CHAPTER XIX.

Brief as had been his absence, the host could see that, in the interval,

a great and notable change had come over the spirit of his company. Some

of those who lived in the town were evidently preparing to return home

on foot; those who lived at a distance, and whose carriages (having been

sent away, and ordered to return at a fixed hour) had not yet arrived,

were gathered together in small knots and groups; all looked sullen and

displeased, and all instinctively turned from their host as he passed

them by. They felt they had been lectured, and they were more put out

than Richard himself. They did not know if they might not be lectured

again. This vulgar man, of what might he not be capable?

Richard's shrewd sense comprehended in an instant all the difficulties

of his position; but he walked on deliberately and directly toward Mrs.

M'Catchley, who was standing near the grand marquee with the Pompleys

and the Dean's lady. As these personages saw him make thus boldly toward

them, there was a flutter. "Hang the fellow!" said the Colonel,

intrenching himself in his stock, "he is coming here. Low and

shocking--what shall we do? Let us stroll on."

But Richard threw himself in the way of the retreat.

"Mrs. M'Catchley," said he, very gravely, and offering her his arm,

"allow me three words with you."

The poor widow looked very much discomposed. Mrs. Pompley pulled her by

the sleeve. Richard still stood gazing into her face, with his arm

extended. She hesitated a minute, and then took the arm.

"Monstrous impudent!" cried the Colonel.

"Let Mrs. M'Catchley alone, my dear," responded Mrs. Pompley; "_she_

will know how to give him a lesson!"

"Madam," said Richard, as soon as he and his companion were out of

hearing, "I rely on you to do me a favor."

"On me?"

"On you, and you alone. You have influence with all those people, and a

word from you will effect what I desire. Mrs. M'Catchley," added

Richard, with a solemnity that was actually imposing, "I flatter myself

that you have some friendship for me, which is more than I can say of

any other soul in these grounds--will you do me this favor, ay or no?"

"What is it, Mr. Avenel?" asked Mrs. M'Catchley, much disturbed, and

somewhat softened--for she was by no means a woman without feeling;

indeed, she considered herself nervous.

"Get all your friends--all the company, in short--to come back into the

tent for refreshments--for any thing. I want to say a few words to

them."

"Bless me! Mr. Avenel--a few words!" cried the widow, "but that's just

what they are all afraid of! You must pardon me, but you really can't

ask people to a _déjeûné dansant_, and then--scold 'em."

"I'm not going to scold them," said Mr. Avenel, very seriously--"upon my

honor, I'm not! I'm going to make all right, and I even hope afterward

that the dancing may go on--and that you will honor me again with your

hand. I leave you to your task; and, believe me, I'm not an ungrateful

man." He spoke, and bowed--not without some dignity--and vanished within

the breakfast division of the marquee. There he busied himself in

re-collecting the waiters, and directing them to re-arrange the mangled

remains of the table as they best could. Mrs. M'Catchley, whose

curiosity and interest were aroused, executed her commission with all

the ability and tact of a woman of the world, and in less than a quarter

of an hour the marquee was filled--the corks flew--the champagne

bounced and sparkled--people drank in silence, munched fruits and cakes,

kept up their courage with the conscious sense of numbers, and felt a

great desire to knew what was coming. Mr. Avenel, at the head of the

table, suddenly rose--

"Ladies and Gentlemen," said he, "I have taken the liberty to invite you

once more into this tent, in order to ask you to sympathize with me,

upon an occasion which took us all a little by surprise to-day.

"Of course, you all know I am a new man--the maker of my own fortunes."

A great many heads bowed involuntarily. The words were said manfully,

and there was a general feeling of respect.

"Probably, too," resumed Mr. Avenel, "you may know that I am the son of

very honest tradespeople. I say honest, and they are not ashamed of

me--I say tradespeople, and I'm not ashamed of them. My sister married

and settled at a distance. I took her son to educate and bring up. But I

did not tell her where he was, nor even that I had returned from

America--I wished to choose my own time for that, when I could give her

the surprise, not only of a rich brother, but of a son whom I intended

to make a gentleman, so far as manners and education can make one. Well,

the poor dear woman has found me out sooner than I expected, and turned

the tables on me by giving me a surprise of her own invention. Pray,

forgive the confusion this little family scene has created; and though I

own it was very laughable at the moment, and I was wrong to say

otherwise, yet I am sure I don't judge ill of your good hearts when I

ask you to think what brother and sister must feel who parted from each

other when they were boy and girl. To me (and Richard gave a great

gulp--for he felt that a great gulp alone could swallow the abominable

lie he was about to utter)--to me this has been _a very happy occasion_!

I'm a plain man; no one can take ill what I've said. And, wishing that

you may be all as happy in your family as I am in mine--humble though it

be--I beg to drink your very good healths!"

There was an universal applause when Richard sat down--and so well in

his plain way had he looked at the thing, and done the thing, that at

least half of those present--who till then had certainly disliked and

half despised him--suddenly felt that they were proud of his

acquaintance. For, however aristocratic this country of ours may be, and

however especially aristocratic be the genteeler classes in provincial

towns and coteries--there is nothing which English folks, from the

highest to the lowest, in their hearts so respect as a man who has risen

from nothing, and owns it frankly! Sir Compton Delaval, an old baronet,

with a pedigree as long as a Welshman's, who had been reluctantly

decoyed to the feast by his three unmarried daughters--not one of whom,

however, had hitherto condescended even to bow to the host--now rose.

It was his right--he was the first person there in rank and station.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," quoth Sir Compton Delaval, "I am sure that I

express the feelings of all present when I say that we have heard with

great delight and admiration the words addressed to us by our excellent

host. (Applause.) And if any of us, in what Mr. Avenel describes justly

as the surprise of the moment, were betrayed into an unseemly merriment

at--at--(the Dean's lady whispered 'some of the')--some of the--some of

the"--repeated Sir Compton, puzzled, and coming to a dead lock--('holiest

sentiments,' whispered the Dean's lady)--"ay, some of the holiest

sentiments in our nature--I beg him to accept our sincerest apologies. I

can only say, for my part, that I am proud to rank Mr. Avenel among the

gentlemen of the county (here Sir Compton gave a sounding thump on the

table), and to thank him for one of the most brilliant entertainments it

has ever been my lot to witness. If he won his fortune honestly, he

knows how to spend it nobly!"

Whiz went a fresh bottle of champagne.

"I am not accustomed to public speaking, but I could not repress my

sentiments. And I've now only to propose to you the health of our host,

Richard Avenel, Esquire; and to couple with that the health of his--very

interesting sister, and long life to them both!"

The sentence was half-drowned in enthusiastic plaudits, and in three

cheers for Richard Avenel, Esquire, and his very interesting sister.

"I'm a cursed humbug," thought Richard Avenel, as he wiped his forehead;

"but the world _is_ such a humbug!"

Then he glanced toward Mrs. M'Catchley, and, to his great satisfaction,

saw Mrs. M'Catchley wiping her eyes.

Now, though the fair widow might certainly have contemplated the

probability of accepting Mr. Avenel as a husband, she had never before

felt the least bit in love with him; and now she did. There is something

in courage and candor--at a word, in manliness--that all women, the most

worldly, do admire in men; and Richard Avenel, humbug though his

conscience said he was, seemed to Mrs. M'Catchley like a hero.

The host saw his triumph. "Now for another dance!" said he, gayly; and

he was about to offer his hand to Mrs. M'Catchley, when Sir Compton

Delaval, seizing it, and giving it a hearty shake, cried, "You have not

yet danced with my eldest daughter; so, if you won't ask her, why, I

must offer her to you as your partner. Here--Sarah."

Miss Sarah Delaval, who was five feet eight, and as stately as she was

tall, bowed her head graciously; and Mr. Avenel, before he knew where he

was, found her leaning on his arm. But as he passed into the next

division of the tent, he had to run the gauntlet of all the gentlemen

who thronged round to shake hands with him. Their warm English hearts

could not be satisfied till they had so repaired the sin of their

previous haughtiness and mockery. Richard Avenel might then have safely

introduced his sister--gown, kerchief, thick shoes and all--to the

crowd; but he had no such thought. He thanked heaven devoutly that she

was safely under lock and key.

It was not till the third dance that he could secure Mrs. M'Catchley's

hand, and then it was twilight. The carriages were at the door, but no

one yet thought of going. People were really enjoying themselves. Mr.

Avenel had had time, in the interim, to mature all his plans for

completing and consummating that triumph which his tact and pluck had

drawn from his momentary disgrace. Excited as he was with wine and

suppressed passion, he had yet the sense to feel that, when all the halo

that now surrounded him had evaporated, and Mrs. M'Catchley was

redelivered up to the Pompleys, whom he felt to be the last persons his

interest could desire for her advisers--the thought of his low relations

would return with calm reflection. Now was the time. The iron was

hot--now was the time to strike it, and forge the enduring chain.

As he led Mrs. M'Catchley after the dance, into the lawn, he therefore

said tenderly--

"How shall I thank you for the favor you have done me?"

"Oh!" said Mrs. M'Catchley, warmly, "it was no favor--and I am so

glad"--She stopped.

"You're not ashamed of me, then, in spite of what has happened?"

"Ashamed of you! Why, I should be so proud of you, if I were--"

"Finish the sentence, and say--'your wife!'--there it is out. My dear

madam, I am rich, as you know; I love you very heartily. With your help,

I think I can make a figure in a larger world than this; and that

whatever my father, my grandson at least will be--But it is time enough

to speak of _him_. What say you?--you turn away. I'll not tease you--it

is not my way. I said before, ay or no; and your kindness so emboldens

me that I say it again--ay or no?"

"But you take me so unawares--so--so--Lord, my dear Mr. Avenel; you are

so hasty--I--I--." And the widow actually blushed, and was genuinely

bashful.

"Those horrid Pompleys!" thought Richard, as he saw the Colonel bustling

up with Mrs. M'Catchley's cloak on his arm.

"I press for your answer," continued the suitor, speaking very fast. "I

shall leave this place to-morrow, if you will not give it."

"Leave this place--leave me?"

"Then you will be mine?"

"Ah, Mr. Avenel!" said the widow, languidly, leaving her hand in his;

"who can resist you?"

Up came Colonel Pompley; Richard took the shawl: "No hurry for that now,

Colonel--Mrs. M'Catchley feels already at home here."

Ten minutes afterward Richard Avenel so contrived that it was known by

the whole company that their host was accepted by the Honorable Mrs.

M'Catchley. And every one said, "He is a very clever man, and a very

good fellow," except the Pompleys--and the Pompleys were frantic. Mr.

Richard Avenel had forced his way into the aristocracy of the country.

The husband of an Honorable--connected with peers!

"He will stand for our city--Vulgarian!" cried the Colonel.

"And his wife will walk out before me," cried the Colonel's lady--"nasty

woman!" And she burst into tears.

The guests were gone; and Richard had now leisure to consider what

course to pursue with regard to his sister and her son.

His victory over his guests had in much softened his heart toward his

relations; but he still felt bitterly aggrieved at Mrs. Fairfield's

unseasonable intrusion, and his pride was greatly chafed by the boldness

of Leonard. He had no idea of any man whom he had served, or meant to

serve, having a will of his own--having a single thought in opposition

to his pleasure. He began, too, to feel that words had passed between

him and Leonard which could not be well forgotten by either, and would

render their close connection less pleasant than heretofore. He, the

great Richard Avenel, beg pardon of Mrs. Fairfield, the washerwoman! No;

she and Leonard must beg his. "That must be the first step," said

Richard Avenel; "and I suppose they have come to their senses." With

what expectation, he unlocked the door of his parlor, and found himself

in complete solitude. The moon, lately risen, shone full into the room,

and lit up every corner. He stared round, bewildered--the birds had

flown. "Did they go through the key-hole?" said Mr. Avenel. "Ha! I

see--the window is open!" The window reached to the ground. Mr. Avenel,

in his excitement, had forgotten that easy mode of egress.

