warmer than the surface-water entering to and badly-manned vessels, to say nothing of supply its place. the extra distance between London and FalAs in a hot-water apparatus for warming mouth. He accordingly consulted a Nana building to keep up the simile the tucket whaling-captain named Folger, who water cooled in the hot-air chamber flows happened to be in London at the time. Folback to the boiler; so one part of the waters ger immediately explained the mystery by of the Gulf-stream, after giving out their heat, stating, that the Rhode Island trading-capflow towards the equatorial current, the other tains were acquainted with the course of the to the polar basin of Spitzbergen. The se- Gulf-stream, while those of the English crets of the arctic regions are hidden by im- packet-service were not. The latter kept in penetrable ice; but we know that a return- it, and were set back from sixty to seventy current, bearing immense icebergs, comes miles per day, while the former merely ran down from the dreary north, through Davis' across it. At the request of Franklin, the Strait, and meets the Gulf-stream at the banks Nantucket whaler traced the course of the of Newfoundland. Scoresby counted at one stream, and the doctor had it engraved, and time six hundred icebergs starting off on their sent copies to the Falmouth captains, who southward journey by this current, which, treated the communication with contempt. pressing on the waters of the Stream, curves This course of the Stream, as laid down by its channel into a "bend," in shape resembling Folger, has been retained in our charts ala horse-shoe, and some hundreds of miles in most to the present day. Who, we might area. This bend is the great receptacle or ask, taught this unscientific Nantucket harbor of the icebergs which drift down from whaler so correct a course of this mighty the north, and are here melted by the warm current, then so little known? It was the waters of the Stream. Who dare say that, whales, the gigantic prey he followed in the in the course of ages, the Banks of Newfound- ocean. The right whale (Balæna mysticetus), land have not been formed by the earth, as seamen term it, never enters the warm stones, and gravel carried down to that spot water of the Gulf-stream: it, as well as the by these very icebergs? warm waters of the torrid zone, is as a wall of fire to these creatures. But they delight to congregate, seeking for food, along the edges of the Stream; and thus Folger, through the experience of many voyages, was enabled so correctly to denote its course. Such is the distinctness kept up between the warm and cold water, that, though the northern current forms a large bend or indentation in the Gulf-stream, it does not commingle with it; the former here divides into two parts one actually under-running the stream, the other flowing south-westerly between it and the coast of America. It is this last branch of the cold current that affords the citizens of the United States a refreshing sea-bathing in summer, and an unlimited supply of the finest fish. In all parts of the world, the most plentiful supply and most delicious quality of fish are found in cold water. The habitat of certain kinds of fish unerringly indicates the temperature of the water; and it is highly probable that cold currents are the great pathways along which migratory fishes travel from one region to another. Our space warns us to conclude, ere we have scarcely passed the threshold of this interesting subject. But we must observe, that the Gulf-stream of the Atlantic has its counterpart in the Pacific. The latter flows out of the Straits of Malacca, just as the Atlantic current flows out of the Straits of Florida. The coast of China is its United States; the Philippines, its Bermudas; the Japanese is lands, its Newfoundland. The climates of the Asiatic coast correspond with those of America along the Atlantic; and those of Columbia, Washington, and Vancouver, are duplicates of those of Western Europe and the British islands; the climate of California reThough the Gulf-stream was noticed by sembles that of Spain; and the sandy plains Sir Humphrey Gilbert in the sixteenth cen- and rainless regions of Lower California retury, we are indebted to the celebrated Dr. mind us of Africa. The course of this China Franklin for the first chart of its course. Stream has not yet been traced out, but it Being in London in 1770, his attention was sets southwardly along the coast of Califorcalled to a memorial which the Board of Cus- nia and Mexico, as the Gulf-stream does along toms at Boston had sent to the Lords of the the west coast of Africa to the Cape Verd IsTreasury, stating that the Falmouth packets lands. This current, too, has its Sargasso were generally a fortnight longer on their Sea; to the west, from California, of the voyage to Boston than common trading-vessels southwardly set, lies the pool in which the were from London to Rhode Island. They drift-wood and sea-weed of the North Pacific therefore begged that the Falmouth packets are gathered. Inshore of, but counter to, should be sent to Providence instead of to the China Stream, along the eastern shores Boston. This appeared very strange to of Asia, is found a current of cold water, reFranklin, as the traders were deeply-laden sembling that between the Gulf-stream and the American coast. It, too, like its coun- is a new