proved. The cutter I had seen in Bressa Sound had got intelligence of the smuggler, by means of the very boatmen who had gone with me, had chased and dogged him through the island channels, till, finding he could no longer hope to escape, he ran in here, and turned to bay. fluently, though not correctly. His face was large and red; his eyes fiery and bloodshot, glancing with a quick, suspicious movement; he was clad in a common seaman's dress, but a valuable ring glittered on the least finger of his large hand. His companion presented a singular contrast. He was a slight made but strongly knit young Englishman; his face and figure were extremely hand-while Mary shivered and trembled under the excess of her some, and his age apparently twenty-four. His dress, likewise, was that of a seaman, but of finer materials than bis companion's, and it displayed an agile and finely-proportioned figure to great advantage. The former was captain, the latter second in cominand, of a Dutch vessel, which lay snugly moored in a small creek near the mansion-house, and of which the masts were visible from where we sat. The strangers had received some kindly attentions from Mr Rendale, and were now come to take leave. The young lieutenant's eyes wandered anxiously round for a few moments, yet finding not what they sought, he hastily rose and left the room. The captain often glanced uneasily at me, and was reserved and morose. From his appearance, I should have supposed him daring and desperate, as indeed it proved, for his vessel was engaged in the smuggling trade. After a short interval, we accompanied him to the sea-side, where he was in a few minutes joined by his lieutenant, and shortly after they were under weigh. Was it fancy that Mary looked paler at dinner, and more pensive in her demeanour? Could it be that this gentle and lovely girl had linked her affections with one engaged in an illegal and dangerous traffic ?--for so much I understood thus early of the history of the strangers-not, indeed, from my host himself, who, if he were aware of the character of his late guests, perhaps from the frequency of smuggling, considered it but a trifling offence. The same night, I was aroused from a heavy dreamless sleep by the impatient growling of Neptune, who lay at the foot of my bed. My efforts to quiet him proving unavailing, I jumped up, and went to the window. In the summer midnight twilight, I perceived several men coming towards the house from the landing-place or low pier, towards which I looked. They appeared to be fishermen returning from sea; but, lingering a moment to gaze again on the wild sequestered scenery, I observed that the men carried bags and small casks, and that they were met, with a stealthy gesture of caution, by the laird's major domo. He glanced upwards to my window, but I stood in the shadow, until I had seen a boat put off from the land, and row swiftly out of the bay, when, not choosing to play the spy on any of the doings of the household of my hospitable friend, I retired to my couch, having by my cursory inspection satisfied Neptune that I was on the alert; who poking his nose into my hand for the expected caress, in reward of his watchfulness, responded to my all right, boy!' by a low whine of satisfaction, and resigned himself, like his master, to repose. I did not think fit to mention this slight interruption of my rest to my host, or any of his family, and the circumstance had nearly passed from my mind, when subsequent events recalled it. Will he fight, father, think you?' cried young Rendale, agitation; but hardly had the words escaped him, when the signal-gun to yield was answered by one of defiance. The conflict was, however, very short, though the smuggler fought desperately. Seeing the overpowering emotion of Miss Rendale, I caused the housekeeper to be summoned, to whose care I consigned her. Mr Rendale and his son, with generous enthusiasm, thought only of their late acquaintances, now evidently in the clutches of the coastguard cruiser; but the major domo was in such a paroxysm of excitement that, considering what I had been an involuntary witness of the second night of my sojourn, I suspected he had anxieties of his own, of which his master and family were profoundly ignorant. Shortly after the firing had ceased, a boat was seen approaching the shore from the cutter, and her commander, Lieutenant Harding, called for Mr Rendale. He was a young and goodlooking man, but he conducted himself with stiffness and hauteur, as if willing to let it be seen that he was armed with authority, and triumphant in its exercise. 'I have taken the Dutch smuggler, sir,' he said. 'Her commander is killed, and I have his lieutenant in custody, on a charge of murder,' and a withering sneer crossed his countenance as he uttered the words. 