place. They encountered a severe storm, and crossed the Papillon many years discovered, of from five to twenty miles wide, and eighty river with difficulty; reaching the Elkhorn, and after travelling miles long, renders the journey through these mountains comten miles up its banks, encamped for the night. On the follow-paratively easy. Cold winds from the snow-topped hills denote the ing day they met two American traders with a small caravan change of the atmosphere. The mountains are indeed rocky mounreturning to the States, when mutual exchanges of friendship tains. They are rocks heaped upon rocks, with no vegetation exceptpassed between them. They had now the land of the Otoes on the ing a few cedars growing out of the crevices near their base. Their east, and the Pawnees' on the west, a most luxuriant and inviting tops are covered with perpetual snow, the highest being 18,000 country; the latitude high enough to be healthy, and holding out feet above the level of the sea. Here the author observes, from every inducement to cultivation. Grass grows of many species, the levelness of this valley, that there would be no difficulty of and numerous and beautiful flowering plants, especially the rose, constructing a railroad from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean; and which is found of almost every hue. Shall solitude reign there probably the time may not be far distant when trips will be made till the end of time? or at some future period shall the din of across the continent, as they have been made to the Niagara falls! business be heard, and the sound of the church-going bell? It is Emerging from the mountains, having passed Big Sandy river, plain that the Indians, under their present circumstances, will never they came to Green river, a branch of the Colorado, in lat. 42°, multiply and fill this land. To effect this, they must be brought where the caravan held their rendezvous. The Fur Company under the influence of civilisation and Christianity. men in and about the mountains here deposit their furs, and take fresh supplies for the coming year. Parties from four different nations of Indians were at this time assembled there for the purpose of traffic. While at this place, Dr. Whitman performed several surgical operations, such as extracting iron arrows, which excited much amazement among the Indians. They had an interesting interview with several of the chiefs relative to the object of their appointment. The Nez Percé and Flathead Indians present a promising field for missionary labour. This they fixed on as a missionary station; and that another year might not elapse, Dr. Whitman determined to return with the caravan to carry this purpose into effect. Meanwhile, Mr. Parker procured a voyageur who understood a little of English, and the Indian chiefs selected one of their principal young men to convoy him to Fort Walla-Walla on the Columbia river. They proceeded over the rolling prairie to the Loups fork of the Platte, passed the village of the Tapage and Republican Pawnee Indians. Big Ax, the chief, received them with great kindness, and as they were starting on their summer hunt in the same track, the tribe accompanied the caravan for some days. The travellers having as yet no interpreter, were unable to avail themselves of many opportunities of ascertaining correctly the ideas of these Indians on religious subjects. Their provision, which had hitherto been but bacon and boiled corn, being now reduced to corn only, the appearance of buffalo (properly bison) spread cheerfulness among them, and for some time they had an abundant supply of excellent meat. Proceeding up the north fork of the Platte, the change of vegetation, the appearance of different birds, &c., indicate a higher region of country. Rocks begin to appear, yet they are far from the Rocky Mountains. Buffaloes, antelopes, elks, &c. now abound in great numbers. Though Mr. Parker does not describe a buffalo chase with the zest of Washington Irving, he nevertheless has a peril to record. Seeing the men chasing and shooting, he was roused: "I do not," he says, "feel authorised to sport with animal life, but I thought it not improper to try my horse in the chase. He ran very swiftly, was not at all afraid, and would have run into the midst of them, had I not held him in check. He appeared to enjoy the sport. I shot one through the shoulders, which had received a wound, which must have been fatal." Mr. Parker ignorantly incurred some danger: for he dismounted to take aim, and had the wounded beast risen and rushed upon him, he could not have mounted in time to escape. On the 25th, they fell in with a large party of friendly Ogallalahs, and went with them to their main village, consisting of more than 2000 