dicular rocks by means of covered wooden galleries. The holes into which the struts were let for supporting the platform can still be seen. Another of Trajan's works was a canal, to enable boats to pass the rapids which are called the Iron Gates, and are still an impediment to navigation. But the most important of his works was the bridge across the river at Skela-Gladova, a little below the Iron Gates. The foundations of the stone piers, twenty in number, are still visible, and, according to Dio Cassius, were surmounted by wooden arches capable of being removed in case of necessity. Over this bridge, which excited the admiration of the historian, the Roman Emperor led his second expedition against the turbulent Dacians, and in the year A.D. 107 he succeeded in founding the Roman province of Dacia. It was upon the conclusion of this war that Trajan prepared to encounter the only rival which the empire yet possessedthe kingdom of Parthia; and undertook the expedition to the East, at first so glorious, but afterwards so disastrous for the Roman arms (A.D. 114-117).

The grand scenery of the Danube terminates with the Iron Gates, which consist of a series of rockledges, crossing the river from side to side, and bounded by banks which are tamer than those of the Gorge of Kasan. The river is here 210 yards wide, and, according to Bædeker, descends with a fall of sixteen feet in a length of one mile and a half. The rushing of the rapids is sometimes audible at Orsova, and when the river is low passengers and goods have to be transported in shallow steamboats, specially constructed. The mountainous region to the north is full of objects of historic interest, as well

as being picturesque in the extreme. The hot springs gave rise to Roman and more modern Turkish baths, and Roman remains are still visible. On the cliffs near Dubowa, where the river reaches its narrowest dimensions, there is an inscription, now barely legible, in memory of Trajan, which is thus given by Bædeker:"IMP. CESAR DIVI NERVE F. NERVA TRAJANUS AUG. GERM. PONT. MAXIMUS. T. P. M.”

which has a double signification, referring not only to the title of Trajan as Roman Emperor, but to his achievements in bridging over German rivers. The mountains are full of game. Eibenthal, a little village some miles north of the Danube, is "the home of the wolf." There also are to be found the Carpathian bear, a species of deer, the wild boar, the fox and the hare.

Hungary has been the theatre, from the earliest times, of successive invasions from the Steppes of NorthThe first ern and Western Asia.

of these, of which we have reliable accounts, was the westerly migration of the Turanian people called the Chen-si, about the year B.C. 200. Such a movement, as Professor Rawlinson observes, would necessarily have thrown the entire previous population of those parts into commotion, and would probably have precipitated them upon their neighbours.* How far this movement affected Hungary is uncertain; but about the middle of the third century the Goths poured down upon the Roman province of Dacia and the plains of Hungary, and in the reign of the Emperor Aurelian, A.D. 270, the Romans retired across the Danube, which now became the northern boundary of the empire, leaving the regions to the north in the possession of the Visigoths, who,

for about a century, seem to have quietly settled on their new land, and to have carried on peaceful intercourse with the subjects of the empire across the river. But now a new wave of invasion poured over the plains of Hungary (A.D. 376). The Huns, led by their fierce chieftain, Attila, crossed the Carpathians, and swept like a devouring fire over the plains of Hungary, and, crossing the Danube and then the Alps, overran the fair plains of Northern Italy. These were followed by the Avars, about the middle of the fifth century, who remained in possession down to the time of Charlemagne (A.D. 789), who added to his empire the eastern and southern portions of Hungary as far as the Theiss. In this instance the direction of the tide of conquest had changed; but in the tenth century a new horde of warriors from the Steppes of Western Asia crossed the mountains from the north, and by the decisive battle of Presberg (A.D. 907) made themselves masters of the country. The Magyars have been the dominant race ever since; for notwithstanding the invasion of the Turks, and their settlement in Hungary during 160 years, the victors were never naturalized, and were expelled by Prince Charles of Lorraine, who, on the 12th August, 1687, gained a decisive victory over them at Mohács, almost on the same field where, in 1526, the Hungarians themselves were defeated; and thus was the country delivered from their hated supremacy.

The connection of Austria with Hungary dates from the fatal year 1526, when, upon the death of Louis II., after the battle of Mohács, the Diet elected the Archduke Ferdinand of Austria King of Hungary. The sway of the House of Hapsburg had, however, always been borne with impatience, which culminated in the revolt of the Magyars in 1848-9. For a time it seemed

But

as if Hungary would have achieved her independence, for the armies under Bem, Klapta, and Görgey had driven out the Austrians, captured the strongholds, and advanced almost to the walls of Vienna. at this juncture Russia came to the rescue of Austria, and it was in vain. for the forces of the kingdom of Hungary to hope to succeed against those of two empires. Under these circumstances, Görgey, who had two days previously received from Kossuth the supreme government of the country, surrendered to the Russian general. Peter wardein and Komorn surrendered to the Austrians, and the war was brought to a close on the 27th September, 1849.

