brother was much more exhausted than himself. With
breathless interest, therefore, we watched Sam tie the rope round his
body, and enter the water. The violence of the gale, at this instant,
compelled us to stand further off the rock; indeed, within a few minutes
we foresaw that its presence would only be indicated by a low black mass
indistinctly seen, amidst the boiling and restless waves of the ocean;
an appearance, I was told, which it only presents in the most violent
storms. Poor Sam, now seen, now lost, amid the foaming ridges of the
sea, came gradually along till within about forty paces from the boat,
when it was evident his strength had failed him. An arm was shot into
the air, then his head and shoulders rose rapidly, and there was a
sudden blank in the waters. "Pull away, my lads, for your lives," we
shouted, "or he is gone!"

* * * * *

"It was a hard run thing, I reckon, sirs," said Mr. Habbakuk
Sheepshanks, who was rather top-heavy that evening, to a numerous party
who were assembled round his capacious hearth at the "Ship-aground,"
"but all's well, they say, that ends well, so we'll even drink the
health of the brothers in a glass of the free genuine Cognac." "What is
that you say!" said the exciseman....

VYVYAN.

* * * * *

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS.

* * * * *

LONDON AND THE PROVINCES COMPARED.

It is the nature of prosperous communities, and the fashion of modern
times, to centralize too much their numbers and their powers. But the
question of distribution and proportion is almost as important in
politics as that of production itself. Money and manure are not the only
things which are the better for being spread. London and the country
would both be gainers by transplanting bodily, a hundred miles off, some
dozens of its streets--inhabitants and all. There are whole counties
which we should like to colonize with the surplus talent of the
metropolis. That surplus talent comprises scores of men, waiting on
Providence, feeding on foolish speculations, hanging on the skirts of
some frivolous circle, doing nothing there, or worse than nothing,
spoiling and wasting daily, who, planted out into a sphere of more
favourable opportunities, are capable of being a blessing to a
neighbourhood. However, it is not a case for violent measures. We do not
propose that London should be compressed into