sublimer glimpses of; and while he seeks to elevate humanity by the real and inherent goodness of Nature in some, not less is that heightened by contrast of the hideous turpitude of others; men who debase their humanity by crimes that would desolate the world, and destroy every fabric of social virtue and happiness, were it not for that indestructible retribution that stalks like a shadowy Nemesis at the footstep of every crime, and sooner or later, but most surely, overtakes them. These men our poet renders objects of so hideous a kind, that men gather together as if by common consent, to hunt them out of the world as they would some fierce and malignant

monster.

How fair, how attractive, how full of every great sentiment of beauty, truth, grandeur, immortality, doth he clothe the virtuous, withal. His noble men, his chaste women, would have been almost deified in the antique world. There is a winning feeling of kindred with them that flatters our self-love, which assuredly is not the least part of the sentiment that induces men to prefer the path of virtue to the path of vice.

Nor let what may seem to us to be utter incapacity on our part strike us so despondingly; when the consideration of Lear or Hamlet elevates the poet to such an altitude of intelligence above us ;-he is not so far removed--let us be assured of that. The great sympathy that makes Nature one to all-all, and everything to one, be he whom he mayproves our alliance to him-to Shakspere. Appreciation is the true test of our intelligence.

The man who loves Nature and her many-toned language, which feeds the soul with lofty thoughts, and with high converse, he is the true poet, though he write never a line.

CHARADE.

My first and second are a pair

Of donkeys-restless brutes they are;
But do not think my third an ass,
'Tis I, though yoked with them, alas!
If for my fourth, you would for one try,
Seek what Pat Murphy calls his country;
Then when my 66 tout" you have found out,
"Murder alive!" perhaps you'll shout.

For explanation, see last page.

A TRAGEDY OF MAESTRICHT.

FOUNDED ON TRUTH.

BY H. R. ADDISON.

THE great clock of the Cathedral of Maestricht had chimed the tenth hour, the rain poured down in torrents, the few lights which that city exhibits had already begun to drop off one by one, as a small body of Prussian soldiers straggled into the faubourg of Wyk, a faubourg renowned for the number of its public houses,-these were the only domiciles that now shewed any symptoms of life. In their various tap-rooms the detachment was soon seated, being divided into parties of two and three each, according to the billets they had received.

Our sketch opens on the 9th of June, 1815, when the German soldiery were already journeying into Holland and Belgium, en route for the glories of Waterloo. The locale which we would present to our readers was (for it no longer exists) the snug parlour of mine host of " the Raven," one of the most respectable estaminets in the ancient City of Maestricht. Around the ample fire were seated two or three notables of the town, grave men, ranking high in the opinions of their fellow-citizens, who had now reluctantly ceded one-half of the wide hearth to a party of Prussian soldiers, who crept close to the fire, desirous of warming their chilled limbs, and drying their well-saturated jackets, for they had marched during several hours through the heavy rain which still continued to beat with force against the unsheltered windows. The roar of the Meuse, as the waves broke sullenly on the banks, the continued howling of the storm, and the cold gushes of air as the door occasionally was opened, drove the whole party into a close circle round the blazing faggots. In such a situation the heart as well as the body warms, especially when the liquor is good, so the thread of the conversation which had been broken by the arrival of the troopers, once more was taken up, and while two or three gradually dropped off to sleep, the youngest of the party, whom we shall call Godfred, joined in the colloquy with animation, and seemed to be as intelligent and as alert as every soldier ought to be.

The common topic of the day was the fast approach of Napoleon, who, having recovered his once lost throne, was

now advancing with giant strides towards Belgium, rightly considering the Rhine and the Scheldt as the safest limits to the French kingdom, the only boundaries likely to preserve that nation from the inroads of her northern neighbours.

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The Dutchmen as well as the Prussians were uttering loud anathemas not only against the Corsican Eagle, but against the British officer whose want of attention had allowed this Scourge of the world once more to burst forth, when their conversation was suddenly interrupted by a mean-looking personage who, with countenance as pale as Priam in the dead of night," rushed into the room, and throwing himself down upon the bench which skirted the long table, began uttering a string of prayers and ejaculations, mingled with exorcisms and entreaties for mercy. Before the poor wretch's mental view, a thousand horrors seemed to float, from which he sought to be delivered.

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My good friend," soothingly began one of the Dutchmen, rising from his chair near the fire

"Avaunt Satan! Exorciso te, in nomine!"

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--

My good friend, Van Leyden, you are confused, your mind is troubled. It is I, Louis Frostenberge, the Deacon of the worshipful Society of Grocers, who now addresses you-"

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Pardon, pardon, my worthy Mynheer"—

"What is the matter? you seem alarmed."

Oh, good Deacon, I have seen it-I have seen it-I shall

soon die."

