"Certainly," said Cora, not to be daunted. | his hands, gave us the not over pleasant information "We have been discussing the weaknesses of that the rain was already pouring down in torrents. married lovers." "It will rain all day, gentlemen. The thunder's broke the weather. I'm afraid we can give ye but poor amusement indoors. I've a pack of cards or two, and a draught-board, which you 're heartily welcome to."

"Take care you are not soon placed on the catalogue, Madame Cora. But make haste down, both of you. We must speed homewards, or rather inn-wards; I prophesy a tremendous storm." Poor Cora! she was no coward in general, but she had a superstitious dread of lightning. Her rosy face paled, her lips blanched with apprehension, she gazed up into the threatening sky, which, it seemed, neither of them had hitherto remarked, secluded as they had remained beneath their canopy of green boughs.

We soon harnessed the steady old horse, who had been quietly grazing on the rich grass in the recesses of the glen, and then resuming our seats in the vehicle, Lennox displayed all his address as a driver; but at the first peal of thunder, Cora buried her face in her hands and sobbed violently.

66

'Here, Cora," said I, "change places with me. You will perhaps feel safer behind, and Lucy will take care of you."

This arrangement made, we were fortunate enough to reach the inn before we were materially wet through. What a comfort was that huge chimney corner! How the fresh logs of wood hissed and sparkled and roared up the immense orifice; while Lennox and I, who were not sufficiently wet to think it worth while to change entirely, sat before it in our shirt-sleeves, and rubbed our hands over the cheerful blaze.

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"Now, landlord," said we, "a regular country tea. Are you not famous hereabouts for pikelets?" The landlord grinned. Depend upon me, gentlemen. If you like it, you shall this evening taste all the good things of the country. You deserve something after your wetting."

The storm over, Lucy cured of her headache, and Cora of her fright, we assembled round the promised repast, which I shall not describe to my worthy reader, lest he should think himself justified in ascribing to the author a considerable organ of alimentiveness.

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"John, my dear," said my wife to had reached this point, you do not usual fault of people advanced in years. your tale too long, John."

Lennox was breakfasting with us, and we thanked our worthy host, but we declined his offer so early in the morning. Nor were we more favorable to his next proposition, which was, that he should invite the rector in my name to dine with us.

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'No, thank you, landlord. I have no doubt we can manage to amuse ourselves and the ladies also." Lucy and Cora nodded approbation, and Boniface retired, throwing some wood on the fire, and carrying the breakfast things with him.

"Come," said Lennox, when, having drawn our chairs round the fire, we had discussed every topic within our reach, "come, what say you to a game at riddles?"

He glanced at Cora. Short as had been their acquaintance, the rogue had already acquired a habit of this. Cora's black eyes, somehow or other, appeared to shrink and droop beneath that glance, which was very unaccountable, as she was usually by no means bashful. But she gayly replied, With all my heart. Let us begin."

I shall not detail any of these amazing exercises of intellect. The forfeits soon became so numerous that we ceased to count them; and we finally agreed that they should be compounded for three each.

Notwithstanding the pouring rain and the howling wind, for the gale gathered in the gully between the mountains, and came moaning round the old house like a Banshee-notwithstanding the stormy weather outside, there was much comfort indoors. The presence of two such lovely women as my wife and her cousin, the gay spirits of Lennox and Cora, my own suspicions and speculations concerning these two latter, notwithstanding their brief acquaintance, the cheerful log-fire, which was extremely welcome, although it was the middle me, when I of spring, all this was very pleasant, and when our escape the cousin and our guest essayed their harmonious You make voices in a duet, I passed my arm round the little waist of my sweet wife, who was sitting by me in the chimney-corner, and, shutting my eyes, fancied myself a Mahometan in Paradise.

Now, if the dear old soul have a fault, it is that of fancying herself and me a good ten years more ancient than we really are. I am determined never to give in to this foible, as I fully intend to live thirty or five-and-thirty years longer! Where else will be the pleasure of having reared children, unless we can manage to see their grandchildren? Besides, in my opinion, where the laws of health are duly observed, and one does not put oneself in the way of accidents, people have no business to die before ninety or ninety-five. We should not even despair of a hundred.

