corner house. You are in your study writing poetry; nearer and nearer draw the minstrels, regardless of each other, and probably out of each other's hearing, but both heard by you in your favourite position. As they near the point the discord becomes wild and terrible; you rush into the back study, but the tom-tom man is in the yard; you rush out of the front door to look for a policeman -there is none; you use any Italian words you can recollect, at the same time pointing to your head; you explain that your father lies dangerously ill up-stairs, and that several ladies are dying in the neighbourhood; you implore the Italian to move on, and the scene ends in No. 1 slowly grinding down the street which No. 2 came up, and No. 2 grinding up the street which No 1 has just come down. At such moments we are apt to speak recklessly on the great subject of barrel-organs, and we sometimes-idle employment!-write letters to the newspapers, which are pardonably one-sided. The fact is, the organ question, like all other great questions, has two sides to it, although we seldom hear but one.

"Let not those who write abusive letters to the newspapers, and bring in bills to abolish street music, think they will be able to loosen the firm hold which the barrelorganist has upon the British public. Your cook is his friend, your housemaid is his admirer; the policeman and the baker's young man look on him in the light of a formidable rival.

"But for once let us speak a good word for him. We know all that can be said against him, let us now plead his cause a little. His sphere is large; he conquers more worlds than one; his popularity is not only wide, but varied: he enters many clean and capacious squares, and little chubby faces, well born and rosy, look out from high-railed nursery windows, and as they look out he looks up, and baby is danced at the bars and stops crying directly, and Tommy forgets his quarrel with Johnny,

and runs to the window too; and tears are wiped, and harmony is restored in many and many a nursery, and nurse herself finds the penny and smiles, and "organ-man" pockets the penny and smiles, and plays five more tunes in for the money, and lifts his hat and waves" ta-ta !" in Italian, and walks off to "fresh fields and pastures new "—and isn't it worth the penny.

"And where does he wander too nowthat happy, easy-tempered son of the south? Ah! he has no proud looks; and, though he has just played to members of the aristocracy, he is willing to turn as merrily for the lowest of the people.

"I meet him in the dingy alleys of the great city-I meet him in the regions of garbage and filth, where the atmosphere inhaled seems to be an impartial mixture of smoke and decomposition, and where the diet of the people seems to consist of fried herrings and potato-parings; there is our organ-man-and there at least we may bless him-grinding away to the miserable, sunken, and degraded denizens of Pigmire Lane or Fish Alley. Let him stay always there-let him grind ever thus. I confess it does my heart good to see those slatternly women come to their doors, and stand and listen, and the heavy, frowning, coal-besmeared men lean out of the windows with their pipes, and, forgetting hunger and grinding poverty, hushing also the loud oath and blasphemy for a little season, smile with the pleasure of the sweet sounds. Through that little black window with the cracked panes you can see the lame shoe-maker look up for a moment, and as he resumes the longdrawn-out stitches with both hands, it is with countenance relaxed, and almost pleasurable energy. The pale-faced tailor looks out from the top storey (yes; like a beam of sunshine the music has struck through him ;) he forgets the rent, and the work, and the wages, and the wretchedness of life. It is the end of the day; it is lawful to rest for a moment and listen, and they do listen-the

men and women clustering in groups on their door-steps, and leaning from the windows above, and the children-oh! the children! I look down the alley, and suddenly it is flooded with the light of the low sun; it smites the murky atmosphere into purple shades, and broad, warm, yellow light upon the pathway, and glitters like gold-leaf upon the window-panes; and the childrenthe children are dancing all down the alley, dancing in long vistas far down into the sunny mist, two and two, three and three, but all dancing, and dancing in time; and their faces—many poor pale faces, and some rosy ones too-their faces are so happy, and the whole alley is hushed, save only for the music and the dancing of the children.

"I bless that organ-man--a very Orpheus in hell! I bless his music. I stand in that foul street where the blessed sun shines, and where the music is playing; I give the man a penny to prolong the happiness of those poor people, of those hungry, pale, and ragged children, and, as I retire, I am saluted as a public benefactor; and was ever pleasure bought so cheap and so pure?" We regret that our space will not allow us to more than allude to our author's description of other forms of popular music, some of which he holds up to well merited ridicule, while with others he expresses a greater degree of sympathy. Amateur performances come in for a large share of criticism; and the absurd combinations and execrable execution of many a club, give ample scope for his caustic, though partially sympathetic vein of humour. Especially does he dwell upon the parlour performances of the string quartette, giving an extremely amusing account of what is often experienced at such gatherings. The Negro melodists obtain a share of his attention, and are dealt with more gently than many who aim higher. "Those who play the piano" are represented as altogether too many, and a severe judgment is passed on the prevalent idea of the necessity of every girl belonging to this