"Well," said he, throwing himself into his easy chair, "I suppose I

shall soon hear from them; they'll be wanting my money fast enough, I

fancy." His eye caught sight of a letter, unsealed, lying on the table.

He opened it, and saw bank-notes to the amount of £50--the widow's

forty-five country notes, and a new note, Bank of England, that he had

lately given to Leonard. With the money were these lines, written in

Leonard's bold, clear writing, though a word or two here and there

showed that the hand had trembled--

"I thank you for all you have done to one whom you regarded as the

object of charity. My mother and I forgive what has passed. I depart

with her. You bade me make my choice, and I have made it. LEONARD

FAIRFIELD."

The paper dropped from Richard's hand, and he remained mute and

remorseful for a moment. He soon felt, however, that he had no help for

it but working himself up into a rage. "Of all people in the world,"

cried Richard, stamping his foot on the floor, "there are none so

disagreeable, insolent, and ungrateful as poor relations. I wash my

hands of them."

(TO BE CONTINUED.)

Monthly Record of Current Events.

POLITICAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

UNITED STATES.

From the abstract of the Seventh Census of the United States, and from

the returns of the previous decennial periods, we compile the following

table and statements, setting forth the principal features of the

increase of the population of the country. The manner of apportioning

the Congressional representation was fixed by an Act passed May 23,

1850. From and after March 3, 1853, the House of Representatives, unless

otherwise ordained by Congress, is to consist of 233 members. The

apportionment is made by adding to the number of free persons

three-fifths of the number of slaves: the representative population,

thus found, divided by 233, gives the ratio of apportionment: the

representative population of each State, divided by this ratio, shows

the number of Representatives to which the State is entitled. To the

aggregate thus obtained is added a number sufficient to make up the

whole number of 233 members; this additional number is apportioned among

the States having the largest fractions. It is, however, provided by the

Constitution that each State shall be entitled to at least one

Representative. The representative population being 21,832,521, the

ratio of representation is 93,702. The States which have a

Representative for a fraction of the ratio are indicated in the table by

an A. Those whose population is estimated are designated by a B.

STATES. POPULATION IN 1850.

Free. Slave. Total.

Alabama[A] 428,765 342,894 771,659

Arkansas 162,658 46,983 209,641

California[B] 200,000 ---- 200,000

Connecticut[A] 370,604 ---- 370,604

Delaware 89,239 2,289 91,528

Florida 48,046 39,341 87,387

Georgia[A] 515,669 362,966 878,635

Illinois 858,298 ---- 858,295

Indiana[A] 988,734 ---- 988,734

Iowa 192,122 ---- 192,122

Kentucky[A] 779,728 221,768 1,001,496

Louisiana 269,956 230,807 500,762

Maine 583,232 ---- 583,232

Maryland[A] 492,706 89,800 582,506

Massachusetts[A] 994,271 ---- 994,271

Michigan 395,703 ---- 395,703

Mississippi 292,434 300,419 592,853

Missouri 594,843 89,289 684,132

New Hampshire 317,831 ---- 317,831

New Jersey 488,552 119 488,671

New York[A] 3,090,022 ---- 3,090,022

N. Carolina 580,458 288,412 868,470

Ohio 1,977,031 ---- 1,977,031

Pennsylvania[A] 2,311,681 ---- 2,311,681

Rhode Island[A] 147,555 ---- 147,555

S. Carolina 283,554 384,925 668,469

Tennessee[A] 773,599 249,519 1,023,118

Texas[A] 134,057 53,346 187,403

Vermont 313,466 ---- 313,466

Virginia 948,055 473,026 1,421,081

Wisconsin 304,226 ---- 304,226

Dist. Columbia 48,000 3,687 51,687

Minnesota 6,192 ---- 6,192

New Mexico 61,632 ---- 61,632

Oregon[B] 20,000 ---- 20,000

Utah[B] 25,000 ---- 25,000

20,087,909 3,179,589 23,267,498

STATES. INCREASE SINCE 1840. REP. POP. REPS.

Free. Slave. Total. 1853. 1851.

Alabama[A] 91,541 89,362 180,903 634,501 7 7

Arkansas 85,019 27,048 112,067 190,848 2 1

California[B] 200,000 ---- 200,000 200,000 2 2

Connecticut[A] 60,596 [dec. 17] 60,579 370,604 4 4

Delaware 13,759 [dec. 316] 13,443 90,612 1 1

Florida 19,286 13,624 32,910 71,650 1 1

Georgia[A] 105,221 82,022 187,243 733,448 8 8

Illinois 382,446 [dec. 331] 382,115 858,298 9 7

Indiana[A] 302,871 [dec. 3] 302,868 988,734 11 10

Iowa 149,027 [dec. 16] 149,011 192,122 2 2

Kentucky[A] 182,158 39,510 221,668 912,788 10 10

Louisiana 85,996 62,355 148,351 408,440 4 4

Maine 81,439 ---- 81,439 583,232 6 7

Maryland[A] 112,424 63 112,487 546,586 6 6

Massachusetts[A] 256,572 ---- 256,572 994,271 11 10

Michigan 183,427 ---- 183,427 395,703 4 3

Mississippi 111,994 105,208 217,202 472,685 5 4

Missouri 269,381 31,049 300,430 648,416 7 5

New Hampshire 33,258 [dec. 1] 33,257 317,831 3 4

New Jersey 115,801 [dec. 555] 115,246 488,623 5 5

New York[A] 661,105 [dec. 4] 661,101 3,090,022 33 34

N. Carolina 72,856 42,595 115,451 753,505 8 9

Ohio 457,567 [dec. 3] 457,564 1,977,031 21 21

Pennsylvania[A] 587,712 [dec. 64] 587,648 2,311,681 25 24

Rhode Island[A] 38,730 [dec. 5] 38,725 147,555 2 2

S. Carolina 16,184 57,887 74,071 514,499 5 7

Tennessee[A] 127,448 66,460 193,908 923,310 10 11

Texas[A] 134,057 53,346 187,403 166,064 2 2

Vermont 21,518 ---- 21,518 313,466 3 4

Virginia 157,245 24,039 181,284 1,231,870 13 15

Wisconsin 273,292 [dec. 11] 273,281 304,226 3 3

Dist. Columbia 8,982 [dec. 1,007] 7,975 ---- -- --

Minnesota 6,192 ---- 6,192 ---- -- --

New Mexico 61,632 ---- 61,632 ---- -- --

Oregon[B] 20,000 ---- 20,000 ---- -- --

Utah[B] 25,000 ---- 25,000 ---- -- --

5,511,911 692,234 6,204,145 21,832,521 233 233

The Free Colored population, included in the above, numbers 419,173; of

whom 184,882 are in the Free States, and 234,291 in the Slave States.

Maryland has the highest number, 73,943. They have increased during the

last ten years only 32,880, or 7.84 per cent. At the six previous

enumerations respectively, there were returned 40,370, 35,946, 27,505,

18,148, 3553, and 1129 slaves from the Free States. The published

abstract of the recent census shows only 119, all in New Jersey. The

population, and the increase since 1840, are made up of the following

elements; the total population of the territories not included in the

census of 1840 being considered as increase:

_Free States:_ Free Inhabitants 13,646,152

Slaves 119--13,646,271

_Slave Slates:_ Free Inhabitants 6,441,757

Slaves 3,179,470-- 9,621,227

----------

Total Population 23,267,498

_Free States:_ Increase of free Inhab. 3,937,362

Less decrease of Slaves 1,010-- 3,926,352

_Slave States:_ Increase of free Inhab. 1,584,549

Increase of Slaves 693,244-- 2,277,793

----------

Total Increase 6,204,145

At the last apportionment, the House of Representatives consisted of

223 members, of whom 135 were from the Free States, and 88 from the

Slave States; a Free State majority of 47. By the next apportionment

there will be 233 members, of whom 144 will be from the Free States, and

89 from the Slave States; a Free State majority of 55: being an increase

of 8 above that at the previous apportionment.

The projected invasion of Cuba has entirely miscarried. The bands of

adventurers who had been collected at various points have dispersed,

none of them having succeeded in getting away from the United States. At

Jacksonville, Florida, where some hundreds were at different times

congregated, many were indebted to charity for the means of returning to

their homes. A number of persons have been arrested on charge of

participation in the proposed expedition.

After the celebration of the opening of the New York and Erie Railroad,

noticed in our Record of last month, President FILLMORE returned to

Washington by way of Rochester, Albany, New York, and Philadelphia. He

reached the seat of Government on the 24th of May, after an absence of

twelve days. Mr. WEBSTER remained behind for a few days, and delivered,

at Buffalo, Syracuse, and Albany, a series of elaborate speeches,

setting forth his views of the state of public affairs, and explaining

and vindicating his course and principles. He expressed his entire and

hearty concurrence in all the prominent measures adopted by the

Administration. The question, as far as related to the North, was not

one of Union or Disunion; but whether the Constitution should be so

administered that all the members of the Confederacy could remain within

it. He disclaimed, most emphatically all idea of concession; the South

should not have a hair's-breadth of concession from him; but he would

maintain, to the utmost of his power, and in the face of all danger, the

rights, under the Constitution, of the South as well as of the North;

"and God forsake me and my children, if I ever be found to falter in one

or the other." He gave a sketch of the historical relations of slavery

to the Constitution; and insisted that the meaning and intent of the

clause providing for the return of fugitives from labor, was so plain

and evident, that not an attorney could be found who could raise a doubt

about it. It was assumed in many quarters, that if a colored man comes

to the North, he comes as a freeman; but, according to the Constitution,

if he comes as a fugitive from service or labor, he is not a freeman,

and must be delivered up, upon claim of those who are entitled to his

services. There was not a man who held office under the General or State

Government who was not bound by solemn oath to support and carry out

this clause of the Constitution. Mr. W. asserted most emphatically, that

he was and ever had been opposed to the admission of new slave territory

into the Union, believing that it was beyond the power and against the

provisions of the Constitution. He would never consent that there should

be one foot of slave-territory beyond what the old Thirteen States had

at the time of the formation of the Union. He was not in Congress at the

time of the acquisition of Louisiana and Florida. But when the project

of the annexation of Texas was about to be brought forward, he had gone

out of his way, in a speech at New York, in 1837, to denounce, in

advance the annexation of Texas as slave territory to the United States.

He then expressed the opinion that the people of the United States

would not, and ought not to consent to bring this territory into the

Union. But he had proved a false prophet. The State of New York

consented to it, and the vote of her Senators decided the question. In

Congress, before the final consummation of the deed, he fought against

the measure, and he would not now, before the country or the world,

consent to be numbered among those who introduced new slave power into

the Union. He disliked the Mexican war, and disliked the peace still

more, because it brought in new territories. The rush of Northern men to

California made it of necessity a Free State. As to New Mexico and Utah,

he saw that the existence of slavery there was impossible; and as the

South thought that the application of the Wilmot Proviso was irritating

and disrespectful, he voted against it; for he was not disposed to give

offense without cause. Mr. W. discussed at length the question of the

Texas boundary, and proclaimed it as his solemn belief that unless it

had been settled by Congress, a civil war would have ensued. The other

great question, in 1850, was that of the Fugitive Slave Law. Under the

provisions of the Constitution a law for the delivery of fugitives had

been passed in 1793, by general consent. It answered its purpose till

1841 or 1842, when the States began to make enactments in opposition to

it. Mr. W. was in favor of a proper law; he had, indeed, proposed a

different one; he was of the opinion that a trial by jury might be had.

But the law of 1850, passed, and he would undertake to say, that it was

more favorable to the fugitive than that of 1793; since it placed the

matter within the jurisdiction of a higher tribunal. Mr. W. denounced in

the severest terms those who counseled resistance to the law; and

defended his own course in advocating the Compromise measures. He felt

that he had a duty to perform to exert every power to keep the country

together, and if the fate of John Rogers had been presented to him, if

he had heard the thorns crackling, by the blessing of Almighty God, he

would have gone on and discharged the duty which he thought his country

called upon him to perform.

