But in very different degrees.' Generally they do, but one may not, at least in the greater number of cases, and this is the point in hand. Let me read you this passage from Farrington's 'Memoirs of Sir Joshua Reynolds.' Sir Joshua, when young, wrote rules of conduct for himself. One of his maxims wasThat the great principle of being happy in this world, is not to mind or be affected with small things.' To this rule he strictly adhered; and the constant habit of controlling his mind contributed greatly to that evenness of temper which enabled him to live pleasantly with persons of all descriptions. Placability of temper was his characteristic. The happiness of possessing such a disposition was acknowledged by his friend Dr Johnson, who said, 'Reynolds was the most invulnerable man he had ever known.' Sir Joshua,' says one, in reviewing the passage, did not owe his happiness to his contempt of little things, but to his success in great ones; and it was by that actual success, far more than by the meritorious industry and exertion which contributed to it, that he was enabled to disregard little vexations.' 'That's it,' said Mr Smith; that explains all.' 'Well,' said Mr Brown, it may be granted that he derived much enjoyment from his great success in life, and it may be admitted, too, that this enabled him in some measure to disregard certain little annoyances; but it must also be allowed that the very eminence he reached was calculated to make him more susceptible in other points of equally petty and contemptible a nature; and, at any rate, his rule, if carried out by any one, will preclude much pain, if it do not secure positive happiness. Nor does it follow that by refusing to be painfully affected by trifles we should cease to receive pleasure from insignificant sources. The rule may be stated thus: take all the pleasure you can from innocent trifles, but do not let trifles vex you. To say that we have no power here, or that only the eminently fortunate have, is to say that the great majority of mankind have no power or share in making their own happiness or misery. The peevish discontented man is simply an object of pity-a result of circum-tance and constitution-a necessary misery, and not a responsible evil. Is it wrong to take all the good we can out of passing events, both great and small, and as little of the evil as possible? or is it best to take the evil only, and reject the good?' But we can't help feeling the evil as well as the good.' That is not a direct answer to my question; but think you it is right to feel the evil only and no the good?' 'Certainly not.' and as they are forced to yield to the evil in the drawbacks and not to the good in the success, they must be unhappy still.' No; for the pleasure may excced the pain.' But they are forced, you say, to feel the pain and not the pleasure; and as the feeling of the pleasure is an optional matter, many, who do not know this, may miss it.' They will soon learn.' How comes it, then, that successful men are not all happy men?' The presumption is they are so.' 'Some have made no secret of their unhappiness, and some have taken away their own lives.' They only pretended to be unhappy.' They would hardly commit suicide under the same pretence.' There is no saying-some people have strange fancies.' 'Yes; but hardly so strange as that. But you say people will soon learn to take the good out of things, while no one has the power to neutralise the evil. What will you say of two men in precisely the same circumstances, bearing the same misfortunes, the one patiently and with an equal mind, the other moodily and impatiently.' That seldom happens.' But it has happened. Both sacred and profane biography furnish us with instances, and you remember my friend Grant.' Certainly, I was surprised at the equanimity and even cheerfulness with which he bore his heavy trials, but it must have resulted from constitution.' Then constitution, it seems, may save us from the perception and feeling of worldly crosses?' It looks like it.' 'No, not in other things; but he may be in that.' Nor in that neither.' 'How, then, did he escape?' By being prepared beforehand.' How prepared?' By reflection, and by acting out his convictions.' But how could he act them out ere his sorrows came?' 'By conquering smaller evils. Use here has the same effect as elsewhere. The best way to take care of the pounds is to look after the pence. I do not speak at random. He told me all, and in truth saved me from becoming a confirmed moper and self-tormentor. I was angry with him at first, but he bore with me, and saved me.' 'Saved you from what?' Myself.' That is droll.' That is a new doctrine.' 'It is, however, an old truth, and an important one.' 'If old and important, most men would have seen it.' 