publishers, and delivered to their respective owners, when called for. This brings a host of extra letters, country correspondents begging manuscripts, to be directed to them-an expensive process to the editor, not taken into consideration, and quite unusual. Then one fair lady is so very obliging as to write, that if one particular poem is approved, she will send a volume of the like, (Heaven forgive her!) for insertion "in the delightful pages of your periodical," and begs a speedy answer from your own hand. Another entreats the editor to look over a bale of manuscripts, intended to be converted into a three-volume novel, and will be so obliged to him to correct any "little mistakes," or alter what "he does not approve" that novel being, he is assured, the "very thing" for his magazine. A third suggests, that if you have not room in your magazine for the inclosed, you will be so good as to introduce the story to some other periodical; a fourth sends a translation-which has been "done" twenty times; a fifth "grieves" that you have so little poetry, and sends a supply; a sixth dislikes poetry, and recommends controversy, and a particular line of politics, and sends "stunning" articles as samples of what you ought to insert; a seventh imagines you to be a bookseller as well as an editor, and forwards a box by railroad, containing literature for the million-which the author would be content to publish on the half-and-half system; an eighth proposes an epic poem, in twelve cantosa canto a month. The boy brings up your letters in a small clothes-basket, and the railway porter could walk blind-folded to your door-so well does he know the way-and yet correspondents expect individual answers on every subject."

WORLD'S CONVENTIONS.-Two great conventions on the subject of temperance have recently met in our city. We had the privilege of attending both, and at both had occasion to mourn over the weaknesses of poor human nature. It is not our design at present to express any opinion on the questions mooted on these occasions, but to put forth query in reference to the future. It is simply this: on every such occasion, should not the call be as explicit as possible? If delegates are there to meet persons of all sexes, colors, and conditions, let it be so understood at the outset, and such only will attend as are pleased with the invitation. If, on the other hand, any human being is to be partially or wholly excluded from a participation in the doings of the convention, let that also be understood, and those who object to such a proceeding will of course be absent; and if those not invited present themselves, they may be rejected. But what have world's conventions accomplished? What can they accomplish? Their history as yet answers, "Nothing." It is, indeed, a noble conception to convene the world on great moral enterprises, but the world has never yet been practically assembled. The Evangelical Alliance did, indeed, seem to approximate to this result, but has proved but a splendid failure. The recent temperance conventions, for all great practical purposes, were not less so. But if we are to have world's conventions, let them be so called that there shall be no misunderstanding as to who are invited. Meet all the difficulties before they present themselves. "The prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself."

ence," and by rumors of " a box with three seals, containing the original letter from Junius to the king, signed with the real name of the author," is greatly disappointed in this particular; for, however valuable the correspondence may beand it is said to possess rare worth-it furnishes no clew to the authorship of these celebrated letters. It divulges many interesting secrets, but leaves this secret shrouded in a deeper mystery than ever. It is said not only to fail of showing Richard Grenville, Earl Temple, to have been Junius, but also to throw discredit upon the claims of the other aspirants to that distinction.

For anything that has yet transpired, we can easily believe that Junius declared with truth, "I am the sole depositary of my own secret, and it shall perish with me."

ALBERT DURER.-Our present number contains an excellent sketch of this exquisite artist and childlike genius. As will there be seen, he married a beautiful vixen, Agnes by name, from whom came a lovely little daughter, also called Agnes. The artist's heart went out toward this little one in passionate yearnings, which only fired the jealousy and wrath of the mother. To Albert, any child was an angel-his own, a little seraph. She stood by him as he painted or carved, and he would often pause to sport with her.

The little thing soon learned her father's misery. One day, in the child's presence, her mother broke forth in passionate invectives against her husband. One can scarcely read the artist's narrative of what follows without tears. Albert speaks of him

self in the third person, thus :—

"Whereupon he sat down, and closed his eyes; but tears may have secretly gushed forth from under his eyelids. Then the child sighed, pressed him and kissed him, but said at the same time to her mother, in childish anger-Thou wilt one day bring down my father to the grave. Then thou wilt repent iteverybody says so.'

"Albert chastises the child, but, in doing so, inadvertently strikes her a severe blow on the stomach. "He was horror-struck, he staggered away, threw himself upon his bed and wept-wept quite inconsolably. But the child came after him, stood for a long time in silence, then seized his hand, and besought him thus: My father, do not be angry; I shall soon be well again. My mother says thou hast done right. Come, let me pray and go to bed; I have only waited for thee. Now the little sand man comes to close my eyes. Come, take me to thee; I will certainly for the future remain silent as thou dost. Hearest thou? Art thou asleep, dear father? "The child continued sick from that day. Christmas Eve, her birth-day, comes round.

"During the night the child suddenly sat upright. Her father talked with her for a long time. Then she appeared to fall into a slumber, but called again. and said to him: Dear father-father, do not be angry.

Wherefore should I be angry, my child?" Ah, thou wilt certainly be very angry." "Tell me, I pray thee, what it is ?" "But promise me first?

