scious of, the observation of those around him. He is an island as England is. He is a bulky and sturdy mass, with his clothes built up about his body, and he lives in, thinks in, and speaks from, his-building." To the listener, this last word, which was dug out, smelted, coined and put away to be produced and used with cautious and artistic effectiveness, seems an accident of that moment's suggestion-as new a thing to the orator as to himself, and which he came very near not hearing, as it came very near not being said.

musical composer would despair of blending into one. It bespeaks a life that is half contempt, half adoring recognition, and very little between. But it is noble, altogether. And what seems strange is to hear such a voice proceeding from such a body. It is a voice with shoulders in it which he has not—with lungs in it far larger than his— with a walk in it which the public never see-with a fist in it which his own hand never gave him the model for—and with a gentleman in it which his parochial and "bare-necessaries-of-life" sort of exterior gives no other betrayal of. We can We are gossiping only-not trying to estimate imagine nothing in nature-(which seems, too, to or criticize. What our readers might not otherhave a type for everything)-like the want of cor-wise get at, is what we aim to give-in this as in respondence between the Emerson that goes in at most else that we describe editorially. Emerson the eye and the Emerson that goes in at the ear. is too great a man to be easily or triflingly appreWe speak, (as we explained,) without having had ciated. The more studied as well as more properly an opportunity to study his face-acquaintance with deferential views which we entertain of his nature features, as everybody knows, being like the and power, we leave unexpressed, because others peeling of an artichoke; and the core of a face, to are likely to do it better (as is shown in another those who know it, being very unlike the eight or column) and because we write, stans in uno pede, ten outside folds that stop the eye in the beginning. and can let the ink dry on nothing. We can only But a heavy and vase-like blossom of a magnolia, say of this Lecture on England that it was, as all with fragrance enough to perfume a whole wilder- is which he does, a compact mass of the exponents ness, which should be lifted by a whirlwind and of far-reaching thoughts-stars which are the poledropped into a branch of an aspen, would not seem points of universes beyond-and at each close of a more as if it never could have grown there, than sentence, one wanted to stop and wonder at that Emerson's voice seems inspired and foreign to his thought before being hurried to the next. He is a visible and natural body. Indeed, (to use one of suggestive, direction-giving, soul-fathoming mind, his own similitudes,) his body seems "never to and we are glad there are not more such. A few have broken the umbilical cord" which held it to Emersons would make the every-day work of one's Boston, while his soul has sprung to the adult mind intolerable. stature of a child of the universe, and his voice is the utterance of the soul only. It is one of his fine remarks, that "it makes a great difference to the force of any sentence whether a man is behind it or no"-but, without his voice to make the ear stand surety for his value, the eye would look for the first time on Emerson and protest his draft on admiration, as not "payable at sight."

Let us close by giving our readers an advancetaste of a grand similitude with which he closed his lecture, and which we see is not given in the newspaper reports of it. It is one of those Titanic thoughts that would alone make a reputation, and a prophetic metaphor of England's power for which Victoria should name one of her annual babies Emerson. After some very bold and fearless comment on the croaking that predicts the speedy downfall of England, he compared her to the banyan tree, which, it will be remembered, sends up shoots from its roots that become, themselves, huge trunks of parent vegetation. "She has planted herself on that little island," he said, "like the banyan tree, and her roots have spread under the sea, and come up on far away continents and in every quarter of the world, flowering with her language and laws, and forever perpetuating her, though the first trunk dismember and perish." In his own words, this thought will have as banyan an eternity as England.-N. P. Willis.

From the Indiana State Gazette, Jan. 10. EXHIBITION OF THE DEAF AND DUMB.

