side, and they are satisfied out of the treasures of Providence.

But the herbaceous productions of the field are not universally calculated for the purposes of food. In some places numerous groups of tall, thin, flexible plants make their appearance, whose filmy coats, being properly manufactured, are converted into the most costly and delicate raiment; while others of a coarser texture furnish the mariner with wings to his vessel, cordage to tighten his masts, or the ponderous cable to stay his bark in the midst of the fluctuating element. Yet even here their services do not end, for when worn out in one shape they assume another, and not only furnish the material from which is formed the wrapper of the manufacturer, and the package of the merchant, but that invaluable article upon which we write-upon which we are able to hold converse with friends at a distance and by means of which man transmits his thoughts to man, and generations unborn are enabled to hold converse with past ages. By means of these pliant productions we are also supplied with a variety of seeds and oils, of much request in common life; and wherever disease is known, there, we have reason to believe, medical herbs spring up as antidotes; some communicating their healing virtues by the root, some by the leaves, and others by the flowers or seeds. A number of these, and many others of the greatest utility in medicine, come forth in various places of the globe without the aid of art, and are found growing wild among the herbs of the field.

FLOWERS.

THE ALDERNEY COW,

IT is the opinion of those best informed upon agricultural matters, that the Jersey and the Alderney Cow are precisely alike—both distinguished by the fine-curved taper horn, the slender nose, the fine skin, and the deer-like form; and both preserved in their purity, by breeding in and in.

Quail, in his report, truly says, that "next to the possession of vraic (sea-weed for manure and firing), the treasure highest in a Jerseyman's estimation, is his cow." It is now as it was in Quail's time. The cow is the object of his chief attention; and his care and affection for it may be compared with those of a German for his horse.

"It is true," says Quail, "that in summer she must submit to be staked to the ground, but five or six times in the day her station is shifted. In winter she is warmly housed by night, and fed with the precious parsnep; when she calves, she is regaled with toast, and with the nectar of the island, cider— to which powdered ginger is added."

The high estimation in which the Jersey cow is held by its possessor, is shared by the island legislature, which has preserved the purity of the breed by special enactments. An act was passed in the year 1789, by which the importation into Jersey, of cow heifer, calf, or bull, is prohibited, under the penalty of 200 livres, with the forfeiture of boat and tackle; and a fine of fifty livres is also imposed on every sailor on board who does not inform of the attempt. The animal, too, is decreed to be immediately slaughtered, and its flesh given to the poor.

In

In reason's ear they become preachers. The upright philosopher of the land of Uz, and that devout admirer of the works of nature, David, king of Israel, both took occasion to compare the uncertain tenure of human life to the frail and perishable state of a flower, The prophet Isaiah represents the transient glory of the crown of pride as being like one of these fading beauties; and our Saviour has demonstrated that an important lesson against too anxious care, and pride in dress, may be learned from a right consideration of these gay visitants; "Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, neither do they spin; and yet, I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these."-Book of Nature.

THE only uniform and perpetual cause of public happiness, is public virtue. The effects of all other things which are considered as advantages, will be found casual and transitory. Without virtue nothing can be securely possessed, or properly enjoyed.-DR. JOHNSON.

CHILDREN should early be habituated to connect two ideas which ought never to be separated, Charity and Self-denial. HANNAH MORE.

THE ALDERNEY COW.

GUERNSEY.

In this island, the cows are universally tethered, as in Jersey, and are moved, watered, and milked, three times a day. From about the beginning of November, during the winter, parsneps and mangel-wurzel are given to the cows at night.

There are few points of island jealousy carried further, than that which regards the breed of cows of Jersey and Guernsey. It is certain, however, that of late years greater attention has been bestowed upon the breed of cattle in Guernsey than in Jersey; and the law forbidding the importation of any foreign breed, has been scrupulously acted upon. A Guernsey farmer would not, upon any account, admit a Jersey cow on his grounds. In England no difference between Guernsey and Jersey cows is understood; but the number of the latter exported being by far the greater, they are generally better known to the jobbers. The Guernsey cattle are considerably larger than those of Jersey; and it appears from the evidence of the clerk of the market, that an ox has attained the weight of 1500 lbs. Quail, in his report, says, those of 1200 lbs., or sixty score, appear not unfrequently. I am told that a Guernsey cow, when its birth is distinctly known, and when offered among those best able to judge, fetches a higher price than the Jersey cow. This may possibly be owing to the larger size; for there can be no doubt, that greater size, supposing all the other points equal, gives the animal an advantage.

