DELUSION scour GENIUS.

It is a common mistake, especially with young men of ability, to suppose that what they call genius is sufficient for success in life. They sneer at “ mere plodders,” and beast that it is only necessary to apply themselves for a few riiitiutes in order to conquer the more ditlicult task. \'\'e have seen, in our time, many such. \\'e have observed them, moreover, in every walk of life. \Ve have knmvii them as quick working mechanics, as brilliant decltiimers in societies, as witty or eloquent students in college. But we have lived long enough to notice, that inest oftlteiii have made sliip— wrecks of themselves forever. The smart mechanic, disdiiining to work all the week when four or ﬁve days’ labor would produce as much as others earned, who toiled from Monday morning till Saturday night, has generally acquired habits of dissipation and idleness, atid ended, sometinies, in the penitentiary, but more frequently in the drunkard's grave. The showy orator has becotne a lazy latvyer, or good-for-nothing editor, or pot-house politician. The idle, though able student, has sunk into it “ fast” young man, and died before he reached forty, the victitn of his own excesses. As we look back on those we knew of these classes scarcely twenty years ago, we see, alas! that almost general ruiti has over- taken them.

That there is naturally it difference be- tween men in point of ability, we do no pretend to deity. This difference is less great, however, than is generally supposed; and no genius, moreover, is sufficient of itself, without discipline, and study. _The difference, we say, is not so great as is usually believed. It is true, that one person may excel another in what is popularly called eloquence, but generally he is deﬁ- cient in something else, as, for example, in the purely logical faculty. A witty lawyer, able to keep a jury in a roar, may not be as eompetent,to argue a case in bar as it less felicitons rival. An excellent book- keeper to whom long columns of ﬁgures are

, nothing, may yet have no mechanical fa- culty at all; and a good mechanic may be a poor accountant. Nature wisely distri- butes her favors, generally bestowing diffe- rent specialities, so to speak, on different persons. Jefl'erson was a great civilian, but had no talent for war whatever. \Vayne was a splendid general, but quite an indiffe- tetit legislator. Putnam could head a charge giilltintly , or defend a post heroical- ly, but had no head for planning a compli- cated campaign. In more humble life, we see similar proofs of this difference. These are women, for instance, who can cut and ﬁt, as if by instinct, who seem, indeed, natural born mantuamakera or tailors. There are others who always bungle, if they attempt such things.

Everybody, in fact, who is not an idiot, has a favourite faculty, or, to use the pro- vcrbial phrase, “ knack of doing some- thing.” Now genius, in itstrue acceptation, is a knack of doing many things; or in its narrower sense, is it knack of excelling in literature, politics, or war. But as, in the liumblostlifo, proﬁciency, even in that for which the person has a peculiar faculty, is only to be obtained by practice, so in the lfghor walks of mind, discipline is absolute- ly necessary. The boy who is put to learn the stone-cutter’s trade because he is always moulding ﬁgures in clay, never becomes a sculptor unless he studies hard. The youthful dabbler in water colors never rises to be it great painter, without long years devoted to his art. The lad who makes a capital college speech, ends in becoming a wordy deelaimer, unless he learns to think. It was not only his talent for painting, which won for Raphael the title of“ divine," but the days and nights he devoted to mus- teriag drawing and composition. The great

Hilton worked hard at poetry, thirty years, endeavouring to perfect himself, before he began Paradise Lest. There is not is famous name in history of which the same cannot he daid. To rely merely on what is

called genius, is to ensure failure, and is to T1,

cut away opportunities bestowed by nature —it is, in fact, to squander like aspendthrift, the fortune which, as it were, was given in advance at birth.

The San Francisco festival in honor of the fall of Scbastopol, ended in a row. ]O,m0 persons we present.

2 proposals (I to pa) make I wad ing.

