“The slavery question aint no ways bewilderin'

North and South hev one int'rest, its plain to a glance;
Northern men, like us patriarchs, dont sell their childrin,
But they du sell themselves, ef they git a good chance.'
Sez John C. Calhoun, sez he;-

Sez Atherton here

"This is gittin severe

I wish I could dive like a loon,' sez he."

But we can give the reader no fair idea of the peculiar merit of the "Biglow Papers" in our brief extracts. Nor have we pretended to quote the best of Lowell's reform poetry; to gain a just idea of his talents and position, the reader must-if he has not already read his books, a luxury such as one rarely enjoys. We have attempted no sketch of Lowellno criticism-but have rather penned a few desultory thoughts upon him and his poetry, wishing at the same time to preserve among these papers one of the most touching and beautiful poems which sympathy for the poor and outcast has brought into being.