The brilliancy of the eye, and its appearance of fullness, depend, in a great measure, upon its form, and on the magnitude of the eye-ball; but still in no slight degree upon the closeness and amplitude of the eye-lashes, and the diameter of the pupil. It is the eye-lashes only over which art possesses any power-the perfection of which, as we have seen, may be increased by a very simple process. But this is not all-the oriental beauties have, from time immemorial, practised the art of darkening the eye-lashes with a pigment, which is applied to the hairs themselves, and to the skin at their roots, while a small streak of it is often extended outwards from the exterior angle of each eye. Although we are far from recommending this practice to our fair readers, yet it has certainly a very imposing appearance when artfully performed. It is said to give a brightness and beauty to the eyes, altogether inconceivable, making even the plainest little grey eyes appear full orbed, and piercingly dark. Upon ourselves, we confess that the effect in these cases would be entirely lost, from the moment we became aware of the artifice by which it was produced. Though admirers of beauty, we should prefer a pair of eyes possessed of a very moderate portion of it-"but speaking of modest thoughts and intellect refined," to all the charms these organs can acquire from artificial means. RAPID SPREAD OF INFLUENZA. * WE borrow from a small work, just published, the following notice of the great and rapid diffusion of the influenza : "Of all the known epidemics, the influenza is the one which extends itself the most quickly and to the greatest distance. In all its various visitations it has either occurred simultaneously over a whole continent, or has spread with an amazing rapidity from one country to another, until finally every portion of the habitable globe is included in its circuit. Passing the widest seas, it has attacked the inhabitants of opposite continents, who had not the slightest intercourse with each other. Its effects have also been traced at sea as well as upon the land. At the same time that the inhabitants of the country from which he had sailed, or to which he is destined, are attacked with the disease, the sailor, in the midst of the ocean, thousands of miles from any shore, feels its influence. * "An Account of the Origin, Symptoms, and Cure of the Influenza, or Epidemic Catarrh; with some Hints respecting Common Colds, and Incipient Pulmonary Consumption. Philadelphia, Henry H. Porter, 1832.” "In 1782, the fleet of Lord Anson sailed for the coast of Holland, and that of Admiral Kempenfelt for France. The crews of both fleets were in perfect health at the time of sailing; but in the same month, almost in the same week, both were attacked very generally with the influenza, so much so that the latter fleet was obliged to return home for want of hands to man it." "In 1781 and '82, the influenza appears to have shown itself first in China, and to have spread through Asia into Europe, from whence, crossing the Atlantic, it extended itself, in the ensuing year, to America, the whole continent of which it traversed, from the Canadas to Peru, illustrating another observation respecting epidemics, that in countries subject to them, the vitiated atmosphere is often in an ascertained direction. The fever which in 1809, 1810, and 1811, afflicted the districts adjacent to the Pylney mountains in the East Indies, travelled with a certain degree of regularity in one quarter from north to south, and in another quarter from south to north. "In its several visitations in this country, the epidemic has generally made its appearance in one of the eastern states, and has extended southward along the seaboard, with more or less rapidity. In 1807, however, it appears to have shown itself first in New York, spreading thence, as from a centre, in every direction. It reached Canada in October, and extended to the western and southern states, and even to Havana, in the course of three months. The amazing rapidity with which it diffused itself over the whole country, resembled more the fleetness of the wind than the natural course of a disease: almost the entire population of a city, town, or neighbourhood, became in a few days subjected to its influence; and as is seldom incapacitated those affected by it from pursuing their ordinary occupations, it was common to observe in every street and place of resort, such coughing, hawking, and wheezing, as to interrupt conversation; while in public assemblies, the voice of the speaker, itself scarcely audible from the hoarseness produced by disease, was completely drowned by the coughing concert kept up by his auditory. In its occurrence during the present winter, nearly the same phenomena have been observed; very shortly after it made its first appearance in Philadelphia, most of the inhabitants of the city and surrounding country, were affected by it to a greater or less extent, while subsequently it has attacked the inhabitants of nearly every part of the United States. Some