his communications with Austria; I shall fight him here, here! at San Guiliano in the plains of the Scrivia." Bourrienne smiles, folds up his map, and forgets; but three months hence, he does not forget to remind the victorious general of his singular foresight in the Cabinet of the Tuileries. Napoleon seldom formed any hypothesis. He either waited patiently until the enemy's designs were sufficiently developed, or by skilfully manoeuvring he compelled him to develop them; and then he determined upon his own plan of attack. "I shall fall upon Melas-I shall fight him here, at San Guiliano in the plains of the Scrivia." It was thus he fell upon Beaulieu's centre at Montenotte, having craftily induced that General to divide his army into three distinct parts. It was thus he fell upon Wurmser at Castiglione, and Bassano: upon Alvinzy at Arcola. And it was thus he had designed to fall, as he said, upon the Baron von Melas; but unfortunately in this case his design was anticipated; for the Austrian commander-in-chief, violently struggling to escape from the toils in which he was caught, chanced to fall fiercely upon Napoleon in the plain of Marengo. A most remarkable circumstance, and one which proves that the most skilful general is, after all, but the slave of fortune. The great difficulty in war is to distinguish the truth from the falsehood. All kinds of information will reach the commander-inchief of an army on active service. Absurd and exaggerated reports will reach him, the result of misconception, misapprehension, or miscalculation. Twaddle, rant, and balderdash will reach him. Falsehood will reach him, stamped by the author of lies, with the impress of truth. Lastly, the truth itself will reach him; but in this foul jumble, how to distinguish it, and thus avoid the abyss ? Here is a question, above all others, of the utmost importance for a commander-in-chief. For every man indeed. How to distinguish the truth? Alas how? It is the test of thy genius, O warrior, in the great campaign of life! Behold an army of 60,000 men, from the snow-clad summits of the Alps, pours down upon your excellency's rear! Intelligence so inauspicious being confirmed, what remains for an aged Austrian commander, but to lose his head, so to speak, and vanish; the abyss now yawning widely to receive him. In the profoundest depths of which, accordingly, the Baron von Melas does actually vanish, in the course of time; and there remains to this day, trodden down under so much ordure as German military scribblers, critically skilful, were able to produce. You did not do this, O Baron; nor that; and verily these omissions on your part are the more extraordinary, considering your excellency's experience in the Seven Years' War. But, O Field Marshal, those operations which you did execute; were they suggested by the principles of war? Or were they not rather the suggestions of him whom with terror we name der Teufel? Under such a heap of ordure hast thou lain, O venerable commander, now for these many years, in that deep pit, whereinto hurled by events which were beyond thy control; thou and thy companions in the like misfortune, ah me, how many thousands of them! To whom nevertheless justice shall be done on a certain day; to them, and thee, and us, thy critics also, and especially der Teufel, whose suggestions, O Baron, without being aware of it, truly thou mayest have followed. Rest in peace, however, O venerable commander, we at least shall tread lightly over thy ashes. Didst thou not do that which is the duty of every man to do, and which the greatest genius can only do-thy best? Hadst thou not a Napoleon to fight, an Aulic Council to obey, and the suggestions of der Teufel to digest? Rest in peace, O aged man; justice shall be done thee even now, though it be but in four words -Thou didst thy best. BAROMETRICAL VARIATIONS OF THE LATE STORMS. By JAMES GLAISHER, ESQ., F.R.S. The following remarks refer to the variations in the readings of the barometer at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, for forty-six days, ending the 30th of November, during which period there have been several severe gales of wind on our coasts, and producing, as usual, distressing shipwrecks, attended with fearful loss of life. The reading of the barometer from the 1st of October to the 15th day was always high, and every day above its average, frequently to the amount of 03 inches and 0.4 inches, and on the 3rd, day to 0.5 inches nearly. The direction of the wind, till the 8th day, was generally E. or E.N.E., and the greatest force of the wind during this interval was about eight pounds on the square foot; but usually the air was in gentle motion. From the 9th day the prevailing direction of the wind was N. and N.W., but at all times