substitution may have, probably, been occasioned by the unpoetical sound of the German " a horn,' for sycamore, compared with that of "linde" for lime tree. Other magnificent specimens are to be found in many towns of Switzerland, Germany, etc. These, like "The hawthorn tree, with seats beneath its shade," immortalized by Goldsmith, formed the place of public rendezvous for business or recreation, and were generally in the market or central part of the town. Tradition relates, that in the many local conflicts and factious disturbances, so frequently occurring in the middle ages, the lime tree was the chief scene of contention, and its possession regarded as a decisive triumph. The party taking possession of the place, planted a lime tree; and if they were afterwards driven out, this was cut down, and another planted by the opposite party. Hence these trees were preserved with great care and reverence, being identified not only with the amusements or business of each generation, but as trophies of the victory and success of their ancestors. Mrs. Hemans has beautifully embodied, in "The Lament over a fallen Lime Tree," feelings which would naturally be excited over the downfal, either from age or ruthless destruction, of one of these hallowed trees. "O joy of the peasant! O stately lime! Thou, beneath whose branches, Wrapped in fairy dreams. O tree of our fathers! O hallow'd tree! "Curses," exclaims an enthusiastic admirer of the lime tree, on those inhuman and ambitious tyrants, who, not contented with their own dominions, invade their peaceful neighbours, and send their legions, without distinction, to destroy, and level to the ground such venerable and goodly plantations and noble avenues! Irreparable marks of their barbarity!" But sad though such senseless proofs of ruthless havock be, and deservedly as they must be lamented by all who admire these noble and inries, would that the devastating effects teresting monuments of bygone centuof the demon spirit of war, were stayed upon these inanimate objects! "Whence come wars and fightings among you?" inquires the apostle James; and in the language of inspiration, he returns answer to himself, even of your lusts that war in your mem"Come they not hence, bers?" Jas. iv. I. Alas! that man formed in the image of his Creator, should ever lend himself a willing slave to work the purpose of him who was a murderer from the beginning!" What a proof of such unhallowed deeds should ever find the depravity of the human heart, that excuse, commendation, nay applause, lation. among a self-styled enlightened popu Yet is it not so ? Do not those who are often the first to respond to the cry of woe, to stretch out the hand of sympathy and aid to the individual sufferer, palliate, nay glory in successful warfare? Could we but follow the conqueror's chariot, and trace his progress over a devastated, depopulated scene, strewn with the dying and the dead, we could better estimate the worth of the pinnacle of glory which arises from such a foundation. We should see it based on the bodies of millions, whose immortal souls have been hurried in an instant to their final account; on the smoking ruins of their once happy homesteads of peace and contentment; on the ghastly looks of famished wretches bewailing the destruction of their wantonly destroyed crops; on the corpses of the grey-headed patriarch, and the smiling babe, driven forth, homeless and destitute, to the inclemencies of the season. Blessed are the words of inspiration, which assure us that it shall not be ever thus, which tell us of a day when the earth shall be so filled with the glory of the Lord, that they shall not hurt or destroy when nation shall not lift up sword against nation, nor kingdom against kingdom, nor war be learned any more; when Christ, the Prince of peace, who came to preach peace on earth, good-will towards men, and purchased that peace for man by the blood of his cross, shall dwell in every heart, removing those thoughts and feelings which actuated these scenes of strife and bloodshed. "Thy kingdom come," is the Christian's daily prayer; and will not his daily efforts be directed to assimilate himself, and all over whom he has influence, to the spirit of his Divine Redeemer, the spirit of patience, peace, and love? AN ANECDOTE PICKED UP BY OLD AMONG the unnumbered recreations which the Giver of all good has placed within the reach of the man of years, the pilgrim far advanced in this world's thorny path, few afford me more real enjoyment than the practice of moving unobtrusively among my fellow men; of seeing, without, as it were, being seen; observing, without being observed; and of picking up such fragments of character and information, as are not only curious and interesting in themselves, but also capable of being turned to good account. There is a quiet revelling of the heart in such cases, that is not the less enjoyed because it is unseen. Oh what a treasure house is a cheerful spirit! What a source of unlimited enjoyment is a love of character! One half the shrewd sentences, the odd conceits, the pithy sayings, the humorous remarks, the striking observations, and the arresting reflections that I have picked up in my rambles among men, would make a volume of no common size, and, I could almost persuade myself, of no ordinary interest. The wallet of the beggar contains not a greater diversity of scraps and oddments than may be found in the loose fragmentary papers of Old Humphrey. I will select a recent scrap for your entertainment. may afford to others the pleasure it has given me, and call forth in their minds the same kind of reflections it has excited in my own. My anecdote may lose somewhat of its interest in not being given in the exact words of the relater: but this is a circumstance which is altogether unavoidable. The memory of Old Humphrey may be defective in little circumstantials; but it is too faithful in matters of this kind to be much out of order in the general features and strengthy framework of an impressive anecdote, related with feeling, and accompanied with solemn reflections. "Many years ago," said the relater, "I was a member of the Wet-Paper Club. This club was held at a coffee house in Gracechurch street, and obtained its title from the circumstance of the newspaper being introduced wet into the club