numberless strange plants and flowers. They talked of every thing, but love, as they held on their way, along a winding path, carefully cut, and gravelled, to conduct to the cataract. At every step the strange, and almost awful music deepened on their ear.

The path at length emerged from the shade; and led, by a gentle acclivity, up the side of a naked rocky eminence. A partial ascent opened the castle, and every thing about it to view. A few steps more, and the officer almost recoiled from the scene. From the tierras templadas might be seen, on the table eminence above, the shepherd watching his flocks in the region of perpetual snow. These were the tierras frias. But what a scene opened below! The Catarina moves on, in a calm, deep sea-green current, till it takes its tremendous pitch, in two leaps of five hundred and thirty feet, seeming to the eye an immense sheet hung down from heaven to earth; and bursting, where it falls, into vast volumes of snowwhite mist, enveloping all the country in its wreathings; and exhibiting such a spectacle, as might be expected, were a river to be discharged into the crater of a volcano in its fiercest fury of explosion. Paulina told him, that the noise below was not that of a cataract, but a hissing, hollow, unique sound, deafening, without seeming very loud, and astounding from an effect, wholly indescribable, upon the ear and the imagination. The convolutions of mist enveloped all the region, for a league about the fall, in a perpetual thaw of dripping moisture. As the sound came up softened from below, nothing in nature could parallel the effect. It was an Eolian harp, playing on a scale of grandeur, commensurate with the most astonishing water fall on the globe. It was the perpetual coronation anthem of the monarch of mountains as he put on his diadem of snow, or rather, it discoursed a continual hymn to the Divinity with an awe inspiring effect, proportioned to the sublime aspect of every thing above and around. This,' said Paulina, 'is the music you heard, when you first awoke to consciousness. Below are the tierras Calientes; and this fall of water actually descends from the tierras templadas to that ever sultry clime.'

But, see what is beyond! An extent of tropical clime, mocking the reach of vision, six thousand feet below, stretched away in the blue, on the verge of which could be distinctly seen the cerulean and illimitable sea— the widest on the globe. Far away in fact, though under their feet in appearance, were the spires, turrets and domes of Bogota; and a dim obfuscated circle of dun vapor hung over it midway between the earth and the blue, indicating, that the crowded abodes of human life were no purifiers of the atmosphere. Ever and anon, the bells were heard either briskly pealing, to denote a religious festival; or 'swinging slow with sullen roar,' to denote, that some one was carrying to his long home. Here they paused in rapt admiration. Ten steps in descent opened the noble mansion, and all the opulent, rural and peaceful accompaniments of La Paz, and the rich scenery of the secluded valley to view, and nothing. of the city or the lower country, or aught but the snow-clad mountains, was seen beyond. Where they stood was disclosed a populous city, a vast extent of tierras Calientes, and of sea; and, midway between, the sublime and misty volumes of Tequendama, forever rising in milk-white folds from the point, where it bursts. Above them, suspended as it were in

another atmosphere of another universe, the shepherd drove his sheep, goats, and mules afield, midst whirling tempests of sleet and snow, shivering in the regions of perpetual congelation; as his eye descended to the unwithering spring of Casa La Paz, and the never varying summer of the country on a level with the sea.

Paulina was hanging on the arm of the young invalid, as the parents according to their won, had walked to a bower of palms that shaded a beautiful view of Tequendama. They saw, that their daughter was too pleasantly engaged in this duet, to need the present addition of more speakers and observers, and left them to themselves. After a long pause, in which Paulina stole glances at the entranced countenance of her companion, she exclaimed, 'now, is not that scene above, the repose around, and the immeasurable expanse below, with Tequendama in the centre, and this perpetual hymn, admirable! How thankful ought I to be, that my destiny is fixed in this sweet abode! This great volume has been spread before me, from my infancy. The reading has become indispensable to my enjoyment. It seems to me, that my heart would wither in any other place. To see those shepherds yonder, moving in the sleet whirlwinds of that upper region, is indeed a sublime spectacle; but to dwell with them, in their perpetual snows, the very thought makes me shiver. Half the year, thou sayest, is winter in thy country. Having seen such a clime as this, canst thou return to thy native fickle and inclement skies? Yet I see, that thy eye wanders beyond the tierras Calientes, as though it could cope the wide sea, and take in the fair one beyond, on whom, I doubt not, thy memory now and incessantly dwells.' A revelation flashed across his mind. Honor and truth dictated the reply. It does, Paulina; and I should not dare abide the trial longer, without calling on my own heart to remember her, to whom my sacred word is pledged. We were born, and reared together, and baptised in the same fount. I will return to her, while I may yet hope to offer her something more, than a mere heartless * redemption of my pledge.'

