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curious as the readiness with which many | one useful line of advice. Fight the habit confirmed victims give up the habit, a readiness in part due, it may be, to the fact that no consequences follow its disuse such as follow the disuse of opium or alcohol. Others could as soon be broken of opiumsmoking, or hemp-eating, or dram-drinking as of tobacco, and for them there is only

with your whole will and attention, as if it were a stutter or a twitch. Bear the torture of disuse as you would bear a disease; go to bed, or to sea, and remember that one cigar or one pinch of snuff will in bad cases re-arouse, after an interval of months, the insatiable crave.

posed of the same material as the emerald, with the exception of its colouring matter. This can scarcely be called a precious stone, as it is found in large quantities. We are told, indeed, that a mass weighing five tons was found in America. It is used in Birmingham, under the name of aqua marina, in making cheap jewelry. Rockcrystal is one of many valuable minerals which belong to the quartz system. It is very generally distributed over the globe in large crystals Lumps of this mineral, often weighing many hundred weight, are found; and it is used rather in the manufacture of articles of vertu than of gems for the adornment of the person. We meet with it in old goldsmiths' work, and curious cups and goblets are made out of it, which are often most delicately cut. Like some of the gems, it was supposed by the ancients to flush with colour when poison was poured into cups made from it. Indeed, crystal has always been supposed to possess magical properties. We all have heard, for instance, of Dr. Dee's Crystal Globe, upon looking into which, it is said, he foretol events. The Japanese and Chinese use it largely, and, among other purposes, as a refrigerator to cool the hands. A ball of this material may be

PRECIOUS JEWELS. - Colour is never so commercially valuable as in precious stones. For instance, the ruby, the sapphire, and the Oriental topaz are identically the same so far as the materials of which they are composed go, but they differ in value immensely. The ruby is, in fact, the same as a red sapphire, but the firstmentioned jewel is the most precious of stones, whilst the blue sapphire is not of any great value. Of old all blue stones were called sapphires, and extraordinary virtues were attributed to them. In these days we go to the analytic chemist when we wish to discover if there is any poison in a drink, but our forefathers imagined that Nature took the place of science, and attributed to this gem the power of discovering the presence of noxious matter in any liquid in which it may have been placed. The ancients believed that these precious gems changed colour on being brought in contact with poisonous matters, and that they even had the power of killing spiders, which in past times were considered poisonous. The sapphire is very easily imitated, and there are many sham jewels that are passed off as the real thing. Indeed, we do not doubt that this is the case with many so-called jewels which we see on fair necks, and never dream of doubt-seen in the shop window of an establishment in ing. The Oriental emerald is an exceedingly rare jewel, and so is the Oriental amethyst. These, like the ruby and the sapphire, are varieties of the corundum, the Indian name by which they are known. The reader may not be so well acquainted with what is termed the cat's-eye jewel; | it has the reputation of being a very lucky stone, and it is sold sometimes for very large prices in consequence of this supposed quality, for there is nothing very beautiful in its appearance to recommend it. The ancients, who had not arrived at the modern perfection in jewel-cutting, were in the habit of engraving their jewels, and Mr. King, in his volume on precious gems, has given us some very beautiful examples of this art. The emerald is principally found in New Granada, but many are also found in Salzburg and Siberia, principally in limestone rock. This gem is a great favourite with Mohametans, chiefly, we suppose, from the colour. The Orientals believe it possesses marvellous powers of a very diverse nature; for instance, it is considered capable of endowing the men with courage and the women with chastity; it is supposed to possess many medicinal qualities as well, but it is not necessary to mention them. The beryl is com

Regent-street, where Japanese nicknacks are exposed to view. The cairngorm, onyx, cornelian, amethyst, sardonyx, agate, and chalcedony, all belong to the same quartz system as the rockcrystal. The opal, the most delicate of gems, depends for its beauty very much upon the temperature: its rainbow-like tints—or rather, we should say, its iridescent flashes, like those on the breast of a pigeon-are always the most bril liant in warm weather; this fiet should teach the wearer that it should be worn as a summer gem only. There are several kinds of op ls, the most valuable being known as the noble opal; then there is a more deeply and evenly tinted red opal; and the Mexican opal, which loses much of its lustre upon being exposed to water. Thus it will be seen this jewel is very sensitive to atmospheric effects, and possibly this is the rea son why it has been supposed to possess some supernatural gift. The opal is unique in one respect, it cannot be imitated with any sucess This jewel, when large, is very valuable. There is one in the museum at Vienna valued at thirty thousand pounds.

