It

cicerone.

The next day I reached Olean. This place called Olean Point, because it is situated in the bend of the Allegany river, was settled many years ago. In consequence of a want of proximity to a market, and its difficulty of access, it has failed to increase in business and population with that magical rapidity, which generally distinguishes the western towns. Of late, however, it has attracted considerable attention, and received a new stimulus from the important fact, that the New York and Erie rail-road, as projected, touches the Allegany at or near this point. It numbers several hundred inhabitants, and has several stores, two or three public houses, a few artisans, a grist-mill, and several saw-mills. The village is situated upon a level plot, elevated a few feet above the surface of the Allegany; but the neighbouring country, on every hand, is very hilly, heavily timbered with pine, the forests of which are of immense extent. The soil is a sandy loam, rocky ir many places, with frequent indications of anthracite.

the conclusion of a canvass, they are always at the | seemed a partial remuneration for the time and labour "treat." A stranger, on such an occasion, may ac- lost by the mischievous misdirection of a false quaint himself with the whole county; for the whole county, indeed, will surely be familiar with him. I rued the afternoon that I left Ellicottville. was that terrible afternoon in November, that produced so many sad disasters at Buffalo, and upon the lake. A cold rain, mingled with snow, had been falling during the morning, which became entirely snow in the afternoon. I had been but a short time on my way to Olean, when a fierce wind began to blow with unexampled violence. The thick snow was driven horizontally through the air, literally filling the eye and blinding the sight, while just sufficient lodged in the road to impede our progress. The whole forest seemed to bend before the demon of the blast, and many of the giant trees, the monuments of half a century, yielding to the infuriate force, were hurled with thundering crash to the ground. At one time, a huge branch, wrenched from its parent trunk, was fiercely driven through the air, and swept terribly close over our heads, threatening destruction in its course. My poor horse, trembling at every breath, shot from one side of the road to About twelve miles from Olean, down the river, is the other, like an affrighted hare, while his less in- a settlement of several remnant tribes of Indians. stinctive rider, not a little heeded each successive The land reserved for their use and occupation, excrash, as a signal of impending doom. In the val- tends along the banks of the Allegany for about leys, I dreaded lest the tempest should pile its vic-twenty miles. Between the eastern limit of their restims there; on the bleak hills, its rude salutationservation, and Olean Point and about four miles below more fully realized to me the invariableness and ter- the latter, is a very fine level plot of ground, considrour of its power. But it is in the storm, however erably elevated above the river, and gradually rising fiercely the elements may be at strife, that man feels into the hills as it retires, which has been selected his superiority. The beast of the field may tremble as a site for a new city. It is now crowned with at each demonstration of elemental violence: the the loftiest pines, and surrounded by a "boundless fowls of the air may fly with terrour before the rising contiguity of shade." Nothing animates that primiblast; but man alone, of all God's creation, is calm tive spot, but now and then a chirping squirrel, a and deliberate amidst the confusion of the tempest, screaming jay, a bounding deer, or, peradventure, and he alone foreknowing its cause and foreseeing its the grating and clattering noise of a busy little sawconsequences, may divest it of its terrours, avert its mill on the opposite side of the river. But it glories evils, and trim his bark in the midst with confidence in the notable appellative of ALLEGANY CITY; and triumph. To feel the truth of these reflections though it may be styled more emphatically the City inspired in one's self, is the abundant satisfaction of of the Woods, or most literally, as yet, the City of a traveller who is thus overtaken in his solitary way. the Imagination. It is the city that is to be. Stand That, indeed, was the secret of my complacency as in the midst of that wilderness and listen to the exI rambled slowly and difficultly along, with a drift- uberant voice of a speculator; shut your eyes and ing path before me, snow-flakes pelting thick and give freedom to your fancy, and anon, by a sort of fast upon me, and a biting blast whistling with rage phantasmagorian operation, Allegany City, with its and violence by and around. This exposure, with spires and domes, its storehouses and dwellings, the aforesaid internal reward, was unwittingly pro- its shipping and docks, its paved streets, and brick longed, until I had measured five miles directly out walls, its boxes, bags, crates, and wagon-loads of of my course, and sunset brought me up at Farm-merchandise, its immensely busy trade, and its ersville! The pleasure of sitting down by a blazing thousands of inhabitants hurrying to and fro in the fire, and partaking of a warm and hearty supper, was confusion and activity of their multifarious pursuitsnot a little enhanced by the reflection, that I had sur-all are summoned to the mind, and you feel yourself vived the storm, and was then, at least: fortified a "looker on," as it were, in the midst. But open against its rude assaults; and at the same time it your eyes, and the illusion is gone!

