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with profound reverence; think of the honour which surrounds that mediatorial throne on which man's elder Brother and Representative is seated; think of the sublime promises which are made to the believing petitioner, and of the glorious prospects which are before him; and you have ideas whose influence on intellect is expanding, elevating, ennobling. Communion with light imparts light. Fellowship with greatness produces greatness. Contact with the spiritual creates spirituality. Access to the source of knowledge increases the desire for knowledge. He that follows Jesus shall not walk in darkness. He that visits the throne of grace meets with the Great Teacher. The sanctified intellect enlarges at the feet of the sanctifying Prophet. In Christ are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Great thoughts rush unbidden into the mind of the earnest pupil. He eats the bread of life, and is nourished. He drinks of the perennial river that issues from beneath the throne of God, and is quickened. He basks in the Sun of righteousness, and draws vitality. He meddles with all knowledge, and advances in the understanding of the holy. The books of the law, the prophetic scroll, the evangelical record, the apostolic letters, are patent to him. The seals are broken off. The mystery gradually vanishes. The true light plays around the head of the devout petitioner, until he is changed into the image of Christ, who is the image of God, and, advancing from glory to glory, in due time the summons is issued for his removal from the region of faith to that of sight, and he has that promise fulfilled, "What thou knowest not now thou shalt know hereafter."Leask.

LEICESTER.

It was a fine autumnal morning when we left the agreeable and hospitable abode, where, for some days, we had found"a perch and a dormitory," and wended our way towards the chief town of the county. A few miles only had to be traversed to reach Arnsby, the birth-place of Robert Hall. There stood the plain and unobtrusive sanctuary where his father ministered, of whom his son said, and while portraying him, with equal accuracy depicted himself: "He appeared to the greatest advantage upon subjects where the faculties of most men fail them; for the natural element of his mind was greatness." There too was

the burial-ground, adjacent to his parent's dwelling-house, where his nurse, a woman of integrity and intelligence, judging from his actions when a delicate infant not two years of age, and unable to walk or talk, that he was desirous to learn the meaning of the inscriptions on the grave-stones, and of the various figures carved upon them, managed, by the aid of those inscriptions, to teach him the letters of the alphabet, then to group them into syllables and words, and thus at length to read and speak.

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Nor could it be forgotten that afterwards, at "a dame-school," he evinced an extraordinary thirst for knowledge, and became a collector of books; or that in the summer season, after the schoolhours were over, he would put his richly prized library, among which was "Entick's Dictionary," into his pinafore, steal into the grave-yard, (which, from an early and fixed association, he regarded as his study;) lie down upon the grass, spread his books around him, and there remain until the deepening shades of evening compelled him to retire into the house.

How great were the powers which were first exercised in that lonely spot,how vast the attainments the foundation of which was then laid,—how powerful the eloquence which rose out of the lispings of that remarkable infancy! Well, then, may the traveller gaze with interest on Arnsby, as we did, until compelled to proceed onwards; and passing through Wigston Magna, from whose steeple a tree is growing, we reached Knightonhill, and from it caught the first sight of Leicester.

That sight is imposing. It includes an extensive view of the country, whose general surface consists of innumerable gently-rising hills, with few precipitous declivities, so that almost the whole is valuable for culture. The margins of the rivers and brooks are natural grass land; and the uplands are partly arable and partly under grass. The modern enclosures are almost entirely devoid of trees, but the fences of the more ancient abound with timber. Here the eye marks the Soar, pursuing its winding course amidst the rich pastures where sheep and cattle graze, and the cultured spots whose produce has just been stacked; while beyond is a noble range of hills, extending from west to north, and above them the trees of Broadgate Park, where a prison was found for lady Jane Grey.

The hills of Charnwood Forest, which are in full view, will repay an ascent. They consist of barren rocks, projecting abruptly above the surface, rising to about eight or nine hundred feet above the level of the sea, and, consequently, within the temperate region of the atmosphere; yet the views from them are most beautiful and extensive. Bardon-hill in particular, an isolated eminence, and the loftiest of the whole, is greatly celebrated. From this point the eye may range over the whole midland district of England; and from it are visible Lincoln cathedral, Dunstable Hills, the Malvern Hills, the Sugar Loaf in South Wales, the Wrekin, and other mountains in Shropshire and Wales, and the Peak of Derbyshire.

