MR. JESSE'S COUNTRY LIFE.

IT is as pleasant to turn with Mr. JESSE from the enatterless letters of fine ladies or gentlemen of fashion, and somewhat bald anno- tations upon the writers, to the scenery and incidents of rural Eng- land, as it is to quit the close atmosphere of a library for the open air of the fields. It may be, too, that the author is more at home in collectiug anecdotes relating to birds, beasts, and fishes, sketching the old characters a surveyor, sportsman, and naturalist has en- countered in his day, investigating some mooted point of rusti- cated archwology, or describing the beautiful bits of landscape, that, in this country, continually meet the eye of the wanderer who quits the beaten track for the open common, the sequestered. lane, or the fields where art has cultivated without destroying nature. It is quite certain that the "Surveyor of Her Majesty's Parks" cuts a more respectable figure when pouring out his gossip upon nature and country life, than in drawing the characters of profligates in high station, attacking an old Whig's "vices of the blood" with a party warmth rather than a virtuous indignation, and palliating or pressing gently upon men who chiefly lived to gratify their lusts, if they were of "the right sort," and above all if they were patronized by the Royal Family. The contents of this volume are a series of miscellaneous papers, whose subjects are indicated with sufficient distinctness by the full title—Scenes and Tales of Country Life, with Recollections of Natural History. "Forest Scenery" introduces the reader to some curious " points " of Windsor Great Park, pleasant to read, and useful as a guide to any one who may visit Windsor to enjoy its scenery in quiet, instead of scampering over the palace with the speed of the railway by which they flit to and fro. " Streamlets and their Banks" serves as a framework for really charming pic- tures of pastoral landscape. "Love of Gardens" induces allusions to the opinions of celebrated men on this subject, with some sketches of particular gardens, and horticultural anecdotes. " Herne's Oak" agreeably collects together many proofs that the tree now standing is the real oak of Sneasrsaz and Falstaff. There are two or three tales of rustic life, and one, " The Vicarage," of a higher grade. But the greater part of the book consists of facts relating to the habits, feelings, and instincts, or, as our author pre- fers to call it, the reason, of animals ; mostly drawn from original observation by himself or his correspondents.

In a preface of good feeling, Mr. JESSE intimates, that as old age is coming on and life closing around him, his principal desire is to be of some service to his fellow-creatures. This sentiment, we think, has given touches of greater feeling, and, oddly enough, it may seem of greater finish, to his lucubrations. At all events, we have read most of them with more relish than his previous pub- lications have always imparted. In addition to his pleasant gossip and anecdotical observation, a rich and mellow spirit pervades his composition ; and many of his sketches of landscape have a fresh- ness, truth, and individuality about them, which we have not often observed in other writers. They display a thorough familiarity not only with the particular but the general nature to be described ; the author has studied many other scenes as well as the one he selects for description ; and his quiet, easy, amiable style of composition, is well adapted to his subject. No doubt, there are some drawbacks from this praise. Mr. JESSE is often too free in his poetical quotations ; which, unless judiciously iutroduced, in- terrupt rather than illustrate. Some of the chapters are a mere series of reflections or reveries—sermons, in fact, by an unordained preacher, and, like many sermons, rather of the heaviest. "Dulness is sacred in a sound divine," because it is his duty to preach ; but men have no consideration for amateurs.

The question as to the identity of Herne's Oak has been revived, because the late Mr. LOUDON disputed the fact, and Mr. KNIGHT in his Pictorial Shakspere asserts, on authority, that GEORGE the Third had cut it down, and that Mr. JESSE had got hold of the wrong tree. This opinion our author combats in a variety of arguments, drawn up categorically ; but we will confine ourselves to the

ROYAL EVIDENCE TOUCHING HERNE'S OAK.

Fourthly, The fact that King George the Third frequently asserted that he had cut down an oak-tree, at the edge of the pit, close to the present tree, be- cause many persons confounded it with the tree growing in the avenue, and called it Herne's Oak, which he said it was not. I have this anecdote from Mr. Davis, the present very popular and intelligent huntsman of her Majesty's stag-hounds, and who, it is well known, was in the habit, when a very young man, of being constantly in attendance upon his late Majesty George the Third. That the tree thus cut down was by many persons considered to be Herne's Oak, there can be no doubt, and under this impression it was drawn by Mr. Delamotte in 1800, and by Mr. Nicholson, in the same year. It is evident, however, that the King did not so consider it, and that he was anxious

to preserve the identity of the preaent tree. •

It may he added that Mr. Davis assures me that be not only frequently beard the King assert that he had cut down the supposititious Elerne s Oak, but that he repeated the assertion during a succession of years, when his mind and body were in a perfectly healthy state.

