probability, they would have got more harm from a long interval of poverty than the sum of money to which they might ultimately be entitled would ever repay. Nay, the sum itself may be diminished by the use of the power of advancement which most settlements contain, and if a father and his grown-up children wished to combine to defraud a settlement and to defeat its objects, and had confidence in each other, they might contrive ways of doing so. Even then, in the extreme case just put, a settlement is an imperfect security, but it is surely self-evident that if a woman marries a brute and a fool, she must expect to be miserable, and her children will be wretched too. The truth is that a large proportion of English marriage settlements are made in obedience to a sentiment which, though quite intelligible and far from unnatural, ought not to be encouraged. Marriage gives the vent. husband, from the very nature of the case, almost unlimited power over the wife's happiness, and indeed over her character and herself, and parents naturally see in their daughters' lovers men who are about to destroy all the authority which they have hitherto exercised, to weaken very greatly some of the closest ties of affection, to put new elements-elements of which the parents may totally disapprove into the characters which they have educated, and to a great extent framed, and, over and above that, to exercise a sort of despotism over their persons and property, except in so far as the stipulations of a settlement may restrain them. A man is naturally jealous of all this in the highest degree, and the marriage settlement is the only channel through which his jealousy can find an open He and his lawyer frame it with the unexpressed and hardly conscious conviction-for the lawyer is always a man of routine, and the father's feelings are excited-that they are taking precautions against an enemy. Mind he does not speculate, mind he does not waste the money, mind he does not rob the children; don't leave anything to my daughter's discretion-she is so infatuated with this fellow, who seems to me nothing particular, that she would give her eyes out of her head if he asked her; tie him up hand and foot, and get every farthing out of him that you possibly can. These, not in words, but in tone and spirit, are the instructions which men usually give to the attorney who frames their daughters' settlements. They forget, or rather they do not like to remember, that when all is said and done, the husband will be nearer and dearer to the wife than the father or mother; that the presumption is, that he will care much more for her than they do, and a thousand times more for her children; that in all probability he will know his own business best; that, in tying his hands, they are tying hands that would be used for her service in circumstances which cannot possibly be foreseen; and that if the horse really requires such elaborate kicking straps and martingales, he had better not be put into harness at all. No conditions that can be framed can prevent a husband from destroying his wife's happiness, debauching her mind, making her children scoundrels and outcasts, ruining their name, their character, and their very souls, and when a man is freely allowed to do all this without restraint, is it not rather straining at a gnat while swallowing a camel to prevent his investing her money, except in government securities, or on mortgage of freehold estates in England? In applying these views to practice, it must always be remembered that, though the existing law and the practice founded upon it may be very inconvenient, though they imply a low view of the relation between husband and wife, and a low estimate of the sense and spirit of married women, they go together, and it is nearly impossible to alter the one without altering the other. So long as the law is what it is, it is simply impossible for the friends of a lady about to marry to allow her to marry without any settlement at all, as the effect of doing so would be to make a present of the whole of her property to her husband, leaving her wholly dependent on him. If she had a right to be considered as his partner, if she could sue him during the marriage, or sue his executors after his death, as a French wife can, for an account of the partnership funds, she might be trusted to take care of herself. A grown-up woman ought to be, and generally is, fully able to protect herself and her children from force or fraud, and there is no reason for interfering with the legitimate influence which an affectionate husband acquires over his wife. If she wishes to spend part of her fortune, or even the whole of it, in helping him in his necessities, why should she be prevented beforehand from doing so? Why should it be supposed that her relations will understand her interests before marriage better than she will understand them afterwards? As matters actually stand, however, a settlement is the only protection available against a state of the law which is most oppressive, and though it is an awkward and cumbrous one, it can hardly be dispensed with. The only practical advice which can be given to persons about to marry, so long as the law remains unaltered, is to make the investment clause as wide as possible, to prevent the attorneys on the one side and the other from viewing the parties to the marriage as natural enemies, likely to abuse their powers to the utmost to each other's disadvantage, utterly unfit to be trusted with the management of their own affairs, and likely to care far less for the interests of their children when they are actually born than the possible grandfathers and grandmothers before they are thought of. Let them remember, in a word, that if the marriage is a happy one, the settlement will be a mere nuisance; whilst if the marriage is unhappy, the settlement at best may be a trifling alleviation of part of the misery which such a marriage will involve. 