The first twenty sentences, which we heard, betrayed one of the smaller levers of Emerson's power of style which we had not detected in read- | ing him. He works with surprises. A man who should make a visit of charity, and, after expressing all proper sympathy, should bid adieu to the poor woman, leaving her very grateful for his kind feelings, but should suddenly return, after shutting the door, and give her a guinea, would produce just the effect of his most electric sentences. You do not observe it in reading, because you withhold the emphasis till you come to the key-word. But, in delivery, his cadences tell you that the meaning is given, and the interest of the sentence all over, when-flash!-comes a single word or phrase, like lightning after listened-out thunder, and illuminates with astonishing vividness, the cloud you have striven to see into. We can give, perhaps, a partial exemplification of it, by a description rather than a quotation of a droll and graphic sketch which he drew in his lecture, of his first impression of Englishmen on the road. The audience had already laughed in two or three places, and-with and thank him for furnishing us with the followthe intention to be longer attended to on that pointing report. The exhibition was held at Wesley quite gone out of his eyes-he was fumbling with his manuscript to look for the next head-when the closing word, just audible, threw us all into a fit of laughter. "The Englishman" (if we may paraphrase rather than quote, for it is impossible to recall the subtle collocation of his words)" dresses to please himself. He puts on as many coats, trousers and wrappers as he likes, and, while he respects others' rights, is unaffected by, and uncon

BUSINESS engagements preventing our attendance on the exhibition of the pupils of the Institute for the Education of the Deaf and Dumb, we avail ourselves of the kindness of a friend present,

Chapel, on Friday evening last; and the whole of that large church was filled by citizens, members of the legislature, and transient strangers.

The exercises commenced at an early hour, and were opened with prayer by the Rev. Mr.

Jameson.

Mr. Brown, the superintendent, first gave a brief history of the two modes of instructing the

Mr. O.'s power

deaf aml dumh, the French by signs, the German, son, with the battle and some of the results folby articulation, which originated almost simulta- lowing ; which was given in the most perfect neously during the latter part of the last century. manner. He contrasted the two, giving preference to the Mr. Osgood followed with a very graphic deFrench system, which is the one in universal use scription of a scene at a blacksmith's shop, where in American institutions, and best calculated to a countryman brought up a wild young colt to be extend the blessings of education to all mutes. shod. The blacksmith comes out with his smutted

Mr. B. also gave an illustration of this system face and rattling apron—the colt takes fright and of teaching, by the aid of two of his pupils, on starts back.

He is finally forced into the shop his large slates. The process is the same as and tied up to the stall—the shoes and nails are with other pupils, except that the alphabet is made-the blacksmith, while chewing his tobacco, taught by signs, and written by the pupils. eyes the colt slyly, but finally ventures to take up Words and ideas are taught by the association of his leg, and places it between his knees, when he certain letters with particular objects, as giving is kicked over, and gets up in a perfect rage. names to them, by which an idea of words is ob- He perseveres, however, and, after several mistained ; and finally, by associating words together, haps, succeeds in finishing his job. The countrythey learn to form sentences, and thus a written man pays him off, and leads his colt out. The language is communicated, by which every other colt, in new shoes, refuses to go for a while ; but part of an education is obtained.

finally steps off slowly and stilly, when he is To show with what facility mules could com- mounted by his master, who is soon thrown viomunicate their ideas, several pupils were intro- lently to the ground; he gets up in a very bad duced upon the stage, who gave descriptions of humor, gives his colt a thrashing over the head, various incidents and scenes which were both and then succeeds in riding off. instructive and amusing to the auditory. These of description and imitation, by signs and expreswere interspersed along between more grave exer- sions of face, is inimitable. cises, to give relief and interest to the exhibition. This scene was succeeded by a conversation

The first was by Mr. Osgood, who gave us a between a mute and a blind boy! It was carried description of a hunter, who procures his ammu- on by signs on the fingers, which were read by nition, moulds his balls, cleans his gun, loads it, the blind boy by feeling, and reciprocated by him and, with his dog, goes out to hunt game. He to the mute in the same manner. soon finds a turkey and kills it; then a squirrel, Mr. Osgood then gave a description of the adshoots at it and misses it;—gets mad with his ventures of Captain Smith, in Virginia—his being gun and frets over his luck; and finally, finding captured by the Indians—his trial and sentence, another, he shoots that; but, in his eager grasp to with his rescue by Pocahontas ; which was perget hold of it, gets dreadfully bitten, and returns formed with his usual ability. Mr. Brown alsn home.

