she addressed the following discourse to the Prince : "Prince, when your uncle the Emperor came to Compeigne, and that he saw me approaching, he used to say, 'Here comes la sœur Massin to ask me for something for her sick;' and he was generally right. To-day, Prince, I come to you to demand justice; they have taken from me my fleur d'orange-make them restore me my fleur d'orange." The Prince and those about him were not a little surprised at this demand, and at a loss to comprehend the meaning of it; but the sœur Massin soon explained everything. "Since February," said she, "the fleur d'orange gathered at the château has been sold, and my sick are in want of it-give me back my fleur d'orange." The Prince granted her request. But it was only on the occasion of his last visit to Compeigne that he prevailed on her to accept the cross, as some compensation for the good she does. I heard the other day an instance of delicate gratitude most pleasing. A well-known artist, who had formed excellent pupils, had suffered a reverse of fortune which had forced him to sell a great part of his furniture, and among the rest that of his salon, of which he was very fond. On the Jour de l'an therefore, in order to avoid | the humiliation of receiving his friends in a room with bare walls, he determined to shut his door and announce that he was ill; however, on the Jour de l'an comes a ring at the door; after hesitating a little he decided on opening, when, to his astonishment, one of his pupils, bearing on his head a handsome arm-chair, presented himself. "You do not know, sir," said he, "the new fashion of 1853, which is, to bring one's seat to the house when one pays a visit." A second ring, and a second pupil with a second arm-chair; four others succeeded in the same manner. After these came two more, bearing a sofa. "Now all is complete," exclaimed the young men, happy on witnessing the joy, mingled with emotion, of their master, 66 you must accompany us to break fast, to celebrate the return of the Enfant Prodigue." The Exhibition of Carpets and Tapestry, of the manufactures of Aubusson, de Felletin, and of Maurissard, which has just taken place, shows the progress made in modern industry, and to what a point of perfection they have attained. A picture, half the size of nature, in the pastoral style of Boucher, for finish, perfection of detail, and beauty of contouring surpassed anything I ever saw of the kind. It was with difficulty that I could be convinced that I had not the painting of a great artist before my eyes. This marvellous work is not the only remarkable one in the collection; there is a magnificent carpet which was in the Exhibition in London, and which is destined for the Tuileries. The subject of this carpet, the centre of which is formed by the Imperial escutcheon, represents Industry. On a ground richly ornamented, on which is scattered flowers and fruits, are escutcheons which bear the names of the principal industrial towns, Paris, Lyons, Rouen, Aubusson, London, Manchester, Birmingham, &c. Other escutcheons represent the attributes of Poetry, Sculpture, Painting, Music-of Architecture, of Commerce, Agriculture, Astronomy, Chemistry, and of natural philosophy, &c. At the four corners are the names of the four quarters of the globeEurope, Asia, Africa, and America. Another large carpet, intended for the Hotel de Ville, is still more magnificent in contouring and design. The whole life of Napoléon le Grand is represented on the border, in inscriptions recalling the principal dates of his history, and the names of his victories. Nothing can exceed the luxury exhibited at present in Paris in furniture and dress; every one is trying to surpass his or her neighbour. Those who are rich must live up to their fortunes, and those who are not-here is what some of them do: Madame C., whose fortune did not exceed 15,000 livres de rentes, spent, according to a moderate calculation, from 30 to 40,000 f. a-year on her toilette; how she managed was a subject of wonder to all who saw her magnificent dresses, priceless laces, splendid jewels-when a discovery was made: Madame C., by paying 500 f. a-month to a marchande à la toilette, produced an effect of splendour distancing those rivals who possessed double and treble her fortune: her finery was hired!! The general desire is to dazzle, and to show how much one spends. I heard of a young clerk, who, by rigid economy, had been enabled to have an evening coat made by a fashionable tailor, ripping a few stitches in the said coat, to show that it was lined with silk. Some persons have adopted the ingenious device of having printed visiting cards of the most distinguished personages of the day amongst the nobility, artists, &c., &c., and leaving these cards on their own tables; some with the corners turned down, to show