king, stood not within the prospect of belief; whereas, according to Steevens' own note, the crown of Scotland, not being hereditary (he should have added, from sire to son), Macbeth, according to the custom, stood, of right, next in the succession to Duncan. I have now dwelt at considerable length on this subject; but if I have succeeded in exploding the notion of Macbeth's want of courage, and in exposing the miserable shifts to which Steevens, who speaks for those commentators on Shakspeare who preceded him, and whose opinions have been adopted by those who followed him, was driven, I shall not regard my time and labour as thrown away.

THE HOMEWARD AND OUTWARD BOUND.

BY MISS ELIZA SKELTON.

THE flush of day had pass'd away, the sun had sunk to sleep,
And the quiet of the twilight hour lay brooding on the deep;
And the silver glory of the moon as yet was faint and far,
And through the fading crimson shone one solitary star.

The silver glory brighter grew, the crimson pass'd away,
And one by one each sister star came with her golden ray,
Till the full-orb'd beauty of the moon in perfect lustre shone,
And all the shining host of heaven were gather'd round her throne.

Upon that purple, twilight sea, two stately vessels met;

The breeze was light, the sky was calm, and every sail was set;

With snow-white heads that touch'd the sky, with streamers long and gay, Two lonely things, they meet, and pass each on her lonely way.

They come with bright and outspread wings, with gliding steps and slow,
And the parted ocean wakes and sings before each sable prow;

And the tiny billows rise and chafe against each swelling side,
Then foam and break on the shining wake that tracks the backward tide.

The Homeward and the Outward bound-from distant points they come-
One seeks some radiant foreign shore, and one is steering home;
And from each there soundeth a voice of joy, a voice of joy and pride,
As they meet, and greet, and pass away, on that blue and glassy tide.

"We sail for merry England, for our happy English land,— Another week of sea and sky, and we shall touch the strand;

Through storms and clouds, through wind and calm, a thousand miles we come: We sail for happy England, for our own beloved home!"

"We go to a land of sun and song, a land of scent and bloom

Where the fountains leap like lights along through groves of faint perfume;
Where the nightingale her mournful lay is murmuring sad and low,
And golden blossoms stoop to kiss the golden waves below.

"There, 'mid dark rocks, the pearl-drop lies, the coral blushes red;
With shells that mock the rainbow's hues the yellow beach is spread,
And birds most beautiful and strange flit through the balmy air,
And silver lakes reflect a sky for ever calm and fair."

"But we sail for merry England, for our happy English shore-
Her white cliffs soon will greet our eyes, her welcome breakers roar.
Land of the mighty and the good! land of the brave and free!
We sail for happy England-and oh! who would choose with ye?"

AN AMERICAN CAUCUS.

BY UNCLE SAM.

A CAUCUS is a contrivance for giving something like unanimity to each party, Whig and Tory, at American elections. Previous to a general election, party meetings are held to choose a caucus, or committee; and the caucus afterwards meets in conference, to determine upon its "ticket," or list of individuals, to be recommended as candidates for office. The voting in caucus is a very quiet, business-like affair, but the previous meetings exhibit a vast deal of energy, combined with trickery and intolerance of conflicting opinion, quite incompatible with the theory of sober republicanism. One party may advertise a meeting at a certain place and hour, and the opposing party may occupy the site an hour before the appointed time. A democratic Whig may be pouring forth his eloquence in Tammany Hall on the "internal improvement ticket," quite unconscious that twelve "anti-internal improvement" men may be just about to put out all the lights.

If the reader will imagine himself entering a crowded room, having a large table at one end, lighted by oil lamps, and the whole of one side fitted with glass cases, containing the muskets and accoutrements of the "Jackson Rangers:" if he will imagine one man leaning against the wall, whittling (cutting up) a stick for amusement; another chopping up cavendish (flat cake) tobacco into small pieces, and slowly placing them in his waistcoat pocket; a third reading a newspaper, folded so as to expose only one column at a time; a fourth sitting on a form, embracing his feet, which he has pulled up and placed at his side for that purpose; and within view, about fifty independent citizens chewing tobacco and munching unlighted cigars, he will have a picture, in his mind's eye, of a meeting, for caucus purposes, in the "Military Hall,”—a building otherwise appropriated for the marching and counter-marching of the volunteer military-not far from Independence-square, Any Town, U.S. IIe must imagine the whole assembly to be, in point of dress, very far superior to the same (mixed) classes in any provincial town in England, bearing, in this respect, comparison with any popular meeting in the metropolis. It might, perhaps be excepted to this statement, that in the article of pocketwatches, the number would be two to one in favour of the London meeting.

