Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Th? Cannibal s Chant. 'Twas on the shores that roc nd our coast From Deal to Ramsgate sp?n, That I found alone, en a piece of stone, An elderly naval man. His hair was weedy, his beard was long, And weedy and long was he; And I heard this wight, on the shore recite, In a Bingulur minor key: "Oh, I am a cook and a captain bold, And the mate of the Nancy brig, And a bo'sun tight, and a midshipmite, And the crew of the captain's gig." "Oh, elderly man, lt's little I know Or the duties of men of thc sea, And l'Ueat my hand, if I understand How you can possibly be "At once a cook and a captain bold, ' And the mate of the Nancy brig, And a bo'sun tight, and a midshipmite. And the crew of the captain's gig.'1 Then be gave a nltch to his trowsers, which Is a trick all seamen lam; And, having got rid of a thumping quid, He spun this painful yarn: "'Twas in the good ship Nancy Bell That we sailed to thc Indian sea, And there on thu reef we came to grier. Which has often occurred to me. "And pretty nigh all o' the crew was drowned, (There was seventy-seven sonl,) And only ten of the Nancy's men Said 'Here' to the muster roll. "There was me and the cook and the captain bold, And the mate of the Nancy brig, And the bo'sun tight, and the midshipmite, And the crew of the captain's gig. "For a month we'd neither wittles nor drink. Tin a-hungry we did feel; So we drawed a lot, and accordin' shot The captain for onr meal. < "The next lot fell to the, captain's mate, And a delicate dish ne made; Then onr appetite with the mi?shipmite, We seven survivors stayed. "And then we murdered the bo'sun tight, And he much resembled pig; Then we wlttled free, did the cook and me, On the crew of the captain's gig. "Then only the cook and me was left, And the delicate question, 'which O? ns two goes to the kettle?' arose, And we argued it ont as sich. "For I loved that cook at a brother I did, And the cook he worshipped me; Bat we'd be blowed if we'd either be stowed In the other chap's hold, yon Bee. ft T? be eat If y on dines off me,' says Tom, Tea, that,' says L 'you'll be.' Tm boiled if I die, my friend,' says I; And 'exactly so.' says he. "Says he, 'dear James, to finish me Were a foolish thing to do, For don't you see that yon can't cook me, White I can-and wUl-cook youl' "So he boils the water and takes the salt : And pepper in portions true, (Which he never forgot,) and some chopped shal? lot, And some sage and parsley too. "And he stirred lt round, and round and round, And he sniffed at the roaming froth; When I ups with his heels and smothers his san?ala In the scorn of the boiling broth. "and I eat that eook in a week or less, And-as I eating be The last of his chops, why, I almost drops, For a weasel in sight I Bee. "And I never lark, and I never smile, And I never lark nor play ; Bnt I sit and croak and a single joke I have-which ls to say : "Ob, I am a cook and a captain b.>id, And the mate of trie Nancy brig, And a bo'sun tight, and a midshipmite, And the crew of the captain's gig." MAST GRESLEY. AN EDITOR'S TALE. BT ANTHONY TB0LL0PX. L We have known many prettier girls than Mary Gresley, and many handsomer women, . bnt we never knew girl or woman girled with a face which in supplication was more suasive, U grief more sad, in mirth more merry. It was a face that compelled sympathy, and it did so with the conviction on the mind of the sympathiser that the girl was altogether un? conscious of her own power. In her inter? course with us there was, alas ! much more of sorrow than of mirth, and we may truly say, that tn her sufferings we suffered; but still tbere esme to us from our Intercourse with her much of delight mingled with the sorrow; and that delight arose, partly no doubt rum her woman's charms, from the bright eye, the beseeching mouth, the soft little hand, and toe feminine grace of her unpretending gar? ments; but chiefly, we think, from the extreme humanity of the girl. She had little, indeed none, sf that which the world calls society, hut yet she was pre-eminently social. Her troubles were very heavy, but she was making ever an unconscious effort to throw them aside, and to be Jocund In spite of their weight. She would even laugh at them, and at herself as bearing them. She was a little, fair-haired creature, with broad brow and small nose and dimpled chin, with no brightness of complex? ion, no luxuriance of hair, no swelling glory of bust and shoulders; but with a pair of eyes which, as they looked at yon, wouid be gem? med always either with a tear er with somo spark of laughter, and with a mouth in thc corners of which was ever lurking some little spark of humor, unless when some uuspoken prayer seemed to be hanging on her lips. Of woman's vanity she had absolutely none. Ol her corporeal seit, as having charms to rivet man's love, she thought no more than a dog. It was a fault with her that she lacked that finality of womanhood. To be loved was to h*er all tit? worl?; unconscious desire for the admiration of men wai fl? ?tr?ng in her as In ether women; and her instinct taii&~! her. as such Instincts do teach all women, that such love and admiration was to bc thc fruit of what feminine gifts she possessed; but the Sits On which she depended-depending on em without thinking on the matter-were her softness, her trust, her woman's weakness, and that power of supplicating by her eye without putting her petition Into words which was absolutely irresistible. Where is the man of fifty, who in the course of his life hos uot learned to love some woman simply because it has come in his way to help her, and to be good to her in her struggles.' And if added to Siat source of affection there be brightness, some spark of humor, social gifts, and a strong flavor of thal which we have ventured to cali humanity, such love may become almost a passion without the addition ol* much real beauty. H. Mary Gresley, at the time when we first knew her, was eighteen years old, and was the daughter of a medical practitioner, who had Uvea and died In a small town In one of the northern counties. For faculty In telling our story we will "call that town Cornboro'. Dr. Gresley, as he seemed to have been called, though without proper claim to the title, had been a diligent man, and fairly succcsslul, ex? cept in this, that he died before lie had been able to provide for those whom^e left behind him. The widow still had her own modest fortune, amounting to some eighty pounds a year; and that, with the furniture of her house, was her whole wealth when she found herself thus left with the weight of the world upon her shoulders. There was one other daughter older than Mary, whom we never saw, but who was always mentioned as poor Fanny. There had been no sons, and tho family con? sisted ot the mother and two girls. Mary nati been only fifteen when her father died, and up to that .'me had been re? garded quite, as a chi I by all who had Known her. Mrs. Gresley, in thc hour of her need, did os widows do iu such cases. She sought advice from her clergyman and neigh? bors, and was counselled to taite a lodger into her house. No lodger could be lound so titting as the curate, and when Mary was seventeen ?ears old, she and the curate "were engaged to e married. The curate paid thirty pounds a year for his lodgings, and on this, with lier own little income, the widow and her two daughters had managed to live. The engage? ment was kuowti to them all as soon as it had been kno.vu to Mary. The love-making, in? deed, had g ?ne <?n b neath ;he eyes ot the mother. There had been not only no deceit, no privacy, no separate interests, but, as liar as we ever knew, no question tus to prudence In the making of tile engagement. The two ?foung people'bu .1 Ue;i brought together, had oved each other, aa was bo natural, and hail become engaged as a matter ol' course. It was an event as easy to Oe foretold, or