the youth and freshness of
spring-tide, warmed by the genial ray of public favour.

The spirit of curiosity to which we here allude, is thus admirably
described by Sterne:--"The love of variety, or curiosity of seeing new
things, which is the same, or at least a sister passion to it,--seems
wove into the frame of every son and daughter of Adam; we usually speak
of it as one of nature's levities, though planted within us for the solid
purposes of carrying forwards the mind to fresh enquiry and knowledge:
strip us of it, the mind (I fear) would doze for ever over the present
page; and we should all of us rest at ease with such objects as present
themselves in the parish or province where we first drew our breath."

Such has been our feeling from the first; and in pursuing this principle,
we have been greatly encouraged by the several contributors, whose
signatures abound in every Number of THE MIRROR. To these friends we beg
thus briefly to return our sincere thanks.

The arrangement of the present Volume, generally, accords with those of
its successful predecessors. Fact and fancy; sentiment, poetry, and
popular science; anecdote and art; love of nature and knowledge of the
world--alternate in its columns. In these several departments popular
reading has been our study. With this view, we have paid especial
attention to the domestic history--the customs, amusements, and
peculiarities--of our own country; and to such a portion of foreign
novelties as bear upon the welfare and interests of the present
generation. Economy of time, which is also economy of money or cost, has
been the ruling principle of our little literary exchequer; while our
_ways and means_ for the future are equally abundant.

The illustrative portion, also, contains many striking novelties, which,
as identified with contemporary curiosity, or as performances of art,
will, we are persuaded, be duly appreciated.

We abstain from further enumeration of the contents or of their
respective claims to the reader's notice. In every Number it has been our
endeavour to cater for his "amusement and instruction," so as to combine
interest and novelty--or, in a homely phrase, to make each sheet like
"_the punch of conversation_." Thus, we have spirit, volatile and fiery in
our leading articles; lemon in our pungent Notes; sugar in our
"Gatherer;" and water _quant. suff._--mixed in a form, which, like old
bowls or drinking-glasses, is variegated with figures and