Literature.

Colonist, Volume II, Issue 148, 22 March 1859, Page 3

Literature.

... ; THE SLAVE TRADE IN 1858. An exceedingly opportune article on "The Slave-trade in 1858," is the concluding paper of the Edinburgh Review for October; and this time the once-famoua organ of is true to its character and traditions., Never since the'first agitation pf the great question of negro slavery has there been a period when the adoption of a : prompt, energetic and uricoriipromising course of action Was more-'required-of us than it is at present. That the revival of the iniquitous traffic in human flesh has been lately insidiously, atteriapted is patent to all the world.. Let allf the; world know, too, that Great Britain will not falter in her philanthropic policy; that she will reject with as much/in-* dignation as ever what Brougham called,, in burningT, words; "the wild and guilty fantasy that man can hold property in man." " The duty of all parties," says the Edinburgh "reviewer, /"' who care for duty is just What our fathera would have laid down as such/in contemplation of the crisis we have reached. Our duty is to hold to our purpose, and prosecute it with more•* vigour .than ever, rallying to the cause all good allies, and gaining over by prudence and energy all who maybe vacillating. As. to audacious' violators of. treaties; and treacherous allies, who cover over, perjury with cant, England knows well how..to,..deal with them." Tbese^ expressions, we trust, will find an echoan the breast of every Briton. Nothing would. be/ : more disgraceful to ourselves, or morp calamitpMs to the. world, than the elevation, again into a kind of lawful commerce of the '■'• infamous-trade which we have branded as the worst of piracies. Happily Africa is better known to us now, and her people also know us better than they did. In the interior of that vast continent lawful industry ia developing itself iii---a surprising manner. Well employed: and happy at home,:the people are not likely to' become ,'. free emigrants :" all. that they want is to be protected from the curse of the manhunter. / Here is a sketch of what ordinarily. happens when, tinder some fair pretext bi* other, a requisitiori is made for negroes for the foreign labor market:— f African Free Emigrants. All the way up the frequented rivers, and in many regions of the interior, the people are now pickingcotton, and travelling to and fro'withit, and with what they get irt exchange : their faculties axe developed; their hearts are gayer; their habits are purer; their homes are safer ;• and when all is going well,—when the prospect opens of a variety of other crops being raised, indigo, grain, : spices, roots, rice and fruits, besides a large business in timber, beeswax, gums, dyes, feathers, and hides,—-the emissaries of Mr. Regis, or of Spanish traders on the coast, or of firms at New York or Baltimore, burst in upon- the scene, and bring back of the devils,which had been exorcised with so > much pains. Dr. Barth has told us what happens when a stimulus is given to the expiring slave-traffic of the interior. He has shewn us the desolate villages arid the plundered towns; the gangs of:captives; the victims not wanted for slaves who. are left on the ground ; bleeding to death,—a leg or arm having been cut off for that purpose. On being'-'..applied' to, in regardto'affording supplies of free laborers for the colonies, for a term of years, African potentates all make pretty much tlie same answer. The letter from the King of Calabar, which Lprd Brougham read in the House of Lords, may serve for the whole order. The people will not golf asked, says; therKing of. Calabar;; if they went, they wpuld hot be expected back, but y King. Arehi- ' , briyy.Jand all Calabar gentlemen, all be very glad ' :to dp the same j—we shall buy therii alsam we do that'time slave tradebin. . >: . rWe h&ve all. I agreedto charges four boxes of brass and copper rod for. man,.woman, andchildren, but shall, not be able to supply quantity you mention. I think we shall be able to get "four or five huridred for one vessel," &c. Let the King of Calabar's words ; have their due. weight with other, sovereigns when he \yrites, " Regard to free emigration we .man no will/go for himself." Why should they go, when' at home there is food fenough, for all, arid -' has just entered on that stage when industry and and its blessings are beginning to be understood and relished ? If they never had any migratory tendencies, while their attachment to home is evidently strong; if