a woman he despises, leaving the real ob- ill-treatment, her heroine has suffered at the ject of his affections to die of a broken hands of Basil Hyde, our authoress ends by heart. This, however, is not to be her fate. asking, with great naiveté, what he had done She finds a consoler in the person of a to deserve her love? Very little indeed, that Welsh uncle, who gives her excellent ad- we can see. Her answer, however, is differvice, and endeavors to promote her marriage ent. He had been all that her taste required. with a pleasant young doctor who attends A broken heart is a heavy price to pay for him. But Constance is too faithful to the the gratification of taste. This is indulging an memory of her first love to think of a sec- æsthetic turn with a vengeance. Constance's ond; so she returns to her home, and the taste happened to be for a certain sort of dull life there from which all romance has flashy small-talk, in which Mr. Basil Hyde now faded. The curtain falls on her peace- was a great adept. But the tastes of women fully engaged in all kinds of good works, differ. Six feet four of scarlet and blue cloth discharging the duties of a daughter and is all that the taste of Betsey Jane requires. sister with exemplary devotion. But she probably finds the predilection expensive in more ways than one; and her mistress will do well to warn her against indulging it. In love affairs, the more restraint women put upon their tastes the better. Let them, be guided, in placing their affections, by sterling good qualities on the part of those to whom they would entrust their happiness. One word as to Basil himself. He is not quite such a brute as Rochester in Jane Eyre. But he has thus much in common with that character, that he is essentially a man evolved out of the internal consciousness of a woman. Jane Eyre worshipped an impersonation of animal force; Constance Felton erects mere intellectual smartness into ideal perfection. It matters little to either that her pet fancy is found in connection with egotism and selfconceit, and with either incredible obtuseness or a wanton disregard of another person's feelings.

The story which we have thus briefly analyzed is not very new nor particularly well constructed. Nothing can be more remote from ordinary probability than that a casual disappointment, as in the matter of the ride, should so rankle in any sensible mind as to entail such disastrous consequences. As the crisis of the story, it is wholly inadequate. Here is the happiness of two very superior persons, both endowed with great intelligence. ruined through a misconception of the most trivial kind. This is a fault of construction which seriously vitiates the interest of the story. Blunders of this sort Miss Austen never commits; and in nothing is her art more admirably shown than in the rational and intelligible way in which the events she describes unfold themselves. When she deduces consequences, they are such as would ordinarily ensue upon such and such acts or occurrences—not what might possibly follow We turn with relief to the minor characin a total eclipse of common sense. Nor are ters of the story. Many of these are well the characters of Constance and the hero of drawn, and almost all have a distinct indiher romance calculated to awaken legitimate viduality of their own. Mrs. Felton, the sympathy. The hapless love of the first is stepmother of Constance, is sensible, but told with great pathos, and its various stages commonplace. She has a mind of the Marof uncertainty, rapture, anxiety, despair, and tha type, always revolving the petty probresignation, are described with great force lems of the household. Nothing can be hapand power of expression. But she is little pier than the following! "Mrs. Felton woke more than an object of pity. We have had up the day after the Hydes left Ashenholt enough of this morbidly sensitive, nervous, with a comfortable feeling that now they self-conscious type of heroine. We feel pro- would be themselves again, and need not voked at her headaches, and long for her to use the best breakfast service." Mrs. Robget rid of her feelings. What good is there ert Felton is a woman of another kind. She in the study of Clarendon, and Channing, is an embodiment of fashionable religion. and Behmen, if the result is only moral im- Her conversation is a curious compound of becility in any important crisis? We pro-worldly interests and religious phraseology. test, too, against the transcendental absurd- Constance goes to stay with her aunt, who sets ity of degrading love to a mere question of herself to improve the opportunity of having taste. Struck by compunction for the gross her niece under her roof:

"It

"One day when they were alone together, | almost any village or town, walking about up-stairs, she exhorted her to avoid the briskly in clothes of defunct fashion, with a snares of self-righteousness, or cease from joyousness that many young hearts might her own works, to make sure of her election; envy." One of the prettiest touches in the and when, from modesty, or sheer weariness of ineffectual argument, Constance remained book is the way in which, after her own silent, she added, she knew her dear niece troubles, the heart of Constance instinctively would be much edified if she would study a warms towards this old lady, whom she had few sweet biographies which she was going previously thought somewhat of a bore. to put in her hands. In vain did Constance did not take long to disinter the buried treaspoint out that the works about which she ure of her patient heart-its grave was green thought it right to be anxious were not those still; a prelude of sighs, and it all came out outward performances on which pride or self-pleasing could build, but those works of the Spirit which are spoken of in Scripture as the only test of a living faith. Mrs. Robert Felton could not enter into such nice distinctions, and jumping up as the door-bell rung, went to the glass to smooth her curls, saying, with glib emphasis, By faith, my love, by faith are ye saved,' and was out of the room in another second."

Johanna Podmore is a good picture of another school of religion- the sincere but morose. In all that she said or did, there was the unmistakable stamp of religious motive. Her mind was very narrow, but intent on the fulfilment of duty. The effect which contact with such a nature produces on one more frank and gentle is described with great delicacy. "Constance felt the softness and sweetness of her own nature come against the harder manner of the other with a contrast unpleasant to both-less so to herself, for she was more conversant in differences of character, than to Johanna, who in her unpliant bluntness, knew not what instinctive courtesy meant. When, therefore, Constance spoke to her, the effect produced was often as evident as on the application of soda to acid-something equal to a hiss-a rougher manner and a harsher tone, making Constance aware that unless she could veil her own constitutional delicacy and grace they would be mistaken for affectation, and despised accordingly." There is a pleasant picture of an old maid who haunts the village where Constance livesone of those cheerful monuments of complete resignation which may be met with in

declared affection on both sides, a father's stern prohibition, a lover's speedy attachment to another, his widowhood, and comparatively recent marriage to an intimate friend of her own, though he knew, my dear, that I remained single."" Her story moved her hearer to tears; but Miss Tennent only took another piece of muffin.

These are some of the subordinate personages who figure in this tale. The forts of the authoress seems to us to lie in the delineation of the various phases of female character. She is less successful with her men-least of all when she writes with sympathy. The best of her male characters, we think, is James Podmore, a discarded lover of Constance. He is a heavy young man, with a talent for business. With neither wit nor penetration, he had a great desire for exactness, and just that sort of detective agility of mind which enabled him at once to overtake a cleverer person in the commission of a blunder or unconscious misstatement. Constance found herself often tripped up, as she ran on in some amusing recital, by his grave voice begging her pardon, but she must be aware that so-and-so was a slightly incorrect statement. Probably most of us have at some time or other suffered under this kind of conversational Shylock.

We have said enough to indicate that this is a novel decidedly above the common run. In spite of a somewhat diffused style, and occasional obscurity, it contains many eloquent and striking passages. It will be the fault of the authoress if it is not the precursor of greater achievements.

From The Athenæum.

THE CYRENE MARBLES.

THE following extract from a letter of an officer on board the Melpomene, which conveyed the marbles to Malta, will be read with interest :

boxes; so that, by being off the ground, I managed, in some measure, to cheat the fleas, for I slept about half the night. Next day the camels arrived with our tents and baggage, and with wood with which to make the cases to receive the marbles. One camel was missing, and never afterwards turned up. I have not the least doubt, appearing the most valuable, it was coveted and stolen by the Arabs, for they are most inveterate thieves; it does not matter from whom they rob, whether friend or foe, all is fish that comes into their net. As ill-luck would have it, it happened to bear my portmanteau, bed and bedding, and four great coats and blankets belonging to the men of my guard.

