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of Salmon Fry, from the exclusion of the Cod to the age of two years." These papers were presented to the Royal Society of Edinburgh, in December, 1839, and published in the Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal, in 1836 and 1838. The article in Maga is too long for extract, but the facts it shews are these, that the young of the salmon, in the state of smelts, as they are called here, and smolts in Scotland, instead of passing to the sea, when three weeks old, and from six to nine inches long, as all authorities, learned and practical, (from the great naturalist, John Ray, who, in conjunction with his friend Willughby, published, at Oxford, in 1686, a Latin folio, entitled De Historia Piscium, the writer glances at Dr. Arthur Young, Pennant, Baron Cuvier, Dr. Fleming, Dr. Knox, M. Agassiz, of Neufchatel, Sir W. Jardine, the Rev. Leonard Jenyns, Dr. Richardson, Mr. Yarrell, "Ichthyology," in the Encyclopædia Britannica, and Dr. Parnell, down to the fishermen, the labour of whose lives is devoted to the watching the habits of the fish,) have for two centuries believed, they, at that period, change their appearance and tangible characteristics so completely as to have been considered another fish, and named parr in the north. Mr. Shaw had long doubted the prevailing opinions as to the early exit of the smolt, in its youth and weakness, for the perils of a descent to the sea, and suspected that the parr was of the salmon's brood. He took some of these small fishes in July, 1833, placed them in a pond supplied by a wholesome streamlet. There they throve and prospered till the month of April following, when they began to assume a somewhat different aspect; and, in the early part of May, they were converted into what are usually called salmon smolts, or fry; that is, they became of a fine deep blue upon the back, the sides and under portions of a delicate silvery aspect, with the scales very deciduous, or easily adhering to the hand. At this time, also, they exhibited what may be called a migratory instinct, several of them insisting to leap out of the pond, on to the surrounding bank, where they died. This experiment he repeated, and ascertained that the larger parrs observable in autumn, winter, and early spring, were, in truth, young salmon, advancing to the conclusion of their second year; while the smaller spring and summer parr, (called May-parrs in certain parts of Scotland,) were younger individuals of the same species, only entering upon their second year.

This, then, our ingenious friend regarded, (and we think truly,) as the detection of the great leading error of the preceding

observers, who had uniformly maintained that salmon fry grow to the length of six or eight inches in as many weeks, and that after the lapse of this brief period, they take their gregarious departure to sea. Nor was this all: he made a minute examination of the streams where old salmon had spawned in the preceding winter; and he there found, in vast numbers, a small, but extremely active fish, which he naturally concluded to be the young parr, or actual samlet of the season. To test the truth of this, he scooped up a few dozen of them on the 15th May, 1834. They then measured not more than an inch in length, and the small transverse bars which mark the parr were already clearly distinguishable. He placed them in his ponds, where they throve well; and by the ensuing May, (1835,) when they had been a year in his possession, they were found, on examination, to measure, on an average, about three inches and a half. At this period, they entirely corresponded with the small parr seen in the natural streams of the river; and neither the free nor the captive brood of these dimensions exhibited any tendency to assume the silvery aspect of the smolt. They were allowed to remain; and in May, 1836, they were transmuted into smolts, or salmon fry. They then measured six inches and a half in length; their colour, on the dorsal region, being of a fine deep blue, the sides and abdomen silvery white, the dorsal, caudal, and especially the pectoral fins, tipped or tinged with black. The smolts of the river were then descending seawards, and no difference could be discovered between them. Mr. Shaw asks: "Is it likely that those in the river, which so identically resembled them, were only a few weeks old?"

