heart. I turned to my sister flowers, who, more sensitive than myself, had folded their leaves with the sun, and their petals seemed to glow with a liquid light; as I gazed, it assumed the form of a pearl, decking the brow of the sleeping flowers. 'Ah!" said I, "how can ye sleep amid so much beanty?" but, without heeding me, they slept on, while I thanked God for the gentle dews which were falling thus, to refresh and invigorate us. And could I but be grateful for life, and the beauty with which I was surrounded? And what return could I make? None. Yes, I could unfold my blushing leaves, and open my heart to the passer by! I could load the breeze with my fragrance, and refresh the hearts of earth's weary wanderers with my odoriferous breath! nal. I pine for the fresh air, the glad sunshine, and the song of birds. I am fading, withering, dying; I shall soon cease to gladdeu her heart; and then, perchance, she will cast me forth as a worthless thing; or perhaps she may press my withered leaves between the pages of some favorite book, and bless my memory with a pleasant, grateful thought.— If so, I die content-my mission is ended. I have given my fragrance to the breeze;and it has perchance been breathed by thousands! I have poured out the rich treasures of my heart for HER; and while I breathe I will breathe but sweetness, and bless with perfume. But I go. Happy is he who can say with me, I have accomplished the object my life-I have fulfilled the end of my being.-Arthur's Gazette. of CORRUPT AMBITION. Night passed away with her gentle queen, and the fair, bright stars which followed in her train. Morning came; a few faint This is a spirit that aims at power, wealth beams of light in the East heralded its ap- and distinction, without regard to the interproach: soon the Day-god arose from his est or happiness of others. Founded encouch of crimson and gold, and trod majes-tirely on self, it chills the kindly affections tically the path assigned him by the Eter- of the heart, and 'poisons all the charities of life.' Unrestrained by principle, and steady in the pursuit of its object, it takes its character from circumstances and situation, and changes with every fluctuation of fortune. It is at one time Thersites, base in spirit, rude in manners, and turbulent in tongue;' at another, Achilles, insolent in victory and furious in revenge, dragging the body of Hector round the walls of Troy.' When it seizes on vulgar and ignoble minds, it produces jealousy of power, envy of wealth, hatred of excellence, and thirst for revolution and plunder. When united with vanity and ignorance it forms the demagogue, restless in spirit, hollow in heart, filled with imaginary consequence, blind to merit, a despiser of knowledge, and like Salmoneus a contemner of the Gods.' When My sleeping sister flowers awoke, and a blush mantled their dewy leaves as they met his ardent gaze. We drank of night's flowing nectar, and were again fanned by the zephyr's breath; the sweet little birds sang their morning hymn on the branches above me: a gorgeous butterfly sought my slender stem on which to rest his weary wing; and soon a little bee came buzzing about, seeking for honey-dew. Methought I was perfectly happy; but alas! for earth's happiness! A fair young girl came tripping by: I raised my head, and sought to please with beauty, and refresh with fragrance. She came to my side, and praised my unrivalled loveliness; then I sent her the most precious odor from my incense breathing heart. But in return she cruelly snapped my slender it aims at power in revolutionary times, or stem, and bore me away to her pleasant home. She placed me in a costly vase upon the mantel, and often comes to look upon her lovely rose, as she calls me, or to inhale my perfume; but she will not breathe it long; by overturning ancient establishments, it forms the treacherous and desperate conspirator-the dark unsocial intriguer, brooding over schemes of delusion and scenes of blood, with the mask of affability on his face, and all the Furies gnawing at his heart. When | from their galleries and statues from their aiming at offices in elective governments, it pedestals 'to adorn the palace of the Louvbecomes the instrument of popular passions, the organ of vulgar prejudices, and the creature of the public breath, regardless of principles, and inconsistent even with itself. It sometimes anticipates and mistakes public opinion. When it attaches itself to genius and learning, without spirit, magnanimity, experience or principle, it forms the imposing theorist, the plausible pretender to superior knowledge, the bold experimenter on human happiness. Incapable of discerning what is useful he is continually dazzled with what is new; what he is unable to merit by great actions, he seeks to obtain by ingenious projects. Deluding