fires of persecution which have in all ages been her favoured means of attempting to obtain the allegiance of her opponents; but though fire, the prison, and the scaffold stood before him, he hesitated not to cast in his lot with those who acknowledged the Bible as their guide through life, and looked to the sacrifice of Christ as the only foundation of their salvation.

When the accession of Coligny to their ranks became known the spirit of the faithful revived. Many of them considered that he was to be the Joshua of the chosen people;" and amid the eventful movements of that stirring time there was none whose word was so regarded and whose guidance was so much sought by the adherents of the cause of the Reformed religion, nor were there wanting those in high circles who would fain have won him to their side, and so spared him from the oncoming of the storm which so swiftly and suddenly fell upon the Huguenot host. It is not part of our plan to recount the transactions of that fatal day, and neither would we palliate the cruelties that were practised in the name of Holy Church. It has ever been in this world that the faithful have entered into joy through much tribulation; and though endowed with a faith as mighty as that which nerved the hearts of Gideon's three hundred, it was not given to the Huguenots to possess the land and bring about the overthrow of the false prophets.

In the sanctity of the home Coligny found much encouragement in the work, and trusted that wise counsels would prevail at Court and stay the persecution, which, by its rude trampling upon the highest rights of man, engendered a spirit of martyrdom. Multitudes flocked to the uplifted standard, believing that ere long their patient endurance would win an acknowledgment of the justness of their claims even from their enemies.

Coligny appeared upon behalf of his co-religionists at the Assembly of Notables, and by his clear, calm manner won much esteem, but he spake in a court where judgment had been already formed upon the cause, and sentence almost passed upon those who had taken any part in it.

Respite, however, came for a time, and in emigration across the Atlantic the Protestants sought to find the liberty for which they longed. These experiments were, however, unsuccessful, and during the latter portion of Coligny's life he was engaged in civil conflict. Alternate victory and defeat attended the hosts he led. To-day liberty of conscience was secured; the next saw that treaty cast to the winds, and the flame of civil discord rising higher and higher. Around the standard raised in the sacred cause of freedom of conscience allies gathered; men of imperishable renown-our own Walter Raleigh among them; but against the hosts of the adversary they

frequently fought in vain. Reinforced and inspired with the indomitable ardour that should possess those who fight in a good cause, they pressed on. Victory seemed within their grasp, and diplomacy likely to win that which valour could not achieve. At this period Coligny was invited to meet the king; stayed with him at Blois for a month, during which the conviction grew that Catherine was determined upon continuing the alliance with Spain. How much this meant is scarcely conveyed to us by the simple words, but with the honest Huguenot leader it was far different; he knew the oneness there was between Spain and the Inquisition-between Spain and intolerance-between Spain and death to religious liberty; in short, that alliance with Spain meant too well the death-knell of his followers and of himself.

We dare not attempt to picture the face of the grand old admiral as he left the Court, thinking that, notwithstanding the desire of Catherine, the king would break with the Spaniard. Friends warned him that Catherine's influence was paramount, and that she would yet compass his destruction. An unsuccessful attempt was made to assassinate him. Yet he seemed not to be alarmed; and when in the calm loveliness of that August night the myriads of armed men sallied forth crying, "For God and the King," and knocked at his door, he answered the servant who told him the house was broken open, "I have long been prepared to die," and then commending himself to the mercy of God, he awaited the onrush of his murderers with that restful composure which is the outcome of a heart at peace with all

men.

And so we would leave him, his memory unstained with any even whispered disloyalty to his king or country, save that of seeking to free her from the trammels of priestcraft, and to set her feet firmly on the rock of freedom. True, steadfast, loyal, and religious in life, and calm and peaceful in the moment of death, his name has become a proverb to succeeding generations, and we believe that France yet will see that the cause for which he fought was not crushed when he

fell. Truth is greater than any other power, and-it may be in ages

yet distant-when the light of the Gospel spreads over the land, and when over a Christian people the banner of religious liberty is waved, upon its ample folds there will be no name brighter than that of Gaspard de Coligny.

J. W.

EAR

A LETTER FROM JAPAN.

I am de-
lighted

with every

thing Japanese, and the country is lovely. I like the appearance of the people; they seem neat and clean, compared with other Easterns, and their

costume is picturesque. They have splendid black hair, nicely arranged, and I think the women handsome, though all do not agree with me. Their dress and style are faithfully represented in photographs in the "Far East" magazine. They appear most awkward in European costume, and this is partly caused by their small size.

Yokahama, 188.

JAPANESE LADY.

They look like children in grown-up people's clothes.

A Japanese poor gentleman comes to teach me the language, and there are many of these about, some of high rank. They belong to families who have taken part in late rebellions, and whose property is confiscated. T. is much attached to one, who is really a grand noble. Several of his relations joined the last outbreak, and his brother, a young man of talent and education, who had visited Europe and America, was shot. Most of his other friends were killed, and their estates forfeited, and the poor fellow has to get his living as a clerk.

Here, as in India, the servants board themselves, as they would not take our food. They live chiefly on rice, but also eat roots,

which are carried for sale about the streets or displayed in boothlike shops. I call them booth-like, because the front is all open. We have no cabs, and the only public conveyance is the jurik-sha; the name signifying man-carriage. It is thus called because drawn by men, and resembles a gig on a small scale. The shafts are put down for you to step in; then the man gets between them, raises them, and drags you off rapidly. This work is done by coolies, who are accustomed to and fit for it.

The scenery round us is pretty. Not far distant are lovely hills, to a great extent wooded, and intersected with long, low valleys containing rice fields; for rice requires much moisture. For weeks during its growth the lands are kept covered with water, which is

let off and on systematically. In some parts this is allowed to remain till the rice is ready to cut, and the natives go in boats to harvest it. This last is hearsay, but my authority is good.

I go on exploring expeditions over the hills, and in one of them had my first view of our grand mountain, Fusi Yama. Though fifty miles away it stands out so distinctly as to seem near. The weather had been misty since our arrival, and I had not seen it until this particular day, when on reaching a hilltop I raised my eyes, and there, its snow-covered summit gleaming in the sunshine, stood Fusi Yama before me. It was my first experience of the kind, and I cannot describe its effect. Previously nothing was to be seen in that direction but the usual landscape of low hills and trees, and now without word or warning appeared this grand spectacle. Though the top shone clear and bright, a belt of light clouds hung lower down, and the long range of the Ozama hills, of which this peak forms a part, was only faintly visible. Fusi Yama is higher than Mont Blanc; so we have reason to be proud of it.

The weather has not been very warm yet. July and August are the worst months, and people threaten me with all sorts of horrors for this time. It seems strange to come back to spring after going through six weeks of burning summer. The flowers here are lovely. Camellias are of the size of laurel bushes in England, and blossom splendidly. Azaleas grow wild everywhere; also Wistaria and numbers of other flowers that at home are rarities. Wild roses are poor, though we get them nice in gardens.

Part of Yokohama is close to the sea, and is called the Settlement, but many new residences are built on the hills beyond. These are called Bluffs, and are considered the nicest and healthiest, but I prefer the Settlement. You get sea-breezes, and the hills keep off damp air from the rice fields.

Railway carriages in this country are built on the American plan, much like our tramway omnibuses.

Living costs double what it does in England, as we cannot exist on rice and roots, and hardly any of our food is grown here. Flour comes from America, meat from China; and though you also buy flour from America, we use so little that we pay more for it. For other household matters we are charged double the home prices, and often more. Tradespeople expect a hundred per cent. on goods from England, which is not all profit, for besides expense of getting over there is much loss and waste.

E. D.