ascend to the head of an adjoining valley. We here left the carriage, and pursuing a nearer and more direct route, after a pretty arduous ascent, gained the summit of the mountain. What a glorious view was now before our eyes! never shall I forget the valley of St Marie. The mountain air usually acts upon me like the famous elixir. I feel as if I were inhaling life, and strength, and immortality at every breath. The higher I ascend the happier I become; and when I reach the topmost summit, a singular feeling prompts me to spring upwards and leave the earth. It was this which made me enquire so anxiously when in Paris concerning the possibility of ascending with some of the Æronauts, and I greatly deplored the disappointment, when I learned that my hopes were frustrated. In the present case the change in my state of mind was sudden and remarkable, and when I contrasted my feelings while breathing with pain and difficulty the tainted air of a corrupted city, with those which I experienced as a joyful mountaineer, I could scarcely credit my personal identity. A few days ago I was groping my way by the pale light of a trembling taper, through the damp catacombs of Paris, surrounded by millions of grim grinning skulls, placed cross-ways, and in circles, as if in derision of human life; and now I was breathing the natural and balmy breath of heaven, and standing on the verge of a valley so beautiful, that peace and happiness must surely dwell in it for ever. At the mouth of the valley the fertile plain of Alsace, covered with the most luxuriant vineyards, extended its green surface for many miles, and along its distant border the course of the majestic Rhine might be traced by the long wreaths of mist which gathered on the surface of its waters. The spires of churches, and the gleaming walls of white villages, presented themselves in every direction, and at a great distance the beautiful prospect was terminated by the blue mountains of Germany, which shewed their high summits among vast ranges of broken clouds of the purest white. As our carriage had not yet arrived from the other side of the hill, and as' the road was steep and tortuous, I determined to descend into this delight ful region on foot. The village of St Marie lay at the mouth of the valley, at the distance of three miles, and there we were to remain for some time to breakfast, and refresh the horses. The road continues pretty high up the northern boundary of the vale, and the view, from the commencement of my walk, till I found myself in the little village, was as beautiful as I could have wished, and delighted me the more, having so lately passed through the unvaried scenery of Champagne. In the centre of the valley there flows a beautiful stream, as clear as crystal; the fields on either side are of the brightest and most verdant green; there are numerous flocks of cattle quietly graz ing on its banks, and here and there a shepherds hut, with its little plot of orchard ground; higher up is the region of the Pines, with many glades and green terraces, formed by the hand of Nature, on which are built the cottages of the woodmen, and of those who tend the goats, while numerous troops of these picturesque animals are seen with their serried horns above the highest rocks, or reclining beneath the cool shade of some fantastic tree, and adding life and spirit to the scene, by the sweet sound of their tinkling bells and higher still is heard the shrill cry of the eagle, or the osprey returning from the banks of the Rhine, or the wilds of Suabia, with the firstling of some German flock to appease the clamour of their callow young. After a sudden and rugged descent I entered the village of St Marie, which lies on the border of the plains of Alsace, the last limits of the French kingdom. The inhabitants of this plain are still very German in their language, manners, and intellectual character. I felt rather gratified in seeing the greater frequency of flaxen hair, and mild blue eyes, features rarely observable in France, while the "mien more grave," almost reminded me of my own respectable countrymen. The dress of the women is particularly becoming there is something about their head dress which I do not understand, and cannot describe, though it is very graceful, and their broad white straw hats throw a soft and beautiful light on their rosy countenances. The whole of this delightful day was occupied in journeying through Alsace. It is completely covered with vines, and the high-way is bordered Blossoms and fruits at once, of golden hue, Than in fair evening cloud, or humid bow, Our course lay nearly south from this time, and the scene in view contained some glorious features. On the right hand were the French hills, the highest in the kingdom, with spots of snow resting on their bald foreheads; before us, as far as the eye could reach, lay the fertile and beautiful Alsace; and on the left, breaking through the clouds, were the blue suminits of the Suabian hills. Proceeding on our journey, we arrived towards evening at Colmar, a dirty town, but within a few miles of the German border, and the banks of the much wished for Rhine, which made ample amends for its own inherent dulness. 