they have no ideais of foreign countries, no knowledge of wages, no desire fpr accunirilation of money; but, on the contrary,/,; fresh hopes and rising desires at home, whatasenseless project, or shameless hypocrisy, is that pf/callingthenifree laborers, disposing of themselves by coritract to go they know not whither, for objects they cannot understand,; and with persons whom Jhey regard as slave-traders! This is the scheme which Count Walewski tells the American Mini; ster, arid the Auierican 'Minister tells :Cbrigress/; that England does not object to, and whence tile American newspapers infer that the English people aqCHheirGbS*ernment Have 'changed their; mirids about the' freedom of the negro' races---fresh evidenc^being derived frOni a capricious journal ort\yp, tp represent public opinion in England. England must afford a practical cpntradictiori, ehiphatic arid speedy ; and there need be no doubt that such journals wil speak. loudest; as: soon asthe good pld principles Of justice, hbnbr; arid humanity, are .found: to be more popular than 'the. worn-out barbarisms arid,: fallacies which cynics.; ] arid The London Cottoni Plant" havefbeeri^'trjr- - ing to pass, Upon ha ias/ne w arid:wise;: '; y'• '* ' ' y '-f *.'/'""- ---; /Wis riiuat add; that in ay-note- die; .rWiewer pre^^ntS us-with a poibinuriicatibii ftoria:;fDrl

; Lmh|*ti^e of suffidient/gen^ /rant its rcproduction/ibf6ni. r f We are indebted to the Bisiipp of Qxlbrd for' the iperusalpf alettei* bfeoriside^ .hejlias rweiv^d^om ; dated',22lid ; d urieZ/on board;tlie Pearl ml thd'Zambesi,; on/ the';. east coast offAfriear/^ Aiiy/srich; letter tp? bne-.;bearing;the; reveredynairie^pff ; Wilberfprce t j thust beihteresting; but there are "material state-"f rtnehtß^of fact iri 'itwhich;le*rfdfah/'additional'valiro 1:;. ;to;* this- conimuriicatioriyy Of 3these' feets the one riiost -worthy of .attention- is; the travellers havingi found,.on thebanks Of theriyer Luare, whichthey? ascended .some seventy. ; miles/''yery/^riecplttbn.-,iri',, the gardens of the natives; the; fiat fertile land, being within tlie influence of the JBea-air, yields the plant almost without cultivation. .These larids are,; supposed <by Dr. Livingstone to be suited to the production ofthe celebrated Sea-Island cotton of the jUnited States,, the finest of. any. Thi. other fact of importarice Is, that the slave-trade'; to use the Doctor's expression^'is eating out the Portuguese power"; in these''.p/arts: The Portugese authorities at Tete and other.points on the river, who" received Dr. Livingstone with so much kindness', ;on his former journey, " have been expellfed by the natives from every station,";; said those with whom; the travellers; had communication.. ". This,": says Dr. Livingstone, " is the consequence of the Portuguese entering coi*dially into the notorious-French eriiigration scheme. -The commandant' of Tete; stated in a letter that he had;been a prisoner at Kilimanetpr.the last six months; from a fear of passing between Mazaro arid Senna. When we met tlie people of Mazaro, about 200 were well; armed; and ready to fight us, on the supposition^ that we were Portuguese; but when I called; out. that we were English, and pointed tp the English/ ensign, they gave a shout of jpy^ and we -saw i-heri^" running off tp/bringbanarias for/sale.":/: Tlie/bear-? ing of these statements upon the African question needs not be noted.' .It shews; that,;the .reappearnr ance of slave-tradinef agents; lias ;at once affected*,th<c!,relation's;bf the Portuguese and thef natives' in' the most injurious mariner; arid unless the Cabinet of Lisbon takes -energetic arid effectual steps to crush this evil,:the authority _ of, tliCiCrOwn of Portugal, on the/ riyei* is at an end. : Its mouths cannot be held by a slave-trading Power.—Weekly Dispatch. ."; -''- '';.-';.-/'":. "*-;y :"' yx*"•■■.'" k::k'A. Z -xx A QUICKS ANDS.''. ;v-y;Z;-;. ky-y.. A^^ Tale, by Anna Lisle.—The: plotfof this; fiction may. lay claim to: the merit of. much originality in its structure, while ; its diction, is vigorous, and its style possessed of many elegant qualities. This almost amounts to unqualified approbation, and thus much, in fact, it deserves/ The structure' of the story is itself the most obvious of its several merits. The book is full of interest/ and we quote' the foi lb wing as & capital specimen:—: ;• ; ■ r;f The Broken Troth-Plight, y She gave oneglance at John;;; and thecommbriplace speech that she had meditated died away upon her lips., He was very pale; and a stern j almost fierce,, expressibn sat on his brow.""' Tliey were silent for a few moriients"; then he spoke in harsh,; abrupt sentences. -x, f Why. have .youyhot written?' Shemade np answer; and., hung/her head in, shame. He continued; and/;liis.