at least as easy to ht believed, as the pull? ing of two birds, from what wc heard ol this curate, the Rev. Arthur Donne-for we i never saw him-we laney ihut tie was a sim-1 plc, pious, common-place young man, i with a strong idea that in being made i he had been invested with a nobility ar some special capacity beyond that ofoth< slight In body, weak in health, but 1 true, and warm-hearted. Then, thc e ment having been completed, there ar question of matrimony. The salarv ot rate was a hundred a "year. The whole i of the vicar, an old man, was. after pa made to his curate, two hundred ?year, thc curato, in such circumstances, aft* take to himself a penniless wife of scvc Mrs. Gresley was willing that the int should take place, and they should all best they might ou their joint income vicar's wife, who seem* to have been a ! minded, sage, th nigh somewhart har man, took Mary aside, and told her thn a thing must not be. There would con: said, children and destitution and ruin knew perhaps more than Mary knew Mary told us her story, sitting opposite in the low arm-chair. It was the advice vicar's wife that thc engagement sho broken off; but that, il the'breaking of ti I gagement were impossible, there shot an indefinite period ol' waiting. Such er ments cannot be bl ikea off. Young 1 will not consent to be .'hus torn asunder, vicar's wife was too si-ong for them themselves married in her teeth, and li riod of indefinite waiting was commence III. And now for a moment we will go fn back among Mary's youthful days. Ch she seemed to be," she had in very early taken a pen in her hand. Thc reader hardly be told that had not such been UK there would not have arisen any earn friendship between her and me. We an ing an Editor's tale, and it was in our edi capacity that Mary first came to us. We her earliest attempts, in her very young she wrote-Heaven knows what; poetry no doubt; then. God help her, a tragedy; that, when the curate-influence first comn ed, tales tor thc conversion of the ungo and at last, before her engagement was a having tried her wing at fiction, in thc foi those false little dialogues between Tor Saint and Bob the Sinner, she had comp a novel in one volume. She was then st teen, was engaged lo be married, and completed her novel ! Passing her in street you would almost have taken her child to whom yon might give an orange, Hitherto her "work had come from atnbi or from a feeling of somewhat restless inspired by the curate. Now there aro her young mind the question whether talent as sne possessed might not be turn account for ways and means, and use shorten, perhaps absolutely to annihilate, uncertain period ol walting. The first r was seen by "a man of letters" in her m borhood, who pronounced it to be very clot not indeed tit as yet for publication, faul grammar, faulty even in spelling-how 11 the tear thal shone in her eye a.? she confe this delinquency ?-faulty, of course, in struction, and faulty in character-but clever. The man of letters had told her she must begin again. Unfortunate man of letters, In ba thrust upon him so terrible a task ! In i circumstances, what Is thc candid, hoi soft-hearted man of let ters to do ? "Go, and mend your stockings. Learn to ma pie. If you work hard, it may be that i day your intellect will suffice to you to re book and understand it. For the writing book that shall either interest or instrt brother human being many gifts are requl Have you just reason to believe that they I been given to you ?" That ls what the can honest man of letters says, who ls not i hearted-and in ninety-nine cases out hundred It wiil probably be the truth, soft-hearted man ol' letters remembers this case may be the hundredth: and, un the blotted manuscript submitted to hit conclusive against such possibility, he re? ciles it to his conscience to tune his counst that hope. Who can say that he is wro; Unless such evidence be conclusive, who venture to declare that this aspirant may be the one who shall succeed ? Who. In s emergency, does not remember the da which he* also was one of the limul ol' whom thc ninety-and-nine must fi -and will not remember also the m convictions on his own mind that he coital would not be the one appointed f The mai letters In the neighborhood of f'ornburo whom poor Mary's manuscript was shown \ not sufficiently hard-hearted to wake : strong attcinptto deter her. He ur no i ?renos to the easy stockings, or thc .. eso pie-pointed out ilie manifest faults . ti saw, and added-we do not doubt with JU more energy than he threw imo his words censure-his comfortable assurance thal th' was great promise in thc work. Mary Gres that evening burned thc manuscript, and gan another, with the dictionary close at I elbow. Then, during her work, Micro occurred t circumstances which brought upon her-ar indeed, upon the household to which she I longed-Intense sorrow-and greatly Increas trouble. The first of these applied more esj dally to herself. The Kev. Arthur I'on ne ti not approve of novels-of oilier novels th those dialogues between Tom and Bc of the falsehood ol' which ho was ur cc sclous-and expressed a desire that the wr lng of them should bc abandoned. How I the lover went in his attempt to enfor obedience we, of course, could not know; b he pronounced the edict, and "the edict. thouj not obeyed, created tribulation. Then the came forth another edict which had to I obeyed-an edict front the probable success* of the late Dr. Gresley, ordering the poor c rate to seek employment in some clinic mo: congenial to his state of health than that i which he was then living. He was told th; his throat and lunirs and general apparati for living, and preaching, were not Btron enough for those hyperborean springs, an that ho must seek u southern climate, li did so. and, before I became acquainted wit Mary, liad transferred his services to a sum town in Dorsetshire. The engagement, < course, was to be as valid as over, thong matrimony was to bo postponed, more lndei nltely even than heretofore. But IfMarycoul write novels and sell them, thou how gloi iou would it be to follow her lover into Dorset shire ! The Rev. Arthur Donne went, and th curate who came lu his place was a marrie man, wanting a house, and not lodgings, s Mary Gresley persevered with her second nc veL and completed it before sile was tighleen The U??roiT friend in tho neighborhood-p tile chance ol' whose fi?';""!nr.ViiO? I "Vas lu debtoa for my subsequent friendship will Mary Gresley-found this work to be a crea improvement on tho first. Ho was an elder!1 man. who had been engaged nearly all his Uti lu the conduct ol a scientific and agricultura periodical, and was the last mau whom should have taken as a sound critic on work: ol'fiction-but, with spelling, grammatical con Unction, and the composition of sentences h< was acquainted; and he assured Mary thal hui progress hud boeu great. Should "felic bun that second story ? she asked him. Site would if he so recommended, and begin another tin next day. Such was not his advice. "ibavt a friend In London," said he, "who bas to dc with such things, and yon shall go to him. i will give you a letter." He gave her tho fata lotter, and she came lo us. She came up to town with her rovel but not only with her novel, tor sin brought her mother with her. So great wa: her eloquence, so excellent her suasive powei either with her tongue or by that look ol'sup plication In her face, that*.she induced hui mother to abauiion her homo in Comoora, and trust to London lodgings. The house wai lot furnished to tho new enraie, and when J first heard ol'tho Gresley? ?hey were living on tho second floor in a small street near to thc Custon Square station. Poor Fanny, as sin. was called, was loll in some hittable borne al Cornboio, and Mary travelled up to try hoi fortune in rho grout city. When we caine tc know her well, we expressed our doubts as tc the wisdom of such a step. Ves: Gie vicar's wife had boen strong against tho move. Marj confessed as much. That lady had spoken most forcible words, had uttered lt rriblo pre? dictions, had told sundry truths. But .Marv bad prevailed, and the Jouruej was made, and tho lodgings were taken. IV. Wc cnn now como to tho day on which wo first saw her. Sbe did not write, but carno direct to in witta her manuscript in her hand. " A young woman, sir, wants to soo you,"said tho clerk, in that tone lo which wc were so well accustomed, and which indicated the dis? like which he had learned from us to tho re? ception of unknown visitors, '.Young woman ! Wnat young a ornan V" "Well, sir. she is ;k very young woman quito a girl like." "I suppose sha has gol a ramo. Who sent ber ? l cannot sec any young womau without knowing why. What does she want ?" "Gol a manuscript in ber band, .