No little interest has been awakened by a legal suit brought by the

Methodist Episcopal Church South, to recover a portion of the "Book

Fund" belonging to the Methodist Episcopal Church before its division.

This fund, arising from the sale of books and publications, and devoted

to the benefit of traveling, supernumary, superannuated, and worn-out

preachers, their wives, widows, and children, amounted, in 1845, when

the division in the Church took place, to about $750,000. It was under

the charge of the General Conference, with the restriction that they

should appropriate it to no other purpose than that above specified,

except by a vote of two-thirds, upon the recommendation of three fourths

of the members of the Annual Conferences. In 1844, when it seemed

apparent that the diversities of opinion in the Church on the subject of

slavery, would render a separation advisable, the General Conference

recommended to the Annual Conferences to pass resolutions authorizing it

to make proper arrangements as to the Fund; and in anticipation of such

authorization, appointed a committee to meet one from the South, to make

the necessary arrangements for an equitable division. But the

separation, thus amicably proposed, did not take place without great

exasperation on both sides. In the Annual Conferences the vote

authorizing the division was 2135 out of 3205, lacking 269 of the

requisite majority of three-fourths. The Northern Commissioners,

therefore, decided that they had no authority to act. The separation was

formally effected in 1845. In May, 1848, the General Conference, held at

Pittsburgh, authorized the Book Agents in New York and Cincinnati, to

submit the matter to arbitration, provided that, upon consultation with

eminent counsel, they should be satisfied they had the legal power so to

do, when clothed with all the authority the General Conference could

confer. If the Agents should find that they had no such legal power,

they were authorized, in the event of a suit being instituted by the

Southern Church, to submit the claims to a legal arbitration, under the

authority of a competent court. And in case no suit should be commenced,

the General Conference recommended to the Annual Conferences so to

suspend the "restrictive clause" as to authorize a voluntary

arbitration. Previous to the commencement of this suit, the Bishops had

begun to lay the above recommendation before the Annual Conferences.

When, however, in June, 1849, a suit was instituted, this proceeding was

suspended. The suit came on, upon the 19th of May, in the United States

Circuit Court, before Judges NELSON and BETTS. It lasted eight days,

four of which were occupied with the arguments of counsel--Messrs.

DANIEL LORD and REVERDY JOHNSON for the plaintiffs, and RUFUS CHOATE and

GEO. WOOD for the defendants. On the part of the South it was

claimed:--That the Fund was the property of those who received the

benefit of it; of which they could not be deprived without clear proof

of a breach of condition:--That there had been no forfeiture by the

separation, because the General Conference, in the exercise of its

legitimate authority, and for good and sufficient reasons, had assented

to that division. They therefore ask that an equitable proportion of the

capital, and of the profits of the Concern since 1845, should be awarded

to them. On the part of the North it was claimed:--That the Fund was the

property of the Methodist Episcopal Church, the beneficiaries receiving

the profits of it merely by way of charity:--That the Southern

Conferences seceded from and so form, at the present time, no part of

the Church; since the General Conference had no power to authorize a

separation; and, in fact, did not authorize it, their action being

prospective, and accompanied by conditions which had not been complied

with. And even had the separation been legitimate, a division of the

property could only be claimed in virtue of a special

agreement--sanctioned by a competent court; and there was, moreover, if

the action of the General Conference was available, a special agreement

as to the property in question, in virtue of which the plaintiffs can

have no claim upon it. At the close of the arguments, the Court

announced that it would not give its decision for some time; and advised

the parties, in the mean while, to make an amicable adjustment of the

matter; intimating that such an adjustment, if made, would receive the

sanction of the Court. The defendants, therefore, made proposals to the

plaintiffs to submit the matter to a legal arbitration, under the

sanction of the Court; without, however, conceding any thing as to the

question before the Court. The plaintiffs, meanwhile, before this offer

was communicated to them, made similar overtures to the defendants.

There is, therefore, every reason to hope for an amicable adjustment of

this vexatious case.

The General Assembly of the New School Presbyterian Church convened at

Utica, May 15. Rev. ALBERT BARNES of Philadelphia was chosen Moderator

by a unanimous vote. The chief topic of interest discussed was a plan

for the extension of the distinctive principles of the denomination,

especially at the West. A few petitions on the subject of Slavery were

presented. They were quietly disposed of by re-affirming the

conciliatory action of the preceding General Assembly. Hon. J.R.

GIDDINGS, of Ohio, who was elected as a delegate, and was expected to

agitate this question, was prevented by an accident from being present.

The city of Washington was selected as the place for the next

meeting.---- The General Assembly of the Old School Presbyterian Church

met on the 20th of May at St. Louis. Rev. Dr. HUMPHREYS, of Kentucky,

was chosen Moderator. The next meeting of the Assembly was appointed to

be held at Charleston, upon the assurance of delegates from South

Carolina that there was no danger of that city being at that time

situated in a foreign country.

The question as to the comparative speed of the British and American

Ocean Steamers has been settled for the present. The Pacific, of

Collins's line, has made the four shortest passages, three of them

consecutive, that have been made across the Atlantic. They were all

performed within ten days, which has not been accomplished by any

British steamer. The American Ocean Steamers now afloat number 74, with

an aggregate tonnage of nearly 90,000. Of these, 9 ships, averaging

about 2400 tons, cross the Atlantic; 25 vessels, averaging 1250 tons,

ply between ports on the Atlantic and on the Gulf of Mexico; and 40

steamers, averaging 650 tons, are employed on the Pacific.

During the month of May 38,858 immigrants arrived at the port of New

York. The arrivals in five months of the present year were 100,571,

exceeding by 21,169 those of the corresponding period last year. The

English and Irish papers announce the expected departure of increasing

numbers of emigrants, of the most desirable class; to make amends for

which, the local authorities are emptying the poor-houses upon our

shores; it being found cheaper to export than to feed their paupers.

This will be done, unless prevented, more extensively this year than

ever before.

The Legislature of New York convened in Special Session on the 10th of

June. In the House Hon. J.B. VARNUM of New York City was chosen Speaker,

in place of Mr. RAYMOND, who is in Europe, and the organization was

continued in other respects as before the adjournment. The twelve

Senators who resigned in order to prevent the passage of the bill for

the Enlargement of the Canals, were, with a single exception, nominated

for re-election. The result of the special election was, that of the

twelve vacancies, five were filled with advocates, and seven with

opponents of the proposed measure; and in one district there was no

choice. The Senate therefore stands at present twenty-two in favor, and

nine opposed to the bill. The Message of Governor HUNT narrates the

events which gave occasion to the Extra Session, and argues in favor of

the constitutionality and expediency of the proposed measure for the

enlargement of the canals.---- An Address has been issued by 56 of the

112 members of the Convention which framed the Constitution of the

State, whose names are appended to that document, in which, after

examining the provisions of the Constitution, and of the proposed

Enlargement Bill, they express it as their opinion that the bill

violates the entire spirit and scope of the financial article of the

Constitution, and is inconsistent with several of its express

provisions.

A large number of Germans who had assembled at Hoboken, opposite to New

York, on the 26th of May, to celebrate their customary May-Festival,

were attacked by a gang of desperadoes from New York, known as "Short

Boys." The Germans repulsed their assailants, and made violent

reprisals. In the course of the riot great damage was done to property,

and one person lost his life, besides many being severely injured.

The Legislature of Massachusetts closed a very protracted session on the

24th of May. Among the measures passed, was a General Banking Act; a

Homestead Exemption Law, with a limit of $500; the Secret Ballot Law,

requiring all ballots to be inclosed in envelopes; a law to take the

sense of the people whether a Convention shall be called to revise the

Constitution of the State; a law changing the composition of the Board

of Overseers of Harvard University; the Plurality Act, in accordance

with which members of Congress at the second trial, and Presidential

electors at the first, are elected by a plurality of votes. At the

special election to supply three vacancies in the Congressional

representation, Mr. RANTOUL, Free-Soil Democrat, and Messrs. THOMPSON

and GOODRICH, Whigs, received a plurality, and were elected. Mr. SUMNER

has addressed to the Legislature a letter, accepting the office of

United States Senator. He says that he will maintain the interests of

all parts of the country, and oppose every effort to loosen the ties of

the Union, as well as "all sectionalism, whether it appear in

unconstitutional efforts by the North to carry freedom to the Slave

States, or in unconstitutional efforts of the South, aided by Northern

allies, to carry the sectional evil of slavery into the Free States; or

in whatsoever efforts it may make to extend the sectional dominion of

slavery over the United States." He looks upon the Union as the guardian

of the repose of the States, and as the model of a future federation

among nations; and he does not believe that any part of it can be

permanently separated from the rest. Politics, he says, are simply

morals applied to public affairs; and his political course shall be

determined by those everlasting rules of right and wrong, which are a

law alike to individuals and communities. An address from 170 members of

the late Legislature has been published, denouncing, in the severest

terms, the political combination which resulted in the election of the

present Governor and Senator. The Supreme Court have pronounced a

unanimous opinion, affirming the constitutionality of the Fugitive Slave

law. Several persons charged with aiding in the escape of Shadrach, the

fugitive, have been tried; but the jury were unable to agree upon a

verdict.

The Governor of Maine, in his Message to the Legislature, complains of

the illiberal conduct of Massachusetts, in regard to the land-claims

within the State of Maine; and especially in refusing to aid in the

construction of the Aroostook road, which passes mainly through those

claims. The Legislature, previous to its adjournment till January,

passed a stringent law for the suppression of tippling-houses; and made

an appropriation of $2000 to circulate document relating to the survey

for the North American and European Railway. It is reported that gold

has been discovered in the northern part of the State, bordering upon

Canada. Companies have been formed for securing the treasures of this

Northern Eldorado.

In New Hampshire Hon. SAMUEL DINSMOORE, Democrat, has been elected

Governor by the Legislature, no choice having been made by the people.

In his Inaugural Address, he speaks of the Compromise measures as a part

of the law of the land, the maintenance of which is demanded by every

consideration of good faith and sound policy. The Fugitive Slave law he

says, "is painfully repugnant to the feelings of the North, but is

designed to fulfill a plain constitutional obligation, deliberately and

unanimously assumed, with a full knowledge of its import, by those who

framed the Constitution, and since affirmed and enforced by our highest

political and judicial authorities."

A new Constitution has been adopted in Maryland, of which, apart from

the usual legislative, judicial, and executive formulas, the following

are the principal provisions: The franchise is vested in all free white

male citizens, who have resided a year within the State, and six months

within the county. A conviction for larceny or any infamous crime

operates as a disfranchisement. The only religious test for office is a

declaration of belief in the Christian religion; or, in case of Jews, of

a belief in a future state of rewards and punishments. Participation in

a duel, or bribery, disqualifies from holding office. The Legislature

has power to provide for the disposition or removal of the free colored

population. Clergymen are not eligible as members of the Legislature. No

religious sect or teacher, as such, without express Legislative

permission, can receive any gift or sale of land, except five acres for

a church, parsonage or burial-ground. The Legislature can grant no

divorces, nor pass any laws abolishing the relation of master and slave.

The credit of the State can not be loaned. No State debt can be

contracted without the imposition of a tax sufficient to meet the

interest, and liquidate the debt in fifteen years. Corporations to be

formed only under general laws; stockholders are liable to an amount

equal to their shares; no officer of a corporation to borrow money of

it. Imprisonment for debt is abolished. Lotteries are prohibited after

1858. Provisions are made for digesting and codifying the laws, and for

simplifying the forms of legal procedure. The will of the people to be

taken every ten years whether a Convention for amending the Constitution

shall be called.

