where students may be boarded and lodged, with increased facilities for pursuing their studies, under judicious superintendence and control. The want of such an establishment has prevented many parents from sending their sons to our Scottish Universities, where they have no choice of residence but in lodgings and private families, and are thus deprived of the advantages of parental care, and regular association with their fellow-students. The friends of the University have already supplied the funds for a college hall, and, through the exertions of Professor Laycock and his committee, we trust that it will be open for the reception of fifty students at the commencement of the next session.

CLAIMS OF THE UNIVERSITIES ON THE

PUBLIC.

Such, gentlemen, is a brief notice of the benefactors of our College, and of the incitements to intellectual labour which we can offer to your acceptance, no longer under the control of external patronage, our academical wealth will be impartially awarded; and with the other Universities of Scotland, now, like our own, more liberally endowed, and more wisely governed, we may expect that our Scottish youth will no longer seek their education beyond our Borders, and that an increased number of foreign students will repair to us for instruction. The Universities of Scot

land have no slight claim upon the public, not only from their peculiar character and constitution, but from the aspects of nature and of society which Our country everywhere presents to us. We do not presume to question the excellence of other institutions, or the soundness of other creeds, or the salubrity of other skies, or the moral purity of other communities. We speak only, and with humility, of what Scotland can offer to the intellectual, the moral, and the religious student; and we offer our views to the judgment only of parents who desire to educate their sons in the profession of their choice, in the religion of their conscience, and in the moral sentiments which the admiration of nature and a simple faith-the works and the Word of God-never fail to inspire.

PHYSICAL CHARACTER OF SCOTLAND.

There are few countries that possess objects and institutions of a more varied

interest than our own. Distant enough from the frigid zone, indented by sinuous estuaries, and spacious bays, and deep inlets of the ocean, Scotland enjoys a climate mild and salubrious, equally removed from the rigours of an arctic winter and the scorching heats of a tropical sun. No exhalations poison its atmosphere, no sirocco blights it; and we know no more of the tornado and the earthquake than what makes us grateful for our ignorance. At all seasons Scotland is accessible to the stranger, whether he comes as a pilgrim with his staff and his scrip, or is welcomed to its shores by the light beacons that guard them by night. Railroads carry

him along its seaboard, over its mountain chains, and through its picturesque valleys; and the busy steamer plies unceasingly along its winding and rugged coasts. With this external character the interior of our peninsula corresponds. Mountain ranges of lofty aspect

- here rising into peaks of granite, there descending into precipices of gneiss, or running into pillars of basalt

-embosom lakes of the purest and most limpid water, or give birth, in their corries, to the elements of the cataract, which, at a lower level, rushes over its precipices, and to the sources of the mighty river which adorns and fertilizes the region of industry and life. In descending to the level of vegetable forms, we enter upon scenery at once picturesque and beautiful-here clothed with sober heath, there gay with the richest verdure at one place, the crevice of the rock pushing out its cramped and wild vegetation, and at another, the river bank displaying its embroidery of birch and oak, while the flanks of the eternal hills retire into purple shadow, invested with the folds of the gloomy and the stately pine.

ATTRACTIONS TO STRANGERS.

In our sober latitude, and in a land neither teeming with wealth nor familiar with luxury, a stranger will not find any of those exciting amusements which he may have witnessed in richer countries and among an idler people. We cannot offer him either the bullfight or the carnival, and he must recross the Tweed to enjoy in perfection the excitement of the turf, or shudder at the brutality of the prize-ring. But, what he may value more, we can show him our heath and our river sports, where the genius of man strives with

the sagacity of instinct, and where animal life is sacrificed less for amusement than for use. We can show him the games and contests of our northern clans; the schools of heroes, ever ready at the call of their country-loyal even to worthless sovereigns, and faithful even in a doubtful case. To the stranger of graver mood, Scotland presents objects of contemplation of equal interest and importance. In her institutions for religious and secular education will be found arrangements to admire and to imitate; and in the re-action of knowledge upon the character and habits of her people, the philosopher may discover new lines of study, and the statesman new principles of government. In our churches and schools they will find the machinery by which a virtuous population has been reared; and in the simplicity of our worship they may learn the process by which faith appeals to the judgment more than to the imagination, and becomes a continuous principle of duty, instead of a series of impulses efficacious only during the high pressure which produces them. Here,

therefore, the stranger will find no gorgeous temples-none of the pomp and circumstance which decorates the foreign churches, and in the sorcery of which the penitent leans on the broken reed of the priest, and enhances his formal aspirations by the supplement of pious frauds and lying miracles. But, unpre tending as are our temples and simple our rites, we are not without associations which influence the imagination and reach the heart. Our civil and religious liberties were won together. With the sword in one hand, and the truth in the other, our fathers resisted unto death the enemies of their faith; and the fields on which they triumphed or fell, and the sea-beach and glens where they worshipped, are still remembered with reverence and affection.

