon Sidnev, of Dr. Henry Sacheverell, of Thomag Paine, of Warren Hast- ings, and of Queen Caroline. The edition is a baudsomo onc, and is accompanicd with o eric of portrais and other illustrations. SHUT UP IN PARIS. By NaTnax SuErpaso, Pro- fersor in the University of Chicsgo, This entertaining story of tho great siego has received the rare honor of a reprint in the Tauchnitz series of English suthors. The first edition was exhausted some time gince, and Keen, Cooke & Co. have now received an install meat of the sccond. Prof. Sheppard was liter- aliy *shut up in Parie,” where he kept hLis eyes wide open. He sketches, in graphic style, all the ‘principzl incidents of the eicge. The Paris of 1871 Lives and riots in bis pag After reading most of the many books published by reaidents of the city at_that time, we can say that Prof. Sheppard’s vivid sketch is by far the best ac- count of theso days of disaster. It is in con- stant demand in England end Trance, and only nceds to be known tobe faliy appreciated in America. —The question is raiced **Can a man who is fall of the milk of human kindacss cat a lobster with impuasnit SPARKS OF SCIENCE. TIE 30SQTITO. A TrIBUNE reader asis us for a history of the tuneful mosquito. ‘Az woore compelled,” he says inbis letter, !0 pay this gentleman or lady considerablo attention thego kot nights, we should like to know something about hita. One of our family suggests thero is somothing de- moniacal in his dispsition, as evinced by the fact that, when tho sufforer covers his lead with mosquito-netting, the insects plant their battery of music against his ear, as though in arage that they cannot reach their vietim. Some thiak they oro attracted by light; however this may bo, I believo they are more attracted by the smell of humanity, for you mey have & lamp in one room, and sit in a dark room yoursolf, and the demons will leave tlie lizhe to fasten on to you." Tho nome mosquitois indiscriminately ap- plied, ip tlis aud some other coantries, to vari- ous species of Culez, or guat. Tho term should be restricted to the Culez Mosquilo ; but the or- dinary observer will not, of course, pause to make fine distinctions, and every specics of gnat, troublesome or otheryise, that comes under the popular eve, is_carclessly called a mosquito. Gnats, of which therears many €pecies, are found in nll parts of tho world, even in the Arc- tic regions. The traveler in Icoland complaing of their disagreeable attentions, and tells of a certzir: lako on the island, on whoso banks they swarm in such dewso clouds that neither man nor beast can retain life many minntes among them. Iorees that have been heedlessly brouglit to the spot bave, in froquent instauces, been quickly bled to d2ath by tho myriad lancots thrnst into their veins at once b}' these vicious and voracious insect-surgeons. In parts of Rus sia and Lapland thoy ora 8o tiger-like in dispo- sition, and carry such formidablo weapons, that seatcely any protection avails againet them. Their lancets aro thers turnediuto swords, which penetrate the tiuckest clotbing, aud intlict the torment of innumerable keen wounds. 1nsomo Jocalities 1n South America, especially along tho Amazon and ity tributaries, vast regions are ren- dercd uninbabitable from the presence of 1m- meoeo und ineatiable armies of guats. The wretched natives of some infested districts eleep ith their bodies covered over with sand 3 or 4 inchics deep, and tueir beads, which must be Teft vut, swacdled in bandages. I'io fomale guat or mosquito deposits Ler eges on the zurface of stagnaot wator. We copy a description of this last act of ler life from Wooa's ** Insccts at Homo”: Placing Ler front iegson a picce of floating atick, straw, or suything that wiil euppor: ber tiny weight, sha atlows the middle pair of Jugs to rest on the surfscs of the water, anid croaes the hiud juir g0an to lovk Iiko the capital lette She then depositd a rathor loug and_spindle-shaped cgg, and* places it upright Witli the base downward in the angle of the X. Auollier eqg s quickly placed by the #ids of the first, and fol- 1owed by othiers, oll of waich ara glued together by a cumcat which i not affected by water. Guided by the cromucd Jegs, the eggyare foru 4 boat-like shape, and are then Jeft to float ou the sirface of the wate These little cgg-boats are quite plentiful in the sum ‘mer time, aixd any oumber can be taken for the pur. Jose of experimenting. Their saape very much resem- Lles that of the life-boat now in use, aud, like the life Lost, the ¢gg-boas cannot be sunk, aud, if capsized, rights iteeir again immediately, Even if the contents of the vessel be powred from ahelglt into the pord, the little boats float at once to the surfuce like 80 wany corks, uid e zesumes it proper posi- o, ‘When the larva 18 ready to loave the egg, it pushies off the lower end, wlich openy ke o little round trap-door, aud lats the latva—pop- ularly called * wiggler "—out into the water. “This wiggler is tho oddest littlo “fish " imag- inable. 