The apples, after being carefully gathered, are laid awhile to mellow, and then crushed in a mill and pressed till all their juice is extracted. This, after being fermented, becomes cyder, which may properly be called apple-wine. Pears treated in the same manner yield a vinous liquor called perry. The richest and strongest kinds are distributed for sale over the whole country, and the inferior sorts serve as common drink in the districts where they are produced. Another agreeable product of our thickets and gardens, the hazel-nut, is fit for gathering at this time. Ye virgins, come, for you their latest song And, where they burnish on the topmost bough, WOMAN AND HER EMPIRE.-Man is the creature of interest and ambition. His nature leads him forth into the struggle and bustle of the world. Love is but the embellishment of his early life, or a song piped in the intervals of the acts. He seeks for fame, for fortune, for space in the world's thought, and dominion over his fellow men. But a woman's whole life is the history of the affections. The heart is her world; it is there her ambition strives for empire; it is there her avarice seeks for hidden treasures. She sends forth her sympathies on adventure; she embarks her soul in the traffic of affection; and if shipwrecked her case is hopeless, for it is a bankruptcy of the heart. There is, in every true woman's heart, a spark of heavenly fire, which lies dormant in the broad daylight of prosperity; but which kindles up, and beams, and blazes in the dark hours of adversity. No man knows what the wife of his bosom is-no inan knows what a ministering angel she is, until he has gone with her through the fiery trials of this world. - Washington Irving. We enjoy that which is before us; but when nothing more is possible, all that is attained is insipid. Such is the condition of this life: but let us not, therefore, think it of no value; for to be placed in this life, is to be a candidate for a better. -Hawkesworth. BIRDS. A laughable story of some carrier pigeons is told in an Antwerp newspaper. The editor of a celebrated journal, published in that city, sent a reporter to Brussels for the king's speech, and with him a couple of carrier pigeons, to take back the document. At Brussels, he gave the pigeons in charge to a waiter, and called for breakfast. He was kept waiting for some time, but a very delicious fricassee atoned for the delay. After breakfast, he paid his bill, and called for his carrier pigeons. "Pigeons!" exclaimed the waiter, "why you've eaten them!" The following anecdote I relate on the authority of Wilson:-"A box," he says, "fitted up in the window of the room where I slept, was taken possession of by a pair of wrens. Already the nest was built, and two eggs laid; when, one day, the window being open, as well as the door, the female wren, venturing too far into the room, was sprung upon by the cat, and destroyed. Curious to know how the surviving wren would act in the circumstances, I watched him carefully for several days. At first, he sang with great spirit. This continued for an hour or two. After this, becoming uneasy, he went off for an hour. On his return, he chanted again as before, and went to the top of the house, stable, and weeping willow, so that his mate would hear him; but seeing nothing of her, he returned once more, visited the nest, ventured cautiously into the window, gazed about with suspicious looks, his voice sinking into a low, sad tone, as he stretched his neck in every direction. Returning to the box, he seemed for some minutes quite at a loss what to do, and soon went off, as I thought, altogether, for I saw no more of him that day. Toward the afternoon of the second day, he again made his appearance, in company with another female, who seemed exceedingly shy, and, though not until after a great deal of hesitation, entered the box. At this moment, the little widower seemed as if he would warble his very life out with joy. They afterwards raised a brood of seven young ones, all of whom left the nest, at the proper time, in safety. J. C. EVENINGS AT HOME; OR, WINTER IN SPITZBERGEN.* (Continued from page 45.) SECOND EVENING. THE children had sat for a long time at their work; the daughters spun, while Max and Gustavus looked over the map, in order to make themselves well acquainted with the region into which their father was going to conduct them. While thus engaged, they disputed (of course it was like well-educated children, with whom a little dispute does not degenerate into a quarrel), whether Ivan and Gregory deserved to be blamed because they had secretly left their father and benefactor. Maria and Julia were decided in con demning them. Max was somewhat doubt ful; the desire of learning something new and being useful to the world, he thought, might excuse such a transgression. Gustavus proceeded on the supposition, that Ivan and Gregory, in so great an object, must indeed have ventured on it-a view JULIA. I do not think there can be any other! FATHER. NO? What