head, pregnant with such mighty matter, is in danger of fracture from any wall or door-post that may chance to interfere with its movements. Though even now by no means a gregarious animal, Mat is much more social than formerly. In company he is remarkable for his reserve, but it is of a totally different nature from that which I have described as a principal feature in the character of Le Blanc. The latter gentleman is really absent of mind-completely absorbed in the visionary contemplation of his metaphysical fancies; while Swinburne is strictly present in every sense of the word: he says little, but that little is solid, and we know the old proverb," Shallow waters are noisiest." Watch him! Does the conversation take a sensible and interesting turn? Matthew is all ear; he is duly weighing the arguments on both sides of the question. Has it degenerated into prurient small-talk or fashionable nonsense? A close observer may notice the contemptuous, sardonic sneer which is creeping over Mat's lips,-a precursor, as the lightning of the thunderbolt, so this of some truculent sarcasm or remark. Thus you see his style of wit is a perfect contrast to the piquante and flashy brilliancy of Golightly's. Fred's satirical stoccate are foiled in their effect by previous expectation, and oftentimes prove innocuous; for we may avoid them, as we do the rattlesnake, in consequence of the warning we receive; but Mat is the boa-constrictor, whose attack upon his unfortunate victims is sudden, certain, and complete. There is moreover much dry humour (more peculiarly belonging to a Yorkshireman,) about him, which causes abundant entertainment to those who have the pleasure of his acquaintance. I would not have you think that his satires are the effusions of ill-nature or spleen. If it so happens that he does " carry a heart-stain away on his blade," depend upon it he has only been acting on the defensive, and the temerity of his adversary deserved the punishment he has brought upon himself. Though he has not the slightest tinge of pedantry, he is a scholar after our Instructor's own heart. Does a dark passage or obsolete expression occur in the lesson ? ready with the separate verdicts of Toup, Brunck, Valknaer, Elmsley, and Porson, on the subject, as well as the different

Mat is

readings in omnibus codicibus et quibusdam aliis. In addition to all this, he writes a beautiful Greek text, and is astonishingly correct with the accents; and be well assured, that whenever the public are favoured with a fresh enlarged edition of the "Musa Etonenses," the name of Swinburne will be conspicuous in the roll of fame, in the repository of the classic wealth of Eton.

The Hon. CHARLES BELLAMY has a form and pressure of character, decidedly different from any other which has already issued from our mould of description, and yet one which is not unfrequently met with at public schools. He was the youngest of a large family, and brought up at home under the management and surveillance of elder sisters, whose pet and slave he had the honour to be. These circumstances were calculated to influence, in no small degree, his future habits and disposition; and they have produced, it must be confessed, a strong shade of effeminacy in his composition. The Misses Bellamy were true "blues," and little Charlie had many opportunities of "making himself useful," in fetching the last new novel from the library, carrying the reticule, crayon case, or camp-stool, or holding the umbrella, to keep off the intrusive rays of Phoebus from the snow-white neck of sister Harriet or Sophia, while employed in sketching the animated landscape around them. In reward for these services, he was early initiated into botany, astronomy, mineralogy, and mathematics, as far as the groundwork of each was concerned. But even this was of considerable benefit, as the raising of a future superstructure was thus rendered comparatively easy. His reason for stopping short at that time was a good one. His fair preceptresses had gone no

farther themselves. With true female fickleness and love of change and novelty, they became tired of any one particular branch of study almost as soon as they had mastered the rudiments;-as for instance, when they had got by heart the Latin names of the genera and species, and were able to arrange the various botanic productions of the romantic heath in their neighbourhood, according to the Linnæan system ;— or had made out a map of the heavens, and could tell you that the Greater Bear and the Horologium are never seen in the

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same hemisphere;-or had learnt the difference between circle and a parallelogram. Bellamy's docility and rapid progress under such tuition rendered him the pride of his sisters, and the lion of his papa's dessert table. deed it has been averred that both Miss J. B and Lady M-, who were in habits of intimacy with the family, pronounced it to be their conviction that he was a promising young lad!

""Tis pleasing to be school'd

By female lips and eyes ;

They smile so when one 's right, and when one 's wrong
They smile still more.'

