SWITZERLAND lies to the north of Italy. It is in the neighbourhood of those great mountains called the Alps. This is a vast chain of mountains, the tops of which are covered with perpetual snow, whilst, below, there are green valleys, with vineyards, and cultivated fields, and beautiful streams and lakes. Agriculture, in such a country, cannot be carried to a great extent, but the grain produced is sufficient for the people. Their chief riches consist of excellent pastures, in which many cattle are bred and fattened; and the goats, and chamois feed on the mountains and in the woods. The men are strong and laborious, and have often been employed as soldiers, by other nations. The women, too, are very industrious. These mountaineers are very plain and simple in their dress and manners, keeping to their old style of dress, without running after changes of fashion;-and their food is milk, butter, and cheese, and sometimes bread. Many of their cottages are beautifully situated among the rocks and mountains, and are generally of simple construction. The Swiss are particularly fond of their own VOL. XIV.-No. 15.

G

country; and though we see many of them in England, and other parts of the world, yet they always delight in the thought of getting back to their own native mountains.

:

The Lammergeyer pursuing the Chamois.

A traveller in Switzerland says:- "As we were proceeding, one of my companions directed our attention to a bird, which appeared hovering in the air at an amazing height, and which appeared to be of a vast size. This, we were told, was the lammergeyer, or lamb-vulture of the Alps, and far surpassed, in size and strength, the royal eagle its wings, when stretched out, measured, from tip to tip, fifteen feet. The natives had many stories to tell of its great ferocity; of the havoc which it makes among the goats and sheep, as well as among wild animals. We were likewise told, that, only a few years ago, one of these great creatures seized a child of three years old, which it would have carried away, but the father providentially heard the cries of his child, and, armed with a stick, attacked the bird, which, when on level ground, does not rise quickly; and, after a severe battle, he killed it." The traveller says, "We inquired further about this bird when we got to the village where we were to stop. The person of whom we inquired said, I have seldom seen two of these birds at once; indeed, so large is the supply of food that they require, that if there were many of them, the country could not furnish them with provisions.' A reward is given in some of the Cantons for destroying them, but they are so

1

1834.]

CULTURE OF GOOSEBERRIES.

99

fierce, that the peasants are not fond of the employment. The lammergeyer makes continual war on the chamois, or wild mountain goat of Switzerland. The chamois is a little bigger than the common goat, but a great deal stronger, and is as active as he is strong. The lammergeyer goes to seek him in the bottom of the most retired valleys, where he feeds, sheltered from the pursuit of the hunters, and attacking him, forces him to seek for safety in flight. He runs with all his power to the tops of the mountains, till he is driven to the edge of some steep crag, where he can proceed no farther, and he is then forced to face his formidable enemy. The bird wheels round him, and feigns, several times, to pounce on him; the chamois opposes his horns to these attacks, till at length the other, watching the moment when his balance can be most easily upset, darts upon him, tumbles him down the rock with a stroke of his wing, and, following, dispatches him with his beak, and devours him."

CULTURE OF GOOSEBERRIES.

THE usual time of pruning them is in the winter. By cutting the trees about the end of May or the beginning of June, which may be done as well then as at any other time, it has been found possible to collect large quantities of young fruit for bottling and market.

After pruning, go over the trees and thin out all the small berries, for tarts, &c. leaving the finest for table use. These are the advantages of the above plan:

1st. A better choice of the wood which is to be cut away, because it is then in full bearing.

2dly. A great quantity of fruit is obtained for use without hurting the trees.

3dly. The branches being thick set and close, are a shelter from late spring frosts, which often in one night destroy the crop.-Abridged from the Horticultural Register, No. 32, Feb. 1834. ("On the culture of gooseberries by Mr. Moses Bristow, gardener to C. Munday, Esq. Burton-on-the-Woulds, Leicestershire."-Art. 4, p. 61.)

We have ourselves tried this method, and found it succeed, giving us, as it were, two crops, one green, the

other ripe; and we suggested the plan some time ago We are glad to find that it has

in one of our numbers.

been tried by others.-EDITOR.

MR. EDITOR,

MY MOTHER.

I HAVE long distributed your very useful publication, and I have the satisfaction of knowing that it has done much good to that class of persons for whose benefit it was chiefly intended in the country. If the annexed communication should appear fit for your purpose, you will please to print it in your next number-it was composed on a bed of sickness, and expresses the feelings of the writer now in his seventy-sixth year. P. P. L.

MY MOTHER! Yes, my mother's face
In Memory's glass I fondly trace,

After the lapse of threescore years:
Her languid eye, her faded cheek,
Her voice, affectionate and meek,
E'en now oft fill my eyes with tears.

My mother! still that wasted form
I see still feel that folding arm

So kindly press me to her breast;
I hear that whisper'd faint " farewell,"
Fall on my heart with icy knell,

"Farewell, my child, I go to rest.”

I spoke not-breath'd not-like a stone
I felt within-as one alone,

Of all I lov'd on earth bereav'd;
"God bless you"--faintly said—she kiss'd
My cheek with her cold hand she press'd
My hand-as, deep, a sigh she heav'd.

"God bless you-Him still serve with truth,
And He will guard thy helpless youth,

E'en as He feeds the raven's callow young;"-
Her faultering voice then failed--she took
Another kiss, another look,

And then for ever silent was that tongue.

I see that room-I see that bed

I see my mother lying dead,

As in a scene of yesterday!
O how I wish'd that I might die!
In the same grave that I might lie

Along with my lov'd mother's clay !

'Tis sixty long, long years since then,
And foreign climes, and foreign men,

1834.]

ADVANTAGES OF RELIGION.

I've known, and many a chequer'd scene;
And now my eve of life grows grey,
But though its colours fade away,
My mother's memory still is green.
Surely there's in a mother's love
A quenchless spirit from above!

In youth, in age, in joy, in mourning;
That lights us in our happier years,
That cheers us in the vale of tears,

A flame for ever, ever purely burning!

My mother! there is something sweet
In thinking we again shall meet

In regions free from grief and care;
Where thou wilt know and welcome me,

Where I again thy son shall be,

Meet thy kind look, and thy soft accents hear.

ADVANTAGES OF RELIGION.

(Concluded from page 328, October 1833.)

T. M.

101

If we are Christians, not merely by name, by profession, by baptism, but in deed and in truth, we shall know that it is the principle of love towards God, and faith and affection towards Jesus Christ, which should rule in our hearts and animate our entire character. Far from priding ourselves on the discharge of our social duties, we shall feel that they are imperfect, and but as dust in the balance; and that, if our salvation depended upon a strict discharge of our duties, even to our neighbour, we should not have the smallest hopes of eternal happiness. But, "in God, we live and move, and have our being;" how then can it be possible, that the performance of our duty to His creatures can absolve us from our allegiance to Himself? Or, if we feel assured that Christ came into the world to save sinners, that he left us an example that we should follow His steps, and that He now lives as our Advocate and Intercessor, how can it be a matter of little importance whether we believe these doctrines, act upon their motives, and are guided by their force? The great truths of our religious creed can never be set aside by the imperfect discharge of our relative duties. Salvation, God's own gift, is provided for us; and it is for each of us to seek earnestly for His sanctifying grace, that we may be enabled to make our calling and election sure. As members of the Christian Church, we possess many