the accuracy with which a duly-trained | fields, or cane-pieces, as they are comnavigator can ascertain his exact position, by the mutual aid of his chronometer and sextant, when he has been without the sight of land for several weeks, or, indeed, months!

Discussing this and kindred subjects on the evening in question, we sat long on deck, after a glowing sunset-

"Not as in northern climes obscurely bright"

had left us to the balmy air of a tropical night, and the enchantment of a sky beaming with a transparency which we had never before witnessed, through which were visible an increased number of stars, and, to us, the new constellations of the southern hemisphere, among which was the southern cross.

monly called, are distinguished by the growth of the canes, indicated by the varying shades of green, till the ripened canes take the tint of a bright yellow, or a silvery hue arising from its feathery blossoms-the softly-blending tints of the whole presenting a beauty, of which European scenery can give no idea. And there is this peculiarity, which adds much to the soft beauty of these islands, that, however barren the rocks and mountains in other respects, they are always curtained over to their loftiest summits with the verdure of a perpetual summer. Here is nothing of the darkly frowning front of the bare rock, nor the brown waste land of the moor, which give beauty of another character to an English landscape. Sterility, in one sense, is not known in the tropics; for there every rock and stone, or waste of uncultivated land, are festooned, or car

the bright tints of the emerald.

With a mind thoroughly awakened by such excitement, and all eager for the first view of a new world in the morning, I cast myself into my berth, without un-peted over with vegetation, and all wear dressing, that I might be ready to step on deck with the earliest beams of day. After a few hours of broken sleep, I could at first hardly distinguish between my busy dreams and the conversation on deck, awakened by land in sight, though I was soon sufficiently roused, to convince myself of the reality. And there lay the island, peacefully slumbering, as yet under the nightly canopy of a thin cloud, like an immense whale sleeping on the waves. In the east the first streak of day was slowly but perceptibly extending its advancing light; soon the rising orb announced its approaching power, by its shooting and increasingly-glowing streamers, until its burning self seemed to step on the waters in all its glory-and what a glory! The whole eastern sky appeared at once as its undisputed dominion-not a speck of a cloud in the bright expanse not the faintest mist resting on the clear horizon-in all its majesty arose the golden orb

"In one unclouded blaze of living light."

And now the island beamed upon our delighted view, like an emerald stretched out upon its bed of deep blue waters. It is, indeed, no abuse of the word, to call Antigua an "emerald isle," though all the West India islands wear the same vestment of perennial green. The most beautiful season is the one in which we arrived, shortly before the commencement of the sugar crop, when the different

As the trade wind always freshens up towards nine o'clock in the morning, we found that, with a very good breeze, we were rapidly getting among the coral reefs, which render the entrance to St. John's harbour rather dangerous, particularly on the north-side of the island; so that the captain was now rather anxious for a pilot, nor was he long kept in suspense. Soon we descried a speck of a sail standing towards us, which, as we expected, proved to be the frail bark of our pilot; but what a novelty did that important personage and his whole turnout exhibit! His vessel about the size of the ship's long-boat, the sails almost in tatters, more from long service than stormy weather, and, instead of the hardy, storm-beateu, and storm-braving son of Neptune, wrapped up in his bearish dread-nought, who hails you in the English channel, here was a feeble old mulatto man, as thinly clad as though he was navigating a mill-pool on a summer's day, and the whole crew beside himself made up of two stout, half-naked negro boys. All seemed a novelty, so smooth the sea, so balmy the breeze, and so much like a new world, did the whole scene appear.

As we neared the land, other novelties interested our eyes; and, though we were looking on the land of slaves, we could hardly indulge the idea that slave-driving or slave-dealing cruelties could be found amid the lovely scene. Now we could

as there, for a long time, accommodation was provided only for the whites. Now, indeed, the case is otherwise; and in this fine church of St. John's, every foot of space is arranged, by its devoted minister, to the accommodation of all classes and colours.

Having spoken of the church, I may here mention a circumstance which occurred in its vicinity shortly after I landed, as it shows the fearful apprehensions which, in England, are commonly associated with the idea of a residence in the West Indies, and which, of course, must be vividly awake on first landing there.

clearly distinguish the plantations; for, though there were no edges to divide the cane-pieces, the subdivisions were distinctly marked by the varying shades exhibited by the different growth of the successive fields of cane, and here and there the dark soil of the pieces which were taking their yearly turn of fallow idleness. And near the centre of each plantation stood its clustering buildings, the most remarkable being the wind-mill, like a massy tower, compared with which the wind-mills of England look like toys, and near it were the other large buildings for the manufacturing of the sugar. At a short distance, but standing quite apart, was seen the comfortable mansion In rambling about the town, we had of the proprietor, which the negroes com- strolled into the churchyard, and seeing monly designate "The great house;' a grave just opened, my companion diand then, in another direction, but serv-rected our attention and footsteps towards ing to complete the group, was seen, as in a neighbourly cluster, the negro huts, their thatched roofs peeping amid the mass of deep green foliage of the banana, orange, and calabash trees, in which they seemed peacefully embedded.