weak in strength. On the 16th day it changed to the S.W., and the barometer reading descended below its average, and declined to 28.71 at 3 A.M. on the 20th, on which day pressures, to nine pounds on the square foot, took place. The reading of the barometer suddenly changed to an increase, and at midnight on the same day was 29.40 inches, being no less than 0.69 inches increase in fifteen hours. It remained some little time at this point, and declined to 28 90 inches by 9 P.M. on the 22nd. From noon of the next day, the 23rd, its general tendency was increasing; it passed above its average on the 30th, having been fourteen days continuously below, and at times, for twenty-four hours together, as much as three-quarters of an inch nearly. From the 23rd the course of the wind was mostly from opposite quarters, viz., S.W. and N.E.; but at all times light, and sometimes the air was almost free from motion. The barometer read 42 BAROMETRICAL VARIATIONS OF THE LATE STORMS. [JAN. ing continued to increase, though with frequent slight falls, till November 6th, when the reading was as high as 30 inches, or 12 inches higher than on the 20th. On the 7th day, the reading began to decrease, and passed below its average on the 10th, it having been above this point from October 30th, or eleven days, a part of which time it was for twenty-four hours together more than six-tenths of an inch in excess. During the 13th and 14th days, the decrease was rapid, and the reading from noon on the 14th to nearly noon on the 15th, varied only between 28-61 inches and 28.64 inches, thus the decrease amounted to 1.9 inches in eight days. At this time at Greenwich the greatest pressure we experienced was three pounds only; and it is very remarkable that with so low a reading of the barometer about London, there was scarcely any wind, whilst fearful storms were raging north of us. From the 15th the readings of the barometer oscillated, but for the most part increased, and were 29.72 inches on the 19th, whilst the air was in gentle motion from the S.W. and S.S.E. Like changes followed, but decreasing readings were greater than increasing, till the reading of the barometer again was very low, viz., 28-72 at 1 A.M., on the 26th, accompanied with S.W. wind, blowing with a pressure of five pounds on the square foot only. From this time the readings increased, and on the 30th passed above the average, having been below during eighteen days. It cannot fail to be remarked that, at all times, when the reading of the barometer was above its average, the wind has everywhere been moderate in strength, but that the period of our recent heavy gales has begun shortly after the reading has descended below the average, and these gales have also been the worst when the departures below have been the greatest, and the bad weather has ceased only on the average again being approached. One fact may be learnt from these readings, and it is one I endeavoured forcibly to impress upon the fishermen of the Northumberland coast, when I first fixed the barometers there, that at no time, and particularly during the winter months, should the warnings of the barometer pass unheeded; for although the barometer reading may be low, and indeed unusually low in some localities, without the storm passing over these places, yet they may feel certain that bad weather or gales of wind are, at that very time, most likely raging not far from them, and which might suddenly visit their localities without further warning. It is remarkable, indeed, that about London the barometer was no less than three times a good deal below 29 inches, and yet no storm of any moment visited us; but we have had sad evidence of the fearful storms then raging on our northern and eastern coasts; and one almost sees the agonies, and hears the cries, of the drowning men, women and children at Tynemouth and Shields, imploring help from the plunging lifeboat, two of whose noble crew perished in their humane efforts to succour their perishing fellow creatures. All honour to these brave but nameless heroes, of whom England may well be proud; and well may we mourn over those who unhappily perish in their sacred work. These sad wrecks were taking place all along our eastern and northern coasts, while we were in comparative calm. I wish to impress upon all sailors and fishermen the necessity of care, when continuous declining readings of the barometer are proceeding, and of viewing such a state of things as plainly indicating approaching gales, which may not visit their own localities, but yet may do so; and, if fortunately an indicated gale does not visit them on any special occasion, not to place less confidence in the barometer warnings, but rather to be careful till that reading of the barometer be attained which is the average of the place. It is an ascertained fact that when great atmospheric disturbances take place, and great depressions of the barometer readings occur, particularly when sudden, that they are the certain and sure prognostications of the approach of storms; such signs no fisherman or seaman can, I think, now be so unwise as to neglect, for the caution thus given him, conjoined with his own knowledge of the storms of the locality with which he must be familiar, will probably save him and others from loss of life and property. The Royal National Lifeboat Institution, by placing reliable barometers (tested by me at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich) around the coast, and thus directly preventing loss of life, may not gain so much praise as when one of its lifeboats saves a crew from the sinking ship, but I consider that it deserves equal credit for taking timely steps to warn our fishermen from going into that sea in times of danger. And surely the public will not fail to appreciate fully the feelings which prompt the Committee of the Institution to prevent, as far as possible, the necessity of having recourse to the lifeboat, by timely warnings to those who otherwise might need its valuable and ever-ready services. OSWALD HASTINGS; OR THE ADVENTURES OF A QUEEN'S AIDE-DE-CAMP. CHAPTER XII. A Newspaper Paragraph. Oswald's marriage was a most quiet, unpretending affair. Neither bridesmaids, bridesmen, wedding cake, favours, nor four horses assisted, as the French say, on the occasion. Without these ingredients in the ceremony, no reasonable person can hope to be happy, yet Mary on that eventful morning did not look as if she dreaded the future. As to Oswald, when the time drew near, he It began to feel that heart conflict, which he had hitherto to some extent succeeded in stifling. Did he after all still love Ellen? He feared he did. Did he love Mary as a man should love the girl who is about to be his wife, and as Mary deserved? Alas he had very serious misgivings to the contrary. He called himself a fool, a drivelling mean-spirited idiot, and many similar hard names, for allowing any thoughts of one who had so easily forgotten him, to obtrude themselves. He protested loudly to himself that Mary was charming, amiable, good, and above all, loved him. He repeated over and over again that he was a most fortunate man. was of no use practising these self-deceptions. Ellen's image, as he last saw her, would present itself, and whether she deserved his love or not, she had it. He knew he ought to congratulate himself on having won Mary; but, in short, he could not. Sometimes he almost resolved, cost what it might, to break off the marriage. Then he abused himself for ever contemplating such cruel rascality, and determined that whatever effort it might cost him, whatever pain he might suffer, he would do his best to prevent Mary from suspecting his secret. Surely, when the happiness, perhaps the life of so good, so affectionate a girl is at stake, it would be but a venial offence against truth, were he to pretend the love which he could not then, but might perhaps afterwards, feel. As we have said, the wedding was quiet in the extreme. The party consisted of, in addition to the bride and bridegroom, only Captain and Mrs. Frankland. The ladies will also be scandalized to learn that Mary's dress was nothing more than a simple walking costume. After church, they returned to lunch. at the Franklands, and then drove quietly off in a phaeton to the little cottage mentioned in our last chapter as having been lent them for their honey week. How Mary did grudge the shortness of their seclusion. She was fully convinced that she was the object of envy to every unmarried lady in the place, and thanked God a dozen times a day for having granted her so good, so noble a husband. Oswald was true to his resolution of striving to the utmost to make Mary's life bright and happy. Indeed the task was not hard. She was one of those trusting spirits, who suspect nothing in those they love, and give the object of their adoration credit for returning the feelings which they themselves are conscious of possessing in such strength. Sometimes Oswald yielded to the quiet fascination of his bride, but when, as occasionally happened, she gave vent to her love and happiness in a wealth of endearing words and caresses, he felt a pang that almost made him hate her. To conceal this effect of her demonstrative affection, he redoubled his own terms of endearment, and Mary, wishing to believe him, did so. Poor girl, her wedded bliss was not destined to endure for long. The very day following their return to the Franklands, the English mail arrived, and with it a whole pile of newspapers for Captain |