arm was leaning a lady of most exquisite beauty, whom I could not fail to recognise as his wife, to whom he had been married only a few days. He appeared to be relating something which seemed the sourse of much amusement to both, when suddenly the smile forsook his face, his countenance assumed an air of confusion, and he seemed striving to avoid the sight of something which flashed across him. I turned in the direction in which he had been looking, and perceiving nothing but a poor haggard and emaciated. looking man, whose dress bespoke him a native of one of the distant provinces, leaning against one of the trees. His gaze seemed fixed on St. Brie; but though there was a wildness in his look, I could not at the moment divine why St. Brie seemed so agi. tated by it.

In a short time the man moved away, and I had forgotten the circumstance, when iny attention was attracted to another part of the gardens, by a confused noise and gathered crowd. I hastened towards the spot, and perceived St. Brie lying on the ground, covered with blood, and near him stood the man I had before remarked; he had been seized by the bystanders, one of whom had wrenched from his hand a bloody knife. He appeared the most unmoved of all around, gazing with pleasure on the dying agonies of his victim. St. Brie was raised from the ground, but it was clear that a few moments were all that remained to him of life.

"Marcel," faltered out the dying man, you have indeed avenged your daughter's wrongs. Tis true I deeply wronged her,

but this-"

The throes of death prevented the completion of the sentence; but ere life was quite extinct, the loud mad laugh of the man rung in his ears.

"Ah! ah! ah! I have avenged her! Look! look! he sleeps now with my poor Louise. No, no, 'tis false: for she's in heaven, and he-he has gone to join his master."

It would have been a mockery of justice to have tried Marcel for the murder, for it was clear the light of reason had for ever been shut out from him. In his confinement his

incoherent ravings were ever of his daughter, whom he fancied near him, but was prevented by the attendants from seeing, and were only ended by death removing him from all his wordly sufferings,

ELECTRICITY. (From the French.)

M. FAYOL, Professor of Natural Philosophy in the seminary of Sulpicians, at St. Andeol, Vivarais, was in the habit of making electrical experiments with a glass tube, four feet long, filled with iron filings, the extre

mity of which was armed with a small wire of the same metal, implanted in the cork that stopped its aperture. About nine o'clock, one evening in June, 1754, whilst he was rubbing and electrifying the tube, a seminarist who resided in the chamber above him, chanced, at the same time, to water a box of sweet basil that stood on his window. As soon as he sprinkled the water on the box, it appeared to him covered all over with little sparks of fire, which appearance lasted until the earth had imbibed the water; but whenever the water was sprinkled, the sparks were again seen. Struck with this phenomenon, he related it the next day to Father Conrat, who, having been present the evening before, whilst the professor was rubbing the tube, suspected that this phenomenon was the effect of electricity; but the professor could not conceive how there could be a communication between his tube and the box of basil, which was near eight feet distant from it. The professor, however, repeated the experiment, having been earnestly requested by the friar, who repaired to the seminarist's chamber to water the basil; the event was exactly as he had conjectured, the sparks of fire having appeared again. Soon after, the professor, willing to be assured himself of the phenomenon, went up to the seminarist's chamber, whilst Father Conrat was employed in rubbing the tube in his; and, as soon as he watered the box, the sparks of fire appeared on the basil; the only difference was, that those sparks were not so brilliant as when he rubbed the tube himself, the friar not having been so dextrous in producing a strong electricity: the next day the whole seminary was witness of the same phenocircumstances, the following appears to have menon. By examining a little into these been the cause of the phenomenon. The glass tube being filled with iron filings, the greatest part of the electricity which passed in could issue out, and dart in tufts through the extremity of the iron wire that passed suing out by tufts, communicates itself to through the cork. Besides electricity isgreat distances; it might therefore reach the ceiling and the wall; and when the box ning on all sides, and wetting the stones unof basil was being watered, the water runderneath, and perhaps the floor, the moisture, by that means, became a kind of conductor, which, perhaps, transmitted to the basil a part of the weak electricity which the ceiling or wall received; the electricity being therein retained by the dry stone of the environs. W. G. C.

The way to cure our prejudices is this, that every man should let alone those that he complains of in others, and examine his own.- Locke.

mystical Jordan, following his Christian Pilgrim to the Celestial city."

