ed, but that the zeal which cannot be carried off in a proper direction, will fall on him who drew it forth:-they will turn and rend him. All we wish is, that he should be prepared for this reverse. He seems to be a little affected by the heat of prosperity, we hope he will bear adversity better. Few men could have withstood so well the flattering attentions he has received. Our approbation of Mr. Irving is established on firmer grounds than popular opinion;— -It was builded far from accident; We admire him for his manly utterance (Literary Gaz.) VOLCANO OF VESUVIUS. From a Discourse delivered in the Academy of Berlin, by Baron Von Humboldt, who accompanied the King of Prussia in his Visit to Vesuvius last year. THE edges of the great crater, which in 1773 had appeared to M. de Saussure of equal height on the north and the south side, underwent a change in 1794. The north edge, la Rocca del Palo, remained as it was; and Messrs. Humboldt and Guy Lussac, who measured it in 1805, found its elevation to be 609 toises, as De Saussure had found it in 1773; but the southern edge towards Boschetré-Case had partly fallen in, and was 71 toises lower than in 1773. What changes continually is not the crater of the volcano, which is composed of rocks, but the tunnel, or, as our learned author calls it, the cone of ejection, which is formed in the middle of the crater, on the bottom, which is raised by the elastic vapours. Such a cone of ejection (continues M. Humboldt,) very slightly formed of scoriæ and lapilli (volcanic gravel,) had gradually risen during the years 1816 and 1818, so as to become visible above the south-east edge of the crater. The eruption, in the month of February, 1822, had so much enlarged it, that it rose 70 or 80 feet even above the northern edge. It is this which was considered at Naples as the summit of the mountain itself, which, in the night of the 22d of October, sunk in with a dreadful crash. It was 400 feet high; but the bottom itself of the crater on which it rested must have sunk considerably, for it is now 750 feet below Rocca del Palo. In the night of the 23d, after the flowing of small but numerous torrents of lava, commenced the igneous eruption of ashes and lapilli, which continued, without interruption, for twelve days, but was most abundant the first four days. During all this time the detonations in the interior of the mountain were so violent, that the mere vibration of the air, without any shock of an earthquake, caused the ceilings to crack in the rooms at Portici. Above the villages of Resina, of Torre del Green, Torre del Annonciada, and Boschetré-Case, the air was so filled with ashes, that profound darkness prevailed at noon-day; and the inhabitants, flying in consternation, were obliged to carry lanterns in the streets. The aqueous vapour which, during this eruption, rose from the crater, and diffused itself in the air, formed, as it grew cold, a thick cloud round the column of fire and ashes, which was 9000 feet in height. The lightnings darted through this immense cloud. Never had Naples enjoyed such splendid and diversified fire-works. On the 26th of October a report was spread that a torrent of hot water was rushing from the top of the crater; but the learned Monticelli soon discovered that it was an optical illusion--the pretended torrent of water was a torrent of ashes. It will excite surprise when we state, that all these eruptions of ashes have produced only a layer from fifteen to eighteen inches deep in most of the tion in which so many towns of Campania perished, was like a resurrection of the volcano after a repose of many ages; the force which re-opened a crater that was closed and filled up by entire layers of rocks, must have been sufficiently considerable to throw up an extraordinary quantity of ashes. (Lit. Gaz.) STORY OF NINETTE. Paris, June 25, 1823. THE second volume of the Hermits in Prison, by Jay and Jouy, has made its appearance, after some delay. The secret of the business is as follows: The learned prisoners agreed with Ladvocat, the bookseller, for a volume, and one volume was announced; but M. Ladvocat thought he could make a better job of the reputation and the emprisonment of his authors, by ekeing out to two volumes the matter prepared. Alas! he found himself short for the second volume, about sixty pages-demands on the authors -authors have exhausted their stores -bookseller presses-prisoners declare they engaged for a volume-Ladvocat protests that had he published in a different type, &c. they would still have had to furnish the copy required -and, enfin, concludes by demanding, "What are forty or sixty pages to gentlemen of your esprit, who have such facility of invention and expression? Sentiments and sentences flow from your pen with the ink with which you trace the letters." Who could withstand such flattering appeals? the authors immediately set to work, and the second volume comes forth as interesting as the first, and supposed by the public to have been all equally inspired and equally intended for its gratification, rather than for the benefit of the booksellers of the Palais Royal. In this volume, thus produced, there is among other tales, one entitled Ninette, ou la fille de bonne Volonté, par E. Jouy. "In the time of the Regents there lived, or rather flourished, at Yvetot, a sweet little girl named Ninette. If the be faithful, nothing so gracious, so ravportrait which I have now before me ishing, had yet appeared in the kingdom, which does not measure less than and the name of which must ever recal a league and a half in circumference, mortalized by our Horace. to recollection that bon petit Roi imearliest spring of her life, Ninette had In the an elegant and flexible figure, a beautiful face, a bewitching smile, and eyes so full of tender expression, that one look alone, even when a child, revealed her destiny. She was an orphan; the rich Prior of a neighbouring abbey adopted her from infancy, and when she had attained her fourteenth year, called her his niece. The Prior was seized by a dangerous malady, and for reasons which I shall not investigate, sent away his niece before the arrival of a crowd of cousins, attracted by the hope of sharing his wealth. Ninette arrived at Paris, with the little baggage and the little purse which she had received from her uncle, who died some days after her departure. tract my information, says nothing of "The manuscript from which I exNinette during the first four months of her residence at Paris. It is however probable that, in some obscure retreat, she concealed her sorrow and indulged her affectionate regret; for when she presented herself to the persons to whom she had been recommended by the Prior, and who refused to receive her, the roses had faded from her cheeks, and the brilliancy of her beauty had quite disappeared. "Ninette had exhausted her feeble resources, and began to feel the pressure of want and despair, when one fine evening a lady, who had followed her some time under the arcades of the Place Royale, addressed her in the most affable manner, and so insinuated herself into the confidence of the poor child, that she obtained from her all her history. The lady pressed her to go home with her, and Ninette cheerfully complied with the ardent request of her generous protector. They mounted an elegant carriage, which was wait ing on the Boulevard, and alighted at a very fine hotel in Rue Culture Sainte Catherine. "Ninette passed some weeks in a pavillion from which she witnessed the promenades and amusements of other young ladies, with whom she could not associate or converse; and though she occasionally felt some anxiety for the result of the extraordinary attentions she received, she had only to cast her eyes on the mirror, and observe the returning tints and the improving beauty of her countenance, to be satisfied and cheerful. Agreeable as was her situation, her solitude at length began to be irksome; and one day on leaving the bath, she ventured to give a hint on the subject to her protector, who herself assisted her, and performed for her the most minute services. My child,' said her friend,' your health and beauty are restored, and I will now inform you of the honour that awaits you. My name is La Fillon, and is celebrated in Paris. I am the friend of the Prince, and my house is a sort of merry chapelry to his parish.' Ninette had commenced a string of questions, which occasioned the utmost mirth to the lady, when Monseigneur was announced. "Your Excellence has arrived most fortunately,' said the dame: 'Ninette, just from her village, is ignorant of every thing; but I can assure you she is worthy of your high protection.' Ninette justified the recommendation; and as a shrewd woman has more wit than a prime minister, she succeeded in inspiring a passion as sincere as a man of the Prince's character could experience, and he placed her virtue under the safeguard of La Fillon, who was personally responsible. "Cardinal Dubois had followed the advice of Horace, and his establishment united l'utile et l'agreeable. It was at once an agency of pleasure and of police. He pretended that the femmes galantes, by their habit of deceit, had a great advantage over the most expert politicians; and that in the company of certain nightly witnesses, the most profound diplomates committed important indiscretions. This idea induced the cardinal to give a degree of vogue to the boudoir of La Fillon, and, to attract there, especially, the diplomatic corps. The female agents had orders to redouble their zeal and activity on the occasion of a plot which was on foot against legitimacy, since known as the conspiracy of the Marquis de Cellamere. In spite, however, of every precaution, the Abbé Porto Carréro, nephew of the Portuguese Ambassador, succeeded in deceiving the vigilance of the Regent and of his ministers. Every thing was prepared for the triumph of the cause of the Duc de Maine; and Dom Velasquez, secretary of the embassy, was to set off in the night for Madrid, with the Abbé Porto Carrera, and the definitive arrangements of the conspirators who were to put the reins, now held by the Regent, into the hands of a bastard of Louis XIV. So much it has been necessary to say of politics, to give the key to what remains of the adventures of Ninette. Cardinal Dubois, in order to amuse Ninette in the separate and select part of the Harem to which she was confined, ordered her to have masters in all the fashionable accomplishments, and to enjoy every gratification, consistent with his political plans in the administration of his establishment. It so happened that the same drawing-master had the honour of instructing the lovely Ninette and the intriguing Dom Velasquez; and the terms in which the instructor spoke of the young lady so excited the curiosity of the Secretary, that he was determined to see the treasure so carefully concealed in a house where he was an assiduous visitor. The praises of Dom Velasquez, in which the old master often indulged before Ninette, produced on her a similar effect: and as curiosity early triumphs over feebleness, the desire of seeing each other was soon equally felt by both the young scholars." "The desire of the young admirers was not long opposed. La Fillon demanded only, as the price of her compliance with the wishes of the demoiselle, that she should be informed of all the movements of the young diplomate. Ninette, who knew not the importance of the stipulation, promised and kept her word. The intimacy continued regular and ardent during two months. Don Velasquez, increasingly charmed by his fair captive, seldom missed his opportunity; he arrived about midnight, and departed before daylight by a door in the garden, of which he possessed the key. "One evening he arrived as early as nine o'clock, and without being less tender, he had a melancholy and distracted air. Ninette was alarmed; her inquiries were answered by caresses and by mysterious words, which she remembered without being able to comprehend. The night advanced; he asked for paper to write a note, and when it was finished he desired Ninette to address it to S. A. R. Mad. la Duchesse du Maine a Sceaun. Instantly he rose, concealed the note in the folds of his cravat, embraced tenderly his friend, and rushed from her arms. She flew after him through the garden, but could not reach him before he had mounted a chaise de poste, in which she saw another per"Route d' Orleans," the orders given to the postillion, were the only and the last sounds which she ever heard from his lips. son. "In tumult and despair Ninette awoke her protector, and told her all that had passed. La Fillon rose in haste, flew to the hotel of the Cardinal Dubois, and without informing how she had obtained her intelligence, apprized him of the events which her harem had so recently witnessed. The circumstances confirmed suspicions which the sacred Minister had already entertained. Couriers were despatched on the road to Spain. Don Velasquez and the Abbé Porto Carrero were arrested at Poitiers; their persons and papers were searched, the conspiracy was discovered, and the son of Mad. Montespan lost the regency, because the Cardinal had the wit to entrust the police of the kingdom to his filles de joic, and because a young lover could not quit Paris without a last embrace of his mistress. On what slender threads are the destinies of empires suspended! "The greater number of women know no other perfidy but that which love suggests. The Cardinal determined to recompense Ninette for the service she had rendered the Government, but she refused the reward of a treason which her heart disavowed; and when she learnt that she had been the innocent cause of the ruin of Don Velasquez, whom she passionately loved, she resolved to abandon her present course, and return to privacy and to virtue. From the very bosom of corruption she rose, and retired to find, in the sentiment of her shame, the en-. ergy to escape from infamy. The very day on which she had been presented by the Cardinal Dubois to the Regent, she left the harem of La Fillon by the garden gate, of which Don Velasquez had left the key, and took refuge in the Penitentiary which Mad. de Beauharnais Miramont had founded at the close of the seventeenth century, under the name of Sainte Pelagie. "The venerable Ecclesiastic who superintended that pious establishment, himself the model of apostolic virtue, received with kindness the young penitent, raised her above despair, and talked to her of her beauty and her charms, in order to increase in her own estimation the value of the sacrifice she voluntarily made. Accustomed to read the human heart, he soon perceived that the beautiful Ninette, in indulging the emotions of a religious affection, only sought to modify the natural feelings by which she was agitated. She wished to take the veil; he dissuaded her from a purpose conceived by a troubled, and not a calm and enlightened soul. His tender exhortations triumphed over her passions, and she left the asylum to return to Yvetot, where her beauty and her grace vanquished all suspicion, and closed the mouth even of envy itself. "A young descendant of the Lord of the country loved Ninette, and in spite of a confidential disclosure of the scenes of her past life, he wished to make her his wife. They were married, and la fille de bonne volonte became the most faithful of wives and the most tender of mothers. The retreat, opened aux filles de bonne volonté by Mad. de Beauharnais Miramont, in which another Mad. de Beauharnais was imprisoned in the reign of terror, is now a prison for debtors, for vagabonds, for men of letters; and it is within its walls that this history of Ninette has been composed." WIFFEN'S POETICAL TRANSLATION OF GARCILASSO DE LA VEGA.* (Blackwood's Mag.) IT T is strange enough to find an English Quaker attempting to transfuse the beauties of one of the most stately and chivalric of Castilian bards. Mr. Wiffen, however, has contrived to lay aside his drab suit, and to wear the lofty plume and embroidered mantle of the gallant Spaniard, as naturally as if he had never been accustomed to figure among humbler habiliments. We really have not for a long while encountered a volume more entitled to the praise of ELEGANCE. First of all, it is, as to externals, one of the most chaste and beautiful specimens of typographical art and embellishments that ever issued from the English press. And, what is of great moment, the jewel is quite worthy of the rich casket in which it is placed. Mr. Wiffen's own prose introduction is a model of that species of composition, full, clear, yet concise, and above all, entirely unaffected. Of the poetical versions themselves, we shall only say, that the Odes and Lyrical Pieces are much superior to the 1. Eclogues; and that they are so just Garcilasso was, as almost all the great Spanish geniuses have been, a soldier; he was noble, brave, courteous, amorous, the mirror of Castilian honour and Castilian love; he died, after a life of enterprize, misfortune, and glory, at the early age of thirty; he is the Surrey, and more than the Surrey of Spanish letters. The following Ode was addressed by Garcilasso to a young Neapolitan lady, (called the Flower of GNIDO, from the quarter of the city of Naples in which she lived,) at the time when a friend of the poet's was enamoured of her. Nothing, we apprehend, can be more perfectly elegant THE FLOWER OF GNIDO. The Works of Garcilasso de la Vega, surnamed the Prince of Castilian Poets, translated into English Verse; &c. By J. H. Wiffen. London, 1823. |