THE YAK OF THIBET. THE NORTH WIND, THE SUN, AND THE TRAVELLER. 'Tis said a warm dispute begun Of all your beauty, warmth, and light, "Boast not," replied the Orb of Day, With one I wish to think my friend; But if the trial must begin, Decide on terms, and try to win." "Well," said the North Wind, "look beneath, A Traveller plods along the heath, A cloak about his body cast; Now ere that weary waste be passed, Shall from yon traveller force his cloak, The North Wind raved both long and loud, Roar! howl! puff! whistle! went the blast, In vain! around each active limb The good man's cloak encompass'd him. With swelling cheeks and heated brain, Peeping from his pavilion blue, 'Twas then the Sun serenely smiled, Which with yon Traveller, as you see, M. THE art of spreading rumours may be compared to the art of pin-making. There is usually some truth, which I call the wire; as this passes from hand to hand, one gives it a polish, another a point, others make and put on the head, and at last the pin is completed REV. J. NEWTON. The following account of a valuable animal, very little known in Europe, is taken from a new volume of the Oriental Annual, ably edited by the Rev. HOBART CAUNTER. The engraving is from one of the beautiful plates, after Mr. Daniell's drawings, with which the volume is illustrated. BEFORE we quitted Serinagur, we visited the Rajah's stable, in which was a beautiful animal of the bovine species, called a yak. It is the domestic bull of Thibet. I do not believe that a single specimen of this creature now exists in Europe. In Thibet it is found both in the wild and tame state, though chiefly in the latter. As the wealth of the Tartar hordes consists principally in their cattle, they have large herds. These are their most valuable property, for they live almost entirely upon the milk. They sell the hair of the yak to great advantage, as it is in much request. This animal is about five feet high, and has much the form and bulk of a common English bull. The chief point of dissimilarity between the yak and every other animal of this genus, consists in its sides being covered with long glossy hair which extends over, the whole body, except the head and legs, and hangs from the flanks quite down to the hocks. The head is not so long as that of the English bull, and the ears are smaller. The horns are of greater length, tapering from the skull to the extremities, and forming a horizontal arch; they gradually incline towards each other until near the end, when they make a sudden curve upwards. The forehead seems to protrude considerably, but this is probably owing to a thick tuft of curly hair which traverses it, partly shading the eyes, and giving rather a heavy expression to the animal's features. The eyes are large, though not bright, and project boldly from the sockets, without, however, conveying the disagreeable impression which a projecting eye-ball is apt to create; as the hair of the forehead neutralizes the effect. The yak has all the genuine marks of high breeding and unmixed blood. The nostrils are small but open, the nose is also small and delicately shaped, presenting likewise that roundness and smoothness of surface so common to animals of a pure breed. The neck is short but arched; and, as in the Brahminee bull, peculiar to Hindostan, there is a high hump between the shoulders: this is coated with a profusion of short curly hair, extremely soft, and of a texture very different from that which covers the other parts of the body. This soft fur, for such it really is, overspreads the shoulders, and continues, though in less profusion, along the back, extending to the root of the tail, which is composed of an immense tuft of long bright hair, that almost sweeps the ground, and adds greatly to the elegance of this singularly beautiful animal. It is far more copious than the tail of the largest English cart-horse; not so long, indeed, but much thicker, while the hair is finer and more glossy, entirely enveloping the tail, and is as great an ornament to this fine creature, as a luxuriant head of hair to a handsome woman. In some of these bulls it is perfectly white, every other part of the animal being quite black, except the soft fur which covers the shoulders, hump, and spine. This order is frequently reversed, though occasionally, the colours vary considerably; but black with white, as seen in the accompanying engraving, is the most prevailing order, and I think the most striking. The legs of the yak are very short, while the oody appears disproportionably large, from the profusion of hair with which it is overpread. On some of these animals, this is so long as to trail upon the ground which gives an ungainly appearance to the creature's movements, as, when walking slowly, it exhibits the creeping motion of a large reptile. The soft fur upon the hump and shoulders is manufactured by the natives of Thibet, into a fine but strong cloth, and if submitted to the test of European skill, might no doubt be made to produce a very superior fabric. This animal is not generally fierce, but if intruded upon by strangers, it sometimes manifests very formidable symptoms of impatience. It has generally a sullen appearance, though that, I think, is greatly caused by the projecting forehead, which tends to give a stern aspect to the countenance. It, however, certainly expresses no signs of gratification when approached by those with whom it is most familiar, discovering none of those indications of pleasure so generally evinced by other animals under similar circumstances. When excited it is not easily appeased, and is exceedingly tenacious of injury, always showing great fierceness whenever any one approaches who has chanced to provoke it. The cow is called 'dhe, of which the wandering Tartars have large numbers. These Tartars, like the modern