tor. to last absolutely sincere. He really be- ! Twelve Tables; but that one has modified lieved that any strong conviction, even all Asiatic society for evil. We must any strong wish, that he entertained was give a few words to an unpleasant topic. borne in upon him by a power external to It will be observed that we have said himself; and as the first and most memor-nothing of Mohammed's private life, of able of these convictions was faith in God, which all biographers descant so muchhe believed that power to be God, and of his eleven wives and two slave-girls, himself its Messenger. The mode of ex- of the strangely relaxed law of the sexes pressing his convictions was undoubtedly which he established, and of his own dean invention; but that the basis of his partures even from that loose code. The faith in himself was sincere, admits, to our omission was intended, for we conceive mind, of little question. This strength of too much has always been made of that conviction extended even to his legisla- point in Mohammed's career. In early tive acts, and we can not better conclude life temperate to a marvel for Arabia, he this brief notice of his career than by a was undoubtedly in his later years a man glance at his true position as a legisla- loving women. We do not say "licenPolitically, it is easy to understand tious" advisedly, for though all things his position. Believing himself the Mes- good and bad are recorded of Mohammed, senger of the Almighty, no position save we hear of no seduction, no adultery, no that of despot was possible to him, and interference with the families of his folhe made on this point no provision for lowers. He was simply a man loving the future. The Mohammedans deduce women, and heaping up wives, as if he had from his opinions the idea that the Khalif been exempted from the law he himself is vicegerent of God, and of course abso- laid down. He probably thought he was, lute; but no such theory is laid down in as his followers undoubtedly did, and perthe Koran, and the Wahabees, the strict sonally he was no worse than thousands est of Mussulman sects, acknowledge no whom modern Europe practically consuch dogma. Its adoption was the ac- dones. He was no better, but it is mere cidental result of the movement which fol- folly to say that his legislation was exlowed his death, and which compelled the ceptionally licentious. What he did as Arabs to intrust despotic authority to regards his followers, was simply this. their chief. Mohammed settled nothing He left the question exactly as he found as to his successors, and it is therefore it did not rise one hairbreadth above only in social questions that his legislation the general level of Oriental opinion. is still operative. And even here we are That opinion is doubtless an evil one. almost without the means of knowing The true law of chastity, the adherence what were the principles he intended to of one man to one woman as long as they lay down. The living law of Moham- both live, is written in a revelation older medanism is not to be found in the Ko- than any book-in the great law which ran, but in the commentators-a set of makes the numbers of the sexes equal. the most vicious scoundrels who ever dis- That law, however, has never yet reached graced humanity, whose first object seems the Oriental world. It is the fixed opinto have been to relax the plain meaning ion of Asiatics that the relation of the of the original edicts as far as practicable. sexes is a purely physical one, and not subThe original code is on most points just ject to any inherent law at all; modifienough. The law as regards property able, it is true, by external legislation, but differs nothing in essentials from that not in itself a subject of necessary and which prevails in Europe. Property is inevitable moral restraint. Mohammed sacred, and is pretty fairly divided among made no attempt to alter that opinion, relatives. Life is held in reverence, and He fixed a limit to the number of wives, theft is prohibited, even with cruelty. but it was not intended as a moral proTruth is strongly inculated, and adher- tection, for he formally assigned all female ence to treaties declared an obligation slaves to the mercy of their masters. He binding on the conscience. Adultery is left a monstrous evil without a remedy. punished with death, though that provi- But that he introduced a new evil is unsion is hampered by a curious law of evi- true; and badly as the system he sancdence; and reverence for parents is sedu- tioned works, the Mohammedans are not lously inculated. The law in fact, except more corrupt than the Hindoos, and far on one point, differs little from that of the less vicious than the Chinese. THE ASCENT OF FUSI-YA MA. IN September of last year, the lofty summit of Fusi-yama, the sacred mountain of Japan, was for the first time trod by European footsteps. Mr. E. B. De Fonblanque, one of the adventurous explorers, has given the following account of the ascent. His narrative is dated from the British Consulate, Kanawaga, Japan, Sept. 20, 1860. Mr. Alcock, our envoy in Jeddo, desirous of visiting the interior of the country, and curious to ascertain the truth of all the wonderful tales related by the Japanese, of their beloved and venerated mountain, having successfully disposed of the numerous insuperable