At a caucus I attended in Philadelphia, a regular "down east" Yankee addressed the meeting, to its very great amusement; for, be it understood, Mr. Slicosgrees, a real Yankee, "raised" in Rhode Island, is as great a curiosity in the "city of brotherly love" as the "Brummagem tee-total blacksmith" would be in London. Previous to presenting the speech of Mr. Slicosgrees, however, it may be well to give the order of the caucus proceedings. About seven o'clock in the evening, some citizen called out-"The convened time is up! Any gentlemen as contradicts that had better take his watch to be repaired. Who calls to order?" Thereupon, another citizen rose up and answered for himself:-" I do, sir. I call to order, gentlemen; and I propose that Phineas Ortolff and Optimus Pickleham be appointed secretaries.

(This motion was carried without being seconded or opposed.) ORTOLLF. I propose that Jefferson Oppenshaw, Esq., shall be chairman to this meeting.

PICKLEHAM. I second that motion, gentlemen, and you couldn't do better than carry it unanimously.

(Cries of "How do you know that?" and "Carried animously." Oppenshaw walks forward towards the chair, takes out his handkerchief, and wrings his nasal organs three times, amidst three rounds of applause; then unloads his hat of several papers, and concludes the pantomime by exchanging smiles with a near friend, as much as to say, "This is the pinnacle of popular favour, isn't it?")

CHAIRMAN. I thank you for this unexpected honour.-(A laugh.) I was not aware, until last Thursday week, that I should be called to occupy this chair at such an important caucus. Gentlemen, the eyes of the Empire State, of the whole of these States, of the whole world, indeed, are upon us! Allow me to say, in the language of Washington, "America expects every man to do his duty."* Will we do our duty?

("Yes, yes. Bravo!" Great cheering.)

CHAIRMAN. Be united, gentlemen, and we will hurl the kitchen cabinet tyrants from their stools.

("And the stools at their heads!" Great laughter.)

CHAIRMAN. Jackson, the hard, the hickory, and his jackall, Van Buren, the little magician, shall be no longer terrible. They shall give way to honester men, if you will but be firm, and go the whole ticket.)

(This observation caused some confusion; a great number of the crowd having exceptions to make to the "whole ticket," or list of all the democratic Whig candidates for places in Congress and the State legislature. "Except Smith," "Except Brown," "Except Tomkins," and "Except Smith, Brown, and Tomkins," were cries which lasted some minutes, during which the chairman looked decidedly uneasy, and fearful of the fate of the "whole ticket.")

CHAIRMAN. Gentlemen, if we are not more unanimous, we shall be ridden over roughshod. Hear my words, gentlemen, and, as Mr. Colquhoun says, "Be silent, that you may hear." An elective monarchy is at hand-nay, now exists-and will continue its frightful career if you are not awake. Therefore, I say, in the expressive language of the Governor of this State, "Awake, arise, or be for ever fallen!"

("We are awake!" "What shall we do?")

CHAIRMAN. A gentleman asks what we should do. Is he a foreigner? ("No.") The answer is simple enough; but I will speak it as loud as my voice will permit, and with the patriotic feeling which swells my heart as an American citizen. It is, gentlemen - Take the whole ticket in your hands, and, to use the expressive, although homely words of the pioneers of the west, go the whole hog.

("Bravo!" "Down with Jackson!")

CHAIRMAN. Gentlemen, the eloquent Mr. Tickster will now address you.

The worthy chairman, in this instance, only made the very common American mistake of appropriation. Americans have a clear right to everything English.

Mr. Tickster here commenced a speech which occupied nearly all the evening. He was "on the floor" an hour and three quarters, by the clock of the Court House, but the following part of his peroration is all I have in remembrance. "One sigh for the spirit of George Washington, who would have spurned Andrew Jackson, as a rotten terrapin-shell without a heart; one tear to the memory of the great and good and brave La Fayette; one mournful groan for the heroes of the revolution, now no more; one sympathetic throe of affection and condolement for those who lost their legs, and those who lost their husbands in the last war; one burst of indignation at the enslaving despots of the old world (cheers), and sorrow at the condition of their slavish subjects; and we must then rise up, like a giant after giving way to his feelings and the affections of his heart, and we must look around us. We must drive back the wily Indians, who sneak into our territories in the west, to commit the most cruel devastations, and we must watch the dastardly, abominable, infamous, and neverto-be-sufficiently-punished criminals, who are attacking our very existence by endeavouring (vain reptiles!) to induce us to manumit our slaves in the south. (Partial cheering and disapprobation.) Little did our forefathers, who beat the British at the revolution-little did the gallant band of patriots who fought during the last war (great cheering), six of whom died at the battle of New Orleans (immense cheering), sprinkling their purple gore over the Alabama and Tennessee cotton-bags, after firing twenty-three rounds of rifle shot-little did the framers of the constitution