-voice grew- colder and sterner than before :-^—" Answer me. Why have 3*oll left me in utter ignorance of your movements ?•—*iri such ignorance,; that, biit for a letter which reached me this .morning,;l should not- have known that you had -left Staniswood! Read that letter; arid /tell the'i what you have done, or how you have acted, to justify the statement contained it it!' She read. When she came to the concluding passage^ she experienced a sensation of relief; since her. task was now comparatively: easy. Thus wrote Tom HanVbod:— ' Arid:. the latest news from Stanis'wood- ' is, that Huntingdon is engaged to;» that .'pretty .little- Miss Grey.'; cLook at me !' said John. 'Look. a,t. me, and deny it! !For it cannot be true !—rsuchcursed perfidy could not dwell in so fairafdrrri ! Answer me—-for Heaven's sake l-^-br.l shall despise you hiore bitterlythan I despise, myself!' There was bo escape.' In sheer desperation, she made a show fo?"bravado ; "though her cheek was blanched/arid": a lcold'shudder was stealing through hei*. 'I'will answer yOii!—What right have you to address riie thus? you——' 'Na3*,' he interrupted:; let us not recriminate. I want a plain answer to .my question. Is this true?—ai*e ypu so false—so treacherous ?'' 'It is true! 'she replied, with flashing eyes'. 'And now, hear me. : I was brought up in this' little; village. I knew.nothing of lite^-nothing of ; my own heart. You were constantly, with me.; We of course—as ia natural consequence—fancied ourselves desperately in love with each other. Wef —we—formed a sort of engagement—contracted unthinkingly, in an unguarded : moment.' She paused. 'He calmly said,'Go on !' She resumed: 'It would be absiird to pretend that we were in love were good friends—that was all! It is a iriercy that I went away, and discovered niy error ere it was too late!.' .'Ah.!' he drewa long breath; 'so, we were not in love!—lsthat it ; ?' He spoke sarcastically; This gave her courage. 'No we did not love. Our ages and dispositions were quite; incompatible.; I went to Staniswood ; and ,soon founjd that I had mistaken friendship for love. Was I riot therefore inthe. right, when I ceased to correspond with you?'; She had almost worked herself up to the belief that she had been acting from a sense of duty, arid that -he. was riiost. unjust! He was silent "for awhile; either because indignation usurped the: pl-jce of grief, of; because his love had receivedso; !cl*uel;a blow, that it was for the time dead within him..y •We do not suffer most at themomentwhen the shock is received ; we feel it later,,when the heart is recovered from its first bewilderment, —in the long, long years of hopeless, helpless, suffering --Of bearing that which "no effort on our part can r save us. A quiet grief is harder to bear than a great, shock; just as the continued dropping of water: on the same spot inthe head, produces an agony riipre excruciating than the nardest blow that can be given. When :Johri; spoke next,fit was very quietly; and, gradually,a lighter tone seemed to intuse itself into his manner. Poor fellow! his darling pride was helping him a little now; helping himr only to desert liim afterwards, whim, he f mostf needed support. : . ; ' Well, well,', he said, as- if musingly, 'it is wonderful How,"we' ' : change! ~But yon liad courage to confess.,it,''/ had not'!' She looked up inquiringly,1 ,with.a i slight feeling of :> ihoftified variity:;" She was ;much of a wonian to brook the idea.pf her empire. : being abandoned so easily ! He rpsumed:-; -T'fsres Helen/ ;we did indeed faU into a great error ;;arid it ib. fortunate we discovered it in-time.; fßiit,' better late,- thannever.' (Arid he actually achieved. a smile!). 'You wptildyhaye been;far top;young for me-—not enough of a companion ;r-rand I could ript.endurb a rriere playthiiipfor a Avife !' He was: rather overdoing it jibut Helen was too exasperated to perceive it, so she interrupted: with,"---'I : am so glad to hear it l> 1./ shall be delighted to hear of your marrying sopie one who will make, you happy!— And you^inust letirie iritfoducefyou to Mr. Huntingdon?' He bowed in assent, and: sniiled; but his sihile was faint and;sickly. She i saw it; and. her heart smote her. In a trembling voice, she "added,—'And, John, we shall part; friends?' Their eyes met; and the same thought; flashed suddenly throughthe vein of each, rending aside the thinyeil of concealriient from their hearts. Again they seemed to.be present at thatgay;scene, where she, the mock personification of apure/ unworldly woman/had uttered thosp very words, ■ 'Let usipiartfriends;' and lier lover's answer had /been,-r-'Look;you, thisas life!^-The; eyesfthatt charmed away every, sorrowr-rthe hand whose lightest touch .thrilled to, the very core—-the '-'pre- ; seri'ce that, like mpbriili^lit/ shed its oWn.haUbwiilg. beauty over'the meanest things;-^alittie while^--a y.earf-a month—-a day-r-and we smile that ysfp> could dream so idly, f AU-^allthe sweetfericharit-. rnent^ known; but f^pnee, heyer to return yanished froiri the world!, ■ And the brie who '/for- ' gets the isobnest—-the one who *i*ob!s your eiarth ever of its summer—comes to you with a careless flifyand S3ys---Let ; iispart frim^;ylbid,Xy'Y // / v; '/ry.>GEN^RAL/;MA^ ;"/^f ■A XX. YYZx::'^Pr(^f!i':-- WteklyYlliipaiclfiYyY 'ff';''H''■;"' Tai^/miiy' beft^sidered as k -key

,^h^relative;^sitiQ^iDf:th^ wliich separate andv^^re ;arfi< iny/cpurse ofyis|uafijaridi^e/tak^/occasion ; briefly.;fp,de^ tures: ofi; the] Continen t/: whieh;ai^e;iiijdi3penclent: ,;6f/Us';;!p'f.4iticalf..^yißifin3 v :fTa4is/ ; mo_l6i.^Erig--:' lishmen the characteristics of tliat gveai.' division /of the;globe,of.which to forms a part/aie'nece's^ interest than those of the other great Continents. Europe isthe 'first ih*ci\^ilisation'arid the *arts.? - European enterprise and; courage havefierected Jheii. d&moriala ph-the^tbmbs empires, :ai;prdiggnigfirbm'^ earth the vestiges; of Assyria and: Babylon, oc-! cupyfthe throne rof the/Moguls,, permeate the? iyilda and frozehfdeserta of demand and/ obtain access; to the trade: of exclusive. China, arid open, up the almost mythic... Japan/to/the fleets of European ..merchants.; arid the;prpductions of European/ skill; /Europeans thef history, of Egypt in its mighty;tem tutes, plant colonies bri the sbutherri African icape, arid/bear to the naked and untaright savages of the interior the arts and religion off the northern f»wbrld;: Men of European race: crossed the-wide Atlantic, discovered a,new yvorld, arid1 now people America from the Arctic Circle -to 'Maghaellan-a/Straits.fi The:thousand: ;lovely;isl_inds of the Pacific; have been; trodden; by the European racesy arid been admitted/intp; the family of; ciyilis;ed nations; and , the'great : Austral; Island is fringed by settlements of colo-f nists.and. rapidly developing .into a, powerful 'empire.; On Eui'pp.e/-'now seems/tofde/yblye;the", jtaskof/^teachiug/the/hatipris how tayliye// "Better fiftyyeara of' Europe than a cycle of iCathay.''';;-. yXxZ'Z-'YZ) YXYx-AyYY. yYZZ'Z: -X- ■'■■ The/bburidaries of Europeytho north-Western extremity of the great Contirient>bf'the old world (for Eur ope; A sia. arid! Africa are gebgra-■phicaliy/orie);-are.marked'byhature itself orithe north; west and; south;• The North : Atlantic washes its: shores- from; North* -Cape,, in the Arctic :■. Circle^ to \the Straits; of Gibraltar; the Maditerrariean Sea divides: it from : Africa,fau(L the boundary line ia,continued through the Dardanelles,;^the sea of Marmora,.the ißosphorus, across the Black Sea, to the weaterh extremity of .the'"Caucasian^ ceeds till; it; touqlies - the "shores of thb/.Ca'spiari, the/ western sh'pre of whioh, ag jfar as the "mouth of. tlie Oural,: 'belongs to Europe; This river arid the tnouiitains' of. the fsame namei/i*unnirig north warcl/separate EaropearidAsia^thbugh it would; be -Y difficult> tb^ define' th^boundary line with exactitude. :rTjii.s vagueness, howeveryis of li ttl.e political .importance j; as. the '; Russian dominion-extends beyond.fthe ; (mountain ranges^ which; are biit thinly? peopled by; wandering tribes, * wlio care little whether .they are fEuro'peana or;,; Asiatics.. rThe, mouth/of ythe river-.Kara;-marks/tlie/division in^tha Arctic Seas..,,;, The European islands are the-British Islands/arid/Corsica, Sardiiiia^ Sicily /arid/the smaller islands pr/'''tlie/'!^editi_ir:i"iEin'e/an...'-./ /Xt/ia/a matter1 of dispute'.