poetry of Nature, acting upon us; and the impulses to which they give birth, are of the most holy and spiritual character. There is one flower now in bloom, which always attracts our especial attention-and that is, the Autumnal Crocus. It covers whole meadows with its lilac blossoms: and unprotected by sheath, or calyx, or leaf, laughs out in its naked beauty-a subject for admiration and inquiry. There is not a more striking proof of exquisite design and contrivance in the volume of Nature, nor any thing that displays more clearly the agency of an intelligent Creator than this. Were this plant constituted like the generality of flowers, with the seed-vessel accompanying the blossom, its seeds could not ripen before frosty nights and chill winds would destroy the living connexion between them and the body of the plant; and they would thus perish. But this has been cared for: and the important office of maturation is perfected in the bulb of the plant, buried eight or ten inches beneath the surface of the soil, and by this arrangement protected from the influence of atmospheric changes. The most beautiful plants of this period of the year are, however, the Ferns. It is impossible in viewing them not to be struck with their graceful shapes and their most delicate colours. A Fern cover we consider as a miniature forest, having within it some of the loveliest forms of the vegetable creation: the plant is the Venus of our wastes, woods, and commons: the wood Polypody is in its luxuriant growth the most beautiful of the family; its graceful pensile attitude, and its undulatory movements, presenting the beau ideal of gentleness. The most common is the Harte's Tongue, which fixes itself in every rocky nook and hollow, waving its long, smooth, and varnished leaves in obedience to the slightest breeze. The mode of flowering or seeding in this tribe of plants was long a puzzle to the learned, though now it is familiarly known to propagate itself from the little rusty spots on the back of its leaves. An excellent farina may be procured from the roots and stems of Ferns. They are used as food by the Kamskatchans, and are burnt amongst ourselves for the sake of the salts they contain. Another splendid ornament of August is the large white Convolvulus. It stands out in its starlike beauty, gemming our hedge-rows with broad blossoms, when all around it is fading beneath the glow and warmth of the sun, as if it were sculptured from marble. The Carline Thistle is another August flower, that enlivens the bleakest of our rocks; and the diminutive Gentian, which may be found by the side of gravelly brooks, is another beautiful little plant that should be diligently sought after. even During this month Nature puts on the mantle of a second Spring. The heats and continued dryness of July, so wisely adapted for ripening corn and fruit, checks the growth of the vegetable kingdom, and dries up the juices of the smaller plants. But now, shoots and young blades of grass come forth, and give a freshness to the landscape, most cheering to the eye and the heart. To us our country seems at this period, like the loved and lost possession of the Mantuan Bard; and his description rises at once to our lips : Const. Mag.-No. 1. E "Non liquidi gregibus fontes, non gramina desunt; Some of the most beautiful of our insects are on the wing in August. Butterflies, like embroidered flowers, are floating in the mellow and golden sunlight and it is impossible to watch these brilliant creatures, without calling to mind their wonderful mode of growth, and tracing them from the egg through their various transformations. If there be one portion of the works of God more surprising than another, it is the insect creation. The design, the preserving agencies, and the admirable mechanism displayed in it, are surpassingly wonderful; and are all so obvious, that it becomes a study more than any other calculated for the instruction of young minds. The existence of a Creator, full of contrivance, benevolent in his purposes, and inexhaustible in adaptation, is apparent on all sides. We see Him at work fashioning with the utmost exactitude the minutest of living creatures; and we are thus taught, by the evidence of our senses, some of the attributes of Divinity. Nature, when studied in reference to its Author, becomes a vast note-book, filled with instances of love and goodness; and every step we take adds something to our knowledge. Let us look for the Nut Weevil, which is always to be found in the beginning of August about hazeltrees. Taking advantage of the state of the nut, it bores a hole through its soft rind, and then deposits its egg. No injury seems to be done to the nut thus selected it grows, and the kernel ripens; which then becomes the food of the maggot, which has also been growing in company with it. When the fruit falls, the inclosed grub is fully hatched; the nut has been its home, ready and abundantly provisioned. It now bores its way out, being armed with a horny beak for that purpose, and then buries itself in the soil, where it remains for eight months, slowly undergoing a change into a Chrysalis, sheltered and protected by its position from injury; and, finally, it assumes its perfect shape of a brown fly, lays its eggs in nuts, and then perishes. Darwin's lines on this insect are well known; they are polished, but convey an erroneous impression to the reader : "So sleeps in silence the Curculio, shut In the dark chambers of the cavern'd nut; How mysterious are these changes, and how complete are the means to the end proposed! The Deist, who refuses his faith to Revelation because it is incomprehensible to him, and involves circumstances beyond his powers of reasoning, may seek out this insect, and learn that mysteries belong not alone to the Revealed Word of God. The Greeks sculptured the Butterfly upon their tombstones-the poetical and philosophical genius of the people seeing in its transformations a type of that futurity which they believed, but did not understand. They placed it there as a representative of the soul. The image is beautiful and touching: and Sharon Turner, taking up the same idea, has expressed a belief that the Creator appointed insect transformations, to excite the sentiment in the human heart of death being only one step in the path of life. Let us so view them. It is better to people our walks with objects fitted for contemplation and reflection, than to travel from Dan to Beersheba, and to pronounce that all is barren." The man whose intellect is so narrɔw, and whose imagination is so barren, that "The primrose on the river's brim, A yellow primrose is to him, And it is nothing more". goes through the world without perceiving its beauties, or being benefited by the associations to which they give birth; neither does he ever feel that glow of devotion, which comes over the mind, at the proofs which are perpetually opening to us, of the watchful and incessant care of a Benevolent Ruler. The harvest is general during this month; and it is, or ought to be, a period of rejoicing to the labourer as well as to the farmer. The soil, indifferent to changes in