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      April _% 1 , 1849 . THE NORTHERN STAR .

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      The Two Wishes. (From The Athenaeum.) On...

      THE TWO WISHES . ( From the Athenaeum . ) One morn npon a rocky steep , High up above the level earth Two youths , escaped the bonds of sleep , Pelt first ambition ' s earliest birth . Aspiring o ' er the tardy race Of common minds that height to reach Which towers above the common place , Each turned his glowing thought to speech " Brother , I would , " the elder cried , '* Like this hi gh rock my fate mi g ht be—Commanding nations far and wide , And famed throughout eternity ; O ' er grovelling minds and puny things

      In kingly power to soar and soar , — Mounting on still aspiring wings , Forthshadowing God for evermore I " _"Sbtthus would I , " the younger said , " Pursue the pomp of lonely state ; A simple wreath should crown my head , By simple goodness grown to great . Would that my soul—like yonder sun—Still blessing aU , by all things blessed , Her glorious race of love might run—God ' s poet from the East to West !" Each -wish was heard . Thc years rolled by-The golden time of youth fled past—And , changing with the changing sky ,

      To men these brothers grew at last . The elder graced a kingly throne , In purple splendour full arrayed—The younger ruled by song alone , And reigned beneath the sylvan shade . Lesser in love than pride of power His iron sway the elder bore , — Till , wrought to madness , one dark hour Their fateful oath conspirers swore . Kot less in power than pride of love , His truthful songs the younger sang , — Till soon through every sylvan grove The lays of freedom loudly rang . Through many a grade of strife and wrong

      Thc tyrant s power and love declined ; Through many a golden sphere of song Still upward soared the Poet ' s mind . Till came , at last , the avenging hour That broke for aye thc Oppressor ' s rod , That trampled down tyrannic power , — And crowned the poet half a god . And still again the years rolled by ; And through a plain there went alone , With gaze towards the sunbright sky , The Poet—but the steep was gone . Shivered beneath the lig htning ' s shock , Whose bolt its massy oulk had riven , In crumbling fragments lay the rock , While beamed the noontide sun in heaven Still high above the exalted hills ,

      As on that wishful morn he shone , That sun his burning throne fulfils ia love serene , sublime , alone . And lofty powers of earth that frown Unkindly on the mean below God ' s wrath still hurls in thunder down , _'Xeath Love ' s eternal changeless glow . Rome . C . H . _HrrcnufGS

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      _& ebieto

      Historical View Of The French Revolution...

      HISTORICAL VIEW OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION . By J . Michelet . — Translated by C . Cocks , B . L . London : H . GL Bohn , York-street , Covent-garden . The title of this-work is _wcH-chosen . "His * iorical View" is more fitting than "History " -would , have been . Michelet is not the man to write the History of his nation ' s internal and external struggles . He is too discursive , too obscure , too full of a narrow-minded "

      nationality , " to write History as it should he written . But with all his faults as a writer , it iB impossible for Michelet to write any number of pages—few or many—without interesting and instructing his readers by his originality of thought and unchecked freedom of expression ; hy his sometimes - fiery , hut oftener plaintive eloquence : and by the materials for thinking which he lavishes upon those who will but be at the trouble of giving him their attention .

      Michelet possesses one grand quality , —he is terribly in earnest . Introducing the case of Latdde the celebrated p risoner ofthe Bastille , Vincennes , Charenton , and the horrible Bicetre , he says : — " For my part I must acknowledge the extremel y agonising effect which the prisoner ' s letters produced on me . Though a sworn enemy to barbarous fictions about everlasting punishment , I found myself praying to God to construct a hell for tyrants . " Ames !

      Intensely " national , Michelet seems to have a profound contempt for England and everything English . He says many hard things that are true , and some that are not true , of our countrymen ; but we forgive him in consideration ofthe great lesson he reads us in His matchless exposure ofthe horrors of our manufacturingand commercial system . Some weeks ago we extracted ( and re-published in the " Star" ) this most true and eloquent portion of his work .

      Michelet is an enthusiastic admirer of the Revolution , which he defines to he " The Advent of the Law , the resurrection of right , and the reaction of Justice . " The necessity of the Revolution—the natural results of long ages of oppression on the part ofthe privileged orders and of suffering on the part ofthe people—is demonstrated hy the miseries borne with b y the masses till no longer bearable . Well does Michelet exclaim— "Kind-heartedmen , you who weep over the evils of the Revolution ( doubtless with too much reason ) , shed also a few tears for ihe evils which occasioned it .

      Micuelet ' s examinations of the characters of some of the most famous ofthe Revolution ists are very curious , particularly his inquiry into tlie life and writings of Marat . Our author philosophically observes : — "A faot , too little noticed—but which enables us to understand a great many things—is , that several of our 'terrorists' wcre men of an exquisite feverish sensibility , who felt cruelly the sufferings of the people , and whose pity turned into

      fury . " As much a hero-worshipper as Car-LYLE himself , Michelet naturall y leans to Dastox , and sings the praises of MiKABEATJ . He acknowledges the corruption of the great orator , but , nevertheless , pleads eloquently for the restoration of his remains ( if any there be ) to thc Pantheon . He argues that " thc banishment was deserved , but the restoration -would be just . " The following extract tells the oft-told , but ever interesting story of