and deluded he imputes his want of success not to the imperfection of his system, but to the obstinacy of mankind.' Cold and unrelenting, he is ready to overturn the settled order of society by way of experiment, and to sacrifice the interests of a nation to establish a theory. re,' and in the boastful language of the plunderer of Europe' there to remain forever.' But at length the spirit of resistance has awakened. A lofty and unconquerable spirit -a spirit terrible to its oppressors. It encir cles the 'Irish patriot with a beam of glory, and irradiates even cruelty and revenge with the splendor of the virtues that surround them. The spirit of resistance is a contagious spirit. Already the nations of Europe are agitated by its influence, like the Sicilian sea by the rockings of Etna. Shade of liberty, Hope hails thee as the harbinger of that bright day when the arm of the oppressor shall be broken,' and 'he shall be brought low that troubleth the nations!' MAN'S FOOD. KRINO. What do men live upon? The answer will be various enough. The Guacho, who in the wild pampas of Buenos Ayres, managing his half wild horse with incredible dexterity, throws the lasso, to catch the Ostrich, the gnanace, or the wild Bull, consumes daily from ten to twelve pounds of meat, and regards it as high feast day when It is an unappeasable spirit-neither satiated by successes, nor subdued by defeats. It animated 'Alexander when triumphant over the nations of the East; he wept for new worlds to conquer, and Marius threatening vengeance to Rome, when sitting solitary, destitute and deserted, on the ruins of Carthage." This spirit destroyed the Am-in any hacienda he gains a variety in the phyctronic Council, and broke the Achæan League. Sparta proud of her antiquity, despising commerce, and served by slaves, chose rather to be a vassal of Rome than an equal in the Grecian Confederacy. But she was crushed by the power of her haughty mistress, after having submitted to be the base instrument of her intrigues. shape of pumpkin. The word bread does not exist in his vocabulary. The Irishman on the other hand, regales himself in careless mirth on his "potatoes and point," after a day of painful labor, he who cannot help making a joke even to the name he gave to his scanty meal. Meat is a strange idea to him, and he is happy indead if, four times Has this destructive and polluted spirit a year, he can add a herring to season the been purified by time or enfeebled by age? mealy tubers. The hunter of the prairie Has the pretended diffusion of knowledge lays low the Buffalo with sure bullet; and its checked its rapacity, diminished its malig-juicy, fat-streaked hump, roasted between nity, cured it of treachery and cruelty, soft-two hot stones, is to him the greatest of delened its ferocious and terrific features, or even inspired its victims with a spirit of resistance? Look at Italy. The wonders of genius and taste are again seized by the 'iron hand of power.' Paintings are torn icacies. Meanwhile, the industrious Chinese carries to market his carefully fattened rats, delicately arranged upon white sticks, certain to find a good customer among the epicures of Pekin; and his hot smoky hut fast lander consumes his fat, which he has just carved, rejoicing over the costly prize, from a stranded whale. Here the black slave sucks the sugar cane, and eats his banana; there the African merchant fills his wallet with sweet dates. his sole sustenance in the long desert journey; and there the Siamese crams himself with a quantity of rice from which a European would shrink appalled. And wheresoever over the whole inhabited earth we approach and demand hospitality, in almost every little spot a different kind of food is set before us, and the "daily bread" offered in another form. buried beneath the snow and ice, the Green-whose sinews were laid open with each stroke, the Frenchman could hardly keep himself from fainting. At length the flogging ceased, but not until one of the girls fell, bathed iu blood, and dying to the earth." Another traveler in Russia, hearing one morning the cries of intenses suffering from a number of women who were being flogged, could not restrain his tears. The lady of the house, finding him in this state, and not understanding that the sights of such torments could so move him, informed him that it was entirely from kindness and attention to a stranger that she had ordered eighty of her servants to be flogged for neglecting to gather wild strawberries for his breakfastThe last instance we can find space to give of the utter disregard for the rights of hu manity in the treatment of the Russian population, is the forcible carrying off of young children. The Emperor sets the example, and carries off the children of the Poles and Jews by hundreds, in pursuit of a remorseless