obstacles most pertinaciously suggested by the government, left Jeddo for Fusi-yama on the third instant. I was fortunate enough to receive an invitation to join his party, which was further composed of Mr. Eusden, vice-consul at Jeddo; Messrs. Gower and Macdonald, attachés; Lieutenant Robinson, Indian navy; Mr. S. Gower, and Mr. Veitch, a botanist. One of the vice-governors of Jeddo, Matabé, the interpreter to the legation, and several Yacomins, formed our escort; and norriman-bearers, bettos, coolies, servants, and followers, together with a troop of packhorses, swelled our cortège to the dimensions of a small invading army. Mr. Alcock, although he had necessarily asked the Japanese government to make arrangements for our comfort and security en route, had stipulated that he should be as little as possible embarrassed by the presence of officials, as he wished to travel as a private person. There was none of the state, accordingly, with which a Japanese functionary of any rank would have surrounded himself in his progress; and, instead of being borne in norrimans -the only conveyance used by Japanese gentlemen-we bestrode our horses like freeborn Britons-a sacrifice of dignity to comfort which, however much it astonished the natives, we made without the slightest scruple. As may be imagined, our projected pilgrimage excited no small interest among the Japanese, who, as they crowded the streets of Kanagawa to watch our departure, seemed puzzled whether most to admire our temerity or marvel at our impudence. Some of the older men shook their heads ominously, declaring that no good could come to their country from such a desecration of their gods; but the majority of the people were simply amused. They have seen and learnt so much within the last year, that nothing can surprise them. Our route, as far as Odawara-a distance from Jeddo of about forty-five miles-was by the great highway to Nagasaki, skirting the sea. This is an admirable, broad, well-paved road, flanked on either side with gigantic cedars and vines, affording a most grateful shade from the still powerful sun. The effect of many miles of these avenues, formed of trees averaging from one hundred and fifty to one hundred and eighty feet in hight, is very striking. At Odawara we turned into the interior, and commenced to cross the Hahoni Mountains, a range lying between the sea and Fusi-yama. Arrived at the summit after an eight hours' march, we found ourselves at a hight which we computed about six thousand feet above the sea level, on the borders of a glassy lake, six miles in length, and one and a quarter in width. Wonderful tales are related by the Japanese of this lake, which they state to be bottomless in the center and inhabited by an evil spirit, very much given to drag unwary mortals below. It was probably from fears of our safety that no persuasion could induce our officers to procure us a boat to explore these waters. com On the following morning we menced our descent from Hahoni, and on the evening of the next day, the sixth from our departure, reached Muri-jama, a village lying at the foot of the mountain, and about one hundred miles distant from Jeddo. Here the authority of the Tycoon ceases, and spiritual government begins, the Holy Mountain being under the sole jurisdiction of the priesthood, two of which respectable body now attached themselves to our party, and never left us till we returned in safety to the foot of the mountain. tinsel ornaments. Here the devout lay their offerings upon the altar, and in return have their garments stamped with strange figures and devices, in token of their having accomplished their pilgrimage. Great virtue is attached to these stamps, particularly for the cure of cuta On the next day we rode about six miles to a place called Hashi-Mondo, where the steep ascent commences, and here, leaving our horses and equipping ourselves with pilgrims' staves, which the priests dispose of for the sum of one pen-neous diseases, and their number is only ny each, we girded up our loins and climbed manfully up the rugged and precipitous path, our light baggage and commissariat stores being carried by goliks, or "men of great vigor "-a description which the appearance of these poor crea tures, who earn their livelihood as beasts of burden to the pilgrims, did not by any means justify. At every half-mile en route a hut is erected, where pilgrims repose and are refreshed with tiny cups of tea. During our six hours' ascent, we passed nine of these resting places, and, darkness coming on, we took up our abode in the ninth, ate a modest dinner, and, stretching our weary limbs upon straw mats, slept as well as the cold and the fleas would allow us. We had now accomplished over two thirds of the ascent, but the worst was yet to come. Hitherto the path, though steep and rugged, had afforded a tolerably firm foothold; but the rest of the way was over loose pieces of lava, scoria, and cinders, and at every few yards the ascent became more precipitous. It was curious to remark how some of our party, who had before shown themselves somewhat insensible to the beauties of nature, would now stop every few minutes to admire the scenery, generally seating themselves to do so; but some allowance must be made, in consideration of the rarefied state of the atmosphere, which