into more piercing keenness the intense cold of winter. The region of the coast, less elevated than the interior plateau, and sloping gradually towards the sea, is broken into an alternation of mountains and valleys, which produces the most agreeable variety, and presents a pleasant contrast to the bleak and barren sameness by which the central region is characterized. It is every where fertile, or may easily be rendered so by means of irrigation. With regard to the climate, its diversities are determined by the physical conformation of the country. The temperature of the air, always varying less on the borders of the sea, than in the interior of the country, is much more equable on the coasts of Spain than in the different provinces of that kingdom. On the northern and western coast the prevailing winds blow from the west, and, loaded with the moisture they have absorbed in their passage across the Atlantic, discharge abundant rains in winter and in spring. The atmosphere is much calmer on the coast of the Mediterranean, where the east winds, which are the most frequent, never acquire the force which they possess at the extremity of the Peninsula, especially at Cadiz. Thus the coasts of Catalonia, and those of the kingdoms of Valencia, Murcia, and Grenada, enjoy a mild temperature, which seldom descends so low as 32°, and generally maintains itself above 57° of Fahrenheit. Winter, indeed, is almost unknown on a coast sheltered by the elevated land of the interior, and warmed by the rays of a cloudless sun. On the plateau of the Castilles, the mean height of which is about eighteen hundred feet above the level of the sea, heat accumulates more slowly; and it is not until the beginning of July that the atmosphere, having then become calmer, acquires a temperature capable of sustaining itself between 57° and 68°, or of ascending as high as 77° of Fahrenheit. In the month of August the coolness of the nights, then become longer, shoots, as it were, into the morning, and also makes itself felt in the evening soon after sunset; by which means the heat of the day is considerably moderated. Except in the northern provinces, the climate of Spain is every where remarkable for its dryness. A freedom from rain and dampness, and a cloudless transparent sky, are advantages which may generally be counted on. But this dryness sometimes becomes excessive, and degenerates into a scorching drought, by which the rivers are entirely dried up, vegetation is utterly destroyed, and men and animals die miserably of thirst. The annals of Spain record numerous instances of such droughts, with the fatal effects of which they were productive both on vegetable and animal life. In that elevated basin in which the capital is situated, the heats of summer are in fact always so great, that, according to the Spanish saying, Madrid has nine months of winter and three of hell (nueve meses d'invierno y tres d'inferno.) In its wisdom, however, the adminis

tration has contrived to improve on the bounty of nature, and it may now accordingly, without any exaggeration, be said, that, to the greater part of the inhabitants of that capital, the whole year consists of twelve months of hell! Many of the mountains of Spain, rising above the line of congelation in that country, have their summits covered with perpetual snow; whilst the elevated and unsheltered plains of the interior are swept by cold blasts in winter, and burnt up in summer by a powerful and never clouded sun. This is in a great measure owing to the want of wood, which is scarcer in Spain than in any other country in Europe. In fact, from Bayonne to Cadiz not a single forest is to be seen: excepting several patches in Biscay, the groves and avenues of Aranjuez, and some valleys or rather gorges in Andalusia, which are studded by trees of a certain thickness, all the rest of the kingdom in this direction is of a whitish arid aspect, which fatigues the eye and saddens the spirit. The mountains, destitute of vegetation, no longer attract the humidity of the air, necessary for the support of plants in valleys and plains; the rivers, as we have already said, are almost all inconsiderable throughout the greater part of their rapid courses; and the level grounds being in like manner wholly naked and unsheltered, the climate of this elevated region, untempered and unmitigated, necessarily produces those extremes of heat and cold which are so detrimental to the fertility of the soil, and to the health and comfort of its inhabitants. Nor is this nakedness the effect of natural sterility, or of any thing in the climate adverse to the growth of trees. On the contrary, the example of Valencia shows that, in the luxuriance of its forests as well as of its crops, Spain might have rivalled or surpassed any country in Europe. But the people generally have an inveterate and inexplicable prejudice against trees, which are mercilessly cut down or destroyed ere they attain any considerable growth; and so universal and savage is this strange propensity in the central provinces, that the most watchful and rigorous measures are necessary to preserve the avenues and groves of Aranjuez from wanton destruction.-(Faure, Laborde, Year in Spain.)

THE MOUTH.

THE mouth has been quaintly called the throne of smiles,' and smiles are said to be all sisters; yet how little do they resemble each other! Some are simple, ingenuous, modest and innocent; others are tender, winning and voluptuous; others are lively, gay, petulant or witty, and others mischievous, satirical or scornful. Of all these lovely or mischievous companions of the lips, the half-smile is, by far, the most lovely. We take the liberty

of bestowing this name upon the virgin smile which shows itself with such timidity, which peeps forth with such grace, and which dare not, as it would seem, completely expand itself—the smile, if we may say so, which is not so much a smile as the desire of smiling. The half-smile is the charming symbol of innocence and candour, the emblem of virtue and of pleasure, simple, natural, and unsophisticated.* The full formed smile, however, is but little inferior to its younger sister. Somewhat less retiring and timid, it speaks with more spirit to the heart; and, the expression being more complete, tends to make it perhaps, still dearer to the admirers of beauty. The smile, when ingenuous, is, indeed, one of the most powerful charms of beauty. Its language is most expressive; mute indeed, but eloquent. It is by a smile that a bashful beauty approves an avowal which her tongue opposes, but with which her heart is flattered. How many conquests have been made by a graceful smile!

