When, hovever, the vein is not visible at the surface, it is generally discovered by digging trenches a few feet in depth, and crossing the direction in which it is probable veins may run, that direction being very generally, in this country, nearly east and west. These trenches are made of sufficient depth to penetrate the loose soil, and lay open the firm rock in which the vein is as it were imbedded. By this process, therefore, the miner is enabled to discover whatever veins may be situated in the tract he explores.

As it very generally happens, that the face of the country is not so mountainous and abrupt, as conveniently to admit of driving an adit in the manner before noticed, so as to explore the vein at a proper depth, mines are generally opened by sinking a shaft from the surface, in the manner shown in the annexed sketch. The direction and dip of the vein, or "lode," having first been ascertained, generally by sinking a few small pits for a short distance upon it, a spot is chosen for a shaft, determined by some promising indication the vein may exhibit there, or any other favourable circumstance. As mineral veins seldom, however, contain ore in any quantity, at a less depth than ten or twenty fathoms, the shaft is generally so placed as not to intersect the vein, till it reaches this or a greater depth. A rectangular space, usually about six feet by four, having been marked out on the surface, the sinking of the shaft commences, much in the same manner as that of a common well, the pick-axe and shovel being generally the only tools at first required. At the depth of fifteen or twenty feet, however, the vegetable mould and loose rubble, which always lie immediately under the surface, generally terminate, and the hard solid. rock makes its appearance. Here then the work becomes much slower and more difficult, and the pick, and gad, the borer, and mallet, are put in requisition. If the rock is very hard indeed, the work is chiefly performed by the latter tools, the borer or jumper being driven into the rock, the hole charged with powder, and then blasted. When the ground is not so hard, the pick is often sufficient.

When the excavation has proceeded a very few feet below the surface, two very essential points must be provided for, the extraction of the stuff, and the support of the soil. A glance at the cut will show at once the manner in which this is accomplished. A very strong windlass, similar to that of a common well, is fixed over the shaft, and to each end of the rope a large iron bucket, or kibble, is attached, so that while the one is ascending, the other is descending, and while the upper one is being emptied of its contents at the surface, the lower one is being filled at the bottom of the shaft. In order to admit of sufficient power being applied, the windlass is provided with two handles, which are turned round by a couple of men, as shown in the drawing. The requisite support for the sides of the shaft is obtained, by placing within it, a timber framework, constructed in the following manner. At the mouth of the shaft, and at successive intervak of four or five feet below it, four pieces of strong timber are placed, framed together at the ends, and corresponding in form and size with the shaft itself. The horizontal timbers

are further strengthened by uprights, connecting the corners, thus forming a continuous framework of great strength within the shaft. Small boards or laths, are then driven in, nearly close together, between the framing and the sides of the shaft, thus affording the necessary support all round. This kind of timbering is generally used only for the first twenty or thirty feet, as shown in the drawing, as the solid rock is generally firm enough to stand without support. Sometimes, however, shafts must be timbered nearly from top to bottom.

It is also necessary, even in this early stage of operations, to provide for ventilation, as the burning of the candles, blasting, and respiration, all tend greatly to vitiate the air, and the gases thus formed, being heavier than the atmosphere, will of course remain at the bottom of the excavation.

This evil is remedied by the following simple contrivance. A wooden pipe carefully rendered air-tight, is fixed along one corner of the shaft, reaching to within a foot or two of the bottom, and rising to seven or eight feet above the surface of the ground. At the top of this pipe a large square funnel is fixed, in such a manner that it can always be turned round, facing the wind. The air entering this funnel, having no other outlet, is obliged to descend to the bottom of the shaft, when rising again to the surface, it forces out the foul air before it, and thus a perfect ventilation is affected.

In the annexed drawing, the shaft has just attained its first object, that of cutting the vein. Two men are seen employed in sinking it, one is breaking the ground at the bottom with his pick, the other preparing to fill the descending bucket or kibble, with the ore and other substances which have been detached in forming the excavation. F. B.