-/among geographers whether Icelan d and the Spi tzbergen' grbu pin the Arcti c Seas cau scarcely be called European. Iceland is certairily nearer to America than to Europe, but as it "was discovered and colonised by Europeans in the ninth century, some;6oo years;before the expedition of Columbus,; and is iiow;a colony, of Denmark; we may-yenture, we,think, 'to give it European honors./ Spitzbergenhasa more- doubtful claim, .being only vvisited by whalers, and having, no, settled populatipiii exceptfpolar .bearsj walruses and other iiyp_erhoi;ea.n animals/ who are; perfectly-Welcome to k make . their,' t e'lect'ioh of the;fo-uarfeer jof the fglobe to which they belong./ The' shape'of-Europe is more irregular than thai of afriy sother portion of the world. It is a serie3 of jagged pe'uin/ulas, divided by inletsf of the seiv of great extent ;:atid this peculiar configuration has doubtless assisted to make it tlie seat of the greatest commercial and maritime nations of the world/ The entire area of the.-.:. Continent is estimaited ,at miles, something more than, onefifth of Asia. The coast line measures about 17,000 miles, or one mile to every 229 square. miles of surface. The relative proportion of surface to coast lii^e of Asia ia 50Q^'/of Africa, .741; and of AuieHca, 437. The> aioi'e important periiusulaa aire the Scandinavian, containing Swecleu and Norway/ Denmark; the; western portion of France, the Iberian .penmsulai,' including Spain aiidPortugal {tha /Peninsula par excellence of modern history); Italy arid Oreece. The most conspiouous inlets of the ocean are the Baltic (including the Gulfs of Bothnia,* Finland and Riga), communicating with the North Sea by the Cattegat and Skagerrack ';■-.. the North.Sea itselfj which, separates tlie British/Isles.; fromHolland, ; Denmark, and Norway, and communicates through the narrow Straits of Dover-with the British Channel, and so once more with the Atlantic; the hold sweep of the Bay qf Biscay; the Adriatic and the inlet (lotted by the Grecian Archipelago in the Jlediterranean ; and the Sea of Marmora, communicating with the Eiuxine or Black Sea.f / y/:'; ,;,-://'f;::/'''y It is historically certain that, in the course of agea, the coast Hoe of Europe has undergone considerable changes; The sea now covers vast tracts of laud onoe cultivated; and. on the contrary, in many parts of Europe; the Scandinavian peninsula especially, .both on theweatern and feaatern, coasts, ancient-sea margins are traceable 100, /200,^ and,•feyen.f'^OO/fee.t above the present sea level; f and it is asserted that the elevation 'of the/land in the northern parta/of ySweden andyNprway.fis/now/going/JbnVat-..the rate of about four .feet in a century. /'The reverse is tlie caae in the soiitHerri part bf/Sweden, where the seais.enccqaching, some villages being 400 feet nearer the sea than tlvey were/a century since/;* We^^ are fainiliarywith similar results in the British Islands;-'especially on'• •the 'X low eaatern coast; and indeed, it is>; more, than probabler that.;■ at- no very/remote -period., the Straits of Dover were yerymuch narrowerthari ;at present, if, indeed, they existed at all. /; Tradition^ indeed, says that the Goodwin Sanda now. coyer the lands/of'the great Saxpii Earl; and it /is within the^compass of belief that the cliffs ot Dover /and Calais were once fonly ' separated _ by' a /belt fof low land/ on wliichfthe. aea has. gradually^ ericroaplied. ;Tlie' oceari is • daily advancing on the low larids ( at/the estuairy of the Thames/ the fairiiliar ReciilVera/having once stood some distance inland. The cbasts of Essex - - Norfolk, Lincbhahire, Yorkahire, and Nprthumberland/i have yall ft;been subject to change -within ; historic/periods; arid many 'a .village arid .meadow areyribw^ 'covered by the waters/of .the-Gerniani Qceani; y\ye haye authjen;rticyrecprds; p^many^y^ results. /In the : ninthjcentiiry a considerable^ part/of^he Bouth"-we^; of /Birittariy /was: ehgulphei//^ wh waters 4 of the fßay of fßisbay/ at some, remote; time, receded from/the land; leavitiijg th? saiidy/ tracts fof the Lahdes south'"of /Some g^lbgisiß,;-indeed, affiiffi^itHa^a^ar^ la^e once occupied the centre of France, liutil some ;.%)lcanib/rorivulsibn(:ip>fywl^h^ of the Puy D<i^beWwitihe^-m^

