golden" of Madeira a week after losing sight of the white cliffs of England. A steamer, in calm weather, doing her best, might in that time get over the 1,060 miles of ocean that lies between London and that flowery isle. We had thought that the last of the Della Cruscan school of writers had died out, but there are passages in this narrative worthy of its original." And when the burning day was done, it was pleasant in the soft tropic evening to gather beneath the stars, and while her duenna coquetted primly with our bachelor captain, to listen while Elise sang to her guitar some quaint ballad of the middle ages, or some thrilling romance of undying love and knightly daring, that made our hearts bound, and our eyes flash, with a wild desire to emulate their deeds; but the opportunity was wanting."-We are very sorry for this. A tournament upon the main-deck would have broken the monotony of the voyage, and have afforded the author an opportunity for even finer writing. There are sufficiently exciting incidents without this, however. The idea of the two men kneeling on two spars, thrashing the water energetically with two loose ends of rope to scare off the approach of a blue shark, which had appeared in the shape of " long black object feathering the gleaming sea,' is sufficiently striking; but we prefer the good sense and good English of the next paper-Mr. H. Owgan's essay on "The Picturesque." The writer observes:

There are few words in common use in which the conventional acceptation and the etymology more strictly coincide than the " Picturesque," not less in its allegorical than its literal sense. One usual criterion of the picturesque element, in any special object, is the degree in which it is suited to, and which look well in a picture; and if we apply this test to the manifestations of the artificial life which surround us

we shall be disappointed to find how very small a proportion of it is really picturesque, either morally or physically.

Passing over a few paragraphs we come to the following:

The reason why our present and past costumes are so hopelessly unsuited to purposes of high art is, of course, the enormity of their ugliness, which is the reason also, why, when they cease to be fashionable, and lose the familiarity which gradually reconciles the eye to their deformity, they constitute such hideous and pitiable caricatures. A man or woman, for instance, dressed in the extreme of any superannuated fashion is probably one of the most ridiculous and humiliating exhibitions that can be easily witnessed. On the other hand, those costumes which are always picturesque, because they are intrinsically ornamental-such as that of the old Greeks, the Scottish Highland (which is the ancient Gallic or Keltic dress), that of the Spanish, Swiss, and Italian peasants, the old English Vandyke costume, most varieties of Oriental dress, and a few others-all these for the purposes of art survive every transient caprice of fashion, and, as they always look well in a picture, are the universal refuge of the artist when he wants a human figure, and at the same time wishes to avoid the suspicion of designing a tailor's pictorial advertisement. There is nothing new in all this; but it is simply and well stated, and by the force of these qualities is likely to arrest the attention of every class of reader. The Editor (Mr. C. Hardwick) goes as usual for utility, and gives a most useful paper on an important subject—" How to Select an Insurance Company."

The second annual Report of the Executive committee of the Manchester National Society for Women's Suffrage speaks hopefully of the progress made towards the realization of its purpose.

If it costs an intelligent manager and an actor of genius the sacrifice of £8,000 or £10,000 in a brief season to attempt to restore in the public the intellectual tastes for the drama it has apparently lost, why then we can only hope for the aid of Croesus to relieve the scanty fortune of an actor from rapid consumption and ruin. We sincerely trust it is true that some rich philanthropist with dramatic tastes has actually, as reported, come forward with a handsome cheque to reimburɛe Mr. Barry Sullivan for his losses sustained by the re-habilitation of the poetical drama at the HOLBORN theatre, so recently and so suddenly closed. We confess, however, we do not see how the impecunious manager could receive the magnificent patron's cheque, unless it was meant to be employed on

building Mr. Sullivan a new theatre, or in creating a fund for the encouragement of the high drama. It was said that a rich ladyphilanthropist helped the late Mr. Charles Kean to keep open the PRINCESS's against the apathy and non-support of the public evinced towards the regular drama at that theatre, but we know not how true the story may be; for, indeed, the ways of theatres are devious, and strange tales are told of the fortunes of the brethren of the "sock and buskin" and their aspen-tree supported Olympus. There may have beenthere may be still-liberal patrons of the drama in existence; but, be it so or not, it is our own impression that it is yet possible to keep at least one theatre open profitably with high-class 'plays. However, we have more immediately