1t has & long body, a lerge Lesd, and a forked tail, and jumps and jerks through tho wator with & Bwift zig-zag motion. When it needs to breathe, it comes up to the surface and haugs head downward, for its respiralory orgavs termiuate in 3 pipe attuched to tho last sexment T the body, and, thrusting this abovo the water, tite airis inbaled through it. The larva feeds upon mcroscopic insects and particlos of vegeta- tion and earthy matter, and this is of groat se vico in purifying standing water, which would otherwise breed malarial discascs. So tho mos- quito is not without it use in tho world. Lin- mens loug sgo showed that, if two barrals of stagnauc and impure water bo placed side by sido, and one be coverad with gauze aud the oth- or left exposed, the secondwill €oon be full of wigslers and emit no unsavory oors, whilo the first, secnrad from tho approach of mosquites, wil snortly bevoms *rank and smell to heaven.” Tho wiggler changes its skin three times in the course of = fortuight or threo weeks. It then enters the pupa state, and is transformed in both sbape and condition. 1ts body is rliort- cued, rounded, eud bent neatly doubls. In this stule it eats nothing, and rewains chiefly in re- pose. Itisable to swim, however, by alter- nztely hendivg and straighlening its body. The respiratory opcuings of the air-tubes are now in the thorax ; consequently, it rests witn the head upward ut the surface of tho water. The exin ig, at this stage, 0 thin that the various mem- Dbérs of tho inscet csn be scen through it, as they lio closely folded together. When' the mo- ment comes for tho perfect image to emerge, the pupn straightens out on tne surfaca of tho water, the case splits along the back, and the insect swiftly and specdily draws itself out. It stands for aa instant on the now empty shell, in ordor to shake out its erumpled wings and al- low the veins to £ill and swell; then 1t mounts aloft, to tho ehrill tuuo it always sings m ite flight, and is ready to suck tho biood of the finst wvictim it encountera. Tho male gaat. which may be distinguished by ts feathered anternw, is inoffcosive. The female aloue is armed with a laucet, aud, be- fore shie stabs, sings about onr ears urtil wo are frantic. Mer murderous inslrument is com- posed of &ix fine, sharp bristles, inclosed in a cylindrical tube, clothed with minute feather— Mke wcales, and terminatiog in a kind of knob. The eting of ber wound is caused by o poisouons finid which is injected through e proboscis. Gnats multiply with great rapidiiy. and several gencrationa are produced in a single summer. “They are attracted by a light, and yet can buz and stab without any inconvenience in the dark. The senge of emell is aseribed to them by the eutomologiet; Lut it scems, from ordiuary ob- servation, to be excoedingly blunt. A mosquito will bum, 2ud hum, and bum, around oue,— well, for hours, measuring time by tho fechings,— and, cither f1om etumidity or sheor malignity, izhic here, and light there, everswhere but on the ficoh right under its nose, and thon go probing about with its -spear in o perfectly imbecile way that is, bevond overything, cxasperating. No, the insect is a dolt or a demon, else it would, guided by an unerring inatiuct, dart straight to the right spot, and suck its ll, and be off “about its busi~ nees. Would it but do so, its visits would be dizarmed of their chief terror. Itis their pro- longed blundering,—which may be intentional and'a piece of pure diabolism,—by which they keep their stinging lance- hovering over us, like the eword of Damocles, evaty instant hkely to drop aud_ pierco us, that makes them such odious and intolerable torments. One can bear the severest burt tiat comes unexpected, with a decent degres of courage; but tho long-drawn- out horrors of anticipation uunorve us, uutil we writhe in despair. Thero is scarcely in the range of human e1perence a mora forcible iliustration of the impotence of man then that which a mnglo intruding mozquito will afford him when he Lies down to slumber. The puny inecct, that may be crushed to a ehapeless maes with tho lightest fonch, whose orgavs are_so mioute as to be mainly invisible, bas it_in ita power to so har- aes and worry its gigantic cuemy, a whole night through, £ fo craze him nearly. What a bitter mockery to call a son of Adam the lord of crea- tion, when he can be so_bafled and bezten in a contest with 8 mosquito! Itis an intercsting experiment to watch the gnat pass through the larva snd pupa states. The egps, or at lcast the wigglers, may