policy directed against the two races.'The nobles carry off children, not only for "but also as a pleasure," says M. Michelet, means of speculation. We will cite as an example one who trained up whole troops FEMALES IN RUSSIA. Owing to the enormons consumption of the army, the female population of Russia greatly exceeds that of the males. Women are of little value; the banks will only advance money npon the male serfs, counting others as over and above. We are at a loss for words to describe, without offense, the demoralizing effect of these things. The master-not so often the lord as the agent or overseer, who tyranizes over the wretched people-enslaves his own brother, sells his sister, and often his daughters, into a servitude worse than death. The lash, the universal punishment, or stimulant, is not spared to woman. A French gentleman who was thrown into prison at Moscow, without a shadow of pretext. Day after day the of dancers, some of whom he exhibited in the theatres of Moscow, and sold others, at high prices, to those nobles who amused themselves with operatic performances in their own mansions." We need do no more to demonstrate the universal corruption and debasement that pervades society under the most perfect form of absolute government. wretched serfs, whose masters sent them to be flogged by the obliging police, were brought before the grating of his dungeon, DEATH AND SLEEP.-A PARABLE to which he was drawn by some irresistible attraction-some spell of terror. The sights he witnessed and the sounds he heard, had such an effect upon his brain that he became nearly idiotic. One day, two young girls, milliners, scarcely twenty years old, were sent by their mistress to be flogged. They were torn with the rod. "They writhed and shricked for mercy. At the sight of the bleeding bodies of these unhappy girls In brotherly embrace walked the Angel of Sleep and the Angel of Death upon the earth It was evening. They laid themselves down upon a hill not far from the dwelling of men. A melancholy silence prevailed around, and the chimes of the evening bells in the distant hamlet, ceased. Still and silent, as was their custom, sat these two benificent genii of the human race, their arms entwined with cordial familiarity, and soon the shades of mankind; makes clear the vision; brings night gathered around them. Then arose joys to his life, and breathes over his soul's the Angel of Sleep from his moss-grown destiny a deep repose. Go and drink there couch, and strewed with a gentle hand the from, thou whom fortune has not favored, and invisible grains of Slumber. The evening thou wilt soon find thyself rich. Thou maybreeze wafted them to the quiet dwelling of est go forth into the world and find thyself the tired husbandman, enfolding in sweet everywhere at home; thou canst enjoy thySleep the inmates of the rural cottage, from self in thy own little chamber; thy friends the old man upon the staff, down to the in- are every where around thee; nature, antifant in the cradle. The sick forgot their quity, he n, are accessible to thee! pain; the mourners their grief; the poor their care. All eyes closed. His task accomplished, the benevolent angel of Sleep laid himself again by the side of his grave brother. "When Aurora awakes," exclaimed he, with innocent joy, " Men praise me as their friend and benefactor. O what happiness, unseen and secretly to confer such benefits! How bles d are we to be the invisible messengers of the Good Spirit! How beautiful is our silent calling!" So spake the friendly angel of Slumber. The angel of Death sat with still deeper melancholy on his brow, and a tear, such as mortals shed, appeared in his large, dark eyes. "Alas!" said he, "I may not, like thee, rejoice in the cheerful thanks of mankind; they call me, upon the earth, their enemy and joy killer." "O, my brother," replied the gentle angel of Slumber, "and will not the good man, at his awakening, recognize in thee his friend and benefactor, and gratefully bless thee in his joy? Are we not brothers and ministers of one Father?" As he spoke, the eyes of the Death Angel beamed with pleasure, and again did the two friendly genii cordially embrace cach other.-Kummacher. BEAUTIFUL EXTRACT. ONE four tain there in whose deep-lying vein has only just begun to throw up its silver drops among mankind-a fountain which will allay the thirst of millions, and will give to those who drink from it, peace and joy. IT IS KNOWLEDGE-the fountain of intellectual cultivation--which gives health to 6 FREDERIKA BREMER. THE RAPIDS OF THE ST. LAW- ONLY a few years have passed since the first attempt was made to "run the Long Now all the rapids Sault" by a steamer. from Dickinson's Landing, about forty miles below Ogdensburgh, to Montreal are passed over by the daily lines of steamers, and we think we can assert without fear or contradiction, that the passage of the St. Lawrence from Kingston to Quebec is the most interesting of any known to the traveler.Those who have passed through the Lachine rapids will bear testimony to the truthfulness of the following description, which we find in the last number of the Presbyterian, especially the appearance of the Indian pilot while the boat is dashing through the troubled waters: SHOOTING THE RAPIDS.