In giving us the following interesting quotation from Bancroft, Mr. Roebuck well remarks, that it shows that all the great questions respecting the planting of colonies were discussed carefully by the sagacious men who founded our American settlements, and who have left us little to discover in the so-called " Art of Colonisation."

"The patriotic party in England now possessed the control of the London Company, engaged with earnestness in schemes to advance the population and establish the liberties of Virginia; and Sir Edward Sandys, the new treasurer, was a man of such judgment and firmness that no intimidations-not even threats of bloodcould deter him from investigating and reforming the abuses by which the colony had been retarded. At his accession to office, after twelve years' labour, and an expenditure of 80,000l. by the company, there were in the Colony no more than six hundred persons, men, women and children; and now in one year he provided a passage to Virginia for twelve hundred and sixty persons. Nor must the character of the emigrants be overlooked. Few women had as yet dared to cross the Atlantic; but now the promise of prosperity induced ninety agreeable persons, young and incorrupt, to listen to the wishes of the company and the benevolent advice of Sandys, and to embark for the colony, where they were assured of a welcome. They were transported at the expense of the corporation, and were married to the tenants of the company, or to men who were well able to support them; and who willingly defrayed the costs of their passage, which were rigorously demanded. The adventure, which had been in part a mercantile speculation, succeeded so well, that it was designed to send the next year another consignment of one hundred; but before these could be collected, the company found itself so poor that its design could be accomplished only by a subscription. After some delays, sixty were actually despatched-maids of virtuous education, young, handsome, and well recommended. The price rose from one hundred and twenty to one hundred and fifty pounds of tobacco, or even more, so that all the original charges might be repaid. The debt for a wife was a debt of honour, and took precedence of any other; and the company, in conferring employments, gave a preference to the married men. Domestic ties were formed, virtuous sentiments and habits of thrift ensued; the tide of emigration swelled; within three years, fifty patents of land were granted, and three thousand five hundred persons found their way to Virginia, which was a refuge even for Puritans."-History of America.

We may remark that a habit has been growing up of late, of regarding with far too much complacency the rate at which we are colonising, compared with that of our countrymen two centuries ago. We believe, if we take into due account the various differences in the times, there is far more to wonder at in the operations of those earlier adventurers than in the achievements of our own day. The instances which we are stunned with of the Port Phillip country, and the adjacent colony of South Australia, are nothing to the point. These are both very flourishing, very beautiful, and very valuable possessions; and their social utility to this country cannot be well over-estimated. But they are no more examples of peculiar skill and rapidity in colonisation, than the American "Buffalo." To estimate any merit which we can claim for the recency of those settlements, and their present flourishing condition, we should consider what they would now be, provided we had fifteen years ago for the first time settled at the Antipodes; and had no flourishing colony like New South Wales at hand, with supplies of every description of produce, and that great source of colonial wealth, its countless sheep and cattle. Once plant a colony-let it get beyond a certain point-let it produce abundantly, and the geometrical ratio of its increase in populousness and wealth is only wonderful when we shut our eyes to the adequate causes which produce it. New colonies planted on its confines are, in reality, but new people come to appropriate its overflowing wealth. That is modern American-it is no less modern Australian

colonisation. As for New South Wales itself, we must ever remember the millions of public money it has cost this country, in the support, for more than half a century, of a convict population.

We find from Mr. Roebuck, that the English House of Commons, in a resolution to which it came on the 10th of March, 1642, gave to New England the title of "Kingdom;" and that the Bank of England aided the more modern colony of Georgia with money, while parliament gave money to it three times-in all 56,000l. This will console the amour propre of some of our younger colonies who have been indebted to parliament for a few orders on the national exchequer.

So.

In a "digression concerning the Land Fund," Mr. Roebuck contests the doctrine of "concentration;" and we think he is quite right in doing "Why," he asks, "should we suppose that any peculiar and magical effects are to be attributed to concentration? and why should we attempt, by legislative provisions, to enforce a concentration which private interest. would not induce?" Why, indeed? The truth is, artificial concentration is bad, as well as artificial dispersion. To what extent people shall disperse, to what extent concentrate, can be laid down in no book, or government regulation, or act of parliament. There is a very unmanageable animal to deal with, that sometimes, well-meaning schemers are apt to forget, forms no inconsiderable part of their machinery, and whose action is not always strictly determinate-man.

