human nature, to seek extremes in every thing, is this which makes so many victims to intempethereby, only retarding the good cause, while the rance. They will not be taught by any other

golden mean, neglected and despised, creeps on more slowly, but not the less surely, to the destined end.

master than experience, and not always by him. It becomes, therefore, a question, whether it is wise to advocate any—even the very best cause in an Individuals sometimes learn wisdom by expe- intemperate manner, whether it is advisable to exrience-but that great congregated mass of oppo- cite this spirit of opposition, by thrusting consite materials, which we call the world, is the very stantly and forever the same thorn into the side of dullest, most leathern-headed, and obstinate of the not always "patient public," even although, scholars. It persists in perpetually running its like the lancet of the physician, it wounds to heal. nose full tilt against the same post, scouts at warn- It cannot be doubted, for a moment, by any one ings, despises counsels, and never, I fear, will be in his senses, that intemperance in the use of any wiser, until some great arcanum is discovered, liquor, is a crying evil, a mighty monster, which whereby a man may leave his learning and wisdom cannot be too bravely battled with, or too speedily to his children, along with his landed property, and overthrown, but in a proper way; like all other slip out of his wordly experience, at the same time popular maladies, it must be carefully and graduthat the laws of nature compel him "to shuffle off ally eradicated from the great body politic, by genhis mortal coil." tle and wise means, by the slow but irresistible inThe history of ages, stamped with the seal of fluence of public opinion, which never fails in the truth, and freed by the hand of time from all local end to find out the right road, let it stray ever so disturbing and blinding influences, shows us, on much by the way. Never doubt, never despair, every page, the same story of misplaced zeal, and oh ye brave laborers, in the great cause of humaniheadlong opposition. Every where, in politics, ty-let hope be your beacon light, and keep on religion, science and art, wherever the world was steadfastly to the end. Be not impatient, but take to be benefitted, enlightened, or improved; where- a lesson from God's beautiful providence, which ever human genius was deputed by its Great Au- suffers nothing to start into existence at once perthor, to overturn some cherished error, or erect fect and complete; but wisely ordains that it should some undying truth-the fiery crest of persecution, pass through a gradual and almost imperceptible the universal spirit of opposition, arrayed itself. probation, ere it arrives at its full and sufficient Every great discovery, every wonderful invention, glory. Look back upon the history of ages passed that the world has ever known, has forced itself, away, on every page you will find instances of the as it were, into existence, not only unaided and ultimate triumph of your great principles; every unencouraged, but opposed with all the virulence where, where darkness seemed most palpable and of ignorance, and all the bigotry of superstition. to be felt. Great truths, starting up like meteors In former ages, the strong arm of force, fell heavily from the midst of desolation, and illuminating the upon the drooping head of the pale student of phi-waste, with a steady increasing flame. This flame, losophy, as he wasted life and health in the pursuit the great preservative principle of human nature, of a glorious truth-or strove manfully to dispel the darkness in which ages of ignorance and barbarism had enshrouded the fair form of science. In these more enlightened days, not the sword but the pen, not the arm, but the tongue is wielded with this same intention, and the same effect. Men are men still-neither to be threatened, driven, coaxed, nor humbugged into the acceptance of the most palpable truth, until they have fairly tested its powers of endurance and its inherent vitality.

cannot be extinguished or subdued-smothered for
a time, it bursts forth again with renewed strength.
To borrow the words of one of the first, if not
the first of our American poets-

"Youth crushed to earth will rise again,
The eternal years of God are hers;
But Error wounded writhes in pain,

And dies amid her worshippers."
Yes, there is a great, an undying principle of vi-
tality in Truth-that small spark of heavenly flame,
which yet lingers amid the grossness and corrup-
tions of our mortal natures. The puny efforts of
man, can neither extinguish, nor enkindle it—but,
fostered and fed by the divine beneficence above,
it needs not their fruitless aid.

