distinct recollection however of mounting a full-grown mahoganycoloured animal of the same genus, after coming to man's estate, which I may be pardoned for relating, as it was my only performance of the kind.

It was during my first unfortunate courtship, when I had the brief happiness of three weeks' visit at the residence of the lady's father in the county of Suffolk. I had made considerable progress, I flattered myself, in the affections of his "eldest daughter," when alas! a letter arrived from London, which summoned me on urgent business to the metropolis. There was no neat postchaise to be procured in the neighbourhood, nor indeed any other vehicle on account of the election; and my host kindly pressed upon me the use of one of his saddle-horses to carry me to the next market-town, where I should meet the mail. The urgency of the case induced me to accede to the proposal, and with feelings that all lovers will duly estimate, I took leave of my adored Honoria.

She evidently felt the parting-we might not meet again for an age, or even two or three ages, alias weeks, and to be candid, I fully participated in her feelings of anxiety, and something more, considering the perilous nature of the expedition. But the Horse came, and the Jast adieus-no, not the last, for the animal having merely taken me an airing, across a country of his own choosing, at last brought me back of his own head, for I was unable to direct it, safe to the house, or rather to the door of his own stable. At the time, despite some over-severe raillery, I rather enjoyed the untoward event; but on mature reflection, I have since found reason to believe that the change which afterwards took place in the young lady's sentiments towards me, was greatly attributable to my equestrian failure. The popular novel of "Rob Roy" made its appearance soon afterwards, and along with a certainly over-fervent admiration of its heroine, Di Vernon, a notable horsewoman, it is not improbable that Honoria imbibed something of an opposite feeling towards a humble servant who was only a Foot-Man.

Since then, I have contrived to get married, to a lady of a more pedestrian taste; an escape from celibacy that might have been more difficult had my bachelorship endured till a reign, when the example of the Sovereign has made riding so fashionable an exercise with the fair sex. Indeed, I have invariably found that every female whom I might have liked or loved, was a capital horsewoman. How other timid or inapt gentlemen are to procure matrimonial partners, is a problem that remains to be solved. They must seek companions, as W. says in the humbler walks of life. Poor W. He was deeply devotedly attached to a young lady of family and fortune, to whom he was not altogether indifferent, but he could not ride out with her on horseback, and the captain could, which determined her choice. The rejected lover has had a twist in his brain and a warp in his temper ever since but his bitterness, instead of falling on the sex as usual, has settled on the whole equine race. He hates them all, from the steed of sixteen hands high down to the Shetland pony, and insists, against Mr. Thomas, and his Brutally-Humane Society, that horses are never ill-used. There is a "bit of raw" in his own bosom that has

made him regard their galled withers with indifference: a sore at his heart which has made him callous to their sufferings. They deserve all they get. The Dog is man's best friend, he says, and the horse his worst.

Since writing the above, word has been brought to me that poor W. is no more. He deceased suddenly, and the report says, of apoplexy; but I know better. His death was caused, indeed, by a full habitbut it was a blue one.

THE SEASON.

SUMMER'S gone and over!
Fogs are falling down;
And with russet tinges
Autumn's doing brown.

Boughs are daily rifled

By the gusty thieves,
And the Book of Nature

Getteth short of leaves.

Round the tops of houses,

Swallows, as they flit,
Give, like yearly tenants,

Notices to quit.

Skies, of fickle temper,

Weep by turns, and laugh

Night and Day together

Taking half-and-half.

So September endeth

Cold, and most perverse-
But the Month that follows,

Sure will pinch us worse!

T. H.

THE BARNABYS IN AMERICA.

BY MRS. TROLLOPE.

CHAP. XXV.

ALL preliminaries being thus far settled, Mrs. Allen Barnaby very gracefully gave Mrs. Colonel Beauchamp to understand that her anxiety to find herself at Big-Gang Bank, would admit of no further delay, her notes having, in fact, exactly reached the point at which the sight of that "magnificent piece of social machinery, an actively organized slave plantation" (as Judge Johnson had elegantly described it in Congress), was become absolutely necessary.

This was quite enough to set the active mind and body of Mrs. Beauchamp into such a state of excitement, as very speedily brought all preparations depending on her to a conclusion; and even the soporific colonel himself was sufficiently awakened by the intelligence to make him, on hearing of it, pronounce in a very decided tone, "My dear, the sooner we set off, the better."

But the most remarkable phenomenon produced by these new arrangements, was the manner in which they were received by Annie; for though disappointed in her hopes of an expedition up the Mississippi, and doomed moreover to endure at her own home the presence of the whole Barnaby, plus Tornorino party, in the oppressive character of guests, it did not appear to vex her at all. It was, indeed, quite astonishing to see how well she bore it.

The business of departure therefore was both rapidly and smoothly brought to a conclusion. Mrs. Carmichael wheezed forth her hopes of seeing them all again, and Patty's elegant and pious friend, Mrs. General Gregory, declared that nothing should prevent their forthwith repairing to their plantation mansion, in order to receive the whole party on their leaving Big-Gang Bank.

The journey produced no events particularly interesting, which might partly be owing to the lassitude produced by the heat of the weather; for though it was certainly a great relief to quit the glare of New Orleans for scenes in which they had trees instead of houses to look at, the exertion of travelling equalized the matter, and the Europeans of the party had little energy for any thing beyond fanning themselves, and sipping iced lemonade from stage to stage as they proceeded.

At length, however, this unavoidable martyrdom was over, the melting journey at an end, and all the luxuries of a rich planter's establish. ment around them.

In point of picturesque beauty, Big-Gang Bank had little to boast of, being a wide-spreading brick edifice, situated in a large square enclosure of coarse, ill-kept grass, surrounded by a zigzag fence, and with nothing in sight but a considerable expanse of flat country, covered with sugar-canes, cotton-bushes, and rice-grounds, diversified at intervals by clusters of negro huts. The mansion itself consisted of a lofty centre, and two low wings, the former surmounted by a sort of Oct.-VOL. LXVI. NO. CCLXII.

Μ

pointed pediment, in the middle of which yawned a huge round aperture, containing the enormous dinner-bell. The wings which had no second story, displayed a row of at least a dozen windows in each, and not only along this lengthy front, but round the whole building ran a deep portico, which being lined with orange-trees and pomegranates, redeemed it in some degree from the scorched-up aspect produced by the ill-complexioned material of the building, and the defective verdure of the lawn which surrounded it.

But it was not on the expanse of her mansion, or on the beauty of the flowering shrubs which adorned it, that Mrs. Beauchamp chiefly prided herself, though well aware that it was all very first-rate elegant. But her eye sparkled as the carriages containing her numerous guests drove up to the portico, and she perceived the centre door that was thrown open to receive them, crowded with gaily-clad negroes. About a dozen of these, male and female, ran forward as the equipages approached, ready to perform all offices, necessary and unnecessary, that might be required of them.

Their light summer garb, more picturesque than abundant, was for the most part white, perfectly clean, and set off to great advantage by the mixture of bright-coloured calico introduced into their girdles and turban-like head gear.

"You did not look, I expect, for such an elegant gang of domestic niggers in any private gentleman's dwelling, did you, my dear lady?" said the smiling Mrs. Beauchamp, addressing her most important guest. "But these are not the one-half of the household gang, and not any single one of them have any more to do with the canes, or the cotton, or the rice, than you have."

"It is indeed a most splendid establishment!" replied Mrs. Allen Barnaby, raising her hand as in admiration.

"It is a great loss as to labour, in course," resumed Mrs. Beauchamp; "but my colonel is a very liberal, high-minded gentleman, and chooses that his wife and his daughter should live in all luxury, according as they have a right to do. Doubtless, dear lady," she continued, with a pitying shake of the head, "you have heard and read enough about the want of helps among the American ladies; and it serves them right, too, there is no denying it, for thinking of such a thing as turning a free-born American into a drudge, to come and go at any body's bidding. True it is, no doubt of it, and very fitting too, that they should want helps; but now Mrs. Allen Barnaby, ma'am, I flatter myself you will have an opportunity of making your own observations, and finding out for yourself the alone reason why so many of the finest ladies in the world is often forced to do their own dirty work, and will be able to do justice to the real gentility of those who know better what is due to themselves. Walk in, dear ladies, walk in, and pray remember that you may all of you just ring and call as much as you like. Indeed, you'll only have to clap your hands, ladies, in order to bring as many domestic blacks about you as you can want or wish for. Pray make no scruples, and don't fear that you are taking them from out-door work, for they are never sent into the grounds from year's end to year's end, except just for punishment, and then they get their flogging in the fields, which is a deal better, you know, than having it to do in the house."

This speech, which was begun as they left the carriage, lasted the whole length of an enormous hall which traversed the building from front to back, affording by its perfect shade, and the current of air which passed through it, a very agreeable contrast to the heat which the travellers had been enduring.

"Oh, goodness! What a delightful place!" exclaimed Madame Tornorino. "I hope, ma'am, you mean to sit down here a little ?"

"This is beautiful, to be sure!" chimed in the greatly comforted Matilda, beginning to fan herself anew with refreshed strength and violence.

"Beautiful?" repeated Mrs. Allen Barnaby, in an accent that seemed to scorn the insufficient epithet. "It is noble! It is magnificent !"

Mrs. Beauchamp, with patriotic and domestic pride, both busy at her heart, looked round upon the admiring guests, as if she could have kissed them all.

"Oh, my!" she gaily exclaimed, "you mustn't talk about this being beautiful. It is just large, and lofty, and fresh, that's all. But you, my dear Mrs. Allen Barnaby, have taught your own clear-sighted way of seeing every thing to your whole party, and I'm sure its a glory and a pleasure to show you any thing. But now please to walk in here, ladies. This is what we call number one, because it is our littlest drawing-room. But that's the proper way to begin, you know. We ought always to begin with the beginning, and so I always bring new visiters in here first. Now do please to sit down, all of you, and refresh yourselves. Major Allen Barnaby and monsieur must be so kind, I expect, to excuse Pa's stealing off so. It has always been his way, gentlemen, and we mustn't look for his changing it now. If it's twenty times in a year that he goes from home, the first thing he does upon coming back to it is, to go into a little dark room of his own picking and choosing, and then he lights a cigar, and gets a nigger or two to bring him a mint julap, with a nice bit of ice in it; and then, gentlemen, he sends off for his confidential looker, who presently puts him up to every thing that has happened the estate since he went; and I don't believe he'd lay down in his bed till he had heard all this, if it was ever so."

The major and his son-in-law hastened to assure their amiable hostess that they should be immeasurably sorry if their being at BigGang Bank should in any degree interfere with the habits of Colonel Beauchamp; all of which having been said with the most perfect politeness on all sides, the whole party sat down on the various couches and sofas that seemed to invite them, and then Mrs. Colonel Beauchamp clapped her hands. Upon this two handsome negro-girls made their appearance, side by side, at the door, and with a movement so similar and simultaneous, that they rather looked like one piece of machinery than two self-moving human beings.

"Sangaree, whiskey, melons, ice, and cakes," said Mrs. Beauchamp, in a voice of authority that sounded a little like the word of command given on parade, and ere the eye could wink, the two figures became invisible.

"And this is the country," exclaimed Mrs. Allen Barnaby, with