The result of all the experiments, (detailed at length in Blackwood's Magazine,) "shew, 1st, that parr are the young of salmon, being convertible into smolts; and, 2ndly, that the main body, if not the whole of these smolts, do not proceed to the sea until the second spring after that in which they are hatched."-We perceive confirmation of this in the Worcestershire Guardian, which says: "We have already received information proving the distinct existence of the fry, in the two forms, in the Teme, since we have been in possession of Mr. Shaw's discovery. It tells us that, in the past week, a very fine and beautiful specimen of the smolt in the forward state, measuring ten inches in length, was taken in the Teme, within a few miles of Worcester. The fish had lost the transverse bars and spots indicative of the parr state, and the belly and sides were of a most brilliant silvery whiteness. In the same river, at

Powick, about a mile from its confluence with the Severn, two days previously, a parr, four or five inches long, had been taken, fully answering to the description of Mr. Shaw." [We quote this very interesting précis from the Gloucestershire Chronicle, ably edited by our Correspondent, Vyvyan.]

New Books.

ASMODEUS; OR, THE DEVIL ON TWO STICKS.

LE SAGE'S inimitable Diable Boiteux having lately been illustrated, in France, by the fertile pencil of Tony Johannot, Mr. Thomas has retranslated this richly imaginative work, for the sake of introducing Johannot's designs to the British reader. The publication is periodical, at a price almost beyond competition, as thirty-two pages, with twenty-three wood-cuts, and a larger engraving upon India paper-for one shilling! The wrapper, as usual, is a spirited composition: a Spanish billman and billsticker upon ladders are posting a large bill (the title-page) beneath a window, out of which peers a Don of importance. Asmodeus forms the vignette; and below is a Spanish crowd, one of whom points, in high glee, to the printing on the wall. The portrait of Asmodeus is a vivid incarnation of Le Sage's monster, two feet six inches high, and supported by crutches: it is a very impersonation of Satanic grace, arrayed in all the finery of this wicked world. Of the incidental cuts, we most admire, Cleophas escaping over the housetops; the Spanish lady; the miser counting his gold; the gallant sexagenarian, and his valet easing him of an arm and leg; undressing the coquette; the amateur concert, (somewhat too coarse ;) and the registrar of civil courts and the demon. All these are rich in biting yet pleasant satire, and possess the breadth and vigour requisite for the illustration of the humorous text; to the illustration of which this style of design is better adapted than for the grave realities of working-day life. eccentricity, or extravagance, is, in such cases, its best recommendation.

SONGS AND BALLADS. BY THE PRINCES ALBERT AND ERNEST.

Its

A copy of these royal chansons has only just reached us; or, we should have before introduced them to the reader. The publication has, doubtless, been very popular; the circumstance of the two princes alternately writing the words, and composing the music, rendering the whole a performance of extreme attractiveness: a circumstance which reminds us that, at

no period, within our recollection, has the court of England been more characterized by the refined intellectuality of its pursuits and objects of patronage, than at the present time. It has likewise afforded us much pleasure to witness the interest which the distinguished authors of these Ballads appear to take in the prosperity of our literary and scientific associations; more especially the enrolment of Prince Albert as a fellow of the Royal Society, and the Royal Society of Literature; and a patron of the Statistical Society. And, this scholarly predilection has not induced His Royal Highness to withhold his patronage from pursuits of less gravity; as our firstclass public amusements, tasteful labours of art, and productions of meritorious ingenuity: all which countenance, (we speak not with "the candied tongue,") is calculated to produce a very beneficial effect upon the literature and the arts of the country. Such conduct is altogether characteristic of the pre-eminently intellectual nation of which His Royal Highness is so illustrious a scion.

The "Songs and Ballads" have been very neatly translated from the original German, by Mr. G. F. Richardson, of the British Museum, whose spirited translation of the Life and Works of Körner may be in the reader's remembrance. The words are given in English and German; and the contents are fourteen poems and forty-two pages of music, illustrated with an engraved portrait of Prince Albert, from a drawing by Mr. G. Howard. Eleven of the airs are the composition of Prince Albert; the words being generally by Prince Ernest, who, in three instances, has supplied both music and words. The melodies are graceful and pleasing, as are also the words: of the latter we subjoin a specimen :

The Bark Dashes Wildly.

