ter, depends on the same principles which regulate the value of an effective and well-ordered friendship. He who selects his friend for possessing a reduplication of his own qualities or of his own temperament, increases indeed the force of those qualities and temperaments in volume and in power, but does not add to his original resources by the introduction of any new element; nor does he obtain the help necessary to obviate the evils or supply the defects of his own organisation: whereas he who chooses his friend, not indeed it may be on phrenological calculation, but by the instinct of the heart and mind, and finds in him powers antagonistic to his own, will compleme experimentally learn that such a friendship is affluent in resource, and efficacious in checks to evil,—as in a well-ordered kingdom, in which a variety of different grades and interests mutually conspire to strengthen and assist each other; or like a ship's crew, in which the various officers have distinct parts to perform, but in which the union of the skill and industry of all is needful to insure the well-being of the whole.

One thing, however, is necessary to effect this: as in the case of the kingdom, the government must be one, and as in the case of the ship the captain must be one; so in friendship there must be the mutual recognition of some one standard of principle, to which both parties submit, which determines for both their rule of action, and by which both regulate their

course. By this means their mutual diversities are restrained from conflict with each other, the power of united action is increased, and the largest amount of efficiency secured with least degree of jar and friction. The same law obtains in individual character. That is the most affluent in resource, and may be practically the most useful, which abounds in antagonistic organisation and temperament: and a rich blessing is in store for those who bring their wealth of feeling and intelligence to consecrate all to God. The Prince of Peace, when reigning in such a heart, is manifestly shown to be also the King of Glory. The value of diverse gifts depends indeed on the force of the one sovereign controlling power, and their amalgam becomes the fertile source of endless variety in unity. Nay, we even see the

same law obtain in the physical world; and it is obvious that the antagonistic forces of fire and water, brought into union by the genius of Watt, have produced results altogether unparalleled, not only in diversity but in power.

In the midst of the conflict of opinions which I have described, my mother stood like a tower of strength, always the same. All these discussions, whether political or religious, passed by her as though they were not, and her converse still continued, as before, the eloquent enunciation of noble sentiments adorned with a rich tissue of historic or literary

lore; while the society of Mr. Berrington and his Catholic friends, eminent in scholarship, and entertaining a high sense of the decorum of their sacred office, continued to impart a literary and moral charm to our circle.

I must mention that the increasing delicacy of my health now led to my father's assuming the direction of my studies. I suffered many things of many physicians, and became more and more shattered in nerve. The source of the evil was believed to be in the spine, and my parents at this time heard of a machine invented by a certain Mr. Jones, which was esteemed an infallible means of supporting the spine, and this instrument it was determined I should wear: which I accordingly did, from the time I was eleven till I was eighteen years old. My parents, full of kindness to me and hopes for my benefit, little realised the continued and often severe pain occasioned by the application of this machine. It was taken off only at night, and during the hour and a half when I was allowed to lie down in the day; nor did they perceive the deleterious effect of a plan which for so many years, from childhood to womanhood, absolutely precluded the use of any vigorous bodily exercise; and not only so, but by this very preclusion threw me disproportionately upon mental pursuits. Frequently at first I besought my dear mother to allow me to leave off this miserable machine, for the

pain it occasioned seemed almost more than I could bear, but she answered, as I am persuaded she would have done had the case been her own, "What is that character worth which cannot bear a little pain? All thou shouldest inquire is the effect, to be produced, and if the result be good, learn to bear the pain cheerfully, and abide the test, a discipline which every great and noble character must go through."

As so much more time was necessarily given to reading and learning, and so much less to bodily exercise, my father, with the kindest intentions, now undertook to help me in some of my pursuits. His time was, however, fully occupied, not only with his business engagements, eight miles off, the buildings and additions he was making to our house at Barr, the forming of gardens, the direction of his estate, and his own scientific pursuits, but far above all with his constant anxiety on account of my dear mother's health; he was, therefore, able to give me only the remnants of time already more than engrossed, and of a mind thoroughly pre-occupied. This was, perhaps, the reason that, notwithstanding my father's exact ideas respecting female conduct and character, I was allowed much indiscriminate reading. Shaftesbury's "Characteristics," Voltaire's Works, of which we had the fine edition in about seventy volumes, Molière's Plays, "Gil Blas," Bolingbroke and Swift, succeeded each other, and mingled

their evil influences with the large and varied mass of scientific, historic, and classical reading which also occupied me.

My father, who was little used to children, often amused himself by proposing intricate questions, or cases of casuistry on various moral truths, while he well knew how to weave around an inextricable moral labyrinth, from which he had pleasure in seeing the efforts to emerge; just as parents who visit Hampton Court, with no apprehension of danger might amuse themselves with bidding their children enter the labyrinth, in whose mazes they are soon bewildered, whilst the clue is perfectly known to themselves.

I remember about this time hearing an observation in reference to the Bible, which greatly staggered me. It was said, "It is contrary to universal experience that miracles should take place, but it is according to all experience that men should lie.” I had indeed an inward conviction that this was hollow sophism, but I knew not how to detect it. It was not till years after that I began to see that, even on the ground of philosophy, we must of two difficulties abide by the least. Now, it is said to be improbable that God should work a miracle; but is it improbable? Whatever date you assign to the creation of this universe; when it did start into existence it was a miracle, and a miracle of which we constantly behold