ing object has been to rival the Indians in the fabric or basis of the web. Organzine silk was the material originally employed for warp, and upon this a weft of wool or silk, or of various mixtures of the two substances, was thrown in. This was succeeded, about 1804 or 1805, by spun silk, that is, the waste of Italian silk chopped into short lengths, and worked upon the same principle as wool or cotton-a process long kept secret, but now well known. It was made to resemble the Indian yarn very closely, and was deservedly considered a great improvement, though it still wanted the best properties of fine wool. Some years afterwards another step was made towards the introduction of the proper material, by preparing a weft of silk and Merino wool, which received the name of Persian yarn. This still continues partially in use. At length, about three years ago, an attempt was made to make the fabric of wool entirely. To the substance employed, the name of Van Diemen's Land, or Indian, or Thibet wool, was given, though in reality it consisted merely of picked quantities taken from picked Saxon or English fleeces. Of this a fabric was made which surpassed those previously used, but it was still deficient in the exquisite softness and warmth which the Indian wool possesses; and what was not of less impor- ́ tance, no figure could be worked in upon it with accuracy and beauty. British enterprise, however, is not easily discouraged. Inquiries were set on foot in the East; and specimens of the actual material used in the fabrication of the very finest shawls were brought home. It was found to consist of the under growth of wool of the Thibet goat, or the down growing beneath the long rough hairs which form the exterior covering of the animal. It was found too that the article, though very expensive, could be procured in considerable quantities. But a new difficulty presented itselfthis down was so extremely tender, that the most expert spinners in England despaired of forming it into a thread of sufficient tenacity to bear the operation of the loom. The practical skill and invention of our artizans is, however, inexhaustible; and we verily believe, that if it were required to convert spiders' webs into cables, they would find means to accomplish it. An English spinner discovered a process by which he was able to form a very delicate yet firm and durable thread out of this soft material, and, according to custom, he secured his invention by a patent. Some farther difficulties remained, but not of very great magnitude. Our manufacturers had some advantages before, which the natives of the East wanted, and having now the material in their hands which gave the others their chief superiority, they were in a condition to unite every possible excellence in their workmanship. We think we may safely say that this has been attained. We have seen shawls of the new fabric made by our townsmen, Gibb and McDonald (who hold the first rank, we believe, in this branch of manufacture,) quite admirable in point of softness, delicacy of texture, and vividness of color, and which, we have been assured by adequate judges, rival the Indian shawls in these, and, indeed, in all the leading qualities for which the latter are prized. Some superiority the Indians have still in their patterns, from the tedious process. they employ; but this will be confined to shawls of the very first class. In the others we already equal or surpass them, and future improvements will probably leave us little to desire on this head. To those who know how much our manufacturers contribute to our national wealth, we need scarcely say, that the successful establishment of a branch of industry like this is really an object of national importance. India muslins have been already superseded by the skill of our artizans; and it is probable that India shawls are destined soon to share the same fate. Custom may keep up the old predilection for a time; but self interest will teach the people to save the two or three hundred pounds paid for an India shawl, when they can have one for ten, twenty, or thirty, so closely resembling the other in fabric and appearance, that only the practiced eye of a dealer can detect the difference. Thirty years ago, there was not a single shawl made in Edinburgh, and the number made in Britain was absolutely trifling. At this day, shawls are made to the value of a million sterling annually at least, and the manufac ture now forms a leading branch of our national industry. POETRY. ORIGINAL. BELSHAZZAR'S FEAST. "FILL, fill, and to-night let the loud note of gladness Fill high, and let none dare by sorrow or sadness, "Strike minstrel, and wake a proud strain to inspire "Go, Captive of Judah! bring forth from our store, To deck this rich banquet, the goblets of gold That once graced the shrine of the God you adore, When your country was free, e'er her children were sold." Belshazzar! the God of Judea has numbered The hours of thy revel, thy boasting is vain ; His vengeance has waked, though so long it has slumbered, Thy boasting is vain--for the conquering foe Already has swept like a surge o'er thy land, And thy bulwarks of strength are around thee laid low, Proud King! let the sound of thy revelry cease, Read, read, on the wall of thy l'alace, thy doom, SELECTED. THE LY E. BY SIR WALTER RALEIGH. GOE, soule, the bodies guest, The truth shall be thy warrant : Goe tell the court, it glowes And shines like rotten wood; Tell potentates they live Acting by others actions; Not lov'd unlesse they give, Not strong but by their factions; Give potentates the lye. Tell men of high condition, That rule affairs of state, Their purpose is ambition, W. Tell them that brave it most, Tell age, it daily wasteth; Tell wit, how much it wrangles Straight give them both the lye. Tell physicke of her boldnesse; Tell skill, it is pretension; Tell charity of coldness; Tell law, it is contention; Tell fortune of her blindnesse ; Tell friendship of unkindnesse ; Tell justice of delay: And if they dare reply, Then give them all the lye. Tell arts, they have no soundnesse, But vary by esteeming ; Tell schooles, they want profoundnesse, And stand too much on seeming : If arts and schooles reply, Give arts and schooles the lye. So, when thou hast, as I Commanded thee, done blabbing, Although to give the lye Deserves no less than stabbing, Yet stab at thee who will, No stab the soule can kill. MISCELLANEOUS, SELECTED FROM CALDCLEUGH'S TRAVELS. SOUTH AMERICA. THE naturalist, who is here for the first time, does not know whether he shall most admire the forms, hues, or voices of the animals. Except at noon, when all living creatures in the torrid zone seek shade and repose, and when a solemn silence is diffused over the scene, illumined by the dazzling beams of the sun, every hour of the day calls into action another race of animals. The morning is ushered in by the howling of the monkeys, the high and deep notes of the tree frogs and toads, the monotonous chirp of the grasshoppers and locusts. When the rising sun has dispelled the mists which preceded it, all creatures rejoice in the return of day. The wasps leave their long nests which hang down from the branches; the ants issue from their dwellings, curiously built of clay, with which they cover the trees, and commence their journey on the paths they have made for themselves, as is done also by the termites which cast up the earth high and far around. The gayest butterflies, rivalling in splendor the colors of the rainbow, especially numerous Hesperiæ, flutter from flower to flower, or seek their food on the roads, or, collected in separate companies, on the sunny sand banks of the cool stream. The blue shining Menelaus, Nestor, Adonis, Laertes, the blueish white Idea, and the large Eurylochus with its ocelated wings, hover like birds between the green bushes in the moist valleys. The Feronia, with rustling wings, flies rapidly from tree to tree, while the owl, the largest of the moth kind, sits immoveably on the trunk with outspread wings awaiting the approach of evening. Myriads of the most brilliant beetles buzz in the air, and sparkle like jewels on the fresh green of the leaves, or on the odorous flowers. Meantime agile lizards, remarkable for their form, size, and brilliant colors, dark-colored poisonous, or harmless serpents, which exceed in splendor the enamel of the flowers, glide out of the leaves, the hollows of the trees, and holes in the ground, and, creeping up the stems, bask in the sun, and lie in wait for insects or birds. From this moment all is life and activity. Squirrels, and troops of gregarious monkeys, issue inquisitively from the interior of the woods to the plantations, and leap, whistling and chattering, from tree to tree. Gallinaceous jacus, hoccos, and pigeons, leave the branches and wander about ou |