Brightly from the beacon streaming
Comes a light across the sea;
Through the darkness ever gleaming,
Warning sailors constantly;

Lest they here might find their graves
Underneath the treacherous waves.

Light of mercy! still shine brightly,
Guiding vessels on their way;
May thy rays direct them nightly
Safe into the welcome bay;
From all fear of danger free,
Riding in security.

Emblem of that glorious beacon,

Guiding with its heavenly ray,
O'er the darkness of life's ocean,
Pilgrims on their homeward way;
Rocks of sin and sorrow past,

To their blessed home at last.

Our journey from Genoa was along the far-famed route of the Riviera, which, with the Corniche road from Nice to Genoa, alongside which we had come, are reckoned by travellers two of the most enjoyable roads in the world. We proceeded by way of Quarti and Quinto (another of those spots which claim the honour of being the birthplace of Columbus) to Nervi, with charming views occasionally opening to the landward; and on our right the open sea, with exquisite bays and bold rocky coast scenery. Nervi presents a singular appearance, the houses being brightly painted; the old ruined palace is a picturesque object. Passing over several lofty bridges we reached Reccho, where the pretty white houses, with the lofty campanile of the church, backed by the richly wooded hill and promontory of Porto Fino (which, stretching into the sea, forms the western shore of the bay of Rapallo), had a charming effect. Camogli, which we next reached, is a perfect miniature of a primitive seafaring town, very romantically built, and redolent of fish and seaweed. As evening advanced we passed a large fire on the sea-beach, for the purpose, we supposed, of guiding home in safety

those who were out in the bay fishing. As the darkness deepened the number of fireflies along our route was astonishing, and produced a remarkable and pleasing effect, scores of them at times being visible at the same moment, bursting into light and vanishing within a few feet of us. Shortly after leaving Rapallo, with its quaint arcades and lofty towers, we arrived at Chiavari, another of those picturesque towns which can only be seen in Italy. It is beautifully situated in the centre of the bay, and, from the number of its towers, presents a singular appearance. It is a place of considerable importance, and we were informed is the home of most of the organ-boys who come over to England, many of whom, by carefulness and frugality acquire for themselves a very fair competence, and return to enjoy it in their native place.

Whilst supper was preparing for us at Sestri Levante, we sallied out down one of the long lanes firefly-catching, being anxious to secure a few specimens to ascertain the kind of insect, and also where its peculiar illuminating principle lay. Though we took great pains, we only secured a single insect; but by bringing it to the light before its phosphorescence died away, we discovered all that we required, and carefully booked the specimen to bring home with us.

We did not find much in Sestri to interest us; a single night was quite sufficient, so we hastened on to Spezia. For a considerable portion of our journey we were continually in and out of tunnels, with an occasional glimpse of the blue sea, with white foam and rugged rocks. There are, I believe, nearly fifty tunnels between Genoa and Spezia. Near Moneglia we took a sketch of a stonepillar on the beach, surmounted by an iron cross, placed there, we supposed, to stimulate the devotion of sailors. Near Deiva we caught sight of a portion of a castle in ruins, with a very beautiful valley, and a singular natural bridge. Near Bonassola was an ancient church up the valley, on an eminence; whilst the mountains. in the background were capped with clouds; and as the rays of the sun burst through an opening just over one lofty mountain summit, the effect was strange and singularly beautiful. Shortly after we reached Levanto, a fair-sized town, the district round which, known by the name of "the Cinque Terre," is remarkable for the beauty of its scenery, and in ancient times for the high character of its wines.

Latin scholars will doubtless remember frequent allusions to them in the pages of Latin authors. At Vernazza we had an irruption of fish-women, taking their wares to sell at Spezia. One of them had a remarkably fine lobster, alive; we examined it with interest, but took good care to keep clear of its formidable claws and jaws. Another had a singular-looking red fish, with an enormous head. We did not any of us remember having ever seen one like it. In addition to fish, they had numbers of very fine lemons, which they offered to us at ten centesimo each, equivalent to an English penny; to each other they would have sold them at half that, I daresay, or even less. One which we measured was 10 inches in circumference. We passed a pretty cascade on our left some thirty feet high, another very long tunnel, and then entered Spezia. The port now called Spezia was in ancient times known as Luna: the gulf is not less remarkable for its beauty than for its security, being capable of containing all the navies of Europe, and possessing, from nature, far more advantages than the art of man could possibly bestow. The eye of Napoleon at once saw the great value and importance of its position, and intended making it the principal naval station of his empire. Twenty millions of francs were to be spent on its fortifications, a new city built, for the foundations of which five millions of francs were set apart, and another million devoted to the docks. But, as Burns says,

"The best laid schemes of mice and men
Aft gang aglee.'