12th.-Nothing worthy of note occurred during my short stay in Colmar. I was informed by a valet-deplace, that a huge meteoric stone had fallen in Alsace, a long while ago, and that a large portion of it was still preserved in this town. But where it was to be seen, I was unable to learn. This valet spoke an uncouth combination of bad French, and worse Ger man. 13th.-Towards the afternoon of this day, I hired a char-a-banc, which is an open carriage, in common use here, and proceeded on my journey towards Brissac, a French town on the banks of the Rhine. Mungo Park himself could scarcely have experienced a stronger desire to behold the yellow Niger, than I did to see the boundary of the mighty Germany." Arriving at Brissac, I entered three gates, crossed over three fosses, passed under three port-cullises, and had my passport examined by an old gentleman who could neither read French, German, or Dutch, the only three languages of which it was composed. He seemed to consider it chiefly in the light of Hebrew, as he begun at the end, and then turned it upside down. A few francs were sufficient to convince him how forlorn his hopes were of becoming a linguist at so advanced a period of life. There are here two towns of the same name. The French Brissac is two or three miles from the river side, so I determined that same evening to depart for the German border. The German town called Alt-Brissac, is built upon a high and rocky promontory of the river, and presents a formidable aspect, though now in a state of great dilapidation, having been dismantled by an opposite fortress, during the French It has still a noble appearance, and forms a fine representative of its mighty country, wars. "With gray but leafy walls, where ruin greenly dwells." At six in the evening I found myself standing by the side of the Monarch of European rivers, and a most magnificent object it is. Here it is not less than 600 feet broad, and runs apparently at the rate of nearly seven miles an hour. Immediately opposite the German fortress, its waters are confined within 200 feet of their natural bed, and the impetuous flow is prodigious; it rages past the dark rock which here endeavours to oppose its course, and appears as if rejoiced in avenging this violation of its power, on the low willowy isles which are scattered on its bosom. The trees on these islands have suffered from its force, and bend before it, there summits being only a few feet from the ground, and pointing down the stream. Even those on the banks have the same oppressed appearance, having probably felt the power of the green despot, during the raging of the winter flood. This gives a singular character to many parts of the scenery, and impresses one more forcibly than any other circumstance could do, with an idea of the strength and rapidity of the river, besides bestowing upon it the aspect of an almost living power. The sun was now sinking behind the purple summits of the mountains of Lorraine, the outline of which was bordered by a brilliant line of golden light, and many lovely clouds, adorned with the brighest hues, were resting in the western sky. The Rhine appeared in the distance sweeping down the valley, and reflecting on its waters the last beams of the God of day, while, on the opposite side, was heard the voice of the centinel, and the warlike flourish of the trumpet, warning the peaceful labourers in the fields that the gates of the fortress were about to be closed. In the back ground the high hills of Suabia were visible, embrowned with the remnants of the ancient forest, and their broad expanse rendered more magnificent, as seen through the medium of the sultry twilight. Ere long the clouds of night descended on the valley; the course of the river was now only discernible by a vast serpentine wreath of mist, which gathered on its waters, though its strong and sonorous flow was distinctly audible," piercing the night's dull ear," and the wild note of the bittern was heard while she ascended from her lonely nest in some willowy isle, to the still region above the clouds. Without other sight or sound I stood alone in this majestic wilderness. I soon found, however, that I had unfortunately wandered so long and so far among the low brushwood near the river, that I had entirely lost all trace of any thing resembling the footsteps of the human race. If I turned towards the land I might walk into one of those deep pools filled with water to defend the frontier-if I bent my course in the other direction, one step into the Rhine would be my first and last, and I might find myself off the Dogger-bank by the morning of the ensuing day. What was to be done? I was about to ruminate seriously on this important subject, when I heard the vociferous shout of a ferryman within a few yards of my forlorn post. I accosted him in good Scotch and bad French, supposing if he were a German he would probably understand the one, if a Frenchman, possibly the other. He seemed to comprehend both, and with his assistance and direction I succeeded in returning to the town which I had left a few hours before, my head-quarters for the night. P. R. MINERALOGY OF INDIA. INDIA has been