furlong before him; and when Achilles has advanced that small space, the tortoise will still be before him by the hundredth part of it, and so on for ever. Now, captain, this is Zeno's method; and it is very true, that if we take the spaces or times decreasing, in that geometrical ratio of a hundred to one, we cannot assign among them (how far soever we continue the progression) any one at which Achilles will have overtaken the tortoise. But it is altogether false that the sum of those spaces or times will be an infinite quantity, as is implied in Zeno's conclusion; for the sum of the infinite series one, one hundredth part, et cetera, is exactly one hundred ninetynine parts. And, accordingly, that gives us the precise spot where Achilles will overtake the tortoise; for when he has gone one hundred ninety-ninths of a furlong, the tortoise, moving one hun

dred times slower, will have gone one ninety-ninth-that is, they will be just together."

you

"Now, captain," said the minister, "what do think of that?" The captain bowed to the depth of the dominie's calculation, as affording another confirmation to prove the truth of what the dominie called "his calculation of the sum of an infinite decreasing series."

The captain was asked by Mr. Maclean if he had ever seen a cairn, and being replied in the negative, for Mackay, though of Scotch extraction, had been born and educated in England, and had now only gone to visit the land of his forefathers more out of travelling curiosity than out of that spirit which would drag to her bosom the sons to which Scotia gave existence; accordingly the dominie took from his pocket a couple of quires of

pany would listen to; but they all declined it, "and regretted much they had not time to hear his topographical and meteorological description of Ben Nevis,"

But Mr. Maclean never appeared so deep learned amongst the poor people of the parish; he displayed amongst them good sense, except in frequently repeating and prosing "The Georgics" to any farmer whom he saw any way behind his neighbour in the management of his crops or cattle. However, none of them would allow that the poet of Italy knew the nature of the soil and climate of an island which was unknown to his master Augustus, and the dominie was therefore obliged to lament the perversity of their natures, and entertain them with the exploits of Eneas, the feats of Hector and Achilles, the famous tales of Quintus Curtius, or the retreat of ten thousand

Greeks: Bacon's Essays he would lecture on from night to night; and Newton's Principia he would sit studying long after the sun had gilded other lands with its orient beams; and his scholars liked nothing better than Saturday afternoon, when their master took his cross-staff and chain, and went forth in the midst of them, lecturing all along the road, as a true peripatetic, on the sublimity of geometry,' the properties of extension, and the doctrine of quantity and magnitudes. It was then that the hindmost felt not the "taws." But from this digression we return to the company, whom the dominie's stores of learning had so much pleased and annoyed.

He was just going to leave the manse when Mactaggart's boy arrived with letters, and there was one to the dominie. The reason why these letters came so close on the back of each other, was

owing to the captain, to whom Fergus (or rather Jamie Grahame) had given his letter, not putting it into the postoffice till he got to Fochabers.

Sir,

Camp before T

I am happy to inform you, that youar son Angus Maclean is recovrin his waund and gettin quit well; he was waunded in the leg at T, ware there lay 413 good saulders on the fild of the 42nd regiment. I shall allwais menshan yauer sin wen I write. Some of my comrades gat skraches, and sum of them gat skelpes, but the deel a ane of them but yauer sin has gotten aught ill, except the deed; ye can tell the lads' freens that, from,

I remain,

Your obdent servant,

Sergeant-Major MACULLOCH. 42nd. R. H. Regiment."

"To Mr. Maclean, Bute."