Although his eye was averted, as he made this noble confession, he perceived, that a shiver, and a recoil, as of one, who had been pierced by a ball in battle, seized her, who leaned on his arm. The paleness of death and a visible damp spread over her brow. The sun, at the same moment, burst forth in blazing brilliance. She faintly uttered, "the sun is overpowering. I fear a sun stroke. Lead me back to my parents.' He rather carried, than led her down the declivity to the banks of the Caterina. They were on its dark green margin. Whether from faintness, or a spasmodic effort, he could not tell. But Paulina plunged into the wave, ten steps from her parents, and thirty paces from the terrific leap. A piercing shriek from her parents arose, as she disappeared under the waters. The slow rolling of the current again floated her green silk drapery, and her dishevelled raven locks on its surface. Five yards only from the leap, a projecting point of rock formed an eddy, into which she floated, and circled round and round. Gustavus H. had reached her, and with one hand holding to her robe, and the other to the slimy branches of an old fallen tree, which lay shaking with the current, in an oblique direction to the stream, he drew her, by incredible efforts, and by a struggle with the waters for the life of both, to the shore. The one was exhausted, and the

other unconscious, and Tequendama still rolled down, though robbed of its victim.

Paulina was carried to the house, and soon resuscitated. She remem. bered nothing of what had passed; and fever preyed upon her brain. Next day, the father had a confidential interview with the young officer. 'I have indiscreetly taught my daughter to love thee,' said Don Pablo, 'and couldst thou have returned her love, nothing would more have gratified me, than to have committed her happiness to thy honor and truth. But thou hast nobly manifested, that this may not be. Depart with God's blessing, and remembrances here, which no words could at all describe. It may be that the certainty of seeing thee no more may be the means of restoring my poor Paulina to her mind, if not to happiness.'

Mules and servants were ready; and after such embraces and such thanks, as may be better imagined, than related, Gustavus H. heard the diminishing tones of Tequendama, and turned eyes filled with tears upon this beautiful landscape, and Casa de Paz, and the apartment, where lay Paulina, now receding from his sight.

At Bogota he found letters from home. The epistle of a correspondent detailed the passing news of his native town and country. It bade him screw up his philosophy to the utmost point of stoical endurance, and added, the fair Miss Sarah, whom you left with so much reluctance, and who gave you a hundred tears for every protestation of eternal constancy -shall I speak or forbear? grew fair and plump upon grief-and has consoled herself for your absence by being led to the altar by Henry Hunter, the rich, tailor-made, and essenced capitalist. Shoot neither him, nor thyself; but marry the first fair and rich creole, that falleth in thy way.' Thank God, ejaculated Gustavus H. Thank God! My honor is redeemed, and my own, and she has released me from bonds, which my own heart had long since broken.

Next day, before noon, he was again at Casa de Paz; and by permission of the parents saw the lovely Paulina in a low and moaning phrenzy. The presence and voice of Gustavus H. proved medicinal. A few days after, they were united; and the singular incidents, that preceded the union, were so much the more blazoned, as all parties strove to hush, and suppress them. But the fortunes of an unambitious family, who sought happiness, › rather than distinction, soon ceased to minister food to the curiosity of a community, whose iron bosom and leaden nerves call for no other stimulants, than the heavy, monotonous and sickening chronicle of politics, and Bolivar, and what knave of to-day has supplanted the fool of yesterday.

When they talked at Bogota about the new married pair, the ladies affirmed, that their honey moon was as ardent, as the sun of the tierras Calientes. Others shrugged, and hinted, that they had never known such violent love unions, but what settled first into indifference, and then into disgust and altercation. I should be pleased to look in upon them, after a couple of years, to see, whether unabated love

'Still shed his rosy garlands on their heads.'

Be it so, or not, I should be tempted to covet the repose and opulence of the place, and more than all, to see, and hear of Tequendama, and dwell where I could see eternal winter above, and eternal summer below, from the regions of perpetual spring.

Dictionaire historique, ou biographie universelle classique, ouvrage entierement neuf, par M. le General BEAUVAIS, &c. &c.; et par une societe de gens de lettres; revu, et augmente, pour la partie bibliographique, par M. BARBIER, &c. &c. Numeros 15. Paris. 1826-28.

