108 SOLEMNIZATION OF MATRIMONY. 



the barometer stood nearly at its mean ; its oscillations amounted to 

 no more than .05 of an inch, and the brisk winds, which arose in the 

 earlier parts of the 25lh and 26th, but which in each case died away in 

 the afternoon, and at night were attended by the formation of consider- 

 able masses of cumulus cloud. The formation of the cloud was due 

 to the yet comparative activity of atmospheric movements. But whilst 

 in these two days the smoke-cloud had already considerably darkened 

 the sky, on the 27th, which was calm, the smoke increased rapidly in 

 density ; so that with the decline of the temperature during the even- 

 ing and night, it had thickened into something like a fog, which at 9 

 o'clock, P. M. was so dense as to hide the moon and stars, and on the 

 following morning was found to be wet fog extending upwards to a 

 considerable distance from the earth. This, on the 2Sth, continued 

 during the day as fog, and on the 29th and 30th, came down upon the 

 earth in heavy rains. 



This example has been selected, not because it is in any wise pecu- 

 liar, for similar cases occur frequently during the year ; but because 

 particular attention had just happened to be directed to it. Neither 

 have we confined our attention to the " Indian Summer," which has 

 given this article its caption, because in endeavoring to explain the phi- 

 losophy of smoky weather in general, we have been explaining each 

 particular phenomenon of the kind. In doing this, we think we have 

 proved that the smoke so called, is merely thin cloud, and that it owes 

 its existence to a comparative quiescence of the atmosphere at the time. 

 It remains yet to account for these seasons of quiescence. 



THE SOLEMNIZATION OF MATRIMONY AMONG THE ANCIENT 

 GERMANS. 



BY PROF. HENRY I. SMITH, OF HARTWICK, N. Y. 



Among our Germanic forefathers it was long before the church ob- 

 tained the right of solemnizing and legalizing marriages — and longer 

 yet before she attained to the actual exercise of this right. Our readers 

 may know, that, in the eighth century, the secular powers (in Ger- 

 many) agreed with the church, thenceforward to make the legality of 

 marriages dependent on the evidence (Mitwissenschaft) and blessing of 

 the priest ; and yet it is equally well known that this arrangement was 

 entirely ignored throughout the whole period, which we call the "Mid- 

 dle Ages," until, at length, the church enforced its claims, founded, un- 

 questionably, in Christianity itself, and the people every where submit- 

 ted, and accustomed themselves, to exchange the common, purely civil, 