In Georgia Hon. HOWELL COBB, late Speaker of the House of

Representatives, is the Union candidate for Governor. Ex-Governor

CHARLES J. MCDONALD, President of the late Nashville Convention, has

been nominated by the secession party. In Georgia this party by no means

assumes the extreme ground of their namesakes in South Carolina; they

only advocate the absolute right of secession, and its expediency in

certain contingencies. Party lines appear to be in a great measure lost

sight of. Mr. Cobb, though a Democrat, is supported by no small portion

of the Whig party, and denounced by a part of his own. In a recent

speech at Savannah, he spoke in opposition to the course pursued by

South Carolina, in assuming the sole decision of the momentous issues at

stake, and endeavoring to drag the other Southern States into the gulf

of disunion. He hoped that Georgia would give her to understand that no

aid in such a project was to be expected from her.---- In Mississippi

Hon. H.S. FOOTE is the Union candidate for Governor, opposed by General

QUITMAN, who has been nominated for re-election. He, however,

emphatically repudiates the charge of being in favor of disunion.---- In

South Carolina the advocates for secession--immediate, unconditional,

and at all hazards--for a time over-bore all opposition. The cautious

and skillful policy of Mr. CALHOUN, advocated by the cooler politicians

of the State, was apparently abandoned. Recent indications seem to show

that the prominence assumed by the advocates of secession was out of all

proportion to their real strength in the State. The glowing visions of

commercial prosperity presented by Mr. RHETT, to be maintained by making

South Carolina the great entrepôt from which contraband goods were to be

poured into all the Southern States, are dissipated by a writer in a

leading Charleston paper, who demonstrates that a commerce of five

millions, affording a revenue, by the proposed duty, of half a million,

is all that the nation of South Carolina could expect, even though

unmolested by the United States. Hon. J.R. POINSETT has published a

letter in relation to Mr. Rhett's notable project, in which he says,

"The Senator tells us that 'safety and honor are on the one hand, danger

and degradation on the other;' and I agree with him except as to on

which side lie the danger and degradation." Jealousy begins to show

itself on the part of the country party against the towns, which are

represented to be influenced by a "foreign population," as Governor

SEABROOK denominates citizens from other states. Every week shows an

increase of strength and confidence in the party opposed to immediate

secession, who for a time appeared completely overawed.

In the Constitutional Convention of Virginia the basis of representation

has been settled by compromise. The House is to consist of 150 members;

the Senate of 50. Eastern Virginia, with 401,540 whites, 45,783 free

colored persons, and 409,793 slaves, in all 857,116 inhabitants, is to

have 82 Representatives and 20 Senators. Western Virginia, with 492,609

whites, 8123 free colored, and 62,233 slaves, 563,965 in all, is to have

68 Representatives and 30 Senators. A new apportionment is to be made in

1865. A provision has been adopted prohibiting the Legislature from

passing any law for the emancipation of slaves.

From Texas and New Mexico accounts continue to reach us of Indian

depredations and murders. The Apaches commenced violating the treaty

they had entered into within a month from its completion. Troops are to

be posted in such a manner as to cover the water-courses along which the

Indians take their way, ostensibly in pursuit of the buffalo, but really

for plunder and murder. An encounter took place on the 9th of April

between a body of Texan militia and a party of Indians, in which nine of

the latter were killed; none of the whites were injured. A company of

200 dragoons has been ordered to assist the Indian Agents in procuring

the release of captives, and punishing the Indians who have violated the

treaty. A portion of the Mormons, known as the "Brewster branch," have

purchased land and commenced a settlement in New Mexico.

From California we have intelligence to May 1. The Legislature adjourned

on the last day of April. A law had been passed exempting homesteads and

certain other property from legal seizure, in prescribed cases. The

legal rate of interest is fixed at 10 per cent.; 18 per cent. may be

taken by special agreement. In the municipal election at San Francisco

the Whigs were successful. Large sums of money have been issued by

private coiners, worth less than its nominal value. The refusal of the

coiners to redeem this causes great dissatisfaction. There is little or

no diminution in the frequency of outrages upon persons and property, or

abatement in the determination to inflict summary and extra-judicial

punishment upon the offenders. In San Francisco a prison is in course of

erection by the labor of felons condemned to the chain-gang. The amount

of gold produced in the course of the current year is expected to be

very large. The great desideratum at present is to find some cheap and

effective method of disengaging the microscopic gold contained in the

auriferous quartz. The methods now in use fail to extricate more than

one-fifth of the amount contained in many of the richest veins. A treaty

has been negotiated with six Indian tribes numbering some 15,000 souls,

who have been the chief annoyance in the region of the Mariposa and

Merced rivers. A territory twelve miles square has been assured to them

forever, together with the privilege of hunting up to the Sierra Nevada,

and of fishing and gathering gold in the rivers. Supplies to a limited

amount, together with teachers and mechanics, are to be provided for

them by the United States Government.

The tide of emigration has begun to set once more strongly toward

Oregon. A late arrival brought out six female teachers sent under the

auspices of a society at the East. Discoveries of coal have been made at

various points along the Pacific coast. Steam communication has been

established between the mouth of the Columbia and the Willamette.

SOUTHERN AMERICA.

In MEXICO Congress has been endeavoring to devise some means to raise

funds to meet the current expenses of Government. Among other expedients

it was proposed to withhold from the public creditors the balance of the

United States indemnity remaining in the treasury, and to impose

indirect contributions on the departments. An unsuccessful attempt was

made to invest the President with full powers to raise funds as he

could, without the concurrence of the legislative authority. Congress,

however, adjourned on the 23d of May, leaving affairs in the utmost

confusion and uncertainty. The late resignation of Señor Esteva, the

Minister of Finance, was occasioned by his inability, from want of

funds, to effect the consolidation of the interior debt. He wished the

indemnity to be withheld from the public creditors, and a suspension of

payments till 1852 to be decreed. The Indians in Yucatan have suffered

severe checks, and are giving up hostilities. Claims to a large amount

have been presented against the Government of the United States, for

damages arising from failure to prevent Indian depredations, according

to the stipulations of the treaty.

In BRAZIL warlike preparations are still carried on against Buenos

Ayres, or rather against Rosas, the President, who has made himself

especially obnoxious to all the States on the Parana. Little

apprehensions of actual hostilities are entertained.

In PERU Gen. Echenique, who had been chosen President by 2392 out of

3804 votes, entered upon his office on the 20th of April. He is the

first President who has attained the post by election; his predecessors

owing their elevation to the sword. He nominated Gen. Vivanco, his

principal opponent, as Minister to Washington, perhaps as a kind of

honorable banishment. The appointment was declined. An insurrection was

attempted, and Vivanco was named by the insurgents as their leader,

apparently without his direct concurrence. He was, however, arrested and

imprisoned.

In CHILI a tumult arising out of political feeling, in view of the

approaching election, broke out on the 20th of April. Some regiments,

headed by Col. Urricola, took up arms. The insurrection was suppressed

in a few hours; some 20 were killed, among whom was Urricola. Valparaiso

and Santiago were put under martial law. A series of severe shocks of an

earthquake have taken place, commencing on the 2d of April. For three

days the shocks averaged one an hour. One on the 2d lasted 55 seconds,

by which many houses in Valparaiso were thrown down. So severe an

earthquake has not been felt in Chili since 1822.

In CENTRAL AMERICA discontent is felt at the unsettled state of affairs.

Permission has been accorded by the British authorities for the election

of a municipal council in the city of San Juan de Nicaragua. Of the five

members chosen two were Americans. This is hailed as the initiatory step

toward the withdrawal of the British protectorate. A violent earthquake

occurred in Costa Rica on the 8th of March.

GREAT BRITAIN.

The Great Exhibition of the Industry of all Nations has succeeded beyond

all anticipations. Long after every other doubt had been removed, its

financial success was considered problematical, and it was feared that

application must be made to Government to supply a large deficiency in

the amount of funds. A writer in the _Times_, who professed to speak

after careful investigation, estimated the expenditures at £120,000; the

receipts from subscriptions at £60,000, and the utmost that could be

hoped from visitors at £25,000, leaving a deficit of £35,000. This

estimate of expenses did not include the absolute purchase of the

building, which was hoped rather than expected by the most sanguine

friends of the enterprise. But the three first weeks of the Exhibition

have placed its financial success beyond a question. From subscriptions

and season tickets £130,000 have been realized; and nearly £40,000 have

been received for admissions at the doors. It is not believed that the

receipts for the next hundred days can fall short of £1500 a day. The

total receipts will thus amount to some £320,000, which will enable the

Committee to purchase the building for the permanent use of the nation,

and graduate all the expenditures on a much more liberal scale than was

at first thought possible. The value of the articles exhibited is

variously estimated at from twelve to thirty millions of pounds. The

condensed Catalogue, which merely gives the names of the articles and of

the exhibitors, forms a volume with fully three times the amount of

matter contained in a Number of our Magazine. The large Catalogue will

extend to a number of volumes, and will constitute a comprehensive

Cyclopædia of the Industry of the Nineteenth Century. The American

contributions do not fulfill the expectations that had been raised. From

the amount of space asked, it was supposed that the contributions from

the United States would exceed those from any other foreign country with

the exception of France, which proves to be by no means the case; apart

from their number, the American contributions, consisting to a

considerable extent of raw materials, are not of a nature to be fully

appreciated by ordinary visitors when brought into immediate contact

with the more ornamental products of European industry. Mr. Riddle, the

American commissioner, notwithstanding the sneers of the English press,

writes that in every respect save that of number these contributions are

worthy of the country. He urges that immediate and strenuous exertions

be made to supply the deficiency, stating that the Exhibition will

remain open till late in the autumn, and articles will be received until

the first of August. The effect of the Exhibition has been in many

respects different from what was anticipated. Those who had expected to

make fortunes by supplying the wants of visitors have been woefully

disappointed. The current sets from London almost as rapidly as to it,

so that at no time is the population sensibly augmented. The visitors

spend comparatively little, and the shopkeepers complain of unusual

dullness. The Exhibition has taken the place of theatres and other

places of amusement, which are, to a great extent, kept open at a loss.

Some apprehensions were felt of tumult, or at least of an inconvenient

pressure, when the price of admission should be reduced to a shilling;

and a few precautions were taken to prevent the evil. These fears were

found to be altogether gratuitous. On the first day only about 20,000

visitors were present, though the building will amply accommodate 60,000

at a time. As apprehension wore off the number rapidly rose to upward of

50,000 a day. The order and decorum observed by those who paid the

reduced price has not been inferior to that of those who paid the

highest. The Queen makes visits to the Exhibition, even on the shilling

days.

In Parliament the Ecclesiastical Titles Bill advances slowly through the

House of Commons, opposed most pertinaciously at every step by a small

band of members, mostly Irish Catholics, who take every occasion to

embarrass its progress by calls for a division, and motions for

adjournment. As it is not made a question between the great parties, the

majorities in its favor are very large; at the final vote the majority

can not well be less than ten to one. The Ministers are alternately

victorious and beaten on subordinate questions, but there seems a tacit

understanding on the part of the Opposition, that no measure of

sufficient importance to force them to resign shall be pressed against

them; and on the part of the Ministers, that they will not abandon the

conduct of affairs on account of minor checks. The motion for a vote of

censure on Lord Torrington, as Governor of Ceylon, the last important

measure to be brought forward, was lost, by a majority of 80, so that

the position of the Ministers is assured for the remainder of the

session. The bill to appoint visitors to inspect female convents and

religious houses has been rejected.

The decision of the Courts, made last year, adverse to copyrights of

foreigners, has been reversed. The decision now is, that a foreigner who

publishes a book originally in Great Britain, whether it be written

there or abroad, is entitled to a copyright. This decision is not

absolutely final, as an appeal is open to the House of Lords. At a

meeting of publishers interested in cheap reprints it was resolved to

bring the matter before the Lords, with a view to a final decision of

the question. A subscription was entered into to defray the expenses of

the procedure.