celebrated from a very remote period on account of the number, variety, and beauty of the gems which it affords. Of late years geologists have endeavoured to ascertain the situations of these precious mineral productions, with the view of their discovery in other parts of the world. The gold and tin of India have also been explored in a geological manner, and the numerous volcanoes in the Indian islands have engaged the particular attention of many observers. Some European mineralogists are, we understand, at this moment actively employed in examining the geological structure of the Himalaya Alpine land, while others are tracing out the distribution of the alluvial and secondary rocks of the plains of Hindostan, and investigating the structure of the volcanic islands of Java. Our celebrated countryman, Sir James Mackintosh, in a discourse pronounced at the opening of the Literary Society of Bombay, in the following passage, strongly recommends to mineralogists the investigation" of the mineral structure and - productions of India." "The science of mineralogy, which has been of late years cultivated with great activity in Europe, has such a palpable connexion with the useful arts of life, that it VOL. IV. cannot be necessary to recommend it to the attention of the intelligent and curious. India is a country which I believe no mineralogist has yet examined, and hich would first scientific adventurers who explore it. doubtless amply repay the labour of the The discovery of new sources of wealth would probably be the result of such an investigation; and something might perhaps be contributed towards the accomplishment of the ambitious projects of those philosophers, who, from the arrangement of earths and minerals, have been bold enough to form conjectures respecting the general laws which have governed the past revolutions of our planet, and which preserve its parts in their present order. The botany of India has been less neglected, but it cannot be exhausted. The higher parts of the science-the structure, the functions, the habits of vegetables-all subjects intimately connected with the first of physical sciences, though unfortunately the most dark and difficult, the philosophy of life-have in general been too much sacrificed to objects of value indeed, but of a value far inferior: and professed botanists have usually contented themselves with observing enough of plants to give them a name in their scientific language and a place Much inin their artificial arrangement. formation also remains to be gleaned on that part of natural history which regards ani mals. The manners of many tropical races must have been imperfectly observed in a few individuals separated from their fellows, 4 G and imprisoned in the unfriendly climate of Europe. The variations of temperature, the state of the atmosphere, all the appearances that are comprehended under the words weather and climate, are the conceivable subject of a science of which no rudiments yet exist. It will probably require the observations of centuries to lay the foundations of theory on this subject. There can scarce be any region of the world more favourably circumstanced for observation than India; for there is none in which the operation of these causes is more regular, more powerful, or more immediately discoverable in their effect on vegetable and animal nature. Those philosophers who have denied the influence of climate on the human character were not inhabitants of a tropical country. "To the members of the learned profession of medicine, who are necessarily spread over every part of India, all the above enquiries peculiarly though not exclusively belong. Some of them are eminent for science, many must be well informed, and their professional education must have given to all some tincture of physical knowledge. With even moderate preliminary acquirements they may be very useful, if they will but consider themselves as philosophical collectors, whose duty it is never to neglect a favourable opportunity for observations on weather and climate; to keep exact journals of whatever they observe, and to transmit, through their immediate superiors to the scientific depositories of Great Britain, specimens of every mineral, vegetable, or animal production which they conceive to be singular, or with respect to which they suppose themselves to have observed any new and important facts. If their previous studies have been imperfect, they will no doubt be sometimes mistaken. But these mistakes are perfectly harmless. It is better that ten useless specimens should be sent to London, than that one curious specimen should be neglected." We intend to lay before our readers an account of the contents of this very interesting volume. HORE HISTORICE. No II. On the Origin, among Rude Nations, of Political Institutions, out of Sentiment and Passion. In the history of very early nations, we tellectual power to rest in nothing less than sovereignty; till thousands of spirits were bowed under the ascendancy of one, and the natural superiority of mind over these was converted into dominion over wealth, liberty, and life. If we could look upon such an origin only as this, the government, as