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of Libyan serpents so large that, after pursuing | length, and of such colossal dimensions as to recertain voyagers to that coast, they capsized one of quire thigh bones larger than those of an elephant the galleys. to support its bulky carcase; and yet such is the description published of this reptile by the late Dr. Mantell, and nobody disputes his accuracy.

Now, reasoning from analogy, may we not ask, why should not serpents inhabit the vast ocean, as large as those which it is admitted inhabit the vast forests of India and South America? We know that there are hydrophidæ, or water-snakes, of the genera hydrus, pelamys, chersydrus, acrochordus, pseudo-boa, etc.; and we also know that the conger-eel attains a very large size, even when taken off the Channel Islands; and therefore, why should it not be possible, nay probable, that in the unfathomable depths of the mighty seas, there should exist serpents larger than ever entered into the mind of man to conceive?

It must be remembered that comparatively little is known of the inhabitants of the ocean; that although the Scriptures speak of" this great wide sea, wherein are creeping things innumerable, both small and great beasts," yet, that seamen often traverse the ocean for weeks, passing over thousands of miles, without seeing scarcely a sign of life upon its surface. It frequently happens, during a prolonged voyage to the Cape of Good Hope, that beyond flushing a covey of flying-fish occasionally, and seeing a few dolphins in chase of them, nothing is seen of the "things innumerable" which are described in God's word as dwelling in the sea; and if this be the case with them "that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters" if those whose eyes by day and night are employed in gazing on the mighty deep, see so little of its inhabitants-how aptly may the questions which were propounded to Job be now asked of the wisest of naturalists: "Hast thou entered into the springs of the sea? or hast thou walked in the search of the depth ?"

Again, we must bear in mind that whatever is opposed to, or beyond our finite knowledge, is too often treated with ridicule. There is scarcely a discovery in the whole range of science, the author of which was not absolutely persecuted as an empiric; and so it has been, and still is, with discoveries in nature. How long the character of that great man, Bruce, was impugned, because he stated that he had seen steaks cut off the living bullock, and the animal afterwards driven on its journey! How commonly the fact of gathering oysters from the branches of trees is doubted, even when stated by those who have eaten them, and this, too, at a time when superstitious fables, such as Romish mock miracles, are believed by millions! It reminds one of the old story of the poor woman, questioning her son as to what he had seen in foreign lands, when he returned from his first long "Seen, mother!" exclaimed the lad, why, mountains of sugar, rivers of rum, and fishes that fly !" "Come, come!" replied the dame, mountains of sugar and rivers of rum, you may have seen, but fishes that fly! never, never.' It is now a familiar fact, that geologists have discovered fossil remains of former inhabitants of the land, which in point of magnitude reduce the largest of the present known living animals to mere pigmies; but before the fossil remains of the iguanodon, for example, were discovered, how absurd it appeared to talk of a reptile of the lizard tribe having existed, sixty or seventy feet in

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Now, when we consider that all the inhabitants of the earth were destroyed at the flood (except those in the ark), and that, moreover, whole classes of animals have become extinct from various known natural causes, which natural causes and requirements do not apply, so far as we know, to the inhabitants of the seas, who can say that the descendants of monsters, which existed in the ocean before the flood (corresponding to antediluvian monsters on the earth), are not still existing there? and although the region which they inhabit may be uniformly the greatest depths of the ocean, yet individuals, from some physical or natural cause, may have been compelled to rise to the surface, and so become visible to human eyes.

But it may be objected, and with reason, that this is all speculative; that if the sceptics as to the existence of the sea-serpent come to their conclusions upon mere assertion, what has been advanced by us, thus far, is likewise mere surmise. Granted; but let us proceed a step further. It is often found that when man's wisdom is utterly at fault, the wisdom of God throws a ray of light upon a subject, which makes it clear as day. Turning to the prophecies of Amos, we find the following passage, describing the power of God, and showing the hopelessness of the impenitent escaping the search of his justice: Though they dig into hell, thence shall mine hand take them; though they climb up to heaven, thence will I bring them down and though they hide themselves in the top of Carmel, I will search and take them out thence; and though they be hid from my sight in the bottom of the sea, thence will I command the serpent, and he shall bite them."

