ne cups, together with barley, wheat, grapes, and
hops, the whole of which are most elaborately and finely chiselled. The
hand of Maturity points downward to Old Age. The furrowed brow, the
sunken cheek, the dim and glassy eye observable in this figure, conveys
the mournful intelligence that the sand of life is fast approaching its
last little grain. The bent form and the thoughtful brow tell that
Time, the consumer of all things, has also ravaged a once erect and
powerful frame. The contemplation of this figure, beautifully executed
as it is, intuitively inculcates a serious consideration of the value
and blessings of a temperate; and well-spent life; it induces a
thoughtful reflection that a life of goodness alone insures an end of
peace. The holly, the mistletoe, the ivy, the acorn shell, the leafless
branch, and the fruitless vine encircle the brow-fit emblems of the
period which marks an exchange of time for eternity. All the figures are
rendered complete by a carved lion's foot, at the bottom of each, and
above the feet is a connecting frame, to make that portion of the stand
perfect. Between the figures of Spring and Summer are carved flowers and
fruit in great profusion, emblematical of the seasons, and forming a
fine piece of work; it represents the all-important fact that time
flies, by an hourglass borne on the wings of a splendidly-carved eagle,
and suspending from the bird's beak are the letters, curiously wrought,
forming TEMPUS FUGIT. This rests on a globe, representative of
the earth, which is half sunk in a shell of water, overflowing the wheel
of time, and shedding on fruit and flowers its refreshing dew. The space
between the figures of Autumn and Winter is filled with carvings of the
chrysanthemum, holly, ivy, and autumn fruit, intertwined with
consummate skill and taste. The garland, or festoon, which is carried
through, and sustained, as before stated, by each of the four figures,
is composed of every flower indigenous to this part of the land, and
introduced emblematically to the time in which they severally bloom.

Above the figures, and resting on their heads, is a stand or frame to
receive the top part, containing the drawers, doors, &c., and is
constructed in a peculiar manner on the bevel, that the eye may easily
rest on some beautiful lines from Thomson's Seasons. Over the head of
Youth, in this frame, is a basket of strawberries, cherries,
raspberries, and early fruit, surrounded with leaf w