society, pours out its stores with equal abundance when properly cultivated, careless who may be the sower or the reaper; but man, who garners up its riches, should be grateful to the God of the seasons, and, generally speaking, we believe that he is so. The heart overflows with gladness, and toil and trouble are forgotten beneath the inspiration of healthful labour, a bright unclouded sky, and an aspect of plenty. Little of it may indeed fall to the share of him the "sweat of whose brow" makes it available to the owner; yet he feels the natural influence of the season, and is thankful to Providence for its bounty. The gradual disuse of the harvest-home festivities we have always viewed with regret. Changes in manners, and the separation of the feelings and habits of the farmer from those of the peasant, operated by large farms, have unavoidably annihilated the social re-unions, that a century ago were the most joyous of rural amusements. Still we consider it as a misfortune: it linked together the kindly feelings of the parties, and placed them in a position, with regard to each other, favourable for charitable communion. They are, however, gone; and are, unfortunately, irreclaimable. The moderate temperature of August makes it the favourite month for sea-side and country rambles. The cool nights, the copious falls of dew, and the beauty of the second Spring, render it indeed a time of delightful freshness: we feel the invigorating influence of a state of atmosphere peculiar to this period of the year-free equally from the changeableness of Spring, the glowing heat of middle Summer, and chilling fogs of late Autumn. Let all, who are so placed as to take advantage of it, cast aside their business and routine habits, and go forth to enjoy the charms of the "ripened year." They will be improved, both morally and physically, by a visit to Nature, when clad in her mature loveliness. Let them go forth soberly and with a spirit properly attempered, and they will find cheerfulness and health their handmaids, and will enjoy that subdued happiness which arises from an intercourse with the Deity through the medium of his works. They will find that "Not a beauty blows, And not an opening blossom breathes in vain," if they choose to inquire; and if they do not, they rob themselves of a source of never-ending pleasure. But it is evening-one of those calm, delicious sunsets, when the whole world seems bathed in golden lustre, and, in the quaint language of Drayton, "The winds are hush'd, no leaf so small At all is seen to stir." The gentle murmur of Nature, seeking repose, invites us homewards; "Et jam summa procul villarum culmina fumant, and we wish our reader a kind farewell. CONFESSIONS OF A MANSLAYER. "THIRTY years ago I entered on the busy stage of life with the most brilliant prospects. I had strong passions, and with a fortune far beyond my most extravagant wants, I rushed into the arena of dissipation-the champion of my own destruction. The glory that could be obtained in such a field I soon acquired, and I built my temple of fame within the sanctuary of marriage-a hideous compound of lust and treachery. I was the roué of the time,-envied, flattered, and caressed, for trampling upon and crushing the best and purest feelings of human nature. The young, the beautiful, and the noble, were my victims; and with Satanic pride I went on triumphing, scattering poison and blight along my path. And for this was I courted-for this was I idolized-till my heart was hardened, and my sensibilities deadened and lost. But my throne was not one of roses :-husbands with ruined hopes, brothers with burning brows, sought me out, and more than once I narrowly escaped destruction. The tide at length turned-it was fashionable to be virtuous; and with a shattered fortune and impaired constitution, though still admitted within the circle, I was considered dan gerous. "Thus repudiated by my late vassals, my eager and impetuous temper drove me to the gaming-table. My discretion was no match for the skill and coolness of my adversaries, and in a brief period I was on the verge of ruin. In conjunction with some others, of equal or higher rank than myself, a desperate effort was made to retrieve ourselves: it was unsuccessful; and my own madness and imprudence having rendered me the ame damnée of the set, I was compelled, in order to escape an ignominious exposure, to leave England. "I embarked for India with a inind torn by conflicting passions. I found myself at the age of twenty-five an outcast and almost a beggar;-a noble property squandered, an honourable name disgraced, without a single reflection which could console me, or having performed one solitary action on which I could look back without bringing a blush on my cheek. I repented, if bitter disappointment can be called repentance. I vowed reformation, if a burning desire to build up the fabric of my dilapidated fortunes, and to be revenged upon the wretches who had thus driven me forth, be entitled to the name of reformation. Talents which had been neglected, energies which had been misapplied, were again called into requisition; and during a tedious voyage, I devoted myself with intense application to be fitted for playing an important part in the country to which I was proceeding. By the influence of those who had expatriated me, a civil appointment had been procured, which rendered my residence necessary for a time in a remote district, at the court of one of the petty subsidiary sovereigns-the imbecile successors of those fierce conquerors who have from time to time ravaged Hindostan, and founded dynasties cemented by blood and plunder. This was a severe blow: it removed me from the seats of government, where alone my capabilities could have served me. With a frame enervated by the glorious yet unbearable climate, and by a serious attack of jungle fever, I arrived at my destination; and here commences the story of crime. It is true that my whole course of life, after attaining manhood, had been criminal-but it was a criminality supported by the usages of society, and amenable to no law but that of opinion. I had erred, but the error had been sanctioned by the only tribunal whose power I acknowledged. I had sinned, but the sin had brought neither shame nor disgrace; nor did it then torture me with the consciousness of having committed any moral wrong. "Three years three miserable years, passed over my head in a sort of living death. I was shut out from the world, whilst a passionate desire was daily growing up within me for the society of my fellows. The servile slaves that surrounded me, the wretched man and his more wretched nobles whom I was condemned to watch over, grew insufferably hateful; the dreary monotony of my existence was the most galling slavery to my active temper; my passions had no outlet, and became my worst tormentors; my golden schemes seemed more remote than ever from realization. I had petitioned for my removal for more active occupation, and, in the mockery of power, had been told that my presence was too valuable in the position I then held to be dispensed with. My proud spirit revolted at the |