Not less interesting than its political history is the physical history of Hungary. The country may be described as an immense plain traversed by the Danube, the Theiss, and other lesser streams, and enclosed to the north, west, and east by the Carpathians, and to the south by hills which range through Servia westward to the spurs of the Austrian Alps. The plains are overspread by sands, gravels, and a kind of mud called loess, or by alluvial deposits underlaid by fresh-water limestones, or "congerien schichten," &c., as laid down in the government survey maps, the whole of . which may be considered as having been formed beneath the waters of a great inland lake, or series of lakes, during different periods of repletion or partial exhaustion, dating downwards from the Miocene period. The waters of this lake were fed by the old Danube, and were pent up within the limits marked out by the mountain ranges above described. At intervals along the skirts of the Carpathians, and in more central detached situations, volcanoes seem to have been in active operation, vomiting forth masses of trachytic and basaltic lava and tuff, which

necessary that this barrier should be cut through in order to lay dry these plains by draining the lakes. This was probably effected partly by the ordinary process of river excavation, and partly by the formation of underground channels, scooped out amongst the limestone rocks of the gorge. These two modes of excavation acting together may have hastened the lowering of the channel and the drainage of the plains above. considerably; nevertheless, the time. required for such a work must have been very extended, and it would appear that, while the great inland lakes were being drained, the volcanic fires were languishing, and ultimately became extinct. Hungary thus presents us with phenomena analogous to those which are to be found in the volcanic district of central France.

A. S. MARTIN.

There was nothing cool about me as Gerald spoke-Gerald, with his face set into a certain hard and bitter look, which I knew and dreaded.

My unlucky cheeks were scarlet, and my eyes were trembling with brimming tears, as I said,

"You are very unkind, Gerald." "No; I am kind! Such a marriage—though it is simple nonsense to talk about such an impossibility— would be an offence to my father's memory. I am the head of the family. I tell you, I won't allow it! I shall tell my mother so."

"My mother likes him - very much.'

"Fiddlesticks! Women are easily pleased. She will see the right view of it when I speak to her.”

Ah, Gerald! Gerald! don't— don't be cruel!"

"It's of no use, Georgie-not a bit. I've made up my mind. If you persist in this folly, I have done with you! Choose between

marries you, will be a beggar! I know that. Independently of that, none of his name should marry a Lisle !"

"Gideon Frost has put you up to all this," I said, angrily. “I know why he spoke to you."

"You are very much mistaken,’ said Gerald. On the contrary, Gideon is the best soul in the world, and he is anxious to smooth down matters, and to allow the marriage-I can tell you that."

“We are very much obliged to him," I said, with an unsuccessful attempt at irony "very much obliged indeed to him.”

66

"Ah! you're prejudiced against him, I know that," said Gerald, angrily. “But I assure you that he seems to be most anxious to be friendly, and spoke very well and properly about``it. He even said he would break it to his father.'

"When there is anything to be 'broken,' as Mr. Gideon Frost calls it, we shall let him know," I replied, in as great a passion as I ever was in all my life; for Gerald's words proved how accurately Oliver had gauged his half-brother's character. Henceforth, I would be on my guard. Not another word, good or bad, would I say on the subject.

I contented myself with thinking that, in a few days more, I should be at home again. Then I would tell all to my mother, and I knew very well that she would not allow any far-fetched scruples to interfere between me and the whole happiness of my life. We loved each other; there was a certainty,

one way or other, of a fair provision of the bread and butter of life -my mother would make her home with us, and we would be as happy as the day was long!

If only Gerald would listen to reason! Must there always be the one bitter drop in our cup of sweetness? but for my brother's opposition, I think I would have been too happy.

The day came at last when I was to leave London.

What a visit that had been! But the other day I passed by that house in Eaton-place where I had known such wonderful happiness, and a stolid policeman that passed me must have been surprised, for I found unbidden tears falling down my face! Lady Augusta, kind ast ever, bade me the warmest of good-byes. She and "her old man were about to set forth on a succession of visits, and it was not likely that we should soon meet again.

She had never directly asked me as to my flirtation with Mr. Frost ; but, for all that, she knew all about it.

"You will tell Mrs. Lisle all about it, Georgie?" she said, as she kissed me, and held my hand in her own tiny ones. "No secrets from your mother, Georgie!"

"I will tell her all," I said, returning the pressure of her kind hand.

“And you will write to me, and let me know all about it? I met Doctor Spedding just now, and he was going down to Chesterholt to-day; he says the colonel can't live long. I only wonder he has lived so long with the very odious wife he has." Then the bell began to ring, and I had to take my place in the railway-carriage. The whistle gave its hideous, unearthly scream, and the train glided out of the vast station-the last peep of

Lady Augusta's pretty face showing me that she had tears in her eyes, though she was smiling at me. Gerald had not been to say good-bye.

He said he was too

busy to spare time to come with me to the station-perhaps he was. I missed his dear face and familiar voice, and carried back with me to Abbotts-Gift but a sad remembrance of him. He was very much changed. His London life did not seem to agree with him, his face had grown paler, his eyes darker and sadder than usual.

Well, in the good time that was coming for us all, Gerald would be a sharer in our happiness! All his prejudices would would be forgotten!

Who could resist Oliver's happy manner and influence? And if we could but keep our secret for a little longer, Oliver would be a rich man, and Gerald (darling Gerald still, even though so unamiable) would partake of the universal peace and plenty.

It had been early summer-time when I left home. When I returned, the first brilliancy and lustre of the prime of the year was changing. The great woods of Castle Derring, which I could now look at with the most perfect equanimity, were of a uniform dark green, soon there would be faint tinges of autumnal yellow in the foliage and a riper gold in the waving cornfields.

Very glad was I to come home. And very glad was my dear

mother to have me once more with her; she had not been lonely, she said-friends were very kind; the squire called frequently, and so did Ethel; she was only too glad that I had had such a pleasant time.

Picture to yourselves our little sitting-room, with the dim, friendly "gloaming" of the July evening presenting our old furniture and belongings in the most favourable