ment, should have a different currency from England-and yet only twelve hours apart.

Duncan argues in favor of paper currency. He says that it broke Napoleon at Leipsie when the allied powers raised the wind by issuing notes; that paper money enabled Frederick to raise Prussia from misery to opulence; that paper money built Scotland, where for one hundred and fifty years it has proved a blessing. He, however, does not mention the little history connected with our Continental paper money; with French assignats, and the depreciated notes of Austria and Russia! Miller says, that from 1797 to 1844, some five hundred banks failed in England, while but six stopped in Scotland!

The Chancellor of the Exchequer announced in Parliament, on the savings bank bill, that at the close of 1856 there were no less than 1,339,000 depositors, to whom the banks owed $174,000,000! During the year 1,409,000, amounting to $38,000,000, in sums of about $25; and 793,000 withdrawals, amounting to $40,000,000, in sums averaging $50. This statement shows the magnitude of the savings banks' operations.

I spoke of dull markets in Melbourne-note these figures: Imports from 10th January to 7th March, 1857, two months, $18,000,000; exports, $12,000,000; giving an average annual excess of imports over exports of nearly $36,000,000! The colony continues to pour out gold, and will. During 1856, the production of Victoria was one hundred and forty-seven tons freight-twenty-four tons more than the previous year; 3,533,527 ozs., at 80s., equal to $70,000,000; almost equal to the famous year 1852, when we got 4,247,152 ozs., at 70s., equal to $74,000,000.

The cotton supply creates much comment-like Lord Napier's New York speech-the European papers do not understand it. The Constitutionnel sneeringly writes, "that the bonds of friendship that are being celebrated are not chains of flowers, but simply twists of cotton that supply the Manchester market."

You will have later dates than I can send from Italy; but from this distance the money market appears no better. The cord tightens-not yet snapped; the bowl fills-not yet overflown. I do not write to point at still waters for hidden rocks, but at the actual breakers which we see on our lee. The storm once over, we may hope for better prospects.

The mammoth wonder of the century, the Great Eastern, progresses slowly towards completion. Think of this leviathan-notice her dimensions-length, 692 feet; breadth, 83 feet, and 120 feet over paddle-boxes; 8,000 tons of iron consumed in her 30,000 plates which compose the hull. She is 23,000 tons, or 18,000 tons larger than the largest ship afloat; with six masts-and such masts! ten anchors-and such anchors! twenty long-boats and two seventy-ton propellers! She accommodates 4,000 passengers, and could, upon a pinch, take 10,000 troops! They say she will be launched in August, and that you will see her at Portland in October. Three hundred and sixty-five years before, a sailor from this same land crossed the ocean in a cockle-shell of a boat-the May Flower of 1620 was not much larger. All the world wonders, while Europe looks to the critical state of the nations.

The Papal government moves with Mohammedan Turkey against Christian Greece the Pope's temporal power smothers Italian libertyHelvetic Russia against Catholic Poland-despotic Austria trampling

under foot the national rights of Italy-perjured Bourbons against the pledged liberties of their people! European monarchs promised their subjects everything to conquer Napoleon-when conquered, they laughed and performed not. Now all the world waits for another chapter. The balls still rattle harmlessly against the coat of mail of the only man in Europe who can stem the tide of revolution. Napoleon dead, and anarchy again-all this bears upon the money market. Who wonders at hard times? Yours, respectfully,

G. F. T.

Art. V. LITERATURE AND SOCIETY.

UNDER the above title the Westminster Review of last April discusses the social position in England of authors-the men of thought, as the reviewer calls them, in discrimination from men of active employments, whom he calls the men of action. The reviewer, without probably intending the revelation, shows that authorship is far more esteemed in America than it is in Fngland. There the eminence of an author procures him admission to the highest society as only its amusement or its lion. The knighthood obtained by Walter Scott is the highest titular distinction mere literature ever obtained in Great Britain, and that stands alone in a period of ages, Bulwer's knighthood being founded on his ancestry. The irony of Dickens against the "Barnacles" exhibits the soreness of his mind at social distinctions from which he is excluded. Thackeray, in the introduction to a series of lectures in London, said, that some of his literary brethren affirmed "that men of letters were ill received in England, and held in light esteem." Thackeray deemed this charge refuted by the presence of so large an audience as had assembled to hear him, and in the fullness of his gratitude he exclaimed, "To any literary man who says society despises my profession, I say with all my mightno-no-no." Such a disclaimer on such an occasion shows the existence of the disclaimed feeling, though the reviewer adduces it for an opposite purpose. He admits, however, that persons exist in England "who pooh-pooh literary men, and class them with the producers of early strawberries and pears." He admits, also, that George II. would do nothing for Gay, because he thought a poet was a mechanic; and the Duke of Cumberland, of Gibbon's time, saluted the historian once with—" Well, Mr. Gibbon, still going on as usual-scribble, scribble, scribble!" And Pitt, though a scholar himself, refused to assist Burns, or to know Cobbett.