(Abridged from Black's Translation of Humboldt's New Spain.)
There hardly exists a race of savages upon the
face of the earth, who cannot prepare some kind of
beverage from the vegetable kingdom; yet there are
few nations who cultivate certain plants, merely
with a view to prepare beverages from them. The
most part of civilized nations, draw their drinks from
the same plants which constitute the basis of their
nourishment; and the old continent affords us no
instance of vine plantations but west of the Indus:
But in the new continent, we have the example of
a people, who not only extract liquors from the amy-
laceous and sugary substance of the maize, the ma-
niock, and bananas, or from the pulp of several species
of mimosa, but who cultivate expressly a plant of
the family of the ananas, to convert its juice into a
spirituous liquor, which is called pulque. On the
interiour table-land, and in the intendency of Puebla,
and in that of Mexico, through a vast extent of
country, the eye reposes only on fields planted with
pittes or maguey.
This plant, of a coriaceous and
prickly leaf, which, with the cactus opuntia, has be-
come wild, since the sixteenth century, throughout
all the south of Europe, the Canary islands, and the
coast of Africa, gives a peculiar character to the
Mexican landscape.

good soils so early as five, and in bad not till eighteen, a maguey begins to give signs of the development of its hampe. They then prepare to collect the juice of which the pulque is made. They cut the bundle of central leaves, and enlarge, insensibly, the wound, covering it with lateral leaves, which they raise by drawing them close and tying them at the extremities. In this wound the vessels appear to deposite all the juice which would have formed the colossal hampe, loaded with flowers. This is a true vegetable spring, that keeps running for two or three months, and from which the Indian draws three or four times a day. We may judge of the quickness or slowness of the motion of the juice, by the quantity of honey extracted from the maguey at different times of the day: a plant commonly yields, in twenty-four hours, 242 cubick inches, nearly equal to eight pints, of which three are obtained at sunrise, two at mid-day, and three at six in the evening. A very vigorous plant sometimes yields about seven quarts, or 454 cubick inches, per day, for from four to five months, which amounts to the enormous quantity of 67,130 cubick inches, supplied by a plant scarcely five feet in height.

The honey, or juice of the agave, is of a very agreeable sour taste. It easily ferments on account of the sugar and mucilage which it contains. To accelerate this fermentation, they add, however, a little old and acid pulque. This operation is terminated in three or four days. The vinous beverage, which resembles cider, has an odour of putrid meat, extremely disagreeable; but Europeans who have been able to get over the aversion which this fetid odour inspires, prefer the pulque to any other liquor. They consider it as stomachick, strengthening, and especially as very nutritive; and it is recommended to lean persons.

A very intoxicating brandy is formed from the pulque, which is called mexical or aguardiente de maguey, and though the Spanish colonial government prohibited its use, as prejudicial to the Spanish brandy trade, such quantities of it were manufactured, that the whole importation of brandy into Mexico alone amounted to 32,000 barrels.

