for years. She felt as if this strange, abrupt, There was something almost courtly in half-mad woman was stringing together a set Mr. Whitelock's manner of addressing women. of accusations against her child. People in his own class of life, who observed “ I'm obleeged to you, ma'am, for the com- i it, thought it ridiculous, and never speculated pliment," said Matty, dropping a curtsey; as to how this politeness became engrafted on i but, as that's neither here nor there, what's his nature. He placed a seat for Mrs. Dolyour business with the masther?” land in his little parlour, and, though it was a " That I can only tell himself,” she re warm autumn evening, he moved it to keep plied. her out of the air, that blew over a box of “Well," muttered Matty, “that beats --! yellowish, stunted mignionette, and two sickly But the women now have no modesty. Them wallflowers, which graced the sill of his back English is all a silent set -- no sociability in window; he also pushed his own chair as far them. Tell himself kas if it wasn't more as he could from the widow's, but, like all natural for a half-blind craythur like that to persons with impaired vision, she moved discoorse a woman than a man. Well, well! ! nearer to him, and turned her restless eyes No wonder my hair's gone gray and my heart towards the door. hard!” " It is shut close," said the bookseller. VIRGINIA DAR E. BY L. H. SIGOURNEY. [The first-born child of English parents in the Western World was the grand-daughter of Governor White, who planted a short-lived colony at Roanoke, Virginia, in the year 1587.] 'Twas lovely in the deep greenwood Of old Virginia's glade, A fearful chasm had made ; Hung pendent from the tree, O'erflowd with fragrance free ; Like fairy visions flew, Their wealth of clusters threw, Reviving welcome bore, From Albion's distant shore. Out peal'd the labourer's horn, Peer'd forth their tassell'd corn ; Hid in the nested grove, The lullaby of love. A mother young and fair O sweet Virginia Dare! The forest's sylph-like queen, That this New World hath seen ; And when once more, from England's realm, He comes with bounty rare, Mine own Virginia Dare!” Their warbled music shed, O'er silken cradle-bed ; Maintain'd their strong control, Fresh greenness o'er her soul. Return'd at closing day, Where all his treasures lay. The hardship or the storm, And clasp our infant's form." Convuls'd their tranquil breast, The heart hath perfect rest. The Autumn's golden wing, Upon the lap of Spring. “ Thy father's axe in thicket rings, To fell the kingly tree; Å gallant man is he ! Yet oft, with wily, wary step, The red-brow'd Indian crept And listen'd while they slept ; Aloof, their movements eyed, Nor check'd his haughty stride. Jolin White leap'd from his vessel's prow, He had braved the boisterous sea, A stalwart man was he. And joy was in his eye ; Amid the stormiest sky. “ Where is the glorious Saxon vine We set so strong and fair ?” And coldly answered “where!” And tell— But light as air Responsive murmured—“where !" Where were the roofs that fleck'd the green? The smoke-wreaths curling high? But Echo makes reply. And sweet Virginia Dare ! Like angel's wing-say where ! So, o'er the ruin'd palisade, The blacken'd threshold-stone, That old man wept-alone ! In accents of despair, And young Virginia Dare. THE VALE OF TINTERN. The banks of the Wye, in Monmouthshire, | recall to mind, are left to proclaim the fact, present to the traveller a continued series of that they considered there was a time for all the most beautiful and varied landscapes that things, and that it formed no part of their the eye can dwell upon; and perhaps the duty to reject the good things the bounty of fairest portion, certainly that which contains Providence had spread out before them, or the greatest combination of picturesque ob rather, it was more becoming to seek out and jects, will be found in that known as “ The apply them to their own purposes, spiritual Vale of Tintern." How grandly the hills and corporeal. sweep down on either side to the winding Tintern, which looks in the picture scarcely river, sheltering from the wintry blast the larger than a dove-cot embosomed in trees, magnificent ruins of the ancient Abbey, and stands on the right bank of the Wye, about forming, in the distance, a noble background nine miles below Monmouth. It was founded to the picture, lessening in intensity of colour in 1131, by Walter de Clare, for the Cistercian till earth and sky are scarcely distinguishable monks, or Bernardines, a branch of the Benefrom each other. “The Devil's Pulpit," from dictines, who were also called White Monks, which point the artist has taken his view, from the colour of their habit. It has been seems a strange misnomer; it should rather remarked, that this order, or fraternity of have been designated the “Altar of the monkhood, almost invariably erected their Deity,"--if the term might be used without monasteries in secluded localities, and they profanity,—whence He manifests His power, were always dedicated to St. Mary. The Cisand goodness, and glory, in decking the earth tercians were transplanted from Normandy, with beauty, and giving it to us “richly to in 1128, by Walter Giffard, Bishop of Winenjoy." chester, who placed them in his newly-founded Excellent judges of what would administer abbey of Waverley, in Surrey, of which no to the pleasures of sense, as well as of that re vestiges now remain. This was the first house tirement generally considered conducive to of the order established in England, though