      TnE DEATH OF M 1 RABEAU . On Sunday , the 27 th of March , he was in the country , at his small residence at Argcnteuil , where he was charitably employed in doing good to the poor . He had ever sympathised with the miseries of mankind ; andhe became still more humane at the approach of death . Here he was seized with a cholic _, of which he had previously had attacks , accompanied with inexpressible agony , and found himself dying alone , without a physician or any assistance . Assistance came at _length ; but it was of no avail , for , in five days , he expired . _Nevertheless , on Monday , the 28 th , though death

      was stamped upon his countenance , he was obstinately resolved to go once more to the Assembly . The question on the mines , a very important affair for his friend , M . de Lamarck , whose fortune was engaged in them , decided him . Mirabeau spoke five times ; and , though more dead than alive , was once more victorious . On leaving the Assembly all was over . "With that last effort he sacrificed the rest of his life to friendship . On Tuesday , the 20 th , a Teport thai Mirabeau was ill spread a strong sensation throughout Paris , and all men , even his adversaries , then felt how much they loved him . Camille Desmoulins , who was then 'waging war so violently against him , feels his heart yearn once more towards his former friendand the furious editors of the " Revolutions of Paris , " who were at that moment proposing the

      suppression of royalty , say that the king has sent to inquire about _JOralieaii , and add , " Let us feel grateful that Louis XVI . did not go himself ; it would have occasioned a fatal diversion ; for the people would have adored him . " On the Tuesday evening the crowd thronged about the sick man ' s door . On the Wednesday , the Jacobins sent him a deputation , headed by Barnave , from whom he received with pleasure an obliging expression that was related to him . Charles de Laincth had refused to join the deputation . Mirabeau was afraid of being beset by priests , and had « nven orders that the curate should be told , if he came , that he had seen , or was to sec , bis friend , the bishop of Autun . _Xobody was ever more noble and affectionate in death . He spoke of his life as of the past , and of himself , _uko had been- aud had ceased to be . He

      Historical View Of The French Revolution...

      would have no other p hysician than his friend Caba " nis , and was totally given up to friendship and to the idea of Franco . What gave him the most uneasiness in dying , was the doubtful threatening attitude ofthe English , who seemed to be preparing war . "That Pitt , " said he , "is governing with threats rather than with deeds ; I should have given some trouble if I had lived . " They spoke to him of the extraordinary eagerness of the people in inquiring about his health , and of the religious respect and silence of the crowd which was afraid of troubling hiin "Ah ! the people "

      . , said he , " such good , people well deserve that a man should sacrifice himself for them , and do everything to found and strengthen their liberty . It was my glory to live for them ; and it is my consolation to feel that I am dying amidst the people . " He was full of gloomy presentiments about the destiny of France ; " I am carrying away with me , " said he , " the funeral of monarch y ; its remnants will become the prey ofthe factious . " The report ofa cannon having been heard , he exclaimed , with a start : " Is this already the funeral of Achilles ?"

      " In the morning of the 2 nd of April , " said Cabanis , " he ordered his windows to be opened , and said to me in a firm tone : Friend , I shall die today . On such a day , it only remains to perfume oneself , and then , crowned with flowers , and surrounded with music , to be lulled agreeably to that sleep from which there is no waking . ' He then called his valet-dc-chambre : ' Come , ' said he , ' prepare to shave me , and to dress me carefully and completely . ' He ordered his bed to be moved nearer an open window , in order that he might contemplate the first symptoms of vernal vegetation on the trees in his little garden . The sun was shining , and he exclaimed : ' If this be not God , it is at

      least his cousin-german . ' Soon after he lost the use of his speech ; but he still replied by signs to the proofs of friendship which we showed him . The slightest attentions affected him and caused him to smde ; and when we approached hiin he did all he could to embrace us . " His sufferings being excessive , and as he was unable to articulate any longer , he wrote the word " Sleep ; " and , desirous of abridging this useless agony , he asked for opium , and expired about halfpast eight , after having just turned round and raised his eyes to heaven . The plaster that has taken the impression of his countenance thus fixed , exhibits only a sweet smile , a calm sleep , and pleasant dreams .

      Pains-taking readers will be cautious of how far they allow Michelet to lead them " when discussing the character of Robespierre . The following extract introduces . _*;

      ROBESPIERRE AT TnE _JACOBIJf CLUB . The Jacobins are a meeting of distinguished and educated n . en . Here , French literature has a majority : Laharpe , Chenier , Chamfort , Andrieux , Sedaine , and so many others ; and artists are also numerous , —David , Vernefc _, Larive , and ( the representative of the Revolution iu the theatre ) the young Roman Talma . At the door , to examine the cards , are two censors , Lai ' s , the singer , and a handsome youth , the promising pupil of Madame de Genlis , —the son of the Duke or Orleans . That dark man at the bureau , who is smiling grimly , is the very agent of the prince , the too notorious author ofthe Liaisons Dangereuses , Laclos and , as a remarkable contrast , M . de Robespierre is speaking in the tribune .

      This is an honest man , who adheres to principles : a man of talent and austere morality . His weak and rather shrill voice , his sad and meagre visage , and his everlasting olive-green coat ( his only coat , thread-bare and scrupulously clean ) , altogether bear witness that his principles do not enrich their votary . Though seldom listened to at the National Assembly , he excels and will ever excel at the Jacobins . He is the society itself , —nothing more or less , expressing it perfectly , moving with it at the same pace , without ever outstepping it . "We will follow him very closely and attentively , noting and dating every degree in his prudent career , and noting likewise on his pale countenance the deep traces that will be made by the Revolution , the untimely wrinkles of vigils , and the furrows of meditation .

      The author , in describing an infamous plot of the " Jacobin nobles" to render the tribune ofthe Democracy ridiculous , records in the following extract _MlRABEAlfs ESTIMATE OF ROBESPIERRE . To make a man ridiculous , there is one easy way which is , for his friends to smile whenever he speaks . Men are generally so frivolous , so easily led , and so cowardly imitative , that a smile from the left side , from Barnave or the Lameths , infallibly excited the risibility of the whole Assembly .