Cassell's Magazine.

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GREAT OUTLINE OF GEOGRAPHY FOR HIGH SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES. BY THEODORE S. FAY. In two volumes: 1. A Folio Atlas, beautifully printed and colored; 2. A Textbook in duodecimo. "A correct opinion of the work cannot be formed by turning over the leaves. It is not a book of reference or reading. It is a teaching, a studying book." It is highly commended by Alexander de Humboldt, a fac-simile of whose letter to Mr. Fay is given. We have shown our copy to some teachers well qualified to judge, who express their pleasure very heartily. We recommend it as a family book, as well as for teachers. The Atlas is beautiful and useful on the parlor table.

From Sheldon & Co., New York.

THE CHILD WIFE: a Tale of the Two Worlds. By Capt. MAYNE REID.
SPECTACLES FOR YOUNG EYES. New York. By S. W. LANDER.

GLEANINGS AMONG THE SHEAVES. By the Rev C. H. SPURGEON.

From J. B. Lippincott & Co., Philadelphia.

MOSAICS OF HUMAN LIFE. BY ELIZABETH A. THURSTON. We have only had time to admire this as a beautifully printed book. The Boston Transcript says of it:

A volume which possesses a kind of endless interest, for it is a collection of the sayings and singings of the philosophers and poets of the world on the most important eras of human life. Sense, wit, sagacity, sentiment, imagination, reason, embodied in pithy sentences, or extended paragraphs, or beautiful verses, are the staple of the work. As a volume for the parlor table, as a book of reference to the vast realms of thought and emotion, it will be found full of suggestion, information, and inspiration. It is for sale in Boston at 80 Washington St.

PUBLISHED EVERY SATURDAY BY

LITTELL & GAY, BOSTON.

TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION.

FOR EIGHT DOLLARS, remitted directly to the Publishers, the LIVING AGE will be punctually forwarded for a year, free of postage. But we do not prepay postage on less than a year, nor where we have to pay commission for forwarding the money.

From The New Monthly Magazine.

THE OUTWARD VOYAGE.

BY NICHOLAS MICHELL,

FAR away upon the sea,

On the deck my watch I keep; Ocean, like eternity,

Doth around me grandly sweep; Night is striving to be dark,

But the throbbing stars, bright shining, Make each broken wave a spark,

And our sails with pearls are lining;
Softly breezes fall and swell,
Like strange murmurs in the shell.
Far away upon the sea,

Pacing slowly, thinking, dreaming,
Turn my thoughts, loved home, to thee,
Sun upon fond memory beaming:
What a waste of water lies

'Twixt me and my childhood's bowers! O'er its paths I waft my sighs,

Musing on dear vanished hours; Slow I sail, yet not in gladness, Every league but deepens sadness. Far away upon the sea,

Hastening south, but looking north, All the world seems flood to me,

And my thoughts, like doves, go forth: Yes, they fly, and now alight

On old-elm-trees in a valley; There I see dear, touching sight

House, moss'd pond, and garden alley, And the clock-tower with its bell, And the dog I loved so well.

Far away upon the sea;

Hush! it is not fancy all;
O'er the waves' immensity
Murmurs float, and rise, and fall:
'Tis the village bells I hear,
Charming once our evening skies,
Sounds to happy childhood dear,
Ringing as from paradise:
Oh, that music o'er the deep!
Let me listen let me weep.

Far away upon the sea;

Hush! it is not fancy all; O'er the waves' immensity Silvery voices seem to call: 'Tis my sister's as her tresses

Float, gold-shining, in the sun, 'Tis my mother's, as she blesses,

Blesses me, her wandering son: Oh, those voices o'er the deep! Let me listen - let me weep.

PARTED.

WE sang together, you and I,

In a quiet church, sweet songs of praise, Your voice was like an angel's voice,

Your face was as an angel's face.

We knelt together, you and I,

In that dim old church, in sight of heaven, And you prayed a prayer that the angels know That sin may be forgiven.

We walked together, you and I,

In the happy groves, where wood-birds sing, But sweeter were the pleasant words

That you kept murmuring.

