tle many readers; but the author in one of his notes very satisfactorily explains the reason for its so frequent Occurrence. "My reason," says he, is, that it adds a pleasing varie. ty when judiciously employed, espe. cially in heroic verse. Injudicious imitators employ it without regard to propriety." From this very modest account, we must understand, that it is never employed in the heroics of "Home," without absolute

propriety. Indeed, from the manner in which it is used, I begin to suspect that Pope, when he censured its use, did it from inability to perceive its beauty. But I am confi. dent that, had the author of "Home" been contemporary with the writer of the "Dunciad," he would have obtained a place in the latter work not the least conspicuous.

Another striking beauty in the work before us is the frequent use of monosyllables. Pope has indeed mentioned something about "ten dull words creeping in one dull line!" but we are led to suppose, that he only called this acknowledged beauty in question for the same reason that he censured the Alexandrine, his inability to marshall so many words into one verse. Later authors have, however, been more successful; and our author in particular uses mony. syllables with great effect. In one part of his waking dream, where he supposes himself " acting his young encounters," he observes, "Now light of foot, with heart more light, I strain,

In playful contest o'er the well-known plain."

In describing some of the amusements which render home agreeable, he thus goes on with a reflection, in monosyllables:

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And think how oft the steps of those I love "Shall trace it, charm'd ;—young groves to plant and say, "Their boughs may shade us when my locks are grey."

Will any reader of taste deny that this is charming? It is like the pattering of a summer-shower on the foliage of a wood. But a superlative beauty of this kind occurs in the poem. What would Pope have

said had he seen twelve dull words creeping in one dull line," an Alexandrine in monosyllables!

"And hears, or thinks he hears, the soft low tones of love.",

fine poetry; and such beauties the This is the very quintessence of reader will find teeming in every page.

Personifications, the author observes in one of his notes," hold a most distinguished rank in poetry." He is afraid, however, their frequent occurrence in his work may be blamed, But he may set himself at ease in this respect; for his personifications are equally above praise or blame. One striking beauty I cannot help remarking, and that is, the varied shapes his "poetical creation" assume. In one place we are informed that Poverty accompanied with hard labour, can only confer happiness and produce disinterested love; in another we are assured, that " Pale at his touch the cheek of beauty grows, or, as the same sentiment is personified in the well-known adage, “when Poverty enters the door, Love flies out at the window." Some would term this incansistency; but I use not such harsh language, nor do I ever wish to see it used. the author again to personify some It might lead of those passions he has slightly touched, or even to represent to himself the ghost of his murdered poem crying for I am ravengeance. ther of opinion that it discovers a high degree of ingenuity, when a poet can convince us of one thing the "lie direct" in the next. in this page, and gives his arguments

The series of figures of this kind has such attractive beauties that I cannot pass

conviction. Of plagiarism, every reader will acquit the maker of the book on “Home." He has, indeed, sometimes borrowed a sentiment or expression; but there is mighty dif ference between borrowing and steal ing; but what he has borrowed he has so ingeniously disguised, that the author who first manufactured the expression would not know his own property. For instance, who can say that the following verse of the author,

"Controul the whirlwind, and chastise the storm,"

is borrowed from

"Sits in the whirlwind, and directs the storin."

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Besides, there are, as the author observes, "certain expressions in poe try which belong to the community;" the republic or commonwealth of letters is a term frequently used; and he who contributes his share of the stock is certainly entitled to a proportion of the profits. The author indeed accuses an ingenious critic of stealing every word of his remarks "from Johnson's Dictionary." Had he used a term less harsh than steal. ing, we should have imagined that he intended this for a compliment to the writer he alludes to. Every reader will so take it. But I defy any one to impute theft of this kind to the writer of the present poem; for many of the words he uses are not to be found in any dictionary whatever.

One thing in Home, a poem,' I cannot pass unnoticed, and that is the vein of piety which runs through it. In this of it

to cherish the belief of their divinity, He touches them with a sparing hand; and Apollo and the muses, I have reason to believe, were never once invoked to assist in the composition of this poem.

It would be flattering the author too much, to suppose that he could perceive the meaning of the foregoing observations. I therefore feel the necessity of telling him in plain English, that there is neither "music, image, sentiment, nor thought," in the whole poem ; and that it is a downright imposition on the com mon sense of the public. I estimate not the merit of a book by the number of pages it contains, but by the merit of the work itself. One page where genius is conspicuous, is of more intrinsic value than a thousand where nonsense is predominant. But of merit of any kind, " Home, a poem," is altogether destitute.

If the author conceived that poetry was his hobby-horse, he might have contented himself with ambling home, and amusing his children or dependents, and not have brought his poor animal into the highway, where every passenger must pity the poor condition of the horse, and laugh at the asinine appearance of his rider.

"It is for homely features to keep home," JOHN MILTON. S. E.

Remarks on a Surprising Phenomenon in the WEST INDIES.

HE mind of man is continually

approbation any work which may have a tendency to correct and improve the public morals. The au thor is not, like many writers, absolutely a heathen; and though he sometimes mentions the deities of the ancients, yet it would be unfair to conclade from this, that he wished

deavours to discover the secrets of nature, and explore the laws that regulate the economy of the universe; it soars beyond the limits of our atmosphere, and contemplates the amazing operations of providence in distant worlds. Every object that attracts the sight excites in it new

Particulars respecting the VOLCANOES in the ANDES, and the Fishes thrown out by them. By M. Von Humboldt.

rinth of effects to the original and secret cause. Nature, ever mysterious in her operations, perpetually of fers new objects for admiration, and exhibits phænomena, which we too often unsuccessfully attempt to explain. It would be unnecessary to produce instances of this kind; every student in philosophy knows that they may be found in the most common productions of nature. But the following I think very remarkable, and therefore I shall beg leave to lay it before your curious readers.

The weather in Curacoa, an island belonging to the Dutch, in longitude 68° 30', N. latitude 12° 30', is prodigiously hot, and would be quite. unsupportable, were it not mitigated by a cooling breeze from the north east, which never fails to pay its wel. come visit when the sun has reached the western verge of the horizon. But what is really surprising, at least to me, is, that a thermometer held in the hand of a native, or one who has for some years resided on the island, will not rise within two or three degrees so high, as in the hand of a person lately come from Europe.

HE chain of the Andes, extend

from the Straits of Magellan to the northern shores which border on Asia, contains above fifty volcanoes still active, of which the phenomena are as various as their height and local situation. A small number of the least elevated of these volcanoes throw out running lava. I have seen, at the volcano of Zurullo, in Mexico, a basaltic cone that sprung from the earth the 15th of September 1759, and at present rising 1593 feet above the surrounding plain. The volcanic ridges of Guatimala cast out a prodigious quantity of muriat of ammonia. Those of Popayan and the high plain of Pasto contain either solfatares, which exhale sulphureous acid, or little craters filled with boiling water, and disengaging sulphurated hydrogen, which de composes by contact with the oxygen of the atmosphere. The volca noes of the kingdom of Quito throw out pumice stone, basaltes, and scorified porphyries; and vomit enormous quantities of water, carburet. ted argil, and muddy matter, which spreads fertility from eight to ten leagues around. But since the period to which the traditions of the natives ascend, they have never produced great masses of running melted lava. The height of these colossal mountains, being five times greater, than that of Vesuvius, and their inland situation are, no doubt, the principal causes of these anomalies. The subterranean noise of Cotopaxi during its great explosions, extends as far as the distance between Vesavius and Dijon. But notwithstanding this prodigious force, it is known, that if the volcanic fire was at a great depit, the melted lava could neither rate itself to the edge of the

I must own that I have often laboured to find a satisfactory solution of this problem of nature, if I may be allowed to call it by that name, but have continually been disap pointed. The fact is, however, ab solutely true, having been often ob served. It is well known in Hol land, though I have never seen any > attempt to explain it. Perhaps some of your ingenious correspondents may remove the difficulty and give a satisfactory explanation of this natural phenomenon, which will be very acceptable, to, Sir,

Your most obedient servant, Gifford Park, June 1856, M.

crater,