persons. These villages are not stationary, but move from place to place. They were now going to the Black Hills for the purpose of trading. On Sunday, 26th, they encamped near Larama's fork in the Black Hills, and spent the day in reading and devotion. On this as on former occasions, the author laments his inability to converse with the Indians, especially as their general intelligence and keen observation warranted an opinion that they were desirous of information. The minds of these Indians are above the ordinary stamp, and the forms of their persons are fine; many of them are "nature's grenadiers." The women also are well formed; their voices soft and expressive, and their movements graceful. It was agreeably surprising to see tall young chiefs, well dressed in their mode, leading by the arm their ladies; in decency and politeness they differ from those on the frontiers who have had intercourse with bad white men, and who have had access to whiskey. On the 30th, they met in council with the chiefs, when the object of the tour was laid before them. They expressed much satisfaction with the proposal, and said they would do all they could to make missionaries comfortable. There can be no doubt that the community of the Sioux would be a profitable field for labourers. Arrived at the Fort of the Black Hills. Aug. 1.-The next point is across the Rocky Mountains, where the general rendezvous is held. The waggons were now abandoned, and their stores packed upon mules. The geology of those regions now becomes more interesting;-herbage is scanty, and the mineral kingdom discloses many of its varieties-granite, anthracite coal, iron ore, semi-transparent green serpentine, fine yellow sandstone, are to be found, besides the appearance of volcanic eruption. The strong and ferocious grisly bear, the terror of travellers, and a match for the most powerful buffalo, is here an inhabitant. Passing over to the Sweet Water, a branch of the Platte, on the 6th, they encamp near Rock Independence, the beginning of that stupendous chain of mountains which divides North America. A valley not Aug. 22.-The two travellers parted; one to return to the States, and the other to pursue his route, which was now by the Trois Tetons, three very high mountains separated from the main chain; thence to Salmon river. The scenery is wild, and in many places sublime. Mountains of rock almost perpendicular shoot forth their heads. Great diversity of strata occurs: grey wacke, magnesian limestone, and brown gypsum, prevail; under the bed of the latter is a sulphur spring, sending up about thirty gallons per minute. Norway pine, balsam fir, double spruce, and common poplar, abound; and flax grows here spontaneously, and is perennial, of which the Indians make their nets. The fatigues of travelling were made light by the exceeding kindness of the Indians, who more than anticipated the travellers' wishes. On the 25th, they encamped at a place called Jackson's Large Hole, and recruited for some days. This place is well watered by a branch of the Snake river and Lewis's river, which last is the outlet of Jackson's lake. Springs of uncommon clearness issue from the surrounding mountains. The vale is well supplied with grass, and the horses and mules were com. pensated for past deprivations. The mountains are covered with wood, while the distance presents the appearance of an immensely large bank of snow, or luminous clouds skirting the horizon. The solitude of these hills and dales will one day be lost in the lowing of herds and bleating of flocks, and the incense of prayer and praise ascend from many altars. On the 31st, passed a volcanic chasm of several miles extent, found lava, volcanic glass, and vitrified stones. Receding from the mountains, the climate becomes warmer, and the way is now through great diversity of soil. Cross Henry's fork. In Coté's defile, they met a band of Nez Percés, and were saluted most kindly by their head chief. At a meeting of the chiefs, and as many as one of the lodges would contain, the object of the mission was explained, which gave them all great joy. On Sunday the 6th, a good interpreter having arrived from Fort Hall, public worship was observed, and between 400 and 500 assembled in an orderly manner, and behaved with great circumspection. Oct. 3.-No rain had fallen since the 18th July. The water on this side the Rocky Mountains is excellent, and no country can possess a climate more conducive to health. On the Walla-Walla river there is yellow pine cotton wood and willows, and various kinds of shrubbery. Prairie hens and avosets, robins, and other small birds, are plentiful, and crows are everywhere to be seen, and are remarkably tame. Oct. 14, brought them to the Fort of Walla-Walla, and to the enjoyment of civilised society. This settlement is on the south side of the Columbia river, in lat. 46° 2′, long. 119° 30'. The establishment have necessaries, and many have the conveniences of life. They have cows, hogs, fowls, &c; and grow corn, potatoes, and garden vegetables. Salmon and other fish are abundant. They keep dry goods and hardware for barter with the Indians. The journey hither took six months and twenty-three days. Oct. 8.