QUEEN.

The Queen is by far the most powerful of all pieces, combining the action of the Rook and the Bishop. It moves in a straight line, rank or file, backwards and forwards, and also diagonally, but only over empty squares, like all other pieces, except one." Place a Queen on the empty board, on the fourth square, counting from the King's square upwards, and thus placed in the centre of the board, she will be found to bear upon twenty-seven squares, exclusive of the one she occupies. Placed in one of the four corners, where her action is most limited, she will still command twenty-one squares besides the one she stands on.

The Rook, also called Castle, is next in importance to the Queen. It moves in a straight line, backwards or forwards, or sideways, always over empty squares. It is a peculiarity of this piece, that whether it is placed in the middle of the board, or in a corner, it always commands the same number of squares, fourteen, besides the one it

ROOK.

stands on.

The Bishop moves diagonally backwards and forwards, as far as the squares are empty. It never can change its colour, and as each player has two, they are placed, one on a black square, and the other on a white one, the former called the black bishop, the latter the white bishop.

BISHOP.

The move of the Knight is very peculiar, and difficult to describe. The Knight is the only piece that has the privilege to leap over another piece. It moves one square in a straight line, and one obliquely. Thus, for instance, the white Knight, which at the beginning of a game stands to the right of the white King (see diagram), can at once be moved to the third square of the Bishop, or to the third square of the Rook, thus springing over the intervening pawns. This movement, being of a complicated nature, should be practised carefully by the student.

KNIGHT.

The Pawn moves only in a straightforward direction, one square at a time; but, unlike the pieces, which take an adverse

PAWN.

X]

man in the same way they move, the Pawn captures diagonally. It never moves nor takes backwards. Any Pawn can, on starting from its original place, which, as the diagram shows, is the second rank, make two steps, but in doing so cannot capture an adverse man, but is liable to be taken in passing the intermediate square by an adverse pawn, but not by any piece or officer. For example: your opponent, playing the black, has a Pawn of his on the fourth square, counting upwards from your Queen. You advance your Pawn in front of your King two squares; he has the option of either allowing it to pass or to take it with his Pawn, as if you had moved it only one square, and in thus capturing your Pawn in passing, he must place his own on the third square from your King—not on the fourth.

ON TAKING AN ADVERSE MAN.

The art of capturing an adverse man is by removing it from the board and placing piece or Pawn occupied. All the eight men your man on the square which the captured standing in the first rank of the board take in the same direction in which they move; not so the Pawn, which, as stated above, captures diagonally. Any of your men can be captured by an adverse one, except the King: he is never taken, but checkmated. The King being, as before mentioned, the efforts towards attacking the adverse King, soul of the game, each player directs his officers and Pawns. Any piece or Pawn and carefully surrounding his own by his attaking the adverse King, this is called giving check or checking, and such an attack must be notified by saying, check: whereupon your opponent must attend to this immediately, by either capturing the

man that thus attacks or checks him, or by

interposing some of his men between the checking piece and his King, or lastly by should you be unable to get out of check removing his king to another square. But by either of the above ways, then your lost the game. Capturing is optional in all King is checkmated, that is, you have cases save one-when your King is in check, except by taking the Pawn or piece check, and you incapable to move out of that checks, you are obliged to do so.

CENTRAL AMERICA, AND THE

AZTEC CHILDREN.

AMONG the animated curiosities which are Occasionally exposed to the gaze of the wonder-loving public, we may prominently notice the AZTEC CHILDREN-two singular Lilliputians who are now exhibiting in the metropolis. Maximo and Bartolo (for by these names the two Aztec children have been baptized) are by some medical men supposed to be of the respective ages of seventeen and eleven. Professor Owen, however, states them to be ten or twelve, and seven or nine. The height of the boy (the elder) is about three feet, and the girl does not reach quite two feet six inches. Their limbs, though slender, are proportionate and well formed, and the general development of their figures is remarkably graceful. The cranium is peculiar, being narrower than that of other races of beings known to the world; and though the face is somewhat prominent, the features are regular and the countenances agreeable, and, after a short acquaintance, highly interest

ing. Each has a beautiful head of jet black hair, which flows gracefully in curls. They are lively and intelligent, showing considerable aptitude for mental training, and have already learned to give utterance to several expressions which can be readily understood by visitors.

