perfectly beautiful than Kenneth Ross: he might have been painted as an ideal Apollo. Impossible to have thrown. more intense grace of attitude into any action than was shown in that pallid girl's vulgar and unseemly farewell. But the effect of all this grace and beauty,under the circumstances,-on the sole spectator was as if he had been struck down by some demoniac spell.

As the door closed on that departing group Sir Douglas sank back in his chair, and covered his face with his hands. Kenneth also seated himself with a staggering gait, and, leaning both arms across the breakfast-table, addressed Sir Douglas; clipping his husky words, and alternately attempting to stand, and dropping back into his

seat.

"You think, I suppose, that these people ain't ain't r'spectable? They are r'spectable! Wife of leader of orchestra,-great friend of mine, and leader of orchestra. You couldn't lead orchestra, for all you give yourself such connoisseur airs about music. Quite r'spectable. Could you lead orchestra, now? Come, I say, could you, uncle?" and he laughed an idotic laugh.

"O Kenneth, go to bed, and end this scene."

'No, I won't go to bed. You think I'm drunk. I'm not drunk. Dit, do you think you're to come the schoolmaster for ever over me, as if I were ten years old? I ain't drunk. I know all about it. I know thatthat to-day's Tuesday; and we're-we're going to settle accounts. There! is that drunk? And we're going-going to Amalfi-going to pick up old ladies who can't can't ride, eh? Going toAmalfi. All right; let's go to-to Amalfi; only don't say I'm drunk; and don't set old mother Skifton saying I'm drunk; nor Ger— Ger—

Sir Douglas sprang to his feet. "Wretched boy!" exclaimed he, "don't dare to utter her name."

Then recovering himself, he repeated sadly, "O Kenneth, go to your room; go to bed; I'll not irritate you by any observations; if you're not drunk, at

least you are not well. We can't talk business while you are in this state. We will put off business till to-morrow. I will return for you later. It is very early still; you will get some hours of sleep. Give me your hand. There, go to your room. Good-bye for the present. Go and rest."

The cigar-smoking valet bowed Sir Douglas out, muttering, with obsequious smiles, that he would give "remedies; that his young excellency had unfortunately"met some friends" late last night, and that the "friends" often persuaded his young excellency to excesses he would not otherwise think of; winding up (in the inevitable style of Italian flattery) that he was sure the young excellency, in reality, would have greatly preferred being with his beloved and illustrious uncle to all other society, in Naples, or elsewhere.

The story of Kenneth's evening would. indeed have amazed that sober uncie ! Going towards his lodgings in a very discontented frame of mind, he had met with and joined a group of those so-called "friends," returning from the theatre of San Carlo. The rest of the night was spent by all in gambling, drinking, and dissipation. When day-dawn was near, he had again lost sums that for him were enormous. The two men who were the largest winners were all for departing with their gains. Kenneth objected: he claimed his revanche, and appealed to the others. A hot dispute ensued, some of those present being for dispersing, and some thinking Kenneth's proposal no more than reasonable. A young Portuguese nobleman, whose reputation for riches had made him the centre of a certain circle of wild young men, then took the side of the loser. He insisted on remaining and sharing the fate of the revanche with Kenneth. They staked and lost, staked and won, staked and lost again. At length one of their boon companions addressed the Portuguese in a bantering tone, "Come, Marquis, you are out of luck; try once more,-any stake you please,—and that shall end it." The young man looked round, set his teeth with a strange

smile, and said, "Well! I'll win it all back with a yard or two of cambric. Mr. Ross, will you go halves in my luck? Two throws of the dice; that won't greatly delay us."

Yes; Kenneth would go halves in the stake. What was it to be?

The young Marquis rapidly divested himself of his coat and waistcoat, drew over his head one of those wonderfully embroidered Parisian shirts, which he coolly informed the company had cost him seven hundred francs; observed with a scoffing laugh, as he took his stand by the gaming-table, that his present costume closely resembled that of an English gentleman about to engage in a boxing-match (a sport in which foreigners believe we continually indulge), and then threw the dice.

In

a few minutes his adversaries, who had thought the scene infinitely diverting, looked rather grave: they had had their throws, and lost.

He had won back the greater portion of the sums they had hoped to divide amongst them.

He lifted the embroidered dandy garment from the table, tossed it over his arm, made a salute full of gay irony to the company, retired to re-invest himself with the usual amount of clothing, 1 This anecdote is a fact.

and was heard, a few minutes later, humming an air from the opera of the evening, as he passed down the Tolédo on his way to his hotel.

Kenneth had departed with him; having drunk almost too deeply to stand or walk, and with a dim sense, even then, of shame and annoyance, increased, as we have seen, to more intense irritation by the scene which awaited him in his apartments.

Shrouded now in luxurious curtains, his head feeling as though blistered with fire, and with just enough sense remaining for sullen consciousness of pain,

cursing his folly, his valet, and the remedies by which the latter proposed to put him in a condition to re-appear creditably in the course of the afternoon. -Kenneth remained for blank hours "resting" in his disordered apartment; while Sir Douglas, once more stepping out into the morning light, directed his steps to the quarter of Sta. Lucia, and to the verandas of the Villa Mandórlo.

"There," thought he, as he looked at the pleasant sunshine falling on the white walls, "there, at least, dwells such an image of peace, purity, and quiet affection, as might mend any man's broken trust in the goodness of human nature."

To be continued.

WHEN good Baillie A began to ship Glasgow wares to Australia early in the present century, his adventurous spirit made him the object of some goodnatured banter from his less speculative neighbours. "Dinna ye ken, man," said they, "there's naebody but kangaroos in Australia?" "Weel, weel, and isna a kangaroo's siller as gude as anither man's?" was the rejoinder of the sanguine trader. Chile, we fear, is now as much a terra incognita as Australia was to the Glasgow merchant half a century

ago. Let not gentle readers wax indignant at the insinuation. Is it not a fact that they believe Chile to be chiefly celebrated for "Chile peppers," and that the capsicum of botanists is the staple export from that flourishing little republic? Never was there greater delusion. Notwithstanding the very positive. assertions of modern geographers in support of the popular error, the capsicum does not grow in Chile at all, but is a product of the torrid zone.

In these days of easy locomotion,

when Southern Europe is "used up" to so many travellers, it is surprising that some of them do not try the west coast of South America. The best route is by the West India mail, and viú Panama. On the way travellers visit St. Thomas, and Kingston (Jamaica) or Havannah. Thence they proceed to Colon, crossing the Isthmus of Panama by railway, and joining the West Coast line of steamers at Taboga, a small island in the beautiful Bay of Panama. The three hours of railway travelling across the forty-five miles which separate the Carribean Sea from the Pacific Ocean, will, of themselves, fully repay the traveller for all inconveniences incident to a journey through the tropics. The gorgeous magnificence of the mass of tangled forestflowers and creepers, through which the railway is cut, is indescribable. The variety and luxuriance of the foliage are wonderful. Flowers of exquisite beauty line the road; and, before the journey is over, one longs for a mountain-top, or placid lake, or grassy plain on which to rest the colour-satiated eye. At the end of the journey one feels as if emerging from a vast steaming conservatory, from which he is glad to escape into the cool outer air-yet ever after finding the vivid impression of such rare and exotic beauty, indelibly painted on the tablets of the memory. Unfortunately, on reaching Panama, the cool outer air is not to be found; nor can it be enjoyed for a few days longer,-not until, on board of one of the Pacific Company's superb and most comfortable steamers, we are carried several hundred miles away southwards. At Panama the heat can only be mitigated by temporary applications in the form of oysters, or the deliciously iced "claret cobblers," made with surprising skill and dexterity by mine host of the Aspinwall House. To West Coast travellers the memory of these "drinks" is fragrant. Even now I recollect the ecstacy of a young lady-passenger whose thirst I endeavoured to assuage in the way described. During the process of imbibition, daintily performed as it was, she could not refrain from whispering

to me confidentially, "This is the happiest moment of my life!".

Leaving Panama, with its sweltering heat and its memorable refrigerents, and omitting all that might be said about the remains of Spanish power and opulence in the ruinous churches, crumbling walls, and public buildings of that ancient city, we arrive, after eight days, at Callao, the seaport of Lima, the Peruvian capital. On the way the traveller will have touched at Payta, and probably also at Guayaquil. Payta is now rising into note as the principal shipping-port for Peruvian cotton, the production of which has largely increased since the breaking out of the American war. Guayaquil is noted as the port from which is exported the cocoa of Ecuador, from which the finest chocolate is made. It goes chiefly to Spain, where the article is more largely consumed than in any other European country. The scenery on the river of Guayaquil is very beautiful; but musquitos are there most abundant and vicious: they are said to bite through coverlet, sheets, and night-dress; and doubtless, were it possible to use blankets, their delicate yet searching probosces would penetrate through these as well, especially if underneath there were any hope of arriving at fullblooded, untanned Englishmen.

Lima is connected with Callao, from which it is distant about seven miles, by a railway, which, although very badly managed, yet leaves about 16 or 18 per cent. of annual profit. The traveller who wishes to proceed to Chile in the steamer which brought him from Panama has two clear days to spend in Lima-a very great advantage to him. During that time he will be able to see the principal objects of interest in the City of the Viceroys-its famous churches, its exquisite Alameda (or public promenade), and its bull-ring. Perhaps, also, he may have time to see the neighbouring watering-place of Chorillos, also connected by railway with Lima. If the bearer of any letters of introduction, he may have the opportunity of meeting some of the beautiful Limeñas. A knowledge of the Spanish

language will then be desirable. Indeed, for the sake of comfort, and to enjoy the journey thoroughly, we should recommend no one to travel in the South American Republics without at least some slight knowledge of the Spanish tongue-there universally spoken.

Should the traveller have time and money at his command, their expenditure would be amply repaid by a much longer residence in Peru than we have hinted at. The land of the Incas, their tombs and temples, and the other remains of ancient Peruvian civilization, are worthy of a more skilful and more mature investigation than they have hitherto received. There are also the wonderful nitrate-of-soda fields near Iquique to be seen, from which 100,000 tons of that valuable commodity are now annually exported to Europe.

But it is time to approach the Republic of "Chile," a country in which the present writer resided for about twelve years, and with which are connected many of his most affectionate recollections.

The stock of the present Chilian nation, as most of our readers may know, has been formed by an engrafting of the Spanish element on the native Indian races the original occupants of the country. In some districts the Indian element appears yet to be the predominating one in the admixture; in other places it is less marked. There are now no pure Indian inhabitants, except the Araucanians, who remain intrenched in their own territory, but tributary to Chile, and forming an integral part of the nation. Amongst the leading families in the country, the Spanish clement predominates. Some can trace a pure Iberian descent, although few can boast of what they so much envy-namely, an unmixed current in their veins of

the real Castilian " sangre azul." We presume that at the present juncture of affairs, and during the continuance of the quixotic Spanish aggression, fewer references of a flattering character will be made by the Chilians to their Iberian origin.

Education is making progress in Chile

under the fostering care of an enlightened government. The population of the country is about 1,500,000, and the attendance at all schools, public and private, is about 50,000. A much larger number of persons can read, however, than one would imagine from these figures. We presume the average period of attendance at school is very short which makes the quantum of education, such as it is, suffice for a much larger number of inhabitants than it ought to do. It is noteworthy that the Roman Catholic clergy do almost nothing in the way of promoting educational efforts. Indeed, where there is the faintest odour of heresy about the educational exertions of foreigners, a note of warning is instantly and loudly sounded by the Church; but as, in the English and German academies in the larger towns, a better education is provided than can be obtained elsewhere, these warnings are not greatly heeded by intelligent parents.

The better classes in Chile are tolerably well educated. In Santiago there is a respectable University, an Institute, or High School, and a Theological Seminary-the last being in the hands of the Jesuits, or Ultramontanes, and designed to prepare a priesthood for the service of the national Church. It is but poorly attended, and throughout the country the altar is in a great measure served by Spanish, French, Italian, and Irish priests. The University is chiefly devoted to the study of law and medicine. A high classical or mathematical curriculum is not insisted on, nor, we apprehend, is it obtainable. The rector of the University, Don Andres Bello, is a fine old man, now nearly ninety years of age, a scholar of some eminence, a poet, and once an able diplomatist. Venezuelian by birth, he followed his celebrated countryman Bolivar, and, during the wars of the Independence, was resident in Europe as secretary to the representatives of some of the rebellious provinces, then embryo republics. He has lived to see the honourable labours of his ardent youth largely repaid in the advancing civilization of the majority of

the South American States. "Bello's Commentary on Public Law" is known and appreciated wherever the Spanish language is spoken. His Latin Grammar is also an admirable text-book.

Amongst the women of Chile, education is not so well attended to, nor so widely disseminated, as amongst the men. In the art of writing, the fair sex is particularly deficient, the epistles of a Chilian lady, as compared with the notes of an accomplished Englishwoman, being like the productions of a country servant girl. There is, however, no lack of polish and refinement of

manners

amongst the better families in the Chilian capital. Music is very generally studied, and many of the young ladies render the operas of Verdi and Bellini with a power and skill rarely found in non-professional circles.

The Chilians are frank, accessible, courteous, and hospitable. The unaffected kindness which one meets with, especially at their estates or haciendas, makes a lasting and most favourable impression. In the cities there is, perhaps, less outward expression of hospitality. A foreigner is very rarely invited to dine, and is seldom asked to stay at his friend's house in the city-but in the country it is entirely different. Everything is there placed at the guest's disposal, and his comfort is studied in every possible way-all with the most hearty and sincere goodwill. In the

cities the evening is devoted to visiting. Unless one is on terms of very great intimacy, a visit during the day is as unacceptable as it would be unlooked for. The evening tertulia, with its pleasant gossip, is an agreeable recreation. The round tea-table is an institution in Chile, and English folks on visiting terms at native houses are not reduced to syrups or eau sucré.

Santiago, the capital of Chile, is a most pleasant city in which to reside. It is beautifully situated about nine or ten miles from the base of the Andes, which there raise their snow-capped summits to an altitude of about 20,000 feet. It lies in the fertile and wellwatered plain which stretches north and No. 76.-VOL. XIII.

south like a lake at the base of the great mountain chain. According to a late census, Santiago contains about 150,000 inhabitants. Hardly any Chilian who rises in the world is satisfied till he can have a house in the charming capital, where he can live in opulence. or comfort. Thus there is great wealth in Santiago, and on the national holidays strangers are struck with the number of splendid equipages which then, if at no other period in the year, are brought into requisition. We are told that more than a thousand private carriages, belonging to the wealthier Santiago families, roll along the sides of their beautiful Alameda on the anniversary of the national independence. Santiago has an interesting National Museum. The theatre, which was built at great cost by the municipality, is said to rival in its form and size some of the best theatres in Europe. The houses of the richer classes are very spacious and elegant. Some are of very fanciful and rather outré styles of architecture, but the diversity of design throughout the city is rather a pleasing feature than otherwise. In one of the principal streets a rich banker lately built a mansion after the style of the Alhambra, and on its forefront is faithfully copied an ornamentation in Arabic characters, which, we believe, sets forth that "there is no God but God, and Mahomet is His prophet!"

Valparaiso, the commercial centre of the republic, and the most important seaport on the west coast of South America, is about ninety miles distant from the capital. It has not the same natural advantages as Santiago; on the contrary, its situation is cramped and confined. It is, however, built on the margin of a beautiful bay; and on bright and peaceful evenings the view across this bay towards the distant mountains, when they are lighted up by the varying hues of a gorgeous sunset, is not to be surpassed-if indeed it can be equalled-anywhere. In the background the extinct volcano of Aconcagua, the highest peak of the Andes, towers aloft to the height of

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