"Ah! John, remember," says my wife, again looking over my shoulder, "threescore years and

ten

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Yes, my still bonny Lucy, I know all that. However, we will not dispute about the matter. Nor shalt thou charge me with garrulity; for I trust my readers will take equal pleasure in reading as I do in writing the sayings and doings of my wedding-week."

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My dear," said Lucy to me that night, as she was curling her hair before the glass, my dear, it is very odd about Mr. Lennox and Cora." "What is it, love?" inquired I drowsily; "what have you discovered?"

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Nothing, but that I think they are in love with each other. It is very strange. They have only known one another two days. I could not become attached to any one in that space of time." "Not even to me?" asked I, with a sleepy attempt at slyness.

I heard a line of a negro melody the other day, ending thus

Now don't be foolish, Joe. Something like it my wife said to me, in reply to this sally, and then went on with her surmises, rousing me thoroughly. Having summed up all the evidence she had to bring, we both agreed that The next day rose dark and gloomy; the leaden our joint view of the case was well founded; and I sky being overcharged with clouds. During break-determined, as a cousin and present protector of our fast, Boniface intruded his rosy visage, and, rubbing handsome, careless chit of a Cora, to write privately

Oh, never mind," said Lennox, coming to the rescue. "I am sufficiently repaid by having had an opportunity of testifying my devotion to-to-self pay us a visit last year, leaning on the arm of the fair sex."

Cora was not much altered, was she, since the day when we four played at riddles in the old-fashioned wayside inn. She had as bright an eye and as light a foot as ever, though she had added some three stone to her weight."

From Chambers' Journal.

LIBERIA.

"All that you say is very true, John. Now for the postscript."

"There it is, good wife, with your affidavit appended."

"Upon my word, John, you have the queerest way of doing things."

mote the return of emancipated negroes to their own quarter of the globe, where it was thought they might be able, to some extent, to introduce THE new republic of Liberia is one of the nota- the intelligence, religion and usages of civilized ble features of our singularly progressive age. It communities among their benighted brethren, and is one of the things which the people of the eight-form the most effective of battalions for the represeenth could have least expected to be produced by sion of the slave-trade-their constitutions being the nineteenth century. Yet it is probable enough that many not unintelligent persons in England never even heard of its name.

able to endure climatic influences under which the whites are sure to sink. The result has been this republic of Liberia. The whole movement has, Liberia is a free negro Christian state, enjoying we believe, from first to last, been regarded with republican institutions, on the coast of Africa. jealousy, if not hostility, by the abolition party, Situated between the fourth and eighth degrees of who saw in it only the dislike of white for black, north latitude, it occupies about 500 miles of what and shut their eyes to the religious and philanis called the Guinea coast-a country wonderfully thropic objects, which were in reality alone caparich in natural productions, but heretofore blighted ble of being promoted to any considerable extent; by the accursed slave-trade. The proper citizens for of course a serious diminution of the colored of Liberia are said to be little over 7000; but they population of America by such means is not to be have a quarter of a million of the native popula- expected. We do not profess to know how far tion under their protection. They are distributed this was a reasonable feeling on the part of the through a chain of well-built towns, surrounded by worthy men who are standing up for negro rights well-cultivated fields; they have ports and ship-in America; but assuredly, whatever were the ping, custom-houses, a president, and a national flag. Churches and schools everywhere give pleasing token of civilization. The people in general seem to be animated by a good spirit. On the whole, Liberia is a thriving settlement, and its destiny appears to be one of no mean character.

The efforts to put down the African slave-trade by a blockade have, it is well known, been signally unsuccessful. Britain's share in it costs about three quarters of a million per annum; and the money is spent not merely in vain, but to the increase of the inhumanities meant to be extinguished. Under the powerful temptations held out by the sugar-trade of Brazil, more slaves are now exported from Africa than ever-the only effect of the blockade being to cause the trade to be conducted under much more cruel circumstances than formerly. While this costly and mischievous mockery has been going on, a humble and almost unnoticed association of emancipated negroes from the United States has been doing real work, by quietly planting itself along the African coast, and causing, wherever it set its foot, the slave-trade to disappear. Strange to say, it has done this, not as a primary object, but as one only secondary and incidental to a process of colonization, the prompting causes of which were of a different, and, as some might think, partly inconsistent nature.

motives of the Colonization Society, the consequences of their acts are such as to give them no small ground for triumph. For anything that we can see, their settling of Liberia has been the most unexceptional good movement against slavery that has ever taken place. Perhaps it has not been the worse, but rather the better, of that infusion of the wisdom of this world, which has discommended it so much to the abolitionists.

