But Mr. Douglas was vexed at such folly, and she could answer nothing better to his questions than that a thought had come into her head, and she could not 'help it. So he was resolved to go, and he kissed her and threw his nets on his shoulder, and went away. For some minutes after, Jeanie stood just on the same spot, looking at the door where he had gone out, and then began to tremble all over like the leaf of a tree; at length, coming to herself with a start, she knelt down upon both knees, and throwing back her forehead, turned her face up towards heaven, and prayed with a load voice to the Almighty, that she might still have her husband in her arms that night.' For some moments she remained motionless and silent, in the same attitude, till at length a sort of brightness resembling a calm smile, passed over her countenance, like a gleam of sunshine on the smooth sea, and bending her head low and reverently, she rose up. She then went as usual about her household affairs, and appeared not any thing discomposed, but as tranquil and happy as if nothing had happened.

Now, the weather was fine and calm in the morning, but towards the afternoon it came on to blow; and indeed the air had been so sultry all day, that the old seafarers might easily tell there would be a racket of the elements before long.

As the wind, however, had been rather contrary, it was supposed that the boats could not have got

far enough out to be in the mischief, but would put back when they saw the signs in the sky.

But in the mean time the wind increased, till towards night it blew as hard a gale as we have seen in these parts for a long time; the ships out there at the tail of the bank, were driven from their. moorings, and two of them stranded on their beam ends, on the other side; every stick and stitch on the sea made for any port they could find, and as the night came on in darkness and thunder, it was a scene that might cow even the hearts that had been brought up on the water, as if it was their proper element, and been familiar with the voice of the tempest from their young days. There was a sad lamenting and murmuring then among the women folk, especially them that were kith or kin to the lads on the sea, and they went into one another's houses in the midst of the storm and the rain, and put in their pale faces through the darkness, as if searching for hope and comfort, and drawing nearer to one another, like a flock of frightened sheep in their fellowship of grief and fear. But there was one who stirred not from her home, and who felt no terror at the shrieking of the night-storm, and sought for no comfort in the countenance of man and that was the wife of Mr. Douglas. She sometimes, indeed, listened to the howling of the sea, that came by fits on her ear, like the voice of the waterkelpie; and starting, "would lay down her work for a momentbut then she remembered the prayer she had prayed to Him who holds the 'reins of the tempest in his hands, and who says to the roaring waters, Be still,' and they are still-and of the

glorious balm she had felt to sink into her heart, at that moment, of high and holy communion, even like the dew of heaven on a parch ed land. So her soul was comforted; and she said to herself, God is not a man that he can lie, and she rested on his assurance as on a rock, and laughed to scorn the trembling of her woman's bosom for why? The anchor of her hope was in heaven, and what earthly storm was so mighty as to remove. it? Then she got up and put the room in order, and placed her husband's shoes to air at the fire-side; and stirred up the fuel, and drew in the armchair for her weary and stormbeaten mariner. Then would she listen at the door, and look out into the night for his coming, but could hear no sound, save the voice of the waters, and the footstep of the tempest, as he rushed along the deep. She then went in again, and walked to and fro in the room with a restless step, but an unblanched cheek. At last the neighbours came to her house, knowing that her husband was one of them that had gone out that day, and told her they were going to walk down to the Clough even in the mirk hour, to try if they could not hear some news of the boats. So she went with them, and we walked altogether along the road, it might be some twenty or thirty of us, but it was remarked that though she came not hurriedly nor in fear, yet she had not even thrown her cloak on her shoulders to defend her from the night air, but came forth with her head uncovered, and in her usual raiment of white, like a bride to the altar. And as we passed along, it must have been a strange sight to see so many pale faces, by the red glare of

the torches they carried, and to hear so many human wailings filling up the pauses of the storm; but at the bead of our melancholy procession, there was a calm heart and a firm step, and they were Jeanie's. Sometimes, indeed, she would look back, as some cry of womanish foreboding from behind would smite on her ear, and strange thoughts would crowd into her mind, and once she was heard to mutter-if her prayer had but saved her husband, to bind some other innocent victim on the mysterious altar of wrath, and she stopped for a moment, as if in anguish at the wild imagination. But now, as we drew nearer the rocks, where the light-house is built, sounds were heard distinctly on the shore, and we waved the torches in the air, and gave a great shout, which was answered by kent voices for they were some of our own people, and our journey was at an end. A number of us then went on before, and groped our way among the rocks as well as we could for the darkness; but a woeful tale met our ear, for one of the boats had been shattered to pieces, while endeavouring to land there, and when we went down they were just dragging the body of a comrade stiff and stark from the sea. When the women behind heard it, there was a terrible cry of dismay, for no one knew but it might have been her own brother or son; and some who held torches dropped them from fear, trembling to have the terrors of their heart confirmed. There was one, however, who stood calm and unmoved by the side of the dead body. She spoke some words of holy comfort to the women, and they were silent at her voice. She then stepped lightly forward, and took a torch from

PORTABLE CAMERA OBSCURA.