they were left by their supposed owners in person, and some with p. p. c. One lady had the card of Abd-el-Kader on her table; and to give an air of importance to her imposture, she had had the Emir's name printed in wonderful Gothic letters; this ingenious creature thus believed, after a little while, that she was able to read Arabic fluently. The sale of the collection of pictures, and other works of art belonging to the late Duc d'Orleans, is taking place at present, and excites a lively interest among the admirers of the beaux arts. I hear that the Emperor of Russia and Queen Victoria have given commissions for purchasing some of the most important works in the collection: it is said that two statues by the Princess Marie are among the objects to be sold. Some hundred letters of Madame de Staël, written from Sweden and Russia during the latter period of the Empire, and addressed to the Comte Wolf de Baudissin, have been lately discovered, and are about to be published; they are clever and brilliant-too brilliant perhaps, like the conversation of the writer. I suppose every one knows the mot of M. de Talleyrand, who said, in excuse of his admonition for the far | who, as I told you in my last letter, though from brilliant Madame Gr...: "Il faut avoir téçu dans la société de Madame de Staël pour connaitre tout le bonheur d'aimer une bête." Here is a proces, the subject of which is worthy admiration-it is a bouquet it seems that on the occasion of Louis Napoleon's stay at Toulouse, one day on returning to his palace a group of persons were standing before the shop of a hatter named B.; among other persons was a Madame S., who waved her handkerchief, and cried Vive l'Empereur! repeatedly. Madame B., the wife of the hatter, had her child in her arms-a child of remarkable beauty, it appears; and this child, not to be outdone by Madame S., threw its little arms about, and cried Vive l'Empereur ! (or sounds to that effect), lustily. At this moment Louis Napoleon, passing before the shop, remarked the enthusiasm displayed by the little group; and overhearing remarks expressive of admiration for a beautiful bouquet he held in his hand, threw the bouquet among them. Some say that B. caught the bouquet, and presented it to Madame S. to look at; but Madarne S. would not give up the treasure so incautiously trusted to her by the too confiding B. Poor B., he ought to have done as you do when you show a precious object to young children-hold it carefully in your hands, and say, "It is to be looked at, but not to be touched;" he might even have allowed her to kiss the stalks so lately pressed by the imperial hand; but it seems that B. lost his presence of mind, and not wishing to lose the bouquet also, he commences an action against Madame S. After a long debate, it was decided by the judge that B. should give half the bouquet to Madame S., or the sum of 100 francs for costs. The great event of the day, though at the moment I write it has not yet been announced, is the marriage of Louis Napoleon with Mademoiselle de Montejos, a beautiful Spanish lady, who captivated the Emperor some months ago, and without naming her, had some chance of becoming Empress of France. In the language of romance, the Emperor sacrifices ambition to love; he disdains a royal alliance, where the interests, and not the noblest affections of the heart, are consulted. In other words, having had his suit rejected by all the young Princesses whom he sought (the last being the Princess Mary of Cambridge), Napoleon III., half from pique, and partly, it must be owned also, from affection, decides on marrying a young and beautiful woman, of one of the highest families of Spain, rich and noble. After all, the sacrifice he makes is not very terrible. Mademoiselle de Montijos is probably about twenty years of age, a blonde, with magnificent golden hair, a skin of dazzling fairness, regular features, a beautiful bust, and though scarcely tall enough perhaps for the proportions of her figure, she has a most dignified and imposing air: this is the impression she made on me a year ago, when there was no apparent possibility of her becoming an Empress, when there was no Emperor, but only a President, with whom she was probably not acquainted. As yet the thing is kept secret, but the contract is signed. In my next letter I suppose I shall have matters of some interest to relate to you. Au revoir, then, my dear C. Ever your's, most faithfully, P. Since the above was written, the contemplated marriage of Napoleon III. with Mademoiselle de Montijos has been officially announced. We believe that in our January number we were the first to publish that such an event was likely to occur. We mention this circumstance, in order that our readers may put faith in the information which we give them.