THE BURNING SHIP.

had inscribed them upon my bosom-" call upon me in the day of trouble, I will deliver thee." I was recalled, however, from my reverie by the mate imploring me to come into the boat, and as I could do no more, I obeyed the summons; so, sliding down the tackles, I got safely into the boat among my wretched companions. At that instant the mainmast fell with a tremendous crash over the side, and the flames shot up with frightful fury from the cabin skylight, as if to intimate that the work of destruction was nearly completed, and that our ill-fated vessel was no longer fit to be a refuge for living beings.

"One woe was past; 99 and although we knew well that others were awaiting us, it was still an act of marvellous mercy that so many persons had "come out of the midst of the fire" with "not an hair of our heads singed." It is needless to speculate as to the cause of our disaster; but, as it undoubtedly began in the lower hold among the coals, it was most probably produced by spontaneous combustion. When the last person left the ship it must have been about eleven o'clock; so that in less than three hours we had been cast forth from security and comfort, amidst cold, and nakedness, and watching, to face dangers and death in their most dismal aspect. It was my design to have remained by the wreck till dawn, in the hope a hope, alas, that was not to be realized that some friendly ship might be attracted by the burning to our rescue. But the boats were in danger of being stove, it being impossible at all times to prevent their chafing; and, ere long, the rope by which we were made fast to the wreck became burnt through, so that we were compelled to part even from the desolate companionship of the burning vessel, and were cast adrift at midnight upon the black and boundless solitude of ocean. clinging to the hope of rescue, I sought to keep the boats as close to the wreck as possible, and made the best distribution of our company that I could. I took charge of the long-boat with other sixteen souls in it; seven were in the skiff, and four in the small boat; and there we drifted till morning came.

Still

[The above was written by the Captain of the vessel. What he and his companions suffered before they reached land, and afterwards, must be told in another article, which we shall publish with the title, "ESCAPE FROM THE BURNING SHIP." These extracts are from a small pamphlet called, "The Burning Ship," published by Snow, London.

POETRY.

Poetry.

VANITY.

"Seeing there be many things that increase vanity, what is man the better." Ecclesiastes, vi. 11.

Falmouth.

THERE'S nought on earth that man can do,

Or nought that he can gain,

That should at all increase his pride,

Or tend to make him vain.

Wealth, honour, fame, are painted o'er
With a deceitful glare;

They are but fragments of a day,
And oft work but a snare.

Beauty is but a fragile flower,
Which blooms but to decay;
It opens in the morning light,
And fades, at eve, away.

Youth is a dew-drop of life's morn,
Which time and care exhale;
The roseate cheek, the beaming eye,
Soon groweth dim and pale.

And all the things called good and great
On this proud rolling earth,-
Fashion and pleasure, station, rank,
And gaiety and mirth:

All have their source in earthly springs;
All meet one general doom;

Earth is their home, their dwelling-place,
And earth their final tomb!

But has not man a deathless soul,

Whose powers ne'er will die ?

And can he not a title gain

To heavenly bliss on high?

Then let us not bow down to earth,

Or worship at its shrine;

But fix our thoughts on nobler things,

Eternal, and divine!

Seek Christ; by him draw near to God
For pardon and for grace;

Trust him long as you live on earth,
Then take in heaven your place.

ANECDOTES AND SELECTIONS.

Anecdotes and Selections.

THE PRAYING MOTHER. In a sea-port town of New England lived a pious mother of six daughters. At the age of sixty she had been for many years subject to disease and infirmity, which confined her to her house, and almost to her room. To the writer of this she said, at one of his first interviews with her, "I have not, for many years, known what it is to go to the house of God in company with his people, and to take sweet council with them. But I have another source of grief greater than this; one that weighs down my spirit day and night, while disease and pain bear my body towards the grave. I have six daughters two are married and live with me; but not one of them is pious. I am alone; I have no one for a christian companion. O that even one of them were pious, that I might walk alone no longer!" Such was her language. She was evidently a woman of a sorrowful spirit, beseeching the Lord with much entreaty. Soon after this a revival commenced; of which her four single daughters were among the first subjects. A fifth was soon added to their number. But the other, the eldest, was unmoved. "Mother," said one of the converts, "let us all unite in observing a day of fasting and prayer for our unawakened sister." The agreement was made. The day was observed. Of this, the subject of their prayers had no knowledge. But on the same day, while engaged in her domestic concerns at home, her mind was solemnly arrested, and she was soon added to the christian sisterhood. The praying mother lived a few years to enjoy their christian society. They surrounded her dying bed, received her last blessing, commended her spirit to God, and now follow the faith and patience of that mother who is gone to inherit the promises.

ARAB PROVERBS.-The tyrant is a dead carcass in the abodes of the living; but the benefactor has a living soul in the mansions of the dead. A prince without justice is like a river without water. As the sick body is not profited by food, so the vain mind is not benefited by admonition. Listen, if you would learn; be silent, if you would be safe. The world is carrion, and its followers dogs. The false appearance of a proud man makes his ill wishers envious; but could his friend behold his heart he would have cause to weep. He who has health should hope; and he who hopes must be happy. A man who can neither serve his friends nor his enemies is an unprofitable acquaintance. By six qualities may a fool be known: anger without cause, speech without profit, change without motive, inquiry without an object, putting trust in a stranger, and wanting capacity to discriminate between a friend and a foe.

CHEAP RELIGION WORTHLESS.-A religion which costs nothing is good for nothing. Like a certain kind of faith which we read of, "it is dead, being alone." How much meaning was conveyed in the reply which one man made to another, who offered to contribute a

THE FIRESIDE. THE PENNY POST BOX.

small amount to some benevolent object, and said, "I can give this and not feel it!" "Would it not be better for you, my friend, to increase it to such an amount that you will feel it ?" So in every case. A person should feel what he does, and should do what he will be likely to feel, or morally there will be very little good resulting from it.

PRAYER.-A little girl about four years of age being asked, "Why do you pray to God ?" replied, "Because I know he hears me; and I love to pray to him." "But how do you know he hears you ?" Putting her little hand to her heart, she said, "I know he does, because there is something here that tells me so."

The Fireside.

HOW TO PROSPER.

In the first place, make up your mind to accomplish whatever you undertake; decide upon some particular employment; persevere in it. All difficulties are overcome by diligence and assiduity. Be not afraid to work with your own hands, and diligently too. "A cat in gloves catches no mice." "He who remains in the mill grinds," not he who "goes and comes." Attend to your business, and never trust it to another. "A pot that belongs to many is ill stirred and worse boiled. Be frugal. "That which will not make a pot will make a pot-lid. "Take care of the pence, and pounds will take care of themselves." Be abstemious. "Who dainties

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love shall beggars prove." Rise early. "The sleeping fox catches no poultry." "Plough deep while sluggards sleep, and you will have corn to sell and keep." Treat everyone with respect and civility. "Everything is gained, and nothing lost, by courtesy." Good manners insure success. Never anticipate wealth from any other course than labour; especially never place dependence upon becoming the possessor of an inheritance. "He who waits for dead men's shoes may go for a long time barefoot." "He who runs after a shadow has a wearisome race." Above all things, never despair. "God is where he was." "Heaven helps those who help themselves." Follow implicitly these precepts, and nothing can hinder you from prospering.

The Penny Post Box.

ON SLEEPING AND EARLY RISING.

THE regulation of sleep is one of the circumstances which contributes most to the preservation of health. Its suppression, even for a short time, is attended with serious inconveniences; and in no case can it be carried beyond certain limits. When the time of being awake has continued too long-that is for sixteen or eighteen

THE PENNY POST BOX.

hours a general feeling of fatigue and weakness ensues. Our motions become more difficult — our senses lose their activity—the mind becomes confused - receives sensations indistinctly—and governs muscular contractions with difficulty. In these signs we recognise the necessity of sleep, and we accordingly choose such a position as can be preserved with little effort. We seek obscurity and silence, and gradually sink into the arms of oblivion. We successively lose the use of our senses; the sight first ceases to act by closing the eyelids-the smell becomes dormant after the taste-the hearing after the smell-and the touch after the hearing. The muscles of the limbs, being relaxed, cease to act before those that support the head: and these before those of the spine. In proportion as these things proceed, breathing becomes slower and more deep. The circulation diminishes-the blood flows in greater quantities to the head-the animal heat sinks-the different secretions become less abundant-and the digestion becomes less rapid. In a word, the whole frame having been tired, and in some measure worn out, relaxes, goes to rest, and prepares for the more increased action of the following day.

Many inquiries have been made why nervous disorders are much more common among us than among our ancestors. Our hardy ancestors never complained of these disorders which we now lament. There were few or no nervous disorders till within these two or three hundred years. The answer is plain and decisive: Our forefathers rose at four; their degenerate progeny lie till eight. Other causes may, no doubt, frequently concur, but the chief is, we lie longer in bed. Instead of rising at four, most of us, who are not obliged to work for our bread, lie till seven, eight, or nine. We need inquire no further; this sufficiently accounts for the large increase of those painful disorders. One common effect of either sleeping too long, or lying too long in bed, is weakness of sight, particularly that weakness which is of the nervous kind. When I was young my sight was remarkably weak. Why is it stronger now than it was forty years ago? I impute this principally to the blessing of God, who fits us for whatever he calls us to do; but undoubtedly the outward mean, which he has been pleased to bless, was the early rising every morning.

Nothing can be more prejudicial to tender constitutions, studious and contemplative persons, than lying long in bed, lolling and soaking in sheets, after any one is distinctly awake, or has slept a due and reasonable time. On the other hand, a free and open air is a kind of cold bath, especially after rising out of a warm bed; and, consequently, the circulation becomes brisker and more complete; the nerves are braced up, as also the solids; while lying in bed soaks them in moisture. This is evident from the appetite and hunger of those who rise early, far beyond that which they get by lying long in bed.