This amusing optical toy may be made in a box, that will go into the pocket. A magnifying glass is fixed in the wooden tube A, and the object is thrown upon the mirror B, placed at an angle of 45 degrees. A picture of an extensive view may thus be obtained in the space of a few inches.

ELECTRICAL PHENOMENON.

The effect of stroking a cat's back briskly with the hand, is well known as a domestic recreation, has been long and generally practised as an amuse, ment, and is frequently adopted as pas time in winter evenings. Shocks may also be imparted to the other hand than that which is employed in stroking the animal by forming the electric circle as follows: Let the cat be placed before a good fire, for ten or fifteen minutes! then put it into the lap of the operator, who passing the palm of the hand over its back, the usual scintillæ will be emitted; but let the other hand be applied to the throat, so as the finger and thumb touch the jaw or shoulder bone, and the hand so applied will feel slight shocks, as if discharged by the Leyden phial. We would aug gest the necessity for a good under

standing between the operator and the apparatus, otherwise shocks very different from those described above may be anticipated.

SIMPLE MICROSCOPE.

The most powerful single microscopes are very small globules of glass, which may be made by melting the ends of fine threads of glass in the flame of a candle, or by taking a little fine powdered glass on the point of a very small needle, and melting it into a globule in that way. It was with such microscopes as these that Lewenhoeck made all his wonderful discoveries, most of which are deposited in the British Museum.

THE CHANGEABLE ROSE

Take a common full blown rose, and having thrown flowers of sulphur into a chaffing dish of hot coals, hold the rose over the perfumes thereof, and it will change to nearly white. It the rose has been a long time plucked, the white will be perfectly so. Afterwards dip it in water a short time, lay it aside for a few hours, and its colour will return as the effect of the sulphur is decomposed. A damp or humid atmosphere will bring about the same decomposition, but slower.

VARIETIES. Interesting An ECDOTE. In 1810, towards the latter end of October, the Princess Amelia died, after a protracted and painful illness, which she had endured with exemplary meekness and resignation. Aware of what must be its termination, she had some of her hair set in a ring, and one day when her blind father, making his daily visit, came to her bed-side, and held out his hand to her, she put this sad memorial upon his finger silently. Her dissolution Occurred so soon afterwards, that she never knew the fatal consequences. The king had suffered intense anxiety during her illness, and when he felt this last indication of his daughter's love, feeling at the same time but too surely all that it implied, it affected him so strongly as to bring on the recurrence of a malady which had rendered the appointment of a regent necessary two-and twenty years before. Southey's History, &c. Vol. 2.

VOLTAIRE-When Voltaire was writing his Tragedy of Merope,' he called up his servant one morning at three o'clock, and gave him some verses to carry immediately to the Sieur Paulin, who was to perform the tyrant. His man alleged that it was the hour of sleep, and that the actor might not like to be disturbed. Go, I say,' replied Voltaire, Tyrants never sleep,'-MirFor of Literature.

PADDY'S OPINION OE POTATOES. As several speculative philosophers have, in very unqualified terms, reprobated the use of potatoes, and ascribed all (the evils, moral, political, and religious, which afflict Ireland, to the use of that vegetable by the poor natives, we think it but fair to make known the opinion of one of these sufferers on this important subject. Two Irish labourers were sitting on the quay at the Pigeonhouse, Dublin, waiting for the packet to sail which was to bring them to England, along with many others of their countrymen, to look for work during the summer. One of them, called Jem, was whiling away the interval, eating some bread; and the other, Paddy, was, like a cameleon, feeding on air, when

DELICATE APPETITE. When Brazil was first discovered, the majority of the natives were cannibals, and many of them are so to this day. They had learnt to consider human flesh as the most exquisite of all dainties. A Jesuit one day found a Brazilian woman in extreme old age, and almost at the point of death. Having catechised her, and instructed her, as he conceived, in the nature of Christianity, and completely taken care of her soul, he began to inquire whether there was any kind of food which she could take. ' Grandam,' said he, that being the word of cour tesy, by which it was usual to address old women,' If I were to get you a little sugar now, or a mouthful of some of our nice things which we get from beyond sea, do you think you could eat it? Ab, my grandson,' said the old convert, my stomach goes against every thing. There is but one thing which I think I could touch. If I had the little hand of a little tender Tapuya boy, I think I could pick the little bones; but woe is me, there is nobody to go out and shoot one for me.!!