Bedouins, and those nomadic races of more primitive times which nearly overspread the East, dwell chiefly under tents in the hills or in the deserts, wander from place to place, and have no means of subsistence but those supplied by their flocks and herds. -The yak, which they pasture upon the tops of the mountains and in the deep glens of Thibet, affords them at once warm clothing and wholesome food. They use it also as a beast of burden, and it answers the purpose of the horse in transporting them over those bleak and rugged mountains among which they dwell, as it is very strong and sure-footed. It scarcely ever falls, and when this does happen on steep declivities, where it is so generally employed, the accident is almost invariably fatal. Instances of such casualties, however, are rare. The herdsmen commonly convert the hides into a loose outer garment that covers the whole of their bodies, hanging down to the knees, and it proves a sufficient protection against the lowest temperature of the cold and desolate region which they inhabit. It furnishes at once a cloak by day and a bed by night. The long hair, when carefully taken from the skin, is skilfully manufactured into a sort of tent-cloth, which is remarkably strong, and quite impervious to the wet. They convert the same material into ropes, which are much stronger than those composed of hemp, and resist more successfully the influence of climate and of friction. The yak's tail is an indispensable appendage to the costume of an eastern court; it is used throughout India, and when not to be obtained in sufficient quantities to answer the demand, is very successfully imitated by those cunning artificers, who are equalled only by the Chinese in these and similar deceptions. The tails are converted into chowries, a sort of whisk employed to keep off the flies and musquitoes from the heads of those who can afford such a luxury. The dhe, or cow of the yak, yields a large quantity of milk, and this is so rich as to produce better butter than that of any other of the bovine species in Asia. We were much gratified at having the opportunity of beholding so fine a creature of its kind, as this animal is seldom seen below the mountains of Thibet; no one, I believe, having yet thought it worth while to introduce the breed into Bengal, and most probably the experiment would fail if attempted. Serinagur, situated in the snowy regions of Thibet, where this animal was seen, is described as a place looking like a white drapery hanging from the skies over the blue tops of the distant mountains. It seemed perfectly detached from the hills, above which it rose to an elevation that appeared to blend it with the heavens, whilst its surface of unsullied whiteness, catching the rays of the sun, reached the eye through the distance, softened into a purity of effect that carried the imagination to a world unknown to man, of which it seemed to form a part. The inhabitants appear to be a mixed race, exhibiting in their features, the blended lineaments of highlander, lowlander, Patan, Tartar, Chinese, and Hindoo; and often showing the especial peculiarities of those several races. They are a mild and inoffensive people. THE YAK OF THIBET. LONDON: Published by JOHN WILLIAM PARKER, WEST STRAND; and sold by all Booksellers. UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE COMMITTEE OF GENERAL LITERATURE AND EDUCATION APPOINTED BY THE SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING CHRISTIAN KNOWLEDGE. THE WILD PALM-TREE. 'Mid rocks, and sands, and barrenness, The wild Palm in its desert dress--- Alone, amid the silent wild, It rears its spreading crest; The boundless desert's favoured child, An emblem of that faith that cheers The pilgrim on his road, For, like that faith alone it stands, With hand-like leaves against the sky, ON account of its great use to mankind, the family of the Palms stands in the first rank among the productions of the vegetable kingdom, and ought, more than most others, to excite the interest of naturalists; but, unfortunately, it is one of those which have been least noticed by travellers. Whether the difficulty of finding the different species at the same time in blossom, and bearing fruit, is the cause of this want of information, or whether it arises from the great height of the Palms preventing their easy examination, still the result is, that, in most collections, the fruit is preserved without a knowledge of the blossom, or the flowers without the fruit. The engraving represents a wild Palm-tree, near Mount Sinai, and is copied from Laborde's splendid work on Arabia Petræa: speaking of this interesting object, he says, "What appeared to me most worthy of notice was a Palm-tree in its natural state, which we found above Ouadi Seleh. The Palm-tree is always represented with its summit pointed, its leaves bent back and spreading over its head, from whence gracefully hang dates as bright as coral; and we never imagine that all this elegance is produced by art, and that nature, less refined, has only attended to its preservation. Before us we saw the Palm-tree as it had grown for many a year, forming a rampart of its perishing leaves, and again coming to life, as it were, in the midst of its wreck. Neglected by the Arab of the desert, who considers all attempts at cultivation beneath his dignity, the Palm-tree, at times, forms impenetrable forests; more frequently, however, it is found isolated near a fountain, as we traveller like a friendly lighthouse, pointing out to see in the engraving. It presents itself to the thirsty him the spot where water is to be found to quench his thirst, and a charitable shade in which to repose." LION HUNT IN SOUTH AMERICA. AT Villavicencio I was highly entertained in hunting a Pagi, or Chilian Lion. On our arrival, the people The Palms are peculiar to