"Here, thou hast my hands. Why, then, am I not to be angry?'

Ah, father, because I am dying. But weep not -weep not too much. My mother says thou needest thine eyes. I would willingly-ah, how willinglyremain with thee; but I am dying.'

"Dear child, thou must not die. The sufferings would be mine alone.'

Then weep not thus: thou hast already made me so sorry-ah, so sorry. Now, I can no longer bear it. Therefore, weep not. Knowest thou, that when thou used to sit and paint, and look so devout, then the beautiful disciple whom thou didst paint for me, stood always at thy side; I saw him plainly."

Now, I promise thee, I will not weep,' said Albert, thou good little soul. Go hence and bespeak a habitation for me in our Father's house, for thee and for me.'

Albert now tried to smile, and to appear composed again. Then Agnes exclaimed:- Behold, there stands the apostle again; he beckons me. Shall I go away from thee? O, father!'

With strange curiosity Albert looked shuddering around. Of course there was nothing to be seen. But while he looked with tearful eyes into the dusky room, only for the purpose of averting his looks, the lovely child had slumbered away.

The father laid all the child's little playthings into the coffin with her, that he and her mother might never more be reminded of her by them-the little gods, the angels, the little lamb, the little coat for the snow-king, and the little golden pots and plates. Over the whole, moss and rose-leaves."

RUSSIAN BRIDAL EMBLEM.-In Russia, the bride on her wedding-day is crowned with a garland of wormwood. This has a double significance, implying not only the bitterness and trials of the marriage state, but also the duty of married women to triumph over these difficulties, and thus transform them into a crown-the emblem of victory.

BEAUTY OF JEWESSES.-It is related that Chateaubriand, on returning from his Eastern travel, was asked if he could assign a reason why the women of the Jewish nation were so much handsomer than the men, when he gave the following::

"Jewesses," he said, "have escaped the curses which alighted on their fathers, husbands, and sons. Not a Jewess was to be seen among the crowd of

priests and rabble who insulted the Son of God, Scourging him, crowning him with thorns, and subjecting him to infamy and the agony of the cross. The women of Judea believed in the Saviour, and assisted and soothed him under affliction. A woman

of Bethany poured on his head precious ointment, which she kept in a case of alabaster. The sinner anointed his feet with perfumed oil, and wiped them with her hair. Christ, on his part, extended mercy to the Jewesses; he raised from the dead the widow of Nain, and Martha's brother Lazarus; he cured Simon's mother-in-law, and the woman who touched the hem of his garment; to the Samaritan woman he was a spring of living water, and a compassionate judge to the woman in adultery. The daughters of Jerusalem wept over him; the holy women accompanied him to Calvary, brought him spices, and, weeping, sought him in the sepulcher. Woman, why weepest thou?' His first appearance after the resurrection was to Mary Magdalene. He said to her, Mary! she answered, Master!' reflection of some beautiful ray must have rested on the brow of the Jewess."

The

AMUSING LIBEL SUIT.-Some thirty years ago, a merchant of this city employed an Italian artist to paint his portrait. The work was duly completed, and payment demanded. Our friend the merchant wishing, no doubt, to reduce the price of the painting, began sedulously to find fault with it; and our artist patiently altered every defect named. At last the work was entirely rejected, on the ground that it was no likeness. The Italian, taking a witness with him, again presented the portrait, and demanded payment. The merchant still refused, stoutly averring that it bore not the least resemblance to his own worthy phiz-that no human being could possibly recognize it as his likeness, &c. The artist returned to his studio and substituted on the canvas, for the two ears of the merchant, those of a jackass, and long enough at that. The painting, thus amended, was in a few days suspended in the Tontine, corner of Wall and

When

Broad-streets, then used as an exchange. the merchants assembled, as they did every day toward three o'clock, all were surprised to find a most excellent portrait of Mr. P in so strange a plight. The story, however, soon circulated, and many a hearty laugh was enjoyed at the merchant's expense. Smarting under the jokes and merriment of his fellowtraders, he instituted a suit against the Italian for libel. The case came on, the facts alleged were all acknowledged by the artist, but in defense he proved the rejection of the picture because it was no likeness, and the declaration of Mr. P, that no one could ever imagine the least resemblance to himself, and asserted his privilege, therefore, to do with the painting as he pleased. It is needless to say, the verdict was triumphantly given for the defendant. Moral. Never try to cheat an artist.

DEATH-BED REPENTANCE.-Lorenzo Dow de

fined a death-bed repentance to be "burning out the candle of life in the service of the devil, and blowing the snuff in the Lord's face."

ANSWER YOUR OWN PRAYER.-"Father," said a little boy, "did you not pray that God would clothe the naked and feed the hungry, relieve the distressed and comfort the mourner?" "Yes, my son; why did you ask the question?" "Because, father, I thought when I saw you turn away poor S, without giving him anything, that if I had your wheat I could answer your prayer."

DR. ADAM CLARKE had a perfect abhorrence both of pork and tobacco. He is reported to have said, "If I were to offer sacrifice to the devil, it should be a roasted pig stuffed with tobacco."