In vol. xiii., p. 296, of the Mirror, the reader will find an engraving of Bunyan's Drinking Vessel: and in vol. xv. p. 121, a view of his Vestry Chair.

Biography.

SIR WILLIAM BEECHEY, R.A.

WAS born at Burford, in Oxfordshire, in the year 1753, and at the proper age was placed under an eminent conveyancer at Stow. He afterwards repaired to London, and finally made an engagement with Mr. Owen, of Took's Court. His taste was not for poring over deeds and leases; and having prevailed on Mr. Owen to allow him to leave his employ, he, in 1772, was admitted a student of the Royal Academy, where he studied the works of Sir Joshua, and soon applied himself to nature; the portrait of Dr. Strachey, the chevalier Ruspini, and Duke and Duchess of Cumberland, being among the earliest of his productions. Having attracted the notice of the Royal Family, he was appointed portrait-painter to Queen Charlotte. Sir William was elected an associate of the Royal Academy, in 1793, and a Royal Aca. demician in 1797. He was the first member of the Royal Academy on whom the honour of knighthood was conferred, after the death of Sir Joshua Reynolds. "His superior talents as a painter," to use the words of the Literary Gazette," are best evinced by the innumerable productions of his easel, in which colour the most beautiful and stable, taste the most easy and refined, execution of the highest order, and in short, everything which could rank him with the most distinguished competitors of his age, were perpetuated with his master's hand."

Sir William was as happy in his family as in his fame. His lady, as an artist, produced many delightful miniatures: his youngest daughter married Lord Grantley; and Cap. tain Beechey, and his brother, the traveller, "have reflected back on him reputation and public honours similar to his own."

This excellent man died at Hampstead, on Monday, 24th January, 1839, aged 86.

JOHN MACPHERSON.

IN the month of January, 1839, John Macpherson, a venerable and independent highlander, died near Kingussie, in Badenoch, at the age of 103 years. He was a poor man, but honest and industrious. Latterly some of his neighbours assisted John with small sums of money and provisions, but he received them with evident reluctance; and no consi. deration could induce him to solicit public charity. The only luxury in which the old man indulged, was tobacco; and it is well

known that he sometimes had recourse to roots and other substitutes, when his money and his tobacco failed, rather than ask a penny to purchase another supply of his favourite narcotic. This independent, noblespirited, old clansman, had witnessed many changes among his native mountains, from the time that the feudal system was in full vigour, till the introduction of agricultural improvement, and commercial enterprise. He had seen the gascrome, or crooked spade of the Highlanders, superseded by the ploughsheep-farming introduced-roads and bridges constructed in place of the old fords and bridle-tracts-the mail-coach daily driving through scenes that in his youth only echoed to the hunter and the wild deer-and even steam-boats sailing where grew broom and heather, in the Great Glen of Albyn, now the line of the Caledonian Canal.

A POPULAR VIEW OF NATURAL HISTORY.

BY JAMES H. FENnell.

What is the use of Natural History? This every-day question seldom receives such an answer as will satisfy the querist of the use of this popular study. Naturalists generally reply by insisting upon its utility in informing us of the specific differences, habits, and qualities of the objects of nature,-in reminding us of the existence of an omnipotent and bountiful Creator; in enticing us into the fresh air of the woods and fields; and in diverting our attention from such other pursuits as are pernicious to the mind and body. These are certainly true attributes of Natural History; but they do not comprise those peculiar uses of which the querist desires to be informed. The question is one which, I think, is entitled to a fair answer, and which I propose to give it, by adducing several which have ensued from an ignorance of this instances of the loss of life and property subject, and the benefits which have arisen to those who have possessed an acquaintance with it.

Agriculturalists, horticulturalists, gardeners, and all others who are interested in the earth's productions, ought surely to possess some knowledge of their Natural History. It has been justly observed, by Professor Burnett, that "the scientific culture of plants is founded on a knowledge of their structure and functions; and vast have been the improvements in both horticulture and agriculture, empirical practice having, in some measure, been superseded by scientific principles. The system of assolements, or the rotation of crops, by which the produce of our land has been quadrupled, and the acclima tion of plants by hybridization, or engrafting, by which means the fruits and flowers of more southern regions are reconciled to our

climate, are a few among the many examples which might be given of the benefits conferred by botany upon some of the most useful arts." The observation that a vine shooted more vigorously after a goat had browsed on it, is said to have suggested the valuable art of pruning fruit trees; and it is thought that the occasional natural union of the boughs of distinct trees demonstrated the practicability of grafting.

