From The Spectator. ANGLING AT HOME AND ABROAD.* even THERE are hills beyond Pentland, and streams beyond Forth. The rivers of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Norway, do not monopolize all the salmon fishing of the world. The author of one of the books before us begins his first chapter by laying down this fundamental proposition, that any one who doubts that Canada has its share of the sport is mistaken. He believes there is as good-salmon fishing in Canada as in any other part of the world, "and better, much better, than in a great many highly vaunted countries." His editor is more emphatic, and declares that on the lakes and rivers of British America frequented by the great maskanonge, salmon, bass, white fish, etc., the fisherman from the old country, would find such scope for his art that home fishing would appear to him very tame ever after. "Take," says the author, a map of Canada, find out Quebec; then run your eye eastward along the left hand or northern side of the river and Gulf of St. Lawrence; you will see many streams marked there; almost every one of them is a salmon river, and in every one of them that has been fished, excellent sport has been had, and heavy fish killed." It is a pity he did not tell us this a few months earlier in the year, for we ought to have been off from Liverpool on the first Saturday in May in order to arrive at Quebec about the middle of the month, and have time to see that strange old city and its magnificent environs, and to make the necessary preparations for the angling cruise, upon which we should have started about the 10th of June. The salmon-fishing season is generally at its height on the Canadian rivers in the last week of June or the first week of July. We shall, therefore, not see Quebec this year, nor Montreal, chief of Canadian cities, clean, handsome, and solid in appearance, on which a Yankee pronounced his opinion; "Well, I guess it looks like a city that was bought and paid for." One might, perhaps, even yet arrive in time to intercept a few belated "water-angels," as a Yankee writer calls salmon; and even should this hope fail the enthusiastic sportsman, he would have whale fishing in the St. Lawrence to fall back upon, or he might immortalize himself by being the first to drag to shore another ferocious and hitherto uncaptured monster occasionally to be met in that river. Says our author: * Salmon Fishing in Canada. By a Resident. Edited by Colonel Sir James Edward Alexander, Knt., K.C.L.S., Fourteenth Regiment, Author of Explorations in America, Africa, etc." With Illustrations. Published by Longman and Co. "At this moment I have before me an official 'Report of the Commissioners for exploring the country lying between the Rivers Saguenay, Saint Maurice, and Saint Lawrence,' ordered to be printed by the House of Assembly on the 22d of March, 1831. These commissioners are gentlemen of the highest respectability and intelligence, Messieurs Andrew and David Stuart, who would not be likely to be deceived in a matter of the kind, and would be the last men to attempt a deception upon others. At pp. 16 and 17 of their report, are the following words, being an extract from the journal kept upon the occasion: Sunday, August 26th, 1829.-Embarked at seven A.M. to go down to Baie de l'Echaffaud du reached the Point of Baie des Roches, the wind Basque, or Rivière aux Canards; but, when we blew too hard for us to proceed, and we put ashore in a little cove till noon, when we embarked again, and kept close in shore, with the tide and wind in our favor. We had not proceeded far, when we were pursued by a monstrous fish of prey, in consequence of which wo put ashore again. The animal was four hours about us, and apparently watching us. It came which we were. It was at least from twenty to sometimes within twenty feet of the rock on twenty-five feet long, and shaped exactly like a piko; its jaws were from five to six feet long, with a row of largo teeth on cach side, of a yellowish color. It kept itself sometimes for nearly a minute on the surface of the water. At five P.M., seeing nothing more of it we embarked again, keeping closo in shore, and at seven P.M. put in for the night at the fishing-hut at Echaf faud du Basque. Two men, named Baptiste Simard and Coton Felion, who were on their way to Malbay, hunting for scals, put in at the same time as we did. Thermometer 710, 77o, and 69°.” and we doubt not authentic, information, is This book, besides being full of special, very amusing, and is adorned with head and style. The author, an Irishman long resitail pieces in an original and highly comic dent in Canada, is a capital story-teller, a clever draughtsman, and a parson par-dessus le marché, in proof whereof he actually treats his readers to a sermon