      One man alone seems to have taken no part in these indignities ; and this was the truly powerful Mirabeau . He used always to reply seriously and respectfully to this weak adversary , respecting * in him tke image of fanaticism , sincere passion , and persevering labour . He shrewdly distinguished , but with the indulgence and generosity of genius , Robespierre's profound pride , the religious faith that he had for himself , his person , and his words . " That man will go far , " said Mirabeau , " for he believes all he says . "

      The constant tension of his muscles and his voice , his straining utterance , and his short-sighted look , left a painful , tiresome impression . which people tried to get rid of by laughing at him . To complete the measure of annoyance , they did not allow him even the consolation of seeing himself in print . The journalists , through negligence , or perhaps on the recommendation of Robespierre ' s friends , cruelly mutilated his most elaborate speeches . They were obstinately bent on not knowing his name , always designating him as a member , or M . IS ,, or Mr . To forget such mortifications , so extremely galling to his vanity , Robespierre had no resource , neither family nor the world—he was alone and poor . He used to carry home with him his mortification to his deserted neighbourhood , the Marais , and to his lonely apartment in the dismal Rue de Saintonge : a cold , poor , and ill-furnished lodging . lie was very frugal , dining for thirty sous ; and yet he scarcely had money enough to purchase clothes .

      In the following extract the author states THE PEOPLE ' S OPIXION' OF KOBESriERRE . One countenance alone comforted them , and seemed to say , "I am honest ; " and the dress of the man and his gesture seemed to express the same . His speeches were entirely on morality and the interests of tlie people , —princi p les , eternally principles . The man himself was not entertaining , and his person was austere and melancholy , by no means popular , but rather academical , and , in one respect , even nvistoeratical _, in extreme cleanliness , neatness , and style of dress . Ife seemed _aiso a stranger to friendship and familiarity ; even his former college companions being kept at a distance .

      In spite of all these circumstances , little calculated to make a man popular , the people so hunger and thirst after rig hteousness , that the orator of principles , the partisan of absolute right , the man who professed virtue , and whose sad and serious countenance seemed its very image , became the favourite of the people . The more he was disliked by the Assembly , the more he was relished by the galleries ; so he addressed himself more and more to this second assembly , which , from above , presided over the deliberations , believed itself in reality superior , and , as the people , the sovereign authority , claimed the ri g ht of interfering , and hissed its delegates .

      "We conclude our extracts with the following exciting account of

      A SCEXE AT THE CORDELIERS . "What a crowd ! Shall we be able to enter ? Citizens , make a little room for us ; comrades , you see I have brought a stranger . The noise is deafening ; and , by way of compensation , one can scarcely see Those smoking little lamps seem there only to render darkness visible . What a mist envelopes the crowd ! Thc air is dense with the hum and shouting of men ! A young lady enters and desires to speak . "Why , this is no other than Mademoiselle Theroigne , the handsome amazon of Liege ! Behold her in her red silk riding-habit , and armed with her large sabre of the 5 th of October . The enthusiasm is at its height . "It is the Queen of Sheba , " cries Desmoulins , " who has come to pay a visit to the Solomon of our district . "

      She has already passed through the whole of the Assembly , with the springing gait ofa panther , and ascended the tribune . Her beautiful , inspired countenance , beaming with enthusiasm , appears between the sombre apocalyptic visages of Danton and Marat . "If you are truly Solomons , said Th 6 roigne , " you will prove it by building the temple , the temple of liberty , the p alace ofthe National Assembly . And you will build it on the spot where the Bastille formerly stood . "What ! whilst the executive power inhabits the finest palace in the world , the pavilion of Flora and tbe porticoes ofthe Louvre , the legislative power is still encamped in tents , at the Tennis-Court , the Menus , or the Riding-School—like Noah's dove ,

      that can find no resting-place ? " Things cannot remain so . The people must -earn , by simpl y beholding the edifices which the \ Powers nihabit _^ where sovereign power resides . « hat is a soverei gn without a palace , or a god without an altar ? Who will acknowledge his worship ? J _* t us build up that altar ; and let all _contribute , bringing thoir gold and precious stones ( for my part , here are mine ) . Let us build up the only true temple . Xo other is worthv of God than that where they pronounc the declaration ofthe rights « f man . As guardian of that temple , Paris will be less a city than the common Patria of all others , the meeting-place ofthe tribes , their Jerusalem !" " Tbe Jerusalem of the world ! " exclaimed the enthusiastic auditory ; for a real frenzy , an ecstatic

      Historical View Of The French Revolution...

      'oy , had possessed the whole Assembly . If fhe ancient Cordeliers , who had formerly given free course to their mystic ravings , under those same vaulted roofs , had returned that evening , they would _stU have found themselves at home among their fellows ; for , all of them , whether believers or p hilosophers , disciples of Rousseau , Diderot , Holbach , or liclvetius , all prophesied , in spite of themselves . , . The German Anacharsis Clootz was , or imagined himself to be , an atheist , like so many others , from hatred of thc evils that priests have occasioned ( Tantum , religio potuit suadere malorum . ' J But with all his cynicism and his ostentation of doubt , this son of the Rhine , and fellow-countrymen of

      Beethoven , felt strongly all the emotion of the new religion . : The most sublime words inspired by the great confederation are in a letter from Clootz to Madame de Bcauharnais ; nor did anybody express any more strangely beautiful on the future unity of the world . His accent , his German slowness ot utterance , his smiling serene countenance , and that beatitude of a mad genius , inclined to jest with itself , added amusement to enthusiasm . "Why , indeed , has nature , " said he , " placed Paris at an equal distance from the pole and the equator , but for it to be a cradle and a , metropolis for the general confederation of mankind ? Here , the States-General of the world will assemble ; and