class. "The Brass without the Band" and "the Band without the Brass" are the relics of those more ambitious species of street musicians who have made themselves into an itinerant orchestra; and a touching, though humorous description is given of those out-of-door vocalists, whose position, as regards both talent and success, is below even the humble organ-grinder. These are the principal forms of popular music to be met with in England and in English speaking countries, and they indicate in a most emphatic manner the low level of the national taste, and the weak hold which elevated music has on the people at large. It is a theme which, in an especial manner, is of interest to ourselves, where many socalled professional performances agree remarkably with those which our author calls amateur. We will close this attempted exposition of some of the thoughts contained in "Music and Morals" with a slight survey of

MUSIC IN CANADA.

With respect to the most common and most easily executed of all instrumental music, that of the Piano, we can speak favourably. There are a large number of very good performers throughout Canada, but especially in the larger cities, and it is believed that in this matter we can challenge comparison with any country of equal size. Notwithstanding the depressing influence which dance music exercises on the standard of the music of this instrument, it is by no means rare to hear compositions of the highest order correctly and tastefully rendered in our drawing-rooms, and there are many more than would at first view appear, who are able and willing to play classical music, but who are deterred by a fear that it will fall flat on their hearers. In spite of the horrible din of the quadrille, and the airy and unsubstantial waltz music, the Canadian piano is often touched by the truly excellent performer, and is almost the only instrument in the country of which this can be said.

combined, we may infer that they will be at no loss for leaders, we are apt to be surprised that there is material sufficient for the rank and file of three bands. We beg to tender a well meant caution to the chiefs of these bands (considered in their entirety), and that is, not to employ time, requisite for training their men, in the composition of original music. We may add in conclusion, that though in economic affairs "Mony a pickle mak's a mickle," it is extremely doubtful whether the rule holds in the present case, and it seems almost hopeless to attempt anything of a moderately high order until the individual performers acquire some decided proficiency on their respective in

struments.

With respect to singing as existing in our midst, matters point to its almost entire extinction in a short time, unless some emphatic effort is made to counteract this manifest destiny. It is getting to be looked upon as not quite the thing for a young lady to respond willingly and creditably to a request

for a song: and we are convinced that this excessive modesty is not altogether unreasonable, considering the extent to which the cultivation of the voice is generally carried. It is a matter for sincere regret that this neglect of such a common, and such an easily improved talent, should be so widespread, so that it is very difficult to arrange for quite an ordinary concert without having recourse to voices whose every note and attempted flourish betokens a lamentable want of care and cultivation. Singing is far more easily learned by the majority of musically disposed persons than any other mode of rendering music, and it seems almost inexplicable that it should here occupy a subordinate place with reference to the piano. If one-third the time devoted to "practising" were bestowed on the training of the voice, our popular music would soon receive an accession most agreeable in itself, and most beneficial also in its influence on other branches of the art.

THE

HE Returns of the Trade of the Dominion, for the year ending the 30th of June last, contain much that is important and interesting. A statement of the imports and exports of the various Provinces, which has been kindly furnished us in advance, clearly attests that the period has been marked by great commercial activity and expansion.

The total transactions of the twelve months, including both imports and exports, reached the large amount of $190,344,558. This sum largely exceeds any previous returns, and does not embrace nearly four millions of dollars' worth of goods imported and in the Customs warehouses, but not then entered into consumption.

The trade of 1870-1 was of the value of $161,121,000, so there has been an increase during 1871-2 of no less than $29,223,558. This expansion is all the more striking from the fact that the two preceding years were of a similar character. During 1869-70, our trade increased $20,510,878, and in the following year $16,310,007. Adding these figures to the results of 1871-2, as stated above, it will be seen that the commerce of Canada has augmented $66,044,443 in the short space of five years.

Some features of our trade, to which we shall presently allude, may invite comment, and possibly deserve stricture. But the simple statement of the foregoing facts affords pleasing evidence of the Dominion's growing strength and importance.

Dividing the total volume of trade into imports and exports, we find that the former amounted to $107,704,895, and the latter to $82,639,663. Taking these in their order, we append a statement of the value of

Our purchases of foreign goods, it will be observed by these figures, have been unusually large during the past year. They tower above the value of our importations during 1870-1 to the extent of $20,757,413! This is an expansion of nearly 25 per cent., and if an exceptional circumstance, might have possessed little significance; but for several years past our imports have mounted up higher and higher, and fears have been expressed in well-informed circles that more or less over-trading has been and still continues to be indulged in, both by importers and retailers. The rapid manner in which this branch of our trade has augmented will be seen by the following statement of our imports during each year since Confederation took place: