be EXTREMELY PARTICULAR IN HIS MINERALOGICAL ENQUI RIES ;" and this examination requiring as an indispensable condition that he should be continually occupied in clambering among rocks, precipices, mountains, and ravines, which could only be traversed on foot; the thing becomes doubly impossible, and the fraud more obvious and glaring.* These things were brought under the consideration of Dousterswivel, who was in consequence called on to explain; and this is what the learned Theban says for himself:—“ This kind of survey, though scientific, does not require any thing demanding rest or delay; on the contrary, the more ground that can be traversed, the faster it is done. It consists, in the sight, in contact, or near at hand of so much ground; geological knowledge and experience, learning to determine tracks of rock by single masses, analysis and inference, and the physiognomy of the ground. I was desired originally to execute it with as much speed as possible, and this has also been suggested or urged since, more than once, impliedly or otherwise; so that I considered myself as especially meeting the wishes of my lords in the rapidity which your letter notes. Hence a steady and ardent pursuit, seldom leaving an hour's rest IN A DAY OF ENTIRE DAYLIGHT (that is, in the whole twenty-four hours!] or even a single Sunday for months, the Doctor feels the want of the Sundays, in order to bring his charge within the outskirts of possibility, and, accordingly, with the view of propping up his honesty, he writes himself down a Sabbath-breaker;] and my lords will understand, that as the ground must be examined at hand, and not at a distance, as in geographical surveying, certain miles must be travelled,' that the work may be so too. The work is, in itself, an act of travelling, of space [an' act of space!'] of distance, [an act of distance'] and every mile is so much of the surrey!" Doctor Macculloch is, beyond all doubt, the Flying Jack of Mineralogy; but the poor man must have been reduced to a woful state, indeed, when he was obliged to resort to such nonsense as that of which we have now given a sample. A defence like this, however, was the only one which the case admitted of; and although it was voted "satisfactory” by the wise men of the Treasury, it must deepen the damnation of him who made it, in the eyes of all other men. On the subject of distances travelled by water, the Doctor is equally explicit and still more ingenious. “While under the ordnance," says he, "which I made my rule, as ordered, [who ordered him? there is no evidence of any such order,] I never made any charges for this survey when I travelled in ships, and as very much of the early ones were nautical, my expenditure from my own means were very considerable. In the bills now under review, it will be perceived, accordingly, that the suIP journey has an O, zero against it.-Hereafter I will make the distinction more apparent.” Very good. But the question, Doctor, is about BOATS, not ships; and you have not yet said one word in answer to the charge that, while you charge for boats under a separate head, you at the same time include all distances travelled by water in your general" account of miles travelled on the Mineralogical Survey of Scotland." Answer this, if you please, and answer it directly: Have you or have you not charged the distances travelled by water twice over? We may add, that the smaller items of the Doctor's bills are precisely of the same character, and constructed upon the ame principle as the larger. But the cardinal point of the case is, that the man has lone nothing, literally nothing for the money. He has already received nearly L. 6000, and he has an unsatisfied aim for L.1500 more; yet, up to this blessed hour, he has not given in a single report, nor, in fact, made any return * Queries by the Printer's Devil.—Is not ATHOLE brose generally pposed to facilitate travelling in the Highlands? May not Dr Malloch have indulged in that pleasant riaticum while playing Fying Jack among the Northern Moors? Or, at all events, y he not have treated himself to a little of the mixture when reparing his accounts for the Treasury? of any kind or description whatever. That he has been repeatedly urged to do so, we admit ;-that he has as often promised compliance, his own printed correspondence proves ;-that he has not fulfilled any of his promises is undeniably certain. Since he was first sent to Scotland at the public charge, he has found time to write two large works on the Highlands and Islands for his own benefit, besides a volume on the scenery of Dunkeld and Blair Athole for the special delectation of a noble duke, his patron; but he has not yet found time to make any return to the public for the large sums he has been permitted to draw; and our firm conviction is, that he has exhausted in his own publications all the information-such as it is-which he has been enabled to pick up in the course of his employment at the public expense. We say, therefore, firstly, that the circumstance of his being permitted to draw such sums, upon such pretences as we have described, shows a gross and culpable disregard of the public interest, upon the part of those who authorized him to do so; and, secondly, that not having made any return, nor given any equivalent for the sums drawn by him, he ought to be instantly called upon to disgorge. The man is rich; prick him and he will bleed. He has heaped up wealth, not knowing to whom it shall appertain; is he on that account to be indulged with large sums of the public money, or allowed to commit spulzie on the national purse, because the Treasury gives itself no concern about the matter? We demand restitutio in integrum, and the appropriation of the money to some honest and beneficial purpose. Complaints have often been made against the government of this country, as niggardly and illiberal, and as indisposed to do any thing for the encouragement of science. The fact is, however, that more is given for this ostensible purpose by the government of Great Britain than by that of France, which has been so often contrasted with it; but the mischief is, that our rulers know not how to give, or to whom to give, and seem to think that they encourage science when they merely open the strings of the public purse; whilst, in the neighbouring country, the various funds appropriated to this most laudable object are husbanded with care, and dispensed with judgment and discretion. The example is worthy of imitation; nay, we hesitate not to affirm that the time is come when it must be followed. The halcyon days of fat jobs and profitable abuses have gone by; and in the present temper of the world, it won't do to quarter on the public under false pretences, even the led-captains of noble dukes, and the tuners of pianofortes to termagant duchesses. The time is out of joint for corruption of all kinds; the cry of the people is,—Let every jobber and trafficker in abuse be anathema maranatha. There is nothing for it, therefore, in such cases as this, but restitution; so, honest, honest Dousterswivel, down with your dust! THE FLOWER-GATHERER. No. I. J. B. THERE is certainly a degree of affectation in calling poetry a flower-garden; and, what is still worse, the idea has not even novelty to recommend it. Nevertheless, it suits our purpose, and therefore we make use of it. There is some courage shown, in these days of desperate originality, when a man ventures to do or say what others have done or said before him. Poetry, then, in virtue of our editorial will, is, and shall be a flower-garden; out of the which (at least out of all its beds save England) we shall from time to time cull sweet nosegays, for the refreshment and edification of our readers. Sometimes we shall bind them together with the thread of a few remarks (this metaphor beats out like gold-leaf)—sometimes we shall offer them unattended by note or comment-just as suits (with all deference to our readers we speak it) our inclination and our convenience. We see now what has made us to-day so unwontedly metaphorical and flowery: our first offering is from the Persian. The spirit of Hafiz has descended upon us. We fear this is more than we can say for our friend the translator. His versification has a most un-Oriental rumbling sound. He has preserved, however, the imagery and the moral; and the latter, if not very correct, is at least very pleasant. FROM THE PERSIAN. A dark deep ocean sweepeth on Now the present hour divine, Lo! from Calpe's summits proud, As he mounts to heaven's own portal; Now the present hour divine, Like day now shines thy forehead fair, Now the present hour divine, Mortal, seize-'tis thine, 'tis thine! Our next breathes the melancholy grandeur of Spanish romance. It contrasts finely with the thoughtless gaiety of the former. We stand between them, like Garrick, in Sir Joshua's picture, between tragedy and comedy; albeit, we trust, with less of the " I was the boy for bewitching them" expression in our eyes. THE STARS. Calderon. Those lamps of fire, those gems, whose lightnings shine We conclude the florilegium of this day with a short poem from the Romaic; and, as the reader has heard enough of the Greeks in our review of Keppel, we will not add another word here. IOTIS DYING. Ο ΘΑΝΑΤΟΣ ΤΟΥ ΙΩΤΗ. From the Romaic. I arise from dreams of night ere the stars their farewell take, And I bathe me in the waters of the pure and limpid lake; I hear the pines that murmur, I hear the oak-trees groan, And the Klepths weep in their citadel—their captain they bemoan: "O rise, O rise, Iotis!