exclamation as "I wonder why they send me all this trash; these gentlemen are only telling each other what every sensible man in the country knew long ago." And such outbursts always disturbing his serenity, his dutiful daughter, as often as possible, forgets to place the cause of them on the table at his side. He is now sitting with his back to the two French windows opening upon the verandah. We will describe the room as it now appears to him, making him as it were the re

one energetic and well-directed human mind? Some score years had passed, and the summit of his moderate ambition was achieved, competence, contentment, and a home, in a wilderness though it might be, had been granted him, and he was a proud and a happy man. How many a less resolute mind has looked upon him, sitting as he now sits in his old arm-chair; his danghter, lovely as an angel, sitting upon a stool at his feet, resting her fair head upon his knee, while the old man's wrinkled fingers play delightedly and affec-lative centre of the whole. tionately with the long loose tresses of her Directly in front of him over the mantelhair; and surrounded by all that easy air of piece, upon which are resting a variety of eucomfort and contentment which a conscious-riosities picked up in his travels, hangs a halfness of uprightness and rectitude of conduct length portrait of his father, by an eminent alone can inspire. How many an one, I say, feeling in the decline of years, that dreary loneliness and want of all that makes the close of life cheerful and serene, has, looking upon the picture we have painted, inwardly shed bitter tears of unavailing regret, as they reflected, when too late, thus also might it have been with me! And old Blinks had often fancied he could read such thoughts in the saddened brow and moistened eye of his visitors, and had felt with them, indeed, it was too late; but for the young and hopeful how much might yet be done!

English portrait-painter, Philips. It represents that venerable gentleman in his robes, and bears unmistakeable evidence that it is a faithful likeness. Old Blinks' eyes not unfrequently wander from the upturned features of his child, to the soft and tender look of benignity with which the patriarch upon the canvass regards him. Upon the right side of the fire-place, built as it were into the wall, is a standing book-case, well stocked it would seem with a variety of light and solid literature. The shining backs of a long row of Spectators," "Idlers," "Tattlers," &c., &c., which occupy a position about half-way up, particularly arrest the eye; but books increasing in weight, not only as regards size, but matter, may be traced in widening rows be

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The apartment, as we have said, is the picture of comfort and repose,-not idle, sleepy, indolent repose. Blinks, old as he was, was fiery and energetic as a boy. His mind was as active as a long career of healthy and in-neath them as the eye glances downwards, vigorating exercise of mind and body could until, forming as it were the plinth of the pile, make it and as we all know, or ought to a long dark row of the quarto Encyclopedia know, exercise of any faculty begets power,Britannica closed the scene. Having spoken in this, also, the demand governs the supply. of the plinth, we can only refer to the upper The arm of the blacksmith grows with every shelves as the capital and entablature; and stroke of his ponderous hammer; the legs of here, as the room was high, it must be conthe opera dancer fashion themselves to the fessed, there resided some authors, who, havpurposes required of them; and the mind of ing soared as much beyond their own reach man enlarges with his requirements and men- as the comprehension of their unhappy readtal exercises, even as the roots of a tree growers, it became a matter of question, whether, ing in an exposed situation, are thrown out unless assisted by some convulsion of nature, the firmest and strongest in the direction from they would ever get down to earth again. To which most support is needed. The room is say the truth, Blinks, who was fond of abamply furnished with good, substantial wal-struse reading, had once or twice dipped into nut furniture. Old Blinks is sitting, as we have described him, before the fire, and a portable reading-desk or stand, with lights affixed to it, is at his elbow, and on it are laid invitingly the newly-arrived magazines, which he still delights to con. There are, of course, Such hollow commodities forming the sumnewspapers lying about the house; but Frank, mit of the pile, and the work we have alluded who has arranged that stand for him this evc- to, confessedly heavy enough, composing the ning, according to custom, knows that it base, the whole taken together might be conwould be but little use placing them there; sidered in more ways than one, a good standhe cares but little for them at any time, and at ard library, and so in reality It is. The corresthe present least of all. Occasionally when ponding place upon the left side of him, is he takes one of them up, and meets the usual occupied with a rosewood piano by "Chickaccount of the polite, refined aud compliment-ering," now standing open, through whose ary greetings passing between members in ivory keys, the delicate fingers of Frances are the "House," you see him throw away the wont to knock at the hearts of those who sit paper in disgust, with some such indignant around her, rousing in them feelings as various

them, but finding them impracticable, had, in the refined and expressive language of a learned debating body, given them a "hoist," which in this case would probably be of even more than six months duration.

and often as tumultuous, as the sounds which ring responsive to her thrilling touch.

