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Sketches of Canadian Life.

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portions of the syrup being easily cooled to enable them to give an opinion. By and by, after a long time spent in boiling, and skimming, and clearing with egg shells, Gordon pronounced that the syrup had 'sugared,' and forthwith it was poured into shallow pots and pans, of every imaginable size, shape, and material, to cool. The sugar was made.

The tea-table, when at last they had seen enough of the out-door occupations, and were ushered into the warm, comfortable kitchen of the log-house, was a sight to behold! A substantial backwoods meal-something between tea and supper-was laid out upon it. Harry and Maud were far too well-bred to show any outward signs of amusement; but was there ever such a wellspread table before? Maud tried to count the dishes, but failed. At the end, opposite Gordon, was a huge pie, whilst smaller pieces of pastry, both sweet and savoury, and of every fanciful design, adorned the length of the board, which was loaded, besides, with hot Johnny cakes, jumbles, and various other delicacies, too numerous to mention.

What attracted the attention of the children most, was a ring of small saucers containing molasses, pickles, and preserves, surrounding the plate of each guest. Harry found no difficulty in doing ample justice to kind Mrs. Gordon's buckwheat cakes and cranberry jelly; but poor Maud was in despair at finding no small allowance of the meat pie-was it composed of squirrel or hare ?-mingling with ham, cheese, and apple-tart before her at the same moment, while her hospitable entertainer added to her dismay and the contents of her plate at once, by deluging the whole with a quantity of the new-made molasses, the manufacture of which they had just witnessed! She understood the etiquette of backwoods hospitality far too well, fortunately, to run the risk of wounding the feelings of their hosts by refusing any of the good things they had so abundantly provided; but it was no easy matter to satisfy the requirements of the

worthy couple in this respect, and she was glad when the task was done.

Mrs. Gordon presented each of them on their departure with a birch bark makok, or Indian basket, beautifully embroidered in bright colours, with porcupine quills, which she had taken care to fill with some of the best and whitest of the new-made sugar.

In spite of the hot noonday sun, the night had set in cold and chilly before they were ready to start, homeward bound; but they contrived to keep out the frosty air, as they packed in close together amongst the cosy buffalo robes at the bottom of the waggon. They peeped out, now and then, however, to look at the weird shadows thrown across their path by the leafless branches, and the moonbeams quivering on the rushing waters of the 'creek,' which they crossed and recrossed on their road. And amongst their happy thoughts of pleasant days which they had spent together, they treasured the memory of sugar-making at Maplehurst.

BEAUTY.

BEAUTIFUL faces, they that wear
The light of a pleasant spirit, there
It matters little if dark or fair.

Beautiful hands are they that do

The work of the noble, good, and true,
Busy for them the long day through.

Beautiful feet are they that go

Swiftly to lighten another's woe,

Through summer's heat or the winter's snow.

Beautiful children, if rich or poor,

Who walk the pathways sweet and pure,
That lead to the mansions strong and sure.

A Visit to Saardam.

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A VISIT TO SAARDAM.

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HEN in Holland last autumn, attending the meetings of the Evangelical Alliance at Amsterdam, I had an opportunity of visiting, along with some of its members, the village of Saardam, which is situated on the Zuyder Zee, a few miles from Amsterdam.

After a charming sail of an hour by steamer, we landed at the small pier of Saardam. It was a most lovely day, though very oppressive-not a breath of wind-so that the Zee was like a mill-pond. The villagers turned out in numbers to see the strangers, having probably heard of our coming. One gentleman had his pocket filled with tracts in the Dutch language, and you can form no idea of the eagerness of the people to obtain them: had he twenty times as many, they would have been thankfully received. In Holland there is a very scanty supply of religious tracts or books, for young people especially; how glad they would be to have such a book as the Children's Hour!

The village, with a population of some 9000 inhabitants, consists of one street, said to be five miles long, though for its truth I cannot vouch; we walked a long way, however, and saw no appearance of coming to the last house. They are the prettiest houses imaginable, mostly cottages, of every size and shape, and generally with the gable end to the street; they are built of wood, and gaily painted in green, red, blue, yellow, or white, back from the road, and have trees, shrubs, and flowers bright contrasting colour. They mostly fall growing around them, many standing in an orchard. every window there are beautiful plants, tended with

with some

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A Visit to Saardam.

the greatest care, such as geraniums, petunias, calceolarias, all of them in full bloom, which, with a pretty lace or muslin curtain, gives the village a bright and cheerful appearance.

One of the remarkable things for which Saardam is famous, is the large number of windmills it possesses, which are said to exceed 400 in number; and as windmills are everywhere the prominent feature in a Dutch landscape, a little account of their uses may prove in

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teresting. The rich and fertile country of Holland, with its teeming population and fine herds of cattle, was at one time a marshy flat, little elevated above the sea, and subject to inundations from the winter storms, and the flooding of the great rivers which flow through it to the German Ocean. By incredible labour, a system of dykes, or dams, was constructed, which confined the rivers within their banks, and shut out the sea; and these are the objects of constant care, as on their preservation the

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