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different path, we saw the long, low ranges of tombs, | the fingers of which had been recently broken off by some of which were for single persons, some for groups some inebriated young officer of Her Majesty's navy. of children, while others served for families. Some of This circumstance was much to be regretted by the these inclosures remain to this day unopened, and from Maltese, who, from various associations and traditions, not having been exposed to the weather, the appearance almost venerated the image, and by all others for its of them was, as if the persons who had slept there for antiquity, and as a good specimen of ancient sculpture. ages, had been entombed but yesterday. Several writers It is a curious fact, that the priests have persuaded have remarked, but more particularly Boisgelin, whose the inhabitants of Citta Vecchia to believe, that let the words I quote: "That the stone from which those cata- quantity of stone be as large as it may, which the nucombs are dug, is of so soft a nature that vegetables merous yearly visiters may carry with them from this and shrubs grow in them; the roots of many of the place, yet that the grotto will never be enlarged-that latter, in the upper surface, have pierced through the the stone increases as fast as it may be removed. The rock without splitting it; these appear to grow natu- dust of this place is thought to be very efficacious in all rally, even to the height of twelve or fourteen feet, and febrile complaints; and at various times crowds of peoare two, three, and sometimes more, lines in diameter.ple have been seen to congregate around the entrance, It is remarkable that the roots of the shrubs thus to ask permission to gather a little, as the last and growing in the heart of the rock, should be as large surest remedy for a sick relative who may be lying ill as if exposed to the open air; for it is natural to in a distant casal. This request is never refused; and, suppose that so confined a situation would impede their frequently in a stormy night, a priest has entered with growth." the applicant, thinking that should he refuse, and the ill man die before the morning, his death would be on his hands. Much indeed there is in faith, and it often happens that when the sick recover, it is considered a miracle; and when not, it is said to have been God's

Indeed it would be most remarkable were it true, as is above stated, that shrubs would take root on these catacombs, and shoot up a height of twelve or fifteen feet. Never as yet have I been able to discover, in the vicinity of these excavations, a shrub which would live at all-will it should prove otherwise. Therefore, let the reand certainly in a place where there is not a sufficient soil for a weed to exist, you will not be very apt to find a countryman collecting his crops of potatoes, peas, or corn, in their season. Often have I visited the spot above mentioned, both alone and with friends, and cannot at this day find any thing of the kind; neither do the inhabitants, who are well acquainted with Boisgelin, recollect the circumstance, and who, when informed of this assertion, say, that on this subject, if no other, the ideas of the worthy knight were vague and erroneous. It is true that trees will jut out where there is a soil between two rocks, and as the roots increase, they will imbed themselves in the stone. This is found to occur in all parts of Malta; the rock being of the same softness throughout. The Maltese are inclined to believe any thing which might occur in the vicinity of the residence of St. Paul, but this statement carries with it too much of the marvellous, and is pronounced by them, without hesitation, as being most singularly incorrect; or, indeed, that it is an assertion for which there never has or never can be the least foundation.

At the moment of our leaving the catacombs, we were fortunate in meeting the Canonico Grech, who had for fifty years been performing divine service in the small but ancient chapel which covers the entrance of the grotto of St. Paul. It chanced to be on the afternoon of the grand festa of the saint after whom the cave was named, and of all seasons of the year the best adapted for a stranger's visit. This small place was beautifully decorated; the whole walls being lined with tapestry of the richest and most splendid description. The numerous priests were seated around the altar, each one being clad in his best garments, and decorated with a gold chain, on which was suspended a crucifix, with the image of our Saviour engraven upon it. To enter the grotto of St. Paul, we descended some twenty stone steps, proceeded a few yards to the right, and entered a cave, which might contain some forty persons, in the centre of which stands a statue of the apostle, in white marble, and as large as life, with one hand extended,