months previously to its appearance here, it prevailed extensively in a very severe form in London and various other parts of England. "Some idea of the quickness with which the disease extends itself from place to place, may be formed from the foregoing statements, and the following additional facts. "In 1732, the influenza made its appearance in Edinburgh, about the 17th of December, having previously been epidemic in Saxony, Hanover, and the neighbouring states of Germany in the month of November. "In 1733, it commenced at London and in Flanders during the first week of January; at Paris, about the middle of the same month; and in Ireland, towards its termination; at Leghorn, about the middle of February, and at Naples and Madrid near the end of the month. This same year it made its appearance in America, about the middle of October, being, as usual, first observed in the New England states. It was soon afterwards prevalent in the islands of Barbadoes and Jamaica, and in a few months is said to have extended to Mexico, and to Peru. "In 1789, the influenza made its appearance first in New York, in the month of September, and was prevalent during the same month in Philadelphia; soon after, it spread over the whole of the eastern and southern states, and to the army in the northwestern territory, under the command of General Wayne. The first appearance of the disease in the island of Jamaica, was on the 20th of October, about one month after its occurrence in Philadelphia. At Grenada it appeared in November, and at St. Lucia, towards the close of December." REVERSE OF THE PICTURE. -“THEN to turn from the bright side of the picture to the dark one. The huts where poor men iie, where the elegancies and amenities of life cast not their glow, But frosty winds blaw in the drift Ben to the chimla lug, To upon shivering groups who have but little defence of fire or clothing from its bitterness. Where no light laugh rings through the room; no song is heard; no romantic tale, or mirthful conversation circles amongst smiling faces and happy hearts, but the father, Ill satisfied keen nature's clamorous call, Stretched on his straw himself lays down to sleep, When the mother sees not her rosy and laughing children snugly consigned to their warm, soft beds, but contemplates with a heart deadened with the miseries of to-day, and the fears of to-morrow, a sad little squalid crew around her, who, instead of pleasures and pastimes, know only wants and evils which dwarf both body and soul. Where, perhaps, illness has superadded its aggravations, its pains and languors to a poverty which renders the comforts and indulgences of a sick room the most hopeless of all things. These are the speculations to enhance our fireside pleasures, and to make those pleasures fruitful; linking our sympathies to the joys and sorrows of our kind, and arousing us to a course of active benevolence."* GOOD WATER-NEW YORK. WE received, some months back, a copy of the memorial addressed by the Medical Society of New York to the Common Council of that city, recommending the adoption of suitable measures for having a supply of pure water for the inhabitants. The request for us to insert this memorial, would have been earlier complied with, but for its having been long mislaid. Omitting preliminary matter, we copy as follows: "The impurity of the water now in use throughout the greater part of the city, is so very obvious to every one, that it would seem almost unnecessary to offer any analysis of it. The Society will therefore only remark, that it holds in solution a variety of elementary substances, which, when subjected to proper analysis, are found principally to consist of the sulphates of soda and lime, and the muriates of lime and soda. It is questionable whether all these saline substances exist already formed and are barely held in solutionfor, by the process of analysis, the elementary matter becomes more concentrated; different particles are brought in juxta position, which facilitates the formation of compound bodies. Hence it is certain that one at least of the compound substances, discovered by analysing the water of this city, is formed during the analysis. It is evident that such a variety of foreign matter held in solution, in the water we drink, may, under different circumstances arising from different conditions of the digestive organs, produce highly deleterious effects. "In addition to the saline substances found in our water in such large quantities, there are a variety of other ingredients of a very offensive character. The infiltration of water through all kinds of corruptible materials, which must necessarily abound in every part of the city, renders it very impure. The water is so completely surcharged in many places with corruptible matter, that in warm weather, a very few hours' exposure to the temperature of the atmosphere, will make it offensive to the smell, an evidence of approaching putrefaction. "It is evident that water loaded with such a variety of heterogeneous materials, must be almost entirely