Barbauldism, so extremely popular in the lower forms of preparatory schools, called "The Beggar's Petition." Arden could not, however, suppress a significant ejaculation, quite intelligible to his niece, when the dear little Maria, smelling of soap and bread and butter, with her shoulders pushed bask, her head stuck up, and her clariculæ developed like drum sticks, squeaked out the opening line

"Pity the sorrows of a poor old man."

"Ah!" exclaimed Arden, at the same time pushing back his chair and twirling his thumbs. "Pity the sorrows of a poor old man,"

continued the sweet innocent,

"Whose trembling limbs has bore him to oo door,
Whose dace are dwilden'd to is sortest pan,
Oh!"

"Give relief,"

said Mrs. Abberly.

"Give a leaf,"

said the child.

"And Heaven,"

continued Mrs. Abberly.

"Give a leaf and Heaven,"

repeated Maria,

"And Heaven-"

"Well, what's next?" said Mrs. Abberly.

"Give a leaf and Heaven, well, what's next?"

said the child.

"No, my dear love," said her papa, patting her little head,

"Heaven will bless your store."

Why, you said it yesterday, my darling, without missing a single word."

"Heaven-will bless your store,"

said the child.

"Now that's all learnt from the book, colonel," said Mrs. Abberly, "not by rote!"

66

"Very pretty indeed, ma'am,” said the colonel, very clever!"

"Ah! but there are six more verses, sir," said Sophy; "she only knows three,-I can say 'em all!"

"That you can't," said Tom; "I can say 'em better than you; besides, I can say all about 'The Black-beetle's Ball,' and The Bull and the Watering-pot.""

"Oh, you story teller, Tom!"

"I can," said Tom; you may go and ask Miss Gubbins if I can't."

"I know you can't, Tom, and Miss Gubbins said so only yesterday," replied Sophy.

"Hush, hush, my dears!" said the master of the house, 66 never mind who says that; you know you are older than Tom, my love. Pray, colonel," said the fond father, turning to the agitated old man, " do you think Sophy grows like her mother?"

ноок.

THE COMFORTS OF A VOYAGE.

IMAGINATIVE reader! have you ever been in a gale of wind on the edge of the Bay of Biscay? If not, and you are fond of variety, it is really worth your while to take a trip to Lisbon or Madeira for the chance of meeting with one. Calculate your season well in December or January, when the south-wester has properly set in, and you will find it one of the finest and most uncomfortable things in the world. My gale lasted from Sunday till Wednesday evening, which is somewhat long perhaps for amusement, but it gave ample room for observation and philosophy. I think I still hear that ineffable hubbub of plates and glasses breaking, chairs and tables falling, women screaming, sailors piping, officers swearing, the wind whistling, and the sea roaring, which awakened me about two o'clock on Monday morning, from one of those sweet dreams, wherein, through infinite changes and indistinct combinations of imagery, thy loved form, Eugenia, for ever prevails in its real and natural beauty. The Atlantic was gushing in through my port, in a very refreshing manner, and ebbing and flowing under and around my bed with every roll of the ship. My clothes were floating on the face of the waters. I turned to sleep again, but the sea came with that awful dead sledge-hammer beat, which makes a landsman's heart tremble, and the impertinent quotation of some poor scholar in the next cabin, about quatuor aut septem digitos, brushed every atom of Morphic dust from my eyes. I sat bolt upright,

and for some time contemplated, by the glimmering of the sentry's lantern, the huge disarray of my pretty den; I fished for my clothes, but they were bathing; I essayed to rise, but I could find no resting place for the sole of a rheumatic foot. However, I was somewhat consoled by a sailor, who came to bale out the water at daybreak ;"A fine breeze, sir, only its dead on end for us; and to be sure, I minds the Apollo and thirty-two marchantmen were lost somewhere in these here parts." It was kindly meant of Jack, no doubt, though he was out of his latitude by eight degrees at least.

COLERIDGE.

THE

RIGHT OF DISCOVERY VINDICATED. THUS were the European worthies who first discovered America clearly entitled to the soil; and not only entitled to the soil, but likewise to the eternal thanks of these infidel savages, for having come so far, endured so many perils by sea and land, and taken such unwearied pains, for no other purpose but to improve their forlorn, uncivilized, and heathenish condition-for having made them acquainted with the comforts of lifefor having introduced among them the light of religion; and, finally, for having hurried them out of the world, to enjoy its reward!

But as argument is never so well understood by us selfish mortals, as when it comes home to ourselves, and as I am particularly anxious that

this question should be put to rest for ever, I will suppose a parallel case, by way of arousing the candid attention of my readers.

Let us suppose then, that the inhabitants of the moon, by astonishing advancement in science, and by a profound insight into that ineffable lunar philosophy, the mere flickerings of which have of late years dazzled the feeble optics, and addled the shallow brains of the good people of our globe-let us suppose, I say, that the inhabitants of the moon, by these means, had arrived at such a command of their energies, such an envi- . able state of perfectibility, as to control the elements and navigate the boundless regions of space. Let us suppose a roving crew of these soaring philosophers, in the course of an aerial voyage of discovery among the stars, should chance to alight upon this outlandish planet.

And here I beg my readers will not have the uncharitableness to smile, as is too frequently the fault of volatile readers, when perusing the grave speculations of philosophers. I am far from indulging in any sportive vein at present; nor is the supposition I have been making so wild as many may deem it. It has long been a very serious and anxious question with me, and many a time and oft, in the course of my overwhelming cares and contrivances for the welfare and protection of this my native planet, have I lain awake whole nights, debating in my mind whether it were most probable we should first discover and civilize the moon, or the moon discover and civilize our globe. Neither would the prodigy of sailing in the air and cruising among