HASZAt{lJ’S GAZl'l'l"l‘l~Z, JANUARY 12

Tiiii: Cniitii:/in l{:tii.w.u'.—'l‘he Daily Nrwi correspondent says, *6 Since last neck two additional locomotives (old out-t-) have been lantlcd at Baliiltlava and placed upon the Rail- way. The little " Alliance” has trendy begun to ruti on the line. and, as she puffs tid screech- es along at the rate ofeiglit or ten miles ati hour, with her euinbrous tail of aortic ltslf-dozen heavily laden trut-ks, iitti.-use is the gaping woiiderinetit,and inultitutlitiotts are the marge!- Iahs.‘ of inztiiy a crowd of Taztars, Croats, Bulgarians, pure-blooded Turks, Arabs, lliiidoos, and lleaven knows what other nationalities besides, whom heavy wages and light work have attracted to this Crimean Babel. The wire ropp so long used by 'the stationary engine to pull the wagons up the incline near Katlikoi has been removed, arid the entire traction of the line will, it is hoped, he done by three locomotives iiuw upon the rails. If this can be accomplished, the gain to our transport campivards will be titt- iitense, and the scores of heavy tinitiials hitherto employed on the line solely will be available for the branch labours through the various divisions, and other parts of the camp not immediately cuntzectcd with the railway.“

The Paris correspondent of the Jlcrning Herald has forwarded to that journal the follow-l iiig intelligence, which is not Illenlltilled 0 lse-l where 1-“ Letters from the Sea of Azolf announce that the English at Kertch have obttiiii-' ed a brilliant sucess, with the troops of the. Turkish contingent. They attacked a Russian; division 4000 strotig, who were guarding a very large depot of forage. The Russians were put, to the rent. and all the stacks destroyed by ﬁrc.l The Turks only lost a ti.-w men in the aﬂ'air.; 'I‘he loss of the enemy is said to have been very: great. A very melanclioly event has just taken? place in the Black Sea. 'I‘he Sardinia, a Sardin-= ian war steamer, which was bringing to Constan-Q tinople a great number of sick from the ambulan-, on of Baliiklava, has foundered, and all on board‘. perished.” Some confused accounts of the ' burning ofihe Russian stores at Ghcisk, by the ' crews of Captain 0sbortie’a guiiboats, has probs- ’ hly given rise to this repoyt ofan action and do» Itructioii of forage ; and it may he hoped, thit_: the other report will not be confirmed.

a wonderful country for ame. Campbell, of the 46th, the other day, with- out tt dog, shot 7 couple of woodeocks; the Hon. Captain Keane, R. E... II I-2 brace,. with a hare and a few quail. This officer

couple ofquail. The French think nothing ofshooting at small birds with ball; and the Zouaves are particularly successful at

keep.—-[Times Correspondent.]

This year it has been noticed that a large quantity of Scotch herrings have found their way to Russia, either via Dant- zic or Konigsberg; and in at least one instance, it is said, that a cargo was invoiced direct from the Scottish coast to Warsaw where the importer made a very handsome proﬁt. One great inducement to the Rus- sian population to purchase the herring is the quantity ofsalt the barrels are found to contain undissolved, owing to the blockade salt in Russia being very dear and very scarce. The whole quantity of herrings sent to Russia, directly or indirectly, from Scotland, is estimated at 75,000 barrels. o—- .

A Lciu-ric Docroit.—RecsiiiIy, while one of the patients of the Lunatic Asylum, who was formerly a doctor, was taking his accustomed stroll for air and exercise, his was attracted to a house not far from the asylum by the cries of a young girl, who, in climbing over afcncc. had fallen and broken her arm. On entering the door he ascertained that the poor, dccrepid, bed- ridden mothor and the unforunate girl, whose labor was the only support of the two, were the only occupants. A boy had been sent for a phy- sician or surgeon.‘ The doctor could not witness the young girl‘: distress, so be ioslanly went to work and set and splintered the broken limb. The old lady with tears ofjoy and gratitude, exclaim- ed, "Doctor, what’s to pay ‘l" ‘'0, nothing, he replied ; “I am amply repaid in the satisfaction this opportunity has afforded me to relieve your daughter's distress.” “ Than you, dear doc- tor, and God bless you! But when the doctor we have sent for arrives, who shall we say set the arm—what name and residence, doctor!” "Tell him," said our doctor, “that a patient from New York State Lunatic Asylum did ' ."—Uli'co

9 87¢?"-

Tho following has been as the Arithmetic of love. Alter introduction; Qcomplimcnts make I blush, 3 blushes make I tender look, 4 tender looks make I ramble b

moonlight, 2 rambles make I roposa ,

told me, that he had at different times,l without neglecting his duties, killed 105‘

killing foxes, whose skins they of course ,-

READING.

Every man and every woman who can read at all, should adopt some deﬁnite purpose in their re-.tdiiig—sltould take something for the main stem tin trunk of tlioir culture, where hraiiclies might grow out. in all directions, seeking light and air for the parent tree, which, it is hoped, might end in becoming something useful and ornamental, and wlticti, titany rate, tillalong, will have had life and growth in it.

It. must not be supposed that this clioico and IlItllnk6..nC0 of one or more subjects of study must necessarily lead to pedantry or narrowness of mind. The Arts at-6 sisters; Languages are close kindred; Sciences and fellow workmen ; almost every branch of human knowledge is immediately cotincctod with biography falls into history, which, after drawing intoitselfvarious minor streams, such as geography, jurisprud- ence, political and social economy, issues forth upon the still deeper waters of general philoso-

iy. There are very few, if any, vacant spaces

etwceii various kinds of knowledge: any truck in the forest, iitettdfiistly ptirsned loans into one of the great higliwayszjust its you often find, in considering the story of any little island. that you are perpetually brought back into the general history ofthe world, and that this small rocky place has partaken the fate of mighty thrones and distant empires. In short, all things are so connected together that it man who knows one subject well, cannot, ifhe would, fail to have acquired much be- sides; and that man will not be likely to keep fewer pearls who has n_string to put them on. than he who picks them tip without method. 'l‘liis, however, is it very poor meta- phor to represent the matter; for what I would aim at producing, not merely holds together what is gained, but has vitality in itself, is always growing. And anybody will conﬁrm this, who, in his own case, has had any branch of study of human nflitirs to work u on; for he must have observed how all he meets seems to work in with, and assimilate itself to, his own peculiar subject. During his lonely walks, or in society, or in action, it seems as if. this one pursuit were something almost independent of himself, always on the watch, and claiming its share in whatever is

GAME in Tris CitiMi:s.—The Crimea is going on. Major‘ . . . . fsubject, and method in the pursuit of it, I do ' not wish to be held to a narrow interpretation [of that word “subject.” For example, I can

Again, by recommending some choice of

imagine amen saying,l do not care particu- larly to investigate this or that question in history; [am not going to pursue any branch of science ; but I have is desire to_ know what the most renowned men have writtcn;[ will see what the twenty or thirty poets hrvo said , wliatin various ages has appeared the best expression of things nearest to the heart and ancy of man. A person of more adventure and more time might seek to_ include the great- est writers in morals or history. There are not so many of them. If a man were to road it. hundred great authors. he wonid, Isnspect, have heard what mankind has yet had to say upon most thin IMII aware of the culture that would be required for such an enterprise ; butl merely give it as an instance of what may justlyoonic under the head or the pur- iiuitof one subject as! mean it, and which certianly would not be calledis narrow pur- 0'0. P This is another view of reading, which though it is obvious enough, is seldom taken; I imagine, or at least acted n _ n ; and that is, that in the course of our rca tug, we should lay up in our minds a store oﬂ'_ goodly thoughts in well-wrought words, which should a livin treasure of knowledge _always with _us. and from which, at various times, and _amidst all the shifting of circumstances, we might be sure of drawing some comfort, guidance, and sympathy. We see this with regard to the sacred writings. “A word a kon_ in due season, how d is it!" But t. are is a simi- lsr comfort on a lower level to be obtained from other sources than sacred ones. In on work thatis worth carefully reading, there is generally something that is worth remembering accurate-I . A man whose mind is cnrichs with the best sayin of the poets of his coun- try, isa more in ependent man, walks the streets in a town. or the lanes in thc_ country, with for more delight than be otherwise would; and is taught by wise observers of man on nature to examine for himself. Sancho Panza with his roverbsisa not deal better than is would ave been wit out them, and I eon- tcnd thata man has something in himself to meet troubles and diﬂicnlties. small or great. who has stored in his mind some of the best things which have been said about troubles and dillicultica. Moreover, the loneliness of sorrow is thereby diminisbcd.—n-i iii

The Buffalo Commercial, in alluding to the large sums expended in that city for presents on Christmas day, says that one gentleman invested four ftlldfcd t-“"0" ill books on that day.

aaszannm GAZETTE

Saturday January 12, 1850. 'I'n:Civil cases ‘tried this 'l‘eriu, were. as .—fol- low, viz :— l\l‘Gill, vs. Corish, Assuiiipsit; verdict foi- Plaintiff. J. ll. Winsloe, 1'3. Stephen Martin, Debt for Rent; verdict ...i- Plaintiff. James Stewart, rs. Francis llI‘Quado, at at‘. res ass ; verdict for Plaintiff. E ward Ilaythorne and another, rs. James Coy, (S_peciitl Jury,) Debt for Rent; verdict for Plaintiff.

THERE happened during this Term one ofthosc anomalous occurrences whicli are peculiar, we believe, to Courts regulated by the uittxims of English jurisprudence. 'l‘wo women of the name of .\l*(ir;i.th. were arraigned on an Indict- ment for Bur hiriiusly entering it. dwelling house ofonc Ailani Murray, and stealing a Cash Box with a quantity of money. On being asked the usual question,——“ Are on guilty or not guilty?" they replied “Guilty." Before the plea was recorded, the Chief Justice after ti. short conference with Mr. Justice Peters, warned the prisoners of the consequence of pleading guilty, reminded them that their lives were in jeopar- dy, and that it would be his painful duty if they persisted in pleading guilty, to pronounce sentence of death upon them. On it subsequent day, when the cause canto on to he tried, it ap- peared thtit the evidence for the crown was a confession ntiide b the prisoners to Murray himself, who had induced them to make this acknowledgment under it promise, that by so do- ing, they would be treated with greater lcnity. The Court held, that ii. confession under cir- cumstances oftliis nature was not such evidence of the commission of the crime as ought to in- duce a Jury to find them guilty, and therefore refused to allow it. That in order to render a confession of the parties accused available evi- dence for the prosecution, it ought to appear that it was it voluntary acknowledgment of guilt, and the party making it uninlluenced by either promises or threats. There being no other evidence, the Court directed a verdict of acquittal. This was all as it should be, and in accordance with the law as it had been long set- tled and acted upon. We cannot, however, but think that this is one of those fallacies which are fast disappearing. an end to which will be given b the improved methods of administering justice in modern times greo with the maxim, that B confession of guilt should not be drawn forth by undue or improper promises or threats made to the accused. and go fully with the law, that when parties are brought before ministers of justice, however humble, that no

‘confession should be received but one purely

voluntary, and that the parties should be can- tioned, that any confession made to it. magistrate or constable would be used it inst them on their trial ; but we think a difference should be made where the confession is elicited by an advice on the part of one not clothed with au- thority. Nothing is more common than when parties are accused of it crime, for them to turn round and seek counsel of the bystanders, and nothing is also more common, more natural, and we would add, more rational, than for the person thus addressed, to advise the ac- cused, that if he be really guilty, it would lie his best policy to confess his guilt, that there- by ho might be better dealt with, and the u- nishmcnt be made lighter. Now, we think,t at in all such cases,thc evidence should be received, but, that when the fact of the guilt of the party accused rests solely on it confession thus ob- tained, that in such case, the promise of lonity should be fairly acted up to, and a modiﬁcation of the punishment awarded. It acorns a mock- ery of justice to have it party come in and con- fess himself guilty, and, when induced to with- draw the Ian, to be acquitted for want of evidence. t would be better, we think, in II these cases, to allow the plea to be record&, and take the circumstances into consideration when awarding punishment

Charlottotown,Jan. 7th, 1856. bit‘. Editor; Believing that it will afford gratiﬁcation to your numerous readers,to learn something of the movements of the Total Abstinence body on our Island, I venture to tres s upon your s sec for a bricfuotice of a Public Temperance ectin held in this City on the evening of New Year's Thy. The Central Committee felt it to be but right to hold simultaneous meetin sin every principal loco on the Island, on the day when the Liquor w would como into operation in the sister Province of New Brunswick, in order to give expression to our congratulations to the friends of the cause in that Province on their having

I ‘It! were

achieved so great a triumph, in well as to im- prove a ﬁtting opportnnit of presenting to the public throughout the Is and, our strong and decided conviction on this t and absorbing

question of Legal Prohibi on. ~ - I am ha py to inform you, that such moot. o din various places,“ which, as