came off conqueror. Blanche summoned all the energies of a truly heroic mind, to declare that not even the happiness of belonging to the very best man she had ever heard of in her life, could induce her to sacrifice the tender ties of nature. The more her father's infirmi ties increased, the more dependent he would become on his daughter. What to her was a pleasure, could, she argued, to him be only a burdensome and painful task; in a word, her resolution was not to be shaken. Victor was therefore obliged to submit, even when (from a delicacy which would but incur obligations on which claims might be founded, too difficult, if not impossible, to resist) Blanche insisted on defraying, from her own resources, the expense of the medicated baths, thus putting more hopelessly far off than ever the long-deferred wedding.

She had not the heart, however, to deny Victor the privilege of putting the patient into the healing waters, which seemed daily to mitigate his pains, and lend his limbs more agility. While her father was at the worst, Blanche had been obliged altogether to forego the river, and obtain from her employer permission to do what she could in the way of her vocation at home. But when, on his amendment, she resumed her out-of-door labour, a circumstance occurred, so very honourable to the class of workwomen we are commemorating, to their mutual attachment, and honest feelings of benevolence, that to leave it untold would be doing them and the subject great injustice.

With the motives for enhanced industry which Blanche had to spur her on, that she should be first at the opening of the boat, with her daily load of allotted labour, will be little matter of surprise; or that her good-natured companions, knowing the necessity for exertion on her part, should abstain from wasting her precious time bý any of their little tricks and gossip. But one morning, when, from her father having been ill all night, she had arrived at work unusually late, and had consequently, when the hour of noon struck, left the greater part of her task (which had often detained her till night set in) unfinished, it was nevertheless accomplished, as if by magic, within the usual time, and her day's earnings, instead of being diminished, rather increased.

Next day, and the next, their amount was the same, till the grateful girl, suspecting to what she owed so unforeseen a result, and concealing herself behind the parapet of the quay, ascertained, by ocular demonstration, that, during her necessary absence, her place at the river was regularly occupied by one or other of her neighbours, who took it in turn to give up the hour of rest, that poor Blanche might be no loser by her filial duty, as not one of those worthy women would forego her share in this token of good-will to the best and most respected of daughters.

Blanche, though affected and flattered, as may well be believed, by this novel sort of contribution, was led, by a delicacy of feeling

beyond her station, to seem ignorant of it, till the additional funds thus procured had enabled her to effect the complete cure of her father, whom she then informed of the means by which it had been purchased, and eagerly led the recruited invalid to reward, better than she could do, her generous companions.

Amid the hand-shakings and congratulations which marked this happy meeting, Victor, we may be sure, was not behind-hand; only, he managed to whisper amid the general tide of joy, 'Am I to be the only one you have not made happy to-day?" Too much agitated to be able to answer, Blanche only held the faster by her father's arm.

Among the laundresses of the barges there is a custom of choosing annually one of their number, whom they style their queen, to preside over their festivities, and decide disputed points in the community. Mid-Lent, the season for appointing the queen of the boat, arrived, and Blanche was duly elected at the fête always given on the occasion. The boat was gaily dressed up with ship's colours, and a profusion of early spring flowers; and all were as happy as possible. In England, on the occasion of any appointment like that with which Blanche was endowed, there would be no kind of ceremony, and no ornaments would be employed; but it is doubtful whether we are any the better for thus despising a tasteful and joyous way of performing a gracious and useful public act. Be this as it may, the barge of the laundresses was, as we have said, gaily decorated, and there was to be a species of ceremonial at the installation of Blanche.

What a happy moment it was for the good daughter—how much more happy for the aged father of such a daughter. Old Raymond, firmer on his limbs than ever, led on his blushing daughter, and had the welcome office assigned him of placing on her head the rosy crown-a task which his trembling fingers could scarcely accomplish. After having called down on the head of the dutiful girl, whom he half smothered with kisses, the best blessings of heaven, he left her to receive the felicitations of her new subjects, among whom the disconsolate Victor was again heard to exclaim: 'So I am still to be the only one you won't make happy!'

The melancholy words proved too potent for the softened feelings of Blanche's honest neighbours, particularly the one whose heart it was of most consequence to touch; namely, the mistress of the laundry establishment, who, having long had thoughts of retiring, freely offered her the business whenever she should be able to muster 5000 francs.