But my object now is not to convince you, that opposition is, and always has been, a necessary ingredient in the social improvement, or scientific advancement; we hold that, to be a self-evident proposition-but to show that it is excess of zeal on the one side, which invariably produces it on the There is an excellent old proverb, which saysother, and that it is one of the peculiar characte-"too much of a good thing, is good for nothristics of amiable human nature, to bristle up its ing"-and another which advises all busy bodies back and growl defiance, the very moment it is" to let well alone." There is manifestly a great spoken to in a peremptory tone, or desired to move onward movement taking place in the world. a hairbreadth from its accustomed track, even if People have been, heretofore, fighting against the it be to avoid a pitfall, or escape an ambush. It passions of others, they are now beginning to free is this which makes so many people irreligious, it themselves from the dominion of their own. They

have been securing to themselves personal freedom It is a little, but a most powerful weapon, and and peace, and they are now at leisure to examine more destructive to mankind's peace and happiness, into the state of their hearts and consciences and than even the draught that inebriates, or the deadly those of their fellow men, and wage war against weapon that destroys, for its ammunition is inexmental slavery, as fearlessly, as they did battle for haustible, universal, and indestructible. More than political rights and personal freedom. Let them money is it the root of all evil-for it is an active alone," as little Bopeep, in the Nursery tale, wisely worker of mischief. How many families have says of his truant flocks-" Let them alone, they'll been disturbed, often dispersed by its baneful influsoon come home, and bring their tails behind them." ence, how many sweet and holy ties severed, how But enough on the head of intemperance, (so many wounds inflicted, how many hearts broken! called par excellence,) which consists in taking On all sides we behold evidences of its prevalence, into the mouth an enemy to steal away the brain, its destructiveness, and its results; every where and a few words on another, and, in my opinion, we see those whom God and nature have joined equally disastrous foe to human happiness, which together, widely, fatally severed, by this intempereverses the order, and sends an enemy from the rate indulgence. Instead of the "soft answer mouth, to steal away the quiet of households, and which turneth away wrath," we have harsh rejoinraise in many a family a demon of discord and dis-ders-bitter recriminations-disagreeable truths,—— union, which can never be laid. I mean intem- and why should truth be rendered thus unlovely, perance of language.

""Tis a strange mystery, the power of words!
Life is in them, and death. A word can send
The crimson color hurrying to the cheek,
Hurrying with many meanings;-or can turn
The current cold and deadly to the heart.
Anger and fear are in them; grief and joy
Are on their sound;-yet slight, impalpable,
A word is but a breath of passing air!"

when she is in her own pure person, beautiful exceedingly? Think you, my reader, this is not an important subject ?-would it not be worth while to make an appeal in its favor, to the leaders of the great parties of social reform, to the advocates of association, to the Fourrierites, to all those, who may chance to find the tongue a potent little rebel, in the way of their schemes for human improvement? Here is the great fundamental error in the The sweet poetess has here celebrated, with great social system-here is the great first cause of trouforce and beauty, the power of that gift which has ble and distress among us. Here, oh ye advocates been bestowed upon us by our Creator for far no- of temperance and cold water-here is a field for bler and higher purposes, than those to which we your best efforts,-quiet the sharp tongue, which apply it. The Bible, itself, repeats again and drives the husband first to the dram shop, and you again, through all its pure pages, the lessons of will have made a great step towards keeping him meekness, forbearance, charity; lessons, alas! but at home. Advocate not only temperance in drinklittle heeded, seemingly but little understood. Man- ing, but temperance in speaking-temperance in kind go on, year after year, age after age, setting all things, temperance on a grand and liberal scale, in stern judgment, on the weaknesses and follies and depend upon it, the effort alone will work its of an erring brother-ever ready to break the own accomplishment. bruised reed, ever willing to cast the first stone, with a hand sullied with equal, perhaps greater guilt, a conscience burdened with equal, if not greater enormities.