The long-dreaded hour, however, at length arrived, when it was necessary that Charles should go forth," in the beauty of his strength," to a public school. Tender and fervent were the protestations of mutual love between him and his sisters, and sharp the pang of parting; but "destiny is over all and stern necessity." His trunk was duly crammed with the handyworks of affection ;-port-folios and blotting-books to put his manuscripts in, ornaments for his mantel-piece, and last, not least in point of utility, a neat little needlebook, properly furnished with all its paraphernalia. The first week or so, Bellamy missed the society of his sisters, and was unguarded enough to betray his emotions to his new companions, who, instead of sympathizing with, only ridiculed him for his sensibility. By degrees, however, the regular routine of school business and amusements, which hardly leaves an Eton boy leisure for reflection on extraneous subjects, entirely removed from his mind this regret for the lost pleasures of home, and reconciled him to his novel situation and its pursuits. The same traits of disposition which he brought with him to Eton still remain. Our system may be compared to the hand of the jeweller, who was employed in setting the breast-plate of the High Priest with precious stones, which merely rounded off the rough prominences, and gave a polish to the gems, so as to reduce the separate parts to harmonize with the whole, without destroying the individual beauty of each; and the same constitutes the partial metamorphosis of

character which takes place at Eton. Bellamy is always most anxious for the vacation; home is the atmosphere most congenial to his feelings, and he invariably imports among us, on his return to Eton, some new branch of study, or an old one revived-the last scientific whimsy which has been afloat in the blue stocking circles. During the long summer holidays, the family had been on a visit at one of the Sussex watering-places, and conchology was the ascendant of the hour. Bellamy came back to Eton with a large assortment of shells and other marine productions in his trunk, and a string of appropriate dissertations on their respective shapes and colours in his mouth. We were ceaselessly attacked by lectures on monovalves, bivalves, and multivalves, on the spiral symmetry of the wintletrap, and the delicate transparency of the dactylus. I have often quarrelled with him for the superficial nature of this pursuit; and am willing to make the public a party in the dispute. Why should his inquiries, I ask, be confined to the wild appearance of the shell? Surely' he ought to be tempted forwards to natural history, and be able to give an answer of the habits of the animal tenant, and investigate the muscular action, by which the valves are opened or closed at the instinct or will of the creature. even common curiosity does not carry him thus far, he is much more deficient in laudable ambition after knowledge than the child who cuts a hole in his drum; not, as I would argue, merely from a wanton love of mischief, but rather from a philosophical impulse to discover the cause of sound. Bellamy's Christmas vacation, I understand, was almost entirely monopolized by his visits to the British Museum, whither his sisters accompanied him, for the purpose of pursuing a practical investigation of the science, which has lately come in vogue, of pronouncing on the temper and disposition of individuals from the form and curvature of their lips; and the old marbles were famous subjects for our amateurs to practise upon, and tax their ingenuity to a laughable pitch. (N.B. This branch of physiognomy by the way might be turned to the benefit of the Club, as discriminative of the merits of future candidates.)—I had no doubt myself that Bellamy would be successful in his canvass for a seat in our House, owing to the powerful interest which Golightly was

If

expected to make in favour of this protegé of his. Though we all know that Charles is but superficial in most of his acquirements, he is nevertheless a most useful member of our little world, from the variety of his pursuits; and he proved himself in no respect more serviceable than to the above gentleman in his quondam capacity of manager of the theatre. His voice not having as yet roughened into manhood's hoarseness, he was unanimously allowed to be the Sinclair of his day: his taste was correct, and his ear good; consequently his vocal exertions were answered by the rapturous encores of a delighted audience. But every thing in its proper place! If we happen to be studiously composing our theme, it is no trifling nuisance to be interrupted in our flights of thought, and dragged back to earth by a screaming duet, which Messrs. Golightly and Bellamy may be "getting up" on the other side of a thin wainscotting. Luckily, however, for the repose of his Dame's house, this Hermogenic fit was of no longer duration than any of his other fancies: it lasted till the succeeding holidays, and was then shaken off in as summary a manner as all his former hobbies. There is only one exception to the general rule, and that is his fondness for antiquarian pursuits; in attestation of which you will find in his room a great box full of "mossy fragments of antique castles ;"" sepulchral relics," which he has committed sacrilege to procure; "old coins," whose inscriptions are illegible; "pebbles from Portland Isle;" "a precious scrap of embalmed wrapper;" tattered duodecimo," which he tells you is a specimen of Caxton's typography, &c. &c. I will not add a word more : the man is before you, as like as he can stare, though I say it; but if this production has not been effectual enough to make you acquainted with him, his conduct as a fellow-member of our Honourable Society will soon make up all deficiencies; for the Ethiop will not change his skin, nor the leopard his spots.

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The Honourable Gentlemen were of course elected without opposition, with the exception of Michael's black ball. They were immediately introduced to the Club. Mr. Bellamy came in with a very pretty ladylike air, and treated us with such a bow as the Secretary really hath not seen since he accompanied Miss Hodgson to Monsieur D'Egville.

Mr.