a regular sermon on the text "I go a fishing" (John xxi, 3). volume of Stray Notes teaches his readers Mr. Simeon, the author of a very pleasant not only how to catch all sorts of fish in fresh water and salt, but how to cook a fish when they have caught him. "There is a way of dressing fish, which may be resorted to by the side of the water with pleasstock of provisions run short), during the middle ure (and not without advantage should your of the day, when fish do not generally feed so freely as at the other times, and when your sport is often improved by giving them, as well first collect a lot of small dry wood and set it on as yourself, a rest. It is managed as follows: fire;-when a sufficient quantity of ashes has been thus obtained, which will be soon done, take a sheet of paper (an old newspaper will do) than the following mode of preparing Skate for and wet it thoroughly; shake the drops off it, the table, the ingenuity of which is only surand then, filling the mouth of your fish with salt, passed by its exceeding nastiness, and which I wrap him up in it just as he is, uncleaned, sim-was not a little taken aback at finding adopted plex immunditiis,' and digging a grave for him in a corner of our own enlightened kingdom. in your ash-heap, put him bodily into it, cover-The fish, when cleaned (a somewhat unnecessary ing him well up afterwards with hot ashes. preliminary one would think), is buried in wet When you think he ought to be done, allowing horse-dung, where it is allowed to soak for about from ten minutes to a quarter of an hour accord-twenty-four hours. It is then taken out (washed, ing to his size, partially uncover him and tear we hope), and boiled for the table, when it is off a small piece of his winding-shect. If his presented as Sour Skate'-' a varra deleecious skin comes off with it he is sufficiently done, dish,' according to my informant, who evidently and out with him. Should, however, the paper spoke of it with considerable gusto. If, as has come off minus the skin, cover him up again, been asserted, the progress of the gastronomic and give him a little more law, until this test art affords a fair test by which to estimate the shows him to be perfectly done. On being march of civilization, what conclusion might not turned out of his envelope, the whole of his skin be drawn from this little circumstance with reshould adhere to it. As for his inside, you may gard to our friends of the Hebrides? disregard it altogether, or opening him, turn it out, which you will find there is not the slight-in the matter of diet, their cattle it would scem, est difficulty in doing en masse. Pepper and salt him, if you have such condiments by you, and you will only be sorry that your own kitchen does not afford you the means of dressing your fish thus at home." "If some of the Scotch have strange fancies occasionally take after them in this respect. I was one day fishing the Ness out of a boat, when I noticed a cow inquisitively examining some things which I had left by the water-side. On landing I found she had been influenced by other motives than those of mere curiosity, having eaten up the whole of one side (the button half) of a new mackintosh. Happening shortly afterwards to meet the miller whose property she was, I exhibited to him the mangled evidence of her misdeeds, expecting at least to meet with something like sympathy for my loss. His sym"We have heard of strange modes of dressing pathies were however all on the other side. He food in uso amongst uncivilized tribes, but I surveyed it for some time in silence and with an doubt whether any traveller's tales' have ven-air of dejection, and then simply exclaimed, tured on the description of one more eccentric Eh, but she'll no be the better of the buttons.'" But why should it not? The ashes of a turf fire might be used for the purpose, and a cheap artificial turf, which would serve for it very well, is hawked about the streets of London for the use of laundresses. A CELTIC DICTIONARY.-The importance of the Celtic language, and the position which it holds in comparative philology, are now fully recognized by continental scholars, who naturally look to Ireland for the assistance, not to be obtained elsewhero, necessary for the prosecution of such studies. The great want is a dictionary, comprehending the existing remains of the language, and brought out in a creditable and scholarlike manner. To effect this object the committee appointed by the councils of the Irish Archæological and Celtic Societies are taking active steps, by appealing to the public for support, to carry this laudable undertaking into effect. This support we are confident they will have, not only from those interested in literature, but from the millions of the United Kingdom who