Talking of constitutions, Mr. Roebuck professes his present preference of two legislative chambers to one. Generally we concur with him, though we can conceive circumstances in the case of young colonies where one might be, for the moment, more convenient than two. We are no friends to finality; our own constitution-which was never made, but made itself, and is still making itself—is a perpetual warning to us not to expect one invariable "best possible constitution" for all times and all places. Mr. Roebuck cites the late National Assembly of France as giving no confidence to his own preconceived opinion that one chamber was sufficient, and that two were merely a clumsy addition. The present Chamber will not restore his confidence. In passing, we may note a passage on this subject, which we find in De Tocqueville's work "De la Démocratie," that able exposition of the workings of democracy in America. It is of some interest at the present time, when the shuffling of the cards has turned this writer into a democratic minister; though perhaps before this page is printed he may have had sundry successors. He observes: "Le temps et l'expérience ont fait connaître aux Américains, que la division des pouvoirs législatifs est encore une nécessité du premier ordre. Seule, parmi toutes les républiques unies, la Pennsylvanie avoit d'abord essayé d'établir une assemblée unique. Franklin lui-même, entraîné par les conséquences logiques du dogme de la souveraineté du peuple, avait concouru à cette mesure. On fut bientôt obligé de changer Cette théorie, à

de loi, et de constituer les deux chambres. peu-près ignorée des républiques antiques, introduite dans le monde presque au hasard, ainsi que la plupart des grands vérités, méconnue de plusieurs peuples modernes, est enfin passé comme un axiome dans la science politique de nos jours." (De Tocqueville, "De la Démocratie,” p. 135, vol. i.)

Pursuing the general idea of his book, Mr. Roebuck concludes with recommending that there should be a northern federation of British

American provinces. Has the time come, or will it ever come, for such a "unity?" Clearly, there can be no federation against the wishes of all or any of the members who are to compose it. If provinces are so stubbornly stupid as not to discern the advantages of Mr. Roebuck's league, and will cling to their distinct individuality, what is to be done but leave them to blunder on in the old way?

And here we leave Mr. Roebuck's book for the present, recommending it to the perusal of all persons interested in our colonies, or in the subject of colonisation; being satisfied that it contains many excellent materials, though its general design, as we have before explained, is not such as we are enabled to commend.

Since our attention has been directed to the subject of this article, we have seen the bill lately brought into parliament under the sponsorship of Lord John Russell, Mr. Labouchere, and Mr. Hawes, for the better government of the Australian colonies. We see in this measure much to commend. It gives to each of the four colonies of New South Wales, Victoria (hitherto Port Phillip), Vandiemen's Land, and South Australia, a representative legislature-hitherto enjoyed by New South Wales alone. At first, the legislature is to consist of a single chamber; but as time and experience may prompt, the single chamber has power to resolve itself into two. This seems judicious; and it shows a flattering degree of confidence in the colonists. The colonies may also form themselves, if they please, into a federation. We almost think even the permission premature; but we hope the colonists will not be led into making a hasty use of it. Indeed, there are certain little prejudices among the different colonies, which, we suspect, will repel for some time to come any approaches to an union of this sort. Some of the proposed customs' regulations strike us as open to objections; and some items in the Civil Lists we can imagine may be ill received by the colonists. But these may be amended before the bill becomes law. Our home government should view the subject in reference to their posthumous fame, and not merely to the flitting expediency of the hour. Hereafter they will be judged by the Roebucks and the Bancrofts of the time to come; and we firmly believe the wisdom of their conduct will be tested by their not having attempted too much—but by having left much to self-adaptation and selfadjustment.

ASCENT OF MOUNT ETNA IN SEPTEMBER, 1847.

BY WILLIAM ROBERTS HARRIS, ESQ.

HAVING ascended Mount Vesuvius together, and bivouacked at night on its rugged surface, until driven off by a violent storm, we (that is, my two travelling companions, one a fellow-countryman, the other an American, both pleasant fellows, and myself), determined on likewise making the ascent of Mount Etna, and, as on our arrival at Messina the weather was favourable for the attempt, of at once pushing on to Catania. I was the more anxious for this course, as I was in hopes of meeting a party of Austrians with whom I had travelled in the Tyrol and north of Italy two years previously, and who had been staying at the same

