gentleman and lady should write his or her name on a piece of paper, and under it place the name of the person they wished to marry; then hand it to the president for inspection; and if any gentleman and lady had reciprocally chosen each other, the president was to inform each of the result; and those who had not been reciprocal in their choice, kept entirely secret,'

“After the appointment of the president, communications were accordingly handed up to the chair, and it was found twelve young gentlemen and ladies had made reciprocal choices; but whom they had chosen, remained a secret to all but themselves and the president. The conversation changed, and the company respectively retired.

"Now hear the conclusion. I was passing through the same place on the 14th of March following, and was informed that eleven of the twelve matches had been solemnized; and that the young gentlemen of eight couple of the eleven had declared that their diffidence was so great, that they certainly should not have addressed their respective wives, if the above scheme had not been introduced."

IS MY LOVER ON THE SEA?

BY BARRY CORNWALL.

Is my Lover on the sea,

Sailing east or sailing west!
Nightly ocean, gentle be,

Rock him into rest!

Let no angry wind arise,

Nor a wave with whitened crest;

All be gentle as his eyes

When he is caressed.

Bear him (as the breeze above
Bears the bird unto its nest,)

Here, unto his home of love,
And there bid him rest.

A WOMAN'S PROMISE.

Henry Carey, cousin to Queen Elizabeth, after having en joyed her Majesty's favour for several years, lost it in the following manner. As he was walking one day, full of thought, in the garden of the palace, under the Queen's window, she perceived him, and said to him in a jocular manner, "What does a man think of when he is thinking of nothing?" Upon a woman's promise," replied Carey. "Well done, cousin," answered Elizabeth. She retired, but did not forget Carey's answer.

"

Some time after he solicited the honour of a peerage, and reminded the Queen that she had promised it to him. "True," said she, "but that was a woman's promise."

SOUTH AMERICAN THEATRES.

The theatres in South America are widely different from what ours are in England. A female may enter them without having her ears offended by vulgar language from the gallery, or her modesty insulted by coming in contact with women of notorious character. The greatest regularity and order is observed. There are no, gentlemen in the upper story bawling out for music, &c. nor fear of those in the pit being saluted by showers of orange-peelings, nut-shells, and the like. The pit is divided into seats, generally lined with red baize, so that every person, on entering, takes his place, and it is impossible for him to enter without having a ticket, which prevents its being crowded, for there are never more issued than seats to correspond. The ladies are also separated from the gentlemen, except in the boxes; it being considered derogatory, I suppose, for a female to be seen in the pit, notwithstanding it is the best part of the house, but a place is assigned for them, in all I saw, (except Rio) called a casuela, or gallery above the boxes, which has a very singular appearance, to see so many females without a single gentleman amongst them. Whenever the curtain drops, the house is as quiet as a church, and instead of that din we are constantly annoyed with in England, it is the most quiet time of the whole performance.

MOVEMENTS OF SHELL-FISH.

The fresh water muscles, which are common in rivers and canals, are not, as might be supposed, immoveably confined to the spot where they may chance to be produced, as any person may convince himself by placing a few of them in a vessel of water. In such circumstances they will soon be seen to approach or separate from one another. The organ with which they effect these movements is of a fleshy substance, about two-thirds of the length of the shell, and thrust out through the opening near its middle. This foot, as we may term it, is about half an inch broad in the larger shells, and sharp at the point. In order to move themselves from place to place, they thrust this organ under the shell, applying it with a quick motion to the bottom of the place where they lie, by which means they can, not only change their place, but turn themselves upside down.

SABLE LAUNDRESSES.

All the washing of Buenos Ayres is performed on the beach, or I should say on the rocks, for there is no beach, by black slave girls; and the clothes are spread on the rocks to dry. On landing, it has all the appearance of a fair, and I cannot give a better description than quoting one from a work entitled A Five Years' Residence in Buenos Ayres," written by an Englishman. "The washerwomen of Buenos Ayres present a singular spectacle to a stranger; they pursue their avocation on the beach, and this soap-sud army extends for nearly two miles. All the washing of the town is performed there, by black woman slaves, and servants: at a distance upon the water, it looks like surf breaking upon the shore; they wash well, extending the linen upon the ground to dry. Robberies amongst them are punished by ducking. A wedding, or other joyous ceremony, is celebrated with African magnificence; a canopy is formed from the linen, and the heroine of the day placed under it; red bandkerchiefs for flags are carried upon sticks, with saucepans, drums, &c. They dance pas-seuls, after the mode of Guinea and Mozambique, I presume. The music consists of singing and clapping of hands; thunders of applause follow