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Now this passage cannot, I contend, be considered as merely figurative. It is evident, I think, that just as the hiding-place on mount Carmel, which was to be searched out, described literally a place, and as the sword which, in a subsequent verse, it is declared should slay them in a strange land was also a literal expression, so the expression about the serpent meant that even though it were possible for them to seek concealment in the bottom of the sea, a terrible agent was there, ready to bite them, at the command of their offended God. It is noticeable also, that, like the "leviathan" in the book of Job, this serpent is mentioned in the singular number, implying that it must be a creature of unusual magnitude.

One more observation in conclusion. Many persons imagine that, because we have the very able works of Cuvier and other great naturalists, so elaborately classified, so beautifully minute, and, considering all things, so wonderfully accurate, therefore we have nothing to learn of natural history; but it is a singular fact that in the "Critic" of Aug. 16th, 1852, there is the following notice :

EXTRAORDINARY, IF TRUE.-According to some Italian journals, a new organised being has been discovered in the interior of Africa, which seems to form an immediate This singular production of nature has the shape of a spotted serpent. link between vegetable and animal life. It drags itself along on the ground; instead of a head, it has a flower, shaped like a bell, which contains a viscous liquid.

Flies and other insects, attracted by the smell of the juice, enter into the flower, where they are caught by the adhesive matter. The flower then closes, and remains shut until the prisoners are bruised and transformed into chyle. The indigestible portion, such as the head and wings, are thrown out by aspiral openings. The vegetable serpent has a skin resembling leaves, a white and soft flesh, and instead of a bony skeleton, a cartilaginous frame, filled with yellow marrow. The natives consider it delicious food. And if this be true, what does it prove? Why, that there are objects of a most singular, nay marvellous organisation, existing in such numbers as to form an article of food for a portion of the human family, which up to the year 1852 escaped the researches of the civilized world! How can any one, in the face of even the probability of such a fact

as this, venture to pronounce the existence of a Sea Serpent, of an astonishing size, to be a ridicu lous fiction and impossibility P

We have inserted the above as a lively enough essay upon a subject that at all times is sure to command readers. As regards the author's reasoning, however, it is sufficient to say that no one has denied the possibility of there being some large serpents tenanting the depths of the ocean: all that is contended for is, that we have hitherto had no proper evidence of any animal of the kind having been seen, and the probabi lities therefore are, that if it did exist, accurate traces of it would have been discovered ere this. As for the extract from the "Critic," it wants confirmation, which is enough to say of it; while, as regards the passage quoted from the prophet Amos, its language is sufficiently met by supposing that an ordinary water serpent is indicated. In the voyage of the "Samarang," the naturalist attached to that vessel states that at times he saw the waters in the Eastern Seas covered by such serpents.-EDIT.

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ORIENTAL MARRIAGES.

THE marriage contracts of primitive times were sin gular for their simplicity and apparent freedom from sentiment. The negotiations carried on for the purpose of obtaining wives for Isaac, Samson, and Shechem are striking illustrations of this mode of procedure, traces of which may still be discovered.

Sometimes marriage compacts assumed a more mercenary aspect, and women were purchased to become wives. Thus Shechem said to the father and brethren of Dinah: "Let me find grace in your eyes, and what ye shall say unto me I will give. Ask me never so much dowry and gift, and I will give according as ye shall say unto me; but give me the damsel to wife." Precisely the same course is still taken by the Arabs, who are never so happy as when they have many daughters, since they form part of the riches of the house. When, therefore, a young man is inclined to treat for one, he says to the father, "Will you give me your daughter for fifty sheep, for six camels, or for a dozen cows?" In like manner the young North American Indian brings the skins of the creatures he has slain in hunting, or any other articles which are deemed valuable, to the father of the woman he wishes to marry, and if he finds that the amount he offers is not considered sufficient, he adds to it until he finds he has turned the balance in his favour.