world spread out when he enters on terpart, is the nursery of most valuable fish- his first voyage. As his education has fitted, eries. The fisheries of Japan are as valuable so will he perceive, year by year, that his in the east as those of Newfoundland in the profession makes him acquainted with things west. Thus the people of widely distant re- new and instructive. He will dwell with ingions are indebted for their supplies of excel- terest on the phases of the ocean -the storm, fent fish to the cold waters which the currents the calm, and the breeze, and will look for of the sea carry to their shores. traces of the laws which regulate them. All this will induce a serious earnestness in his work, and teach him to view lightly those irksome and often offensive duties incident to the beginner. We may go further, and say that his mind will be led from nature upwards to its Great Architect; and by being a wiser, he will become a better man. instance, we may conclude with the following interesting extract from a letter written by an old American shipmaster to Lieutenant Maury : By the researches of Lieutenant Maury into the mysteries of oceanic phenomena, the art of navigation has already been greatly advanced. The shortening of long and tedious passages, the lifting and bringing, as it were, the distant isles and great marts of the sea so many days nearer to each other, has not escaped the attention of a practical people in this utilitarian age. Yet there will be other, though less apparent, benefits derived from the hand of science, drawing aside the curtain that so long has enshrouded the secrets of the deep. Seamen will take an interest in their profession beyond its mere practical technicalities. They who have the best opportunities of observation will become observers; and what Scoresby has accomplished in the north will be followed out all over the globe. Captain Methven, in a recent work,* speaking of the advantages of educational influence among those who intend to follow the sea, says: To the cultivated lad, there *The Log of a Merchant-Officer; viewed with reference to the Education of Young Officers and the Youth of the Merchant Service. London: 1854. As an "I am free to confess that for many years I commanded a ship, and although never insensible to the beauties of nature upon the sea or land, I yet feel that, until I took up your work, I had been traversing the ocean blindfolded. I feel that, aside from any pecuniary profit to myself from your labors, you have done me good as a man. You have taught me to look above, around, and beneath me, and recognize God's hand in every element by which I am surrounded. I am grateful for this personal benefit." Need the writer, who himself for many years traversed the great deep, say more? THE OFFICE OF JUSTICE OF THE PEACE HELD BY A LADY. -In Harleian MSS., 980, fol. 153, is the following curious entry: "The Countess of Richmond, mother to Henry VII., was a justice of the peace. Mr. Atturney said if it was so, it ought to have been by commission, for wch he had made many an hower search for the record, but could never find it ; but he had seen many arbitriments that were made by her. Justice Joanes affirmed that he had often heard from his mother of the Lady Bartlet, mother to the Lord Bartlet, that she was a justice of the peace, and did set usually upon the bench with the other justices in Gloucestershire; that she was made so by Q. Mary upon her complaint to her of the injuries she sustained by some of that county, and desiring for redresse thereof, that as she herself was cheif justice of all England, so this lady might be in her own county, wch accordingly the queen granted. Another example was alleged of one- Rows in Suffolk, who usually at the assizes and sessions there held set upon the bench among the justices gladio cincta." TURKEY AND RUSSIA THE EASTERN QUESTION. - The past history of these rival states presents more than one parallel passage like the following, extracted from Watkins' Travels through Switzerland, Italy, the Greek Islands, to Constantinople, &c. (2d edit., two vols. 8vo. 1794): "The Turks have been, and indeed deserve to be, praised for the manner in which they declared war against the Russians. They sent by Mr. Bulgakoff, her Imperial Majesty's minister at the Porte, to demand the restitution of the Crimea, which had been extorted from them by the merciless despot of R-a, (sic) when too much distressed by a rebellion in Egypt to protect it. On his return without an answer they put him in the' Seven Towers, and commenced hostilities. They hate the Russians; and to show it the more, frequently call a Frank Moscoff. To the English they are more partial than to any other Christian nation, from a tradition that Mahomet was prevented by death from converting our ancestors to his faith.”—Vol. 11. pp. 276–7. From "Egeria, and other Poems," by CHARLES MACKAY. COMING EVENTS IN ROME. ROME imperial! Rome majestic ! Great, but wicked- fair, but cruel- Prosper finally in wrong. Modern Rome! thou mitred Phoenix! Whither went the ancient Cæsars, Fall in ripeness of the day, Priestly Rome! thy cup is filling; "Pass away!” If hereafter from thy ashes A new Phoenix shall ascend, May she learn to dwell with virtue, And take freedom for her friend. If as thou she clogs the spirit, And denies the truth of day, On her head thy doom be spoken "Pass away! 