bs casily obtained,and, put iv & glass of water covered with 1ace or gauze, and placed in tho light, will afford a good deal of material for amusement. It will bea lucky one who happens to be on the lookout at the supreme moment when tho gaat bursts its .aquatic bonds snd becomes a free iubabitaut of the upper air. Ve were never o fortunate. Dut it is interesting to study the movements of the incect in the first periods of its existence, and a lesson in natural history is 2lways full of curious 2nd valuable instruction. LOCOMOTIVES. An exchange, in noting the differences in the construction and management of locomotives in Earope aod America, states that the English engincers aim at high speed. the least possible complication in the paris of an engine, perfec- tion of adjustment and wockmanship, and bigh boiler-pressure. Dut a few years! ago. 30 Iy, to the square inch was considered high pressure, but now 120 or 130 ths. is the ordinzry rate, and, in soms instances, it is increased to 150 ths. France is satisficd with slow gpecd, and makes up heavy traine. Her engineers aim at large tractive force, do_not avoid complication, use largo quantities of material, and couple numbers of driving-wheels together,—making, for exam- ple, twelve-wheeled coupled engines, but putting light weight on thoae wheels,—not moze, in facs, titan 10 or 12 tons on an axle, as a genoral rulo, The German engines travel even slower than the French. The Balzians run their engines at speeds intermediats between the Germau and ‘rench,—foilowing, too, a medium of English and Freoch make in their method of construc- tion. The Russians proceed upon sbout the same plan as the Germana. Their engines aro mostly of the Vnglish typo,—in somo cases, a cross, 18 it wero, botwecn the English and the American, o In contract to most of tho sbove, American locomotives run at fair epeed, with their parts very scceseible. Thoy have special arrange- ments for clearing and lighting tize roud. and for burning wood in their furnaces. Their leading ends aro also supported on_fonr-whoelsd trucks or bogies, which, while giving & long wheel-base, and consequently steadincss, allow the engine 1o travel on very bad roads, and to treverse sharp curves v case and security. SULPHCE. Bulphur occurs very widely distributed in the mineral kingdom, either fres or combined with otlier elements. Urbino in Italy, Girgenti in Sicily, and Radoboyin Croatia, sro tho chief sources of crystalline sulphur, while the eartby sulphnr is derived mainly from italy, Moravia, and Poland. Icelandisrich in both varieties, and California sapplies large quantities for her oil-of-vittiol works. Voleanic districts generally sbound in the ore. Siuca the cruption of t. Ztna, in 1683, Europe hiag drawn tho bulk of its supply from the veins which wero fillad with sulphur while tho volcano was in netivity. All the vacant spaces in tho lava wero at that time injected with it. 'T'his, when quarried or mined, forms tho limestune of commerca. When melted and cast into sticks, it produces the roll-enl- phur of the sbovs; and, when boiled, and its vapor allowed to escapo 1to an mir-tight chamber, the varicty called * flowers of sulphar is the result. Parodi has declared that the sulphur of Sicily will bo cxhausted in_fifty or sixty years; bat Shelford, who bas inspected many of the mineson the island, and been for yeazs cugaged in working some of them, thinks other- wigo. In mining, the orc is brought to the sur- face by boys, who bear it on their backs. 1o to four Loys atfend cach miner. Itis a curious but srell-nown fact that npou tho supply of boys de- pends the produco of n mine. Lach boy car- rics 2 small loadonly,and makes several journeysa dayupand down the different headings and shafta. When tho mines have reached a depth of about 400 feet, they can no louger be profitably worked. Below this point winding machivery 13 needed Tor hauling the oro to the surfeco, and this hes bitberto not been brought into uke. Hence, be- low 400 feet tho sulphur-doposits remain un- touched. That these are considerable in ex- teat, may be inferred from tho fact that mauy of them are nearly vortical, and improve as they descend. Not until they have beon thoronghly worlked cun the supply of sulphur in Sicily be eaid to be exhausted. THE SCAROCI. Au ingenious projectile, invented by a Russian ofiicer, is now claiming the stiention of military men. The scaroch, us it is called, is an eloa- gated shell upon the end of an irou cylinder. The two parts aro united by a comparatively- slight thickpess of metal. When fired, tho sca- roch lenves thie gun lite an ordinury sbell ; but, when it bursts, the cylindrical part alone lies in picces, while the spherical Lead continues fts flight jutact, and_may ricochet for