Descending Knighton-hill, the town of Leicester opens before us, with its variously-shaped buildings, lofty chimneys of worsted manufactories, and towering steeples; and on the right, at its entrance, the new gaol and house of correction, enclosed within a stone wall, forming on the entrance side a handsome façade, in the ancient style of English architecture. This edifice is well contrived. The governor's house is so constructed, that he can see into each of the yards of the prison. At the top, lighted from the dome, is the chapel, to which there is a bridge from every set of cells, so that each class may reach it apart; the seats are so arranged, that though the prisoners can all see the chaplain, they cannot see any other class than their own. This pile of building is said to have cost 30,000. When shall the time come in which it shall be clearly seen that it is more politic and more wise to employ means for the prevention of crime, than merely for its punishment? Some years ago the writer asked the chief magistrate of the town of Nottingham if he knew any who had derived advantage from such structures, and his answer was in the negative. It is well that attention is now being directed, with unwonted zeal, to remedial measures.

At the time of our visit, trade was good. Stockings and gloves are made in large quantities, for exportation as well as home. But the state of those who make them is often painful; for many who can earn an adequate subsistence in three or four days, spend the rest of the week in idleness and profligacy. And where are we to look for an effectual corrective? Only to the Divine blessing on mental and moral culture. Let it be

supplied, not in pretence but in fact; not partially, but to the extent of the emergency; not by fits and starts, but perseveringly, and the change will be conspicuous.

Crossing the market-place, the eye was caught by an inscription on the front of the exchange. It appeared at first to be formed of differently-coloured lamps, and to promise an evening illumination; but on approaching it, we discovered it to be "Leicestershire Floral and Horticultural Society," formed of dahlias of varied hues, the novel announcement of a meeting which was that day to take place.

Leicester calls up many interesting historical recollections. Thus a part of St. Nicholas's church is stated to be of the time of the Druids. Of Roman relics here, the most curious are the tesselated pavement found in a cellar nearly opposite the town-prison in 1675, and the milliary, or mile-stone, discovered in 1771, about two miles from the town. This stone, which has given rise to much archæological research, was removed to Leicester by the corporation, and is placed in Belgrave-gate, on a square pedestal, with a column above it, surmounted by a cross, and, from the inscription it bears, it appears to have been first erected in the reign of the emperor Hadrian, and is said to be the oldest discovered in this country. About a quarter of a mile south of the Infirmary are the ancient artificial embankments, called the Raw-dykes, supposed also to be of Roman origin.

Some memorials still remain of Richard III. The chief inn, where he lay the night before the battle of Bosworthfield, stood opposite the Free-school, in what is now called “Blue-boar lane.” Henry erected in the Grey-friars church a costly monument to his memory; but at the suppression of the religious houses it was pulled down and destroyed by the inhabitants of Leicester, who dug up his bones, and contemptuously threw them into the water, or buried them with the same feeling. The stone coffin that contained the body was long used as a drinking-trough, at the White-horse, in Gallow tree-gate, where part of it was to be seen some years ago. The portion of the coffin intended for the head and shoulders, was made concave to receive them. At Leicester-abbey, which he reached with difficulty, Wolsey was received by the abbot and his monks. There, too, having made the memorable declaration to sir William Kingston,

"Had I but served my God as I have served my king, he would not have forsaken my grey hairs, he soon after breathed his last. Of that ecclesiastical edifice there are now but few remains. The arch, however, is still there under which the fallen cardinal entered the monastic pile. The gardens once attached to it are now nursery-grounds.

But though various objects still crowd upon us, we must say, Leicester, farewell! May men as eminent in moral truth be thy spiritual guides as once taught thee; may the thousands of thy teeming population employed to prepare and send forth thy produce, be in intellect men, and in religion Christians; may thy immense house of correction be soon appropriated to a better purpose, and the one that shall be its substitute be of such contracted limits, as that instead of seizing at once on the traveller's attention, it shall only be seen on the keenest search, and be the means of bringing into "the path of righteousness" the few inmates who shall be found within its walls.