-ir." I've no doubt siio bas, und u tun of manu? script in drawers und cupboards. Tell her to write. I won't sc<- auy woman, young or old, without knowing who she is.-' 'Tho mun re? tired, nut] soy? returned aitli an envelope be? longing to i he office, on which was written, "Mis. .dary Gresley, la'e of Curuhoro." Ile also brought me a nuie from " Hie man of let? ters" down in Dorsetshire. '.!?! v.hat son is she ?" 1 asked, lookio'gat thu introduction. '.She :-.;u*t audi s as to .oofcs. raul thc clerk ; THE UJriAitJLl^? i v. "and she's modest like." Now certainly it is the fact that all female literary aspirants are not u modest, like." Wc read our friend's letter through, while poor Mary was standing at the counter below. How eagerly should we have ran to greet her, to save her from the gaze of the public, lo wel? come her at least with a chair and thc warmth of our editorial fire, had we guessed then what were her qualities ! It was not long before she knew the way up to our Banctum without any clerk to show her. and not lons before we knew well the sound ofthat low but not timid knock at our door, made always with the han? dle of the parasol, with which her advent was heralded. We will confess that there was al? ways music to our ears in that light tap from the little round wooden knob. The man of letlers in Dorsetshire", whom we had known well for many years, had been never known lo us with intimacy. We had bought with him and sold with him, had talked with him, and. perhaps, walked with him; bul he was not one with w hom we had eaten, or drunk, or prayed. A dull, welt-Instructed, honest man he was, fond ol* his money, and, as we had thought, as unlikely as any nian to be waked to en! hnsiasm by the ambitious dreams of a young girl. But Mary had been potent even over him, and he had written to me saying thal Miss Gresley was a young lady of exceeding promise, in respect ol'whom lie had a strong presentment that she would risc, if not to eminence, at least to a good position as a writer. " But she is very young," he added. Having read this letter," we al last desired our clerk to send the lady up. wc remember her step as she came to the door, timid enough then-hesitating, but yet with an assumed lightness as though she was determined to FIIOW us that she was not ashamed of what she was doing. She had on her head a light straw hat, such as then was very unusual in London-and is not now, wo believe, commonly worn in the streets ol' thc metropolis by ladies who believe themselves to Know what tiley are about. But it was a hat, worn upon her head, and not a straw plato done up with ribbons, and reaching down the incline of the forehead as far as the top of the nose. And phe was dressed in a gray stuff frock, with a little black baud round ber waist. As far as our memory goes, we never saw lier in any other dress, or with other hat or bonnet on her head. "And what can we do for you. Miss Gresley?" we said, stand? ing up and'holding the literary, gentleman's letter in our hand. We had almost said, "my dear," seeing her youth and remembering our age. We were afterwards glad that wc had not so addressed her; thought it came before long that we did call her "my dear"-in quite another spirit. She recoiled a Utile from tho tone of our voice. "Mr.-thinks that you can do something for me. I have written a novel, und I have brought it to you."' "You are very young, are you not, to have written a novel ?" "1 am young,*' she said, "but perhaps older than you" think. I am eighteen." Then for the first time there came into her eye that gleam of a merry humor which never was al? lowed to dwell there long, but which was so al? luring when it showed itself. "Tu?t is a ripe age," we said laughing, and then wc bade lier seat herself. At once we began to pour forth that long and dull and ugly lesson which is so common to our lives, Sn which we tried to explain lo our unwilling pupil that ol all respecta? ble professions for young women literature is the most uncertain, the most heart-break? ing, and thc most dangerous. "You hear of the few who tire remunerated,'1 we said; "but you hear nothing of the thousands that fail." "It is so noble !" &he replied. "But so hopeless." "Thor;' arc those who sttccreJ." "Yes, Indeed. Even In a lottery one must urain the prize; but they who trust lo lotteries break their hearts." "Hut literature is not a lottery. Ifl am flt, I shall succeed. Mr.-"thinks 1 may succeed." Many more words of wisdom we spoke to her. and well do wc remember her r.-piy when wc had run nil our line oil" I be reel. and had completed our sermon. ..! .shall go on all thc sanic,n tiie said. I shall try, and try again - and again." 'Her power over us, to a certain extent, was soon established. Of course we promised to read the MS. and turned it ?ver, no doubt with an anxious countenance, to see ol what nature was thc writing. There isa feminine scrawl ofa nature BO terribie thal the tusk ol reading be? comes worse than thc treadmill. "I know I can write well, tlioutrli I ant not quite sure nb-mt the spelling," said Mary, as she observed thc glance of our eyes, she spoke truly. The wriung was good, though thc erasures and al? terations were very numerous. And Iben thc .-?.irv was intended to lill only one volume. 1 will copy it for you if you wish it." said .Marv. "Though Ulere are so many scratchings out, it lias been copied once." Wc would nol for worlds have given her aitch labor, and then we prom? ised to read thc tale. Wc forget how ll. was brought about, but she told us at that inter? view that her mother had obtained leave from the pastry-cook round thc corner, to sit there walting t'ill Mary should rejoin her. " I thought it would be trouble enough for you to have one ol'us here," she said with lier little laugh, when 1 asked uer why elie had not brought her mother on with her. 1 own that 1 tell that she had been wise ; and when I told her that if she would call on inc again that day week I would then have read at any rate so much ol'her work as would enable "me Io give her my opinion, I did net Invite her to bring her mother with her. I knew thal I could talk more freely to Hie girl without thc mother's presence. Even when you are pa-t fifty, and intend only to preach a sermon, you do not wish to have a mother present. V. When she was gone we took np the roll of [Miiicr and examined iL Wc looked at thc di? vision into chapters, at the various mottoes thc poor child had chosen, pronounced to ourselves the name of the story-it was*sim? ply the name ot* the heroine, an easy-going, Uliaffcclcd, well-chosen name-and ?cad thc lust page of it. On such occasions thc reader ol'the work begins his task almost with a con? viction that the labor he is about tn undertake will bc utterly thrown away. He feels ail bul sure that thc matter will bc bad, that il will be belter for all parlies, writer, intended rea? ders, and intended publisher, that the written words should not be convoyed into type-that it will bc his duty, after some fashion, to convey that unwelcomed opinion to thc