It occurs to us that the Colonization Society needs no other defence for its policy than to point to the spirit which has all along animated the black people who emigrated to Africa. One sentiment, that it was worth while to encounter all possible hardships and dangers on a foreign strand for the sake of perfect freedom, appears in the whole conduct of these men. They appear to have been generally persons of decided piety, and the missionary spirit is conspicuous at every stage of their proceedings. Not less important as a testimony to the same effect has been the energetic contention which the colonists have kept up against the slave-dealing propensities of the native princes. These men felt from the first that the Liberians were enemies to that traffic which gave them their most valued luxuries; and here lay the greatest difficulty which the settlers had to encounter. Their early history is a series of martyrdoms visited upon them by the slave-trade.

The situation of the free negroes in the United States is well known to be an unpleasant one. The first party of colonists landed in 1819, at They have neither the political nor social privi- Sherbro, and almost immediately were afflicted leges of other citizens; and though matters were to a grievous extent by the diseases incident to the put formally to rights in this respect, it is to all climate. Several white gentlemen, who acted as appearance hopeless that the colored should ever leaders, sunk in succession under the effects of be admitted to a true fellowship with the white fever. It was not till the spring of 1822, and after people. In these circumstances the man of African undergoing an immense amount of hardship, that blood is like a small tree under the shade of a the colonists obtained their first certain footing at great one. His whole nature is dwarfed; his best Cape Mesurado, where they forthwith planted a aspirations are checked. The results are not over-village and fort. Almost immediately after having comfortable for the white man either. Some sold them the land, the barbarian King Peter reAmerican citizens, seeing and deploring these evils, solved to extirpate them, being afraid of their were induced, about five-and-thirty years ago, to interferences with his slave-dealing arrangements. form themselves into a society, which should pro- Behold, then, thirty-five liberated negroes from

Pennsylvania and Maryland perched on an African | of the forest. The day dawns. The western promontory, with their wives and children about them, and obliged to defend their position against a whole horde of savages! Sickness added to the terrors of their situation; yet they never felt in the least disheartened. They had fortunately an excellent commander in Mr. Jehudi Ashmun; and two blacks of extraordinary intelligence, Lott Cary and Elijah Johnson, were of their number. To quote a small work of recent date,* "Mr. Ashmun, after taking a turn around the works, and reviewing his little force in the evening, thus addressed them with all the solemnity and impressiveness which their circumstances were calculated to inspire: War is now inevitable,' he said; the safety of our property, our settlement, our families, our lives, depends under God upon your courage and firmness. Let every post and every individual be able to confide in the firm support of every other. Let every man act as if the whole defence depended upon his own single arm. May no coward disgrace our ranks! The cause is God's and our country's, and we may rely upon the blessing of Almighty God to succeed in our efforts. We are weak; He is strong. Trust in Him!' A stern silence pervaded the little band: the men were marched to their posts, where they lay on their arms, with matches lighted, during the long watches of that anxious night. It wore away, and no enemy appeared.

"The next morning Mr. Ashmun aroused himself from the languor of sickness to make a more thorough inspection of the fortifications. It was with deep anxiety as well as regret that he perceived the western quarter of the settlement could be easily approached by a narrow pathway, where was only a nine-pounder, and no stockade to defend it from assault. The eastern quarter was also exposed, but the station was well guarded, and a steep ledge of rocks made the approach both difficult and dangerous. From bed Mr. Ashmun issued his orders with thoughtful vigilance. He commanded all the houses in the outskirts to be abandoned, and every family to sleep in the centre of the village. Guards of four men were posted one hundred yards in advance of each station during the night, and no man was to leave his post until sunrise. Another night passed, and another day arose on the anxious few. It was the Sabbath. A few hours' sleep were hastily snatched by the weary men, while earnest prayers went up from many a brave heart to the God of all mercy for his protecting providence. Divine service was holden at noon, and Lott Cary addressed his little church under the most tender and affectionate circumstances. Perhaps it was their last Sabbath on earth; death in its most cruel form was hovering around them; another Sabbath's sun might witness their little colony given over to butchery and plunder, and every vestige of industry and Christianity forever blotted out.