l;srir&cjifo-.f# '%$/isiM^^^ tiiey Venetian. .lagunes; total!y yidisaftpear^/;; in/ ctjlisrty'andf the/following: c%itu^ Ppmeraniiywa^ra^ /12l8y a corisi^rablpfextent; of fei^ile^pountry!]at; /life/mouth pf^ guipbed;/af/few,'years/later a tract of lowfland/ ■/botjveei^y.'Qrp'^ sw<3Jit/awi^a^ 1285 -tlie Ziiyder "Zea:iri rihc.ated a/large;jpbrtibii:• of Holland; iri| 1337, yl-4 villages^were-swept; awayf iri • the! Dutchy prpvihce;/6f * Zealand ;firi yi42l,the great lake of the Bjesbibch/iri Hbllandi ffwas forihed;finundating*72 villages aad;destrby-; irigj 100,000 persons,y Many otherc/encroachr;? itnents of rthe: Baltic occurred ih that and the. jfnext* century.; Oh thefHfch of October, 1634y the; sea : broke over the island of Nordatradt, in Sclileswig, and ■ more than 6000 pprsoiis; and. 50,000 head of.-..cattle were swept away;/and/ j the island;,of fH.etigolanid,/;pn the Danish cpasl, I was ; divided into ..two/between 1770 and; 1785; In/some parts, howeyer/ the sea has deserted the 'land, arid remarkably so!at themouthbftlipPoV /in/,llTdrtherh;it^y/;where ftheseaf lias receded j mqrb tlhari 20 miles since tlie/Christian era.' - Y:X Northern^ Eastern;" arid :part 61 Central Europe fform-a great plain, occupying nearly twb-tbirds of the entire -superficies;?extending^ from the centre of France -iri the west td tlie Ourdf Mountains in the east, and; ftom the Arctic Sea in the north to the Black/Sea : in; tile; south. Ini the ; i whole /of this extensive district. —includingßussia, PrussiayDenma^ Holland,: Belgium, and part of Frarice--rihefe is not ah; elevation Worthy of being cailfed a/griouritain. The, only rising .ground is near. thefJß^rtic, where . a/height of from 500 tof-LO'OO feet ia.occasionally attained j and the Valdai Hills;iivß'u^Micli; form the watershed,/ ory eleva'tedy region; iri; which the; rivers flowing* on one-side into ihe; Baltic, -and <;.oii the btheryintpf the rise. .This plain is; traversed/ by.; innumerablef rivers and water-coursesi and in .the eastern, i portions off Russia an dPrhasiaf is; studded with manyy lakes, : some of, large size. In the _sbuth of'-Russia towards tha BlacicSea arehilly ridges,; but the main plain is..'prblonged'into3he;vrimea', rising in/^ intoloftymbiin;^ Dagh is the. .'chief cmi nerice/.ahd/; b01d...-; cliffs lending'from':S^ plain; extends/ihtbfAsia'by the'/Kii^iis Steppe's; ;to the; : north; of/the ; Oaspian: Sea. ' The othe^r though mirior-plains -bf Europe are the Plain' of: the;: Lower Danube,; including Wallachia.. Seryia arid Bosnia; the .Plain yof -rl. astern Hiingaryya fertile district between; the/Alps, and tliefC.arpathians;^with; an averageeleyatipa; pf;;more. ? tlianr;3op ; ;feet; -the Plain offUpperf Hungary,;^^extending;.westwarcl beyondYienna; fthe Valley pff the/Rbirip/f conflicting the low, lands of Korth (Grermany.with, thpse of France; the nv^aiieyfpr grekt/AVpinef ranges^ tains in Frarip ;fahdlhe Plains; £j.^6dmpht.and Lpnrihardy//;betw'eea/"the/Alps [ ; ahd;-thef Appeririiries. ; ; '". -AAyx-r:. y.y ;?.._■...yy.-'.'.'"-'----"Tn the southern and western* portions of -the Continent are. some of 'the most extensive:and picturesque.--m'6uniain.--rahgesf>;ita-."-:-the-/wprld.;.: 'Geographers divideftliem into sixigreat systems; —•The Alpijie; the Hesperian, or Iberian |. the Sardo• Corsican; the Sar matian;,the British; and the Scandinavian. : . ;f/ ; ; ,f, The Alpine Systeai. ; cpmprises.:---I.|The Alps proper,! including Mariti^ Switzerland froiri Italy ;/the fSeiiriine^Alps, of «which Slont Blanc (15,744 fefetj; ;iri: SavOy, *is the."highestpoint; the Cottian,.Alps, attaining their greatest elevation at the /Pic de's ; Ecriris (13,467)/the loftiest fpeak In France;" the Rhoe.tiah Alps, of/which ' the; <)stler Spitz (12,811),' in Austria, is the highest; the Noric Alps,-culminating atf Glocknerf (12,431), -between the x Tyrol and Caririthiai; and the Bernese Alps*. -to fwhich ; belongs therFinsteraarH0rn;)14,026), the greatest altitude in Switzerland; p.;"Tbe "Vprarlberg Chain, traversing the Tyrol,.Suabia, and Bavaria, with the,Hoclispit«; (10,330) for the; highest peak. /■■III. ■ The" Gamier and /JTulian Alps, separating Italy from Carinthia; La Marrholata, iri the Austrian territory, being-9800 feet in height.y IV. The:Jiira .Range, in the West of Switzerland arid partly ittXfismw, of which La Molessa-*(6584) in the 'latter country is the highest point: V. The Gallia-Francia mountains,; to tlie north of the Garonne and west of th^ Rhone, including the Ceyennes range/ and of which; the Puy de Sancy (6220), in the Puy de Pprrie district,,is the, loftiest. VI. The Apemiines, stretching throiighout Italy and Sicily, with several peaks, 10,000 feet 'in height. VII. The Slavo-Hel-leriic; or Eastern Alps, traversing Dalmatia, Croatia; and the Danubian provinces of the Ottoman empire, including the great Balkan range, and: dividing into twomain branches,; the western Olympus (9749), where sat "Jove in his ohair, of the aky Lord Mnyor;" and the eastern occupying; Macedonia, Thrace, and Bulgaria;; Mount Athps (9628),/ \vhich an enterprising • sculptor proposed to carve into \ai colossal statue :of Alexander the Great,.being the,lpftiest. y . The Hesperian or Iberian system includes : I. tlie Pyrenees, forming: the southern; boundary:of France, arid stretches across"the eritire -North of Spain, from the Mediterranean to the; Atlantib, /the western portion being known as 'the Asturian Mountains.: The Maladetta (-11,168) is the highest; peak in the Pyreiieisay: 11. The i Central or ; Calabrian chain, of which; the- Sierra; Gretios (10,552) is the highest eminence. 