"You were right," she murmured, "that night on the hills; but I did not know it then I did not feel it then. I have been deceived. But let him go! Oh, let him go!"

denied that he even understood to whom or locked themselves with helpless pleading, to what his questions referred. But on Sir turning round his strong and strenuous Douglas saying- "Beware what you do! wrist. The pale face slowly floated, as it the detective who has traced you is now were, underneath his, and looked with at Glenrossie Castle; the gentleman you dreadful appeal into his eyes. have robbed, has probably by this time landed in England; if you are indeed the person they are seeking, denial is perfectly hopeless" - his tone changed; he stood as one transfixed; he trembled from head to foot; and after a faint attempt at bravado, And Alice-impassive Alice - laid her dropped on his knees and besought mercy! white cheek on the panting heart of her "I have had many excuses, a hard lot to proud soldier-brother and moaned, with the contend with," he stammered out. "You long low moan of a wounded animal. would not surely give me up to justice, Sir Douglas! For God's sake consider!-give me time-give me means of escape: I will surrender all to you- give me a chance for the future! I have been starved-hunted down-persecuted: let me fly-all is here in this very house that belonged to that man; - I never intended to appropriate it! The things were under my charge-in my cabin.

"Sir Douglas, Sir Douglas, let me escape!" continued he, with increasing vehemence, as the stern contempt visible on the soldier's brow became more and more evident. "I will repent-reform! Oh God! Consider your sister - is my WIFE!"

Sir Douglas started, as if he had been shot Alice crept round to him, pale as a corpse.

"Let him go, BROTHER!" was all she said; but she clung to Sir Douglas's arm, as if it were the arm of the executioner raised to strike.

The soft slender hands locked and un

"Take my horse and begone, wretched man!" at length broke forth from the lips of Sir Douglas. And as James Frere yet endeavoured to mutter sentences of excuse and explanation, and above all to assure Sir Douglas that he would find "every fraction of property correct, including trifles he had ventured to present to his kind patroness that morning" -the kind patroness proceeded to "speed the parting guest" by the bitter words, "Don't dirty my name by setting it between your thieves' teeth, man ! Get to one of your dog-kennels of hiding, out of the sight of honest folk. And the sooner the gallows is lifted, on which you can hang, the better for all concerned. That's my dictum!"

"Ah! whom shall we trust!" groaned Sir Douglas, as the sound of the horse's hoofs violently galloping past Clochnaben towers, smote on his ear, and his half-sister Alice sank shivering in his tender embraces. "Whom shall we trust if that man is a liar, a hypocrite, and an assassin ! "

There is no doubt that the Constitution, as now settled, is far from perfect. It is drawn up rather on Conservative than on Liberal lines. It is not intended to give the popular will the free play that many people wish, and that is to some extent desirable. It is, in fact, founded rather on the idea of consolidating a powerful State under the guidance of a strong chief, than of developing the liberties of the people who are subject to it. But we cannot help agreeing with the King, when he remarks, "that the point of supreme importance at present is not to neglect the favourable moment for laying the foundations of the building; its more perfect completion can then safely remain intrusted to the subsequent combined co-operation of the German sovereigns and races." There is an amount of truth in this which the German Liberals, who are discontented with the provisions of the Constitution, would do well to lay to heart. If the Assembly refuses to assent to the draft which it will be their first duty to consider, or if the landtags of the different States to which it must in time be submitted should take that course, the whole scheme of a North German Parliament would be in danger of shipwreck.

ter will prevail. In the Federal Parliament itself, Count Bismarck, so far as we can now venture to anticipate, will have it pretty much his own way. The real danger to the scheme lies at a subsequent stage, when is is submitted to the local Parliaments of the different States.

If there were no other motive which should induce the members of these assemblies to "strain a point " rather than reject the constitution, a very strong inducement to adopt such a course would be supplied by the consideration, that the sooner Northern Germany assumes a definite, and something like a permament form, the sooner can steps be taken to enter into closer relations with the Southern States. Although the King uses very guarded language on this point, it is plain that he or rather Count Bismarck, has not relinquished the idea of bringing the whole of Germany into one confederation, under the leadership of Prussia. All that is at present spoken of is the formation of the Zollverein, the common promotion of trade, and a combined guarantee for the security of German territory. But we can easily understand that if so much is uttered a good deal is left unsaid, in deference to the susceptibilities of at least one foreign naPrussia will preserve her ascendancy by tion. And yet, as his Majesty justly obmeans of the treaties which she has extorted serves, there is no legitimate reason why from the smaller States, but there will be no any Power should regard with jealousy the common assembly in which the people are rise of that German Empire-stretching represented, and through the medium of from the Alps to the Baltic which is the which the nation may eventually attain not inevitable, and probably not the very disonly a more complete union, but a larger tant consummation of recent events. The measure of freedom. The great thing is to direction of the German mind is peaceful. get a Federal assembly representing not There is no wish for the conquest of any the princes, but the people, fairly to work. territory inhabited by foreign races, now It may be imperfectly constituted; it may that Denmark has been successfully deeven for a time tend rather to the strength- spoiled of Slesvig. The inclination of the ening of authority than the growth of free- people is industrial rather than warlike, dom. But it must furnish an invaluable and their motto is very much like that of our basis of operations, and in the long run it own volunteers, "defence, and not defiance." must be amenable to the liberal feeling and Of course, if any other nation still hankers the intelligence of the country. It will be after German soil, and still nourishes any far better to wait awhile for the final crown- desire to acquire so called natural bounding of the edifice than to risk the loss of aries, we can well understand that it may that which has been accomplished by look with disfavour upon a consolidation attempting (as some of the Liberals are and a common organization which will once said to intend) to obtain the adoption of for all defeat the realization of its designs. the Democratic charter of 1848. If they But, in truth, those designs- if they be were successful, the only result would be in- entertained are even now quite hopefinite confusion and an indefinite postpone- less. The North German Confederation ment of the ultimate end they have in ought to be able to defend their own fronview; because, although the assembly might tiers against all comers, and even if they vote, it could not establish such a constitu- are not, it is certain that at the first cannon tion without the consent of the several Gov-shot that was fired on the Rhine, their felernments, and this would certainly not be low-countrymen south of the Maine would given. There is, however, no reason to ex- rush to their assistance. Still it is desirable pect that counsels of so extreme a charac- for many reasons, both of internal organiza

2

tion and of external defence, that the complete unification of the country should be carried out as soon as possible. The sooner a commencement is made by the conclusion of arrangements upon those points to which the King referred in his speech, the better for all parties. For our own part we cordially re-echo the prayer with which the King concluded his address. We have no other wish and no other interest than that Germany should be free, united, and powerful that she should fully realize "the dream of centuries, the yearning and striving of the latest generations." Upon the prudence, the wisdom, and above all, the moderation of the deputies now assembled at Berlin, the speedy fulfilment of the national aspirations mainly depends. We hope that they will not prove unworthy of the trust reposed in them; and that they will not, in grasping at a shadow, lose the substance which is within their reach.

From the Athenæum,

The Open Polar Sea: a Narrative of a Voyage of Discovery towards the North Pole, in the Schooner "United States." By Dr. I. I. Hayes. (Low & Co.)

WHEN we parted from Dr. Hayes on the occasion of reviewing his Arctic Boat Journey' in this journal (May, 1860) we felt sure that, unless barred by circumstances beyond his control, we should meet him again in the same waters. "On revient toujours à ses premiers amours," applies with peculiar force to adventurers; and those who love the excitement of wild travel, with its attendant perils, are generally found eager and ready to set forth again, even when the blood is no longer young, in quest of adventures by flood and field. So it was with poor Franklin, who, having early imbibed a passion for the sea, eagerly seized the opportunity of passing from the to him-dull monotony of life at home to the dangers and hardships of Arctic exploration.

and make such explorations as might be found practicable in the direction of the North Pole. The United States Government manifested no inclination to equip an expedition for the above purposes, and Dr. Hayes was therefore under the necessity of appealing to his countrymen to contribute funds for the enterprise. These were at length forthcoming, and, in the early part of 1860, Dr. Hayes found himself master of a schooner of 133 tons burden, with a crew of fourteen persons. The second in command was Mr. A. Sonntag, who threw up a Government appointment of AssociateDirector of the Dudley Astronomical Observatory to accompany Dr. Hayes. The small craft was efficiently equipped, and nothing was wanting to make the expedition successful, except auxiliary steam-power, now found to be absolutely necessary for efficient Arctic exploration.

The expedition left Boston on the 6th of July, 1860, and returned to that port in October, 1861. The story of this last Arctic enterprise is most stirring, and it is well for Dr. Hayes's literary venture that this is the case, for it must be conceded that the great number of works on Arctic voyages has somewhat dulled the edge of curiosity with which they were formerly received by the public. But a spell of fascination will ever cling to the narrative of brave and adventurous travel, and Dr. Hayes's heroism and endurance are of no common order.

After a not unprosperous voyage, the explorers reached Upernavik on the 12th of August, obtained six Esquimaux interpreters, hunters and dog-drivers, with a fine team of dogs, and then resumed their way north. The schooner battled gallantly with the middle ice, dodging enormous icebergs which continually threatened to crush her. One of these icy monsters was upwards of three-quarters of a mile long, nearly of the same breadth, and 315 feet above the water. It was calculated to contain twenty-seven thousand million cubic feet, and to weigh two thousand million tons. Difficulties now increased daily, and besides those arising from icebergs and the pack-ice, a current from the north set strongly against them, and the hours, if not minutes, of the schooner seemed numbered.