-The next destination was to Fort Vancouver, 200 miles down the Columbia, and having settled with and discharged the interpreter and Indians, bargained with three of the Walla-Walla tribe to proceed with a canoe. The passage down this river is exceedingly interesting, exhibiting great variety of country, through volcanic mountains, basaltic rocks, fertile valleys, woods, hills and level plains. In this river, which is in some places three miles wide, are several islands capable of bearing good crops. Along its banks the Cayuse, Chenooks, Nez Percés, and other tribes, live in harmony, without feuds or jealousies; which speaks much in favour of their kind and peaceable dispositions, affording another proof of what might be effected by missionary enterprise. Passing Bront Island, Pillar Rock, and the Falls, the tide and the appearance of water-fowl proclaim the approach to the Pacific Ocean. At the lower part of the La Dalles, they found a captain from Boston, with a small company of men, going up the river to Fort Hall. He was an intelligent sociable man, and had the charge of the business of a company formed in Boston, for salmon fishing on the Columbia, and for trade and trapping in the region of the mountains. Some extraordinary phenomena occur in this river. Thousands of trees may be seen standing in their natural position in the river in places where the water is above twenty feet deep, and rising to high or freshet water-mark, which is fifteen feet above the low water. The water being clear, their spreading roots are to be seen in the same condition as when standing in their natural forest, and so numerous are they in many places as to be an obstruction to the canoes. Must not this subsidence have been of recent date? The upheaving of the La Dalles or volcanic rocks, and the many basaltic and other formations on this river, are also subjects of sublime contemplation. Here literally it may be said, the valleys are being exalted, the mountains laid low, and waters spring up in the desert. Seven months and two days had now expired, the fifty-six last days with Indians only. No absolute deprivation of food had been suffered, yet the arrival at Fort Vancouver, and the hospitable attentions of the chief superintendant of that station of the Fur Company, were hailed with grateful consideration. Fort Vancouver is on the north side of the Columbia, on a prairie surrounded with dense woods, interspersed with fertile plains. It is in N. lat. 45° 37', long. 122° 50' West from Greenwich; 100 miles from the Pacific Ocean. About 100 white men form the establishment. Oct. 17th.-Anxious to visit the Pacific, and return to Vancouver before the rainy season should set in, and having the opportunity of the Boston brig, after one night's rest, Mr. Parker left for St George (Astoria) ninety miles below, and near the confluence of the Columbia with the Pacific. Coffin rock, Deer island, Watapoo island, the mouth of Conalitz river, and Gray's bay, are objects of attraction. Soon the Pacific Ocean opened to the view. "This boundary of the far west," says Mr. Parker, ". to me an object of great interest; and when I looked upon the dark rolling waves, and reflected upon the vast expanse of five thousand miles, without an intervening island until you arrive at the Japan coast, a stretch of thought was required like contemplating infinity, which can measure only by succession its exhaustion and sublimity. Like the vanishing lines of prospect, so is contemplation lost in this extent of ocean." was On this mountainous and iron-bound coast are some tracts of good land; but the country is for the most part covered with the most heavy and dense forest of any part of America. After spending some days at Fort George, which is but a small establishment, where a little business is done with the few remaining Indians, and the winter approaching, the invitation to spend that season at Vancouver was accepted by Mr. Parker, and the return thither was accomplished by the 30th of October. Here Mr. Parker had the opportunity of observing the character and condition of the Indians, from distant and different parts of the country; and of forming an opinion which course was best to pursue. The settlement christianized, the concomitant expansive benevolence exerted and diffused, then this place