But I leave it to the learned to decide the probability of this explanation.

Having groped our way for some time through this cavern, which appeared to me to be nearly of a circular form, from fifty to sixty feet in diameter, and about twelve or fifteen in height, as it was well authenticated that I had seen the Grotto of Love, I meditated my retreat. We emerged from the cavern in the same agreeable way we had entered it; and when again in broad daylight, I was aware of the sad necessity of returning forthwith to the Hotel-St.-Etienne, to

repair the blemishes inflicted on my attire by our subterranean visit.

I rejoined Catherine, who had patiently waited for me as sentinel, and who could not refrain from a burst of laughter when she saw my piteous condition. I was illtempered enough on the occasion, but could not be affronted with Catherine, who is one of those women who do every thing with such natural grace, that one cannot quarrel with them.

I resumed my place by her side; and finished my excursions for that day. An hour afterwards we re-entered Bayonne through the Spanish gate, and there I separated from Catherine and Glorieux, probably never to see them again.

At the evening promenade on the Glacis, I found all the beauty of the city assembled, and was not a little surprised to see most of the ladies walking about without anything on their hair, according to the mode of the country. They looked like parties taking a turn before going to a ball; and well suited to adorn a ball room, seemed indeed those young girls, with their splendid eyes, dark hair, brunette but fresh and florid complexions, and gay and laughing air. A ball at Bayonne must be delightful.

The next morning, at daybreak, I went to see the Citadel, on the other side of the Adour. It is a building of Vauban's; this is to say at once that it is a fine work. I examined the bastions and half-moons, but like a true Parisian cockney, understanding nothing of such matters, soon finished my inspection. But what attracted my incessant admiration, was the lovely landscape visible from the ascent of this fortress, and which was at that time inundated with the pure and brilliant light of the rising sun. The magnificence of the scenery tempted the genius of Vernet, who has taken it for the subject of one of his finest marine views.

MODES OF PAYMENT.

" For modes of payment creditors may bawl, His can't be wrong who never pays at all."

A Jackson paper in Connecticut, gives the following extract from the minutes of one of its collecting agents: "Mr. and refuses to pay cash. J-S- has says he, "agreed to pay in his way, gone to the West, and they say he can't pay. B-K- has failed, pays two cents on the dollar. L-M- PAID, but wants the paper stopped, because you charged him more than the price agreed. G— L—, good for nothing. M-W-, very poor, but promises to pay when gets able. S-D-, his wife just put to bed of her fifteenth, can't afford to pay this quarter."

A distinguished German entomologist has calculated that a single square inch of the wing of a peacock butterfly, as seen through a powerful microscope, contains no less than 100,735 scales.

FOREIGN PHRASES IN WRITING AND CONVERSATION.-It is a piece of pedantry to introduce foreign words into our language, when we have terms of legitimate English origin that express all that these exotics convey, with the advantage of being intelligible to every one. foreign sounds, like foreign servants, ought not to be introduced to the disadvantage of the natives, until these are found unworthy of trust.

THE MOST PERFECT BEAUTY.

For

That is not the most perfect beauty which in public would attract the greatest obser"vation; nor even that which the statuary would admit to be a faultless piece of clay, kneaded up with blood. But that is true beauty, which has not only a substance, but a spirit; a beauty that we must intimately know, justly to appreciate; a beauty lighted up in conversasation, where the mind shines as it were through its casket, where, in the language of the poet, "the eloquent blood spoke in her cheeks, and so distinctly wrought, that we might almost say her body thought." An order and a mode of beauty which, the more we know, the more we accuse ourselves for not having before discovered those thousand graces which bespeak that their owner has a soul.

This is that beauty which never cloys, possessing charms as resistless as the fascinating Egyptian, for which Antony wisely paid the bauble of the world-a beauty like the rising of his own Italian suns, always enchanting, never the same.

ADVENTURE

AT THE ST. CROIX BLUFF.

CHAPTER I.

