court, and thence by the common stair into and the weeks crept on until nearly Christthe corridor. He carried with him a lantern mas. The footsteps were heard no more, and narrowly examined the floor, which in and the first impression of alarm died away; the thick dust showed traces of feet back- Nicholas even began to talk of once more wards and forwards. This circumstance closing up the door, because it admitted convinced him that some actual person had draughts; but the doing of it was deferred occasioned the previous night's alarm, and from day to day, until it was forgotten again. that it was not the ghostly visitant Adie had But one black moonless night, as the engra heard. He tried the door of the closet, but ver lay awake, he heard a sound passing by could not stir it; and then returned to his the wainscot that caused him to start up in room, where he applied himself as quietly as haste. It was of a stealthy, naked foot, and possible to undoing the closed up entrance a hand drawn along by the wall as if feeling from it to the corridor. This was a work the way. He passed into the large room; both of time and difficulty, and it was still and succeeded in opening the door noiselessly, undone, when he heard Adie moving in her but when he flashed his light into the corroom; he immediately desisted, and lest she ridor, it was silent and empty, only a rush should be troubled by needless alarms, he of wind sweeping up it extinguished his made every thing look as much like what it candle. He went no more to bed, but sat did before as possible. After breakfast he listening and expectant; but the visitant, fetched a blacksmith, and had the cabinet whether of flesh and blood, or of shadow and secured to the wall of the closet by several spirit, came not again. strong staples; it then completely covered the door, and made an entrance by that means next to an impossibility.

This time he did not think fit to speak of what he had heard to any one. However, Martha, whom nothing escaped, had been Royston came while the man was at work, startled by the same noise, and had moreover and expressed his approval of Nicholas' pre-seen with wonder a figure which she well cautions; he afterwards examined the cor- knew steal across the court shortly after. ridor with him, and suggested that the door In the winter nights a lighted oil-lamp hung into it should be opened, that the nocturnal inside the gateway of the court. Now posvisitant might be detected. The engraver sibly that secret visitant had not calculated privately told him what he was doing, but that there were such wakeful eyes and such said Adie must not know, or she would be in industrious thoughts upon his track as a constant tremor and excitement. Laurence Martha's discovery entailed. Her web, promised to repeat nothing. which had hitherto run tolerably straight, was all at once thrown into inextricable entanglement.

After that day the engraver never left Adie alone in the house; Martha returned;

ago, were added to the central mass of the continent, and augmented Germany or Russia by the number of square miles they contain; this change of form would not give us another Germany, but we should have an Italy and a Greece the less. Unite with the body of Europe all its islands and penisulas into one compact mass, and instead of this continent, so rich in various elements, you will have a new Holland, with all its unformity."

THE EARTH AND MAN: Lectures on Compar- "Nothing characterizes Europe better than ative Physical Geography, in its relation to the the variety of its indentations, of its peninsulas, History of Mankind. By Arnold Guyot. Trans- of its islands. Suppose, for a moment, that lated from the French, by C. C. Felton. We beautiful Italy, Greece, with its entire Archipelbelieve Professor Guyot was the first who broadly popularized the physical geography of Humboldt and his disciples, in a course of lectures delivered in America some years ago. He has now continued the same subject with reference to the influence which the configuration of the earth, the consequent distribution of waters, the facts of geology, the effects of climate, the prevalence of rains, the course of marine currents, the growth of vegetation, and other great geographical phenomena, have upon animal life, and upon the races and early civilization of mankind. The leading facts are grasped with the clearness and power which are given by mastery of a subject, and presented to the mind with considerable force and vividness. The whole world and its forms, with the influence they exercise, are brought before the reader: the following on "contour" is a slight example.

The lectures were delivered in French, at Boston, and first published in a newspaper; the translation being made by the lecturer's friend Professor Felton. They were then collected in a volume, with illustrative diagrams or cuts, under the superintendence of the author. These are given in the English edition before us, but whether on the same scale we do not know.Spectator.

JOURNAL OF A WILTSHIRE CURATE.