Ir was not till the time of Elizabeth that the English learnt the art of making needles, the manufacture of them had of Henry the Eighth. hitherto been carried on by foreigners.-Life and Times

HE that makes light of small faults, is in a ready way to fall into great ones.

SIR HENRY SIDNEY was the brave and virtuous father of the more renowned Sir Philip. To a friend of a fretful and quarrelsome temper, he said, "Take it from me, a weak man complains of others, an unfortunate man of himself: but a wise man complains neither of others nor of himself."

ON WILLS. No. IV.

WILLS OF PERSONAL PROPERTY CONtinued. § 6. On the Form and Language of Wills. HAVING shown, in former papers, who may make a Will, and with what ceremonies a Will should be made, we now come to consider the form and language of the instrument.

These are mere questions of convenience; for a Will may be drawn in any form the testator chooses: he is not bound to any particular order of arrangement, nor obliged to use any set form of words: he may express his wishes in any manner he pleases, and the following hints are only suggestions of the best method of doing so.

A Will should begin with some such clause as the following;-" This is the last Will and Testament of me, A. B., of Chancery-lane, in the City of London, Grocer." Such an introduction is useful in removing all doubt about the nature of the instrument, or the identity of the testator.

If any directions are to be given about the place or mode of burial, these generally follow immediately after the introduction. No legal advice seems necessary on this topic.

The subject which usually comes next in order, is one which had better be omitted altogether. We mean the direction for payment of debts, and of the expenses of the Will and Funeral. This is a very superfluous clause; for the law will take good care that these debts and expenses shall be paid, and no executor is so ignorant as to need being reminded of his duty on this head. But it is worse than superfluous, as it sometimes raises doubts whether the testator did not intend his debts to be paid in a particular manner, and out of particular property; the Courts not conceiving that he would give directions about what was a matter of course, unless he had some special object in view. We recommend our readers, therefore, unless they have any special object in view, to make no mention of their debts, but leave them to be discharged in due course of law. Indeed, a Will is properly the disposition of a testator's clear property, after payment of his debts.

We now come then to this disposition of the property; and it is a point on which hardly any two wills can be alike; the modes in which property may be distributed being as numerous and various as the characters and circumstances of mankind. However, all possible modes may be reduced to one of these two classes :-Firstly, a Bequest of all the property to one or more persons as a whole.-Secondly, Bequests of portions of the property to several persons, followed by a bequest of the residue to one or more individuals.

When the first course is adopted, the disposition may be made in such terms as the following:-" I give and bequeath all my personal estate and effects, whatsoever and wheresoever, to C. D. for his own absolute use and benefit;" or "to C. D., E. F., and G. H., equally to be divided between them for their own absolute use and benefit respectively." The words for his own absolute use and benefit" are not necessary, but may be useful to remove any suspicion that you intended C. D. to enjoy the property for his life only, or to hold it upon any trust. shall speak hereafter of the mode of bequeathing property, so as to effect either of these intentions.

We

It is not uncommon for a testator, when disposing of all his property, to begin by naming certain particulars, and end the catalogue by words of a general description:-As, for instance, "I bequeath to A. B. all my stock in the funds, ready money, furniture,

wine, plate, linen, china, and all other my property whatsoever." This, however, is not advisable, as it tends to raise a doubt whether, notwithstanding the general words at the end, the testator did not mean to confine his gift to property of the same nature only with the several articles mentioned. For instance, in the example we have given, it might be doubted whether the testator's leasehold property passed by the bequest.

When the second course of disposition is adopted, it is most natural to begin with bequeathing the several legacies, or portions of property, intended to be given, and to conclude with a bequest of the residue. This will lead us to consider the nature of Legacies.

§ 7. On Legacies, and the Difference between specific and general Legacies.

