whole life is a history of the affections. The heart is her world; it
is there her ambition strives for empire; it is there her avarice seeks
for hidden treasures. She sends forth her sympathies in adventure; she
embarks her whole soul in the traffic of affection; and if shipwrecked,
her case is hopeless, for it is a bankruptcy of the heart!"--_The
Ettrick Shepherd._

* * * * *


BURMESE TEMPLES.


In the Burman towns and villages the number of temples seem to
exceed the number of dwellings, which is not unusual. The former
are as splendid as gilding can make them, and the latter as humble
as can be conceived from the frail materials of which they are
constructed--bamboos, palm leaves, and grass. The wealth of a Burman,
always insecure, is very generally expended on the luxury of
temple-building. Religious merit, indeed, consists mainly in the
construction of one of these huge, costly, and showy edifices; and is
not considered as increased by building a durable one. No one ever
thinks of repairing or restoring an old temple; and the consequence is,
that in every part of the country may be seen half-finished structures
of enormous magnitude--the respective founders having died before they
were completed.--_Crawfurd's Embassy to Ava._

* * * * *

Valmontone, on the road from Naples to Rome, is a strange but enchanting