scale of the marvellous; the feats of Aladdin are tame and dull, and the slaves of the lamp yield precedence to the spirits which preside over the battery and the boiler.

Of all the physical agents discovered by modern scientific research, the most fertile in its subserviency to the arts of life is, incontestibly, electricity; and of all the applications of this subtle agent, that which is transcendently the most admirable in its effects, the most astonishing in its results, and the most important in its influence upon the social relations of mankind, and upon the spread of civilisation and the diffusion of knowledge, is the electric telegraph. No force of habit, however long continued, no degree of familiarity, can efface the sense of wonder which the effects of this most marvellous application of science excites.

Being at Paris some years ago, I was engaged to share with M. Leverrier, the celebrated astronomer, and some other men of science, in the superintendence of a series of experiments to be made before committees of the Legislative Assembly and of the Institute, with the view of testing the efficiency of certain telegraphic apparatus. On that occasion, operating in a room at the Ministry of the Interior, appropriated to the telegraphs, into which wires proceeding from various parts of France were brought, we dictated a message, consisting of about forty words, addressed to one of the clerks at the railway station at Valenciennes, a distance of 168 miles from Paris. This message was transmitted in two minutes and a-half. An interval of about five minutes elapsed, during which, as it afterwards appeared, the clerk to whom the message was addressed was sent for. At the expiration of this interval the telegraph began to express the answer, which, consisting of about thirty-five words, was delivered and written out by the agent at the desk, in our presence, in two minutes. Thus, forty words were sent 168 miles, and thirty-five words returned from the same distance in the short space of four minutes and thirty seconds. But, surprising as this was, we soon afterwards witnessed in the same room a still more marvellous performance. The following experiment was prepared and performed at the suggestion and under the direction of M. Leverrier and myself:

Two wires, extending from the room in which we operated to Lille, were united at the latter place, so as to form one continuous wire extending to Lille and back, making a total distance of 336 miles. This, however, not being deemed sufficient for the purpose, several coils of wire wrapped with silk were obtained, measuring in their total length 746 miles, and were joined to the extremity of the wire returning from Lille, thus making one continuous wire measuring 1082 miles. message consisting of 282 words was then transmitted from one

A

end of the wire. A pen attached to the other end immediately began to write the message on a sheet of paper moved under it by a simple mechanism, and the entire message was written in full in the presence of the committee, each word being spelled completely and without abridgment, in fifty-two seconds, being at the average rate of five words and four-tenths per second!

By this instrument, therefore, it is practicable to transmit intelligence to a distance of upwards of 1000 miles, at the rate of 19,500 words per hour!

The instrument would, therefore, transmit to a distance of 1000 miles, in the space of an hour, the contents of about forty pages of the book now in the hands of the reader!

But it must not be imagined because we have here produced an example of the transmission of a despatch to a distance of 1000 miles, that any augmentation of that distance could cause any delay of practical importance.

Although the velocity of the electric current has not been very exactly measured, it has been established beyond all doubt that it is so great that to pass from any one point on the surface of the earth to any other, it would take no more than an inappreciable fraction of a second.

If, therefore, the despatch had been sent to a distance of 20,000 miles instead of 1000, its transmission would still have been instantaneous. Such a despatch would fly many times round the earth between the two beats of a common clock, and would be written in full at the place of its destination more rapidly than it could be repeated by word of mouth. When such statements are made, do we not feel disposed to exclaim

'Are such things here as we do speak about?

Or have we eaten of the insane root

That makes the reason prisoner?'

In its wildest flights the most exalted imagination would not have dared, even in fiction, to give utterance to these stubborn realities. Shakspeare only ventured to make his fairy 'Put a girdle round the earth in forty minutes.' To have encircled it several times in a second, would have seemed too monstrous even for Robin Goodfellow.*

SIMPLE PROPORTION.

(1) What should be paid to a servant from August 3rd to December 7th, whose wages are at the rate of 28 guineas per annum ?

* The electric telegraph to India is now complete. The statement of the Minister of Finance in Calcutta was telegraphed to England on Friday, April 7th, 1865. The newspapers in England were thus able to comment upon this statement two days after its delivery, more than 5000 miles away; and, of course, it would have arrived in a few minutes but for unavoidable delays at various stations in course of transmission.-EDS.

(2) If a gentleman, after paying income tax of 1s. 5d. in the £, has £969 17s. 6d. left, what is his annual income?

(3) A piece of gold at £4 10s. 6d. per oz. is worth £420; what will be the worth of a piece of silver of equal weight at 5s.ld. per oz.? (4) How many yards of drugget 14 yard wide will cover 35 yards of carpet yard wide?

