scription of the piscatory process as that given by Mr. Habersham. "As we passed under the massive blocks of grey granite upon the foaming breast of the rising tide, and shot out into the expanding river beyond, we saw a long low raft of bamboo moored under the lee of the heavy pier to our right, on which were a Chinese fisherman, a basket, a paddle, and five duck-like birds, which we at once imagined to be some of the celebrated fishing-cormorants' of the East. We also imagined that this might be our only opportunity for witnessing their singular mode of fishing, and consequently stopped in the hope that the Chinaman would gratify our curiosity. We were not disappointed. "Scarcely had we 'rounded to,' when he reached out his hand towards the birds, the nearest of whom at once waddled up to him and stepped into his open palm. He now smoothed his feathers with the right hand, bent his mouth to his arched neck for a moment, and then put him upon the edge of the raft. There the bird dipped his bill in the water once or twice, snapped his head from side to side, shook his tail several flirts, and ended by diving suddenly into the turbid water that washed his feet. "In the meantime, the four remaining cormorants were huddled together on the far end of the raft, drying their feathers, switching their tails, and looking altogether quite cool and comfortable. After being down from ten to fifteen seconds, the absent explorer hopped suddenly out of the water with quite a goodsized fish in his mouth, swam to his master, gave up the half-swallowed prize, and hopped upon his knee, where he shook himself while the fish was being put in the basket. His master then stroked him down as before,-much to his apparent delight,-whispered again in his ear, and placed him once more upon the edge of the raft. Again he dived, and again he came up with a fish. He then underwent a similar process of caressing, and was once more placed on the water's edge. Now, however, fortune seemed to have left him. He had no fish when he arose after a protracted absence, and seemed at a loss what to do. He turned himself around in the water several times, keeping his dark eyes fixed on his master's, as if asking permission to try it again. Suddenly the latter made a motion with his hand, and down he went. When he came up he brought quite a large fish, eight inches long, say,-which struggled violently, as though surprised at the unusual situation in which he found himself. He too was put in the basket, the proud cormorant once more caressed, and then placed gently in the centre of the raft instead of upon its edge as formerly. "This seemed to tell him that his services were no longer required, and that he had acquitted himself with considerable credit; for he moved off to the other end of the raft with the stately step of a conqueror, while the next in turn advanced to supply his place. They seemed to regulate their movements by a nod or motion of the hand Cormorant No. 2 from their master. was not as sprightly a looking bird as his predecessor; nevertheless, he brought up a fish after the first dive, gave a flirt with his expanded tail, and swam to his master to give up the prize. He was taken out as before, relieved of his mouthful, and subsequently placed gently on the edge of the raft. There he sat a few moments perfectly motionless, but, seeming suddenly to see a fish, dropped off like a piece of lead, and nothing more was seen of him for at least fifteen seconds. Then he came to the surface with a spring that took him almost out of the water, but having no fish. His actions now expressed his disappointment almost as plainly as words could have done. He did not swim toward his master as formerly, but kept sculling about in a small circle with his bright, unsteady glance fixed on him, at the imminent risk of twisting off his neck. "The master pointed down with his finger, and down went the unsuccessful Still no fish. Once more, fisherman. Finally, he was and still no success. taken back upon the raft, slapped soundly on the head, and thrown angrily down. He immediately made tracks for the other end, stumbling heels over head, and looking very much ashamed of him self. The next in turn now waddled forward; but, having seen enough, we continued on our way." Our author's account of Japan is exceedingly interesting, and withal very amusing. By virtue of a treaty made by Commodore Perry, the Americans had the right of landing and moving about on shore under certain restrictions, which latter, however, they set at nought on discovering that the disposition of the people was extremely friendly, and that the officials who kept watch upon their motions a set of cowardly sneaks and braggarts. A few kicks, delivered with goodwill and empha were sis, relieved them from the persecution of these gentlemen, each of whom, like young Norval, carried two swords; and they appear to have made good use of their liberty. But they were not long in discovering that the notions of the Japanese with regard to money matters and traffic were singularly acute in fact, Mr. Habersham is compelled to admit that they showed themselves more than a match for the Americans. By the treaty with Commodore Perry it was provided that the