A prince or a king was accustomed usually to adopt a far more summary process; he declared his will, and it was immediately obeyed. Such was the case when

David desired to espouse Abigail: he sent his servants to demand her hand. This conduct corresponds with the manner in which oriental princes generally contract their matrimonial alliances. The celebrated traveller, Bruce, says: "The king of Abyssinia sends an officer to the house where the lady lives, who announces to her that it is the king's pleasure she should remove instantly to the palace. She then dresses her. self in the best manner, and immediately obeys. Thenceforward he assigns to her an apartment in the palace, and gives her a house elsewhere, in any part she chooses."

The espousing, or betrothing, was a solemn and mutual promise of marriage, usually made when the parties were young, and the espoused female, there. fore, continued with her parents for months or years before she was claimed by the bridegroom. Some times the young man said to his maiden, "Receive this piece of silver as a pledge that you shall become my spouse." At other times a document was prepared, recording the terms of the matrimonial compact.

The modern Jews generally consider eighteen to be the proper age for entering upon the marriage state. It is usual for the betrothal to take place some months or a year before the marriage, and until this act has been performed it is not deemed proper for the parties who purpose making such an engagement, to walk to gether in public. The betrothal takes place amidst much feasting and rejoicing, and the event is immediately made known among the respective connexions of the parties. After the espousals, the bridegroom

was permitted to visit his espoused wife in the house
of her father, except eight days before the marriage,
when neither of the parties left their own abode.
Persons, however, of the same age visited the bride-
groom, and made themselves merry in his company.
In accordance with this practice, we read that the
father of Samson went down unto the young woman of
Timnath, and "made there a feast; for so used the young
men to do. And it came to pass when they saw him,
that they brought thirty companions to be with him."
This custom agreed with that of all oriental coun-
tries; it was called by the Jews "the nuptial joy."
No other feast was to be blended with it, and all
labour ceased as long as it lasted. The companions
thus introduced were denominated "the children of
the bride-chamber," a fact which casts light on the
words of our Lord: "Can the children of the bride-
chamber fast while the bridegroom is with them ?"
To do so would be contrary to the universal practice.
A singular ceremony was introduced by the rabbins
to moderate the exultation that prevailed on such oc-
casions, of which some instances are given in the
Gemara. Thus Mar, the son of Rabbena, made wed-

of the Turkish court at the present day. At the en-
tertainment given some years ago by the Grand
Vizier to Lord Elgin and his suite, in the palace of
the Seraglio, pelisses were given to all the guests.
The place for the performance of the marriage
ceremony was usually a garden, or the open air. The
bride was placed under a canopy, supported by four
youths, and adorned with jewels according to the rank
of the parties; while all the company raised the joyful
acclamation, "Blessed be he that cometh!" After the
benediction, the bride was conducted with great pomp
to the house of her husband; this was usually done in
the evening. In the Song of Solomon, the question is
proposed: "Who is this that cometh out of the wilder-
ness like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and
frankincense, with all powders of the merchant ?"
The reference in this instance is to the bride as she is
conducted with great pomp to the bridegroom's home;
on which occasion perfumes are profusely used. The
bride's garments, indeed, smell of "myrrh, aloes, and
cassia;" but it is also customary for virgins to meet
and lead the procession, having pots filled with per-
fumes; while, sometimes, aromatics are burned in the

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ding feasts for his son, and invited the rabbins; and when he saw that their mirth exceeded its bounds, he brought forth a glass cup, worth four hundred aims, and broke it before them, whereupon they became sad. "The reason which they assigned for this action," says Lightfoot, "is, because it is forbidden a man to fill his mouth with laughter in this world."

