.614 Letters from Poplar-Hil. Letter First. Lays of Quakerdom: Execution of Mary M. Poor Old Charlie. By CARL BENSON. 273 The First Murderer. By J. H. A. BONN. .490 .491 507 Musings: a Reminiscence. Maitre Jacques. By J. W. DE FOREST......360 Moon-light and a Memory. By BENJAMIN F. TAYLOR Mr. Brown's Pigs. .382 Versicle: Keeping Watch'. W. Morning Memory, A. By MARY GRAVERAET. 475 LELLAN 505 ..389 Y. PEE, U. S A. .602 My Spirit's Whisper. By JENNY MARSH....621 Youth as It is: Lines By J. E. OTIs......165 ORIGINAL PAPERS. ART. I. JOURNEYINGS IN SPAIN. By R. T. McCOUN, ESQ., III. THE ROSE. FROM THE GERMAN OF FREILIGRATH,. IV. THE PLANET. FOUND IN THE PORT-FOLIO OF A Lunatic, V. TREE OF AN HUNDRED YEARS. BY LAWRENCE LABREE, 1 5 6 8 17 VI. THE GYPSIES OF ART. FROM THE FRENCH, BY CHARLES ASTOR BRISTED, 19 VII. LINES: SUMMER EVENING, . VIII. MUSINGS: A REMINISCENCE,. IX. PASSAGES FROM THE PAPERS OF A TRAVELLING DENTIST, X. AN ANACREONTIC, XI. STANZAS. BY CHARLES LELAND Porter, XII. THE STEAM-YACHT NORTH STAR,' WITH AN ILLUSTRATION, XIV. THE BATTLE OF THE PYRAMIDS. BY ISAAC MCLELLAN, XV. AN EASTERN 'FALKLAND,' XVI. EXISTENCE: A FRAGMENT, XVII. THE CRADLE-BED. BY ELIZA GRILLEY, XVIII. 'POOR OLD CHARLEY.' BY CARL BENSON, XIX. 'ALWAYS CHEERFUL.' BY WILLIAM PITT PALMER, XX. SONG OF THE PIONEER'S SON. BY JOHN YEOMAN, XXI. FROM BOSTON TO NEW-YORK THIRTY YEARS AGO, XXII. DAMASCENA: A SKETCH. BY WILLIAM NORTH, LITERARY NOTICES: 1. INKLINGS, SKETCHES OF LIFE, COMPOSITION, ETC. 2. COLE'S PAINTINGS, LIFE, LETTERS, AND WRITINGS. 3. PRISMATICS. BY RICHARD HAYWARDE, 4. By S. D. PRATT, 24 BY LOUIS L. NOBLE, 72 68 76 79 MEMOIRS OF MARGARET FULLER OSSOLI. SECOND NOTICE, 5. POEMS BY ALEXANDER SMITH, EDITOR'S TABLE: 1. ANOTHER LETTER FROM 'UP THE RIVER,' 2. EXHIBITION OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF DESIGN, 82 93 8385 3. LORD JOHN RUSSELL'S CORRESPONDENCE, ETC., OF THOMAS MOORE, 96 4. GOSSIP WITH READERS AND CORRESPONDENTS, 1. THE ST. NICHOLAS' MONTHLY MAGAZINE: MYSTERIES OF OFFICE-SEEKING: LITERARY RECORD: 1. EPHEMERA, BY EDWARD RICE AND J. HOWARD WAINWRIGHT, ESQRS. 2. HALL'S LEGENDS OF THE WEST.' 3. 'FERN-LEAVES' FROM FANNY'S PORT-FOLIO. 4. VALENTINE'S MANUAL OF THE CORPORATION.' 5. COLLIER'S RESTORED EDITION OF SHAKSPEARE. 6. 'HAMLET IN A NEW GARB.' 97 ENTERED ACCORDING TO ACT OF CONGRESS, IN THE YEAR 1853, BY SAMUEL HUESTON, IN THE OLERE'S OFFICE OF THE DISTRICT COURT OF THE UNITED STATES FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW-YORK. SPAIN is one agglomeration of mountains, which rise in every direction from the sea-coast toward the interior; and it is owing to this geological construction that it presents so great a variety of climates. In the provinces of Andalusia, Murcia, and Valencia, which border on the Mediterranean, the winters are mild and genial, and the summers long and hot. In the northern provinces, which skirt the Pyrenees, the winters are cold and rainy, the springs and autumns damp and disagreeable, and the summers temperate. The provinces situated upon the great central plateau are subject to great vicissitudes of temperature, the weather being very variable in winter, and scorching hot in summer. This variety of climate is characterized by a corresponding variety of vegetable productions. In the northern regions we find the apple, the chestnut, and the cerealea; while in the southern we have the date, the olive, the orange, and the vine. I left Madrid for Toledo, which is about twelve leagues distant, and still continued to traverse those desert-like plains which characterize the Castiles. It would be some little consolation to the traveller, if he could doze away the weary hours whilst passing through this uninteresting region, but the jolting of the diligence over a shocking road, and the cloud of dust in which he is enveloped, render this impossible. After a long and weary day's ride, I beheld in the distance imperial Toledo, rising from its lofty rocky foundation, with its Moorish Alcazar on one side, and its stupendous cathedral on the other, towering majestically above the town. The river Tagus surrounds the city except on one side, and this approach is protected by Moorish fortifications, now crumbling to ruin. After passing these fortifications, we ascended a very steep, winding road, and entered the city through a magnificent granite gateway. The origin of Toledo is lost in the night of time. It was taken by the Romans 193 B. C., who were expelled by the Goths toward the end of the fifth century. In 714, the Goths were expelled by the Moors, and in 1085, the latter were driven forth by the Spaniards, under Alonzo VI., who took the title of Emperor of Toledo. Toledo has sadly fallen from its high estate. Yet the city, and even the surrounding country, show the remains of prosperity passed away, in the numerous ruins of all ages that cover the soil. The Roman, the Goth, and the Moor, have alike left some trace of their passage; but it remained for the Spaniard to adorn it with one of those stately cathedrals which are the pride and boast of Spain. The town is composed of an irregular jumble of narrow, tortuous, and steep streets, or rather lanes, impracticable for any thing like a vehicle, and the stranger is obliged to procure a guide to conduct him through the intricate labyrinth. The dark Moorish houses have the appearance of so many prisons, and give to the place a gloomy aspect, which is heightened by the silent and deserted streets. In walking around this most picturesque old city, the antiquary finds numerous objects to attract his attention. Here the ruins of the Roman and the Goth are mingled with those of the Moor and Spaniard. In the centre of the town towers aloft the cathedral, which was founded by St. Ferdinand in 1226, and completed in 1492. The exterior is imposing, but the building is so much blocked up by surrounding houses that a good view of it cannot be obtained. The interior realized all my ideas of the sublime in Gothic architecture. The body of the church is composed of five naves, the arches of which are supported by eighty-four enormous columns. The central nave is truly grand, and rises to the height of one hundred and sixty feet. Upon the sides of the building are numerous chapels, nearly as large as churches, all of which are richly adorned with paintings and sculpture. The choir, as in all Spanish churches, occupies the central nave, but from the mode of its construction, it does not mar the effect so much as that in the cathedral of Burgos. Its Silleria, which was carved in the fifteenth century, is truly worthy of admiration. Each stall represents some passage in the campaigns of Ferdinand and Isabella, and the examination of these beautiful carvings, which are authentic records of the costume and arms of the age, has afforded me hours of pleasure. The Capilla Mayor contains many objects of interest. The retablo of the altar, which is reached by a flight of marble and jasper steps, is ornamented with a profusion of painted and gilded carvings, representing passages from the life of our Saviour. Here are the tombs of the ancient kings of Toledo, viz.: Alonzo VII., Sancho el Deseado, Sancho el Bravo, and the Infante Don Pedro. Here, likewise, repose the ashes of the great Cardinal Mendoza, who was called Lertius Rex, and almost shared the sovereignty with Ferdinand and Isabella. The chapel of los Reges Nuevos, or later kings of Toledo, is also well worthy of inspection. Here, under most beautifully sculptured niches, repose Henrique II., Henrique III., and Juan II. The remaining chapels are all worthy of attention, but we will pass from them into the Sacristia, a magnificent gallery, adorned with many fine paintings by the great masters. The ceiling of this room is vaulted and painted in fresco by Luca Giordasio. |