THE Sun was shining with tropical splendour through the casement of my chamber, by the very intensity of its rays forbidding the sluggard to enjoy his stolen repose, and calling him forth to breathe the pure morning air. Yet how delicious to one far away from friends and home, are those imperfect visions that flit so rapidly across the mind, at the time when deep sleep has just ceased to bury memory in forgetfulness, and when wakeful consciousness; not fully aroused, recalls not the sober realities of existence to dispel our visions of bliss. Where is the man, where is the stoic or philosopher, who has not enjoyed these morning and evening dreams, and yielded himself to their untiring fruition? If one can be found, though I admire his resolution, I envy him not his plain, practical existence.

From such a state of listlessness, protracted beyond its ordinary limits, I was now aroused by the shrill tones of

the negro boy, who officiated as groom to the little pony, which this morning seemed destined to a reprieve from its usual task. The little urchin, holding the reins in his hand, lay basking in the sunbeams, singing at the pitch of his voice some favourite negro air, to while away the time, or perhaps to quicken the movements of his master.

I hastened to prepare for my ride, and seek my companion, who usually anticipated me in my movements, but who' this morning seemed for once to have yielded himself to the enjoyment in favour of which I have already said so much. I found him yet apparently buried in sleep, with his face concealed upon the pillow.

"Roswell, Roswell! arouse, and boast not for a week, at least, of your early rising."

"I feel little inclined to boast of anything, except that my eyes have been' suddenly changed from blue to black; which you know is my favourite colour.'

"The change appears not to be confined to your eyes, but to have extended over your cheeks and face; and I must

say, that in appearance you are by no means improved, notwithstanding your opinion to the contrary."

"I think I must set up as an author. Just feel how very prominent the bump of imagination has become. Ah! and memory too; why, as sure as fate, I am a mathematician and a linguist. Just feel my head."

"You have all the bumps a phrenologist could desire. But, jesting aside, have you been dissipating, you dog? 'Facilis decensus averni."

“Well said, well said! I have had a 'practical' demonstration of your learned quotation, as my old schoolmaster, whom we wickedly called Jack,' used to say, when applying a certain instrument' to our shoulders. Having travelled toward the lower regions, no later than last night, as fast as the attraction of gravitation, diminished only by the friction of a few rocks, and the resistance of some bushes and briars, could carry me."

"Come, come! Explain or I ride.”
"Were you ever at the Bluff?"
"Certainly."

"What kind of a place, think you, is it ?"

"A rough, wild, romantic spot, fit only for runaway negroes and madmen, like yourself. Have you wandered

there, to be robbed and beaten ?"

"Yes my good fellow, as you say, robbed, and of a treasure most inestimable-to wit, my heart-and beaten most abominably; that is, in a foot-race, with one of the loveliest angels man ever beheld. Look here! a shawl she drop ped. See! it is rich and costly. It must belong to some lady of wealth, and as for beauty, I can attestmy bruises are trifles!"

-Nonsense,

It would be too tedious to narrate the long conversation that followed; the amount of it may briefly be told in another chapter.

CHAPTER II.

THE preceding evening had been one of remarkable brilliancy, and, seduced by its beauty, he had wandered far among the wild and barren rocks, to a point at the extremity of the island, usually denominated the Bluff. This spot is remarkable for its wild, uncultivated appearance, and for the high mountains which rise abruptly from out the sea. At this point, the ocean around, even in the mildest weather, is agitated and rough, and the waves dash wildly and tumultuously among the sunken reefs, and in a storm are thrown high upon

the sides of the mountains. And the air of loneliness and solitude is increased by the ruins of a once noble mansion, and its adjoining works now scattered in gloomy confusion upon the spot where they once stood. Here he had wandered to indulge his romantic dreams, and enjoy the truly noble scenery the place afforded. There in the bright moonbeams, far over the glassy ocean, lay St. John's Tartola, and St. Thomas in the distance; and above and around him, impended the steep and broken mountains, overgrown with bushes and thorns, save where here and there some loose rock, driven from its place by the hurricane, had furrowed a path along the side of the mountain.