room. The members assembled at eight o'clock in the morning, when the wet newspaper was regularly brought in; this, when dried by the waiter, was laid on the table before the members, who thus secured for a season the monopoly of the news of the day, before it became the general property of the public visiting the coffee house. "The members of this club, at one period, were numerous, and comprised many of talent and celebrity; but all institutions have in them the principles of decay, whether they are literary, scientific, or social: no wonder that the Wet-paper Club should gradually decline. One member died, another removed to a distance, a third failed in business, and a fourth attached himself to some other social circle; so that the time came when the members were but few. Still the club struggled on, assembling at the accustomed time, and exercising their accustomed prerogative, until I was left entirely alone. "It was hardly to be expected that a solitary member would long receive the same amount of deference and attention, which had been paid to the club in its collective form. For a time, The following anecdote fell from the the wet paper was brought in and dried lips of an intelligent member of the for my express use and advantage; but, legislature, only a few days ago, and by degrees, this attention became irthere is in it so much that is interest- regular and uncertain, and at last, it ing, and withal so capable of general was altogether withheld. There was and individual application, that I can- no distinction made between me and not refrain from recording it, that it the casual visitor at the coffee house. receive still less benefit from my homelier remarks. That part of it which refers to the Wet-Paper Club, is of itself sufficiently striking; and what follows it of the friendly coach party, renders it still more so; but the addition of the sabbath assembly gives a crowning interest to the whole. It is said that a three-fold cord is not easily broken, and sure I am that this tripartite narrative will not easily be erased from my memory. HUMILITY. I cannot look back to the period de- | anecdote by any unnecessary observscribed by me, without a melancholy ations. He who cannot gather from interest. My associates are scattered it much of profitable reflection would and gone, and I, the last member of the Wet-Paper Club, am left alone. "For many years, I was accustomed to return from the Parliament House with three other members of the senate. The frequent protracted debates, and the unlooked-for divisions and occurrences that arise, render the adjournment of the House uncertain; it is, therefore, inconvenient for members to have private vehicles waiting for them. No sooner did the adjournment take place, than a coach was called, which conveyed my three friends and me to our several habitations. During our ride, what had occurred in the house naturally formed a part of our conversation, so that pleasure and advantage were derived from our friendly custom of returning from the House in company. But this friendly coalition could not last for ever; life is held on an uncertain tenure, and death is inexorable in his demands. When one of the four died, it was deeply felt by us, and when another was called away, it made a sad void in our friendly fraternity. Still there were two of us, but at last, my companion was numbered with the dead; and now I returned from the House alone. The coach fraternity, like the Wet-Paper Club, has passed away, and I am the alone survivor of them both. Or trees I observe God hath chosen the vine, a low plant which creeps upon the helpful wall of all beasts, the soft and patient lamb: of all fowls, the mild and gall-less dove. To be humble to our superiors, is duty; to our equals, courtesy; to our inferiors, generosity.Feltham. ALL IS VANITY. VANITY is inscribed on every earthly pursuit, on all sublunary labour; its will alike perish. An incurable taint of materials, its instruments, and its objects mortality has seized upon, and will conderived from religion, the graces of a sume them ere long. The acquisitions renovated mind, are alone permanent.— Robert Hall. ANTIQUITY. in others.-Prescot. THE WAY TO HAVE A GOOD SERVANT. "Some years ago, I left the dwelling which I then occupied, and took anTHOSE Whom we call the ancients, other at the distance of a pleasant drive were in truth novices in all things, and on the opposite side of the river. In the immediate neighbourhood, I had kind; and, as we have added to their properly constituted the infancy of manthree particular friends; so that here again there were four of us united to-ing ages, it is in ourselves that we should knowledge in the experience of succeedgether by friendly and social ties. During the week, we not unfrequently met, and on the sabbath we duly assembled in the parish church. There is solemnity in the very remembrance of our sabbath meetings now; for time has numbered them among the things that were and are not. One friend was beckoned away from the world; another was summoned hence also; and the third is now a tenant of the grave, leaving me to go to the parish church alone. Of the Wet-Paper Club, of the coach fraternity, and of the four church SURELY he is not a fool that hath ungoing friends, I am the only survivor!" wise thoughts, but he that utters them. I will not weaken the effect of this Bishop Hall. Ir thou wouldst have a good servant, let the servant find a good master. Be not angry with him too long, lest he think thee malicious; .nor too soon, lest he conceive thee rash; nor too often, lest he count thee humorous. Quarles. FOLLY. THE PAPYRUS. The Papyrus Swamp. THE most ancient material from which paper was prepared, was the soft, cellular flower-stem of the papyrus, an aquatic plant. This stem is from three to six feet high, with three acute angles, one of which is said to be always opposed to the current of the stream in which it grows, as if to break its force. The leaves of the papyrus are long and grassy, with a sharp keel. The flowers, which are green, are produced in very large umbels; a form which may often be observed, the name of which is derived from the resemblance it has to an umbrella. The papyrus is a very common plant in Syria, Egypt, and Abyssinia; and it is also met with in Calabria and Sicily: in gardens it is