-But the rapidsor what is technically called "shooting the rapids," i. e. going through them in the steamer, will be ample compensation for the trip; at least when you have once got safely through with the shooting. One or two of these rapids are from nine to twelve miles long, the current descending with great rapidity-in some of them, it is said, at the rate of twenty-five miles an hourso that the water is broken into quite a white capped sea and pitching as it does over ledges of rocks, makes a novel and not altogether comfortable sort of river steamboat navigation. Whenever we approached one of them, four men were stationed at the wheel in the pilot's house, the narrow sinuous, and turbulent channel requiring great power, and dexterity in managing the boat. In passing the "split-rock" in the Cedar rapids, you seem at one time to be dashing right on the threatening ledges which are just apparently but a few feet below the surface; but just as you are making up your mind to the catastrophe, the watchful pilot has interposed, and the gallant boat turns gracefully aside, and glides swiftly and safely on her way. Until very recently, the steamers were not accustomed to go over the Lachine rapids—the last passed before reaching Montreal-the passengers being sent fromcabove them to the city by railway. Now, however, a practicable channel has been discovered, and the boats daily descend in safety even over the boiling torrents of the Lachine. Just before entering this most difficult part of the river, an Indian pilot is taken on board from an Indian village on the shore. The tall son of the forest-who has learn ed the way through this seething labyrinth of water and rocks, in his frail canoe,mounts to the pilot's house, and, assisted by three or four other stalwart men, takes his place at the wheel, whilst another man goes aft and lays hold of the lever attached to the rudder, so that in case of accident to the tiller ropes, there may still be a hand at the helm. A moment more, and the boat is rolling and dashing forward on the unsteady current. The Indian pilot gazes down on the pitching waters, as if he would penetrate their very depths, his eye fairly flashing fire. In an instant the eight hands are running over the wheel like fingers over a well played instrument, and the tiller chains rattle as if they were all running away; the boat trembles for a moment, makes a heavy plunge, then wheels gracefully round, and goes on her course. She has passed one of the shoots, and is moving off to find the entrance to a new and worse one. Once more the Indian's eye is ablaze, every muscle in his face is working, and as the bows of the steamer droop for a fall into the "cellar," as the French appropriately term the watery chasms his tongue protrudes, and his whole face is like that of a man frenzied. Safely out of the "cellar," we are jostled first to one side, then the other, still dashing down the boiling current, when a sudden concussion careens the boat over, and "She has touched!" falls at once from the lips of passengers who are anxiously look. ing down at the rocks just under the bows; but she has cleared the rocks, and the concussion was only from the angry waves, apparently indignant that a presumptuous steamer should venture in the domains where they hold their revels. a dozen Another drooping of the bows and descent into a "cellar," and another tossing about in all directions at once, and we are once more dashing steadily along fairly over the last of the rapids, and alike agreed among the passengers, that we should not care to go over the Lachine every day. Once safely over, however, no one will ever regret the beautiful and exciting spectacle he witnessthe steamers avoid the rapids by means of ed in passing them. In ascending the river canals. MECHANICS. BY MRS. M. A. DENISON. THERE are yet those, we are sorry to say, who have so little appreciation of what is really great and imperishable—for the architect lives forever in the creation of God's own hand-that they imagine the world would jog on very well if there was no such thing as a trade, and no such laborer as a mechanic. But wait; the end is not yet. Education; not money, is the principle to be used in the enfranchisement of the working man, the lever that is yet to raise him above every other class in point of nobility of mind, intellect and person. |