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a material in the business of daily life, to be subject to a burdensome taxation; and the dues generally have been much lightened within the last few years; still the expenses attending their transit, and the 28. per ton exacted as Thames dues, more than doubles their original cost to the wholesale purchaser, and forces upon us city housewives a carefulness in their use, quite astonishing to the apprehensions of a Durhamite. We have heard a north-country person exclaim, that everything was to be had in London but a good fire, and this in the face of what we considered a truly hospitable one, heaped up and pressed down with a measure more consonant (as we thought) to their country prejudices than our own interest. But then we had not considered the difference which consuming an article at 8s. per ton, and one at four or sixand-twenty, is apt to make in the use of it. Neither had they, in that ungrateful accusation, bethought them of the contrast of our genial city-atmosphere, and their "cold comfortless clime," in which the very blackberries occasionally refuse to ripen.

The charge which Sir Kenelm Digby pathetically brought against the use of coal fires in London, remains as apparent in our times as in his, and will do so until we teach our chimneys to consume their own smoke (a by-no-means unlikely episode in domestic architecture); then, and not till then, shall we know the full comfort of our "coal fire."

Now, we pay a tax in health and spirits, consequent upon the exhalations of a daily consumption of more than 2,500 chaldrons of coal in the metropolis, that however its warmth and brightness may blind us to, is not the less real.

Our atmosphere, so corrupted, cannot yield us that hidden food of life which it contains, in the perfection it would otherwise do. Neither can our minds or bodies realize that degree of invigoration, without which our very gratitude is strained, and we receive as mere matters of course the evening hour and the cheerful firelight, and forget the mysteries involved in them.

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And clinging with fevered and desperate faith
To the chance of success, till the chill hand of Death
Arrested their course, and dissevered the chain
That linked the vexed spirit to Chancery Lane.
Yet hold! in these scenes of the past there is still
Much good to reveal, intermingled with ill.
Pale widows, sad orphans, in thought I retrace,
Whose rights were usurped by the sordid and base,
How weakly they strove with their foes to contend,
How poor seemed the help of each pitying friend;
How vainly they struggled relief to attain,
Till it came from the region of Chancery Lane!
Ours is not an age of heroic romance :
No knight is now ready with helmet and lance,
To stand forth in combat, and aid the distressed.
Alas! injured woman may pine unredressed,
Unless she can hold her oppressors in awe
By the potent and vigorous grasp of the law!
No champion-at-arms may she hope to obtain:
She must seek for her champion in Chancery Lane.
Let none upon Law's weary contest decide
Through rash irritation or mortified pride;
Let none in its intricate mazes behold
A safe, easy pathway to power and to gold.
But when injured, insulted, afflicted, betrayed,
Then, then, helpless sufferer, turn to its aid;
And own that a blessing as well as a bane
Exists in the region of Chancery Lane!

WORK-TABLE.

PICCOLOMINI COLLAR AND CUFF (FOR MORNING WEAR.) MATERIALS: Fine Cambric Muslin, and the Royal Embroidery Cotton, No. 30, of Messrs. W. Evans and Co., of Derby.

The adage that "extremes meet," seems to be fully exemplified in the contrast between the tiny collars of the present fashion and those in vogue a few months ago, which more resembled capes than collars. A totally different genre of

embroidery is employed for them; and it has the combined merits of simplicity and rapidity of execution.

In the design we give, the stars are slightly raised, and sewed over in ordinary satin stitch.

A A

The sprays are merely run, and sewed over. | back. The scalloped border is to be raised and Run the stem, in close, even stitches, from the overcast. bottom to the top, and return to the bottom, by sewing downwards, running each little leaf from the stem to the point, and slightly sewing it

It being de rigueur that the cuffs and collars should correspond, we give a section of both. AIGUILLETTE.

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GARDEN OR OPERA HOOD.

MATERIALS: 5 oz. 8-thread Berlin Wool. for the opera, bright blue, pink, or cerise;

For the garden a dark serviceable colour should be chosen ;' 14 yards of Sarsenet Bonnet Ribbon, and two Silk Tassels A little wadding, and 1 inch Sarsenet Ribbon will be requisite for making it up. Long Bone Knitting Needles, No. 9.

to match.