A historical, or classical biographical dictionary; a work entirely new; by General BEAUVAIS, author of various works; and by a society of men of letters; revised, and augmented, as regards the bibliographical part, by M. BARBIER, chevalier of the legion of honor, &c. &c. and author of a great number of works; published at Paris between 1826 and 1829. In 15 numbers of large 8vo. pages, of double columns, and very fine printing, containing double the amount of common 8vo. pages. The names of 27 collaborateurs, engaged in furnishing contributions, are given. Among them are the most distinguished and best known men of letters in Paris; such as Barbier, author of the dictionary of anonymous works;' Defauconpret, translator of the works of Sir Walter Scott, and various other writings; Male Brun, author of the well known geography; Nodier, Pichot, &c. &c.

We have made some progress in the translation of this great work, with the view to compile from it an American biographical dictionary. We were well aware, that there is no lack of biographies, if we regard either number or size. But we entertain the full conviction, that there is no book extant, in any language, that can be compared, in relation to its specific object, for a moment with this, the title of which is quoted above. Lempriere is, we imagine, the only work resembling it, in use in this country; in fact almost the only general biography known among us. This is an English work, with all the proverbial nationality of that nation marked upon it. You perceive, that English men, representatives of 12 or 15 millions of people, engross by far the greatest, and most conspicuous place in this work. Continental authors and men of distinction, representatives of 140 millions, are comparatively thrown in the shade. There can be no question, that since the English have had a literature, it has been one of the proudest and richest. But it was by no means one of the earliest, after the revival of letters. Innumerable minds had elaborated innumerable works, in the eastern empire, in Italy, and the south of Europe, while England was comparatively a region of darkness and barbarism. As we have hitherto had only English views of this literature, we have considered it under all the disadvantages of depending upon their mental vision; and a great and valuable portion of it, except to men exclusively scholars, and with extensive libraries, has been almost wholly overlooked, and unknown. It is a well known fact, that from these and other circumstances of our colonial dependence, as a literary people, upon England, we have scarcely known any thing of continental literature

among us.

The work before us, from the same nationality, is, perhaps, as much in error, in regard to being exclusive and partial in favor of continental, and more than all French literature, as our biographies are in reference to English literature. It is, we believe, generally admitted, that Lempriere is partial and meagre-often going into detail, when he should be concise, and being laconic or obscure, when he should be full. It is written, also,

in a style and manner as devoid of interest, as dry and dull, as can easily be imagined, and besides, but a small portion of distinguished continental names appears at all. We see not, therefore, why it is not only possible, but easy, comparing his work, and the French work before us, and all the American biographies, and laying out of view the partiality, partyism and nationality of all, to prepare a biographical dictionary, general, liberal, impartial, neither protestant, nor catholic, French, English, or American exclusively; but in which every thing exhibited shall be placed in its just proportions, its true colors, and the proper point of view.

It is true we should deem it a duty, to give more place to American names, than the relative amount of our literature, and the numbers of our distinguished men might seem to claim. In point of numbers, we constitute but a fraction in the census of the republic of letters; and one century includes all the time of our labors. But we may confidently affirm, the sneers of foreigners, and their theory of the belittling tendency of every thing on our side of the Atlantic to the contrary notwithstanding, that America has done more for the age and mankind, taking into view her age and numbers, and has filled a greater space in the eye of the world, than any other country. Here the first example of free representative and unpersecuting government has been given; a single achievement, that establishes our proudest claims to consideration. We have rendered the thunderstroke innoxious. We have taught the world to drive vessels against wind and tide. We have, in comparison to our numbers, a greater proportion of readers and thinkers in our community, than any other; and there is no reason, why we should not indignantly spurn those representations which hold us up to view, as a dull and degenerate people, earnest and acute only in the work of money getting.

There is good and ample reason, why every work should be to a certain extent national. It could not be otherwise, unless authors were divested of human nature, and one of the best traits in it, love of country. But we wish to be national without folly, and the dimness of an oblique and distorted vision. We have our truly great men, of pyramidal and immortal renown, the glory of whose fame has already reached the skies. Of them we can already form our imperishable granite columns of fame. We have also, our mediocre great men, who were made so by circumstances, and who filled, in their time, an unnatural and undeserved space; and we have our little great men, great only in their own estimation, and in that of their family, their partizans, retainers and clan; and the bare record of such names would more than fill all the space, which any biographical dictionary could spare. It seems to us not difficult for persons who have no interest to serve, no standard to erect, or follow, and who stand aloof, as lookers on, while surveying the hot and dusty scramble on the arena of life, to be, to a considerable extent, philosophical and impartial. Such is our condition; and such our own purposes, in regard to the work before us. We have Lempriere to consult, where he is interesting, concise and impartial. We have voluminous American biographies, from which to condense; and we shall have, when the labor of translating this work shall have been completed, by far the best written, most ample and instructive biographical work, on the dictionary scale, which has yet appeared, according to our judgment, from which to prepare an American biography,