OBJECTS FOR STUDY.

In a country thus favoured, the student of every profession will find, beyond the range of his studies, subjects for original research and grave contemplation. Statesmen of high name have drawn from our stores the elements of that political wisdom which has placed them in the highest offices of the State; and men of humbler name have begun their career of discovery within these walls; and, in the studies which our country favours, have acquired an en

during and a European reputation. The same means of study, gentlemen, and the same fields of research, are now within your reach; and I have no doubt that those who shall in the future fill this chair, will have the gratification of inscribing the names of many of you in that list of eminent men who have done honour to their University and to their country.

LIFE IN LABRADOR.

THE language spoken by the Labradorians of the gulf generally indicates the race from which they or their ancestors originally sprang, although it does not inform us of the place of their birth. The French language is most generally spoken between Mingan and the St. Augustine, while the residents are chiefly of Acadian or Canadian origin, with a few settled fishermen from France. From the St. Augustine to the Bay of Bradore, the English tongue is universally employed; but there are great numbers of the Labradorians who can speak both languages.

HOUSES.

The houses of the residents are constructed of wood, brought ready prepared from Quebec, Gaspe, or Newfoundland. At Esquimaux Point an Acadian village has sprung up, and some excellent two-storied wooden houses give the appearance of civilisation to this once desolate shore. The situation of this new settlement is beautiful, and the back country well capable of sustaining a large number of cattle in the vast marshes at the foot of the hills, which rise rugged in masses a few miles from the shore. The houses are very neat and roomy; the one in which I passed the night contained one large room thirty feet square, with a space partitioned off for a bed-room; the upper storey was divided into sleeping apartments. stair, or rather ladder, led to the dormitories which the younger members of the families tenanted, the parents occupying the ground floor. The oldfashioned double stove, so common throughout Rupert's Land, was placed in the middle of the room, and served both for cooking and heating purposes. The floors were neatly boarded with tongued and grooved flooring brought from Quebec, and an air of cleanliness and comfort was common to this as

A

Alas!

well as to other houses I visited. it was only an air of comfort and cleanliness, for when I lay down to sleep on an Acadian bed, white and clean externally, it was soon painfully evident that there were hundreds of other occupants, of which the less that is said the better. At this nucleus of a fishing village which may yet rise to the dignity of a small town, they have already some pigs and sheep, and propose to bring cows from Gaspe or the Magdalen Islands. They enjoy the ministrations of a resident priest, and have a school for the young.

FISHING.

The spring and summer life of the Labradorians is exclusively devoted to fishing. They have no leisure at that period to attend to other occupations, so that it will not be wondered at that until 1860 the only cow on the vast extent of gulf coast east of Esquimaux Point, was at Natagamiou; the happy proprietor obtained but little profit from his charge, for the impression gained ground among the simple people that cow's milk was a cure for all imaginable maladies. From far and near, within the limits of thirty miles on either hand, they sent for a "drop of milk' when sickness was upon them; and, as no charge is ever made for such items on this hospitable coast, the owner of the cow had no milk left for himself.

The Acadian colony, near Natishquhan, ninety miles from Mingan, was established in 1857; it already numbers thirty families. Natishquban is famous for its seals, and it is chiefly for the convenience of catching these "marine wolves" in the spring of the year that the Acadians have permanently established themselves there. From the month of April to the month of November the fishermen of Natish quhan are engaged in fishing, first seals, then salmon, cod, herring and mackerel. They own three schooners, while the more wealthy residents of Esquimaux Point boast of a round dozen. In the rear of this settlement there is abundance of timber for fuel, and a short distance from the shore the trees are sufficiently large for building purposes. Communication between the different settlements on the coast is chiefly by water during the summer, and in winter on snowshoes or by dog-trains.

DOGS.