rendered violent exercise somewhat difficult, and made some of us gasp very painfully. At first we met with little snow; but as we advanced we found large patches here and there; and on reaching the summit after four hours' toil, the tubs of water near the temple were frozen into a compact mass. Still, the cold was not any thing like what we had been led to suppose it would be, the thermometer at midday showing only thirty-eight degrees in the shade, and boiling at one hundred and eighty-two. The temple of Fusi-yama is a most modest, unpretending little hut, adorned with a few gods in lava and some common limited by the size of the garment and the extent of the fee. I invested an entire uzeboo (one shilling and sixpence,) and received the impress of all the gods, and (unless likenesses are very deceptive) of all the devils too, of Fusi-yama. Having visited the temple, we proceeded to the highest point of the crater; here Mr. Alcock's standard-bearer unfurled the British flag, while we fired a royal salute in its honor, his Excellency setting the example by discharging the five barrels of his revolver into the crater, and the rest following, till twenty-one guns had been fired. We then gave three cheers, sang "God save the Queen," and finished by drinking “the health of her gracious majesty" in champagne, iced in the snows of Fusi-yama, to the utter amazement of the Japanese, who had never before seen such startling religious ceremonies. The crater of Fusi-yama is between two and three miles in circumference, and about six hundred yards in depth, and it resulted from observations made by Mr. Robinson that the highest point is something more than fourteen thousand feet above the sea. The Japanese have generally allowed seventeen thousand. There has been no eruption for three centuries. We were fortunate enough to have a fine, clear, sunny day for the ascent, and, as we looked below and around us, there lay the fair land of Japan like a highly colored map, the points of its headlands jutting sharply into the blue sea; range upon range of mountains stretching across the full length of the island as far as the eye could reach, and rivers winding through green valleys, gradually increasing in size till they empty themselves into the sea. Had our journey been as disagreeable as it was the reverse, that one view would have richly repaid us for our toil. Well may the Japanese be proud of their beautiful Fusi-yama. The descent was comparatively easy, and of course every one of us said, at least once, Facilis descensus, etc., as we turned homeward, by a new and if possi ble finer route, till on the fifteenth we reached Etamé, a picturesque village on the sea-shore, celebrated for its sulphur springs, whence I returned to Kanagawa by water, leaving Mr. Alcock and some of his party to take the baths. entire absence of animal life during our progress. With the exception of the poultry and dogs in the villages, and a few pack-horses on the road, we hardly met a single specimen of the brute creation. No cattle, no sheep, no singing. birds, and, though we promised ourselves some shooting, not a symptom of game of any description. The Japanese assured us, however, that the mountains beyond Fusi-yama were full of wild ponies, deer, and boar. the country-and we were accordingly put up in the houses specially reserved for the Daimios when on their travels. These were scrupulously clean, and provided always with bath-rooms and ample supplies of water. So far I have confined myself to a bare description of our progress; I can not conclude, however, without endeavoring to give some idea of the beauty of this country. As a tolerably old traveler through all quarters of the globe, I can speak with some authority, and I do not The arrangements made by the Japanhesitate to say that the scenery which ese government for our accommodation gladdened our eyes and hearts during our en route left us nothing to wish for. Our journey to and from Fusi-yama can not halting-places had been arranged beforebe equaled within the same compass in hand, and every thing was ready preany part of the world. Its great charm pared for our reception when we arrived. probably lies less in its intrinsic beauty It was not considered becoming to allow than in its continually varying character. the British envoy to occupy a common The eye has never time to weary. Now tea-house-which is the ordinary hotel of you are in a noble avenne of majestic trees, (and no tree is finer than the cedar of Japan-Cryptomeria Japonica ;) suddenly you emerge into an open country, among corn-fields and flowering shrubs; then you plunge into a deep forest; then again you find yourself in a perfectly English green lane, with honeysuckle on the hedges and daisies on the banks, and in the distance, embosomed in trees and shrubs of the brightest foliage, groups of the most picturesque little white cottages in the world. Before you have time to dream of home, you are once more trans ported into a rugged mountain path, with torrents roaring at your feet; and as you reach its hight, there lies the broad blue sea on one side, while on the other Fusiyama rises majestically from its broad base. I doubt whether, if all the most grand, lovely, rich, and magnificent views in the world could be collected and formed into a group, they would