(POETRY BY PRINCE ERNEST; MUSIC BY
PRINCE ALBERT.)

As the bark dashes wildly, and springs from the shore,

Though the waves fiercely rage, and the winds loudly roar,

As the mountains rush past, in a flight fleet as this,
For mountains are found in the course e'en of bliss;
Yes! mountains, &c,

Thus wild as the flight of the bark on the wave,
That threatens the seaman a billowy grave,
Is the fate of the soul that to love is a slave!
Is the fate of the soul, &c.
Sleep, O Sleep.

(POETRY AND MUSIC BY PRINCE ERNEST.)
Sleep, O sleep, my infant joy,
On this bosom rest my boy;
Sleep till morning, calm and free,
For thy mother wakes o'er thee.
I will strew sweet infant blossom,
Flowers upon thy gentle breast,
As thou'lt shed them o'er my bosom,
When I, too, am gone to rest.

[We have quoted the preceding principally for the sake of its reference to the very interesting custom of strewing flowers over the graves of departed relatives and friends.]

MUDIE'S CHINA AND ITS RESOURCES.

(Concluded from page 108.)

THE province called Nanking, by Europeans, contained, before its division, according to the Chinese accounts, a surface of more than 81,000 square miles, and a population of seventy millions, or ten millions more inhabitants than the whole Russian empire. Of this province, the eastern section, though rather small in respect to surface, is still the most populous in China, (containing upwards of thirtyseven millions,) and is traversed thoughout by the imperial canal, three miles in breadth. In this province, are the principal green-tea districts; in noticing which, Mr. Mudie infers the green tea to require rather a colder climate than black; and he is inclined to consider the plants producing black and green tea not as species, though often described so, but climatal varieties, or the same plant grown in different soils; and this inference is illustrated by the excellence of the spirit obtained from the barley of the Scotch Highlands, in comparison with that obtained from the Scotch Lowlands, and the rich valleys of England. Of the tea-plant, it is added: "In the hedge-rows of the low and hot districts in the south of China, the infusion of it has very little flavour; and the leaves are not used, even by the humblest classes of the people. In situations a little more elevated and cold, we have bohea and other inferior teas; in those a little colder still, we have the better black teas; and in the coldest, we have the green teas, which naturally run smaller, both in the plant and the leaf, than any other of the varieties. The Chinese are, however, so very dexterous in the management of trees, that they can contrive to make almost any species arrive at apparent or even real maturity, at almost any height they please. A good deal must, however, depend on the soil, and not a little on the method of treating the plants."

The name, Nanking, means the southern capital of this province, just as Peking means the northern one; the termination, king, meaning that the place is the seat of the Emperor and his court. Nanking is still, Mr. Mudie thinks, as populous a city as any on the globe; so that he rejects the commonly received belief, of Jeddo, the secular capital of Japan, being more thickly peopled. The Chinese description of ancient Nanking, we know, represented it to be sixty miles in circuit,-a good

day's walk across it, or a whole day's ride round it. Though the court has long quitted Nanking, it is still the highest seat of learning; and its environs are finely laid out in gardens, which, as the Chinese study economy in their horticulture, are as useful as they are beautiful.

In noticing the large supply of fish from the province of Shan-tung, it is stated that a considerable portion of it, as well as of the fish from Canton, is sent fresh to Peking, and covered with ice in the boats. Preserving fish for a time in ice, has long been practised in China; although, when salmon was first sent from Scotland to the London market, preserved in this manner, it was looked upon as a new and important discovery."

