From The Reader. implements. They do not manufacture any ropes or cloth as do most barbarous tribes Anda-living among fibre-yielding plants, their bowstrings, the Rev. Mr. Parish informs us, being the aërial roots of epiphytical orchids. A NATION OF PIGMIES. IN the Bay of Bengal, on the very high- The Andaman Islands have been known road of commerce, is a group of islands thickly for more than one thousand years; but so covered with impenetrable jungle, and swarm-hostile are their diminutive inhabitants that ing with leeches in the rainy, and ticks in it is not safe to land on their inhospitathe dry season. Except a species of pig, ble shores, except with a well-armed escort. until recently unknown to science, there are The sight of strangers puts them into a perno wild animals that offer any molestation to fect fury, and they generally receive visitors man; but to make up for this deficiency, the with gestures of unmistakable dislike, and human inhabitants are amongst the most sav-copious showers of well-aimed and barbed age and hostile that voyagers have ever en- arrows. Towards the end of last century the countered. They may truly be termed a Indian government established a convict setnation of pigmies, being on an average only tlement in this group; but the mortality four feet five inches high, and weighing from amongst the prisoners and their keepers and seventy to seventy-five pounds; but they are the hostility of the natives were so great that well proportioned, and display an agility and the settlement had to be given up. Durnimbleness truly wonderful. Their skin is ing the late Indian mutiny, Lord Canning dark, though not black as that of the negro, thought it desirable to revive the scheme, and and their faces decidedly ugly. They go en- despatched an expedition, under Dr. Mouat, tirely naked, shave off the hair of their head to explore the islands once more, and endeavor with pieces of bamboo or brokon bottle, and to discover, if possible, the cause of the alarmfurther increase their unsightly appearance ing mortality that had led to the abandonby daubing themselves all over with a mix-ment of the first convict colony. This task ture of red ochre and oil, or covering their was ably accomplished, and Old Harbor recpersons towards nightfall with a thick coat-ommended as the most suitable place for ing of soft mud, to serve as a protection a settlement-the laying-dry of extensive against the mosquitoes, with which, in addi- swamps, by shutting out the tide, being rection to the leeches and ticks, they seem to be ommended as the best remedy for the untormented the whole year round. They are healthiness of the climate. excellent swimmers, taking to the water almost before they can walk; and they rely upon the sea for the principal supply of their food-turtles, oysters, and fish. They do not cultivate anything, and avail themselves merely of such herbs, roots, and fruit as are growing wild in their islands. Their houses are of the most primitive description, consisting of a few sticks put in the ground and covered with the gigantic leaves of fan-palms -their migratory habits not being favorable to the formation of good houses or decentsized villages. But they devote much patience and time to the building of canoes. As they have not iron tools, the felling of a large forest tree with stone implements, scooping out the trunk and attaching to it an outrigger to prevent the canoe from capsizing when at sea, is an extremely slow and tedious process. Their bows and arrows, in the handling of which they are very expert, have to be manufactured by the same rude From the natives Dr. Mouat's party met with the usual reception, and in several instances it became necessary to return their shower of spears and arrows by a discharge of fire-arms. Attempts to reconcile them by such trinkets and presents as are generally acceptable to savages proved ineffectual. Even when the presents had been deposited on the beach, and every white man returned to the boats, the Andaman islanders could scarcely muster sufficient confidence to pick them up. It was most ludicrous to see some bold native advance with cautious step, and, like a fowl, first picking up one thing, then giving furtive glances all round, and hastily picking up another, until the whole had been gathered up, and the courageous man was able to take to his heels. It has been supposed that these islanders have occasionally been kidnapped; and that may partly account for their extreme hostility and timidity; but they could have been captured only was taken to Calcutta, and supplied many links in the scanty ethnological information collected. The boy, to whom the sailors gave the generic name of Jack, became the lion of the Calcutta season, and brought great crowds around Dr. Mouat's house, eager to have a look at the monster-for such the popular belief pictured him. To have some peace it was found expedient to dress up a lay figure, somewhat coming up to the popular conception of an Andaman Islander, and place it at another house from that the young pigmy inhabited. Civilization, however, did not agree with poor Jack. He was taken seriously ill, and, though his