Since the arrival of these prodigies in June last, from the United States, they have been the objects of curious ethnological speculation. Dr. Latham does not consider them as a new species of the genus homo. Professor Owen regards them as instances of impeded development, and Dr. Conolly was struck with their resemblance to idiots.

Central America has been, and is, comparatively, a terra incognita. The explorations of Mr. Stevens in these regions, and the publication of his work on Central America, have thrown some light upon the subject, and excited the wonder and imagi nation of all classes of readers, owing to the glowing descriptions, and extraordinary details, he gives of a country, its relics and its people, of which, and whom, we had pre

viously no authentic knowledge; yet he failed in penetrating beyond a certain range, and, although his enthusiasm was excited to the highest pitch of excitement by the rumours, traditions, and reports which reached him of great undiscovered cities and nations beyond the mountain fastnesses, he gave up the attempt of endeavouring to test the truth of these traditionary rumours, owing to the apparent hopelessness and impracticability of the task.

In his narrative Mr. Stephens speaks of the conversations he held at various times with an intelligent and hospitable priest of Santa Cruz-del-Quiche, and concerning the information he received from him of immense and marvellous antiquities. The Padre told of vast ruins, in a deserted and desolate region four leagues from Vera Paz, more extensive than any which the traveller had so ably figured and described, and of another ruined city, on the other side of the magnificent range of the Cordilleras, of which no account had been hitherto given. But the most exciting fact of all, was the existence of a large and populous city, occupied by Indians of the same character, and most probably in the same state, as the aboriginal inhabitants of South America, before the discovery of that vast continent by the Spaniards, and the desolating conquests of its invaders.

The Padre averred that, in his younger days, he had climbed to the topmost ridge of a high mountain, and beheld from thence an immense plain, extending to Yucatan and the Gulf of Mexico, and that in the remote distance he beheld a vast city, with turrets, white and glittering in the sun. Reports, he said, had reached him from intelligent Indians, yet such as were calculated to repress the desire to explore that wondrous region; they told that the inhabitants, aware of fearful deeds having been perpetrated in past ages by a race of white strangers, put every white man to death who attempted to penetrate their territory. Stephens speaks of the intense desire that was awakened in his mind to visit the unknown city, where, said he, "dwelt living men, who can solve the mystery that hangs over the ruined cities of America, who could perhaps be prevailed upon to go to Cossan and read the inscriptions on its monuments." To attempt such an en

terprise was, however, utterly impossible on the part of the American traveller.

At length two intrepid young men, excited probably by the enthusiastic feelings of the traveller, resolved to undertake the romantic enterprise. One was a Mr. Huertis of Baltimore, an American, of Spanish parents from Cuba, possessing an ample fortune, and who had already travelled much in Egypt, Persia, and Syria, for the inspection of ancient monuments; the other, a Mr. Hammond, a Canadian civil-engineer, who had been engaged to survey lands in the United States.

No time was lost in making preparations, and joyfully did the enterprising travellers set forth from New Orleans. Wild and broken, and heavily wooded was the route they had to follow, for nearly 150 miles on the Gulf of Amatique, till they at length reached Coban on the morning of Christmas Day. At this place, and while halting to procure further information and guides, they became acquainted with Senor Pedro Velasquez, of San Salvador, a man of family and education, who traded largely in indigo. This gentleman had performed extensive journeys, and while traversing a large portion of Central America, he had often surveyed, with the deepest interest, remains of temples, pyramids, and stately mansions, though hopeless of gaining even traditionary information respecting their origin and history. When, therefore, he heard from the young travellers that they were bent on exploring the city of aboriginal Indians, reported to have been seen from the lofty summit of a mountain, his enthusiasm knew no bounds—he not only kindly proffered them his superior knowledge of the country, but with more precipitancy than prudence, in a man of his maturer years and important business pursuits, he resolved to accompany them.