W.

THE BEARING OF COMMERCE UPON

CHRISTIANITY.

own expense and dependent on his own resources, he had deliberately abandoned the comforts of his English home, with the intention of casting his lot among those distant islanders, and of doing what in him lay for their benefit. Signal and unparalleled success crowned his effort. His influence rose and increased till the native rulers besought him to assume the government of their province. Under his mild and equitable sway the rights of property are now respected, personal violence has abated, piracy has been attacked in its strongholds and defeated. His subjects have begun to appreciate his lessons, and to discern how much to be preferred are the peaceful pursuits of industry and commerce to the roving warfare in which they have hitherto placed their pride and found their sole profit. But what has been the direct result of the opening of this new field of commerce? Why, you know that sir James Brooke returned to this country only last year, to solicit, amongst other things, a band of missionaries to go forth and preach Christianity to the heathen population of Borneo; so that commerce in that case, as it ought in every other, has directly led to the propagation of Christianity in a country which hitherto has been inaccessible to the feet of the missionary. These are illustrations of the mode in which commerce may indirectly become subservient to the march of Christianity; and here, let me observe, there are some points of view under which commerce has plainly the tendency to advance the interests of Christianity-so that, supposing a nation to be at once great in her possession of the gospel, and great as to her commerce, she must have vast capabilities for the dissemination of Christianity. Thus, in proportion to her commercial power, must be the extent of her intercourse with all nations of the globe. You see this exemplified clearly in the case of Great Britain. What country is there on the face of the earth with which, through means of our commerce, we do not hold intercourse? What coast is there which our commercial navies have not skirted? Every where is the British flag known. Our wharfs and warehouses are laden with the produce of every clime. Our foreign possessions are spread through the earth: they skirt Africa; they predominate in South Asia and Australasia; they head North America; and, by the West Indies, South America

To the missionary enterprise of Mr. Marsden, a missionary of New Holland, it is entirely owing that the blessings of civilization were introduced into that distant colony. Through his efforts the native ferocity of the New Zealander was tamed. The inhabitants beholding in a missionary settlement the good effect of peaceful industry, became, at least to some extent, enamoured of English civilization, and having appealed for British protection, thenceforward was New Zealand laid open to the enterprise of English colonists and English merchants.

Take another still more recent case: I allude to the Island of Borneo. It is well known that, for the acquisition of that important territory, and for its annexation to the dependencies of this empire, we are indebted to the enterprise of that illustrious traveller, sir James Brooke. Influenced by no sordid motive, and by no selfish feeling, but simply by the noble ambition of doing good; unbacked by any force to compel acquiescence in his plans, sir James Brooke landed almost a stranger upon the coast of Borneo, sent forth by no court or government, the ambassador of no prince, church, or embassy; equipped at his

also; and we have a central point in the Mediterranean for three continents. Who shall say that the circumstance of being thus brought into contact with all nations does not confer upon England a vast and splendid opportunity for disseminating the knowledge of Christianity?

Again, another obvious facility for spreading the gospel, which pre-eminently belongs to a great commercial country, lies in the vast influence which extensive commerce confers. The influence which a nation possesses amongst other nations will always bear ratio to the extent of her commerce. Multiply your commercial relations, and you multiply your national power and influence. If a nation be known to trade with every port, and to navigate by her merchant seamen every ocean, there needs no other proof that she must have a correspondent influence, whether for evil or for good.

And once again let me add, that the commerce of a country is indirectly a cause of its wealth; as commerce thrives, wealth increases: on the contrary, as the one declines so does the other. These, then, are what we take to be the general bearings of commerce upon the spread of Christianity. It opens intercourse between the several nations of the earth; it confers power; it multiplies wealth; and, where commerce is carried forward between nations unblest with Christianity, I do not wonder that it should lead to no better result than temporal civilization: but it were a scandal for a Christian nation to be great in commerce, and not also great in her efforts to disseminate the knowlege of the gospel.

Here it is that one's thoughts instinctively turn to England, and to the extraordinary position which God's providence hath assigned her to fill. Great beyond all other nations in the heritage of a pure Christianity, and pre-eminently exalted also in the scale of commercial power, for what end hath she received the two-fold talent, and how has she improved it? Hers is the pure Protestant faith; hers the unrestricted liberty of access to the Bible; hers the light of the gospel in all its effulgence; hers, again, is a matchless extent of commerce. Her merchant fleet numbers between 24,000 and 25,000 vessels, with a tonnage of upwards of 3,000,000. The port of London alone, in the year 1842, had belonging to it upwards of 3,000 merchant vessels; the aggregate number of the crews of those vessels amounting to above 35,000

men and boys. The customs' duty in the port of London alone, in 1844, was above 11,000,000%. So great an amount of shipping and commerce was probably never before concentrated in any single port in the world. Then look, further, at the colonies of the British empire. The aggregate population of our colonies is estimated at above 4,000,000. The official value of the imports from the colonies into the united kingdoms, in 1842, was between 3,000,000l. and 4,000,000l. One-sixth part of the inhabitants of the whole world are beneath the British sceptre and bow to British dominion. Surely never was there a nation so favourably placed for evangelizing the world. For what end can there have been bestowed upon England so vast an extent of commercial influence and power? For what purpose can it have been ordained that so insignificant an island, in point of geographical limit, should have been entrusted with an empire of such unparalleled extent? and this, too, contemporaneously with her inheritance of a pure religious faith? Was it merely that she might enrich and aggrandize herself, attract to herself all the luxuries and productions of other climes? or rather was it not that, like a moral beacon in the midst of the nations, she might shine forth the light of the world, and, exhibiting in her own aspect the power of Christianity to make a nation great, win the other nations of the world to the faith of the crucified Emanuel? And oh, if England as a nation were to act up to this her illustrious vocation—if she were but to determine to weave her Christianity into the staple of all her commerce-if, when freighting her noble vessels with stores of merchandise, she were not to forget to freight them with the Bible and the missionary-if she were to seek that wheresoever her navies spread their canvass, or plough the ocean, they might carry along with them the preachers of Christianity, and thus seek to evangelize the whole earth-then would her moral lustre outshine her commercial splendour, her moral greatness would surpass her political pre-eminence; and in making her commerce subservient to Christianity, she would be realizing the truth of that noblest of inspired predictions-"I will consecrate their gain unto the Lord, and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth."— Rev. Robert Bickersteth's Lecture to Young Men.

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THE BARN-OWL. WHEN We see in autumn nature beginning to spread the mantle of night over this portion of our terrestrial sphere, when the stars are hanging their silvery lamps in the heavens, and the moon rises and sheds

"A lovelier, purer light than that of day,"

tranquillity seems to reign over the material world. The silence is only broken by the flitting of the bat's almost noiseless wing; but as we approach the ivy-grown towers of that ruined edifice, where the polecat and weasel are moving about in pursuit of prey, the gentle flap of the owl's feathery pinions may, perhaps, be heard, or its buff wings and back, or snowy white breast may be discerned. About sunset these birds issue forth, and may be observed flapping gently along, searching

lanes, hedge-rows, orchards, small enclosures, and near out-buildings; or from an eminence the owl may be seen beating the fields over like a setter-dog, and often dropping down into the grass or

corn.

The barn-owl has been distinguished by a variety of names, as the white or church-owl, the howlet, madge-howlet, or gillihowter; by Montagu it is styled the hissing or screech-owl. Linnæus* and Buffont have employed different names, and to these others have been added according to the views or fancy of the several naturalists. Ours feed on young rats, mice, small birds, and insects.

That the barn-owl will occasionally catch fish is proved by a note from the late Mr. J. Atkinson, of Leeds, which states that a gentleman residing in Yorkshire, and well acquainted with ornitho

* Strix Flammea. + Effrai, ou Frésaie.

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