May it not be-is it not probable-that the poets and painters of antiquity found the model of Cupid's fabled bow in the graceful form of the female lip? Is not, indeed, the mouth of a handsome and virtuous woman, the most powerful weapon of the "mischievous boy," who, as has been observed, by a lady of great wit, can subject the stronger sex to the dominion of the weaker? The lip is truly, then, the bow of love; and of all the arrows discharged by Cupid, the smile of innocence, is certainly the most effective, and particularly the one which Milton says, "Loves to play in dimple sleek." Such is the power of a smile-but we cannot forbear remarking, that every thing, and even a smile may be abused, from our being able sometimes to counterfeit nature. Those charming smiles, which play spontaneously with such grace on the ruby lip of youthful beauty, too often owe their existence to the combination of artifice. 'Tis easy, however, to distinguish the one from the other; for the smile which is the offspring of art, is destitute of all that native grace, which can only be bestowed by the hand of nature, and the impulse of a pure heart. We should be careful then, not to confound the lovely expression of feeling and of mind, with the mechanical and studied movements of a counterfeit face. As the plants cultivated beneath a glass never assume the free and natural attitudes and freshened tints of those which grow in the open air of a genial climate, so the smile which is the child of art never possesses the truth and graces of its amiable model-the one is ingenuous love, which appears in all its loveliness, while the other is a dangerous net, spread by a deceitful hand.† Since, then, smiles are of so much importance to beauty, the mouth by which they are formed deserves the utmost care. The colour of the lips-the rich, fresh, L'Art de se faire Aimer.

Encyclop die des Dames.

ruby tint, so highly praised by poets, painters, and lovers, and upon which even philosophers delight to look, depends chiefly on health; and we can almost insure it, without chance of disappointment, to those who, from their earliest life, have been accustomed to observe the rules of health. Strict temperance and regular exercise in the open air, clothing adapted to preserve the body from the vicissitudes of the weather, while it leaves to every limb and muscle a perfect freedom of action, with a cultivated mind, and peaceful conscience, are the only genuine means of increasing health and of perfecting personal beauty.

The proper position, regularity, and whiteness of the teeth also, are essential to the beauty of the mouth, and add an additional grace to many a smile. The teeth, it is true, are but little under the dominion of art, with respect to their regularity and arrangement-though by attention to the general health of the system, and especially by proper food and drinks, exercise and temperance, much can be done in preserving their whiteness and brilliancy.

In short, if one half the attention which is daily paid by females to increase the beauty of the mouth and face by artificial aids, were bestowed upon the rational means of preserving health-we should hear less of the faded charms-blanched lips and wrinkled brows, to conceal which, excites now so much solicitude in those who have, as yet, scarcely attained the prime of life.

server.

CLEANLINESS OF CHILDREN.

THE following excellent remarks upon the necessity of cleanliness in children, appeared originally in the Connecticut ObThe erroneous opinion to which they refer is so generally maintained by a certain class in society, that we feel desirous of giving them a more extensive circulation, by transferring them to this Journal.

In section X. of the Catechism of Health, at page 19, we find the following question and answer :

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"Q. Is the common saying, that children thrive best in dirt, correct?

"A. It is altogether false. Without a child is kept clean in its person and clothing, is lodged in a clean apartment, and sleeps in a clean bed, it is impossible to preserve it in perfect health."

Without explanation, these remarks would appear to many to be extravagant, and contrary to fact. Children, it will be said, who are allowed to play in dirt are as healthy as those who are confined in the parlour, and even much more so. But it ought to be remarked that our author is here speaking, not of the

health of the child when compared with those around him, but of perfect health. He who is allowed to play in the dirt, may indeed be more vigorous than many other children, yet it is possible that his vigour would be still greater if he were kept clean. It is not the dirt which benefits him, but his active exercise in the open air, the advantages of which are more than sufficient, so far, to compensate for the injury he sustains from the earth, as to still leave him in a better state of health than those who are deprived of proper air and exercise. So that the sentiments in the work from which we have quoted may be true, notwithstanding the objection which is brought against them.

We are the more solicitous to combat belief in the salutary tendency of a neglect of cleanliness, because we know it prevails to some extent, and because we know also, both from reason and from fact, that it is a gross error. Every portion of the skin is pierced with little holes, which serve as outlets for the fluids of perspiration. They are so numerous that we cannot touch the skin with the finest needle without hitting one or more of these openings. While a person is in health, there is not a moment, sleeping or waking, in which fluid in the form of a vapour or mist is not escaping, unless the mouths of these little vessels are blocked up. Now, can they be closed with filth for hours together, and the subject escape uninjured? We do not believe it!

It is, however, true, that years sometimes intervene before the evil consequences appear. The office of the vessels of the skin being interrupted, by a law of the animal economy an increase of action is imposed on other parts, especially on the internal organs commonly called glands, which action is apt to settle into obstinate disease. Hence, at least when aided by other causes, often arise, in later life, after the source of the evil is forgotten, if it were ever suspected, rheumatism, scrofula, jaundice, and even consumption. There is something deceitful after all, in the ruddy, blooming appearance of those children who are left by the busy parent to play in the road or field, without attention to cleanliIf this were not so, how comes it to pass, that they suffer much more, not only from chronic diseases, but from fevers and other acute diseases, than the same number of those children whose parents are in better circumstances?

ness.

There is a vulgar notion abroad that the smell of the earth is beneficial, especially to consumptive persons. We honestly believe, however, that it is as likely to create consumption as to cure it. Besides, in what does this smell consist? Do the silex, the alumine, and the other earths, with their compounds, emit any odour? Rarely, we believe, unless when mixed with vegetable matter. But no gases necessary to health are evolved during the decomposition of vegetable matter; on the contrary it is well known that many of them tend to induce disease. We