alse views
of life, they more frequently direct us to its true estimate. To be
sure, there is sometimes a degree of improbability in some of the
incidents, which is mostly forgiven, if the whole mass be, in the main,
true and accurate. There are certain standard incidents, which are
common property--such as the discovery of relationships--the change of
children--and liberal aunts, who make nothing of presenting a young
married couple with twenty or thirty thousand pounds on their wedding
day; but, if any young lady or gentleman is silly enough to marry,
without the means of support, because they have read such things in
novels, and have also read of rich uncles all of a sudden returning from
the East or West Indies, to shower gold and pearls on all their
relations, all that must be said for them is, that they have not
sufficient sense to read "Aesop's Fables," and they might as easily be
misled into the imagination that brutes could talk. It is a very weak
charge against novels, that they present false views of life; for, when
they do, none but silly people read them; and they are just as wise
after, as they were before.

If there be any evil in novels at all, it is when they take people from
their business--when they occupy a mother's time to the neglect of her
children--when they lead idle boys to neglect their lessons, and when
they lead idle gentlefolks to fancy themselves employed, when they are
only killing time. W.P.S.

* * * * *

CARRIER PIGEONS.

(_For the Mirror._)

It appears by the Dutch papers that pigeons are now used to forward
correspondence between different countries in Europe, and one was lately
found resting on a house in Rotterdam. The carrier pigeon has its name
from its remarkable sagacity in returning to the place where it was
bred; and Lightow assures us, that one of these birds would carry a
letter from Babylon to Aleppo, which is thirty days' journey, in
forty-eight hours. This pigeon was employed in former times by the
English factory to convey intelligence from Scanderoon of the arrival of
company's ships in that port, the name of the ship, the hour of her
arrival, and whatever else could be comprised in a small compass, being
written on a slip of paper, which was secured in such a manner under the
pigeon's wing as not to impede its flight; and her feet were bathed in
vinegar, with a view to keep them cool, and prevent her being tempted by
the sight