-sleep not now that slumber deep, For thy foes they all surround us, raging on thy band they leap." Ah! what unto my children, my poor heroes, shall I O place me on my seat, and bring in haste the purple wine, That I may drink, and then forget, once more, that I recline; And sing all sad and mournful songs-O would that now I stood Upon the lofty mountain's top, or the dark and sombre wood, Where feed the flocks divided from the goatherd's neigh. bourhood! LITERARY AND SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES OF EDINBURGH. ROYAL SOCIETY. Monday, 4th April. PROFESSOR HOPE in the Chair. Present,-Professors Russell, Wallace, Hope, Graham, Christison; Sir G. Ballingall; Sir H. Jardine; Drs Abercrombie, Maclagan, Gregory, Borthwick; Messrs Robison, Allan, Witham, Wishart, Jardine, Neill, &c. THE first paper read was by Mr Witham. It contained an account of the further exposure and appearance of the fossil tree, discovered in November last at Craigleith quarry; and was offered as a sequel to Mr Witham's communication laid before the Society at a former meeting. The essayist stated that several radicles had been disclosed, apparently broken off abruptly, which, with other appearances, warranted the conclusion that the tree had been carried along by a current of sand and water, and left in its present position as the strata consolidated. Mr Witham stated that a branch had been found in another part of the quarry, showing, when sliced, concentric rings, and a very large pith. the Marquis of Lothian's coalfield at Dalkeith, (of which Adverting to the tree lately discovered in a fossil state in we last week gave some account,) he stated, that it evidently belonged to the division of vascular cryptogamics, whilst the Craigleith fossils were of the order of gymnostomous phanerogamics. A paper was then read by J. D. Forbes, Esq., F. R.S. E., on the Horary Oscillations of the Barometer near Edinburgh, deduced from 4415 observations made in the years 1827-30, with remarks on the present state of knowledge connected with this phenomenon. Mr Forbes's paper was written in a scientific and liberal spirit, but too minute in its details to admit of our offering any satisfactory abridge ment. EDINBURGH DRAMA. "THE best laid schemes of mice and men, And so hath it fared with us. We had said to ourselves, that not one of Young's performances should escape us. But circumstances have shortened, on more than one evening, the duration of our visit to the theatre. We have been able to gain only flying glances of his Benedict, and his Lord Townly-his Macbeth we saw throughout. In the first-mentioned character-at least in what part of it we saw he was most admirable. He was beautifully supported by Miss Jarman's Beatrice, and that threw life and mettle into his retorts. His Macbeth is the only Macbeth on the stage. Kean's wants unity-Kemble's wants depth-Macready's is a cross-breed between Kean and Kemble, and, like all mulattoes, not extremely agreeable-Vandenhoff's is lubberly-Young's is indeed Macbeth. At his first meeting with the witches, we see that their poisonous insinuation has at once corrupted his blood. His interview with Duncan was bland and courtier-like. In the scene where his wife steels him to the enterprise, he made us feel that he had indeed no spur to prick him on, but "Vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself, And falls on the other side." His energy returned to him only when, stung by the lady's taunts, he turned round upon her "I dare do all that may become a man, Who dares do more is none." In the scene of the murder, his stealthy exit into Duncan's chamber oppressed us with a sense of terror. In his interview with the men he hires to murder Banquo, he was dressed in robes of royal state, and you felt that the diadem which circled his brow, had communicated to him that regal feeling which inspires a more sustained deportment. The manner in which he received intelligence of the queen's death was beautiful, and the tones in which he uttered "She should have died hereafter," were indeed those of one who feels himself alone in the Mrs Stanley is a useful and clever actress, but if she has any sense she will never attempt Lady Macbeth | again. Her mawkish and puling performance almost neutralized Young. In ORIGINAL POETRY. THE DYING DAUGHTER. By D. MacAskill. MOTHER, dear mother, leave me not alone: Oh! let the tone LITERARY CHIT-CHAT AND VARIETIES. We have long wished to speak seriously with Brindal, and we are happy that we are able to do so at a time when he has been making himself particularly agreeable. His Lewson was a spirited piece of acting; his Laertes, Count Basset, Don Pedro, Frederick, all extremely creditable. He has spirit and intelligence; what he wants -at least what he appears to want is sentiment. general, when he wishes to look tender, he screws his face into a shape which is any thing but engaging; and we still remember how, in the "Youthful Queen," instead of leaving his monarch's presence with the subdued air of respectful sympathy which became a gentleman, he all but shook his fist in her face. His motions are frequently abrupt and ungraceful, and his attitudes convey an idea of pertness. We mean when he tucks his hand beneath his coat-tails, cocks his chin, and gledges We with his bright wicked eyes, like a cock-sparrow. tell him freely of these matters; for we should be sorry to see an actor of real cleverness and energy lost for want of knowing that he occasionally gives offence. commend Mr Brindal to the manager's special attention-minster Review is the best that has appeared.