True to his early love, Dr. Hayes had no sooner returned from his adventurous voyage, which, as will be remembered, involved" Off Cape Hatherton," says Dr. Hayes, his little, party and himself in extraordinary perils, than he commenced organizing an extensive scheme of Arctic search. The main features were to pass up Smith Sound, complete the survey of the north coasts of Greenland and Grennell Land,

"the scene around us was as imposing as it was alarming. Except the earthquake and volcano, there is not in nature an exhibition of force comparable with that of the ice-fields of the Arctic Seas. They close together, when

driven by the wind or by currents against the | Dr. Hayes made an exploratory journey land or other resisting object, with the pressure over the great Mer de Glace glacier which of millions of moving tons, and the crash and joins that of Humbolt. This was a formidnoise and confusion are truly terrific. We able undertaking; were now in the midst of one of the most fallen to 34° below zero; and a fierce the temperature had thrilling of these exhibitions of Polar dynamics, and we become uncomfortably conscious storm prevailed. In the teeth of this the that the schooner was to become a sort of party travelled seventy miles over the ice dynamometer. Vast ridges were thrown up at an altitude of 5,000 feet above the level wherever the floes came together, to be sub- of the sea, and in the midst of a vast frozen merged again when the pressure was exerted sahara immeasurable to the human eye. in another quarter; and over the sea around Yet under these difficulties Dr. Hayes sucus these pulsating lines of uplift, which in some ceeded in taking angles and various meas cases reached an altitude of not less than sixty urements which, having been repeated in feet, higher than our mast-head, told of July, 1861, showed that the rate of progress of this tremendous glacier is upwards of a hundred feet daily. Thus what is true of the Alpine valleys is true, also, of those in Greenland. A great frozen flood is pouring continuously down the west slopes of the Greenland continent, the law of supply and waste being the same in both cases.

the strength and power of the enemy which was threatening us. We had worked ourselves into a triangular space formed by the contact of three fields. At first there was plenty of room to turn round, though no chance to escape. We were nicely docked, and vainly hoped that we were safe; but the corners of the protecting floes were slowly crushed off, the space narrowed little by little, and we listened to the crackling and crunching of the winter was diversified by a rise of temperaThe monotony of the long and dreary ice, and watched its progress with consternation. At length the ice touched the schooner, ture which set in early in November. The and it appeared as if her destiny was sealed. wind, says Dr. Hayes, writing on the 14th She groaned like a conscious thing in pain, and of this month, though blowing steadily for writhed and twisted as if to escape her adver- twenty-four hours from the north-east, is sary, trembling in every timber from truck to accompanied by remarkable warmth. The kelson. Her sides seemed to be giving way. thermometer, which had gone down to 40 Her deck timbers were bowed up, and the below zero, now marked 44°. "I have seams of the deck planks were opened. I done with speculation. This temperature gave up for lost the little craft which had gal- makes mischief with my theories, as facts lantly carried us through so many scenes of peril; but her sides were solid and her ribs have heretofore done with theories of the wiser men." strong; and the ice on the port side, working gradually under the bilge, at length, with a jerk which sent us all reeling, lifted her out of the water; and the floes, still pressing on and breaking, as they were crowded together, a vast ridge was piling up beneath and around us; and, as if with the elevating power of a thousand jackscrews, we found ourselves going slowly up into the air."

The schooner escaped, though not without being seriously damaged. Under more favourable circumstances she was navigated into Hartstene Bay, and made snug for the winter in a harbour to which Dr. Hayes has given the name of Port Foulke. The huge cliffs of the west coast of Greenland rose behind them, broken in places by ravines in which the hunters found large herds of deer. In a single hour Dr. Hayes killed three, and men and dogs feasted on excellent venison. This abundant commissariat was most encouraging, and tends strongly to confirm the belief that the interior of Greenland is favourable for the support of animal life. An observatory was erected near the schooner; and when the daily routine work had been organized,

Of course this meteorological phenomenon favours the theory of an open polar sea, and filled Dr. Hayes with hope that he would soon navigate its waters. A far less pleasant incident was the breaking out of an epidemic among the dogs. The animals were attacked by the same disease which has been prevalent for some years among the dogs in South Greenland. Up to the 1st of December, they remained in perfect health; but after that date they were seized by fatal illness, which manifested itself by great restlessness, furious barking, and rushing violently to and fro, as if in mortal dread of some imaginary object from which they were endeavouring to fly. The terrible disease ran its course in a few hours, and by it the expedition was rendered nearly dogless. Under these circumstances, which threatened to be fatal to the expedition, Mr. Sonntag undertook to visit the Esquimaux on Northumberland Island for the purpose of procuring a fresh supply of these valuable animals. Unfortunately, this officer perished in the attempt, although the object of his journey was successful.

Reinforced by dogs and Esquimaux, Dr.