ments, sentenced the whole family to imprisonment in the mine of Coningsburgh.

Brande heard his decree in mute despair; and Claribell clinging to her heart-broken father, fixed her eyes dim with intense agony on the blind boy, whose face during this ignominious trial had been hidden upon her shoulder. But when the conclusive sentence was pronounced, he raised his head and addressed the audience in a strong and clear tone-" Norwegians!—I have no home-I am an orphan and a stranger among you. Claribell has shared her bread with me, and where she goes I will go."-"Be it so," said the judge, after a short pause-"darkness and light are alike to the blind, and he will learn to avoid guilt if he is allowed to witness its punishment."-The servants of justice advanced, expecting their superior's signal to remove the victims, but his eye was suddenly arrested. The Lady Johanna, whose chair had been brought before the tribunal, now rose from it, and stood erect, exclaiming, "1 accuse him!" At this awful cry from lips which had never been heard to utter more than the low moan of insanity, the judge shuddered, and his assistants shrunk back as if the dead had spoken. The glare of her pale grey eyes, her spectre-like face shadowed by long and loose hair, were such as a Norwegian sorceress exhibits. Raising her skeleton hands high above her head, she struck them together with a force which the hall echoed ;-" There was but one witness, and I go to him!"-With these words, and a shrill laugh, she fell at the judge's feet, and expired.

ore,

Six years glided away; and the rigorous sentence passed on these unfortunate Norwegians had been long executed and forgotten, when the Swedish viceroy visited the silver mines of Cronenburgh. Lighted by a thousand lamps attached to columns of the sparkling he proceeded with his retinue through the principal street of the subterranean city, while the miners exhibited the various processes of their labours. But his eye seemed fixed on a bier followed by an aged man, whose shoulder bore the badge of infamy; leaning on a meagre woman and a boy, whose voice mingled with the rude chant peculiar to Norwegian mourners, like the warbling of an Eolian lute among the moans of a stormy wind. At this touching and unexpected sound, the viceroy stopped and looked earnestly at his guide." It is the funeral of a convicted murderer," replied the superintendant of the miners; "and that white-haired man was his kinsman and supposed accomplice."-"The woman is his widow then?" said the viceroy shuddering." No, my lord ;-her imprisonment was limited to one year, but she chose to remain with her unhappy father, to prepare his food and assist in his labours: that lovely boy never leaves her side, except to sing hymns to the

sick miners, who think him an angel come among us.”—While the humane intendant spoke, the bier approached, and the torches carried by its bearers shone on the corpse of Brande, whose uncovered countenance retained all the sullen fierceness of his character. The viceroy followed to the grave; and advancing as the body was lowered into it, said, "Peace be with the dead, and with the living. All are forgiven."

The intendant of the mines, instructed by one of the viceroy's retinue, removed the fetters from Hans Hofland's ancles, and placed him with his daughter and the blind boy in the vehicle used to reach the outlet of the mine. A carriage waited to receive them, and they found themselves conveyed from the most hideous subterranean dungeon to the splendid palace of the viceroy. They were led into his cabinet, where he stood alone, not in his rich official robes, but in those he had worn at Dolstein." It is the traveller!" exclaimed Claribell; and Adolphus sprang into his arms.-"My son!" was all the viceroy could utter as he held him close to his heart." Claribell!" he added after a few moments of agonizing joy, "I am the father of Adolphus, and the Lady Johanna was my wife. Powerful enemies compelled me to conceal even my existence; but a blessed chance enabled me to save my only son, whom I believed safe in the care of the treacherous kinsman who coveted my inheritance, and hoped to destroy us both. Brande was the agent of his guilt; but fearing that his secrecy might fail the chief traitor availed himself of his power as a judge, to bury his accomplice and his innocent victim for ever. Providence saved my life from his machinations, and my sovereign has given me power sufficient to punish and reward. Your base judge is now in the prison to which he condemned your father and yourself: -you, Claribell, if you can accept the master of this mansion are now in your future home. Continue to be the second mother of Adolphus, and ennoble his father by a union with your virtues." European Magazine. 1817.

ROBERT BURNS.*

WHAT bird in beauty, flight, or song,

Can with the bard compare,

Who sang as sweet, and soar'd as strong

As ever child of air?