would be a centre from which divine light would shine out and illumine this region of darkness. In the society of gentlemen, enlightened, polished, and sociable, the missionary is furnished with every convenience that he desires. This establishment was commenced in 1824. In 1835 they had 450 neat cattle, 100 horses, 200 sheep, 40 goats, and 300 hogs. In the same year they raised 500 bushels of wheat, 1300 bushels of potatoes, 1000 of barley, 1000 of oats, 2000 of peas, and a great variety of garden vegetables. Fruit, such as apples, peaches, grapes, and strawberries grow, in plenty. Figs, oranges, and lemons, have also been introduced, and grow, with about the same care as in the latitude of Philadelphia; they have a flour and saw-mill, a bakery, shops for blacksmiths, joiners, and carpenters, and a tinner; also an hospital, into which Indians are received. It is estimated that there are 9,000 white men in the north and in the great west, engaged in trading, trapping, and hunting; and from correct data, it appears recruits, to the amount of one third, are annually required; yet hundreds are willing to expose themselves to hardships, famine, dangers, and death. Dec. 25.-The holidays are not forgotten in these far distant regions. From Christmas till the New-year all labour is suspended, and a general time of indulgence and festivity commences. In the far regions beyond the mountains, besides the buffalo, the elk, and the antelope, the big-horn sheep, the white, grisly, brown, and black bear; are to be found also, the racoon, otter, badger, fox, weasel, wolves, wolverins, hares, hedgehogs, squirrels, &c. It is hardly necessary to say that the beaver, so noted for its valuable fur, for its activity and perseverance, its social habits, its sagacity and skill in constructing its village, and preparing its neat and comfortable dwelling, is an inhabitant of this country. In the Columbia are to be found salmon, sturgeon, anchovy, rockcod, and trout. On the coast the hart, seal, and the sca-otter, are numerous. The Indians of the plain live in the upper country, from the falls of the Columbia to the Rocky Mountains, the principal tribes of which are, the Nez Percés, Cayuses, Walla-Wallas, Bonax, Shoshones, Spokeins, Flatheads, Coeur de Lions, Ponderas, Cootanies, Kettlefalls, Okanagans, and Carriers. The men are tall, and both sexes are well formed; their hair and eyes are black, their cheek-bones high, their hands, feet, and ancles are small, and their movements are easy and graceful. Their dress is a shirt, worn over long close leggings, with mocassins for their feet, over which they wear a buffalo robe. They are fond of ornaments, and paint their faces with vermilion, &c. Their horses, which are their greatest wealth, they likewise decorate with gaudy trappings. Some chiefs own several hundred, and the poorest have one for each member of their family at least. For subsistence they of necessity depend on hunting and fishing, and gathering roots and berries. Their cookery is simple, and most of their food is roasted. The habits of the Indians are said to be indolent. As a general remark, it may be true; yet there is little to confirm it among the Indians of the plain. In general characteristics there is no difference between them and other nations. As a part of the human family they have the same natural propensities, and the same social affections. They are cheerful, and often gay, sociable, kind, and affectionate; and anxious to receive instruction in whatever may conduce to their happiness here or hereafter. Their manufactures are few and simple, not 'extending much beyond dressing skins for clothing, making bows and arrows, and some few articles of furniture. Their cooking utensils are mostly obtained from traders. Their canoes and fishing-nets are constructed with great labour and patience. In religion, they believe in one Great Spirit, in the immortality of the soul, and in future rewards and punishments; their definite ideas of a religious nature, however, are extremely limited. The Indians west of the great chain of mountains are averse to war, and only act on the defensive, when attacked by the Blackfeet tribe; whose country is along the east border of the Rocky Mountains, who rove about in war parties in quest of plunder. The Indians are not without their vices. Gambling is the most prominent, and is a ruling passion. It is much practised in horse and foot races. They have some games of chance, played with sticks or bones. Drunkenness is no vice of these Indians. The expense of transporting ardent spirit happily keeps back its introduction. Their moral disposition is very commendable. They are kind to strangers, and remarkably so to each other, and are of happy tempers. They manifest