'That does not follow. It is the most difficult part of knowledge to know one's self. A man may conquer the world, and be a slave to his own foibles-exhaust science, and be ignorant of his own heart-detect impositions from without, and yield to them from within-see the foibles of others, and be blind to his own-nay, condemn in another what he approves in himself. But we have left our subject, Not in both; for many resist the good, and give way and ere we recur to it, I must leave you a few minutes to only to the evil.' Many act as if they thought so-as if it were a sin to be cheerful, and a virtue to be morose.' But still we are passive in both cases.' That is their own fault.' dispatch a note.' THE VILLAGE GARRISON. Ir happened, in the course of the thirty years' war, that Gonsalvo de Cordova, who commanded the Spanish troops, then over-running the Palatinate, found it necessary to possess himself of a little walled village, called Ogersheim, that lay in his way. On the first intelligence of his approach all the inhabitants fled to Manheim; and when Gonsalvo at length drew near and summoned the place to surrender, there remained within the walls only a poor shepherd and his wife, the latter of whom, having that very morning brought a little infant into this world of misery, was unable to leave her bed; and her husband, of course, remained with her. The anxiety and distress of the poor man may be more easily imagined than described. Fortunately, however, he possessed both courage and shrewdness; and, on the spur of the moment, bethought himself of a scheme to give his wife and baby a chance of escape, which, after embracing them both, he hastened to put into execution. The inhabitants, having run off in a tremendous hurry, had left almost all their property at his disposal; so he had no difficulty in finding what was requisite for his purpose, namely, a complete change of dress. Having first accoutred his lower man in military guise, be tossed away his shepherd's hat, which he replaced with a huge helmet, 'a world too wide;' he buckled a long sword to his side, threw a goodly cloak over his shoulder, stuck two enormous pistols in his belt, and, putting on boots so thick in the soles and high in the heels that they lifted him about half a yard from the ground, he fastened to them a pair of those prodigious jingling spurs which were the fashion of the times. Thus accoutred, he forthwith betook himself to the walls, and leaning with a pompous air on his sword, he listened coolly to the herald who advanced to summon the village to surrender. 'Friend,' said our hero, as soon as the herald had concluded his speech, tell your commander that though I have not made up my mind to surrender at all, I may possibly be induced to do so provided he agrees to the three following conditions, in which I shall make no abatement whatever: First, the garrison must be allowed to march out with military honours. Second, the lives and property of the inhabitants must be protected. Third, they must be left to enjoy the free exercise of the Protestant religion.' The herald immediately replied, that such preposterons conditions could not for a moment be listened to; adding, that the garrison was known to be weak, and concluding by again demanding the instant surrender of the place. My good friend,' answered the shepherd, do not be too rash. I advise you to inform your general from me, that nothing but my desire to avoid bloodshed could make me think of surrendering on any terms whatever; and please to add, that if he does not choose to agree to those already stated he will gain possession of the town only at the point of the sword; for I assure you on the word of an honest man and a Christian, as on the honour of a gentleman, that the garrison has lately received a reinforce ment he little dreams of.' So saying, the shepherd lighted his pipe and puffed away with an air of the most consummate nonchalance. Confounded by this appearance of boldness and security, the herald thought it prudent to return and state to Gonsalvo the demands which had been made. The Spanish general, deceived by this show of resistance, and being unwilling to waste either men or time in reducing this paltry town, resolved to agree to the conditions offered, and, followed by his troops, approached the gates. This lenient determination was announced by the herald to the shepherd, who only vouchsafed to say in reply, I find your commander is a man of some sense.' He then left the walls, let down the drawbridge, deliberately opened the gates, and allowed the Spanish troops to pour into the town. Surprised at seeing no one in the streets but a strange-looking fellow, whose caricature of a military costume hung upon him like patchwork, Gonsalvo began to suspect treachery, and, seizing the shepherd, demanded to know where the garrison was? 'If your highness will follow me I will show you,' answered the rustic. 'Keep by my stirrup, then,' exclaimed Gonsalvo; and on the least symptom that you mean to betray me I shall send a bullet through your heart.' Agreed,' said our friend. Follow me, Spaniards! for I assure you on the word of an honest man and a Christian, as well as on the honour of a gentleman, that the garrison will offer you no injury.' He then placed himself by Gonsalvo's stirrup, and, followed by the troops, passed through several silent and deserted streets, till at length, turning into a narrow lane, he stopped before a mean-looking house, and, having prevailed on Gonsalvo to enter, he led him into a small room, where lay his wife with her boy beside her. 