HAVING, when the statement that Goldsmith's Vicar of Wakefield was founded on

the rector intended to take a curate, who would do the parish duty at an inferior price, and therefore, though he would do any thing to serve me, advised me to deal with Peter Paunch, at the upper end of the town; mortifying reflections these!-But a want of humanity is in my opinion a want of justice-the Father of the universe lends his blessings to us, with a view that we should relieve a brother in distress, and we consequently do no more than pay a debt, when we perform an act of benevolence; paid the stranger's reckoning out of the remainder of the money, to prosecute his shilling in my pocket, and gave him the journey.

of players, who was pledged for seven-pence halfpenny; in a struggle what to do the baker, though we paid him but on Tuesday, quarrelled with us to avoid giving any credit the "Journal of a Wiltshire Curate " ap-in future, and George Greasy the butcher peared in Chambers, taken some little trou-sent us word that he heard it whispered how ble to look into the case, I am enabled to reply to JARLTZBERG'S Query. The Vicar of Wakefield was published March 27, 1766, in 2 vols. 12mo., price 5s. (See Cunningham's edition of Goldsmith, 1. 292.) A long passage from it, entitled "A Family Picture," is quoted in the London Magazine for April. 1766 (p. 196.). The title appears in the Monthly Catalogue of Books in the Monthly Catalogue of Books in the same magazine for October, 1766 (p. 552.), and "The Journal of a Wiltshire Curate" will be found in the December (1766) No. of the same magazine. How the date 1764 came to be added I know not, but as there can be little doubt, I think, that Dec. 1766 was the date of its publication, it is obvious that the "Wiltshire Curate was an imitation of the Vicar of Wakefield, and cannot claim the credit of having furnished Goldsmith with a hint for his world-renowned story.

"THE JOURNAL OF A WILTSHIRE CURATE.

"Monday-Received ten pounds from my rector, Dr. Snarl, being one half year's salary,-obliged to wait a long time before my admittance to the doctor, and even when admitted was never once asked to sit down or refresh myself, though I had walked eleven miles-Item, the Dr. hinted that he could have the curacy filled up for fifteen pounds a year.

Tuesday-Paid nine pounds to seven different people, but could not buy the second-hand pair of black breeches offered me as a great bargain by Cabbage the taylor, my wife wanting a petticoat above all things, and neither Betsey nor Polly having a shoe to go to church.

Wednesday-My wife bought a petticoat for herself, and shoes for her two daughters, but unluckily in coming home, dropped half a guinea through a hole, which she had never before perceived in her pocket, and reduced our cash in the world to half a crown.-Item, chid my poor woman for being afflicted at the misfortune, and tenderly advised her to depend upon the goodness of God.

Friday-A very scanty dinner, and pretended therefore to be ill, that by avoiding to eat I might leave something like enough for my poor wife and the children.-I told my wife what I had done with the shilling; the excellent creature instead of blaming me for the action, blessed the goodness of my heart, and burst into tears.-Mem. never to contradict her as long as I live for the mind that can argue like her's, though it may deviate from the more rigid sentiments of prudence, is even amiable for its indiscretion, and in every lapse from the severity of economy, performs an act of virtue, superior to the value of a kingdom.

"Saturday-Wrote a sermon, which on Sunday I preached at four different parish churches, and came home excessively weary, twopence halfpenny in the house; but see the and excessively hungry; no more money than I had relieved was a man of fortune, goodness of God! the strolling player whom accidently heard that I was as humane as I ity of temper, wanted to do me an essential was indigent, and from a generous eccentric

who

home when he came in, and declaring him-
of service: I had not been an hour at
piece
self my friend, put a fifty pound note into
my hand, and the next day presented me
with a living of three hundred pounds a
year."

