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WHETHER the souls of the departed can visit the living has been long a matter of doubt and dispute; yet the universality of the opinion seems, in some degree, to countenance it, There is a strange longing in human nature after the fearful and terrible secrets of the grave, that would fain acquire knowledge of the state we are hereafter doomed to be placed in that this curiosity should be damped with fear is not to be wondered at. The feeling of dim horror that must accompany any communication with a being, which we know to have been once as ourselves, but of which we know nothing either as to its nature, its power, or its intent: the idea of corruption, of fear, of mystery, and terror which is associated with such thoughts, lend intensity to horror, and clothe even the loathsomeness of the charnel-house in more hideous apparelling; the idea of which is abhorrence, the reality distraction. I value not the ridiculous stories and feigned proofs of Glavil, and such writers; but the doubting of such a man as Johnson may shield from contempt another, who may believe in such appear

ances.

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My health had been greatly injured by my last adventure in the mountain; indeed so much, that I expected not, and scarce hoped to recover; the fierce, ardent spirit of Raymond was at length quelled but I longed once more ere I closed my mortal career, to view again my native Zetland: when once I had thought of this, my mind was like an electric flash darting from one object to another; all things assumed a brighter and more favorable appearance, and my heart yearned and panted for the hour when I should behold, shrouded in all its misty glory, the land of wind and storm.

Shakspeare.

As I lay on my couch, in a small Dominican Convent at Naples, to which I had been conveyed through the burning ashes of the volcano, by a poor brother of that order, I dreamed of home and of happiness; I fancied myself once more listening to the mighty weltering of the ocean, as it dashed its huge waves in defiance against the rocks of my native shore; I heard again the war of that tremendous night-wind that appals the heart of every Zetlander, as he cowers shuddering in his small habitation; deeming that the terrible king of storms is abroad, shaking his all-covering wings: and I thought I was again scaling the dizzy steps I have so often trod in quest of the eggs of sea-fowl; and beheld, from the rustling precipice, the eternal lashing and rushing of the boiling sea beneath. Terrific as these visions were in themselves, my heart felt gladdened in the idea that I was treading no foreign strand; and that if I perished, the breeze that gave life to my brethren, would receive my latest sigh.

As I passed through one of the great piazzas or squares of the city, I met my friend Rudolph Feldspar, of the Mermaid, who seemed delighted and surprised to see me; but, greatly grieved to perceive the wonderful change that the harassing cares of my wild life had made upon my constitution, I informed him of my strange adventures, and expressed to him the great desire I had to re-visit Zetland; he said that he himself was about to sail almost immediately for England, and thence, after some slight preparation, he should direct his course homeward. "But perhaps," said he, "you will join me;" and as he spoke, he advanced towards me, and taking my arm we proceeded onwards. You

must know," said he, "there is a spectacle exhibited this day in the city which is rather of a singular kind, and will, perhaps, amuse you; prayers are this day offered at the shrine of St. Januarius, their patron saint, in the great cathedral; come, you must with me, they will be about it even now; we must, if possible, contrive to banish this despondency, This St.Januarius of theirs," continued Feldspar, "you must know, suffered martyrdom about the end of the third century; and while the execu tioner was performing the act of decapitation,some pious personage I think caught about an ounce of his blood, which has been preserved, without its decreasing, ever since." I smiled at his jocularity; and he was continuing, when we perceived an immense multitude moving on towards the great cathedral, and made haste to join them: we found that it consisted chiefly of people of the first rank in Naples, headed by the brethren of the different religious orders; amongst the most conspicuous of which were the Franciscans, the Augustines, and the Dominicans; and followed by an immense concourse of the Lazaroni, who had flocked from their caverns at Pensilippo, to be spectators of the scene. Before this mêlée walked the chief priest in his pontificials, bearing upon a velvet cushion, richly ornamented with gold, the costly vial containing a solid dark looking substance resembling coagulated blood: upon this he looked with the deepest marks of veneration and awe, and the band of monks seemed to regard it with feelings of pride and exultation. The tops of the houses, which were principally of stone, and flat-roofed, together with the balconies, were thronged with spectators, who bowed as the sacred relic passed them; indeed, the miracle about to be performed was considered as one of the great of great by the Neapolitans.

The Cathedral of Naples, though built in the gothic style of architecture, is, nevertheless, a splendid and magnificent building; and the first view of it, awful and imposing; the dark and imbrowned walls cast a gloomy and solemn shade over the whole of the inside, and scarcely reveal the dusky recesses, wherein are

lodged the dim and reverend figures of the saints: as you gaze around, with eyes determined to penetrate through the mysterious twilight that reigns over here, you may discern occasionally a half-closed door, probably leading to some haunt of religious fanaticism, the sight of which awakens strange feelings of curiosity and awe.

