iously
imparting them to Miss Marion, whose gentle spirits were more easily
fluttered by sudden surprise.

For several years, Mr Budge paid an annual visit to Fairdown, when the
trout-fishing season commenced; and many useful and valuable gifts
found their way into Thomas's comfortable homestead, presented by dear
Miss Marion. In the course of time, she became the wife of one worthy
of her in every respect--their lovely children often sportively
carrying off the ponderous box of brown rappee, and yet Uncle Budge
never frowning.

These darlings cluster round my knees, and one, more demure than the
rest, thoughtfully asks: 'Why is Uncle Budge's hair not snowy white,
like yours, dear Deb? For Uncle Budge says he is _very_ old, and that
God will soon call him away from us.'

ADVENTURES IN JAPAN.

For above two hundred years, the unknown millions of Japan have been
shut up in their own islands, forbidden, under the severest penalties,
either to admit foreigners on their shores, or themselves to visit any
other realm in the world. The Dutch are permitted to send two ships in
a year to the port of Nangasaki, where they are received with the
greatest precaution, and subjected to a surveillance even more
degrading than was that formerly endured by the Europeans at Canton.
Any other foreigner whom misfortune or inadvertence may land on their
shores, is doomed to perpetual imprisonment; and even if one of their
own people should pass twelve months out of the country, he is, on his
return, kept for life at the capital, and suffered no more to join his
family, or mingle at large in the business or social intercourse of
life. In pursuance of this policy, it is believed that the Japanese
government now holds in captivity several subjects of the United
States, and it is expected that an armament will be sent to rescue
them by force.

Since this announcement has been made, and the general expectation has
been raised that Japan will soon have to submit, like China, to
surrender its isolation, and enter into relations with the rest of the
civilised world, there has seasonably appeared an English reprint of a
work hitherto little known among us--a personal narrative of a
Japanese captivity of two years and a half, by an officer in the
Russian navy.[1] If we may judge from its details, our transatlantic
friends had need to keep all their eyes wide open in dealing with this
people.

The leading circumstances connected with C