Of the twelve border provinces of China, six have sea-coasts, and six are inland, (the latter being surrounded by territories subject to the Chinese, excepting the west and south-west of Yun-nan); and there is no great danger of invasion from that quarter, the Birmese power being very inferior to that of China. Mr. Mudie then observes:"It is thus only from the sea that China is at all vulnerable; and though a naval array there might annoy and injure the towns and cities on the coast, and hurt or suspend the coasting trade for a time, yet such an armament could make but very little impression on the empire itself; nor is there anything in the law of civilized nations which would justify such an outrage against a people who never interfere with other nations, or send one ambassador to a foreign court. Even on the land side, though the dependencies of China extend, as has been remarked, to the summits of the grand mountain ridges, these countries cannot be said to have been conquered by the Chinese from the ordinary motives of desiring an increase of territory. The object appears invariably to have been to put an end to those predatory inroads of the hordes of the desert, by which the Chinese were so frequently disturbed and plundered, so long as they had not a control over these hordes. This is proved by the fact, that in all their conquests of Tartary, the Chinese left the people in possession of their own laws and customs, and imposed restraint upon them no further than was necessary for keeping them at peace. It may seem that Thibet is an exception to this, but such in reality is not the case; for though the inhabitants of Thibet had not much facility or disposition for making inroads upon the Chinese provinces; yet the Chinese, being naturally jealous of foreigners, probably from the continual inroads of the Tartars, and having that jealousy strongly excited by the spread of the British power in India, and

especially by the humbling of Nepal and Birmah, were, no doubt, apprehensive that in time this British power would find its way to the western frontiers of the empire; and, by armies there, and fleets on the coast, the celestial empire would be gradually overturned, and a government by British viceroys substituted in its stead. This inference very naturally follows from the circumstances of the case; and the precaution of the Chinese, in getting hold of the whole frontier territory, must be regarded as an act of great foresight and prudence on the part of a people whose general policy it is to live quietly in the possession of their own, without invading their neighbours, for the purpose either of civil and military rule, or religious conversion."

Five provinces, which do not reach the frontier, either landward or seaward, remain to be noticed. In Ho-nan, near Ho-nan-foo, among craggy mountains, is the ancient tower which, according to the Chinese annals, was the observatory of Chow-kung, an astronomer, the supposed inventor of the mariner's compass, a thousand years before the Christian era; which, Mr. Mudie considers, "may be true, but is not very probable."

Of Hoo-pih, the fifteenth province, the capital, Woo-chang-foo, on the Blue River, is a great resort for Chinese merchants; with so great a number of vessels in its harbour as to resemble a sea-port, which, in the very centre of the land, is an advantage scarcely possessed by any other country but China. The river is wider than the Thames, and six miles in length of it are sometimes covered with vessels. This port is the great granary of the empire, and here the Chinese may rest in safety; for, taking the windings of the river, Woo-chang-foo is between 500 and 600 miles inland; and thus "completely out of the reach of any invading fleet, the conductors of which were, as they would be, ignorant of the shoals and other dangers of the navigation; and when it is considered through how dense a population such a fleet would have to pass, the idea of reaching this port is an absurdity."

In this

The province of Keang-se has the finest porcelain manufactories: at one place is a triple row of barges, two or three miles in length, engaged in this trade. province, too, is manufactured the blue Nanking china; and the females here have not their feet cramped and distorted, as in other provinces, so that they may take a share in the labour.

Mr. Mudie thinks the Chinese have been unjustly accused of exaggerating their population, and that we are warranted to conclude, from even the slightest topo

graphical survey which can be taken, that the Chinese are the most numerous nation, and China the finest country, on the face of the earth. Not only this; for if we take the collected annals of China, which are continuous for nearly 3000 years, and if we bear in mind that from the beginning the Chinese have been, not only a writing, but a printing people, and a people printing, not in symbols of sound, which are mutable in every alphabetical language,- -we must see that there are elements of veracity in the annals of China, which are not found in those of any other country; - if we take those annals, we find that, though there have been changes of dynasty, and unions and separations of provinces in China, though proportionally fewer than in any other country,-yet the country itself, and the people, in the essential parts of their characters, have been one and the same during this very long period.