way, then, did your friend Kotzebue take some years since? which brought on him many censures from his sisters. Gustavus himself felt that he had gone too far, but, as is often the case, he was not willing to take back his opinion. He belonged to those who would not willingly do wrong, and so defend their opinion as long as they can find any ground on which they can sustain them-rectly through the Great Ocean to the selves. Gus. We are all ready, and can enter on the voyage whenever you like. FATHER. Where did we leave off last evening, Maria ? MAX. Ah, now I know it! Take the and then go straight to South America, same route as before till you reach Spain, along down the east coast of this country, through the Straits of Magellan, leaving Chili and Peru on the right, and so di East Indies. FATHER. But both of these routes make a wide circuit; for each of them is about four thousand German miles. If any one could discover a way across Asia or America, this would not be more than half the distance. Therefore, for many years the English Government have proposed a large reward for any one who shall find this nearer passage, and it was natural for many to seek to obtain the premium. You can, therefore, easily imagine with what eagerness Ivan and voyage, so that they should secretly leave their father and benefactor. MARIA. In Archangel. FATHER. At least in the harbour of Gregory must have determined on such a Archangel, on the ship Juno. At that time there were many voyages undertaken to the North Pole, in order to find a passage to the East Indies across Asia or America. In such a discovery no one From the German of C. Hildebrandt, by rapidly over the white sea, and now they E. G. Smith. Now, then, behold our two friends on the ship, the anchor of which was already weighed. A fresh south-east wind swelled the sail, the ship flew on more and more are in the open Northern Ocean. It was men who will be to you what the captain and the two officers were for the young men. FATHER. I hope and expect this from Gustavus. But to go on. Every hour at which they were at leisure from the service of the ship, Ivan and Gregory were in the cabin, listened to the descriptions of the captain, and read with him the history of voyages, examined the maps, practised drawing, and the higher mathematics; and in this way such scholars in such a school soon became able seamen. a The captain took his course with the most favourable weather; first, northerly, so as to sail around the great barren island of Nova Zembla. He would not have been obliged, usually, to do this, as he was only accustomed to pass through the straits which separate Nova Zembla from Siberia. But the passage through these straits is dangerous; for we find there many shoals, sand-banks, rocks, and reefs. JULIA. Reefs? the first sea-voyage which they two had made, and the whole mode of life in the ship was new and unusual to them. They were indeed already well taught as to all that they saw here, for they had been educated in the Academy for Cadets; but many things, and indeed almost all, appeared to them larger and new as they here saw them in reality. The arrangements on board of the English ships are distinguished by the greatest order, and the crew by the most minute performance of every duty. This must have very greatly pleased them. The ship itself was beautiful, new, and firmly built one, in which reigned the most exemplary order nd cleanliness. Every day it was washed nd scoured; not the least dust was llowed, and even the most insignificant ortion was carefully attended to. To all is was added the kind conduct of the tcellent captain, and the constant respect the whole crew. The captain knew w to unite friendliness with seriousness, kindness with severity; he possessed greatest of all arts, to employ his ew-of which there were forty- conually in the most useful manner. He d already made several voyages to merica and the East Indies, and this rnished him with matter for much teresting and instructive conversation. the two friends sat and listened with creasing curiosity and the most earnest shes that they could themselves have perienced all that the captain related. hey accompanied him in their thoughts voyages, shared his perils, and ere at his side in many an adventure; th him they passed through unknown as, landed on desolate islands, saw many markable countries, and cities of foreign rtions of the globe. Both of the young I were commissioned as volunteers to his nd a helping hand to two other officers the ship. These also, after the example the captain, were excellent men, scienfically educated, who soon became friends the two young men. Gus. I can imagine how happily they oth must have felt in their intercourse ith such men. I should like much to ave been in their place. MOTHER. You can do as well here on he firm land. If you conduct yourself roperly, you may find everywhere good or FATHER. They are a succession chains of rocks, which extend along under the water, and are very dangerous to vessels