AUTOGRAPHS IN THE LETTISH MUSEUM. 



341 



happened, on a market-day, when the river, which hangs at a distance 



the people coming to market wei-e 

 surprised on hearing the sound of 

 a bell at a greater distance from 

 the city than they had ever heard 

 any bell before. This circumstance 

 excited the attention of the curious; 

 a,nd it was discovered that the 

 sound of the bell, when struck in 

 the street, reached nearly double 

 the distance it did when raised in 

 the air. In the air, sound travels 

 at the rate of from 1130 to 1140 feet 

 per second. In water, 4708 feet per 

 second. Sounds are distinct at twice 

 the distance on water that they are 

 on land. 



FOREIGN ORTHOGRAPHY. 



In the mineral department of 

 the Museum at Florence, the fol- 

 lowing label in Italian is affixed 

 to a specimen from Scotland: 

 " Scolezite, from Hold Kilpatruk- 

 hill, near Glasgow." "We wonder if 

 our friends at Old Kilpatrick are 

 able to inform us what locality is 

 meant. 



STUDY. 



Logic, however unperverted,is not 

 for boys ; argumentation is amongst 

 the most dangerous of early practi- 

 ces, and sends away both fancy and 

 modesty. The young mind should 

 be nourished with simple and grate- 

 ful food, and not too copiously. It 

 should be little exercised until its 

 nerves and muscles show them- 

 selves, and even then rather for 

 air than anything else. Study is 

 the bane of boyhood, the aliment of 

 youth, the indulgence of manh<>o:l, 

 and the restorative of ago. ("W. S. 

 Landor.) 



CUEIOUS TEST OF THE NIAGARA 

 SAFETY BRIDGE. 



My admiration was much more 

 largely drawn upon by the exqui- 

 sitely delicate suspension - bridge 

 that spaus the rushing waters of 



in mid-air, like the slender threads 

 of the silk-worm, discernible only 

 by the frequent weavings of its 

 tiny wires ; and even when ap- 

 proached and surveyed closely, looks 

 rather as if it was intended as a 

 thoroughfare for fairies than a hu- 

 man highway. Our luggage was 

 trundled over in a barrow, but we 

 were not permitted to follow until 

 it reached the other side, which 

 caused me to ask the toll -keeper 

 did he not then consider it safe? 

 " O, yes," he said, " perfectly safe ; 

 a woman crossed it the day before 

 yestorday; but I must obey my 

 orders." To this conclusive reason- 

 ing I made no reply, but waited 

 until the porter reached the oppo- 

 site side, where I wished I was 

 myself, without the gratification ol 

 viewing the foaming river through 

 the wires. (Kelly's Excursion to 

 California.) 



NATURAL COMPA'JS. 



It is a well-known fact, that in 

 the vast prairies of the Texas a 

 little plant is always to be found, 

 which, under all circumstances of 

 climate, change of weather, rain, 

 frost, or sunshine, invariably turns 

 its leaves and flowers to the north. 

 If a solitary traveller were making 

 his way across those trackless wilds, 

 without a star to guide or a com- 

 pass to direct him. In- finds an un- 

 erring monitor in a humble plant, 

 ;md he follows its guidance, certain 

 that it will not m:.-:k-:id him. 



AUTOGRAPHS IN THE BRITISH 

 MUSEUM. 



During the vast influx of visitors 

 ;,f 1 1 acted to London by the Great 

 Inhibition, the following auto- 

 graphs weiv laid out for inspec- 

 tion, along with a collection of 

 books urn! manu-vnpts of cele- 

 brated individuals, iu tho British 

 Museum : 