bundreds of yards fartber. The auvantagoof such a shell ninnt artillery, for example, is very great. After bursting, aud ecattering its fragmeats among the guns of the enemy. the head goes on to plunga iuzo the infantry wtill farther back, 1t is to be uged in I for cunnon of molerate size. PINK WATER-LILIES. A note in the science-column of sa exchange statos that pivk pond-llics grow in but one lo- eality in tho country, viz.: in & pond on Cape Cod. The statement is erroneous. The sweet~ scented water-lily (Nymphea odorata), which, asarule, bas potals of stainless white, in va- rious waters of New England turns them to s deop-rose color. We have seen beautifal speci- mens of pink water-ilies from a pord in New Ifampshiro. THAT GRAPLVINE. Adeler’s Experiment and, Ex- penses in Ety Culturc. 1 have not beon very succeseful, says Max Adeler in the Daubury News, with my experi- mentsin grape culture. 1 bought & vine somo time g0, and the man who sold the cutting to mo cnjoined mo to be cereful to water it thor- oughly every day. I did so, but it didn't seem to thrive. One day I asked my neighbor, Pit- man, what he thonght was tho matter with it, and when 1 mentioned that 1 watered it daily b said: . “ Be gracions, Adeler, that'd kill any ono! A grzpevine don't waut no artificial wateria'.” Then he advited ms to discontinue the pro- ceas and to waxh the vine with soapsuds in order to Iill_the bugs. My suxioty to know whyit still didn't thrive_wna relicved some timo afte; ward by overhearing & man in tho cars remark that “pome men Kill their grapevines by their durned foolery in puttin’ coapsads on "em.” o said that oll & grapevine wanted was to have the carth around 1t loosened mow and then with a spade. Theo I began to dig around my vine every morning, but one day, whils engagod in tho exercise, Cooley come aud leaned over the fence and eaid: eler, youw Il Lill that there vineif youdon't gzic’atit. Nothin' hurts o vine wuss than distuskin’ the_eoil around tho roots, now mind mo. That vire don't want nothin’ but to bo trained up on a trellis au' fastened with wire.” I ordered o trellis that afiernoon, and tied tonder shoots of the vino to the cross-pieces, The job cost me 3L On the following Tues- day 1 read in my agricultural paper that if a man wants to rum o grapevine, the quickest way i3 to tio it up with wire, a8 the oxiJization destroys the bark. So I took off the wire and replaced it with string. I was talking about it to thro man who came over to bleed my horse for the blind staggers, and he ssured mo that tharo was only oncsure way to make 3 grapovine ut- worthless, and that was to runitupona In Franco, be told me, tho vineyard-own- cra trained their vines on poles, and that was the right way. 8o I got tho ax and knocked the trellis to pieces. and then fized the vine to a 11 is didn't thrive very well, and I ryman near mo to come aud look atit. He said he couldn’t come, but ho knew what was the matter with that vino a3 woll as if hesawit. 1t wanted prubing. I oughttocut it down o within 10feot of the rootaand then ma~ nure it well. Idid cat it down,and emptied a bag of guzno overit; but asitseemed sort of slow, I insisted on_the nurseryman coming over o ex- amino it. Ho said that hus foo was £10 in ad- vauco. I paid him and be came. He looked at the vine s moment; then he smiled ; and then he said, “*By gosh, Adeler, that isn't a grape- vine at all! It's'a Virginia creeper.” So I have kind of knocked off on grape cul- ture and am paying more attention to my cab- bage: Max —_— LIFE OR DEATH. Dotk Life survienthe touch of Death T Death’s hand alone the secret holds, Which, 28 0 each onc Lis unfolds, We press to know with bated breath, A whieper there, a whisper Lerc. Coutirms the hope to whick we ching © But still we grasp at auything, Aiid sometunes huje, and sometimes fear, Some whisper that the dead we kuew Hover sround us while we pray, Anzions to speak. We cauol o only wish it may be true. 1 know s stole who has thought, As bealthy blood fiows through kis vetns, ‘And joy his present life sustains, Aadall this g0od nay come unsought, For more ho cannot rigltly pray Life may extend, or life may ce3re ; Ho bidea the iastie, #nre of peace, Sure of tho best 1 God's own way. Purfection waits the race of man ; 1f, working out this great demgm, God cuts un off, we niust reslgn To be the refuse of Llis plan. But I, for one, feel no such prace ; 1 d.re to think I bave in me “That which had better never be, 11 lost before it can ucresse, And, ob! the rutned piles of mind, Daily discuvered everywhere, Butit but to cramble iu deapar I— 1 dare not think Him so uukind, The rudert workman wonld not Aing The fragments of Lis work away, 1r ev'ry useless Lit of clay e trod on wera 3 sentient thing. And does the Wiseat