sombre spectacle of which it has been a witness. The effect is that of the opening the doors of a temple, or raising the curtain of a theatre; and although the sky may be overspread with clouds, there is something dazzling in the sudden encounter of the sea and the blue vault of heaven, so great is the contrast between their lustre and the dark walls through which the spectator may have passed. At the extremity, on the horizon, the Isle of Iona is clearly seen, at a distance of two miles. Even the whitened ruins of its cathedral, resting on the black and rugged rocks, against which the waves dash and shiver, can be easily discerned.

Staffa.-A small island, lying to the west of Mull, off the mainland of Argyllshire.

Lava.-The name given to the melted material which bursts from the mouth or crater of a volcano. Basaltic.-Composed of basalt, which is an iron-coloured stone, occurring in regular masses, and in the form of columns or pillars. The Giant's Causeway in Ireland furnishes the best example of basaltic columns. Nave. The body of a church, supposed to be so called from a fancied resemblance of the roof to the hull of a ship (Latin-navis, a ship).

QUESTIONS:-1. Where is Staffa? 2. What is its formation? 3. What is lava? 4. What are basaltic pillars? 5. What is the first impression one has on entering this cave? 6. What produces this impression? 7. To what may the cave be compared? 8. What is the nave of a church? 9. What is the probable origin of the word? 10. Where is Iona? 11. For what is Iona celebrated?

LESSON XXXVIII.

Lord Ullin's Daughter.

dis-cov'-er, find out, overtake.
dis-may'-ed, terrified, fright-
ened.

lash'd, beat upon.
pre-vail'-ing, making head.

scowl, dark angry look.
wail'-ing, grief, lamentation.
wight, peasant.

win'-some, graceful, attrac

tive.

A CHIEFTAIN, to the Highlands bound,
Cries, "Boatman, do not tarry!
And I'll give thee a silver pound
To row us o'er the ferry!"

"Now who be ye would cross Lochgyle,
This dark and stormy water?"
"Oh! I'm the chief of Ulva's isle,

And this, Lord Ullin's daughter :

"And fast before her father's men,
Three days we've fled together;
For should he find us in the glen,
My blood would stain the heather.

"His horsemen hard behind us ride-
Should they our steps discover,
Then who will cheer my bonny bride,
When they have slain her lover?"

Outspoke the hardy Highland wight,
"I'll go, my chief—I'm ready :-
It is not for your silver bright,

But for your winsome lady!

'And, by my word, the bonny bird
In danger shall not tarry;

So though the waves are raging white,
I'll row you o'er the ferry?"

By this the storm grew loud apace,
The water-wraith was shrieking,
And in the scowl of heaven each face
Grew dark as they were speaking.

But still as wilder blew the wind,
And as the night grew drearer,
Adown the glen rode armèd men!-
Their trampling sounded nearer !

Oh! haste thee, haste!" the lady cries, "Though tempests round us gather,

I'll meet the raging of the skies,

But not an angry father."—

The boat has left a stormy land,
A stormy sea before her,-
When-oh! too strong for human hand!
The tempest gathered o'er her.

And still they row'd amidst the roar
Of waters fast prevailing:

Lord Ullin reached that fatal shore-
His wrath was changed to wailing:

For sore dismayed, through storm and shade,
His child he did discover!-

One lovely hand was stretched for aid,
And one was round her lover.

“Come back! come back!" he cried in grief,

"Across this stormy water:

And I'll forgive your Highland chief,
My daughter! O my daughter!”

Twas vain-the loud waves lash'd the shore,
Return or aid preventing :-

The waters wild went o'er his child,

And he was left lamenting.

CAMPBELL.

Lochgyle. Sometimes said to be the same as Lochgoil, an arm of Lochlong, one of the lochs branching off from the estuary of the Clyde. But this is most unlikely. The poet, in all probability, had no special locality in view, but adopted the name Lochgyle to give to the ballad more vividness and a greater appearance of reality. Ulva.-A small island to the west of Mull, in Scotland. The water-wraith.-Alluding to the superstitions of Scotland, where fairies and other spirits are supposed to have an important hand in raising storms. Our literature is full of allusions to these beliefs. Shakespeare's comedy of "The Tempest" owes much of its plot to the power which Prospero possessed over the elements. Burns, likewise, in his poem of Tam o' Shanter more than once alludes to the same subject.

QUESTIONS:-1. Where is Ulva? 2. What loch has been taken for Lochgyle? 3. What probably induced the poet to fix on a particular name? 4. What is the water-wraith? 5. What is the superstition regarding the water-wraith? 6. Quote Burns's lines regarding the power of evil spirits over storms. 8. Tell, in your own words, the story of this ballad. 9. Mention any other of Campbell's poems which you know.

LESSON XXXIX.

Death of Captain Cook.

ag-gres'-sion, attack, assault. cut'-ter, a small boat used by ships of war.

de-ject'-ion, sadness, sorrow. de-mol'-ished, destroyed.

de-sist', give up.

ob-ser'-va-tor-y, watch-tower,
place of observation.
pin'-nace, a small vessel navi-
gated with oars and sails.
prem'-a-ture, too soon, too
early.

fer-ment, commotion, excite- pre-cip-i-ta'-tion, hurry and

ON the 26th of October, 1778, Captain Cook arrived at Owhyhee, one of the Sandwich Islands. He continued here until February, 1779, when an event happened that cost him his life.

Toward the evening of the 13th of February, 1779, a theft committed by a party of the islanders on board the Discovery gave rise to a disturbance of a very serious nature. Pareea, a personage of some authority, was accused of the theft, and a scuffle ensued, in which Pareea was knocked down by a violent blow on the head with an oar. The natives immediately attacked the crew of the pinnace, with a furious shower of stones and other missiles, and forced them to swim off with great precipitation to a rock at some distance from the