111. The Southern/ or Betican chain, or;the Sierra Keyada, ; of which tha south-western extremity; and'wlHch cbritairis; the highest' moiintairi/in Spain, the Cferrbf de Mula- ■ li.icenl;li.663).' / ' '■' :: ■•;■'■"'^:;; >. v ■ "Xk ;;' ;- ■ ; fesiimates that Eurbpehas a mean elevation above the sea of 670 feet,;and entefai into some curious calculations as* to the additional elevation which would fbej pbtairied if .a general levelling of mountains and distribution of their substance over the -entire Continent could: be ; accompilished..; If, ■-. for .-instance,; th 6 Alps could he pulverised, and spread .abroad, the.; general level worild-be raised 22 feet; while if/the; Spanish;/penirisula(\yhich/m^y ;f be f described/as a plateau,; with an ..average/eley^ of hiearly 2000 feat)J : we simparlyfreduced to "everlasting amshr-76 ifeet/would be addbd ■to the level of Europe;; y ''/?'-'•";';■ -aX-X'^ '^Ytk A^^ Closely conheoted with* tlie 'mpuntaih'systeriiß are the volcanic districts of wliichtho south of Europeis the seat.; T^e most jreriowned active; yolcanoes are*Vesuvius^near;Naples; : ;;Etna,: } in-. \ Siciiy;); and |Heola; /inf f lcelai^y«. A ;'few { facte; mayibe seated /shev?ing^ \york iptho bpwels ofthe earth/ and the fearful character/offthetierupH^ /*. The/ lava discharged Jxom the tarnj^ of felspar, horneblende, oxide of hori, aridLpthe^ /mirierals^ mfa effusion./In-liv^frt^ '/Vesuyiusf/he^i^^O^; \ beeh%iinc|y*^6^-r^e^e/i3*the h^t^^hf *jjSooid* /pf/li^uid^;fir©-tMt'£=bti^ stirow m /four -nunutes•'; and :#eaf^

'"vy*jw-'"y.'...,;.' ';^'v.-ff f.":'?;»/"■?""i.,'fyf''"■■■.'' J> t -;r*r'*?@jr /sb^tiraes/'elapsb/ \ observed/, to'/ he/tintp^lngf at ;tlie; rate/^a;,yard;a/|: y fday|/nine.y:nwntl^ /anotlie^^ :foryiO;/y^ fraslies/'; are:;: ftequer&ly;' vomited. /.;.' J^inj^ii//afid/// ;; Herduiari^uriifiiy^te ;n^ would haya consume^ evf^ pf aslies/ which; buried ihe cities/ brit/dfestroyed/j ' nothing-So/ifam^^ at| //■■/ work that stones have i bean/ fthrown ■; frpni:. Vesuvius'; 2000 ffeet laywtie^hwght^ In ih*/yy year 472^/ashes fell; iniEgypt andtSyria; and / at the great eruption off 1631yshipa at a &stancb;y of 60 miles we^cpyewdiWitHa Monte Nupyp, a; hill, 440;.feeit -in height'.andy 80.00; feet/ in^ cirqum^ y. 48/ hours by Vesuvius'.';/and in o<os, $. na /-. ;. threw; up Yon; fprie; of its.sl^i^-^riife/Rp^/;i^^ hill /of/even larger dimensions/ The sblid/cbn^y/y terits of laVa 'thrown but from" 4 1737/wais cotriputed at 33,5137^)58f/f /cubic; feet;1 equalytbfa* cote nearly as high 'as"/fy. ..git./ Paul's/ arilf6oo feet/iri .diameter atthe/basbi 4/ 1n*'1794, a~;cuiri.enfc;isßi3eid:which' is supposed^*. '•■■' hWb ; contained*^ great streamfroth Etna,f!669;* which /Catania,/ : was; equal .to^ 93;§38i590:fcubic feet.f; But even this the Icelandic volcano; Skdptaa-^elml, which, in ■ 1783,; threw ; out; (says a/, sciPhtificf; writer la;, Keith Johnston's ;^'PhysicarA^as^ip wjiich.-w'e'//-are 'indebted for these /facts);; no"less than" /60,poO,OQO^OOp;/cubic /f^ts; «^bient) to/cover / Z 'Lipnclon, with another Pealcf^fTeneri^, .which/ .isr more '■* than /12,000; ! »//Whence//' ,may;it;be;as^^ eoine from ? and -what thickhe^^^^ iriteryenes; in this fEiirope of ours/ betweenua arid Natures tremendous laboratory? In'the^ v presence of these facts; we can scarcely be sur-/ prised; at;-the tremendous character ..of; earthsquakes ,'rof: which^Europe has--beeri the Scene,; and of which rneai^y SOOOj are' recorded a ing occurred since, the Christian / ;ei^a,;927/o^ which / data Kin ; thayypresent y*.century. Although /the/ most appalling effiscts; of; the/ earthquakes haye/beeu felt in/southern latitudes// the shocks have'//fcepnfelt oyer 'an.'lmmense/.--space. The great earthquake in 1755/ which.' / y nearly destroyed Lisbon/ where 50,000 persons/ ; perished:; seriously' dariiaged X Other f towns/ Jiirt/ Portugal and Spain1; oyeriliirew 2000-hpuses;a"t^ Mitylene/:ln the Gri^cfaiiJ/Arc^ swallowed upd2,ooo AralbsatFez,in M^ lasted pnlyißix miriutes; butihei limits: of :con.< cussionf includpd; the/;whplef/bf;-Spain; Frariceiy y and Grermany;. irgachisd th; the: Balti^f arid; pbr?; ;.'