679 Colours of the Double Stars. Hither, when all the deep unsounded skies Regions of lucid matter taking forms, Brushes of fire, hazy gleams, Clusters and beds of worlds, and bee-like swarms Of suns, and starry streams. She saw the snowy poles of moonless Mars, Below Orion, and those double stars Whereof the one more bright Is circled by the other. TENNYSON. If the stars be observed on a clear night, it will be seen that they shine with different colours. The most noticeable hues are red, white, and yellow; no stars exhibit a distinct blue or green colour, though some have a bluish or greenish tinge. In our Northern latitudes, where the air is scarcely ever free from haze and vapour, this diversity of colouring is not, perhaps, very striking; but in Southern climes, and especially in inland regions, where the air is less humid, the effect is far greater: the whole vault of heaven seems set with sparkling gems. The difference of tint we have mentioned, is perceptible to the naked eye, in our clime, only among stars of the first and second magnitudes. Even among these observers differ slightly; the colours, however, of the following bright stars are unmistakable:-Aldebaran, Arcturus, Betelgueux, and Pollux, are red; Sirius, Arided, and Regulus, are white; Capella, Procyon, and Dubhe, are yellow. Altair, Vega, Spica, and Castor, are generally described as white. The first two are not very distant from each other, and can be readily compared. Vega, passing near the zenith early in the afternoon at this season of the year, will be recognized by its brilliancy and the two companion stars to the south, a little westerly. In the same direction from Vega, lies Altair, the central and brightest star of three near together. It will be found that Altair and Vega present a decided contrast. The former exhibits a yellowish tinge, while Vega shines with a bluish white colour, which may be aptly compared to the gleam of polished steel. The beautiful star, Spica, is of the same colour as Vega ; perhaps the blue tinge is slightly more decided in Spica. Castor, the western star of the twin stars Castor and Pollux, will be found in the evening in the cast. It has a slightly green tinge when seen by the naked eye, or in a telescope of moderate power. A telescope of higher power resolves it into two stars, one white, the other pale green. The ancients noted some of these brighter stars, and we thus learn the remarkable fact that their colours are not unchangeable. Sirius was celebrated in the writings of the ancients as a bright red star; it is now decidedly white. Other changes have been noted, and some of these have occurred within a comparatively short time. Startling thoughts are suggested by these variations: we seem urged to the conclusion that some vast change has taken place in the very constitution of these orbs; and thence might gather that it is within the bounds of possibility that, at some future period, the light dispensed by our own sun should be simiarly modified! We shall presently notice a theory, or rather a specuation, that has been started on this subject. Before doing so, however, we must describe the singular and beautiful phenomena revealed by the telescope. Among the stars either altogether unseen, or but faintly visible, to the naked eye, the telescope reveals the same diversity of colouring. Many of these stars, indeed, are found to be coloured in a more marked manner than those we have hitherto mentioned. Stars are found shining with a scarlet, blood-red, brilliant orange, or deep yellow colour. Still, however, no stars of a deep blue or green tint occur singly. Thus far, then, the telescope has merely extended the range of our view, without disclosing appearances differing in any important respect from those already observed. When, however, a telescope of sufficient power is directed successively to double or multiple stars, we soon notice new and singular phenomena. Not only do we find every shade and tint of the primary and secondary colours, and such hues as grey, fawn, and ash-colour, but we notice that in many cases the stars forming a binary system are of complementary colours. Struve has observed that this is the case in upwards of one hundred of the double systems. In triple and multiple systems, similar arrangements of colour are noticed. We append a list of some of the most remarkable and beautiful binary stars within the reach of telescopes of moderate power. The number following the name of each star expresses its magnitude. For the convenience of those of our readers who may desire to view these objects, and who possess charts of the heavens, or celestial globes, we give the position of each star, on the figure representing the constellation to which it belongs. Cancri (5), in the northern claw. Orange and purple. and red. Light green 24 Coma Berenicis (6), near the northern wing of Virgo. Orange and green. Both yellow. 61 Cygni (6), near the southern foot. White and blue. Ursa Minoris (3), in the Bear's tail. White and light green. Distance 14". If this star (Mizar) be observed with the naked eye on a clear night, a faint companion (Alcor) will be observed close beside it. The distance between Mizar and Alcor is no less than 720", yet from observations of their proper motions, which are found to be identical, astronomers conclude that they form one system; a triple one, since Mizar is a double star. On the other hand, a fourth star, nearer to Mizar than Alcor is, is found to have a different proper motion, whence we may conclude that its association with Mizar and Alcor is not physical, but merely optical. lilac. B Scorpii (2), a bright star in the Scorpion's head. White and Yellow and blue. B Cygni, Albireo (3), on the beak. γ Arietis, Mesartim (4), at the tip of the western horn; the first double star detected by the telescope. White and grey. and 5 Lyræ (5), a quadruple star, on the stand of the Lyre. A very low power resolves the star into a double one, the distance between the constituents being no less than 210". Each of these, when closely observed with higher powers, is found to be a double star. The distance between the first pair is 3.2"; the colours are white and pale red. The distance between the second pair is 2.6"; both are white. It has been suggested that the diversity of colouring of which we have given these illustrations may be merely the effect of contrast. It is well known that in the neighbourhood of any brightly coloured object, other objects, less bright, appear tinged with the opposite, or complementary colour. Thus, if the scarlet curtains of a window, through which the light of the sun is pouring, be drawn close, objects in the room, not actually under the glare of the red light thus produced, appear green; even the blaze of a bright fire assuming that colour. Where one star is large and of a decided colour, the other small and of the true complementary colour, this explanation is not only plausible, but probable. But the reader cannot have failed to notice in the above list of double stars, many cases in which the colours of both constituents are decided, yet not complementary. In some instances both stars are of the same colour, or very nearly so. Here, then, the suggested explanation altogether fails. Again, we may subject this solution of the difficulty to the test of experiment. Where the components of a binary system are not too close, we may hide one, and allow the other to be seen. Thus, the effect of contrast being removed, we should expect the colouring of the visible constituent to disappear. In some cases, indeed, a decided modification is thus produced in the apparent colouring of the smaller component of a double system. More frequently, however, the colours remain as distinct, when the stars are viewed separately, as when both are in the field of view. Struve notes this specially in the case of the three stars composing Cygni, the |