During a civil war in Persia, the troops wishing to deprive the people of their chief article of food, cut down all the male datetrees; but the cultivators, possessing some botanical knowledge, had the foresight to collect the pollen, and preserve it in close vessels, so that when peace was restored, they were enabled, by means of this pollen, to impregnate the remaining female date-trees, which would otherwise have remained unproductive.

Matthew Aphonin, a Russian author, observes, that" as the raising of plants is facilitated by a knowledge of their native soils, those who are desirous of adorning their gardens with exotic trees, ought to be well versed in natural history, that they may be acquainted with their native country, earth, and gemmation; and learn from thence, what tree will thrive in this place, and what in that, and not see great trouble and expense terminate in disappointment." (Amanitates Academica, vol. 7, p. 409.) In illustration of this remark, it may be mentioned, that the Swedish gardeners, several years ago, were very anxious to cultivate the Artemesia dracunculus, but not knowing that its proper and natural soil is one which is flooded in winter, many of them planted it on ground, where that event could never occur, and the consequence was that all their plants died. Before Linnæus, by studying the nature of the Rubus arcticus, discovered the proper mode of cultivating it, the many persons who had attempted its cultivation had done so unsuccessfully.

But "it is not only necessary to be well acquainted with the different vegetels grown or reared, for economic purposes, but to understand the cause of the injuries they are subject to; and then to devise efficient remedies for those injuries. Here also is a wide field open for improvement and discovery, and in which no information is so practically useful, as that afforded by Natural History. We are continually hearing of the failure of crops, and of attendant ruin. Now, in nine instances out of ten, these devastations have originated in the unusual abundance of some particular insect, which, from unknown causes, has appeared in great numbers. We contend not that the knowledge or ingenuity of man could foresee such evils, or could totally counteract them; but experience has shown how much may be done in many cases, both in the way of prevention, and of cure. To do this effectually, however, recourse must be

had to Natural History. The cause of the injury being ascertained, the habits of the insect must be studied in all its different stages. What will prove more or less effectual in one of these stages, will be totally useless, or will increase the evil in another. Hence arises the necessity of ascertaining names and species, without which, no effectual steps can be taken. A striking fact to show the intimate connection between Agriculture and Natural History is found in the circumstances which attended the supposed appearance of the Hessian-fly; thus mentioned by Kirby and Spence: In 1788 an alarm was excited in this country by the probability of importing in cargoes of wheat from North America, the insect known by the name of the Hessianfly. The privy-council sat day after day, anxiously debating what measures should be adopted to ward off the danger of a calamity more to be dreaded, as they well knew, than the plague or the pestilence. Expresses were sent off in all directions to the officers of the customs at the different out-posts, respecting the examination of the cargoes; dispatches were written to the ambassadors in France, Austria, Prussia, and America, to gain that information, of the want of which they were now so sensible; and so important was the business deemed, that the minutes of council, and the documents collected from all quarters, fill upwards of 200 octavo pages. Fortunately, at that time, England contained one illustrious Naturalist, to whom the privy council had the wisdom to apply; and it was by Sir Joseph Banks's entomological knowledge, and through his suggestions, that they were at length enabled to form some kind of judgment on the subject. This judgment was, after all, however, very imperfect. As Sir Joseph had never seen the Hessian-fly, nor was it described in any entomological work, he called for facts respecting its nature, propagation, and economy, which could be had only from America. These were obtained as speedily as possible, and consisted of numerous letters from individuals, essays from Magazines, the reports of the British minister there, &c. One would have supposed that, from these statements, many of them drawn up by farmers who had lost entire crops by the insect, which they professed to have examined in every stage, the requisite information might have been acquired. So far, however, was this from being the case, that many of the writers seemed ignorant, whether the insect was a moth, a fly, or what they termed a bug. Though from the concurrent testimony of several persons, its being a two-winged fly, seemed pretty accurately ascertained, no intelligible description was given, from which any Naturalist could infer to what genius it belonged, or whether it was a known or an unknown species. With regard to the history of its propagation and economy, the