-ED. OUR CONSERVATORY. A GREAT MAN AMONG LITTLE PEOPLE. -At this party one thing afforded me much amusement. Here it is never imagined that any human being, having claims to the title, does not gamble; it is therefore a rule in Amsterdam, that the number of persons at an evening party should, subtracting seven, be divisible by four into the intended number of parties for cards. These seven are destined for bouillotte. Now, Amelia remained at home, and I did not play. This deranged the whole plan of those who had grouped together for this interesting amusement, and they were forced to play with only five. What a malicious pleasure I enjoyed in watching the vexation of one and another at this spoiling of the only interesting hour of their day; above all, the excessively supercilious contempt with which a petite maîtresse regarded ine for my awkwardness and want of education! I enjoyed it so much, that it made the evening quite endurable. In the same way I enjoyed the really indescribable littleness of a Parisian dandy, whom that lady admired as much as she despised me; and blessed the conscription which is driving such canaille by thousands against the balls and the bayonets. To such creatures a prince might say with justice-not as was once horribly said to the noble Guards, "Do you want to live for ever, you dogs?" but Why do you want to live, you dogs, when death is the only respectable moment of your lives?" A Huron (I am not ashamed to confess that I think of this novel of Voltaire's with pleasure; moreover, there are many more flowers than nettles and poisonous plants in it, still the ignorant and incautious who are afraid of the latter had better leave it alone); that Huron would have said of Amsterdam, "They she shone full upon him. It certainly was a dazzling creature. She had a head of beautiful form, perched like a bird upon a throat massive yet shapely and smooth as a column of alabaster, a symmetrical brow, black eyes full of fire and tenderness, a delicious mouth, with a hundred varying expressions, and that marvel invite a stranger, under pain of considering themselves highly insulted, to spend his evening after nine o'clock in utter idleness, and to undergo a headache, if night-watching does not agree with him. They also impose it on him, as a duty, either to lose his money or his temper at play. This is one of the refinements by which intellectual culture has been brought to its well-lous faculty of giving beauty alike to love or known high perfection in Europe."-Life and Letters of Niebuhr. AN ACTRESS OF THE LAST CENTURY. Mrs. Woffington, as an actress, justified a portion of this enthusiasm; she was one of the truest artists of her day; a fine lady in her hands was a lady, with the genteel affectation of a gentlewoman-not a harlot's affectation, which is simply and without exaggeration what the stage commonly gives us for a fine lady. An old woman in her hands was a thorough woman, thoroughly old-not a cackling young person of epicene gender. She played Sir Harry Wildair | like a man, which is how he ought to be played (or, which is better still, not at all), so that Garrick acknowledged her as a male rival, and abandoned the part he no longer monopolized. * She was dressed in a rich silk gown, pearl white, with flowers and sprigs embroidered; her beautiful white neck and arms were bare. She was sweeping up the room with the epilogue in her hand, learning it off by heart; at the other end of the room she turned, and now * * scorn, a sneer or a smile. But she had one * LITERATURE. &c. By the Lady Emmeline Stuart Wortley.(Bosworth.) The quaint title of this pleasant gossiping volume demands a word of explanation. The book seems to us a sort of postscript to the three volumes entitled "Travels in the United States," which Lady Emmeline Stuart Wortley published a year or two ago, and which, from the graphic descriptions which they contained, and the shrewd good sense and genial feelings which they expressed, are probably in the recollection of many of our readers. But as postscripts are famous-to a proverbfor containing important communications, so the "&c." of Lady Emmeline Wortley is by no means unworthy to be ranked by the side of the author's more pretentious Travels. There is not much order preserved in these recollections, which are avowedly random ones; we are wafted in imagination from the Mississipi to Tunis, and from the United States to Jamaica, without tracing very clearly the connecting links, but the book is so entertaining that we cannot quarrel with the plan of it. It is curious to note how the patrician lady puts up goodhumouredly with the "small calamities" and inconveniences of travel, and never makes a stand for dignity, as parvenus are so fond of doing and her thorough appreciation of our well beloved cousins in the New World, and of America