sture, ev'ry step was slow, ue, and ev'ry look was woe; geye presum'd alone on at the heavenly throne." late poet laureate, the Southey, that the merit tinuing a system of such t while I give him credit independence, I may be ng, that by thus abandonwriting birthday odes, he ea perfect sinecure. The following day. After going the round of HISTORY OF THE TROUT; HABITS, VARIETIES, MODE OF TAKING, AND writing two adulatory I new year, and the other thday, was always suffiut Doctor Southey disthis slight task, and the (the amount is variously at remained of the office For what possible purcer has been retained in ment, I know not; or if ne duty is not assigned to rged, that the sinecure is a bestowing charity on inthe name of heaven, do -ve! make them pensional bounty; allow them e privy purse (it is long hy profess to pay them h they are never called why deceive the world the laureateship is a bonâ duties as well as emoluhardly be pretended that lic duty for an eminent perform; the history of the deaths of Hume and inrecorded; no authentic THE ART OF BREEDING THEM. (Continued from page 221.) one out of former malice; yet passer kills any such servant The catching of fish with nets, tri The other acts regarding the taki Boccius states he has, for "No one shall enter into any park or paddock fenced in and inclosed, or into any garden, orchard, or yard, adjoining or be longing to any dwelling-house, or in or through which park, or paddock, garden, orchard, or yard, any river or stream of water shall run or be, or wherein shall be any river, stream, pond, pool, moat, stew, or other water; and by any ways, means, or device whatsoever, shall steal, take, kill or destroy any fish bred, kept or preserved in any such river, or stream, pond, pool, moat, stew, or other water aforesaid, without the consent of the owner or owners thereof, or shall be aiding or assisting in the stealing, taking, killing, or destroying any such fish as aforesaid, or shall receive stolen or taken as aforesaid, and being or buy such fish, knowing the same to be thereof indicted within six calendar months next after such offence or offences shall have been committed, before any judge or justice of gaol delivery for the county wherein such park or paddock, garden, orchard, or yard, shall be, and shall on such indictment be, by verdict, or by his and their own confession or confessions, convicted of any such offence or offences as aforesaid, the person or persons 80 convicted shall be transported for seven years." s from the date to which xtended now exists; and y will appear, in some rethe book of our authorized future generations will up. Why, then, is not e office of poet laureate e salary conferred on a , who should record the as they occur, and while cted with them are capay ascertained? dering from the subject n the train of ideas with ated these scarcely pera consideration of the irthday odes has betrayvations on the duties of a finally, into a proposal shing the office of poet stituting in its place a this purpose we will begin by p out how to stock rivers and strea season to any extent, according t 1 having the advantage of salm noble river Thames, since so as been poured into it from Lo ay of the tributary streams, we ence with trout, the habits of w similar, with the exception onl ration, peculiar to the former. Boccius states he has already many thousands of trout in river, on his preservation syste at begin to be heavy in of October, the smaller or you irst, but it is very rare they spawn in is termed, or are ready to de eggs, until the month of Novem arger or older ones are later, and frequent to find these, in a There is another clause, which states that should a person be taken while fishing in the above manner, "not being in a park, paddock, garden, orchard, or yard, adjoining or belonging to any dwelling. house, but shall be in any other inclosed ground which shall be private property," the spawn as late as February. ely interesting to watch the m ents and caution of trout, when abo sit their spawn; a number of ence burrowing the gravel with and form a bed with on depositing th nets, trimers, els, subjects the they are liable ng the taking of =zabeth, cap. 21; Geo. II, cap. 21. written by Mr s, published by ernoster row, in alue, when proked, showing a an abundant acto be produced has, for many ainted with the er fish; induced osity in the first y from a disposiOsely the works ed at with only how how simple her doings. ken a spirit of hers, we take up how easy it is to millions of any l begin by point. rs and streams in according to Mr age of salmon in , since so much it from London, streams, we must e habits of which xception only of e former. has already proof trout in the 'vation system. y in spawn in the naller or younger rare they "hill," ready to deposit ath of November; are later, and it is these, in a cold 3 February. It is watch the moveut, when about to , number of them e gravel with their th their tails, and, g, cover them up vision for the male fish, who is head labourer, by elongating and hardening the lower jaw, as is the case with a salmon at the spawning season. When on the hills it is not unfrequent for two or more males to wait upon a female, for, among fishes, as among almost all nature's works, more males than females are produced. It is worthy of remark, that each