hotel at Naples as myself, when they had asked me to meet them at Catania and Etna, which I had partly promised to do. Accordingly, on the morning of the 22nd of September last, we found ourselves in the post carriage that runs from Messina to Catania, with a Sicilian gentleman for our companion. It was not, however, without some little difficulty as regarded passports that we were enabled to leave Messina as early as we did, for the town was evidently in a very excited state, and several prisoners were brought in whilst we were there, which will account for the great deal of unnecessary trouble the police authorities gave us before our passports were declared to be "en règle." The scenery around Messina is exceedingly picturesque, and the city itself is handsome and well-built, beautifully situated at the head of the Straits, that divide Sicily from Calabria, from which it seems to have been separated by some violent convulsion of nature. A short distance from Messina are the classic Scylla and Charybdis. The country through which we passed in our journey to Catania is mostly rich and picturesque, but in some parts sterile and rugged. The road is, however, execrable, and it required some little skill to keep our seats, and prevent our being tossed up against the roof of the carriage, when our postilion charged the beds of the numerous torrents that swept across the road. He was not always successful in making his way, as twice our vehicle sunk deep into the debris, and it required a good deal of exertion from horses, guard, and passengers before it could be got out, and we were enabled to resume our journey. The villages we passed through were poor and wretched-looking. At the small posthouse, where we stopped for refreshment, although we obtained good fruit, yet it was brought in in a dirty basket; and, there being no plates, we were obliged to eat the eggs out of the pan in which they had been fried. There was only one cup, but it was of classic shape; the wine being poured out of the dirty pigskin, which the Sicilians still use to carry it in. In one corner of the room was a heap of manure, and we were literally besieged by a host of starving fowls and a ravenous dog. Of the inhabitants I must make the same remark as of the villages; they seemed, however, good-tempered, and several times greeted us with cheers as we passed by whole troops of them (mostly of women, and the ugliest I almost ever saw), laden with the produce of the vintage, which was in full operation. They seemed much surprised at our walking, which we did whenever we changed horses; and once or twice the more curious followed us, evidently thinking we must be mad to walk in the fierce sun of Sicily instead of riding. On one occasion, a gend'armes (numbers of whom were patrolling the road) looked very scrutinisingly at my companion the Sicilian; and who, although at first reserved, when I spoke to him of politics afterwards, when I asked the reason of the gend'armes' manner, explained that he belonged to the liberal party, which the man could see; as he wore the white slouched hat, with the band and tassels, that distinguish that party at Messina, and which is looked upon with great suspicion and dislike by the government. This, on further inquiry, I found to be correct, and that the liberal party at Palermo was distinguished by a belt, or sash, worn round the waist, many of whom had been, it was said, arrested, and two men executed. On another occasion, when we had pushed on after sunset some distance ahead of our carriage, and were in full chase after my fellow-country

man, who fancied a run over the broken road would do us good, we met a party of gensd'armes, some in a cart, others on horseback, who, probably attracted by my American friend's hat-a similar one to the Sicilian's-demanded our passports of us. For these, we referred them to the guard of the post, and then immediately dived down a ravine close to us, leaving the guardians of the road staring after us, evidently thinking that the "Inglesi" were bewildered. About midway we passed the ridge on which the ruins of ancient Tauromenum are proudly situate, and then came in view of lofty Etna, whose hoary head, the object of our ambition, was covered with clouds.

Arrived at Catania, we put up at Signor Abate's comfortable hotel (for Sicily), and after having refreshed both the outward and the inward man, the former by plentiful ablutions, and the latter by a good supper, desired to see our host (who was for many years chief guide), and confer with him on our proposed expedition. He accordingly made his appearance, and told us that our best plan was to take horses, mules, and provisions at Catania; from which place we ought to start about ten in the morning for Nicolosi, where we could procure a guide; rest there an hour, then proceed to the Casa del Bosco, where we ought to dine and rest till midnight; thence push on to the Casa Inglesi, and after an hour's stay there, ascend to the summit of the Cone, in time to see the sun rise; descending to breakfast at the Casa Inglesi, and returning to Catania in time for a late dinner. This our polite Boniface, in the purest Italian I ever heard, assured us on his honour, pressing his hands to his heart-and who could disbelieve him when he spoke so sonorous a language?—was the best plan; and if, as it was then late, we would only retire to our beds and leave every thing to him, we should find mules, horses, provisions, and all requisites ready for us in the morning. This advice being seconded by the renowned" Placido," the waiter, we retired to our respective dormitories, where, notwithstanding our enemies the mosquitoes, we were quickly asleep.

September 23.-Up early making preparations for our expedition, which consisted, on our parts, in dressing ourselves as coolly as possible, but in packing up to take with us all the warm clothing and coats we could muster; in making a most excellent breakfast; in sending the ever-ready Placido on all manner of errands; in visiting the kitchen, and inspecting the preparations there making for supplying us with eatables; and lastly in inspecting our horses. At length, every thing being ready, and our sumpter mule laden with all kinds of provisions, clothes, firing, &c., we mounted our beasts, and about half-past ten were on our way to the mountain. Just, however, before we started, Abate begged me to lead the way, and not go near my American friend's horse, for if I did, he said, in his broken English," him (my horse) poke fist at other," a very common accomplishment with Sicilian horses.

Accordingly, we commenced our march in single file; the muleteer leading the way with the sumpter-mule, I close behind him, and my two friends in the rear. As we wended our way through the streets, several of the lounging Sicilians came out to look at our cavalcade, and seemed much amused at our costumes, which, if not picturesque, were convenient. My American companion wore a light loose jacket and slouched hat, and carried a large umbrella over his head; my fellowcountryman had on the everlasting but useful costume of an Englishman,