I had enlarged thus far upon the above theme, dear R., for your benefit, and with the freedom, which your kind favor towards my poor productions emboldens me to adopt; and, while my mind was still occupied with the subject, insensibly yielding to the overpowering influence of the heat, I fell into a profound slumber-during the course of

But even if we must judge our fellow men, although that is strictly forbidden—we should pause before we give vent to that judgment, in words that may inflame, but cannot heal. There needs which, I dreamed the following dream: Methought some champion to arise, some apostle of meek- I was wandering alone, upon a vast, level plainness, some good Father Mathew to teach men, the boundaries of which, instead of stretching far they have no right to pervert one of God's best away in the usual dim perspective of a landscape gifts to unworthy purposes, to abuse the power, view, were hidden on all sides by masses of cloudy which, properly wielded, yields us the eloquence of vapor. Studding the plain at intervals, occasional the patriot, the mild teachings of the Christian, groups of beautiful trees lent a graceful and rethe noble accents of philanthropy and benevolence. freshing shade, and numerous pure and limpid Sad and bitter reflection!—that the power, which streams, issuing from beneath the cloudy boundary, can soothe, persuade, soften and heal, should find ran quietly and gently towards the centre of the its most common exercise, in the sharp reproof, the level space, where, as it were, by spontaneous ackeen sarcasm, the biting jest. That the mild and tion, they all united in forming a magnificent foungentle accents of peace, sympathy and kindness, tain, which rose high in air, its foamy crest undushould be so utterly lost and overwhelmed, amid lating and waving against the blue sky, like a githe din and clash of rude and boisterous tongues. gantic plume. Immediately in front of this foun

tain, which formed an appropriate and magnificent | pretended votaries--and the trumpet voice again canopy, on a throne of purest alabaster, sat a ma- rang forth, commanding silence, that the proceedjestic female figure, who, by some hocus pocus, ings of the court might be heard by all. At this peculiar to the land of dreams, I knew at once to crisis, Dear R., I-did not awake-oh no, that be the Genius of Temperance. Surrounding her, would have been too provoking-but “a change and, as it were, forming her court, were grouped, came o'er the spirit of my dream"-a confused in many a beauteous circle, the perfect and ravish- mistiness seemed to envelope all my dramatis pering forms of virtues, which men have been per- sona-for I could not help feeling as if this was mitted to know and aspire after, but never yet to a sort of drama of which I was the only and privireach. Peace, Hope, and Charity were there, love-leged spectator. The image of the after events ly and inseparable sisters;-Forbearance, Meek-is but imperfectly stamped upon my memory-at ness, Gentleness, and Love, not that profane and least until the final catastrophe, which was too selfish deity, to which men delight to pay homage, personal to be forgotten. I have a faint recollecbut the pure offspring of religion and virtue, which tion of a confusion of tongues, worse than Babel calls all men brothers, and rejects no creature, of old, despite the warnings of the silver trumpet, which God has made. With calm, self-conscious which rang forth long and loud. The air seemed strength, there stood Fortitude, supporting, on his filled with temperance tracts, which fell in such steadfast arm, the drooping form of Patience, while quantities that they formed a rostrum for the pomConstaney, with brow serene as night, and star-like pous orator, who speechified, undauntedly, to the eyes, looked forth between the two. Many other very nose of the Genius, while his admiring audipure and angelic forms were there, but the wander-tors transferred to him the worship they at first ing senses could not take in their lineaments, and, paid to her. I could not help, inwardly, contrastalthough I gazed with curious delight upon the ing the struggling, excited throng, with the statuespectacle, I seemed to feel a sense of its want of like figure of the majestic goddess, as she sat with substantiality; a nervous dread, lest the whole ap- an immovable calm impressed upon her chiseled pearance should vanish, which prevented my taking features, and thought it a fitting and most forcible more than a hasty view of its various wonders. portraiture of human wisdom and divine truth. Suddenly a clear, ringing voice broke forth upon The fitful gleaming of the one, the calm, undying the solemn silence, like the sound of a silver trum-glory of the other. The first a noisy, turbulent pet. It proclaimed, that the Genius of Tempe- torrent, fretting at every obstacle, and foaming at rance, having been entreated and prayed to return every inequality-the last, still, silent, and immorto earth again, after ages of banishment, and wil- tal-like the pure depths of a mountain lake, bringling to afford to her true votaries the encourage-ing down to earth an image of that heaven, of ment of her presence, had appointed this day, to which its purity makes it the truest emblem. give audience to all claims of her subjects,—that they might show cause why she should comply with their requests, and make report of their exertions and their success in her cause.