Some confusion in the Hall prevented my hearing the climax of this magniloquence. An Irishman, having entered the place in mistake, wanted to get up a cheer for Jackson, and on being informed that the assembly were convened on the anti-Jackson ticket, was exclaiming" And t, or anything else only have Jackson! Don't throuble yourselves about Van Bruin, the Dutchman. Jackson's the boy!" During this confusion, Mr. Tickster concluded his speech, and Mr. Slicosgrees, the real " down east" Yankee, addressed himself to harangue as follows, being at the onset honoured by the Philadelphians with cries of "Go a-head, you Yankee! What's the price of wooden hams and nutmegs?"

SLICOSGREES. Feller citizens, I opine it don't convene with a citizen as considers these here States first chop and stumping the varsal world, by almost an everlasting majority, to look streaked and skeared and ryled at any of the doings of the superfine darned idiots who go about onhung, wishing to destry the democratic Whig government of our free and enlightened country. The rael valley of our institutions, whips, by a long chalk, the valley of the conflustigrated institutions of the old world. Feller citizens, we are a peowerful people, as sure as eggs is eggs; we are flying, full split, with a locomotive, hot-pressed speed, whilst the old world is dying of age and ugliness. But in our all-fired haste in going a-head, it's enough to put one's Ebenezer up, and make the blood bile, to see the locofocoes trying to stop the high pressure. I bust with dander when I think of the onconstitutional traitors-the President and his crew. Who's dead, and what's to pay now, that the collectors and the landofficers wont have anything but gold and silver? I estimate that dirty copper and silver aint so cruel elegant as to beat United States

bank-notes, spic and span new. That you may depend; and whoever prefers a small quantity of hard Jackson,* as they call it, to a pocketful of shin-plasters,† as they call 'em, is a goney. See how almost all things is deprecated; and from commerce being in a dreadful handsome state, as it was a few years ago, we seem to have come to the eend of almost all things. When I was last down to Alabama, cotton was four cents a pound cheaper than the nateral market. This treasury question is a snarl agin the upper crust, real jam, citizens, I can tell you; but let us be spry at this election, and we'll give the whole biling of the varmint a slockdologer in considerable less than half of no time. Put the leak into them this hitch, and I calculate they wont blart out any more locofocoism from July to etarnity. Feller citizens, jine me in snagging 'em, and we'll put some wrinkles in their horns and whittle off their impedence till it's as fine almost as nothing whittled down to a point. Raelly, gentlemen, they reckon they are as big as all-out-of-door-they estimate they are giants; but I tell you they are the most cryingest, most yellingest, and most windiest critters of dwarfs. Let them take their change out of that. Perhaps we wont snicker and larf like all vengeance when it's gone goose with them. It happifies me▬▬

(A voice cried "Couldn't you leave off if you're tired?")

If you're impatient, I guess I'll put up my duds, and let go before my mouth gets rusty about the hinges. But I'll jest finish what I was a saying. It happifies me to think that I can go the whole ticket. This great meeting is a sight to behold: I never seed the beat of it since I was raised from a seedling. If you will all foller my steps to the polling windows, we'll substaquilate the loafing locofocoes in two twos. Let them put that in their pipes and smoke it!

(Cries of "Go a-head, Yankee!")

THE MAGDALEN TO HER HOME.

BY ALICE WHARNCLIFFE.

SHE came unto her home-her youth's glad home-
But desolation had been there before her;
And taken (like the ocean's stormy foam)

Treasures away that it could not restore her.
And she who, silent and unbless'd, had pass'd
Its threshold-stone, returns, unbless'd, at last.

"Can this be home! Of the bright jewels left
Unto the keeping of its sacred walls
None are remaining-every link is cleft!
Vainly my spirit on each lost one calls:
Like the Colossus on the Theban plains-
No voice replies, although the shrine remains!

"Shadows lie heavy now where sunshine threw

Its first and latest smile, in childhood's day ;-
Years have pass'd by since some fond hand withdrew
The vine-boughs, that in wild disorder stray

Over the broken lattice, trailing low,

Veiling, with clust'ring leaves, the noontide's glow.