the warmer regions of were preparing to destroy this enemy to their cattle: the globe, and the name Palma has been given to these several dogs were collected from the neighbouring productions of the vegetable world, from the supposed farms, and some of the young men of the surroundresemblance of their broad leaves to the human ing country were in hopes of taking him alive with hand, palma being the Latin word for a hand. On their lassos, and of afterwards baiting him in the the same account, the Date, which is the fruit of a village for the diversion of the ladies; whilst others species of Palm, is called dactylus, a finger, not so were desirous of signalizing the prowess of their much from its form, as from the mode in which it favourite dogs. All of them were determined to kill grows in clusters, spreading out like the fingers of this ravenous brute, which had caused much damage, the hand. particularly among their horses. These trees are of the utmost importance to the inhabitants of the tropical regions; the fruit and sap providing them with food, the fibrous part of their structure with clothing, and the leaves forming the greatest part of their slightly-constructed huts. After enumerating some of the uses to which they are applied, a French naturalist says, "besides these principal advantages, they bestow many secondary benefits, which deserve notice; the leaves of some kinds are formed into fans, parasols, and hats; others again are written on, in the same manner as we write on paper, with a metal style; artificial flowers are formed out of the pith of some; the light and supple rattancane is the slender shoot of another species, and solid and useful goblets are made from the shell of the cocoa-nut, which the most refined luxury does not despise." The Palm is a most graceful plant, and, in the figurative language of Scripture its name is frequently employed to express beauty and elegance. The growth of the Palm is extremely singular; for, although some species attain the height of the largest forest-trees, their structure differs materially from that of a tree, properly so called. The leaves of the young plant arise immediately from the surface of the ground, and it is not until after the lapse of several years, that there is any appearance of stem, and this stem, when once formed, never increases in size, the growth of the plant being always upward, so that the stem itself is formed by the former growth of the green portions of the Palm'; and as we can judge the age of a tree by the circles visible in a section of its trunk, so the number of years a Palm has existed, is known by the scars left by the falling off of its annual circle of leaves, At four o'clock we left the village, more than twenty in number, each leading a dog, and having a chosen lasso on his arm, ready to throw at a moment's warning. About a mile from the village we separated, by different by-roads, into five or six parties, the men taking the dogs on their horses, to prevent the possibility of the scent being discovered by the lion. All noise was avoided; even the smoking of cigars was dispensed with, lest the smell should alarm their prey, and they should lose their sport. The party which I joined consisted of five individuals. After riding about four miles, we arrived at a small rivulet, where a young colt was tied to a tree, having been taken there for that purpose. We then retired about three hundred yards, and the colt being alone began to neigh, which had the desired effect; for before sunset, one of our party, placed in advance, let go his dog and whistled, at which signal three other dogs were loosed, and ran towards the place where the colt had been left. We immediately followed, and soon found the lion with his back against a tree, defending himself against his adversaries. On our appearance he seemed inclined to make a start, and attempt an escape. The lassos were immediately in motion, when four more dogs came up, and shortly afterwards their masters, who, hearing the noise, had ridden to the spot as fast as the woods would permit them. The poor brute seemed now to fear the increase of his enemies. However, he maintained his post, and killed three or four dogs, at which the owner of one of them became so enraged, that he threw his lasso round the neck of the lion, when the dogs, supposing the onset more secure, sprang on him, and he was soon overpowered, but so dreadfully wounded and torn, that it became neces sary to put an end to his life. The length of this animal, from the nose to the root of the tail, was five feet four inches, and from the bottom of the foot to the top of the shoulder, thirty-one inches. Its head was round, and much like that of a cat, the upper lip being entire, and supplied with whiskers; the nose flat, the eyes large, of a brownish hue, but very much suffused with blood; the ears short and pointed. It had no mane. The neck, back, and sides were of a dusky ash colour, with some yellowish spots; the belly of a dirty white; the hair on his buttocks long and shaggy. Each jaw was armed with four cutting, four canine, and sixteen grinding teeth; each of its fore-paws and hind-feet with five toes, and very strong talons. Four lassos, attached to the girths of the saddles of two horses, were fastened to the lion, which was thus dragged to the village, where we arrived about nine o'clock, and were received by the whole of the inhabitants with shouting and rejoicing. The remainder of the night was spent in dancing and carousing. The people informed me that the favourite food of the lion is horse-flesh; that watching a good opportunity it jumps upon the back of its prey, which it worries, tearing the flesh with one paw, whilst it secures its hold with the other; after sucking the blood it drags the carcase to some hiding-place, covers it with