They beat in time with our glad hearts,
Old words they were from some old song;
Laughing, you sang them, all for me
As we two wandered on.

We talked together, you and I,

Wise things you spoke for one so young,

I listened, feeling all the while,

That on your words a story hung. We lived together, you and I,

In those old years, two friends, no more; Did we ever dream of what was to be, Could we span the years that were on before?

If we loved together, you and I,

Was it wise that the love was never told?
Was it better to let the time glide on
Till both life and love were old?
Dublin University Magazine.

L. C.

THE PICTURE OF THE WORLD.
BY E. R. SILL.

ONE morning of a summer's day
Upon a painter's easel lay
The picture of a child at play :
A form of laughing life and grace,
And finished, all except the place
Left empty for the untouched face.
In nodding violets, half asleep,
The dancing feet were ankle deep;
One rounded arm was heaping up
With clover-bloom and buttercup;
The other tossed a blossom high
To lure a lowering butterfly.

'Twas easy to imagine there,
In that round frame of rippled hair
The wanting face, all bright and fair.
A sadder artist came that day,
Looked on the picture where it lay,
And, sitting in the painter's place,
He painted in the missing face.
From his own heart the hues he took-
Lo! what a wan and woful look!
Under that mocking wreath of flowers,
A brow worn old with weary hours;
A face-once seen one still must see-
Wise awful eyes' solemnity,
Lips long ago too tired to hide

The torture-lines where love had died;
The look of a despair too late,
Too dead, to even be desperate;
A face for which so far away
The struggle and the protest lay,
No memory of it more could stay.
Repulsed and reckless, withered, wild,
It stared above the dancing child.

At night a musing poet came,
And shuddering, wrote beneath its name.
Public Opinion.

From The Fortnightly Review. ON SOME FEATURES OF AMERICAN SCEN

ERY.

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that this close definition should be kept in view on a subject on which we commonly permit ourselves much looseness of expression. It is in this sense that mere beauty, which may, or may not, according to circumstances, have an artistic effect, is distinguished from picturesqueness. To use once more Sydney Smith's old illustration,

who has formed, wisely or foolishly, an inveterate habit of judging for himself as to objects that strike his eye, and skipping the I HAVE often heard it said by travellers rapturous passages in guide-books. that America (meaning thereby the United What do we mean by the "picturesque' States, or rather that part of their enor-in scenery? An old question, and not mous surface with which ordinary visitors quite so readily answered as at first sight become familiar) is not a picturesque may appear. Picturesque are "those country. Grand it is, of course, in many combinations or groups, or attitudes of obof its features, and it may possess beauty jects which are fitted for the purposes of of scenery in certain senses; but not (say the painter." So says Stewart, the Scottish these critics) in the sense which we com- oracle of the last generation, and certainly monly understand by "the picturesque." a very precise and accurate definer. The And this depreciatory judgment I have term picturesque, in its application to scensometimes heard repeated by Americans ery, according to a French authority, desthemselves; who, after roaming over the ignates "un aspect pris dans la nature, et most celebrated parts of Europe (and few qui, par la réunion d'heureux effets et cultivated Americans have not done so), d'accidents variés, est susceptible d'une indulge themselves, like other travelled reproduction avantageuse par les procédés folk, in certain slightly disparaging airs de l'art." Nothing can be more correct, towards their mother country on their re- etymologically speaking; and it is well turn. This is an opinion in which, for my own part, I can by no means concur. My acquaintance with the external aspect of that portion of the world is confined to a mere traveller's glance over the Eastern and Middle States, a little of the West, and part of Canada; but this amount of knowledge, though not quite sufficient to enable me to sit in judgment on American usages and institutions, may suffice for my present purpose. I say nothing as to what I have not seen. But, speaking from my former, "in happy effects and varied acciown observation only, I venture to stand dents." Nevertheless, after having theoup in defiance of common opinion, if com- retically established this distinction, I must mon opinion be on the side of the critics take the liberty of disregarding it, and uswhom I have named. Although great part ing the term picturesque, for my present of this vast surface is (like that of other purpose, in that larger and more vulgar extensive regions) of a monotonous char-sense in which it comprehends all the acter to the eye, yet it contains portions pleasing general effects of scenery on the which abound in elements of the pic-eye: form, colour, grace, beauty, even turesque to a degree entitling them to en- grandeur and sublimity, wherever these ter boldly into competition with those scenes of the Old World on which the epithet is most commonly lavished in popular description. My object, in the cursory notions on a great subject which I am The love of the picturesque in this larger about to confide to these pages, will be to sense is one of the most modern of tastes; it convey the general impression made by is hardly a century old with us, and it is American scenery, and especially with a only beginning to develop itself among our view to this attribute of picturesqueness, American relations. But, in this as in on the eye of one who is no artist, but every other fancy which they take up, they respectably familiar, as a mere observer, are hasty and vehement, and eager to with the art and nature of Europe, and achieve everything at a bound. They