■>■ :tions/of Sweden/and Norway/^ whole of the British Isles.y Itywas felt in Cori/ ' sicaySardinia, Northern;--Ital^/iviid ..feyjßjd'. on/ ■"■-'•'"' African :coast;near/ Tarigiers/v fShi^ : West/Indian "seas the.%ilbfs throw : of ZLakb Ontario, in /America/ were; serisibly" affectpd.:fThe/shock oft^ hria Ultra// ph^f the sth of '/February y=fl7B3; which destroyed 200 towns fand .villagesyf was'; felt over an area of - 500 miles';- arid the destructive earthquake, in December > rlßs7;-iri nearly the same locality, was ffeltjoyer a large extent of- country. ; Tlijsf; great;'earthquake, on tha Rhine;- on :the 29thyof Jhlyy 1846, isysaidtp have beenfelt over- an area pf 40,006 square miles,/biit most se.verely/Inythe rieighhorhood |^ Nassau, Frankfort, andf/Badpn. /'.. This/ couvhif siorifwas comparatively harmless in its €ffecfti' but indicated in a;remarkable manner the/intensity of the Brihterrane^a forces.;... For Sonae days previously the heat ywas intense/and there was a perfect calm for sPine /Hours previously/;;, The shock only lasted about ffive %inutes^ but. for months beforethere 'werp remarkable indications of volcanic action throughout Europe. X Graham Island; near SicUy,.which appeared .suddenly in 1831, was as quickly- submerged, tp ; a depth of 190 feet beueath the surface of they ocean; ajUd in the previous September there was a great erup*tion of Hecla.. in Iceland,;ashes beiPg projected as far as the Orkney Islands, a diatance of 700 miles. In March/fthere was another, eruption.fof the same yoicanpy the flame issuing froiri three cratera to a height of 15,000 feet/./Such are the phyaicalterrorathreateriing the well-being ofthe Continent of Europe, which may at any day; overthrow the '-greatest" empire;; and defeat the plans of the most astute politicians. ; -: The rivers of Europe thy be classified as falling into "the White Sea y into; the - Atlaritip, Baltic; arid North Seas'-;*:; into the Mediterranean and: into the Black Sea. yThe Dwinai(Nor» them) is the. most importaritfriver flowing;into the White Sea; and the:principal streams dischargipg into the Baltic aif^pTprth ; Sea are t|he r Neva, .Dwina (Sputherii|f/,Niemen,, f^istulaj Oder, Elce, Weser, Rhine/and Sfeuse.; into the Atlantic (excluding the-rivers of the United Kin|dom)---*the "Seine, Loire,"/Garbrine, Douro, •Tagus.f Guadiaui, and Guadalquiver; into the Mediterranean, the Bbro,^-Hhpne, and Pp;,arid into the Black Seai, the Danube/ Dniester, Dnieper, arid Volga; '-The/last fia the/largest of European rivers," the Danube Holding the second place. ;The former drainsian area of 528,000 square miles ; the lattery3ll,ooo, as lairge as France and the United Kiugdbm together, i, The Black Sea receives nearlyfa third part^Pf all the running water..-of ;Eui*ope,>and?^^about> half ; that quantity flpwa. into the ;Caspiap.: ; The^jVolga parries off as much wa|erfasy-llie. J^diterrarieaii receives from Europe; and the voKime of {he Danube is equal to thatpf all the streatns flowing into the Baltic/" The /entire/areaf of ahje European' lakes has /been estimated/ at about 38,300 miles. The latest are in Russia aiid Sweden.;/:" '.:";;'/;./'."" ;*;'"/;." -::yX':X . .The climate of Europe is of course^extremely, varied; biit/the grea^Giilf Stream, which iinpiiigea oh;the/'nprfhfweatern coast,"produces af greater^warmth thap/in other j^aces in the/same: latitudes. Thus /the /North.Cape of N6r#ay/'"''';Where Y^ the s> ' clithaW w/isff quitet beara:ble, is ih the - samefj latitude of Boothia Felix,/;iu the'frozen regions.- London, which we all know is often hot enough, is inithe same tatitudeas part of Labrador, in America, where Esquimaux wrap themselves in bearskins.HfThe; average.: temperature pfLondon is equal;;to .that of/Odessa pr Sebastppol, , fivefpr/six: degrees further south, but, the alternations r are ,nptyso great. v^ The height of the line of, perpetual snow/at the. North Cape is 2400 ;fee^;/bnf'theZ/0^ ,Jthe Alps S^OO^feet,■an<l;7'oo feet higher oh the ' noi-th slde;//ahd on ffi^f^y^eueesiß 8300 arid 9lb&/feet.,/f*The /glacier^^?tlie thp«,e 'hugei/ma'sses'of£ ice;;descend/thei gorges; of the /Uie^fepiiiiftaiii^, i^sbrria partsf 5000/ feet below the; sriowliiib. •- Their ni^W;is 400,pccupyibg ■^e^lWl4ooiSttuat^ J miles; ;f : :f> .:;yTHe pbpulatioh *of fEutbpe; as nearly as^san he S^CTtaiheci^ist 200».000i,00(), aboutf 80; to a g^ifemiiey- B^ %^ -helpng tb the «G^a6asiah r^^ of/which the/Teut; piiicv 2Sciavbniafipabdy :^Uio/;'l^ --.inei.Put//;-i''fr'f A 'ZZ-ZZX'Z:"xyYYXiZZZ:yZZZ