The following is the description and standard of excellence of a Guernsey cow, transmitted to me by one well versed in those matters. The points of excellence are, 1. Pedigree of the parents; yellow ears, tail, and good udder. 2. General appearance; colour, cream, light red, or both, mixed with white. 3. Handsome head, well horned, and bright and prominent eyes. 4. Deep barrel-shaped body. 5. Good hind-quarters and straight back. 6. Handsome legs and small bone. I believe, however, that this

THE SHORT-HORNED, OR HOLDERNESS COW.
This breed is kept near London to supply milk to the metropolis.

classification of points of excellence is not rigidly adhered to. I have seen it stated of the Guernsey cows, young and old, that the general average is rather more than 365 lbs. of butter in the year, being equal to one pound of butter, or eight quarts of milk in twenty-four hours.

ALDERNEY.

IN my rides I often paused and drew up my horse to look over the walls at the pretty little Alderney cows, whose beauty and qualities have so greatly distinguished their native island. My attention was particularly directed to some acknowledged as fine specimens; and to me they seemed well to deserve the praises that had been passed upon them. I found it, however, everywhere admitted, that there is but little distinction between the Alderney and the best specimens of the Jersey cow. The Guernsey cow, though also of the same breed, is (as I have observed) a larger animal, and, in the opinion of many, finer, though certainly not more comely.

I had been told in the other islands, that the true Alderney breed, such as I should find it in Alderney, is black and white; but I did not find that the people of Alderney adopted this criterion of purity of breed. Red and white, and brown and white, I found equally common; and the choicest specimens shown me, were white and reddish-chocolate colour; but not with too great a preponderance of white. The Alderney people look more to the shortcurved horns, than to the colour: and it was stated to me by a gentleman who had paid great attention to the subject, that there is no indication of a true Alderney cow so certain, as prominent sparkling eyes; and in this the Alderney cow offers a strong contrast to other cows: for the eye of a cow is generally of a tranquil and sleepy expression.

[Abridged from INGLIS's Channel Islands.] The annexed engravings represent some other wellknown varieties.

THE LONG-HORNED, OR LANCASHIRE COW. This variety yields loss milk than the last, but a much greater proportion of cream.

THE CITY OF HAMBURG. HAMBURG, the first commercial city of Germany, and probably of the whole continent, is one of the four free towns which are admitted, as independent states, into the German Confederation,-the three others being Frankfort, Lubeck, and Bremen. Its situation is highly advantageous, and is the chief cause of its present importance, as it was also of its prosperity in former times. It is built on the northern bank of the Elbe, at the distance of about eighty miles from the sea, and just at the point where the navigation of that river, by large vessels, ceases, and where the use of rafts, or flat-bottomed boats, begins. Opposite the city the river is about four miles broad; but just above it is divided by islands into several narrow and intricate channels, which do not admit the passage of ships. Two small streams, the Alster and the Bille, flow into the Elbe through the town; the first is by far the more considerable of the two, and forms, in the northern part of the town, a sort of reservoir, or small lake, from which the water is distributed so as to turn several mills, to supply numerous fountains, and to fill the canals which intersect the city, and especially the lower part of it, in such numbers that about ninety bridges are required for crossing them.

The origin of Hamburg is referred to the beginning of the ninth century, when Charlemagne built a citadel and a church on the heights between the Elbe and the eastern banks of the Alster: his object was to establish a station which might be a bulwark against a tribe of Sclavonian Pagans, who were settled on the southern coasts of the Baltic. In spite of the various vicissitudes which it underwent, this place speedily became the resort of many traders and settlers; and, in the year 833, it was raised by Louis Le Débonnaire, the son and successor of Charlemagne, to be the seat of an archbishopric. In 845 the city was pillaged and partially destroyed by the Danes; and scarcely had it recovered from that disaster, when it suffered a similar infliction at the hands of the Sclavonians. About half a century afterwards, the Emperor Otho erected Saxony into a duchy, and Hamburg, being within the district which went by that name, passed from under the immediate sovereignty of the empire, and became subject to the dukes of the new fief, from whom again, in the twelfth century, it passed to the counts of Holstein. In the meanwhile, much progress had been made in the extension of industry and commerce; and already the principles of freedom had begun to develop themselves in the rising community. As early as the middle of the twelfth century, corporations, or guilds, were formed for the protection and encouragement of different crafts and occupations. In the year 1152, we find that the union of "the Company of Mercers and Drapers" was confirmed by the approbation of the reigning duke, Henry the Lion. Riches, too, came to flow into the hands of the industrious burghers, and and enabled them, according to the common practice of the middle ages, to extract, from the neediness of their sovereign lord, the grant of many privileges and immunities, which gave a fresh impulse to their growing prosperity.

In the year 1189, when Frederick the First, surnamed Barbarossa, went out upon the third land crusade, the people of this city supplied their master, Adolph the Third, with the means of accompanying his sovereign upon that unfortunate expedition; and, in return, they obtained the concession of various privileges which are important in the history of Hamburg, as the basis of its subsequent liberty, and the possession of which was guaranteed by two dis

tinct charters; one signed by the count, and the other by the emperor. The tendency of these was to secure their independence, the freedom of their commerce, and their exemption from a variety of imposts; among them were stipulations that no fort should be erected within two miles of the city,—that the burghers should trade freely on the Elbe, from the city down to the sea,-and that they should not be liable to any charges on account of the foreign or domestic campaigns of their lord.

Scarcely had the thirteenth century begun, when the city was again embroiled in active warfare. Its old enemies, the Danes, took it three times in the space of fifteen years, and then sold it, for 700 marks of silver, to a certain Count Albrecht of Orlamund; but the purchaser, finding his title disputed by the Holstein family, resold the city to its own inhabitants for 1500 marks of silver; that is to say, for the consideration of that sum, he renounced all his rights of sovereignty over it. The inhabitants then began to govern themselves according to a constitution of their own framing; but, strangely enough, while their political freedom thus commenced, the archbishopric, which the son of Charlemagne had founded in their city, was transferred to Bremen. It happened, however, that the man who had sold them their freedom was defeated in his struggle with the count of Holstein; they were consequently obliged to open their city to the victorious Adolph, (the fourth of that name,) though they carefully secured the full enjoyment of all their privileges. How extensive these were may be conceived from the fact of their comprising the power of entering into treaties with foreigners. In 1238 the city formed a commercial alliance with the people inhabiting the country between the Elbe and the Weser; and, in 1241, entered into that union with Lubeck which is regarded as the commencement of the famous Hanseatic League.

From that time forward the advancement of Hamburg in wealth and independence was steadily progressive; its commerce became gradually more extended, and the ties which bound it in obedience to the counts of Holstein relaxed in the same degree. At last, being constituted, in 1368, the seat of an Imperial Fair, the city boldly refused to pay homage and fealty to its feudal lord, acknowledging a direct dependence upon the emperor only, and styling itself a free and imperial city of the German empire. In succeeding centuries it was not without a full share of the troubles arising from internal dissensions and external hostilities; the king of Denmark was its constant enemy, and his efforts to reassert his lost rights of sovereignty over it, caused many calamities to the inhabitants. In spite, however, of all these, the prosperity of the city continued; and the convention entered into with Denmark, in 1768, by which the Danish sovereign resigned his claims, and formally acknowledged its independence, relieved it of its last source of apprehension. Thus, at the beginning of the present century, Hamburg was one of the richest and most prosperous of the free cities of Germany.

But its disastrous days then began. In the year 1803 the French entered Hanover, and closed the Elbe against the English; our fleets in return blockaded the mouth of the river, and thus put a stop to the commerce of Hamburg. The French then compelled the inhabitants to advance the sum of 2,125,000 marks; similar exactions were repeatedly practised, until at length, in 1810, Hamburg was regularly incorporated with the French empire, as the capital of the newly-created department of the

ment.

