did so, Captain Arthur being present. "That
image was the doom I spoke of. It is the
image of my father as he lay dead when, if I
might, I would have died with him. He was
superstitious, as you all are who accuse me
here to-day of witchcraft. He was jealous
of my love, and wished to be remembered by
me daily when I had his wealth. I would
have rejected that, for his desire was horrible
to me. But next on the peril of losing his
blessing, I was made to promise that, wherever
I lived, I would preserve the effigy of my
dead father, every day eat my dinner in its
presence, and every night kiss it before I
went to rest. I was a child then, and a
terror seized me which I never have been
able to shake off. I have not dared to disobey.
Hans Dank was my father's steward,
who was privy to it all, and who was made
by will my guardian and inquisitor. Let him
prove that I speak truth in this. There is
one thing more which concerns me little now.
My father thought that while the image of
his body lasted, the body itself would remain
whole in the tomb, awaiting mine that was
to be placed beside it. Then our dust was
to mingle. He was a superstitious man, as
you are superstitious men. I shall be burnt;
you will defeat his wishes. That is the truth
which I wish Captain Arthur now to hear.
My mother died when I was four years old.
I am friendless; and there is no one but the
man who offered me his love for whose sake
I care whether or not I die disgraced."

The squire was very wroth at these allusions
to his son, and said, when she had made
an end of speaking, "Witch, you know truly
what will be your end. If your accomplice
were indeed here, he could not save you, but
you can have no support from him, because,
knowing his guilt, he fled when he first heard
that these proceedings would be taken. For
your tale, by which you artfully endeavour to
mislead my son, it cannot serve you. It
touches in nothing what has been proved
against you in the case of the Noddisons, your
victims. With what mysterious designs you
caused this dreadful image to be made, and
kept it secretly within your house, we cannot
tell, nor does it concern us very much to
know. The meaning of the image we know
well, and we know also," said the squire,
with a malicious grin, "to what good use it
can be put. Truly it will be a fine thing
to save faggots in the burning of a witch so
worthless."

And the law took its course, and solemn
trial led in due time to solemn sentence,
and Lanna Tixel, with the fatal waxen effigy
bound in her arms, was made the core of a
great holiday bonfire, which enlivened the
inhabitants of Blickford. When the wax
caught, the blaze made even babies in their
mothers' arms crow out, and clap their hands
with pleasure.

A brilliant ending to this very pleasant
story of the good old times! They are quite
gone and never will come back again. And
so, nothing is left for us to do but to regret
their memory, we puny men, we miserable
shams.

AIR MAPS.

In a former number of this work we gave
a short account of the new science of Submarine
Geography, by means of which it has
been shown that the great undulatory beds of
the oceans may be as accurately mapped for
all practical purposes of navigation, as are the
mountains and valleys of our own dry earth.
In that paper we dwelt upon the deep-sea
soundings which had been carried on by the
Government of the United States, and of some
of the more immediate results of the
knowledge thus acquired.

Current-charts and maps of the hills and
valleys of Old Ocean formed but one portion
of the labours of our persevering brethren
across the Atlantic. A most important feature
in their scientific proceedings was so to
track the winds met with in the navigation
of the highways of the seas, as to be able to
lay down with tolerable accuracy a complete
chart of the various currents of the atmosphere
in every part of the world, at all times
of the year—in short, to construct a huge
Air Map.

The proceedings of the American Government
since that paper was printed may be
learned by what transpired at a public
meeting convened, a short time ago, in the
Merchants' Room at Lloyd's for the purpose of
receiving a communication from Lieutenant
Maury of the United States Navy, in
reference to the co-operation of British
commanders with those of America in carrying
on a series of atmospheric observations.

Already a knowledge of the hitherto unnoticed
variable winds have enabled navigators
to shorten their voyages to some parts of
the world by fully one-third of the usual time,
and in a few instances to one-half. In speaking
cof the growing importance of our intercourse
with the Australian Colonies, Lieutenant
Maury expressed his belief that in a
very few years the run to and from Australia
from this country would be accomplished by
ordinary good sailing vessels in one hundred
and forty days, instead of, as at present, one
hundred and eighty to two hundred days. It
is not, therefore, to be wondered at that
shipowners, merchants, and mariners should
take a deep interest in them. Time has
ever been considered as money, and surely
this was never more truly the case than
at the present moment, when electric
telegraphs, high-pressure locomotives, and
improved screws are doing all that electricity,
steam, and iron can do to annihilate
space, and bring distant places together. In
thus looking, however, to shortening the
voyage to and from the other side of the
globe no new and costly mechanical appliances