blue bonnet and plaid was seated beside his son a fair-haired youth, who seemed new to the world and to the scene. At their feet lay their faithful dog, a beautiful specimen of the Scottish shepherd dog, intelligent above all other irrational animals that are known. Two elegant looking young men,' apparently strangers or foreigners, who had come on board the' Marion at Inversnail, from a pedestrian tour in the Trosachs,' were strolling up and down the deck, accoutred with knapsacks and game bags, &c., their wearied pointers stretched at their listless length asleep. Another group of an English lady and gentleman and family, with their servants, were' seen in another part of the vessel, half invisible in the twilight. The rest of the crowd of voyagers had gone below,' and there seemed to be noise and merriment in the cabin, where a Highland piper was for some time furnishing music for the guests. Our own party took up a large share of space, and the air feeling cold after the excessive heat of the day, we wrapt ourselves in our mantles and pelisses, and were glad to draw near the furnace for the sake of a warmer atmosphere. The sparks, which in the day-light were invisible, now appeared to fall like showers of fire from the smoking mast, and rather alarmed us, but we soon found that they were innoxious, expiring before they reached the deck.

It was now getting late, the moon was not yet up, the night was dark, save here and there a star seen only at intervals through the clouds; the river was not very broad, nor the channel very deep, yet there were innumerable vessels going to and fro; many of these, like our own, impelled by an elemental force which nothing could resist or withstand. The steamboats that came down the river were exposed to the hazard common to ourselves of running foul of us, or we of them and the noise of our own vessel prevented us from hearing the sound of that which might be approaching; and it was only when we saw the moving pillar of fire, that we knew there was danger to be avoided. It was while our fears where thus excited, and while thus talking of fire, its destructive power, and the necessity as well as privilege of a constant trust in the superintending providence of God, for our protection or security at all times, that mamma related the following anecdote, which, VOL. II. 3d SERIES.

I i

as it furnishes a strong encouragement to prayer, I here transcribe.

"I had been accustomed," said she, "to go occasionally to B——, a sea bathing place on the coast of Sussex, for a month or two every summer; and from my habit of making domiciliary visits to the cottages of the poor, I was acquainted with many of its inhabitants, who were in general ignorant and uninstructed in divine truth. It happened the last time I was there, that the day after our arrival was the sabbath, when the clergyman, in allusion to a dreadful fire which had nearly consumed the whole village a few days before, took occasion tolead the minds of the people to serious reflections, and endeavoured to stir them up to enquire whether the calamity had not been sent in the holy providence of God, for the purpose of awakening them to a sense of the evil of sin, and by his blessing, of leading them to repentance. In the course of his affecting address, he mentioned that not less than eighteen dwellings had been consumed, and that he feared not one of them had been consecrated by the prayer of faith.

"As we walked home after service, I said to the friend who accompanied me, that there was one cottage in the village, of which I could confidently say it was consecrated by the prayer of faith and the sweet voice of praise; and as the spot where the flames began was not a hundred yards beyond our lodgings, we would walk forward and view the desolation. There we found the whole in a state of ruin; the first house had been entirely consumed, together with a long range of out-houses, stables, &c. Another little dwelling which, from the beauty of the roses and honeysuckles that had covered its trellis portico, and the peculiar neatness of its garden which had had its little walks adorned with shells and pebbles from the beach, and thereby had often attracted the attention of the passenger, was also a heap of ruins. As we passed along the lane where formerly a long line of cottages had stood, inhabited by numerous families and happy children, the destruction was so complete we could hardly recognise the spot. The people had been removed to a village three miles distant, to seek shelter for themselves and their little ones. But not to tire you, I may observe that the object which most attracted our gaze and

filled us with wonder, was the perfect security of the humble domicile of the poor praying man! It remained standing alone amid the surrounding desolation, unscathed, untouched! not a single flower in his garden was destroyed; and even his hedge-row, though separated from his neighbour's only by a foot-path a few feet broad, was unscorched; the flames had not kindled upon it. Had the conflagration finally terminated here, we might have wondered and admired the merciful interposition of a kind providence in his behalf; but our astonishment was unmixed when, on a nearer inspection, we discovered that while the flames had encircled without injuring this little dwelling, they had consumed one about twenty yards behind it, and returning again to their former course, had destroyed two or three more beyond it. Thus its preservation seemed little less than miraculous.

"I enquired of all who passed by, how Roberts' cottage had escaped. No one could tell. They supposed the wind had changed, or that he had carried water from the pond to quench the fire. But that the wind should only change for so short a time, and again return as before, and that three cottages nearer the pond should be consumed, and this preserved, seemed strikingly providential. We presently met the owner himself. 'Well, Roberts,' said I, 'you have indeed seen how good a God you serve, in having your cottage safe, among the wreck of so many; how did it happen?' 'I cannot tell, Ma'am,' said he, The Lord has been very good to us sure, we cannot be thankful enough to Him, for sure I never expected to see it standing this day. No, ma'am, we had no thought of it being saved. When we saw Allan's cottage go, we carried all our things out to the field; howsomever, we have not got them all back again, yet there is but one loss I lament, and that is the beautiful bible which Mr. C. gave me last summer-I does mourn for that.' I bade him not mourn for that, for I was persuaded the friend who bestowed it last summer, would gladly replace it this; and however unjustifiable the motive which prompted the person who robbed him of it, yet we should hope that God may yet make it a blessing to some one. Seeing his wife at a little distance, we went up to her. She was also a woman who feared God, though less spiritual than her

husband, and therefore spoke more of her own trouble and anxiety and fears, than of God's care and kindness to her. But though it is the nature of us all to ponder more upon the evils of life, than to cherish a grateful remembrance of its mercies, she nevertheless said, ' Yet God has been good to us, madam, for we thought nothing could save our sweet pretty cottage, and when we got into it again, ma'am, I remembered that my husband had every night for a long time past, prayed that our house might be preserved from fire. I never thought about it much at the time, but when we got all safe into it, I said, Roberts, do you remember having prayed so much about being kept from fire, dear?' 'Yes,' says he, 'I do, Sally; I never missed that petition for two long years, and now how gracious is our God in answering it. Oh what a God have we!" "

Just as mamma had concluded her story, the cry of "Stop her!" was vociferated by the rough voice of the man at the helm to the man at the engine; and a little boat that came paddling along side our vessel, showed us that we were arrived at the desired haven, With delight we descended into it, with more delight we set our feet on terra firma; and when we met the cheerful lights, and saw the blazing wood fire, and found ourselves in the library at G, we were still more happy, our dear and hospitable friend congratulating each of us on having accomplished our journey without danger and without disappointment; saying, "Ah, may we thus meet in our Father's house at last, when life's journey itself shall be over; then, with your pious friend, we shall say, What a God have we!" M. G.

SELFISHNESS AND SELF-DENIAL.
(Concluded from page 352.)

IT is to little purpose that we point out an evil, unless we can do something towards suggesting its remedy. In the contrasted characters of Marianne and Henrietta, the reader has already seen the baneful effects of selfishness. The difference of their character was far more visibly manifested, after the arrival of the letter, mentioned in our last communication: for Marianne had nothing now to check the sweet cheerfulness of her disposition, or to prevent her full participation in the

pleasures that surrounded her. Indeed there was not a gratification experienced by any one, from which she did not con trive to extract her share; since the seeing another happy was always a treat to her generous and affectionate heart. Miss Wilton was by no means backward to provide enjoyments for her young pupils; but of course they were of a general nature, and could not be suited to each particular wish of each particular child. Therefore, as self ever occupied the fore ground in Henrietta's mind, it seldom happened, in the little schemes of her preceptress, that there was not some deviation from her desires on the subject. This destroyed all her comfort, and generally made those days, which were peculiarly pleasant to the rest, seasons of mortification and disappointment to her. For instance, one of their very agreeable relaxations was occasionally to take provision, and spend the day in the beautiful grounds of a deserted mansion, which was separated from them by a gentle river, that flowed at the bottom of their garden. A pleasant walk to the ferry lay partly through verdant meadows, and partly by a rural road, beautifully overhung by lofty and umbrageous trees. Fruitful valleys, shady nooks, richlywooded hills, and sparkling streams, diversified occasionally by the busy farm, the embowered cottage, and the tall white spire darting its upward course amidst surrounding foliage, rendered the country exquisite, whether seen from the river or from its lovely banks. Miss Wilton, however, knew that the sail made a pleasant variety; and, therefore, her usual plan was to hire a boat from the garden, in which half the young ladies were conveyed to their place of destination, while the remainder walked to the ferry, over which it returned to take them. And in the evening, when they bent their course homeward, the walkers took possession of the boat, and the sailors of the bank. A portion of the conversation which took place between the cousins on one of these occasions, will shew the ingenuity with which a thoroughly selfish mind can discover or create causes of disquietude.

"So I find," said Henrietta "you are to go in the boat, and therefore you may have some chance of enjoying the day; for my part, I shall be so completely tired when I get to the park that I shall be fit for nothing."