produce a finer picture. Throughout, the vegetation is most luxuriant. From the deepest valley to the mountain-tops you behold one dense mass of flowering shrubs and trees, in the foliage of which there is as great a variety as in the scenery. The land is generally well cultivated, rice and millet forming the principal crops in the districts through which we passed. We came across small patches of cotton and tobacco here and there. Of tea we saw very little. Vegetables and fruits of all kinds grow in abundance. I was particularly struck with the almost As Mr. Alcock did not travel in his official capacity, the authorities did not formally receive him at the different towns; but on our entrance we were invariably met by an escort of officers, who accompanied us to the full extent of their precincts, and at Odawara, the prince of that name sent a deputation to welcome the English minister to his dominions, and to wish him a pleasant journey. The conduct of the people was excellent. The sight of eight mounted Englishmen must have appeared wonderful to them, who had never before beheld a European; but they never once allowed their curiosity to become offensive, far less were they ever guilty of the slightest disrespect. As we entered their towns or villages, (and these consist of one long street, sometimes three miles in length,) men, women, and children, flocking out of their doors, appeared to present a dense impervious wall to check our progress. But there is a quiet elderly gentleman in long petticoats, and a straw hat tied under his chin, who precedes our cortège armed with a fan; and before a wave of this fluttering emblem of authority, the dense crowd falls back with far more alacrity and readiness than an English mob under similar circumstances. could be got to do, through the agency of Sir Richard Mayne and his legions, backed by a troop of Life Guards. Nor do they, like other mobs, close in our rear, but, remaining squatted at their doors, they watch us out of sight. In no case, whether escorted or alone, did we meet with a single instance of rudeness or incivility on the part of the people; nor did we, during the whole course of our journey, meet either a beggar or a drunkard. The general appearance of the populace is one of great prosperity and contentment; their houses are remarkably clean and in good repair; their patches of garden well cultivated, and never without regard to ornament; and, if they were not overburdened with clothing, it is evident that their will and not their poverty, consented to forego this luxury. Would that we could travel as far in European countries, nay, even in our own favored land, without meeting more misery. We believe that the Japanese government is an oppressive one, yet it is difficult to reconcile that belief with the evident prosperity of the people. No eastern people is so free from the stamp of the slave as the Japanese. Let them bow their heads in the dust before a Yacomis as they may, it is less an act of servile submission than a courtesy exacted by usage, and a duty owing to su perior authority. Those well-built, muscular men, who stand erect at their doors, holding their little children by the hand, have a sense of freedom and self-respect never to be seen in a race of slaves or cowards; those laughing women beside them know and enjoy the happiness of the domestic hearth; even the little children, (and nowhere do you meet this true. indication of material prosperity-troops of merry, rosy-cheeked children-to`a greater extent,) even they did not crouch before the foreigner, though doubtless for many a day they will, in their naughty moods, be threatened with the terrible Toijns. Never did a party more enjoy themselves than the eight Englishmen who were the first to make the ascent of Fusiyama, and we returned to our posts more than ever impressed with the marvelous beauty of this land, and the kindliness and happiness of its people. From Colburn's New Monthly. SCIENTIFIC AND GEOGRAPHICAL PROGRESS IN FRANCE. THE end of June was signalized this | of opinion will excite no wonder. It is year, as it was in 1859, by the unexpect- the very circumstance of the rapid and ed appearance of a comet, visible to the naked eye, and which was for a few nights extraordinarily brilliant, to be only all the more rapidly effaced. Astrono mers were found fault with for not having announced the skyey visitor, and there was some little difference of opinion among themselves as to whether it was an old comet or a new one the same that drove Charles V. to a monastery, or a new one which was to confine the Pope to his Vatican. To any one who is acquainted with the many and tedious difficulties to be overcome in laying down the paths of comets, these little differences seemingly irregular motions, the unexpected manner in which they so often burst upon us, and the imposing magnitudes which they occasionally assume, combined with their extraordinary aspect, that have rendered comets in all ages objects of astonishment, not unmixed with superstitious dread, to the uninstructed, and an enigma to those most conversant with the wonders of creation and the operations of natural causes. It is well known that the intervals between the successive perihelion passages of the comet of Enck are continually diminishing, and that hence it has |