      I predict that the time is not so remote as people believe . Let but the Tower of London fall to pieces , like that of Paris , and tyrants will be no more . The flag of the French cannot wave over London and Paris , without soon being hoisted all round the g lobe Then there will be no longer either provinces , armies , conquerors , nor conquered nations . People will go from Paris to Pekin , as they do from Bordeaux to Strasbourg ; the ocean , by a bridge of ships , will join her shores ; and the east and tho west will embrace in the field of confederation . Rome wa 3 the metropolis ot the world by war ; Paris will be so by peace . Yes , the more I reflect , the more I conceive the possibility of one

      single nation , and the facility with which the Universal Assembly , Bitting at Paris , will conduct the government ofthe whole human race . Ye rivals oi Vitruvius , listen to the oracle of reason ; if universal patriotism kindles your genius , you will know well how to make us a temple to contain all the representatives of the world ; there are wanting scarcely more than ten thousand . " Men will be what they ought to be , when each will be able to say : ' The world is my country , the world is my own native land , . Then , there will be no more emigrants . There is but one nature and

      one society . Divided powers clash together , and nations are like clouds which necessarily burst against each other . " Tyrants , your thrones are crumbling beneath you . Abdicate , and you shall suffer neither misery nor the scaffold ....... Ye usurpers of sovereignty look me in the face . Do you not behold your sentence written oh the walls ofthe National Assembly ? Come , do not wait for the fusion of sceptres and crowns ; come forth to welcome a revolution which delivers kings from the snares of kings , and nations from the rivalry of nations !"

      "Long live Anacharsis I" exclaimed Desmoulins . " Let us open with him the cataracts of heaven . It is nothing that reason has drowned despotism in France ; it must also inundate the globe ; and all the thrones of king * aud Lamas must be washed from their foundations by this universal deluge What a career from Sweden to Japan ! The Tower of London is shaken . An innumerable meeting of Irish Jacobins has had , from its first sittings , an insurrection . At the rapid rate at which things are going , I would not give a shilling for the estates of the clergy ofthe Church of England . As for Pitt , he is destined to be hanged ( lanterne ) _, unless , by the loss of his place , he prevent the loss of his head , which John Bull is about to demand The

      inquisitors are already being hanged on the _Manganarez ; the breath of liberty is blowing strong from France to the South ; and presently people may safely say' There are no longer any Pyrenees !' " Clootz has just transported me , as the angel did the prophet Habakkuk , into the upper regions of policy ; and I now throw back the barrier of the Revolution to the uttermost parts of the world !" Thia volume closes with au account of the King ' s flig ht to Varennes . We believe the continuation of the work has alread y appeared in Paris , and we trust that , by an extensive sale of the present volume , Mr . Bohn will be encouraged to continue the publication of Mr . Cocks ' s admirable translation .

      Good and cheap—remarkably cheap—this volume commends itself to every student of history—to all who desire to know the unparalleled events of the wonderful Revolution oi

      1739

      William The Norman S Or, The Tyrant Disp...

      William the Norman s or , the Tyrant Displayed . A Tragedy . B y R . Otley . London : J . Watson , 3 , Queen ' s Head-passage , Paternoster-row . Regarding this tragedy it will suffice that we quote the following observations from the author ' s preface : — " The personages are delineated and coloured as they are to he met within history ; the language is that ofthe author ; but many ofthe sentiments and articles of faith are not his ; but are peculiar to the age and the personages who are made to speak them . The Monk Robert and the royal Savage are truthful portraitures of priests and kings in general , in all ages and in all countries . In the reign of the Norman William , some hundreds of thousands of the industrious

      peasants of England were driven into the fenlands of Lincolnshire , and perished of cold and liunger ; in ihe reign of Victoria , the first and last , several hundred thousands of Irish peasants , surrounded by wealth , civilisation , and religious devotion , have died in one year from the same causes . The worthless splendour of palaces and thrones , has always been accompanied with the sighs of sorrow and the death groans ofthe unoffending industrious people . " We may add , in the words of the concluding lines ofthe tragedy : — " Why should vain man , thus be the scourge of man And Heaven foredoom a race to sweat and toil , To gild a palace and exalt a knave ? If not—an idiot , madman , fool , or slave ?"

      The Progressionist. April. London : F. W...

      The Progressionist . April . London : F . W ard , 54 , Paternoster-row . Another cheapmonthlypublication , " devoted to the advocacy of social , political , and moral reform . " The number before us contains articles on " The People ' s Charter , " Temperance Reform , & c ., & c .

      Uniformity Of Railway Accounts. B Y Geor...

      Uniformity of Railway Accounts . B y George King . London : E . F . Gooch , 55 , King William-streot . The object of this pamphlet is "to attempt an elucidation of certain points of railway economy , and to offer such suggestions with respect to them , as will , if acted upon , place railway propert y generally upon a sounder basis ; and will , by the aid of a better and more uniform system of accounts , enable a more correct judgment to ho formed than is now possible , of the respective merits of each railway , and its value as an investment , "

      Chartist Tracts For The Times. No. V. Wh...

      CHARTIST TRACTS FOR THE TIMES . No . V . What is Liberty ? How shall we oblain it ? By the Kirkdale Chartist Prisoners . London : J . Watson , 3 , Queen ' s Head-passage , Paternoster-row ; Leeds ; J . Bavkev , Wortley . By far the most eloquent , and not the least important , of this series yet issued . We earnestly recommend the Chartists in every locality to form committees to promote the sale of these tracts . Their circulation would effect incalculable good . Pinched for room this week , and pressed for time , having received this number only just before going to press , we must postpone till our next the quotation of several eloquent passages we have marked for extract .

      Wast Op Fresh Air.—The Hon. Horace Mann,...

      Wast op Fresh Air . —The Hon . Horace Mann , alluding to ill-ventilated school-rooms , remarks as follows : — " To put children on a short allowance of fresh air , is as foolish as it would have been for Noah , during the Deluge , to put his family on a short allowance of water . Since God has poured out an atmosphere fifty miles deep , it is enough to make a miser weep to see our children stinted in breathing , " A Safe Investment . —Dr . Franklin , speaking of education , says , " If a man empties his purse into his head , no man can take it from him . An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest . " _Trcmps . —A gentleman playing whist with an intimate friend , who seemed , as far as hands wcre concerned , to hold the Mahometan doctrine of ablution in supreme contempt , said to him , with a countenance more in sorrow than in anger , " My good fellow , if dirt were trumps , what a hand you would have I "

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      | _^ " _* "mmtjU— , _— . ! _^ wiii urn kjh _ _ljiwiMWMirarwiM « rnnT _« T _nTnr ""~""' SUx \ SIIL \ E AND SHADOW ; A TALE OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY . nr _rno-VAS _UAniiy wheeler , Late Secretary to thc _National Charter Association and National Land Company . Chap ter IV . Strange that the mind should ever dwell upon lhose years of childhood , ever fondly c'ing lo every dream that waits on memor * ' s dawn , U ershadowing youth with gay _imaginings ; Like wild flowers , ' neath whose buds live waters run Scented by tangled buds , that o ' er them fling An arch that hides their source , but bathes the tide In sweets unmatched in all its wanderings wide . Bestc .

      Arthur Morton found plenty ofleisure in his uncle ' s lonely house to continue his studies , but solitude had lost its wonted charm ; he longed for the presence of his bosom companion ; he yearned to commenc > his career in the world , to relieve his relative of the burthen of his support . A spirit of independence is generally combined with a shy and reserved disposition ¦ , the mind naturally leans upon itself , it considers favours as heavy obligations , and , conscious id its difficulty _adequately to acknowl dge them , is anxious to avoid their incurrence . Arthur ,

      therefore , requsted that he might be apprenticed to some handicraft , in order to enable him to earn his future subsistence . This agreed too well with his uncVs wishes to be denied , and Arthur was speedily consigned for seven years to the care ofa Mr . Austin , a printer , ia a small town about thirty miles south of London . A _parting visit was paid to his friend Walter and his sister Juliu , and with many protestations of kindness and mutual remembrance , they parted , and years rolled by . and Walter North had forgotten the very existence of his quondam friend and schoolfellow ere they met again . the

      Dear are reco lections of our schoolboy hours , _^ em <> T imprints the names , features , and remembrance of the prominent actors upon the tablet of our brain ; though seas divide , though all trace of their existence is lost , yet can its potenc spell collect the scattered family , and vividly recall the dear remembered past . But , alas for schoolboy friendships , how seldom are they lasting ! How few of the number can we recall , even by name , when twice seven years have past ! Love , the grand wizard , blots out the record , and the battle of life destroys its very existence . True , there are exceptions ; and Arthur Morton , as far a _< s the ordeal of time had yet been tried , was one . Never was the image of his friend entirely absent from liis mind . Iu sickness and in

      sorrow he flew forconsolalion to the recollections of the past , and friendship supplied to him the place of parents and of kin . For some - months a re _^ u ' ar correspondence was maintained between the friends _, but by degrees it ceased on the part of Walter . Several-letters having been _unanswered by his friend , Arthur at length received one from Julia , informing him that her youngest brother was dead , and that Walter was taken into partnership with his father , and had removed to Liverpool , to superintend a wholesale _establishment they had opened in that town , and the neglect of Walter in not writing must be occasioned , she presumed , by the extra duties he was called upon to attend to , at the same time as-uring him of the best wishes of her parents , and of her

      own undiminished friendship . Welcome was this letter to our hero , the first he ever received from a female . Often did lie gaze with fondness npon the neat handwriting and ** he pretty signature ; and though he deeply felt the continued neglect of his friend , yeti with true faith in his friendship , he excused it on the ground that he was occupied with business , that he had many other ties , many other outlets for his affections , whilst he was alone in the world . Courteously did he reply to the letter from Julia , and enclosed one i ' or Walter . An answer was returned , stating ( hat she had duty forwarded it to her brother . Patiently did he _wait for Walter's answer to this last appeal to his friendship ; but it came not He had no excuse to continue his

      correspondence with Julia , and , being too diffident to frame one , all correspondence between himself and his only friends finally ceased . Long and _wearily did the seven years of his apprenticeship pass . His master was a demure , hypocritical pretender to sanctity . His youth had been passed in excesses , from which his constitution was now suffering , and , unable to tnjoy pleasure himself , he detested even the semblance of enjoyment in others . His wife was a thin wiry woman , wrapped up in her own merits , and jealously alive to the _i-emerits of all around her , not forgetting those of her demure rib . Family they had none , much to the chagrin of the self-sufficient Mrs . Austin , whose irritable temper kept the whole household in

      continual hot water . Such being his domestic position , with few acquaintance , nnd none intimate , no wonder that he relapsed into his old habits of reserve and abstract meditation . But a change had been worked in the character of his thoughts , chiefly wrought by the practical nature of his avocation . They printed the County Chronicle , a Liberal newspaper ; and new views of society thus accumulated , he uo longer pondered on imaginary dreams . He looked at the world by which he was suirounded , the laws , and the customs adopted . He saw the injustice ofthe former , and the general absurdity of the latter , and wondered such things were . Oh I how often did he —when speculating on these things in his lonely rambles—give vent to the aspirations of his soul , and _unconsciously fit himself for a future career , of which the idea had not then entered his imagination . The good people of M , when they met the young enthusiast , and overheard his solitary but not silent

      musings , and observed his general absent manner , thought , and significantly said , that all was not right there , pointing to his head . But he was so goodtempered , so well-conducted , and inoffensive , that he was a _« eneral favourite- Attentive to his business , simple in his habits , never causing any anxiety or trouble , even his sour master and termagant mistress could scarce behave unkindly to him . During this time he only received a letter from his uncle at long intervals , which generally contained a small remittance . The last , containing a £ 3 note , informed him of his marriage , and that he must no longer look to him , but depend on his own exertions for his support . Arthur grieved not at this intimation—but the cold language in which it was conveyed certainly made him feel more lonely than heretofore . His friends had deserted him—his only relative had coldly cast him off ; but he had sipped of sorrow until the bitterness thereof was destroved .

      In this manner passed his apprentice years , dark shadows with occasional gleams of sunshine . His character was fast maturing—he was emerging from the part of a dreamer to that of a worker . But a want was still gnawing at his heart . He was alone in the midst ofa crowd—he longed to have some definite object to do , some satisfactoiy employment _, for his mind . He wept in very bitterness oi ' spirit at the vague , unsubstantial nature of all that he saw , or was surrounded by . His spirit yearned for something , of the very nature of which he was yet unaware . He would have turned a religious fanatic ( the ultimatum of many minds similarly constituted ) , but his shrewd sense had shown him the hypocrisy ofthe Austins , and further experience had not demonstrated to him whether religion was aught more than a cloak to vice , or , at best , a Sunday garment _, worn because it was customary . Poor boy ! thi

      germs of young ambition were rising in thy soul , and thou wast unconsciously feeding that fire which more often consumes than enlightens . Like the bird charmed by the rattlesnake , thou _flut-erest uneasily before it , but cannot resist the spell . Thou seest naught but th © iascination _, and rusliest blindly , yet wilfully , into its toils . Oh ! why should high and lofty inspirations be productive only of misery ami destruction to their possessor , causing him to sacrifice all that renders life endurable , in order that he may promote the good and well-being of that public , who , in return , either persecute or ridicule him , until death mercifully snatches him from theirfangs ? Oh ! when will that true millennium arrive—that millennium of reason and liberty , which Voltaire and Rousseau were the prophets ; Paine and Robespierre the harbingers ; and Shelley—the amiable and g loriously-gifted Shelley—the Messiah ? Speed , oh ! speed , its advent . { To be continued . )

      The Iscome Tax.—On Wednesday The Followi...

      The Iscome Tax . —On Wednesday the following notice was issued from the office of the commissioners ofthe income tax in thc City;— " That aU persons are required by the Property and Income Tax Act to make returns of their profits / from trades , professions , Ac , within twenty-one days , as the assessment made in the year 1848 , under schedules A and B , in respect to lands , tenements , & c , remains in force for three years from the 5 th of April in that year , no return is required to be made for the present year under these schedules , except in cases where lands , tenements , iSic , have been

      charged in the assessment already made , or where any buildings have been since erected . " A Meeting of the in and out-door Workers of journeymen tailors of the West End , took place on Monday night last , at the " Coach and Horses , " Silver-street , Golden-square , upon the Trades Organisation of Labour . Mr . Goodfellow in the chair . Messrs . Rcardon , Thompson , Nowell , and others , addressed the meeting . The meeting was adjourned to Monday next , at half-past eight o ' clock , and the out-door workers were particularl y invited to attend .

      A New Convict Settlement . —Her Majesty ' s Secretary for the Colonies having consented to tho transportation of convicts to Moreton Bay , New South Wales , a vessel is about to be despatched with 400 males to that colony , a great number being Pentonyille exiles , who , from good conduct , have had their sentences mitigated . Probable Defeat of the _Mhwstbt . —It is said , on "hi gh" authority , that there will be a majority against them of upwards of forty on the contemplated repeal ofthe Navigation Laws , and that Lord Stanley has the list in his pocket .

      To Lords John Russell And Stanley, Sir R...

      TO LORDS JOHN RUSSELL AND STANLEY , SIR ROBERT PEEL AND MESSRS . COBDEN AND

      FEARGUS O'CONNOR , Gentlemen , —You arc the active leaders of different sections of the British population ; but so divided into opposing parties that , individually , "with your Movers , you cannot accomplish any substantial change for the benefit of the empire ; while unitedly you may easil y effect the most permanent advantages for every class at home aud abroad . But you cannot unite in any practical measures and therefore all classes suffer , and many most grievously . A question arisesthe true answer to wliich is of the last importance , not only to every British subject , but to the people of all nations .

      You cannot unite because each of you is a loading advocate of a false princi ple , ' and , in consequence , of injurious and very defective practical measures . Each can , therefore , discover the error of the others , but through the prejudices of the education aud position of each , is 61 ind to his own . Could you be united in the advocacy of the same general principles , provided they were

      based on truth , and , therefore , universall y beneficial for practice , the nation could be easily induced to adopt tliera . Of yourselves , it is true , in accordance with unchanging lawa of nature , you can only think and act as you are doing ; but like all other men , you can be acted upon by ne _\ Y influences , and especially by truths , when plainly stated . I will here state to you irresistible truths , in order to create these new **

      influences in your mind , that those who now suffer from your want of knowledge may be relieved , and that all classes may be essentially benefitted . It may first be useful to remind you of some general truths , which , admit of no doubt . 1 st . That the object of human existence is individual happiness . 2 nd . That the highest individual happiness can be attained only when all are happy . 3 rd . That the hi ghest individual happiness can he experienced onl y when all the organs , faculties , propensities , and powers of each indij vidual shall bo well cultivated , and regularly [ exercised , according to the peculiar constitution of each , to the point of temperance .

      4 th . That _, to attain the hi ghest happiness for each individual , all should be secured in tho enjoyment of the necessaries , comforts , and beneficial luxuries of existence ; and be physically , mentally , morally , and practically , as well formed and educated as the horn organisation of each will admit , and be well placed in good society . Sth . That to attain this happiness , useful , beneficial , and agreeable occcupatious , as far as practicable , should be provided for all through life , according to the natural , physical , and mental powers of each . Gth . Also , that the most useful and valuable wealth should he everywhere made to abound , and be justly distributed .

      7 th . And that a cordial and sincere union should exist between man and man , and peace be permanentl y established between all nations . 8 th . And lastly , that the many evils and inconveniences arising from various languages , and apparent opposition of interests , should bo overcome as soon as practicable , and humanity trained to become of one language and one interest . All will admit th » fc these principles and practices aro necessary to secure the highest happiness of all , but that they cannot be at once attained .

      Yet it is now practicable * in consequence of immense modern discoveries and inventions , to make a dail advance iu peace and harmony , towards the attainment of this most desirable state of united human existence ; and by its progress to give a cheerful , health y activity to the physical and mental powers of all . Pardon me for saying that you , gentlemen , and your partisans , are without any real knowledge of human nature , so as to know how to educate it from birth , or how to construct a rational or progressively prosperous state of

      society . You have hitherto onl y advocated measures based on tlie princi ple of evil , and upon this principle you never can succeed to introduce any permanent benefits for your fellow-men . Your proposed measures , if successfully carried out , would produce misery continually ; tliey are words proceeding from false imaginations and there is no substance in them . When these clouds of error , created by your respective false positions , can be removed from your minds , you wiU discover how much more easy and delightful it will be to introduce j > ractical measures to insure happiness than to recommend those based on the principles of evil . The latter can produce onl y disappointment to the many and increasing

      danger to the few . If it can be proved to you that , by simple , plain , and economical measures , based on the principle of good , all the industrious classes may be continually well and profitably employed ; their children made to become valuable members of society , always creatin g more real wealth than they consume , aud by these and other improvements made , gradually to diminish ignorance , poverty , disunion , crime and misery , will you forget your little petty p art y politics and personal strifes , which produce so much trouble , anxiety , and evil to all and good to none ? Form a committee of inquiry , and investigation of these allimportant subjects , I will -undertake to demonstrate to it the truth and practicability of all which has been now stated .

      I address myself to you unitedly , because , in the false and artificial state of tho public mind , and with the irrational views of those whom you respectivel y represent and lead , it cannot be expected that , individually , you could have sufficient moral courage , absence of prejudice , and varied knowled ge , to investigate subjects so comprehensive and new for practice , especially when it is known that all wliich has been made to influence you from birth has been most erroneous and irrational .

      Unitedl y , however , it is expected that the prejudices of one wonld counteract the prejudices of the others ; that the deficiency of practical knowledge on some subjects of one would be remedied by the knowledge of others ; thus , when the truth , in principle and practice , shall be full y placed before you , their order , simplicity , innumerable advantages , and beauty , exhibited in one comprehensive y , each part consistent with , and supporting tho others , you will acquire the necessary moral courage to declare to youv respective partisans in both Houses of Parliament , the

      important discovery that the world , so far , has been governed solely on the principle and in the practices of evil , to the great injury of all ; that the population of the world has been thereby taught to he irrational in thought , word , and action ; also , that it -will now be for the high permanent interest of every one openly to abandon this principle of Evil and Falsehood , and graduall y to supersede all the irrational practices which have emanated from it ; and that , instead of continuing this heterogeneous mass of inconsistencies , follies ,, and wickedness , you will now assist with your

      united influence to establish society at once on the princi p les of Good and Truth , and gradually supersede in practice existing erroneous arrangements without creating disorder or illwill through the change ; and effect these results by commencing according to a well-considered and arranged plan , a new combination of external arrangements to create the wealth required , to distribute it wisely , to reform the character based on truth alone , io govern without producing fear or punishment , and , by a well-devised process , change every inferior circumstance for thoso only which are superior ,

      To Lords John Russell And Stanley, Sir R...

      Ihe practical measures to _oil ' ect this eh .-inge " * _° ah that is irrational and miserable to all that will produce continual progressive happiness , are more simple and easy of construction than many of our present government establishments , or than some created and conducted b y private individuals . _Aiot to mako this letter too long , I have now only to state that it is iu your power , bv the adoption ofthe means recommended , graduall y and peaceably , and most beneficiall y for all , to terminate ignorance , poverty , disunion , war , crime and misery .

      If you , Gentlemen , will make thc attempt as proposed , I promise you full and complete success , and , from your success , the most heartfelt satisfaction with your labour of iove for the human race . But to allow Ireland to remain in its _present condition , with the immense resources of the British empire , will demonstrate profound ignorance , or the essence of cruelty , iii the statesmen hy whose legislative acts it is governed . Uobeiit Owex . London , April , 1349 .

      To Robert Owen. My Dear Owen, I Look Upo...

      TO ROBERT OWEN . My Dear Owen , I look upon you as one of the boldest and most consistent men of this or of any other age , and I have sufficient courage to acknowledge that I have a great regard and affection for you , while , at tbe same time , I am very angry with you for p lacing me in such bad company . That is all I shall say for the present , next week I shall answer your letter ; and when the columns of the " Star" are relieved f Parliamentary twaddle , aud wheu its space is more at liberty , I will challenge yon to a controversy between your opinions and minc . Meantime , I remain 1 Your affectionate friend , I Feahgus O'Connor .

      Vavtetitfi.

      _Vavtetitfi .

      Amjjihcan Bibhcaij Cmncisjr.—The Amene-M...

      Amjjihcan _Bibhcaij _Cmncisjr . —The _Amene-m editors have been terribly perplexed to account for Jacob ' s conduct in thc following passage ;— " Jacob kissed Rachel , and lifted up his voice and wept . " We subjoin a few of the comments : — If Rachel was a pretty girl , and kept her face clean , vre can't see that Jacob had much to cry about . —New York Globe . How do you know but that she slapped hi 3 face for him ?—New York Delta . Gentlemen , hold your tongues . The cause of Jacob ' s weeping was the refusal of Rachel to allow him to kiss her again . —2 ai < Zor Flag . It is our opinion that Jacob wept because he had not kissed Rachel before , and regretted the time he had lost . —Age . Green , verdant , all of ye . The fellow boohooed because the sal didn ' t kiss him . —Manchester

      ICxaminer . _ Greener yet ; what Jacob imagined sweet , proved bitter , and , disappointed and disgusted , he wept over his own folly . —Coldwater Standard . Sour grapes , old boy ! To kiss a sweet , pretty f , systematicall y and understanding _!^ as Jacob id , will lift any sensible man ' s voice so high , that the returning force of nature alone squeezes a juice of satisfaction out to heal his blistered lips . ' Try it ! The disease and cure arc both delicious . — Montreal Herald .

      Diffidence . —An Irishman charged with an assault in America , was asked by tho judge whether he was guilty ov not 1 "Uow can i tell , " was the reply , " till I have heard the evidence !" Heroes . —It were well if there were fewer heroes , for I scarcely ever heard of any but do more mischief than good . These overgrown mortals commonly use their will with their ri g ht hand , and their reason with their left ; their pride is tlieir title , and thoir power puts in possession ; their pomp is furnished from rapine , and thoiv scarlet is dyed with human blood . If wrecks , and ruins , and desolations of kingdoms are marks of greatness , wby do we not worship a tempest , and erect a statue to a plague . A panegyric upon an earthquake is every jot as reasonable as upon such conquests as these . —From _Tearls of Great Price ,

      Why is a man who carries a watch invariably too late in his appointments ? Because he is always behind his time .

      SACRED 2 DE MEMMURI OPK » DE _FONETIC NUZ , WITCH _EXPIURF . D MARTSII , 1819 , ApniuR Lixounixo 4 sum weex , in de gueatest TAKE Oph de Publishers' windo . KXOTT Will ITSELF , BUT DE COItS _OPII WIT I . V _ODIKS *

      _1 TZ nESEES WILL BE SINSEERLI REGREIED BY ITS SURVYVING PUBLISHER . Afflixyuns soar long tyme it boar , Fizisliuns was in vane ; It wood knott sel , sow _Uoun it pliol , Ami eye hope _dey _yiroiit tvi it agane . WREK-WHY-ESS-KAT ICJJ _TASEY !! —Man in the Moon . A man being commiserated with , on account of his wife running away , said , " Don ' t pity mc till she comes back again . "

      _Scotland . —The number of counties is thirtythree :, the number of parishes , in 1831 ( was 918 ; and the number of post-towns , sub-offices , & c , according to the last published lists of the Post-office , is 804 ; tho number of banks and banking companies , with their branches , is 390 ( this docs not include savings' banks , of which there is a branch in almost every post town ); the number of newspapers is 91—of which only one is published dail y , three thrice a week , seventeen twice a week , fiftytwo once a week , six fortni ghtly , and twelve monthly .

      The Holy Land . —Thc New Orleans Delta says : — A colporteur [ Anglicc : hawker ] opened the door of an Irishman ' s shanty in the Second Municipality , and , putting in his head , in a very pious tone asked the owner of tbe domicile , who happened to be in at the time , " if he would accept ofa tract of the Holy Land , " meaning of course , an essay on that interesting portion of the world , — "Yis , be jabers " was tho reply of the Hibernian , " a houl section , if you give a good title deed , _llut I should like to know if there is much of it prairie , or if new settlers arc subject to the agur there ' . " Monopolies . —If the power of the people be committed to a single person , the common interest is submitted unto that of a family ; and , if it be committed to a few , it is submitted to the interest of a few families . —Harrington . " I can take no pleasure in you when you get into one of your snappish ways , " as the rat said to the trap .

      _NoTiiixc- New undeii the Sun * . —There is no new thing under the sun . M . Stanislaus Julien has discovered that the Chinese in the third century of our era were in possession of an antcsthetic agent which they employed in ibe same manner as wc use chloroform and ether for producing insensibility during surgical operations . In a biographical notice of Hoatho—who _lloin-islied under the dynasty of Wei , between the years 220 and 230 of our era—it is stated that he gave to the sick a preparation of Chanvre ( Ma _' yo ) , who in a few moments became as

      insensible as one plungeu in urunKenness or deprived of life t—then , according to tho case ho made incisions , amputations , and the like . After a certain number of days thc patient found himself re-established without _having experienced during thc operation the slig htest pain . It appears from the biography of Han that this chanvre was prepared by boiling and distillation . There can he but little doubt that this anaesthetic agent of the Chinese was the Indian hemp ( Cannabis Indica ) , which is taken even now by tbe Arabs to produce an agreeable drunkenness .

      Abstemious and Steaxiious . — " Is Mr . ¦ abstemious in liis living ? " asked a physician of a rather obtuse attendant upon a patient labouring under an inflammatory complaint . " He ' s abstemious enough in the eatin' part , but he ' s rather stcamious when you come to the drinkhY . " Calves . —A person , riding on horseback , met one day an awkward fellow leading a calf , whom he accosted as follows : "How odd it looks to see one calf leading another ! " " Yes , " said the man , ' * but not so odd as to see a calf on horseback ? " The horseman went on his way , and was seen no more .

      The Iron Crown of Lombardy — This famed symbol of kingship was deposited in the Cathedral of Monza ; it is a broad circle of gold , set with large rubies , emeralds , and sapphires , and was secured m an ornamented cross placed over an altar , closel y shut up within folding-doors of g ilt brass . The crown is kept in an octagonal aperture in the centre of the cross . It is composed of six equal pieces of beaten gold , ioined together by close hinges ; and thc jewels and embossed gold ornaments aro set in a ground of blue and gold enamel , interesting as

      exhibiting an exact resemblance to the workmanship of the enamelled part of a gold ornament now in the Ashmolcnn Museum , which once belonged to King Alfred . But for those who have an " appetite for relics , the most important part of this crown is a narrow iron rim , which is attached to thc inside of it all round . The rim is about three-eighths of an inch broad , and a tenth of an inch thick , made out of one of thc nails used iu the Crucifixion . The crown is said to have been presented to Constantine b y his mother ; and the-sacred iron y im , from _whiuh it has its name , was to protect him in battle ,

  • Citation
    • Northern Star (1837-1852), April 21, 1849, page 3, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns4_21041849/page/3/