'Noble general,' he said, pointing to the former, this is our garrison; and this,' he added, taking his son in bis arms, is the reinforcement of which I told you.' Aware, now, of the real state of matters, the absurdity and cleverness of the trick moved even Spanish gravity, and Gonsalvo gave free course to his mirth. Then, taking off a rich gold chain which decorated his own person, he passed it round the neck of the infant. "Permit me to offer this mark of my esteem,' he said, good naturedly, for the valiant garrison of Ogersheim. By the hand of a soldier I envy you the possession of such a reinforcement; and you must let me present you with this purse of gold for the use of the young recruit." He then stooped down and kissed the delighted mother and her boy, and quitted the house, leaving the shepherd to boast for many a summer day and winter night of the success of his stratagem.-Anon. THE ISLE OF MAN. AT almost equal distances between the two islands of Great Britain and Ireland, and in the centre of the Irish Sea, stands the little rock-formed Isle of Man. Historically eclipsed by the more magnificent countries to which it became alternately an appendage, the Isle of Man has scarcely been taken general cognisance of in any other way than as a tributary island. Amongst its own people, however, it has been regarded with a more independent and egotistical feeling; and to the geologist and antiquary it presents features of great interest. It is an ondoubted fact that very little is generally known regarding this ancient little regality; and that the people of Scotland, England, and Ireland are not aware that it still preserves a species of distinct nationality and the privileges of an independent kingdom. We have before us a history of that little isle of the ocean, by the Rev. Joseph G. Cumming, which will, however, we daresay, be more interesting to geologists than to historical or general readers. The author has managed, nevertheless, to interweave with his philosophical observations some curious details concerning the state and character of Man and the Manx from old times, which must render his work more attractive than if it had been a merely scientific rescript of its geology. Its bold, rugged, and wild natural characteristics, befitted well the character of the Runic freebooters and superstitionists who made it their home, and who have linked with its stern features tales of war and legends of love and hatred. A glance into the history of the Isle of Man shows that in this little speck of land has been illustrated all the wonderful phenomena of geology, and all the conditions of humanity towards civilisation. The grander and more comprehensive revolutions of the earth, which have raised, as monuments of their magnificence, the mighty mountains of Asia and America, and which have written down their stupendous character on the alluvial strata of the continents, have had a proportionate co-action in this small is and of the Irish Sea; and those features of history which distinguish the infancy and elaboration of empires have a counterpart in the history of this miuute kingdom of Man. Humanity and civilisation actually appear Lilliputian, when viewed through the medium of this nation. When we reflect upon the extent of its territory, the nature of its soil, and the status which it held, in comparison with that of England or *The Isle of Man; its History, Physical, Ecclesiastical, Civil, and Legendary By the Rev. JOSEPH GEORGE CUMMING, MA. FALS, Van Voorst. 1848. Vice-Principal of King William's College, Castletown. London: Joha Scotland, we cannot forbear smiling as we read of the exaggerated notions of its pompous potentates, of the jealous and pernicious tendencies of its few inhabitants, and of their vain pretensions as a state. We must consider, however, that it was the Manx who sought to glorify and dignify this little isle, and, when people have a great opinion of themselves, it is hard to convince them that they are inferior to what they conceive themselves to The Isle of Man is totally of a volcanic character. Its bold mountains, vitrified crags, splintered cliffs, and huge rocks, have been heard hissing hot from the womb of the groaning earth, amongst the bubbling, boiling waters of an agitated smoking sea; and its surface has been covered with the gravelly and more fertile deposits of a rolling, overwhelming tide. be. Man, like every other name of equally remote origin, is conjectured to have many different significations. Cæsar and Tacitus term it Mona, and sometimes it is confounded with Mona-prior, or Anglesea. Bishop Wilson supposed it to owe its name to the Saxon word Many, or among, because it lies almost at equal distances from England, Ireland, and Scotland. It was called Mona by the Romans, and Mannin, or Ellan Mhannin, by its Celtic inhabitants, however, so that the bishop's supposition is untenable. Some suppose it to be derived from Maune, the name borne by St Patrick (who was the saint of Man as well as of Ireland) before he assumed the somewhat vainglorious title of Patricius. The ancient British word Mon, or alone, seems a nearer and likelier foundation for the term; while Maen, which signifies a pile of stones or rocks, may also be considered the original word of which Man is a modification. The student of history can well appreciate the perplexity in which the earlier records of nations subject to invasion are involved; and the name of Man, like that of many a more famous country, must just remain in its original darkness. We think we see the rude, rough natives of that lonely isle, after their summer's depredations and wars upon the sea were over for a season, when they chased the wild animals during the winter day, and, sitting around their log-fires at night, rehearsed their tales of the past, and chronicled the old legends of the isle-we think we see these red-haired, matted-bearded, stern-hearted, and imaginative rovers, discoursing of Mannanan-beg-macy-Shirr, that ancient and famous king who, although be was not big in stature, defended his kingdom from invasion by the potency of magic. At his word the mountains rocked to and fro like pine-trees in a storm, the sea boiled up from the fountain of its depths, and hissed upon the foe who dared to approach; volcanic fires flashed at his command round his territory, and blinding mists bewildered and enveloped his foemen at his nod. It is from Mannanan that ancient chroniclers and oral tradition derives the name of Man. The language and character of the Manx is Celtic, and they have retained these characteristics with a pertinacious nationality, despite of the changes of their masters; and the laws of the Manx have still continued to be identical and independent despite of the connection with England and Scotland. The kings in Man have either been 1 viceregal deputies from the two kingdoms of Scotland and England, or noblemen holding bona fide possession of the island with all its revenues, and possessing supreme authority when in it; but still the laws were neither Scotch nor English, but Manx. Originally, like all Celtic nations, the Manx were governed by the Brehon law, a system of moral legislation which partook of the purest and most sublime republicanism. The Brehon laws were not written, they were not preserved in archives, but they were remembered by an ancient college of archons, and proclaimed to the people orally, who were assembled to hear, and who had no pretext of ignorance if they broke them. Emerging from this period of comparative simplicity, the constitution of Man became triplex. They had their king or royal estate; the governor and council, or aristocratic estate; and the twenty-four keys, or taxiaxi, representing the people. These estates, when assembled, are called a Tynwald Court, and their triple concurrence establishes the law, which has force after it has been proclaimed from the Tynwald Hill. The Council consists of the bishop, the two deemsters, the clerk of the rolls, the attorney-general, the receiver general, the water-bailiff, the archdeacon, and the vicar-general. Prior to the year 1846 there were two vicars general. The offices of receiver-general and waterbailiff are at present held by one person. Anciently the Abbot of Rushen and the archdeacon's official had seats in the Council. The governor or lieutenant-governor is chief both in civil and military power, and has by law authority to call a Tynwald Court as often as he finds necessary, at which the Council and Keys, according to their oaths, are bound to attend. One clause in the governor's oath is remarkable: You shall truly and uprightly deal between our sovereign lady the Queen and her people, and as indifferently betwixt party and party as this stoff now standeth, as far as in you lieth.' The deemsters are the first popular magistrates, the supreme judges in all civil courts, whether for life or property. The office is of the highest antiquity. It is uncertain whether their name is derived from to deem or to doom. Formerly, before the laws were written, in all new and emergent cases they were called in to declare what the law was, and the laws so declared were named Breast-laws.' It must be remembered that this island, with all the paraphernalia of a great kingdom, is only 334 miles in extent from the point of Ayre to the Sound of the Calf, and in its greatest breadth it is only 12 miles. It is only continent of 89,458 acres of cultivated land, while of unappropriated crown lands there are 30,788 acies; to these may be added 10,000 acres of unsurveyed rocks, waters, and stony valleys, making in all a superficial area of about 130,246 acres, little over 360 square miles. turally the island is divided into two districts, a southeastern and north-western, by the chain of mountains runuing through it. For civil purposes it is divided also into two districts, a southern and a northern primarily, and these are subdivided into six sheadings, and again into seventeen parishes. Each district has its deemster or judge, each sheading its coroner, and each parish its captain, sumner, and moar, i. e. collector of lord's rent. There is another division of the island into the high bailiwicks of Castletown, Douglas, Peel, and Ramsey. The high bailiff has jurisdiction in causes under 40s. old Manx currency, equal to £1: 14:34d. British.' Na The history of Man is as obscure as that of Scotland, although perhaps more ancient and authentic records are preserved of the former. The nation is Celtic, and was doubtless a colony of the curagh borue Albynians, who emigrated westward and peopled Ireland. The descendants of these men returned with the Dalriadan prince Fergus to Caledonia in the beginning of the sixth century, and gave the name of Scotland to the western part of Great Britain. It is supposed that the Romans had a station in Man, but sufficient monuments do not remain to authenticate their occupancy thereof; it is certain that it became a spot of contention to the Britons after the invasion and conquest of Morven by the Scoto-Irish. From the sixth to the ninth century, Man was alternately a vice-royalty of Scotland and Wales, when, in the beginning of the latter century, it was invaded by the Northmen and retained by them until A.D. 1266, when it was ceded by Magnus of Norway to Alexander III. of Scotland, who had destroyed the forces of Haco at Largs and the power of Norway in the western seas at the same time. Perhaps the most famous of its old monarchs was Macon or liacon (A.D. 973), who makes some figure in history, and is conspicuous as a naval commander." 