ing contrast to that of an individual in London, who lost a much larger sum, and rewarded the honest man who found and restored it with a shilling!

Teacher. Thomas, what have you been about?

Thomas. Reading Davidson's Trade and Travel in the Far East.

Teacher. That's a work of considerable interest. What is the special fact you mean to adduce?

ter.

Thomas. Descanting on the subject of zoology, the traveller says, "While on the subject of wild animals, I may mention a leopard that was kept by an English officer at Samarang, during our occupation of the Dutch colonies. This animal had its liberty, and used to run all over the house after its masOne morning, after breakfast, the officer was sitting smoking his hookah, with a book in his right hand and the hookah-snake in his left, when he felt a slight pain in the left hand, and, on attempting to raise it, was checked by a low angry growl from his pet leopard. On looking down he saw the animal had been licking t back of his hand, and had by degrees drawn a little blood. The leopard would not suffer the removal of the hand, but continued licking it with much apparent relish, which did not much please his master, who, with great presence of mind, without attempting again to disturb the pet in his proceeding, called to his servant to bring him a pistol, with which he shot the animal dead on the spot. Such pets as snakes nineteen feet long and full-grown leopards are not to be trifled with. The largest snake I ever saw was twenty-five feet long, and eight inches in diameter. I have heard of sixty-feet snakes, but cannot vouch for the truth of the tale."

Teacher. Thomas, that is a striking fact, and it supplies a striking moral. Can you tell me what that moral is? Thomas. It shows the power of original instinct. I have read of a tame tiger that, casually tasting blood, became instantly furious, and with a roar bounded off to the jungle, and was seen no more. Just so with man; however he may be "tamed" by instruction and discipline, unless his heart be changed,

he is capable, under the force of circumstances, of perpetrating any enormity; and hence the necessity of man's being "born again."

Teacher. Thomas, that is fearfully true. No man knows what is in his heart till it be drawn out by temptation. While the wicked require conversion, the converted need to watch and pray. Septimus, what have you to offer?

Septimus. The experiment of Fénélon, sir, on the spoiled prince. The Duke of Burgundy, grandson of Louis XIV., and heir to the crown, a spoiled child, of an outrageous temper, about fourteen years old, who had got the better of all his tutors, was committed to the archbishop, with full powers to do as he pleased, and he tells us how he proceeded :-" When the young prince," says he, "gave way to those fits of passion and impatience to which a temper naturally hot made him but too subject, the tutor, the masters, all the attendants and servants of the house were instructed to keep the most profound silence in his presence. They were not permitted even to answer his questions. If they served him, they turned away their eyes, as if afraid to approach a creature whose passion had overpowered his reason. Any attention they paid him was no more than what was necessary to preserve his existence, and that as if in compassion to a person deranged. His lessons were suspended, his books were put aside as if of no use to one so wild, and he was left to himself, to his reflections, to his sorrow, to his remorse." It is stated that the result was satisfactory.

Teacher. There was philosophy in the plan; it partakes of the principle of the Solitary and the Silent Systems of Prison Discipline, before the power of which the stoutest hearts have been made to bow. The fact is not without its use to parents and teachers. tor, what have you found?

Vic

Victor. I have met with the following fact, sir, in a respectable periodical publication, which has greatly shocked me:"A respectable sabbath-school teacher has made inquiry relative to the character of the first hundred scho

nitely gracious Being who thus delivered his beloved child from death."

Teacher. That is a very touching fact, and it supplies a valuable lesson to Sunday-school teachers. Many of them, in efforts to save the children of their neighbours, have been made the means of saving their own. And if the rescue of a body gave such pleasure, what shall be said of the joy of

Teacher. You may well be shocked by such a recital! Surely the school must have been situated in a more than ordinarily depraved neighbourhood. Is that specified?

Victor. No, sir.

Teacher. That is a serious omíssion, as the value of such facts depends much upon circumstances. The first scholars, moreover, are seldom the best. They are, in many cases, not only first out, but soon out. I cannot but consider this case as an exception to the rule. The children must have been the offspring, I should say, of most vicious parents. Charles, I hope you have something good? Let us have it.

Charles. I have met with a fact, sir, recited by a very celebrated living minister, which is as follows:-"A few years since, as the Rev., an excellent Baptist minister in London, was walking along one of the crowded streets of that city, his attention was arrested by the circumstances that a carriage with several horses was just about to pass over a little girl who was slowly crossing the road. He strongly felt the danger of the child, and, forgetting his own, he ran, snatched her up in his arms, and hastened with her to the

side-path, when the thought struck him, what would the parents of this dear child have felt had she been killed? At this moment he looked in the face of the little girl, which had been concealed from his view by her bonnet, and imagine, if you can, what his feelings were when he discovered it was his daughter! I saw him about half an hour after the occurrence, and I shall never forget his agitation as he described to me her danger, or his expressions of thankfulness to an infi

Reginald. Sir, I have met with a passage, said to be in a will, that has somewhat impressed me. It runs thus: -"I recommend to my sons, from my own experience in life, to prefer the happiness of independence and a private station to the trouble and vexations of public business; but if either their own inclinations or the necessity of the time should engage them in public affairs, I charge them, on a father's blessing, never to let the motives of private interest or ambition induce them to betray, nor the terrors of poverty and disgrace, or of death, deter them from asserting the liberty of their country and endeavouring to transmit to their posterity those sacred rights to which themselves were born."

Teacher. That is a valuable piece of advice given in a way calculated to impress it indelibly on the heart. It well deserves the notice of the rising generation of Englishmen, and, if universally acted upon, it would ultimately give a new aspect to the affairs of the nation.

POPERY IN PORTUGAL.

THE following beautiful letter, sent us by the family of the young lady, will be read with much interest by all Sunday-school children :

LETTER FROM A LADY ABROAD TO A

SUNDAY-SCHOOL IN ENGLAND.

Oporto, March 28, 1846.

MY BELOVED CHILDREN,-A long time has passed since your teacher was called to leave you and all her friends

saint with grateful thanks for the deliverance they imagine it has afforded them. As soon as the person is gone away, however, the priest snatches up the gift, and, sending it back to the saint-shop, has a chance of selling it again, and thus getting more money; for all the money taken at the saintshop is claimed by the priests instead of the saints; and while the priests are filling their pockets with the money of the people the saint gets nothing, nor wants, indeed! but a few gaudy trimmings, not to keep it warm, but to make it smart; although this, you know, they do not tell the people.

I think I have mentioned the festas to you. Well, I have been to several of these religious fairs, and will tell you a little about them.

The day and night previously the people come from the country round, generally in companies of twenty or thirty, all dressed in their best, some on mules or donkeys, others playing on musical instruments, beating time with their castanets, singing merrily, and dancing. It is very pretty to see the young people dancing along the road, while the more steady move slowly on, their heads being covered with a clean white kerchief, and protected from the sun by large crimson umbrellas. The ground for some distance round the church is occupied by different groups, some selling bread, some the hot fried fish of the country, others flowers, toys, &c. As the numbers increase, to perhaps five or six thousand, the scene becomes very gay and noisy. The church is brightly lighted, and thrown open to all; the people rushing in, fly to embrace the saints, present their gifts, and, falling on their knees, loudly commence their prayers. A band of harsh instruments plays wild and merry music-fire-works are let off from different points of the building. To increase the din and uproar, the dogs bark, the frightened children cry, bells ring, the men and women at length scream their prayers and pick their neighbours pockets at the same time; and this lasts two, and often three, days!

This, my dear children, is the general character of a religious festival or

saints' holiday: much more of the kind I could tell you, but it would only shock and pain you. Think how displeasing all this mockery must be to God, whose commandments are thus trodden under foot, and whose word is made a lie! while the house which ought to be set apart and kept for his holy service is so grievously polluted and profaned.

In passing through the crowds on the outside I was attracted by the occasional appearance of some little children, gaily dressed in painted muslin, straw or paper hats, trimmed with bunches of flowers and silver. On inquiry, I found that these were all children who had been so ill that it was expected they would die; but the saint was petitioned, they recovered, and their mothers purchased these smart clothes, (in which, had they died, they would have been buried,) and were going, as they said, to offer their children to the saint for having saved them from death. though in reality merely to leave their clothes at its feet! Here, again, how is God dishonoured! He alone can preserve and keep us alive. In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind. He sends diseases, and he alone can remove them. To him, therefore, should we apply in all our wants and troubles; and to God alone render the praises and thankful tributes of our hearts. These poor children kneel before a saint (an image), to return their thanks for benefits they imagine they have received from it; and can I think, my dear children, that you do less than they? You who have been so much better instructed,not in a false religion, but in the worship of the one living and true God,do you daily implore his protection from harm, and help against sin and snares? Do you love to go, and, kneeling at his footstool, tell him how much you wish to thank him for his goodness to you, a poor little sinful child? Oh, I am sure you do. heart beat louder and faster when you think how much God loves you, and how ready he ever is to listen to your prayers when in the name of Jesus Christ you seek his mercy:

You feel your