"We reached Marsa Sousa on the evening of the 26th September. Lieutenant Porcher arrived early the next morning, and made all necessary arrangements; so that afternoon, at 4 P.M., I landed with one corporal and nine men, as a guard for Cyrene, and eleven carpenters. Cyrene is twelve miles from where we landed. At the above hour the men and myself started, carrying "I was at Cyrene for sixteen days, during our haversacks, water-bottles, and arms. which time my duties were not very arduous, The first part of the road was very fa- so I had plenty of leisure time to wander in tiguing, for we had to climb the height of all directions in and about Cyrene, everytwo thousand feet on a road not of the best, where meeting with the most interesting a great portion of which was very precipi- ruins of temples and other public buildings, tous. At first I could hardly keep up with and immense columns of marble and red my men; however, we maintained a good granite, the ground being much broken with pace, halting occasionally to have a pull at mounds which, no doubt, cover some magour water-bottles, for it was awfully dry nificent remains, and may be some day exwork, till about 6:30 P.M., when it became cavated. Lieutenants Smith and Porcher, dark. At this time the men began to lag; in the few places they dug, have succeeded and, for the last four miles, I had great dif- in making a splendid collection of marble ficulty in keeping them from halting alto- statues, statuettes, heads and several ingether. However, by persevering, I suc- scriptions. Some of the statues are more ceeded in reaching Cyrene about eight. than eight feet high, and are pretty perfect, The carpenters and one or two of my men very beautifully sculptured, especially the got so foot-sore they could hardly walk; drapery. Some of the statuettes, particusome began reeling about, like drunken larly those of women, are superb; the heads men, and these were the men with whom, also are very beautiful, and strange to say, on first starting, I could with difficulty keep the hair is dressed much in the same fashion up. The great reason of their feet becom- as at the present day. A l'Impératrice' ing so sore was, because they never wear seems to have been the general mode in those shoes on board ship, and each man had days. The tombs are still very perfect, and served out to him, only that morning, a pair of ammunition boots, and these of course are indifferent fits. We surprised Lieutenant Smith, who had just finished dinner, not thinking for one moment we should be marching in such a rough country at so late an hour, for we could not get the Arabs to hurry the loading of their camels at Marsa Sousa. Captain Ewart thought it better I should push on at once, leaving the baggage to follow; so the men that night, having only what they stood up in, had to make themselves as comfortable as they could in a tomb, which Lieutenant Smith used as a kitchen, and, having a number of grass mats, they spread them on the ground. Being so very tired, the men were almost instantly stretching themselves at full length upon them; but, as for sleep, not one of them got a wink the whole night, on account of the fleas, of which there are millions. Smith gave me a comfortable shake-down in his tomb, on a cork mattress on the top of some

extend on the hill-side for a distance of four or five miles, the hill-side being intersected by ravines, on each side of which they are to be seen; most of them are hewn out of the living rock, some are of great extent. Smith and Porcher counted in one no less than one hundred and eight niches for sarcophagi— the majority, however, hold only from seven to ten, with a few small niches, evidently for children; the faces of the tombs are still very perfect, and carved in the Doric style. Traces are still to be seen of the painted decorations, which were principally of gladiators, birds, and flowers; they apparently only used the primary colors. Several of the sarcophagi are still well preserved, some being of the best marble, measuring about seven and a half feet in length by two and a half in width-others are built tombs; all have been opened and rifled ages ago; the spoiler's hands have not left even a solitary one untouched. The site of the city is magnificent, and the country very rich and fertile.

Were the water not allowed to run to waste, there would be an ample supply; the view is grand, and the horizon must be at least a distance of from forty to fifty miles.

"The working party from the ship consisted of about ninety seamen and marines, who were told off to three artillery wagons used for the purpose of transporting heavy guns, they managed to get up from Marsa Sousa to Cyrene in two days, resting always a day at Cyrene, carrying with them by camels their tents, baggage, and water; there being no water between the two places, that at Marsa Sousa was left under the charge of a small guard at the beach, where two tanks are sunk in the sand and well supplied from the ship. The men worked very well, and made three trips in sixteen days, taking on each wagon two or three heavy statues, some weighing more than a ton. It was no joke taking them down the hill-side to the beach; and great care had to be used, the whole of the men being required to lower one wagon at a time. The statuettes were all sent down by camels. It was well we managed everything so quickly, for the Arabs were becoming very troublesome and threatening, one tribe on the road being anything but friendly; they did their best to extort as much as possible, but only succeeded in getting two bullocks' hides as a peace-offering. The chief of this tribe was a Sheikh Sayed, who tried to pick a quarrel with us, collecting about four hundred men at the Fountain of Apollo. He made washing clothes and the bathing of our men at the fountain the cause of dispute. These practices we gave up, on learning the commotion they produced, for although we were strong and well armed, it was good to keep friends almost at any price, for their fanaticism is very great, and very little would have brought the whole country