Through this chasm, down into which, as it extends away into distance, you look,-the pale, cold moon is gazing placidly as she rises upon the distant, liquid sky; and a single birchen canoe, guided by two natives, which seems to move noiselessly and without a ripple, like thistle-down upon the silvery wa ters, is the only object partaking of animated life which is visible. The subject has been handled by a master, and it leaves a quiet, soothing impression upon the mind after regarding it, well calculated to balance the emotions which have been aroused by contemplation of its fellow upon the opposite wall.

Upon the wall traversing the left side of the room, hangs a very fine painting in oil, by De Loutherberg, representing a storm on land. It is a picture that will bear looking at. You almost fancy that you hear the crashing of the branches, as the first rude gust of the approaching thunder-storm sweeps them towards you. The dark cloud in the back-ground appears rising rapidly as you look upon it, and the animals, upon which the hail is just beginning to patter, are in their well-conceived attitudes of surprise and alarm-the very pictures of life. The swollen mill-stream, telling A neat little old-fashioned work-table is of the violence of the approaching shower, ac- drawn forward near the fire, upon the side tually foams up before your eye; and you al- next the book-shelf, and here Mrs. Blinks sita most involuntarily put forth your hand to industriously knitting. John and his friend, help the unfortunate countryman, who, sit- who have just entered, are examining together ting upon the front edge of his cart, bending the picture we have last attempted to describe. forward against the blast, is endeavouring The rest of the furniture we need not particuwith one hand to accomplish the double duty larize, nor, though we have spent hours at a of keeping on his hat and buttoning his coat; time in the room, do we think we could do so while with the other, which wields a stout if we tried. It may be that we are careless in cudgel, he belabors his horse,-which, with such matters: it may be, that whenever we tail tightly pressed between his haunches, his have sat in that room, we have had other ob back bent upwards and his mane streaming jects, better worth regarding, to engage us,— in the wind, seems for the moment hesitating certain it is, however, that with an eye toler whether to face it out bravely, or to turn and ably acute for particular things, there are fly. The management of the light is admirable and the colouring just, and in keeping with the scene. While upon the opposite side of the room, and consequently directly facing this one, hangs another painting, corresponding in size with the one already described, but of a nature so diametrically opposite, that the eye, startled by the wild grandeur of conception displayed in the former, rests involuntarily as it turns upon this latter, feeling, in escaping from the tumult of elements behind it, that here it has found refuge and peace. The subject is one belonging to this continent, in its earlier, and perhaps palmier days. At least you cannot help feeling, while gazing upon it, that nothing so lovely, so silent, and so lonely, in its unstudied and uncultivated beauty, can be found at the present day. Its author is an American artist, whose name we have forgotten: he has called it "Solitude." Blinks became its fortunate possessor, through holding a prize-ticket in the American Art Union. We are too littie ac

quainted with the scientific jargon of a picture-gallery, to attempt to do justice to its beauties with a pen. We think we know what we admire, in the shape of a painting, when we see it, and this one takes our fancy amazingly. It is a rocky chasm, with high precipitous sides, crowned with primeval forests, save where some hoary, crumbling rock, lifts its bold head on high; and feathered occasionally to the edge of the water, which rests motionless at its base, with cedars which the lapse of centuries of unbroken repose has fastened into the crevices of the rock.

many of which we take no heed, to which others direct especial attention. We shall talk and walk with a lady for hours, and perhaps gather from what we have heard and seen a tolerable insight into her character: but put us on oath, the moment after bidding her adieu at the corner, and we can no more tell the colour or pattern of an article of her dress, nor the nature of her bonnet or its trimmings, than we could say whether she wore a bustle, (which, of course, is a profound riddle) false fronts, or any other incompre hensible ornament which modern civilized women have adopted for improving upon nature.

