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times be grotesquely ornamented with feathers sticking out in various directions; she would climb the posts, and hang head downwards from the tops; flourish the sheets and blankets all over the apartment; dress the bolster up in Miss Ophelia's night clothes, and enact various scenic performances with that-singing, and whistling, and making grimaces at herself in the looking-glass; in short, as Miss Ophelia phrased it,7 “raising Cain" generally.

On one occasion Miss Ophelia found Topsy with her very best scarlet India Canton crape shawl wound round her head for a turban,10 going on with her rehearsals before the looking-glass in great style Miss Ophelia having, with carelessness most unheard of in 12 her, left the key for once13 in 14 her drawers. MRS. STOWE, "Uncle Tom's Cabin."

THE POETRY OF MRS. HEMANS.

We think the poetry of Mrs. Hemans a fine exemplification 15 of female poetry 16-and we think it has much of the perfection which we have ventured to ascribe to the happier productions of female genius.

It may not be the best imaginable poetry, and may not indicate the very highest or most command

1 Till it would sometimes be, au point d'être parfois-2 sticking out, qui se dressaient-3 she would climb the posts, elle grimpait aux colonnes du lit flourish, elle lançait—5_all_over........, d'un bout de ...........à l'autre—6 and enact various scenic performances with that, et représentait avec cela diverses scènes dramatiques-7 as Miss O. phrased it, suivant l'expression de Miss O.-8 on one occasion, un jour 9 wound, roulé-10 for a turban, en guise de turban-11 going on with her rehearsals......in great style, en grande représentation...... -12 in, chez-13 for once, une fois par basard-14 in, sur.

15 A fine exemplification, est un beau modèle-16 female poetry, poësie de la femme-17 it may not be, il se peut que ce ne soit pas.

ing genius; but it embraces a great deal of that which gives the very best poetry its chief power of pleasing; and would strike us, perhaps, as more impassioned and exalted, if it were not regulated and harmonized by the most beautiful taste.

It is infinitely sweet, elegant, and tender-touching, perhaps, and contemplative, rather than vehement and overpowering; and not only finished throughout with an exquisite delicacy, and even serenity of execution, but informed with3 a purity and loftiness of feeling, and a certain sober and humble tone of indulgence and piety, which must satisfy all judgments, and allay the apprehensions of those who are most afraid of the passionate exaggerations of poetry. The diction is always beautiful, harmonious, and free -and the themes, though of infinite variety, uniformly treated with a grace, originality, and judgment, which mark the same master-hand.5 These themes she has borrowed, with the peculiar interest and imagery that belong to them, from the legends of different nations, and the most opposite states of society; and has contrived to retain much of what is interesting and peculiar in each of them, without adopting, along with it, any of the revolting and extravagant excesses which may characterise the taste or manners of the people, or the age from which it has been derived. She has thus transfused 10 into her

6

1 Its chief power of pleasing, son principal charme-2 the most beautiful, le plus exquis-3 informed with, elle est revètue de-4 judgments, esprits-5 master-hand, main de maître-6 she has borrowed, elle les a empruntés-7 from, à-8 and has contrived, etc......what is, et elle a réussi à conserver en grande partie ce qu'il y a de-9 along with it, en même temps-10 she has thus transfused, c'est ainsi qu'elle a fait passer.

German or Scandinavian legends the imaginative and daring tone of the originals, without the mystical exaggerations of the one, or the painful fierceness and coarseness of the other-she has preserved the clearness and elegance of the French, without their coldness or affectation--and the tenderness and simplicity of the early Italians, without their diffuseness or languor. Though occasionally expatiating somewhat fondly and at large amongst the sweets of her own planting,' there is, on the whole, a great condensation and brevity in most of her pieces, and, almost without exception, a most judicious and vigorous conclusion. The great merit, however, of her poetry, is undoubtedly in its tenderness and beautiful imagery.

LORD JEFFREY.

5

THE OLD POSTAGE.