—Frazer is lively, he has good stuff in him. A SECOND Series of Sketches of Irish Character, by Mrs S. C. Hall, will be published in a few days. A second edition of the first Series will make its appearance at the same time. The third and concluding volume of Dr Nare's "Life and Times of Lord Burleigh," is ready for publication. "The Staff Officer, or the Soldier of Fortune," by Oliver Moore, is about to appear. "The Club Book," press Mr Andrew Picken is preparing for the a work made up of contributions from well-known authors. Mr M'Phun, of Glasgow, has reprinted the authenticated list of the House of Commons who voted on the second reading of the Reform bill, in RED and BLACK. The style in which this reprint is executed is extremely creditable. It may be seen at Mr Tait's, in Prince's Street. We re Who next? Oh, true! We laid it down as a principle in our first article, that a positively bad author ought, for humanity's sake, to be put out of pain as soon as possible. We beg leave to do that favour to Mr Wilkins. He is a bad actor in grain, and, what is worse, he prides himself in his defects, and obtrudes them on our notice. He brings to our recollection, alternately, an awkward automaton, and the sign of the Saracen's Head. ALBERT. In octavo, with a portrait and fac-simile, the Life of Thomas Muir, Esq. advocate, younger of Huntershill, who was tried for sedition before the High Court of Justiciary in 1793; with an ac count of his trial and some extraordinary facts and correspond. ence, never before published. By Peter Mackenzie, writer, Glas gow. Necropolis Glasguensis; or, Considerations on Monuments and Sepulture, by John Strang, is in the press. PERIODICALS AND PAMPHLETS.-The last number of the West although rather too servile a copy of Blackwood, and the New We think we can trace the hand of Allan Saturday. A new monthly periodical has been started at Glas. gow, "The Literary Museum." There is talent in it-and, what is more, there is sufficient available talent, and an extensive enough population in that city, to support such a publication if rightly managed. Look to that promising work the Aberdeen Magazine. We are doubtful, however, whether the conductors of the Literary Museum see their way clearly-but shall wait the appearance of another number before we decide.-A number of pamphlets anent railways lie before us, upon which we, in the language of the Court of Session, propose to make avizandum. ANCIENT ANNALS OF IRELAND.-Mr John D'Alton, the erudite author of an essay on "The Ancient History and Antiquities of Ireland," published in the sixteenth volume of the Transactions of the Royal Irish Academy, read at a meeting of that body, held on the 28th of February, a paper in which he enforced powerfully the necessity of publishing the ancient annals of Ireland. We have voluminous collections of the ancient history of almost every European nation - Scriptores Angliæ, Germaniæ, Galliæ, Italicinay, even the scanty relies of Scottish history have been pub. lished-while the Irish chronicles still remain in manuscript. This fact has naturally given rise to a suspicion, that the works thus withheld from the public must have little innate worth. It is impossible, however, to glance at the catalogue of Irish MSS. at Stowe, and the portions of Irish annals published at the Buckingham press, without feeling that this doubt is destitute of foundation. The catalogues of the Irish MSS. in the British Museum, in the repositories of Oxford, in the Library of Lambeth, in the Tower of London, and in various other places, give additional reason to anticipate many valuable contributions to the early his. tory of Ireland. The contents of these collections are chiefly lives of the Kings of Ireland, and annals of the different Kingdomslives of Saints-and collections of the Brihon Laws. Of the pub. lished Annals, no less an authority than Sir James Macintosh has said, “The Irish nation, though they are robbed of many of their legends by this authentic publication, are yet enabled by it to boast that they possess genuine history several centuries more ancient than any other European nation possesses in its present spoken language; they have exchanged their legendary antiquity for historical fame." For our own part, we look forward to the publication of these documents as the only source whence we can derive any information respecting the laws, customs, and charac ter of a Celtic nation. The race was borne down in Gaul and in Spain before it had attained to such a stage of civilisation as to be able to commit its own language to enduring records-our Scottish Celts have ever been a broken body, without political union, and without literature-Ireland alone can furnish us with annals of a Celtic nation, expressing its feelings in its own thoughts and language. Mr D'Alton states that the funds of the Irish Academy are inadequate to the execution of such a project that those of the University are locked up from such an application-and suggests an application to the throne. We are averse to the alternative, as likely to beget jobbing and sycophancy-two plagues from which Ireland has already suffered more than enough. Perhaps the most advisable plan would be a Parliamentary commission to give to the world all records of a public character-and an association of gentlemen of fortune and literary eminence, like our Bannatyne or Maitland Clubs, to publish such private and curious documents as throw light upon manners and literature. ART AND ARTISTS.