zibah or Phoebe and Clifford, or the Judge. They respectively symbolize the poles of human existence; and are fine studies for the psychologist. Yet this attraction is subservient to fidelity

Clifford represents,

New England colonial life. In truth to costume, | fect to the action of the story: occasional touches local manners and scenic features, the Scarlet of humor, introduced with exquisite tact, relieve Letter is as reliable as the best of Scott's novels; the grave undertone of the narrative and form in the anatomy of human passion and conscious vivacious and quaint images which might readily ness it resembles the most effective of Balzac's be transferred to canvass-so effectively are they illustrations of Parisian or provincial life, while drawn in words; take, for instance, the streetin developing bravely and justly the sentiment musician and the Pyncheon fowls, the judge of the life it depicts, it is as true to humanity as balked of his kiss over the counter, Phœbe readDickens. Beneath its picturesque details and ing to Clifford in the garden, or the old maid, in intense characterization, there lurks a profound her lonely chamber, gazing on the sweet lineasatire. The want of soul, the absence of sweet ments of her unfortunate brother. Nor is Hawhumanity, the predominance of judgment over thorne less successful in those pictures that are mercy, the tyranny of public opinion, the look drawn exclusively for the mind's eye and are of genuine charity, the asceticism of the Puri- obvious to sensation rather than the actual vistan theology, the absence of all recognition of ion. Were a New England Sunday, breakfast, natural laws, and the fanatic substitution of the old mansion, easterly storm, or the morning after letter for the spirit—which darken and harden it clears, ever so well described? The skill in the spirit of the pilgrims to the soul of a poet-atmosphere we have noted in his lighter sketches, are shadowed forth with a keen, stern and elo- is also as apparent : around and within the prinquent, yet indirect emphasis, that haunts us like cipal scene of this romance, there hovers an al"the cry of the human." Herein is evident and ternating melancholy and brightness which is palpable the latent power which we have descri- born of genuine moral life; no contrasts can be bed as the most remarkable trait of Hawthorne's imagined of this kind, more eloquent to a symgenius; the impression grows more significant pathetic mind, than that between the inward as we dwell upon the story; the states of mind consciousness and external appearance of Hepof the poor clergymen, Hester, Chillingworth and Penil, being as it were transferred to our bosoms through the intense sympathy their vivid delineation excites;-they seem to conflict, and glow and deepen and blend in our hearts, and to local characteristics. finally work out a great moral problem. It is as though in its most tragic imaginable phase, the if we were baptized into the consciousness of man of fine organization and true sentiments enPuritan life, of New England character in its vironed by the material realities of New Engelemental state; and knew, by experience, all land life; his plausible uncle is the type of New its frigidity, its gloom, its intellectual enthusiasm England selfishness, glorified by respectable conand its religious aspiration. "The House of the formity and wealth; Phœbe is the ideal of genSeven Gables" is a more elaborate and harmo- uiue, efficient, yet loving female character in the nious realization of these characteristics. The same latitude; Uncle Venner, we regard as one scenery, tone and personages of the story are of the most fresh, yet familiar portraits in the imbued with a local authenticity which is not, book; all denizens of our eastern provincial for an instant, impaired by the imaginative towns must have known such a philosopher; and charm of romance. We seem to breathe, as we Holgrave embodies Yankee acuteness and hardiread, the air and be surrounded by the familiar hood redeemed by integrity and enthusiasm. objects of a New England town. The interior The contact of these most judiciously selected of the House, each article described within it, and highly characteristic elements, brings out from the quaint table to the miniature by Mal- not only many beautiful revelations of nature, bone-every product of the old garden, the but elucidates interesting truth; magnetism and street-scenes that beguile the eyes of poor Clif-socialism are admirably introduced; family tyranford, as he looks out of the arched window, the ny in its most revolting form, is powerfully exnoble elm and the gingerbread figures at the lit- emplified; the distinction between a mental and tle shop window-all have the significance that a heartfelt interest in another, clearly unfolded; belong to reality when seized upon by art. In and the tenacious and heriditary nature of moral these details we have the truth, simplicity and evil impressively shadowed forth. The natural exact imitation of the Flemish painters. So refinements of the human heart, the holiness of life-like in the minutia and so picturesque in a ministry of disinterested affection, the gracegeneral effect are these sketches of still-life, that fulness of the homeliest services when irradiated they are daguerreotyped in the reader's mind, by cheerfulness and benevolence, are illustrated and form a distinct and changeless background, with singular beauty. "He," says our author, the light and shade of which give admirable ef-speaking of Clifford, "had no right to be a mar