But neither time, nor this intolerable hot weather, will permit me to dilate at much greater length upon the circumstances of this remarkable dream. Among all the thronging myriads, none At this announcement, the before solitary plain appeared to be acceptable to the Genius, over whose appeared covered, all at once, with a mighty and brow an expression of pain and disappointment was tumultuous throng of human beings-on every side gradually stealing-when, suddenly, it appeared as they pressed forward,-running, pushing, and jost-if her eye fell upon me, as I hovered on the outling one another in the intemperance of their skirts of the crowd, casting, ever and anon, a glance haste, each appearing to believe he had some pecu- of true adoration upon the divinity, in whose behalf liar claim to the favor of the Genius-each looking I had been making my feeble but sincere effort. with ill-disguised contempt upon the pretensions of Methought she extended graciously towards me his neighbor-and each armed with some favorite her fair and snow white hand, and a smile of headogma, or mounted on some peculiar hobby, by venly sweetness appeared, for the first time, to which he hoped to gain great preferment in the relieve the classic coldness of her features, like a approaching audience. I observed some carrying sunbeam playing upon a marble statue. banners, emblazoned with emblematical devices- I made almost superhuman efforts to reach the and a great many, among whom were a vast num-foot of her throne, but an unaccountable and unber with extremely red noses, rushed, ostenta-seen influence appeared to root me to the spot; tiously, to the fountain and began to drink like so the vast crowd turned upon me as one man, and a many fishes, while one pompous old fellow, with perfect phantasmagoria of faces, distorted and disa huge pile of temperance tracts under one arm, turbed into the most fantastic expressions of maligstretched forth the other like a pump handle, and nity, glared upon me from all sides. My letter, began spouting out the praises of temperance, in which I thought I still held in my hand, to present a voice like the roaring of Niagara. Meanwhile, to the genius, as a token of my exertions in her the Genius awaited, in silence, the approach of her cause, was snatched from me, and instead, I found

myself the happy possessor of a tract, bearing the interesting title of "Tidings for Topers; or, the Last Kick of King Alcohol." "Join the Teetotal Society"-"Spiritous Liquors"-" Abstinence"-" Cold Water" were shouted in my bewildered ears. I felt myself borne along as by a rushing mighty wind, amid a chorus of singing, shouting and screaming. I found myself suddenly lifted high in air, just caught one glance of the serene countenance of the Genius, as, surrounded by her court, she floated majestically upward, and was soused, head over heels, in the basin of the fountain, with its rushing waters pouring a deluge of foam around me, and driving me still under and under with their ceaseless plunge. At this crisis,

Prouder object ne'er hallowed
The concord of song;
On valor more daring

The sun never shone,

Than the day when RIEGO,
With bosom on flame,
Raised the banner of freedom
In battle's acclaim.

Then haste to the conflict;

Our country to save:
And our anthem in Heaven
Be "the Hymn of the Brave."

(Translated from the French.)