generally, contrasts delightfully with the "find-fault" of ignorance and conceit. : * * English hearts ought to warm towards the Americans as a mother to her child; and there is scarcely a happier sign of the times than the fact that prejudices are wearing away, and that the two countries in the world, which alone may justly be called free, are doubling their strength and lessening their weaknesses by the heartunion of their people. Our extracts shall be from chapters which treat of the great sore which true-hearted Americans lament as deeply as ourselves; and which, be it remembered, was first made palpable in all its horrors by an American lady. The following describes some poor negroes recently rescued by H. M. S. Bermuda: "I was informed that it has become a common practice of late among the kidnappers of Africans to select stout, healthy children, whom they can of course pack together in greater numbers, and who usually can bear the many hardships of the voyage better than grown people, their supple limbs not being so liable to suffer from permanent cramps, (It is well known that some of those wretched beings never recover the straightness of their limbs again, but remain crippled and deformed for ever.) The clasticity of constitution of children, too, it is calculated, enables them more readily to recover from any disorders superinduced by the sufferings they must necessarily undergo; thus these little unfortunates, it appears, are stolen or sold in vast numbers, and fetch it is said good prices. The Africans soon arrive at maturity, and they are very early set to work. It did not appear, however, that the poor little ones had borne the fatigues and horrors of this particular voyage better, if indeed so well, as their grown-up associates; for many children had died, and others were in a truly miserable condition. I confess I should imagine the helpless creatures must often suffer more than their companions, instead of less, from their comparative inability to defend themselves, and, at the expense of others, to improve their own position and situa. tion. Pitiable objects, indeed, did we behold among the sick children gathered together in that hospital; bat a more docile, uncomplaining set, or apparently more grateful for the kindness extended to them, it would be difficult to imagine. One poor little boy, in almost the last stage of dropsy, brought on partly, I believe, by extreme poverty of food when in the slaver, lay there, a hideously disfigured, bloated, and swollen object; he hardly bore any resemblance to a human being; his poor black face was stretched out to a frightful size; the features-except the wide mouth and naturally hugely-protuberant lips -swelled to inconceivable dimensions. As soon as the poor little fellow saw Mr. Bruce, in a faint quavering voice he bleated out for biscuit (he had been taught, it seemed, to pronounce the word 'biscuit,' of which article of food he seemed excessively fond), for the sound of the changed voice, like the countenance, was scarcely human. The poor child was, of course, supplied with the biscuit he so pitifully asked for. Another miserable little sufferer was stretched close beside him; he, too, presented an appalling spectacle, though of a different kind: his poor little sides had been worn into shocking wounds by the position in which, for a length of time, he had been placed in that horrible slaver; and he had literally been almost crushed by the others having been crowded upon him; for he, being helpless, poor child, and having been forced underneath, had to bear the superincumbent weight and pressure of, perhaps, several people upon him. It was a sad, sad spectacle; and the heart bled for the innocent child, the unresisting victim of such atrocious barbarity. This little sufferer was almost a skeleton, and it was truly shocking to see his poor, little, stiffened, emaciated limbs, most frightfully contracted they assured us they could not be own invited guests; so he made up his mind, shook straightenel; they had attempted by different means the dusky hands graciously that were presented to to draw them out straight, but had found it quite him, and found the two very inky editors pleasing, impossible so to do: they had not yet tried warm well-informed, and well-conducted men. sea-water baths, which I ventured to recommend, repeating this tale to me (we came in his steamer and which I should think might possibly have been from Chagres), the captain, who was an agreeable found effectual; or, at any rate, might have bene- and gentleman-like person, could hardly repress a fitted him much. He was a perfect little picture of slight shudder of horror. I was told aftewards, at patience, and of the most touching resignation. The Jamaica, another circumstance relating to this very superintendents seemed to