writer, and iliat thc writer will go away Incredulous, ami a??iisimentally thc Mentor of tho mo? ment of all manner of literary sins, among which Ignorance, Jealousy and falsehood will, In tho poor author's imagination, be most prominent. And yet when the writer was ask? ing for that opinion, declaring Ids especial de? sire that thc opinion should be candid, protest? ing thai his present wish ls to have some gauge ol' his own capability, and that he has come to you believing you tobe above ol hers able to give him thal gauge-while his petition to you was being made, he was lu every respect sin? cere. He had come desirous to measure him? self, and had believed that you could measure him. When coming he did uot think that you would declare him tobe an Apollo. He had told himself, no doubt, how probable it was that you would point out to him thal lie was a dwarf. ' You lind him to bc an ordinary man. measuring perhaps live feet seven, and unable to reach Gio standard of thc particular r?gi? ment in which he ls ambition* ol'serving. Von tell bim so in what chillest words you know, and you are at once convicted in liis mind ol' Jealousy, ignorance and falsehood! And yet lie is perhaps a most excellent fellow, and ca? pable of performing the best of service, only in some other regiment ! As we looked at Miss Gresley**) manuscript, tumbling ii through our hands, we expected even from her some such result. She had gained two Illings from us already by her outward and inward gifts, such as lliey were-ll rsl Unit we would read her story, and secondly that we would road il (?uickly : inn sim had nol as yei gained (rom us i'.ny belief that by reading it wc could serve her. We did road it. thc most of lt before we left our editorial chair on thai afternoon, so thal we lost altogether the daily wail so essential 10 our editorial health, and were pul to (lie expense of a cab on our return home. And we incurred some inlulmuiu of domestic dis? comfort fr%:n thu (act thal wu did nol reach our own door till twenty minutes ofter our ap? pointed dinner hour. "I have flits moment come from thc office as hard ns n cab could bring me,*1 wc said In answer to the mildest of reproaches, explaining nothing ns to thc nature of Hie cause which had kcjit us su long at our work. Wc must not allow our readers t<> suppose Uiat thc Intensity of our application had arisen from the overwhelming interest of thc story. 11 was not that thc story entniuced us, but iliat our feelings for thc writer grew us wc read ibo s?ory. Il ?sas simple, unaffected, and a'.mpsl painfully iinscnsalioisj} lt contained, as I came to perceive afterwards, lillie more than a recital of what lier imagination told lier might too pi ohably bethe result nf her own engagement, lt was thc story of two young people w ho became engaged and cannot be married. Atiera course ol'years, ibo mau, with many Imo arguments, asks to beubsoived. The woman yields willi an expressed convic? tion thal her lover 2s right, settles herself down ?or maldon ii.-.', (hen breaks ber heart and dies. The cliaracler ol the man was utterly undue to Nuture. That of Ul? woman was m LMJ VV O ; true, but commonplaee. Other interest, or other character, there was none. Thc dialogues between the lovers were many and tedious, and hardly a word was spoken between them which two lovers really would have uttered. It was clearly not a work as to which I could tell my little triend that she might depend upon it for fame or fortune. When I had fin? ished it I waa obliged to tell myself I hat I could not advise her even to publish it. But yet I could not say that she had mistaken her own powers or applied herself to a profession beyond lier reach. There was a grace and delicacy in her work which were charming. Occasionally sae escaped from Hie trammels nf grammar, but only so far that it. would be a pleasure to point out to her lier errors. There was not a word that a young lady should not have written; ard there was throughout the whole evident signs ol honest work. We had six days to think it over between our completion of the task and her second visit. VI. She came exactly at the hour appointed, and Bcated herself at once in the arm-chair before us as soon as the young man bad closed the door behind him. There had b;ien no grcal occasion for nervousness at ber first visit, and she had then, by an evident effort, over? come the diffidence incidental to a meeting with a stranger. But now she did not attempt to conceal her anxiety. "Well,"' she said, leaning forward, and looking up into oar face, with her two hands folded together. Fren though Truth, standing full panoplied at our elbow, had positively demanded it, we could not have toid her "then to mond her stockings and bake her pies and desert, tho calling that she had chosen. She was simply Irresistible, and would, wc fear, have con? st rained us into falsehood, had thc question been between falsehood and absolute reproba? tion ol her work. To have spoken hard, heart-breaking words to lier, would have boon like striking a child when it comes to kiss you. Wo fear that we wore not absolutely true at tirst, and that by that absence of truth we made subsequent pain more painful. " Well," she said, looking up into our lace. " Have you read it ?" We told her that we had read every word of it. M And it is no good ?" We fear that wo bogan by telling her that it certainly was goad,-after a fashion, very good; considering her youth and necessary inexperi? ence, very good indeed. As wo said this she shook her head, and sent out a spark or two from her eyes, Intimating her conviction that excuses or quasi praise founded on her youth would avail her nothing. " Would anybody buy it from me ?'' she asked. No ; wo did not think that auy publisher would pay her money for it. 11 Would they print lt for mo without costing me anything ?" Then wc told her thc truth as nearly as we could. She lacked ex? perience ; and if, as she had declared to us be? fore, she was determined to persevero, she must try again, and must learn moro of i hat lesson of Hie world's ways which was so neces? sary to those who attempted to teach that les-1 sou to others. " But I shall try again at. once,'" she said. Wo shook our head, endeavoring lo shako it kindly. " Currcr Bell was only a young girl when she succeeded." she added. The injury which Curror Bell did after this fashion was almost equal to that perpetrated by Jack Sheppard. She romaluod with us then for above an hour; for moro than two probably, though the lime was not specially marked by us ; and before lier visit was brought to a close, she had told us of her engagement with tho curate. Indeed, wi? believe that thegrcalor partofher little history, as hitherto narrated, was made known to us on that occasion. Wo asked after her mother early In the interview, and learned Unit she was not on this occasion kept waiting at the pastrycook's shop. Mary had como alone, makiiig uso of some triendly omnibus, of which sho bad learned tho rnnte. When she told us that she and her mother had como up to London solely with thc view of forwarding her views in ber intended profession, we ven? tured to ask whether it would not bo wiser for Hiern to return to Cornboro', seeing how im? probable it was that she would have matter lit for the press within any short period. Then she explained that they had calculated thal they would be able to live in London for twelve months, If they spent nothing except on ttbso Itlte necessaries. Thc poor girl .seemed tn keeji back nothing from us. " Wc have doilies that will carry us through, and we shall be very careful. I came in an omnibus, luit I shall walk if you will let mo come again." Then she asked mo for advice. How wi s she to set about further work with the best chance of turning it to account ? lt had boon altogether thc faull of that re? tired literary gentleman down in thc North, who had obt ained what