'TIS ALL ONE TO ME. FROM THE GERMAN. O, 'Tis all one to me, all one, He who has money has cares not a few, He who has money can squint at the fair, He who has money can go to the play, He who has money can travel about, He who has money can be coarse as he will, He who has money can eat oyster meat, He who has money can drink foreign wine, He who has money keeps a dog if he please, He who has money must die one day, O, 't is all one to me, all one, Whether I've money, or whether I've none ! AUTUMN. BY JOHN MALCOMB. SWEET Sabbath of the year, While evening shades decay, Thy parting steps methinks I hear Steal from the world away. Amid thy silent bowers 'Tis sad, but sweet, to dwell; Where falling leaves and drooping flowers Around me breathe" Farewell." Along thy sunset skies Their glories melt in shade; And, like the things we fondly prize, Seem lovelier as they fade. A deep and crimson streak Thy dying leaves disclose; As on Consumption's waning cheek, Of joys that come no more, 'Of flowers whose bloom is fled, Of farewells wept upon the shore, Of friends estranged or dead; Of all that now may seem, From The Spectator. not been seen before, and under more advan TAYLOR'S VISIT TO INDIA, CHINA, AND tageous conditions of leisure. He however JAPAN.* THE two years and four months travel of which this volume forms the closing part, exhibit the same resolute energy as the author's Views Afoot, when, through many hardships and privations, he performed the grand tour of Europe as a pedestrian, from lack of means to employ a more expensive mode of locomotion. Central Africa and the White Nile formed the first field of exploration in his present travels of fifty thousand miles. The more familiar regions of Palestine, Sicily, and Spain, occupied his second volume. The third and last embraces the overland voyage to Bombay, extensive journeying in India, a visit to China, and a voyage to Loo Choo and Japan. The resolute go-ahead character of the man is the most prominent characteristic of the volume. Mr. Taylor had made up his mind to see the Himalayas and visit the principal cities of India. When he began to count the cost at Bombay, he found he had not the means to travel in the usual manner. Nothing daunted, he resolved to proceed without a servant, trusting to about twenty words of Hindostanee he had picked up, and making his first journey to Indore in a banghy carta sort of" parcel express." It was a springless vehicle, with very indifferent sitting accommodation; pursued its journey day and night with a few occasional halts, some of them caused by a break-down; and thus, over mountain, through jungle, or along table-land, our author performed his first stage of 375 miles. From Indore to Agra he travelled in the mail-cart, a quicker but not more comfortable vehicle. After viewing the wonders of the city of Akbar, he departed for Delhi and the Himalayas; though he had only a month to do the mountains, Lucknow in the kingdom of Oude, Allahabad, Benares, and Calcutta, before starting in the steamer for Hongkong. And Mr. Taylor did them all; abandoning on the great trunk-road his previous mode of travel for dawk- that is, a palanquin with relays. A rapid journey under such circumstances must of necessity be superficial in its observation. Mr. Taylor could see little that had A Visit to India, China, and Japan, in the year 1853. By Bayard Taylor, author of Life and Landscapes from Egypt, &c. &c. Published by Low and Co. saw things with an American eye; which 'is a source both of novelty and interest. He has also the skill or knack of a practised littérateur, and knows what to select from the objects that pass before him, as well as how to present them in a forcible and lively manner. It is scarcely possible to separate the descriptions of travel from the character of the traveller; and not the least continuously interesting portion of Mr. Taylor's narrative is that where he had the least opportunity of seeing much,—namely, his journeys day and night in the parcel and mail carts, when the rapidity of movement, the frequent small adventures, and the endurance of the traveller, sustain the reader's attention. There are many other passages of mark. The first glimpse of the Himalayas is a piece of description, real, distinct, and graphic; so are some of the nearer views. The sketches on the roads and in the larger towns bring the dense and busy population of India well before the mind. The numerous Hindoo antiquities are vividly described - - perhaps more favorably than they deserve. Of the Hindoos Mr. Taylor seems to have formed a worse opinion than has been formed by many with better means of judging. Familiarity, however, affects the judgment both ways. If it brings out virtues which are at first overlooked, it blunts the perception to customary vices. There are some remarks on the pros and cons of British rule in India, moderate in themselves, and prefaced by an apology for the short time and scanty opportunities possessed by the writer. This is the first broad conclusion: 66 My previous notions of English rule in India were obtained chiefly from the articles on the subject in the progressive newspapers of England, and were, I need hardly say, unfavorable. The American press is still more unsparing in its denunciations, though very the nature of the wrongs over which they grow few of the writers have any definite idea of so