female fish has her favourite, and always leaves the hill in his company. Trout, like all the salmon tribe, make for the heads of rivers or tributary streams to spawn, where the springs bear an even temperature, and where the water is not likely to be affected by flood or thickened for any length of time, for instinct, or animal reason, warns them of the danger arising from the thickened state of the water, which proves completely fatal to the embryo; for after animation, muddy waters are destructive to the egg, caused by the fine earthy, mixed with animal matter, depositing itself on the neck of the same (or that part which had adhered to the membrane of the ovarium in the fish), which prevents the progress of animation and addles the egg. Therefore, the want of fish of every description in our rivers and streams does not proceed from either traffic or poaching, but from the pouring into our rivers the sewerage, refuse of chemical works, factories, &c., which destroys the egg. Yet still this refuse, when not composed of chemical matter, is of the greatest importance for the sustenance of living fish, as the myriads of larvæ and insects, produced by the decomposition of animal and vegetable matter in water, affords the young fry, by their abundance, an easier access to food. Great complaints have been made against fishermen for taking fish in the fence months, but so few are taken, comparatively speaking, to the quantities which each river or stream ought or might be made to afford by the improved system, that the offence is not worthy of notice. The rivers swarm with fish where the population is small; but as the population increases, so does the quantity of fish decrease, not from the quantity taken for food, but from the impurity of the waters injuring the egg: now this can be remedied, as it is much easier to produce fish for food than any animal in existence, as each fish yields hundreds, some thousands, and others hundreds of thousands of eggs, which, within a very short period, increase to a large size. The for instance which has enawned in des Poissons d'Eau douer de l'Europe Centrale.' Par Z. Agassiz. 'Embryologie des Salmones.' Par G. Vogt. The learned professor has also bred fish in Germany on the same plan as adopted by Mr Boccius; and in his book the reader will find most valuable observations made during two winters on the embryon of the Palee (Coregonus palaa, Cuvier), a fish of the salmon family, habiting the Lake of Neufchatel, in Switzerland. The observations were made in the year 1839. He has described successively the development of the different organic systems. Embryologie, which, as a science, has only as yet been examined in the egg of the hen, and with that as only regarding certain organs; but in this work the comparative anatomy of each stage has been carefully examined. The following is a list of the contents :The egg before fecundation-Fecundative conditions of the egg, with method of observation-Vitality of the egg-Development of the central nervous system-Ditto of the organs of sense, the eye, ear, and nose-Ditto of the carcass, in six divisions October, leaves for the sea in April, and returns in October three to four pounds in weight, so that in seven months a splendid stock is produced. When trout "hill," as the fishermen term it, the female keeps working up the stream before the male, and presses against the gravelly surface, and is by that pressure relieved of the spawn or egg; the male following her does the like at the same time, and gives to the waters the soft roe or milt. The eggs deposited absorb a portion of the same, and become animated. Mr Boccius's mode of stocking rivers with trout or other fish is as follows:-The female and male fish are taken at a time when they are about depositing their roe, and by pressure they are relieved of the spawn in some convenient place near the stream, so made as to be constantly supplied with a running water; after about fifty to sixty days the fish leave the eggs; they are, after a few days, let into the stream to shift for themselves. The eggs being kept in a safe place, do not become a prey to other fish as food, and, strange to say, the trout itself watches its species leaving its im--Ditto of the skin and muscles and the prisonment, and devours the small fry as they are produced, when, by keeping them for a few days, they are enabled to shift for themselves and collect together in the shallow waters out of harm's way. Mr Boccius prefers a long, shallow box made of wood, about three feet wide, ten feet long, and one foot deep, the bottom to be covered with a shingly gravel, so that the eggs may fall between the stones, and by that means prevented from washing away or rolling about; a stream of water must be let in at one end and allowed to pass out at the other. A wire gauze may be put over the entrance and exit of the stream, to prevent anything getting in, or the young fry escaping until they may be thought strong enough to get out of the way of their destroyers. A box of this description is large enough to breed 50,000 trout. The milt of the male trout must be pressed out into the water as soon as the eggs of the female are pressed from them into the box, and the stream should not be allowed to pass through until the water has been stirred, so as to mix the milt a little with the water. Mr Boccius states that he is always successful; but supposing only half the eggs in a trout to produce fish by his plan, it will be found that one dozen females will give on an average 12,000 trout. The roes of fish vary in the number of eggs; for instance, Leuwen Hoeck found in a cod fish 9,344,000 eggs, and in a carp 211,629. The number of eggs vary in the trout; some of the species have 20,000 to 60,000 eggs in their roe. There is a very learned work by Professor Agassiz, called ‘L'Histoire Naturelle intestines, in five divisions-Ditto of the systems of the blood, the heart, vessels, and circulation. The work is elaborately got up, containing one hundred and fifty subjects. Telegraph Printing.