But the maguey is not only the wine of the Aztecks, it can also supply the place of the hemp of Asia, and the papyrus of the Egyptians. The paper on which the ancient Mexicans painted their hieroglyphical figures, was made of the fibres of agave leaves, macerated in water, and disposed in layers The agaves are planted in rows, at a distance of like the Egyptian papyrus, and the mulberry of the fifty-eight inches from each other. The plants only South Sea islands. M. Humboldt brought home begin to yield the juice, which goes by the name of with him several fragments of Azteck manuscripts, honey, on account of the sugary principle with written on maguey papers of a thickness, so different, which it abounds, when the ampe is on the point that some of them resembled pasteboard, while of its development. And as the plant is destroyed others resembled Chinese paper. The thread which if the incision be made long before the flowers would is obtained from the maguey, is known in Europe naturally have developed themselves, It is of great by the name of pite thread, and is preferred by importance for the cultivator to know exactly the naturalists to every other, because it is less subject period of efflorescence. Its proximity is announced to twist. The juice which the agave yields, when by appearances, which the experienced cultivator it is still far from the period of efflorescence, is very readily understands. He goes daily through his acid, and is successfully employed as a caustick in plantations to mark the plants that approach afflo- the cleansing of wounds. The prickles, which terrescence; and if he has any doubt, he applies to the minate the leaves, served, formerly, like those of experts of the village-old Indians, who, from longer the cactus, for pins and nails to the Indians. experience, have a judgment, or rather tact, more securely to be relied on.

Common sense is the growth of all countries.
Common fame is often a common liar.

who were in gross moral darkness and errour. In short time, however, before her death, or separation the ancient writings which he studied, (of three thousand years before,) he found traces of the patriarchal religion, which was the belief of Abraham, Job, and others of their day, who had received instruction from their ancestors, extending back to Shem, and even to Noah.

THE HISTORY OF PRINTING.

(Continued from page 348.)

ANCIENT MODE OF PRINTING WITH BLOCKS.

The Biblia Pauperum, or Bible of the Poor, was an abridgment, or catechism of the Bible, consisting of forty leaves, of a small folio size, each leaf being a wood-cut, with descriptive sentences, explanatory of their meanings; a few copies of this work remain, but are in a mutilated state; this, and the " Speculum Humanæ Salvationis," seem to be the first specimens of book-printing.

According to tradition, some of Coster's types are said to have been stolen by one of his servants, John Geinsfleich, senior, who fled with them to Mentz. Having introduced the art from Haarlem into this, his native city, he commenced a business of his own, and published, in 1442, "Alexandri Galli Doctrinale" and "Petri Hispani Tractatus Logicales," which two works being small, best suited his circumstances, and being much used in schools, he might reasonably expect a ready and profitable sale. They were executed with wooden types, cut after the model of those he had stolen. In 1443 he hired the house Zum Jungen, and was assisted with money by Faust, who, in return, had a share of the business, and about the same time, John Meidenbachus was admitted a partner, as were some others, whose names are now unknown; and, in 1444, they were joined by Guttenberg, who, for that purpose, quitted Strasburg. Wooden types being found not sufficiently durable, and not answering the expectation in other respects, the two brothers are said to have been the first who invented "cut metal types." But while these things were preparing, which must have been a work of time, several works were printed, both on wooden separate types and on wooden

blocks, which were well adapted to small books of frequent use, such as the "Tabula Alphabetica," "The Catholicon," "Danati Grammatica," and the "Confessionalia." Immediately upon completing the metal types, the abovementioned printers, in conjunction, set about and effected a printed edition of the Bible, which was published in 1450, after the labour of seven or eight years.