sult be as it may, it cannot be other than right-a most sure and pleasing way of reasoning to the ignorant and bigotted applicant. This small place is one of the most interesting spots on the island, from the fact of its having been used by the primitive christians as a chapel in which to worship, and also from its having afforded to St. Paul a temporary shelter, when persecuted for preaching the cause of Christ. This cave is also noted for having been, about the year fifteen hundred, the residence of a celebrated Sicilian hermit, who, from his austere method of living, and oratorical powers, drew around him crowds of people from all parts of Malta, and even from the neighboring islands of Sicily and Gozo. It has also served, in times past, for the refuge of criminals, who, when they had committed murder, and fled for safety to this grotto, could never be removed for trial and punishment. It was only necessary to fast such a number of days, and oftentimes to ask for giveness on their bended knees, at the statue, to be acquitted of any crime, in its nature however revolting, in its termination however diabolical. With shame be it told, and with disgrace be it recorded, that during the whole period of the administration of the knights, and indeed until very recently, this was the only place which would afford such villains protection against the laws which they had violated, and the murders they had committed. The revered Howard, on his visit to the principal hall of the hospital (de St. Jean de Jerusalem) at Malta, in April, 1786, wrote as follows: "The number of patients was from five hundred and ten to five hundred and thirty-two. These were served by the most ragged, dirty and unfeeling persons, I ever saw. I once found eight or nine of them highly inte rested with a delirious dying patient. The governor told me that they had only twenty-two servants, and that many of them were debtors and felons, who had fled thither for refuge. Even a murderer cannot be taken if found in this hall. Every church in Malta, where the sacrament is administered, is a sanctuary for debtors and felons; in that of the Dominicans, and

and companion, the Canonico Grech, on my expressing a wish, removed the hand from the altar, and with the assistance of a small wax candle, with which all visiters are furnished, I was enabled to see enclosed within, a bone, said to be the remains of the hand of the apostle; and also to observe, in the small glass case in which the same is placed, the insignia of the duke of Mantua, whose property and gift it was. Respecting the modern history of another hand, that of St. John, which was far more prized by the order, I would state an anecdote, which occurred at the time Bonaparte was passing through the island on his way to Egypt. It was customary also, at that period, on St. John's day, to expose this hand to the gaze and admiration of the people, on a finger of which was a valuable ring, with a large diamond in the centre, the gift of one of the order: by touching a spring this brilliant would open, and present a decapitated image of the apostle to the view of the beholder. It may be unnecessary to add, that the first consul was much pleased with the ingenuity which had been shown in the mechanism of the ring, and placing it on his own finger, pointedly remarked, that it could not be of any possible service to let it remain for ages to come, as it had for centuries past, to be concealed amidst the treasures of the church; but to him, who was on his way to conquer the Egyptians, and introduce christianity among the wandering tribes of Arabs in Africa, it might be of the utmost service, as he doubted not but that the influence of the apostle, or in other words, that the charm which the ring possessed, would preserve him from dangers to which otherwise he would have been necessarily exposed. The French officers were pleased with the reasoning, and admired the wit of their general, while the canons in attendance gave their consent only in their silence, deeming it most politic, as it certainly was most prudent, to yield the ring without murmuring, than, by complaining, to have it followed by the golden hand, and the precious bones therein contained.

also of the Augustines, there were one or two persons." What protection was there for a man's life, if an assassin had only to remain on the steps of a church to commit a fiend-like deed? What consolation was it to an aged father, when following the remains of his murdered son, to know that the murderer lived? Or what temptation could there be to pray in a church, the altar of which was stained by the blood from an assassin's hand? Very recently, during the time of Sir Thomas Maitland, a man who had committed murder in a distant casal, fled to the altar for protection; he was, however, by the command of the spirited governor, quickly removed, carried to prison, after a few days tried, found guilty, condemned, and executed. This is the last instance which has ever occurred, or which it is to be hoped ever will occur, where a criminal will be found so ignorant as to expect to find safety in a sacred place, when his deserts should be his death. On the same platform with the entrance of this grotto, and in a small recess in the wall, stands a wooden image of our Saviour, which from the circumstance of its having been brought from Rhodes by the knights, at the time of their removal, is worthy of a passing notice. One of the arms is wanting, the feet are mostly decayed, and the legs and body are, by time alone, of a spongy nature; in their appearance resembling a honeycomb. It is indeed a most precious relic of antiquity, and as such highly prized; often have large sums been offered for it, and as often been refused. Retracing our steps a few feet, we observed an iron railing, serving as a door-way, through which we passed, and entered into a small apartment, in which there was an altar, and on which stood, amidst vases of freshly plucked flowers, another and truly beautiful statue of St. Paul, the work of Gaffa, a Maltese sculptor, who flourished at Rome in the fifteenth century. This is also of white marble, and nearly as large as life; the face, arms and fingers are perfect, and decidedly, without exception, the finest specimen of sculpture on the island. With common care, this statue will remain for ages, as a lasting memento of the talent displayed by a native in the line of his profession, so honorable to himself and so creditable to his countrymen. The grand master, when this statue was received, gave orders that prayers should be returned in the church for so valuable a pre-presented so valuable a token to the grand master of a sent; and on the anniversary of the decease of the sculptor, it was decreed that a mass should be observed as a requiem for his soul. It is not at all surprising, when it is known that Gaffa is the only Maltese who has ever distinguished himself in this art, that the citizens of his native village should have yearly subscribed a small sum, to have his name handed down to posterity, serving a double purpose, of testifying their respect for his memory, and also to induce others to cultivate their talent in a profession which is, of all in the old world, the most admired by the better class, and, if I may use the word, adored by the ignorant.

Previous to my taking leave of this place, I must not neglect to mention respecting the golden hand and arm of St. Paul, which was also on the altar--and which is but once during the year; and that it is on the anniversary of the day when the apostle converted the inhabitants of the island from being the worshippers of idols, to be the followers of Christ, that this valuable relic is exposed to the public gaze. My worthy friend

It will to the reader doubtless appear a most curious circumstance, that one of the Ottoman emperors, who obtained possession of this relic at the conquest of Constantinople, and who, during his long reign, distinguished himself for his enmity to the christians, should have

band of soldiers, who styled themselves as the bulwark of christendom, and on whose admittance as one of the order, it was necessary an oath should be taken, testifying their eternal hostility to the followers of Mahommed, and signifying their readiness at any time to sacrifice their lives in defence of their religion. This mystery is, however, explained in the Turkish history of that period, into which I shall enter most fully. On the death of "Mahomet the Great," at Genisen, a city of Bythinia, Anno Domini fourteen hundred and eighty one, his two sons, Bajaret the elder, and Zirimus, made pretensions to the Ottoman throne, the former by right of birth, which the latter disputed, stating that although being the younger, he was born when his father was reigning over the Ottoman empire, a plea his brother could not make, and which was a sufficient reason, in his opinion, to authorise his making any attempt to claim his rightful succession; and stating also, that he was supported in his demands by many of the most powerful chiefs in the Turkish dominions. After vari

ous intrigues and skirmishes, with as various success to each of the contending parties, the matter of dispute was terminated, by the result of which it was proved, after a hard fought battle, and with great slaughter on both sides, that the fortune of Bajaret, conducted by the policy of Achmetes, who was the best general in the Turkish army, and who was greatly beloved by the soldiers, had prevailed against Zirimus-he having been compelled to fly first to Iconium, and afterwards to Cairo, where he begged the protection of Caytheins, who was at that period the powerful sultan of Syria and Egypt. On coming before the emperor, Zirimus, or as he was more generally known, Zemes, made one of the most pathetic and powerful speeches narrated in the page of Ottoman history,-wherein, after describing his ill-fortune, and stating that his brother would rather have him his enemy than his friend-would rather drive him into exile than make him a partaker in his counsels-he desired the sultan to send ambassadors to Bajaret, to request him to grant his brother a small portion of his dominions to rule over, and which request, he said, if refused, to quote his own words, he "would go with fire, sword and slaughter, by secret and open force, by right and wrong, and hatred, will vex my hateful brother by all manner of mischief, by all manner of revenge. Neither will I make an end of confounding of all, until I either be received into a part of the empire, or else, together with my life, will leave those desperate and lost things for him alone to enjoy. For I deem it much better quickly to die, than, with disgrace and infamy, to protract a lingering, loathed life."

By permission of the sultan, Zemes employed the period which must elapse for the conclusion of this embassy, in making a pilgrimage into Arabia, for the purpose of worshipping in the temple of Mahomet at Mecca, and visiting the place of his sepulture at Medina. It was all, however, to no purpose, as on his return to Cairo, he found that the answer which had been received from Constantinople, was any thing but agreeable to his wishes or favorable to his designs. The king of Caramania having been made acquainted with the result of this embassy, and conceiving it a favorable opportunity to attempt a recovery of a portion of his dominions, which had been seized upon by Mahomet the Great, made proposals to Zemes to join his forces, and to declare war against Bajaret. The terms were readily accepted, and their respective armies united. Bajaret having collected a force of two hundred thousand men, soon scattered his enemies, and compelled his brother to fly to the coast of Silicia, where he embarked in a Turkish galley, and sailed for Rhodes: arriving safely at that island, he was well received by D'Aubusson, who was at that time the grand master-was promised the protection of the order, and a favorable mention of his cause to the other great kings and princes of christendom.