an uncommon desire to be instructed, that they may obey and fulfil all moral obligations. They are scrupulously honest in all their dealings, and lying is scarcely known. Having no education, they are ignorant of all the sciences; but in hunting, war, and in their domestic concerns, they manifest observation, skill, and intellect. Their arithmetic is entirely mental. They count with different words up to ten, then by tens to one hundred, and so on to a thousand by hundreds. They reckon their years by snows, their months by moons, and their days by sleeps. have flexible sweet-toned voices. They are fond of singing, and The Indians of the lower country are those between the shores of the Pacific and the falls of the Columbia river, and from Paget's Sound to Upper California. The principal nations are the Chenooks, the Klicatats, the Callapooahs, and the Umbaquâs, who are divided into many tribes. Each nation has its principal chief. They are rather below the middle stature, not so well formed as those of the upper country, and their women are uncouth. They have less sensibility, physical and moral, and are as degraded as those on the frontier of the States, and from the same causes. By their intercourse with those who furnish them with the means of intoxication, and who have introduced kindred vices, they have become indolent and filthy in their habits. They do not dress so well nor with as good taste as those of the upper country. Their religious belief does not materially differ. Among their vices they carry gambling to perfection. After they have lost everything they possess, they stake themselves: first a hand, then the other, an arm, and in the same manner, piece by piece, the whole body, and at last the head; and if they lose this, they go into perpetual slavery. It is only in the lower country of the Oregon territory, and along the coast, that slavery exists. Smoking is a universal indulgence amongst them. Although less anxious than the upper, the lower Indians yet express a readiness to receive instruction. Their wealth is estimated by the number of their wives, slaves, and canoes. Their manufactures are nearly the same as those of the upper Indians, with the addition of hats and baskets, of uncommonly good workmanship, made of grass equal to the Leghorn. The government of the Indian nations is in the hands of chiefs, whose office is hereditary, or obtained by special merit. Their only power is influence, and this is in proportion to their benevolence, wisdom, and courage. March 1.-There are now indications of spring. The mildness of the climate, and the soft temperature of the season west of the mountains, render it one of the most delightful portions of the American continent. The farming establishment of Fort Vancouver has commenced the cultivation of their spring crops; the gardener is preparing his ground for the seeds. The robin and the blackbird resume their cheerful warblings in the fields and groves. During the winter the thermometer has not fallen below 22 degrees of Fahrenheit, and to this point only for three days. At this date it stood at sunrise 37 degrees; noon 46; and at sunset 44. In the course of the winter Mr. Parker's time was devoted to the moral and religious improvement of the inhabitants at the Fort, and of the Indians in the vicinity, and in collecting information relative to the object of his tour. April 14. The season being now favourable, he prepared for his return. Having exchanged farewells with his friends, for whose liberal and generous conduct towards him he records his grateful acknowledgments, he took his passage in the canoe of an Indian chief, and arrived at Walla-Walla, after a severe struggle against the winds and the currents of the river, but without accident. He stopped here a fortnight, improving the opportunity among the Indians, visiting the perpendicular walls, 300 feet high, through which the Columbia descends, and such other of the singular formations with which this country abounds as the time would admit. On the 9th of May he recommenced his journey, and pursued the same course as he came last autumn. Having been several months where the Indians of the lower country came daily under his observation, the contrast between them and the natives of the upper country is very noticeable. The former are more servile and abject, both in their manners and spirit; while the latter are truly dignified and respectable in their manners and general appearance, far less enslaved to their appetites, or to those vices whose inevitable tendency is to degrade. They know enough to set some estimate upon character, and have much of the proud independence of freemen; and are desirous of possessing a consequence in the estimation of other people, and for