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Cast on 176 stitches, and knit, in garter | each end, leaving 76 on the needles. Knit 8 stitch, 50 rows; then cast off 50 stitches at rows, taking two together, at the end of every

row;

knit 24 more rows, without decrease; then knit two together every sixth stitch, along one row. Thirty more rows, quite plain, and cast off very loosely.

The last 18 rows are intended to form the roll round the crown. Take up four loops, for stitches, at one side (not along the edge), and knit 20 rows. Join to the opposite side. It forms a band across the back of the neck. Take up all the stitches along the lower edge of this strip, and along the two edges of the cap, up to the row where you ceased to knit two together at the end; knit them all, making a stitch after every stitch but the last. Knit 14 plain rows. This is to form a roll at the back.

For the CURTAIN: Cast on 76 stitches. Knit 34 rows, then take two togetherat every seventh stitch; do four more rows, and cast off.

For the CROWN: Cast on 15 stitches; increase one at the end of every row, until you have 21; then 30 plain rows. After this do two together at the end of every row, until 15 are left. Cast off.

TO MAKE IT UP: Roll the long part backwards, to form a roll round the face, with round ends; sew them with wool of the colour, and draw up the ends, adding the tassels. Make a roll of wadding, covered with the narrow ribbon, to be hemmed into the edge of the curtain, also to fill the roll of the neck, and round the crown; sew them in, turning the roll outwards. Put in the crown; sew in the curtain in its place, and add a neat bow, made of the wide sarsenet ribbon.

This hood is rather large at the back, as the hair is worn so much dressed. A ribbon may be run to draw it in, if desired. For garden wear, a quilling of lace round the face will be a great improvement. AIGUILLETTE.

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Young Mercutio Frangipanni
Joins not in these worldly dreams;
As they speak, a shade of sadness

O'er his thoughtful forehead gleams. "What is gold?" he cries with passion: "Can it buy you joy or health? Will ye never cease to barter Peace and happiness for wealth? "Look again: this lovely island

Teems with riches nobler yet Than the glittering yellow metal You would sell your souls to get. "If I am to seize its treasures,

I will leave the Indian's gold For those better gifts of Nature Which these western climes enfold. "See those birds of brilliant plumage, See those incense-bearing trees! What is all the gold of Ophir

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MERCUTIO FRANGIPANNI.
Morning breaks in golden splendour,
And the heavens seem to smile
Lovingly upon the beauties
Of Antigua's purple isle.

From that island gentle breezes
Waft a fragrance o'er the deep,
The kisses of a thousand flowers

Stolen from them while asleep.
On the vessel's deck, the sailors

Gaze upon the fruitful slopes;
And in fancy shape the future

To their selfish dreams and hopes.

"See yon island ?" cries the first one, "It shall bring us wealth untold We will spoil it of its treasures, We will rob it of its gold.

"We will toil and slave no longer;

No more need there ll be to roam, For we'll lead the life of princes When we reach our Spanish home."

THE POWER OF Books. Fragments of di-. vine biography swept away the bloody power of the Cæsars, and books may set in action the most resistless natures-overturn and obliterate empires. The elements, even, are weak to what a book may be. The most accessible, the most manageable, it may possess that which will change nations, and make empires disappear. By books we can accompany the traveller, and take a voyage with the navigator; see what they have seen, and thus go back to other days and other times; can listen to eloquence which was not so much the thought of man as of nations, and read speeches of men who incarnate whole civilized nations in their views-whose impulse was the common heart. There is a genius for reading as well as for writing, and there are probably as few successful readers as writers-that is, those who come in material relation to the meaning of the author; for, without imbibing the spirit of the writer, there can be no criticism.

* A perfume in common use even at the present day, was the invention of one of the earliest of the Roman nobles, named Frangipanni, and still bears his name.-ED.

BY

LEAVES FOR THE LITTLE ONES.

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"Here they are, Mamma-Christian and his son, with their two shabby carts and poor old horses. I wonder they can find it in their hearts to work those horses."