A Protectionist meeting and dinner was held at Tamworth, the residence

of the late Sir Robert Peel. It was looked upon as a wanton insult to

the memory of the great Free Trade statesman, and was attacked by a mob

and dispersed.

THACKERAY, the most brilliant writer of the day, Dickens, in our

judgment, not excepted, is delivering a course of lectures on the

English Humorists. The lectures are received with great favor by an

audience fit and not few. The first was upon Swift, and was a striking

portraiture of that able, unscrupulous, and baffled clerical adventurer.

The second lecture was upon Congreve, the most worthless, and Addison,

the most amiable of the English Humorists. His treatment of Addison is

characterized as more brilliant than any thing Addison himself ever

produced. His appearance is thus described: "Thackeray in the rostrum is

not different from Thackeray any where else. It is the same strange,

anomalous, striking aspect: the face and contour of child--of the

round-cheeked humorous boy, who presumes so saucily on being liked, and

liked for his very impudence--grown large without losing its infantile

roundness or simplicity; the sad grave eyes looking forth--through the

spectacles that help them, but baffle you with their blank dazzle--from

the deep vaults of that vast skull, over that gay, enjoying smile; the

curly hair of youth, but gray with years, brought before their time by

trouble and thought. Those years, rich in study, have produced the

consummate artist."

FRANCE.

The revision of the Constitution occupies public attention to the almost

entire exclusion of every other topic. On the 28th of May the National

Assembly entered upon the third year of its existence, when by the

Constitution it is competent to consider the question of revision. Some

very exciting and stormy debates have occurred. The plans and wishes of

parties begin to develop themselves. The Bonapartists desire an

alteration in but a single point: that which renders the President

ineligible for a second term at the conclusion of the first. The

Monarchists are in favor of a revision, by which they mean an entire

abolition of the republican Constitution, and the establishment of a

monarchy. The Legitimatists are eager for the restoration of the

Bourbons; the Orleanists for the elevation of the heir of

Louis-Philippe. A union of these two branches of the Monarchists is not

impossible, since the Count of Chambord, the Bourbon heir, is childless,

and his elevation to the throne would be only a postponement of the

claims of the House of Orleans. The Revolutionists of all classes have a

large majority in the Assembly, but not the requisite constitutional

three-fourths. The Republicans of all shades, who unite to oppose the

revision, number fully 250 members, and 188 is all that they need to

prevent its accomplishment without a violation of the Constitution. They

announce their determination to defend the Constitution at all hazards.

Petitions pour in from all quarters in favor of a revision, and it is

hoped that they will be sufficiently numerous to declare that the will

of the nation is in favor of it; in which case the Assembly may take

upon itself the responsibility of setting aside the letter of the

Constitution, and appealing to the nation for a vindication of its

course. In the event of the calling of a Convention a further question

is to be considered as to whether the delegates shall be elected by

universal suffrage, or under the present restrictive laws. The Ministry

now in office seem pledged to the latter, while the _Constitutionnel_,

understood to be the organ of the President, advocates universal

suffrage. From this it is inferred that Bonaparte intends to keep the

choice open to himself of selecting either scheme which events shall

indicate to be most favorable to his interests. The probabilities now

are that the national desire will be found to be so decidedly in favor

of the continuance of the President in office, that the prohibitory

article will be altered in his favor. He has this great advantage over

his opponents, that he is one and they are many.

In Algeria some severe encounters have recently taken place. Early in

May the French troops entered Kabylia, and a series of engagements took

place in which the Kabyles were defeated with great loss.

The editor of the _Charivari_ has been condemned to an imprisonment of

six months and a fine of 2000 francs for having published a caricature

representing the Constitution set up as a mark, and the President

offering a reward to the person who should shoot it down. The artist who

designed the print was also sentenced to a fine of 200 francs, and

imprisonment for two months.

GERMANY.

The Dresden Conference closed on the 4th of May. The Frankfort Diet

recommenced its sittings with as little formality as though the last

three years had never existed, and it was re-assembling after an

ordinary adjournment. The sovereigns of Russia, Prussia, and Austria,

have had a fraternal meeting at Warsaw, preparatory to a more formal

conference at Olmutz. The Emperor of Russia was especially gracious to

the King of Prussia. The Prussian Chambers adjourned on the 11th, having

rendered still more stringent the laws for the regulation of the press.

The Royal speech was delivered by proxy. It stated that in whatever form

revolution might show itself, the Government would be found firm, and

Prussia armed. The threatening position assumed by the enemies of order

rendered it the urgent duty of all German Governments no longer to leave

Germany without a central power; and whether they returned to the old

form of the Diet, or whether the plans of re-organization, by no means

abandoned, should be carried into effect, the independent development of

Prussia would in neither case be endangered. The Austrian Government was

busy in endeavors to improve the financial condition of the empire,

which is in a lamentable state of disorganization.

SOUTHERN EUROPE.

In PORTUGAL the insurrection under the Duke of Saldanha has proved

entirely successful. His rival, the Count of Thomar has fled to England.

The royal consort has been deprived of the command of the army. The Duke

of Saldanha has formed a ministry of his partisans, he himself taking

the post of President of the Council, with actual dictatorial authority.

In SPAIN the farce of an election of members of Cortes has been enacted.

A large majority of the members returned are in favor of the Government.

A _Concordat_ with the Roman Court has been unofficially made public.

Various ecclesiastical regulations are agreed upon. The Catholic

religion is to be the only one tolerated. Public education and the

superintendence of the press and of books introduced into the country

are to be committed to the clergy. Serious disturbances had broken out

among the students of the University of Madrid, which called for the

intervention of the police, in the course of which a number of the

students were severely injured. The tumult arose from personal, not

political causes.

In ITALY the most prominent subject of interest is literally one of

smoke. The various Governments derive a large revenue from the duties

upon tobacco. The malcontents make a demonstration of their hatred to

the Governments by abstaining from the use of the weed, and endeavoring

to induce others, sometimes by no gentle means, to do the same. At

Bologna the Austrian commandant was obliged to issue an ordinance

threatening punishment upon those who offered violence to peaceable

citizens by hindering them from using tobacco either for smoking or as

snuff. At Rome the state of things is much the same. Continual

encounters take place between the French soldiers and the Romans. The

French commander has suppressed all permission to carry arms in

consequence. Fire-arms, swords, and poinards, were ordered to be

surrendered by a certain day, after which domiciliary visits would be

made, and all persons found having weapons in their possession, were to

be tried by court-martial. Persons carrying sword-canes to be arrested

and fined.

Literary Notices.

_Memoirs of William Wordsworth_, Vol. I., by his nephew, CHRISTOPHER

WORDSWORTH, edited by HENRY REED, and published by Ticknor, Reed, and

Fields, will disappoint those who have anticipated an abundance of

interesting personal details in the biography of its illustrious

subject. It is the history of his mind, not of his external life. The

incidents of his peculiar career were the successive births of his

poems. No man ever led a more self-contained, interior, subjective life

than Wordsworth, and hence the development of thought takes the place in

his biography which is usually occupied by the flow of events. Every

object was valued by him in proportion as it furnished the materials of

poetry. The aspects of the glorious mountain region in which he had

established his household gods, the intercourse of society in which,

during the later portion of his life, he took a conspicuous part, on

account of the influx of visitors that besieged his retired,

contemplative haunts, the manifestations of the contemporary literature

of the day in its wonderful, pregnant phases, and the strong current of

political excitements throughout a most eventful period of English

history, never disturbed the deep, placid stream of the poet's

existence, or seduced him from the exclusive communion with the realms

of fancy and reflection, to which he was wedded by ties of indissoluble

fealty. His biographer has been true to this cardinal fact, which

characterizes the identity of Wordsworth. He has aimed only to explain

the genesis of his poems, in a manner to make them the historians of

their author. The critical disquisitions which thus arise often possess

great interest, and furnish suggestive lessons which few living poets

can study without profit. Numerous extracts from the correspondence of

Wordsworth are given in this volume, which are marked by his usual

gravity and intenseness of reflection, but are destitute of the

spontaneous ease which forms the chief beauty of epistolary writing. On

the whole, we regard this biography as eminently instructive, presenting

many noticeable facts in psychology and literary history, and well

rewarding an attentive study, but of so uniformly a didactic cast as to

grow tedious in perusal, and likely to find few readers beyond the

circle of Wordsworth's enthusiastic admirers.

_The Religion of Geology and its Connected Sciences_, by EDWARD

HITCHCOCK, President of Amherst College (published by Phillips, Sampson,

and Co.), presents in a compact, popular form, the latest established

results of geological investigation, in connection with their bearings

on revealed religion. In the opinion of President Hitchcock, a large

proportion of the works which have been written within the last thirty

years on this subject, excepting those of J. Pye Smith, Dr. Chalmers,

Dr. Harris, Dr. Buckland, Professor Sedgewick, Professor Whewell, Dr.

King, Dr. Anderson, Hugh Miller, and similar writers, have shown a

deficiency of the knowledge essential to a mastery of the question. A

number of authors, though familiar with the Bible, had no accurate

knowledge of geology, and by resorting to the denunciation of their

opponents, have excited a gross and unfounded prejudice against the

cultivators of that science, and at the same time have awakened a

disgust among intelligent students, who have inferred the weakness of

their cause from the folly of its defense. The subject is discussed in

the present volume with a large, philosophical comprehension, and with

distinguished ability. Faithful to the substantial deductions of

science, it strenuously defends the received principles of religion and

presents, from its elevated point of view, a variety of conclusions of

no less importance to natural theology, than to a lucid conception of

the structure of the material universe.

_The Glens_ (published by Charles Scribner) is a new novel, by J.L.

M'CONNEL, the author of "Grahame," and "Talbot and Vernon," who now

comes before the public for the first time under his own name. The plot

and execution of "The Glens" sufficiently resemble his former

productions to betray the identity of their origin. With greater

compression of style, and a more natural development of incident, it

exhibits the same passion for dealing with legal evidence, and the same

acute and comprehensive analysis of character, which distinguish the

other writings of the author. He certainly possesses a rare power of

clothing the darker emotions of the soul with a life-like naturalness,

and depicting the excesses of stern and sullen passion in colors that

are no less abhorrent than truthful. The plot of this novel is one of

terrible intensity, though it can not be charged with extravagance. The

prevailing gloom of the story is happily relieved by the descriptions of

Western manners and scenery, which are lively and picturesque, and at

the same time, as we have reason to believe, remarkable for their exact

fidelity. We think the success of this work must decide the vocation of

the author. He has already gained a reputation in American literature of

which he may justly be proud. We shall look with interest for the future

creations of his genius, which with the increasing polish of their

execution, we are confident, will not lose their natural fragrant

freshness, nor their bold masculine vitality.

_The History of Cleopatra_, by JACOB ABBOTT, a new volume of his

Historical Series, publishing by Harper and Brothers, presents a subject

of considerable delicacy for the pen of its grave and highly ethical

author. He seems to be aware of the difficulty at the outset. "The story

of Cleopatra," he observes, "is a story of crime. It is a narrative of

the course and the consequences of unlawful love. In her strange and

romantic history we see this passion portrayed with the most complete

and graphic fidelity, in all its influences and effects, its

uncontrollable impulses, its intoxicating joys, its reckless and mad

career, and the dreadful remorse, and ultimate despair and ruin in which

it always and inevitably ends." But Mr. Abbott has disposed of the

uncongenial theme with his accustomed ingenuity and good sense. Without

vailing the character of the voluptuous queen, or concealing the

poetical aspects of her romantic history, he delineates the events in

her life, for which she is now chiefly remembered, with a naïve

simplicity that becomes piquant from its apparent artlessness. Nor does

he indulge, to any disagreeable excess, in the superfluous moralizing

which a less shrewd writer would have deemed essential to the effect. He

leaves the story to assert its own moral. The reader, who chooses, may

find it for himself.

C.S. Francis and Co. have republished a new volume of _Poems_, by

ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING, containing "Prometheus Bound," "A Lament for

Adonis," "Casa Guidi Windows," and a variety of miscellaneous pieces.

They bear the authentic impress of Mrs. Browning's peculiar genius,

abounding in bursts of noble inspiration, combined with the workings of

earnest reflection, and expressed in a style which is no less remarkable

for the richness of its classic adornings, than for its wild, erratic

strength, and its frequent displays of an almost puerile simplicity.

The typographical appearance of this volume is very neat.

The Third and last Volume of HUMBOLDT'S _Cosmos_, in Otté's translation,

is issued by Harper and Brothers, embracing a general view of the

discoveries of astronomical science, considered in two divisions,

namely, the region of the fixed stars, and our solar and planetary

system. This portion of Humboldt's great work is characterized by the

sublime brevity, the profound comprehensiveness, the affluence of

physical facts, and the reverent modesty of speculation which

distinguish the philosophical writings of the author, and which are in

such admirable harmony with the impressive dignity of the theme. In the

Introduction to the present volume, Humboldt gives an historical review

of the attempts to reduce the phenomena of the universe to a grand

central unity, including the labors of Anaxagoras, Aristotle, Giordano

Bruno, Descartes, and Sir Isaac Newton. The problem, as he conclusively

shows, still remains to be solved. The present imperfect state of

physical science offers insuperable obstacles to a speedy solution. New

substances and new forces are constantly brought to light, nor can we

escape from the conviction that no observation or analysis has yet

exhausted the number of impelling, producing, and formative agencies.

"The great and solemn spirit," Humboldt remarks, "which pervades the

intellectual labor in question arises from the sublime consciousness of

striving toward the infinite, and of grasping all that is revealed to us

amid the boundless and inexhaustible fullness of creation, development,

and being." The fidelity to this sentiment which is every where apparent

in "Cosmos," is no less remarkable than the compactness of its reasoning

and the wealth of its details, and to the mind imbued with the genuine

spirit of science, invests this extraordinary work with a perpetual

charm.

A useful educational work has just been issued by A.S. Barnes and Co.,

entitled _The Orthoepist_, by JAMES H. MARTIN, comprising a selection of

nearly two thousand English words, which are supposed to be especially

liable to an incorrect pronunciation. The tables of words are

illustrated by exercises in reading, which exhibit both the diligence

and the ingenuity of the author in a favorable light. We have no doubt

that this little work might be used to great advantage by a skillful

instructor, besides forming a convenient manual for private

consultation.

_The Heir of Wast-Wayland_, by MARY HOWITT (published by Harper and

Brothers), is the latest production of its charming author, written with

more vigor and not less sweetness than the popular stories which have

given her such a beautiful fame as a writer of graceful and touching

fiction. The best-drawn character in this tale is Richard Ellworthy, a

designing, subtle villain, whose bold and crafty manoeuvres are

depicted in striking contrast with several admirable specimens of

feminine loveliness, and a few touches of Quaker life, which pervade the

volume with their pure, refreshing influence. The unmistakable power of

this story, no less than its delightful domestic spirit, will win a

heart-felt welcome for it among the numerous American friends of Mary

and William Howitt.

_A Grandmother's Recollections_, by ELLA RODMAN (published by Charles

Scribner), is a natural, affectionate, and delightful narrative of early

days, purporting to be from a charming old lady, who has both a

retentive memory and an enviable gift of genial, winning expression.

MAYHEW'S _London Labor and the London Poor_, of which we have the

seventh number, from the press of Harper and Brothers, continues to

exhibit an appalling picture of the lower strata of civilization in

London society. In connection with the magnificent displays of English

industry and art, which are exciting the admiration of the world in the

Crystal Palace, Mr. Mayhew's disclosures afford a pregnant commentary on

the moral effects of the present intensely competitive system of labor

and commerce. His revelations are startling, at times almost incredible,

but always instructive. His facts are arranged, no doubt, with a view to

effect, but they are sustained by ample evidence, and are more

impressive, from being free from theory or speculation. They are

fruitful of suggestion to every thinking mind.

_Ida_ is the title of an anonymous poem in three books, published by

James Monroe and Co., Boston. Polished and graceful to an uncommon

degree in its versification, this little poem exhibits a fine

contemplative vein, and a pervading tone of genuine pathos. The

influence of favorite authors is too perceptible in its composition for

entire originality, many of the lines sounding like reminiscences of

favorite strains.

_Land and Lee in the Bosphorus and Egean_, is a new volume of Rev.

WALTER COLTON'S Collected Works, edited by Rev. HENRY T. CHEEVER, and

published by A.S. Barnes and Co. It is the substance of a work published

during Mr. Colton's life-time, under the title of "Visit to Athens and

Constantinople," with additions from the original manuscripts of the

author, and revised and condensed by the editor. Mercurial, sketchy, and

incoherent, tasting strongly of the salt water and the ship's-cabin,

enlivened with occasional flashes of harmless vanity, it rewards the

attention of the reader by its lively, rapid descriptions, its unfailing

fund of good humor, and its local and geographical details, which are

frequently instructive and entertaining. The snatches of common-place

sentimentality, which the author appears to indulge in both as a matter

of taste and from a sense of duty, might safely be dispensed with.

_History of the Protestants of France_, by G. DE FELICE, translated by

HENRY LOBDELL, M.D. (published by Edward Walker), is a lucid, popular

narrative of the development of French Protestantism from the

Reformation to the present time. The author is well-known among the

living religious writers of France, as a man of learning, ability, and

zeal. His style combines great vivacity of expression with a tone of

earnest and profound reflection. The present work is evidently the fruit

of conscientious research, and though making no pretensions to

impartiality, is written without bitterness. The translation is executed

with care, and although by no means a model in its kind, is generally

free from glaring faults. Some general views are advanced in the Preface

which will be read with interest in the present state of the Catholic

controversy.

_Para; or, Scenes and Adventures on the Banks of the Amazon_, by JOHN

ESAIAS WARREN (published by G.P. Putnam), is a spirited volume of

travels in Brazil, by a very susceptible observer and fluent writer. The

pictures of South American life which he delineates with enthusiastic

unction, are soft and sunny, presenting a delicious profusion of

enchantments. According to his mellow descriptions, the equator has a

decided advantage over these dull, temperate, hyperborean regions.

The edition of _The Life and Writings of George Herbert_, published by

James Munroe and Co., contains the Life of Herbert, abridged from Izaak

Walton, The Temple, and The Country Parson, together with the

Synagogue, an imitation usually accompanying his works. The quaint

felicities and pious unction of this earnest-minded old English poet and

divine, with his sweet and saintly spirit, will always keep his memory

fresh among the readers of the best contemplative literature. We are

glad to possess his inimitable productions in such a convenient and

beautiful American edition.

_Caleb Field_, by the author of "Passages in the Life of Mrs. Margaret

Maitland" (published by Harper and Brothers), is a religious story of

the English Puritan age, distinguished for the characteristic sweetness

and pathos of the earnest and powerful writer. The heroine, Edith Field,

is a charming creation. The daughter of a stern Puritan clergyman, who

devotes himself to the spiritual care of his flock during the prevalence

of the Great Plague, she ministers to their temporal needs with the

constancy of a martyr, and the gentleness of an angel. Her beautiful

nature presents an admirable relief to the scenes of stern and dark

passion which are portrayed. The lights and shades of the story are

managed with genuine artistic effect. Though constructed of slight

materials, and absolutely without pretension, it must be regarded as a

truly exquisite gem.

_First Things_, by GARDINER SPRING, D.D. (published by M.W. Dodd), is

the title of a series of lectures upon a number of great facts and moral

lessons contained in the early portions of the Scriptures, composed in a

style of grave and harmonious beauty, characteristic of the venerable

author. The distinguishing features of the theological school to which

Dr. Spring belongs are brought unshrinkingly forward, constituting as

they do, in his opinion, vital and essential portions of the system of

revealed religion. We meet with occasional interpretations and

expositions of Scripture which, though formerly accepted, had, we

supposed, been generally set aside by the investigations of modern

criticism; and some of the topics treated of, while essential to the

plan of the work, require a degree of violence to comprise them under

the somewhat fanciful title selected. These volumes are dedicated to the

flock under the pastoral care of the author, and can not fail to prove a

welcome and appropriate memorial, to the two generations to whom his

unbroken ministrations have been addressed, of one of the ablest and

most honored divines who have adorned the American pulpit.

_Yeast. A Problem._ (Harper and Brothers.) Under this quaint title, the

author of "Alton Locke" has collected into a volume a series of papers

formerly contributed to Frazer's Magazine. Not so radical, so fantastic,

nor so vigorous as many portions of the "Autobiography of a Tailor,"

dealing more with religious, and less with social questions, written in

a more obscure and uncertain stage of experience, this production is a

sparkling effervescing fragment, abounding in passages of singular

beauty and heart-rending pathos, with some delineations of character,

which, for originality of conception and force of coloring, can rarely

be matched in contemporary literature. The work is abrupt, spasmodic,

and, of course, very unequal in its execution; the plot serves only as

an apology for the exhibition of psychological studies; and although it

breaks off with little warning and no satisfaction, its perusal can not

fail to touch the deepest sympathies of the reader.

Stanford and Swords have published a neat edition of _The Angel's Song,

a Christmas Token_, by CHARLES B. TAYLOR, one of the best religious

stories of that popular writer. His style is marked by a beautiful

simplicity, which gives an unfailing freshness to his narrative, while

his skill in availing himself of the most effective incidents

challenges the constant curiosity of the reader. The volume is got up in

a uniform style with the seven preceding volumes, forming a valuable

series for the family or parish library.

_Stuart of Dunleath_, by Mrs. NORTON. (Harper and Brothers.) With scarce

an exception, no novel of the present season has received such

enthusiastic praise from the English press as this brilliant production.

The style is no less chaste and exquisite, than the plot is deep and

absorbing. Variety, movement, passion, and intense interest, pervade the

whole narrative, which, at the same time, is singularly natural,

depending for its effect on its truthful revelations of character and

life. In the profusion of superior novels which have recently made their

appearance, we can not hesitate to yield the pre-eminence to "Stuart of

Dunleath."

_Isabella_ is the subject of the Sixth Tale in the Girlhood of

_Shakspeare's Heroines_, by MARY COWDEN CLARKE, published by Geo. P.

Putnam. The narrative shows the fertility of invention which

characterizes all the Tales of the present series, and as an exercise of

fanciful ingenuity, is not inferior to any which have preceded it. The

reverence for Shakspeare, which is an inwrought element in the character

of the author, may palliate, if it does not excuse the presumption of

her enterprise. It must be confessed that her success thus far has to a

great degree falsified the predictions which the announcement of her

plan called forth.

_The Solitary of Juan Fernandez_, by the author of _Picciola_,

translated from the French, by ANNE T. WILBUR (published by Ticknor,

Reed, and Fields), is founded on the Life of Alexander Selkirk, whose

adventures it employs to enforce the moral lesson of the importance of

society. The story is constructed with the subtle delicacy of conception

which pervades the charming Picciola, and contains several passages of

exquisite beauty. In presenting a vivid picture of the pernicious

influence of solitude on the human faculties, the author claims a

greater fidelity to nature than was exercised by De Foe, whose Robinson

Crusoe, he maintains, completely alters the mental physiognomy of his

model. Robinson is not a man in a state of entire isolation, but is, in

fact, a European developing the resources of his industry, while

contending with a barren soil and ferocious enemies. Without comparing

the present work with the immortal production of De Foe, which regards

the history in another point of view, we must allow it the merit of a

rich poetical fancy, and uncommon felicity of expression. The

translation shows some marks of haste, but, on the whole, is gracefully

executed.

_Not so Bad as We Seem_ is the title of Sir E. BULWER LYTTON'S new

Comedy (published by Harper and Brothers), written for the benefit of

the Guild of Literature and Art, and performed with brilliant eclat at

Devonshire House, by a company of literary amateurs. The part taken in

its representation by Dickens, Douglas Jerrold, John Forster, Marston,

Wilkie Collins, and other men of prominent intellectual distinction, has

given a remarkable prestige to this play, independent of its actual

merits. It can not fail to be sought with avidity, both from interest in

the occasion, and the popularity of the author. Nor is it altogether

unworthy of his great reputation. The construction of the plot shows his

usual fertility of resource, and the dialogue, which is various and

spirited, is managed with no small skill. The scene is laid in London

during the reign of George I., and the incidents are drawn from the

political manoeuvres of that day.

Editor's Drawer.

Doubtless there are few men, who at all enjoy their own thoughts, or

books, the printed thoughts of others, either of the past, or in the

present, but have preserved in some form what impressed them favorably

or interested them deeply. Some elaborate at night, after their hours of

business are over, a daily record, or diary, in which are set down many

of the "choice things" and all the "remarkable occurrences," to which

the day may have given rise. Others--and they are not only wise but

benevolent--do not selfishly shut up these things between the covers of

a private manuscript-volume, but copy them off in a fair hand, and send

them to the editor of some clever journal or magazine, where they are

soon "known and read of all men"--and women. Now _we_ have a collection

of the kind to which we have alluded. When scribbled, they have been

thrown into a drawer of the table whereon they were written. They are of

all kinds and descriptions; of matters humorous and of matters pathetic:

some have come warm from the heart--others come fresh from the fancy.

Many things from the lips of others have been preserved, some of which

drew tears from eyes unused to weep; while, on the other hand, and in

respect of _other_ things, the "water of mirth" has crept into the same

eyes. Of such are the materials of our collection. There will be found

in them no attempts at "fine writing;" for that is a thing as much

beyond our inclination as our power. Simplicity, earnestness, a desire

to put down plainly our own natural thoughts and meditations, and the

brief, amusing, or instructive thoughts of others--these are the means

and this the purpose of our "_Editor's Drawer_." Wherefore, reader,

perpend the first "batch," and patiently await a second and a better.

* * * * *

How much there is in the power of a single felicitous word in poetry,

toward making a perfect picture to the mind of the reader! It often

invests an inanimate object with almost actual life, and makes the

landscape a sentient thing. Here are a few lines that live in our

memory--from PROCTOR, BARRY CORNWALL, if we do not mistake--which are

eminently in illustration of this. The poet is sitting at night-fall

upon a green meadow-bank, with his little daughter by his side, looking

at the setting sun, and the twilight exhalations colored by its evening

beams:

"----Here will we sit,

The while the sun goes down the glowing west,

And drink the balmy air

Exhaling from the meadows; the nectarous breath

Which EARTH sends upward _when her lord, the Sun_,

_Kisses her cheek at parting_."

There is action as well as vitality in this beautiful simile. SHAKSPEARE

paints similarly, when he says:

"How soft the moonlight _sleeps_ upon yon bank!"

Now, suppose he had written "_rests_ upon yon bank?" how tame, in

comparison, would the word have been; and yet it would be equally

"correct." What is it that gives to the following line from CAMPBELL'S

"Battle of Hohenlinden" its almost terrific force, but a single word:

"Far flashed the _red_ artillery!"

That little word of one syllable sets the distant horizon all a-glow

with the bursting flames from the deep-mouthed ordnance. Wherefore, ye

minor bardlings, look to your accessories.

* * * * *

It was impossible not to laugh when the following circumstance was

mentioned the other day in our hearing: A lady, whose little child had

by accident partaken of something which it was feared would inflame or

distend its bowels, was awakened in the night by the bursting of a

yeast-bottle, in an adjoining closet. "Husband!" she exclaimed "get up!

get up! BETSEY has exploded! I heard her explode this minute!"--and

nothing short of lighting a candle, and going to the apartment where the

little girl slept would convince her of the unreality of her ridiculous

impression.

* * * * *

The memories of childhood, after a mature age has been attained, are

more powerful than many people are aware of. And especially is this the

case, in reference to the religious observances which first arrest the

attention of children. Our annual anniversaries, which bring to the

Great Metropolis so many ministers of different denominations, are

fruitful examples of the strong memories of children in this respect.

With the familiar faces of the clergymen who ministered before him in

holy things in his boyhood, come back to the city denizen fresh memories

of his early life in the country; the plain village-church, with its

farmer-occupants; the "tiding-men," who used to pull his ears, and make

him change his seat, when he was restive under the delays and restraints

of the sanctuary. "Do you see that white-haired old gentleman?" said a

friend to us in the crowded Tabernacle, at a late religious anniversary,

pointing to a venerable clergyman, the personification of solemn

dignity. He was our minister in the country nearly forty years ago, and

he was called "_old_ Mr. L----" then. How well I remember his baptizing

my little sister!--and it seemed but a _dream_ of time, afterward, when

I saw him marry her to a young man who had won her heart; and in less

than two years afterward he uncovered his white head at her grave, and

endeavored to speak words of consolation to her bereaved friends. The

last time I heard him in the country was at a conference-meeting, on a

summer afternoon, at the little school-house; and well do I recollect

how, as the late twilight drew on, and I was looking out upon the

deepening green of the trees that surrounded the humble building, his

voice trembled with emotion as he read the parting hymn:

'The day is past and gone,

The evening shades appear;

Oh, may we all remember well,

The night of DEATH draws near!

'We lay our garments by,

Upon our beds to rest;

So DEATH will soon disrobe us all

Of what we here possessed.'

"I should like," continued our friend, as we walked away after the

services were over; "I should like to go home to die, when it shall

please GOD to call me away, and have that good old man, the friend and

director of my boyhood, speak a few words over my last remains."

* * * * *

It is a pleasant thing, once in a while, to encounter a man of

imperturbable good-nature; and such a one it was, who recently, at one

of our hotels, after pulling some dozen of times at his bell, which

continued unanswered, all at once said to a friend who was in his

apartment: "I wonder if it's because I keep pulling at that bell so,

that they don't come up! I'm afraid it is, really. Perhaps they're

offended at me!" Even _such_ patience is better than loud grumbling in a

tavern-hall, and vociferous "bully-ragging" of servants.

Somebody--and we know not whom, for it is an old faded yellow

manuscript scrap in our drawer--thus rebukes an Englishman's aspiration

to be "independent of foreigners:" A French cook dresses his dinner for

him, and a Swiss valet dresses him for his dinner. He hands down his

lady, decked with pearls that never grew in the shell of a British

oyster, and her waving plume of ostrich-feathers certainly never formed

the tail of a barn-door fowl. The viands of his table are from all

countries of the world; his wines are from the banks of the Rhine and

the Rhone. In his conservatory he regales his sight with the blossoms of

South American flowers; in his smoking-room he gratifies his scent with

the weed of North America. His favorite horse is of Arabian blood; his

pet dog of the St. Bernard breed. His gallery is rich with pictures from

the Flemish school, and statues from Greece. For his amusement he goes

to hear Italian singers warble German music, followed by a French

ballet. The ermine that decorates his judges was never before on a

British animal. His very mind is not English in its attainments: it is a

mere pic-nic of foreign contributions. His poetry and philosophy are

from ancient Greece and Rome; his geometry from Alexandria; his

arithmetic from Arabia, and his religion from Palestine. In his cradle,

in his infancy, he rubbed his gums with coral from oriental oceans; and

when he dies, he is buried in a coffin made from wood that grew on a

foreign soil, and his monument will be sculptured in marble from the

quarries of Carrara. A pretty sort of man this, to talk of being

"independent of foreigners!"

* * * * *

Parodies, as a general thing, are rather indifferent reading. The

"Rejected Addresses" and "Warrenniana," however, are brilliant

exceptions to this remark. One of the most happy native exhibitions of

this sort that we have seen, is a parody upon the Scottish song of

"_Jessie, the Flower of Dunblane_," written by a distinguished jurist in

Pennsylvania:

"Oh, shweet ish de lily mit its prown yellow plossom,

Und so ish de meadow, all covered mit green;

But noding's so sweet, nor yet sticks in my posom,

Like sweet liddel KATY, vot lives on de plain:

She's pashful as any--like her dere's not many;

She's neider high-larnt, nor yet foolish, nor vain;

Und he's a great villain, mitout any feelin',

Dat vould hurt vonce my KITTY, vot lives on de plain."

* * * * *

In a story which we once heard related by an Englishman, there seemed to

us so good an exemplification of one phase of human incredulity,

overcome by superior cunning, that we could not resist the inclination

to "make a note of it." A fat, burly English landlord was sitting one

afternoon at the door of his inn, in a provincial town not a hundred

miles from London, when a person entered the house, and after

complimenting its cleanliness and snug appearance, ordered a good dinner

and a bottle of wine. The dinner, when ready, was laid in an upper

apartment, looking out upon a pleasant garden; and after it had been

thoroughly discussed, and the wine sipped luxuriously to the bottom of

the bottle, the satisfied guest sent for his host, and when he entered

the room, thus addressed him: "You have a fine inn here, landlord--a

_very_ fine inn: every thing is particularly nice--in fact, what _I_

call comfortable." The landlord expressed his gratification. "I shall

have great pleasure," continued the guest, without noticing the

interruption, "in recommending your house to my friends in town. There

remains only _one_ thing more to mention, landlord; and as the subject

is one which I have reason to think will be as unpleasant to you as to

myself, I will express it in a few words. I have not, at this moment,

any money; but I will be here again in--" "_No money_!" exclaimed the

landlord, in a voice husky with anger. "NO MONEY!! then why did you come

to the 'Hen-and-Chickens' and run up a bill that you can't pay? Get out

of my house this instant! Go! walk!" "I expected this," replied the

guest, rising; "I anticipated this treatment; nor can I much blame you,

landlord, to tell you the truth, for you don't _know_ me. Because you

sometimes meet with deception, you think _I_ am deceiving you; but I

pledge you my honor that a fortnight from this day I will be with you

again, and you will confess your self ashamed of your suspicions." "Bah!

you're a swindler!" ejaculated Boniface; "this will be the last of you:

take _that_!" and with a vigorous _coup de pied_, was "sped the parting

guest." "You will live to regret this, landlord, I am sure; but I do not

blame you, for you are ignorant of my character," was the meek reply to

this gross indignity. Just two weeks from that day, this same ill-used

gentleman (with a traveling friend), was, with many apologies and

protestations, shown into the best room of the celebrated

"Hen-and-Chickens" inn. The landlord's profuse apologies were accepted;

he was forgiven; and even invited to dine with the two friends upon the

best dinner, flanked by the very choicest wines which his house

afforded. When all was finished, and while the landlord, who had become

exceedingly mellow, was protesting that he should never be so suspicious

of a "real gentleman" again, he was interrupted by his first guest with:

"But, landlord, there is _one_ thing which we ought, in justice to you,

to mention. _I_ do not happen to have, at this moment, a single penny;

and, I grieve to say, that my companion, who is a _good_ man, but in a

worldly point of view, very poor, is not a whit better off. Under these

unpleasant circumstances, it becomes, as it were, a necessity, to bid

you a very good evening!" "'Done' twice! the 'Hen and Chickens' 'done'

twice!--and both times exactly alike!" said the landlord, as he went

down to set the swindle to the account of "Profit and Loss."

* * * * *

A forcible example of the necessity of observing accent and punctuation

in reading, was afforded by the careless reader who gave the passage

from the Bible, with the following pauses: "And the old man said unto

his sons, 'Saddle _me_, the ass;' and they saddled _him_!"

* * * * *

The following specimen of sepulchral literature was copied literally

from an old tombstone in Scotland:

"Here lies the body of ALEXANDER MACPHERSON,

Who was a very extraordinary person:

He was two yards high in his stocking-feet,

And kept his accoutrements clean and neat;

He was slew

At the battle of Waterloo:

He was shot by a bullet

Plumb through his gullet;

It went in at his throat,

And came out at the back of his coat."

