the confused minds of the affrighted lovers.  The brave, the royal Alonzo heard not the voice of his enchanting dulcinea; he, poor fellow, with difficulty supported his trembling frame against an ancient memento mori, which reared its tristful crest within a whisper of the lattice of the lovely Carlotta.  Large globules of transparent liquid adorned his pallid brow, and his convulsed knees sought each other with mechanical solicitude.  It was a moment pregnant with the gravest misery to poor Alonzo; not a star was seen to enliven the murky night, and the wind whistled most lugubriously.  He was in a state of insensibility, and would have fallen to the cold earth, but luckily for the valiant youth, the melodious voice of the enchanting girl again breathed the tenderest hopes for the safety of her adored Alonzo.  He sprang upon his legs and drew a pistol from his girdle, which he discharged with unerring aim at the dreaded goblin.  A horrible groan followed this murderous act, which was succeeded by a confused noise, and a solemn silence ensued!  “It’s vanished, Carlotta!  I have hurried the intruding demon to the nether world!” exclaimed the valorous guardsman.  “Heavens be praised,” cried the superstitious girl, “but hasten, my love—­quit this spot directly—­my father has alarmed his people—­away, away!”

The worthy maker of guns approached the scene of carnage, accompanied by the inmates of his dwelling, with rueful countenances, illumined by tapers, when the cause of their disquietude was soon discovered.  No apparition or sprite forsooth, but a full grown donkey of the Andalusian breed, lay weltering in gore, yet warm with partial life!  By timely liberality the valorous Alonzo escaped detection, though the heroic deed is still remembered in merry Valencia, and often cited as an instance of glorious (?) chivalry.

GRADIVUS.

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SPIRIT OF DISCOVERY.

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IMPROVED SAFETY LAMP.

[Illustration]

Mr. Dillon has lately introduced to the notice of the scientific world, an improvement upon the Safety Lamp of Sir Humphry Davy, which appears to us of sufficient interest for illustration in our columns.  As the Davy Lamp is too well known to need special description here, it will be merely necessary to allude to the principle of the invention, in order to point out Mr. Dillon’s improvement.

He maintains, in opposition to Sir Humphry Davy, that the Davy lamp acts by its heat and rarefaction, and not from Sir H. Davy’s theory, that flame is cooled by a wire-gauze covering.  He shows, by a simple experiment, that the Davy lamp is not safe in a current of hydrogen or carburetted hydrogen gas, and that many lives may have been lost from the confidence of miners in its perfect safety.  A current of hydrogen or carburetted hydrogen gas steadily directed