---An association of young artists, consisting at present of ten members, has been constituted in London. Their object is, with a view to improvement in the higher departments of art, to meet three times a-week, for the purpose of copying from living models, single or in groups.-The exhibition of Hayden's Napoleon opened on Easter Monday. We are sorry to observe a man of genius stooping to such a mode of attracting visitors, as to announce that a study of Napoleon's "real hat" will be exhibited.-Macdonald's works are undergoing the ordeal of London criticism. Hitherto it has been-with one single exception-generous and honest; sometimes with a greater, sometimes with a less tendency towards fault-finding, but always such as Macdonald's genius deserves, and the affection of his friends could wish.-L.E. L. has put forth some verses in the Literary Gazette, purporting to be the prayer of Macdonald's Supplicating Nymph. They do not strike us as being worthy either of the author's genius, or the work which has suggested them.-The general meeting of the contributors to the "Artist's Benevolent Fund," was held at Freemasons' Hall, the 25th ultimo. The number of associated artists is 212. The fund, which is maintained by subscriptions and donations of patrons of the fine arts, is devoted to the exclusive relief of the widows and orphans of members. For themselves, the associated artists have established an annuity fund, from which they receive, for a small annual contribution, substantial relief on any occasion when they may be prevented from pursuing their occupation. The anniversary festival takes place on the 7th of May, and the Duke of Wellington has consented to preside. CHIT-CHAT FROM GLASGOW.-We have our recess from Politics and Pleasure, at this season, as well as Parliament; and take the interval of leisure to resume our harmless gossip.Our latest festivities have been the Highland Ball, and a bumper-benefit for the Infirmary. The former was as superb as tartan and tartlets could make it--but exclusive as Almack's-and stories of manœu vres to obtain tickets are at present the staple-ton talk. The lat. ter was spiritedly got up, under the auspices of the worthy trea surer to the institution.-We must not omit a charity sale of fancy works for our city mission, nor the elever catalogue of its wares in verse, by a talented lady of this city.-Our gaieties are not, however, quite at a close, We are promised a farewell visit from Yaniewicz,- who was such a favourite here in the haleyon times of the gentlemen's Subscription Concerts. He brings his daughter with him; and will find, we doubt not, that Glasgow can appreciate his worth and talents.--Our illumination was both quieter and more splendid than yours, as may be guessed by the magniloquent description in the ballad I send you. The report, that one of our worthy Editors had been burnt in effigy, was all a joke. In spite of his obstinate but honest prejudices, no man is more ¡opular-even with the crowd, who still cherish an affectionate remembrance of him as their volunteer colonel. [The last piece of intelligence has given us unfeigned satisfaction. It would have been a painful thought to us that our beloved Glaswegians could, in their political animosi ties, have forgotten the genuine worth of one of the most witty and friendly fat men in Scotland. Marry, if they will be burning their editors in effigy, there is one whom we would right gladly recommend to their tender mercies. A certain malevolent spirit, who goes about prying, poking, and intermeddling every where. For the benefit of those who may be haunted by this incubus, or succubus, we may state that a spell has been discovered which effectually drives him away. Pronounce but the name of Sir Walter Scott, and he immediately disappears, leaving behind him sundry odours, less agreeable than strong. This plan was tried with success at a late public dinner which Hobgoblin threatened to disturb with his presence.-Subjoined are a few stanzas from the ballad alluded to by our correspondent. The concluding verse is, indeed, as he emphatically terms it, " delicious.”—E. L. J.] THE GRAND ILLUMINATION. The Lord Provost and Magistrates, "Now join with me in one accord, Long may they fill their station. Who does cominand the Policemen And likewise all those gentlemen We'll toast, and then I'll drop my pen, To the next Illumination. Theatrical Gossip.-The Easter melo-drama at Covent-Garden is entitled "Neucha's Cave, or the South Sea Mutineers," and is founded on Byron's poem of "The Island "Spohr's Ázor and Zemira has been brought out at the same theatre. The story of this opera is our "Beauty and the Beast."-At Drury-Lane a tale the Frozen Hand." In opposition to Spohr, Mozart's "Zauberof enchantment has been produced-by name " The Ice-Witch ; or flöte" is to be given.