Americans should have the right of purchase, but only through the officers of the government; after which, says our author, vendors of all ranks and classes were given to understand that they were not to sell to any American except through an officer, upon pain of losing their heads. Probably it appeared to Commodore Perry that this arrangement was made for the purpose of collecting a tax from the merchants in the shape of a per-centage on their sales; but in reality it was a much deeper dodge. It seems that an American dollar is worth in China from fourteen to sixteen hundred cash, and a Japanese itzabu is worth in Japan sixteen hundred cash also. But there was more silver in one American dollar than in three itzabu. The Japanese, therefore, having first settled that the dollar represented sixteen hundred cash, opened their market; but every evening the dollars paid by the American purchasers were collected by government officers, who took them to the mint, and next morning returned to the merchants an itzabu for each dollar. The dollar of course was melted, and transmuted into three itzabu. Thus the unfortunate Americans, who had been pluming themselves on the success of their recent treaty, were mulcted by the Japanese government to the extent of two hundred per cent on each dollar; and in order to prevent the sibility of their escape from that dilemma, as they might have done by exchanging through merchants their dollars at a less usurious rate for the currency of Japan, that currency was declared contraband, and the merchants were prohibited from giving it, under penalty of death! Surely pos Japan must have been originally peopled from the lost tribes of Israel, for no other race could have devised a scheme so eminently subtle and successful. In vain did the plundered Columbians storm and remonstrate. They were thoroughly and completely done. And the worst of it was that the Japanese entered into the spirit of the joke with amazing gusto, and chuckled at the Yankee discomfiture as heartily as did Caleb Balderstone when he succeeded in outwitting the notable writer from Aberdeen. Mr. Besides this, the Japanese merchants, who derived no profit from the above speculation, which pertained alone to the government, had a sharp eye to their own interest, and managed matters with a dexterity beyond all Grecian fame." Habersham, as become a gallant sailor, was desirous of presenting his lady friends in America with some of the choicest specimens of the manufacture of Japan. The Japanese seemed to be aware of that by intuition, and took measures accordingly, with as much sang froid, and confidence in the weakness of human nature, as is displayed by veteran professors of the noble art of thimble-rig. "They were cunning enough too, as far as disposing of inferior goods was concerned, for they only brought out these at first, reserving the others for the last few days of our stay. We did not see any of their 'number one' specimens during our first or second visit, they would insist that we saw all; they and, when we asked in regard to them, knew of nothing else,' &c. They were evidently anxious to dispose of the inferior lot first, after which they knew that we would not fail to be disgusted with our purchases as soon as the higher priced ones should be exposed, and then we would be certain to lay out more money. And they were right; for although the most of us returned on board the first day without making any pur chases, still we 'caved in' on the second the third day, they commenced bringday, and bought quite freely. Then, on began falling into the trap. ing in the high-priced articles, and we "Day after day, therefore, as we returned and lounged through the crowded show-rooms, new articles of unexpect ed beauty and rare excellence of work manship would rise before us at every turn, cast a shade over everything of the kind previously bought, and cause us to long for heavier pockets or more reasonable charges. "Oh! they were a cunning, a most dishonest set of fellows, those very Japanese merchants, holding up their wares before us, and tempting us to board the shrinking purser for various sums until we finally found ourselves heels over head in debt! They would watch us with 'crickets' eyes' while we examined their various articles, judge with astonishing accuracy as to those with which we seemed most struck, and the next day all similar articles would be advanced in price, sometimes as much as a hundred per cent. They would take the tallies off at night, and put on others with higher marks on them, and then insist, with their usual barefaced disregard for truth, that 'all the same as yesterday. This was all very provoking, truly; and yet what could we do? We had either to consent, in the first place, to be swindled by the treaty, and, in the second place, by the merchants themselves, or we must leave Japan without purchasing presents of their rare and beautiful workmanship for our absent friends. We chose the former of the two, and, with the unenviable feelings of men who are aware of the fleecing they are being subjected to without the most remote hope of being able to protect themselves, we continued our daily selections." As for what further befell our author on the