* This beautiful piece is referred to in the article on Robert Burns given in Vol. I,

REMINISCENCES OF A GOOD-NATURED MAN.

ORATOR HENLEY was accustomed to say that cut-down boots made the best shoes; I am sure this remark will apply to the frequent transformations that take place in character. Who has not seen an enthusiast tame down into the completest worldling-a youthful spendthrift dry into the finest specimen of a miser—and a good-natured man sour into a perfect Sir Benjamin Backbite? In proof of the possibility of this last change, I offer myself as evidence. I commenced life-existence I mean-with what is termed "a sweet disposition." I had flaxen hair, an innocent-looking face, and large pale blue eyes, that looked as if all the colour had been washed out of them by crying; nevertheless, I was not prone to tears, and even when a baby cried quietly. I was the delight of my nurse and mother, for I could always be allured to give up my own will by a piece of sugared bread and butter; I could wear my white frock and trowsers twice as long as my sister; I loved to sit in my little chair better than to scramble about the nursery; I believed every thing that was told me, and I sucked my thumb. Yet imposition on my good-nature and harmlessness commenced before I was out of the cradle. My sister and I were twins, but not in disposition: she was a bright, lively, vixenish little thing, pretty and mischievous as a fairy-the reverse of myself, except in similarity of feature; and, though younger by half an hour, was my master, and every body's master about the house. She neither sucked her thumb, nor loved to sit in a little chair; she would be nursed, and nursed well —which, in nursing language, means being tossed up to the ceiling, talked, shouted, and sung to, from morning till night. Our double arrival had not been anticipated; and if it had, two nurses, or even one and a half, could not in our household have been afforded; so that as my mother had very delicate health, my share of attention was somewhat scanty: in fact my lady-sister got it all, because she would have it:-my thumb nursed me, and to such purpose, that it is to this day smaller than the other. As mere babyhood passed away, and I learned to walk and talk, my passive temper remained the same, and increasing liberties were taken with it; I had always the least pieces of gingerbread, was the last dressed in the morning, and the first put to bed at night: it was I who was to surrender a plaything, give up my seat, make the apology in case of a quarrel, and bear the blame on the occurrence of any juvenile iniquity-all because I was "such a good-natured little creature."

As a schoolboy, my character and condition remained unmodified -fugging was not allowed, but by this I gained nothing; for instead of avowedly serving one master, I served five and twenty, the entire number of boys admitted. A fatality, as if by birthright, hung over me: in two days my timid, yielding, milky, flaxen nature was discovered, and as speedily worked upon and cheated on all hands. I was very vain of my good-nature; and flattery on this head would induce me to do or almost suffer any thing,-no matter whether in a right or wrong cause. It supplied the place of sugared bread and butter;-and if the bullies were sure of my obedience, the wheedlers were certain of my love in addition. The scrapes and sins that I was wheedled into, are past enumeration; and, by some chance, the chief of the blame, and most of the punishment, always fell on me, even when others were concerned; whilst in our petty purloinings or purchases, it equally occurred that the share which fell to my lot was the least. However, after lying and steal.. ing for my companions, and then being flogged for it by the master, I had my reward in the universal admission, that I was "the most good-natured boy in the school!"

School-days passed, and I became a member of that larger seminary -Society, calculated in its construction to harden, strengthen, daunt, and imbitter; but for a series of years it effected no such change in me. It strikes me now with amazement, but so it was; for years I remained the same obliging, complying, assenting creature that I had been in the nursery and at school;-ready to help every one-prone to believe every one-anxious to reconcile every one; -in my conversations a stream of assents-in my intentions harmless but in my actions certainly not wise. I had no discrimination-there lay the flaw. My amiability was extended to every one alike; and without any thought of consequences, my praise was so universal, that as it cost, so was it worth nothing-my peace-making was often effected at the expense of truth-my courtesy was apt to trench upon sincerity-my charity as often gratified imposture as real want-and of my justice, it might frequently be said,

Voila une justice bien injuste.

I am sure I was very amiable; but for want of being under the government of a strong understanding, I was perpetually involved in trouble, and did my friends little good. I had a horror of unkindness in thought, word, and deed; but I had not an equal dread of injustice: it annoyed me personally to hear scandal; and wit throwing its golden arrows on all sides displeased me, if coupled with malice, however gay. It positively made me uncomfortable to hear people abuse each other, or try to make each other ridicu