read a brief history of the life and adventures of A portion of the senior class were next intro- Captain Smith, written by Mr. Wolverton. The duced-Misses Orchard and Hatton, and Messrs. composition was correct and in good taste. McCarter and Wolverton ;—who answered many The senior class were examined in sacred hisquestions in geography, several of which involved tory, and showed themselves well versed in the a wide range of geographical research.

history of Bible events. A domestic quarrel, or an illustration of the Miss Orchard next gave us a most thrilling fact that mutes know how to scold, was next pre-exhibition of the scenes of the temptation in the sented, in which the youngest Miss Hatton and Garden of Eden, when Eve was induced to eat Mr. Osgood were the actors. No one could look the forbidden fruit, give it to Adam, and realize upon this amusing scene, and doubt that mutes the fatal effects of transgression. have ways and means enough left, when their Mr. Hanson then related the story of Abraham tongues are tied, to do a passable business at offering up Isaac, and gave a demonstration of the scolding.

unwavering faith of the “ friend of God.” And Miss Orchard then gave a thrilling and tragic also Elijah's contest with the prophets of Baal. description of the capture of Mrs. Dunstan, with Miss Orchard then represented, in thrilling panher child and nurse, by the Indians, in the settle-tomime, the wild and tragic story of Judith taking ment of New England, and of their sufferings the life of the Assyrian general, Holofernes. She and final escape, after having put several of her also gave a perfect description of the taking of captors to death on the night of her exit.

Babylon by Cyrus, and of the circumstances conThere were several questions then answered by nected with that event. The same lady portrayed, members of the senior class, on the history of in the most striking and affecting manner, the early American settlers, which were very satis- scenes connected with the resurrection of Lazarus factory.

from the tomb, and the conversations of our Lord Mr. Hanson was next called upon for a descrip- with his devoted sisters on the subject, just before tion of the battle of New Orleans, Jan. 8, 1815, that solemn event. with the incidents connected with the approach of Near the close of the exercises, Mr. Brown the British troops under Gen. Pakenham, and the made some pointed and appropriate remarks, in preparations made for his reception by Gen. Jack- [ which he adverted to the fact that Indiana enjayed

the high distinction of having been the first state harpoons into him, or poisoned arrows from a disin the American Union to provide for the education of all her mutes without charge, and that for years she had educated a greater number of deaf and dumb, in proportion to her population, than any other state.

nose, as a nog would his eating trough, and then I believe, from the extent of ocean it embraces, with his flukes deliberately broke it up. Of course greater than all the other cruising grounds togeththe crew had to take to nature's oars, and they all er, that it will continue good at least twenty or marvellously escaped unhurt, although one of them twenty-five years from its commencement. An exwas carried, sitting on the whale's flukes, several perienced captain thinks that as there is not, nor is rods, till he slid off unharmed from his strange sea likely to be, any bay-whaling on this cruising chariot. ground, the whales will be less constantly hunted, and nearly all the calves born will arrive at an age when they can take care of themselves, before the old whales are encountered in the summer season by their sworn enemy, man. He estimates that, by three hundred ships capturing or mortally wounding forty whales each, 12,000 whales are killed in a season. And, as many of these, perhaps full half, are cows with calf, the number of whales to be born and arrive at maturity, in order to make up for this sweeping destruction among them, must be not less than 18,000.

This north-west cruising ground was first visited n the spring of 1836, by two or three of the Chili whalers, who saw, indeed, numerous whales, but gave it as their opinion that the fishery could never be prosecuted there with any success, by reason of constant and dense fogs. The following year several more of the Chili fleet started to the northward, "between seasons," and, looking further to the north and west, found better weather and made a good cruise. During the three years following few ships were found there, but, upon the almost entire failure of the southern whale fishery, the right whalemen were forced to turn their prows to those inhospitable seas, and the north-west, as all men know, became a very El Dorado to the intrepid American whalers. This cruising ground extends properly from 34 to 59 degrees of north latitude, and from the coast of America in west longitude, say, 130, to the meridian of 170 east longitude, or about fifty degrees. The largest whales are said to have been found between 50 and 60 north, and from 145 to 180 west. At the Fox Islands, in Latitude 52, sperm whales of the largest size have been found as well as right, and, near the peninsula of Alaska, they are very numerous.

By a recent arrival from the Sandwich Islands, we learn that the Arctic Ocean has been entered at Behring's Straits by our intrepid whalemen. Captain Royce, of the barque Superior, from Sagharbor, is thus reported in the Friend :

He thinks, therefore, that the poor whale, chased from sea to sea, and from haunt to haunt, is doomed to utter extermination, or so near to it, that too few will remain to tempt the cupidity of man. The history of the sperm whale fishery from the first, when only five and six months were necessary to complete a cargo upon the Brazil ground, and fifteen upon that of Chili, to its present almost entire abandonment as a separate business, confirms this calculation. Before the end of the present century, therefore, we may expect to see the hunting of whales on the sea no more pursued as a business, than the hunting of deer on the land.

H. T. C.

From the Transcript.

AN AMERICAN COMEDY IN LONDON.

THE principal theatrical item of interest in our London papers is the production of Mrs. Mowatt's comedy of "Fashion," at the Olympic Theatre, January 9th, with the most complete and remark

able success.

We have the London Times and the

London Sun of January 10th, both of which papers

"I entered the Arctic Ocean about the middle of July, and cruised from continent to continent, going as high as latitude 70, and saw whales wherever I went, cutting in my last whale on the 23d of August, and returning through Behring's Straits on the 28th of the same month. On account of powerful currents, thick fogs, the near contain long and highly commendatory notices of vicinity of land and ice, combined with the imper- the play. After describing various scenes, the fection of charts, and want of information respect-Times says: ing this region, I found it both difficult and dangerous to get oil, although there were plenty of whales. Hereafter, doubtless, many ships will go there, and I think some provision ought to be made to save the lives of those who go there, should they be cast away. During the entire period of the cruise no ice was seen, and the weather was ordinarily pleasant, so that the men could work in light clothing.

"In most parts of the ocean there was good anchorage, from 14 to 35 fathoms, and a part of the time the vessel lay at anchor. The first whale was taken at 12 o'clock at night. It was not difficult to whale the whole 24 hours; so light was it that at midnight it was easy to read in the cabin. The whales were quite tame, but quite different from any Captain Royce had ever before taken. He took three different species, one of the largest yielding 200 barrels of oil. The first species much resembled the Greenland whale, yielding 160 or 170 barrels; the second was a species called Polar whale,

a few of which have been taken on the north-west coast; and the third was a small whale peculiar to that ocean. The last three whales which were taken yielded over 600 barrels."

If we inquire for the probable duration of this north-west whaling, there seems good reason to

lay on the shoulders of Mr. Davenport, who played However, the great responsibility of the piece the old farmer-a part quite out of his usual lineand introduced his hearty outpourings with a vigor that never failed to excite the audience. A story the end of the play, was one of the grand points of which he told of his daughter's misfortunes, towards the piece. The mise-en-scène is superb. A ball

room and a conservatory, with transparent sides, which proves that Mr. Watts is determined to reare represented with an elaborate magnificence the fall of the curtain the applause of the audience store its old character to the Olympic Theatre. At was tumultuous, and cries for Mrs. Mowatt, who had not acted in the piece, were raised on every

side.

She was led on by Mr. Davenport, and tion of her work. The house was crowded in seemed much overcome by the enthusiastic recepevery part, and, from the novelty of its character, doubt that Fashion will for some time prove atand the evident satisfaction it gave, there is little

tractive.

was represented at this theatre, with the most de- | with feelings which crave the melancholy relief served success, an original American five-act of expression. comedy, the scene of which is laid in New York, and which delineates American manners after the

plot, or rather of the three plots interwoven with each other, in the most skilful and artistical manner, of this most admirably built comedy.