constituted, would appear to us the wildest and most terrible subversion of all the rights and laws of nature. But we look down through the history of mankind, and we discover, that the form of government which thus arose, was that by which alone the societies of men could be held together. It is that which the wisdom of men would have appointed, if their wisdom could have presided to establish their government, for it is in effect that form which the necessities of their condition demanded. So that, comparing the beginning of monarchies with their result, we find, that here, as elsewhere, the fierce and lawless passions of men, in fulfilling their desire, have fulfilled a more important purpose, which was not their own: and we wonder to see, that even the iron yoke, by which the usurpers of tyrannical sway have subdued under them the strength of a nation, was the very bond by which, in future, their restless, discordant, infuriate wills required to be compelled together into peace. Thus, in the most important single point of all history, namely, the Supreme Government of the communities of human society, we find that which would seem to demand the utmost wisdom, effected by mere sentiments and feelings; and this is one memorable instance how, in looking into early times for the history of political institutions, we find ourselves engaged in examining a picture of the conflicts and triumphs of human passions. II. To take another which is nearly connected with it. Survey the world, and we find, that one main pillar of the strength of these communities has been the institution of Nobility. If kings have held the people of vast regions in one union, the races of nobility have more than any thing else maintained, unchanging, stedfast, and secure, the frame of political society, through successive generations. But look to the infancy of society for the origin of nobility, and what do we find? Human wisdom! No; the blindness of human imagination; and perhaps the generous blindness of human affection, The stability, the strength, and the authority of the noble races of barbarous nations, is found chiefly in two causes; first, the reverence of superstition with which the imagination of the people very rapidly invests an illustrious house; and secondly, that legal and devoted zeal with which men bring themselves to hazard in service of protecting power,-if that power have a hold on their imagination. If we could pursue this various inquiry, we should soon find, that in following the line of political investigation, we were brought into the recesses of human feeling. There is scarcely any more interesting part of history than that which regards the nobility of barbarous and half-civilized nations. Witness the Clans of Scotland.-Witness the feudal history of Europe. Without engaging further in the question, it may be sufficient to observe, in proof of what was said of the intimate developement of hu man feeling involved in such inquiry, that a necessary condition of the devotedness of zeal that characterizes the loyalty here spoken of, is, that the service to be rendered should be accompanied with the danger of life; that it is the peril and difficulty of the service that has made its law so deeply binding on the hearts of men. It is plain, then, that the solution must be found deep in nature. When it is further considered, that much of the force of loyalty depends on its transmission from father to son; and as was before observed, that a superstitious reverence, in place of a rational acknowledgment of utility, is requisite to produce its high and noble strength, no more need be said to shew in what curious, interesting, and affecting problems of human feeling the inquirer will be engaged, who attempts to understand this portion of political history. Whether he attempt to understand it or no, he will surely be moved with wonder and affection at the delineation. III. If we turn from great political institutions to the laws of domestic life, we shall still find, that we are reading the history of men's nature, not of the science of legislation. The two most important obligations of life to be guarded from violation are the conjugal and filial relations. Among many nations, altogether barbarous, the punishment of the adulteress was death from the husband's hand. Among one tribe of the northern barbarians of Europe, she was scourged half-naked, from village to village, by the women, till she sunk and expired under their strokes. The purity of the unmarried is guarded by the sanctity of marriage. "It is related of Hippocrenes, a citizen of the blood of the kings, that when he discovered a man with his unmarried daughter, he crushed him beneath the wheels of the chariot in which he, with his daughter, rode, whom afterwards he immersed alive." The nations who visited with such dreadful retribution the stain of chastity, were rearing up a moral strength among themselves of immeasurable importance and power; but they knew not the work in which they were labouring; they only felt, with an intensity and depth of which we have no longer a conception, the holiness of woman's purity; and they leaped up in madness to revenge its violation. |