We present the group we have described to our readers, just at the particular moment when old Blinks is about to, but what he is going to say or do, deserves another chapter, and shall have it.

THE CHRISTIAN'S REQUIEM.

ERRO.

Blest are the dead in the Lord who repose,
For their labours are ended, they rest from their

woes,

"Yea," saith the spirit, "they rest from their They have 'scaped from the cares and tempt➜

strife,

tions of life."

Their days of probation and sorrow are done,
Their warfare is o'er, and the battle is won;
Through the portals of death they in triumph
have trod,

And have entered their joy, in the presence of God
AGNES STRICKLAND.

THE STUDENT'S VISION.

A FANCY FOR CHRISTMAS EVE.

BY M. N. T.

Ir being my last winter's session as a student in medicine, I determined to spend the Christmas vacation in town, and not, as usual go to my country home. The unenviable feeling of not being very well up decided me. Lectures broke up a few days before Christmas and nearly all my fellow-students leaving, I soon found myself alone, not one remaining with whom I cared to associate. For the first day or two I managed tolerably well, studying with praiseworthy energy, but at last, it was on Christmas-Eve, I gave in; I could stand the monotonous work no longer: so wrapping myself up I sallied forth for a walk; it was snowing fast, yet the streets were thronged with happy mortals, no doubt intent on making their purchases for the morrow's feast; the shops, many of them tastefully decorated with evergreens, all of them displaying to the best advantage their respective goods, and nearly all crowded with eager buyers. It was a pleasant sight and one I enjoyed, though a painful thought now and then passed through my brain, that on the morrow I should feast alone. I wandered for more than an hour, then tired, sought my solitary room. A cheerful fire blazed on the hearth and things now appeared to be more comfortable and pleasant than usual; so throwing aside my snow covered coat, I drew before the fire an easy-chair, arranging myself in a most luxurious position I picked up a Physiology and soon forgot time, place and situation; in fact, I was deeply interested and felt unaccountably happy.

"Then why? perhaps I shall not live," and I shuddered.

"If you live, you will not; I cannot say when you will die.”

"It's strange, I shall pass and not practice."
"Even so," and he nodded.
"Why?"

"You are too cautious and too conscientious." "They are not bad qualities in a practitioner." "In you they will cause such fear of doing wrong, that you would shun a patient; and if perchance, one was fastened on you, you would do nothing lest he should die and the world would say, you killed him.

I was silenced: I inwardly felt that there was truth in what he said.

I know not how long I had been reading when all pleasurable sensations yielded to a most disagreeable torpor, I could no longer fix my attention on the page before me, but my eye wandered to the fire which still burned brightly. My book dropped to my knee and at last fell to the floor without my making an effort to save it; at the same time a peculiar bright coal, which I had been observing, hopped with a loud report into the room. I partially started with the intention of throwing it back, but on looking towards the "A being," he continued, in a sarcastic tone, spot, where I supposed it to be, I saw, not the “idle, aimless, is a fearful object: and, alas! how coal, but the most extraordinary specimen of the many are there. Know you not," said he, with genus homo it ever fell to the lot of man to behold. sudden energy, "that all created things have There he sat, cross-legged, in comical guise, their use? the simple flower that exhales its pertossing three balls in the air, alternately catching fume heavenward, performs its allotted task. The them as they fell back to his hand. I watched whole vegetable creation act as purifiers of the him without moving for the space of several air for animal life. And of all animals, man alone, minutes, when suddenly my strange visitor, pitch man endowed with reason, can o pervert the ing the balls higher than usual, threw a summer-natural design of creation, as to be useless; and

"And the leaden one," I interrupted, "shews beautiful place, I saw a few going among the his declining days."

"You understand the tale these balls would each other; these few retained traces of their tell, now prepare to read it."