Since the foregoing was in type my attention has been called to the fact that the Leaves from the Journal of a Poor Vicar in Wiltshire is reprinted in The Gem (Nelson, Edinburgh, 1849), where it commences "Dec. 15, 1764," and ends "Jan. 16, 1765." The first page contains the fol

Thursday-Received a note from the
alehouse at the top of the hill, informing me
that a gentleman begged to speak to me on
pressing business; went and found it was an
unfortunate member of a strolling company lowing:

"Note by the Author.-Goldsmith's Vicar | history of "A Philosophical Vagabond," of Wakefield appeared in London about which is continued in the May number. 1772. This fact is mentioned, because it In the December number of the British may be that that accomplished writer took the idea of his excellent work from the frag-nal of the Wiltshire Curate," without any Magazine, 1766, pp. 623-4., is the Jour ment of the Journal of a Vicar in Wiltshire,

which had been published in the British editorial note or comment. Magazine in 1766."

At the end of the Journal in The Gem is the following:

"NOTE.-To another translation of this tale, published with several others, the translator has appended the following fragment, which he found in the Boston Chronicle of 1766, reprinted from the British Magazine, which is mentioned in the Introductory

note."

The question may now arise whether the "Journal of a Wiltshire Curate" was or was not the production of Oliver Goldsmith, contributor to the British Magazine, the more especially as it is well known he was a principal editor of which was Dr. Smollett. Neither Percy nor Malone, nor Forster nor Cunningham, have stated tho titles of the articles contributed by Goldsmith, so that after all the "Journal of a Wiltshire

Then follows the extract which I have Curate" may be his production, perhaps the already given.

germ of his Vicar of Wakefield, but not In consequence of this information farther published till after that work. In vol. I. P. search has been made into this literary ques- 425. of the British Magazine is an anonytion. The result is the ascertaining that the mous article, "The History of Miss StanVicar of Wakefield, published in March, ton," which Prior attributes to Oliver 1766, is made known to the public in the Goldsmith. I may further add "The JourApril Number of the British Magazine of nal of the Wiltshire Curate" also appeared 1766, pp. 177, &c., and entitled "The Vicar in the Gentleman's Magazine of Jan. 1767, of Wakefield. A Tale. Supposed to be p. 27.

written by Himself." A digest of the work-Notes and Queries. is given, followed by a quotation from the

INTRODUCTION OF CHRISTMAS TREES INTO | before the Kyng; and that done, re-entred the ENGLAND.- -"We remember a German of the mountaine, and then it was drawen backe, the household of the late Queen Caroline making wassail or bankit brought in, and so brake up what he termed a Christmas tree, for a juvenile Christmas."-Vide Loseley MSS.-Notes and party at that festive season. The tree was a Queries. branch of some evergreen fastened on a board. Its boughs bent under the weight of gilt oranges, almonds, &c., and under it was a neat model of a farm-house, surrounded by figures of animals, &c., and all due accompaniments. The forming Christmas trees is, we believe, a common custom in Germany, evidently a remain of the pageants constructed at that season in ancient days."

In the description of a pageant in the reign of King Henry VIII., a tree appears to have been a prominent feature :

Agaynste the xii daye, or the day of the Epiphanie, at nighte before the banket in the Hall at Richemonde, was a pageaunt devised like a mountayne glisteringe by night, as tho' it had bene all of golde and set with stones; on the top of which mountayne was a tree of golde, the braunches and bowes frysed with golde, spredynge on every side over the mountayne with roses and pomegarnettes. The whiche mountayne was with vices (screws) brought up towards the kynge; and out of the same came a ladye apparelled in cloth of golde, and the chyldren of honor called the henchmen, whiche were fresh disguised, and danced a morice

MONOLITHS.-I shall be glad if some of your readers will add to the following list of extraordinary monoliths, and also if they can name the kind of stone of which those enumerated (with the exception of two) consist:

Pompey's Pillar

Columns at the Cathedral of Casan,
St. Petersburg

Ft. In.

*Columns at St. Isaacs Ch., St Peters-
burg, Finland granite

Alexander Pillar, St. Petersburg
Columns of the Pantheon Portico

88 49

Ch. of St. Paul, Rome

Roman obelisk at Arles, France, 7ft.
diameter at base

Pillar at the Hippodrome, Constantinople, Egyptian granite -Notes and Queries. R. W. HACKWOOD.