unfit for most purposes of domestic use. It is also evident that the active and offensive matter, with which the water is impregnated, must be to many persons highly injurious. That it is more or less so to every one, is undoubtedly the fact. To infants in particular, whose tender and susceptible organs are easily excited and thrown into disordered action, it is a fruitful source of disease. Bowel complaints, of the most intractable kind, are frequently produced by it. In adults, a number of complaints are justly attributable to impure water. Strangers, when they first arrive in this city, are almost uniformly injured by drinking our water. It is true the human system can become accustomed and accommodated to almost any thing. It is nevertheless a fact, that a continued application of noxious agents, though the effect may be less obvious, will have a tendency to undermine the constitution and hasten its decay. We often see indi *Howitt's Book of the Seasons. viduals, confined in apartments where infectious matter is abundant, continue in tolerable health, whilst others similarly exposed would soon be destroyed. But is it not folly to infer, that because some escape acute disease, therefore such apartments are healthy? It is the same with respect to our water. Hundreds will affirm that it has never injured them; and at the same time it has, in conjunction with other causes, brought many to a premature grave. "Besides its directly injurious effects upon the system, we have a right to attribute other evils to our unwholesome water, which in a moral, as well as medical point of view, are of a serious character. Many persons are in the habit of mixing with the water, spirituous liquors in order to obviate its injurious effects. They hence acquire a habit of intemperance, which, superadded to the noxious quality of water, in process of time, brings on a train of complaints of the most disastrous kind. Unjustifiable as the practice unquestionably is, and highly to be condemned by every friend of morality, the plea of necessity which these unfortunate persons will urge in their defence, will apply with powerful force against those who have the power, but have hitherto neglected to provide healthy water. "Our laws are very strict in guarding against the introduction of corrupted meat into our markets; and are yet perfectly silent with respect to the introduction of impure water. Every one must be aware, that pure wa ter is as essential to health as untainted meat; and it is even more so, for it can be used in a greater variety of ways conducive to health. "Could an abundant supply of good and wholesome water be introduced into this city, so that every family might have as much as would be necessary for drink and all domestic purposes could our streets be purified and kept clean, by frequent washing-could every family have a sufficient quantity for ablution and bathing; the benefit resulting to the health and comfort of the inhabitants would be beyond all calculation, and infinitely outweigh any expense that might arise in procuring it. This great and growing city would then, instead of being reproached for an unpardonable neglect of one of the greatest blessings of life, advance with great rapidity, in population, and every thing calculated to elevate the character of man, and improve the health and consequent happiness of the people. "It is with the greatest humiliation and most unfeigned regret, that this society is compelled to admit the disgraceful inferiority of the moderns, in this respect, to those of ancient days. Every city that made any pretensions to civilization and the comforts of life, was abundantly supplied with water of the best kind. And we observe among those ruins which have withstood the wreck of ages, the only memorials of an unknown people, aqueducts and fountains, constructed with admirable skill and ingenuity, remaining as eternal monuments of the wisdom and intelligence of the people of former times. "As members also of a free republic, enjoying the rights and privileges which a free and enlightened government affords, we are mortified in observing how much more despotic rulers have, in many particulars, consulted the happiness and comfort of the people.-Most European cities have an abundance of pure water. So essential is this considered to health and convenience, that it claims the first attention of the legal authorities. 66 Although the Medical Society was principally induced to address the Common Council upon the subject of water, because it has an important influence on the public health; they would nevertheless as citizens, leaving the question of the unwholesomeness of it altogether out of consideration, earnestly invite the attention of your honcurable body, to the important advantages that would result, to the growth and prosperity of New Yorkdestined at no remote period to be the first city in the world-could it be furnished with an ample supply of good water. Without this, though her citizens could have every other convenience of life, their happiness would be |