life was saved, it was considered necessary to send him back to his native isles. To guard against his being mistaken for a foreigner and shot by his own by stratagem, as, no European nor Asiatic says, that the good understanding between could compete with them in swiftness of foot. him and his companions was momentarily Their running over the entangled roots of disturbed. Just sufficient had been collected mangrove swamps, with which their coasts to excite an interest in the subject-no more; abound, is described as an extraordinary feat. and an additional couple of months would The popular belief is that they are canni- have materially enhanced the value of previbals; but Dr. Mouat did not succeed in col-ous and hasty observations. Fortunately, lecting any evidence in confirmation. Nor, the expedition captured a native boy, who indeed, did he and his party add much positive knowledge to the few data we possess for establishing their relationship and position in the great human family. We know, as yet, nothing definite of their inner life, and it is absolutely premature to speculate on the slender materials at hand. The few ascertained facts about their customs and manners, their hostility to strangers, their absolute state of nudity, their fondness of covering their bodies with mud and a mixture of red earth and oil, their canoes and peculiarly constructed outrigger, their teetotalism, their eagerness to possess themselves of the skull and bones of deceased friends, their disuse of idols-all these agree better with what is known of some of the Papuan races than with what we know of any other people. Dr. Mouat evidently knew but little of the dark-countrymen, he resumed his Adamite cosskinned races we have compared the Andaman Islanders with, and does not dwell sufficiently on the striking coincidences, not to call them more, we have pointed out. Not all Papuans are men of large proportions; in some of the smaller islands they are quite below the middle stature. Nor have all of them frizzled hair. Indeed, it is now well known that many tribes give their hair a frizzled appearance by the application of lime. tume, tied his clothes in a bundle, and, as long as the ship that took him home was in sight, it was observed that none of his countrymen ventured near him; he was silently standing on the beach, watching with evident emotion the departure of those, who, after capturing him, had showered upon him nothing but kindness. Dr. Mouat's book will probably induce others to take up the interesting subject After Dr. Mouat had completed his survey where he has left it. The chief merit of the he at once returned to Calcutta, much to the volume is that it has drawn general attention annoyance of his companions, who were most to one of the most remarkable races on earth; anxious to collect further information about and it is written with such ease and in such the singular islanders they found themselves a pleasing style that it will doubtless secure amongst. This was the only time, Dr. Mouat for itself a wide circulation. ANDREW HALL FOOTE. WHAT time our armies fought at Donelson, We owed to one man's never-ceasing toils At home, and more abroad-on sea and shore; And when fierce war stretched out its bloody hand He stood alert-eager to do yet more ; And none of all who've nobly fought and bled, the nation weep Above the honored dust of him who calmly lies New York, June 27, 1863. -N. Y. Evening Post. From The Reader. POMPEII. as if she had died in convulsions. The form of the head-dress and the hair are quite disA CORRESPONDENT of The Times, writing tinct. On the bone of the little finger were from Pompeii, gives the following graphic two silver rings; and with this body were the picture of the horrors of that fearful 24th of remains of the purse above mentioned with August, seventeen hundred and forty-four the money and keys. The girl was found years ago, when a fearful eruption swallowed in an adjoining room, and the plaster mould up Herculaneum and Pompeii, the latter taken of the cavity clearly shows the tissue within sixteen years of its rebuilding: "There of her dress. By her side lay an elderly woare now boulevards around Pompeii, and a man, who had an iron ring on her little finger. road is being made for the carts which convey The last personage I shall describe was a tall, the rubbish in the direction of the amphithe- well-made man, lying full length. The plasatre. From the top of those boulevards the ter distinctly shows his form, the folds of his visitor has a view of the whole city, and can garment, his torn sandals, his beard and hair. form a tolerably correct idea of the interior I contemplated these human forms with an of the houses uncovered. Excavations are interest which defies expression. It is evinow going on on two eminences near the dent that all these unfortunates had made Temple of Isis, and the house called Abon- great efforts to escape destruction. The man donza. Our inspection was chiefly confined appears to have perished in a vain attempt to the former site, where, in a house situated to rescue the terrified women, who thought in a narrow street recently opened, we saw they could be