He had abandoned his horse, and clambered along the side of the cliff to the farthest accessible point, where, throwing himself upon a rock, he soon became entirely absorbed in his own reflections. Here he had lain for some time unconscious, when, aroused to his situation by the falling of a stone, and looking upward in the direction, he beheld to his astonishment a being scarcely discernible in the dizzy height, leaping from stone to stone, along the sides of the cliff, with an agility scarcely credible. As the object descended and approached, the form and figure of a female, tall, graceful, and exquisitely formed, became distinctly visible. She was entirely robed in white! A white veil was thrown about her head; her gown, too, as it floated in the breeze, the bright moonbeams shining upon it, seemed also of dazzling whiteness. White slippers covered her most beautiful feet, and a light shawl was thrown over her shoulders. She descended near the spot where my companion had concealed himself behind a projecting rock, breathless in wonder and admiration, and seating herself on a rock, and drawing her white shawl close around her, sat motionless as the rock itself, apparently contemplating the soft, blue ocean before her, or seeking some object upon its surface. It was long before a sound escaped her, then merely a sigh, followed by a sob and an exclamation of disappointment.

My companion could no longer contain his impatience, but springing from his place of concealment, commenced an address somewhat as follows:

"Fair lady! you behold before you one ready at any time, place, and under any circumstances to defend you, while a drop of blood

The fair one waited not to hear the

completion of the address of her volunteer champion, but springing from her place, bounded like a doe up the sides of the mountain.

"Adored! beloved! leave me not. Hear me! hear me ! I follow."

He did follow, indeed; but his course was short; for, poor fellow, missing his foothold, after rolling among rocks and briars, he fortunately for the entire safety of his bones, lodged in a soft bed of sand on the shore.

CHAPTER III.

THE next evening found us mounted on our ponies, and on our way to the spot, which, in addition to its natural attractions, had become invested with the charms of romance. Our little animals paced rapidly along; small in size, but monsters in wickedness. Who, that has ever been to St. Croix, will forget its ponies! their divers tricks and caprices, and sometimes, their sheer, unprovoked wickedness. After numberless trials, I finally procured one to my liking-she was a pretty specimen of a horse in miniature a complete coquette, dancing and tripping along with all the airs of a boarding-school girl, when exhibiting before her admirers. And when a branch from one of the lofty cocoa-nut trees, with which the road is bordered, fell across the path, dislodged from its place by the wind, it was amusing to behold with what assumed terror she would shy across the road, as though it was an un accustomed sight, and then, timidly advancing, cautiously step over the same. My companion, however, was less fortu nately mounted, on a shaggy little beast, ugly to the eye, and without a single trait in its disposition to redeem its external deformity, and possessing all the evil qualities that horseflesh is heir to. At times it would start, and neither curb nor bridle would restrain it; and then as suddenly come to a full stand, and neither whip nor spur could move it. It had also a provoking practice of throwing both its hind legs simultaneously in the air, to the imminent danger of the rider; and, when the whip in punishment was applied, would twist around its little neck, and throw up its wicked eye' in the face of the rider, with an air of the greatest contempt imaginable.

The road from Frederickstadt to the Bluff on the western point of the island is one of peculiar beauty, winding along the shore of the ocean, and bordered with a range of lofty cocoa-nut trees, interspersed here and there with the orange,

the Otaheite, and the fragrant oleander. The rich fields of sugar-cane cover the country as far as the eye can reach, even to the summits of the highest mountains, which, with their conical tops towering one above the other, rise in the back. ground with strange regularity; and the noble mansions on their sides and at their bases, "La Grange," "Prosperity," "Sprat Hall," and "Mount Washington" surrounded with their orange-groves and neat negro villages. As we approached the Bluff, however, all traces of cultivation gradually disappeared, and finally, its wild, unbroken scenery burst upon us.

CHAPTER IV.

HAVING pursued a broken path as far as possible, we had just dismounted, and were fastening our ponies to a stunted tree, in order to creep our way on foot along the cliffs to the beach, where we proposed to lie in ambush, when a dark object was seen advancing from the very direction in which lay our course. To meet any one in this secluded spot was of itself a wonder. Who could it be? what object? why here? were thoughts which naturally occurred to us, alone as we were, in this desolate spot.

As the object advanced from under the shade of the cliffs, the person of a negro man became distinct in the bright moonlight.

He was apparently a runaway slave. His person unusually tall and erect, and his limbs, being entirely exposed from the belt around his waist upward, admirably formed, and his chest bold and expanded. His countenance, save for its sable hue, would have been called beautiful. In fine, he was one of those negroes not frequently met with in the West Indies, who seem entirely to have lost the characteristics of the African race; and who, but for their degradation, might, by their personal appearance, command respect.