coast of Kamtschatka, Siberia, and on his homeward voyage to San Francisco, we must refer our readers to the volume, from which we have not extracted the passages which may be of the most general interest. In it, the lover of adventure will find graphic descriptions of hairbreadthscapes by sea, of humorous adventures on land, of bear-hunts, whaling, and the like, all animated and lifelike, but without that Munchausen colouring in which isolated sportsmen are exceedingly prone to indulge. In fact, we make it a regular rule never to believe more than one fourth of the narrative of any individual who recounts feats which he has performed beyond the ken of credible witnesses. This habit of ours is not our return engendered by a disposition naturally suspicious. It arises from a conviction that it is quite impossible for a man, so situated, to adhere to the truth; and we feel that in our own instance, because on every occasion when we go out sporting on our own account, without spies to control us, we find that imagination supersedes reality; and on home, in spite of that high principle which has always characterised us, we are sometimes led to suppose that we do exaggerate a little. We never yet knew the man who shot so well in a battue as when he was alone, or attended only by a gillie who could not speak a word of English, or otherwise was a pure idiot, whom it was impossible to cross-examine. If you are fishing by yourself, you invariably twice or it may be thrice the weight raise, hook, play, and lose trouts of of those that will condescend to look at your hackles when a friend is within hail. And as for flying leaps, if separated by accident from the field, you think nothing of taking a fence as high as the bastion of the Malakoff. But we acquit Mr. Habersham of all such exaggerations; not because we suppose him to be exempt from the common weaknesses of humanity-indeed, he has so good an eye for colour and effect, that he could not, any more than the rest of us, be trusted for accuracy when alonebut because he was surrounded with a cloud of witnesses; and when that is the case, there can be no pulling of the long-bow, as we ourselves can testify. For never yet did we perform a feat in presence of a brother sportsman which he would corroborate by his evidence, unless we were prepared to back him up in some, awful bouncer touching his own achievements, from which crime, as a matter of course, our conscience instinctively rebelled. With hearty commendations, therefore, we bid our author adieu. He is a pleasant fellow; and we are quite sure that if better acquainted with the English people, some of the prejudices which we have noted at the commencement of this article would disappear. THE ATHELINGS; OR, THE THREE GIFTS. PART THE LAST. CHAPTER XXX.-AN ADVENTURE. Ir was September-the time when feel that it would be sacrilege to all Englishmen of a certain "rank proclaim again his own labouring in life" burn with unconquerable and disordered thoughts in a place longings to get as far away from where he was set to speak of One, home as possible and there was the very imagination of whom, if it nothing remarkable in the appear was an imagination, was so imance of this solitary traveller pacing measurably exalted above his highest along Calais pier nothing remark- elevation. A strange poetic justice able, except his own personal ap- had come upon Lionel Rivers - propearance, which was of a kind not secuted for his extreme views at the easily overlooked. There was nothing time when he ceased to make any to be read in his embrowned but re- show of holding them - separating fined face, nor in his high thoughtful himself from his profession, and from forehead. It was a face of thought, the very name of a believer, at the of speculation, of a great and vigor- moment when it began to dawn upon ous intellectual activity; but the him that he believed — and thrust haughty eyes looked at no one-the asunder with a violent wrench and lips never moved even to address a convulsion from the first and sole child-there was no response to any human creature who had come into passing glance of interest or inquiry. his heart, at the very hour in which His head was turned towards Eng- he discovered that his heart was no land, over the long sinuous weltering longer in his own power. He saw it waves of that stormy Channel which all, the strange story of contradicto-day pretended to be calm; but if tory and perverse chances, and knew he saw anything, it was something himself the greatest and strangest which appeared only in his own ima- contradiction of the whole. gination-it was neither the far-away gleam, like a floating mist, of the white cliffs, nor the sunbeam coming down out of the heart of a cloud into the dark mid-current of that treacher ous sea. He had no plan of travel-no settled intentions indeed of any kind but had been roaming about these three months in the restlessness of suspense, waiting for definite intelligence before he decided on his further course. An often-recurring fancy of returning home for a time had brought him to-day to this common highway of all nations from a secluded village among the Pyrenees; but he had not made up his mind to go home he only lingered within