The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1839-05-28


and many "A sensible girl, charmed by the magic
OF his tones, forgot TO ask whether they were Tho
gift of nature or The effect of cultivation Hi.
reputation for learning he was careful not TO en-
DANGER Allusions to Strange personal adventures
were much more common i'm his mouth thar
| philosophical discussions, and he had a tact Sc
dom equalled in turning the conversation from
DOCKS 10 things from actions to persons.
| AT length received a card to attend the we'd
ding of the rich and beautiful Matilda Easton.-
How shall describe the fairy like beauty with
which her magnificent abode was invested on
Ha a fSs Of F s and sGRP s converted
cushions of elder down, covered e Walls
est sains were piled upon the floors, the star
cases were crowded with the richest eXotics, and
every thing wore the appearance OF all Oriental
festival. The guests were attired with appro-
pirate richness, but murmur OF admiration e.
choed through the rooms ms the bridal party Gu
tered. Six bridesmaids attended the stately
bride, who in her rich robe of white velvet, en-
broidered with silver and looped with diamonds
looked "every inch Il queen" The ordinary
spendor Of the Dukes attire left no opportunity
for greater display that evening, but the almost
radient beauty of his countenance, flushed as il
was Ivy triumph, was noticed by all
The next morning the happy PAIR left the city
| for Washington, but before dinner time all the
Broadway loungers were whispering some
strange story about the Dukes cloak. Ii was
said that il had been worn less to produce Il
graceful effect than to hide most 1mgrdcejitl
deformity--In shorl, the lady S femme de cham
bre had discoveredthat ;he noble bridegroom had
Il lIump-back.
few months after, Matilda's vast property
was converted INTO bills of exchange, and they
departed for Europe, intending TO make the
grand tour, while the ancient palace Of the Du-
| cal territory of Piombino should be newly fur
| nished TO receive lis republican mistress.
Poor Matilda she has been for some time u
M rfp in n N Of Ernnce.-
Her pride will not allow her to return TO her ma
! tive land, and the remnant of her fortune has
enabled herto purchase home among strangers
! The discovery which she made OF his personal
,ieformiiy, was The first shock she encountered
but, to reconcile her 10 this, he had shown her q
| .Reur de lys stamped deeply Oh his shoulder
| as with Il hot iron, which he informed her sol
emn Injunction OF secrecy, was an indusputable
proof of his Bourbon blood, as all members Of
the royal family received that impression imme
diately after birth. This served to console the
ambitious wife for many sorrows. She saw hel
money wasted at the gaming table-she heard
her husband spoken lightly of, among his ser
vanis--slle felt his enlargement from herself,b u
still she ceased not TO pride herself in the thought
that she was the wife of prince Of the blood
| But the final blow now came. A party oil
gems u armes one day entered their magnificent
hotel, aud seized him as felon escaped from
the gallies. The ReW Ge lys, the proofof his roy
| al 6rih,was in tact the badge ofnerited inany
! Ills history may be told IN few words. lie
was French Jew, whose original employment
hail been the never failing recourse Of the poor
israelite-dealing in old clothes. Five years pre-.
! vious, he had been branded and condemned TO
the galiIes for swinnling, but having succeeded
in making his escape, he determined to push his
| fortunes in America. "Ce nest que lie premier
pas qu cone." A run Of luck at the gaming
| table gave him funds to commence his grand ex-
| perimcnt,-an accomplice less favored by nature
| assumed the station of his valet, while he play
cd 10 perfection tlse noble Duke and we have
! already seen how he succeeded.
| Whether his career is yet ended j cannot say
but my last meeting with the noble Duke del
Piombno was during visit to France few
months since, when saw him chained hy the
neck TO fellow scoundrel and busily employed
| i'll meI1in9 the road near Paris.
The fate Of the lovely Matilda is q nielancho
one ; but who of the loungers in fashionable
| life cannot recall somewhat similar case p
When we shall cease 20 ape foreign foes, and
foreign yices--when we shall learn 10 value the
title Of American citizen" above the proudest
peefage that Europe can boast then, and not ill
then, shall we cease to hear of such things
From the Edinburgh Philosophical Journal
ON The PROBABLE DURATION OF HUMAN LIFE.
| DIR Caspar, of Berlin, in his valuable work, en-
titled, Der ,oahrscheinliche Lebensdaw des Men
schen, &C. 1885, after having examined the cur
rent opinions us TO the average duration Of l,u.
man life, and as to the most satisfactory method
of ascertaining such result, announces his own
doctrine in the following proposon-'The pro-
portion Of births to the population in any place
express rlmost exactly the medium or average
duration of life there. -,
For example, suppose that this proposition is in
the ratio Of to 80, then the average life of the
inhabitants Of ,he place will he found to he BE
years.
If this rule be correct, ii must follow that the
nf ifa ~ ,
population, according as their fecundity is great
| err or less, so that man if not as an individual, al
least as member of the mass, may be said It
have it in his power to engthen or abridge hi:
life.
This, if true, is indeed proposition OF grea
importance in political economy.
To prove that the mortality is in direct ratio
with the fecundity of any population, and con
sequently, that governments, seeing that tht
force of states consists not so much ON the mer,
number, on the strength, fecundity, and lon
gev,y Of their Inhabitants ought not TO favor Ito