great value and regard for them; it is not [ the worth of the thing, but the spirit that induced the gift, that we prize. We are all travellers along a road more or less weary to every one; life's journey presents us with many trials, crosses, and cares; we need to drink at the fountain, for the way is dusty; to rest by the roadside, for the journey is toilsome; and we like to receive the word of hearty cheer from the fellow-traveller who is bound for the same destination. Many a time have we been thus helped on by a little present. Through many years we knew what it was to be hard pressed by daily care, to get up and lie down with it, and to find the struggle difficult to bear with cheerfulness and hope; but, during that time, how often was a "speed on uttered by the voiceless presence of some little present! Listless and weary, we had risen from unrefreshing sleep, lo! the postman's knock sent into our hearts a sudden thrill; if we were hard borne with the small harassings of genteel poverty, others were basking in a glowing sunshine and a sumptuous ease, and some gleam from that bright but distant world might come to us-a ray, yes! in the shape of a little present. The letter is thick and bulky, we feel it, we wonder (the wonder of joy is strange to us, and that alone brings pleasure), then we break the seal; something more than a letter springs to sight-some small but useful thing, perhaps one of those many pretty articles made after the directions of the Family Friend, and such have come to us, and we have rejoiced over our little present. Nor is the pleasure evanescent; we feel, all day long, that something pleasant has happened to us; we have been remembered by a distant friend, and little troubles sink before the rising of the beams shed by our little present. "I must give Baby some little thing," said a child, one day, to us, speaking of his youngest brother, "I must give Baby some little thing, because I love him, and I have never given him anything yet." It was a true and beautiful feeling, let the little child become our teacher; let us, too, give our little presents, called forth by the feeling of love and kindness; let us think of the cup of cold water-a gift of itself so insignificant, and of that best Voice which ever sounded in our world, proclaiming it has its reward. Long after we had given and forgotten the gifts, little presents have come up and looked at us again; we had not remembered the queer old drawing, the work of our childhood; or the little letter that accompanied it, full of all manner of good wishes; the old marker, so badly

worked that now we are ashamed of it; yet there they meet us, between the leaves of that old Bible, utterly forgotten by the giver, but oh! treasured by the recipienttreasured in the greatest treasury of all, the little gifts of love thought worthy of a place between those leaves. They look at us, they remind us of days long past, but surely they were links in a friendship which is not yet severed, some of the little things that yet abide, and, like the small seed, sinking into the ground, containing the germ of great results. We have never valued great and costly gifts as we have little presents; the first are so often the great representatives of little realities, the latter the feeble tokens of what is above all outward expression. Once we were tempted to ridicule an ornament from its want of taste and fitness, we were stopped by the wearer's words "It was the present of a friend!" the article at once assumed another aspect, it became the representation of a precious bond, one we take upon us too lightly, and throw off too easily the bond of friendship.

As far as your means and time will permit, give little presents. Of course, you will not always meet with a grateful return, never mind! do you think you will ever really repent of a kind action? Let them speak for you when you are absent, and if they do not call forth answering beams of love, and joy, and thankfulness, let them at least glow as the hot burning coals upon the heads of the ungrateful.

"Yes, I love you, little presents,
In your small array;
Stars of kindness, mildly beaming
Light upon my way.

"Oh! I value little presents,

They have potent sway

Over care, and grief, and sorrow,
Driving all away."

LESSONS IN FRENCH.

THE ADJECTIVE.

Of the Superlatives, Absolute and Relative. The adjective is in the superlative degree of comparison, when it expresses the quality of the noun in the highest degree, or in a very high degree; hence there are two sorts of superlatives, the absolute and the relative.

The superlative absolute is made by putting très, fort, bien, very, before the adjective; it is called absolute, because it expresses no relation to other objects; as Rome is a very fine city, Rome est une très belle ville.

The adverbs, extremely, extrêmement, infinitely, infiniment, are also the sign of the superlative absolute. This woman is extremely amiable, Cette femme est extrêmement amiable; This man is supremely happy, Cet homme est infiniment heureux.

The superlative relative is formed by placing the article before the comparatives, plus, pis, moins, meilleur, pire, moindre; it is relative, because it expresses a relation to other objects; the article must be of the same number and gender as the adjective. Paris is the finest of cities, Paris est la plus belle des villes; You are the smaller of the two, Vous êtes le moins grand des deux; He is the worst of the family, Il est le pire de la famille, &c.