in sailing. Usually we find them near to land, where they stretch out far into the sea. But often, too, they are to be met with in the midst of the ocean. MARIA. Can the sailors know and see where these reefs are ? FATHER. If the sea is stormy they cannot. It is only when the sea is calm that they are able to do it. The waves indeed dash over such a reef, and form a species of breakers, just as they do on a coast. But seamen avoid, as much as possible, such places. They choose to make a considerable circuit rather than expose themselves to such dangers, especially in unknown regions. Our voyagers were on the north of Nova Zembla, and now they turned to the east. Here two capes run out, not far distant from each other, Cape North-west and Cape North-east, or Taimura, the most northern points of Asia, which belong to the most northern portion of the earth. Against all expectation their voyage had hitherto been perfectly favourable; the sun appeared warmer than they could have anticipated in this latitude; they nowhere met with ice; and the day, which lasted above two months. JULIA. What did you say, father? the day two months long? FATHER. Yes; the day at Midsummer here lasts about two months; but for this reason, about Christmas, the night is as long. Then, for two months, the sun does not make its appearance. JULIA. That would be a nice thing for many people, for whom the sun always rises too early. Gus. Look in the glass yourself, Julia; you are not used to be the first up. JULIA. We will not dispute about that. Sleep is something very sweet; but you, Max and Gustavus, can oblige us two, Maria and myself, very much. See here; I know well that the length of the days and nights is different, according to situation of countries MAX. That, for example, under the line, or the equator, the day, year in and out, is twelve hours, and the night twelve hours; while under the two poles the longest day lasts half a year. JULIA. True; but why is it so? and in what degrees does it happen? FATHER. Of this you have no really correct idea, that I can well believe. Max and Gustavus, what if you should make this clear to your sisters? MAX. Very willingly, sir; but I must first think over in what way to make it plain. FATHER. That must depend wholly on you two, and it will give me pleasure if you find out a new way. But let us now return to our account of the voyage. Here in the highest northern point of Asia, the English captain had two courses before him, of which he might take his choice. One way was to proceed further on his voyage eastward, and sail through between Asia and America. Gustavus, what countries would he pass to reach the East Indies? Gus. Along the northern coast of Asia, to Cape Satatskoy, from thence to the North Cape. MARIA. Ha! ha! That was the way, years before, with our friends Cook and Kotzebue. Gus. So it was. On the way the captain could make a visit to the Jakuts and Tschutsches. From thence they might go through Behring's Straits, between Asia and America. JULIA. Now I know the rest of the way. Kamschatka, the Aleutian Isles, Japan, China, all these countries come one after another. FATHER. Right. The captain thought with himself whether he should choose this course. The summer would soon be over, and the winter drew on at every hour. The whole of the northern coast of Asia was little known, and therefore threatened many dangers. Fossibly the captain had no particular desire to pass the winter at Kamschatzka. The course to the East Indies removed him too far from his country-from old England. He concluded, therefore, to turn about again, and to spend the winter in Archangel, and in the beginning of the following summer to try whether it might not be possible to discover a new way through Baffin's Bay. MARIA. Is not that the great bay hetween Greenland and the yet wholly unknown parts of North America? FATHER. Yes. More than two hundred years ago was this bay discovered; and many attempts have since been made to find a passage through it into the Pacific Ocean. In this region the captain turned his ship towards the North-west Cape, and for a second time doubled the Cape. The cold had already set in, and the ice formed on the coasts, mist and snow darkened the air, and the captain had need of all his care if he wished to reach Archangel with his ship uninjured. But often a single circumstance is a means of frustrating the best and wisest plan; a fact which the captain and his friends proved by experience, and which every man often has occasion to learn. Gus. Did it happen to them as it did to Robinson Crusoe? Did they suffer shipwreck ? MARIA. I should doubly pity the unfortunate men if such a fate had befallen them in that region. FATHER. I forgot to tell you that the captain had taken with him from Archangel a Russian as a pilot, a man who was perfectly trained for his post. He soon became Ivan's and Gregory's friend. He was of much value to the captain and the whole crew, on account of his knowledge. Now the officers were sitting |
