aware that it was utterly impracticable to reach that night the place of our destination.

But, in spite of every obstacle, the strength of the two Canadians was astonishing. With bodies bent forward, and leaning on their collar, on they marched, drawing the tobogins after them with a firm, indefatigable step; and we had all walked a little more than seven hours, when the snowstorm had increased to such a pitch of violence that it seemed impossible for any human creature to withstand it; it bid defiance even to their most extraordinary exertions. The wind now blew a hurricane. We were unable to see each other at a greater distance than ten yards, and the drift gave an appearance to the surface of the snow we were passing over like that of an agitated sea. Wheeled round every now and then by the wind, we were enveloped in clouds so dense that a strong sense of suffocation was absolutely produced. We all halted; the Canadians admitted that further progress was impossible; but the friendly shelter of the forest was at hand, and the pines waved their dark branches in token of an asylum. We turned our shoulders to the blast, and, comfortless and weatherbeaten, sought our refuge. The scene, though changed, was still not without interest; the frequent crashes of falling trees, and the cracking of their vast limbs, as they rocked and writhed in the tempest, created awful and impressive sounds. But it was no time to be idle; warmth and shelter were objects connected with life itself, and the Canadians immediately commenced the vigorous application of their resources. By means of their small, light axes, a good-sized maple tree was, in a very few minutes, levelled with the earth; and in the meantime we cleared of snow a square spot of ground with large pieces of bark nipped from the fallen trees. The fibrous bark of the white cedar, previously rubbed to powder between the hands, was ignited, and blowing upon this a flame was produced. This being fed, first by the silky peelings of the birch bark, and then by the bark itself, the oily and pitchy matter burst forth into full action, and a splendid fire raised its flames and smoke amidst a pile of huge logs, to which one and all of us were constantly and eagerly contributing.

Having raised a covering of spruce boughs above our heads to serve as a partial defence from the snow, which was still falling in great abundance, we sat down, turning our feet to the fire, making the most of what was under the circumstances a source of real consolation. We enjoyed absolute rest! One side of our square was bounded by a huge tree, which lay stretched across it; against this our fire was made; and on the opposite side, towards

which I had turned my back, another very large one was growing; and into this latter, being old and decayed, I had by degrees worked my way, and it formed an admirable shelter. The snow was banked up on all sides nearly five feet high like a white wall; and it resolutely maintained its position, not an atom yielding to the fierce crackling fire which blazed up close against it.

After preparing and feasting on an ample supper, the travellers lighted their pipes, and continued to smoke, till, dropping off by degrees, the whole party, except the chief, lay stretched out snoring. Large flakes of snow continued to fall, and heavy clots dropped occasionally upon the ground. Our enormous fire had the effect of making me so comfortably warm, that I had deserted the use of my buffalo skin till I lay down to sleep; and were it not for the volumes of smoke with which I was at times disturbed, and the pieces of fire which burnt holes in my clothes whenever they happened to fall, my lodging would have been, under the circumstances, truly agreeable. I sat for some time with a blanket thrown over my shoulders in silent contemplation of a scene alike remarkable to me for its novelty and its dreariness. The flames rose brilliantly, the sleeping figures of the men were covered with snow, the wind whistled wildly through the trees, whose majestic forms overshadowed us on every side; and our fire, while it shed the light of day on the immediately surrounding objects, diffused a deeper gloom over the farther recesses of the forest. And thus I remained without any inclination to sleep till it was near midnight. A solemn impression, not to be called melancholy, weighed heavily upon me. The satisfaction with which I regarded the fatigue which had gone by was hardly sufficient to inspire confidence as to what was to come; and this reflection it was, perhaps, that gave a colour to my thoughts at once serious and pleasing. Distant scenes were brought to my recollection; and I mused on past-gone times till my eyes became involuntarily attracted by the filmy, wandering leaves of fire, which, ascending lightly over the tops of the trees, for a moment rivalled in brightness the absent stars, and then vanished for ever.

I became overpowered with sleep; and, wrapping my buffalo skin around me, sank down to enjoy for several hours sound and uninterrupted repose. I slept heartily till daylight, when I awoke, feeling excessively cold, and found the whole party sitting up. The snow had ceased to fall, the sky had brightened, and intense frost had set in.

C. TOMLINSON.

SNOW-HOUSES.