standing ho had in tho world of letters by writing about guano and the cattle plague. ' Divested of all responsibili? ty, and tearing no further (rouble to himself, lie had ventured lo tell this girl thal lier work was full of promise. Promise moans proba? bility, and In this ea?e there was nothing be? yond a most remote chanco. That she and her mother should have left their little house? hold goods, and como up to London on such a chance, was a thing terrible to tho mind. But wo felt before these two hours were over that wo could not throw her off now. Wo had be? come old friends, and there had been that between us which gave he:-a positive daim upon our time. She had sat in our arm-chair, loaning forward with her elbows on her knees and lier bands stretched out, UH we, caught by tho charm ol' her unstudied intimacy, had wheeled around our chair, ami hud placed ourselves, as nearly as tho circum? stances would admit, in* tho same posi? tion. The magnetism had already begun to act upon us. Wo soon found ourselves taking lt for granted that sho was to romain in London and begin another book. It was impossible to resist her. Before tho Interview was over, wo, who had boen conversant willi all these mailers before she was horn; we, who had latterly come to regard our own edito? rial fault as being chiefly that ofpersonal harsh? ness; we, who had repu sod aspirant novelists by tho score-wo had consented to be a parly .o tho creation, if not to tho a dual writing, of tliis new book ! VII. It was to be done aller this fashion. She was to fabricate a plot, and io hrimr ii to us. written on two sides nf a sheol of letter paper. On the reverse sides wc wen- tn criticise this plot, and prepare emendations. Then she w is to make out skeletons ni Ibo men and women who wore afterwards to be clothed with flesh and made alive with blnod, and covered willi Cuticles. Aller (hal rho was tn arrange her proportions;and al last, before she began tn write tho Story, she was tn describe in detail such nari ol' ii as was tn bo told in uach chap? ter. On every advancing wavelet ol the work, we wore to give her our written remarks. AU ibis wo promised to do because of the quiver in ber lip, and thc alternate tear ami sparkle in her oyo. ".Vow that I have found a friend, I feel sure that I can do il," she said, as she bold our hand tightly before she left us. In about a month, during which she had twice written tn us, and twice been answered, she came with her plot, lt was Hie obi story, with some additions and some change. There was matrimony instead of death ut tho end, and au old aunt was brough) in for tho pur? pose of relenting and producing au income. Wo added a few details, fooling as wo did SO that wo were tho very worst of botchers. Wo doubt now whether the old, sad, simple story was not the better of tho two. Then, after another lengthened interview, wo sent our pupil back tn create her skeletons. When she caine willi tho skeletons wo wore dear friends, und we had learned io call her Mary. Then it was thal she tlrslsal al nur editorial table, and wrote a love-letter to the curate, lt. WUK thou mid-winler, wanting but alow days tn Christ? mas, and Arthur, iis shu called him, did noi like tho enid weather. '.He (Ines tint say so." she said, "but I fear bo is ill. Don't you think there are some pen- | plo willi whom everything is unfortunate!!" She wrote her letter, and had recovered her spirits before she tunk lier leave. We then proposed m hurto bring her mother In dine willi us on Christmas day. We had made a clean breast of it at ?lome III regard tu our hoart-llullcriugs, ami bad been mel with a suggestion that sumo kindness might willi propriety bu shown to the oh! lady as well as to tho youug onu. We had ?eli grateful !<> tho old lady fur nut coming tn our office with lier daughter, and liad at oucc assented. When wu made thu suggestion tn Mary iii. re caine first a blush over all her lace, un d then lhere followed thu well-known smile before the blus'.i was gone. "You'll all bo dressed line," she said. We protested I bal nul a garment would bc changed by any of thc family alter the decent church-going in ibu morning. "Just as, I am ?" she asked, "duet as von are," we said, looking at Ibu dear gray frock, adding sniue mocking assertion that no possible combination of mi'iinei ,- could improve brr. .'And mamma wil ; c Just, the .same ? Then wcwiil como," she said. Wu (old her au al> Bolnle uUschood, as to some ?ecessity which would take us in a cab to Euston Square on the afternoon of that Christmas Day, so that we could call and bring them holli to our bouse without trimble.>? expense. "Voil shan't do anything of the kind, shu .-aid. However, we swore to our lUlsehwod,-perceiving, as we did sn, that she did liol believe a word cl ii: but in tho mutter of the cub wu had our own way. We found ibo mol her lo be what wc had ex? pected,-o weak, lady-like, lachrymose obi lady, endowed withs profound admiration ?or her (laughter, audio bashful thal she could nut at all enjoy her plum-pudding. We t Mary did enjoy hers thoroughly. Sh little speech to the mistress of t praising ourselves with warm words fal eyes, and immediately won the new friend. She allied herself wann daughters, put up with the school-bnj tries of oursons, and before theovi over was dressed up as a ghost for tl ment of some neighboring childi wer.- brought in tn play Bnapdragi Gresley, as she drank her tea and i ber bil of cake, seated on a distant not so happy, partly because she rem her old gown, ami partly because our a stranger to her. .Mary had forgot circumstances before the dinner was I she was Hie sweetest ghost that even How pleasant would be our ideas ol' spirits if such ghosts would visit us) ly! They repeated their visits to us n quontly during thc twelve months; b whole interest.attaching lo our int bad reference to circumstances wh place in that editorial room of ours, it be necessary to refer further to thc hoi pleasant to ourselves, which she spoin in our domestic life. She wa? ever m come when she came, and was known a (?ear, well-bred, modest, clever li The novel went on. That catalogue skeletons gave us more trouble thai rest, and many were the tears which * over it, and sad were the misgivings 1 she was afllietod, though never vam How was it to be expected that a eighteen should portray characters sue had never known ? Inlier Intcrcotir the curate all the intellect bad beci side. She had loved him because lt wa site to her lo love some one ; and nott had loved him, she was as trucas steel Hut there had been almost nol bing fi learn from him. The plan of the nov on, and as it did so we became more ai despondent as to its success. And tin all we knew how contrary it was tot judgment to expect, even to dream thingbut failure. Though wc went ot lng willi be;*. Anding it to bc quite im to resist her entreaties, wo did tell in day to day that, even presuming she w tilled to hope for ultimate success, si go through an apprenticeship of tci before she could reach il. Then sin sit silent, repressing lier tears, and ing for arguments with which to Btipp cause. "Working hard is apprenticeship,'' ! to us once. "Ves. Mary ; but thc work \ more useful, "and the apprentlceshli wholesome, if you will take them l"u they are worth.'' " I shall be dead in ten years." sh" sa .' If you thought so you would not ?ul marry Mr. Doune. Hut. even, were it thal such would be your fale. bow can ter Hie state of things ? Thc world will nothing oftbat; ami If il did, would tin buy your book ont of pity ?" " I want no one lo pity me," she said I waul yon to help me." So we went o lng her" Al the end of four months s not put pen to paper on the absolute I her projected novel; and yet she had \ daily al it, arranging its future construe VIII. During thc next month, when we wen middle ol March, a gleam of real succesi to her. We had told her frankly that we publish