The next section relates to the physical characters of China, shewing that she has the physical, and might have the intellectual capacity of maintaining herself, upon her own ground, against the oppressions of every nation upon earth. This is one side of the grand China question; and the remaining sections glance at the government, regulations, customs, arts, occupations, and learning and language of the country, shewing how they operate upon the intellectual energy and moral courage of the people. The whole, we can assure the reader, is as interesting as it is important for him to acquire, if he wishes to pass muster in well-informed society. The volume is, altogether, cleverly executed, and contains, in its 200 pages, the substance of many quartos. It is illustrated with two large maps-China and Assam.

Varieties.

The Aborigines of New Holland regard the firmament more than civilized man would generally suppose. They know the fixed stars by name, and believe them to be other worlds, inhabited.

Patriots, (says Walpole,) are easily raised; I, myself, have made many a one. "Tis but to refuse an unreasonable demand, and up springs a patriot.

Popular Antiquities.-Every old building, the origin of which is buried in obscurity, is attributed to Cæsar or the devil.-Dulaure's Paris.

Public and Private Conduct. The following sentence, from Hobbes's Leviathan, is an admirable piece of everyday philosophy: "Of those men that, in the councils of the commonwealth, love to shew their reading of politics and history, very few do it in their domestic affairs, where their particular interest is concerned; having prudence enough for their private affairs: but in public they study more the reputation of their own wit, than the success of another's business."

Literary Men.-Godwin had a saying, that literary men should be born with two heads, one for literature, and the other for common affairs.

Reviewing.-Mr. Murray is known to have offered the poet Moore fifty guineas a sheet for a critique upon the Lives of Haydn and Mozart, for the Quarterly Review. Moore was then writing for the Edinburgh, and replied: it was "an extremely handsome offer, but he could not think of freighting his wares on an enemy's bottom."

Aurora Borealis.-An ingenious observer supposes the Aurora to be developed on the edge of the frozen sea, in situations where vapour in the sky is undergoing rapid congelation; and the frozen particles, in restoring the electrical equilibrium, become luminous. In temperate climates, this phenomenon does not occur; as aqueous vapour, and the process of thunder and lightning, restore the equilibrium.— Rev. G. Fisher, F.R.S.

Richard III.-The fine half-timbered Blue Boar, at Leicester, where Richard slept just before the battle of Bosworth, has lately been taken down, and a huckster's shop occupies the spot where royalty reposed.

Absence of Mind.-Perhaps no Americanism ever exceeded the fact of the Rev. Robert Hall being found, one morning, by a friend, intensely engaged with a book, the chain of his watch hanging over the side of the saucepan, and the watch boiling, instead of the egg.

was Miss

Love of Art.-In Northampton there is, in high preservation, a Saxon church, the interior of which is replete with architectural beauty; but, from being constantly whitewashed, the fine fretwork hidden from view some hundreds of years. Baker, the ingenious sister of the historian of the county of Northampton, a few years since, prevailed upon the parish to erect scaffolding in the church, and, with her own hands, picked out every particle of lime and mortar from the architecture.

Martin, the painter, coming, somewhat exhausted, to a soirée, explained that he had just walked twenty-seven miles, his practice on a Sunday; adding, that he had been "worshipping God in the fields," for, on such a beautiful day it was a sin to go to church.

Continental Railways.-On the other side of the Rhine, there are 200 leagues of railroads, either already brought into use, or on the point of being

So.

Further undertakings, some of which have obtained a guarantee of the minimum of interest, will afford conveyance, by this means, to the extent of 400 leagues more, within a few years. Of the lines finished, or near being so, those in Holland run thirty leagues, Prussia fifty-one, Austria fifty, Bohemia eighteen, Bavaria eighteen, Saxony twenty, Frankfort, Nassau, and Darmstadt eleven, Brunswick two and a half, Duchy of Baden four leagues. Most of these roads have only one line of rails.Times.

