Sti] AND SYMBOLS. 335 



of circumstances, and preserved their slippery egotism under all 

 conditions. RO. 



The Dreariness of Sterility. 



The districts of the Pampas stretch northward to the spurs 

 of the Andes, and consist of a sandy soil, free from salt, but 

 wholly unproductive. These solitudes, however, are ploughed 

 by running streams, none of which communicate with the sea. 

 They descend from the Andes, traverse the Pampas from east to 

 west, and empty themselves into the saline lakes. Somewhat 

 further to the north, and nearer the equator, lies an almost un- 

 known region of salt a region of indescribable gloom, where 

 neither tree, nor bush, nor blade of emerald grass delights the 

 eye. Eighteen months frequently elapse in this land of desola- 

 tion, worthy of being one of the circles in Dante's "Inferno," with- 

 out the cheering sound of a shower of rain ; and when at length 

 it arrives, it splits the rocks of salt, and melts them into wide 

 pools of brackish mud. As soon as the sun has absorbed the 

 excessive humidity of the soil, myriads of soft crystals glitter on 

 the surface, and convert the desert into one immense mirror. 



D. 



The Philosophy of our Stings. 



The prick made by so fine a point as that of the sting of the 

 gnat (Culex pipiens) ought not to cause any pain. "The point 

 of the finest needle," says Reaumur, " compared to the sting of 

 the gnat, is the same as the point of a sword compared to that 

 of the needle." How is it then that so much suffering is caused 

 by a sting ? It is because the prick has been imbued with that 

 which, whilst it appears like a mere drop of very clear water, 

 is an intensely irritating liquid. It is the insertion of this 

 which inflames us. We notice some resemblance between this 

 process and that which is going on when our moral nature is 

 wounded by an acquaintance. It is not his little word whicli 

 grieves our soul. It is the essence of malignity which, by its 

 means, he distils into us. A look, a sneer, a tone, a gesture, 

 are in themselves quiet, unappreciable factors in rousing a riot 

 among the emotions, but the venom which they subtly convey 

 is capable of causing suicide or inducing madness. i. 