this reason, no doubt, wish to be taught, and they receive any instruction for their benefit with remarkable docility. The Columbia is the only river of magnitude in the Oregon territory, and is navigable for ships only 130 miles to the cascades; and it is the only one which affords a harbour for large ships on the coast from California to the 49th degree of North latitude. For bateaux and light craft the Columbia and its branches are navigable a thousand miles. Mr. Parker having explored the most important parts of the territory, and gained all the information within his reach; having ascertained the practicability of penetrating with safety any, and every, portion of the vast interior, and the disposition of the natives in regard to his mission among them, he bethought him of the most expeditious mode of returning. He availed himself of the offer of a passage in one of the Hudson's Bay Company's ships, to proceed to Oahu in the Sandwich Islands, hoping that a speedy opportunity would present to return to the United States. This voyage, of 2500 miles, was performed in 16 days. He was detained in the Sandwich Islands from July to December, when engaging a passage for New London, he set sail, made land on the 17th of May, and on the 23rd reached his home at Ithaca, New York. Mr. Parker is a determined and persevering friend of the Indians of this extensive territory, and while he strongly deprecates the parcelling out of their country by the British and American governments, he earnestly recommends them to the enlightened philanthropy of their more civilised fellow-men. The future condition of this noble race-whether or not the Indians are to pass away before the increasing power and numbers of white men-is a question which now attracts attention, and invites investigation. WALPOLE'S REASONS FOR LIKING LONDON. WE are all familiar with the fact of Johnson's extreme partiality for London, and London life. But he was far from being singular in this. The state of internal communication rendered access to the country difficult, and the want of rapid and varied intercourse rendered it extremely dull; so much so that, to a person used to the comforts concentrated in the capital, the country was but another word for something dismal and horrid. This the following extract from Walpole's Letters to Sir Horace Mann testifies; and it also shows that the "west end" of London was just beginning to spread out, and instead of an almost endless accumulation of streets and squares, houses were only scattered here and there: "Think what London would be, if the chief houses were in it, as in the cities in other countries, and not dispersed like great rarity-plums in a vast pudding of country. Well! it is a tolerable place as it is! Were I a physician, I would prescribe nothing but recipe CCCLXVdrachm. Londin. Would you know why I like London so much? Why, if the world must consist of so many fools as it does, I choose to take them in the gross, and not made into separate pills, as they are prepared in the country. Besides, there is no being alone but in a metropolis. The worst place in the world to find solitude is the country: questions grow there, and that unpleasant Christian commodity neighbours. Oh! they are all good Samaritans, and do so pour balms and nostrums upon one, if one has but the toothache, or a journey to take, that they break one's head. A journey to take—ay! they talk over the miles to you, and tell you you will be late in. My Lord Lovel says, John always goes two hours in the dark in the morning to avoid being one hour in the dark in the evening! I was pressed to set out to-day before seven: I did before nine: and here I am arrived at a quarter past five for the rest of the night! I am more convinced every day that there is not only no knowledge of the world out of a great city, but no decency, no practical society—I had almost said, not a virtue.-I will only instance in modesty, which all old Englishmen are persuaded cannot exist within the atmosphere of Middlesex." DEFINITION OF A COOK. IN the English Huswife the qualifications of a cook are thus described: "First, she must be cleanly both in body and garments; she must Mr. Parker visited Colvile, the highest post of the Hudson's Bay Company on the Columbia, about 700 miles from the Pacific. He also had an excursion in the steamboat Beaver, from Vancouver down the Columbia. The novelty of a steam-boat on the Co-have a quick eye, a curious nose, a perfect taste, and ready ear; she lumbia awakened a train of prospective reflections upon the probable changes which would take place in these remote regions in a very few years. must not be butter-fingered, sweet-toothed, nor faint-hearted; for the first will let every thing fall, the second