"Good night, massa.' "Well, boy, what news?" "Massa, dis place no good." "Well, what brings you here, then?" "Me seek fagot, massa. But de jumbie here, dis place no good." "Jumbies never touch buckra boy, only bad negroes."

"Ha, ha, massa, no for true; catch poor nigger and buckra, too. Go home, massa. De storm come, de wind blow, and massa fall in de water. Go home,

your business.

Here's five stivers; go, buy grog, or tobacco if you prefer it." With African submission, he quietly relinquished the path, yet shewing, in his anxious countenance, as I thought, a deeper interest in what lay beyond than he was willing to acknowledge.

After a variety of mishaps, we, at length, attained the beach; and, concealed beneath the point of a projecting rock, in breathless silence, each became soon absorbed in his own contemplations, or wrapt in admiration at the view before him. Time passed rapidly op. The moon was now high in the heavens, and the midnight hour approaching. The early part of the evening had been remarkably mild and serene. But now the bright surface of the heavens was occasionally obscured by passing clouds, which drove rapidly across the sky, indicating, as the negro had foretold, a coming storm. The waves, as they dashed among the reefs, were capped with foam; and the wind bore the spray high against the sides of the adjacent mountains. Our situation had, in fact, become exceedingly uncomfortable, if not dangerous, for the sea had risen, and was still rising rapidly; and, unless the winds ceased soon, our retreat might be cut off. As for myself, the wet spray had much damped my ardour; and, for some time, I had been sighing for the repose of my couch. My companion, too, began to exhibit various signs of impatience and uneasiness. Now humming a low tune, presently buttoning his coat tight around his neck, and shifting his place, with a suppressed "confound it."

CHAPTER V.

THE object of our search soon appeared from above the brow of the highest cliff, standing on one of the uttermost ledges at a dizzy height. Her loose garments flapped wildly in the wind; and as she leaned forward, apparently endeavouring to penetrate the vale below, her situation seemed dangerous in the extreme. My companion seized my arm in terror Soon she disappeared, but presently again became visible, on one of the wild tracks cleared by the rolling rocks. Her figure was light, and she leaped, with astonishing agility, from rock to rock along the side of the steep mountain-pausing, however, every now and then, listening intently, and gazing earnestly into the darker space beneath. She had now descended more than half way down the mountain, and her beautiful form was becoming more distinctly visible. Her

At

robes were, as on the preceding evening, of the purest white, and her dress, save a loose mantle thrown around her shoulders, in every respect the same. At this spot she paused, in apparent incertitude, now advancing and now retreating, and then, again, pausing in meditation. this moment, a clap of thunder was heard; and a few drops of rain, the precursors of a shower, fell. Her resolution was taken-she leaped into the path, toward the very spot where we lay concealed. Our curiosity was then to be gratified.

"Halloo, dere. Halloo, massa.”

On turning round, upon the brow of the opposite hill, on which we had met on the preceding part of the evening, we beheld the negro; his arms were now throwing wildly around him, as he raised his shrill voice to its highest pitch. There was an inexpressible wildness in his manner; and as his voice was borne upon the blast from his distorted person, it seemed as if some spirit had been suddenly summoned from the lower world.

"Dog! scoundrel! What means he? what does he want?"

"It little matters now what he wants, our night's work is done. There flies your incognita—already on the top of the mountain-now, she is gone. Come, now let's make the best of our way home." "I'll flog the dog." Better say

66

Keep cool; keep cool.

nothing."

"As to keeping cool-it were difficult, with this wet jacket and these winds, to be otherwise."

We now joined the negro, who informed us that our ponies had loosened themselves from their fastenings; and that, having chased them over the hills, he had finally secured them; for which service he hoped we would reward him with an additional five stivers.

The rain poured in torrents, as our horses quietly ambled along; their riders, completely drenched, felt little inclined to observation; occasionally, however, a dialogue like the following would occur: "Strange."

"Cannot comprehend it."
"Nor I."

"Wish we had remained at home."
"And I."

Thus we jogged along till we arrived

in sight of Frederickstadt, and the cheering sight of a burning lamp in our bedroom-window, before us. Wet and fatigued, we were already, in anticipation, enjoying the shelter of home. But trou