statements were so various and contradictory, that, although he had such a mass of materials before him, Sir Joseph was unable to reach any satisfactory conclusion." (Introduction to Entomology, i. 51.) Nothing can more incontrovertibly demonstrate the importance of entomology as a science, than this fact. Those observations to which thousands of unscientific sufferers proved themselves incompetent, would have been readily made by one entomologist well versed in his science. He would at once have determined the order and genus of his insect; and in a twelvemonth, at furthest, he would have ascertained in what manner it made its attacks, and whether it were possible to be transmitted with grain into a foreign country. On data like these, he could have pointed out the best mode of eradicating the pest, and of preventing the extension of its ravages. It is surely not too much to expect that a gardener should be able to tell the difference between a beetle and a fly; between an insect with four wings, and one without any. Yet so little has this information been thought of among the generality of this profession, that not one in twenty has any knowledge of the subject." (Swainson's Discourse on Nat. Hist. p. 142.) The importance of a knowledge of Natu ral History, especially entomology, to the planter, may also be strikingly shown by narrating the proceedings connected with the injuries sustained by the elm-trees in St. James's, and in Hyde Park, about seventeen years ago. These elm-trees were observed to die in consequence of their being entirely stripped of their bark; and rewards were, therefore, offered for the apprehension of the offenders. Some one made the curious remark, that the extent of the damage was confined within the reach of a soldier's bayonet, and suspicion, therefore, fell upon some recruits, several of whom were arrested, but the mischief still went on undiminished. Men were employed to sit up all night long, watching in vain for the offenders. Fresh portions of bark continued to be found every morning at the foot of the trees, and the park-keepers, after all their vigilance, could only come to the sapient conclusion," that the bark fell off in consequence of something being put on the trunks of the trees in the daytime." At about the same time the elms in Camberwell-grove were attacked in a similarly destructive manner, and the proprietors being ignorant of the cause, ascribed the injury to the effects of gas escaped from the pipes which had just been laid down for lighting the road, and an indictment for a nuisance was therefore instituted against the gas company. That this great destruction was entirely produced by the operations of insects, was known all along to entomologists, who, however, were not believed until the mischief had reached the most alarming height. Mac Leay, the celebrated entomolo

gist, was then consulted, and he at once showed that small beetles (Scolytus destructor) were quietly and incessantly burrowing beneath the bark, and causing its fall. Having given satisfactory proof of the cause of the evil, Mac Leay directed the application of a remedy, which at once stopped its further progress, removed suspicion from the poor recruits, and stopped the proceedings against the gas company.

In 1735, the caterpillars of the gammamoth (Plusia gamma) were so abundant in France, that they produced a very serious and extensive destruction, for which the gardeners assigned the most ridiculous causes, some assuring Reaumer, the naturalist, that they had seen an old soldier throw a spell, and others, that all the mischief was done by an ugly old witch!

The grub of the capricorn-beetle (Callidium violaceum) is very destructive to fir and other kinds of timber, but is noticed only to attack such timber as has been felled and not stripped of its bark, which is an encouragement to this and many other insects. owners of timber would, therefore, do well if they had the bark ordered to be stripped off the trees as soon as they are felled.

The

THE LIVING TALKING CANARY BIRD.

WELL! what will Lord Brougham say to this? a Canary bird attering words as arti culate as any human being can-not merely one or two, as the parrot, but a continuity of words. It is true, the little warbler was first under instruction. "Instinct," says Lord Brougham, "is acting without teaching, either from others, that is instruction, or from the animal itself, that is experience :" but here there is a seeming connexion of ideas; for, on an evening, after its daily toil, it appears to rehearse to itself any particular sound of voices it might have heard in the course of the morning; does not this seem like judgment or reasoning, which is intelligence? and again, the beauteous performer utters words to day it did not yesterday! -The following are some of its sentences: -"Sweet pretty dear!"-"Sweet pretty dear Dicky!"-" Mary."-" Sweet pretty little Dicky dear!" and often in the course of the day, heard to utter "Pretty Queen,”"Sweet Pretty Queen;" and from its often articulating single words, no doubt it will soon increase its vocabulary. It also imitates the jaring of a wire, or ringing of a bell. Strange as this may appear, all we have to say is, to those of our readers who may have doubts on the subject, to witness this truly astonishing exhibition.

The bird, which may be seen at the Cosmorara, Regent-street, is three years old, and was bred by a lady, who never allowed it to be in the company of other birds.