-We direct attention to the simple, elegant, and efficacious application of electricity to telegraphis, recently patented by Mr Alexander Bain, and which is now in operation between the Nine Elms Station of the South-Western Railway and Wimbledon, a distance of six miles. The telegraph requires but one wire to be employed to form the connecting link between the two points; a saving not only of expense, but a security against disturbance or accident to the machinery. It appears, from the description given us by the inventor, that he converts the whole space of ground between the two points of communication (say in this instance Nine Elms and Wimbledon) into an electric battery. To use his own words, his telegraph is "worked by the electric currents of the earth." A hand moves round a dial, which the exhibitor stops at certain numbers. This is known at Wimbledon the next moment. The hand then moves apparently by itself and stops at precisely the same figures. Mr Bain might render his experiments more effective by arranging that one or two of his visitors should proceed to Wimbledon. This would prove that there is no intermediate agency, which at present, though we have no doubt of the fact, is less apparent than it might be. Arms. Three Moors' heads, couped in profile, ppr., wreathed round the temple, arg. and az. Crest. A demi lion, rampant, arg., charged with three trefoils, vert., holding in the dexter paw an arrow, pheoned and flighted, ppr., shaft, or. Supporters. Dexter, a lion, ar., charged on the shoulder with three trefoils, slipped, vert., and holding in the sinister fore-paw an arrow, point downwards; sinister, a cormorant, holding in its beak a branch of laver, all ppr. Motto. "Ne cede malis, sed contra." "Yield not to misfortunes, but, on the contrary, meet them with firmness." THE NOBLE HOUSE OF CANNING. THOUGH new to the Peerage, the Cannings are an ancient English family. They have been of considerable note since the time of Henry VI. A series of George Cannings could be enumerated who were known to fame "In arms who triumphed or in arts excelled," from whom the Garvaghs are descended, before we reach that eminent man who threw a new lustre on the name, and having acted a distinguished part in the great council of the nation for more than a quarter of a century, was the cause of its being added to the peerage of Eng land. Of the family of the late Lady Canning Burke gives the following particulars :Major-General John Scott, of Balcomie, in the county of Fife, married Margaret, youngest daughter of Robert Dundas, of Arniston, Lord President of the Court of Session, by Henrietta Baillie, heiress of Lamintoun, and left at his decease Henrietta, who inherited landed and other property to the amount of 300,000l. She married William, present Duke of Portland; Lucy married Francis, Lord Donne (now Earl of Moray); and Joan, who became Viscountess Canning. The last-named lady had married George Canning. He was the friend of Pitt, and held many important offices in the state, and at length, after the death of the late Marquis of Londonderry, became Prime Minister of England. Few men have acted a more splendid part in parliament. His speeches were long listened to by "admiring senates." His sonorous voice, energetic manner, classical taste, and brilliant wit, commanded the applause of all parties. "And factions strove which should applaud him most." As Prime Minister his career was short. The anxieties of office were supposed to have shortened his life. While in that high situation he died, August 8th, 1827. Shortly after his death his widow was elevated to the peerage as Viscountess Canning, of Kilbraham, in the county of Kilkenny. Her ladyship had issue 25th, 1801, and died March 31st, 1820; George Charles, who was born April William Pitt, a captain in the Royal Navy, who was drowned while bathing at Mathe present peer; and Harriet, married, deira, in September 1828; Charles John, in 1825, to Ulick John, Marquis of Clanricarde. Lady Canning died March 15th, 1837, when the title came to her son Charles John. His lordship was born Dec. 14th, 1812, and married, Sept. 5th, 1835, the Hon. Charlotte Stuart, eldest daughter of Lord Stuart de Rothesay. BLOOD FOR BLOOD. CONRAD MANNERT, in his history of the Ancient Germans, gives a lively picture of the customs which prevailed among the Franks under the Merovingian Kings, in cases where homicide was to be revenged. "At Tours dwelt two noble Franks who possessed extensive domains. Austregil, one of them, slew and plundered some of the Pueri, or armed attendants of the Sichar, the other. As the slain were not free-born Franks, but thralls, although appertaining to that armed portion of the household without whose escort no man of consequence undertook a journey, the affair was referred to the burgher tribunal, which decided that Austregil had incurred punishment. Sichar learning that the stolen goods were in his antagonist's house, collected a body of armed followers, attacked the mansion by night, slew Austregil, and plundered his property. The town was alarmed for the consequences, and the bishop, in conjunction with the judge, invited the parties to appear before them. They came, the assembled citizens being present. 