indignant. That there are wrongs and abuses which call for severe reprehension, is undeniable; but I have seen enough to satisfy me that, in spite of oppression, in some instances of the most grinding character; in spite of that spirit of selfish aggrandizement which first set on foot and is still prosecuting the subjugation of India, the country has prospered under English government. far from regretting the progress of annexa So tion, which has been so rapid of late years as bad as dirt. Here is an account of a bath, (and who are we that we should cast a stone with an incidental remark on art: against this sin ?), I shall consider it a fortunate thing for India when the title of every of the public baths, and curiosity induces us "On our way.to the city wall we pass one native prince is extinguished, and the power to step in. The building is low, damp, and of England stretches, in unbroken integrity, dirty, and filled with a rank, steamy, unclean from Cashmere to Cape Comorin. Having made this admission, I shall briefly refer to atmosphere. It consists of three apartments, some of the most prominent evils and ben-in one of which the bathers undress, bathe efits of the system." The censures of Mr. Taylor are chiefly directed against the land-tax (a thing that admits of improvement, but not of very easy remedy), and the commercial and corporate character of the Company, the consequent drain upon the wealth of India on the absentee principle, and the complex and lumbering method of government. A minor evil is one that has been noted by several English writers of late years. "There is one feature of English society in India, however, which I cannot notice without feeling disgusted and indignant-I allude to the contemptuous manner in which the natives, even those of the best and most intelligent classes, are almost invariably spoken of and treated. Social equality, except in some rare instances, is utterly out of the question. The tone adopted towards the lower classes is one of lordly arrogance; towards the rich and enlightened, one of condescension and patronage. I have heard the term 'niggers' applied to the whole race by those high in office; with the lower orders of the English it is the designation in general use. And this, too, towards those of our own Caucasian blood, where there is no instinct of race to excuse their unjust prejudice. Why is it that the virtue of Exeter Hall and Stafford House can tolerate this fact without a blush, yet condemn, with Pharisaic zeal, the social inequality of the Negro and the White races in America?" in the next, and lounge, smoking, on the benches in an unembarrassed state of nudity, in the third. As it is towards evening, they belong mostly to the lower classes, before. The water is not changed throughand look quite as filthy after the bath as out the day, and its appearance and condition may perhaps be imagined. The small tank is filled in the morning, and kept heated by a furnace under it. The price of a bath diminishes in proportion as the water gets dirty, until, in the evening, it falls to a single cash (the fifteenth part of a cent). By holding my breath, I remain in the dark, reeking den long enough to see two yellow forms immersed in the turbid pool, and then rush out stifled and nauseated. Among the bathers in the outer room are several strong, muscular figures, but a total want of that elegant symmetry which distinguishes the Caucasian and Shemitic races. They are broad-shouldered and deep-chested, but the hips and loins are clumsily moulded, and the legs have a coarse, clubby character. We should never expect to see such figures assume the fine, free attitudes of ancient sculpture. But here, as everywhere, the body is the expression of the spiritual nature. There is no sense of what we understand by artgrace, harmony, proportion - in the Chinese nature; and therefore we look in vain for any physical expression of it. De Quincey, who probably never saw a Chinaman, saw this fact with the clairvoyant eye of genius, when he said, 'If I were condemned to live among the Chinese, I should go mad.' This is a strong expression, but I do not hesitate to adopt it.' There is nothing very remarkable in the Voyage to China. From Macao Mr. Taylor The particular descriptions exhibit the got a passage to Shanghai in the United States Chinese ingenuity, though the general comsteam-frigate Susquehanna as an improvised ments scarcely do it justice. There is a good attaché to the Chinese Embassy, and spent account of a pawnbroker's shop on a gigantic some time at that commercial emporium. The scale. The inscription on a grog-shop rises city was then-March and April, 1853-beyond a common puff into metaphysical phicontinually disturbed by rumors of intended losophy "The joys of Paradise are nothing attacks by the rebels. Notwithstanding these reports, Mr. Taylor went about a good deal, foreigners being much less restricted than at Canton his description of Shanghai is about the best part of the volume, but bearing hard upon the Celestials. The hygiène is awful, and the grand means for personal cleanliness but a state of perpetual intoxication." The excellence of the Chinese in many handicrafts and some arts are cursorily passed over, but here is a street artist: "A man seated on the pavement holds in his hand a white porcelain tile, about a foot square. This he overspreads with a deep |