Köhl says that these columns "are 60 feet high and have a diameter of 7 feet-all magnificent granite monoliths from Finland buried for centuries in its swamps."

From Chambers' Journal. I phosphorus in iron is, as it appears, fatal tc

QUESTION.

PRESENT STATE OF THE BESSEMER the useful qualities of the metal; it renders the iron brittle and unserviceable; and as no portion of it can be detected in the slag of the furnace, it would seem that, so far as its expulsion is concerned, Mr. Bessemer has as yet altogether failed. But it would surely not be at all philosophical to conclude that the question is finally set at rest, however serious the objection may be to which we have now called attention.

It can

Ir is only some few months since all Europe was standing on tiptoe, in expectation of witnessing a great and marvellous revolution in the manufacture of iron and steel, by a new and ingenious process, to which it is only necessary to allude in passing as that patented by Mr. Bessemer. It was some thing quite astounding to those who knew by what tedious and expensive means steel hardly be too much to expect that in the was produced from iron in the olden time, resources of modern science some ingredient to be told that, by the new process, steel may yet be discovered, the results of which, was the easier and cheaper production of the in the instance before us, will be no less two. It was no less wonderful in the eyes striking than those of soda, borax, and potof those who had considered izon as, at least ash, when used as fluxes in various indusin the open air, an incombustible, to be trial operations. We should not be surshown that it was, in fact, a highly com- prised any day to hear that some such bustible material; and that, if once heated depurgative had been discovered, and that by fire to a certain point, it might then, by its admixture with the incandescent iron in strong air-currents, be actually itself set on the furnace was found to detach the phosfire, and made to burn with a fierce incan-phorus, and leave the iron in a perfectly

It is humiliating to think upon what small matters great ones often depend. There appears to be no reasonable doubt that Mr. Bessemer would have realized all he promised to accomplish but for one slight circumstance, which it is our intention now to explain, and the difficulty connected with which has, at least for the present, frustrated his expectations.

pure state. We wish we could go further than suggest the existence of some suc drug, or metal, or mineral, whatever it may be. We suspect that the man who could Bessemer with its local habitation and its go no further than this, and supply Mr. name, would participate largely in a most lucrative as well as scientifically honorable discovery.

We could ourselves easily indicate certain metallic combinations which, in dealing with phosphorus in its uncombined state, possess the power of neutralizing its caustic properties; but this may be far indeed from indicating a power in such preparations to deal with that wonderful substance as it is found in nature, united with the crude oxide of iron. Indeed, we take for granted that men of the highest mark in chemical science to this interesting problem; and, as we have are just now eagerly devoting their attention said, we look forward rather hopefully than otherwise to the result.

The subject of iron-founding has been so completely popularised by the discussions of this patent in the public press, that it will only be necessary for us to recall attention to the fact, that iron ore contains several foreign matters in intimate combination, and that upon their expulsion during the founding process depends the success of the ironmaster's work. These foreign bodies are chiefly carbon, silicon, sulphur, and phosphorus. The old methods of roasting, We are very far from participating in the casting, refining, puddling, and rolling were triumph expressed by many at the partial, found to effect the object in view sufficiently and, in truth, temporary failure in the exfor all practical purposes. In Mr. Besse-pectations raised in the public mind by Mr. Bessemer and his discoveries: but it is still mer's process, all these substances, except phosphorus, are effectually expelled. It would seem that up to the present time this material has resisted all the efforts of Mr. Bessemer. It defies the utmost heat of his furnaces, and has no sufficient affinity for oxygen, or any other body brought in contact with it, to consent, for its sake, to let go its tenacious grasp of the iron. Now,

rev

true that, up to the present time, the " olution "has not come off. The new aspirants for dominion in the realms of metallurgy-we mean, of course, air-blast and oxygen-have not as yet been able to wrest the sceptre from the hand of "Old King Coal." His carbonaceous majesty is still "master of the situation; " how long he may continue so, we by no means venture to take on ourselves even to conjecture.