'Prosecute this quarrel no farther,' said Bishop Gregory, 'be placable, and let him who has done the wrong make compensation; should his wealth prove insufficient, the church shall buy him off with her gold.' But Chramnisind, the nearest kinsman of Austregil, refused to accept any composition. It was soon reported that Sichar had been murdered upon a journey by his own attendants (he was merely wounded). Immediately Chramnisind and his party attacked Sichar's country residence, killed some of his servants, burnt his houses, and drove away his cattle. Both parties were again summoned before the Gravio, and the judges decreed that he who, rejecting a just composition, had burnt the houses, should forfeit one half of the composition previously adjudged to him, but that Sichar must still pay the other half. This was a proceeding devised as a means of restoring peace. The church paid the money; both parties respectively swore that neither would speak a word against the other, and so the dispute seemed to be ended. So thoroughly satisfied to all appearance were the parties, that they frequently feasted together and slept in the same bed (an old German custom). As they sat one day at Chramnisind's table, drinking together in mirthful mood, Sichar said, "Thou shouldst thank me, good brother, for having killed thy kinsman, since the composition has made thee a rich man.' Then thought Chramnisind in his heart, 'If I leave my kinsman's blood unavenged, I am not worthy to be called a man.' He put out the lights, clove Sichar's head in twain, and hastening to the king, told how the thing had happened, and prayed for assurance of his life. He believed, therefore, that he had acted with perfect propriety, but was constrained to seek for safety in exile." SEFI THE BLOOD-SHEDDER. (Concluded from page 229.) A TYRANT is always restless. Though the two friends, Tabub and Urgulu, were laid low, Sefi recollected that they had sons, and deemed it necessary to decide what their fate should be. He sent for. them, and told them what their fathers' offence had been, and vindicated the brutal atrocity which requited it as a just and necessary step. Urgulu's son spoke lightly of the event:- "That death," he said, "but little affected him, since it seemed good to the Shah. He had ever held that his sovereign alone was entitled to reverence as a father." For this monstrous speech he found favour in the tyrant's eyes, and Sefi permitted him to succeed to the wealth of the parent he had lost. Not so the chancellor's son. He could not refrain from expressing horror, and for such a manifestation of filial sensibility his property was confiscated, and he was reduced to great poverty. A poet who had ventured to take this tragedy for a theme, threw out some reflections which gave offence to Sefi, who, in consequence, caused the imprudent votary of the Nine to be conveyed to the mardan, or market-place, where he was brutally deprived of his nose, ears, tongue, hands, and feet. In this deplorable state he languished for several days, when his sufferings terminated in death. Notwithstanding the general professions of devotion, and the often-repeated declaration that they had no will but the Shah's, some of his chans proved that they had a strong- indeed, an insurmountable - objection to be slaughtered, merely because such was his good pleasure. Alymerdan, the governor of Candahar, and Danub, the governor of Kentze, having failed to attend his court in person on one occasion, Sefi was as much incensed against them as he had been against Tabub. Aware of this, Alymerdan, when summoned, fled to the king of the Indies, and put into his hands the fortress of Candahar. The other chan, Danub, was in the same predicament. He, as well as Alymerdan, had sent one of his wives and one child to represent him in the Shah's presence, believing more would not be required; but understanding the dire resentment which he had unwittingly provoked, Danub decided on retiring into Turkey. Acting upon this prudent resolve, he performed a deed of ferocity not unworthy of the tyrant from whom he sought to escape. Having announced his intended flight to his servants and guards, finding fifteen of them unwilling to follow him in his retreat, he caused them instantly to be put to death. He then wrote a bitter and reproachful letter to his late master, and repaired to Constantinople, where he was received with much distinction by Sultan Ibrahim. The wives of the chans who thus withdrew from his unreasoning vengeance were seized, and by order of the Shah sent to certain infamous receptacles, and there subjected to the most degrading insults. The sons were treated with great severity; and the fury of the tiger still raging, he |