er their heads, and their cries of exultation fully
showed what a catching thing is the fever of the fight. One of the
dragoons now turned his eyes to the wood on the right, which the French
had possessed themselves of, and exclaimed, "But look, the guards have
come up, and are in the wood. Where did they come from? I didn't see them
before. Hark! how they shout; they are all amongst the trees."

"Yes, and they'll not soon come back; they'll keep their ground, I'll
warrant," cried the corporal.

At this moment the troopers were somewhat disarranged by a part of the
earth suddenly flying upwards in a cloud; it was the effect of a
cannon-ball which had struck the ground. They started a few paces
backwards, wiped their faces, and having all passed their jocular
sentiments on the occasion, coolly united again to view and comment on the
action.

They continued to gaze on the busy and bloody scene, with but few
observations. Mass after mass was advancing against the steady squares of
infantry, and received with roars of musketry; the cavalry of the enemy,
desperate and disappointed, galloped about the close and well-guarded
Britons, cutting at the ranks, and dropping as they cut. Artillery
bellowed upon the unyielding heroes, whose ranks closed up at every point
where the dead had opened them; they cried aloud for the order to advance;
but received the cool and prudent negative of the watchful chief, who,
during the action, was moving from rank to rank, encouraging and elevating
the energies of his men.

The repeated unsuccessful attacks of the French wore out the patience of
their general, and so thinned his ranks, that he at length ceased to
contend, and drew off his troops from the field, leaving the English
masters of it, and holding every point of the position which they had
taken up in the early part of the day.--_Tales of Military Life_.

* * * * *

RETROSPECTIVE GLEANINGS.

* * * * *

CHURCH SPIRES.

(_For the Mirror_.)

Mr. Bentham, in his "History of Ely Cathedral," says, that one of the
earliest spires of which we have any account, "is that of old St. Paul's,
finished in the year 1222." This spire was of timber covered with lead;
"but, not long after, they began to build them of stone, and to finish all
their buttresses in the same manner." Mr. Murphy observes that spires were
introduced in the 12th century, about the time that the pr