DUCHESS OF GLOUCESTER. as Wilberforce in his, and kind and helpful THE late Duchess of Gloucester was the in all matters of charity that came before fourth daughter of George the Third. She him. Romilly tells us a curious thing of was born on the 25th April 1776; conse- him-that he volunteered, in a tête-à-tête quently she completed her eighty-first year with Sir S. Romilly, his declaration that on Saturday last. In her earlier years ahe Queen Caroline was innocent, and that her was known as the Princess Mary; and accusers were perjured. He latterly became although her life was so far removed from a Tory; but for the greater part of his life, the public gaze, yet she had a history and an the same genial spirit of liberality and peraffecting one. Before the late Duchess was sonal unassumingness distinguished him and born, George the Third, indignant that his the Princess Mary. As for her, she pleased brother the Duke of Cumberland should old and young alike." "In 1814, when the have married a commoner, Mrs. Horton, and Prince of Orange was in England, and his that his brother the Duke of Gloucester father announced his approaching marriage should have married the Countess Dowager with the Princess Charlotte, Princess Mary of Waldegrave, caused the Royal Marriage looked bright and happy. Lord MalmesAct to be passed; whereby it became neces- bury recorded in his Diary what her manners sary that every descendant of George the were like, when the charm of youth was past Second should obtain the consent of the King and the character of womanhood was marked. to his marriage if under twenty-five years He said she was all good-humor and pleasof age, and of the Privy Council if over that antness; adding, her manners are perfect; age. In January 1776, a son was born to and I never saw or conversed with any prin the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, who in cess so exactly what she ought to be.' And due time became Duke of Gloucester. In no one living, perhaps, knew more princesses, his youth he was educated at Cambridge or more of what they really were, than the University, and served with distinction in old diplomatist. The Prince of Orange went the Army. And during these early years a away, and Princess Mary drooped. Everysecret affection existed between the young body was saying that the Duke of Gloucester Prince and his cousin the Princess Mary. must be the Princess Charlotte's bridegroom "When the young people were one-and-after all. But a few months more put an twenty, the Princess Charlotte was born; and as it soon became understood that there

would be no heir-apparent to the throne if the Princess of Wales lived, the necessity was admitted of keeping the Duke of Gloucester single, to marry the presumptive heiress of the Throne in case of no eligible foreign prince appearing for that function. For twenty of their best years the Duke and the Princess were kept waiting, during which interval (in the year 1805) he succeeded to his title on his father's death. Everybody liked and loved the Princess Mary, who was a pattern of duty and sweetness through all the family trials she had to witness and share in; and the Duke, though not a man of much political ability, was in that part of his life a Whig, and on the generous and liberal side of almost every question We are obliged to say almost,' (writes the Daily News,) because he supported with his whole force the exclusion of Dissenters from the Universities, when he was Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, after the death of the Duke of Grafton. On the Anti-Slavery question he was as earnest in his own way!

end to the long suspense. When the Princess Charlotte descended the great staircase at Carlton House after the ceremony of her marriage, she was met at the foot with open arms by the Princess Mary, whose face was bathed in tears. The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester were married in a few weeks-on the 23d of July 1816. The bride's demeanor was so interesting and affecting that it opened the sluices of Lord Eldon's ready tears, which he declared ran down his cheeks: but the Chief Justice, Lord Ellenborough, also present, must have been in another mood. Some persons were talking in a corner of the crowded room, and the Chief Justice called to them, in the midst of the ceremony, "Do not make such a noise in that corner-if you do, you shall be married yourselves.'

The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester lived happily together for eighteen years. The Duke died in November 1834. "It surprised no one that his wife proved herself one of the most assiduous and admirable of nurses during her husband's decline." She survived him twenty-three years; lived to be the "good aunt and cousin" of a new generation; and died beloved by all around her. She was the last survivor of the thirteen children of George the Third Spectator.