Po-to'si, in Upper Peru; prop'er-ties, qualities; tar'nished, sullied; gen'er-al-ly, commonly; rar'i-ty, uncommonness,

scarceness.

Henry. Are there any silver mines in the British islands? Tutor. We have no silver mines properly so called; but silver is procured in some of our lead mines. There are pretty rich silver mines, however, in various parts of Europe; but the richest of all, are in Peru, in South America.

George. Are not the famous mines of Potosi there? T. They are; but shall I now tell you some of the properties of silver?

G. Oh! yes, by all means.

T. Well, then-it is the other perfect metal. And is as little liable to rust as gold, though indeed it is easily tarnished.

H. I believe silver-plate must generally be cleaned before it can be used.

T. Plate, however, is not made of pure silver, any more than silver coin and silver utensils of all kinds. An alloy is mixed with it, as with gold to harden it; and that makes it more liable to tarnish.

G. Bright silver, I think, is almost as beautiful as gold. T. It is the most beautiful of the white metals, and is capable of a very fine polish; and this, together with its rarity, makes it to be used for a great variety of ornamental purposes. It is, moreover, nearly as ductile and malleable as gold.

G

G. I have had silver-leaf, and it seemed as thin as goldleaf.

T. It is nearly so; and is used for silvering, just as goldleaf is for gilding. It is also common to cover metals with a

thin coating of silver, which is called plating.

H. I have seen a saucepan silvered over in the inside; what was that for?

T. To prevent the victuals from getting any taint from the metal of the saucepan; for silver is not capable of being corroded or dissolved by any of the liquids used for food, as iron and copper are.

H. And that is the reason, I suppose, why fruit knives are made of silver.

T. It is; but the softness of the metal makes them bear a very poor edge.

G. Does silver melt easily?

T. Silver and gold both melt with greater difficulty than lead; not, indeed, till they are above a common red heat. As to the weight of silver, it is nearly one-half less than that of gold, being only eleven times heavier than water.

Evenings at Home.

17.-The Hour of Prayer.

BLEST hour! when mortal man retires
To hold communion with his God,
To send to heaven his warm desires,
And listen to the sacred word.

Blest hour! when earthly cares resign

Their empire o'er his anxious breast,

While all around the calm divine

Proclaims the holy day of rest.

Blest hour! when God himself draws nigh,
Well pleased his people's voice to hear,
To list the penitential sigh,

And wipe away the mourner's tear.

Blest hour! for then where He resorts,
Foretastes of future bliss are given,
And mortals find His earthly courts

The House of God-the Gate of Heaven.

Hail, peaceful hour supremely blest,
Amid the hours of worldly care!

The hour that yields the spirit rest,
That sacred hour-the hour of prayer.

And when my hours of prayer are past,
Oh! may I leave these Sabbath days,
To find eternity at last

A never ending hour of praise.

Rev. T. Rafles.

18.-The Sabbath Bell.

THE Sabbath-Bell!-how sweetly breathes
O'er hill and dale that hallowed sound,
When Spring her first bright chaplet wreathes
The cotter's humble porch around;-
And glistening meads of vernal green,-
The blossomed bough,—the spiral corn,—

Smile o'er the brook that flows between,
As shadowing forth a fairer morn.

The Sabbath Bell!-'tis stillness all,

Save where the lamb's unconscious bleat,

Or the lone wood-dove's plaintive call,
Are mingling with its cadence sweet;
Save where the lark on soaring wing
At heaven's gate pours her matin-song:
Oh! thus shall feathered warbler sing,
Nor man the grateful strain prolong.

The Sabbath Bell!-how soothing flow
Those greetings to the peasant's breast!
Who knows not labour, ne'er can know
The blessed calm that sweetens rest!
The day-spring of his pilgrimage,

Who, freed awhile from earthly care,
Turns meekly to a heaven-taught page,
And reads his hope recorded there.

The Sabbath Bell!-yes, not in vain
That bidding on the gale is borne;
Glad respite from the echoing wain,

The sounding axe, the clamorous horn; Far other thoughts those notes inspire, Where youth forgets his frolic pace, And maid and matron, son and sire, Their church-way path together trace.

The Sabbath Bell! ere yet the peal In lessening murmurs melts away, 'Tis sweet with reverent step to steal

Where rests around each kindred clay! Where buried love, and severed friends, Parent and offspring, shrouded lie! The tear-drop falls,-the prayer ascends,The living muse, and learn to die!

The Sabbath Bell!-'tis silent now;
The holy fane the throng receives:
The pastor bends his aged brow,

And slowly turns the sacred leaves.
Oh! blest where blending ranks agree
To tread the paths their fathers trod,
To bend alike the willing knee,

One fold before one fostering God!

The Sabbath Bell!-Oh! does not time
In that still voice all-eloquent breathe!
How many have listened to that chime,
Who sleep those grassy mounds beneath!
How many of those who listen now
Shall wake its fate-recording knell,
Blessed if one brief hour bestow
A warning in the Sabbath Bell!

19.-Jewish Manner of Eating.

Pa'tri-archs, chiefs or heads of families

cap'tains, officers

J. Bird.

Pub'li-cans, tax-gatherers populus vis'ion, appearance

} arche

video

caput cen-tu'ri-on, officer who

en-ter-tain'ment, treat ab-stained', kept from de-scribed', spoken of sep'ar-ate, withdraw

teneo

commanded 100 men sac'ri-fi-ces, offerings

centum

scribo dis-trib'u-ted, dealt out
paro fin'ished, ended

sacer tribuo

finis

An'cient, old; in-vi'ted, asked; par-take', share; ob-jec'tions, scruples; Gen'tiles, heathens; e-pis'tles, letters; sol'emn, serious; hea'thens, persons ignorant of the true God; en-treat'ing, praying; re-store', bring back; modern, present; liq'uids, liquors.

In ancient times it was the custom, among the patriarchs and others, frequently to take their meals out of doors. This