"At this moment one of the scouts came running in, with the news that the hostile army were crossing the Mesurado River, only a few miles above the settlement. By evening the whole body had encamped to the west, little less than half a mile distant. Silently and sternly did each man march to his post, and you could read on every face, 'Give me victory or give me death.' Another night went by, and no war-yell broke the stillness *Africa Redeemed; or the Means of her Relief Illustrated by the Growth and Progress of Liberia. London: Nisbet. 1851. 18mo. pp. 300.

guard, owing to misapprehension, or inadvertence, or neglect of duty, left their posts at day-dawning instead of sun-rising, as the order ran, and consequently before the fresh guards were in readiness to take their places. At this unguarded moment the savages, who had stolen with silent step to the very verge of the clearing, and were watching with fiendish anxiety every movement of the little band, were now stirring for action. An immense body suddenly issued from the forest, fired, and then rushed forward, with horrid yells, upon the post. Taken by surprise, several of the men were killed, while the rest, driven from their cannon, without time to discharge it, fell back in haste and confusion. It is a fearful moment! If the savages press on, there is no time to rally, and all is lost! Instead of following up their advantages, they pause and surround some houses in that direction, to plunder and destroy. Several women and children, who, in spite of orders to leave, remained in their houses, are now shrieking in the hands of a savage foe. Mr. Ashmun rushed to the scene of action, and, assisted by the determined boldness of Lott Cary, rallied the broken forces of the settlers. Two cannons were instantly brought into action, double-shotted with ball and grape. They did a rapid and fearful execution. The enemy began to recoil. Fear seized their ranks. The settlers, seeing their advantage, pushed forward and regained the lost post. Directing their cannon to rake the whole enemy's line, every shot took effect; while Elijah Johnson, at the head of a few musketeers, passed around the enemy's flank, and increased their consternation. A savage yell echoed through the forest, filling every soul with horror. As it died away, the horde fell back, and rapidly disappeared among the gloomy wilds. In thirty minutes the day is won! God be praised! At nine o'clock orders were issued to contract the lines, leaving out a fourth part of the houses, and surrounding the rest by a musket-proof stockade. As there was no safety until it was completed, the work was urged on with the utmost rapidity; for no one could tell when or where another attack might be made, and it was not until the next day that an hour could be spared for the burial of the dead."

Such were the terrible struggles through which Liberia had to pass in order to obtain a footing in Africa. On the 2d of December, the colonists experienced another and severer attack, which, however, they repelled after an hour and a half of hard fighting. The anniversary of this conflict is to this day the great holiday of Liberia, as the 4th of July is with the people of the United States. The troubles of the infant state were not yet ended; but from this time they gradually abated. Fresh colonists poured in; additional lands were bought ; the native tribes were in time won over to see that industry and Christianity were things favorable to the happiness of mankind. In 1827 the early difficulties were past and nearly forgotten, and from that time there has been an almost unfaltering course of prosperity. It should be mentioned, that associated with Liberia was an agency of the United States government, similar to the British establishment at Sierra Leone-namely for the reception of blacks rescued by blockading vessels from the slavers. Such redeemed captives formed no small accession of strength to the colony.

In 1839, when the various settlements were consolidated under one government, Monrovia and

Bassa Cove were two neat towns, with churches, | able damage. It now appears that the trade which schools and libraries; there were other seven they were compelled to forego was quite lawful; smaller towns. The people were in general well- but no one will reimburse them for the loss susbehaved, temperance principles having great sway tained through the judgment that has been reversed. over them. They appreciated the freedom they On the other hand, the recent judgment cannot be enjoyed, and no inclination was felt to return to considered as final: a number of publishers have the United States. They owned five hundred combined to obtain its reversal by bringing the thousand acres of rich land, where the finest vege- subject before the House of Lords. tables and the most delicious fruits could be cultivated to any extent. There were four printingpresses and two newspapers. The colonists had after this period a war with a powerful chief called Gotamba-all on account of the slave-trade, the suppression of which was the object of their unceasing efforts. At length they succeeded in utterly overthrowing the power of this savage monarch, who was thenceforth an outcast in the region once governed by the terror of his name. The feeling, we are told, then began extensively to prevail, that in Liberia, and in Liberia alone, were the people secure from the liability of being seized and sold into slavery. "The idea cannot be more touchingly expressed than in the reply of a poor fellow from the river Congo, on being asked if he did not wish to return to his own country: 'No, no,' said he; if I go back to my country, they make me slave. I am here free; no one dare trouble me. I got my wife-my lands-my children learn book-all free-I am here a white man-me no go back.'"