'Murder! alas! alas!' exclaimed the worthy Rendale. 'Murder!' echoed his son. 'Murder! I hope not,' said I. 'Yes, gentlemen, I spoke advisedly. I saw the young man pistol one of my men in the exercise of his duty, and he is since dead. I sail immediately,' he continued, as we stood aghast at the serious aspect of the business, and probably, Mr Rendale, your evidence may be required as to what you know of this spark, who, if I mistake not, is a friend of yours.' 'We have been interested in him certainly,' promptly replied my excellent host. 'He is an Englishman and a gentleman, and I trust he will be acquitted of this very serious charge.' 'We shall see that, by and by,' responded Harding; meanwhile I have the honour to wish you good afternoon.' When he was gone, I frankly expressed my dislike of his bearing, and then I learned various circumstances, which confirmed the unpleasant impression. It appeared that he had frequently visited Mr Rendale before, in the course of his cruises on duty, and had even paid his addresses to Mary, who repelled them, when, hearing from some spy in his service of the attentions of his present unfortunate prisoner, jealousy sharpened his zeal in his official duty, and led to the chase and capture of the Dutch smuggler. Hasty and deeply anxious was now our consultation. I sympathised warmly in the feelings of the A few days now passed swiftly and pleasantly. I seem- family of Mr Rendale, and felt that indirectly I had been ed to inhale new life with the pure invigorating breezes the cause of the present untoward occurrence. My Shetand simple fare of Shetland. In the peaceful yet cheerful land host had few friends, and little interest beyond the occupations of their fisheries and their farms, and the one- limits of his native isles; and it was with ardent expresrous but honourable duties of the laird towards his nume- sions of gratitude that he heard and accepted of my offer rous tenantry, I soon saw reasons which made me cease to to follow at once the cutter, and exert all my good offices, wonder that the Shetlanders prefer the iron-bound shores and not trifling influence, on behalf of the young man, in and bleak hills of their rocky fatherland to all the world whose fate I was so suddenly and strangely interested. A beside. On the fifth day, as we sat at an early dinner, six-oared boat was therefore ordered to be got ready imMagnus, the laird's factotum, entered hastily, saying, 'A mediately. Young Rendale insisted on accompanying me, sail coming in, sir! We turned our eyes to the window, and it was hoped that the immediate object of our voyage from which we had a view of the bay, and Mr Rendale would be mistaken for the ordinary departure of a temposeized his telescope. After a momentary glance, he ex-rary guest. In little more than a couple of hours I was claimed, What brings the fellow back in this way?' told all was prepared for our departure, and Mary sent a Mary started and changed colour, and in another moment request to see me. On repairing to the drawing-room, her father cried, A tall mast over the land's point! A where I found my interesting friend, I was deeply moved cutter that is, surely, Magnus?' shutting his glass with a by the expression of her fair face. For some moments her vehement gesture, and apparently stung with anxiety; emotion would not admit of speech, but the frank and 'Poor fellow, he is chased, without doubt.' And so it confiding grasp with which she received my extended hand told more than words could have done. I felt a momentary embarrassment, and hesitated in what terms I might best and most delicately make known my sympathy with her too evident concern at the unfortunate events which had occurred; but, with the native tact of womanly frankness and dignity, recovering herself, she expressed at once what she wished to communicate: I trust I need not assure you of the high sense I entertain of the proof of friendship you are giving us; but it is right I should inform you of circumstances relating to him in whom you are so kindly interested, which I only can.' She grew very pale as she proceeded. He is placed in a peculiarly eruel position, and I feel that I am mainly the cause. I will speak to you unreservedly, for I know you appreciate my motives. He is of a highly respectable English family, and, in consequence of some youthful indiscretion, left his home when yet a boy, to which, having heard of the death of his parents, he never returned. Having an ardent predilection for the navy, he entered the service as a common seaman. It would be wasting too much of that time, every moment of which is now so precious, were I to detail by what steps he eventually found a situation, more fitted to his birth and education, on board of a Dutch corvette, and at