not liing of hers in the periodical we were ourselves conducting. Sue li come too dear lo us for us not to lei were we to do so. we should be d< rather for her sake than for that < readers. Hut we did procure for ber th lication of two short stories elsewhere these she received twelve guineas. ? seemed lo her I bat she had found an Kl do ol' literary wealth. I shall never forg ecstasy when she knew that her work be printed, or her renewed triumph win tiret humble check waa given ?mo ber i There arc those who will think Hint ? triumph, us connected willi literature, m sordid. Por ourselves, we are ready knowledge ibal money pay men I for work Isthebest and most Honest lest of su We are suri-1 hat lt ls so felt by young I tersand young doctors, and wc do no why rejoicing on such realization of Cherished hope should be more vile wit literary aspirant than willi thuin. MWI you I bink ill do first with it T she said, thought she meant to send something j lover, and we loki berso. "I'll buy mau bonnet to um lo church in. I didn't tel before, but she hasn't been these three days because site hasn't one flt lo bc sen Changed the check for her. ami she we and bought the bonnet. Though I was successful for ber in rcga the two stories, I could not go beyond We could have lilied pages of periodicals her writing bad we been willing that should work without r?mun?rai ion. She sell was anxious for such work, (bioking it would lead to something better. Hut wi poseil il. ami. Indeed, would not permit it iieving that work so done eau bc survici to none but those who accept it thal pages be Ulled without cost. During thc whole winter, while she was working, she was in a stale of alarm aboul lover. Her hope was ever that when n weather came ho would again bo well strong. We know nothing sadder Ulam hope founded on such a source. For docs the winier follow tho summer, and then a? comes Hie killing spring? At this time used to read us passages from bis letter: which bc Seemen lo ?peak ol'lillie but hisi health. In her literary ambition be tu seemed to have taken "part since she bad clareil her Intention of writing profane nov As regarded bim, bis sole merit lo us scci to be in bis truth lo her. Ho told her Ilia bis opinion they two were as much joined guttier as though thc service of the chu nat] bound them; but even hi saying that spoke ever of himself and not of her. W May came, dangerous, doubtful, deceitful .V ami bc was worst-. Then, for the lirst iii thc dread word, consumption, passed ber I li hail already passed ours, mentally, a sc of Hules. Wu asked her what .-?ie lu i would like io du. Would she desire io down io Dorsetshire and soc bini ? she thou awhile, .iud said that she would wait alli longer. The novel wool on, and at length, in Ju she was willing Hu- actual words on which, she thought, s ? much depended. Shu ?1 really brought Un- story into some shape 1 thc arrangement of her chapters; and son times even I begun io hope. There were u nu-nts in which with ber hope was most certainly. Towards the end Juno Mr. Donne declared himself to better. Ile was to have n holiday August, and then he Intended to run to Loudon ami see bis betrothed. Me Still ga details, which were distressing tu us, of I own symptoms; but it was manifest that himself wa.; not desponding, and she was go ernoii in her trust or in ber despair itltngeth. by bim. Hut when August came thc period his visit was postponed. The heat, had ma him weak, ami he was to come in Septembei IX. Karly in August wc ourselves went away fi our annual recreation -not thal wo shu grouse, or that we have any sining opinii that August ami September ure (liebest monti lu the year for holiday-making -bul thai ever body doc- go in August. Wc ourselves are 11 specially fond of August. lu malty places 1 which one goes a-lotiring mosquitos bile i that month. Tin- heat, loo, prevents one ?"roi walkiug. The inns areal! lull, ami Hie rai ways crowded. April ?iud Ma) are twice [ilea anter montlis In which to sou tho world an ibo conn:ry. Hut fashion ls everything, an no man or woman will stay In town ?11 Augiu for whom Iben.- exists any practicability 1 ?caving il. We went on tho lOlh-just ; though we bad a moor, ami om- of lau In things we did before our departure aw io rca and revise thc lasl-writtcu chapter of Mary' story. About Hie end of September wc returned anti :?n io thal lime Hie lover bad not c mic 1 Lon.iou. I ni mediately un our return wuwrol lo Mary, and thu next morning sim was wit! us. sile had seated herself on ber usual chai before she spoke, ami wc bad taken her batu arel asked aller herself ami mother. Then tvilh something ul* mirth lu our tone, we dc man-led Hie work which shu bad done : inc. our departure. "He is dying." she roplcd. She iini noi weep as she spoke, lt w as no on such occasions as this that the tears llllct ber eyes. Bill lhere was huller eyes a look o fixed and settled misery which convinced u lliatshuul least did nol doubt Hie Until o ber own assertion. '?Ve muttered something us ? i our hope thal shu ?va.s mistaken. "Thu dudor, then', bas written tn tel mamma thal il is so. lier? ls his letier.' Tho doctor's letter was a good L'ltvr, written willi mon; ol' assurance than doctors can generally allow lliomseive? to express. J fear thal I am justified in tolling you." said Ihc doctor," that it can only bou question uf weeks." Wu gol np and look her l. md. There was not a word to be uttered. " I inttsl go to bim." sh . said, after a pause. "Weil-yes. lt will be bene;." " Hut we have no money- H must bc ex ! plained now Hut oflVrauf Might, very sleight, I ?K'ciiniiirv aid had betti male by us loth to j Mars tu.ii lo ber mother on moro'.han oi.e occa sion. These had b?en refused with ad; tine firmness, but always with somcth mirth, or at least of humor, attached refusal. The mother would simply refer daughter; and Mary would declare tba could manage to see the twelvemonth tin and go back to Cornboro, without bc? absolute beggars. She would allude to joint wardrobe, and would confess that wonld nut have been a pair of boots be them but fur that twelve guineas; ai ?leed she seemed to have stretched modest incoming so as to cover ; gion ol purchases. And of Hmso i she was never ashamed to speak. We there must have been at least two gray li because the frock was always clean, and absoiutely shabby. Our girls at home dei that they had seen three. Of her frock, happened, she never spoke to us, but tin boots and Hie new gloves, '?and ever so things that I can't tell von about, whit really couldn't have gone without," nil out uf Hie twelve guineas. That she taken, not only with delight, but wit! umph. But pecuniary assistance from selves she bail always" refused. --It wo; a gift," she would ?av. .?Have it as you like." "But people don't give other people ney.'' "Don't they ? That's all you know abet world. "Yes; to beggars. We hope we ne come to that." It was thus that she al answered us-but always with somelhi laughter in her eye, as though their po was a joke. Now, when Hie demand her was for that which did not ?01 her personal comfort, which referred matter fell by her to be vitally impoi she declared," without a minutes hesiti thal she had not money for the Journey. "Of course you can have money," we "I suppose you will go at once ?"" "Oh yes ; at once. That is in a day or after lie shall have received my letter, should I wait V We sat down to write a c and she, secint: wiiat we were doing, a how much it was to be. "No, half tba do," she said. "Mamma will nul go. Wc talked it over ami decided it. Yes ; I I ail about that. I am going to 6ee my li my dying lover; and I have to beg fu money to take me to him. Of course 1 young gill; but in such a condition un stand upon the ceremony of being taken of ? A housemaid wouldn't want to be t care of at eighteen." We did exact ly as she us, itud then attempted to comfort her \ tiie young man went to get