Moore. The origin of Lallah Rookh was an application made to Moore, by Messrs. Longman and Co., to write for them an epic poem, in which there should be no allusion to the ancient classical authors; they being responsible for the highest sum ever given for an epic poem. Mr. Perry, it was agreed, should decide the amount, which was fixed at 3,000 guineas. We perceive that an elegant edition of Moore's collected works is announced for serial publication.

Public Meetings.-It is much easier to estimate the number of persons filling a room, than a smaller number thinly scattered about the apartment. Each person may be considered to occupy a square of eighteen inches; and the dimensions of the room being known a close approximation may be made to the number.

Lord Denman is an accomplished singer. Mr. Gardiner notes on "the deep, purple tone of his Lordship's voice in the glee,If sadly thinking,'" the words of which were written by Curran.

Probity of Raleigh.-Melancholy it is that the charity of a better age, looking indulgently upon the

unhappy circumstances of his lot, is so often needed to apologize for the moral deflections of this extraordinary man, whom we would fain believe to have possessed those attributes which secure respect, equally with those which command admiration.Edinburgh Review.

Gag. Mr. F. Vining, "sober, clean, and perfect," ever inoffensive, and respectful to his audience, would, at rehearsal, take the most amusing liberties with the text. I remember, in Gratiano, his saying to Shylock: "Oh! you be hanged, you inexcusable old dog!"-Playing About.

Turning the Tables.-A young lady, a native of Sydney, being asked if she should like to go to Britain, answered, that she should like to see it, but not to live in it. On being pressed for her reason, she replied, that, from the great number of bad people sent out from thence, it must, surely, be a very wicked place to live in!

A Bespeak.-A lady of fashion, "bespeaking" a song by letter, not knowing what to call it, wrote for "that with the chorus of Toora-looree, or something like it," and even so it was announced in future.Playing About.

Popular Ignorance.-There is nothing in any state so terrible as a powerful and authorized ignorance. -Raleigh.

Theatrical Water.-No real water could have surpassed, in effect, the fall of revolving check and silver leaf.-Playing About.

Pride of Birth.-Walpole, in his celebrated speech in opposition to the Peerage Bill, spoke of the ancients having erected the temple of honour behind the temple of virtue, to shew by what avenues it must be approached; whereas, we were called upon to provide that its only avenue should be an obscure family pedigree, or the winding-sheet of some worthless ancestor.

Dressing for a Masquerade.-Those who united genius with good looks, were studying how to make themselves funnily frightful for this occasion; whilst others, neither handsome nor witty, were lost in dreams of finery, which would not oblige them to say or do anything.-Playing About.

Female Genius.-A young lady, upon whom intellect had not beamed with unmitigated effulgence, being in conversation with a literary beau, was asked by him, in an attempt to display his own acquirements: "Are you fond of good writing?" "Yes, sir, I like writing very much." "Ah! do you ever write?" "Oh! yes, sir, often." "Indeed! do you sip of the Castalian spring, or keep to the dull regions of prose ?" "Sir?" "Do you prefer prose or poetry? which do you write?" "I writes fine hand, sir."

Australian Seasons.-Spring begins about the end of August; summer, of November; autumn, of February; winter, of May. In the hottest months, the thermometer frequently stands as high as 1300 in the sun, and within doors, about 100o.

Eccentricity. It is all very well for a Young, a Kemble, a Scott, a Sir Isaac Newton, a Sir Thomas Lawrence, to behave like commonplace gentlemen. Yet talent would cease to astonish the many, if some of its possessors did not assert its rights to such originality as breaks through all musty rules. A Kean, a Byron, a Maturin, a Harlowe, should now and then rise, "in a fine frenzy rolling."Playing About.

A new Percussion Musket has been tried at Brussels, with infallibility in firing during rainy weather. The cartouche was previously thrown into water, where it remained for some time previous to the musket being charged. The musket was also dipped in water, and the barrel filled with water; when nothing impeded the firing and the ball going to its destination.

A Plain Woman, who cannot sing, dance, play cards, is live lumber in company.-Playing About.

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