Lerwick, two years ago, I first met him. The same reckless imprudence which led him to take the first hasty step dictated the still more unguarded one (in order to have an opportunity of coming here) of accepting a berth on board of the schooner you saw here, the real character of which he was at first unacquainted with. Oh, to what fearful consequences has this led! Lieutenant Harding had endeavoured to fasten a quarrel on him when they hrst met at Lerwick-he has pursued him with unrelenting animosity-and, I feel assured, will persecute him even to death.' She shuddered, and grew still paler, yet¦ maintained admirable composure and self-possession. Thus it is we often find, that in the greatest emergencies the energies of a gentle sensitive female show her to be equal to any task, however trying, that her duty or her affections may impose on her. I asked some further necessary questions for my direction. 'And his name, Miss Rendale? I have yet only heard it cursorily, and did not attend to it.' "Edward Brookes, she faintly replied, 'is his real name;' and her agitation was no longer all her own. C What do you say?' exclaimed I. Brookes is the name of one of the branches of our family; and Edward-poor Edward! the noble, but wayward boy!-can it possibly be he? A few words more, and I became nearly convinced that the unhappy lover of Mary Rendale was indeed the only and orphan son of my eldest sister-he whom I had for years, and in every country, sought sorrowing, and whose discovery, under almost any circumstances, I thought I should have hailed as the only relative I now had on earth-the only heir I could hope to find, for my dearlybought wealth; but a prisoner-a felon, under a charge of murder, for this I was indeed unprepared. Stung with contending emotions, I now hurried to take leave of Miss Rendale. I pressed her hand to my lips, and, suppressing my own bursting feelings, I endeavoured cheerfully to assure her of my indefatigable exertions, and my sanguine hopes of success, on behalf of the ardent and noble youth. Behold me again threading my midnight watery way among the Shetland islands; but not the calm beauty of iny late voyage was half so delightful as was now the stiff favourable breeze which filled the sail of our canoe-like boat, impelling us swiftly on our errand of friendship and mercy. Arrived at Lerwick, we were so fortunate as to find a coasting vessel about to sail for the Orkneys, and in her we obtained a passage. In two days more we found ourselves pursuing our route as rapidly as a post-chaise and four could carry us. The cutter, with her prize and prisoner, was, however, in Leith before us, but I soon obtained access to the accused. How eagerly I scanned his noble but dejected countenance! There were indeed the bright hazel eye, and the curling auburn locks; but the answer to my two breathless questions would have sufficed. The name of his paternal home, and of his father's sister, thrilled with magic force to my heart, like a native melody long unheard and dearly loved, for they spoke of my birthplace, and of my first-my only-my lamented love. Oh, with what emotions did I behold him, wounded and a prisoner! I soon learned-as, indeed, I had all along suspected-that the charge of murder was utterly false, and invented by his enemy to involve him in danger and disgrace, and, if possible, alienate from him the heart Harding coveted to make his own. Edward informed me that his pistol had indeed gone off in the melee of boarding, but had injured no one, and that the man the lieutenant asserted he had shot, had been killed a few minutes afterwards by the captain of the smuggler. And he, alas! too, is dead,' said the unhappy young man, wringing his hands, and I must die an ignominious death.' He added, after a pause, his eyes gleaming with a fearful and almost insane wildness, But he is doomed also. Eight of the surviving crew have sworn his death-by flood and field, by hill and dale, in the house or the homestead, by night and by day, he will be tracked with the deathless vengeance, the untiring sleuthhound, with which he has persecuted me!' His form dilated and quivered with fury as he quoted the terrible words of the oath of vengeance sworn by these desperate men. I need hardly say I was not long absent from the cell of my unfortunate nephew, while young Rendale exerted the warmest devotion of friendship in the necessary details for the comfort and acquittal of the prisoner. By the assistance of an excellent clergyman, my poor Edward's mind was speedily brought into a more befitting frame, his frenzied deportment was hushed into the serenity of conscious innocence, and the noble youth daily and hourly more endeared himself to my distracted heart. I early proposed to Edward, pursuant to Miss Rendale's desire, that I should write to request her presence in Edinburgh; but he said it would only increase their mutual affliction, and he had made her wretched enough already; yet could I see that he was surprised and distressed at not hearing from her, and even clung, despite himself, to the hope that she would have hastened to him unbidden. Oh, how we wronged her by suspicions we did not dare to whisper to each other, while she was in reality exhausting every energy in the means by which life and honour were to be procured for him to whom she had surrendered her heart, with all its tenderness and devotion! I did not fail to secure the most eminent counsel for my nephew's defence, but they gave me but little hopes. The smuggling trade, they said, had been so openly and extensively pursued in Shetland, and the revenue-officers so often defied by both smugglers and natives, that they feared even a recommendation to mercy would be unavailable. The lieutenant deponed, on the prisoner's first examination, to his shooting the man, and if he persisted in his assertion, he must be condemned. Some dreary days and weeks now passed, during each of which I clung with increasing yet hopeless affection to my latefound hapless relative. Four or five days previous to the one of trial, I observed in the behaviour of Mr Grey, our worthy and able leading counsel, an unaccountable and joyous change, from blank hopelessness to bursting excitement; yet, when questioned, he shook his head despondingly as before. The eventful day at last arrived. Arraigned at the bar of his country to be tried for his life, the gallant youth was graceful and composed; while I, as I stood by, might have been mistaken for the felon, so heavily did my affliction press upon me. The leading speech for the prosecution need not be repeated, though it struck ice-cold on my heart. Harding declared that, on the day named, the prisoner shot his coxswain, while boarding the smuggling vessel. His cross-examination elicited nothing, and his withering glance at the accused I shall never forget. When the evidence was summed up, it seemed conclusive, and methought I read guilty' in each juror's countenance. Mr Grey then rose. What can he say to such evidence?' whispered my despairing heart. He spoke a few sarcastic words, couched in a strain of caustic severity, against Harding. • Gentlemen of the jury,' he concluded, I shall leave my client's case with confidence in your justice, when you have heard the evidence I shall lead. Call in Frans Dekkel, formerly master of the Goedvrow of Amsterdam.' Edward started-his frame shook, while his eye gleamed with hope; Harding turned pale and livid; and Mr Grey turned to me with a triumphant gesture, as the identical Dutch captain I had seen in Shetland, and who was said to have been dead, entered the court. He was sorely changed by sickness, so that I could scarcely recognise him, yet he was collected and self-possessed. 'I object to that witness being sworn-he is a desperate character!' exclaimed the prosecutor. 'I beg your pardon, sir,' replied Mr Grey; 'Mr Dekkel stands here a free man, and unaccused. I insist on his being sworn, my lord.' that he would ere long share them with me, and at length succeed to them, as his double inheritance. Two years after the events I have narrated, I once again visited the Shetland Islands, when I received Mary Rendale as my niece; and she and her family are now the sweetest solace of my declining years. THE PASTOR'S SOLILOQUY. AN EXTRACT. IT is even so, thought the good old man, as the door closed behind the misguided misanthrope; this is a beautiful world of ours, but it is the gilded cage of many a fluttering spirit that, nevertheless, would shrink from freedom if it were offered. Keyling is miserable, more miserable Dekkel was sworn, and averred that he shot the man than the poor wretch crouching amid rags, and filth, and for whose death my nephew was arraigned. I have been loathsomeness (for such suffering can bear no comparison a reckless and lawless man,' he said; but I have been with mental agony), and yet he knows not why. What near to death, and I now freely confess my crime, that an matters it to him that the earth is green, and the heavens innocent man may be saved.' And for this it was that surpassingly magnificent? He knows that the impress of Mary Rendale, instead of flying to her Edward's presence, his foot will ere long disappear from the one, and his eye had watched and nursed, with untiring self-devotion, this close upon the other. He knows that the flowers will unhappy outcast! Left for dead by his men, he was re- bloom, the birds sing, that summer will flush the fields, ceived into Mr Rendale's house by Magnus Olafsen, who, and winter bring in turn its peculiar attractions, when his finding life yet remained, informed Miss Rendale, and heart is pulseless and his tongue mute; but he does not was associated with her in the pious work of restoring the know that in the dissevering of the silver cord is gained smuggler's health, and so working on his mind, that, as the freedom for which the spirit pants. This world is too soon as practicable, he appeared to save the innocent narrow for his soul to expand in, and he feels cramped and prisoner's life, by avowal of the deed he had himself com-chained; yet, if the door of his cage were flung open, he mitted. The counsel for the prosecution failed not to would tremble at sight of the unknown space beyond, and take advantage of the circumstances in which Dekkel had would not venture out, but cling to the gilded wires until been placed, to overthrow his evidence. This man's life torn away by the resistless hand of death. Earth never has been spent,' urged he, my lords, in lawless adven- satisfied an immortal mind; the living soul,' which is ture. He owes his preservation and recovery to the nothing less than the breathing of Deity himself, can be prisoner's friends: and, moreover, how should the single satisfied but with infinity-infinity of life, action, and assertion of such a character counteract the oaths of Lieu- knowledge. Its own feeble glimmer is enough for the tenant Harding and his crew?' But for all these objec- fire-fly; and its wing and voice, with the free heavens and tions Mr Grey was happily prepared. By accident he had beautiful earth, for the bird; they were formed by the discovered that one of the cutter's crew was not forth- Almighty's hand, but their life is not an emanation of his coming, and by the indefatigable and almost incredible life, and their little spirits go downward to the earth.' exertions of young Rendale, he had succeeded in tracing But what can satisfy the deathless soul immured in a clay this man. In an hospital of a remote town on the coast prison, with but clouded views of the finite beauties around (where the cutter had called on her passage south), the it, and wholly unconscious of its divine origin and final seaman was found, suffering under a very slight wound, destiny? No wonder Keyling is miserable; for he is and a course of active treatment for what, in fact, re- blinder than the untutored savage who 'sees God in clouds quired no treatment at all; and this the purse of his un- and hears him in the wind.' For years he has been principled commander had procured for him, in order to struggling for a meteor; while it receded, he never paused keep him out of the way. Finally, then, John Williams or wearied; but, when his hand closed over it and he was called into court, and, with the fearless frankness of grasped a shadow, the truth dawned upon his spirit; and, an Englishman, and to the unutterable discomfiture of the in the bitterness of its first perception, he cursed himself perjured Harding, he declared that he had seen the cut- and cursed his destiny. He hates the world, and himself, ter's coxswain shot, not by the accused, but by the last and mankind, and talks madly of the death damps, the witness Dekkel, and, moreover, that he had been bribed, grave, and the slimy earth-worm, as though superior to and threatened, and finally incarcerated, to prevent him their horrors; but yet he is in love with life, as much as giving his evidence. the veriest devotee of pleasure in existence. It is this panting for immortality, this longing for a wider range, that makes him sometimes imagine, in his impatience, that. he is anxious to lie down to his eternal rest and never wake. If his spirit could but understand its heavenward destiny, if he would learn to look beyond these narrow boundaries, if, in despising the worthless, he would properly estimate the high and imperishable, poor Keyling would find that even on earth there are inexhaustible sources of happiness. Alas for the weakness of human nature! What a very wreck a man becomes when left to his own blindness and folly! The loftier the intellect, the higher its aspirations, and the more comprehensive its faculties, the lower does it descend in darkness, if the torch of religion has never been lighted within. It is misery to feel the soul capable of infinite expansion, and allow it a range no wider than this fading, ever-changing earth; to taste the bliss of life, mingled with the bitter draught of death; to love the high and holy, and never look toward the fountain of holiness-deep, deep, and mingling in its pure tide the richness of all wisdom and knowledge. Oh, how depressing must be the loneliness of such souls! How awful the desolation! Too high for earth and knowing naught of As the reader will now anticipate, my nephew was honourably acquitted; and on reaching my lodgings, while as yet