home and a heart open to her, and it will be well if she undervalues neither the one nor the other. "To A. B. X.-Yes; B. C. will meet him to-morrow any time he may fix, or on Saturday before 12 o'clock. B. C., Post-office, Strand." There is a business-like appearance in this advertisement a promptitude and straightforwardness that implies the parties to be anxious to settle the point between them. The time specified, too, "before 12 o'clock," gives the affair a day-light openness, that relieves it from sinister associations; and yet, after all, it may be other than it appears. No doubt by this time A. B. X. has put his hand to paper, and that now a letter for B. C. is lying at the Strand Post-office. "F-y and M-ie are once more implored to return to their broken-hearted parents. All will be forgiven if they return. M-ie should well consider for what and for whom she forsakes father, mother, brothers, and little sister, all of whom pray and implore her to return to them. E-.' F-y, you are treading in slippery pathways! M-ie, you are planting thorns in your pillow! The seeds you are sowing will spring up and bud and blossom, and bear bitter fruit. Oh that entreaty could reach you, enter into your erring heart, and sink into your souls! To-day may be in time; to-morrow may be too late to return! Why should ye wring the hearts that love you, and bring on yourselves deep remorse? "March 3rd.-W. C. M." He must be a shrewd guesser who could give even a probable signification to this advertisement. The date given may set forth the time of a birth, a baptism, a wedding, or a death. It may announce a period for an interview for the payment of a debt, the sailing of a ship, the quitting a habitation, or for the entering on a new engagement. It may refer to a trifle or a thing of importance; it may be connected with good or evil; it may be wholly confined to time, or it may lead to consequences stretching out to eternity. "A. M. B.-Return, and, by medical treatment, you may recover from your present state of mental aberration. The sufferings of your friends cannot be expressed. A melancholy case this, no doubt. A. M. B., instead of shunning his friends, should seek them, and remain among them. Whether his malady be brought about by imprudence, by looking on wine when it appears bright in the glass, or whether it be a direct visitation of the Almighty, he should hedge himself round with the protection, counsel, and kindness of those who are interested in his welfare. A wanderer from his friends with a disturbed intellect is indeed a pitiable being. "To B. A. Five pounds will be given.” That is, in all probability, on condition that he does what he has undertaken to do. If he gives the promised information, or conveys to its owner the article he has found, or explains the process with which he is acquainted. He has, no doubt, to earn his five pounds in some way or other, unless he have already rendered a service which this sum is in tended to recompense. If B. A. be rich, the five pounds will hardly be worth his acceptance; but if he be poor, it may greatly add to his comforts. At any rate, let us hope that the service done, or to be done, is an honest one, and that the reward will be well laid out. 66 And now a settled plan of dishonesty, a system of abstraction is to be brought to light. Honesty is, indeed, the best policy.' The ground will now crumble beneath the feet of those who imagine they stand safely. So true it is that "there is no peace unto the wicked." The writer of the letter seems to be one who cannot rest by night, or be at ease by day, while he is a partaker with evil doers. The sooner he despatches a letter to J. P. the better, but his accepting a recompence will render the rectitude of his intentions questionable. "Should this meet the eye of C. E. M., who left his home early on Monday last, and is supposed either to have gone, or is about to go, abroad, and he will write to his parents, he will now find that they are anxious to further his views.". Perhaps here has been a mutual error. C. E. M. may have fixed his mind on some course, unreasonable either in itself, or as to the manner or time of pursuing it, and his parents may have been harsh, arbitrary, or uncomplying. Matter's have arrived at a crisis, and C. E. M., in anger or despair, has left his home, either to carry out his plans, or recklessly to seek "C. N. J.-T. regrets exceedingly what has occurred. It was done in a moment of irritation, and C. N. J. may be assured, if he will forget it, the same shall never occur again. Direct to T., care of.” thus the mysterious advertisements of "The Times" may excite increased interest, and afford additional gratification. DUGALD BUCHANAN. 66 After A REMARKABLE character, whose proverbial sayings were more precious than gold" to the late Rev. J. Campbell, when young, was a schoolmaster in the highlands, named Dugald Buchanan. They never saw each other; but some of Dugald's old friends became Mr. Campbell's early friends, and brought the spell of the seraphic Celt upon his spirit, by quoting Kinloch-Ranach oracles. I Oh what mischief has the tongue occa- have always ascribed his keen sense of sioned! Truly, "the tongue can no man the graphic and glowing sublimity of the tame," Jas. iii. 8. What terrible conse- Scriptures to Dugald Buchanan, rather quences have followed anger. "He that than to Dr. Blair or Bishop Lowth. He hath no rule over his own spirit is like a knew their works well, but he knew the city that is broken down, and without following criticisms long before. A genwalls," Prov. xxv. 28. Again and again, tleman invited Dugald to see a fine paintno doubt, T. has read the words, "Being by one of the old masters. not hasty in thy spirit to be angry," Eccl. vii. 9, and Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: and be ye kind one to another," Eph. iv. 31; and yet he has allowed his temper to burst forth as a flood: so that he has