down upon us. I do not know what length they might not have gone to, had it not been for one or two friendly tribes. Affairs looked so serious a day or two before leaving, that it was thought necessary to apply at the nearest military station to the governor, and acquaint him with the state of matters, that he might hold himself in readiness to co-operate with us in case of need. There is no government in the country, the natives are perfectly free and lawless, and the Turks with difficulty squeeze a heavy tax out of them. Their meetings are very stormy, attended with firing guns in the air, and other noises; they look down with contempt upon any one who is not armed.

The most luxurious bath I ever indulged in was in the Fountain of Apollo-a natural basin, six feet by two, and one foot deep, formed just at the exit of the water from the rock, at the foot of the hill, close to the ruins of the temple, the water always running at the rate of about five miles an hour, and always at the same temperature of 63°, nice and cool in summer, and comfortable in winter. The climate is splendid, the temperature all last summer never exceeding 80°. After the hot summer I had experienced, I was very loathe to leave the place. The day before leaving, two or three men belonging to No. 2 wagon party, in walking about the ruins, came upon a beautiful statuette, about four feet five inches long, the arms alone being wanting. It was an Egyptian figure, and, for want of a better name, we christened it Melpomene: the men were very proud of their trophy. There is still much to be done in the way of excavation at some future time. Smith's collection, though, is very large and valuable. We brought away in all sixty-three cases, and twenty-seven had already been sent home."

[Copy of a letter from Gen. Washington to Mrs. | to, nor shall, exclude him from the usual supply Bache-daughter of Franklin.]

HEADQUARTERS IN BERGEN, N.J.,
July 14, 1780.

MADAM,-I have received with much pleasure-but not till last night-your favor of the 4th, specifying the amount of the subscriptions already collected for the use of the American soldiery.

This fresh mark of the patriotism of the ladies entitles them to the highest applause of their country. It is impossible for the army not to feel a superior gratitude on such an instance of goodness. If I am happy in having the concurrence of the ladies, I would propose the purchasing of coarse linen, to be made into shirts, with the whole amount of their subscription. A shirt extraordinary to the soldier will be of more service to him than any other thing that could be procured him; while it is not intended

which he draws from the public.

This appears to me to be the best mode for its application, provided it is approved by the ladies. I am happy to find you have been good enough to give us a claim on your endeavors to complete the execution of the design An example so laudable will certainly be nurtured, and must be productive of a favorable issue in the bosoms of the fair in the sister States.

Let me congratulate our benefactors on the arrival of the French fleet off the harbor of Newport on the afternoon of the 10th. It is this moment announced, but without any particulars, as an interchange of signals had only taken place.

I pray the ladies of your family to receive, with my compliments, my liveliest thanks for the interest they take in my favor.

With the most perfect respect and esteem, I have the honor to be, madam, your obedient and humble servant, GEO. WASHINGTON.

POETRY.-Rock of Ages-in Latin, 322. It is more blessed, 322. Sixty-one and Sixty-two, 358. The Orphan, 358. Love not Me, 358. 384. Satisfied, 384.

Day by Day, 322.

Dulce Domum,

SHORT ARTICLES.-The Astor Library-Dr. Cogswell, 331. Athelstan-Moxon, 333. Conundrums, 333. Lord Bacon, 333. Travels of Rabbi Petrachia, 335. Canada, by Mrs. Copleston, 335. Potts' Euclid, 335. Fac-Simile of Gray's Elegy MS., 346. Bishop of Lincoln's Charge, 346. Punch in 1845, 350. American Problems, 354. Poems by the Rev. T. H. Stockton, 354. Scott's Novels for Roman Catholics, 354. A Nun ruling the Queen of Spain, 357. Cambrian and Border Literature, 366. Prayers by Jeremy Taylor, 371. Through Life and for Life, 377. Pioneers, 383.

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