The reviewer separates English society into three classes-"flunkeys, snobs, and nobs." The nobs are the nobility, the snobs are persons who affect importance, and the flunkeys are persons who practice subserviency to the other two classes; and perhaps nothing exhibits better the status of literary men in England than the bitter remark of the reviewer, that "when George III., once in his whole life, talked to Dr. Johnson for half an hour, all flunkeydom was astonished at the king's condescension." We learn, also, that the familiar intercourse which existed between Lord Byron and Moore, was only flunkeyism on the part of Moore, and patron

age on the part of Byron; for, on speaking of the apparent friendship which existed between them, Byron remarked contemptuously, "Ah, Tommy loves a lord!" With this insight into the position of literary men in England, we can understand, better than heretofore, why these 'men of thought" uniformly malign us after they happen to visit the United States, and experience the homage with which we are accustomed to regard them; Byron's contempt for Tommy's love of a lord being naturally felt by Tommy himself towards us, when, on his visit to our country some half a century ago, he found himself "the observed of all observers." So when Dickens landed in New York, and found he could confer honor on any person whose hospitality he would accept, he naturally felt that a society which could be thus honored must be immensely inferior to the society in England that would admit him only as a condescension.

If, now, we inquire why authorship is a more elevated occupation in our country than in England, we shall find it proceeds from the absence with us of a class of persons who deem themselves hereditarily superior to men of any laborious occupation; and secondly, from our not yet recognizing that book-making is become with us a mere trade or profession, as it has long been in England, where books on any subject-the Bridgwater Treatises for instance-can be procured by order as regularly as a pair of boots. We retain the antiquated belief that to write a book requires a gift of nature rather than plodding industry. We seem, also, to delusively believe that nothing is intellectual but literature, though to originate the best steamship that was ever built in New York required, probably, more intellect, and of a higher grade, than to write the best book that was ever written there. When a lion saw the picture of a man vanquishing a lion, he said, were lions painters they would represent the lion as vanquishing the man; so literary men, being the authors of all published contrasts between book-making and other occupations, always represent book-making as man's highest occupation. But the time is probably arrived when we should, like England, emancipate ourselves from this error.

Authorship ought to be estimated, relatively to other human efforts, by its relative difficulty. Napoleon accomplished what no other man could have accomplished, hence we may properly say he excelled all mankind; while a rope-dancer may perform what no other man can imitate, simply because no other man will make similar efforts for so poor an attainment. By a like standard, Shakspeare may occupy a position as high as Napoleon, while the great portion of authors assimilate more nearly to the rope-dancer's category; for, if all men cannot produce ordinary books, the inability proceeds from only a preference for more useful arts. Women are becoming active contestants with men in the production of trifling literature, and we may well rejoice at this new direction of women's industry, especially if it shall urge men to more masculine operations.

To increase human knowledge by developing new intellectual truths, is creditable to any man or woman; and it constitutes a department of literature that is no more liable to be overstocked than the development of new physical truths- both departments originating in intellectual acuteness that is necessarily rare; while books that merely amuse or excite are as easy of formation as the images of a kaleidoscope, and made by a like process—some new arrangement of old materials. We laugh

at an Indian who, daubed with red paint and decked with cheap feathers, deems himself ornamented; but subject to an equal mistake are the men and women who originate trifling books, and deem themselves important literati.

Art. VI. CHAPTERS ON CALIFORNIA FISHERIES.*

CHAPTER III.

STATISTICS OF WHALE OIL AND BONE RECEIVED IN SAN FRANCISCO FROM THE INDIANS-GENERAL CHARACTER OF THE INDIANS ON OUR NORTHERN COAST-METHOD OF WHALING PRACTICED BY THEM-DESCRIPTION OF THEIR HARPOONS, LINES, AND BUOYS-PICTURE OF THE INDIANS ON A CATCH, ETC.