I did awake, but it was some time, before I fully THE BASQUE PROVINCES OF SPAIN. escaped from the influence of the land of shadowsfor the sound of falling waters still perplexed me, and kept me wandering between sleep and waking. A soft, gurgling sound, followed by a sudden plunge, was, at intervals, perceptible in the silence of the apartment, and, at last, fully awakened, I rose to discover the cause of the unusual sounds. And what think you it was, gentle reader ?-Lo! in my basin, which contained just enough water to secure without drowning him-a fat little mouse swam incessantly round and round. He was a very unwilling tee-to-taller however-like many other folks he had got too much cold water, and it was his strenuous efforts to escape, which had affected my slumbers and procured you the pleasure of hearing my dream.

I was conversing to-day with the vicar of Hernani, Don Augustin Iturriaga, a man of sense and education, respecting the immunities of the three Basque provinces, Guipuzcoa, Biscay and Alava, to which immunities they owe the name of the exempt provinces. This knowledge is useful to enable us to understand properly the heroic resistance made by the Basques to the Queen's armies.

If it has relieved a single weary moment, or amused a single stray hour, my object is accomplished. Therefore, good, bad, or indifferent, oh, my lucubrations! I dedicate you to all those, who have nothing better to do than to read you; and so great is my good nature, and freedom from the usual touchiness of scribblers, that even if they be pronounced duller than a dull lecture, and more tedious than a rainy day, gentle and kind reader, you are still welcome to them. With honest Dogberry I exclaim, "were they ten times more tedious, I could find in my heart to bestow it all on your worship."

RIEGO'S HYMN.
Where our swords are uplifted
Our country to save,
Let us chant, brother Soldiers,
The Hymn of the Brave.

Its deep swelling accents

Fly loud the world round;
And the CID's proud descendants
Awake at the sound.

Our country invokes us;

The foeman is nigh:

Then swear for our country
To conquer or die.

"The hermandad of the province of Guipuzcoa," says the book of the fueros, "is a very old federation, formed for ever and ever between the municipal councils of all its inhabitants, with a view to considering the measures best suited to secure the King's service, as well as that of the republic, and, lastly, to maintaining all the provincial privileges, exemptions and liberties."

This real republican federation is composed of about a hundred cities and boroughs, which recognise no capital; the eighteen most important have, however, the right of becoming, by turns, the seat of the General Junta. This Junta is composed of sixty-six procuradores, commissioners, under the presidency of a corregidor, nominated by the King, who usually confers this office on a magistrate of the court of Pampeluna and Valladolid: if the corregidor is absent or sick, the presidency of the Junta belongs of right to the alcade of the city or borough where it is assembled. Thus, very lately, the alcade of Sestona, a poor locksmith, was seen presiding over the assembly, wherein sat the count of Monteron, the Duke of Grenada and the richest proprietors of Guipuzcoa. The corregidor cannot interfere in any way with the debates of the Junta, unless it encroaches on the royal prerogative; then he assumes his reserved rights and protests against its resolutions; his political part is confined to this alone. Such is the deference paid by the crown to the province, that, if a corregidor should happen to sign an Act of the Junta, which should afterwards be found affected by some illegality, and if the province should be sentenced to be fined by the crown, it is he alone that would have to pay it.

The corregidor is changed every six years, and thousand maravedis. Such, in short, is the fear what is remarkable, because it proves to what ex- with which the bar's spirit of chicanery has intent Guipuzcoa is independent of the crown, ac-spired the Basques, that every lawyer, residing in the cording to the fuero, the King has no right to send city where the Junta sits, convicted of having had a new corregidor, except upon the formal demand intercourse with a procurador during the session, that is made to him for one by the province :-only may be expelled from it by the alcade for the whole out of regard to royalty, from time immemorial it time of the session. (In Biscay, it is not the lawhas been usual for the retiring corregidor himself, to yers, but the priests, that are stamped with political solicit of the king a successor, or else, if the pro- incapacity and cannot be elected procuradores.) vince agrees to it, a new appointment in his own favor.