we could hardly comprehend our happiness, so sudden and unlooked-for had been the result, I placed in Edward's hands, as my first welcome blessing, a letter from Mary, which he read, and re-read, and watered with his tears. Young Rendale received with emotion, that did honour to his heart, the inarticulate murmurings of Edward's gratitude, and informed us, that it was considered necessary, to secure success, as well as to keep the innocent prisoner's mind from the tortures of suspense, to conceal carefully, until the moment they were necessary, the existence of the evidence which led to such a triumphant result. In the happiness of that glad hour, honest Mungo, and even Neptune, were permitted to participate. Lieutenant Harding was indicted for perjury, but escaped abroad, and has not since been heard of. I eagerly exerted all my influence on behalf of poor Frans Dekkel, but he lived not to profit by my success. At Edward's urgent request, I obtained for him a commission in the British navy, where he ably distinguished himself; while I repurchased his valued patrimonial possessions, in the hope heaven! Even the good in their natures is perverted, and adds to the chaos of darkness within. When they see the strong oppress the weak, vice triumph over virtue, innocence borne down by care and poverty, and guilt elevated to a throne, they say this is enough to know of Him who holds the reins of such a government; and, in their folly, deem themselves more merciful than the Father of mercies. Making this world the theatre of life, and the years of man its sum, they fix upon this inconceivably small point in comparison with the whole; and, from such a limited view, dare to tax the Ruler of the universe with injustice. Unable to comprehend the policy of the divine government, and misapprehending the object and tendency of earthly suffering, they lose themselves in the mazes of sophistry, and become entangled in the net their own hands have spread. Poor Keyling! he has drunk of the poisonous tide of infidelity, and every thought is contaminated the moment it springs up into the heart. This gives its colouring to the earth and sky, to life and death. It breaks the chain that binds the world of nature to its Creator, dissolves the strongest fascination of the beautiful things around us, and renders meaningless the lessons traced by the finger of God upon everything he has made. It removes the prop from the bending reed, and the sunlight from the heart; it binds down the wing of hope, and turns the upraised eye earthward; it offers only the worm, the canker, and the grief,' and points the fluttering soul to a grave of darkness and oblivion. ORIGINAL POETRY. SOLITARY MUSINGS. Long years of wearying toil have pass'd, dark hours Ere manhood's cares were heaped upon my head, I seek the haunts of childhood, and recall Dim visions of the past. Hush'd are the thoughts And buried are the cares, which e'er oppose Sweet stream, thou art the type Need we apply the simile? Oh, man! Thou art the child of change and fickleness! Now pleased, now sad; now full of thought and gloom Thy lips with smiles, or marks thy brow with frowns, Thus our whole lives, In dreamy recollections of the past, Reflection. The shades of friends long dead A tranquil paradise. But there are some Such am not I; The misty past, the present, and the future, May blush o'er weakness that it can't control; The rippling waters, And the rustling willows, bending o'er Where art has never changed the rugged grace Of nature's wildness, to a furrowed waste, And man in silence holds communion with his son. THE ZEPHYR'S SONG. I come, I come from pine-clad vales, I've lightly fann'd the bending sails The laggard barklets play; To greet you here to-day! Then chant the chorus loud and long, Come join, come join the zephyr's song, I've wandered o'er the prairie vast, By human feet untrod; I've seen the Indian of the west Bend to his unknown God; I've marked the slave in thraldom fell The tyrant's curse obey; But I've bid the bondage-land farewell, Then chant the chorus, &c. Where freedom's banner waves. A little airy thing of wind, Let peace and plenty o'er the land, Then chant the chorus loud and long, Be every bosom gay! Come join, come join the zephyr's song, And sing while it is May! CHIPS FROM MY LOG. No. I. W. D. LATTO. VOYAGE TO AUSTRALIA-ICEBERGS-MELBOURNE-EXCUR- VOYAGES to the east have been so often described, and Nothing else of importance occurred during the voyage, and so, after the usual average of fair winds and foul (with perhaps a preponderance of the latter-at least those who were anxious for the credit of the ship said so), of gales and calms, of rain and sunshine, of splendid sunsets and moonlight nights, of enjoyment and anxiety, of agreement and discord, of buoyant expectations