Zemes, at the moment of his departure from Silicia, shot an arrow on shore, to which the following note was attached, and which on its receipt by the emperor, caused to him much fear and uneasiness, when in after

thereunto by thy injurious declining, and the dangerous practices which thou incessantly attemptest against me, yea even in my extreme misery. But this assured hope I carry with me, that the time will come, when thou, the author of so great wrong, or thy children, shall receive the just guerdon of this thy present ty ranny against thy brother." The sultan, not wishing that his brother should remain on so friendly terms with such a distinguished band of warriors, sent ambassadors laden with presents, and among others with this identical hand of the apostle, and a large sum of money, to request that Zemes might be delivered into their hands; this being refused, a treaty was formed, by which it was stipulated that the Turkish prince should remain in honorable captivity; that he should not be permitted to league with the powers of Europe, against his lawful sovereign; and for this consideration, on the first of August, a yearly sum of thirty thousand ducats "was to be paid into the treasury of the Rhodian knights." Zemes, after a long captivity at Rhodes, was delivered into the hands of Innocentius, Bishop of Rome, A. D. 1488. For this political ser vice, the grand master was made a cardinal, receiving all the honors and emoluments consonant with such a title. On the death of Innocentius, Alexander, his successor, fearing the power of Philip VIII, who had invaded Italy with a large army, leagued with Alphonso of Naples, against whom the French king had declared war; and, sending ambassadors to Constantinople, asked the assistance of the sultan. Bajaret, by his minister, Dautius, intimated that on certain considerations he would grant all the relief in his power--send. ing at the same time a letter written in Greek, in which he desired Innocentius to poison his brother, saying that he was of a different religion from him, and adding, that Zemes might escape from his confinement and cause much trouble in his empire. "For the performance of this request, he promised faithfully to pay unto the bishop, two hundred thousand ducats, and never after, as long as he lived, to take up arms against the christians."

Well may the christian blush, when he is informed that this Roman prelate, not only gave his consent to this base proposition, but did, with his own hands, poison this Turkish prince, with a white powder of a pleasant taste, which was by the bishop mixed with the sugar which Zemes was accustomed to mingle with "the water which he commonly drank!" This occurred in the year 1495, and on the seventh year his confinement at Rome.

of

Many historians have condemned, and we think justly, the conduct of D'Aubusson for having received this Turkish fugitive, if he could not protect him. He should certainly have permitted him to have left, as unshackled by his Rhodian prison, as freely as he came to its gates--and not, for the hand of St. Paul, and a yearly stipend, have consented to act as a jailer to the sultan, which, as has been remarked, "is the foulest stain which lies upon the fame of the order." For his delivery of Zemes, one writer observes, that the grand master lost all the renown he had won in that memo

life 'trouble bent him to the earth." "Thou knowest, rable siege, in which he proved the victor, and in which most unkind and cruel brother, that I fly not unto the he so lavishly shed his blood, by the mercenary policy christians—the mortal enemies of the Ottoman family- which induced him to violate the rights of hospitality, for no hatred of my religion or nation; but enforced and consign the wanderer to a cruel durance. Some

was, however, never afterwards seen; having, as was generally supposed, received, by his speedy execution, the just reward of his labors.

Of D'Aubusson it is said, "that horror and shame humbled his grey hairs to the dust, when he learned the tragical termination of his victim's (Zemes) life; and the circumstance of his being compelled to conceal his detestation of the murderous act, gave additional poignancy to his grief. At eighty years of age, Peter D'Aubusson died, and notwithstanding these

historians, however, have attempted to excuse the conduct of D'Aubusson to his royal guest. "William de Jalignani avers that the grand master never guaranteed safe conduct to the fugitive, nor even passed his word that the order would stand between him and his brother's wrath." We cannot see the point of this author's argument. The knights were, by their position and their oaths, bound to protect all who might flee to them for protection--but more particularly one who had left the faith of his fathers; so deadly a sin in a Musselman's eye-" was a prince of a noble soul-shades on his otherwise illustrious character, the tears deeply versed in oriental literature-master of several languages, and famous for his deeds in war."

If the knights, who were thought by the christian world to be always at war with the sultan, could only maintain their position, by acting as his jailors, and afterwards turning traitors to him, who, trusting to their reputation, had placed himself in their hands, it would have been far better for them to have sooner resigned their fortifications and maintained their honor. William de Cadrusin, another writer, argues that the grand master "had no alternative but to accede to this base proposition, or bring down the implacable vengeance of Bajazet on Rhodes." In our opinion, let the consequences have been what they might, a Musselman's friendship ought never to have been purchased by christians at the price of injustice, imprisonment, and poison. With regard to the two Roman bishops, Innocentius and Alexander, for their conduct nothing can be said in extenuation. The one purchased his prisoner, the other poisoned him-"his murderer having received from Bajazet three hundred thousand ducats as the price of his blood."

of his knights followed the saviour of Rhodes and the buckler of christendom to his grave."

During the same year in which D'Aubusson died, 1503, Pope Alexander VI was also deceased; "a monster who had too long harassed the world with his crimes; having perished by inadvertantly quaffing the contents of a poisoned goblet, which he had drugged for the purpose of shortening the life of one of his friends."

Before closing with this notice of the hand of Saint John, we would state, for the information of future travellers, that we have heard that the true sacred bone of the apostle is now in the collection of the late emperor Paul of Russia, having been sent to him by Hompesch, the last grand master, at the expulsion of the knights from Malta. The one shown at the present day, and so much valued by the Maltese, is a fac simile, and may answer the purpose for which it is used, as well as the original.*

In my next I shall make further mention of Citta Vecchia, and of our clerical companion, the Canonico Grech. W.

There is nothing which in the eye of a Protestant would make this relic sacred, save that it was with the christians when Stamboul was a christian city. The chequered scene through which it has passed, carries with it, in my opinion, the only idea of sanctity, with which its history is in any way con

nected. Seven cities have been named in ancient times as each

Having given this portion of Turkish history, intimately connected as it is with this sacred relic of Saint John, and also with the actions of those warlike priestsseveral of whom were, not many years after, driven from Rhodes, and established at Malta-it may not be uninteresting briefly to narrate the fate of those illus-being the birth-place of Homer, and five hands will now be trious persons, who first or last were actors in this shown in Europe in as many churches, and all are the true ones treacherous and cruel scene. The vengeance of heaven of the apostle, if a stranger would believe the priests who appeared in a singular manner to pursue all who had, show them. It is, however, certain, that the emperor Paul, by thought, word, or deed, injured the unfortunate this relic, put so much faith in its history, as to erect over it a who was appointed grand master of the order, on the receipt of Zemes. Indeed, had he lived, this Turkish prince church at St. Petersburgh which still goes by the name of St. could not have meted to his enemies a severer punish-John, from the circumstance of this hand being placed on its ment than each in his turn received. Achmet, by whose altar. bravery, military tact, and great popularity, the army of Zemes was routed, was, on the second attempt, strangled by the command of the sultan, who feared his power, and unjustly looked upon him rather as a rival than as a brave and faithful general, to whom in a great measure he was indebted for his seat on the Otto-To man throne.

Bajazet, in 1512, and after a fortunate reign for the Turkish empire of nearly thirty years-(during which he had been at war with five kings of England, Edward IV and V, Richard III, and Henry VII and VIII; with three of France, Louis XI, Charles VIII, and Louis XII; with two of Scotland, James III and IV,) met that cruel fate at Adrianople, and at the instigation of his own son, which he himself had allotted to his brother Zemes. How, to the letter, was the prophecy verified? Hamon, his Jew physician, having committed this treacherous act, returned to Constantinople, to receive ten ducats a day, promised by Selymus. Hel

LINES

the Memory of Mrs. Anne G. Davis, of Natchez, Mississippi.

There floats upon the still and starlit air
A wail of anguish, borne from breaking hearts
For the lost idol of their house: the lov'd,
The gentle one, who in past years of dear
And tender intercourse, had so entwin'd
Her soul with their's, that Hope could take no hue
Of brightness, which did not wreathe its halo
Round that fair and shadeless brow.

And thou art gone! to that far land,

Where faded hopes, nor with'ring fears,
May throw their shadows o'er the band
Of seraphs from this vale of tears.
VOL. IV.-82

Why should we mourn thy early doom?
Thy spirit was for earth too bright;
And Hope can throw around thy tomb
An Angel's robe of dazzling light.

Oh love! a mockery thou art!

The mightiest passion cannot claim The power to thrill the pulseless heart, And bid it wake to life again.

Sweet spirit of the early dead,

Still linger 'round thy lonely hearth, And shed upon one earth-bow'd head

That Hope which had in Heaven its birth.

THE MOURNER COMFORTED.

BY MRS. L. H. SIGOURNEY.

"My boy was beautiful; and he is dead! Ask me no more; for I would be aloneAlone, to weep."

Long flowed that mourner's tear; And then, beside the Bible, she knelt down, Laying her cheek upon it's hallow'd page, And said, "God comfort me!"

And as she clos'd

The fervent prayer, methought a still, small voice,
Bade the swoln surges of her soul, be still;
That He, who walk'd upon Tiberia's lake,
Ruling the midnight storm, might thither come,
And save from shipwreck.

Then, with pang subdued,

Memory went wandering to the lov'd one's grave,
Marking in every bud that blossom'd there-
In every joyous butterfly, that spread
Its radiant wing amid the flowers—a type
Of glorious resurrection. Every drop

Of dew, that sparkled on that turf-clad mound,
Was holy to her. Even the bitter grief
That made the parting hour so desolate,
Put on the robe of humble faith, and said
""Tis well, my Lord,-well with the little one
Who dwells with thee."

And then, methought, she heard

Sweet sound of heavenly harpings,—and behold,
Celestial gleamings of cherubic wings,

And 'mid the chant of ransom'd infancy
Unto its Saviour, caught the tuneful voice

Of her own cherished nursling.

So, her lip

Join'd in the praise. For how could she forbear To thank her God for him, who ne'er should taste Of trouble more.

Was it the tender tone

Of him, so often cradled on her breast,

That whisper'd, as she lay that night, in dreams?
"Oh mother, weep no more!-but with a heart
Of holy love, hold on yon shining path,
And come to me. For He, who took on earth,
Young children to his arms, will bid in Heaven
The mother find her babe. So, keep thine eye
Clear from the grief-cloud-for the time is short-
The way is plain. Dear mother, come to me."

BANCO:

OR, THE TENANT OF THE SPRING: A LEGEND OF THE WHITE SULPHUR.*

PART I.

Many Summers have passed away,

In merry mirth and roundelay,

And Springs and Autumns, closing on
The season's change, have come and gone.
And countless days, in rapid flight,
Have waned away their morning light,
In that fair vale they call the bless'd!
Where smiling Nature loves to rest.
Where all her witching beauties reign,
In glory o'er the bright domain;
And where she leads on every stream,
The ripples dance in playful beam.

Where gushing streams of silver lave
The bending trees, whose tresses wave
In rich and fragrant verdure bright,
Of spreading leaves; which shade the light
Of midday suns: while sparkling rills
Leap o'er the thousand varied hills;
Whose diadems of verdant green,
Like distant trophies of the scene,
O'erlook the shining plains beneath,—
Of golden fruits and blooming heath.

It was a land where all was bright-
It seemed as nothing there could fade :
So full of promise and delight,

By Angels or by magic made.

The woods and vales, and rocks among,-
With richest jewelries were hung,
Of crystal gems of ev'ry hue,
All moulded from the ev'ning dew.
The flowers were of fairest bloom,

And every breeze that wafted by,
Was freighted with a sweet perfume,

As fragrant as from Araby.

A limpid lake, whose silent stream
Was quiet as an infant's dream,
Flow'd by, unruffled in its bed,
To other vales; but where it led
None ever knew: for those who tried

To track its course-came back no more,
To tell their tale: they may have died,
Or landed on some distant shore.

Who dwells within this Paradise?

Where are the spirits of the land,
Who warm beneath its summer skies?
What Queen or Beauty has command?

No sound of music wakens there-
Save from the carols in the air,
Of singing birds on gayest wing;
And none can see an earthly thing.

*This beautiful little poem, sent to us by a friend, was written by a gentleman at the White Sulphur Springs, at the request of a lady, who wondered why so celebrated a region had never produced a romance. It was written in the course of two evenings, in answer to the challenge.-[Editor S. Lit. Mes.

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