* * * * *

There is something very ludicrous in the specimens of inanimate

personation mentioned by DICKENS in one of his sketches. One Vauxhall

waiter in London bawls out to another: "I say; look out, BILL; there's a

Brandy-and-water a-gettin' over the railing, and a

Go-o'-gin-and-a-Muffin a-slinkin' out o' the back-gate! Stop 'em,

Bill--stop 'em!"

A Leaf from Punch.

FACTS AND COMMENTS.

BY MR. PUNCH.

There has lately been started a new steam-boat, with the odd title of

the _Emmet_. It certainly is the very worst name for a sea-going craft,

since no one will go on board the _Emmet_ without thinking of an

_Emetic_.... There was a thorough specimen of American Independence

exhibited at the Botanical Gardens by the celebrated American plants,

which were advertised to appear in full bloom, at least three weeks

earlier than they condescended to show themselves. Every one was asking

how it was that the American plants did not show themselves, according

to promise. But they obstinately remained shut up in their buds, as if

when looked for to blossom, their reply had been, "If I do, I'm blowed."

... The French Republic is always represented as wearing the Cap of

Liberty. A fitter head-dress would be a _mob-cap_.... If you wish to

hear all your faults fully canvassed, have your portrait taken, and

invite your friends to come and keep you company.... I hate parrots,

parroquets, and cockatoos. They are odious creatures (screechers)!...

The Dictionary puts down _make_ and _construct_ as synonymous. They do

not, however, mean precisely the same, for an omnibus, which is

_constructed_ to hold twelve persons, is _made_ to hold fourteen, and

sometimes more, especially on wet nights.... The new process of cooking

by gas is a splendid triumph of gas-tronomy.... The reason why lightning

turns milk and beer sour, probably is, that the electric fluid does not

know how to conduct itself any better.... Philosophers have often tried

to explain why a cat runs after a mouse; the reason undoubtedly is,

because the mouse runs away from the cat.

[Illustration: COMPARATIVE LOVE.

_Papa._--"SO, CHARLEY, YOU REALLY ARE IN LOVE WITH THE LITTLE BLACK-EYED

GIRL YOU MET LAST NIGHT?"

_Charley._--"YES, PAPA, I LOVE HER DEARLY!"

_Papa._--"HOW MUCH DO YOU LOVE HER, CHARLEY? DO YOU LOVE HER AS MUCH AS

PUDDING?"

_Charley._--"O YES, PAPA! AND A GREAT DEAL BETTER THAN PUDDING.

BUT--(_pausing to reflect_)--I DO NOT LOVE HER--SO MUCH AS--JELLY!"]

[Illustration: _Wife of his Bosom._--"UPON MY WORD, MR. PEEWITT! IS

THIS THE WAY YOU FILL UP YOUR CENSUS PAPER? SO YOU CALL YOURSELF THE

'HEAD OF THE FAMILY'--DO YOU--AND ME A 'FEMALE?'"]

[Illustration: _First Frenchman._--"MON DIEU, ALPHONSE! LOOK THERE! WHAT

DO YOU CALL THAT MACHINE?"

_Second Frenchman._--"I SEE! IT'S A VERY DROLL AFFAIR, BUT I DON'T KNOW

WHAT IT IS."]

Summer Fashions.

[Illustration: BRIDAL, MORNING, AND VISITING COSTUMES.]

The Summer in all its fervor is now prevailing, and the dictations of

fierce Leo may not be disregarded with impunity. Light textures, only,

are seasonable, and the genius of modists has wrought out beautiful and

appropriate patterns for dresses, bonnets, mantelets, &c. The textures

most in vogue are light silks, taffetas, _barèges_, _mousseline de

soie_, valencias, plain and printed cambric muslins, jaconets, &c. Our

first Illustration exhibits appropriate costume for three phases in the

character of fashion; a bride's dress, a morning costume, and a visiting

dress.

The BRIDAL DRESS, seen on the left, is extremely elegant. The hair is in

short bandeaux and very large. The vail of illusion silk net, is

embroidered above the hem with twelve rows of narrow silk braid put very

near together. It is laid flat on the head and incloses the back hair.

The edge comes on the forehead. The crown is composed of double laurel

flowers, bunches of lilies of the valley, and reed leaves. It goes round

the head behind, and does not meet in front. The foliage reaches forward

and falls all round the head.

The under-dress is of white silk, the upper of India muslin, open in

front, in the body and skirt, so as to show one width of the silk. The

body is almost high. A deep _valenciennes_, scolloped, forms a lapel

down the body and the edges of the skirt. The short pagoda sleeves are

trimmed with rows of _valenciennes_. The body and skirt have several

rows of narrow _valenciennes_, three together at intervals, and so

arranged as to form undulations. These trimmings are fixed to one

insertion: they are not loose, but so fastened as to follow all the

motions of the folds of the skirt. The cross-bands are ornamented on the

body with a silk bow in the middle; on the skirt, with two others placed

at the extremities. A bow on each arm holds up the pagodas. The collar

is plaited; an embroidered insertion, and three rows of _valenciennes_,

undulated like the trimming of the dress. The under-sleeves, of

embroidered muslin at the bottom, are straight, and rather loose at the

wrist. They have an insertion and three rows _of valenciennes_.

The sitting figure shows a MORNING COSTUME composed of taffeta and other

light materials. An elegant and rather gay style is taffeta of a light

gray ground, striped broad, with intervening wreaths of roses. The body

three-quarter height at the back. It opens in a large lapel down each

side of the _tablier_, which is trimmed with fringe, of hues

corresponding with the dress. The fringe is continued from the bottom of

the lapel down each side of the _tablier_. Sleeves are funnel-shaped,

rather more than a half-length, and finished with fringe. Cambric

chemisette, made quite up to the throat, and cambric under-sleeves.

Lemon colored silk or drawn bonnet, the brim very open at the sides. The

interior is trimmed in cap style with tulle; lemon colored _brides_ or

strings.

The figure on the right shows a VISITING DRESS. The body is _à la Louis

XV._; demi-long sleeves of the small pagoda form. A pardessus like a

little pelisse; a close fitting body, moderately open on the bosom;

bordered with a very rich fancy trimming. Wide sleeves descending to the

hand, and terminated with fancy trimming and a rich fringe. The skirt is

short behind, but nearly a half length in front, open before, and

trimmed round the bottom with three rows of fringe laid on as flounces.

Rice straw bonnet; a very small open brim, the interior trimmed with

tufts of red and yellow roses and their foliage, and white _brides_. The

exterior of the bonnet is decorated with a wreath of the same flowers,

intermixed with thin foliage, and light sprigs of small white flowers

and buds.

[Illustration: FIG. 2.--BONNETS.]

Bonnets continue to be made small and very open in front. Light silks

are fashionable. These are covered by rows of white festooned ribbon, as

seen in the second Illustration of Fig. 2. Others have white lace on the

front, over the centre, and upon the crown and curtain; as seen in the

other Illustration. Florence straw, gauze, tulle, crape, and crapelisse,

are more fashionable and much more seasonable. Rice straw bonnets are

very much in vogue this season. The general forms of bonnets have not

much changed since our last report.

[Illustration: TURKISH COSTUME.]

There appears to be a decided and growing tendency on the part of our

countrywomen, to wear the trowsers. If _properly_ done, we certainly can

not object. For some time past indications of an invasion, by the

ladies, of men's peculiar domain in dress, incited by the strong-minded

Miss Webers of the day, have been tangible, but the frowns of Fashion

have hitherto kept the revolutionists quiet, and ladies' dresses have

every month been increasing in longitude, until train-bearers are

becoming necessary. It is conceded by all that the dresses of prevailing

immoderate length, sweeping the ground at every step, are among the

silliest foibles of Fashion; expensive, inconvenient, and untidy.

Recently, in several places, practical reformers, as bold as Joan d'Arc,

have discarded the trailing skirts, and adopted the far more convenient,

equally chaste, and more elegant dresses of Oriental women. Some

ridicule them; others sneer contemptuously or laugh incredulously, and

others commend them for their taste and courage. We are disposed to be

placed in the latter category; and to show our good-will, we present,

above, a sketch of ORIENTAL COSTUME, as a model for our fair reformers.

What can be more elegant and graceful, particularly for young ladies?

The style is based upon good taste, and, if the ladies are in earnest,

it must prevail. A crusty cynic at our elbow who never believed in

progress in any thing, thinks so too; and has just whispered in our ear

of woman, that

"If she will, she will, you may depend on't,

And if she won't, she won't--so there's an end on't."

FOOTNOTES:

[1] At that time a son of Mr. Lee was at school at St. Bees, in England.

One day, as he was standing near one of the professors of the academy,

who was conversing with a gentleman of the neighboring country, he heard

the question asked, "What boy is this?" To which the professor replied,

"He is the son of Richard Henry Lee, of America." The gentleman, upon

hearing this, put his hand upon the boy's head, and remarked, "We shall

yet see your father's head upon Tower Hill." The boy promptly answered,

"You may have it when you can get it." That boy was the late Ludwell

Lee, Esq., of Virginia.

[2] The history of this bell, now hanging in the steeple of the State

House, in Philadelphia, is interesting. In 1753, a bell for that edifice

was imported from England. On the first trial ringing, after its

arrival, it was cracked. It was recast by Pass and Stow, of

Philadelphia, in 1753, under the direction of Isaac Norris, the then

Speaker of the Colonial Assembly. Upon fillets around its crown, cast

there twenty-three years before the Continental Congress adopted the

Declaration of Independence, are the words of Holy Writ, "Proclaim

liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof." How

prophetic! Beneath that very bell the representatives of the thirteen

colonies "proclaimed liberty throughout all the land," and its iron

tongue echoed the annunciation! For more than two hours its glorious

melody floated clear and musical as the voice of an angel above the

discordant chorus of booming cannon, rolling drums, and the mingled

acclamations of an excited multitude. It, too, was fractured, and for

long years its voice has been silent. When I stood in the belfry and

sketched this portrait of the old herald, the spirit of the Past, with

all its retinue, seemed to be there, for association summoned to the

audience chamber of imagination, from the lofty hills and green valleys

of the Republic, that band of patriots who stood sponsors at its baptism

in 1776.

[3] This is in allusion to the line which Turgot wrote under the bust of

Franklin: _Eripuit cælo fulmen, sceptrumque tyrannis_.

[4] None such are in fact required, for the car itself contains air

enough for the use of its passengers for a quarter of an hour, and there

is rarely occupied more than a period of two or three minutes to pass it

through the surf to the shore.

[5] Areas being as the squares of homologous lines, the ratio would be,

mathematically expressed, 1²: 4 × 12² = 1: 4 × 144 = 1: 576.

[6] There are nine of these presses in the printing-rooms of Harper and

Brothers, all constantly employed in smoothing sheets of paper after the

printing. The sheets of paper to be pressed are placed between sheets of

very smooth and thin, but _hard_ pasteboard, until a pile is made

several feet high, and containing sometimes two thousand sheets of

paper, and then the hydraulic pressure is applied. These presses cost,

each, from twelve to fifteen hundred dollars.

[7] The principle on which these life-boats are made is found equally

advantageous in its application to boats intended for other purposes.

For a gentleman's pleasure-grounds, for example, how great the

convenience of having a boat which is always stanch and tight--which no

exposure to the sun can make leaky, which no wet can rot, and no neglect

impair. And so in all other cases where boats are required for

situations or used where they will be exposed to hard usage of any kind,

whether from natural causes or the neglect or inattention of those in

charge of them, this material seems far superior to any other.

[8] Continued from the June Number.

[9] Continued from the June Number.

[10] Continued from the June Number.

[11] Transactions of the Zoological Society.

[12] Josephine might afterward have fulfilled this promise, had not

Madame d'Aiguillon been a divorced wife, which excluded her from holding

any situation about the Empress.

[13] Continued from the June Number.