WHILE the inhabitants of the south are quenching their feverish thirst, and finding refreshment and delight in the coolness imparted by snow, the natives of polar regions apply the same substance to the very opposite purpose of affording them shelter and warmth. Captain Parry found the huts of the Esquimaux to be made of no other material than snow or ice, and some of them were built with considerable skill. The methods adopted by these ingenious architects, as witnessed by him, are as follows:-The work is commenced by cutting from a drift of hard and compact snow a number of oblong slabs, six or seven inches thick, and about two feet in length, and laying them edgeways on a level spot, also covered with snow, in a circular form, and of a diameter from eight to fifteen feet, proportioned to the number of occupants the hut is to contain. Upon this, as a foundation, is laid a second tier of the same kind, but with the pieces inclining a little inwards, and made to fit closely to the lower slab and to each other by running a knife adroitly along the under part and sides. The top of this tier is now prepared for the reception of a third, by squaring it off smoothly with a knife, all which is dextrously performed by one man standing within the circle, and receiving the blocks of snow from those employed in cutting them without. When the wall has attained a height of four or five feet, it leans so much inward as to appear as if about to tumble every moment; but the workmen still fearlessly lay their blocks of snow upon it until it is too high any longer to furnish the materials to the builder in this manner; of this he gives notice by cutting a hole close to the ground in that part where the door is intended to be, which is near the south side, and through this the snow is now passed. Thus they continue until they have brought the sides nearly to meet in a perfect and well-constructed dome, sometimes nine or ten feet high in the centre; and this they take considerable care in finishing, by fitting the last block, or keystone, very nicely in the centre, dropping it into its place from the outside, though it is still done by the man within. The people outside are in the meantime occupied in throwing up snow with the snow-shovel, and in stuffing in little wedges of snow where holes have been accidentally left.

The builder next lets himself out by enlarging the doorway to the height of about three feet. Two passages are then built, each about ten or twelve feet long-the floor of which is lower than

that of the hut. These passages sometimes connect two or three huts together, and are common to the inhabitants of each. For the admission of light, a round hole is cut on one side of the roof of each apartment, and a circular plate of ice let into it. The light is soft and pleasant, like that transmitted through ground glass, and is quite sufficient for every purpose. When, after some time, these edifices become surrounded by drift, it is only by the windows that they could be recognised as human habitations. Their external appearance at night is very singular, when they are discovered by a circular disk of light transmitted through the windows from the lamps within.

Round the interior of each hut is raised a bank of snow, which serves for the bed. The snow is first covered with small stones, over which are laid the paddles, tent-poles, and some blades of whalebone; above these are placed a number of little pieces of network made of thin slips of whalebone; and lastly a quantity of twigs of birch. Deerskins can now be spread without risk of their touching the snow; and such a bed, says Captain Parry, is capable of affording not merely comfort, but luxurious repose, in spite of the rigour of the climate.

The

The lamp is a shallow vessel of clay, and the wick is made of dry moss. A long, thin slice of whale, seal, or sea-horse blubber is hung up near the flame, the warmth of which causes the oil to drip into the vessel. This lamp gives a brilliant and beautiful light without any perceptible smoke or offensive smell. Immediately over the lamp is a framework of wood, from which the cooking-vessels are suspended; and it also serves to support a large hoop of bone, having a net stretched tightly within it for the reception of any wet things, such as boots, shoes, and mittens. Such was the appearance of these huts soon after they were built, but in a month's time they had altered for the worse. roofs were much blackened by the smoke of the lamps, and the warmth had in most parts given them a glazed and honeycombed surface; indeed, the whole of the walls had become much thinner by thawing, so that the light was more plainly visible through them. The snow, also, on which the lamps stood was considerably worn away, so as to destroy in a great measure the regularity of the original plan of construction. A little later, and it is added, Almost the whole of these people were now affected with violent colds and coughs, occasioned by a considerable thawing that had lately taken place in their huts, so as to wet their clothes and bedding; though as yet we had experienced no great increase of temperature. From the nature of their

habitations, however, their comfort was greater, and their chance of health better, when the cold was more severe !

Notwithstanding these drawbacks, the snow hut shows considerable skill on the part of the Esquimaux, and furnishes the best protection from the cold under the circumstances; indeed, they enjoy a degree of warmth and comfort scarcely to be expected in their rigorous climate.

C. TOMLINSON.

A THUNDERSTORM IN BARBADOES, 1831. ON the evening of the 10th August, after a sultry day and a fluctuating state of the barometer, the approach of the storm was evident, but was differently manifested in different parts of the island, some houses being actually thrown down by its violence, while others scarcely a mile off received no damage. After midnight the continued flashing of the lightning was awfully grand, and a gale blew fiercely from the north and north-east; but at one o'clock a.m. on the 11th August the force of the wind increased fearfully. The storm, which at one time blew from the north-east, suddenly shifted from that quarter, and burst from the north-west and from the points intermediate. The sky was illuminated by incessant lightning, but the sheet lightning was surpassed in brilliancy by the disruptive discharges which exploded in every direction. Soon after two o'clock the awful war of the hurricane, which rushed from the north-north-east and north-west, was heard. So loud was it that an officer, who had sought protection by getting under an arch of a lower window outside his house, did not hear the roof and upper story fall, and was assured of the fact by the dust of the falling ruins. At three o'clock the wind occasionally abated, but intervening gusts proceeded from the south-west, west, and west-north-west with increased fury.

In the intervals between the lightning_the_blackness in which the town was enveloped was very awful. In addition to the common form of lightning, fiery meteors were seen falling from the heavens; one in particular, of a globular form and of a deep red hue, was observed to descend perpendicularly from a vast height. It appeared to descend by its weight alone, and on approaching the earth it assumed a dazzling whiteness and an elongated form, and dashing to the ground, it splashed about like molten metal, and was immediately extinguished. A few minutes after this the deafening roar of the wind became subdued into a