money lor the cl What consolation was possible V It was ply necessary to admit with frankness sorrow had come frein which there cou! no present release. "Yes," she said. " will cure it-in a way. One dies in time, then nf course it is all cured." "One bea this kind of thing often," she said afterw still leaning forward in her chair, still something nf the old expression in her ey something almost of humor In spite 0 grief; "but it is tho girl who dies. When the girl, there isn't, after all, so much 1 done. A man goes about thc world ant: shake it off; and then, there are pion girls." Wo could not tell her bow lutln more important, to our thinking, was nc than that, sf him whom she was goiug to now for tho last Hmo; but there did sprln within our mind a feeling, greatly oppost that conviction which formerly wo had deavored to Impress upon herself-that was destined to make fur hersch a succci career. X. She went, and remained by ?mr lover's side for three weeks. She wrote consta to ber mother, and once or twice to Otirsel Sue never again allowed herself tn entcrU gleam of hope, and she spoke of sorrow as a thing accomplished, ber last Interview with us she hardly alluded to her novel, and her letters sho never mentioned if. But did say uno word which made us guess tl was coming. "You will lind nv gre changed in ono 11 iin*_r.** she said: "so m changed that I need mver have troubled y Thc dhy for hcrretnrnto London was ti postponed, bul al last she was brought to le him. stern necessity ?'as too strong lor 1 Let her pinch herself asshc might, she n live down In Dorsetshire-and could not on his moans, which were us narrow as own. she lott him; and OD the day after arrival in London she walked across from I ton Square to our office. "Yes," she said, "it ts all over. I shall nc see him again Oil this side of Heaven's gal I do not know that we over saw a tear in ? .yes produced by her own sorrow. Sho 1 possessed nt sonic wonderful strength wi seemed to suffice for the bearing of any t den. Then she paused, and wo could only silent, with nur eyes fixed upon the nur. have made him a promise," she said at li Of coarse WC asked her what was tho prom though at thc moment we thought that know. "I will make no moro attempt al DO writing." "Such a promise should not have been a cd <>r given," wo said, vehemently. "It should have been asked, because thonght il right," she answered, "and, course, it was given. Must he n<>t know ! ter than I (lo ? Is ho nut uno of (?nd's ord; cd priests? In all the world, is there otu1 bound to obey him as I ?" There was notltl tn bo said fur ir at such a moment as tl There ls nu enthusiasm equal to that prodlli by a death-bed parting. "! grieve grcatl she said, "that YOU should have had sn mi vain labor with a poor girl who can never p tit by il." "I don't believe the labor will have b: vain." we answered, liuvlngoitogcthcr chant! those views of oars us tn the futility Of I pursuit which she had adopted. "I have destroyed it all, she said. "What; burned the novel ?" "Every scrap of lt. I told him that I WAI do sn, and that ho should know that 1 b (lune it. livery (Mtge was burned aller I ; linnie last night, ami then I wrute lo him I (tire I went tu bed." "Do you mean that you think it wicked th people should write novels ?" wo asked. "?Ie thinks it lo bou misapplication of Coi gilts, and that has been enough fur ni". I shall judge for mc, but I will not Judge I others. And what dues ii matter? Ido n want to write a novel now." Tiley remained in London Hil thc end of ll year for which Hie married curate hadtaki their house, and then they returned loCor born". Wo saw them Irequcntlv while tin were Billi in town, and despatched Hiern I thu train tn tho North just when the wind was beginning. At thal lime the young clcrg mau was still living down in Dorsetshire, l> he was lying in bis grave when Christin; came. Mary never saw him again, nnr did s! ai temi his funeral. She wrote to us froqnen ly then, and did for years afterwards. "I shou nave liked to have stood nt his grave." si said: "but it was a luxury nf sorrow lh.it wished in enjoy, and they who cannot car luxuries should nut have Hiern. They wore g lng in manage it fur me here, but I know 1 wi right tu refuse il." Right, indeed ! As ft us we know her, she never moved a sing |K)Int from what was right. XL All those things happened many yeai au'11. Mary Ore-ley. on her rellim I Cornboro', apprenticed herself, as it wen to tho married curato lhere, and calle herself, I think, a female Scripture rea' or. I know thal she spent her days in wort lng hard for tho religious aid of tho po i around her. Prom time tn timi'we endcavorc lu instigate her tn literary work ; ami she ail swered our letters by sending uswondorfi lillie dialogues between Tum the Saint au Hob the Sinner. Wo are in un humor In critl oise (hem now; but we eau assort. Illili Ihougi thal mode of religious leaching is niosi dh tasteful tn us, Ibo literary merit shown oven li such works as these was very manliest. An< there came tn be apparent in thom a gleam 0 humor which would somciimes make us ihinl thal she was silting opp.?-ile tu us ami lookin; al ns, and Um! she was Tom tin- Sain!, um I hat we were Bob ibo sinner. Wesaidwha we (.nulli tu turu her from her chosen path throwing into our letters all the eloquence an. all Hie thought ul which we were musters ; 1.;, our eloquence and our thought were equally in vain. Al lust, when eight years had passed ovei her head after the ileHtta nf Mr. Donne, sin married a missionary who was going out u some foreign countrvon tho confines >.( A fri car colonization; and there sho died. We saw hei mi board Uio ship in which she sidled, tint be ?'nie we parted there had come that fear kilt? lier eyes, tho nhl look Of Supplication OD lu i lips, ?'mil (he gleam ol' mirth on her lace. W. kissed lier once-fur Hie first and only lime as wo bade Hod bless her! -Tho English Parliament ni 1770 was an ex? ceedingly ungallant, one. ll enacted that: " Whoever should lead into matrimonial bomb any male subject of her Majesty, by menus ot mugo or powders, perfumes, essences, artificial tooth, false hair, Spanish cotton, iron corsets, crinolines, high-heeled shoes, or raise calves, should bo prosecuted fur sorcery and the mar? riage declared null ami void.'' Thc Figaro im ! pildently asks, who could marry now undo! such an act. UNDER LONDON DOCKS. A Glimpse of thc Wine Vanita. - % A London letter says : The London docks, visited by all foreigners who pass through London, are objects of great interest, viewing them /rom the outside, as harbors, where canal crosses canal, till they extend to a city combining the two strange effects of Venire* wit li her liquid thoroughfares, and China with her floating houses. Hut under the scene, lamlllar to every one from description if not actual view, is a still more curious sight,.which it is nore difficult to obtain. Thanks to thc efforts of a relative of a merchant who bad stores deposited there, wc were provided with a pass to the wine vaults of the East Cooper, or branch of the London docks. There were six In the party, and after a long, rainy, muddy drive through the old part of the city, past Billingsgate ash market, where cockney men and boys substi? tute thc world-renowned fish women of the post, and there ls less .sance sold with thc fish? past the tower with its many spires and gloomy battlements, we at length arrived at the en? trance to the docks. A government official examined our liasses, and wc drove on through a wilderness of casks, coils of rope, and heaps of bran, lill we reached the door of cellar No. 1. Going down a fliirht ol stone step?, we came to a sort of vestibule, where, on one side, was an Office for Hie examination and signing of passes; on the other, a place titted up with shelves, having brass eyes Uko those made to receive the ends of door bolts, a long wedge shaped walnut