will consume what it should increase, and the last will lose time with too much niceness." MRS. TIGHE. THIS amiable and highly gifted lady was not known to the world luring her lifetime, but her poetic character was established by the posthumous publication of her beautiful poem of "Psyche ;"a poen which displays the exquisite delicacy of thought, purity of spirit and grace of expression, so essentially those of a woman,a noble-minded and a loving woman. The nature of the subject chosen by Mrs. Tighe may to some appear questionable; to such she has herself, in a preface to a private impression circulated among her friends before her death, given an admirable exposition of her ideas. "In making choice," she says, "of the beautiful ancient allegory of 'Love and the Soul,' I had some fears lest my subject might be condemned by the frown of severe moralists; however, I hope that if such have the condescension to read through a poem, which they may perhaps think too long, they will yet do me the justice to allow, that I have only pictured innocent love, such love as the purest bosom might confess. 'Les jeunes femmes, qui ne veulent point paraître coquettes, ne doivent jamais parler de l'amour comme d'une chose où elles puissent avoir part,'* says La Rochefoucault; but I believe it is only the false refinement of the most profligate court which could give birth to such a sentiment, and that love will always be found to have had the strongest influence where the morals have been the purest." The melancholy hours of a long protracted illness were soothed by the composition of the poem, in which the trials of faithful love are portrayed in an allegory, founded on the old fable of Cupid and Psyche, as told by Apuleius. A strictly critical eye will discover some want of skill in the adaptation, and taste may be offended by the sudden change from classic to gothic imagery; but such is the charm of the fine nature which breathes a pure life throughout the poem, that these faults, and occasional weakness of expression, arising chiefly from the difficulty of fully mastering Spenserian verse, are forgotten; and in contemplation of the loveliness of Psyche, we see no imperfection in the verse which celebrates her toils: "For she was timid as the wintry flower, That, whiter than the snow it blooms among, Allegorical writing has not found much favour in recent times, and there is reason for the discouragement it has met with. It is difficult, and to judge from the examples hitherto presented to us by the very best writers, almost impossible, fully to embody the author's conceptions when this style is adopted. Inconsistencies, nay even absurdities, will force themselves in, and mar the harmony of the fable; and when the great master on whose model Mrs. Tighe moulded her tale,-when Spenser himself has so often failed, it is not surprising that his follower has sometimes stumbled. But with all its faults," Psyche is so exquisite an illustration of the purest and most enchanting feeling which it is permitted to man to experience,-a feeling too often debased,too often despised,- too often doubted and misunderstood; a feeling whose very existence many" of the earth, earthy," affect to deny; but whose influence, when rightly felt, gives us a glimpse of heaven, a glimmering view through the half open gates of paradise, that we would fain recall this exquisite poem from the oblivion into which we fear it has fallen, and would recommend it to every woman, as affording through a charming, a delightful medium, the moral lessons best calculated to ensure her happiness in that state in which alone her nature can be perfected,—in a happy marriage. "No young woman, who does not wish to be accounted a coquette, should ever speak of love as what she can possibly be interested in." "Oh, you for whom I write! whose hearts can melt The poem opens with a description of Psyche in her solitary wanderings: "Much wearied with her long and dreary way, While dear remembrance bade her ever weep, A refuge from the blast and angry tempest's power. Leaving the weary Psyche to repose on the bank, the poet relates her story up to the time at which she is introduced to us, adhering pretty closely to the fable of Apuleius. We are told how the surpassing beauty of the royal virgin raised the jealousy of the Queen of Love, who found her fanes deserted, and the homage due to her transferred to Psyche. She calls her son, and bids him to revenge her: "Deep let her drink of that dark bitter spring, Which flows so near thy bright and crystal tide, "A placid smile plays o'er each roseate lip, The dart which in his hand now trembling stood, As o'er the couch he bent with ravished eye, Drew with its daring point celestial blood From his smooth neck's