Authors greatly differ as to the person who committed this robbery. It is clear, from all accounts, that his name was John, but what his surname was is a disputed point. Junius, after some hesitation, ascribes it to John Faust, but with injustice, for he was a wealthy man, who assisted the first printers at Mentz with money, though he was afterwards proprieter of a printing office, yet he never, as far as it appears, performed any part of the business with his own hands; and, consequently, he never would have been a servant to Coster. Nor is the conjecture of Scrieverius better founded, which fixes it upon John Guttenberg, who, as appears by authentick testimonies, resided at Strasburg, from 1436 to 1444, and during all that period, employed much fruitless labour and expense, in endeavouring to attain this art. Mr. Meerman once thought, "it might be either John Meidenbachus, (who, we are told by Seb. Munster, and the author of Chronographia Meguntinensis, was an assistant to the first Mentz praters,) or John Petersheimius, who was some time a servant to Faust and Schoeffer, and set up a printing office at Frankfort, in 1459; or, lastly, some other person, who, being unable, through poverty, to carry on the business, discovered it to Geinsfleich, at Mentz." But more authentiek intelligence afterwards convinced him there were two persons of this names and that John Geinsfleich, senior, was the dishonest servar, who was born at Mentz, and who, in the papers published by Kohlerus, we find there in the year 1441 and not before; for, though he was of a good family, yet he was poor, and seems to have been obliged, as well as his brother, to seek his livelihood in a foreign country; and, perhaps, was content to be under Laurence Coster, in order that, when he had learned the art, he might follow it in his own. But, to leave conjectures, we may produce some certain testimonies. The brother of Geinsfleich is usually distinguished by the name of Guttenberg. They were both married men, and most probably, brothers, as it was not uncommon, in that age, for two broth ers to have the same Christian name. They both appear in a very disreputable light. The youngest is said to have been very contentious, and the elder is said to have robbed his master under most aggravating circumstances. Though they were both very poor, their family was distinguished by knighthood. + Alexander's French Instructer.

Tracts on Logick, by Peter, of Spain.

VOL. I.-24

In the same year, (1450,) according to some authors, the partnership was dissolved, and a new one entered into in August, between Faust and Guttenberg-the former supplying money, the latter skill. Various difficulties arising, occasioned a lawsuit for the money which Faust had advanced, which was determined against Guttenberg. A dissolution of this partnership occurred in 1455; and in 1457, a magnificent edition of the PSALTER was published by Faust and Schoeffer, typographers, with a reniarkable commendation, in which they assumed to themselves the merit of a new invention; namely, that of metal types. This book was uncommonly elegant, and, in some measure the work of Guttenberg; as it was four years in the press, and came out but 18 months after the partnership was dissolved between him and Faust. The latter continued in the possession of the printing office; and Guttenberg, by the pecuniary assistance of Conrad Humery, of Mentz, and others, opened another office in the same city, whence appeared, in 1460, without the printer's name, the " Catholicon," with a pompous colophon in praise of its beauty, and ascribing the honour of the invention to the city of Mentz.f It was a very handsome book, though inferiour to the Psalter which had been published by Faust and Schoeffer. Both the Psalter and Catholicon were printed in cut metal types. It may not be improper to observe here, that as the Psalter is the earliest book which is known to have a genuine date, it became a common practice, after that publication, for printers to claim their own performances by adding their names to them. The progress of the art has been traced through its second period, the invention of cut metal types; but the honour of completing the discovery is generally considered to be due to Peter Schoeffer: indeed, both Faust and Schoeffer seemcd to have been indefatigable improvers of the printing art, both as to materials for the mechanical operation, and taste in the production of their works;

Many writers have supposed that this was the edition of which some copies were sold in France, by Faust, as manuscripts, for the great price of 500 or 600 crowns, which he afterwards lowered to 60, and at last to 30; but it was the second and more expensive edition of 1462, that was thus disposed of, when Faust went to Paris, in 1466, and which had cost 4000 flor ins before the quaternion (or quire of four sheets) was printed.-Meermin.

† At the death of Guttenberg, Conrad Humery took possession of all his printing materials, and engaged to the archbishop Adolphus, that he never would sell them to any one but a citizen of Mentz. They were, however, soon disposed of to Nicholas Bechtermunze, of Altavilla, who, in 1469, published the "Vocabularium Latino Teutonicum," which was printed with the same types which had been used in the Catholicon. This very curious and scarce vocabulary was shown to Mr. Meerman by Mr. Bryant, in the duke of Marlborough's valuable library at Blenheim. It is in quarto, thirty-five lines long, contains many extracts from the Catholicon, and is calledEx Quo," from the preface beginning with these words." Meerman," Vol. II. page 96.

Guttenberg never used any other than either wooden or cut metal types till the year 1462. He died in 1468; his elder brother, Geinsfleich, died in 1462. Their epitaphs are printed by Mr. Meerman, Vol. II, pp. 154, 195. The ingenious Gerard Meerman was a pansionary of Rotterdam.