present day. For their thrilling effect her Spanish songs are equal to the Swedish melodies of Jenny Lind. Her name is associated with the first performance of "Les Huguenots," in which she took the part of Valentine, as well as with the "Splagenia" and "La Juive," and many other of the operatic master-pieces in which she has appeared on the Spanish, German, French, and English stages.
VICTORIA,
Has been denominated the Heroine or Empress of the West; she was contemporary with Zenobia, the no less celebrated Empress of the eastern division of the Roman territory, and is said to have illuminated by her character and actions the darkness which enveloped Gaul, Spain, and Britain, over which countries she held absolute dominion, although commonly ruling in the name of one or other of the six emperors, who were through her influence invested with the purple. The first of these was her son Victorinus, the second her grandson Victorinus Augustus, both of whom died a violent death, as did also Marius, who, from an humble station was raised to the imperial dignity; Posthumus, the next emperor, was likewise killed; of Ælianus, the next, who reigned seven years, the fate is not recorded; he was succeeded by Tetricus, who afterwards rewarded his relative Victoria for obtaining his nomination and accession to the throne, by procuring her destruction. Amid all these changes, up to the time of her death, "Aurelia Victoria Augusta," as historians have called her, maintained, in defiance of the Roman arms, supreme authority over those she had exalted and over the people she was appointed to rule. The city of Cologne was the seat of her government. Equally bold and sagacious, she attended alike to the affairs of state and to the conduct of war. She has been styled the mother of armies; and there is no doubt that she exercised a wonderful influence in the troublous times in which she lived, and dying before her people had submitted to the Roman arms, (in this respect being more happy than the ungrateful Tetricus,) "left," as a modern writer observes, "her fame, untarnished by disgrace, to descend with the memory of her virtues to succeeding ages." A. D. 273 may be assigned as the date of her death.
VICTORIA,
Reigning Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, was born at Kensington Palace, May 24th., 1819. Her father was Edward, Duke of Kent, fourth son of George the Third, and her mother was Victoria Maria Louisa, daughter of the Duke of Saxe-Coburg. Left a widow when her delicate infant was but eight months old, the Duchess of Kent devoted herself to the great purpose of training her daughter to be worthy of the crown which it seemed probable she might wear. Queen Victoria is, therefore, the exponant of female nature rightly cultivated for the highest station a mortal can inherit by birth. The means by which this instruction was perfected, and the results to humanity, are studies for the statesman, philosopher, and Christian.
In our brief sketch we shall only allude to some of the seemingly small circumstances, yet really great events, because influencing a mind which was to have a vast influence on other minds.
The ordering and training of Queen Victoria was entirely the