Fifthly, The fact that the King placed the present tree under the especial charge of Mr. Engall, who is still the manager of the Home Park, forty years ago, telling him at the time that it was Herne's Oak. It may be added, on the same authority, that some chairs were made from the supposititious Herne's Oak, and presented to the King, as interesting relics of that tree, but which he refused to accept, stating that Herne's Oak was still standing. Many things, also, were made from the tree and sold to various persons in the neighbourhood, which left the impression that Herne's Oak had been felled.

Sixthly, A statement which I know was made by his late Majesty George the Fourth, that Herne's Oak had not been cut down by his father, and which has been confirmed to me by one of the surviving members of his iamily.

On the faith of this, Mr. JESSE has put up an inscription on the tree from the Merry Wives of Windsor ; and as it is the allusion to Herne the Hunter walking by night, it has frightened several old souls in the neighbourhood ! Thither, too, were the Prussian courtiers carried, when they arrived, the year before the last, to assist at the christening of the Prince of Wales.

THE PRUSSIAN PILGRIMAGE.

It is an interesting fact, that the morning after the King of Prussia arrived at Windsor Castle, in order to be present at the christening of the Prince of Wales, the whole of his Majesty's suite, including the celebrated Baron Hum- boldt, inquired their way to Herne's Oak. This was the first object of their attention and curiosity, and probably of their veneration. The splendours of the castle, its pictures, the noble scenery surrounding it, and the many histo- rical facts connected with it, were objects of inferior interest, compared to a single withered, time-destroyed tree, yet rich with recollections of' the genius of our immortal Sbakspere. On arriving at the sacred tree, it was gazed at in silence, but each of the party gathered a leaf from the ivy whichis now clinging to the decaying trunk, as a relic which they intended to carry hack to their own country, to be shown there as one of no common interest. The nobleman who accompanied the party to the tree, acquainted me with this little anecdote, and I must confess that it afforded me no small degree of gratification.

Although the anecdotes of animals are very varied, the bulk of them aim at establishing two or three points,—the utility of many creatures that are now persecuted by agriculturists, gamekeepers, and the like ; the great capability of cultivation with which the minds of animals are endowed; and their possession of "reason." Some anecdotes are very curious upon this point : others seem to result from habit or memory, or at best rise no higher than the reason of a corporation-man. Such is this story of

THE RATIONAL DOG.

A friend of mine had a brother, a rigid Catholic, who resided a few miles from his house. He kept the forty days of Lent with the utmost strictness, so that but little was to be found in his house during that period except fish, eggs, and vegetables. He had a favourite old fox-hound, a parlour dog, who showed his dislike to this fare, by always coming to my friend's house during the season of Lent, and when it was over, he made his way back to that of his old master.

LANGUAGE OF SMELL.

In immense forests, where animals of different sexes separate, or are few in number, and where their calls would not be heard, an extraordinary facility has been afforded them of finding each other. This many of them do, as the pine- martin, civet, skunk, and other musky animals, by rubbing themselves against trees, thus leaving a scent by which they are traced by their congeners to great distances, and through almost interminable forests. Except for this provision of nature, ii is evident that many animals would have great difficulty in tracing each other : and thus, the notus odor of each species serves instead of language or the usual calls.

ADVANTAGE OF OBSTINACY.

Some animals, under unusual or peculiar circumstances, seem to lose the power of self-preservation. Numerous instances have occurred of hares being overtaken, or met on a railroad by engines, and becoming so completely para- lysed with fear as to make no attempt whatever to avoid the coming danger. This they might easily have done by running to the right or left. Instead of which, they have waited till the noisy and rapid machine was close upon them, when they have given one convulsive spring, and have thus been caught in the scoop under the engine. The same thing has happened with respect to par- tridges; and in one instance as many as five of these birds were knocked down at the same time by an engine, and afterwards picked up by a person sent for that purpose from one of the adjoining stations. When trains have been passing along the fine viaduct over the Thames at Maidenhead, rooks have flown against them, as if the power of self-preservation had abandoned these otherwise crafty birds—or rather as if they had lost the faculty which would have enabled them so easily to have avoided the danger. The same thing has happened with pheasants ; and one is now alive at Steventon, which flew into one of the win- dows of a first-class carriage, and was taken.

The following extraordinary circumstance lately occurred on a railway, and it proves not only that pigs are sensible animals, but that they are possessed with a certain degree of reflection, presence of mind, and nerve. One morning fifteen j oung pigs broke out of a field, and got upon the railway, and were be- tween two of the rails, when a train approached with all its appalling accompa- niments of noise, fire, and smoke. The pigs were seen, but too late to stop the engine, and their owner, who happened to be on his farm, expected to have seen them all killed. They remained, however, in line, and stood perfectly still till the train had passed over them, and not one was hurt. They appeared Cobs sensible of the escape they had had, by running back to the field squeaking and capering with satisfaction.

Strictly considered, this escape might result from pigheadedness.