I can rest in the land of the Stranger As well as in that of my birth. Yes, these were my feelings at parting, But absence soon alter’d their tone; The cold hand of Sickness came o’er me, And I wept o’er my Sorrows alone. No friend came around me to cheer me, No parent to soften my grief; Nor brother nor sister were near me, And strangers could give no relief. ’Tis true that it matters but little, Tho’ living the thought makes one pine, Whatever befalls the poor relic, When the spirit has flown from its shrine. But oh! when life’s journey is over, And earth again mingles with earth, Lamented or not, still my wish is, To rest in the land of my birth. * * * * * SPORTS AND PASTIMES. HUNTING DOGS. We said, in our last, that no sport could be attained without _good_ dogs. The first dog, and the very best for the sportsman, is _the Pointer_. All our pointers are, in some degree, of Spanish extraction; and such of them as have the most Spanish blood in their veins are unquestionably the best. The Spanish pointer is about twenty-one inches in height. He has a large head, is heavily made, broad-chested, stout-limbed, with a large dew-lap; his eyes are full, and widely apart, and his nose is broad; his tail is straight, short, and thick, and his ears large, pendulous, and fine; he should have a round-balled and not a flat foot. “The most essential point about the dog,” says General Hanger, “is a good foot; for, without a good, firm foot, he can never hunt long. I never look at a dog which has a thin, flat, wide, and spread foot. As long as the ground is dry and hard, I always wash my dog’s feet with warm soap and water, and clean them well, particularly between the toes and balls of the feet; this comforts his feet, allays the heat, and promotes the circulation in the feet. In the more advanced period of the season, when the ground is very wet, then salt and water may be proper.”