(5) If 18 men, 14 women, and 10 boys can finish a piece of work in 60 days, in what time would 10 men, 18 women, and 16 boys do it, supposing a man to do twice as much as a woman, and a woman to do 3 times as much as a boy?

THE GOOD PARSON.

(From the Canterbury Tales,' by Geoffrey Chaucer.)

ban, to curse, to excommunicate

mer'-ce-nar-y (n.), a hireling; one who fills an office merely for the sake of money

joust, a mock fight

tour-na-ment, a mock battle

eke, also

wight, a person

des-pite', injury

cure, a clergyman's district

[Geoffrey Chaucer, the father of English poetry, was born A.D. 1328; died A.D. 1400. The stage of our language in which his poetry is written is that known as the Middle English.' His chief works are, The Canterbury Tales,' 'The Romaunt of the Rose,'' The Dream,' 'The Testament of Love,' &c. &c.]

A TRUE good man was there of religion,
Pious and poor-the parson of a town.
But rich he was in holy thought and work;
And thereto a right learned man; a clerk

That Christ's pure Gospel would sincerely preach,
And his parishioners devoutly teach.
Benign he was and wondrous diligent,
And in adversity full patient,

As proven oft to all who lack'd a friend.
Loth for his titles to ban or contend,
At every need much rather was he found
Unto his poor parishioners around

Of his own substance and his dues to give:
Content on little, for himself, to live.

Wide was his cure, the houses far asunder,
Yet never fail'd he, or for rain or thunder,
Whenever sickness or mischance might call,
The most remote to visit, great or small,
And, staff in hand, on foot the storm to brave.
This noble ensample to his flock he gave,
That first he wrought, and afterwards he taught,
The word of life he from the the Gospel caught;

And well this comment added he thereto,
If that gold rusteth, what should iron do?
And if the priest be foul on whom we trust,
What wonder if the unletter'd laymen lust?
And shame it were in him the flock should keep,
To see a sullied shepherd and clean sheep;
For sure a priest the sample ought to give
By his own cleanness, how his sheep should live.
He never set his benefice to hire,

Leaving his flock accomber'd in the mire,
And ran to London cogging at St. Poul's,
To seek himself a chauntery for souls,
Or with a brotherhood to be enroll'd;
But dwelt at home, and guarded well his fold
So that it should not by the wolf miscarry.
He was a shepherd, and no mercenary.

Tho' holy in himself and virtuous,

He still to sinful men was mild and piteous;
Not of reproach imperious or malign;
But in his teaching soothing and benign.
To draw them on to heaven by reason fair
And good example, was his daily care;
But were there one perverse and obstinate
Were he of lofty or of low estate,
Him would he sharply with reproof astound.
A better priest is nowhere to be found.

He waited not on pomp or reverence,
Nor made himself a spicèd conscience.
The love of Christ and his apostles twelve
He taught: but first he followed it himselve.

SIR LANCELOTT DU LAKE.

[This ballad, extracted from Percy's 'Reliques of Old English Romance Poetry,' is given as an example of that ancient and popular form of composition.]

WHEN Arthur first in court began,

And was approved King,

By force of arms great victories wanne,
And conquest home did bring.

Then into England straight he came
With fifty good and able

Knights, that resorted unto him,

And were of his Round Table:

And he had jousts and tournaments,
Whereto were many prest,
Wherein some knights did far excel
And eke surmount the rest.

But one Sir Lancelot du Lake,
Who was approved well;
He for his deeds and feats of arms
All others did excel.

When he had rested him a while,
In play, and game, and sport,
He said he would go prove himself
In some adventurous sort.

He armed rode in a forest wide,

And met a damsel fair,

Who told him of adventures great,
Whereto he gave great ear.

'Such would I find,' quoth Lancelot ;

'For that cause came I hither.'

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"Thou seem'st,' quoth she, a knight full good, And I will bring thee thither.

'Whereas a mighty knight doth dwell, That now is of great fame:

Therefore tell me what wight thou art,

And what may be thy name?'

'My name is Lancelot du Lake.'
Quoth she, 'It likes me than!
Here dwells a knight who never was
Yet matched with any man: ·

'Who has in prison threescore knights
And four, that he did wound;
Knights of King Arthur's court they be,
And of his Table Round.'

She brought him to a river side,
And also to a tree,
Whereon a copper basin hung,

And many shields to see.

He struck so hard, the basin broke;
And Tarquin soon he spied:
Who drove a horse before him fast,
Whereon a knight lay tied.