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years ago; and, after long labor on it, "with a father's watchfulness and a physician's skill," found that the panacea for all its defects was plenty of sunshine, under which it pushed its roots far up into the air, and its delicate flavor high among the most esteemed luxuries; so that, for single stalks, of the earliest-grown and the finest variety, French gourmands compete at sixty francs a-piece. We have come far since the time-only a generation ago-when it was thought both smart and pertinent for the epicure who was asked if he liked vegetables, to answer, "I don't know; I never ate one." It is now to the vegetable kingdom that gastronomic inventors must look for sublime novelties; since the reward offered-was it by David Hume, historian and dinnerphilosopher?-to the man who would invent a new animal remains unclaimed.

The earliest editions of the historian Livy were very imperfect, even in some books now well known; but successive discoveries in old convents filled out the most important book in Roman literature to its present still incomplete form. It has long been supposed, by scholars, that the hope of ever seeing the whole history must be abandoned. But a few weeks since, Herr Penzig, the librarian of the Petro-Pauline Library at Liegnitz, was delving among its treasures with Dr. Kraffert, when they found a nearly entire manuscript of the fourth decade, books 31 to 40. These books are all familiar to scholars, but have been made up out of various manuscripts, the last of which was only discovered at Bamberg in 1615. But the thought is at once suggested, What if these gentlemen had found the second decade, and raised out of oblivion the whole history of the conquest of southern Italy, and the first Punic war? or if they had recovered even some of the later books, now lost, containing the wars of the Gracchi, or the fortunes of the great Julius? Nevada has no mine which the scholar would prefer to such a treasure; and sanguine men will hope, and even seek for it, in all odd corners, now that un

edited manuscripts of Livy are shown to be still possible prizes.

M. Prévost-Paradol, the late ambassador of the French Empire at Washington, whose untimely death startled us so recently, was one of the few literary men of his nation who could challenge criticism as an author in the English language. His lectures on "France," delivered before the University of Edinburgh, and lately published in a volume, will be eagerly read for their substance, if not for their style, which is correct and fluent enough. He traces most of the political evils of France to the centralization of her Government, and explains the strength of the Empire on grounds somewhat different from those set forth by other liberal statesmen. According to him, the present Government is more elastic in its adaptation to the popular demands and wants than any of its predecessors; especially in founding itself more and more upon the nation's will, as expressed by universal suffrage, with its growing intelligence; and it has a peculiar guaranty of support in the general dread, among the religious, the rich, and the thoughtful, of those socialistic principles with which the republican or democratic element in French politics seems to ally itself more closely every year.

The Astronomische Nachrichten report a curious series of observations on the planet Saturn, recently completed by Professor Struve, of Pultowa, already so famous for his discoveries in stellar astronomy made at Dorpat. Struve has been for some years watching with care the rings of Saturn; and the inner one of the three rings, an obscure, partly transparent mass of what appeared to be vapor, has been seen to approach the body of the planet, and to widen its distance from the other rings, which seem to be fluid in character, or perhaps made up of myriads of small bodies, moving together like the streams of meteors which supply the periodic showers. But during several months past this inner ring has fallen more rapidly, and finally the attraction of Saturn entirely overcame its centrifugal

force, and it closed upon the body of the planet, forming a belt, which was gradually diffused over its surface; so that there is now no trace whatever of the

ring left. Is this to be the fate also of the other rings? or will they ultimately gather into satellites, as has more commonly been supposed?

A CHANGE OF BASE.

AFTER the present number of this Magazine, the new arrangement made by our Publishers, and announced elsewhere, will go into effect. The change is not so much a suspension, as a transformation, of the periodical, in order to acquire for it a larger audience, a broader field of exertion, and more varied talent. We feel assured that the public, which has heretofore so generously supported PUTNAM, both by its subscriptions and its kind opinions, will be a great gainer by the result. In addition to the Illustrations offered by the new enterprise, and which would seem to be necessary, now, to a successful popular magazine, there will be an infusion of fresh energy into the editorial management, and a large accession of well-known and capable contributors. Every pains will be taken by the new control, not only to maintain the high standard which PUTNAM always set to itself, but to go beyond it, and to add to the Magazine features which will give it a stronger hold upon popular sympathy.

The present editor, having been in his seat but for a few months only, during which the state of his health has not enabled him to give to the discharge of its duties all the attention he would have liked to give, has yet been in his place sufficiently long to have contracted a friendship for both his readers and writers, and from whom he would part with reluctance did he not know that he is likely to meet with most of them again, in similar relations, in other fields.

P. G.

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