BEFORE describing the method by which the humpback and finback can be captured, I will call the attention of those who take an interest in the matter to the following facts:-In the year 1852, 36,353 gallons of oil were imported into San Francisco, from April 28th to September 22d, in the following vessels-April 28th, schooner Franklin, 928 gallons; brig G. W. Kendall, June 29th, 1,700 do.; brig Eagle, July 14th, 6,300 do.; July 14th, bark Brontes, 1,863 do.; July 29th, brig T. Emory, 5,100 do.; July 30th, bark W. T. Wheaton, 25,000 do.; September 14th, brig G. W. Kendall, 2,700 do.; September 18th, schooner Cynosure, 2,362 do.; September 22d, schooner Damariscove, 4,000 do.; total, 36,353 gallons, or over 1,150 barrels. This was within a period of five months. The quantity imported since that time has been in a corresponding ratio. Now, all this has been obtained from the Indians at Cape Flattery and Vancouver's Island.

The Indians who are in the habit of catching whales are found on an extent of coast over 1,200 miles, reaching from Cape Flattery on the south, to Prince William's Sound on the north, thence southeasterly 600 miles to Alaska. Physically speaking, they are as finely formed as any people on the face of the earth. They are much lighter colored than the Indians on the Atlantic side, many of them in fact being almost white. They still retain all their national traits of character-the whisky of the white man and the blessings of civilization not having as yet reduced them to the level of brutes.

The method of whaling practiced by these Indians is far better, in many respects, than our own-for it is a rare thing for them to lose a whale which they have once fastened to; whereas, among the whites, upwards of one-half, or even a greater proportion, is lost. These losses arise either from defective lines or harpoons, or by the sinking of the creatures after they are dead, both of which causes are obviated by the means which the Indians adopt. Their harpoons or lances (for they answer for either purpose) are made of mussel shells, which grow there to the size of a man's hand. These are ground down with stones to about the size and shape of the head of a whale-lance, after which a couple of short pièces of elk-horn are attached to the upper end, and in such a manner as to form a socket. The parts are lashed on firmly with seizing-stuff made of whale sinew, holes having been drilled through the shell for that purpose. The line is

*For chapters i. and ii., see Merchants' Magazine for May, 1857, (vol. xxxvi., pp. 583–584.)

passed through them and over the pieces of horn, which are placed one on each side of the shell. After these are secured, a strong line, also made of whale-sinew, is seized on in such a manner that the greater the strain upon the line the more firmly the lower ends of the elk-horn press upon the shell. All the center of the shell, including the lower part of the elkhorn and seizings, are now covered with pitch obtained from the spruce trees. The edge of the shell is then ground down, and when the whole is finished, no polished lance has a smoother head than this primitive harpoon-for the pitch having been put on whilst warm, the surface is as smooth as glass.

The line I have spoken of is generally about thirty feet in length. To this is attached a number of buoys, made of the skins of seals, stripped off whole, or nearly so. These are sewed up, the seams also being covered with raw pitch. These buoys are inflated when ready for use.

When after a whale, two lines, with the buoys, are slightly made fast to the sides of the canoe. Five or six Indians being on their knees, use their utmost strength to approach the unsuspecting animal. In the bow stands the harpooner, with a pole prepared for the purpose, inserted in the socket of one of the harpoons; the other harpoon being placed directly before him, ready for instant use. The moment he gets within a proper distance, he drives the harpoon into him, hauls back his pole, fits on the other as quickly as possible, and buries that deeply into him also. When the buoys become detached from the canoe, another and another canoe come up in quick succession, and in a short time the whale will have so many buoys attached to him that he cannot go down, and soon he falls a prey to his daring enemies.

CHAPTER IV.

MORE OF THE INDIAN METHOD OF CATCHING WHALES-THE CUTTING-UP-PRIDE OF THE INDIANS IN POSSESSION OF THE EYES AND OPTIC NERVES OF THE WHALE-LESSON TAUGHT THE WHITES BY THE INDIAN PRACTICE.

As I have before remarked, the Indians have no instrument that corresponds with our whale-lance; they have nothing but their simple harpoon. They never attempt to kill the whale until they have a sufficient number of buoys attached to insure his floating after death. As soon as that is done they try to reach his vitals, or, as whalers call it, his life; and no New Bedford or Nantucket whaler knows better where it lies than these people. After the whale is dead, lines are made fast to it, when the whole of the canoes join in towing him to their village. There he is soon cut up, and all those who have assisted in his capture receive a share. The one, however, who first fastened receives a double portion, also the honor of being his captor, which is worth more to him than all the blubber. The harpoons of the Indians being all marked, are easily recognized by their owners whilst cutting the animal up.

The cutting-up is one of the most singular spectacles that can be imagined. At low tide the animal is generally left entirely bare on the beach, when the whole top is completely covered with men, all cutting away with their rude knives as rapidly as possible, and throwing down the pieces of blubber. These are picked up by their wives, children and slaves, and carried up beyond high-water mark and placed in a pile, when it is afterwards divided and tried out. The work is not finished until the whole animal is literally dissected, for there is a large quantity of oily matter