nowhere so safe as in their own several bodies, or rather forms of bodies, home, and hoped that the fiery tempest would which now attract universal attention. The soon cease. From the money and keys found unfortunate inhabitants of this house fell, with the body of the first woman, she was not on the bare ground, but on heaps of probably the mistress of the house and the pumice stones, and were covered to a great mother of the girl. The slender bones of her depth by torrents of ashes and scoria, under arms and legs and the richness of her headwhich they have lain for nearly two thou- dress seem to indicate a woman of noble race. sand years. One day, inside a house, amid From the manner in which her hands were fallen roofs and ashes, the outline of a hu- clenched she evidently died in great pain. man body was perceived, and M. Fiorelli, The girl does not appear to have suffered the chief of the works for excavation, soon much. From the appearance of the plaster ascertained that there was a hollow under mould it would seem that she fell from terror the surface. He accordingly made a small as she was running with her skirts pulled hole through its covering, and filled it up over head. The other woman, from the with liquid plaster of Paris, as if it were a largeness of her ear, which is well shown by mould. The result was that he obtained the plaster, and the iron ring on her finger, a complete plaster statue of a Roman lady of evidently belonged to a lower class, and was the first century of the Christian era. Close probably a servant of the family. The man by were found the remains of a man, another appears to have been struck by lightning, for woman, and a girl, with ninety-one pieces of his straitened limbs show no signs of a deathsilver money; four ear-rings and a finger-ring, struggle. It is impossible to imagine a more all gold; two iron keys, and evident remains affecting scene than the one suggested by of a linen bag or purse. The whole of those these silent figures; nor have I ever heard of bodies have been carefully moulded in plaster. a drama so heart-rending as the story of this The first body discovered was a woman lying family of the last days of Pompeii.” on her right side, with her limbs contracted, From The Spectator, 27 June. practical independence. Till Gaeta fell we RECOGNITION AND MEDIATION AGAIN. did not recognize the Neapolitan revolution; THE friends of the South, as we fear we till many years after Spain had ceased to inmust call them, rather than the friends of vade Buenos Ayres we did not recognize that peace, Mr. Roebuck and Mr. Lindsay, have or the other Spanish republics. Peaceful prudently provided themselves with two recognition of revolted States, as has been strings to their bow. Mr. Roebuck's motion fifty times proved, implies practical indepenfor a recognition of the South is to be dis- dence, the practical cessation of all serious cussed in the House of Commons on Tuesday effort on the part of the Government against next, and lest that should fail, as it will do, which they revolted to subdue them. Now, they have sagaciously endeavored to win over of course, to talk of recognition in this sense to their view that shrewd imperial politician is simply absurd. No one doubts that the on the other side of the Channel, with whom, armies of the North are at present both relaas Lord Palmerston tells us, his Government tively more important and more painfully is in such profound accord on all weighty and effective on Southern soil than they have ever difficult political questions, "whether in the yet been. The South is more exhausted, the far East or the far West," and who has al- North is less unsuccessful, and much more ready shown so much political magnanimity progressive than at any previous period of the in forgiving Mr. Roebuck an invective as fool-war. It would be about as foolish to recogish, as violent, and more personal against nize the South now, on the plea that effectual himself than that which he is now launching Northern invasion has ceased, as it would be at the heads of the North American Administration. The first of these steps, which contemplates simple recognition, is, we need scarcely say, quite inconsistent with the second, which offers mediation. We do not give any power a violent blow in the face as a preliminary to offering our services. Lord Palmerston would have been thought insane to recognize the independence of Poland first, and present his diplomatic suggestions to Russia afterwards. This, no doubt, the Emperor of the French sees clearly enough, though the self-elected English advocates of the Southern cause, who have been taking sweet counsel with him, appear to forget it. Of Mr. Roebuck's two irons in the political fire he can only use one; and we suspect that his motion for recognition is no more than a feint to elicit a parliamentary discussion which may encourage the ministers to follow their great ally in the political use of the other. Mediation might deserve at least the name of an expedient to smooth away the troubles of America. Recognition is only a singularly well-contrived expedient to aggravate them. This is so certain that we need