Mr. Rowland Hill, when a young man,3 was walking through the Lake district, when he one day saw the postman deliver a letter to a woman at a cottage door. The woman turned it over and examined it, and then returned it, saying she could not pay the postage, which was a shilling. Hearing that the letter was from her brother, Mr. Hill paid the postage, in spite of the manifest unwillingness of the woman. As soon as the postman was out of sight, she showed Mr. Hill how his money had been wasted,

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1 Though, etc......planting, bien que s'arrêtant parfois avec une certaine prédilection et un certain laissez-aller parmi les beautés de sa propre création-2 on the whole, à tout prendre.

3 When a young man, dans sa jeunesse was walking through the Lake district, parcourait à pied le district des Lacs-5 and then, puisa, d'un- how, comme quoi.

as far as she was concerned. The sheet was blank. There was an agreement between her brother and herself, that as long as all went well with him,3 he should send a blank sheet in this way once a quarter,1 4 and she thus had tidings of him without expense of postage.

Most people would have remembered this incident as a curious story to tell; but Mr. Hill's was a mind which wakened up at once to a sense of the significance of the fact. There must be something wrong? in a system which drove a brother and sister to cheating, in order to gratify their desire to hear of one another's welfare. It was easy enough in those days for any one whose attention was turned towards the subject, to collect a mass of anecdotes of such cheating. Parents and children, brothers and sisters, lovers and friends, must have tidings of each other,10 where there is any possibility of obtaining them ;11 and those who had not shillings to spend in postage -who could no more spend shillings in postage than the class above them could spend hundreds of pounds on 12 pictures-would resort to any device 13 of communication, without thinking there was any harm in such cheating,14 because no money was kept back from

1 As far as she was concerned, en ce qui la concernait-2 there was an agreement, il était convenu-3 as long as all went well with kim, tant qu'il irait bien- once a quarter, une fois tous les trois mois-5 tidings of him, de ses nouvelles-6 but, etc.......of the fact, mais M. Hill était homme à saisir immédiatement toute la portée d'un pareil fait- there must be something wrong, il devait y avoir quelque chose de vicieux-8 to hear of one another's welfare, de se communiquer leurs bonnes nouvelles-9 in those days, dans ces temps-là-10 of each other, les uns des autres- any, etc......them, la moindre possibilité d'en obtenir-12 any device, n'importe quel moyen-14 there was any harm in such cheating, qu'il y eût le

moindre mal à tromper ainsi.

on, en--13

Government1 which could have been paid.

There was curious dotting in newspapers, by which messages might be spelled out. Newspapers being

franked by writing on the covers the names of members of parliament, a set of signals was arranged by which the names selected were made to serve as a bulletin.3 Men of business so wrote letters as that several might go on one sheet, which was to be cut up and distributed. The smuggling of letters by carriers was enormous.

We look back now with a sort of amazed compassion to the old crusading times, when warriorhusbands and their wives, grey-headed parents and their brave sons, parted with the knowledge that it must be months or years before they could hear even of one another's existence. We wonder how they bore the depth 10 of silence. And we feel the samell now about the families of the Polar voyagers. But, till a dozen years ago,12 it did not occur to many of us how like this was the fate 13 of the largest classes in our own country. The fact is, there was no full and free epistolary intercourse in the country, except between those who had the command of franks 14

1 No money, etc.......government, le gouvernement ne se trouvait frustré d'aucune somme d'argent-2 there was, etc.......by which, les journaux étaient curieusement marqués de points, au moyen desquels

3 were made to serve as a bulletin, servaient de bulletin which was to be, qui devait être we look back, etc......times, when, nous sommes saisis de pitié et d'étonnement aujourd'hui lorsque nous nous reportons à ce temps des croisades, où-6 warrior-husbands, des guerriers--7 with the knowledge that it must be, sachant bien qu'il devait s'écouler8 before, etc......existence, avant qu'ils pussent se donner réciproquement le moindre signe de vie-9 we wonder, nous nous demandons10 depth, poids-11 we feel the same, nous éprouvons le même sentiment 12 till a dozen years ago, il n'y a qu'une douzaine d'années-13 it did not, etc......the fate, bien peu d'entre nous songeaient jusqu'à quel point c'était précisément là le sort-14 who had the command of franks, qui avaient leurs ports francs.