Ascent of the Corcovado.

The Corcovado is the giant among the mountains here. It towers above every other peak and is of very singular form. Every stranger ascends the Corcovado-so behold me toiling up the steep sides of the mountain, cheered by a charming day, and a pleasant company of friends. We began our ascent from the Larangeiras, and though fatiguing, we found it to be a delightful ex

cursion.

The path led through dense primeval for ests that had never been cut down, and occasional openings disclosed the loveliest views in the world. The forest is filled with flowers, air plants of every variety hang upon the trees, adorning them with blossoms of red, blue, pink and bronze.

The Emperor has recently had a cottage built, where the weary may always rest, about half an hour's walk from the summit, at a charming spot called the Pinheiros.— The English of Pinheiro is Pine. Of course we expected to find a noble grove of pine trees, but no pines are there. There may have been in past years. The summit of the mountain is rude and bare. The peak seems rifted by some sudden convulsion. Across the chasm is thrown a wooden bridge, and around the peak is a firm railing which gives a feeling of security which one could not otherwise bear, standing on the brink of so terrific a precipice. The highest point is more than 2300 feet above the level of the sea. The view from the summit is vast and magnificent, and it was with regret I left the highest spot I had ever reached.

We left at the Mai d' Agua, mother of waters, about half way down the mountain, some friends and our dinner, which the mountain air by this time had made very attractive. We found descending much more unpleasant than ascending. The only way we could stop the velocity of our progress 'was by clinging to shrubs and trees. It is thought quite a feat for a lady to climb the Corcovado on foot. (The path is very safe for mules as far as the Pinheiros.) In our party there were three ladies and three children, who all bore the fatigue like heroines.

At the Mai d' Agua we found our friends, and above all our dinner, which was delicious. The cloth was laid upon the grass,there was a delightful absence of knives and forks. I do not mean that we had none at all, but there were not enough for all, and we ate our roast chickens, ham and chicken pie in a most primitive style.

From the Mai d' Agua, flows nearly all the water with which the city is so abundantly supplied. The vapors from the ocean float and collect around the Corcovado, falling in dense mists and running in streams down the sides of the mountain. At the "Mother of waters" they unite and form a torrent which leaps down pure and cold over a ledge of granite in a broad and foaming sheet into a natural reservoir about three miles from the

city. From this reservoir, more than a century since, it was led by an aqueduct along the ridge to the Convent of Santa Teresa. Never did this outward world seem so enchanting and picturesque a place to me as it did the first time I walked along the path that conducts this water. It is a green avenue made on the summit level of the most romantic hills, forming at intervals artificial terraces and platforms. From these high places you look below you on vallies indescribably beautiful. The most magnificent and ornamental objects is the Arcade that takes the water from the Santa Theresa hill to the opposite one of S. Antonio, from whence it is led into the city.

The Arcade is formed of two ranges of stone arches, one over another, which rise from the ground to a great height. This aqueduct is a stupendous work, and that the Brazilians were ever inspired with enterprize sufficient to undertake and complete it, is a matter of astonishment.-Boston Journal.

The Propagation of Trees.

OUR CORRESPONDENCE.

We sent out a few weeks ago, about 50,000 seeds of the Japanese Ailanthus, or Chinese Tree of Heaven, to persons in different parts of the country, accompanied with printed descriptions and directions for planting and rearing. Others are yet to be sent, perhaps nearly an equal amount; and we have reason to think the results will be useful, extensive and permanent. As we left all at liberty to plant before sending us any reply, we presume many have preferred adopting that course. To those who have taken the trouble to distribute their seeds, and collect and transmit the small sums for which we proposed to them to sell them, we return our thanks. They may hear from us again in future, with some little memorial of, our gratitude which may be pleasing and useful. To find a now project, designed for the good of one's countrymen at a distance, approved and assisted by intelligent and public-spirited strangers-ladies, as well as gentlemen, is very gratifying; and our sincere thanks are now offered to them. Their promptitude and activtty in coöperating have given us reason to hope our plan will prove practicable, at least to some extent; and, so far as it is carried into effect, the results must be useful.

We learn from our correspondence, that the Ailanthus has been introduced into some parts of this State and of Delaware, and that it there grows with all the readiness and luxuriance which we have attributed to it.

Perils of the Express Conductors.—On Friday last, a clear, sharp, cold day, the mail arrived at the Kennebec River, expecting to get a pass by the steam ferry boat at Bath. The river was frozen and the ferry boat did not run. The mail contractor, with the conductors of Jerome & Co.'s Express and Gilman's Express, attempted to cross the river in a row boat. They had succeeded in slowly making their passage through the ice about half way across the river, when the boat was jammed between two huge cakes of ice, and nearly capsized. The tide being strong at the time, the boat, jammed hard and fast in the ice, was carried up the river some three miles, where she lay from eight o'clock in the morning until three o'clock in the afternoon, every effort being made in the mean time to force her through the ice, by breaking it up at the bow of the boat, until the three persons were wet and covered with ice.

Young Mower, of Jerome & Co.'s Express, broke through the ice on the river, and in changing his stockings, his boots were so much frozen as to render it impossible to get them on.

Finding all efforts to make a passage abortive, the mail contractor took to the ice, thin as it was, and crawled, or rather slipped his body over the cracking ice, with the water oozing up about him, and thus reached the shore. Young Mower followed, pushing his valise and boots ahead, and then slipping himself up to them, and at length gained the shore. The conductor of Gilman's Express followed. Mower was obliged to walk two iniles, with only stockings upon his feet, and froze his toes and heels. One foot of the other conductor was frozen. The distance perilously passed upon the ice was about a mile, and within five minutes after they gained the shore, the ice broke up where they had passed, carrying the valises and mail bags down the river, where the boat was recovered the next day, and got on shore.-Bangor (Me.) Whig.

BY MRS. CRAWFORD..

Jean Anderson, my ain Jean,
Ye've been a leal gude wife;

Ye've more than shared my pain, Jean,
Ye've been my joy through life;

I lo'ed ye in ye're youth, Jean,
With bonny snooded brow;

But maun I tell the truth, Jean,
I lo'e ye better now.

O! they were pleasant times, Jean,
When first I trysted thee;
They come like holy chimes, Jean,
O' Sabbath bells to me;
But sweeter to my heart, Jean,
Than a' the past can prove,

The hope that when we part, Jean, Our souls shall meet above.

I've been a man o' toil, Jean,

And aye obliged to roam;
But still ye had a smile, Jean,
And canny welcome home;
Our hearth was aye aright, Jean,
The kail pot on the fire,
When I came back at night, Jean,
I found my heart's desire.

Our bairns hae bred some cares, Jean,
But thanks to thee, my jo,

They brought not our grey hairs, Jean,
Wi' shame or sorrow low;
And when at last our bed, Jean,
Beside the kirk maun be,
They'll honor us when dead, Jean,
And that's enough for me.

AMERICAN GUANO.-A large amount of guano is on an island in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The information was communicated to Mr. Coleman by a gentleman from New York of the highest respectability.

The discovery of the guano was made by a young man last season, and a small cargo of it was taken to New-York. A quantity of it was purchased by a gentleman who tried it side by side with the Peruvian and Ichaboe, and the results were decidedly in favor of that from the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Eng. Pap.

LIEUT. COL. ELLIOTT.-We mentioned the other day the sudden death of this gentleman. He was the commander of the British forces on the Niagara frontier. The last number of the Niagara Chronicle contains a long obituary notice of the deceased, with an account of the funeral procession which took place at Niagara on the 29th of December.- * N. Y. Express.

The revenues of all the N. York Canals for the last fiscal] year, have exceeded those of 1844, by the sum of $25,884 38, but the expenses exceed those of that year by $140,169 96.

HUMILITY.

BY MONTGOMERY.

The bird that soars on highest wing
Builds on the ground its lowly nest,
And she that doth most sweetly sing,
Sings in the shade when all things rest,
In lark and nightingale we see
What honor hath humility.

The saint that wears heaven's brightest crown,
In deepest adoration bends,

The weight of glory bows him down
The most when most his soul ascends;
Nearest the throne itself must be

The footstool of humility.

POETRY.

A SPANISH SONNET.

Soneto.

Noble, rico, vasallo, y ciudadano,
Todos iguales son, todos parientes,
Pues que nacieron todos descendientes
Del tronco antiguo del primer humano.
Sepa quien con sus titulos ufano
Funda su vanidad en asciendientes,
Que hay dos generaciones diferentes,
Virtud y vicio: lo demas es vano.
Por mas que quiere la generalogia
Colocar en sus venas la nobleza
Aun superior a lo que Adam tenia,
No podlia desmentir naturaleza
Que sin virtud es la hidalguia
Ridiculo fantasma de la grandeza.

We thank our fair correspondent for sending us the above specimen of Spanish poetry, so fine in style, and still superior in sentiment. If it be the production of the monk who presented it to her friend, it certainly does him great credit, as he must have strayed from the ignorance and arroganee of the cloister, to learn truths taught only in the Bible, in the family, and in those societies, not hostile to them.

The translation accompanying the "Soneto," we shall publish with gratitude, apologizing for our apparent delay, by mentioning that we have but recently received them. May we look for future favors from the same welcome source?

TO OUR OLD SUBSCRIBERS.-The first volume of the American Penny Magazine will be completed in the beginning of February, when those who began with No. 1 will have 52 numbers, of 16 pages each, containing nearly 200 illustrative engravings, and a variety of reading matter, derived from a great variety of sources, foreign and American, ancient and modern. Of their value our readers can judge. Many new and valuable sources of information are continually opening to us. The experiment which we have made, of furnishing American families with an illustrated weekly paper, devoted to useful information and sound principles, intellectual, moral and religious, at a lower price than any similar work, promises permanent success. Those who wish to receive the next volume will please to send the money, ($1) by the close of the term. Those who may wish to receive any or all of the back numbers, will be promptly supplied. they are stereotyped, we shall always be able to furnish complete sets.

As

TO OUR NEW SUBSCRIBER.-Those who have subscribed for out second volume only, will be supplied with the few remaining numbers of Vol. 1, without charge, and are requested to circulate them among their friends. They will be entitled to all the numbers of the second volume.

TO ALL OUR SUBSCRIBERS.-If each will procure one new subscriber, it will be rendering an important service to a new publication, designed for extensive and lasting benefit.

CHOCTAWS.-There are expected, says the Vicksburgh intelligencer of the 8th inst., in about ten days or two weeks, 5,000 Choctaw Indians here, to cross the river, on their way to their new home, west of the Mississippi.

PERSIA.

The print on the preceding page may and give some idea of the affected pomp dignity of a Persian sovereign; and it may afford us an instructive lesson, to contemplate the luxury and pride of one of the few remaining ancient absolute monarchs, in contrast with the degradation of his people, and the superior priviliges we enjoy under a system like our own. The intimate intercourse which has existed for some years between Persia and some of the powers of Europe, particularly Great Bri tain, has given opportunity for some very interesting publications; while our American missionaries have transmitted to us authentic information respecting the country, the people and the government, as well as their own Christian labors for the introduction of evangelical truth, and the treasures of science and arts. The ac counts given us from time to time of some of the royal family have been very gratifying, and particularly of the young prince, who has shown much devotion to the acquisition of useful knowledge, and much zeal for the improvement of the children of the people. The Missionary Herald, for several years past, contains many pages on these subjects.

The style in which the English embassy was received at the Persian court was intended, no doubt, to dazzle; but its ef fect was rather of an opposite character.The details of it have been published, with colored drawings of the whole scene, representing a display of grotesque costumes quite amusing to behold. Our print gives a view of the King himself, sitting in state, in company with the foreign ambassador.

We copy the following passages from Frazer's Historical and Descriptive account of Persia.

"Of all the mighty empires which have flourished in the East, that of Persia is undoubtedly one of the most remarkable and the most celebrated. Enduring through a succession of vicissitudes almost unparal lelled for more than two thousand five hundred years,-by turns the prey of fo

reign enemies and the sport of internal revolution, yet ever subjected to despotic rule, alternately elevated to the summit of glory and prosperity, and plunged into misery and degradation,-she has, from the earliest period of her existence, either been the throne of the lords of Western Asia, or the arena on which monarchs have disputed for the sceptre of the East. Poor and comparatively limited in extent, the more warlike of her sovereigns enriched themselves and enlarged their dominions by the most brilliant conquests; while under timid and pacific princes not only did her acquisitions crumble away, but her own provinces were frequently subdued by bolder and more rapacious neighbors. Thus her boundaries were continually fluctuating with the characters of her monarchs. But it is not so much our object to write the history of the great Persian empire, as to give an outline of the annals of the country properly so called, and to place before the reader a description of its most remarkable features. The appellation of Persia is unknown to its inhabitants, by whom that region of Asia included between the rivers Tigris and Oxus is named Iran, a designation derived from Eerij, the youngest male child of their celebrated king Feridoon. According to tradition, at the termination of a long and glorious reign, he divided it between his three sons. To Selm he gave all his possessions comprehended in modern Turkey. On Toor he bestowed the wide and extensive plains of Tartary, including all the lands beyond the Oxus, which have ever since by the Persians been denominated Tooran; while the remaining territory, bounded as we have said, fell to the share of his youngest and favorite son, Eerij.

The most ancient name of the country is by some, upon Scriptural authority, held to be Elam; but that sovereignty, it is probable, embraced only a small part of Persia, having been confined to Susiana, or Kuzistan and Louristan, with a portion of the contiguous districts lying upon the Tigris. The Paras mentioned in Scripture, the Persis of the Greeks, and the Persia of modern times, are all obviously derived from Fars, a term applied to one of the southern provinces.

As its natural limits, this kingdom has on the south the Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf; the river Tigris on the south-west and west; on the north, the Aras, which divides it from Armenia, Georgia, and the province of Karabaug, the Caspian Sea,