The whole affair exemplifies the discreditable. state of our law system. Here is a question simple enough in itself, and not very obscure or complicated even in its accessories-one not to be settled by nature, nor necessarily growing out of our constitution; it is in fact a new and special question; those who are interested in its solution are unable to obtain a direct settlement, and are thus compelled to discover some final resting-point by hunting up more conflict of decisions, which will at last leave the settlement to a sort of gambling haphazard. It is quite possible that the final decision may not at all agree with the interest of any party or of the public at large, and then it will have to be disturbed again by a special act of the legislature. All this amount of trouble and loss accrues because the managers of public affairs have not had sufficient diligence and decision to make up their own minds on the matter, and bring us at once to that final state, which they might so well have done with ease and credit to themselves.

Those who are united to reverse the decision are In 1847 Liberia announced itself to the world as not, we imagine, united in hostility to the holding a free and independent republic, in which char- of a foreign copyright in this country. One acter it has been recognized by the governments of manifestly sufficient motive to the combination is America, Britain, France and others—a just reward the desire for certainty. But another question for the unspeakable amount of service it has ren- undoubtedly lurks beneath is not the faculty of dered to humanity in its efforts for the suppression holding copyright in this country calculated to of the slave-trade. Its president, Joseph Roberts, impede the attainment of international copyright originally a Virginian slave, visited England in with that important country whose language is our the ensuing year, and received many marks of own-the United States of America? The answer respect from the worthy of the human species. to this question is by no means certain even among Since then we have continued to hear good accounts the best-informed. One opinion is, that such a of the country. The people are said to be turning faculty in this country would supersede the strongtheir attention more to cultivation than formerly-est motive to an international copyright by giving there being some ground of hope that Liberia may yet be called upon to take a prominent part in supplying sugar, coffee and cotton to the civilized nations which so largely demand them. Viewing it as the point of the wedge by which a Christian civilization, if ever, is to be introduced into Central Africa, we accord it our sincerest good wishes, and most earnestly trust that its career of prosperity will meet with no further interruption.

From the Spectator.

FOREIGN COPYRIGHT.

In the case of Boosey versus Purday, it was decided that a foreigner cannot hold copyright in this country unless his work be actually performed and executed in this country-that is to say, a foreign author or composer cannot sell in this country a work which he has executed elsewhere. In the more recent case of Boosey versus Jeffreys, precisely the opposite judgment was given-namely, that a foreigner can sell the copyright of a work although it shall have been executed elsewhere. Of course this uncertainty of the law has produced loss to private parties. Acting on the former decision, English publishers who had previously held foreign copyright gave up trade, and probably parted with stock to an extent entailing consider

to American writers a certain market for their works; which they never will obtain in their native land while American publishers can pirate English works. On the other hand, American publishers themselves begin to be anxious for sounder relations. They find the present sharp practice both wearisome and unsafe.

One anecdote will illustrate this. An American publisher intends to pirate an English work; but he knows that a rival in New York will pirate his piracy, and he must provide for that contingency. He issues one or two copies: the rival immediately reprints, and publishes his reprint extensively; on which the first follows up with his own complete edition. The one or two early copies had been purposely issued with gross errors or deficiencies, and the rival had been trapped; he had committed himself to an extensive publication of an unmarketable article-he had fired off his powder and shot for that turn, and his competitor occupied the field! in safety. There can be little doubt that men thus harassed on all sides would be glad of peace and settlement.

The treatment of the copyright question has hitherto been evasive and procrastinating; and while that policy is suffered to continue, we shall have these partial and inconvenient forms of the question repeatedly arising. Why not overhaul it thoroughly, and set it straight once for all?