Each family has generally eight or ten dogs, either of the pure Esquimaux bred or intermixed with other varieties from Newfoundland or Canada. During the summer the dogs have nothing to do but eat, drink, sleep and quarrel; when, however, the first snow falls, their days of ease are numbered, and the working season begins. The Labrador dogs are excessively quarrelsome, and, wolf-like, always attack the weaker. All seem anxious to take part in the fray, and scarcely a season passes without the settlers losing two or three dogs during the summer from the wounds which they receive in their frequent quarrels among themselves. Confirmed bullies are generally made comparatively harmless by tying one of their forefeet to the neck, which, although it does not prevent them from joining in an extempore scuffle which may spring up, yet so hampers their movements that the younger and weaker combatants have time to escape. Peace is instantly restored among the most savage combatants, even if twenty are engaged in the affray, by the sound or even sight of the dreaded Esquimaux whip used by the Labradorians. Up to the present time, with two or three exceptions, says Abbe Ferland, no settler has succeeded in raising any domesticated animal on account of the dogs; cats, cows, pigs and sheep have all been destroyed by them. Even if a dog has been brought up in the house, his doom is sealed; at the first opportunity, when the master is away, the others pounce upon him and worry him to death. A settler had procured a fine dog of the Newfoundland breed, full of intelligence, and capable, by his extraordinary swimming powers, of rendering great service to the fishermen in the sea. The Newfoundland enjoyed the privilege of entering into his master's house and receiving the caresses of the different members of the family. This evident preference excited deep jealousy in the breasts of the Labrador dogs. They patiently waited for an occasion to avenge themselves. When their master was present, all was fair, open, and peaceable; but one day a favourable opportunity occurred, and they fell on the poor Newfoundland, killed him, and dragged his body to the sea. On their return to the house, the embarrassed mien of the conscious dogs led the settler to suspect that

something was wrong. He soon missed the pet Newfoundland, and after a few hours discovered the mangled body of his favourite lying on the beach, where it had been left by the retiring waves. Only one pig and one goat escaped the general massacre when Abbe Ferland was on the coast in 1858.

SLEDGE TRAVELLING.

During the winter season the Labrador dogs make a full return to their masters for all the anxiety and trouble they give them during the summer months. Harnessed to the sledge, or commetique, as it is termed on the coast, they will travel fifty or sixty miles a day over the snow. They haul wood from the interior, carry supplies to the hunters in the forests far back from the rocky and desolate coasts, merrily draw their masters from house to house, and with their wonderful noses pick out the right path even in the most pitiless storm. If the traveller will trust to the sagacity of an experienced leader, he may wrap himself up in his bear and seal skin robes, and, defying piercing winds and driving snow-drifts, these sagacious and faithful animals will draw him safely to his own door or to the nearest house. The commetique is about thirty inches broad and ten or twelve feet long; it is formed of two longitudinal runners, fastened together by means of transverse bars let into the runners, and strengthened with strips of copper. The runners are shod with whalebone, which, by friction over the snow, soon becomes beautifully polished and looks like ivory. The commetique is well floored with seal-skins, over which bear or seal-skins are nailed all around, with an opening for the traveller to introduce his body. The harness is made of seal-skin, the foremost dog, called the guide, is placed about thirty feet in advance; the others are ranged in pairs behind the guide; sometimes four pairs of dogs are thus attached to one commetique in addition to the guide.

The Esquimaux dog of pure breed, with his strong-built frame, long white fur, pointed ears and bushy tail, is capable of enduring hunger to a far greater extent than the mixed breed. But the mixed breed beat him in long journeys if they are fed but once a-day. An Esquimaux dog will travel for two days without food; one of the mixed breed must be fed at the close of the

first day or he can do little the next. These powerful, quarrelsome, and even savage animals are kept under absolute control by the formidable Esquimaux whip. Even in the middle of summer the first glimpse of the whip is sufficient to arrest the most bloody battle. The lash of a good whip is about thirty-five feet long, attached to a handle of not more than eight or ten inches. An experienced driver can hit any part of the leader he chooses with the extremity of his formidable weapon. The best whippers are well known on the coast, and to become an experienced hand is an object of the highest ambition among the young men and the rising generation.

SOCIAL CUSTOMS.