scarcely recall to our readers the well-worn reasons which substantiate this view of the case. We have recognized revolted States in two distinct classes of cases,-first, and in accordance with international principles, when the effort to subdue them was no more than nominal, when no armies threatened, and no practical menace endangered the assertion of their to recognize Poland's independence on the course, we may pass at once to the consider- | precedent for the American, let us just reation of the wiser French policy of pressing member what would be the laughter of Euon the North to accept their mediation with rope if we seriously demanded of the North the South, a step which, as it is based on to proclaim to the South, on condition of subno pre-judgment of the rights of the question, mission (1), an Amnesty; (2), Representais not, at least, like the other, self-condemned. tive Institutions; (3), the employment of And now, as to the policy of mediation. It none but Southerners in the government of is not only not necessarily mischievous, but the South; (4), Liberty of Conscience; (5), at certain conjunctures, and if really offered the enactment of a legal recruiting law. in a manner courteous and friendly to the Would not the South reply that not only this, North, might possibly be beneficial. We do but far more than this, they had always posnot think the time is yet arrived when it sessed; and that what they revolted to obcould be so. But in the event of the North tain was not privileges of this kind, but the recovering completely the line of the Missis- five points of unlimited right to oppress their sippi, and not gaining any fresh advantage in own slaves, and of propogating that system Virginia, we do conceive it possible that a of oppression to all the four points of the friendly offer from France and England to compass? A more unfortunate notion than mediate on a basis that would give hopes of to quote the precedent of intervention in Popeace without any hope of unlimited exten- land as warranting an intervention in Amersion to the slave power, might possibly be ac-ica probably never yet occurred to a literary ceptable, and could not in any case prove in- advocate writing at high pressure. jurious. But this is assuredly not the spirit In truth, the only conceivable ground for or the wish of friends of mediation in this mediation is to arrest the prosecution of a country. The Times does not hesitate to contest, in the abstract perfectly justifiable on quote the case of Poland as one exactly par- the part of the North, but almost hopeless, allel to the case of the Southern States, and and if hopeless, then and therefore only, practo argue that the treaty intervention of the tically unjustifiable. But no mediation of Three Powers to demand the fulfilment by this kind either can answer or ought to anRussia of a violated diplomatic engagement, swer unless based on this ground, and this on behalf of men struggling for their free- alone, and unless contemplating the great dom, is a precedent for intervening to enforce State policy which renders it not only necesthe right to break a solemn obligation on be- sary for the North, but expedient for the half of men struggling for a wider area of whole world to arrest with a strong hand the slavery. A more unfortunate precedent for development of the new slave power for the mediation than the mediation in Poland- foundation of which the South is fighting. itself unwise enough, unless the powers have If we could go to the North and express our made up their mind to declare war in case of strong sense that the war was in its purpose refusal-could scarcely be imagined. The and commencement absolutely just, that it technical ground of that intervention is a contemplates an end not only politically deEuropean treaty conferring on Russian Sov-fensible on the part of the Federal Governereigns the crown of Poland. Have we any ment, but morally identified with the intersuch technical ground for intervention in ests of the whole earth, but nevertheless America? The moral ground for some inter-pointed out that, looking to the actual power vention-we will not say for Lord Palmer- and insane ambition of the South, and to the ston's-in Poland is, that a great nation far passions which had been roused by the conmore fit for freedom than the power which flict, their actual subjugation seems at once governs it is manacled together in cruel servi- hopeless and scarcely consistent, even if actude with another people in a much lower complished, with any restoration to them of stage of political development, and has been their civil liberties for a generation to come, deprived of all the rights of free speech, further, that a great part of the aim of the honest tribunals, and native administration, war might be effectually gained by a peace as well as oppressed with a conscription law which should narrowly limit the area of the which English statesmen have called a pro-slave power,-then we do think it possible scription law. To test this great discovery of that mediation might prove beneficial. But the Times, that the Polish intervention is a to mediate in Mr. Roebuck's or Mr. Lind |