to those ridiculous whimsies than you; I require nothing of you, but what regards the Kalendar, and has relation to astronomy.' Then they complied with the Emperor's will, but made a public declaration, in which they not only protested that they had no hand in those fooleries, but that they absolutely condemned them; because human actions did in no respect depend on the influence of the stars, but on the WISDOM wherewith they were conducted. The Emperor, Kanghi, who had too much good sense to give in to such extravagances, approved much of their explaining themselves in that manner."

Astrology, as I have already remarked, still prevails to a considerable degree over the East. Lady Esther Stanhope, Queen of Palmyra, is one of the most extraordinary women now living, and is a firm believer in the influence of the stars. She is the daughter of the late eccentric Earl of Stanhope, and left England in 1806, to travel over Europe. When she visited Constantinople, the glimpse of Asiatic manners and customs which she there had, seems to have confirmed her love for every thing oriental; which had long been the prevailing sentiment of her romantic and enterprising mind. From Constantinople she set out for Syria, but the ship was wrecked on the coast of Caramania, and she lost all her property. As soon as possible she proceeded to England, collected the remains of her fortune, and again embarked

for the coast of Syria. She landed at Latakia (the ancient Laodicea), and after visiting all the celebrated places of the East, she finally settled on the mountains of Le. banon, where she still resides. About six years ago, a visit was paid her by M. Lamartine; Lady Esther then appeared to be about fifty years of age; she wore a white turban, a long yellow cashmere shawl, and a Turkish robe of white silk, under which was a second tunic of Persian stuff, covered with flowers. "M. Lamartine had been but a few minutes in Lady Esther's presence, when the most remarkable feature in her character came into view -her belief in the influence of the stars upon human affairs; and her supposition that she had discovered the power of reading their language. Her creed

of divination, as shewn in the following sentence, appears to be a compound of Orientalism and Lavaterism.-' There is a science at present lost in Europe-I possess it—I read it in the stars-we are all children of some one of those celestial fires which presided at our birth; and of which the happy or malignant influence is written in our eyes, on our forehead, in our fortunes, in the lines of our hands, in the form of our feet, in our gesture, in our walk. I have only seen you for a few minutes, yet you are known to me as well as if I had lived an age with you.' After a conversation, in which she shewed the liveliest powers of fancy, a black slave entered, prostrated himself

on the carpet, and she said- Go, dinner is served; dine quickly, and return soon. I will study you, and endeavour to see more clearly than in the first confusion of my ideas, into your person and future destiny, through the stars. As for me, I never eat with any one: I live abstemiously -a little bread and fruit, when I feel hungry, are all I take: but I must not subject my guest to such a regimen.' There is certainly much of deep interest in the strange career of the new Queen of Palmyra, Lady Esther Stanhope"-Chambers's Edinburgh Journal.

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This anecdote of Lady Esther shews the danger of allowing the imagination any ascendancy over the reasoning powers; and few things contribute more to this than indolent seclusion. For man is born for activity; and the faculties of the mind must more or less suffer, when the desert and the company of slaves are preferred to polished and intellectual society.

In "Pinnock's Guide to Knowledge" (May 7, 1836), is an excellent article against astrology, from which I give the following extract:"True it is that some of the predictions which have been put forth, have been verified by the event; but this may always be traced to the nature of the prophecy itself, and the sagacity of the person who made it. It is by no means a difficult matter for. any person, even of common intellectual powers, and some acuteness in discerning the signs of the times,'

to conjecture what will probably occur in the political world, and so cautiously announce it, as not to commit himself if his prophecy fails."

I doubt not that many things

sight' might be thus explained.

recorded of "second

That some visionaries

were tempted to believe they possessed it, is certain. "Second sight," says Mr. Pennant, "is a power of seeing images impressed on the organs of sight, by the power of fancy; or on the fancy, by the disordered spirits operating on the mind. It is the faculty of seeing spectres or visions, which represent an event actually passing at a distance, or likely to happen on a future day. In 1771, a gentleman, the last who was supposed to be possessed of this faculty, had a boat at sea, on a tempestuous night, and being anxious for his freight, suddenly started up, and said his men would be drowned, for he had seen them before him, with wet garments and dripping locks. The event corresponded with his disordered fancy. And thus, a distempered imagination, clouded with anxiety, may make an impression on the spirits; as persons troubled and restless with indignation, see various forms and figures, while they lie awake in bed."

Walder

There is no question that many create their fate by their folly, and imagine it is not to be resisted. stein, a learned German physician, is an extraordinary instance of a perverted imagination. He was accustomed

to record his thoughts and feelings at the moment; and, in many respects, he lost the power of self-government; he was the victim of nervous excitement and apprehension, and this to such a degree, that his case corresponded with the sentiment of a French writer-"Nous n'avons pas assez de force, pour suivre notre raison." Much, however, that is recorded of Walderstein, I believe to be in a great measure the effect of the temptations of the Prince of Darkness, who is ever endeavouring to make mankind wretched and miserable: and, in proportion as we comply with his suggestions, we shall suffer for our folly; it is therefore written, “Give not place unto the Devil.”

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The following remarks are from Mrs. Hannah More's Tawny Rachel :- Sally was ignorant and superstitious. She delighted in dream books, and had consulted all the cunning women in the country to tell her whether two moles on her cheek, denoted that she was to have two husbands, or only two children. If, in going to church, she found an old horseshoe, she was sure that would be

a lucky week. She never made a black pudding without borrowing one of the parson's old wigs, to hang in the chimney, firmly believing there were no other means to preserve them from bursting. She would never go to bed on Midsummer eve, without sticking up in her room, the well-known plant called Midsummer-men, as the bending of the leaves to the right or to the left, would