Mrs. Faye went to the window. They were, indeed, two shabby vehicles that met her view, as they turned the corner of the house into the court-yard; and she pitied the horses as much as her little daughter did. But she had the comfort of remembering that the task the poor lean animals had to perform would not distress them much, for the furniture of three scantilyfurnished rooms was all they had to carry. It was but sad comfort, either; for the next moment the pale lady's handkerchief was pressed to her eyes, as she thought of the happy years she had passed in that pretty cottage, before Janet was fatherless, and herself a very poor and solitary widow.

In turning round to speak to her mamma again, Janet caught sight of her face, and knew well of what she was thinking. The tears came also into the little girl's eyes, but she resolutely wiped them away, and ran to open the back-door for Christian and his son; for she remembered that she was now to try to be useful, and to save her dear mamma all the trouble she could. So as soon as the door was open, and the two men began to pass in and out with the heavier pieces of furniture, and to load them on the two carts, Janet placed a chair for her mother where she could see all that was going on, and give what directions she pleased; and then the little girl set herself to help, very modestly, and without getting at all in the way. The two men praised her after their rough fashion, and called her a bonny little maid," and "a smart young lady"; but she did not feel vain, nor yet bashful, but applied herself with all her heart to have everything arranged according to her mother's wishes. And when all was over at length, and the oncecomfortable cottage, now empty, and bared, and dusty, and littered with bits of straw, was locked up, and the key given to the landlord next door, Janet waited quietly while her Mamma indulged in one last look at the pretty bowery garden, and wiped away a parting tear. Then she offered her young arm for her support, and the mother and daughter set forth along the narrow winding lane that led to the tiny cottage on the hillside, where they were henceforth to live.

The afternoon was pleasant and sunny; and Janet, as they walked slowly on, noticed the profusion of primroses that were coming up beneath the high hedges on either side of the lane. She plucked a handful.

"How I love these darling primroses !" she

said. "High up on the hill above our cottage, and all along the glen, Mamma, there are quantities of them, the pale, modest beauties! We will have such pleasant rambles. I will carry the camp-stool for you to sit down upon when you are tired, and sometimes we will take our dinner with us. You shall teach me to make gooseberry-puffs from our own gooseberrybushes, Mamma, to be handy for our little picnics."

Thus Janet prattled away as they came to the brook and the old thrashing-mill, with its huge black wheel, now enjoying a long rest from its autumnal labours. Then they began to ascend the hill, and Mrs. Faye's breath came thick and pantingly. Janet helped her tenderly along, pausing every now and then for her to gain strength; and so at length they reached the flight of steep narrow steps that led up to the garden of their little cottage. Here Mrs. Faye was compelled to sit down for a moment; and while she was resting, the empty carts came round from above, and passed them, on their return home. Christian stopped to receive his half-day's hire; and then wishing the men a civil good-bye, the widow and her little daughter mounted the narrow steps, and crossing the neglected slip of garden, entered their new abode. There they found Kitty Kewish, the tall, stout Manxwoman whom they had engaged to help them to settle down, very busy making tidy after her own fashion, which consisted in displacing almost every article of furniture from its usual order.

"Where are the book-shelves, Kitty?" inquired Janet, when she had assisted her to place the little loo-table in the centre of the apartment, and had banished the tea-tray into its proper region. "Where are my pretty bookshelves, and the couch for Mamma to rest upon ?"

"In the kitchen, miss," replied Kitty. "It looks so convenient all along beside the door, and the book-shelves just above it."

"Why, Kitty!" said the little girl, pleasantly, "how could you think of putting it there? Don't you know that I mean dear Mamma to lie upon it every warm summer afternoon, close to the open window here, where the scent of the flowers that I shall plant in our garden will come in so sweetly? Then I shall read to her out of my books. So pray, Kitty, bring in the book-shelves immediately, and I will show you where to hang them up. No; first please to help me in with the couch, for dear Mamma is very tired with her long walk." And Janet went up to her mother, and kissed her pale cheek affectionately.

That evening Kitty was loud in her praises of the managing little girl. "I declare I could have cried," she remarked to her husband, “to

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