'Oh! cried Victor, 'I have already a fourth of it, and I'll engage my master will advance the rest.'

'It is not to be thought of; it would be a debt we could never repay, cried the upright Blanche; 'we never should be able to make up so large a sum.'

'Pardon, mademoiselle,' replied an elderly gentleman of venerable appearance, who had, unobserved, mingled as a spectator in the scene, 'you will now have the means of paying it with the prize of 5000 francs left for the reward of virtue in humble life by the late M. Monthyon, and awarded to you by the French Academy, at the representations of the mayor of the eighth arrondissement of Paris. The mayor, it is pleasing to know, has become acquainted with your excellent filial devotion from the laundresses of the city now assembled.'

A shout of joy burst from all around; and that which followed may be left to the imagination. It will suffice to state that Blanche, simple and modest as ever, could scarcely believe in the honour she so unexpectedly received; while her surrounding companions derived from it the lesson, that the filial piety so decidedly inculcated and rewarded by Heaven, and equally admirable in its effects in the cottage and the palace, does not always go unrewarded on earth.

32

EOLOGY is the science which examines and describes the crust of the earth. It is almost of yesterday; yet it has already made some most remarkable additions to the stock of human knowledge. It has, for one thing, given us a view of the earth's history during a long period, while as yet no human beings lived upon it. The facts of this history are extremely curious and interesting. It appears that the space of time occupied by it was vast beyond all that could have been supposed; that during this time the surface of the earth underwent many changes-beds of rock being formed at the bottoms of seas, other rocks thrown up by subterranean forces, hills and valleys formed, and sea and land frequently changed the one for the other; also, and most wonderful of all, that while these operations were going on, there rose a succession of animals, beginning with those of simplest form, and advancing to others of higher character, until those nearest to the human figure appeared; these animals, however, being of different species from any which now exist. All of these facts have been ascertained by investigating the rocks which compose the earth's crust, in which are found the remains, more or less perfectly preserved, of the animals in question, as well as of a similar No. II.

I

succession of plants; the order of the existence of both animals and plants being established by an order which is ascertained with regard to the age of the rocks, the oldest of which are of course placed undermost, and the newest next the surface. It is surely very interesting to reflect on the manner in which this history has been compiled; not, as histories usually are, from old family and state documents, from medals or monuments, but from particulars placed before us, as it were by nature, that we might first observe and then reflect upon and make inferences from them. And such is the character of this evidence, that many of the facts of the reign of George III. are less clearly ascertained than are some of the events which took place many millions of ages before the existence of the human race. In comparing the revelations of science with the Mosaic account of the creation, we must remember that the former is as yet but an imperfect record, and that the observed facts and deductions therefrom are entirely different subjects, not to be confounded, or pressed into the service of the advocates of rival 'reconciliations.'

The remains of the early animals and plants-called fossils as being dug (Latin, fossus, dug) out of the earth-are found in various conditions; sometimes what was once a coral, for instance, is still a coral, the original hard substance being entirely preserved; sometimes the original substance has been withdrawn particle by particle, and replaced by silex or some other mineral substance, but without the slightest change of form; on other occasions there is merely an impression of the original plant or animal, but this is in general as useful to the geologist as if the primitive substance remained. 'In a word, there is no limit to the number and variety of these remains of animal and vegetable existence. At one time we see before us, extracted from a solid mass of rock, a model of the softest, most delicate, and least easily preserved parts of animal structure; at another time, the actual bones, teeth, and scales, scarcely altered from their condition in the living animal. The very skin, the eye, the footprints of the creature in the mud, and the food that it was digesting at the time of its death, together with those portions that had been separated by the digestive organs as containing no further nutriment, are all as clearly exhibited as if death had within a few hours performed its commission, and all had been instantly prepared for our investigation. We find the remains of fish so perfect, that not one bone, not one scale, is out of place or wanting, and others in the same bed presenting only the outline of a skeleton, or various disjointed fragments. We have insects, the delicate nervures of whose wings are permanently impressed upon the stone in which they are imbedded; and we see, occasionally, shells not merely retaining their shape, but perpetuating their very colours-the most fleeting, one would think, of all characteristics-and offering evidence of the brilliancy and beauty of creation at a time when man was not yet an inhabitant of the earth, and there seemed no one to appreciate