The parable of the "Wedding Garment" is founded the fact that it was usual for persons to appear at marriage feasts in a sumptuous dress, generally adorned with florid embroidery. As it could not be expected that travellers pressed in, as they were described to be on this occasion, could be provided with one, there st have been, as there was undoubtedly in other instances of the kind, a wardrobe from which every e not duly provided might be amply supplied. Homer relates that Telemachus and the son of Nestor, arriving at Lacedæmon when Menelaus was making a marriage-feast for his son and daughter, were accommodated, after having been bathed and anointed,

windows of all the houses in the streets through which the procession has to pass.

In India, the bride and the bridegroom, seated in the same palanquin, accompanied by their kindred and friends, and attended by music, flambeaux, and women singing verses, proceed at night through the streets to their own house, where their domestics are waiting. The persons who hold the flambeaux in one hand, have in the other a copper bottle, which is full of oil, which they pour out from time to time on the flambeaux, which otherwise would give no light. This description naturally suggests the words of the Psalmist : "The king's daughter is all glorious within: her clothing is of wrought gold. She shall be brought unto the king in raiment of needlework: the virgins her companions that follow her shall be brought unto thee. With gladness and rejoicing shall they be brought: they shall enter into the king's palace." It will be remembered that similar circumstances are introduced in the parable of the wise and foolish virgins.

The arrival of the bride at the house of her hus band was followed by the marriage feast-a time of great mirth and hilarity, to which there are many Of this custom there are some traces in the festivities allusions in the Scriptures.

"With shaggy mantles and resplendent vests."

A NIGHT IN TASMANIA. ALMOST immediately under our feet, on the other side of the world, and only separated from the great continent of New Holland by a narrow strait, is a British settlement, that, with many claims to the attention of Englishmen, has hitherto excited but little of it, and which appears to be now entirely lost in the ruddy gleam of gold that, with increasing brightness, shines from its sister colonies.

Van Diemen's Land, or, to give the island its softer and more modern name, Tasmania, is the most southern land inhabited by Europeans. From Tasman's Head to the Antarctic pole stretches a dreary waste of ocean, in which adventurous voyagers have vainly sought for habitable land; finding only volcanic islands bedded in enormous icefields, their open craters rising in bleak sterility above the green continents of frozen water, and belching forth even here great masses of red-hot scoriæ, streams of molten lava, columns of lurid flame, and clouds of black and heavy smoke. Sir James Ross describes the scene presented by this strange region of contrasted frost and fire as unequalled in its rugged desolation, and surpassing all conception in its gloomy grandeur and its terrible sublimity.

bay forming the mouth of the river Huon, on the banks of which are several farms, though this part of the country is not thickly settled, the land being covered with heavy timber. At the entrance of the Huon is a singularly perforated rock, called Arch Island, standing like a solitary bridge, through which the waters race incessantly; its summit is covered with flocks of screaming gulls and solemn penguins, whilst high above it soars the pelican, stooping occasionally from his circling flight, and dropping with unerring aim upon the unsuspecting fish beneath him. A little higher, after passing Three-hut-point, the channel narrows, and a line of buoys marks the existence of some hidden reef or sand-bank. Above the entrance of Long Bay, which stretches away to the right, lies Green Island, a little spot presented to a woman by the government, as a reward for her heroic conduct in defending the hut which she occupied upon it against the attack of a gang of armed bushrangers. Nearly opposite to it is Oyster Cove, lately the residence of the remnant of the aboriginal inhabitants of Tasmania, once the fiercest and most warlike tribe of the south.