After giving a full outline of the plot, the Sun

adds:

Dr. Gay was the son of Honorable Ebenezer same fashion as our own Garrick, Colman, and Gay, and was born in this city, in the year 1803. Sheridan were accustomed to delineate English His father, who was then engaged in the practice manners, and which, as regards plot, construction, of law, subsequently removed to Hingham, and character or dialogue, is worthy to take its place there Dr. Gay spent most of his early life. He by the side of the best of English comedies. It is was educated at Harvard University, and received from the pen of that most delightful of actresses, the degree of Doctor of Medicine in the year Mrs. Mowatt, and is entitled Fashion, or Life in 1826. He was one of the original members of New York; and the following is an outline of the the Boston Society of Natural History, and a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. His acquired knowledge, particularly in his profession and in the sciences of Chemistry and Mineralogy, was accurate and extensive. The comedy was perfectly acted; Mr. Daven- His judgment was sound and discriminating, and port, as Adam Trueman, the old farmer, threw a he was skilful in the application of his knowledge feeling of warmth and heartiness into the part to practical purposes. He occasionally delivered which has not been equalled since the days of Faw-courses of lectures on Chemistry, and always with cett; and Miss F. Vining, as Gertrude, his gov- success. In many of the analytical processes of erness' daughter, was most interesting. Mr. John- this science, especially those required in toxicostone acted the part of Mr. Tiffany with considerable power, and Mrs. Marston, as Mrs. Tiffany, was the pink of vulgarity. Scharf, as the roguish clerk, was full of truthfulness; his abashed manner when threatened with prosecution contrasting most artistically with his previous vulgar and overbearing insolence. Mr. and Mrs. A. Wigan acted the French count and the French waiting-maid as they alone can act such characters. Mr. J. Herbert was excessively humorous as a high-minded Nigger. All the characters grouped round the Tiffanies were admirably sustained, but, to our thinking, the character of the group, nay, we are almost inclined to think that, as far as English audiences are concerned, the character of the comedy, is that of Prudence, the sister of Mrs. Tif

66

logical researches, he was thoroughly versed; and his scientific services were sought in many cases of suspected poisoning.

Dr. Gay was not ambitious of the fame of authorship. He published nothing in his own name except a pamphlet, in the year 1847, entitled, · Discovery, by Charles T. Jackson, M. D., of the Applicability of Sulphuric Ether in Surgical Operations."

Whatever difference of opinions may exist as to the question at issue in the controversy respecting the discovery of Etherization, there can be none as to the ability, fairness, and gentlemanly spirit with which that production is fany, a prim, puritanical, Yankee old maid, who which prompted him to undertake the defence of written, nor the generous devotion of friendship has not " fairly given the matter up," and who, when not making hot love, is making diabolical what he believed, with the strongest conviction, to mischief. She is the chorus of the piece, remind- use his language, to be "the cause of truth and ing every one of their faults, and every parvenu of justice." his or her origin; she is, in fact, a dreadful He had a lively sensibility to the charms of woman," and, what is better still, an original char-music, and to the beautiful in nature and art; and acter, a specimen of American society to which his taste was cultivated, during his travels in acter was admirably acted by Mrs. Parker, who Europe, by a careful study of many of the proevidently revelled in the part. The comedy was ductions of the great masters in painting and admirably put on the stage; the applause was en- sculpture. Of his professional merit the writer thusiastic, and at the conclusion there were loud is not competent to speak; but he has the authorcalls for Mrs. Mowatt, who had taken no part in the ity of accomplished medical men for saying that performance, but who at length appeared before the he fully deserved the great confidence which his curtain to receive that enthusiastic applause which she had so highly merited by the production of this patients reposed in him. most excellent comedy. The house was crowded