EARLY RISING.-There is much more truth than poetry in the following, but the young men are included:

"Young ladies, rising with the dawn,
Steal the roses from the morn;
But when young ladies sleep till ten,
Aurora steals them back again."

KINDNESS. Some one has written beautifully thus:

"The warm sunshine and the gentle zephyr may melt the glacier which has bid defiance to the howling tempest; so the voice of kindness will touch the heart which no severity can subdue.'

THE MAJESTIC OCEAN.-After all the adjec tives that have been heaped upon the mighty deep, we, in reality, have but a faint conception of its size or grandeur. Even to see it, will not give us an adequate notion of its extent.

Accepting its supposed average depth as one thousand feet, it contains twenty-nine millions of cubic miles of water, and to fill its basin would require all the rivers of the earth pouring their waters into it for forty thousand years. According to the technical reckoning, the solar heat which annually raises the sea-water in form of vapor, corresponds to the enormous sum of sixteen billions of horse-power.

AN OAK ON THE MANTLE.-The thought has never, perhaps, been suggested to our reader;

Carlton & Phillips have recently issued a most excellent aid to family devotion, entitled Family and Social Melodies, by W. C. Hoyt. We recognize many of the good old tunes and hymns, and some new ones. The music is conveniently arranged for the melodeon, seraphine, piano, and organ; and an index of subjects at the end, will enable the leader of the devotions at once to select suitable hymns. Let Christians sing at the family altar-the little ones will thus learn the songs of Zion, and the great congregations will become one grand choir, verifying the demand of the Holy Oracles, "Let the people praise thee; let all the people praise thee." The book is beautifully "got up," and meets, we think, a demand of the times.

Christian Baptism and the Lord's Supper, by Rev. T. Spicer, contains the reasonings of a venerable Methodist divine on the Holy Sacraments. It is a miniature book of one hundred and twelve pages, which any one can read in a short time, and contains the pith of the whole argument. Pease & Co., Albany.

Wonders of the Insect World, by Francis C. Woodworth. Woodworth, of the Youth's Cabinet, is pretty well known to the little folks. He has given a volume on Quadrupeds, and one on Birds, illustrated by very enticing stories. This volume is of a similar character, on Insects. Its illustrations are numerous, and our little daughter says, (and the little ones are the best witnesses in these cases,) the book is very interesting. Boston: Phillips, Sampson, & Co. New-York: D. A. Woodworth.

It is in two

Nothing can be more impressive than living exhibitions of the power of a pure religion. Each chapter of this book is designed to present some vital element of Christianity, as manifested in the life of some prince in Zion. For instance, Tyndale is cited to illustrate labor and patience; George Whitefield, seraph-like zeal; Baxter, earnest decision; Fletcher, intense devotion; Henry Martyn, self-denial, &c. The book is well written, and deeply interest ing-a work calculated to do much good. Carlton & Phillips, 200 Mulberry-street.

Lorenzo Benoni; or, Passages in the Life of an Italian. Redfield, 110 Nassau-street, N. Y. The fame of this work has preceded it. Our last number contains, from an English periodical, Be this book ficperhaps a sufficient notice. tion or truth, it is most graphic and interesting -the more so, as it is not the life of a hero, but of one of the people, and may be esteemed as but one instance among thousands furnished by every-day life in Italy. The book cannot fail to have an extensive circulation.

Gems from Fable Land, by William Oland Bourne, is a collection of Fables, illustrated by facts. Both the fables and facts are selected with a high regard to mental improvement, the refinement of the heart, and the cultivation of the noblest virtues. We wish this book could be placed in the hands of all our youth. Talleyrand and Arnold, at the close of our article on the Treason of Arnold, is from this work. Charles Scribner, 145 Nassau-street, New-York.

have laid upon our table Notes on the TwentyApplegate & Co., 45 Main-street, Cincinnati, five Articles of Religion, as received and taught by the Methodists in the United States, by Ret. A. A. Jimeson, M. D. The twenty-five articles of religion in the Methodist Discipline are abridged from the thirty-nine articles of the English Church, with alterations and additions adapting them to the Methodist Episcopal Church. We are glad to see an attempt to elucidate these articles and reduce them to a system. A cursory examination of this book has led us to believe that Mr. Jimeson has succeeded well. The work is a neat volume of four hundred pages, with a full alphabetical index. We shall hope to see a review from the right quarter.

The Cyropædia of Xenophon, according to the Text of L. Dindorf; with Notes, for the use of Schools and Colleges. By John J. Owen, D. D. Second Edition. New-York: Leavitt & Co., 1849. The learned author of this fine classic has done the students and lovers of ancient literature a service which they will highly appreciate. In a stout, handsome volume, he gives the most approved text of the original, and subjoins copious notes, prepared with much judgment and discrimination. Their aim is to render the study of the Greek tongue both pleasing and profitable to the student; by not, on the one hand, allowing him to grope unguided through dark passages, and stumble unlighted over exegetical difficulties, and, on the other, by not