and hopes deferred,' the good ship brought us safely to Port Philip, on the one hundred and forty-second day from our embarkation at Leith. Notwithstanding that the voyage protracted, it had been a period of almost uninterrupted enjoyment to me. were, a new kind of existence, presented nature in new It had opened up, as it and interesting aspects, and given me opportunities for study and contemplation which I had not before enjoyed; so that, although I expected on landing to meet with a very dear friend, I could not help feeling a sort of regret that the voyage was indeed over, and a kind of dreamy was so 249 uncertainty about the reality of the event itself. It was evening before we entered the bay of Port Philip, and, as the navigation is obstructed by sandbanks, and the tide was at the same time receding, we had to anchor for the night just within Point Nepeau. How preternaturally still was the ship, and how calm and quiet the water, on that first night of repose! Next morning we proceeded up the bay, which is thirty miles long, and about as many broad. Its shores are low, and covered with thick brushwood. In the background there are elevated ridges, among which, on the east, we saw Arthur's Seat, and on the west Station Peak'mountains about 12,000 feet in height. On reaching the steamer on the Yarra-Yarra. The distance of the town top of the bay, the ship was moored off Williamstown, from the bay in a straight line is only two miles, but by and the passengers were taken up to Melbourne by a the windings of the river it is eight or nine. The banks of the river are mostly low and swampy, and covered with a tall flowering shrub called tea-tree, except near the town, where there are extensive clay fields, out of which bricks are made. At the town there are wharfs, and a dock for small vessels, and immediately above those, a ledge of rock runs across the river and forms a slight fall. This natural obstruction has been increased a little artificially to prevent the tide rising, and spoiling the freshwater from which the town is supplied. inhabitants. The houses were partly weather-boarded, and partly brick, there being only two or three of stone. Melbourne contained at that time (1844) about 7000 The streets are wide and straight, crossing each other at right angles, but unpaved, and always either very muddy ing the heavy rains that occasionally fall over the town, many of the streets get impassable; and in Elizabeth or very dusty, according to the state of the weather. DurStreet, which lies in a hollow, drays have sometimes been employed to ferry people across, and children have been drowned in it! Melbourne or its vicinity, and all that I shall add here is It is not my intention to give any detailed account of made to a squatting station on the Moonie-Moonie Ponds, a brief sketch of an excursion which a small party of us through a fine open wood composed of red and white gumten or twelve miles from town. The road led us first trees, wattles, she-oak (casuarina), banksias, &c., and the ground was covered with a green sward, through which appeared a great variety of wild-flowers. trees were scattered more sparingly, and where were to from this forest, we came upon an opener country, where After emerging be seen some pretty cottages and cultivated fields. Here holes and swamps which form a running stream in the we crossed the Moonie-Moonie Ponds, a line of waterwinter season, but in summer are not even continuous. They never all dry up, however, and the water is said to be good throughout the year. Leaving the ponds, the road (a mere dray-track) led us sometimes through woods, and sometimes over open plains, giving us occasional glimpses of beautiful locations, till my brother, who was riding were going wrong, and as every one may take what route ahead and endeavouring to pilot us, announced that we he chooses here, without fear of trespassing, we immediately left the beaten track and struck across the plains, having only a distant hill to steer by. After a pretty long drive over the green grass and among the trees, and crossing the ponds a second time, we reached our destination. A beautiful spot it was, with its rich green slopes dotted over with picturesque gum-trees-the winding bed of the ponds, overhung with luxuriant vegetation, and skirted by cultivated fields-and in the background a granite-hill, covered by an extensive forest. The tenants huts;' the walls formed of upright pieces of wood, proof this fine domain lived in two erections called 'slabduced by splitting up trunks of gum-trees, the interstices being plastered over with mud. The roof consisted of large pieces of gum-tree bark tied upon a light framework. The fireplace was an independent structure of considerable size, composed below of stones and turf, and |