'He was one of the petty kings (eight in number) who on the river Dee rowed in the royal barge, Edgar holding the helm. Speiman calls him the prince of seamen, and states that his fleet consisted of 3600 ships of war, which annually sailed round the shores of Great Britain to free them from pirates. His name also (Macusius, as Spelman writes it) appears in the charter of Glastonbury subscribed immediately after the King of Scotland. Camden states that he was not only King of Man but of many other isles, and places his date about A D. 960. From him it would seem the ancient arms of the Isle of Man were adopted, viz. a ship in her ruff (in full sail), with the motto, Rex Manniæ et Insularum,' which arms Camden states he had seen on a seal belonging to the King of Man. These coutinued in use till the Scottish conquest (A.D. 1270), when by Alexander III. they were exchanged to the present arms, which are-Gules three armed-legs proper, conjoined in fess, at the upper part of the thigh flexed in triangle, garnished and spurred topaz, with the motto, Quocunque jeceris stabit (Whichever way you shall have thrown it, it will stand),' surrounding it in a garter. The motto has been singularly appropriate to the island, for, after all the tossings about from one master to another, it has had the felicity to drop upon its legs, and has retained to the present time its ancient peculiar and independent constitution.' the manorial right, the patronage of the bishoprie, mines, minerals, and treasure-trove, were still reserved to him on the honorary service of rendering a cast of falcons at every coronation, and the annual payment of a rent of £101:15:11d. The act by which this was accomplished, passed in January, 1765, is known by th name of the Act of Revestment. This was the third time that the island changed hands by purchase; the two former instances being those of Alexander III. of Scotland, who gained it thus of the King of Norway; and of Sir William Scroop, who bought it of Sir William Montacute. Jon, the third Duke of Athol, dying in 1774, his son John sueceeded to his title and estates. Under the conviction that the family had not received a suitable remuneration for their surrendered rights, he petitioned Parliament in 1781 and 1790 for a further allowance, but without success. At length, in 1805, he obtained a grant of the fourth part of the revenues of the island, afterwards commuted to £3000 per annum for ever. However, in 1825, the duke acceded to a proposition made to him by the Lords of the Treasury to purchase the whole of his remaining interest in the island for the sum of £416,114; and thus the Isle of Man became entirely and definitely, with all the rights and privileges of the royalty, vested in the British crown.' In 1270, four years after its cession by Norway, the Scottish king took possession of the island, and gave it as a vice-royalty to a succession of four thanes. In 1790 Edward I of England seized on it, but restored it to John Baliol, and for fifty years Man partook of the unsettled state of Scotland, being the scene of battles between the Scotch and English, who were alternately conquerors. The Scotch during their tenure of the island appear to have been regarded by the Manx with intense feelings of hatred, and these feelings continued long after their expulsion. A law was passed in 1422, that all Scots avoid the land with the next vessel that goeth into Scotland, upon a paine of forfeiture of their goods, and their bodies to prison.' In the year 1344 Sir William Montacute was solemnly crowned King of Man, but the family seem to have held the island by an uneasy tenure; and in the year 1393 the Earl of Salisbury sold it to Sir William Scroop, the king's chamberlain, afterwards Earl of Wiltshire, on whose attainder and execution in 1399, Henry IV. granted the isle to Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland, to be held by him on the service of carrying the sword of Lancaster on the day of the coronation of the kings of England. He was, four years after, on his attainder, deprived of it again by act of Parliament, and in the seventh year of his reign the king granted it to Sir John Stanley for life only. Subsequently (A.D. 1406) he extended the grant to him in perpetuity, in as full and ample a manner as it had been granted to any former lord, to be held of the crown of England, by paying to the king, his heirs and successors, a cast of falcons at their coronation. He died in the beginning of 1114, being at that time Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, a man truly great, and