think that neither of dinner, that, recollecting the dismay the editorial these children could eventually recover; the poor coloured presence had caused, rather amused me. dropsical boy, especially, was in a perfectly hopeless Mystification and perplexities were evidently the state. What horrible monsters must they be who order of the day. The guests, on arriving at the could reduce unoffending children to this dreadful steamer, were, it appears, first received by the condition! It made the blood boil to think of it. steward, who shook hands with each guest in the We had the good fortune, however, to behold more most free-and-easy manner. This, in America, I pleasing sights than that. A great number of the suppose, would be nothing out of the way; but here children had already recovered from their past pri- it was as much opposed to all existing etiquette as vations and trials, and were in a state of the highest it would be in England. It seems probable, thereglee and excitement when the Governor's barouche fore, that the coloured gentlemen were as much drove into the large rambling courtyard of the place surprised at this as their host was afterwards at where they were staying at the time. It appeared themselves. What would the white steward think, they had most of them never seen horses before, for if he was told these black guests thought shaking their wonder and wild delight were unbounded; hands with him was a condescension on their parts? exclamation followed exclamation, and they seemed I had an interview with one of these negro editors never tired of ejaculating in their own language, or some little time after, respecting some literary busilanguages rather-for they spoke several differentness, and found him a sensible and highly intelligent ones-or of feasting their eyes on the wonderful animals, and on that splendid and extraordinary object, the carriage. They did not seem quite sure whether the latter was alive or no, and whether that pushed on the horses, or the horses pulled it; at any rate, the wheels must surely be living! Who could doubt that? After the first vehement burst of astonishment was over, Mr. Bruce made signs to them to dance and sing, which he told us they were very fond of doing among themselves. A number of them quickly thronged together, and, drawing up in regular order, began what I may almost call a plaintive dance, accompanying their smoothly balanced steps by the simple notes of some native airs: they kept time and tune admirably, and their young voices were pleasingly modulated. The African race seem ever devotedly fond of music, and their ear is generally very correct. They performed several of their African dances for our edification, and the originality and wild sweetness that characterized their singing, and a sort of flowing and easy grace that was perceptible in their light, inartificial movements in dancing, interested us much. Poor, dear children! it was indeed delightful to watch their innocent enjoyment, and think what a blessed contrast this afforded to their late horrible situation in the floating dungeon from which they had been so happily rescued." The next scene, which occurred in Jamaica, presents a contrast, and shows the free black as a British citizen : "A little while ago the captain of an American steamer gave a grand banquet on board his ship, and all the editors of the island were to be invited. The day arrived, and the guests made their appearance; but imagine the surprise of the captain, who was new to the customs of Jamaica, so different from those of even the free states of his own country, when two sable complexioned editors made their appearance amongst the rest. The prejudices and opinions of the Americans must be well taken into account before the utter dismay and horror of the good captain can be comprehended and appreciated. However, there was nothing to be done but to submit to his dark destiny. He could not discard his Even in person. I believe his paper is one of the best conducted in Jamaica, free from the violence of party rancour and the vulgarity of personal abuse, which, from what I have heard, cannot be said of all the papers in the island. I believe this gentleman is also a member of the House of Assembly." Every such testimony as this is of value; and in treating the subject incidentally, her ladyship has perhaps done better service to the cause than had she entered the lists as a professed champion. FOREST AND FIRESIDE HOURS. Poems by Westby Gibson.-(Aylott & Co.)