either said or done that which has fallen like scalding oil on another's heart, and which is now a cause of deep affliction to his own. If C. N. J. is wise, he will not absent himself as a fugitive, fostering resentment; but rather forgive the offence committed against him, and proffer the hand of fellowship to the offender. The wounds inflicted by passion are often difficult to heal; and judging by the earnestness of T., he has great doubts whether his trespass will be passed over. Well would it be, did we all of us heed more the exhortation, "If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men," Rom. xii. 18. Having thus far proceeded, it will be needless to prosecute the subject farther. Different readers will attach different meanings to the paragraphs quoted; and many will, perhaps, give shrewder guesses than mine as to their real signification. A public journal is an epitome of life, an abridged account of every-day human affairs; and the mysterious advertisements which appear in its columns, constitute one of its peculiarities. The quotations we have given, and the comments we have made thereon, may draw the attention of many to the subject, and examining it, Dugald invited the gentleman to see a much finer one at his cottage. The invitation was accepted; for no one could suspect Dugald of pretence or trifling, he was so modest, as well as shrewd. Accordingly, he took down his Bible, and placed before the laird that apocalyptic vision, “The angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, and sware by Him that liveth for ever and ever, that there should be time no more,' "Rev. x. 5, 6. "Could anything be more sublime?" Mr. Campbell was wont to ask with triumph. Dugald spent a winter in Edinburgh once, whilst the Gaelic Scriptures were printing under his superintendence. Then he saw Shakspeare for the first time, and attended lectures in the University. A critic quoted to him the passage— "The cloud-capt towers, the gorgeous palaces, and asked if there was anything to equal SCRIPTURE ILLUSTRATION. DOWRY AND GIFT. "Ask me never so much dowry and gift, and I will give according as ye shall say unto me: but give me the damsel to wife," Gen. xxxiv. 12. THE word used in this and other passages for "dower,' comes from a root signifying to hasten: the Chinese term "ping," which denotes presents sent to the parents of a damsel, is also derived from a root which has precisely the same meaning. In China, as in patriarchal times, the daughter is at the disposal of the father, and he bestows her on whom he pleases. Hence the youth who falls in love with a young woman, whom accident has brought to his notice, resorts not to the ordinary forms of courtship merely to win her affection; but endea- | vours to secure the good-will of the parents by suitable gifts. Among the upper classes the lover who is anxious to secure the object of his attachment, sends a kind of ambassador, with such presents as his circumstances can afford, and thus he hopes to hasten the consent of the parent. It often happens, however, that the young men and the young women are both passive in a transaction of so much importance to their future happiness, and the parents settle the choice of a wife and a husband with all the other matters which pertain to the arrangement. In this case, the father of the son sends the presents, which bear some proportion to his means, and a still greater proportion to the anxiety he feels to bring about the union. The ambition of parents is often displayed on such occasions, and they are willing to be unusually liberal in order that they may form an honourable con nexion. A variety of selfish feelings exert an influence over the motives of choice and agreement, and a far greater regard is had to the interest of father and mother, than to the happiness of son and daughter. A boundless liberality in of fering gifts is not unfrequently connected with sordid views; and though the damsel only is mentioned in the contract, a hundred things, perchance, are looked for as parts of the bargain. All this agrees very well with what we are told concerning Hamor and his son. The latter had set his heart upon the daughter of Jacob, and, doubtless, was very sincere in his attachment, and spoke truly when he said to him and his sons, "Let me find grace in your eyes, and what ye shall say unto me I will give," Gen. xxxiv. 11. And the former, out In some instances, the value set upon females of rank and great personal charms has introduced a very disgraceful practice. To keep many of the Tartar princes in a state of subordination to the Chinese authorities, princesses and the daughters of grandees are given to them for wives. The Chinese, who think highly of their countrywomen, regard this in the same light in which we have characterised it, as a disgraceful and humiliating practice, and only attempt to apologise by using the Chinaman's plea, "inexorable necessity." Among the lower ranks of society, this "dowry" assumes the form of a price; and hence a young man is obliged to labour not only for money to furnish his house, and defray the expenses of the wedding, but also for a sum to purchase a bride. The sum varies, but a case is in the recollection of the writer, where a young man of mean appearance had paid thirty dollars for the woman, whom he had lately married. The value he set upon her seemed to bear a ratio to the price, for he took every call of duty or courtesy with an ill grace which severed him a moment from her society. What effect this mode of procuring a wife may have upon future happiness, it would not be safe to conjecture. We know, however, that in China wives are affectionate companions and useful helpmeets, which indicates that they are not treated unworthily. G. T. L. 1 WATERFALLS. RIVERS, the sources of which lie among mountains, are subject to sudden descents, forming rapids, cascades, and cataracts. Rapids are caused by the greater inclination