an honour to his country.' He was succeeded by his son Sir John Stanley, who came into the isle in the year 1417, and innity, the abbot and monks degenerated from their primithe June of the same year convened a meeting of the whole island at the Tynwald Hill, on which occasion were promulgated the laws which appear first in the statute-book of the island.' The last of the family of Stanley, which had held the Island of Man for 300 years, was James, tenth Earl of Derby, who, dying without issue, was succeeded by the second Duke of Athol in 1735, a descendant of the daughter of James, seventh Earl of Derby. During his reign illicit commerce very rapidly gained ground in the Isle of Man, causing much annoyance to the British Government, who made to him several overtures for the purchase of his rights in the island, but without coming to any conclusion. James died in 1761, and, leaving no male issue, was succeeded by his nephew John in the dukedom. John having also married James's daughter Charlotte, the Baroness Strange, in 1753, became also Lord of Man in his wife's right. The British Government still continuing their overtures of purchase, the duke, beginning to fear lest, if he were too pertinacious of his rights, he should lose all without any equivalent, at length agreed to surrender the revenues of the isle for £70,000, and an annuity to himself and duchess of £2000. The title of Lord of Man, There are several good towns in Man, the chief of which is Douglas, which has a population of about 3000, or nearly triple that of Castletown, the next in size. In 1726 the entire island contained a population of 14,066; in 1541 it had increased to 47,985. Small and insignificant as was and is this miniature nation in the Irish Sea, yet it is full of splendid architectural remains, and possesses an opulent hierarchy. The island, it is said, was first erected into a bishopric by St Patrick in 447, who left a disciple of his own, St Germanus, as first bishop. Pope Gregory IV. erected Man and the Western Isles into a conjoint diocese in the year 838, under the appellation of Sodor and Man, which title the island prelate still retains. The remote position of Man was favourable to it as a school of learning in the dark ages, and here, as well as in lona, were educated the illuminati who went out to spread the light of knowledge abroad amongst the dark places of Europe. One of the most famous of the Manx religious houses was that of Rushen, erected into an abbey in 1134 by Olave Kleining (or the dwarf). There is great plainness and simplicity in the few relics of the architecture of this abbey which now remain to us; square headed windows and doors as plain as those of the plainest cottage on the mountain-side-clear proof both of the ancient character of this religious house and of the limited extent of its revenues at any time. There is certainly no evidence here to bear out the statement which has been made by some, that in consequence of an accession of temporal dig tive simplicity and humble industry into pride and luxury, The property made over to their hands was in trust for others, and they seem to have exercised that trust honestly and rigidly. It was a noble testimony to their pious cha racter and their poverty that the rapacious eighth Henry laid not his hand upon them till he had plundered all their English brethren. It was the latest monastery dissolved in these kingdoms; and, like all other property perverted from ancient religious uses, it seems to have settled uneasily on its owner ever since, and has perpetually been changing hands.' If the Abbey of Rushen, named after St Russin, one of the twelve missionary fathers who settled with Columba in lona, stands yet in the loneliness and desolation of its ruins, to attest the piety of the ancient monks and their progress in learning, the majestic vitrified ruins of Castle Rushen, built by Guttard, a Scandinavian warrior, in 947, still attests the prowess and masonic activity of those times of fierce contention. Something like a halo of its old Runic character seems yet to pertain to the majestic old fort. There are strange tales afloat respecting this castle and its inmates in days of yore. Tradition counects the castle with the Abbey of Rushen by means of a subterranean passage, which the lover of romanc⚫ at one time has rendered subservient to the rescue of a captive maiden by her affianced knight, at another has described as a kind of facilis descensus Averni, the dark road to the home of the spell-bound giants. There is little need of fiction to give interest to a building whose realities are | all romantic, and must move to sadness the heart that can feel for others' woes; but Waldron's account of the Black Lady of Castle Rushen is given with such a zest for the marvellous, that it may perhaps relieve the tedium of what soine will deem a dry matter-of-fact description of this relic of feudal pomp and power. A mighty bustle they also make of an apparition which, they say, haunts Castle Rushen in the form of a woman, who was some years ago executed for the murder of her child. I have heard not only the debtors, but the soldiers of the garrison, affirm that they have seen it at various times; but what I took most notice of was the report of a gentleman, of whose good understanding