river, she walked to the place where the wood was laid in readiness; there were about 500 Indians around it, and when they saw her they set up a most hideous noise. The dead body was laid upon the pile of wood, and she scattered flowers upon it, and, kissing the dead man, laid herself upon the wood beside him. The bodies of both were then bound together with strong hemp; two large bamboos were next placed over the wood, and with them the poor woman was held down by eight men; the pile was then set fire to by the nearest relation, then two persons threw on the burning wood, rosin, and oil, and the crowd rent the air with shouts of joy. Thus perished this poor deluded woman.

The Brahmins drown her cries with the noise of their instruments, as seen in the foreground of the picture. They deem this sacrifice very acceptable to their false gods,

The number of suttees in Bengal was nearly 600 each year. By the blessing of God on the labours of British Christians, there are now no suttees in all British India; though, alas, in other parts of India there are. It is not many years since more than 100 females were burnt to death with their husbands in Northern India.

Truly the "dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of cruelty!"

A FRIEND WHO WILL NEVER DIE. THERE was once a little girl, whose mother loved her very dearly, and gave her daily many proofs of it. One day her mother marked out a little piece of ground in the garden, and gave it to Fanny as a garden for herself. Fanny had a beautiful little rose-tree, planted in

the midst of this garden, which she loved very much. She used to come every morning, and pluck off all the dry and withered leaves, then she watered it, and tended it very carefully. But one morning, when she went to her garden, she found her favourite drooping; most of its leaves were withered and crumpled up, and the ground was covered with the fallen rose leaves. An east wind had blown upon it, or a worm had got to its roots, for it died.

Not long after, Fanny's father brought home with him a little lamb, which he gave to his little girl, to comfort her for the loss of her rose-tree. Fanny speedily forgot her rose-tree in her love for her little pet lamb. It soon grew quite tame, and followed her wherever she went. By day it did eat of her own meat, and drank of her own cup; and by night it did lie in her bosom.

She loved her lamb very dearly.

One day our young friend had been out for a walk. When she was returning, and just close by her home, she saw her little pet lying dead on the road. It was all bloody. Its white soft curls were all matted with blood and dust. Its tongue protruded, and its eye was fixed and glassy. A large dog was running away. Fanny's lamb was dead, and her heart was nigh breaking.

For a long time the little girl refused to be comforted. But by-and-by, her brother, who was much younger than herself, grew up, and the love that Fanny had for the rose and the pet lamb she transferred to her brother Charles. Their love for each other grew and strengthened daily, and she forgot her old favourites in her love for her brother.

A year or more passed away, and one day brother Charles was very ill, and could not leave his bed. For any days it was so. The little fellow suffered much

pain, and a heavy moan was heard from his room all night through. One day there was more bustle than usual-the moan had ceased-there was silence that grew more still, and, at last, all was hushed in the silence of death. Then came the little white box, and then came men with heavy feet, and then came black carriages to the door, and then little brother Charles was carried forth, and was laid in the grave, down, far down in the earth.

For many days it seemed that Fanny must die too. Her food did not nourish her. Nothing amused her. When she slept, she had dreams of that little chill and marble face, and the cold dark grave, which awoke her with a shudder. She went to her mamma one day, and said, "Mamma, how is it that all things that I love are sure to die? you know, my rose-tree died; my pet lamb died; and now brother Charles is dead too. Mamma, could you not tell me of some one I might love that does not die ? "

Mamma wept with joy. She took little Fanny upon her knee, and parting her fair hair, smoothing her brow, and wiping away the tears from her eyes, she said, "Yes, my own dear child, I can tell you of One whom you may love, and who never dies." And so she told her child there of Jesus Christ, who liveth, and was dead, and behold he is alive for evermore, and has the keys both of hell and of death.

Have you, my dear young reader, learnt the truth which this little girl was thus taught? Do you know this, that all things and all men you love must die? Look back over your past life, and count up how many things and how many persons you once had and loved, which you have not now, and therefore love not now, and ask yourself the question, "What do I love most dearly at this present time?”

If it be a person, death will soon take him away; if it be a thing, the moth will soon fasten its teeth upon it, the rust will soon eat it, or the worm will soon be at its root. And this is not only true of all that you have loved, and all that you now love-it is true also of all that you yet may love. The future is very uncertain. We do not know what may befall us to-morrow. But there are some things quite certain about the future; and one of these certain things is this-that whatever person or thing you set your heart on and love, mus; be parted from you, or you must be taken away from it. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.

Did you ever seek to know One whom you might love, and who would never be taken from you, nor die? If you have not, look at Him who puts the question, "Lovest thou me?" He never dies. He once died, and lived again; and now death has no more power over him. He is the fountain of life. He is always the same -yesterday, and to-day, and for ever.-[From a beautiful little volume by the Rev. Thomas Alexander, called "Plain Paths for Youthful Runners."]

THE BOYS AND GIRLS OF CHINA.

WE have just met with a copy of a very beautiful letter that one of our missionaries, in China, Mr. Mackenzie, latety sent home to the scholars of the Sabbath-school he belonged to when in Scotland. We have left out some parts of it which could not be of interest to any except his young friends at Gretna. What we have given we are re must be read with delight by every one. He says:—

"This time last year I was in the midst of you, enjoy. ing happy days in your pleasant Border-land, and delighting in the society of your friends and mine, friends who I hope are still near you. I am now at the other side of the world, in China, a country of which you have all heard, I dare say. But I have not forgotten Gretna, or Springfield, or The Rigg; and often my thoughts are in these places, and I like to remember and think of my friends, young and old, still there. And when I remember the happy Friday evenings we used to spend together, learning to sing beautiful hymns about God and his Son Jesus Christ, about the way of salvation, and about heaven, makes me very sad to look at the children in tais land, and to think of the difference between them and the children of our own dear country. I see a great number of little boys and girls here, and very smart and intelligent boys and girls they are. They have fun and games of all sorts just like children in Britain. Many of them, too, go to school, and learn to read. But is it not a pity that they learn nothing whatever about Jesus, the Saviour, and they learn nothing that can make them good and happy in this world and prepare them for being altogether blessed for ever in heaven? Just think of this, my dear young friends, that there are millions of boys and girls in China, who never heard of the love of God to sinners, and of the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Will you not try to pray for them, and to ask God to send many, many preachers to tell them of the Gospel, and to pour out his Spirit on them and on all the missionaries who come to them. Now if you would do this in earnest, you must first pray to God for yourselves, that he would give you hearts to believe in Christ and to love him, to turn from your sins and to fear him who alone ought to