The narrative, preserved in Spanish by this gentleman, presents a detail of extreme hardships and privations; it embraces the history of a people hitherto unknown, and, we doubt not, will prove deeply interesting to our readers. Some doubt has been thrown over the narrative, but it seems in many respects deserving of notice; and, with this caution, we leave our readers to form their own conclusions of its veracity.

Senor Velasquez told his travelling com

66

panions that he readily identified the accuracy of engravings in the First Volume of Stephens's Central America." He recognised many of them as old acquaintances, and spoke of having joined a party of several foreigners and natives, in exploring an ancient city of prodigious grandeur and extent, in the province of Vera Paz, about 150 miles eastward of Guatimala. He also stated that these remains far surpassed in magnificence every other ruin, hitherto discovered, either in Central America or Mexico. They were overgrown with huge timber in the midst of a dense forest, far remote from all haunts of men, and near the crater of a long extinct volcano, on whose natural walls, of stupendous height, were paintings of warlike and idolatrous processions, dances, and ceremonials, exhibiting a state of advancement in the arts that evidently appertained to a considerable degree of civilization.

Onward went the three companions with their attendants, till they reached Guequetenango, where they obtained guides and provisions, and set forth in high spirits, on the 5th of May, journeying onward until the ninth, at which time Senor Velasquez thus writes: "Our altitude, by barometer, this morning, is more than 6,000 feet above the valley which we crossed three days since; the view was sublimely beautiful, yet singularly grotesque, and when shone upon by the glorious beams of the setting sun, it was almost oppressively gorgeous. The guides inform us that we have only three thousand feet more to ascend, and they point to a gigantic pinnacle, at the apparent distance of seven or eight leagues; they tell us, however, that before attaining its base, we shall have to descend and ascend an immense ravine nearly a thousand feet deep from our present level, and fraught with so many difficulties, that it will cost us several days. The side of the mountain towards the north-west is smooth and perpendicular for nearly half its entire height, as if severed by a gigantic sword. So far the old Padre was correct, and hitherto we have no reason to mistrust his accuracy. The average breadth of the plain on this side the ridge, on which we encamped for the night, is nearly half a mile, and exhibits before us a fine rolling tract, far as the eye can reach. Neither birds, nor beasts, nor insects. I would

there were no such deep ravine, On the brink of the abyss, the heaviest crags that can be rolled down, return no sound from the bottom.

"All are too exhausted to think of leaving this, our first encampment, since we descended from the stupendous elevation. At least three thousand feet of immense rock are yet to be climbed. On the summit we find an inclined plane of herbless rocks, about fifteen acres. Elevation 9,500 feet; completely in the clouds, and all beneath invisible. A bright and auspicious morning dawned at length; for during the night, whilst others slept, we watched the stars, and found the latitude 15 degrees and 48 minutes north, the mean result of three observations of different stars. The wind is brisk, and rolls away a billowy ocean of mist towards, I suppose, the Bay of Honduras; lower mountains become more and more visible every moment, and we begin to fancy that a faint yellow plain in the far distance is really the Pacific. Huertis, looking through his glass, sees whole lines and groups of pyramids. Hammond reports the longitude 92 degrees 15 minutes west. Brave Huertis is in an ecstasy, but will not part with his glass for a moment; no doubt it is the city of which the Padre speaks, for it is precisely in the same direction. For my own part, I can just discern a white straight line, like a ledge of limestone rock, on an elevated plain at least twenty leagues distant, in tho midst of a vast amphitheatre of hills north-eastward of our position, and toward the State of Yucatan.

"Two o'clock P.M. All doubt is at an end. We have seen it through the glass, distinctly as though it were but a few leagues distant, clear and bright to the unassisted eye. Unquestionably it is a city of vast dimensions, with lofty parapetted walls; it is evidently three or four miles square, and its interior domes and turrets have an oriental aspect. Doubtless it is a Pagan stronghold that escaped the conquest of the Spaniards by its remote position and natural bulwarks."

When the perils of the terrible ravine were surmounted, and our travellers bivouacked for a brief space, it was agreed that Huertis and Hammond, with one of the guides, Antonio, should follow the bed of the ravine in its north-east course, and then