-The Adelphi and Olympic have closed after deservedly successful seasons. At Liverpool, Moore's Fire-wor shippers has been wrought up for the stage. The last scene pre. sents, (according to the programme) "The Gheber's glen and is totally destroyed by fire." Whether the moonlight or the rock secret pass, with clumps of trees and rocks, by moonlight, which suffer this fate we know not.-Young appears to-night in Hamlet for his benefit. The Edinburgh theatre will close for the season on the 4th of June. WEEKLY LIST OF PERFORMANCES. THE DUNGEON OF CHILLON.* We are inclined to believe that our readers will think this view of Bonnivard's prison no unacceptable addition to the literary contents of to-day's Journal; and yet we áre firmly convinced that it will be the innocent cause of this Number's being more cut up than any that has yet appeared. Not, indeed, by critics" corbies dinna pick out corbies' een," except when something is to be gained by it, therefore we have little fear of our brethren. Our danger impends from the industrious and indefatigable manufacturers of scrap-books. These misses will scarcely give their papas time to peruse the Journal before they unsheathe their bright and glittering scissors. We have always entertained as great a hatred of scrapbooks as is compatible with contempt. They are ugly to look upon,-leaves of coarse blue tea-paper, all plastered over with scraps of coarse, dirty paper, such as the worst Country journals are printed upon, impressed with hackneyed Joe Millers, namby-pamby and vulgar verses, and receipts for chilblains; and, interspersed with these, rude, formless prints, bedaubed with gamboge and Prussian blue. They stand in the same relation to albums that the penny pictures, which used to be our delight and solace at school, do to an engraving by Burnet or Stewart. And to think that any portion of the Edinburgh Literary Journal should come to such a vault of all the Capulets! But this is not all. Our mutilators will no doubt inscribe beneath this cut, in a legible, sprawling hand-full of those angles and straight lines which ladies now affect, We The wood-cut which we have prefixed to this article is a pretty accurate copy, upon a reduced scale, of one which Mr Hone has given in the April fasciculus of his "Year Book." have been induced to present it to our readers, as well on account of the moral interest attaching to the subject, as from a desire to convey to them some notion of the elegance of the illustrations of the most pleasant work of gossiprede we have met with. Mr Hone has no common claims upon public patronage. His work is elegant, amusing, and instructive; and he himself is a worthy man, struggling manfully against difficulties. to the utter confusion of us and ns, of os and is-these lines of Byron : "There are seven pillars of Gothic mold, A sunbeam which hath lost its way, And in each ring there is a chain," &c. &c. &c. And these ingenious ladies will applaud themselves for the genius and taste shown in such a collocation, and will parade the book before all their visitors, and sit with their needle-work on their laps, looking demurely, and waiting for applause. Now we, for our parts, being somewhat older than we were in those days when the glance of a dark eye passed with us for sentiment, or a set of white teeth behind ruby lips for wit, cannot see any merit in this. It is true, that there are pillars, rings, and chains in the description, and pillars, rings, and chains in the print,-but it is nevertheless true, that the dungeon, as it really exists, is utterly unlike the description of the poet. The living gloom which his powerful description makes us feel, is not there. Persons who could quote these lines as applicable, belong to a very numerous and teasing class. They have no feeling for the beauties of external nature, but they have an ear for the melody of versification, and a retentive memory, and they are continually tickling their sense of hearing and their vanity, by letting off long quotations of poetry, the only connexion between which and the occasion which suggests them, is the casual coincidence of some word. Such people will spout, with their most emphatic monotony, "As when the moon, refulgent lamp," &c. in the deep hush and mysterious glimmering of a summer's moonlight, when any person with the soul of a cricket, would feel the inanity of these sounding words. Independently of the coxcombical emptiness shown by such unapt quotations, we have an innate aversion to all sentiment expressed through the medium of paste and scissors. It is too mechanical and tawdry for our taste. But enough of this matter. "Chillon! thy prison is a holy place." little connexion with it, beyond what is lent by the beauNot, indeed, because of Byron's poem; for that has tiful touches of description in which the poet indulges, when his hero, after long years of imprisonment, looks out upon the blue Rhone, the distant towns, the white sails, and the small green isle "Scarce broader than my dungeon floor, |