leaves, and returns when hungry to devour it. If it enter a place where horned cattle are kept, the bulls and cows immediately form a circle, and place the calves and young cattle in the centre; they then face their enemy boldly, and not unfrequently oblige him to retreat, on which the bulls follow him and often gore him to death. It would therefore appear to be more from fear than choice that he is attached to the flesh of horses. The animal was never known to attack a man; so timid is he of the human race, that he runs away at the apearance of a child, which may, perhaps, be accounted for from the abundance of cattle supplying him so easily with food, that he is seldom in want of flesh. [STEVENSON'S Residence in South America.] GRECIAN ARCHITECTURE. ARCHITECTURE has been divided into Civil, Military, and Naval. Civil architecture, of which we are about to speak, refers to the building of churches, palaces, private houses, &c., and the different varieties of style may be said to be four, namely, Egyptian, Chinese, Grecian, and Gothic. On referring to the more permanent buildings in these different styles, we shall find the peculiarities of each can be easily traced to the more ordinary dwellings of the original inhabitants of the countries to which they respectively belong. The Egyptian style is massive, and the buildings are frequently excavated from the solid rock, thus following the practice of the people who dwelt in caverns cut out of the sides of rocks and hills, before the art of building habitations was practised. The Chinese formed their lighter dwellings after the fashion of the original Tartar tent, with awnings and verandahs. The Grecian orders of architecture are referrible to buildings of wood, and the Gothic to bowers formed by the bending over and entwining together of the upper branches of trees. In the present paper we shall confine ourselves to the Grecian style, which was also adopted by the Romans. The buildings of these ancient nations are distinguished by five varieties of columns, and as many different modes of arranging the mouldings, and other ornaments with which they are decorated. These various methods of decoration have acquired the name of the Five Orders of Architecture, and, in well-designed buildings, the ornaments and mouldings belonging to one order are never found confounded with the columns of another. The The Greeks seem to have derived their ideas of architecture from the Egyptians, and some of their earlier buildings partook of much of the Egyptian character; but as the climate of Greece was subject to frequent rains, it was found necessary to raise the whole structure on an artificial platform, and to cover it with an inclined roof, with projecting eaves. different materials, also, of which the buildings were constructed, as we have already noticed, produced a great difference in the relative proportions of the various parts. The edifices of the Egyptians being chiefly formed of immense blocks of granite, the heaviest kind of stone; the supports of the superstructure were necessarily massive in proportion : the mysterious character, also, of their idolatry, was assisted by the dismal grandeur of their stupendous temples. The stone, of which the Grecian temples are constructed, is of a much lighter description, and many parts of their buildings show, that before they had learnt the method of working in marble, the material usually employed was wood; so that, partly following the design of their original wooden buildings, and partly importing the style of the In the wildest anarchy of man's insurgent appetites and sins, Egyptians, a structure, partaking of the character of there is still a reclaiming voice; a voice which, even when the architecture of both nations, was the consequence, in practice disregarded, it is impossible not to own; and to which, at the very moment that we refuse our obedience, In noticing the progress of the art, we find the we find that we cannot refuse the homage of what our-plain and sturdy Doric column succeeded by the selves do feel and acknowledge to be the best, the highest principles of our nature.-CHALMERS. THE cheerfulness of heart which springs up in us, from the survey of Nature's works, is an admirable preparation for gratitude. The mind has gone a great way towards praise and thanksgiving, that is filled with such secret gladness. A grateful reflection on the supreme Cause, who produces it, sanctifies it in the soul, and gives it its proper value. Such an habitual disposition of mind, consecrates every field and wood, turns an ordinary walk into a morning or evening sacrifice, and will improve those transient gleams of joy which naturally brighten up and refresh the soul on such occasions, into an inviolable and perpetual state of bliss and happiness.-ADDISON. ONE reason why God hath scattered up and down several degrees of pleasure and pain, in all the things that environ and affect us, and blended them together, in almost all that our thoughts and senses have to do with, is, that we, finding imperfection, dissatisfaction, and want of complete happiness in all the enjoyments which the creatures can afford us, might be led to seek it in the enjoyment of Him with whom there is fulness of joy, and at whose right hand are pleasures for evermore." -LOCKE. ་་་ more graceful and ornamented Ionic, and that, again, by the richly decorated Corinthian and the Composite order of the Romans. The principal feature in an order of architecture is the perpendicular support, or column. The bottom of this column rests upon a square plinth, sometimes ornamented with mouldings; this is called the base; the top of the column is also covered in the same manner, and this ornament is the capital; the body of the column is named the shaft. That part of the building which rests ou the column is the |