study and meditation, were “the monks of for a long time precedence was given to the old. Look where one will for the remains of abbey of Furness, in Lancashire. The extent monastic and religious houses, we invariably and power of the Cistercians may be gathered find them standing among pleasant pastures from the fact that, when Henry VIII. supand beside refreshing waters—meadows yield pressed all monastic establishments, they ing their fruits, and streams their finny tribes, possessed thirty-six greater monasteries and for the gratification of those who had fled thirty-nine of less importance, besides twentyfrom the follies and vanities of the world, but six nunneries; and their revenues amounted who could still find pleasure in its natural to nearly nineteen thousand pounds-an enorbeauties, and were by no means insensible to mous sum in those days. the advantages derived from a well-conducted The chapel of Tintern Abbey was comcuisine. Tintern, Netley, Bolton, Kirkstall, menced by Roger de Bigod, Earl of Norfolk : and a score other names that one might readily | the abbots and monks celebrated their first mass within it in 1268. At the dissolution, the site was granted by Henry VIII. to Henry, second Earl of Worcester ; the entire property now belongs to the Duke of Beaufort. The speed of the “iron horse” has now brought this most attractive spot within an easy day's journey of our vast metropolis ; and, indeed, if we remember rightly, during the last great year of sight-seeing," excursion trains" started from London early in the morning, whirled hundreds down to Bristol, who were there embarked upon steam-boats, carried up the Avon to its junction with the Wye, then past Chepstow, another most beautiful locality, up to Tintern, and, sufficient time being allowed for full inspection of its loveliness, were brought back by the same route, arriving at London on the evening of the same day. Sailing up the Wye, the traveller cannot but be impressed with the charming scenery that surrounds him on all sides; but his delight receives a fresh and vigorous impulse when he approaches the ruins of the old abbey, which afford the most striking indication of the wealth, magnificence, and taste of the religious brotherhood to whom it belonged. It stands on a gently rising eminence, and was originally built in the form of a cathedral, having a nave, north and south aisles, transept, and choir, with a tower rising from the intersections. The roof and tower have fallen, but the exterior, viewed from a distance, is still eminently beautiful, but excelled by the yet more striking appearance of the interior, as the visitor enters the western doorway. From this point the eye traverses along the range of stately columns, and, passing under the lofty arches that once supported the tower, rests upon the grand eastern window at the termination of the choir. From the length of the nave, the height of the walls, the imposing form of the pointed arches the style of the | edifice is that known as Early English deco rated-and the size of the east window, the first impressions one receives are those of grandeur and sublimity; but, on a closer examination, these feelings are combined with those of admiration at the regularity of the plan, the elegance and lightness of the architecture, and the exceeding delicacy of the ornamental work, mingled, and partly covered in some portions, as it is, with a profusion of wild flowers, and masses of ivy and other climbing plants. We are accustomed to exclaim against the barbarisms of past ages, but how much have not these ages taught us of the noble and the beautiful! BIRDS IN CAPTIVITY.* THE CANARY. worthy of remark, that birds with dark eyes are stronger than those with red : the latter (Fringilla Canaria ; Passerine Order.) are the pale and yellow colour. The effects of 6 Thou little, sportive, airy thing, naturalisation, alliances formed, changes of That trimm'st so oft thğ yellow wing, And cheerful pour'st thy lay, climate, and art, combine to produce more In sprightly notes, clear, rapid, gay; beautiful birds, and better songsters, in the As jocund in thy grated dome, domestic canary. As thou at liberty did'st roam.” A description of this bird, sui generis, would The antecedents of this deservedly popular be useless, when to the thirty varieties in species are now of little importance, the whole Buffon's time so many have since been added. aspect of the race differing from the original The two principal distinctions adopted by the stock. Accidental circumstances first caused “ London societies” for the rearing of the the introduction of the canary-finch into Eu “ fancy finch” are technically “jonks, or jonrope, about the fourteenth century. Aldro quils (plain), gay or spangled (variegated).” vandus and Gessner are the first naturalists, in The mealy, or dim white, is the ordinary colour the sixteenth, who named it as a great rarity." of the German canary; the Dutch birds are of The earliest tame birds in Europe were a brighter hue. Richness of colour is the great reared in Italy : the renturon of that country object sought for in the “ fancy finch ;" and bears more resemblance to the wild stock, that this state of regularity and perfection has taken had dark plumage, and but little song, than to generations to perfect. The "properties" reour “musician of the chamber." It is, however, quisite for “a show bird” it is here unnecessary to detail--the peculiar mode of rearing them * Continued from page 36. | causing great delicacy and deterioration of |