tyr; and, beholding him so fit to be happy, and the state of Clifford, when relieved of the nightso feeble for all other purposes, a generous, strong mare that oppressed his sensitive temperament, and noble spirit would, methinks, have been the author justly compares to an Indian-summer ready to sacrifice what little enjoyment it might of the soul. Across the path of these beings of have planned for itself,—it would have flung down genuine flesh and blood, who constantly appeal the hopes so paltry in its regard—if thereby the to our most humane sympathies, or rather around wintry blasts of our rude sphere might come tem- their consciousness and history, flits the pale, pered to such a man:" and elsewhere: "Phoebe's mystic figure of Alice-whose invisible music presence made a home about her,-that very and legendary fate overflow with a graceful and sphere which the outcast, the prisoner, the poten- attractive superstition-yielding an Ariel-like meltate, the wretch beneath mankind, the wretch ody to the more solemn and cheery strains of the aside from it, or the wretch above it, instinctive- whole composition. Among the apt though inly pines after—a home. She was real! Hold-cidental touches of the picture, the idea of making ing her hand, you felt something; a tender some- the music-grinder's monkey an epitome of avathing; a substance and a warm one: and so long as you could feel its grasp, soft as it was, you might be certain that your place was good in the whole sympathetic chain of human nature. The world was no longer a delusion."

rice, the daguerreotype a test of latent character, and the love of the reformer Holgrave for the genially practical Phœbe, win him to conservatism, strike us as remarkably natural yet quite as ingenuous and charming as philosophical. We

and perspicuous style of diction that we have recoguized in his previous writing, is maintained in this.

As earth and sky appear to blend at the horizon though we cannot define the point of contact, things seen and unseen, the actual and the spiritual, miud and matter, what is within and what is without our consciousness, have a line of union, and, like the colour of the iris, are lost in each other. About this equator of life the genius of Hawthorne delights to hover as its appropriate sphere; whether indulging a vein of Spenserian allegory, Hogarth sketching, Goldsmith domesticity, or Godwin metaphysics, it is around the boundary of the possible that he most freely expatiates; the realities and the mysteries of life to his vision are scarcely ever apart; they act and re-act as to yield dramatic hints or vistas of sentiment. Time broods with touching solemnity over his imagination; the function of conscience awes while it occupies his mind; the delicate and the profound in love, and the awful beauty of death transfuse his meditation; and these supernal he loves to link with terrestial influences to hallow a graphic description by a sacred association or to brighten a commonplace occasion with the scintillations of humour-thus vivifying or chastening the "light of common day."

Thus narrowly, yet with reverence, does Haw-may add that the same pure, even, unexaggerated thorne analyze the delicate traits of human sentiment and character; and open vistas into that beautiful and unexplored world of love and thought, that exists in every human being, though overshadowed by material circumstance and techuical duty. This, as we have before said, is his great service; digressing every now and then, from the main drift of his story, he takes evident delight in expatiating on phases of character and general traits of life, or in bringing into strong relief the more latent facts of consciousness. Perhaps the union of the philosophic tendency with the poetic instinct is the great charm of his genius. It is common for American critics to estimate the interest of all writings by their comparative glow, vivacity and rapidity of action: somewhat of the restless temperament and enterprising life of the nation infects its taste: such terms as 'quiet,' 'gentle' and tasteful,' are equivocal when applied in this country, to a book; and yet they may envelope the rarest energy of thought and depth of insight as well as earnestness of feeling; these qualities, in reflective minds, are too real to find melo-dramatic development; they move as calmly as summer waves, or glow as noiselessly as the firmament; but not the less grand and mighty is their essence; to realize it, the spirit of contemplation, and the recipient mood of sympathy, must be evoked, for it is not external but moral excitement that is proposed; and we deem one of Hawthorne's most felicitous PRAYERS FOR RAIN.-Other nations pray for rain, as merits-that of so patiently educing artistic beau- we do. In a season of great drought, in Persia, a schoolty and moral interest from life aud nature, with-master, at the head of his pupils, marched out of Schiraz out the least sacrifice of intellectual dignity. The healthy spring of life is typified in Phoebe so freshly as to magnetize the feelings as well as engage the perceptions of the reader; its intellectual phase finds expression in Holgrave, while

in procession, to pray for rain. A stranger asked whither they were going? The tutor told him, and said, he doubted not but God would listen to the prayers of innocent children. "My honest friend," said the traveller, if that were the case, I fear there would be no schoolmasters left alive."-Lift for the Lazy.