Hamburg bears the marks of its antiquity visibly about it at the present day; the streets are narrow, crooked, and ill-paved, the houses small, high, and ill-built, and the whole city has a close and contracted appearance, seeming like what it really is-too small for its dense population. Its different portions are huddled together, as it were; no open places or squares interrupt the continuous masses of building, and impart salubrity, as well as beauty, to the city. There are, indeed, several which bear the name, but none which are justly entitled to it, unless we except the Jungfern Stieg, a famous public promenade, running above the border of the lake or basin, which we noticed as being formed by the Alster in the northern part of the town.

Dr. Thomas Nugent, who visited Germany in 1766, thus describes "the Jungfern Steig, or Maiden's Walk, where the inhabitants resort for the sake of company, air, and exercise. It is situated at the head of the Alster, and extends along this beautiful basin into the heart of the city. Its length may be about a thousand feet, but it is rather too narrow, being not above twenty or twenty-five feet in breadth; it is bordered round by a row of trees, and railed in on the water-side: there are several stairs for the convenience of boats and covered barges, which will hold eight or ten people, with a table: in these they frequently sup, being rowed up and down, and music playing. On the other side is a handsome street with

a row of fine houses."

The following extract from the pen of a more recent writer, will convey a lively and correct picture of its present appearance.

"had

"Some Hanoverians" says Mr. Hodgskin, described to me with ecstacy a public promenade at Hamburg, called the Jungfern Stieg, and I had been so long accustomed to their own quietness, that I was almost prepared to join in their opinions when I saw the quantity of people, and of apparent enjoy ment on this walk, on the evening of my arrival in Hamburg. On one side, throughout its whole length, there is a row of handsome houses, a broad carriageroad, a walk planted with four rows of trees, and the other side is bounded by a small handsome lake, formed by the Alster, a river that flows into the Elbe at Hamburg. The coffee-houses may almost vie with those of the Palais Royal for splendour; and towards evening it seemed as if the whole population of the town were collected on this single spot. The busy hum of the conversation of such a multitude, and their restless movement, was like the waves as they

51

break on the shore. Many were walking; many were sitting about the coffee-houses or on benches, and many were idly gazing on the still waters. It was a beautiful summer's evening, and the moon shone both in the heavens and in the lake. Several boats floated on it, and the people in them were still, and seemed more disposed to enjoy than to disturb the serenity. The multitude were of all ages, of all descriptions, and of all countries, and remained enjoying themselves late in the night. In other parts of Germany the people go quietly home and to bed towards ten o'clock; but, at midnight, the walk was yet crowded, and it was long before all the revellers had retired.'

In an enclosure on the outside of my garden is a small heap of manure, the materials of which came partly from the stable, and partly from the sea-shore. In a little hollow on the side of this heap, under a sort of pent-house formed by a lock of the sea-weed, a redbreast has built her and other persons who are continually passing by; for her nest, and hatched her young, unmolested by the gardeners appearance, insensible of any inconvenience from the situation is almost close to the garden-door; and to all manure heap having been recently dug away, within a couple of feet of her nest, which she goes in and out of with little scruple, in the presence of any one who happens to be near. The fact is, perhaps, not unworthy of notice, both on account of the substance on which the bird has chosen to establish herself, and of the public and much frequented situation.

A twelvemonth ago, I observed another redbreast's nest very pleasantly situated in a window of a house, at that time my residence, which stood in a garden. The house windows was a light trellis, with which roses and other was almost covered with ivy: and round some of the flowering plants were interwoven. On the sill of one of the windows, and in a snug recess within the trellis, the redbreast took up her abode, where she might be continually seen from the parlour to which the window belonged, during the whole process of incubation, till, in due time, she carried off her young brood in safety. She was much family, and often would have escaped notice, as she sat the object of observation to different members of the patiently on her nest, but for the bright sparkling of her eye, which seemed to speculate on the observers as curiously as theirs did on her. But the window'never being opened, and care being taken not to disturb her, she arrived prosperously at the termination of her maternal cares. Field Naturalist.