Their continual aggressions on the settlers, the terrible outrages committed by them, and the equally savage retaliations of the whites, induced Sir George Arthur, at that time governor of the colony, to attempt the capture of the whole nation. The extraordinary talent and ability displayed by that gentleman in the general administration of his government has not sheltered him from the ridicule incurred by this impracticable scheme. He proposed to extend a line of men across the north end of the island, and, marching them towards the south, gradually drive the natives into a corner, where they might be surrounded and eventually made prisoners. Every man in the colony was called out, even including the convicts; and the force thus raised was divided into companies of ten, with a captain to each. Great preparations were made, and immense expense incurred; every precaution, indeed, was taken that the military experience of the governor and the many old officers in the colony could suggest, to ensure the success of the expedition. The settlers began to congratu late themselves on the probability of their getting rid of their vindictive and much-dreaded neighbours, and willingly offered their services to the government. But the mountain brought forth a mouse. After a month's marching through the bush, in an almost impassable country, over the tops of mountains, across rivers and deep gulleys, through forests rendered impervious by thick tangled undergrowth and matted jungle, the line of valorous heroes closed in upon the enemy, and discovered, to their astonishment and dismay, that they had succeeded in capturing and taking prisoner one poor black fellow! The cunning of the savage had fairly outwitted the wisdom of the white man; and "Were you out in the line ?" is still a standing

But Tasmania, the voyager's last resting-place before encountering these terrific solitudes, has little in common with them in scenery and appearance. The first view of the island is, indeed, unprepossessing, for its cliffs are high and rugged, and along its coasts are scattered numerous small islets, barren rocks rising in fantastic shapes from the green sea that boils around them, climbing their dark pinnacles in lines of snowy foam and glittering spray. But a nearer view dispels the idea of sterility, and conveys to the approaching stranger a more truthful notion of the fertile land that spreads in graceful undulations from the sea. As his vessel sails across Storm Bay, and, leaving the lofty lighthouse on Bruné Island to the right, enters D'Entrecasteaux Channel, passing the fatal Acteon rocks, a succession of magnificent scenery opens before him. On either hand rises a range of hills, clothed to the water's edge with noble trees; the shady foliage hiding the land, and spreading over every ridge, crowning the loftiest summits with its dark verdure. Recherché Bay, South Port, Port Espérance, and other minor harbours, form deep indentations on the western shore, and pierce the hills in long vistas of surpassing beauty, disclosing in the distance other tiers of wood-crowned eminences, stretching away in wavy lines that end abruptly in some lofty snow-capped mountain, or stoop with gentle declination to some inland plain. The long island of Bruné forms the right bank of the channel, commencing at its entrance in a bold headland, that rises precipitously from the ocean, and continuing in a chain of hills that sinks and contracts to a flat and narrow isthmus in the middle of the island, but appears again as we approach its northern ex-joke against an old settler. tremity. Along its edge lie several small green islets, each one the property of some lonely farmer; and on the main island cleared farms appear at intervals, and flocks of sheep and fields of waving corn give evidence of settlements and proofs of

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But that which the united force of the whole colony was unable to effect, one man successfully accomplished. A gentleman who was familiar with the habits and language of the natives of Tasmania volunteered to effect, unaided, the peaceable capture of every native in the colony. His offer was eagerly accepted by the government, and he

immediately commenced his mission. He soon succeeded in persuading a party of the black fellows to accompany him to town, where they were lodged for safe custody in gaol; and the number of prisoners was increased by every fresh expedition of the same individual, until the country was thoroughly cleared of its ancient occupants. An isolated building at the top of Elizabeth-street, in Hobart Town, was at first appropriated to their use, and here for a short time they were carefully guarded; but it was found necessary to remove them from the neighbourhood of the town, and they were ultimately conveyed to Flinder's Island, in Bass Straits, where a regular establishment was formed for their accommodation.

The poor children of the forest, though they pined at first in their island prison for that perfect freedom which in their own wild hills they had enjoyed, soon became accustomed to their position, and gradually adopted the costume and the habits of their warders, though still retaining many of their old barbarous customs. Happily, the island abounded in the game which they had been used to pursue in their own country, and this in some measure consoled them for their exile; and no doubt the opportunity of obtaining food without exertion would be in exact accordance with their taste for indolence. But their numbers rapidly decreased, and at length became so small, that it was thought unnecessary to keep up the expensive establishment on Flinder's Island, and the remnant of the tribe was removed to Oyster Cove.

