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God. And I am sure you would all be very sorry were you ever again to hear that the cold winterly winds and rain, or the blazing, burning sun of persecution, had again injured, scorched, or even caused to droop such a lovely "opening flower." You know what you should do towards its being preserved, and multiplied, and strengthened so as to bloom for ever and ever.

There are two or three wonderful things in this account of Andriambelo, which I must leave you to find out for yourselves. But there is one thing not at all wonderful. It is no wonder that the people at Amparibe should sing well, and behave well, when so many people, young and old, make such preparation beforehand to have everything

well done...

Madagascar.

JAS. CAMERON.

CHINA:

HE next land that we came in sight of was that part

of the coast of Africa which lay in the region of Algiers. It presented the same peculiar aspect that characterised that part of the country about the entrance to the Mediterranean. It was hardly so mountainous, but gloomy and desolate; not even a brilliant sun could dissipate a settled gloom which seemed to hang over the land.

Even the waters at this point appeared to lose their brilliant colour as they rolled in dark and sullen waves towards us. A good deal of this may have been the effect of imagination/ but there is no doubt that the general appearance of the country, as seen from the steamer, leaves the impression of dreariness and desolation. During the afternoon of the day on which we sighted land, high mountains began to swell gradually in the distance, and by-and-by there was nothing visible but sky and sea.

LOOKING OUT FOR MALTA.

The next land that we expected to sight was the island of Malta; and, as the great majority of the passengers had never seen it, a good deal of enjoyment was expected from a short stay there. It was amusing to listen to the various conjectures that were made as to the time of day we should arrive. I may observe that the steamer would stop there only six hours, no matter what time of the day or nightwe might get in; consequently, we were all hoping to arrive some time in the morning, that we might have the best possible opportunity of seeing the sights. One or two gloomy individuals on board were predicting-nay, were absolutely certain-that we should get in about midnight, and be off again at daylight, and quoted the number of people they had known who had always arrived amid dark. ness, and showed how small was the proportion of those who had ever arrived during daytime. It is remarkable what specially retentive memories these people have, parSicularly in quoting facts which are to bear out their own gloomy assertions, and how every attempt to take a brighter

view of things meets at once with the fiercest opposition. The more sanguine amongst us hoped for the best, and eft time to decide the weather.

Some four days after leaving Gibraltar we were all roused up very early one morning by the loud screaming of a whistle, very much resembling that of a railway engine. For a moment or two I could hardly realize where I was. The almost absolute stillness of the steamer, and the old familiar sound by which I had been disturbed, made me fancy, for a moment, that I was back again in

old England. As I soon became "wide-awake," the narrow, shelf-like bed on which I was lying speedily recalled iny wandering thoughts, and told me I was out at sea.

THE SHIP'S BERTH.

One who has not been to sea can have very little conception of the exact nature of the beds, or "bunks," as they are called. In order to economize space as much as possible, they are made as narrow as is consistent with their being of any practical use, their chief feature being a rigid exclusion of anything except what the stern requirements of the case may demand. I need hardly remark that all men are not of the same size. This very simple fact seems" to have been overlooked by the inventor of these bunks, who appears to have chosen as his model a person like Zaccheus of old, "little of stature." Modern ship-builders have closely followed the original pattern, and the consequence is, it is with the utmost difficulty that one is saved from being rolled out upon the cabin floor; which difficulty is very much increased during a storm.

(To be continued.)

HIS city is by no means celebrated for its sweetness, G though the much-coveted scent called "Eau de Cologne" is manufactured there; they keep that, however, all corked up, and allow foul smells out of number to roam abroad in the streets, rising up from open drains and foul gutters, which abound throughout the place.

It

The place wants cleansing in many other ways. would be a blessing if the prevailing superstition could be swept out of it. It has a fine cathedral, and a noble river rushing by it; but Popish fables and services seen to be the delight of multitudes of the people, and the noble cathedral seems more like a temple filled with idols than a palace built for God. Images, paintings, and relics