THE SNOWFLAKE.

"Now, if I fall, will it be lot

my

To be cast in some lone and lowly spot,
To melt, and to sink unseen or forgot?

And there will my course be ended?"
'Twas this a feathery Snowflake said,
As down through measureless space it stray'd,
Or, as, half by dalliance, half afraid,
It seem'd, in mid-air suspended.

"Oh, no!" said the Earth," thou shalt not lie
Neglected and lone on my lap to die,
Thou pure and delicate child of the sky!
For thou wilt be safe in my keeping.
But, then, I must give thee a lovelier form-
Thou wilt not be a part of the wintry storm,
But revive when the sunbeams are yellow and warm,
And the flowers from my bosom are peeping !

"And then thou shalt have thy choice to be
Restored in the lily that decks the lea,
In the jessamine-bloom, the anemone,
Or aught of thy spotless whiteness :—
To melt, and be cast in a glittering bead,
With the pearls that the night scatters over the mead

In the cup where the bee and the fire-fly feed,

Regaining thy dazzling brightness.

"I'll let thee awake from thy transient sleep,
When Viola's mild blue eye shall weep,
In a tremulous tear: or, a diamond leap

In a drop from the unlock'd fountain;
Or, leaving the valleys, the meadow, and heath,
The streamlet, the flowers, and all beneath,
Go up and be wove in the silvery wreath
Encircling the brow of the mountain.

"Or, wouldst thou return to a home in the skies, To shine in the Iris I'll let thee arise, And appear in the many and glorious dyes

A pencil of sunbeams is blending!

But true, fair thing, as my name is Earth,
I'll give thee a new and vernal birth,
When thou shalt recover thy primal worth,
And never regret descending!

“Then I will drop," said the trusting Flake:
"But, bear it in mind, that the choice I make
Is not in the flowers, nor the dew to wake;
Nor the mist that shall pass with the morning.
For things of thyself they will die with thee;
But those that are lent from on high, like me,
Must rise, and will live, from thy dust set free,
To the regions above returning.

"And if true to thy word and just thou art,
Like the spirit that dwells in the holiest heart,
Unsullied by thee, thou wilt let me depart,
And return to my native heaven.

For I would be placed in the beautiful bow,
From time to time in thy sight to glow ;
So thou mayst remember the Flake of Snow,
By the promise that God has given ! "

MISS H. GOULD.

POWERSCOURT WATERFALL.

THE Water-Fall of Powerscourt is formed by the Dargle; it is situate in the county of Wicklow; and, when the river is full, presents a grand appearance. "The stream," says Miss Zornlin, "precipitates itself over a nearly perpendicular cliff, three hundred feet in height, and falls into a natural basin or reservoir, encircled by rocky masses of considerable magnitude, whilst the whole scene is backed by mountains. This fall exhibits rather a singular phenomenon, in the different degrees of velocity with which the water descends in different parts of the cascade. Thus, on one side, the water may be observed to pour down with considerable velocity, whilst, on the other side, the fall in the upper part presents the appearance of a continued stream of frothy foam, gliding slowly down the face of the cliff, though the lower part moves with greater velocity. This circumstance is, however, readily accounted for, being, in fact, mainly attributable to the comparatively small body of water which forms the cascade. The water on the one side-that which descends with the greater velocity, and this forms by far the largest portion of the cascade-meets with no interruption in its descent, but falls almost from the very top to the bottom, in one unbroken sheet. On the other side, however, the cliff in the other part deviates from the perpendicular; and, the consequence is, that,

owing to the slope or inclination of the rock over which it flows, the progress of the water is checked in that particular part: though lower down-where the cliff is again perpendicular-it regains its velocity. If the body of water in this cascade were greater, this phenomenon would not occur: for, in that case, not only would the whole body rush down with great velocity, but the depth, or volume of the stream, would overcome these inequalities, and a uniform surface thus be presented. A beautiful rainbow is occasionally displayed on the spray of this water-fall. It is, however, only visible on summer mornings, between five and six o'clock. The prismatic colours are said to be vividly exhibited."