Uniform hospitality is the characteristic trait of the Labradorians. With a few exceptions, they are very like one another in their manners and customs. Under many circumstances property may be said to be held in common. When the stock of provisions belonging to one family is exhausted, those of a neighbour are offered as a matter of course, without any payment being exacted or even expected. When &

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planter," as they are often termed on the coast, has occasion to leave his house with his family, it is the custom to leave the door on the latch, so that a passer-by or a neighbour can enter at any time. Provisions are left in accessible places, and sometimes a notice, written with charcoal or chalk, faces the stranger as he enters, informing him where he may find a supply of the necessaries of life if he should be in want of them. Father Pinet relates that he came one day to the house of a planter during the absence of the family, and not only found directions how and where to find the provisions, rudely written in chalk, for the benefit of any passing stranger, but one of his party, on opening a box, saw a purse lying quite exposed, and containing a considerable sum of money.

The vice of drunkenness is the only one of which the missionaries complain in their reports. The swarms of American fishermen who come here during the summer months bring an ample supply of whisky and rum for the purposes of trade. It would be a boon to the Labradorians if the importation, in any form, of ardent spirits were strictly prohibited by the Canadian and New

WOLFF'S JOURNEY TO BOKHARA.

THE elder portion of the present generation still remember the first appearance of the celebrated Joseph Wolff, the Jewish Missionary. His speeches and his journals excited universal notice, and great interest attached to his romantic character. His "Travels and Adventures" were recently published, which we have read with not a little pleasure, and much instruction touching men and manners in the East. We believe that we shall gratify our readers by the following extract from the first volume, giving an account of his journey to Bokhara :—

Wolff asked the inhabitants whether there was not another road to Bokhara? They replied, "Yes, there is one where the Turcomauns don't go, on account of the scarcity of water; and this is through the province of Cayen to Burchund, and from thence to Herat, and from Herat to Samarcand and Bokhara. In case you take that road, you must provide yourself with water for seven days in skins; and also with pomegranates, from which you may squeeze out a tumbler full of juice, and that juice, mixed with water and sugar, you will find a delicious draught to take when you are thirsty; and you must provide yourself with enough roasted chickens to last you seven days, and so you will be able to arrive on the seventh day at Burchund. But on arriving there, try to escape the attention of Ameer Assaad-Oollah-Beyk, the Governor of that place, for he has been a rebel against Abbas Mirza and the King of Persia for the last thirty years, and as you are the friend of Abbas Mirza, you may easily be suspected of being one of his spies, and be put to death."

Wolff prepared, according to the advice he had received, to proceed to Burchund and Herat, and when the inhabitants saw that he was determined to go, one old man eighty years of age, said, "I will go with this European as far as Burchund, for I have never seen my great-grandchildren who lived there." Another said, "I want to go and see my nurse, whom I have not seen for these twenty years."

And thus a caravan was again formed, of

between forty and fifty people, and Wolff set out for the desert of Cayen with his fellowtravellers and servants.

The first night they slept among the ruins of a huge castle. It is utterly inconceivable to discover, how, in those ancient times, men could have placed such mighty stones one upon the other. No wonder that the natives say, these structures have not been built by human hands, but by Deeves, or genii; and that Rostum himself, the Hercules of the Persians, has not been able to destroy them entirely.

The next morning Wolff started again on his journey, and went twenty-five miles; and they were about to lie down to sleep in the desert, after they had had some food, when the old man, before mentioned, began to make a most tremendous noise, exclaiming, "O God! what has happened to me in my old age?" They asked him what was the matter? and he replied, "I must return to that accursed castle." He Wolff asked, why? said "I have lost a half-rupee in the castle, which I must try to find again." Wolff would have willingly offered him two or three rupees, in order that he might not take the trouble of going back again; but on such journeys everything is to be considered; for, if he had shown himself liberal to the old man, he might have excited the suspicion that he had a great deal of money, and so have put into the minds of the rest, and even of the old man himself, the idea of killing him for his money. For they say of a man who has got a great deal of money, bad nam darad, which means "he has a bad name," because he is in danger of being put to death. And so Wolff suffered the old man to return the next day to the castle.

All said that the man would not try again to join the caravan, but would go back to Boostan; and so they proceeded without him, and went on that day about thirty miles, and were about to go to rest, when, to their great surprise, they heard the voice of the old man, exclaiming, "Praise be to God, the Creator of the world, praise be to God, the mighty and the glorious! I have found my half-rupee." The whole caravan laughed most heartily on hearing the joy of this man, who kept them awake half the night, telling them how he had swept the room in the castle, until "Hazr" (i.e. Elijah) appeared to him, and showed him the spot where the half-rupee lay. This illustrates the passage in Luke xv. 8, 9, "Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together,