The Sun.
London, England, 1861-02-14 00:00:00

SUMMER DAYS.

Pleasanter scenes come up this afternoon with the men-
tion of summer days. I see depths of wood, where all the
light is coolly green, and the rippling brook is crystal clear.
I see vistas through pines, like cathedral vaults; the space
enclosed looks on a sunshiny day almost black, and a bit of
bright blue sky at the end of each is framed by the trees
into the likeness of a Gothic window. I see walls of gray
rock on either side of a river, noisy and brawling in winter
time, but now quiet and low. For two or three miles the
walls of rock stretch onward ; there are thick woods above
them, and here and there a sunny field : masses of ivy
clothe the rock in places ; long sprays of ivy hang over. I
walk on in thought till I reach the opening of the glen ;
here a green bank slopes upward from a dark pool below,
and there is a fair stre ch of champaign country beyond the
river ; on the summit of the green bank, on this side, moul-
dering, gray, ivied, lonely, stand the ruins of the monas-
tery, which has kept its place here for 700 years. I see the
sky-framing eastern window, its tracery gone. There are
masses of large daisies varying the sward, and the sweet
fragrance of young clover is diffused through all the air. I
turn aside and walk through lines of rose-trees in their
summer perfection. I hear the drowsy hum of the laden
bees. Suddenly it is the twilight, the long twilight of
Scotland, which would sometimes serve you to read
by at eleven o'clock at night. The crimson flush has
faded from the bosom of the river ; if you are alone its
murmur begins to turn to a moan ; the white stones of the
churchyard look spectral through the trees. I think of
poor Dr. Adam, the great Scotch schoolmaster of the last
century, the teacher of Sir Walter Scott, and his last
words, when the shadow of death was falling deeper—" It
grows dark, boys ; you may go." Then, with the profes-
sional bias, Igoto a certain beautiful promise which the
deepening twilight seldom fails to suggest to me ; a pro-
mise which tells us how the Christian's day shall end, how
the day of life might be somewhat overcast and dreary,
but light should come on the darkened way at last. "It
shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be
clear nor dark. But it shall be one day which shall be
known to the Lord, not day, nor night; but it shall come
to pass that at evening time it shall be light." I think of
various senses in which it might be shown that these words
speak truly; in which its great principle holds good, that
signal blessing shall come when it is needed most and ex-
pected least ; but I think mainly how, sometimes, at the
close of the chequered and sober day, the Better Sun has
broken through the clouds, and made the flaming west all
purple and gold. I think how always the purer light
come; if not in this world, then in a better. Bowing his
head to pass under the dark portal, the Christian lifts it on
the other side, in the presence and the light of God. I
think how you and I, my reader, may perhaps have stood
in the chamber of death, and seen in the horizon the sum-
mer sun in glory going down. But it is only tons who remain
that the evening darkness is growing—only for us that the
sun is going down. Look on the sleeping features, and
think, " Thy sun shall no more go down, neither shall thy
moon withdraw herself ; for the Lord shall be thine ever-
lasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended."
And then, my reader, tell me—as the evening falls on you,
but not on him ; as the shadows deepen on you, but not on
him • as the darkness gathers on you, but not on him—if,
in sober reality, the glorious promise has not found its per-
fect fulfilment, that " at the evening time there shall be
light I"

In the volume itself there are many other passages
full of fun or of feeling, which we have not space
to quote. The reader of cultivated taste and
thoughtful mind cannot fail to be gratified with
its perusal, however he may differ from theories,
or dissent from opinions, or even if he occasionally
discover too great a tendency to discursiveness ald
diffuseness. Such productions, as the author truly
says, cannot always be equal. Let us be thankful,
amid the abundance of mediocre and indifferent
publications, when we meet one so far above the
average, so true in its experience, so sound in its
teaching, and so fresh and captivating in its style,
as this volume of "Recreations."

THIS DAY'S MARKETS.

CORN EXCHANGE.

1311 ERIAL WEEKLY AVERAGES. - Wheat, 54s Od ;
barley, 39s 8d ; oats, 22s 6d ; rye, 36s 3d ; beans, 39s
Od ; and peas, 42s 7d.

THE Six WEEKS' AVERAGES. - Wheat, 56s ld ;
barley, 40s 3d ; oats, 22s 10d ; rye, 35s lld ; beans, 42s Od ;
peas, 42s 10d.

ENGLISH GRAIN SOLD LAST WEEK.—Wheat, 57,621;
barley, 71,966 ; oats, 23,768 ; rye, 22; beans, 5,168 ; peas,
1132 quarters.

METROPOLITAN CATTLE MARKET.

Our market to-day was but moderately supplied with
beasts, nevertheless all breeds moved off slowly at Monday's
currency. Prime Down sheep were very scarce, and in re-
quest at full prices, Long-woolled sheep moved off heavily,
and in some instances the quotations gave way 2d per 81bs.
Calves, the supply of which was limited, changed hands
freely at full prices. Pigs were firm, but mulch cows were
very dull.

Per Sibs to sink the offal.

s. d. s. d.
f.3rse. &inf. beasts 3 2 3 4
Second quality do. 3 6 4 0
Prime large oxen 4 2 4 6
Prime Scots &c. 4 8 4 10
Crse. & inf. sheep 3 10 4 2
Second quality do. 4 2 4 8

a. d. s. d.
' Primecrs-wool do. 5 0 5 8
Pme. S'thdown do 5 10 6 2
I Large arse. calves 4 8 5 2
Prime small do 5 4 5 8
Large hogs 4 0 4 6
Small porkers
)d to Os Od.

- - Lambs, Os I
Suckling calves, 198 to 22s
238 to 3)8.

and quarter •old store pigs,

TOTAL SUPPLY.

Beasts 940
Sheep and lambs 3,960
Calves
Pigs

FOILEIGN SUPPLY.
Beasts .............. .120
Sheep .............. 700
Calves
Pigs ........... ...

- -
MEAT MARKETS.
NEWGATE AND LEADENHALL. - The supplies of
meat, are only moderate, and trade is inactive as follows :
Beef, from 2s 10d to 4s 4d ; mutton, 3s 10d to 5s
Od ; lamb, Os Od to Os Od ; veal, 4s 4d to 5s Od ; pork,
3s 10d to 5s Od per Blbs. by the carcase.
SOUTHALL, Feb.l3 .—A fair average business doing, as
follows : Beef, 3s 6d to 4s 10d , mutton, 4s Od to
5s 10d ; lamb, Os Od te, Os Od ; veal, 4s 6d to 5s 2d; pork, 4s
Od to 5s Od per 81bs to sink the offal.

RomroßD, Feb. 13. A steady sale, as follows :
Beef, from 3s Gd to 4s Od; u.utton, 4s 4d to 6s Od ;
lamb, Os Od to Os Od ; veal, 4s 8d to 5s 4d ; and pork, 4s
Oil to 5s Od per Blbs ; suckling calves, 14s to 19s; quarter
old store pigs, 23s to 30s each; and mach cows, £l4 Os
to £l9 Os each.