or slope of the bed of the river, in consequence of which the water rushes down into that particular part, sometimes with fearful velocity. Cascades and cataracts are produced by water precipitating itself from a ledge or mass of rock, with a descent which is nearly or quite perpendicular. The most impetuous of these are called cataracts; the more gentle are termed cascades. England, which does not boast of waterfalls vying with those of countries far more mountainous, has some cascades in Cumberland, Westmoreland, Durham, Yorkshire, and Devonshire, which are very picturesque and beautiful. The falls of the Cayne and the Mawddach, in Merionethshire, are entitled to the same description. Scotland has some magnificent waterfalls, of which the most OCTOBER, 1843. stupendous is that of Glomach, in the county of Ross. In Ireland, the fall of Powerscourt, in the county of Wicklow, is attractive, and not a little remarkable for the beauty of the surrounding scenery. Among the most celebrated waterfalls of Europe are the cataracts of the Dahl, in Sweden; of the Rhine, near Schaffhausen; of Tivoli and Terni, in Italy; and of the Staubbach, in Switzerland. The fall of the Aar, the most considerable river in that country after the Rhone and the Rhine, is also deserving of notice; and of this an engraving is now given. The spectator of such objects, and those who read descriptions of them, may well be led to consider that great and glorious Being whose power they so strikingly manifest. "Great and marvellous are thy works, O Lord God Almighty. Happy, thrice happy are they, whose privilege it is, through an interest in the mediation of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, to look to thy power for their 2 F defence the power which shall at last bring destruction on the ungodly." REASON AND INSTINCT. No. I. PLACED upon the surface of this globe; exposed to all the "skyey influences;' dependent for the continuance of life upon the ever-recurring act of obtaining food, upon the adoption of means as a protection against the assaults of enemies, upon the avoidance of cold too intense to be endured, of heat too great for the vital energies of the system to bear with impunity, man and the animals below him stand in the like condition. They are alike subject to the incursion of all the ills "which flesh is heir te,” and at last to death. In the operations offensive, defensive, and preservative, on the one part, of man-on the other part, of the lower races, we recognise the agency of two principles, reason and instinct. We cannot agree with some, that reason and instinct are merely variations in degree of the same principle; nor with others, that no definite ideas attach to the term instinct, which, as they pretend, like many other words, resembles a parcel apparently well-filled, but which, on being opened, is found to contain nothing. On the contrary, instinct appears not only to differ intrinsically from reason, but is so far from being a mere sound, a cloak for something of which we have no definite idea, that it is replete with meaning. It supposes innate knowledge and innate rules of guidance, irrespective of personal experience or the experience of others, impelling to various acts which conduce to given ends, are undertaken | without either retrospection or anticipation of the future, and which are conducted without any reflection upon the relationship between cause and effect. Suppose, for instance, and the case is not problematical, a region in which the winter is very severe, and the country locked up with snow during its continu the end proposed, they have not succeeded equal to his expectations: he sees where his judgment has been erroneous, he finds that some points have been neglected or overlooked, or that contingencies have arisen of which he has had no previous experience. Thus, rendered wiser, he remedies these errors, and makes better provision against the next expected crisis. Now let us fancy one of the lower animals in the same situation. We will take the beaver. It also prepares against the winter; it erects a solid dwelling above the dam which it has constructed with great labour across the river, so as to secure a deep body of water; it takes care that the opening of its dwelling shall be sufficiently deep beneath the surface of the water, so as not to be ice-locked, when the frost has solidified the surface; it likewise amasses a store of food, such as the branches and twigs of trees, which it piles up near the entrance of the dwelling, in the water, in order to be easily accessible; and thus it makes ready its retreat. But is there any reasoning process in all this? Has it gained its lesson by experience? or does it improve by frequent trials? Not at all. It is well known that beavers have sometimes built in situations where they have been unable to procure food, and where they have consequently perished from starvation; sometimes they have fixed upon a stream which has been so swelled by the effects of a rapid thaw, as to sweep away not only their magazine of provisions, but even their habitations. Yet from these misfortunes the beaver learns no lesson; as it had nothing to learn in the first instance, so it has nothing to learn now; it is rendered neither wiser, nor more skilful, nor more provident. But why does man build his cabin, and line it well, and lay up a store of food, and prepare furry garments? Because his experience has taught him to anticipate the approach of winter, and its consequences; or, if not, he has learned them from the instructions of others, and also learned what measures are necessary to be adopted. Not so the beaver: it prepares, impelled by a master-impulse, for a season it never experienced, of which it never received information, and which it cannot anticipate; it works, not by a reference of effects to causes, but by an intuitive knowledge, limited as to its agency to a given line of proceeding. |