This grandly-arranged scheme came to nothing through the intrigues of the ministry, jealous of the damage which would result to Toulon. The present Italian Government seem alive to its value by the amount of money they are spending, and the great efforts they are making to become a naval as well as a military power. Witness the experiments recently tried with the one hundred ton gun, made for them by Sir William Armstrong. What is to be the end of this ruinous competition of heavy artillery and ironclads, vast fortresses, and standing armies by the million in times of socalled peace? Because England was having the eighty-one ton gun (which we watched them boring), Italy must have her one hundred ton gun; and our Woolwich people (it is said), not to be equalled, must now project a two hundred ton gun. What next, and next?—

Oh, that the nations of the earth would cease
Their efforts to surpass in warlike deeds;

And live in harmony and concord. All
Their wealth, their talents, and their industry
Devoted to the noblest purposes;

The spread of truth and virtuous principles,

The elevation of the human race.

Resuming our journey from Spezia, we left the sea-coast, and had a variety of land views until we arrived at Arcola, with its fine bold castle; crossed the river Magra, which was once the boundary between Liguria and Etruria, and more recently between Genoa and Tuscany. We watched with interest the methods they employed to irrigate the land—a deep well, a large wheel, a donkey to turn it, with a reservoir, and numerous little canals to distribute the streams regularly over the ground wherever required. At Sarzano is an Italian Gothic cathedral about four centuries old, the façade of which is adorned by a statue of Nicholas V., who was born here, and whose mother (Andreole del Calandrini) is interred in the Capella di S. Tommaso. A little to the east of the town is the fortress of Sarzanello, built by Castruccio Castracani for the defence of the adjoining territory. The ancestors of Napoleon migrated from this neighbourhood to Corsica. There were Bonapartes here six centuries ago.

Continuing our way by Avenza, Massa Ducale, &c., we passed many places of interest, at which our stay was but brief, until shortly after passing Via Reggio and Torre Lago we caught sight of the lions of Pisa, and shortly after entered the interesting but most desolate city.

THE

THE HALIFAX GIBBET LAW.

BY WILLIAM ANDREWS, F.R. HIST. Soc.

HE Gibbet Law forms a curious feature in the history of Halifax, and it is a subject of more than local interest. The law existed from time immemorial, and its origin is probably coeval with that of the town. It has been traced to the early period of 1280; it existed at the time when the manor of Wakefield, containing the parish of Halifax, was granted to the Earl of Warren, and was continued down to 1650.

We find in Holinshed's "Chronicle," edition 1587, the following interesting account :—

"There is and hath been of ancient time a law, or rather custom, at Halifax, that whosoever doth commit any felony, and is taken with the same, or confess the fact upon examination, if it be valued by four constables to amount to the sum of thirteen-pence halfpenny, he is forthwith beheaded upon one of the next market days (which fall usually upon the Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays), or else upon the same day that he is so convicted, if market be holden. The engine wherewith the execution is done is a square block of wood, of the length of four feet and a half, which doth ride up and down in a slot, rabet, or regall, between two pieces of timber that are framed and set upright of five yards in height. In the nether end of the sliding block is an axe, keyed or fastened with an iron into the wood, which being drawn up to the top of the frame, is there fastened by a wooden pin (with a notch made into the same, after the manner of a Samson's post), unto the midst of which pin also there is a long rope fastened, that cometh down among the people; so that when the offender hath made his confession, and hath laid his neck over the nethermost block, every man there present doth either take hold of the rope (or putteth forth his arm so near to the same as he can get, in token that he is willing to see justice executed), and pulling out the pin in this manner, the head block wherein the axe is fastened doth fall down with such violence, that if the neck of the transgressor were so big as that of a bull, it should be cut in sunder at a stroke and roll from the body a huge distance. If it be so that the offender be apprehended for an ox, sheep, kine, horse, or any such cattle, the self beast, or other of the same kind, shall have the end of the rope tied somewhere unto them, so that they being driven, do draw out the pin whereby the offender is executed."

Before a felon was condemned to suffer, the proof of certain facts appears to have been essentially necessary. In the first place, the felon was to be taken in the liberty; and if he escaped out of the liberty, even after condemnation, he could not be brought back to be executed; but if he ever returned into it again, and was taken, he was sure to suffer; as was the case with one Lacy, who, after his escape, lived seven years out of the liberty, but, returning, was beheaded on his former verdict, A.D. 1623. This man was not so