"How? what is the meaning of this?"

"The house in the Steen Street-the house of Flinders." In an instant all the party except the Prussians were on their legs, and in the next moment surrounded the new comer, anxiously inquiring what he had seen. From the eagerness of their inquiries, and the alarm painted on every countenance, there was evidently great interest attached to the spot named.

"I was going down the street, having just delivered the coat I had finished for Mynheer Trewette the Banker, forgetful of the dreadful tales told of the place, when suddenly I saw a bright light shoot from a window which I was passing. I looked up-the Saints preserve me,-it came from the still uninhabited house were Flinders died. I gave one glance, I shall never forget it, I saw yes, I saw Flinders standing in his winding sheet, and-"

Here the speaker's words were choked by his strong agitation, and amidst sobs and ejaculations, he went on to tell a

long story, which his auditors understood to be the account of some most horrible sight he had seen, but which he was utterly unable to explain.

After a few minutes, the unhappy tailor's wife (for whom the landlord had wisely sent) arrived, and having made her husband drink a strong potion of Schiedam and water, and thus partly quieted his nerves, managed to lead him home,while the disturbed group once more returned to their places round the fire, in order to finish their potations ere they retired to rest.

"And tell me, now that all the hubbub is over," said Godfred, "who is the driveller who has just been here ?"

"A worthy man, a tailor by profession, and no driveller, I can assure you," replied the senior Hollander, gravely. "Then why create such a disturbance? The man was as frightened as a hare."

"And so would you be, too, had you seen the same horrors which he has probably beheld this night."

"Pooh," cried the Prussian.

"It's no pooh," quoth the other, offended," it's mighty well for you, a stranger, to come here and laugh and scoff at the fears, the just fears of your elders-if not your betters; but, mark me, if you once passed the house I speak of at midnight, I am inclined to think you would not be quite so ready to scoff at your neighbours.'

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Pooh," muttered the soldier again, between the whiffs of his pipe.

"Since Flinders' death," continued the other, unheeding the unpolite parenthesis of his incredulous hearer," since Flinders went to his long home, no one has ever dared to inhabit that house. Our boldest, our best citizens, have vainly endeavoured to get a quiet footing within those accursed walls. Such tales are related of these experiments, such dreadful things have been seen, that my blood curdles as I think on them."

"And who was this Flinders ?"

"He was a merchant of this city, tolerably well respected during his life, though none could make out his sudden rise on the ladder of fortune some twelvemonths before he died; an occurrence which took place this very night two years ago. I knew the Priest who shrived him, I knew the Sister of Charity who attended him in his last moments: they hint at dark things, and look grave when his name is mentioned, but those who were less officially engaged in the dreadful scene, speak more loudly on the affair, and describe

:

it as the most harrowing, the most terrific mixture of blasphemy and fear, that mortal man ever saw or heard. Suffice it to say, no one has ever found out what became of more than half Flinders' wealth, and though his house was one of the best in the town, none have dared to take possession of it. Every night it is said to be the resort of demons, and though the family have offered a reward of a thousand florins to any one who will pass the night there, and discover the meaning of these awful mysteries, none has yet earned the sum, though several have endeavoured to do

SC.

"Oh, oh, Mynheer!" shouted the Prussian soldier, seeming suddenly to awake from his lethargic mood. "Is it thus, -I' faith, I'll go and live there for the rest of my life, for free quarters, and half the amount you've named."

One of his hearers crossed himself devoutly, the first speaker, however, together with the landlord, caught eagerly at the proposition, for folks in general are very fond of thrusting others, particularly strangers, into any danger they fear to encounter themselves.

After several stipulations such as a plentiful supply of beer and schiedam, a good light, a dollar in the morning, and sundry other little bribes, the adventurous soldier started off, having first ascertained his rifle to be dry and fit for immediate use, and the bayonet ready for action, accompanied as far as the door of the haunted mansion by two of the grave citizens and the landlord,

After threading several of the dreary streets, rendered more than usually gloomy by the still continuing storm, they at length arrived before a large and dull-looking house, to which the landlord pointing with terror exclaimed in accents of fear," There it is, sir soldier-the saints preserve you, we will return in the morning."

"Not so fast, my worthy host," returned the other, catching hold of his arm. "Not so fast; you must see me first safely in, and then you may go to where you list-but I won't be left here with the risk of passing the night in the street."

The landlord, though with evident trepidation, now approached the door and attempted to push it open, it refused to yield to his efforts. The citizens equally endeavoured to open it.

"You see I was right, Master Raven," exclaimed the soldier, "the door is locked, so I'll e'en return with you, that is to say if I am not more fortunate than yourselves.' He FEB. 1848.-VOL. IX., NO. II.

K