We soon arrived at this reverend pile; and I was witness to a spectacle which, though termed by Addison a bungling performance, certainly very much affected me as we entered, the organ was playing a low solemn music, which rolled deeply along, and was answered again by sounds, like the whisperings of a spirit, made by the crowd, who waited in the intense agony of superstition for the, in their eyes, preternatural event. From the Cathedral, after the priest had uttered a low prayer, a few, amongst whom I was admitted, passed through a private door, and entered the chapel of the saint; where I saw a sumptuous press, with folding doors of silver, which being opened, there gushed forth a strong perfume; and I beheld, cased in a large bust of silver, studded with jewels and stones of an immense value, what I was told was the head of St Januarius; this was carefully lifted up and carried back to the Cathedral, where the Chief Priest had remained. Upon the approach of this sacred effigy, he knelt down, took the vial in his hands, and uttered a low prayer for protection against the mountains, and thanks for the late deliverance. I contemplated him with interest; for he was, indeed, a fine and venerable picture. A few hoary locks fell down his back as he knelt, and he strained his eyes heavenward in the frenzy of devotion. There was a wildness, a tincture of belief in the miracle he expected to be performed, that sat upon his countenance, and gave a peculiar expression to his fine features: around him stood the people, gazing with fear, reverence, and expectation upon him; and the low breaking and impressive sound of the organ completed the scene. Suddenly he rose, apparently in an extasy of joy-"Our prayer is granted my children," said he; "behold!”

he held the vial towards them

the blood was liquified-the miracle was accomplished. Never did I hear any thing to equal the expressions of joy which the deluded multitude uttered: the air was rent with their shouts, and nothing was heard but blessings and exclamations of astonishment: a thousand benedictions were showered upon the head of the

father; and they believed that all their wishes had been granted, and all their prayers heard.

This tumult was somewhat allayed by a full burst of the organ; and a chorus of voices, from some unseen persons, chaunted the following hymn:

As the last strain died away in the echoes of the Cathedral, the rush of the crowd, who were absolutely electrified, and who seemed determined, though it should be at the expense of their lives, to see the holy blood, was tremendous; indeed so pow erful, that by the violence of the first shock, Feldspar and I were separated; and every one was so closely jammed together, that it was quite impossible to move: it was at this moment that I felt a slight pressure on my shoulder; and a voice in low but deep accents whispered in my ear, Raymond! remember your pledge.' -I shuddered-the voice thrilled through me-my blood ran back to my heart. I had heard the voice, it resembled George Harvey's, though it was deeper. I endeavoured to gain a sight of the mysterious speaker, but it was impossible; my arms were fast squeezed to my sides, and I could not turn my head: horrible ideas rushed into my mind- the excessive pressure, the heat of the place, and my weak state of body overpowered me. I felt myself growing weaker and weaker. uttered a feeble cry for help, and fainted.

I

I had been conveyed to Feldspar's lodgings in the city; from whence, as soon as my health permitted, we set sail for England. We weighed anchor under the most favourable circumstances; but I shall not attempt to describe it; it would be superfluous, tedious, and monotonous; it was like all others,

"Alternate sun, alternate showers;" and descriptions, by much more skilful hands, would equally apply to it; one thing, however, happened, which is too important to be omitted..

One evening we were suddenly becalmed: not a breath of air could be felt, and the vessel floated silently upon the vast and stirless sea. She seemed a huge, solitary thing upon a boundless plain, where silence ever brooded. I never saw so dead a calm the sailors crowded and huddled together, and shook their heads, and said it boded no good. The moon was shining calm and bright, high in the vaulted heavens, and flooded the blue water with her beams, which reflected them like polished silver. I stood near the stern, and contemplated, with inexpressible feelings, this novel scene. As I gazed,

We listened in fear and astonishment to this appalling command, and exclamations of terror were heard on all sides. The first consideration was, how we were to avoid the danger threatened, when the sea assumed an appearance that strangely contrasted with the slum bering quietude it had before exhibited. At about the distance of a mile, from where the vessel lay, there suddenly swelled a wave, which towered up to the sky, and seemed threatening defiance against the heavens; it rolled onwards like a giant in his pride, glorying in his immensity, and kissed, as it passed, the smiling face of the firmament. All were chilled to the heart, for we doubted not that destruction was inevitable. How could it be avoided

there was no retreating; there was not wind enough to crisp the sea, much more to stir a sail. It advanced slowly and steadily on; and distant sounds of tumult and revelry were heard, but near us, all was as calm and placid as before; like the treacherous desert wave, that smiles as it lures on to death. Each one stood irresolute, gazing on the mighty moving thing; expectant of

death, yet unable to avoid it, like the fair victim of the sea monster. I alone felt all the power and grandeur of the scene; my life was a straw to me; and I watched its approach with mixed emotions of awe and hope. The noise of strange music and song now waxed louder and louder as the vast billow advanced; it rolled on, nearer and nearer; we could now perfectly see it; it was one immense sheet of water, like an arch, stretching for miles, that cast its dark shadow over us. In it, forms stranger and wilder than thought can conceive, or words describe, danced and plunged about. In the centre, upon a throne of purest chrystal, emitting rays brighter than those of the sun, sat an enormous figure, the like whereof was never seen. His head was as that of a bull, in which one eye glared like a meteor; and his huge body, clothed in scales, that gleamed like burning gold. Upon his right hand, holding for a spear the spiral lance of the sea unicorn, frowned the dark form of the Miner of Zellerfield, clad in armour of the most beautiful gems, each of them worth an empire; on his left, a Spirit,