paddle, with a metal lamp on the broad end, Sticking In each eye. An oily-fin pcrcd, dirty-faced individual, strikingly resem? bling "Lamps." of "Mugby Junction/' stood in the shade of this recess, a companion sitting behind him. whose name was James, and num? ber two, ns a calendar on the wall informed us. over which was written "Usher throuxh the vaults for Monday." "Lamps''placeo a light in each of our hands, and we entered the vaults. Imagine eleven acres of ground, or rather underground, under streets and below the water line of thc Thames, divided into long vaulted a'ley way:', covered with sawdust, a double iron track"for barrels to roll on running directly In the centre, on either side three tiers of barrels of port, old port wino, amounting in all to thirty-five thousand barrels of port alone, and you have one of the eighteen large cellars under the docks. We bad the rare privilege of fasting the port number OOO-three different barrels. Tasting orders are frequently given for sherry, but seldom for port, and with a chuckle of self-satisfaction our conductor con? gratulated ns. Hut I was already dizzy with the fumes of35,000 barrels, and the flickering of our lamp? In the dark archways, penetrated by blin? ding rays, like ropes of lire, running from and meeting half way between the reflector, aa powerful as wo usc on steam-engines, at one end of each alley, and then opening Into the main rotunda at the other end. On the ceil? ings hung the fungus formed from the evapo? ration. One piece, called the crocodile, from its shape, a great ridgy animal clinging with Us feet lo tho celling, was a hundred and fifty years old ! Nearly all the fungus was of a (lim color, resembling the inside nap ol' lead-color? ed wadding, but occasionally bleached while, when it looked like the stalactites in caves. Our conductor was not so superstitious about I he fungus as Joey Ladle, and declared "pieces had often fallen on him and ho wasn't dead yet." still he seemed very proud of it, and w'ith great reverence hunted around for the largest and most curious formations, giv? ing us some little incident, curious and inter? ?s! iiiu', about each piece. lu the brandy and whiskey vaults the fungus is all white. Scarcely knowing whether I was on my head or my feet, tho flickering lights and dark edges of ilie barrels, fungus, sawdust, people and posts dancing in wild procession through my brain. I Btopped with the rest bet?re a row of barrel i marked OOH. The usher drove a safrp steel Instrument through tho end of the first one, blew Into lt, and out spurted a stream of pure rich port fifty years old! Hoping an Internal application 'would remedy the dizzi? ness caused by inhaling it. I tasted it and felt instantly better, but thc second and third bar? rels i dared not -try/' and oven our usher threw away one glass for which many an epi? cure would have given fifty dollars sterling. The h iles wore Ulled up again by sticking woeI"u pegs in Hiern, chopping them off, ana leaving the barrels as sound and secure as if they had never been opened. Emerging from these cellars, wo were glad to outer our car? riages, drive home and take a nap. .1 HAID ONA RAILROAD. U.ni Platt Scores thc Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. Don Platt, who recently made the trip from Cincinnati to Washington over UieBak.moro and ohio Railroad, gives a rather discouraging account ol' that thoroughfare. Aller stating that ho passed three wrecked trains in a short (listante, he continues : hi sober earnestness, the road is in an awful condition, ami dangerous both to freight and jiasscngcrs. * * * If it wore a new enter? prise, struggling for an existence, I might bold my pen. and have a few good people hor? ribly mangled or roasted to death, and no end Of freight destroyed. Hut Hie corporation isa great success, hs .?tock is not quoted, I be? lieve, because not really In the market, and its divldouds an; fabulous'. Under these circum? stances, this indiff?rence to human life ls Inex cnsable. Hut it is Mr. Garrett's successful si_\ le (d' railroad management. To get the most money out of Un- smallest expenditure ls the ride. ' Ami he w ill. therefore, enter upon ft) enterprise, move in no improvement, solong as he eau make Hie old serve his purpose. In this way li ! has been prclotldlngto build aroad from Point of Rocks to Washington city, lie irides with i:. and,4f let alone, will open that road ' n thc day wc are called upon lo linal Judgment. .. Why don't (Jarrott get some new cars ?" I -aid to '.'lie of bis officials. '. 1 ran in these old things during thu war. and then they were dirty, buggy ami smelled bad." ..'nil !" responde I the gentleman, " Garrett docs a freight b islness. ile bus no passengers bul a few Congressmen, and lt he dead-heads them, limy aro willing lo ride in hog cars/' And John Vf. Garrett ls perfectly right in thus expressing bis contempt for Congress? men, ile buys them cheap. To him they aro, indeed, cheap -lacks. While the indignant West threatens lo mow thc capital, because lt is an expensive city to live In, these Congress? men permit i lils unscrupulous man to sit upon its neck aiul strangle ils life out. Thc approach to our great capital is by ono lino of railw ay that he cont rois in deadly antagonism to the Ivsl interests of the city. While Hour is four dollars and seventy-five coins a barrel In Cin i bittali, i; retails here at fourteen. This is but otic specimen. This man plays into thc peanut Interests of Baltimore, and owns and controls thc great capital of a great people to our shame. No l ill can be got through Congress creating a new highway lo our capital without Ids consent, lor and' in consideration for dead hoad passes, and probably a lillie money judiciously expended, every committee through 'which such bill must pass ls densely packed, and one might as well attempt to scull a pot? ash kettle up tho Niagara as lo ?et anything through siten a committee, without John s con set::. EA RTE (J V.IKES. Xatural Phenomena In Germany. Tho Prussian journals state that shocks of earthquake were still fell at Gross (?eran: A letter from that place sets forth that on thc ci -in nt November u to Sovember 15, within me ..>,., ....:' rour iiuur-and a half, twenty-four p-ais - ii ran thunder, seven of them accora panicl io . : . were distinctly heard. Tho ':'.:... !i ; ?ii?t?o:i ul the earth was violent ..uoiiglt low u'tii the H>uu<lest sleepers. In tue night ol Hie i tu to Kill Instaut the thundering was ri ? -.':.v ti'.:' - in three hours, and between l au . ri lock A. M., a shock wat f< lt which Rhook liv ! I>U?C>J ar.J matte the walis and beatas crcik. ... i resent, lhere seem to bc alternate Inter vu!- ut repose aud convulsion, the duration ut t sch iieitig a few hoars. On the 13th Instant, at ...?.. m Hie evening, another prettj sevcresbecK v... - :. :: ;.. Cress f'enui. The Rheinischer Courter . - :?.;;; according io measurements taken by ie engineer oKic rs, thc whole site of the little ;. fu is now twoor three laches lower than it i> '....tor:.' the earthquake visitation. Notwith -trading thc m...: number of shocks that have a fell none ... the houses hate fallen, though wi. - retobe ecu ia iiiutiy places earvin tr out ..... i, an : :. : .v.. o f irty an i Uiiy chimneys nr.; In a precarious condition. A loiter li uni Dann st, iii. written h:-i Monda}*, announces that the Phi k: la ll.Goran are ?t?4Ui Increasing in ire ioi . and Intensity. Thc writer mhb thai many inhabitants are suffering from varions fit .erv:): - disease, and even iusauitj has j:. v-. . . *- bien produced by th?? perpetual anxi i> '. > which these alurraiug poenouieua have - IV anu?s 11 iv b<? joked about, bul there Isa fortune in Hiern. Twa years ago an entcrprls ';.:_ Yank e wen! lo North Carolina with a few bund .< d d? lia: ? and b? /an cultivating peanuts.^ This year he h:u s dd bis crop for ?-L000. get-* Ung&?j.GSQ proli?. ?