A few more years will witness the extinction of the race, and then another, though a nameless nation, may be added to the long list of those that have been swept away by that great human wave, which, rising in one little island, has poured across earth's ocean-barriers, bearing on its crest the ripened fruits of centuries of toil and thought; prolific seeds, from which have sprung new saplings, striking their clinging roots deep in the virgin soil, and lifting their majestic heads towards heaven; whilst their wide branches spread across whole continents, and drop in distant islands new and living fruit, the germs of future and still greater nations.

Bat our ship is passing rapidly up the narrow channel, opening out on either side new bays and pretty inlets. Crossing the mouth of North-west Bay, we pass beneath Mount Lewis, a high hill, on which is a semaphore, one of a line of telegraphs erected between Hobart Town and Port Arthur, and which has already signalled to town notice of our arrival. We now round the northern extremity of Bruné Island, and enter the noble river Derwent, or rather the arm of the sea into which the Derwent falls at Hobart Town. In a few minutes we obtain the first view of the town, and a scene of extraordinary beauty spreads before us. The contracted channel appears to expand into a magnificent lake, the narrow outlet closing behind us, and the wider entrance by Storm Bay hidden for a moment by the intervening land. Close to us, starting abruptly from the shore, is a range of low hills, thickly wooded, gradually increasing in height as it extends inland, until, rising to the top of Mount Nelson, the chain links the great admiral's namesake to a huge frowning mountain, bearing the noble name of Wellington. Apparently

at the foot of Mount Wellington, though in reality four miles from it, stands the capital of the island, built on gently rising ground, at the head of a beautiful inlet of the river-Sullivan's Cove. The upper part of the town seems to creep into the forest, and to melt away among the trees; the hill on which it stands still rising above the houses, until it mingles with the distant ranges that sweep in majestic curves from the crest of the towering mountain. Pretty villas are seen nestling among the trees, and occasional gaps in the thick timber disclose green fields, relieving with their verdure the darker hues of the sombre forest.

In the cove are many ships at anchor, and alongside the wharfs others are discharging or receiving cargo. On a small green eminence at the extremity of a point of land that stretches from the town towards the sea is the battery; and from hence a line of large warehouses skirts the wharf, joined at right angles by a range of lofty stonefronted buildings, facing directly down the river, and constituting the custom-house, post-office, etc. To the right of these, on a small hill, the slope of which has been cut away to form a wharf, stands the governor's house, hidden by a profusion of trees and shrubs. Beneath are the commissariat stores and other buildings, and beyond them the government domain terminates abruptly in a bare grassy point, past which the river, narrowed to half its previous width, flows gently on. hence the eye, resting for a moment on Mount Direction, a very singular and precipitous hill, seen in the distance, looks again on new ranges of hills, rising above each other in tiers, all covered by the same evergreen mantle, or sweeping to the sea in deep cultivated valleys, that end in pretty bays embroidered round by narrow strips of pebbly beach.

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As the ship drops her anchor in the clear waters of the cove, numerous boats crowd round her, offering their services to convey the passengers ashore. The stranger on landing is pleasantly disappointed at discovering that, after a voyage of nearly sixteen thousand miles, he has suddenly stepped into a pretty English country town, instead of the wild savage wilderness in which he half expected to be thrown. The wide macadamised streets, crossing each other at right angles, extend the whole length and breadth of the town; some of them continuing their course into the bush beyond it. The shops, with their plate-glass windows, and display of British manufactures; the English mode of dress, and happy home-made faces; the London-built carriages and brewers' drays; the staring placards, with great letters and many notes of admiration, announcing" tremendous sacrifices" and sales by auction; bills of amusement and missionary meetings-everything around him, speaks of home and English customs; and the occasional appearance of a verandah and a wooden house, or a glimpse of the distant hills, alone reminds him that he is a denizen of a new country, a wanderer in a strange land. Never was the oft-quoted saying of Count Strzelecki more fully verified: "Wherever the Englishman establishes himself, there does he reproduce his native country."

The climate of Tasmania, too, resembles in some measure that of England, though milder and more agreeable. It possesses all the beauties without

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