On entering the harbour of St. John's, we were greeted with scenes of another character, the harbour itself being a smooth bason, running far into the land, and its still water exhibiting the most exquisite tints of a transparent bluegreen, the shades varying according to the depth of water which covered the coral bottom, a peculiar beauty for which the harbours of Antigua are remarkable, from the coral formation of the island. Around the great part of the harbour stands the town, chiefly composed of wooden houses, neatly painted, with a profusion of green, jealoused windows, and galleries running along the front, if not several sides, of the houses, the jealousies, as they term them, being like, only stronger made than, venetian blinds. But what strikes an European as most peculiar, is the total absence of smoking chimneys; for though chimneys are commonly a deformity to a building, to our eyes, deformity or not, there seemed a something wanting. On some rising ground stands the church, a very conspicuous object, overlooking the whole, like the guardian spirit of the place. Though to St. John's the negro term, "the big church," might be literally applied, it is to be lamented, that it was not so much from the comparative size, as from the exclusive use, that, to each parish church, that term was applied;

it, without the slightest idea of the alarm awakened in my own mind, and which I was ashamed to express. How dangerous, thought I, to approach, from mere curiosity, that soil so newly turned up from a bed in which may have been laid the remains of some poor victim of the horrid yellow fever. Surely, said my apprehensions, some fatal miasma must be emitted from soil which has been so much impregnated with the poisonous vapours of the dead in this land of fevers. Often, indeed, have I since laughed at my groundless fears, though it was well that I concealed them in my own breast at the time, to save me from the laugh of others.

The circumstance, however, led me to a train of very profitable reflections. First I could not but adopt the conclusion, that the same powerful hand which had been my safety in crossing the wide waters, would be my shield in all the dangers to which I might be exposed in this land of new perils. In this I felt more confirmed, when I adverted to my object in coming, looked afresh into my motives, and thought of the special safety of those who, in any undertaking, first give themselves to the Lord, and to the disposal of his will. I could not but pity those who, allured by golden dreams, were tempted from the endearments of their native land, to encounter unknown hazards. Oh! the powerful spell of the love of money-how painful the sacrifices endured from its impulse-how many the toils it willingly encounters— how fearful the dangers it arduously braves-and then, alas! if realized for a

moment, how short-lived its dreams! With a nobler object before me, with purer motives for my impulse, and with a brighter and more certain end in view, I could thank God, and take courage for the work to which I had given myself. Finding myself at the end of my voyage, and landed in a climate where disease was supposed to put on a fearful aspect, and exert a fatal power, I could not but glory in a work which sought not the riches of a perishable world, but, in giving its efforts to make others "rich in faith," gave the stronger assurance in His word who says, "Thou shall not be afraid of the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday."

B. L.

a single day's journey, including the valley of the Hudson and its neighbourhood, we have Babylon and Jericho, Salem, Lebanon, Gilboa, Carmel, Goshen, Athens, and Troy, with a railroad to Syracuse, Utica, and Rome, from among the ancient cities and places of celebrity; and Oxford, Canterbury, Salisbury, Windsor, Hamburgh, Hyde-park, Kingston, Glasgow, Bristol, Durham, Cairo, Bath, Cambridge, and Waterford, from among the modern. The evil of this is increased by the constant repetition of the same practice in different states, so that there are no less than fourteen places bearing the name of Athens, and nine of Rome, besides a Romeo, and a Romulus, fourteen Palmyras, twelve Alexandrias, four of Damascus, two of Joppa, and three of Jerusalem.

In the names of more modern cities, SINGULAR USE OF NAMES IN AMERICA. the repetitions are even still greater, but To be called upon by some fellow- the most multiplied of all are those in passenger, says Mr. Buckingham, to look which towns are called after distinguished around and see Athens, appears at first political leaders, of which it may be suflike a joke; it seems so difficult to sepa- ficient to mention as an example that rate from the sound of that word the glo- there are no less than fifteen Jefferson ries of the immortal city of Minerva, counties and forty Jefferson towns, eight with its frowning Acropolis, its beautiful Jackson counties, and sixty-six Jacksons Parthenon, its temple of Theseus, and or Jacksonvilles; twenty Washington its classically sacred associations. The counties and eighty Washington towns, very name conjures up the shades of in addition to the city of Washington, in Pericles, Phidias, and Praxiteles, and the the district of Columbia, which is the seat imagination wanders through the gardens of the general government. The greatest and listens in the portico, to the great confusion already results from this tautoteachers of the several schools of Grecian logical nomenclature; and the evil will philosophy, to Socrates and Plato, to increase with every succeeding year, till It is the less exAristotle and Zeno; from thence passes it forces some reform. on to the theatre, and hangs with delight cusable, also, as the Indian names are on the tragic glories of Euripides, Eschy-sufficiently varied and beautiful to admit lus, and Sophocles; to the Areopagus of constant adoption. and Agora, to hear the thunders of Demosthenes against Philip, or to the hill of Mars, to listen to the great apostle of the gentiles unfolding to the inquisitive Athenians the nature, attributes, and purposes of the Infinite Being to whom they had dedicated an altar with the inscription "To the Unknown God." But all this dream of the imagination vanishes the moment the eye reposes on the humble village which here assumes this imposing name.

It is not peculiar, however, to any one part of America more than another, thus to appropriate to itself the most renowned names of history for their cities, towns, and villages; everywhere this singularly ill-directed taste is apparent. From New York to Albany, within the compass of

THE DOLPHIN.

THE changes of hue displayed by the dying dolphin are peculiar; but have been much exaggerated by the poetical descriptions of travellers. Soon after the fish has been removed from the water, the bright yellow with rich blue spots, which constitutes the normal colour of the animal, is exchanged for a brilliant silver, which, a short time after death, passes into a dull grey, or lead colour. The original golden hue occasionally revives in a partial manner, and appears above the silver field, producing a very interesting display of colours; but the diversity of tints is not greater than I have de scribed.-Bennett.

The Via Mala.