claim a Celtic origin. Contributions will be received and acknowledged by Ed ward Clibborn, Esq., Royal Irish Academy, 19 Dawson Street, Dublin, to whom post-office or ders may be made payable, and a list of subscribers will be published as soon as possible after the 1st of July. THE Horticulturist opens with an essay on Flat Culture, by the editor. By flat culture is meant the method which, in the cultivation of Indian corn, potatoes, beans, etc., keeps the ground between the different clusters of plants perfectly level, instead of forming it into hillocks. Mr. Mead professes to have fully tried both the flat culture and the hilling system, and gives his decided approval to the former. Its advantages are that it requires less labor, admits of a more thorough cultivation of the soil, lessens the evil of drought, admits of the use of the most improved agricultural implements, and presupposes a thorough preparation of the soil. POETRY.-Saint Brandan, 386. Glory in the Grasp of France, 386. SHORT ARTICLES.-Coloring Adulterated Wines, 400. Deadening Walls and Ceilings, 400. Growth of the Bamboo, 400. Lakes in Africa, 412. Map of Jeddo, 416. Bay of New York, 416. Musical Pitch, 416. British Museum, 416. Cobwebs for Fevers, 416. Tour through the whole Island of Great Britain, 419. Rock of Ages, 419. Mural Burial, 447. A Father's Justice, 447. George II. Halfpenny, 447. "Withered Violets," 447. PUBLISHED EVERY SATURDAY BY LITTELL, SON, & CO., BOSTON. For Six Dollars a year, in advance, remitted directly to the Publishers, the LIVING AGE will be punctually for warded free of postage. Complete sets of the First Scries, in thirty-six volumes, and of the Second Series, in twenty volumes, handsomely bound, packed in neat boxes, and delivered in all the principal cities, free of expense of freight, are for sale at two dollars a volume. ANY VOLUME may be had separately, at two dollars, bound, or a dollar and a half in numbers. ANY NUMBER may be had for 13 cents; and it is well worth while for subscribers or purchasers to complete any broken volumes they may have, and thus greatly enhance their value. SAINT BRANDAN. 7 SAINT BRANDAN sails the Northern Main: So late!-such storms!-The Saint is mad! He heard across the howling seas Chime convent bells on wrintry nights; He saw on spray-swept Hebrides Twinkle the monastery lights; But north, still north, Saint Brandan steer'd: At last (it was the Christmas night; Palsied with terror, Brandan sate; The moon was bright, the iceberg near. He hears a voice sigh humbly, "Wait! By high permission I am here. "One moment wait, thou holy man! On carth my crime, my death, they know : My name is under all men's ban: Ah, tell them of my respite too! "Tell them, one blessed Christmas night(It was the first after I came, Breathing self-murder, frenzy, spite, To ruc my guilt in endless flame) "I felt, as if I in torment lay 'Mid the souls plagu'd by Heavenly Power, An Angel touch mine arm, and sayGo hence and cool thyself an hour! "Ah, whence this mercy, Lord?' I said. Shivering with fever, naked, old: "He gaz'd upon me as I pass'd, And murmur'd, Help me, or ĺ die!To the poor wretch my cloak I cast, Saw him look eas'd, and hurried by. "O Brandan! Think, what grace divine, What blessing must true goodness shower, When semblance of it faint, like mine, Hath such inalienable power! "Well-fed, well-cloth'd, well-friended, I "That germ of kindness, in the womb of Of mercy caught, did not expire: Outlives my guilt, outlives my doom, And friends me in the pit of fire. "Once every year, when carols wake, I journey to these healing snows. "I stanch with ice my burning breast, Tears started to Saint Brandan's eyes: -Fraser's Magazine. MATTHEW ARNOLD GLORY IN THE GRASP OF FRANCE. Nor yet by conquest gory. The storm of war to weather. Soon, would she with us agree, Of all oppressors Italy Would make a thorough clearance; Soon expel, or quickly quell, King, kaiser, priest fanatic, Free, as somebody said well, From Alps to Adriatic. Lasting fame Napoleon's name Would shout with acclamation; If he would abjure the game, So mean, of annexation: To the end he did pretend When first the ball he started, If she "fought" for this, nor thought -Punch कर्म مجھے From Fraser's Magazine. CONCERNING THE WORRIES OF LIFE, AND HOW TO MEET THEM. see. for the man who feels at once that he has no sympathy at all with their writer will speedily throw them aside; and as for his opinHERE are the long slips of paper again, ion of them, that is neither here nor there. covered with thoughts upon the subject you The thing I mainly dread is, that the people For many days that subject has been for whom I write should read these pages in simmering in the writer's mind; and now the wrong way. An immense deal depends he wishes to present to