ANY gift by Will is properly a Legacy, but the word is usually confined to gifts by Will of a portion of the testator's property. Now all bequests by a testator of a portion of his property, are either specific bequests or general bequests. A specific bequest, or legacy, is a gift of a specified portion of the property, distinguished from the rest. A general bequest, or legacy, is a gift of something which is to be paid, or satisfied, out of the general property of the testator, but which does not apply to one part of the property more than to another.

"the

For example, if I bequeath "my gold watch," "the diamond ring, which was my mother's," 1000l. Consols now standing in my name," "the 50!. now owing to me from X. Y.;" these are specific bequests. On the contrary, if I bequeath a watch worth 107.," a mourning ring," a sum of 10007. Consols," or "a legacy of 501. sterling," these are general bequests. In the former cases, the legatee, (that is, the person to whom the bequest is made,) has a claim on a particular and specified portion of my property; in the latter cases, he has only a claim to have the gift made good in some manner out of my general property.

A specific legatee has an advantage over a general legatee in this; that, if the testator's property falls short of paying all the legacies in full, he, nevertheless, keeps the whole of his specific legacy, while all the general legacies are reduced in proportion. To compensate for this, he has a disadvantage; which is, that, if the specified portion of property bequeathed to him is lost or fails, he loses his legacy altogether, having no claim upon the general fund.

But

These results seem natural enough, and must generally agree pretty well with a testator's intention, when the subject of the specific bequest is a trinket, an article of furniture, a leasehold house, &c. when the bequest is of money or stock, the law must often disappoint the wishes of testators, who, probably, neither intend their specific legatee to have a benefit at the expense of their general legatees, nor desire that he should suffer from an accidental failure of the specified fund. In bequeathing, therefore, money or stock, care should be taken not to make the bequest specific, unless the testator expressly wishes it to be so.

In bequests of money, it is not very easy to run into any error. A bequest of money is always a general bequest, unless expressed in terms which no man would be likely to adopt, who was not anxious that it should be specific, as a bequest of "the debt due to me from X. Y.," "the money in my iron chest," &c.

But, in bequests of stock, there is more chance of making a blunder, for the law-reports abound in

fine distinctions as to what shall be considered a general, and what a specific legacy of stock. Ordinarily, a bequest of "my stock," or of "10007. consols, part of my stock in that fund," is specific; while a mere bequest of " 1000l. consols" is a general legacy. But this cannot be always relied on; and, perhaps, the safest plan is one we have seen adopted in some Wills, by which a testator bequeaths to A. B. "10007. three per cent consolidated Bank Annuities as a general, and not a specific legacy."

[To be continued.]

ADDRESS TO A GODCHILD.

W.

WE this week present to our readers an original paper, written by the late Mr. COLERIDGE about eleven days before his death, and addressed to a little child to whom he stood godfather a year or two ago. We do not remember ever to have perused a more affecting document. But our motive in requesting permission to publish this Address in the Saturday Magazine was connected with higher considerations. Mr. Coleridge had in the course of an eventful life, tried, and rejected, many of the prevailing errors of our religious sects. His deep convictions were not inherited, but obtained by patient thought, incessant labour, and fervent prayer for illumination. We here see the form of Christianity to which, on his death-bed, he set his seal. We believe there is not a sceptic in England who will venture to question the unique greatness of Mr. Coleridge's intellectual powers; and we are sure that there is no one who can, with a shadow of pretence, impeach his sincerity and entire disinterestedness. To Adam Steinmetz K-.

MY DEAR GODCHILD,

I offer up the same fervent prayer for you now, as I did kneeling before the altar, when you were baptized into Christ, and solemnly received as a living member of his spiritual body, the Church.

Years must pass before you will be able to read, with an understanding heart, what I now write. But I trust that the all-gracious God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of Mercies, who, by his only-begotten Son, (all mercies in one sovereign mercy!) has redeemed you from the evil ground, and willed you to be born out of darkness, but into light -out of death, but into life-out of sin, but into righteousness, even into the "Lord our Righteousness;" I trust that He will graciously hear the prayers of your dear parents, and be with you as the spirit of health and growth in body and mind!

My dear Godchild!-You received from Christ's minister at the baptismal font, as your Christian name, the name of a most dear friend of your father's, and who was to me even as a son, the late Adam Steinmetz whose fervent aspiration, and everparamount aim, even from early youth, was to be a Christian in thought, word, and deed-in will, mind, and affections.

I too, your Godfather, have known what the enjoyments and advantages of this life are, and what the more refined pleasures which learning and intellectual power can bestow; and with all the experience that more than threescore years can give, I now, on the eve of my departure, declare to you, (and earnestly pray that you may hereafter live and act on the conviction,) that health is a great blessing,-competence obtained by honourable industry a great blessing,— and a great blessing it is to have kind, faithful, and loving friends and relatives; but that the greatest of all blessings, as it is the most ennobling of all privileges, is to be indeed a Christian, But I have been

likewise, through a large portion of my later life, a sufferer, sorely afflicted with bodily pains, languors, and manifold infirmities; and, for the last three or four years, have, with few and brief intervals, been confined to a sick-room, and, at this moment, in great weakness and heaviness, write from a sick-bed, hopeless of a recovery, yet without prospect of a speedy removal; and I, thus on the very brink of the grave, solemnly bear witness to you, that the Almighty Redeemer, most gracious in his promises to them that truly seek him, is faithful to perform what he hath promised, and has preserved, under all my pains and infirmities, the inward peace that passeth all understanding, with the supporting assurance of a reconciled God, who will not withdraw his spirit from me in the conflict, and in his own time will deliver me from the Evil One!

O, my dear Godchild! eminently blessed are those who begin early to seek, fear, and love their God, trusting wholly in the righteousness and mediation of their Lord, Redeemer, Saviour, and everlasting High Priest, Jesus Christ!

O preserve this as a legacy and bequest from your unseen godfather and friend, Grove, Highgate, July 13, 1834.

S. T. COLERIDGE.

He died on the 25th day of the same month.

THE TORTOISE, THE FROG, AND THE DUCK.
ALONG the fields one rainy day,
An aged Tortoise took his way:
His shell, like armour, on him leant
So heavily where'er he went,

That those who slightly looked at him
Had said he did not stir a limb;

But though his steps were short and few,
He had his walk, and liked it too.

Hop, skip, and jump! Now who goes there?
A speckled Frog, as light as air,
Deriding, as a piteous case,

The quiet creature's humble pace:
And lo, with empty folly tossed,
Full many a time his path he crossed;
Then stopping, panting, staring, said,
"You've got a house upon your head!
For if you were but fresh and free,
I'd bid you try a leap with me!"
Then head o'er heels the coxcomb rose,
Descending near his neighbour's nose.
"Boast not," the gentle Tortoise cried,
"The gifts that Goodness has supplied;
Nor seek, by conduct light and vain,
To cause less gifted creatures pain;
I, too, have blessings kindly lent,
And trust me, brother, I'm content;
My shell, for instance, like a roof,
Makes my old body weather-proof,
And guards me wheresoe'er I go,
From strong attack and secret foe."

"Why, as to weather," said the Frog,
I live in all, rain, sunshine, fog,
You've seen me dance along your path,
Now you shall see me take a bath!"
With that uprose the heartless fool,
Next moment splashing in the pool;
Quick moved his legs and arms; I ween
A better swimmer ne'er was seen:
Then on the bank the boaster sat;
"Now Tortoise!

What d'ye think of that?"
A hungry Duck, who wished to sup,
Just at that moment waddled up,
And ere his sentence had its fill,
The Frog was quiv'ring in her bill!

O may I still contented be
With what kind heaven hath given me:
And though I do not seem so blest
As others, think my lot the best.
But more than all, I will refrain,
My lips from mockery and disdain,

M,

HEAD OF THE ETHIOPIAN BOAR.

THE changes which we see in the forms of different animals, are referrible to one principle, the adaptation of the parts to their proper uses. We may, in some measure, consider the head in animals as performing the office of hands. The spine and the head, while they retain their offices of protecting the brain and the spinal marrow, and are permanent in regard to them, vary in their processes or shapes, and in their relations. Pursuing this idea, we shall be able to account for the characteristic forms of the larger quadrupeds.

The principle which will guide us here, as it will, indeed, in a more universal survey of animal nature, is that the organization varies with the condition or the circumstances in which the animals are placed, that they may feed and multiply. If we take into consideration any of the great functions on which life depends, we shall perceive that the apparatus, or the mode of action of the parts, is altered and adapted to every changing circumstance. Digestion, for example, is the same in all animals; but there is an interesting variety in the organization; and the stomach will vary in its form, and in the number of its cavities, according to the food received by the quadruped, or bird, or fish, or insect; a variation not depending upon the size or form of the animal, but adapted purely to the conversion of its particular food into nourishment. We shall find the gizzard in a fish, or in an insect, as perfect as in a fowl. the decarbonization of the blood, is the same process in all living animals; but the mode in which respiration is performed, varies according to circumstances, and the apparatus is especially modified and adjusted to the atmosphere or to the water.

So

But although the organs subservient to the grand functions, the heart and blood-vessels, the lungs, the stomach, be variously adapted to the different classes of animals, they change much less than the parts by which animals are enabled to pursue their prey, or to obtain their food.

Their extremities, by which they walk, or run, or creep, or cling, must vary infinitely. And so their teeth and horns, and the position of their head and the strength of their neck, exhibit nearly as much variety as their extremities; because they, likewise, must be adapted to their different modes of obtaining food, or of combating their enemies.

When we look upon the boar's head, we comprehend something of his habits; and see what must be the direction of his strength. He feeds by digging up roots, and the instruments by which he does this, are also, those of his defence. The position of the

SKELETON OF THE WILD BOAR OF GERMANY.

tusk defends the eye in rushing through the underwood; and the formation of the spine, the remarkable ridge in which the back part of the scull rises, for the attachment of powerful muscles, all show the intention, that he shall drive onward with his whole weight and strength, so that he may rend with his tusks*. We now understand the reason of the shortness and inflexibility of the neck: because the power of the shoulders is directed to the head, and, we may say, to these large tusks. A long and flexible neck would have rendered these provisions useless.

What a complete contrast, then, there is between this animal, and any of the feline tribe; a contrast of form and motion at once referrible to their spine. In the tiger or leopard, we see the perfect flexibility of the body, and a motion of the spine almost vermicular, corresponding with the teeth and jaws, and the free motion of the paws.

The sketch is from a dried head of the Sus Ethiopicus, with part of the scull exposed. The tusks show what a formidable animal it has been. That which rises out of the upper jaw is of great size, and we must admire the manner in which the tusk of the lower jaw closes upon that of the upper one, so as to strengthen it near its roots. The great size and sharpness of their tusks illustrate what is offered in the text, that the main strength of the animal must be directed towards them. The ring of the back of the head will be seen to correspond with the great height and strength of the spinous processes of the back, exhibited in the figure of the wild boar of Germany.

[Abridged from BELL'S Bridgewater Treatise.]

RARE qualities may sometimes be prerogatives without being advantages; and though a needless ostentation of one's excellencies may be more glorious, a modest concealment of them is usually more safe; and an unseasonable disclosure of flashes of wit, may sometimes do a man no do him a mischief.-BOYLE. other service, than to direct his adversaries how they may

AMBITION breaks the ties of blood, and forgets the obliga tions of gratitude.-SIR W. SCOTT.

MRS. CHAPONE was asked how it was she was always so "Because" said she, "it is part of my early at church, religion not to disturb the religion of others." SIR WILLIAM GOOCH, governor of Williamsburg, walking along the street with a friend, returned the salute of a negro servant who was passing by; "I see," said his friend, Yes" replied "you condescend to take notice of a slave." Sir William, "for I cannot allow even a slave to excel me in good manners."

LONDON: