the earth were frozen up in all that water—
appeared on every side. Masses of ice, floating
and driving hither and thither, menaced
the hardy voyagers with destruction; and
threatened to crush their strong ships, like
nutshells. But, below those ships was clear
sea-water, now; the fortifying walls were
gone; the yards, tops, shrouds and rigging,
free from that hoary rust of long inaction,
showed like themselves again; and the sails,
bursting from the masts, like foliage which
the welcome sun at length developed, spread
themselves to the wind, and wafted the
travellers away.

In the short interval that has elapsed since
his safe return to the land of his birth, MR.
BOOLEY has decided on no new expedition;
but he feels that he will yet be called upon to
undertake one, perhaps of greater magnitude
than any he has achieved, and frequently
remarks, in his own easy way, that he wonders
where the deuce he will be taken to next!
Possessed of good health and good spirits,
with powers unimpaired by all he has gone
through, and with an increase of appetite still
growing with what it feeds on, what may not
be expected yet from this extraordinary man!

It was only at the close of Easter week that,
sitting in an arm chair, at a private Club
called the Social Oysters, assembling at
Highbury Barn, where he is much respected, this
indefatigable traveller expressed himself in
the following terms:

'It is very gratifying to me,' said he, 'to
have seen so much at my time of life, and to
have acquired a knowledge of the countries
I have visited, which I could not have
derived from books alone. When I was a boy,
such travelling would have been impossible,
as the gigantic-moving-panorama or
diorama mode of conveyance, which I have
principally adopted (all my modes of
conveyance have been pictorial), had then not
been attempted. It is a delightful
characteristic of these times, that new and
cheap means are continually being devised,
for conveying the results of actual experience,
to those who are unable to obtain such
experiences for themselves; and to bring them
within the reach of the people—emphatically
of the people; for it is they at large who are
addressed in these endeavours, and not
exclusive audiences. Hence,' said MR. BOOLEY,
'even if I see a run on an idea, like the
panorama one, it awakens no ill-humour
within me, but gives me pleasant thoughts.
Some of the best results of actual travel are
suggested by such means to those whose
lot it is to stay at home. New worlds open
out to them, beyond their little worlds, and
widen their range of reflection, information,
sympathy, and interest. The more man knows
of man, the better for the common brotherhood
among us all. I shall, therefore,' said
MR. BOOLEY, 'now propose to the Social Oysters
the healths of Mr. Banvard, Mr. Brees, Mr.
Phillips, Mr. Allen, Mr. Prout, Messrs.
Bonomi, Fahey, and Warren, Mr. Thomas
Grieve, and Mr. Burford. Long life to them
all, and more power to their pencils!'

The Social Oysters having drunk this
toast with acclamation, MR. BOOLEY
proceeded to entertain them with anecdotes of
his travels. This he is in the habit of doing
after they have feasted together, according to
the manner of Sinbad the Sailor—except that
he does not bestow upon the Social Oysters
the munificent reward of one hundred sequins
per night, for listening.

LOADED DICE.

SEVERAL years ago I made a tour through
some of the Southern Counties of England
with a friend. We travelled in an open
carriage, stopping for a few hours a day, or a
week, as it might be, wherever there was any
thing to be seen: and we generally got through
one stage before breakfast, because it gave our
horses rest, and ourselves the chance of enjoying
the brown bread, new milk, and fresh eggs
of those country roadside inns, which are fast
becoming subjects for archæological
investigation.

One evening my friend said, 'To-morrow,
we will breakfast at T—. I want to inquire
about a family named Lovell, who used to live
there. I met the husband and wife and two
lovely children, one summer at Exmouth.
We became very intimate, and I thought them
particularly interesting people, but I have
never seen them since.'

The next morning's sun shone as brightly
as heart could desire, and after a delightful
drive, we reached the outskirts of the town
about nine o'clock.

'Oh, what a pretty inn!' said I, as we
approached a small white house, with a sign
swinging in front of it, and a flower-garden on
one side.

'Stop, John,' cried my friend, 'we shall
get a much cleaner breakfast here than in the
town, I dare say; and if there is anything to be
seen there, we can walk to it;' so we alighted,
and were shown into a neat little parlour,
with white curtains, where an unexceptionable
rural breakfast was soon placed before us.

'Pray do you happen to know anything of
a family called Lovell?' inquired my friend,
whose name, by the way, was Markham. 'Mr.
Lovell was a clergyman.'

'Yes, Ma'am,' answered the girl who
attended us, apparently the landlord's daughter,
'Mr. Lovell is the vicar of our parish.'

'Indeed! and does he live near here?'

'Yes, Ma'am, he lives at the vicarage. It's
just down that lane opposite, about a quarter
of a mile from here; or you can go across the
fields, if you please, to where you see that
tower; it's close by there.'

' And which is the pleasantest road? '
inquired Mrs. Markham.

'Well, Ma'am, I think by the fields is the
pleasantest, if you don't mind a stile or two;