When several adjectives in either of the superlatives qualify a noun, the adverbs, plus, moins, fort, extrêmement, &c., must be repeated before every one of them, as well as the article, when the superlative is relative.

Remark. When the adjective used in the superlative relative is placed before the noun, the article the is used but once; as in, Your sister is the most handsome woman I have ever seen, Votre sœur est la plus belle femme que j'aie jamais vue.

after them. We will, therefore, divide the adjectives into three classes:

(1.) Those which always follow the noun. (2.) Those which have a different meaning by being placed before and after the noun.

(3.) Those of which the place is fixed by taste and euphony.

Of Adjectives which are invariably placed after the Noun.-(1.) Adjectives derived from past participles; as, An accomplished woman, Une femme accomplie; A distinguished man, Un homme distingué.

(2.) Adjectives expressing form, colour, taste, flavour, and sound; as, A round table, Une table ronde; A white house, Une maison blanche; Sweet wine, Du vin doux; An odoriferous flower, Une fleur odoriférante; A sonorous voice, Une voix sonore.

(3.) Adjectives performing the part of nouns; as, A royal palace (a palace of a king), Un palais royal; The paternal tenderness (of a father), La tendresse paternelle; A grammatical principle (of a grammar), Un principe grammatical.

(4.) Adjectives expressing the point of view in which we consider things or persons; as, A necessary, possible, or impossible thing, Une chose nécessaire, possible, impossible; An absurd idea, Une idée absurde; A dangerous man, Un homme dangereux; A mortal disease, Une maladie mortelle.

Mortel is sometimes placed before the noun, but then it signifies tedious, wearisome; as, Three wearisome miles, Trois mortels milles.

(5.) Adjectives which express the state or situation of persons and things, and those which refer to habits; as, A quiet or peaceable man, Un homme tranquille, calme; An idle or drunken man, Un homme oisif, ivre; Thick or thin cloth, Du drap épais ou mince.

(6.) Adjectives which express an outward or accidental modification; as, A blind or humpbacked man, Un homme aveugle or bossu; A knotty stick, Un bâton noueux.

Of the Place of Adjectives.-There is no absolute rule in reference to the place of adjectives; taste and euphony are the only guides in many cases. Usage, however, has decided that some of them, on account of their origin or signification, should always follow or precede the nouns which they qualify; whilst others acquire an entirely different meaning by being placed before or

fruit-tree, Un arbre fruitier; A personal pronoun, Un pronom personnel.

(8.) Adjectives designating countries; as, The French army, L'armée Française.

Of Adjectives which sometimes precede and sometimes follow the Noun without changing their Signification.—(1.) Adjectives derived from present participles, generally follow the noun, but a great number may be placed before it; as, A fascinating woman, Une femme séduisante; An inte

great value and regard for them; it is not [ the worth of the thing, but the spirit that induced the gift, that we prize. We are all travellers along a road more or less weary to every one; life's journey presents us with many trials, crosses, and cares; we need to drink at the fountain, for the way is dusty; to rest by the roadside, for the journey is toilsome; and we like to receive the word of hearty cheer from the fellow-traveller who is bound for the same destination. Many a time have we been thus helped on by a little present. Through many years we knew what it was to be hard pressed by daily care, to get up and lie down with it, and to find the struggle difficult to bear with cheerfulness and hope; but, during that time, how often was a "speed on" uttered by the voiceless presence of some little present! Listless and weary, we had risen from unrefreshing sleep, lo! the postman's knock sent into our hearts a sudden thrill; if we were hard borne with the small harassings of genteel poverty, others were basking in a glowing sunshine and a sumptuous ease, and some gleam from that bright but distant world might come to us-a ray, yes! in the shape of a little present. The letter is thick and bulky, we feel it, we wonder (the wonder of joy is strange to us, and that alone brings pleasure), then we break the seal; something more than a letter springs to sight-some small but useful thing, perhaps one of those many pretty articles made after the directions of the Family Friend, and such have come to us, and we have rejoiced over our little present. Nor is the pleasure evanescent; we feel, all day long, that something pleasant has happened to us; we have been remembered by a distant friend, and little troubles sink before the rising of the beams shed by our little present. "I must give Baby some little thing," said a child, one day, to us, speaking of his youngest brother, "I must give Baby some little thing, because I love him, and I have never given him anything yet." It was a true and beautiful feeling, let the little child become our teacher; let us, too, give our little presents, called forth by the feeling of love and kindness; let us think of the cup of cold water-a gift of itself so insignificant, and of that best Voice which ever sounded in our world, proclaiming it has its reward. Long after we had given and forgotten the gifts, little presents have come up and looked at us again; we had not remembered the queer old drawing, the work of our childhood; or the little letter that accompanied it, full of all manner of good wishes; the old marker, so badly

worked that now we are ashamed of it; ye there they meet us, between the leaves o that old Bible, utterly forgotten by th giver, but oh! treasured by the recipienttreasured in the greatest treasury of all, th little gifts of love thought worthy of a plac between those leaves. They look at us they remind us of days long past, but surel they were links in a friendship which is no yet severed, some of the little things tha yet abide, and, like the small seed, sinking into the ground, containing the germo great results. We have never valued grea and costly gifts as we have little presents the first are so often the great represents tives of little realities, the latter the feebl tokens of what is above all outward expre sion. Once we were tempted to ridicule ornament from its want of taste and fitne we were stopped by the wearer's words-" was the present of a friend!" the article once assumed another aspect, it became representation of a precious bond, one take upon us too lightly, and throw off to easily the bond of friendship.

As far as your means and time will per mit, give little presents. Of course, yo will not always meet with a grateful returt never mind! do you think you will re really repent of a kind action? Let then speak for you when you are absent, and i they do not call forth answering beams love, and joy, and thankfulness, let then at least glow as the hot burning coals upo the heads of the ungrateful.

"Yes, I love you, little presents,

In your small array;
Stars of kindness, mildly beaming
Light upon my way.
"Oh! I value little presents,

They have potent sway
Over care, and grief, and sorrow,
Driving all away."

LESSONS IN FRENCH.

THE ADJECTIVE.

after them. We will, therefore, divide the adjectives into three classes :

(1.) Those which always follow the noun. (2.) Those which have a different mean

noun."

The superlative absolute is made by tting très, fart, bien, very, before the jective; it is called absolute, because it presses no relation to other objects; as ome is a very fine city, Rome est une très elle ville.

The adverbs, extremely, extrêmement, ininitely, infiniment, are also the sign of the uperlative absolute. This woman is exremely amiable, Cette femme est extrêmenent amiable; This man is supremely happy, et homme est infiniment heureux.

The superlative relative is formed by lacing the article before the comparatives, lus, pis, moins, meilleur, pire, moindre; is relative, because it expresses a relation other objects; the article must be of the ame number and gender as the adjective. Paris is the finest of cities, Paris est la plus elle des villes; You are the smaller of the wo, Vous êtes le moins grand des deux; He is the worst of the family, Il est le pire de la famille, &c.

When several adjectives in either of the superlatives qualify a noun, the adverbs, plus, moins, fort, extrêmement, &c., must be repeated before every one of them, as well as the article, when the superlative is relative.

Remark-When the adjective used in the superlative relative is placed before the noun, the article the is used but once; as in, Your sister is the most handsome woman I have ever seen, Votre sœur est la plus belle femme que j'aie jamais vue.

Of Adjectives which are invariably placed after the Noun.-(1.) Adjectives derived from past participles; as, An accomplished woman, Une femme accomplie; A distinguished man, Un homme distingué.

(2.) Adjectives expressing form, colour, taste, flavour, and sound; as, A round table, Une table ronde; A white house, Une maison blanche; Sweet wine, Du vin doux; An odoriferous flower, Une fleur odoriférante; A sonorous voice, Une voix sonore.

(3.) Adjectives performing the part of nouns; as, A royal palace (a palace of a king), Un palais royal; The paternal tenderness (of a father), La tendresse paternelle; A grammatical principle (of a grammar), Un principe grammatical.

(4.) Adjectives expressing the point of view in which we consider things or persons; as, A necessary, possible, or impossible thing, Une chose nécessaire, possible, impossible; An absurd idea, Une idée absurde; A dangerous man, Un homme dangereux; A mortal disease, Une maladie mortelle.

Mortel is sometimes placed before the noun, but then it signifies tedious, wearisome; as, Three wearisome miles, Trois mortels milles.

(5.) Adjectives which express the state or situation of persons and things, and those which refer to habits; as, A quiet or peaceable man, Un homme tranquille, calme; An idle or drunken man, Un homme oisif, ivre; Thick or thin cloth, Du drap épais ou mince.

(6.) Adjectives which express an outward or accidental modification; as, A blind or humpbacked man, Un homme aveugle or bossu; A knotty stick, Un bâton noueux.

(2.) Adjectives which by their meaning have some analogy with the noun which they qualify, are placed before the noun, and after it if that analogy does not exist; as, A wise magistrate, Un sage magistrat; A wise man, Un homme sage.

In the first expression, there is an analogy between wisdom and the character of the following noun, for a magistrate is supposed to be wise—he could not be a magistrate without being so; but the word man does not necessarily imply the idea of wisdom, for there are many more fools than wise men; hence the place of the adjective in either case.

For the same reason we may say, Good wine, De bon vin; Bad bread, De mauvais pain; A large tree, Un grand arbre; A small child, Un petit enfant.

Remark. In the language of passion, piety, and admiration, in poetry and metaphorical style, many of the adjectives which we have classed among those that should be placed after the noun, are elegantly placed before it; as, An amiable object, Un aimable objet; White hands, De blanches mains; Tender looks, De tendres regards; A wicked man, Un méchant homme; although there is no necessary analogy between an object and amiableness, between looks and tenderness, and man and wickedness, &c.

In speaking of a man, if we say, He is extremely miserable, Il est dans une misère extrême, we merely intimate that his misery is great, without inferring any intention on our part to interest others in that distress, which would be the case if we should say, Il est dans une extrême misère.

Numerical adjectives are generally placed before the noun; but when they are used to designate a person or a thing among others of the same name, by the rank which they Occupy among them, they are placed after it when speaking of persons, and indifferently, before or after, when speaking of things; as in, The disobedience of Adam was the first fault of our first parents, La désobéissance d'Adam fut la première faute de nos premiers parens; Louis the Twelfth and Louis the Eleventh were two French kings of a very different character, Louis Onze et Louis Douze furent deux rois de France d'un caractère bien different; Volume first, Volume premier, or premier volume; Chapter tenth, Chapitre dix, or dixième chapitre.

When placed before the noun, ordinal

Of Adjectives which change entirely their Signification by being placed before or after certain Nouns.-We shall not mention here all the adjectives which belong to this class,

good dictionaries give the necessary information on the subject; we will only mention those which, exposing foreigners to disagreeable blunders, require their particular attention at an early period of their instruction. They are the following :Un grande homme, Un homme grande, A great man. A tall man. Un petit homme, A small mani. Un homme petit, A mean man. Un bon homme," A simple-minded man. Un homme bon, A good man. An honest man. A brave man. A certain thing. A positive thing. Unanimously.

Un brave homme,

Un homme brave,
Une certaine chose,

Une chose certaine,

D'une commune voix,
Une voix commune,
La dernière année de la

guerre,
L'année dernière,
Une sage femme,
Une femme sage,
Un galant homme.

Un homme galant,
Un gentil-homme,
Un homme gentil,

De nouveau vin,
Du vin nouveau,
Un pauvre auteur,
Un auteur pauvre,
Un honnête homme,
Un homme honnête,
Un malhonnête homme,
Un homme malhonnête,
Une
méchante épi-

gramme, Une épigramme méchante,

A common voice.

The last year of the war.
Last year.

A midwife.
A wise woman.

A man who has the character and manners of a gentleman.

A man who is gallant with the ladies.

A nobleman.

A man who is pretty, gay, lively, &c.

Some other kind of wine.
Wine newly made.
A poor writer.

A writer who is not rich.
An honest man.
A polite man.
A dishonest man.
A man of ill breeding.

A flat epigram.

A wicked epigram.

Of Adjectives which are placed after the Noun for the sake of Euphony.—Adjectives ending in ic, ique, el, ile, ul, ule, and esque, are those of the first termination always, and the others most generally, placed after the noun on account of euphony; as in, A public man, Un homme public; A public square, Une place publique; A splendid chateau, Un château magnifique; A trifle, Une chose futile; A credulous woman, Une femme crédule.

Of the place of Two or more Adjectives Qualifying the same Noun.-(1.) When two or several adjectives qualify a noun, and one of them belongs to the class of those