sight of it, chafing his own disturbed spirit, and ready to be swayed by any momentary impulse. Though he had been disturbed for a time out of his study of the deepest secrets of human life, his mind was too eager not to have returned to it. He had come to He gave no attention whatever to what passed round him, yet he heard the foreign voices-the English voices for there was no lack of his countrymen. It was growing dark rapidly, and the shadowy evening lights and mists were stealing far away to sea. He turned to go back to his hotel, turning his face away from his own country, when at the moment a voice fell upon his ear, speaking his own tongue-" You will abet an impostor you who know nothing of English law, and are already a marked man." These were the words spoken in a very low, clear, hissing tone, which Lionel heard distinctly only because it was well known to him. The speaker was wrapt in a great cloak, with a travelling-cap over his eyes; and the person he addressed was a little vivacious Italian, with a long olive face, smooth-shaven cheeks, and sparkling lively eyes, who seemed much disconcerted and doubtful what to do. The expression of Lionel's face changed in an instant-he woke out of his moody dream to alert and determined action; he drew back a step to let them pass, and then followed. The discussion was animated and eager between them, sometimes in English, sometimes in Italian, apparently as caprice guided the one or the other. Lionel did not listen to what they said, but he followed them home. The old Italian parted with his companion at the door of the hotel where Lionel himself was lodged; there the Englishman in the cloak and cap lingered to make an appointment. "At eleven to-morrow," said again that sharp hissing voice. Lionel stepped aside into the shadow as the stranger turned reluctantly away; he did not care for making further investigations to ascertain his identity-it was Lord Winterbourne. He took the necessary steps immediately. It was easy to find out where the Italian was, in a little room at the top of the house, the key of which he paused to take down before he went up stairs. Lionel waited again till the old man had made his way to his lofty lodging. He was very well acquainted with all the details of Louis's case; he had, in fact, seen Charlie Atheling a few days before he left London, and satisfied himself of the nature of his young kinsman's claim it was too important to himself to be forgotten. He remembered perfectly the Italian doctor Serrano who had been present, and could testify to the marriage of the late Lord Winterbourne. Lionel scaled the great staircase halfa-dozen steps at a time, and reached the door immediately after the old man had entered, and before he had struck his light. The Rector knocked softly. With visible perturbation, and in a sharp tone of self-defence, the Italian called out in very good French to know who was there. Dr. Serrano was a patriot and a plotter, and used to domiciliary visitations. Lionel answered him in English, asked if he were Dr. Serrano, and announced himself as a friend of Charles Atheling. Then the door opened slowly, and with some jealousy. Lionel passed into the room without waiting for an invitation. "You are going to Eng land on a matter of the greatest importance," said the Rector, with excitement-"to restore the son of your friend to his inheritance; yet I find you, with the serpent at your ear, listening to Lord Winterbourne." The Italian started back in amaze. "Are you the devil?" said Doctor Serrano, with a comical perturbation. "No; instead of that, you have just left him," said Lionel; " but I am a friend, and know all. This man persuades you not to go on-by accident I caught the sound of his voice saying so. He has the most direct personal interest in the case; it is ruin and disgrace to him. Your testimony may be of the greatest importance why do you linger? why do you listen to him?" Really, you are hot-headed; it is so with youth," said Dr. Serrano, "when we will move heaven and earth for one friend. He tells me the child is dead that this is another. I know not-it may be true." "It is not true," said Lionel. “I will tell you who I am-the next heir if Lord Winterbourne is the true holder of the title there is my card. I have the strongest interest in resisting this claim if I did not know it to be true. It can be proved that this is the same boy who was brought from Italy an infant. I can prove it myself; it is known to a whole village. If you choose it, confront me with Lord Winterbourne." "No; I believe you - you are a gentleman," said Doctor Serrano, turning over the card in his handand the old man added with enthusiasm," and a hero for a friend!" "You believe me?" said Lionel, who could not restrain the painful smile which crossed his face at the idea of his heroism in the cause of Louis. "Will you stay then another hour within reach of Lord Winterbourne?" The Italian shrugged his shoulders. "I will break with him; he is ever false," said the old man. "What besides can I do?" "I will tell you," said Lionel. "The boat sails in an hour come with me at once, let me see you safe in Englan hall attend to your com fort wit ny power. There time fo English bed at Do |