not uncommon. It inhabits stagnant waters and running streams; the flowering stems and leaves have been twisted into ropes; the roots are sweet, and have been employed as food. According to Bruce, boats are constructed from it in Abyssinia. TRUTH AND FALSEHOOD. "IT is to be desired, friend Samuel, that some day, when the sharp-pointed pen is in thy hand, thou wouldst give us some reminiscences of thy uncle's sentiments on truth and falsehood: for, as an observer of human nature, he could SEPTEMBER, 1841. scarcely fail of meeting with occasions which would call forth his remarks on the general want of correctness and circumspection in those particulars. Didst thou ever hear him assert that the hailstones were as large as plums, or that a bruise on his shin was as black as a coal ?" "No, I never did hear, from the lips of my uncle, any of those extravagant assertions; for he was a man of truth, a sober-minded man, and a man accustomed to weigh his words, and govern his tongue.' But the hint of my esteemed "friend" led me to call to mind some instances in which he manifested his abhorrence of the appearance of a lie, in all the shapes it wears. The captain, who was, on many accounts, no great favourite with my uncle, often made himself offensive by his extravagant talk. He always dealt in superlatives. When describing localities, he would invariably pronounce each either the most beautiful or the most horrible place in the world. "Pray, captain," said my uncle, "in which world do you mean? I have heard you make the same remark of and and all which places I used to think were in one world, and all within a hundred miles of each other; but either you or I must be mistaken." It was the same in reference to character. Every one of whom he spoke was either 2 c or "the best man on the face of the earth," | libly expose them to the charge of vul"the greatest fool in the universe." garity and rashness, if not of direct un"Indeed!" said my uncle, "such a truth." monster would be worth carrying about for a show, if one could but get the thing well attested, that he really is the greatest of his species; but I should be afraid that many others might be started, as competitors for the palm of superlative folly.' 66 Perhaps there may, squire; but you know it is only my random way of speaking." 66 Really, captain, at your time of life and mine, I think we ought to lay aside random talking, and speak only the words of truth and soberness. We must do so, if we would wish to command respect or attention; and we shall, if we bear in mind that idle words' are to be accounted for hereafter." The captain never took offence at what my uncle said, but he often drew up his face, and looked at us young ones with an air of affected gravity, just calculated to make us think lightly of what my uncle had said; but then, the characters of the men were so unlike, as to make all the difference in the impression their words conveyed. When the captain did speak truth and reason it was little regarded, as coming from him; and his sneers at the remarks of others, especially of my uncle, were much more likely to bring contempt on himself than on them. However, I always observed, when the captain had been with us, my uncle took an opportunity, without directly alluding to him, to guard us against the influence of his frothy conversation. When he had been making a mere jest of his idle, random words, I remember my uncle pointed out to us, in history, the practice of the Athenians, to confine their youth to silence, lest they should acquire a habit of talking foolishly, which in riper years they would find it difficult to break through. "I would not," said my uncle, confine young people to silence; for youth is the season of vivacity, and the gift of speech seems to be innocently employed in giving utterance to that vivacity, as well as in inquiring after solid information. I love to hear young people speak cheerfully and intelligently; but I would earnestly recommend them now, in the time of the formation of habits, carefully to avoid the admission of any extravagant phrases, which would soon become familiar to them, but which would infal The captain was very fond of relating marvellous stories. I have often gaped at him with astonishment, and sometimes with terror. On one occasion, he had been relating some incredible feat of his own, which I repeated to Frank, who was not present. "Oh," said Frank, "I don't believe any such thing; he has no greater powers than other menhe could not do it; and if he had done it, he would not have been so ready to boast of it.” "But, Frank, he declared that it was true upon his word and honour." "I don't believe it a bit the more for that," said Frank: 'I have heard uncle say, that the word and honour' of a man who is so ready to stake them for every trifle, are not worth much." In the course of a little time I was of the same opinion; and not in that particular instance alone. I have uniformly seen reason to conclude, that those who are most free with their asseverations, are those on whose veracity least dependence is to be placed. Arthur Longley was often led by a silly pride into a species of untruth; he would endeavour to conceal, or affect to be ignorant of, any connexion with one whom he deemed his inferior in rank and station. A gentleman once asked him if he had any relations in the town of, as he was acquainted with a family there of the name of Longley. Arthur replied, that he believed his father had a distant relation somewhere in that neighbourhood. "A distant rélation, Arthur!" interposed my uncle, why Mr. Longley the tanner, at to whose family I doubt not my friend refers, is your father's own brother; and a more worthy and respectable man does not exist. If all who bear the name of Longley do it equal honour with your good uncle, I am sure you have no reason to be ashamed of relationship to them.' 66 Under the influence of the same foolish pride, if he happened to have a very slight acquaintance with a person of title or distinction, he would speak of him in terms of affected familiarity, as an intimate friend. My uncle, more than once, talked to him seriously on this subject. "Not," he said, "that it was of the slightest consequence to the company, or that any one of the company felt any interest in knowing whether yourself and |