"The rector's horse is beautiful, the curate's is picturesque," the latter animal abounding, undoubtedly, more than the

effects are naturally produced by what we see, and not merely by adventitious thoughts associated in our minds with that which we see.

digression, and you are immersed at once in jungle, swamps, curduroy roads, starvation, and bewilderment.

have dispensed altogether with the slow most do, in order to become acquainted educating process by which Goethe and with cities and men, and visit at most one Wordsworth, and their schools, implanted or two noted wonders in the way of scenery, what may be called the sentimental love but to learn the real aspect of her external of external nature on the English and Ger- nature, he need be under no apprehension man mind; and claim to have arrived at of difficulties, or over-exertion, or underthe same end by a summary process, as so feeding. The best-known sites within orquick-witted a people ought. Thirty years dinary reach are all monopolised; huge ago mountains and lakes were, to the great boarding caravanserais are planted upon mass of Americans, only quarters for pot- them; railroads from various centres lead shooting and fishing, and cataracts had no to them, and converge upon them; and all value except in the shape of water privi- may be enjoyed at the regular price of leges. Now, all the favourite sites of pic- three or four dollars per day per head, turesque beauty in the Northern States board and lodging, liquor not included. swarm with visitors like Switzerland and This, or nothing. If you seek to have NaScotland. A whole literature of descrip- ture to yourself, you will be disappointed, tive hand-books, and guides, and local as at Grindelwald or Lochlomond. And poetry, and romances, has sprung up like there is scarcely any alternative in Ameran exhalation from the forest; "sites" are ican travel, at least in the forest region, beworth a fancy price for building purposes, tween the perfectly easy and the utterly and mill-owners turn on for tourists occas- impracticable. Keep to the track, and ional waterfalls at ten cents a head. And you may count for days beforehand on the American, carrying his gregarious hab- every hour's journey, and every meal to its into the wilderness, establishes himself be eaten. Diverge from it but for a trifling for the season in some enormous hotel, holding from six hundred to two hundred guests; every rapid, mountain, and lake has now one such at least; and there, in company with bevies of ladies in the latest New York style, he flirts, dances "Germans," and lounges through the prescribed weeks, with the help of iced water or stronger liquors, as his taste may be. He drives about in his host's spider-wheeled "buggies," over desperate roads, to see the obligatory lions. Walking and riding are not his favourite amusements; but this deficiency is not owing to indolent habits, as has been commonly said. It is rather caused, or at least rendered habitual, by the greatness of distances and the impervious nature of the forests, which force the wanderer to keep the road, and render the use of wheels almost necessary. But in mountain and forest sporting the taste for which, as a high-bred pastime, is also a new acquisition to Americans, and rapidly growing into a passion - the city American is quite as willing and able to encounter fatigue, as well as hardship, as similar men of other nations.

The consequence is, that if any one should be tempted to travel in the frequented parts of America, not merely, as

You must therefore make up your mind, as there is no help for it, to the gregarious habits of American travelling; for the big rural hotels are almost as promiscuous in point of company as the railroad cars, except so far as stress of expense contributes to make them more select. You must learn not to regard any sort of folks with whom you are thrown in contact as what a grievance-writer to the Times described the other day as "a dreadful set of third-class passengers." If you cannot endure this admixture, content yourself with the Old World, which is large enough for the fastidious. But, if you make the experiment, you will learn this among other secrets — that (to borrow a political phrase lately in vogue) there is such a thing as levelling upwards, as well as levelling down; and that if refined folks must put up in America with a great deal of what they regard as coarseness of demeanour in the less refined with whom they are made to associate, these latter, on the other hand, are apt to learn much of forbearance and civility, and kindness and accommodativeness, and comparative polish, from the same association;

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