Worker taks ‘Quick human hiearts instead of stone, And bew and carve them one by ons, Nor heed the pacgs with which they break ? And mora: If but creation's waste, Would He have given na senze 10 yeara Yor the perfection none can earn, And hope the faller ifo to tasta 2 1 think, if we must ceace to be, 1t in a croeity refiued To make the instinctd of our mind Stretch out towards eterzity. Wheraforo I welcome Natare's ey Ax earnest cf a life again, Where thought aball ever be in vain, And doubt before thic Light shall £y, —Yacmillan's Mogasiae. - FAMILIAR TALK. ANCTENT MODES OF TRANSPORTATION. Up to the time of Elizabeth, the sound of wheels—save of those which boro the heavy carts used in the transportation of baggage end merchandise—was never hieard in the streots of London. No carrisge, coach, chariot, car, or vehiclo of any sort, had yet becn invented for fhe comfort and convenience of travelers, Dur- ing the centurics since tho Norman Conquest, men and women, from the King to the serf, had becn obliged, when making journeys that did not allow of water-couveyance, to ride on horses orgoafoot. In ali the splendid pageants and processions of which history is so fall for sgea Kiogs and Quecns, knights and Indies,—tho whole gallant throng that composed the britliant epectacle,—were mounted on lhorses, whoso sumptuous caparisons formed no insignifican, part of the magnificent and costly diplay. An ancient siatute proscribed that **The day before tho coronation the Kingshould come from tho Tower of London tohis palace at Westmin- sier, through the midst of the city, mouuted on a horse, Lanasomely habited, and barcheaded, in tho sight of the people.” Froissart, tho quaint old chronicler, who witnessed the corona- ticn of Heury IV., thns describes he progress of Bolingbroke: And after dinnor the Duke departed fro the Tower to Weutminster, and rode il the way bareheaded ; and sbout his neck the livery of France, He was accom- panied with the Irince his son, and six Dukes, aix arls, and eighteen Barcns, and in all, knights ond squires, 000 horse. Then the King had on a ehort cout of cloth of gold, after the mauner of Almayne, and ke was mounted an a white cours-r, and his garter on hia right leg. Thua the Duke rodo hrough Lan- don wit 2 great number of Lords, every Lord's ecr- vaut in their maater’s livery; ali the burgesses and Lombard merchanta in Londoi, and every creft with their livery ard dovice. Thud Le was conveyed to Westminster, Ie was in nwmber 6,000 borse. This was a bravo sight indced,—well wWorh logking at,—yct only suck s oneas frequently eatertained tlio citizens of Loadoa. ~ When Cathorine of Arrazox: -ame to England, in 1501, to marry Princo Arthuy, ho cutered the Capital of London Dridge, ridiog cu a largo maule, after tho manner of Spain, with' the Duke of York (aftervards Hoory VIIL.) on ber right and the Logate of Rome on bLer left hand. 1'ol- lowing her camo four of her Spanish ledias, aleo riding on mules, with an English _lady, dreesed in cloth of gotd and riding on a paltrey, leading each mulo. As the Spanish ladies did net sit in riding ou the wame eide as the English _eques- triang, the couples sccmed to b ridiug back to back, “to tho great tribu'ation of tho herald, who records it.” When Kutherino. after her marriage, journeyed t> Ludiow, Shropsiire, where sho and ber bLusband srent tho brief period_of ber wedded life, #ho rode on a pillar bebind the Master of Horse, with eleven ladies following oo palfroys. Whea she was tired, she rested i a little lanc between fwo horses. Quoen Mary aud Queen Elizaveth rode from the Tower to their coronation_on ssddle- horees, in the midst of a etately snd glittering equestrian procession. _Litters wero sometimes nsed on state occa- &ious, until the timo of Charles I. Wien Aons Builen was crowned, she was conveyed Lo West- minster Hall in 2 litter of white cloth of gold, not covered nor veiled, wlich was lod by two palfroys claa in white damaek down to the gronud, head and all, lod by ber footmen. . . So shie, with all her company. and the Mayor, rode forth to Templo Lar, which was uewly painted and repaired, whero stood also divers singing men and children, til she came to West- minster Hall, which was richly hanged with cloth of arras, and mew glazed. And in tho middest of the hall ghe was tzkea out of her litter.” Tho first coach that appeared in London be- longed to Queen Etizabeth, aud was, according to Stow, introduced by a Dutchman named Guillism Boonen, who acted as coachman to the Queen. The great fadies of tho Court., stung by jealousy of tlo Queen’s superior cquipage, im- mediately procured them coaches wherewilh to imitate the Royai state; and soon the fashion prevailed among the rich and luxurious of riding up and down bebind