regularly planted every other row being trees of work and hold de watch. When day let him the apple and pear kind not yet in blossom. An down great man call for gourd of water and pour extent of about twelve or fifteen acres of peach down his throat; den Day took de rope off and de trees, regularly set in equi-distant rows, inter- blood came spoutin out of him just like come out mixed all about with many small pine trees of of a hog when you stick him-when he cold. exquisite verdure, formed a prospect to the eye De great man-he talk-de rest Day did'nt talk most delightful and charming. April 9th.-I ar- none. Hear him say, "Car him to White Chimrived this morning at about ten o'clock at Wil- bleys, and give him nine and thirty wid de cat liamsburg, the capital of Virginia. It is a place and nine tails and if he don't conduct right bring of no trade and its importance depends altogether his head to me." Den Day took him off under on its being the seat of government and the place guard. Jack was holdin a hoss; de hoss fight of the college. I have just been taking a view so, couldn't hold him; fight better den dog; Jack of the whole town. It is inferior to my expec- bleeged to keep stick in he hand constant; hoss tations. Nothing of the population of the North, want to bite. De British bring every thing out or of the splendour and magnificence of the of de house; made black people break up de South. The College makes a very agreeable furniture. De black people axed em for some of appearance and the large garden before it is of dem; Day give em some; Day got some beds; ornament and of use. There are but two private de rest was cut open. Den de British rode off buildings of note-the Governor's and the At- and Jack never see'em arterwards." torney General's. The College is in a very declining state. The State-house is more commodious inside than ornamental without. The Council chamber is furnished with a large, wellchosen valuable collection of books chiefly of law. The Court of Justice is ill contrived."

In King William 1 met with a negro named Simon, 80 years old. He "remembered the great snow; it was up to the eaves of the house. Bleeged to break open door with an axe; the door opened outside. This happened the same year that Cat-tail church was built; snow so The following revolutionary reminiscence I deep the cows couldn't git out of the shelter; a gathered some years ago from Jack Fox, an old good many died. Simon was born where the negro belonging to the Pampetyke estate. in King Cat-tail church is now. In the old war he saw William. Jack Fox was born at North Wales in a great crowd of people and horses and Indians, Hanover, and he remembers "when he was a Munkey [Pamunkey] Indians; some of 'em had boy in the time of the revolutionary war, that a hardly any clothes on. They mustered 3 days; little man named Ellis (as he said) came thar; the horses was most starved to death. Old Mrs. he took a horse out of the stable; come without bleeged to car away box of meat and bury it in his arms-with nothing but a long butcher knife; the ground, out in the woods. Simon helped to come up to the gate whirlin the knife over his toat it with Rachel and Teeny, and Phillis his head. He was a desarter from the British. mother, and Brister and Daniel. Some cows Well the British light-horse come through the were kilt for the soldiers. The Indians had river at the long lane. The yard was covered bows and arrows with stone-spikes; shoot 'em with them outside and in. Shine so Jack did'nt at tree; de spike stick in oak tree; sometimes it know what it was. Day met Ellis right smack at break off, then they take another out of a leather the house. One of 'em say to him, Ellis, what wallet at their side and fasten it on with a little you doin here widdout your arms?' Don't know band. Indians carred wallet of beef on one side, how many round him in little time; dat time Day canteen of water on 'tother; green flies follow got dar Day jump off de hosses quick as hares 'em 'bout in great swarms. Indians hollow and took him. When de great man come up he hoo-oo-oo-oo!' had drums, sat down on the say you shall suffer' den he told 'em git a rope ground to beat 'em. The great men of the miand some saft soap and grease; den Day got a litia rode on hosses; hoss had heap of sense; bed cord off one of de beds in the house, and could do most anything: Simon thought oftengreased it wid de saft soap of grease to make it times they sartainly would knock their brains out. slippery, and made a runnin noose of it, and put The militia slept very thick, some in the church it round his neck and hang him up to a mulberry ou benches, some on straw-beds, some on straw; tree right thar in de yard. De man beg, de great many had to sleep under long arbors, kivered man say don't pray to me, pray to your God.' with pine and cedar bushes. The officers wore Den de great man took out he watch and say cocked hats-cocked three ways. Old Mordecai 'pull him up. Two or three on'em had hold on Abrams was thar, a captain-old cockfighting de rope; stood bout thar thick as bees;-you Mordecai,' as they called him. Every holyday couldn't pass. When de time was out de great at Easter and Whitsuntide, he used to come man say let him down;'-great man he give de down thar cockfighting. The soldiers wore some