-This volume contains many poems which rank far above the average quality of verses presented to the reader through the medium of the periodical press. At the first thought this may not appear great praise, and yet in all earnestness we mean it as such. Poems now swarm before the public "thick as blackberries," which thirty years ago would have made a sensation and a reputation. Really, so far from believing this to be an unpoetical age, we are inclined to think that it is the "embarrassment of riches" which makes it seem indifferent to poetical merit; and thatlike the Australian diggers who count gold-dust and nutmeg-sized lumps of the precious metal of small account, only exclaiming loudly when a huge nugget appears-we take anything that falls short of being the highest and greatest as a matter of course. But gold is gold nevertheless, and Mr. Westby Gibson in this small volume proves himself a true poet. His credentials are undeniable, and they may be marshalled thus. A deep love of nature, that shows itself in the most graceful personifications of the material world; a passionate imagination; a sparkling fancy; and a delicate ear for versification. We have not space for an entire production, but the following stanza, descriptive of morning may give some idea of the author's style : "How pleasantly mingle the sylvan voices Of birds, quick darting from tree to tree; And round the white cups of the wild-rose hovering His merry small trumpet sounds the bee; Along the meadows run murmuring noises Of waters babbling as they fall Down to dim hollows, hard by the woodland, Mingling the odours of all sweet flowers." AGATHA'S HUSBAND. A Novel. By the Author of "Olive;" "The Head of the Family," &c., &c.-(Chapman and Hall.)-This work has reached us too late in the month for us to do much more than announce its appearance. Readers of modern fiction are well acquainted with the sterling merit of the various works which have proceeded in rapid succession from the pen of the Author of " Olive;" and we can assure them that "Agatha's Husband" more than sustains the reputation won by its predecessors. Yet in its strong interest it is 66 an absolutely painful book; and for this reason it is more likely to be a favourite with the young, the hopeful, and the enthusiastic-who, after all, are the great novel readers-than with them whose lives and thoughts belong to the sober realities of life, and whose experience of sorrow inclines them to shrink from the exposition of mimic woes. Agatha herself is drawn with such power and delicate skill that she lives in the memory with the individuality of a real well-known personage. She is a true woman of the high-toned class. Her “husband,” though apparently representing the author's ideal of a Man, pleases us much less. The simile of the oak and the ivy" is all very pretty for poetry, and possibly for sylvan vegetable life. But the tired of doing all the twining, and at any rate human ivy we suspect sometimes grows sadly would like the "oak" to bend down its branches and somewhat reciprocate the embrace. Nevertheless, we know there is a large class of women who admire the "style;" and while a tender-hearted, demonstrative man is often in real life wedded to a shrew, or an automaton, we as usually find high, generous-natured women lavishing their affection on some calm, stern, self-possessed ideal, like the Nathanael of the present volumes. This is the only fault we find in the work-and, after all, we call it a fault but as our opinion. The subordinate personages of the story are sketched in a masterly manner. Duke Dugdale and his smart beflounced wife, the common-place but lady-like sisters, the underbred, common-place Emma Thornycroft, and the invalid Elizabeth are true to the life; and Anne Valery seems to us the most charming old maid that has ever been pourtrayed. The elder brother of the family, the ci-devant jeune homme, embittering the lives of two women, by his heartless vanity, points a lesson by which hundreds and thousands ought to profit. These pages abound in eloquent passages, and the absorbing interest of the narrative never flags for a moment. There is much in this work which stamps it as the production of genius in contra-distinction to mere talent; and the very earnestness with which we find ourselves and others who have read it talking of Agatha and her "husband" proves the truth of the delineations, and the hold the book takes on the minds of its readers. THE FAMILY ECONOMIST.-(Groombridge and Sons.)-No doubt this publication is well known and widely circulated; but it deserves to be universally recognized as one of the most valuable additions to the poor man's library. In saying this, we do not wish to limit its influence to one circle, for it contains a mass of useful information by which all classes might profit. It is a work published monthly, but the annual volume - produced at the price of a parlour library or railway book-is now before us, and would afford many hours employment to the most rapid reader. It contains original articles of great merit on domestic economy, education, cottage gardening, and farming; sa |