the thoughtful reader in the case of quiet and not brilliant writing, certain suggestions, which both reader and which yet cost some thought, upon the surwriter may perhaps be the better for remem-roundings amid which it is read. And the bering and acting on. The pages which follow are to be regarded as of the nature of a moral medicine, which I trust may prove at once alterative, anodyne, and tonic. But you are aware, my friend, that when you or any of your family get a little out of sorts, your physician is not content to tell you merely the medicine which you must take; he tells you with equal particularity the way in which you are to take it. The vial does not come home from the druggist's bearing simply the legend that it is steel, laudanum, or ether. That is all very well, but it is not sufficient. Upon careful inspection you will discover a further inscription, setting forth how many drops you are to imbibe at once, and how frequently and at what seasons of the day you are to repeat the imbibition. Suffer me to exercise a similar prerogative with regard to the medicinal gum which I offer to the wearied and worried mind. And in addition to the title of my essay, which is Concerning the Worries of Life, and how to Meet them, let me write what in my case is analogous to the doctor's For Mrs. Smith: Fifteen drops to be taken at bedtime, in the following direction: For Thoughtful People: To be read quietly, leisurely, and slowly, and when alone. essay-writer, as he traces his successive lines, has in his mind's eye some ideal reader reading his essay in some ideal place and time. But in his calculation in these respects, the essayist is no doubt often sadly mistaken. Here is a great advantage which one has in writing a sermon, as compared with writing an essay. In writing your sermon you have your congregation before your mental view. You have before you the time and the place where it is to be preached. You see the church: you remember the pulpit: you picture to yourself the faces and aspect of the congregation: you instinctively recognize the hour of the day at which you will give out your text and begin your discourse: you maintain intuitively and involuntarily a certain keeping between what you write, and all these attendant circumstances. But the essayist writes for people he has never seen; who will read his essay in chambers unknown to him: in comfortable easy-chairs by warm fires: on stiff chairs with no arms in cold corners: in lonely lodgings: amid a great shouting of little children: with the accompaniment of a stupid old woman talking on in a husky voice with their hard hats on their heads in the reading-rooms of Royal Exchanges, Athenæums, and Philosophical For, as you know, physical medicines may Institutions; in a great hurry, and standing: be taken at such times and in such ways that quite leisurely, and reclining: beside a winthey shall do no good whatsoever. And I dow that looks out on evergreens and roses : am well aware that this essay, like all the beside a window, seldom cleaned, that comother essays which this hand has written for mands a slushy street, depressing with its Fraser, may have a similar fate. It may be brown, half-melted snow. How can you read by the wrong people; it may be read adapt yourself to all these different people at the wrong time and place. By the wrong and their different circumstances? The mapeople; by people whom it will merely terial which suits one will not suit the rest. serve to irritate and annoy: by men whose The essay suited to be read after dinner will nervous system is so rudely vigorous that not do for reading after breakfast. That they will despise alike the little worries I which is intended for a man, resting and pendescribe, and the little remedies I suggest sive, when the day's work is over, would be for them. I am acquainted with human be- most incompatible with the few minutes for ings to whom I should no more think of of which the busy, energetic man takes up the fering one of these essays, than I should magazine at 9.50. A.M., while waiting for the think of walking into Mr. Smith's stable, conveyance which is to come at 10,and conand reading it to the horses that run in his voy him to his office or his chambers. And so drag. This is said, God knows, in no super- it is at the present time; I desire not only to cilious spirit: it is not that I believe such persons either worse or better than me: only I know that they are quite different from me. But I am not so much afraid of my essays getting into the hands of the wrong people; provide the written pages, but to explain where and when they are to be read: not only to provide the medicine, but to say how it is to be made use of. Let it then be understood that this essay is to be read in the evening, |