The Junta is entirely renewed every year, and its sessions, which are secret, commence on the sixth of May and last only eleven days. Before breaking up, the Junta causes an account of its sessions to be published, and nominates a deputacion de gobierno, composed of seven members, chosen from its own body, which exercises the executive power, until the meeting of a new Junta. The first member chosen, assumes the title of primer deputado, who might well be called the President of the little republic. Formerly, his office was altogether honorary; now, they allow him a salary of three thousand pesètas, under the name of expenses of representation. The first deputy resides for three years at Azpeitia, three at Azcoitia, three at Tolosa and three at Saint Sebastian. He has the power of summoning around him the other six members of the deputacion de gobierno, and, when circumstances require it, he convokes, by his own authority, an extraordinary Junta of all the procuradores, without needing authority for it from Madrid, or from the corregidor, to whom he merely gives notice of the resolution that he has taken.

The communes sometimes allow individuals, not Basques, to make their proofs of nobility. For this purpose, the ayuntamiento of the borough, where the stranger asks to fix his residence, sends two of its members into the place of the petitioner's birth, with orders to commence an inquiry into his hidalgoship. On the return of these envoys, the ayuntamiento resolves itself into a heraldic court, and, the documents in hand, grants, or refuses the letters of naturalization that are asked of it. The stranger, once naturalized, may aspire to become a member of the ayuntamiento, and even deputy to the Junta ; provided, however, he is not a Frenchman, for the fuero says, positively, "Every person of French origin shall be forever excluded from the ayuntamiento, and from every office in the republic."

The procuradores wear a French dress and a sword, which they lay down on entering the hall of session. A sumptuary law prohibits to them all embroidery in gold, or silver, on their uniform, and the military themselves, who happen to be procuradores, are obliged to appear in civil attire.

The judicial power is exercised, either by the corregidor, assisted by four Judges, nominated by the province, or by the alcades of the villages at the The nomination of the procuradores appertains option of the contending parties, who may appeal to the ayuntamientos generales, great municipal from the decisions given against them to the high assemblies convoked, by the sound of the fife and audiencia of Valladolid, and, in the last resort, they tambourine, in which every noble inhabitant, pos- may have recourse to the hall of the mil y quinisessed of real estate, sits. (In Biscay, the law re-entos of Madrid, thus called, because, before a cause quires a foguera, a hearth, a fire, in other words can be argued therein, the parties must deposit fifthat the hidalgo does not lie in the open air.) This teen hundred good doubloons to pay the expenses requisite of nobility, which, everywhere else, would of the proceeding. As to the legislation, it is the seem to indicate an exclusion for the benefit of a same as that which prevails in Castille. privileged class, is here a burthen to no one. The administration of each commune is comEvery inhabitant of Guipuzcoa, that can prove that posed of an alcade, two lieutenants, a notary-secrehis family derives its origin from that province, is tary and an alguazil; except the latter, the disnoble from that single circumstance. It is only the charge of their offices is gratuitous. The alcade issue of foreigners that are not noble, and every combines in his own person the executive and judione of native stock may clothe himself in his secu- cial powers in the first instance, as has been said. lar hidalgoship, from the player of the fife and tam- One of the alcade's duties is to assemble and rebourine, from the organist, the alguazil and the view, once a year, the alarde of his commune : barber, up to the individual most highly situated in this is the assembling of all the young people of respect to fortune. Like an affectionate mother, the borough, able to bear arms. The alarde is the little Guipuzcoan republic, has treated all her commanded by the alcade and his two lieutenants, children with equal love, except, however, the and each of the companies, that compose it, is under lawyers, to whom the law has not only refused the the orders of one of the members of the municihonor of being able to sit as procuradores in the pality; the honor of carrying the standard of the General Junta, but has even prohibited their ap-commune belongs to the retiring alcade. Usually, pearing in the place where it is assembled, under the alarde is called together on the festival-day of penalty of immediate expulsion and a fine of five the village, and each deputy to the General Junta