one, two, three, sod even four pairs of horses. But thesa carly coaches were cumbrous vehicles, scarcely clevated abovo the ground, and rumbling and jolting in theic progrees in b mnost uncasy way. Loudon strects wero 80 parrow iu those days that opposite neigh- bora might almost sbake Lands withont stirmng from thetr doors ; and, withal, tho streats wers “yery foul, and full of pits and_sloughs, very perilous aud noyous, fs well for tho King's subjects on horeeback 23 on foot and wilh car- rioges.” Nevertheless, in 1636, tho coaches in London and its suburbs numbered above 6,000. In 1623. Prince Charles (afterwards Charles L) bronght bome with him from Spain, whither¥he had gouo to woo the danghter of Philip IV., three sedau-chairs, the firet that had been seen in London. Thero wasn good deal of clamor among the people at the novel sight of acarriago and oceupant borne upon men'sshoalders,—thus * degrading Englishmen into elaves and beasts of burden;" yot sedan-chairs flourished, despito the popular indignation. Thoy wero bester adapted to tho rough, narrow strects than coaches; wero tess of an bstruction, and moro agreeable to tho rider. Still, chairs' had their disadvantages, and tho dainty beau and fashion- ablo belle sometimes zot upset in tbo mire, or were even dessrted Dy the capricions and absolute chairmen, and left to pick their way o their destination a3 best they could. The chains belonging to wealthr owners wore elegontly upholstered with velver and furnished with damask curtains. But, as_time passed on, and London strects widened, snd vehicles, in’ answer to increased demands, multiplied in variety and improved in convenience, tho chair fell ‘into disueo; and, many yeans ago, tho only ono in London was looked upon 13 a mere antiquarian curiosity. THE ** YODUNG ROSCIT It was seventy-one years ago, the 11th of Au- gust, since tho boy-actor who earned by his ‘precocious talent tho title of tho ** Young Rosci- us” mado bis first appearnco on the stage of Bel- faet. When only 10 years of age, Maater Henry West Betty—a boy of Irish deecent, tut born in Shrowsburs—chanced to seo Mrs. Siddons in tho part of Eltira, in *Dizarro,” and Eo capti- vated was his youthfal imagination that ho ex- claimed with fervor, [ shali certainly dio if T o not becomo an actor!” The boy Liad resolu- tion and fimness of character, and his father, believing that ho had o genius ey well as tasto for ihe stage, suTered him to carry into immediate effect tho sndden pur- pose ho had conceived of mounting the sock and buskin. Ho had already displayea uncommon gkill in fencing and elocution, which arts his fatlier had taught him, and the practice of which probably tended to develop his predilections for the histrionic profession. . Tn 1803, Ang. 11, though still under 13, Master Betty made bis debut as Osmyn, in * Zara,” and played with such taste and proprioty that the manager of the Belfast Theatre pronounced hum an ** Infant Garrick.” Deforelio coucladed bis firat ueason in the Northern Irish Metropoiis, he assumed the characters of Douqlas, Frederick, Prince Arthur, ltomeo, Tancred, and Hamiet. The last part ke learned ard played within threo days! The effort, fora child of his years, was prodigious : and its success made him tho idol of tho hour in all the provincial theatres. In every city which be visited, esger and gaping crowds flocked to see him, whilo wealthy patrons and grateful managers, 'strove, by costly gifts and Tavieh flattery, to_éxpress their delight in_bim. Even Johin Kemble obsequionsly -begged of tha boy's father the privilege of welcoming the *+ Tenth Wonder of the World " to Covent-Garden Theatre. Tho infant Roscius_gave tho veteran actor the privilege of welcoming him; aud, on tho firat might of hisappoarance, Covent Garden was go crowded with the eiite of London that sentlemen were glad to secure scats in the pit ; and more than twenty of them, overcome by the press and tho heat, were dragged out, in tho course of the eveviog, in a fainting condition ; while, in the freuzied rush for places whon the doors were open, some persons lost their lives, At Drury Lane, whero Master Betty subse- quently played, ho drew above £17,000 in twenty-three mights. But his career was brief 23 it was brilliant. hen Lo retarned fo Drury Lene, in 1805, it was not without a struggle that he regained lus original popularity ; aud, the novelty being passed, after that season his wer of stiraction rapidly declined. In 1503 Pe eatored Christ'a College, Cambridge, 89 & Fellow-Commoner ; 2nd, later, appeared in tho role of Cspt. Detty, of the North Shropshire Yeomaory, _In 1812, bhowever, he felt again au irresietiolo longicg for ** tho in- cense of the lampsand tho dear homage of sp- planse,” aod msde a tour of the provincial theatre The ‘magic of his namo filled the houses still ; but he and his fricods were finally convinced that lus talent had not kept pace with his years; =nd, in 1824, being then oaly 32, he 100k 3 final leave of the stagc. . Mr. Letty parchazed a fino estate in Shrews- bury with a part of the fortune he sccumalated e e L ‘;E‘;}iflneu commanded admiration and cs- Eotvy = GYNECOCRACT. Inv!m Tecent worx, “The Ola Regime in Can- ada,” Mr. Parkman makes the statement—which wwill benovel to mest readers, and of curious in- terest to eomo—that, among tho Iroquois Tn- diang, women held a degreo of peolitical influ- encencver perhsps equaled in auy civilizoa na- tion. e quotes for his anthority the learned Lnt_;mn. a French writer who published a work :u:mcd, **Mocurs des Sauvages,” in the year 724 According to Laitan, the women of Lroquois tnbes "hind & council of their own, mn: which all subjects were discussed prior to boe g presented in the council of tho Chicfs and Elders. In this latter council women wore also Tepresented by an orator, who was often of their ownsex. Tlie Iroquois matrons bad a leading soico in determining the succession of Chiefs, who were chosen frem both sexes. A femals Chief, with her attendants, came to'Quebee with au embassy in 1665. In the torture of prisoners great deferance was pad to the judgment of the women, who, éays CLamplain, was thought more skillful and eubilo than the men. Lafitan di- Iates upon tho resomblance between the Iro- quois and the ancient Lycisns, among yhom woaien wero in the nscendant. ** Gynecoc- racy, or the rule of women,” says Lafitan, * which was the foundation of the Gycian Gov- ernment, was probably common in early times to nearly all tho-barbarous people of Groece.” Tho agesof a nnmber of famous American men and women are given by a correspondent of the poa!on Traveller. As every item of infor- ‘mation concerning celebrated personsgos is of intercst, we copy the list a3 e givesits John Quincy Adams is 41, Viilliam R. Alger ia 51 Edward Everett Hale is 52. William 8, Washburn i3 54, Julia Ward Howe is 54. Harvey Jewell is 54, Jates Rus+ell Lowell is 55, Edwin D. Whipple in 53, George I, Loriug 4 57. Natbaviel P, Banks is 58, Richard IL. Dana. Jr., in 59, Henry Ward Beocher 1a 60, Marrict Beccher Stowe is 6, Audrew P. Peabody is G Wendell Phitlips is 6. Jamen Froeruan Clarke is 64. Oliver Wendell Holmes 15 G4 Peter larves i 61, Goorge 5. Hillard is 65. Lobert C. Winthrop is 65, Jobn G. Whittfer is 6. Henrs W. LongTellow is 68, alph Waldo Ewerson is 71, Mark Hopkins s 7: Leorard Bacon is 73, dia Maria Child is 72. Catteriao E. Brecher 1573, Georgs Bancroft ia T4, Ciled Cushing 15 7. TWciaard }. Dana, Sen., 18 8T, Sarab Joacpha Hile is 34, THE PULPIT-IDOL. You trll me, friond, “A shining lght 1y durkened in the Christian world; Axd yioas hearts, back into night, Have by his dsubtfal life been Burisd, While thousands drank his every word, Enraptured by Lis very nod, In secrec be £t least haw erred, and injured much the causé of God.” Pzure, gloomy frlend ! and tell me trus, Did this man, during years now past, Tuise Ligh the Gospel-plan in view, And teach surs doctrine first and last? Did hs s clsngeleea Faith proclsim,— ¢ Faith which lust and pride Lisve spurned, Tiat Tines held fast amidet the flame, ‘And Bunyan in his dungeon leaned 7 Did he proclutm one Fount alona Where souls may wash and shall be cleag,= One Sacrifice that can atone For guilt, bigh-handed or unsecn? Did he the counsel whole declare, ‘Aw ought the Pastor true to syeak, And, with a fuithful Shephard's care, Bring to the Fold the strayed and weak? No, friend ! It seems a pointlens creod, And esay-going fuith, be spread, That jourly served the sinner's need,— Decei tue heart, but pleased the head. Iis soanding phrase beguiled the mind ; 11is £tyls and learning clarmed the eye; Vast, nolezn truths he left bebind, ‘And paseed tho sternest doctants by, With Isely wit and mozking afr, Ho made of homely zeal a jost; Searce touched the danger of despair; -Unveiled = sensuous licaven at best, The rich, the proud, the g3y, the vain, Complicent =at beneath hix wozd ; Yet did the cotfers full reain: Appeals, soul stirring, ne'er were heard, And honest souls moved in his train, And ou his tlowery notlings fed, Full sare the Heavenly state to gain If by Lis land they might be led,— Uimindful that each kurman soul To God In sirict acronnt shell stand,— No mortal may His plans control, His truth diminish cr expand ; That they who raise thelr ldol high Shall pee nt leugths 108 weakness ahown,— while, ** How great ! how grand 1 Tk troth stands Torth, o pverthrown s " And thoag soms halt, or downward turn, To think religion Larmed ia vain ; Though rich and great its cffers spurn, 'he lowly bear it 0z again, No wonder, friend, that some prove bese Who teach an easy, changing creed, The most eseential pointa erase, Hold culture a3 tho Lighest need ; Nor strange 3 faith formed from the clay Suould in its usc return to dfoss,— Tor they who build this tempting way Lend ouls immortal from the Croes. A Meomarmg, e T About Combs. Tho combs figured in onr English manuscripta (mauvy of whicls have been copied by the histori- an of manners) are nearly always of great bulk, sod have coarse teeth. Tho medieval and re- naissunce combs were often doublo—that is in shape, though not in size like modern small tooth combs, In a representation of the arrival of o guest (painicd in the fourteenth century), one of the welcoming attendants is _puliing off his shocs, whilo another is combing his bair, The comb in this pictare is truly immenss. Our old Englizh books of courtesy are full of refer- ences to the use of the comb. It was 3 part of thepaga's duty to comb Lis Lord's hair; directions **for combing vour sovereizn's head" aro given by John Ituswell in his * Boko of Nurtare,” alsc by Wynkyu Do Worde in * Tha Doke of Ker- vinge." Carsing wus the principal duty of the youth, and all other details of Lis work are in- cludea under it as 2 kind of general title. The duty of combing, as culture widens, begins tc be (reated by the writera on ctiquette as a duty toward ono's Lord. Andrew Borde, in 1357, recom- mends the froquent use of the comb: *Kayms your hieado oft, and do 8o dyvirs iimes in tha day.” Wiltiam Vaughau, in his * Fifteen Direc- tions to Preserve Mealth,” publishod in 1602, prescribes combing for its intellectuai benofits : it must be doue ** ¢oftly and easily, withan ivory comb,” he writes: *for nothing recreateth tho memory more," Sir John Harrington, in his sec- tiou on * the dyes for sxary day " of his **School of Saterne " (1624), givesthe uimple instruction : “comb your head well with an ivory comb from the forebead to the back-part, drawing the comb some forty times at tho least.” It woald meens from the precisencsa of his advico that En- glish genttemen were stilia little elovenly in their Gwn trewtmeut of their hair; when they wished it to be properly treated, they put themselves under the hands of the barber. There is httla doubt that the cloee-cropped hair of tho Presbyter- ian and Independent Iioundheads was more clean- Iythan the long batr of the Cavelicr, with ita arti- cial love-locks. 1t wasa part of 'tho extrems protestof George Fox, the founder of Quakeriam, against all the fashions of the earlier Puritan wecta, who were masters in England when he began hia misson, to wear long beir, When ha was preaching in Flintshire, 1n 65T, he says that **one called & lady " sent for him. *She kept n preacher in her Louse, 1iweut to her bouze, but found botn her and her preacher very ligne and airy. In her lightness, she cume and asked me is sho shounld cut my hair, but I was moved to reprove her, and bid Lier cat down the corrup- tious in herself with the sword of the Spirit of God.” He loarned afterward-that this tady Dboasted that elio bad gone bekind bim aad **cut of the curl” of his haw, At Dorchester, ths Constables made him tako off his hat, to seo il he were not shaved at the top of his bead ; they were sure that so fierce_an opponent of tho Puritan clergy must be a Jesuit. The long hair of the father of Quakerism, like that of the Frankisn Kings and Chieftaios, was necessarily often in peed of the comb; and it comes out { ncidentally, in his journal of the year 1662, that George Fox wzs ko careful of personal nestness 88 t0 carry a comb-case in his pocket. When he was seized by Lord Beaumon: and the sotdiers iz Leicestershire as a saspected rebel, that noblo- man_* put his bands into my pockat,” eays For, + and plucked out my comb-¢ase, and then com- manded one of hisofficers to search for letters.”— Chamixrs' Journal —An undergraduate at Cambridze, who found among the quéstions on bis oxamination paper this : ** Why will not a pin stand on_ita poinf? " elsborately cxplained the point thus: 1. A in biis boyhood, &nd _ the remainder suiliced to surround him with Tuxuries dunng a loog Life of quiet and ease. Ho survived until Aug. 21 of tis present year, when ne died at his London reardence, in Ampthill Square, sged 82. The London Times concindes its brief obituary of the deceased with, ** Mr. Batty's talents and pri- pin will not staud on its head; much lees is it pogeible that it sbould s:and on its point. 2. A poiut, according fo Enclid, ie that which bas no parts aud no magnitudo, A pia csnnot stand on that which bas no parie and no magnitude, and. thereforo a pin caunot stand o0 izs poiat. 3. It will, if you stick it in. sl Sog T FL S s i | : Do rn £ ; i R r A ol AR RO E s AT T M S S W) PPy ; ¥ : ; "i 4