as well as veracity I have a very high opinion. He told me that, happening to be abroad late one night, and caught in an excessive storm of wind and rain, he saw a woman stand before the castle gate; and as the place afforded not the smallest shelter, the circumstance surprised him, and he wondered that any one, particularly a female, should not rather run to some little porch or shed, of which there are several in Castletown, than choose to stand still, alone and exposed to such a dreadful tempest. His curiosity exciting him to draw nearer that he might discover who it was that seemed so little to regard the fury of the elements, he perceived she retreated on his approach, and at last, he thought, went into the castle though the gates were shut. This obliging him to think that he had seen a spirit, sent him home very much terrified: but the next day relating his adventure to some people who lived in the castle, and describing as near as he could the garb and stature of the apparition, they told him it was that of the woman abovementioned, who had frequently been observed by the so!diers on guard to pass in and out of the gates, as well as to walk through the rooms, though there were no visible means to enter. Though so familiar to the eye, no person has yet had the courage to speak to it; and as they say that a spirit has no power to reveal its mind unless conjured to do so in a proper manner, the reason of its being permitted to wander is unknown.' A great source of revenue to the inhabitants of Man is herring-fishing; and as they possess several exceptions to the general taxation of Britain, they still consider themselves as a privileged and independent nation. The navigation laws do not extend to Man, and consequently ship building can be carried on at a cheaper rate there than in Britain. Newspapers published in Man can also pass to any part of Britain free of postage, although unstamped. The Rev. J. G. Cumming's book does not profess to throw much light upon anything save the geology of Man; nevertheless he incidentally, in the course of the narrative, dwells with interesting effect upon several of the most prominent scenes, and interweaves with a geological description of their character the historical events connected with their rise and progress, or which are associated with them in monumental story. To the general tourist this book would be a most excellent vade mecum; to the student it gives a most complete diagnosis of the physical character of the little but most interesting Isle of Man. THE BRIDE. The bridal veil hangs o'er her brow, Why wears her gentle brow a shade? Why dim her eye when doubt is over? Why does her slender form for aid Lean tremblingly upon her lover? The fact of dark cells built in the solid foundations of the towers Is it a feeling of regret For solema vows, so lately spoken? The cloud that's swiftly passing o'er her; And bright the path that lies before her. Of wishes that may prove deceiving- Should leave the sacred altar weeping? And husband s pride, is fondly guiding THE TURTLE. THE words turtle and alderman seem almost to be convertible terms; whenever we utter the one the other seems to rise before us by a principle of association. An alderman has no necessary connection with this creature; but as it has from times long antecedent to ours been the principal luxury at civic feasts, and as feasting was at one time the most constant and inviting employment of civic functionaries, it may be that turtle and aldermanic flesh have so assimilated as to render the relationship of the words something more than phonetic. The turtle or tortoise is, however, esteemed for something more than its gastronomic capacities, and it furnishes many articles to the tastes of the elegant as well as to the grosser tastes of gourmands. Turtles are of several varieties and possess two natures, one being a dweller on the land, the other being chiefly a resident in the deep. The species which is used for fo d, and is exported thousan Is of miles for that purpose, is the green tortoise. All the other species, being encased in an armour of bone, furnish that substance called tortoiseshell, but none is capable of being manufactured into combs and other beautiful articles save that of a very small species called hawksbill. This creature, whose motions are necessarily slow, and whose nature leads it to frequent open parts of sea-coast, is admirably furnished by nature both with a shelter and a defence. Its back and belly are protected by two hard strong plates opening before and behind, in order to admit of its head and fore-feet, and hind-feet and tail, being extruded and drawn in at the animal's will. The upper shield is called the buckler, and the middle of it is covered by numerous small plates, like horn in appearance and texture. The head and feet of the marine tortoise are perfectl flexible, but they are, at the same time, covered with scales; the feet are longer than in the land species, and the toes are joined by membranes, which enable it to swim with great facility and rapidity. The tortoise is not furnished with and strongly arched over was established in certain repairs of the teeth, but its jaw-bones are very hard, enabling the land building made in 1816. ones to masticate their herbaceous food with great ease, |