unblemished ivory: Heedless of this, but with a pitying sigh The evil done, now anxious to repair, He shed in haste the balmy drops of joy O'er all the silky ringlets of her hair; Then stretched his plumes divine, and breathed celestial air." Psyche, who has been troubled with "a dream of mingled terror and delight," reveals her cares to her mother; the oracle is consulted, and it is decreed that "on nuptial couch, in nuptial vest arrayed," Psyche should be placed upon the summit of a rock, from whence she should be borne by "a winged monster of no earthly race." The oracle is obeyed, but no monster appears, and the Zephyrs waft Psyche to the Island of Pleasure : "When lo! a voice divinely sweet she hears, From unseen lips proceeds the heavenly sound; At length his bride thy longing spouse has found, Thus the day passes over the wondering Psyche's head; all her wants ministered to by unseen hands. At eve "a downy couch arose,' ," and the "hymeneal strain" is sung by heavenly voices : "The expiring lamps emit a feeble ray, And soon in fragrant death extinguished lie; When through the obscuring gloom she nought can spy, "'Tis he, 'tis my deliverer! deep imprest Upon my heart those sounds I well recall,' But, ere the breezes of the morning call While Sleep his downy wings had o'er her eye-lids spread." But "inevitable fate pursues her to the bowers of happiness," and discontent takes possession of her soul; she is troubled by the concealment of her lover, and she longs once more to behold her mother's face. Forcing, at length, from Love an unwilling consent, the Zephyrs bear her back to her father's hall. Her envious sisters plot her ruin, and persuading her that her lover is a foul magician, forced to conceal his frightful form in darkness, place a dagger and a magic ring in her yet uncertain hands, and urge her to unveil the mystery, and strike the monster dead. She complies, and returning to her isle on the gentle wings of the soft-breathing Zephyrs, proceeds to execute her fatal purpose. At night she conceals a lamp, and when "Allowed to settle on celestial eyes, Soft Sleep exulting now exerts his sway," Psyche arises, and brings forth the light: "Ah! well I ween that if with pencil true, That splendid vision could be well expressed, The fearful awe imprudent Psyche knew Would seize with rapture every wondering breast, She hangs enamoured o'er the deity. While ruin's hideous crash bursts o'er the affrighted walls.” Cupid can no longer shield her from the vengeance of Venus, and she is condemned to wander exiled from him, till she has reached the bowers of perfect happiness, and reared there an altar to the offended goddess, and on the altar placed an urn “ filled from immortal Beauty's sacred spring." In the midst of her toilsome wanderings, the poem opens. Cupid, disguised as a knight, his celestial features concealed by his helmet, now comes to her assistance; and under his guardianship she escapes the snares successively spread for her by the passions and follies which beset mankind. At length, all dangers being triumphantly overcome by the aid of Love and his attendant Constancy, she reaches the bowers of Happiness, and gains the urn of Beauty. "Scarce on the altar had she placed the urn, When lo! in whispers to the ravished ear Speaks the soft voice of Love! "Turn Psyche, turn! And see at last, released from every fear, Thy spouse, thy faithful knight, thy lover here! From his celestial brow the helmet fell, In joy's full glow, unveiled his charms appear, While in one rapturous glance their mingling souls they tell. Oh! bliss too vast for thought! by words how poorly traced !" Such is the plan of this elegant poem, and the extracts we have made will enable the reader to form some idea of the grace and tenderness of its execution. The volume contains several minor poems, all bearing traces of the delicate taste which dictated "Pysche." We would willingly quote several of these, but must rest content with one, which is all our limits will enable us to insert. A melancholy interest is attached to it ;-it was the last work of the author. ON RECEIVING A BRANCH OF MEZEREON, WHICH FLOWERED AT WOODSTOCK, DEC. 1809. "Odours of Spring, my sense ye charm With fragrance premature; And, 'mid these days of dark alarm, Methinks with purpose soft ye come To tell of brighter hours, Of May's blue skies, abundant bloom, "Alas! for me shall May in vain The powers of life restore; These eyes that weep and watch in pain No, no, this anguish cannot last! The bitterness of death were past, "But oh! in every mortal pang 1 That rends my soul from life, That soul which seems on you to hang Through each convulsive strife Even now, with agonising grasp Of terror and regret, To all in life its love would clasp |